#kygo higher love

[bo1908]

Kygo, Whitney Houston - Higher Love

[ruminate88]

When You Were The Family Caretaker: I never knew me

When you’ve had to take care of family members or maybe your spouse, you understand what it feels like to NOT know who you are at all and to be focused on those who need your care. It’s all you know.

at 15, I had moved in with my grandma who had dementia. I had already been babysitting for my uncle off and on for weeks at a time. I practically lived at his house half the time. Then have to take care of my grandma and my brother needed help raising his kids…. I also was in emotionally abusive relationships with men who prey on my nurturing and caring spirit.

Often times my mom had various health issues and I also helped take care of her at times. Not just health wise but at times helped pay family bills. (That was only a few times in an emergency) I never got to be a teenager even though I was one. My whole life was surrounding the needs of others. When my grandma finally passed, I still had my nieces and nephew to look after but a small part of me left. My mom had to have a hip replacement surgery when I got engaged and I was focused on her while planning my wedding.

After I got married, my bro’s kids are now older and basically starting to not need me so much… my mom is basically healed from her surgery and now it’s all about me and my husband. My husband has been independent before me and taking care of himself. He’s never been a caretaker, he knows nothing about it. I feel out of place and uncomfortable. It’s so different and I have no idea what I want out of life. I got married in a rush to feel “safe” from my ex Andrew.

but at some point my husband has to have surgery on his foot. I’m back on. I wait on my husband hand and foot. My mother in law calls me “princess” and says I do too much for her son. Thinks her son is getting spoiled too much… but I couldn’t make her understand I’ve always been a “care taker” so it was comforting to take care of her son like that. I’ve only been in one-sided relationships. I don’t know how to love and support my own self. It’s always been about other people.

the “lost feeling” is legit after being a care taker. Who am I? What do I need? What do I want out of life??? It’s all real and important. You matter just as much as those you loved and supported.

This “healing journey” hasn’t been just about getting over my exes but discovering myself too and taking care of me now. Something I never did before. I just started going to the dentist when I haven’t been since a child. This has been incredibly hard and uncomfortable but literally life changing. I’m changing my point of view and how I see myself. It’s shedding a layer of skin off me that’s no longer serving me. Ugh, part of me pushes back and hates it. The other part is excited. I do want to have my own kids some day yet I’m afraid to lose myself again. Not wanting to lose myself in my marriage either. I care about my husband but after the one-sided relationships I’ve been in, I’m now tolerating less and getting more outspoken and independent. Something I’ve never been! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: June 28, 2019

Lyrics:

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me higher love

Think about it, there must be a higher love

Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above

Without it, life is wasted time

Look inside your heart, and I'll look inside mine

Things look so bad everywhere

In this whole world, what is fair?

We walk the line and try to see

Falling behind in what could be, oh

Bring me a higher love

Bring me a higher love, oh

Bring me a higher love

Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me higher love (oh)

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me a higher love

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me higher love (oh)

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me a higher love

Worlds are turning, and we're just hanging on

Facing our fear, and standing out there alone

A yearning, yeah, and it's real to me

There must be someone who's feeling for me

Things look so bad everywhere

In this whole world, what is fair

We walk the line and try to see

Falling behind in what could be, oh

Bring higher love (My love)

Bring higher love, oh (Oh)

Bring higher love (My love)

Where's that higher love I keep thinking of?

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me higher love (Oh)

Bring me higher love, love

Bring me a higher love

Bring me a higher love (Oh, bring me love)

Bring me higher love, oh (We need a higher love)

Bring me a higher love (Bring me, bring me, yeah)

A higher love I keep thinking of, oh

Bring me higher love, love

(Bring me a higher love)

Bring higher love (Oh)

(Bring me a higher love)

Bring me higher love, love

A higher love I keep thinking of, oh

Songwriter:

Bring me a higher love

(Bring me higher love, love)

Bring me a higher love, oh (Bring me higher love)

Steve Winwood / Will Jennings

[pearlprincess02]

