You’ve Got to Hand it To These 13 Hand Songs | Playlist 🎧

1. Mac Miller, “Hand Me Downs”

💿 Circles • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2020

“Get away when it ain’t really safe and it don’t seem right / But what’s new? You get used to the bullshit, the screws, they go missin’…” 🎵 “Good News” may be the king of 💿 Circles, the posthumously released 🎙 Mac Miller album, but 🎵 “Hand Me Downs” represents another absolutely awesome moment.  There’s a nice blend of alternative/indie soul, singer/songwriter, and hip-hop.  Miller is on autopilot, never overreaching with his voice, yet being incredibly potent in regard to his performance.

After singing the first verse, he serves up a pretty sweet, rapped second verse, which sounds amazing over subtle, but brilliantly executed production work. Also, worth mentioning, 🎙 Baro Sura performs the chorus – a nice contrast to Miller, who sings the pre-chorus prior.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Hand: 5ive Songs No. 61

2. Stevie Wonder, “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate”

🎵 “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate” • 🏷 UMG Recordings • 🗓 2020

Following a 15-year hiatus, soul icon 🎙 Stevie Wonder returned with a seven-minute, socially and politically ‘woke’ single, 🎵 “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate”. Assisting him is a star-studded cast comprised of 🎙 Rapsody, 🎙 Cordae, 🎙 Chika, and 🎙 Busta Rhymes. Rapsody performs the first verse, referencing instances of police brutality, racial injustice, and alludes to 📽 12 Years a Slave. Cordae follows on the second verse, continuing the socially conscious vein of the record, with an incredibly compelling flow. Then, Mr. Wonder enters the fray, and he certainly can’t be muzzled.

“You say that you believe that all lives matter
I say, I don’t believe the fuck you do
You say, ‘All things in time’
I say, ‘That’s why I’m not gonna put it in the hands of fate.’”

The message is definitely pitch perfect.  Later, CHIKA powerfully asserts, “We don’t need no politics to try to justify the plight / It’s a problem of the people, it’s no longer black and white.” As for Busta, he references Colin Kaepernick, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. Two big takeaways: (1) Stevie’s back, and (2) the message is on-point!

Also appears on 🔽:

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🔗 🎧 Hand: 5ive Songs No. 61

3. Selena Gomez, “Hands to Myself”

💿 Revival • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2015

“Can’t keep my hands to myself / No matter how hard I’m trying to / I want you all to myself / You’re metaphorical gin and juice.” Ooh la-la! Admittedly, I’ve been skeptical of 🎙 Selena Gomez for a couple of reasons. The biggest of which has been the fact that vocally, she’s not the same league as some of her pop contemporaries.  Another criticism beyond ‘vocal limitations,’ is, at times, her inability to atone with a dynamic musical personality. I’m not being harsh or mean to a celebrity that seems to be a sweetheart.  I’m just stating my reservations.  Even with such criticisms, Gomez has mustered up a hit or two during her time, including 🎵 “Hands to Myself,” which appears on her 2015 album, 💿 Revival.

“Can’t keep my hands to myself / My hands to myself.” The vibe of “Hands to Myself” is incredibly sexy. Yeah, it’s getting pretty damn hot in here. Clearly with sex and sexiness as the M.O., “Hands” doesn’t reinvent the wheel.  That’s no deal breaker in the case. The innuendo sort of sells itself (sex sells after all), and Gomez serves up just enough personality. No, she doesn’t construct an groundbreaking, totally distinct-never-done-before musical persona mind you, but it’s a win overall.

4. Kanye West, “Hands On”

Ft. Fred Hammond

💿 JESUS IS KING • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2019

Decorated ‘Radical for Christ’ 🎙 Fred Hammond appears on the minimal 🎵 “Hands On,” one of the lengthier songs from 💿 JESUS IS KING.  Backtracking, JESUS IS KING was the 2019 Christian rap album by the ever-controversial, 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper, 🎙 Kanye West. Despite his sketchy history outside of his craft, musically, West has been the architect of a number of gems.  While JESUS IS KING fails to match the grandeur of his classic aughts albums, it has its fair share of moments, including “Hands On.”

