Obsessed | 3 to 5 BOPS

Obsessed: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 28 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Calvin Harris, Eric Bellinger, Frankie J, Jxckson, and Mariah Carey.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less.  3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 28^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with OBSESSED in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Calvin Harris, 🎙 Eric Bellinger, 🎙 Frankie J, 🎙 Jxckson, and 🎙 Mariah Carey. Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”

💿 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel • 🏷 Mariah Carey / The Island Def Jam Music Group • 📅 2009

🎙 Mariah Carey has a legitimate question: “Why you so obsessed with me? Boy, I wanna know.” WOO! Throughout the course of 🎵 “Obsessed”, a no. 7 pop hit from her 2009 album, 💿 Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, she lays out the case for his obsessiveness.  It begins in the first verse, where Carey states he asserts, “All up in the blogs saying we met at the bar / When I don’t even know who you are.” Oh, snap 🫰! She goes on to blame pills for his obsession. Of course, the source of Carey’s diss on this brilliant 🎛 Christopher Tricky Stewart / Terius “The-Dream Nash-produced  track is NOT anonymous. It would seem shots are being fired at 🎙 Eminem, who Carey has feuded with for years.

Both Eminem and Mariah Carey have fired shots at one another to be fair. Carey just happened to turn “Obsessed” into a multiplatinum single.  Those shots are endless, with Carey boldly proclaiming, “You a mom and pop, I’m a corporation / I’m the press conference, you a conversation.” Da-yum! Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, with magnificent lines like, “Lying that you’re sexing me when everybody knows / It’s clear that you’re upset with me,” as well as “Got you all fired up with your Napoleon complex.” Gah-day-um! Besides the entertaining low blows, the backdrop with its hip-hop driven beat and synth brass is ear-catching to the nth degree.  You might say, it’s quite the OBSSESION!

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Appears in 🔻:

• Mariah Carey, “Obsessed”: FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 17 (2023)

2. Eric Bellinger, “Obsession”

💿 1(800)HIT-EAZY: Line 2 • 🏷 All Wins Ent. / EMPIRE • 📅 2023

“Babe / Let me take my time, kissin’ on your spine, ooh-woah.” Ooh-woah indeed, 🎙 Eric Bellinger 😈.  The R&B singer/songwriter makes it clear to her “I don’t want you to think I’m crazy for lovin’ you,” BUT he is clearly obsessed with her on this slow jam.  Originally released as a single in 2022, 🎵 “Obsession” appears as the seventh track on Bellinger’s 2023 album, 💿 1(800)HIT-EAZY: Line 2. This one simultaneously gives dedication and that Midnight Heat 🕛 🔥!

Over the lush, relaxed production of 🎛 Hitmaka and Rock Boy Beats, Eric Bellinger pays ode to her, in all her sheer excellence. “You my left and right, you my all above,” he sings in the first verse, adding, “Nothin’ compares to you / Know that you’ve been all that needed.” Woo! Of course, he admits, “I can’t let you go,” in the chorus, because it is an – wait for it – OBSESSION.  Honestly, does anymore really need to be said about 🎵 “Obsession”? Nah. This is a straightforward, love (and sex) oriented joint.

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Appears in 🔻:

• Eric Bellinger, “Obsession”: Midnight Heat 🕛 🔥 27 (2023)

3. Jxckson & Eddie the Kidd, “Favorite Obsession”

🎵 “Favorite Obsession” • 🏷 Jxckson Music • 🗓 2022

Are you in need of a musical obsession? Well, well, look no further than Austin-based pop artist 🎙 Jxckson, who has a serious knack for bops! On 🎵 “Favorite Obsession”, Jxckson collaborates with fellow Texan, 🎙 Eddie the Kidd.  The union is a marvelous, ear-catching one, made even better by slick production courtesy of UK producer, 🎛 Sevenths. The wall of sound at the onset of the enigmatic intro is marvelous (“Maybe it’s not marrying / Maybe it’s love / Well, whatever it is, pray that it never hits you / I’ve got a feeling love don’t have to be the way you say it is”), prefacing a fun if dark listening experience.  Sevenths does his thing with a hard-hitting, danceable beat and picturesque synths.  The palette is perfect for Jxckson and Eddie the Kidd to paint their magnificent voices upon. Jxckson performs in a delightful, playful style, while Eddie puts in work as well, making our ears totally perk up. The centerpiece is the tuneful chorus which is further amplified by the synth-heavy production.