1st house synastry playlist

mirrored vibes - 1st house synastry (playlist) / inner planets / asteroids

for when their jupiter is in your first house:

"good vibrations" - the beach boys / "happy" - pharrell williams / "ain't no mountain high enough" - marvin gaye & tammi terrell / "beautiful day" - U2 / "can't stop the feeling!" - justin timberlake /

for when your jupiter is in their first house:

"higher love" - steve winwood / "you raise me up" - josh groban / "firework" - katy perry / "can't hold us" - macklemore & ryan lewis / "hey soul sister" - train /

for when their saturn is in your first house:

"beautiful boy (darling boy)" - john lennon / "diamonds" - rihanna / "the scientist" - coldplay / "stronger (what doesn't kill you)" - kelly clarkson / "i will survive" - gloria gaynor /

for when your saturn is in their first house:

"the sound of silence" - simon & garfunkel / "say you won't let go" - james arthur / "someone you loved" - lewis capaldi / "best song ever" - one direction / "i'll stand by you" - the pretenders /

for when their uranus is in your first house:

"like a prayer" - madonna / "rebel yell" - billy idol / "electric feel" - mgmt / "blue suede shoes" - elvis presley / "don't stop believin'" - journey

for when your uranus is in their first house:

"power" - kanye west / "walking on sunshine" - katrina & the waves / "changes" - david bowie / "born this way" - lady gaga / "run the world (girls)" - beyoncé /

for when their neptune is in your first house:

"wish you were here" - pink floyd / "clair de lune" - claude debussy / "dreams" - fleetwood mac / "across the universe" - the beatles / "my immortal" - evanescence /

for when your neptune is in their first house:

"連れてって 連れてって" - dreams come true / "what the world needs now is love" - andra day / "imagine" - john lennon / "somewhere over the rainbow" - judy garland / "chasing pavements" - adele /

for when their pluto is in your first house:

"before he cheats" - carrie underwood / "runnin' on empty" - jackson browne / "carry on wayward son" - kansas / "holocene" - bon iver / "decode" - paramore /

for when your pluto is in their first house:

"secret" - the pierces / "heartbreaker" - pat benatar / "higher love" - kygo & whitney houston / "gives you hell" - all time low / "story of us" - taylor swift /

@pearlprincess02

main masterlist

[would-they-listen-to-that]

Hello can you please do a selfship playlist for calvin fischoeder from bob’s burgers?

‧₊˚🖇️✩ ₊˚🎧⊹♡ Here you go!

Stay the Night - Zedd ft. Hayley Williams

Like a G6 - Far East Movement

Rasputin - Boney M.

Guess - Charli xcx ft. Billie Eilish

Higher Love - Kygo ft. Whitney Houston

Ghost Town - Adam Lambert

Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan

Freaks - Timmy Trumpet

Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia

Turn Me On - David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj

thanks for dialing in!

[doyourememberrocknrollradio]

Kygo & Whitney Houston - Higher Love

[w1ld-wr1t3r]

are there any songs that remind you of norrix?

A few! Off the top of my head, definitely Martin's songs "Carry You," "Wherever You Are," and "Gravity." You could probably put "Waiting For Love" on there too, which was produced by Avicii and co-produced by Martin, and "Higher Love" by Kygo. Basically, any song that evokes the feeling of finding your other half and being willing to do anything for them.

[starspanner]

Pretty sweet playlist!

