Mine | 5ive Songs

On the 93^rd edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with the word MINE in some form or fashion.

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elcome to 5ive Songs, where we keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff! There’s a theme/topic, five songs, and a short blurb.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  On the 93^rd edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with the word MINE in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Foo Fighters, “No Son of Mine”

💿 Medicine at Midnight • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2021

“No son of mine, will ever do / The work of villains, the will of fools.” Right on, right on! In 2021, 🏆 Grammy-winning rock band 🎙 Foo Fighters returned with a brand-new, badass studio album, 💿 Medicine at Midnight.   The set’s second single, 🎵 “No Son of Mine” is quite energetic and rousing – among the best moments from the LP!

“No Son of Mine” has ample pros.  It starts with electrifying, jagged guitars, that roar from the jump.  Furthermore, the bass anchors things down, while the drums pummel hard AF.  Of course, the biggest pro is none other than the electrifying front man, 🎙 Dave Grohl who is turned-up as ever.  Everything about the record rocks hard, including the repetitive, infectious and in-your-face titular lyric.  Not only does “No son of mine” appear on the chorus (four times in most instances) it appears on every verse multiple times.  No, the Foos aren’t serving up a poetic lyrical masterpiece, but they have clear intent, per the front man’s quote from Rolling Stone: “Lyrically it’s meant to poke at the hypocrisy of self-righteous leaders, people that are guilty of committing the crimes they’re supposedly against…” “No Son of Mine” is a big and obnoxious record, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: January 2021

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2. Beyoncé, “Mine”

Ft. Drake

💿 Beyoncé • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2013

“Been having conversations about breakups and separations / I’m not feeling like myself since the baby…” Uh-oh! “Are we gonna even make it? Oh.” On 🎵 “Mine” from her 2013 visual album, 💿 Beyoncé, 🎙 Beyoncé gets an assist from 🎙 Drake.  Woo! That’s a big-time collab! “Mine” represents a more modern, alternative brand of R&B, separating itself from other records on the album.  “Mine” has no shortage of redeeming qualities.

One positive regarding this ‘possessive’ cut is that Beyoncé cools it on the physical.  With plenty of sexy, titillating moments (🎵 “Partition” and 🎵 “Rocket” come to mind), “Mine” isn’t nearly as in-your-face.  Love is the focal point, of course:

“Alone in my place, my heart is away
All that I can think of is, we should get married…”

Bey seems to be worried about other girls, but Drake builds her confidence:

“I been about you and I’m still about you...
I told you, you don’t need to worry about them bitches
All them fives need to listen when the ten is talking.”

What more can be said but 🎵 “HYFR” (“Hell Ya Fuckin’ Right”)?

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3. The Killers, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine”

💿 Hot Fuss • 🏷 Island • 📅 2004

🎵 “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” hails from 🎙 The Killers’ fabulous 2004 debut album, 💿 Hot Fuss.  Hot Fuss ranks among the best alternative albums of the 00s.  Perhaps 🎵 “Mr. Brightside” and 🎵 “Somebody Told Me” gets the most love, but “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” is awesome too! Also, the backstory – something else!

A name you need to know: Robert Chambers.  Who? Well, Mr. Chambers was a deplorable individual – a murderer.  His crime may not be a prolific as some of the horrific individuals that have graced the true crime lists on The Musical Hype but Chambers did kill an 18-year old girl named Jennifer Levin.  The Killers’ song, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine,” is about the aftermath of the murder. On the chorus, front man 🎙 Brandon Flowers, posed as the killer, sings:

“Tell me what you wanna know
Oh, come on, oh, come on, oh, come on
There ain’t no motive for this crime
Jenny was a friend of mine...”

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4. Robin Thicke, “Forever Mine”

💿 On Earth, and in Heaven • 🏷 Lucky Music / EMPIRE • 📅 2021

“Forever mine / Before each other / Dance like no other / Once in a lifetime, ooh / Can’t let a love like this pass you by.” 🎵 “Forever Mine” plays to the strength of 🎙 Robin Thicke; it embraces an old-school R&B sound.  Released in 2020 as a single, “Forever Mine” ultimately appears on Thicke’s quietly released 2021 album, 💿 On Earth, and in Heaven.

The lush, laidback backdrop, produced alongside 🎛 Pro Jay, feels right.  The instrumental palette includes warm guitar, jazzy keyboard lines, robust bass, strings, and horns. Chill, floating, and refined vocals by Thicke drive “Forever Mine.” His falsetto is incredibly potent.  Throughout this love-oriented joint, his approach exemplifies utmost finesse. He never underwhelms, nor does he get too high, as he expresses dedication.  Lyrically, he doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but successfully conveys his point.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 15 Songs Whose Focus is on Forever

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5. Arcade Fire, “Baby Mine”

💿 Dumbo (Soundtrack) • 🏷 Walt Disney • 🗓 2019

“Baby mine, don’t you cry / Baby mine, dry your eyes / Rest your head close to my heart / Never to part, baby of mine.” 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian alt-rock band 🎙 Arcade Fire delivers a terrific reinterpretation of 🎵 “Baby Mine”, the end title from Disney’s 2019 live action version of 🎦 Dumbo.  This performance thrives off awesome vocals from 🎙 Régine Chassagne and 🎙 Win Butler, as well as superb production work.

“Baby Mine” totally works – totally.  Following a lovely, lush intro (choral vocals, some rocking guitar, a brief drum groove), Chassagne delivers haunting, warm vocals on the first verse, excerpted above.  She maintains the lullaby sensibility of the record, while still bringing some of the left-of-center charm that makes Arcade Fire cool. Some of that ‘charm’ includes “old guitars, harp, Theremin, and triangle” apparently. Her hubby, Win Butler, arrives for the second verse, and the remainder of the song, accompanied by a smooth, alternative/retro-rock-tinged backdrop. Even incorporating the indie-rock vibes into the mix, “Baby Mine” stays idiomatic of a theatrical, authentic Disney soundtrack. Perhaps it’s the strings?

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 11 Awesome Songs that Tickled My Fancy in March 2019
🔗 🎧 10 More Intriguing Songs About the Baby
🔗 🎧 15 Songs That Illustrate the Role of Family

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Mine: 5ive Songs No. 93 (2021) [📷: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Clovis Cheminot, EMPIRE, Lucky Music, The Musical Hype, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pixabay, RCA, Walt Disney]

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