Hi, I'm Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland! I wasn't actually sure if this post was going to get done because I had no time to work this weekend, but I was able to complete it in two days! Hooray! I'm still not sure if I want to switch and post every other Wednesday, but I'll try to decide soon. My original plan was to write the third installment of The Stellar Adventures of Catalina in Neverland, but my limited schedule prevented that from happening. I decided to do another list of my favorite songs instead. If you read my 30-Day Music Challenge, you'll probably know why, but if you didn't:
"I really regret making that one Current Favorite Songs post from a few weeks ago at the time I did because I really struggled coming up with 10 songs I was really into. I should’ve waited a week to write it, because that week I discovered a bunch of songs I LOVE..."
So yeah. I just thought it would be a good idea to list the songs I love here. Some of these I discovered recently, but others I've known about for a while and am just now starting to get into. You may even recognize a few from other posts! That's enough rambling for now, let's get started.
#1. "Pray For Me" by The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar
Black Panther made its box-office debut last month and quickly became the biggest superhero movie of all time. Naturally a mega-smash like this deserves an awesome soundtrack, so they got Kendrick Lamar, who is probably the biggest rapper in the world right now, to curate it and appear on many of the songs, including "Pray For Me". Considering that I've liked every song I've heard from both Kendrick and The Weeknd, I had really high expectations when I saw it on the track listing, but my expectations were somehow surpassed. Both artists get their chance to shine and tell about the emotional turmoil superheroes face, and despite the fact that I am not a superhero, I can relate. My favorite part is when they sing "Just in case my faith go, I'll live by my own law" in unison at the end. I'd love to see more collaborations between between these two. Like maybe a full collab album or mixtape. That would be amazing.
#2. "Reminder" by The Weeknd
You know that quote above from the 30-day music challenge? Yeah, it was referencing this song. I had heard snippets of “Reminder” in various places, but I didn’t think much of it originally. Then I heard it again in some “try not to sing along” video I don’t remember, decided to give it a chance, and I’ve had it on repeat ever since. This song’s about how The Weeknd is reminding everyone that he’s here to stay and he’s not going to change, and it has one of my all-time favorite lyrics: “I just won a new award for a kids show talking ‘bout a face numbing off a bag of blow/ I’m like, ‘god****, b*tch, I am not a Teen Choice’”. That line is just so much fun to scream out. Combine that with a cool, relaxed beat and some really catchy melodies and you have a song that will stay on my playlist for a while.
#3. "False Alarm" by The Weeknd
No I don’t like The Weeknd what are you talking about. All kidding aside, I’ve recently become obsessed with these first three songs. In my head I always compare “False Alarm” to “Reminder” because they’re by the same artist off of the same album (“False Alarm” even comes before “Reminder” on Starboy), I discovered them at the same time, and I like them both an equal amount. Seriously, I wouldn’t be able to choose the one I prefer if I had a gun up to my head. The one thing I will say is that “False Alarm” is way ballsier. If you like an adventure in your song, you’ll like this one. It has an unsettling vibe complete with screaming in the chorus, like an upbeat version of The Weeknd’s own “The Hills”. This song is weird, but not weird enough that it’s unlistenable or alienating. It’s still got a really catchy hook and intense beat.
#4. "Candy Paint" by Post Malone
Fun fact: I discovered this song from a The Office meme account on Instagram. Not even joking. Basically, I saw something mention that Post Malone had a song in which he says "I love paper like I'm Michael Scott", and I thought that was funny so I Googled that lyric and found this song. Ever since then, I've been obsessed. I've only heard like, three songs from Post Malone, but I like all of them and this is my favorite. It is insanely catchy and laid-back hip-hop, the kind of thing he usually does and excels at. I kind of feel like a Basic White Girl™ every time I listen to it, but is being basic really that much of a bad thing?
#5. "How Long" by Charlie Puth
When Charlie Puth first came onto the scene, I wasn't a fan. I mean, I liked "See You Again" until I heard it five billion times, but his solo work was mostly pretty mediocre to me. When he changed musical styles with "Attention" last year, I liked it but never really loved it. However, I did begin to see his potential, and the follow-up single "How Long" blew me away. There really aren't many differences between "Attention" and "How Long", it's just that, for whatever reason, the latter is better. It has lots of melodic hooks, a great bassline, and even decent lyrics. Hopefully Charlie continues to make music in this vein, it’s working out for him well.
#6. "Obsession" by Vice ft. Jon Bellion
And here we begin a series of songs I discovered from the First Impressions #5 post. I went pretty in-depth on these, so I’ll keep it short. More than any other song on that list (except for maybe “LOVE.” by Kendrick Lamar), “Obsession” has been a song I’ve just played over and over again. I am (obligatory crappy pun) obsessed with it. It’s so upbeat and fun, just a joy to listen to for me. This is probably my favorite song in that entire post, now that I think about it.
#7. "Cut To The Feeling" by Carly Rae Jepsen
We continue our list of songs from First Impressions #5 with this similarly jovial song from Carly Rae Jepsen. This is probably the happiest song ever written, and considering I’ve been through some dark times lately, it’s definitely one I need. I like to imagine an alternate universe where this is the Carly Rae Jepsen song that became a billion times platinum and was a cultural phenomenon instead of “Call Me Maybe”. Also in that universe, Donald Trump is not president, scientists found the cure for cancer, and my blog has as many views as the “Despacito” video (almost five billion as of writing this!) Can I please transport to that universe?