Alabama: “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd Alaska: “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man American Samoa: “Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga Arizona: “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks Arkansas: “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac California: “California Love” by Tupac and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar Colorado: “September” by Earth, Wind Fire Connecticut: “Signed Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder Delaware: “Higher Love” by Whitney Houston and Kygo Democrats Abroad: “Love Train” by The O’Jays District of Columbia: “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool Florida: “Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty Georgia: “Turn Down for What” by Lil John Guam: “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter Hawaii: “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars Idaho: “Private Idaho” by The B-52s Illinois: “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project Indiana: “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” by Michael Jackson Iowa: “Celebrate” by Kool & the Gang Kansas: “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas Kentucky: “First Class” by Jack Harlow Louisiana: “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled Maine: “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon Maryland: “Respect” by Aretha Franklin Massachusetts: “I’m Shipping up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys Michigan: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem Minnesota: “Kiss” and “1999” by Prince Mississippi: “Twisting the Night Away” by Sam Cooke Missouri: “Good Luck, Babe” by Chappell Roan Montana: “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz Nebraska: “Firework” by Katy Perry Nevada: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers New Hampshire: “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey New Jersey: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen New Mexico: “Confident” by Demi Lovato New York: “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z and Alicia Keys North Carolina: “Raise Up” by Petey Pablo North Dakota: “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys Ohio: “Green Light” by John Legend Oklahoma: “Ain’t Goin Down” by Garth Brooks Oregon: “Float On” by Modest Mouse Pennsylvania: “Black and Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa and “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men Puerto Rico: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee Rhode Island: “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift South Carolina: “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” by James Brown South Dakota: “What I Like About You” by The Romantics Tennessee: “9 To 5” by Dolly Parton Texas: “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyoncé Utah: “Animal” by Neon Trees Vermont: “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan Virginia: “The Way I Are” by Timbaland Washington: “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore West Virginia: “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver Wisconsin: “Jump Around” by House of Pain Wyoming: “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas Virgin Islands: “VI to the Bone” by Mic Love

[jules-has-notes]

It Ain't Me — VoicePlay music video

The VoicePlay guys are fans of the Book of Mormon. So when an opportunity arose to collaborate with a singer who was about to join the national tour, they were pretty excited. They chose a brand new song, and created an arrangement that shifts the tone from the melancholy regret of the original to unapologetic liberation.

Details:

title: It Ain't Me (feat. John Pinto)

original performers: Kygo & Selena Gomez

written by: Kyrre "Kygo" Gørvell-Dahll, Brian Lee, Ali Tamposi, Selena Gomez, & Andrew Watt

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

release date: 12 April 2017

My favorite bits:

that beautiful three-part harmony from John, Earl, and Eli with their coordinated breathy offsets

the resonant woodblock-y pops in Layne's percussion line

Geoff's little descending triplet at the end of the first verse

dropping out everything but John's melody and Geoff's bass line to create a feeling of emptiness

the driving rhythm of the choruses

the harmonized tone jump on ♫ "slee-EE-eep" ♫ in the second chorus

Geoff's long notes and slides contrasting against Layne's stacatto percussion in the breakdown section

the ♫ "no no no" ♫ bell chord and the descending run that follows

building the layers from the bottom up

John's soaring, nimble riffs

You don't need extra drums, silly!

ending on pure octaves

all the rehearsal footage and behind the scenes shenanigans

Trivia:

Bringing in John and his lovely countertenor gave the group a trial run at moving Eli into the vacant baritone spot and making a higher voice their permanent fifth member, which was an option they were considering.

This video was filmed at a new location for VoicePlay, Starke Lake Studios in Ocoee. They returned there seven years later for their cover of "The Way You Make Me Feel" with Deejay Young.

The YouTube description includes a parody verse: "I had a dream / you were eating something sweet / won't you please share that with me / 'cause I like ice cream. / Lieutenant Dan! Ice Cream!!!"

While John was in town, he made sure to stop by Disney World and take a dip in the Atlantic.

The guys met up again a few months later when the Book of Mormon tour spent three weeks in Salt Lake City, UT, and a week of shows took VoicePlay to nearby Park City.

After two years on the Book of Mormon tour, John joined the Broadway cast in 2019, where he has remained thus far.

John has returned to sing with VoicePlay twice to date, for the "Just Sing" mega-collaboration in 2020, and a gorgeous rendition of "Unchained Melody" the following year.

VoicePlay had included "Hello!" from The Book of Mormon in their "Aca Top 10 – Broadway" countdown, which they also performed in live shows, starting with the 2015 Sing-Off tour.

