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Zoom: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 56 (2023), features musical BOPS courtesy of Aretha Franklin, Commodores, Cub Sport, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert.
![Zoom: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 55 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Ethan Sees via Pexels]](https://themusicalhype.com/wp-content/plugins/accelerated-mobile-pages/images/SD-default-image.png)
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Ah, 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 55th edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs that are associated with ZOOM in some form or fashion. The BOPS arrive courtesy of 🎙 Aretha Franklin, 🎙 Commodores, 🎙 Cub Sport, 🎙 Future, and 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert. Okay, let’s get into it!
1. Lil Uzi Vert, “Zoom”
💿 Pink Tape • 🏷 Generation Now / Atlantic • 📅 2023
2. Cub Sport, “Zoom”
💿 Jesus At The Gay Bar • 🏷 Cub Sport / Believe • 📅 2023
3. Future, “Zoomin”
💿 FUTURE • 🏷 Epic • 📅 2017
“Turbo switchin’ lanes, Hublot switch your watch
Trappin’ switch the spots when you’re running hot
Feet on the gas (gone), trappin’ dem bags (Pluto)
Run up a sack and never look back
Shorty got miles on her, I’m about to spaz in it (boom boom)
I ran it up fast, I ran it up fast…”
4. Aretha Franklin, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
💿 Who’s Zoomin Who? • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1985
“Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” was written by Franklin, 🎛 Narada Michael Walden (who also produces), and Preston Glass. It’s idiomatic of the changing face of R&B in the 1980s with the drum programming, in its boxy, rhythm glory. The sound palette is also colorful thanks to the warm synths that help fuel the fire. Of course, Aretha doesn’t need much fueling if any – she was a powerhouse who always seemed to be locked-in and on autopilot. Her vocals sound remarkable, retaining their soulful sensibilities. Of course, Franklin, who commandingly handles the lead, gets a marvelous assist from backing vocals, allowing her to riff and do her T-H-A-N-G. She offers up plenty of personality on the verses, fueled by its flirtation, led not by him, but rather, her. “Guess you believed the world / Played by your rules,” Franklin sings in the second verse, adding, “Here stands an experienced girl / I ain’t nobody’s fool, bump you.” Woo! She goes on to state in the pre-chorus, “You thought you had me covered now, boy /… But you’re bound to be my lover, oh.” Da-yum! We concentrate on the earlier part of Aretha’s career for good reason, but there are later gems like the infectious 🎵 “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” that deserve even more love.
Appears in 🔻:
- Aretha Franklin, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 102 (2023)
- Incredible Songs: 1980s, Vol. 3 (2023)
5. Commodores, “Zoom”
💿 Commodores • 🏷 Motown • 🗓 1977
The sound of “Zoom” is DEFINITELY a big deal. It features an epic groove, idiomatic of 70s soul through and through. Also representative of the style is the lush orchestration. It is breathtaking, exquisite, and utterly sublime. The warmth of the horns and strings is amazing. Specifically, the signature horn riff gives “Zoom” one of its most memorable and defining moments. Sampled many times, among the biggest repurposing came via 🎙 Fergie in 2006: 🎵 “All That I Got (The Make Up Song)”. Of course, it’s not all the backdrop, even if it is, celestial. As always, Lionel Richie is the man in the vocal department. His clear, nuanced, soulful lead, as well as his pen, made Commodores hard to beat. He is in tremendous voice on “Zoom” as he seeks happiness. Not only does he seek happiness for himself, but he wants happiness for the world, too: “I wish the world were truly happy / Living as one / I wish the word they call freedom, someday would come.” The thing is, approaching 50 years later, the world is still longing for happiness and freedom. Of course, the chorus is where the escapism is ripest. “Oh, Zoom / I’d like to fly far away from here / Where my mind can be fresh and clear,” he sings in the chorus, continuing, “And I’ll find the love that I long to see / People can be what they wanna be.” So much more could be said about 🎵 “Zoom” but it’s best to let this glorious music speak for itself.
Appears in 🔻:
Zoom: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 55 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Arista, Cub Sport, Epic, Generation Now / Atlantic, Motown; Ethan Sees via Pexels]
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