Focusing on the song, Hammond appears on the chorus, with heavy vocal effects, while also performing the second verse.  West delivers a nice flow that’s respectable by all means.  His first verse runs a bit long (“Told the devil that ‘m going on a strike / Told the devil when I see him, on sight”), losing some steam due to its length. The Hammond dominated second verse definitely offers some ‘saving grace’ you might say (“Don’t throw me up, lay your hands on me”).  Worth noting, “Hands On” samples 🎵 “Bathroom Dance” by 🎙 Hildur Guðnadóttir.

5. Leon Bridges, “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand”

💿 Good Thing • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2018

“Don’t get your feelings broken for nothin’ / Maybe I’m leavin’ / Leavin’ here for nothin’ / I might regret that I can’t be your man / Sometimes the bet isn’t worth the hand.” Soul enthusiasts will feel like they returned to their heyday listening to 🎵 “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand”. The old-school shtick is alive, with harp arpeggios, glockenspiel, strings, and a lush backdrop.  The production is perfect fuel for 🏆 Grammy-winner 🎙 Leon Bridges’ fire, regardless whether he needed the extra spark or not.

The falsetto is formidable by Bridges on “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand.” Furthermore, his chest voice is incredibly commanding and emotional. Adding to the jubilance is the solid songwriting with an undeniably prudent message, excerpted above with the centerpiece, the chorus.  Short and sweet, “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” proves to be a stellar opener on his sophomore album, 💿 Good Thing. 

Also appears on 🔽:

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🔗 🎧 Hand: 5ive Songs No. 61

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6. Trey Songz, “Hands On”

💿 Back Home • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2020

🎙 Trey Songz is certainly excellent when it comes to singing about S-E-X.  Honestly, would the R&B singer ever turn down a song that’s sensual? Methinks the answer is a resounding no.  On his underrated 2020 studio album, 💿 Back Home, Trey makes sure that we remember he is a master when it comes to the bedroom.

The cards are definitely revealed on the brief interlude, 🎵 “Hands On.” Predictably, Trey, quite the sex symbol, asserts, “You know I’m a hands-on learner, can I learn you?” Honestly, call it one of those “No shit, Sherlock” moments. The learning is all ‘S- Meets E-, and then they X,’ conveyed solidly with a lush backdrop and smooth vocals jam-packed with game.  

7. MGMT, “Hand it Over”

💿 Little Dark Age • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 2018

“The smart ones exit early / And the rest hope for a shoulder.” 🎵 “Hand it Over”, checks off all boxes in regard to being a 🎙 MGMT record. 🎙 Andrew VanWyngarden delivers chill, easy-going vocals. Even with such a laid-back approach, he still packs a punch with his beautiful tone, and casually sneaking in an f-bomb (“Might just fuck us over / But the doors won’t shut”). Accentuating his own accomplished performance, not to mention the beauty of the record as a whole, are choral backing vocals, responding spiritedly with the titular lyric.  This occurs during the chorus sections, which appear back-to-back at the end of the song.

Beyond the epic choruses, the songwriting on “Hand it Over” is thoughtful. Musically, the harmonic progression incorporates some clever twists and turns. The production fits the mold of duo with its lushness and psychedelic cues delivered primarily through the synths. It is, indeed, a superb way to conclude the 💿 Little Dark Age.

“This time (Hand it over)
It’s yours and it’s mine (Hand it over)
One thing on my mind (Hand it over)
It’s rightfully mine (Hand it over).”