[qualitymoonsuit]

shuffle your favorite playlist and post the first five songs that come up. then copy/paste this ask to your favorite mutuals <3

1.) Higher Love-Kygo and Whitney Houston

2.) I Want You Back-BYU Young Ambassadors

3.) Unwell-Matchbox Twenty

4.) Let Her Go-Passenger

5.) The Middle-Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey

[p1325]

Here's the list of the mixes I used: Whitney Houston - How Will I Know (Van Hooft & Forever Kid Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All (Club 69 Mix) Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (DJ Luis Erre Babylon Club Mix) Whitney Houston - So Emotional (Las Bibas From Vizcaya Emotional 2017 Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go (Thee Werq'n B!tches High Tea Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Love Will Save the Day (Jellybean & David Morales 1987 Classic Underground Mix) Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight (Dronez Club Mix) Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Hex Hector Club Mix) Whitney Houston - I'm Every Woman (Every Woman's House Club Mix) Whitney Houston- I Have Nothing (Brothers in House Club Anthem Mix) Whitney Houston - Queen of the Night (CJ's Master Club Mix) Whitney Houston- Step by Step (Junior Vasquez Tribal X Beats Club Mix) Whitney Houston, Kelly Price, Faith Evans - Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Club Mix) Whitney Houston - It's Not Right but It's Okay (Club 69 Radio Mix) Whitney Houston - I Learned from the Best (HQ2 Club Mix) Whitney Houston, George Michael - If I Told You That (Nic Mercy's Bavaro Beat Club Mix) Whitney Houston, Deborah Cox - Same Script, Different Cast (Joe Smooth Slang Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Try It On My Own (Thunderpuss Club Anthem Mix) Whitney Houston - Love That Man Love That Man (Peter Rauhofer Retro Club Mix) Whitney Houston - I Look to You (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Baby (Freemasons Club Mix) Whitney Houston, Kygo - Higher Love (Stormby Club Mix) Whitney Houston - Don't Cry For Me (Thunderpuss Reunion Extended Club Mix)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 03/02/2024 (Megan Thee Stallion, Skepta, Justin Timberlake)

Noah Kahan’s at #1 with “Stick Season” for a fifth week, but lower down the chart, there’s a lot of nonsense going on, most of it involving female rappers. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid adieu to “n.h.i.e.” by 21 Savage and Doja Cat, “Kool-Aid” by Bring Me the Horizon, “Strangers” AND “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, “FTCU” by Nicki Minaj and “Disconnect” by Becky Hill and Chase & Status. Other than the last one, not really complaining much about these.

As for notable gains and returns, well, much of what’s of interest will come down to the new arrivals, and a lot of our gains are confined to within the top 40. Outside of that, we do see “When We Were Young (The Logical Song)” by David Guetta and Kim Petras back at #71 because that song refuses to have a coherent run. Then in the top 40, we see a lot of interesting pick-ups, some a bit surprising and most I’m also really not complaining about either, with “Scared to Start” by Michael Marcagi at #38, “Whatever” by Kygo and Ava Max at #27, “Nothing Matters” by The Last Dinner Party surging at #22 and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s higher given the album this week, “Praise Jah in the Moonlight” by YG Marley up big at #20 and again, there’s a movie coming out that could boost this even higher in the coming weeks. Other than that, we see “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone actually gaining off of the high debut last week at #11 and finally, Madonna gets her first top 10 since 2009 and Playboi Carti his first since, well, ever, as “Popular” with The Weeknd crawls its way to #10. I’m still surprised those two even have a song together.

Our top five should seem pretty standard: “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande loses steam at #5, “Lovin’ on Me” by Jack Harlow is steady at #4, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims is on a surprising run at #3, then we have “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor at #2 and of course Mr. Kahan at the very top. Like I said, it’s much more interesting down below, and that’s naturally what we’ll focus on today. Now… stay with me.

