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Safety is the Priority on These 11 Songs 🎧 features Architects, Ariana Grande, Capital Cities, Rae Sremmurd & Sam Smith.
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Gear up for the SAFEST listening experience ever – said no one ever. Don’t totally read into the title of the 31st playlist of 2021: 🎧 Safety is the Priority on These 11 Songs. No, it’s not clickbait – SAFETY and forms of the word SAFE are key – but I wouldn’t go so far as to say everything covered is, um, totally safe. Still, the listening experience is FAB if I do say so myself!
🎧 SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY ON THESE 11 SONGS features music courtesy of 🎙 Architects, 🎙 Ariana Grande, 🎙 Capital Cities, 🎙 Rae Sremmurd, and 🎙 Sam Smith among others. Does safety truly come to mind when you hear Architects? What about Rae Sremmurd? Even Ari tends to let out a few swears every now and then – can’t protect virgin ears I suppose. So, get as safe as you possibly can – ideally your couch or bed – and join us for this ‘safe’ musically stimulating experience!
1. Ariana Grande, “Safety Net”
Ft. Ty Dolla $ign
💿 Positions • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020
Also, making “Safety net” a sweet gem is the chill, lush production work, courtesy of 🎛 The Rascals, 🎛 Tommy Brown, and 🎛 Keys Open Doors. Other strong suits include the melody, as well as catchy pre-chorus (excerpted above) and chorus sections.
“Mmm Tripping, falling, with no safety net Boy, it must be something that you said Is it real this time or is it in my head? Got me tripping, falling, with no safety net.”
Adding to the excellence of this standout are the vocal ad-libs incorporated throughout the production.
2. Architects, “Dying is Absolutely Safe”
💿 For Those That Wish to Exist • 🏷 Epitaph • 📅 2020
As awesome as the aforementioned excerpt of the second verse is, what about the chorus?
“May all the beggars be blessed Like angels with anhedonia We’re all just doing our best Repeating, ‘There's nothing left’ That’s why we weed out the wonderers Maybe there’s virtue in emptiness But I still drown in distress When the leaves fall in the spring.”
There’s definitely plenty to unpack, which is part of the reason “Dying is Absolute Safe” shines. The five-minute cut also shines thanks to awesome production, featuring strings, piano, and acoustic guitars, and of course, clean, expressive lead vocals by front man 🎙 Dan Searle. Furthermore, he has a pretty sweet, tuneful melody to work with, as well as a nice harmonic progression. The final minute is quite epic musically.
3. Rhye, “Safeword”
💿 Home • 🏷 Loma Vista • 📅 2021
“Safeword” was written by 🎼✍ Ian Meltzer, 🎼✍ James Alan Ghaleb, and Milosh, with all three writers also serve as producers. Interestingly, the song features only one verse, with the chorus occurring at the beginning, after the sole verse, followed by a short refrain and outro. Like so much of Rhye’s music, there’s a hypnotic quality, delivered by both Milosh’s distinct vocals but also the instrumental itself which is beautiful and quite intriguing. The songwriting is quite lovely, with reference to the safe word appearing early on within the chorus:
“The more I know your face, oh, hey The more I push this way Do you know your safe word? ...The more I get to taste The more I love this feeling It’s a safe word.”
4. Sam Smith, “Safe with Me”
💿 Nirvana (EP) • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2013
“Safe with Me” is essentially an experimental R&B track. It was written by Smith and 🎼✍ Benjamin Ross Ash (🎙 Two Inch Punch). Ash produces the record as well. It’s characterized by its highly rhythmic, pummeling drums and its overall mysteriousness. Vocally, Smith sounds exceptional, delivering a nuanced, complete performance – they sho can sang! The chorus finds Smith’s soulful vocals transformed through vocal effects – specifically pitch effects. “Don’t you know your secret’s safe with me / All your worries can be put to, can be put to sleep,” Smith sings. Regardless of the experimentation, the identity of the track is steeped in R&B while having crossover abilities. Those who partook of Nirvana back in ’13 knew Sam was destined to be star.
5. Sara Bareilles, “A Safe Place to Land”
Ft. John Legend
💿 Amidst the Chaos • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2019
“So, say the Lord's Prayer twice, hold your babies tight Surely someone will reach out a hand And show you a safe place to land.”
Production by T-Bone Burnett and a co-write with Lori McKenna aren’t the only reasons why “A Safe Place to Land” is notable. Bareilles enlists the marvelous Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 John Legend for the assist. Both musicians have tremendous vocal chemistry on this chilling ballad. While more tempo wouldn’t have been a bad thing in the context of the sequencing of the album, if you’re going to close with a ballad, this one serves as a fitting coda. Worth noting, Bareilles shared with Apple Music that “I wrote this with Lori McKenna during the height of the border crisis, and it almost didn’t make the record… We wondered if it should be a stand-alone track to drive home the message. Getting to have John as a part of this project made the experience so special.”
