This song, in my opinion, is a more gruesome version of Olivia Rodrigo's "get him back." In both songs, there is an examination of the duality of romantically desiring someone while simultaneously wanting to hurt them. As they say, it's a thin line between love and hate! Whereas Olivia describes her waffling emotions with subtlety (apparently a lot of people did not catch on to the double entendre), chloe just goes full throttle into psychotic territory. The chorus is insane, but it is also as catchy as it is creepy. How is she bringing up such disturbing images but it's somehow very... fun? However, the idea of being kept in a cage rattles me and my claustrophobia so much that that image is perhaps the most offensive to me.
Prompt: "A song that makes you want to tear a door off its hinges when you hear it, much like you might if your favorite football team lost a pivotal game"
"Ring the Alarm" was my initial pick for this prompt, but my dedicated Beyoncé playlist is reminding me of the eliteness of the entire HOMECOMING live album. Destiny's Child has truly never sounded better than this performance and it gives me chills. The way that this song was arranged for the performance, combined with the marching band instrumentals, elevates this version of the song to another level. I could not fathom how electric this would have been to see live at Coachella, because it is physically impossible for me to sit still just watching the documentary. Anyway, I'm confused if the prompt is meant to invoke a song that makes me angry given the note about a losing team. However, my energy level is so unmatched when I hear this song that I envision myself having extreme physical hulk-like strength that would allow me to literally tear a door off its hinges.
I probably could have gone for a song that better matched the angsty energy of my last song, but this feels like the most literal answer to the question of "Did You Come?" God, this song is so silly goofy! I'm laughing to myself thinking of this being a response to the very angry questions hurled at girl in red's cheating partner. Could you imagine some doofus describing all of this to you during a tense confrontation? I'm straight up giggling at how dumb it is! Also, did the Lonely Island predict an explicit plot point of Saltburn? Alternatively, is Barry Keoghan just a huge fan of the Lonely Island and took inspiration as he (apparently) improvised that scene? I'm purposely not putting the lyric to avoid any spoilers, even though I myself have not seen the movie. Unfortunately, I did have to spoil myself, because I needed to see what all the fuss was about! Dang, this has really made me laugh.
I am going back-to-back with girl in red songs, but I've been really into her lately, so I'm just rolling with it (spoiler alert: I already have more planned). Whereas she was heartbroken and nostalgic in "October Passed Me By," that yearning for lost love is now replaced with intense anger towards her cheating lover. The question of "did you come?" in the song seems both facetious and masochistic. At first, she wants to know the extremely intimate details of the betrayal, but finds herself quickly changing her mind, and instead decides "I don't need to make sense of all your bullshit reasons." Totally fair! The deed has been done, and she seems to realize that trying to put logic to the situation is not going to help. I have a visual reaction to this song where I can see her yelling all of these things, and I sometimes just act it out by myself because it's fun and I love being dramatic! I'm also going to be adding "I spelled it out, you're illiterate" to my insult library.
It was a toss up between this and the girl in red's "We Fell in Love in October," to which this is a sequel. In being true to myself, I did select the sadder option of the duo. Whereas she was falling in love in the prequel, this October is all about losing that love and seeing the month pass by like any other. She seems to be trying to reconcile how that shift could happen, from special to nothing at all, throughout the song. The last verse of the outro when she laments "always in the back of my mind, you'll be my girl" is a great sum of the ways that heartbreak holds on. It's hard to not look back with nostalgia on a season where you were falling in love and trying to navigate your way through it.
This song is truly so fun! I can't even remember when I first heard it, but I listen to it whenever I need a little extra mood boost. Nothing sentimental here, just the elation that comes from a new crush with whom you just had great sex. Fefe's certainly not coy about it, since she literally starts the song off by singing "we just made love," and I am so happy that my girl is riding that post-orgasm high. Those endorphins will really cloud your brain into deeper feelings, and it's honestly nice to hold on to that delusional bliss for a bit. Who cares if you're not actually in love long-term because, in that moment, it feels so great that you can convince yourself that you are.
My on-time submission streak was very short-lived this month but, here I am, back at it. I have a potty mouth, so there aren't really any curse words that disgust me, which may account for my latest mind blank. I think I was trying to think of a song that was shocking with a curse word, and I think that was the wrong move. Anyway, I'm going with this recent Beyoncé banger off of her RENAISSANCE album because of its perfect and repetitive use of "cunt" in the intro (a sample of Kevin Aviance's "Cunty," which I'm now wondering if I should have just picked that). Anyway, it's a very fun use of the word, and it's actually impossible for me not to dance (aka poorly vogue) along with the song.