New Entries

#75 - “Think U the Shit (Fart)” - Ice Spice

Produced by RIOTUSA, Synthetic and venny

This song makes me feel so old. I’ve missed out on the Ice Spice craze entirely in the first place, but I’d also never seen this meme she was referencing, hadn’t heard the viral snippet of the song, this is just entirely beyond me. There’s a quirky, you could argue jazzy set of 80s-sounding keys but it’s quickly drowned out by a thrusting 808 and the reverb-drowned vocal take from Ice Spice that really shows the limitations of her and RIOTUSA, given how she goes for such a basic flow all the time, and this is actually the most energy she’s ever given a performance… which is depressing! She has to fill in blank space with constant, unbothered ad-libs and punching in, and RIOT has made such a minimal rhythm section for much of the song that he seems to actively switch into a more recognisable trap beat just so Ice Spice doesn’t sound painfully out of place. As for content, you’re joking, what is there to it? I’d complain about she rhymed “fighting” with “Saiyan” but pronounced both words as expected so it straight up doesn’t rhyme at all, but that’s definitely just an element of her troll persona or whatever. I don’t know, any detail I can pick apart just feels so nulled by the fact that, well, it’s an Ice Spice song called “Think U the Shit (Fart)”. It’s basically novelty, comedy rap. Why should I try?

#61 - “Not My Fault” - Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion

Produced by Ryan Tedder, Alexander 23, Jasper Harris and Jeff Richmond

Ah, Megan Thee Stallion, I’m sure this is the last time this week I will have to talk about them. Sigh, this is embarrassingly the one time where I can say I have actually seen the contemporary film attached to the soundtrack single, and this was tacked onto the credits sequence, with Megan making two pointless cameos within a fun Pixarification of the original Mean Girls that I don’t think I’d ever watch again, but was still a fun, harmless time in the cinema. Now because I’m lame, there are songs from the film proper I much prefer but I don’t expect them to chart because 1.) they’re much further embedded into the musical tradition and 2.) they’re not produced by Ryan Tedder. Believe me, I checked. As much as I’m convinced by Ms. Rapp as an actor, as a singer, she has a lot to prove, not really showing how capable she could be in translating those acting skills to developing a true character in songwriting and performance a lá Olivia Rodrigo. This is a bratty disco-pop song that acts as a bit of a mean girl anthem so to speak, but is completely toothless, including the kind of embarrassing Megan verse that will date the song even further than its dated-on-arrival concept, although I at least like the consistency of the references - she has been calling herself the “black Regina George” since 2017. The song overall is just a reflection of a semi-failed conglomerate project, it’s ephemeral and serves no purpose other than to end up being a time capsule one looks upon 20 years from now questioning what the zeitgeist was in 2024, much like how we now look at the original Mean Girls for 2004 which, by the way, is directly sampled in this song, instead of the same line from the new film… which makes me think they hadn’t even shot the film by the time this song was made. Keeping it professional, Paramount.

#56 - “Big Foot” - Nicki Minaj

Produced by Tate Kobang and ZellTooTrill

The worst thing about rap beef, to me, is that the newer diss, if released the same week, will probably debut lower than the catalyst diss - the cata-diss, if you will - so I have to review the songs in reverse chronological order. It just doesn’t make sense, does it? With that said, it seems like a stretch to describe this as a song, not because it’s so terribly awful or anything, though I do notice that the song’s quality - or lack thereof - and pure antagonism has made some Barbs jumped ship. It’s more so because this is just a verse that starts off in a bizarre, unhinged Roman flow and ends with ASMR. I do think I have a pretty “no-holds-barred” attitude when it comes to feuds in hip hop as long as it doesn’t escalate to violence, so it’s not like I’m offended by anything Nicki said here, even if it gets ruthless and almost needlessly so, but it does just appear a bit desperate, attention-baiting using the villain persona. That’s not new for Nicki though, and all rap beef is villainised attention-baiting, often with flow and song structure as mostly if not entirely irrelevant factors. Therefore, I really can’t review this one, and no, I’m not ducking from Barbs because Pink Friday 2 is one of the worst albums I have ever heard, and I have long criticised Nicki for having bad music on this series, this just can’t really be treated as such. Sure, there’s a Detroit trap beat behind it, but only for half of the song’s runtime, and given how rushed-together it sounds, it’s clearly not a priority. I don’t review Instagram Live videos from gossip merchants, and I fail to see how this, given that it rarely ever criticises Megan’s standing as a rapper or public figure, more just using the same accusations Remy Ma threw at Nicki on “ShETHER” with a new coat of paint, is worth analysing as a piece of popular music and not just a social media rant… which Nicki has given plenty of in the past week, it’s been bizarroworld on Twitter. I will indeed hold that same standard for Megan coming up as well.