“Tell me what is it you want

What are you here for

Cause if love is pain

Does that make me your disaster

Every thought of you

Forces me into submission

Out of everyone

You’re my favorite obsession.”

As for the bridge, it’s pretty sweet too! These boys tear it up on  🎵 “Favorite Obsession”, PERIOD!

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Appears in 🔻:

• Awesome Songs: October 2022

4. Calvin Harris, Charlie Puth & Shenseea, “Obsessed”

💿 Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment UK • 📅 2022 

“I miss you every single day, but you don’t even look my way / I really wish you were obsessed with me.” Oh, the unrequited love, 🎙 Charlie Puth. Puth and Jamaican dancehall artist 🎙 Shenseea appear as featured guests on 🎙 Calvin Harris’ obsessive single, 🎵 “Obsessed”. “Obsessed” appears as the sixth track on his 2022 album, 💿 Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2.  As Charlie sings on the chorus, barely breaking a sweat, he wishes she would be obsessed with him the way he is with her.

From the onset, this is one incredibly groovy dance cut with warm production work.  Honestly, it is a surefire vibe from the get-go.  After Puth blesses us with his cool, calm, and collected vocals, Shenseea is much more overt and edgier, bringing quite the contrast in the first verse. She also brings that Jamaican flavor (and patois): “No, oh, mi nuh stress ova boys / I can do without ‘em ‘cause I got my toys, yeah.” WOO! Puth is a bit more assertive in the second verse, telling his obsession, “Baby, I’m waitin’ for you to come to your senses / And say that you need me, tell me, what are the chances?” Well, it’s looking slim – perhaps more like a HELL NO – but at least 🎵 “Obsessed” as a song is fire 🔥!

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Appears in 🔻:

• Calvin Harris, Charlie Puth & Shenseea, “Obsessed”: Dance Gemz 🕺 💎 🎶 6 (2023)

5. Frankie J, “Obsesion (No Es Amor)” (Ft. Baby Bash)

💿 The One • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2005

“Amor, no es amor (If this ain’t love) / Then what am I feeling? (Then what am I feeling?) / What am I doing wrong?” Unfortunately, sometimes, certain artists come and go quickly from the mainstream. The handsome and talented 🎙 Frankie J had a nice run in the early 00s, particularly with the song, 🎵 “Obsesion (No Es Amor)”.  After a while, however, the R&B singer seemed to vanish, sigh.  “Obsesion” appeared on his platinum certified sophomore album, 💿 The One.  “Obsesion” was also certified as a platinum single, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Of course, it is also worth noting that “Obsesion (No Es Amor)” is a cover 🤯! That’s right, American bachata band 🎙 Aventura, featuring lead vocals by 🎙 Romeo Santos, and assisted by 🎙 Judy Santos, dropped it first, though exclusively in Spanish!

Helping Frankie J with his obsession was another Mexican American musician who experienced a lucrative run, 🎙 Baby Bash.  The theme of the song is being obsessed by the four-letter-word, LOVE.  Clearly, Frankie J is all sorts of crazy because of this obsession (“Just thinkin’ ‘bout you, baby, got me twisted in the head / And I don’t know how to take it”).  He’s so locked-in on her he admits in the second verse, “Now I don’t care if you got a man.” Woo! As for Baby Bash, “Shorty got me feelin’ serene /… Got your boy feeling supreme / … Baby, you so damn independent / Loving everything you representing.” Enough said – the OBSESSION is lit 🔥!

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Appears in 🔻:

• Frankie J, “Obsesion (No Es Amor)”: Covers No. 15 (2023)

Obsessed: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 28 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; All Wins Ent. / EMPIRE, Jxckson Music, Mariah Carey / The Island Def Jam Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment UK, UMG Recordings, Inc.; Efigie lima Marcos via Pexels]