I have a hard time with these prompts about songs that we don't like. If I hate it, I skip it! This song came to mind as I wracked my brain, but I have to admit that I haven't even brought myself to listen. I essentially hate it on principle alone. Usually, I love Nicki, and a lot of that comes from the nostalgia of her iconic songs being a part of the soundtrack to my college years. Dang though! This beef with Megan Thee Stallion has her spiraling into a dark place, and this song feels beneath her. She legitimately fell apart on Instagram Live after Meg released "Hiss," and it was extremely tough to watch. It's hard to see two of my favorites feuding but, fuck, Megan was on her Tina Snow shit and absolutely bodied her—and did it all without even dropping Nicki's name! Honestly, Nicki provided the most press for "Hiss" just by reacting so loudly to the implications of Megan's verses. While rap battles are, of course, a classic part of the genre's storied history, the fact that Nicki would stoop to slut-shaming tactics and weaponizing Megan's mother's death and her own assault against her as any sort of rebuttal is egregious. Also, rhyming "foot" with "foot"?! Everything just feels so bad and lazy. Anyway—woo! I guess I did actually have a lot to say. Quite frankly, part of my decision not to listen to "Big Foot" is self-preservation. Given all the mess of it, I don't want to find myself somehow bopping along.
performed by Mahalia Jackson in 1962 on The Ed Sullivan Show
I was originally having a hard time with this prompt, but then I had some divine inspiration. As I thought back on older songs, I realized that my first musical recollections are from the many Sundays that I spent in church. The Catholic Mass bangers were really the only things getting me through each service! This is also really saying something, because Catholic Mass is notoriously very stoic and probably the least fun of all religious gatherings—speaking from my own experience. As a religious group, we really are not known for our rousing tunes or fervent worship.
While I have always loved this song based on nostalgia, it's interesting to learn (via Wikipedia) that it is as an African American spiritual that was first printed in 1899. If I listen with more critical ears, this of course makes perfect sense, and should have been something that I sonically picked up on much earlier. It's apparently also the only African American song included in the Catholic Church's Liturgy of the Hours. This is in no way surprising to me, and absolutely checks that the best song in the Catholic catalog is one that we co-opted. I could rant for ages on the various issues within the Catholic Church (to the great horror of my father), but recognizing the greatness of this song is a saving grace for the church in my eyes.
Tragic as the subject matter may be, this song is a certified bop, and it feels like a fitting choice as we approach both the Lenten season and celebrate Black History Month. While this song has been covered by various artists (including every tone-deaf parishioner at Sunday mass), I went with this version by Mahalia Jackson. It is both soulful and somber, and honestly sweeps me up with the spirit. If anything could convince me to attend Easter Mass again, it would be this song.
While I am going West Coast with my choice, I actually thought of this song because it reminds me of Philly. Specifically because it is featured on the Creed soundtrack, and that movie and soundtrack are so good. Genius is also telling me that this song was recorded in 30 minutes, and 2Pac wrote his lyrics in fifteen minutes, and wow, that is talent! The ways in which he used religion to rap about both his lived experience and as a kind of prophetic threat to others is impressive. The first line of the first verse ("I ain't a killer but don't push me") is just such a strong way to start off and sets the tone for the rest of the song. Also, reading that he released this as he was having his own visions of imminent death is chilling. Anyway, I do wish I had more of a profound analysis of this song, but I am writing this just under the wire of submission and my brain is not fully functioning. All in all, a great song that will hype me up as if I'm about to get in the ring.
Lana Del Rey may not be the first artist that comes to mind when thinking about "emo" songs, but I went straight to my sad queen for this prompt. I will admit that the title is a little on the nose, but I'm always in my dang feelings, so whatever! We've only been at the song challenge for a month and, in that very short amount of time, I've already made it very obvious through my selections that I often make questionable dating choices. Like Lana, I too often ponder if I have fallen for another loser. Dear readers, the answer is usually yes. The highlight of this song isn't her bemoaning her latest romantic failure, though; it's her coming to recognize all the ways that they were a piece of shit. While she may start off the song by sobbing in her coffee, the rest of it feels like a declaration of power. She asserts the fact that she's feeling all her fuckin' feelings like a badge of honor! I highly recommend looking in the mirror and asking yourself "who's doper than this bitch?" as you leave the house. A thrilling affirmation!
I went through a huge Simon & Garfunkel phase when I was in high school. My parents gave me their essential collection (a two-disc situation!) and I was hooked. On what occasion did I ask for this? I have no recollection, but I do know that I became obsessed. Maybe it was because they had some banger covers of church songs? I'm not even religious like that, but of course I will always go tell it on the mountain. Also, a great emotional duo for my sensitive little heart.
I'm now listening to the whole Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. album, and it's reigniting my obsession. I was wavering on which song to choose, but "Sparrow" was my first thought, and is a favorite of mine. My number one S&G song is "Song for the Asking," but alas, that was released in 1970. Anyway, "Sparrow" checks for my aforementioned sensitive soul. This song is depressing as hell! Basically a catchy little tune about how we're a ruthless society of rich assholes who do not care for one another. Also, in a very literal interpretation of the lyrics, swans do seem like huge dicks, so them being completely dismissive makes total sense to me. Also, Nicole Richie named her son after this song. Don't ask me how I know this, because truly how, and, most importantly, why? The things that my brain chooses to retain, I tell ya.
Note: I did have to look this random fact up again, and I only found a note from a website called "MadeforMums" that Joel Madden tweeted about the song right around the time of his son's birth, so there you have it. I wouldn't even call this a win for my memory because, please, make room up there for something else.