#49 - “Grey” - Yung Filly

Produced by JuwonMix

Well, the vast majority of our debuts are from or involving rappers so it’s only fair that we have some UK representation this week, and… I’m not familiar with Yung Filly but I didn’t really expect an Afrobeats / dancehall track about how meaningless fame and success can be. To be honest, that seems like it’s mostly the subtext rather than the text, coming mostly in prominence in that melancholy chorus but the song definitely sounds like the colour of its title given the bouncy percussion not doing a great job at hiding the stray reggae chords or blasts of trumpet that seem to put a noir downer on the whole parade, especially considering his longing, monotone delivery that fits into a tight pocket but never actively, almost like he just slides into it and happens to be on the beat rather than any conscious effort to ride it. That’s not to say the vocals are smooth, or not good, they’re surprisingly emotive for an Auto-Tune crooner yet also somewhat staccato in places, it’s a nuanced performance. I don’t really have much left to say, it’s not exactly a complex song, but it’s honestly surprisingly good, would absolutely not mind if this stuck around.

#37 - “Selfish” - Justin Timberlake

Produced by Justin Timberlake, Louis Bell and Cirkut

No, you can’t get back from this. We all heard “Filthy” back in 2018. Whenever I think of Justin Timberlake, I don’t just think of the classics, “SexyBack”, “Cry Me a River”, “Suit and Tie”, *NSYNC, I think of “Filthy” and this will poison the well of Justin Timberlake discourse for as long as he continues to release music because no man should be able to release “Filthy” and stand untested. In fact, I don’t give a shit about this new song, let’s talk about “Filthy” because what is that?! Who starts off the rollout for their woodsy, back-to-basics country-pop album with a dramatic glam-rock curtain call diminishing itself into a squelchy “funk” (stretching the use of the word) coated with female moaning and wonky-influenced production that allows for Justin to just bring all his effortless swagger, right? Right? Oh, he’s just going to list off a bunch of 90s hip-hop references for some reason, as if that in his view emulates actually being cool and sexy. The lyrics are rife for analysis in their failure to succeed in just about anything other than make a fool out of the lead artist, and it is fascinating. The song ends with his wife delivering spoken word over ambient, for God’s sake. I respect it, though. I respect taking a risk - or 10 - in a lead single. I don’t respect calling up Post Malone’s production crew to get an easy white-boy pop hit, rejecting pretty much every element of your sound that people were drawn into, AKA Timbaland, Pharrell and Danja, just for the safety of your own flailing career. Justin, you’ve still got Mickey Mouse money left over, let alone the incredibly storied and successful career from then on, and that’s not including the Trolls cheques, which I can only imagine are insane. You do not need to do this, you really don’t. Have some dignity, Justin. You’re not The Kid LAROI. You’re a grown man. Do what you want to do, not what you feel you need to.