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Recapping 40 Stunning Ballads from 2018

🔗 🎧 Hand: 5ive Songs No. 61

8. Marsha Ambrosius, “Your Hands”

💿 Late Nights & Early Mornings • 🏷 J • 📅 2011

🎵 “Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)” is arguably the crowning achievement on 🎙 Marsha Ambrosius’ 2011 solo debut, 💿 Late Nights & Early Mornings.  Still, the former 🎙 Floetry standout serves up more than just one bop.  Writing alongside songwriters and producers 🎙 Andre Harris and 🎙 Vidal Davis, she gives us three-and-a-half minutes of glory with 🎵 “Your Hands.”

“Your hands hold the small of my back
My body reacts yeah
You know just what I need and where to be (your hands)
Lead the way, I'll follow you wherever you lay.”

Woo! “Your Hands” has a nice soulful, vintage sound, comprised of piano and big dramatic drums.  Like so many of the HAND songs that grace this list, “Your Hands” possesses a very sensual sound (“Kiss here on my lips, I’ve never felt like this / I let my guard down and then I fall for you”). Marsha, of course, is the perfect singer to execute. She’s supported by lovely background vocals, specifically on the titular lyric, while she manages to allure with dramatic ad libs.  Among the biggest pros regarding this song is the way Ambrosius allows the cut to simmer.

9. Niall Horan, “Slow Hands”

💿 Flicker • 🏷 Capitol • 📅 2017

“We should take this back to my place / That’s what she said right to my face /… I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout it all day.” Hmm, I wonder what exactly the thing that’s been thought ‘bout all day happens to be… Anyways, 🎙 Niall Horan is handsome – few will deny such.  Depending on how much of a ‘fan-girl’, or ‘fan-boy’ you are, you might even go a step farther and characterize him as S-E-X-Y.  Okay, what am I getting at here? Well, when it comes to a musical persona, ‘sexy’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind when describing the Irish One Direction heartthrob.  That said, he infuses some sexiness on the standout, 🎵 “Slow Hands”, which appears in timely fashion on his 2017 solo debut, 💿 Flicker.

Simply put, in the context of Flicker, you could argue that “Slow Hands” is the closest we come to hearing ‘modern pop’ from Horan.  If nothing else, “Slow Hands” is more risqué without ultimately crossing any lines.  It’s definitely edgier than the likes of, say, 🎵 “This Town”.  Worth noting, Niall barely breaks a sweat despite hinting at some 🎵 “Bedroom Boom”.

“Slow, slow hands
Like sweat drippin’ down our dirty laundry
No, no chance
That I’m leavin’ here without you on me
I, I know
Yeah, I already know that there ain’t no stoppin’
Your plans and those
Slow hands.”

10. alt-J, “Left Hand Free”

💿 This is All Yours • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 2014

“Well, your left hand’s free / And your right’s in a grip / With another left hand / Watch his right hand slip / Towards his gun / Oh, no.” Well, 🎙 alt-J, 🎵 “Left Hand Free” doesn’t sound, um like a freeing experience.  Nonetheless, the song, which appears on the trio’s 2014 album, 💿 This is All Yours, is rad. It’s rad even though there’s been rumors that the band wasn’t as high on it, debunked by the gift that is twitter.

One of the reasons that “Left Hand Free” is so rad is that it sounds quite commercial, which is where some of the rumors come into play via Genius. Don’t get it twisted, regardless of the commercial sensibilities, “Left Hand Free” is still ‘alternative.’  What is the difference compared to some alternative records? It’s definitely hookier, looser, and more infectious.  Also, as is the case with alt-j songs, there are no shortage of annotations.

Also appears on 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Free 🆓 3.0: A Compendium of 30 Songs

🔗 🎧 Hand: 5ive Songs No. 61

11. Nine Inch Nails, “The Hand That Feeds”

💿 With Teeth • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2005

“Got your chin held high and you feel just fine /… But inside, your heart it is black and it’s hollow and it’s cold…” 🎵 “The Hand That Feeds” appears as the fourth track on 💿 With Teeth, the 2005 studio album by 🎙 Nine Inch Nails.  With Teeth arrived more than five years after brainchild 🎙 Trent Reznor’s previous album, 💿 The Fragile (1999).  The song at hand definitely earns a spot in the album’s top tier of songs, alongside the likes of 🎵 “All the Love in the World” and 🎵 “Only”.

