You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs

Reading Time: 15 min read

🎧 You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs features songs courtesy of Adele, Doja Cat, GIVĒON, Madonna & Walker Hayes.

uestion: “How do you like me now!” Well, it’s more of an assertion, but whatever! Cutting straight to the chase, it’s been a couple of years since we, The Musical Hype, did a LIKE list. Specifically, 🎧 21 Songs with ‘Like’ in Their Title was published in May 2018. As of publication time, we’re headed towards 2022! WOWWW! So, with a deficiency on hand, we present the sequel compendium, the enthused 🎧 You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs!

🎧 You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs features musical contributions courtesy of Adele, Doja Cat, GIVĒON, Madonna, and Walker Hayes among others. As always, we have an eclectic mix on hand: pop, R&B, rock, K-Pop, alternative, and country. Woo! So, without further ado, grab a snack and some headphones and check out these incredible LIKE songs. You won’t regret it!

1. Walker Hayes, “Fancy Like”

Ft. Kesha

💿 Country Stuff the Album • 🏷 Monument / Sony • 📅 2022

“Yeah, we fancy like Applebee’s on a date night / Got some bourbon Street stake with the Oreo shake.” Sometimes, success arrives when you’re middle-aged. That’s the case with country musician 🎙 Walker Hayes, who’s achieved his most success in his 40s! Age truly ain’t nothin’ but a number as Hayes looks dashing and more importantly, has made a name for himself. So, what is the song that has changed his fortunes, you ask? Why, that would be the ‘Applebee’s song’ aka 🎵 “Fancy Like”. “Fancy Like” is a prime example of a song I should probably loathe but is so dang catchy you simply can’t resist it.

“My girl is bangin’, she’s so low maintenance

Don’t need no champagne-poppin’ entertainment

Take her to Wendy’s, can’t keep her off me

She wanna dip me like them fries in her Frosty.”

While the original “Fancy Like” is a ‘treat’ itself, Hayes enlisted a pop star, well, just because it felt right, I guess. 🎙 Kesha comes along to make this silly country-pop record even sillier. Basically, sometimes, Hayes wants to treat his baby to something fancier, despite the fact his wife is low maintenance. Basically, that’s the premise. Nothing much else to say about this top-five hit.

“Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam

Squeaky-squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home

With some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight (Hey)

That’s how we do, how we do, fancy like.”

2. Madonna, “Like a Prayer”

**💿 Like a Prayer • 🏷 Sire • 📅 1989**

“Life is a mystery / Everyone must stand alone / I hear you call my name / And it feels like home.” 🎙 Madonna is an icon, period. 🎵 “Like a Prayer” appears on her 1989 album, 💿 Like a Prayer. Rather than being a dance-pop record, “Like a Prayer” is more gospel-pop/pop-soul. The gospel part is undeniable, with incredible backing vocals by the legendary 🎙 The Andraé Crouch Singers, who participated on many secular recordings adding some extra oomph. With a title like “Like a Prayer,” spirituality is an inescapable theme. The problem is, it’s not particularly Christian!

“When you call my name
It’s like a little prayer
I’m down on my knees
I want to take you there
In the midnight hour
I can feel your power
Just like a prayer
You know I’ll take you there.”

Hmm, doesn’t sound like “a little talk with Jesus,” that’s for sure! She makes spiritual references mind you, but sex is on her mind. “Like a child / You whisper softly to me,” she sings on the second verse, adding, “You’re in control.” God or this god – “That is the question!” Clearly, we get no ‘spiritual’ answers or advice from Madge, but the innuendo is lit. The bridge and the outro mark my favorite sections, highlighting the gospel-tinged nature of the record. Not shying away from controversy, the music video 🎶📼 has ample blasphemy including burning crosses, a kiss between Madge and a black saint, and arguably, when Madge ‘catches the spirit.’ Ultimately, controversy aside, 🎵 “Like a Prayer” is an utterly sublime classic!

