Until | 5ive Songs

1. The Weeknd, “Until I Bleed Out”

💿 After Hours • 🏷 Republic • 📅 2020

“I wanna cut you outta my dreams / ‘Til I’m bleeding out / ‘Til I’m bleeding out.” Well, that’s disturbing, and morbid with the “bleeding out” part.  Of course, that’s 🏆 Grammy winning Canadian R&B superstar 🎙 The Weeknd for you, sigh.  He concludes his best album to date, 💿 After Hours, dramatically with 🎵 “Until I Bleed Out.” Worth noting, the deluxe edition of the album adds three more additional tracks beyond the track on hand.

The lyrics hail from the chorus, which sums up the song to a T.  The chorus continues as follows:

“I wanna cut you outta my mind
‘Til I’m bleeding out
‘Til I’m bleeding out.”

Pessimistic (often the case on After Hours), the pain of Abel Tesfaye is our pleasure.  Oh, the schadenfreude!

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2. Monica, “Until It’s Gone”

💿 New Life • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2012

“I guess it’s true what people say/ You never know/what you have until it’s gone…” One of the best songs from 💿 New Life, the 2012 album by 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer 🎙 Monica is 🎵 “Until It’s Gone.” Honestly, I consider “Until It’s Gone” to be among the top tier of the Monica collection overall, heavy praise against the likes of “The First Night”, “The Boy is Mine” and “Angel of Mine”.  Anyways, Mo sings radiantly, selling “Until It’s Gone” with superb authenticity.

“One thing that I know for sure
Is that you gon’ miss me when I go
And it’s gon’ hurt babe
When you’re all alone…”

Beyond the singing and memorable lyrics, the production is magnificent.  The big reason is thanks to a couple of distinct samples: The lush 🎙 The Spinners’ 🎵 “I Don’t Want to Lose You” and 🎙 Boogie Down Productions’ 🎵 “9MM Goes Bang”.  The result is one sensational R&B record.

3. Nick Jonas, “Until We Meet Again”

🎵 “Until We Meet Again” • 🏷 Island • 📅 2020

Encouragement is vital during hard times, particularly something so unprecedented like the COVID-19 pandemic has been. 🎙 Nick Jonas served up just what the doctor ordered with 🎵 “Until We Meet Again”. What makes “Until We Meet Again” a bop is its authenticity, messaging, and sincerity.

“Until We Meet Again” is a pop record that incorporates soulful, gospel vibes.  This is where that encouraging, uplifting sensibility comes from, coupled with the lyrics.  “Wish I could reach through the distance / Show you my heart and all that I’m feeling,” Jonas sings on the first verse, capturing the anxiety and longing social distancing constructs.  Even though it seems things have taken a toll, he expresses those positive vibes, from the chorus and beyond:

“So, until we meet again
I’ma keep smile, smile, smile, smiling
We could be miles apart
But you know I’m never too far
My friend, until we meet again.”

On the second verse, Jonas sings, “Gonna find light for facing tomorrow,” far more optimistic than the lament of the first verse.  While the bridge highlights potential struggles, it keeps its eyes on the prize for better days.

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4. Ne-Yo, “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)”

💿 R.E.D. • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2012

🎵 “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)” certainly has an exhaustive, wordy title. Even so, the record ends up being a well-rounded record – one of the best from 💿 R.E.D., the 2012 studio album by 🎙 Ne-Yo. On “Let Me Love You…,” the 🏆 Grammy winner aims for pop-crossover, much like previous hits 🎵 “Closer” and 🎵 “Beautiful Monster”.

On the chorus, Ne-Yo sings:

“Girl let me love you and I will love you
Until you learn to love yourself… don’t be afraid, girl let me help...”

Essentially, this relationship is beneficial to both parties.  Ne-Yo loves her, and even if she lacks confidence and love for herself, he is going to show her true love, so she begins to love herself.

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5. Aretha Franklin, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)”

💿 Let Me in Your Life • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1974

“‘Til you come back to me that’s what I’m gonna do.” 🎙 Aretha Franklin was iconic in every way, period.  That said, when it came to covering, reinterpreting, and claiming songs penned by other artists, the 🏆 Grammy-winner is even more iconic, if possible.  The most famous credit attached to 🎵 “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do” other than Aretha as the definitive artist is 🎙 Stevie Wonder, who is one of the writers.  Yes, Wonder recorded his own song, but we all know this is Franklin’s joint.

What makes this highlight from 💿 Let Me in Your Life so awesome?  We get those elite, soulful, once-in-a-lifetime vocals from Aretha, first and foremost.  While Franklin has had many emulators, there has been and will only ever be one.  Beyond her performance, the backdrop is smooth, characteristic of those lush R&B sounds of the 70s.  The lyrics also serve as a big factor, serving up a heaping dose of relatability.  Those matters of the heart, man, they fly in an era and style of music.