#8. "Woman" by Kesha
Last one I discovered from that specific post. I love Kesha, but honestly I think this might be my favorite song of hers. It’s the lovechild of her old and new music, combining the attitude and immense personality everyone fell in love with and funky, organic instrumentation. It’s confident and sassy in all the best ways. Besides, sometimes you just need to scream “I’M A MOTHERF***ING WOMAN” at the top of your lungs.
#9. "Motorsport" by Migos ft. Nicki Minaj and Cardi B
I discovered this song from my First Impressions #3 post, and although I originally gave it an 8/10, I was leery about accepting it as one of my favorites. I'm a person who values their morals over anything else, so I kind of feel like I'm committing a sin by liking a Migos song. Because no matter how many bangers they make, I still can't overlook the fact that they are, indeed, homophobic. But one day I just could not get this song out of my head and I was forced to accept that I loved it. It's a banger, with good verses from all three of the Migos (there's this one part in Quavo's verse where he says "Xan, Perky, check, Bill Belichick, take the air out the ball" that just loops over and over in my head), even though the two girls steal the spotlight. Especially Cardi, whom I've discovered has my favorite verse upon repeated listens.
#10. "The Way Life Goes" by Lil Uzi Vert ft. Oh Wonder
I talked about this one in some other post (not gonna link because it’s already linked up there), but I didn’t go super in-depth about it. I probably won’t go in-depth here either, tbh. I’m starting to come around on Lil Uzi Vert, and you can blame my brother for that. I remember I was talking to him about the Grammys one time and he was just like, “How come Lil Uzi Vert didn’t win everything?” “The Way Life Goes” is just really catchy and actually pretty positive. I know it hurts sometimes, but you’ll get over it. That’s just good advice, especially for me, a person who freaks out over everything.
#11. "Lemon" by N.E.R.D. ft. Rihanna
This song is actually really dumb, but screw you I like it. In a time where most hip-hop is dark trap bangers (that I mostly like, for the record), it’s nice to see a fun, energetic, and straight-up weird song like this. This has quite possibly the greatest opening line ever: “The truth will set you free, but first, it will piss you off.” I just find that hilarious. Also: can Rihanna please release a rap album? I normally don’t want my pop stars rapping, but Rihanna’s verse on this is awesome. Just another reason why she is, and always will be, a queen.
#12. "One Foot" by Walk The Moon
Once again: “Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon is my favorite song of all time. Despite my utter adoration for that track, I honestly don’t know any other songs from the band. I heard they had another song, “One Foot”, on the radio and I was excited. No, it’s not as good as “Shut Up And Dance”, but I do indeed like it a lot. It’s a really upbeat and positive song (it feels like there are a lot of those in this list), and it combines modern pop with the sounds of the 80s in a cool way. Hopefully we get more songs like this (and “Shut Up And Dance”, of course) from Walk The Moon in the future. And hopefully my lazy self will actually dive in deeper to their discography.
#13. "Confident" by Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper
Yeah, I like some Bieber songs. Shut up. “Confident” has been out since 2013, but I only got into it last summer. I’ve really been playing it a lot lately. This song flopped pretty hard when it came out, but I’m of the opinion that if it came out today (instead of in 2013, when Biebs was in his juvenile-delinquent phase and the public hated him), it would’ve been a smash. It has R&B production, laid-back vocals from Bieber, a subtle-earworm chorus, and even a verse from Chance The Rapper before he blew up and won a bunch of Grammys. This is probably my favorite Justin Bieber song, and it makes me sad that people don’t really know it.
#14. "Break Your Heart Right Back" by Ariana Grande ft. Childish Gambino
Honest question: can a post even be considered a Stellar in Neverland creation if it doesn’t have a reference to Ariana Grande? No, no it cannot. I’ve talked about her so many times you’re probably getting sick of me praising her, but I don’t care. Her 2014 album My Everything is an album I haven’t actually heard in its entirety. I’m honestly not that big on any of the singles anymore, but the few deep cuts I’ve heard are some of my favorite Ariana songs. “Break Your Heart Right Back” is one I’ve been liking a lot lately. The song is about Ariana breaking up with a guy who cheated on her with another guy, and it’s a fun and sassy throwback hip-hop inspired bop. Ariana sounds great as always, and Childish Gambino’s verse as the guy in question is pretty funny. Should’ve been a single.
#15. "Bad Decisions" by Ariana Grande
And speaking of Ariana Grande songs that should’ve been singles, I’m ending this playlist with “Bad Decisions” from her most recent album Dangerous Woman. I reviewed the album back in November, and while I did that, I had an epiphany: I have totally been sleeping on “Bad Decisions”! At the time I wrote the review, I hadn’t listened to it in awhile, but I realized how good it was then and it’s been on repeat ever since. It blends R&B with pop and is mature yet fun, exactly what I want from Ariana.
That’s all I have for this week. Next post will be either another Stellar Adventures of Catalina in Neverland or another new series I just came up with. It'll either come out next Wednesday (April 4) or the week after (April 11). I’m not sure yet. Either way, I’ll see you then. Peace!
Stellar
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