Also appears on 🔽:

Madonna, Like a Prayer: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 17

3. GIVĒON, “Like I Want You”

**💿 When It’s All Said and Done… Take Time • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2021**

“See you face to face, I’m thinking ‘bout the days we used to be / But I can’t make a scene, but I can’t make it seem / Like I want you.” 🏆 Grammy nominated R&B artist 🎙 GIVĒON (Giveon Evans) shines on his soulful slow jam, 🎵 “Like I Want You.” Matters of the heart drive this sleek-sounding joint, produced by a team comprised of 🎛 Jahaan Sweet, 🎛 Sevn Thomas, 🎛 River Tiber, and 🎛 Los Hendrix.

The compound-duple slow jam is a classic example of desiring your ex. He wants to be cool about this thing but in all honesty, he’s absolutely smitten. A prime example? That ripe, expressive, and longing falsetto on the chorus. Of course, more explicit examples include “A table set for two / You got me waitin’ but you ain’t comin’ through” from the second verse. Admittedly, GIVĒON has his doubts about the success of reconciliation, but he wants it, per the bridge.

“There’s no reason to believe I’ll save us now
But if you really love me, say it now
Why is it so hard to figure out?
I need you every day, believe me when I say it.”

Also appears on 🔽:

13 Gripping Wants and or Needs Songs (2021)

4. Adele, “Woman Like Me”

💿 30 • 🏷 Melted Stone / Columbia • 📅 2021

🎙 Adele keeps things low-key on 🎵 “Woman Like Me,” a highlight from her fourth studio album, 💿 30. “Woman Like Me” reminds us that she doesn’t have to belt to impress. While’s she low-key, calm, cool, and collected, the lyrics suggest she’s angry. What’s the catalyst for her anger? The end of the relationship – DIVORCE.

“Complacency is the worst trait to have, are you crazy?” Adele sings on the chorus, continuing, “You ain’t never had, ain’t never had a woman like me.” She goes on to assert, consistency is a requirement “To ever keep a woman like me.” The verses find Adkins providing details about why things ended – why her and her ex-husband drifted apart from her perspective. Adele’s heartbreak and pain are our listening pleasure.

5. Asbjörn, “(Love Like a) Teenager”

🎵 “(Love Like a) Teenager” • 🏷 Embassy of Music • 🗓 2021

Perhaps Danish pop musician 🎙 Asbjørn (Asbjørn Toftdahl Terkelsen) is more popular in Denmark and Europe in general. That said, more folks here in the United States need to check out this incredibly talented artist. Terkelsen delivers a surefire bop on 🎵 “(Love Like a) Teenager”. Vocally, he sings incredibly smooth and beautifully. He never forces things, singing with incredible ease and an exquisite tone. When his vocals are harmonized, man does it make the ears perk up! Besides his own suave vocal performance, the vocal production is sweet too. You know what else is sweet? The production, a collaboration between him, 🎛 Tom Stafford, and 🎛 Rob Rox.

Terkelsen has a sleek, backdrop to paint those sweet, tuneful melodies atop, with some inspiration from the 90s. That backdrop includes keys, synths, and drum programming. One rad musical feature, for the music theory nerds out there – there’s a modulation! A rarity in popular music these days, but more folks need to bring it back. Finally, you can’t mention “(Love Like a) Teenager” without highlighting the songwriting. Asbjørn delivers the goods bringing lyrics that are infectious and personal.

Also appears on 🔽:

Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: June 2021

6. T-Pain & Kehlani, “I Like Dat”

🎵 “I Like Dat” • 🏷 Nappy Boy Entertainment / EMPIRE • 🗓 2021

In 2021, 🏆 Grammy winning R&B singer 🎙 T-Pain dropped a new single alongside 🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B artist 🎙 Kehlani, 🎵 “I Like Dat”. Dipping into his falsetto, T-Pain exhibits even more aughts nostalgia. He samples himself, specifically, one of the biggest hits of his career, 🎵 “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” (💿 Epiphany, 2007). This familiarity takes the listener back to his glory days when he was incredibly lucrative on the pop charts.

