Song | 3 to 5 BOPS

Song: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 31 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Cub Sport, Elton John, Fugees, Hozier, and Toosii.

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h, 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 31^st edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with SONG (or SONG(s)) in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Cub Sport, 🎙 Elton John, 🎙 Fugees, 🎙 Hozier, and 🎙 Toosii. Okay, let’s get into it!/otw_shortcode_dropcap]

via GIPHY

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1. Toosii, “Favorite Song”

🎵 “Favorite Song” • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2023

“I’m on the stage right now, singin’ your favorite song / Look in the crowd, and you’re nowhere to be found as they sing along…” When it comes to many styles of music, the lines are heavily blurred.  For example, much of the rap of the 2020s is incredibly melodic.  Sure, un-pitched bars remain alive and well but it’s not unusual to hear more definite pitch. 🎙 Toosii definitely embraces R&B in his brand of rap, particularly on his big, breakout hit, 🎵 “Favorite Song”. “Favorite Song” brilliantly samples 🎵 “You Might As Well” performed by 🎙 Tatiana Manaois (2022).  Manaois’ vocals appear in the intro as well as the outro.  From, there, Toosii puts in work over this Manaois / 🎛 ADELSO-produced record.

On “Favorite Song,” Toosii is more than willing to be her EVERYTHING 🥰. In the verses, he raps about the insecurities and worries that this lady has.  He lists the things that she wants, wants to avoid and is apprehensive about regarding love. Ultimately, Toosii raps, “Need somebody who can make it better / Somebody who can open up those gates / Open up those gates to your heart / Only if you let me.”  The question is, is she receptive? Regardless, on Toosii’s end of things, he appears to be fully invested on this romantic rap banger.  Honestly, it is refreshing to hear such a chill, beautiful rap record.  I mean, how often is it than a dope rap song eschews f-bombs? There’s one solitary damn, sigh. 🎵 “Favorite Song” is sure to be a candidate for many people’s favorite songs of 2023.

Appears in 🔻:

• Toosii, “Favorite Song”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 14 (2023)

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2. Fugees, “Killing Me Softly With His Song”

💿 The Score • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 1996

To reiterate, unbeknownst to many, the legendary 🎙 Roberta Flack covered 🎵 “Killing Me Softly With His Song” – she didn’t originally record it.  Regardless, Flack has earned the honors of recording the definitive version of the song, reaching no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning two 🏆 Grammys for one song. 🎙 Fugees, led by a soulful 🎙 Lauryn Hill, recorded their own fabulous interpretation of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” on their 🏆 Grammy-winning, 1996 rap album, 💿 The Score.

Essentially, Hill and 🎙 Wyclef Jean update the 1973 version for the 90s.  The beat is indicative of the hip-hop soul sound prevalent at the time.  It naturally infuses freshness – there’s a new swagger.  Furthermore, add in a robust bass line, ad-libs (Hill and Jean), and “Killing Me Softly” has a new identity for a new generation.  Of course, the person who ‘brings it on home’ for us 80s babies and 90s kids is Hill.  Her voice is distinct – starkly different from Flack’s. She’d go on to make one of the greatest albums of all-time in the timeless 💿 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.  Here, she prefaces the brilliance of her sole solo studio album, and it’s awesome.  Her nuance, the runs – it’s glorious over that dusty beat.  “Killing Me Softly With His Song” is in great hands with Fugees too.  Like Flack, they won a 🏆 Grammy specifically for this song.

Appears in 🔻:

• Roberta Flack vs. Fugees: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 22 (2021)

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3. Cub Sport, “Songs About It”

💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar • 🏷 Cub Sport • 📅 2023

In the context of 💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar, fifth album by Australian indie-pop band, 🎙 Cub Sport, love consumes on the groovy 🎵 “Songs About It.” “This love / Is taking me down / Getting lost in you, baby / I don’t wanna be found,” lead singer 🎙 Tim Nelson sings in the chorus.  Essentially, he is ignoring everybody and everything else because all he can think about is the guy he loves.  Nelson doesn’t shy away from love – he wants to be taken down by it! What does he do to further express his feelings? “So, I write songs about it.” “Songs About It” continues the excellence of Jesus At The Gay Bar, embracing dance-pop and house (🎛 Styalz Fuego produces).  Furthermore, the style of music definitely matches the soundtrack of a gay bar, where dance music/dance pop dominate.

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4. Hozier, “Work Song”

💿 Hozier • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2014

“When, my, time comes around / Lay me gently in the cold dark earth,” 🏆 Grammy-nominated Irish singer/songwriter 🎙 Hozier sings on 🎵 “Work Song.” “Work Song” is a highlight from his multiplatinum debut LP, simply titled, 💿 Hozier (2014).  Hozier continues singing, “ No grave can hold my body down / I’ll crawl home to her.”  It is safe to say, the love that Hozier showcases, from the perspective of a worker, is a deep one.  Clearly,  he LOVES his bae: “Boys, workin’ on empty / Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat / I just think about my baby.” He confirms the depth of his love in the chorus, ludicrously suggesting he’d exit his grave to be with her.  The dedication is lit to the n^th degree!

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5. Elton John, “Border Song”

💿 Elton John • 🏷 Mercury • 📅 1970

🎙 Elton John, with the help of his long-time lyricist, 🎼✍ Bernie Taupin, is a hit machine.  He’s written and performed numerous songs, all of which are classics.  That said, even some of John’s gems are greatly overshadowed by others.  One truly awesome record that doesn’t get the love of his bigger hits is 🎵 “Border Song,” which appears on his 1970 💿 self-titled album.  You could say that “Border Song” has received more of its just due after the fact than it did back in the day. “Holy Moses, I have been removed,” John sings soulfully in the first verse, continuing, “I have seen the specter, he has been there too.” The record has a gospel-tinged rock sound, something that John has done consistently throughout his career.  Arguably, “Border Song” leans even more heavily on the soul side of things, directly borrowing cues from the genre.  It’s a rousing record that features choral vocals (from the gospel music playbook) as well as strings. It is a delightful gem from the Elton John collection.  It deserved better than its no. 92 peak on the Billboard Hot 100!

via GIPHY

Appears in 🔻:

• 11 Triggering Border, Borderline Songs (2020)
• Elton John vs. Aretha Franklin: Head 2 Head 🗣️ 17 (2022)

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Song: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 31 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Columbia, Cub Sport, Mercury, UMG Recordings, Inc.; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Neil Dodhia from Pixabay ]

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