6. All Time Low, “Safe”
💿 Wake Up, Sunshine • 🏷 Fueled by Ramen • 📅 2020
Of “Safe,” written by front man 🎙 Alex Gaskarth, 🎼✍ Phil Gornell, and 🎼✍ Zakk Cervini, the band describes it to Kerrang as “finding that place that makes you feel whole.” They’d know better than any of us listeners, so I definitely concur with what they say. Garskath definitely delivers an authentic, expressive vocal performance as he touts the importance to finding that safe place. He’s most effective and rousing on the centerpiece, better known as the chorus:
“So, put the car drive, and don’t stop runnin’ ‘til you’re long gone (Oh-oh, oh, oh, oh) You’re gonna be alright if you just stop thinkin’ it over ...They’ll never slow you down if you don’t look over your shoulder.”
7. Sade, “The Safest Place”
💿 Soldier of Love • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2010
“My heart has been a lonely warrior Who’s been to war, so you can be sure In my heart your love has found The safest hiding place.”
“The Safest Place,” interestingly, is the shortest song on Soldier of Love. It’s the only record that isn’t three minutes or longer. It doesn’t need excessive length to be successful mind you – it works just fine. The aesthetic and overall vibe go a long way. The production (Adu and 🎛 Mike Pela) is beautiful, while the overall sound is moody in quality. The strings, guitar and ukulele stand out in particular. Sade sounds fantastic, delivering chill, clear, and expressive vocals without breaking a sweat. The songwriting (Adu and 🎼✍ Andrew Hale), particularly the aforementioned chorus, are stellar.
8. Rich Brian, “Drive Safe”
💿 The Sailor • 🏷 88rising/ 12Tone Music • 📅 2019
“Drive Safe” is beautiful, period. That said, Rich Brian is clearly in reflective mode with memories running abundantly in his mind. “Thank you for the memories, I don’t know what it means,” he sings, continuing, “It’s broken, don’t know how to fix it, I need a minute.” He’s definitely in his feels regarding the universal four-letter word, LOVE. His singing vocals are quite lovely, particularly on the chorus.
“All these thoughts I have in my head Got me blinded from the sunset I'm tryin’ hard to stop the rain ‘Cause smilin’ doesn't feel the same I just called to tell you ‘Drive safe’ Will I see you in the mornin’? ‘Cause I just wanna feel your touch 'Cause I don’t think I had enough.”
The deepness and richness of his voice continues to impress. Honestly, the song itself is pretty impressive, showing more range from this young star.
9. Rae Sremmurd, “Safe Sex Pay Checks”
💿 SremmLife • 🏷 Eardruma / Interscope • 📅 2015
Give Rae Sremmurd credit for “wrapping it up” and endorsing condom use. Durex, LifeStyles, Trojan, and ‘rubbers’ companies worldwide had to be thrilled! According to Slim Jxmmi, he’s into the “Rockstar life, fuck who don’t like it / Party all night, party all night /I came here to have a good time.” He goes onto say on the second verse, “Safe sex, no babies / Everybody go crazy, get wasted.” As for Swae Lee, not only does he get the aforementioned, safe-sex touting chorus, he also drops party-driven pre-chorus, bridge (“Shots, shots, now let’s fuckin’ party”), and the first verse:
“These girls, they DTF, that drank got ‘em feelin’ they self This nightlife shit ain’t new to me Al' the bad bitches get loose for me.”
The shock value isn’t so much that two young men want to make bank and bang – many have similar aspirations. That said, it’s still incredibly irresponsible, oversimplified, and lacks any sense of profundity. But considering I’m not a partier, guess I’ll be the square who simply can’t relate to the “nightlife shit” Swae Lee references.
10. Capital Cities, “Safe and Sound”
💿 In a Tidal Wave of Mystery • 🏷 Lazy Hooks / Capitol • 📅 2013
Set in a major key, “Safe and Sound” is enthusiastic AF. It definitely incites body movement, whether it’s foot tapping, head nodding, or full-on dancing. Adding to the excellence are respectable vocals and memorable lyrics, particularly on the recurrent, crowd-pleasing lines, “I could lift you up / I could show you what you wanna see / And take you where you wanna be.” Of course, the titular lyrics are key on the chorus too: “Safe and sound / Hold your ground / Safe and sound.”
11. Men Without Hats, “Safety Dance”
💿 Rhythm of Youth • 🏷 UMG Recordings • 📅 1983
Basically, the Canadian new wave collective encourages us to do whatever the hell we want to on their 1983 classic, 🎵 “Safety Dance.” The mindset is screw what any- and everybody else says – I’m going to do my own thing. This, of course, is best exemplified by the chorus where Men Without Hats are going to dance, dammit!
“I say, we can dance, we can dance Everything is out of control We can dance, we can dance We’re doing it from pole to pole We can dance, we can dance Everybody, look at your hands We can dance, we can dance Everybody’s taking the chance Safe to dance Well, it’s safe to dance Yes, it’s safe to dance.”
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