“I Like Dat” doesn’t sound like a copycat but more like a continuation we haven’t heard in some time. As always, he sounds great with autotune, even if, again, the man sings fabulously without autotune. Kehlani, sounds awesome too, eschewing autotune, singing naturally. When singing together, they sound harmonious. The main theme of “I Like Dat” is respecting and paying tribute to an independent woman who doesn’t need a man. Works perfectly, particularly on the infectious chorus.

“Ooh, ooh-ooh, she don’t want the drink, she want the rent paid
Ooh, ooh-ooh, she don’t pay for nothin’, she just get paid
Ah, ah, ah-ha, I like that
She don’t even need me to try…”

7. BLACKPINK, “How You Like That”

**💿 The Album • 🏷 YG Entertainment / Interscope • 📅 2020**

🎵 “How You Like That” opens 💿 The Album, the debut album by all-girl K-Pop collective, 🎙 BLACKPINK, with a surefire bop. It commences with an aggressive, dramatic sounding intro, which sets the tone superbly. Beyond the initial ear candy, the production on “How You Like That” is nothing short of superb. Slick, ear-catching, and near-perfect, K-Pop backdrops are always on-point.

Beyond the marvelous sounds, BLACKPINK, deliver powerful vocals that cut through and pop out of the production. Honestly, I live for the energy and sass these girls bring to the table. Even with the Korean lyrics, the energy and the vibe help to bridge the language barrier. Like a movie with subtitles, listening to “How You Like That,” you don’t feel as if the difference in language is a big deal. If nothing else, the chorus and post-chorus sections are EVERYTHING. Furthermore, the bridge section brings excellent contrast, which segues into an outro – a breakdown section – for the ages!

Also appears on 🔽:

How: 3BOPS No. 2 (2020)

8. Alt-J, “Hit Me Like That Snare”

💿 Relaxer • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2017

🎙 Alt-J – a Mac command for a triangle (∆) as well as a critically acclaimed, British indie-rock band. In 2017, the band released its third studio album, 💿 Relaxer, an intriguing album, but not without flaws. The collective showcase their sexual side, on the kinky 🎵 “Hit Me Like That Snare”.

“Hit Me Like That Snare” is risqué, but the give Alt-J credit for the concept. Chocked-full of energy and swagger, sex ‘dominates’ – no pun intended! On the first verse, 🎙 Joe Newman sings, “I’m fucking loose, you’re gorgeous, I don’t care / Come closer, baby, slap me like that snare.” HOLY SH*T! Ultimately, the record is over the top. Even the suggestive moments are nasty to say the least. At the end, Newman continues to flex unapologetic lustfulness, asserting, “We are dangerous teenagers / Fuck you, I’ll do what I want to do.” Yeah, that snare drum is, um, something else, and quite oversexed!

Also appears on 🔽:

9. Doja Cat, “Been Like This”

💿 Planet Her • 🏷 Kemosabe / RCA • 📅 2021

“Who is frontin’, babe? / We don’t have fun these days / It’s more thana complicated.” Uh-oh – sounds like trouble in paradise, 🎙 Doja Cat! 🎵 “Been Like This” features the gift of pitch shift on the intro vocals performed by 🎙 Bryson Tiller. This intro sets the tone and provides contrast to Doja.

“Since you’ve been like this
Baby, I don’t really wanna be in like this
Ever since you’ve been like this
Baby, I don’t really wanna be in like this.”

Tiller’s intro eventually reappears as the chorus, performed by Doja, of course. When the 🏆 Grammy-nominated pop artist enters the mix, she brings ample firepower. The balance between singing and rapping continues to be one of the selling points of 💿 Planet Her as a whole. One specific selling point on “Been Like This” is the sweet upper register Dlamini exhibits toward the end.

