Let me give you a hint. He’s a filmmaker.  Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the 2009 Star Trek movie, the TV shows Alias and Lost … all him. 

But what about his daughter, Gracie Abrams. Ever heard of her? 

If you haven’t already caught the buzz, let me tell you a bit about this multi-talented, 24-year-old artist on the rise. 

Other than being the daughter of an extremely famous filmmaking father, Gracie is holding her own in the musical world. She opened for Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. And, ironically, she sort of sounds like the both of them combined, while bringing her very own sound (and killer lyrics) to the table. 

She has more than 700,000 subscribers on YouTube, 10.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 2.3 million followers on Instagram. She’s also up for a Grammy for Best New Artist. 

In addition, she released an EP back in 2020, and another in 2021. And now, her first studio album, Good Riddance, houses the song I’m going to talk about today. 

It’s called “I Know It Won’t Work”. And it contemplates a breakup and all the complicated feelings and emotions that come with a decision you can’t help but second guess. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Gracie is mulling over a relationship that is no more. 

She knows that her ex-boyfriend is still waiting for her to change her mind, and that makes her decision all the more difficult (“Why won’t you try moving on for once? That might make it easy/I know we cut all the ties but you’re never really leaving”). 

She admits that she doesn’t feel like she’s worth his waiting (“What if I’m not/Worth the time and breath I know you’re saving?”). 

Still, she knows that even though part of her would love to continue this relationship, the reality just doesn’t hold (“The whole facade/Seemed to fall apart/It’s complicated”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

Gracie says that an ex-boyfriend is keeping a part of his home cleared for her, just in case she comes back to live with him (“Heard you keep the extra closet empty/In case this year/I come back and stay throughout my twenties”). 

TRACK SUMMARY 

This is an incredibly vulnerable song. You can feel the emotion in every word she sings.

In my late teens and early twenties, “I Know It Won’t Work” would have hit home in a lot of ways: The desire to move on from a long-standing relationship, and knowing that it’d be for the best–then questioning the decision and every thought that led there. Replaying memories and specific moments in my mind.  

I’d imagine that many can relate to these lyrics, just like I can. And there’s nothing wrong with that. 

There’s also not a lot of negative content in this song–at least compared to so much of what you’ll stream today. Yes, it’s clear that Gracie and this ex had a sexual history. But it’s alluded to without being graphic. There’s no profanity. No crude lyrics. It’s mostly contemplation. 

But listeners–especially those who feel Abrams’ lyrics powerfully–should still be cautious. 

Thinking things through to make a solid decision to move forward is a good thing. Wondering what could have been is also normal. 

But staying in that place isn’t. 

Remaining in a what-could-have-been state can become extremely unhealthy. It can lead to depression. Desperation. A lack of clarity. Problematic regrets.

So, when you’re ready to make a decision, do it. And then firmly close the chapter, move on and trust God’s leading in your life. It’s always best.

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Individually, Bryan and Musgraves have each released more than their fare of tear-jerking songs. But now, this dynamic duo have joined forces and recently released a song, a mix of alternative country and folk, and it’s called “I Remember Everything.” 

This somber track sings like a scene from a movie as Bryan and Musgraves tell the story of a former dysfunctional and codependent couple who can’t seem to wash their memories, or expectations, away, no matter how much they drink. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

This song starts with Bryan wondering if an ex-girlfriend remembers all of the passionate, impactful memories that he can’t seem to forget (Do you remember that beat-down basement couch?/I’d sing you my love songs and you’d tell me about”). 

These are the kind of memories that burn in his mind and remind him of deep, vulnerable moments (“The sand from your hair is blowin’ in my eyes/Blame it on the beach, grown men don’t cry”). These memories can’t be erased, no matter how much he may want them to be (“I wish I didn’t, but I do/Remember every moment on the nights with you”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

Bryan’s solution to forgetting, it seems, is consuming large amounts of alcohol (“Rot gut whiskey’s gonna ease my mind/…Strange words come out of/A grown man’s mouth when his mind is broke”). 