As tends to be the case with any Nine Inch Nails song, the production is on-point.  Reznor, alongside 🎵 Alan Moulder and 🎵 Atticus Ross, definitely produce a record that’s pleasing to the ears, with both guitars and programming. Beyond the top-notch sound design, Trent Reznor delivers the goods vocally, bringing his intriguing lyrics alive superbly.  Of course, the centerpiece is the high-flying chorus:

“Just how deep do you believe
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
Will you chew until it bleeds?
Can you get up off your knees?
Are you brave enough to see?
Do you want to change it?”

12. Alanis Morissette, “Hand in My Pocket”

💿 Jagged Little Pill • 🏷 Warner • 📅 1995

Sometimes a music artist arrives on the scene at just the right time.  That’s definitely the case with 🎙 Alanis Morissette, who was made for the alternative rock era of the 1990s.  Her career masterpiece, 💿 Jagged Little Pill, definitely had a major impact.  The album would earn the Canadian singer/songwriter four Grammys at the 38^th Annual Grammy Awards 🏆, including wins for Album of the Year, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (“You Oughta Know”), Best Rock Song (“You Oughta Know”), and Best Rock Album. She was nominated, over that cycle and the next, for a total of seven awards. Amazingly, our ‘handy’ song at hand, 🎵 “Hand in My Pocket,” wasn’t nominated.  Bummer – it’s iconic AF!

“I’m broke, but I’m happy / I’m poor, but I’m kind / I’m short, but I’m healthy, yeah.” Sigh, those contrasting lyrics from the first verse of “Hand in My Pocket” are legendary. The same can be said of the second verse, as well as the third, were Alanis memorably sings a personal favorite line, “I’m brave, but I’m chicken shit.” Wow.  Of course, the most memorable parts of the song are the chorus, which is varied throughout, at least the second and fourth lines:

“And what it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be fine, fine, fine
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is givin’ a high five.”

Worth noting, Morissette wrote “Hand in My Pocket” with 🎙 Glen Ballard, who also produced it.

13. Donny Hathaway, “Put Your Hand in the Hand”

💿 Donny Hathaway • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1971

🏆 Grammy-winning musician 🎙 Donny Hathaway only lived to be 33 years old but left an indelible mark on R&B/soul and all music regardless of genre.  He is renowned for both originals like 🎵 “This Christmas”, as well as reinterpretations such as 🎵 “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” and the song at hand, 🎵 “Put Your Hand in the Hand”.  “Put Your Hand in the Hand” was written by Canadian singer/songwriter 🎙 Gene MacLellan.  It was originally recorded by a fellow Canadian, 🎙 Anne Murray, on her 1970 album, 💿 Honey, Wheat & Laughter, before short-lived Canadian band 🎙 Ocean would record it and make it a huge pop hit in 1971. 🎙 Arif Mardin and 🎙 Jerry Wexler did a marvelous job where the production is concerned.

While versions by Anne Murray and Ocean both exhibit that gospel-pop flavor, Donny Hathaway transforms the classic into a full-blown, gospel-soul gem.  This begins with the masterful, bluesy piano introduction, which hails directly from the black church (that’s indisputable by the way).  Soon enough, things evolve into even more soulful means, thanks to Hathaway’s assertive, spirited vocals, and fuller instrumentation including organ, guitar, bass, drums, and of course, gospel choir.  Not only is this a spirit-catching gospel song, it’s also a clinic on musicianship.  There are numerous key modulations – far less common today – further amplifying the energy and overall spiritual vibe. MacLellan definitely penned a classic on his own while a young and innovative Donny Hathaway ran with it and made it his own.