10. JP Saxe, “Like That”

💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection • 🏷 Arista • 🗓 2021

Canadian pop artist 🎙 JP Saxe shines on 🎵 “Like That”, a promo single from his 2021 debut album, 💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection. On “Like That,” Saxe once again enlists the pen of 🎼✍ Julia Michaels for the assist. Furthermore, he enlists the production skills of 🎛 Ryan Marrone with positive results.

“Like That” commences with a lovely backdrop incorporating rhythmic guitar and keyboards. It’s a fine canvas for Saxe to sing over. He sings beautifully and expressively. Given the professional songwriting, it comes as no surprise that the lyrics are truly special. Thematically, JP focuses on everyone’s very topic: Love. Ultimately, he’s found a love that he’s never experienced before, through thick and thin, best exemplified on the epic chorus:

“No one’s ever loved me like that
3 A.M. in a hospital bed, runnin’ high on my meds sayin’
‘No one’s ever loved me like that’
Tell me, ‘No, you don’t have to be strong, you’re allowed to be wrong’
No one’s ever loved me like that
Mama crying ‘cause your love is the kind
She always wished I would find
No one’s ever loved me like that
No one’s ever loved me like that.”

Oh, THE FEELS! As “Like That” progresses, it picks up more steam, growing more dynamic and more emotional. I heart the robustness of the sound and of course, THE FEELS!

11. Adina Howard, “Freak Like Me”

**💿 Do You Wanna Ride? • 🏷 Elektra • 📅 1995**

“I don’t care what they say / I’m not about to pay nobody’s way / ‘Cause it’s all about the dog in me.” Sometimes, it only takes one song to cement your place in music history. That’s the case with 🎙 Adina Howard, who brought the ‘freak’ to contemporary R&B in the mid 1990s. 🎵 “Freak Like Me” wasn’t merely a R&B hit – it landed at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Freak Like Me” appears as the second track on her 1995 debut album, 💿 Do You Wanna Ride?. Worth noting, “Freak Like Me” follows 🎵 “You Got Me Humpin’” in the track list – what a way to start an album!

“Freak Like Me” is a certified bop for numerous reasons. The groove is infectious AF with the sound embracing those West Coast vibes – G Funk. Notably, the record samples four songs: 🎙 Bootsy’s Rubber Band (🎵 “I’d Rather Be with You”), 🎙 Kool & The Gang (🎵 “Summer Madness”), 🎙 Sly & The Family Stone (🎵 “Sing a Simple Song”) and 🎙 Mary Jane Girls (🎵 “All Night Long”). Great fuel for the fire to say the least. The best fuel, of course, is Howard herself, serving up plenty of personality and amplifying S-E-X. Quite risqué at the time, Howard doesn’t cross the lines many artists do today, but she certainly serves as a proponent for women to express themselves sexually. The best moment? The catchy chorus, of course!

“‘Cause I will be a freak until the day until the dawn
And we can boom-boom all through the night ‘til early morn
Come on and I will take you around the hood on a gangsta lean
‘Cause we can boom-boom
Any time of the day, it’s good for me.”

Also appears on 🔽:

12. John Mayer, “I Guess I Just Feel Like”

💿 Sob Rock • 🏷 Columbia • 🗓 2021

🎙 John Mayer is honest and transparent on 🎵 “I Guess I Just Feel Like”. Like much of his 2021 album, 💿 Sob Rock, I love how clean, uncluttered, and crisp the sound is. This is a relatively simple, yet beautifully penned and performed record, period. Mayer uses space, poise, and simplicity to his advantage. It’s chill and laid-back yet also energetic. Literally, it doesn’t seem like Mayer broke a sweat while recording his vocals.