And perhaps he wants to forget because his ex-lover (played by Musgraves), who is also fond of alcohol (“You only smile like that when you’re drinkin’) doesn’t hold her memories of him in high regard (“you’re drinkin’ everything to ease your mind/But when the h— are you gonna ease mine?/…No, you’ll never be the man that you always swore”). 

There are two uses of the word “h—” here. The cover for this song features Zach Bryan smoking a cigarette. 

TRACK SUMMARY 

This song deals with two elements: a dysfunctional, broken couple and personal trauma that was never properly dealt with. 

Sure, it’s about plenty of other things, and the story that Bryan and Musgraves tell is powerful. The heart of this song is both sad and somber. It shows a man who drinks away his memories and a woman who explains why. 

If I were to pick a line to express the depth of emotion in this occasionally profane song, it would be ““it burns like h—” when two souls meet.”

This feels like the proper cautionary tale for those in relationships: be mindful of whom you choose and how you deal with memory, nostalgia and loss.

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This 42-year-old California native is probably best known for her chart-topping single “Your Hands” from her 2008 album Painted Red. And while that was 15 years ago, Heller continues to make encouraging music that looks for the wonder in everyday life. Sort of like her latest track, “Look for Miracles.” 

This beautiful song incorporates both pop and folk elements and recognizes the duality in life while encouraging listeners to search for God’s wonders all around them. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Heller recognizes that life is difficult and full of its own unavoidable troubles, and yet we can still find hope (“There’s always something to be scared of/But there’s no joy without the pain/…There’s no hiding from misfortune/But there’s always room for hope”). 

She says that life is “a little bit of both” trouble and hope, and she encourages listeners to actively “look for miracles’ and “beauty” in everyday life because, if they don’t, skepticism and cynicism can easily shroud the good moments. 

CONTENT CONCERNS

None.

TRACK SUMMARY

Isn’t it true that we often, so easily, allow our fears and frustrations to become our main focus? 

We have to train our minds to focus on Christ and a positive perspective. We have to train our minds and our hearts to hope and rest in God. And that’s really what this song is about. 

It’s about silencing fear so that we can see the beauty and goodness of life all around us which will, in turn, allow us to be more present and to make memories with those we most love. 

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Now imagine that you wake up a few days later and that song is topping multiple charts, you have a handful of offers from record companies worth millions of dollars and you’re one of the most talked about men in the country. 

That’s what has happened to Christopher Anthony Lunsford, known more commonly by his stage name, Oliver Anthony.

On Aug. 1, Anthony posted his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” to the internet. Since then, it’s been a record-breaking, viral sensation. The song is currently sitting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 1 on YouTube’s charts with over 33 million views, making Anthony the first-ever artist to debut at the top of the charts with zero prior chart history. 

That is wild. 

But it may not be so crazy when you listen to the lyrics and the message that Anthony delivers. His song is hitting home for millions of people–not just Americans–as he talks about corrupt politicians and the social and economic problems that their lack of care, and skewed morality, has caused. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Anthony hits on many frustrations and problems shared by a vast swath of people. He talks about working endless hours for minimal pay (I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day”) and then being taxed to the max, with not much left over to show for your hard work. 

He says that the politically elite, these “rich men north of Richmond,” want to control the American people. But he believes the common people are smarter than they’re given credit for (“Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do/And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do”). He also calls out the evils of sex trafficking.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Anthony uses profanity in a few lines to drive home his point, calling average wages “bulls— pay.” He says it’s a “d–n shame what the world’s got to” and recognizes that many people struggle with depression and even choose to “drown” their “troubles away” when they feel their financial situation is hopeless as their dollar is “s—” and endlessly taxed. 

