As the temperature drops and the days get shorter, everyone’s playlists have begun to shift to mellow, soft, and calming songs.
As we all know, music is a great way to channel feelings, especially when you want to feel nice and cozy on a beautiful Fall day.
Here is some music to get that easy-going, soft vibe going.
No One Noticed (Extended Spanish) – The Marias
Although “No One Noticed” was already a popular song, it attracted even more of a buzz when The Marias dropped its extended version, both in Spanish and English. This is a heartfelt song that never fails to give me chills. This track is all about loneliness and longing for connection in a modern, digital age. In the lyrics, you can find Maria expressing feelings of being overlooked, emphasizing her desire for validation from others. The Spanish version intensifies the intimacy of the song and its meaning due to the emotion the singer brings along with the low tempo guitar.
Child’s Play – SZA ft. Chance the Rapper
In “Child’s Play,” SZA and Chance the Rapper express how they feel about their childhoods with the feeling of nostalgia. They reminisce with toys, metaphors, and games they played as a child like Barbie dolls, and the “Street Fighter” video game. The song ends with a repeating verse: “Memories keep playing back/All the nights we used to love,” which expresses how the artists look back to their past just to escape reality. The lyrics in this song have a significance of how the importance of memories impact us and how they shape a person’s identity and judgment of themselves.
Self-Control – Frank Ocean
Coming from Frank Ocean’s second studio album, “Blonde,” “Self-Control” is another one of my favorite songs that help me to get into a calming mood. “Self-Control” is a heartbreaking track where Frank takes the listener through the motions of him coming to a realization that his relationship is fading and his partner is emotionally unavailable; making them use “self-control” and leave despite their feelings of attachment. The song paints the pictures of Frank having a partner who is not as fully committed to the relationship as he is, which makes the song beautiful yet dark.
Disillusioned – Daniel Caesar
“Disillusioned” is a song in which Daniel Caesar shares his overall view of life and how he believes his time on Earth is short. Daniel Caesar stated in an interview “I don’t know, I guess I’m feeling time now. I’m getting older. I always felt invincible but I have a lot of new responsibilities and reliability from people.” In this track, Daniel explains how he feels time flying by which leads him to feel fearful of getting older. This song may be relatable for my fellow seniors or students approaching graduation as we are faced with the realization that our time in High School is coming to an end.
Stranger – Jhene Aiko
“Stranger” by Jhene Aiko is another song where the listener is truly able to feel the pain of the artist. In this song, Jhene Aiko addresses her experiences with men and how often they simply leave her feeling used in the end. She describes these men as not having much that differentiates them, which leads her to sing the chorus “They all seem to be the same, It’s strange”.
Deja Vú- J. Cole
This song was inspired by J. Cole’s deceased friend James McMillan Jr. J. Cole imagines a conversation with a woman from the perspective of James and the types of men the woman gravitates to. He tries to explain to the woman that if she would give him (a small-town guy) a chance she won’t regret it and he would outshine the rest. This song was specifically written for the album “Forest Hills Drive” in 2014, but was pushed back and released in 2016. This was one of J. Cole’s highest-charting songs until 2019.