One of the latest additions to my liked songs playlist in Spotify, another great discovery for the indie pop mixes that the platform curates for me. I like the back and forth between the male and female vocalists, and they blend well for the chorus. Also, if it hasn't already become extremely obvious, I select a lot of songs that are basically about intense yearning. This song gets added to that list, and describes well the near physical pain of a crush that is not reciprocated. I totally relate to the imagery of running in circles, because it's a repetitive action that's hard to stop! The outro though, dang! "Fuck it up fast, you can waste my time and I'll be much better if you call my line." I hate that this is me but, if there is one bit to which I'm committed, it's being a delulu girlie. I'll curse you out, but catch me changing my whole tune if I get a text back. Basically, I'm too chronically online and slowly becoming a sad single girl trope. I promise I'm having fun!
This prompt was way too hard for me. I guess that I'm just an eternal horndog, because almost every song I like is either implicitly or (extremely) explicitly about sex. I'm literally listening to Prince right now, which is not helping me think of anything that would fit this prompt. Anyway, since I am submitting this late, I used Bridget's thought to go to boy bands. Guided by this (one) direction, I looked to the Jonas Brothers as the little kings of the purity rings. I did decide that I probably should go for a song of theirs that I actually know from this era. Since this one's a banger and this whole prompt is an S.O.S from me, this is what we're getting. On brand for me to go for one about heartbreak. Honestly, given that they admitted that they were lying about the whole purity ring, some of the lyrics from their older songs may actually be about sex. One lyric that isn't: "I'm giving you a high five / 'Cause hugs are overrated, just FYI". So basically, get a grip, no more physical connections here. In sexual terms, no make-up sex! Anyway, this was horrible.
Let me start by saying that Back to Black is one of my favorite albums. I love Amy Winehouse, so much so that multiple friends checked up on me to see how I was doing on the day of her death. This song is devastating to me because of how evident the pain is in Amy's voice as she's cast aside by her partner. It really sets the tone for the rest of the album, as the songs before this are slightly more cheeky ("Rehab," "You Know That I'm No Good"). When she emotes that she "died a hundred times," I felt those deaths too. I feel like this song, more than any other on this album, gives insight into her addiction and the ways that she used it as a coping mechanism for the tortured relationships in her life. It was also hard to see the feelings that she described so vividly in this song paraded as paparazzi fodder in the notoriously harsh UK tabloids. I'm honestly getting sad about her death all over again describing it now, a complicated but extremely talented artist taken too soon.
I think that I have too many crushes, because I can't for the life of me think of the first. I totally blanked on this prompt, but then was reminded of this classic by Michelle Branch when it popped up during a workout playlist. It honestly is the perfect song for this prompt, and perfectly encapsulates the omnipresent feelings of a crush (applicable to all even if I can't remember my first). Crushes really are everywhere, all the time! Sometimes it's really annoying that you can't shake them. Also, I did see a TikTok recently that used the first lyric of this song ("turn it inside out so I can see") as a sound bite for someone asking for an opinion on a reversible jacket, and it was so dumb but so funny to me.
Azealia Banks is a truly wild ride to say the least, and I think that this could be a good case of separating the artist from the art. Let me start by saying that this song is an absolute banger. Most of the lyrics are too explicit to even explore in my musings because it already takes a lot of restraint for me not to sing this out loud while in public. It also came out in 2011, which was a year after I moved to Manhattan (whose area code is 212). It's chaotic and fun and that honestly kind of sums up my 20s living in NYC so, to me, it is perfect.
I was introduced to Amir Obè's music by a weird man that I hooked up with a few times a couple years ago. This guy was a real strange dude, but he was also extremely hot and had great taste in music, so a win is a win I guess? I don't think he ever had to fully develop a personality because of these things, but I benefited from them so I can't really complain. To be honest, I sometimes used to randomly text him just for music recommendations after the fact. Anyway, I like the cadence of this song and the chorus is pretty catchy which is where he mentions the cigarette that connected me to this prompt response. Looking at the lyrics, they are actually pretty fitting for this weird fuck boy, so no regrets!
I did have to google to confirm that this was in fact Janis' last recorded song before she unfortunately entered the infamous 27 Club. While it is incorrect to say "pleasantly surprised," given the morbid nature of the prompt, this is actually my favorite of her songs. It's short and tongue-in-cheek and she sings it in a little twang that adds levity to the song. This song is also highly relatable. Like Janis, I too wish the Lord would provide me some small luxuries—even if just covering my bar tab for the night. However, as she noted about its origins, the things we want can also be the source of our blues and my hangxiety (hangover anxiety) after an especially excessive night out can certainly attest to this.
This is definitely not the first song that I ever heard, but this is the song that I most vividly remember hearing for the first time. Also, it may have been my first time misgendering someone based on name alone—whoops! Pre-internet, I remember desperately wanting the CD, but could not easily recall the name of the song or artist. Nine-year old Beth was really out there thinking that the artist could have been Marilyn Manson. I could not have been more wrong about that! Thank god I finally figured it out, because the alternative would have been a huge disappointment for me. Iconic song.
