Pluto | 5ive Songs

On the 1^st edition of 5ive Songs (2022), we select five songs that are associated with Pluto 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 1^st edition of 5ive Songs (2021), we select five songs that are associated with PLUTO in some form or fashion.  Okay, let’s get into it!

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1. Jake Wesley Rogers, “Pluto”

💿 Pluto • 🏷 Facet / Warner • 📅 2021

“When I was a kid / Pluto was still a planet / I’m still kinda sad about it, oh.” I totally agree 🎙 Jake Wesley Rogers.  Pluto not being a planet – it just doesn’t feel right! What does feel right is Rogers’ epic ballad, 🎵 “Pluto”, that graces his 2021 EP, also titled, 💿 Pluto.  On the emotional first verse, Rogers goes on to reflect on life and his emotional state: “Thought I was the shit / ‘Til someone made me doubt it / I’m still kinda mad about it.” Sigh, there’s an authenticity that Rogers has that is so easy to connect with.  Furthermore, his voice is to die for – like, slayyyyy! The thing is, on the verses, Rogers maintains poise while drawing you in with what affects him.

“I Think of my mom

She loves me no matter what

And that really fucks me up.”

So true. Jake raises the stakes and goes ‘all in’ on the centerpiece – the memorably written chorus:

“Hate on me, hate on me, hate on me, hate on me

You might as well hate the sun

For shining just a little too much

Hate on me, hate on me, hate on me, hate on me

Maybe at the end of the day

You and me are both the same

We just wanna be loved, loved

We just wanna be love.”

That hits something fierce, elevated further by a higher dynamic level and Rogers’ ad-libs and nuances.  Also raising the bar is the songwriting, a collaboration between Rogers, 🎼✍ Francis Anthony White, and 🎼✍ 🎛 Michael Seamus Crossey, who also produces.  Crossey puts in serious work behind the boards, yielding ample ear candy.  That ear candy includes keys, subtle, tasteful synths, and soaring strings enhancing the feels.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🌈🎶 Jake Wesley Rogers, “Pluto”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 No. 8

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2. Rex Orange County, “Pluto Projector”

💿 Pony • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2019

“I don’t think so / I don’t think I’m meant to understand myself / Maybe you do / And that’s good for you.” Sigh, 🎵 “Pluto Projector” – the second single – ranks among the crème de la crème of 💿 Pony, the third studio album by 🎙 Rex Orange County (Alex O’Connor). On “Pluto Projector,” O’Connor channels his inner Frank Ocean.

“What if by the time I realize / It’s too far behind to see? / Seventy-mil projector / I can show you everything yeah.” Alex’s raspy, nuanced voice sounds incredible on this heartfelt ballad, a soundly produced and written (O’Connor and 🎼✍ 🎛 Ben Baptie) record.  The strings are nothing short of epic.  At the end, we even get pitch-shifted vocals (lower) that add even more character to this thoughtful number. O’Connor excels at ballads. “Pluto Projector” is a prime example.

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3. Lil Uzi Vert, “Baby Pluto”

💿 Eternal Atake • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2020

“I turned to an addict, I bought me a Patek / I bought her a baby one.” Woo! After more than a two-year hiatus, 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert returned in a big way in 2020 with 💿 Eternal Atake. Lil Uzi Vert commences Eternal Atake epically with 🎵 “Baby Pluto.”  “Baby Pluto” is named after the rapper’s first alter ego of the project. Here, Pluto goes off, rapping with incredible agility over dope, hard-hitting production courtesy of 🎛 Brandon Finessin, 🎛 Bugz Ronin, 🎛 Cousin Vinny, and 🎛 IKE Beatz.

“Baby Pluto” has no shortage of FLEX.  On the chorus, where Vert’s bread is buttered, the drip is real. Excerpted above, the rapper continues, “Yeah, I bought me a Maybach, it came with two doors / Yeah, that’s the Mercedes one (for sure).”  He later adds, “I bought the G-Wagen, that shit was BRABUS.” Basically, he buys the best like the big baller that he is! On the verses, we get more of the same, adding choppers, sex, and his status as a dedicated pescatarian.  Worth noting, “Baby Pluto” has nothing to do with the beloved former planet.

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4. Hot Mulligan, “Pluto Was Never Really a Planet Either Even”

💿 Pilot • 🏷 No Sleep • 📅 2018 

“Help me call you back / ‘Cause I’m afraid of the ringing / I know I’m fucked, but I’m still steadily fixing / The gears in my guts, ‘cause they’re all twisted up.” Okay… Sometimes, a song title has little or nothing to do with its subject matter.  That’s partially the case with 🎵 “Pluto Was Never Really a Planet Either Even,” an expressive record by rising emo/pop-punk band 🎙 Hot Mulligan.

The Michigan collective released their debut album, 💿 Pilot in 2018.  Arguably, frontman 🎙 Chris Freeman makes some loose parallels EMOtionally to Pluto being ousted from planetary fame, as well as always being isolated from the other planets, but that’s more ‘reading into it’ than anything else.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 9 Songs About the Planets and Pluto Too

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5. Tory Lanez, “Pluto’s Last Comet”

💿 Alone at Prom • 🏷 One Umbrella • 📅 2021 

🎙 Tory Lanez has had a bumpy career.  He’s experienced success, but he’s also been accused of ‘jacking’ from other artists.  There’s also the infamous 🎙 Megan Thee Stallion incident, but, I’ll leave that one alone!  I should state, however, Lanez has taken a big-time dip since the incident, understandably.  If you were unaware, in 2021, the rapper/singer released a short new studio album, 💿 At the Prom, featuring the Pluto-related song, 🎵 “Pluto’s Last Comet.”  

So, going back to Lanez being accused as a music jacker, it’s hard not to ascribe. “Pluto’s Last Comet” sounds uncharacteristic of music I’ve previously heard from him.  But, it does sound similar to, say, 🎙 The Weeknd.  It seems to me, the Canadian had some of those danceable, 80s synthpop vibes on his mind – the same ‘vibes’ that have made The Weeknd ultra successful.  Does it work for Lanez? Yes – he pulls it off surprisingly well, believe it or not. “Pluto’s Last Comet” is groovy AF and Tory drops nice vocals. Still, listening to “Pluto’s Last Comet,” I’m not sure I still know what kind of artist he is because he does tend to be a copycat.  Focusing on the record, basically, Tory wants her, BADLY, but “She won’t be my lover.” To his credit, we all know that one-sided, unrequited love is a total bitch.

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Pluto: 5ive Songs No. 1 (2022) [📷: Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Facet, The Musical Hype, No Sleep, One Umbrella,  Pixabay, VOLLEX, Warner]

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