Anthony calls attention to what he sees are huge problems in society–but, of course, that means he talks about those negative problems. Anthony believes that politicians don’t care. And because they choose greed and corruption over the good of the people, Americans suffer high suicide rates (“young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground”) and abuse the welfare system (“Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds. Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds”). 

TRACK SUMMARY 

A few weeks back, the day after this song dropped, my husband pulled it up on YouTube and asked me to listen to the lyrics. He said that he resonates deeply with a lot of what Anthony says. And, evidently, it’s not just him. 

Like I said above, Anthony is the first artist to ever debut on the charts at the No. 1 spot with no prior musical history. That’s gotta mean something. I think it means that many hard-working people in America, and around the world, are sick of the state of their countries and the political climates that contribute to those ills. 

If you don’t believe me, just hop on Anthony’s YouTube channel and read the comments below his video. People are raving about this track.

But even if you agree with Anthony’s sentiments, that doesn’t mean that the song is squeaky clean. Oliver uses a fair bit of profanity to make his point, and he hits on subjects that are both weighty and mature. Yet, given the nature of the track, the heaviness of the song makes sense. 

Oliver asserts that he’s not trying to promote one political side or the other. Instead, he simply wishes to acknowledge that he feels his own lyrics deeply and that he’s written a song for the people, a song that is “not anything special, but the people who have supported it are incredible and deserve to be heard.”

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Anyone that knows blues and folk music knows that the 73-year-old Raitt is far from a nobody. Raitt has raked in 13 Grammys over the span of her career and is now being noticed by a younger generation, thanks to her 2023 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. 

For what track, you may ask? It’s called “Just Like That,” and it’s more of a tale than a song. It is a gut-wrenching story about a mother who lost her son, and the man lucky enough to have received his heart. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Raitt tells a beautiful story of a grieving mother who lost her son years ago. One day, she answers the door and welcomes in a young man who received her son’s heart years before. And the only reason this young man is alive is thanks to this woman’s boy. 

As she talks with him, she lays her head upon his chest–listening to her son’s heart–and years of darkness begin to lift. This is what she says: 

“And just like that your life can change/Look what the angels send/I lay my head upon his chest/And I was with my boy again/I spent so long in darkness/Never thought the night would end/But somehow grace has found me/And I had to let him in.” 

CONTENT CONCERNS

This is a difficult track from which to draw any “content concerns.” That’s because this song is so painfully honest and it’s told from the perspective of a grieving mother. This mother lost her boy in what seems like an accident and she’s carried regret with her ever since. She has felt what it’s like to drop to the depths of despair and admits that “no knife can carve away the stain/no drink can drown regret” and that even though she’s heard that there is hope in Jesus, she says, “He ain’t found me yet.” 

If you’ve ever lost a child, this song could be extremely triggering.

TRACK SUMMARY

There were plenty of people who were shocked at Raitt’s 2023 Grammy win. Especially those who thought big contenders such as Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Lizzo would take away the award. 

But when you listen to this song, you’re not shocked at Raitt’s victory. Instead, you’re drawn into a narrative that is so powerful it brings you to tears. One that reaches out, grasps your humanity and allows you to see the tragedy and beauty in life from two very different perspectives. 

And it’s refreshing. Often, the Grammy’s are filled with winners who constantly top the charts with popular tracks everyone knows. What a win to award a song that tells a beautiful story of grief and hope, from which many can benefit. 

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But before you dismiss this solo take by Mumford & Sons’ frontman, you should know that his 10-track album isn’t heavy for the sake of being heavy. Instead, it’s his attempt to work through the sexual abuse he suffered at age 6. The album focuses on the horrors of the event, his own personal feelings about the matter and what it means to walk through counseling, grief, difficult relationships and the possibility of forgiveness. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

In “Cannibal” Marcus wants to know how to “begin again” and forgive his abuser. In “Grace” Marcus realizes that he will need grace to be able to work through these painful memories as he shares them with his mother, hoping for “healing just around this corner.” Similar sentiments, along with strong biblical imagery, are heard on “Stonecatcher” and “How.” 

