Need | 5ive Songs

1. Jon Batiste, “I Need You”

💿 We Are • 🏷 Verve • 📅 2021

After 🎙 Jon Baptiste delivers a formidable opening trio on his 2021 album 💿 We Are, he keeps bringing the heat on 🎵 “I Need You.” “I Need You” easily ranks among the most fun songs to grace the album. It’s a blend of classic and novel with a heaping dose of infectious.

Baptiste captivates us not only with his prestigious musicianship but also ample personality.  Not everyone could pull this record off. Jon is not just anybody though – he’s special.  The chorus = incredible!

“We done a lot of living
We working overtime
Don’t need another million
You got that gold mine
I love the way you’re livin’ (Hey)
‘Cause you’re so genuine (Genuine)
You got that something special
Didn’t you know?
I just need you, you, you.”

2. Ariana Grande, “Needy”

💿 thank u, next • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2019

“And I can be needy, way too damn needy / I can be needy, tell me how good it feels to be needed.” 🎵 “Needy” appears as the second track on the 🎙 Ariana Grande masterpiece, 💿 thank u, next.  The record definitely keeps the under-appreciated album (*cough* by the 🏆 Grammys *cough*) on an upward trajectory.  The brief “Needy” is incredibly well-produced (🎛 Tommy Brown), characterized by inescapable lushness.  This lushness is created by the keyboard loop, pad, and rich, robust harmonized vocals.

“I can be needy, so hard to please me
I know it feels so good to be needed.”

As always, Ariana Grande sings incredibly well, truly making the melody sound gorgeous. Also, worth noting, 🎼✍ Victoria Monét serves as a co-writer 💪. #SLAY

3. Drake, “Wants and Needs”

Ft. Lil Baby

💿 Scary Hours 2 • 🏷 OVO • 📅 2021

On his single/EP 💿 Scary Hours 2, 🎙 Drake follows his electrifying opener, 🎵 “What’s Next?” with another banger, 🎵 “Wants and Needs.” Drake enlists the services of one of the hottest rappers of the 2020s, 🎙 Lil Baby. Expectedly, there’s definitely F-I-R-E. Even before Lil Baby blesses us with his distinct tone and intriguing flow on the second verse (“I’m not a GOAT, but I fit the description / I like to pour, so I get prescription”), Drizzy continues to impress, bringing more toughness to the table.

Drake isn’t as mellow as he’s been in the past, a welcome contrast.  He closes out his verse with the bullet, “Yeah, I should probably go link with Yeezy, I need some Jesus / But soon as I started confessin’ my sins, he wouldn’t believe us.” Woo! The production provides a nice lift courtesy of 🎛 Cardo, 🎛 Dez Wright, and 🎛 Noah “40” Shebib.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Dark Necessities”

💿 The Getaway • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2016

The funky 🎵 “Dark Necessities” is the crowning achievement of 💿 The Getaway, the 2016 studio album by 🎙 Red Hot Chili Peppers’. From an initial listen, the magic of the record is crystal clear, finding RHCP on autopilot. The funk is real, led by 🎙 Flea’s masterful bass playing.  Additionally, a sick groove anchors “Dark Necessities” down.  There are also sublime jazzy harmonies captured by the piano 🎹! Front man 🎙 Anthony Kiedis is at his best.

The geniuses point out references to Kiedis overcoming drug addiction.  This is logical, given the lyrical content – “Tell the world that I’m / Falling from the sky / Dark necessities are part of my design” – and the accompanying music video.

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 18 Light & Dark Songs, In Three Phases

🔗 🎧 17 Thrilling Songs Infused with Darkness

5. Lady A, “Need You Now”

💿 Need You Now • 🏷 Capitol Nashville • 📅 2010

“It’s a quarter after one, I’m a little drunk and I need you now / Said I wouldn’t call, but I lost all control, and I need you now,” 🏆 Grammy-winning country group 🎙 Lady A sings on the catchy, incredibly memorable chorus of 🎵 “Need You Now.” “Need You Now” was their biggest hit from the biggest album of their career, also titled 💿 Need You Now (2010).  The glorious chorus continues: “And I don’t know how I can do without / I just need you now.”

The well written record was easily among the best crossover cuts of the 2010 – yeah, it’s been more than a decade! It features superb production work (restrained piano and soft guitars) and straddles country and pop. 🎙 Hillary Scott serves up lovely vocals during the first verse. There’s awesome chemistry between her and 🎙 Charles Kelley.  Kelley, like Scott before him, shines on the second verse. 🎙 Dave Haywood also gets into the action with a grand guitar solo.  Definitely the ballad everyone needed in 2010 and could still enhance any playlist today!