Love Again… | 5ive Songs

1. Brandy & Daniel Caesar, “Love Again”

b7 • Entertainment One • 2020

“Love Again,” a collaboration by Brandy and Daniel Caesar, appeared on both Caesar’s 2019 album, CASE STUDY 01 and Brandy’s 2020 album, b7. It’s a terrific duet that just happened to be nominated for a Grammy. In the context of the single, the relationship has ended, yet both parties seem to be willing to find reconciliation.  Both offer their perspective on where things fell short, offering up a seemingly simple solution: “If you can take my hand / I promise we’ll find love again.” 

2.Dua Lipa, “Love Again”

Future Nostalgia • Warner • 2020

Just when you think “Love Again” is going to be the first ballad on the superb Dua Lipa album  Future Nostalgia, following a slower intro, both groove and tempo kick in.  KOZ produces the longest record of the album, which clocks in at over four minutes in duration.  Even so, “Love Again” continues a consistent, entertaining run by the Grammy winner, showcasing terrific vocals, catchy songwriting, and decadent ear candy – those disco strings are epic! A sample (“Your Woman” by White Town) goes quite a long way on this love-centric gem.

“I never knew I had it in me to dance anymore
But goddamn, you got me in love again.”

3. Eminem, “Never Love Again”

Music to Be Murdered By • Shady/Aftermath/Interscope • 2020

Eminem rediscovered some of his mojo on his surprise 2020 studio album, Music to Be Murdered By.  It wasn’t perfect mind you, but definitely an improvement. On “Never Love Again,” the listener is treated to some old-school production, produced by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Dem Jointz, Trevor Lawrence, Jr., and Dewaun Parker.  In addition to its classic sound in the context of the album, the rapper serves up rhymes referencing drug use – charming!

“I can only take so much of you at one time
Because too much of you’s just too much to swallow sometimes
Gotta take you in doses, but when you’re not at my side
I shake in convulsions, separation anxiety ‘cause we may be the closest.”

If it’s that sort of love that Eminem is referencing, then he certainly should NEVER LOVE AGAIN!

4. Run The Jewels, “Love Again (Akinyele Back)”

Ft. Gangsta Boo

Run The Jewels 2 • Mass Appeal • 2014

“I put that dick in her mouth all day / …She play with that (dick in her mouth all day) … / I think I’m in love again.” With “Love Again (Akinyele Back),” Run the Jewels create a record that is for ADULTS ONLY. ‘Adult entertainment’ and ‘X-rated’ might as well be the middle names of this explicit joint from Run The Jewels 2! The hook leaves NOTHING to the imagination, much like anything considered erotic. Interestingly, Gangsta Boo plays a hyper-sexual, hella pornographic role on her guest verse.

“I had a young player from the hood
Lick my pussy real good
Kept me stuck with lots of wood
Kept my bank account on swoll
Sniffed my pussy like a rose, smokin’ on dro
Made a porn tape, that n***a is a pro, you ain’t know?
He had a lot of bad bitches in his past
But I was the one who turned that boy into a motherfuckin’ man
His tongue is bomb...”

5. John Newman, “Love Me Again”

Tribute • Universal Island • 2013

“I need to know now, know now / Can you love me again?” Released in the UK in 2013, Tribute, the debut album by soulful British pop artist John Newman, arrived stateside in 2014.  The enjoyable LP definitely had one record that shined above the rest: “Love Me Again.” A number one hit in Britain, it’s easy to see why this pop soul cut was incredibly popular.  In some ways, “Love Me Again” parallels the work of Bruno Mars, an artist straddling pop and soul, pleasing a wide fan base. “Love Me Again” represents both retro- and modern-soul at its best.  Vocally, Newman sings like nothing short of a champ.  The vintage horns and soaring strings certainly serve as inspiration for Newman’s gritty, emotional pipes.