Marcus shares his scarred memories in “Prior Warning” with someone he loves who reminds him “of love and what we would look like without it.” This same person shows him the ultimate example of humility, deciding not to cast judgment but to listen instead (“Then you knelt on the ground like you were drawing in the sand”). 

Marcus asks for forgiveness from a loved one in “Only Child,” saying: “And if you want, we’ll pick through my mistakes/You’ll see me crying/But maybe we could put it all behind.”

CONTENT CONCERNS

The opening song, “Cannibal” includes the harsh profanity “f—ing” and dives into some of the graphic details of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child. He says “I can still taste you, and I hate it/That wasn’t a choice in the mind of a child and you knew it.” He calls this person a “cannibal” who “took the first slice of me and…ate it raw.” 

“Dangerous Game” doesn’t include any profanity or “bad” content, but it may trigger some that are working through counseling themselves, as it’s about Marcus having to remember and work through the sexual abuse he suffered (“Now he tells me to conjure you up/And so we meet again…/And I’m chasing a ghost all around the room/And now you’re strung up on the ceiling”). Similar sentiments are heard on “Stonecatcher.” 

ALBUM SUMMARY

Mumford’s Grammy award-winning group Mumford & Sons has never steered away from tough subjects. But they don’t often plague every single song on an album. 

That’s why Marcus Mumford decided to venture into this effort on his own. His album provides both an extremely powerful and difficult listen. One that’s introspective and confessional. And one that’s best told straight from Marcus’ mouth. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he says: 

“…the first time I told the story amongst my community — my friends and my family — it was full-blown PTSD. Vomit, breathing, all that stuff. But the point of trauma work is to be able to tell the story without reliving it. So by the time “Cannibal” came out, I’d already done the work. It’s not hugely emotionally charged for me at this point, and I don’t think I’m kidding myself with that.”

In other words, the creation of this album may have allowed him to work through trauma, but he was diligent to work through decades of emotional weight before the album was fully birthed. That’s a big deal and extremely difficult. It shows that he understood the weight of his trauma and what it was doing to him. And he wanted healing. Something that may feel elusive for some. 

Now, this traumatic subject is something that not only his friends and family know, but the entire world does, too. Some may think that all of this is best left in the privacy of one’s home, but for many this may be an opportunity to heal alongside Marcus. 

The album asks really difficult questions, wrestles with concepts like grace and anger, fights with the process of counseling and unburying memories and ultimately ends on his desire to forgive this person who so destroyed him in his childhood. 

There’s one harsh profanity in the opening song, graphic imagery is present in a few others–but the bulk of this album is one of a grown man using biblical imagery to wander through grief while reaching for forgiveness. And if you choose to listen, make sure that you’re prepared and that you have tissues nearby. You’ll need them. 

The post (self-titled) appeared first on Plugged In.

POSITIVE CONTENT 

Kane and Katelyn thank God for the things that they get to appreciate and share in their marriage, such as intimacy (“So thank God/I get to wake up by your side”), nearness (“And thank God/Your hand fits perfectly in mine”) and unconditional love (“And thank God/You loved me when you didn’t have to/But you did and you do and He knew”). 

Kane also praises his wife for her ability to forgive (“Needed forgiveness/You always gave me that”) and persevere in their relationship through difficult times (“Girl, I’m a witness of your love/’Cause you don’t be giving up”).

CONTENT CONCERNS

The song itself doesn’t have any material that warrants caution, but the music video is an intimate look at the Brown’s relationship as the two lovingly hold one another, swim together (Katelyn in a bikini and Kane, shirtless) and drink beer on the beach.

TRACK SUMMARY

In the short time it’s been released, the music video for “Thank God” has already raked in more than 3.7 million views on YouTube and counting. It’s a song that Kane tells Billboard he and wife Katelyn have looked for for some time. 