#32 - “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” - Skepta

Produced by Cardo and ThatGuyNamedJalen

You’re really under-selling yourself there, Jalen. Anyway, Skepta’s back and much like “Big Foot”, this is one long-form verse over a pretty standard, unmixed-sounding beat, making threats towards others, but there a few key differences that mean I’m a lot kinder to this: firstly, the cloud rap beat is thoroughly aquatic in its lead melody and even if I’d prefer the song keeps some of that underwater energy once the beat drops, the loud, cowbell-accentuated rhythm is still sick and Skepta rides it perfectly. He’s always been one of the smoothest rappers out of the UK, mostly because of how much he has become a student of American hip hop despite his grime origins, and here he shows those Stateside connections off with some of his best, least tacked-on singing performances yet but also a faster-paced blunt delivery for much of the verse that feels much more embedded into British flows and cadences. The content isn’t particularly intriguing for me at least, but the rhyme schemes are clean and his word choice seems very deliberate in order to present a very prestigious sounding set of bars. It’s not exactly Skepta’s best, and definitely not his most interesting, but it’s worth checking out regardless and I feel like he’s been laying low for a while so this seems like a promising comeback.

#31 - “HISS” - Megan Thee Stallion

Produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat, Bankroll Got It and Shawn “Source” Jarrett

Megan Thee Stallion is an independe nt artist nowadays, and her lead single with a switch in sound and massive video, “Cobra”, despite all the reach and pull that Megan has, the promo, the rock remix… it failed to chart in the top 75, a real shame because I think it’s excellent, and just unfortunate that drama and feuding is what lands Megan a top 40 debut. That’s not to say she wouldn’t have charted without Nicki’s free promo of the otherwise not really substantial song by causing such a fuss, but definitely not at #31. Now, there are elements of this song that make it much clearer that it was intended as a piece of music rather than a worthless gossip piece. Firstly, it came with a big video, it’s actually mixed with double-tracked vocals and a decent amount of care put into a still minimal Dirty South beat, as well as a consistent, catchy flow and aggressive delivery that I can appreciate. Even the spoken word elements are left to interludes instead of grand amounts of the song, and sometimes rhyme… but regardless, this is still not exactly introspective in any way, it’s not inward-looking, or even forward-looking really. It’s a hit-out at a lot of the unwarranted hatred that surrounds Megan or is directed towards her, but it’s still just her going through a hit-list of complaints and haters, keeping it relatively subliminal - as much as I don’t like “Big Foot”, at least she’s being upfront. This often feels like it could be about anyone, so the unloading of dirty laundry feels much more detached and therefore easy to stop caring about, and this isn’t just me avoiding making comments on the beef, I apply this same standard to, say, Doja Cat, whose song “Attention” and album Scarlet I complained about being too focused on her own drama, and I’ve held many similar grievances with male rappers like Jack Harlow and ESPECIALLY Kanye in the past. When you let out your problems with people on wax, hook me in first, don’t just assume I’m already listening.

Conclusion

What a week, huh? Yeah, Skepta gets Best of the Week, of course he does. “Gas Me Up (Diligent)” is probably the most realised song this week, even if generally, a lack of realisation and finishing touch seems to be a vague theme in this episode. It’s not the only good song though, Yung Filly takes the Honourable Mention for “Grey”, whilst Worst of the Week should be just as obvious as Skepta’s shoe-in was… no pun intended there. The Dishonourable Mention, of course, goes to Justin Timberlake for “Selfish” because, man, no one wants to hear this from you, JT. As for what’s on the horizon… who knows? That’s for future me to figure out. For now, thank you for reading and I know I keep saying this, but I may see you earlier than next week.

[darlinghowl]

tagged by @lovaboy and @hidingoutbackstage to list my five fave cover songs. thank you both! <3 spotify links below:

Say My Name - Hozier

If We Were Vampires - Noah Kahan (Feat Wesley Schultz)

I Melt With You - Bowling for Soup

Higher Love - Whitney Houston, Kygo

Fix You - Kasey Musgraves

Bonuses:

All Star - Owl City (one of the coolest remixes i've ever heard in my life, not technically a cover)

Running Up That Hill - The Wombats (obligatory running up that hill cover)

i'm tagging @lucydonato @igbie and @archiephd if you guys want to do it! also anyone else who sees the post and wants to join in, just tag me in it pls, i love finding new music <3

[spencerluvtrinagh12z]

Watch "Kygo & Whitney Houston - Higher Love (Official Video)" on YouTube

Higher Love