Maybe, just maybe, Mayer perspired a bit with the bluesy guitar solo he serves up, but even it never grows too raucous. The production is perfectly suited for Mayer, with its consistent driving rhythm, as well as a sense of lushness for most of the record. Lyrically, it’s framed around the titular line and specifically, how Mayer feels. Ultimately, “I Guess I Just Feel Like” ranks among the best of Sob Rock.

13. Ariana Grande, “Just like magic”

💿 Positions (Deluxe) • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2021

“Say it’s tricky at the top, gotta keep a slim ego for a thick wallet / Losing friends left and right, but I just send ‘em love and light.” BOOM! 🎵 “Just like magic” marks an enjoyable moment from 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Ariana Grande on her 2020 album, 💿 Positions. Worth noting, the deluxe version was released in 2021.

As always, the vocals are top rate from Ariana Grande – angelic! Grande sings with ease, yet simultaneously packs a mean punch. “Just like magic, just like magic,” she sings on the chorus, “Middle finger to my thumb and then I snap it.” Even as she exudes attitude, as well as her potty-mouthed ways (“Looking at my phone, but I’m tryna disconnect it (Oh yeah) / Read a fuckin’ book, I be tryna stay connected”), she simultaneously manages to keep a halo on head – at least to some extent.

14. The Crystals, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)”

💿 Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals • 🏷 Phil Spector • 🗓 2011

🎵 “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is a problematic song title – no way around it. Perhaps had 🎙 The Crystals’ 1962 classic ended up being metaphorical lyrically (say, the kiss had gargantuan impact like a knockout punch), we’d let the song title slide. The problem is, “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is literal, hence, understandable why it raised eyebrows and caused an uproar upon release. Oh, the controversy when abuse conflated with love comes into play! Amazingly, this record came from two of music’s most elite songwriters, once husband/wife team 🎼✍ Carole King and 🎼✍ Gerry Goffin.

“He hit me and it felt like a kiss / He hit me but it didn’t hurt me.” Well, he should’ve never put his hands on you, 🎙 Barbara Alston! Sadly, Alston and The Crystals add, “He couldn’t stand to hear me say / That I’d been with someone new / And when I told him I had been untrue…” Well, we know that he hit her. While the infidelity is a bad look, the hitting part remains problematic. Furthermore, the victims (The Crystals) think it’s okay, blaming themselves for being hit – “He hit me and I knew he loved me.” I’m sorry, but that’s some total BS! As troubling as “He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)” is to listen to, it’s based on a real-life experience. As the story goes, King/Goffin’s babysitter, singer 🎙 Little Eva, was honest to them about being hit by her boyfriend and rationalizing it as his love for her. Yikes!

Also appears on 🔽:
The Crystals, He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss): Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 35

15. Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

**💿 Nevermind • 🏷 Geffen • 🗓 1991**

“Hello, hello, hello, how low.” The most famous ‘teen’ song and one of the most iconic, arrives courtesy of 🎙 Kurt Cobain and Seattle grunge band, 🎙 Nirvana. 🎵 “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is undoubtedly the band’s crowning achievement, and still resonates to this day. Of course, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” appears on 💿 Nevermind, which has received some attention in 2021 due to a lawsuit by the baby, now a grown man, who graces the album artwork. Regardless, let’s focus on this ‘teen spirit’ instead!

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is an example of a transcendent, timeless record – something that’s often strived for but rarely attained. Besides the assertive, gritty vocals by Cobain, it’s the clever lyrics that take it to the next level. The best part is the chorus, period:

“With the lights out, it’s less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an Albino
A mosquito, my libido, yeah.”

Also appears on 🔽:

🎧 You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs [📷: Arista, Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Columbia, Elektra, Embassy of Music, EMPIRE, Epic, Geffen, Interscope, Johanna Hvidtved, Kemosabe, Melted Stone, Monument, The Musical Hype, Nappy Boy Entertainment, Nicholas Swatz via Pexels, Phil Spector, RCA, Republic, Sire, Sony, YG Entertainment]

You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on December 15, 2021December 15, 2021