Pray 🙏 | 3 to 5 BOPS

Pray 🙏: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 13 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Chlöe, Luke Bryan, Madonna, Pusha T, and The Williams Brothers.

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 13^th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with the word PRAY 🙏 in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Chlöe, 🎙 Luke Bryan, 🎙 Madonna, 🎙 Pusha T, and 🎙 The Williams Brothers. Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Chlöe, “Pray It Away”

🎵 “Pray It Away” • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia • 🗓 2023

“Fuck nigga, fuck nigga, fuck nigga / I just learned to hate from a fuck nigga.” Wow! Safe to say, 🎙 Chlöe is not happy with this man.  On 🎵 “Pray It Away”, the R&B singer goes on to assert, “My feelings, my feelings, my feelings / They really got hurt by a fuck nigga.” What a way with words, Chlöe!  While eloquence and finesse is not a trait of the songwriting on “Pray It Away,” brutal honesty is, and she truly excels.  As always, the vocals are strong, carrying ample emotion in the case of this lame-o that wasted her time.

Produced by Chlöe alongside a team including 🎛, ThankGod4Cody, Ecassshh, Pitt Tha Kid, Puredandy, “Pray It Away” is slickly executed – idiomatic of the 2020s R&B/hip-hop script.  Similarly, the use of street lyricism – the vernacular – is idiomatic of the times as well.  In the pre-chorus, Chlöe expresses even more anger, potentially mentioning violence towards him (“And if the option’s violence, don’t make me choose it”). However, in the chorus, she makes a wiser, if less satisfying, choice: “Maybe I should go and take it to church / And wash it away ‘cause I want that nigga to hurt / But I’ma just pray it away before I give him what he deserves first.” The spiritual ties are one of the biggest selling points, with even more explicit references made in the bridge – girlfriend gets down on her knees 🙏!

2. Luke Bryan, “Prayin’ In A Deer Stand”

🎵 “Prayin’ In A Deer Stand” • 🏷 Row Crop / UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2022

“I do my prayin’ in a deer stand / On my back-forty church / Thinkin’ ‘bout life on a cold sunrise / Yeah, that’s my Heaven on Earth…” On 🎵 “Prayin’ In A Deer Stand”, 🎙 Luke Bryan sounds true to self.  Vocally, the tone, with a southern twang, is firmly intact.  Thematically, Bryan plays to his base: farming, fishing, hunting, and God.  If you’re from the south or have experienced the south, you can relate.  If not, well, you’re likely not part of Bryan’s base, to begin with.  Nothing brand-new or game-changing comes out of this record because it is tried-and-true, with no frills.  The remainder of the chorus says it best:

“Me and God in a cornfield

Gotta think He understands

I might miss a Sunday from time to time

But I get there when I can

We’re all good in these woods ‘causе here I am

Prayin’ in a deer stand.”

All told, 🎵 “Prayin’ In A Deer Stand” is respectable, regardless of the fact that it doesn’t move the needle necessarily.

Appears in 🔻:

• 13 Intriguing Songs That Reference Animals (2023)

3. Pusha T, “I Pray for You”

💿 It’s Almost Dry • 🏷 Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. / Def Jam • 🗓 2022

🎙 Pusha T concludes his unflappably consistent, 2022, fourth studio album, 💿 It’s Almost Dry, with a surefire banger, 🎵 “I Pray for You”. “I Pray for You” features 🎙 Labrinth, who also produces alongside 🎛 Kanye West, and the other half of 🎙 Clipse, his brother, 🎙 Malice. Labrinth gets the first big moment, performing the enigmatic intro (or chorus) beautifully.  He prays for everybody, including “for the ones who won’t betray me again” and “killers.”  It sets up Pusha T for an epic verse where he goes H.A.M.  He kicks things off turned up, asserting, “Rarely do you see the Phoenix rise from the ashes / Lightnin’ struck twice on four classics.” Woo! From there, it’s kick-ass line after kick-ass line whether referencing a 2009 Jay-Z gem, coke, more coke, and reuniting with Malice. Malice comes back with a vengeance in the second verse with no shortage of ether-laden lines.  Some of my favorite rhymes he spits straight heat 🔥 🔥 🔥 at the end:

“Faith never wavered as I walked along the fence

Faith moves mountains, so what are you up against?

Watch my brother ’round you bitches, I know he pretends

I greet you with the love of God, that don’t make us friends.”

Also, I can’t neglect that backdrop featuring the organ!

Appears in 🔻:

• Pusha T, “I Pray For You”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 14 (2022)

4. 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…” Hmm, I want to take you there, Madge? Where? Continuing: “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 in 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!

Appears in 🔻:

• Madonna, “Like a Prayer”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 17 (2021)
• You’re Gonna Love These 15 LIKE Songs (2021)

5. The Williams Brothers, “Prayer Made the Difference”

💿 This is Your Night • 🏷 Blackberry • 📅 1987

“If it comes through by prayer, I declare / Prayer changes things.” According to legendary gospel group 🎙 The Williams Brothers, 🎵 “Prayer Made the Difference” (💿 This is Your Night). How so, you might ask? Well, by petitioning to and believing faithfully in ‘The Most High’ aka God, the brothers have been delivered through hardship and adversity.  “Many times, in my life, I’ve come through the storms and rain,” the Brothers sing on the first verse, adding, “I always kept faith in God, cause I knew somehow he’d make a way.” Life, of course, is not without its issues whether you’re the most devout or an agnostic or atheist.  “Prayer Made the Difference” doesn’t suggest there won’t be any storms or hiccups, but it does suggest faith is powerful. It makes it clear, that through praying, praising, and believing, God’s got your back – he’ll keep you even when things seem their darkest and most meek.  “Prayer Made the Difference” testifies to the goodness and mercy that is God.  For those who need someone to lean on, The Williams Brothers say look no further than G-O-D.  It’s a hopeful, uplifting, and thoughtful message.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Williams Brothers, “Prayer Made the Difference”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 24 (2021)

Pray 🙏: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 13 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Blackberry, Getting Out Our Dreams, Inc. / Def Jam, Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia, Row Crop / UMG Recordings, Inc., Sire; Pavel Danilyuk via Pexels]