Turn | 5ive Songs

1. Janelle Monáe, “Turntables”

“Turntables” • Bad Boy •  2020

“America, you a lie / But the whole world ‘bout to testify / I said, the whole world ‘bout to testify / And the tables ‘bout to / T-t-tables ‘bout to.” Preach Janelle Monáe – PREACH! The lyrics hail from “Turntables”, a single that appears from the Amazon Original Movie, All In: The Fight for Democracy.  Monáe wrote “Turntables” alongside George “George 2.0” A. Peters II and Nathaniel Irvin III. The brief cut was produced by Nate “Rocket” Wonder, with superb results.  You know what else is superb? That attitude by Monáe! She incorporates a mix of rapping and singing, delivering a complete, compelling performance. The lyrics are politically and socially charged, with Monáe being very woke. There are some awesome one-liners throughout, such as “You gaslightin’, ‘bout to meet your match, uh / You fuck up the kitchen, then you should do the dishes.” An epic outro is a perfect way to cap things. Janelle’s definitely turning them tables!

Also appears on :

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Table: 5ive Songs (2021) No. 2

2. Daniel Caesar, “Too Deep to Turn Back”

CASE STUDY 01 • Golden Child Recordings • 2019

“So, what’s the price / We’re like mosquitos to light, in a sense / I feed off bioluminescence…” Case Study 01 is complex, yet rewarding project by Grammy-winning, Canadian R&B singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar. Unfortunately for Caesar, some controversy hurt the performance of this album – yeah, he was cancelled, at least to some extent.  Regardless, the lovely “Too Deep to Turn Back” provides evidence of the rewarding nature of the album.  Caesar sounds fantastic, never needing to ‘break a sweat’ to pack a punch.  Religion plays a significant role, specifically on the chorus, which features vocals by Arianna Reid, as well as the fourth verse: “I’ve slept like Jacob, a rock for a pillow / Run swift like Elijah, away from the middle.” Caesar is often at his best when he weaves spirituality in a secular genre like R&B.

Also appears on :

13 Deep Songs Where the Depth is Real

3. BJ The Chicago Kid, “Turnin’ Me Up”

In My Mind • Motown •  2016

“Baby, keep on turnin’ me up (turnin’ me up, turnin’ me up) / … It’s just the little, bitty things you do that keeps on turnin’ me up…” Grammy-nominated R&B artist BJ The Chicago Kid (Brian Sledge) closes his 2016 debut album, In My Mind, with a bang.  How so? Well, with the electrifying neo-soul joint, “Turnin’ Me Up.” Listening to “Turnin’ Me Up,” you’ll swear you’ve returned to the 1970s as opposed to the 2010s, and that’s pretty sweet if I do say so myself! A vibe-and-a-half! BJ wrote “Turnin’ Me Up” alongside David Haddon and Jairus Mozee, who ultimately produce this soulful bop.  This is sexy gem where you definitely hope that BJ never “stop(s), won’t quit, soul shit.”  

4. Adele, “Turning Tables”

21 • XL • 2011

21 turned out to be a massive success for Adele – understatement.  If you had to pick a pair of songs to best represent the success of the album, the likely two choices are the two number one hits: “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You”.  That said, Adele’s co-write with Ryan Tedder, “Turning Tables,” is pretty sweet in its own right. On the pre-chorus, she asserts, “I can’t keep up with your turning tables.” Damn right, Adele – you tell him! On the chorus, she goes on to sing, “So, I won’t let you close enough to hurt me / No, I won’t ask you, you to just desert me /… It’s time to say goodbye to turning tables.” And the bridge section – “Next time I’ll be braver, I’ll be my own savior” – to die for! The Grammy-winner sounds utterly fantastic in this stripped setting, accompanied brilliantly by piano and strings. Yeah, producer Jim Abbiss definitely does his thing.

Also appears on :

Table: 5ive Songs (2021) No. 2

5. The Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)”

Turn! Turn! Turn! • Sony Music Entertainment •  1965

So, let’s get a little ‘spiritual’ – a little Biblical – shall we?  From the Book of Ecclesiastes, specifically Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV): ¹ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: ² A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ³ A time to kill and a time to heal… No, here at The Musical Hype we aren’t promoting religion (that’s everyone’s own choice to make) but we are providing the source of The Byrds’ 1965 classic, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season).” The folk-rock record, written by the legendary Pete Seeger, is based on the text from Ecclesiastes 3 from the Old Testament.  Even if you’re not particularly religious, this particular passage of scripture, and song itself, is quite prudent and thoughtful.  If you’ve never encountered “Turn! Turn! Turn!” at some point, you’re totally missing out.