He says, “We probably went through about five of them [songs] before we got this one from one of my writers…it was supposed to be a solo song. We changed it to a duet… Personally, I think it is the biggest song off the record.”

The track’s popularity continues to rise, and it praises God for marriage, places a high value on forgiveness and intimacy and speaks of how wonderful it can be when two people work hard for their relationship. 

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What began as a hobby has turned into Bryan accumulating more than 4 million monthly Spotify listeners. And as of May 2022, he was on his North American tour promoting  his latest album, American Heartbreak, which features his song “Heavy Eyes.” 

This track has already reached the No. 2 slot on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist as it finds Bryan reminiscing about his younger years, drinking with friends and losing inhibitions. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Bryan really encapsulates the feeling you have when you’re younger–that feeling that tells you you’re invincible and that you’ll never age: “Oh, when I’m old/I will recall all the nights we spent outlaws/It’s getting cold but that sun is cresting/And heavy eyes aren’t born for resting.” 

He also touches on he and his friends hoping and dreaming that they don’t become like the “sad folks in town” they see. 

CONTENT CONCERNS

This song is a mix between Bryan and his friends drinking a lot of alcohol (“Remember when David dashed/A 12 pack of Budweiser/…Two kids in the back drunk of their a–”) and attempting to live without consequence or thought of tomorrow (“I can’t take this soul with me/If I go, I’m goin’ quickly/Keep those heavy eyes free and proud”). 

SUMMARY

Zach Bryan’s musical style is sort of like a mix between the passion of Mumford and Sons and the sound of William Clark Green, combined with his own flair. And while his music tells stories of love, loss and youth, “Heavy Eyes” focuses on youth, but the love of youth paired with a whole lot of alcohol.

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This remix is a slow piano ballad that incorporates stringed instruments and focuses on a love that was forged from brokenness. Both the music video and the track itself make you feel as if you’ve entered the sort of emotional story that only Sheeran and Swift could create together. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Sheeran credits his lover as the one who swooped in and looked past all of his brokenness to begin a relationship: “I was upside down/From the outside in/You came to the table/And you went all in.”

He says, paired with vocals from Swift, that he knows she could have whoever she wants (“I know you could fall for a thousand kings/And hearts that would give you a diamond ring”) but still she chooses him and sees the best in him (When I fold, you see the best in me/The joker and the queen”).  

CONTENT CONCERNS

The music video to this song includes a group of people dancing and drinking in slow motion in the background. They’re not the focal point of the video, nor are they entirely visible as the environment is darkened. 

SUMMARY

Although this track doesn’t explicitly mention Sheeran’s wife, it’s easy to see that this song was written for her. It is a sweet tribute to love and recognizing that the best people love us and remain faithful to us, even when they see us at our worst.

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But now Ed’s back. His latest single, “Afterglow,” is such a trademark Sheeran song that you’d never mistake it for anyone else. And with its soft, alternative-acoustic vibe, Sheeran sings about the one subject he seems to have mastered: romantic love. 

Stay Awhile

You know that moment where you’re so content, so blissfully happy that you want to freeze everything and just stay right there? Ed Sheeran does.

Between savoring early mornings (“Stop the clocks it’s amazing/You should see the way the light dances off your hair”) and extra pauses gazing at his wife (“My eyes are caught in your gaze all over again”), it’s clear he’s smitten.

And Sheeran’s ultimate desire is to just be with the woman he loves (“We were love-drunk, waiting on a miracle/Tryna find ourselves in the winter snow”). No rush. (“So alone in love like the world had disappeared”). He’s just enjoying the small, quiet moments that are the best parts of his life (“This is a level where we’re losing track of time/I’m holding nothing against it, except you and I”).

If You Could Use A Love Song …

… look no further, because Ed Sheeran has served up another one for you. Here, Sheeran makes it perfectly clear that his wife is the love of his life. And he intends to cherish every moment with her, being present and savoring the moments that can fade so quickly.

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