The diss tracks released in 2024 by these two contenders aren’t pretty. They trade serious, mostly sexual, allegations against each other. But Lamar seemed unfazed, dropping two singles within 48 hours, accusing Drake of highly illegal and morally terrible things.

With “Not Like Us,” Lamar came after Drake with vengeance, digging up the dirtiest of alleged dirt. He also referenced nearly 15 other rappers, building his “army” of supporters, and flaming those who stood with Drake.

Musically, the track has been highly acclaimed among mainstream critics, with praise for its aggressive beat and cutting tone. It reached the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for a week.  

The accompanying music video simply shows the album cover, a Google image screen grab of Drake’s estate, with 13 red markers to denote registered sex offenders and pedophiles.

Kendrick claims he and his crew are not like Drake and his entourage, but his latest single goes to some pretty explicit and profane places to explain why.

POSITIVE CONTENT

While Kendrick’s attempt to defend his friends from Drake’s attacks could be considered admirable, the language and sexual innuendo noted below are hard to look past.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Where do I start? The themes in “Not Like Us” range from mature to explicit to spiritually profane.

The track revolves around allegations that Drake is a pedophile (“Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young”). Likewise, Lamar also describes Drake’s associates on the latter’s record label, OVO, as being pedophiles, drug abusers, and sex traffickers (“Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles”).

These euphemisms (“Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor”) and straight-up explanations of Drake’s alleged misdeeds continue through the entire song.

It doesn’t stop there (“Rabbit hole is still deep, I can go further, I promise”).

Kendrick also accuses Drake of being a “colonizer” of black culture, comparing Drake to white slave owners (“No, you not a colleague, you a f—in’ colonizer”).

In the four-and-a-half-minute song, we hear about 45 profanities and vulgarities combined, including “a–,” “b—h,” “p—y” and “ho.” Also included in that total are one s-word, 17 n-words and 6 f-words.

And we’re still not done. Lamar rebrands OVO as “Other Vaginal Option” and says he should roll Drake up “like a fresh pack of ‘za [weed].”

Lamar also appropriates religious imagery and ideas in “Not Like Us,” criticizing what he characterizes as Drake’s betrayal of the Black community. He also says Drake is a “69 God” instead of the 6 God, or god of Toronto, as Drake claims to be.

So deep is Lamar’s antipathy here that he says he’s willing to compromise his faith to win this battle (“Beat you’re a– and hide the Bible if God watchin’”).

TRACK SUMMARY

According to the press, the fight is over. But according to Kendrick Lamar, it’s not. He raps he’s got “One, two, three, four, five, plus five” singles in stock and ready to drop.

The feud between the two rappers now extends beyond the diss tracks. Social media posts from artists and fans alike bolster both sides and many other artists have been pushed to both sides of the divide. In addition, “Not Like Us” has allegedly been linked to fans who vandalized Drake’s OVO clothing retailer to further sully his reputation.

In the end, Lamar may be right in saying he’s not like Drake. That said, he’s hardly captured the moral high ground here.

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Break-up songs are often wrought with anger and profanities. This one has those things. But it also tries to take the bitter edge off with that old country stand-by: late-night beer drinking.

Whether or not Post Malone and Morgan Wallen are close in real life or not, I have no idea. But they’re buddies in their song “I Had Some Help,” as they both look back on failed relationships.

They’re willing to take some blame for their failures, but definitely not all of it.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Friendship and a willingness to admit some mistakes are two of the most positive elements found in Malone’s May release.

While it is clear both Malone’s and Wallen’s characters are embittered by their romantic partners leaving them, the goal of the song is not to blame the other but rather share the burden of blame. Both sing in the chorus, “It ain’t like I can make this kind of mess all by myself.”

Malone knows his ex is talking badly about him (“You’re tellin’ all your friends that I’m crazy”), but he expects her to own her faults, too (“Like I’m the only one”). Wallen sings, “I ain’t an angel, you ain’t heaven-sent.”

While neither of these guys are saints themselves, acknowledging a shared burden of fault rings close to the biblical principle of taking the log out of your own eye before removing the speck from your friend’s. Malone touches on this truth in the first verse as well, singing, “Why’d you throw them stones if you had a wild hair of your own or two?”

The video shows the two helping each other process their emotions, Wallen even helps Malone off the ground after he gets thrown out of the bar.

CONTENT CONCERNS

And speaking of that bar, alcohol solves problems here … at least if you believe the song. It’s a time-honored country cliché, and one that Malone’s willing to embrace in this song.

The video shows both Malone and Wallen drinking heavily. Malone smokes, too. In Malone’s case, we can assume his choices have something to do with the frustrating phone call he received at the beginning of the video.

The drinking continues. And three young women driving by seem glad to see the two artists intoxicated and without any romantic partners.

Indeed, they confess that they’ve “been deep in every weekend if you couldn’t tell.”

The chorus also suggests that these guys’ alcohol habits were fueled in part by their romantic partners’ enablement: “Don’t act like you ain’t help me pull that bottle off the shelf.”  

While Malone and Wallen could’ve leaned into the song’s theme of admitting your own faults, their solution in the bridge is the exact opposite. The burden of blame is shared, but in an ever-embittered way, as Malone sings, “Baby, you blame me and baby, I blame you.”

Ultimately the two have no intention of forgiving any time soon, Wallen singing, “Can’t wash our hands of this.”

As for the profanities I mentioned, we hear one s-word and three uses of “h—” (in a repeated line in the chorus).

TRACK SUMMARY

Malone and Wallen debuted this much-anticipated track at the Stagecoach Festival on April 28^th. And it didn’t take long to reach No. 1, three weeks and counting in that top slot as of this writing.

It will be interesting to watch as Malone moves from an occasional country cover to his forthcoming full country album, rumored to be releasing later this year. “I Had Some Help” gives us a sense of what to expect.

Malone’s first single in this genre fits easily alongside the drinking anthems of modern country pop. There’s some honesty here, but the themes of dwelling in unforgiveness, profanity and the urge to solve problems with alcohol should give listeners pause.

The post I Had Some Help appeared first on Plugged In.

Colliding streams of attraction, fear, compulsion, lust and hope cascade and tumble into each other, yielding a torrent of emotional whitewater that joyously propels a young lover’s heart downstream. 

Does that sound overwrought? Overwritten? Maybe just a little.

Then again, after listening to Gracie Abrams’ latest song on this subject, maybe not. That’s because “Risk” taps into a flood of conflicting emotions as this 24-year-old singer navigates like a kayaker plunging down Class 5 rapids. It’s a breathtaking plunge, but one that Gracie seems ready to take.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Gracie surprises herself when she comes to the realization that she’s “actually invested” emotionally in the possibility of a new relationship. She’s also self-aware enough—at least, some of the time—to realize that her infatuation may not be a reliable guide. She sings, “Haven’t even met him/Watch this be the wrong thing/Classic.”

She also sings that she’s willing to take the risk of “jumping in the deep end/ … But I’m gonna take it.”

Lines like these effectively convey the churning feelings of risk and vulnerability that anyone who’s ever been twitterpated has felt. There’s an innocence here that brings to mind some of Taylor Swift’s earlier material, a tenderness that shows up in lines like: “And you’re coming to me/And you get to my door/And you can’t even speak/But I think that’s sweet/Yeah, I think that you’re sweet.”  

The video somewhat humorously depicts Abrams as a kind of crazed stalker chasing this guy. It’s meant to depict, I think, how unhinged we can get when infatuation becomes almost like inebriation.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of this song is Abrams’ repeated misuse of God’s name throughout the song’s two parallel courses. Seven times total we hear these two phrases: “God, I’m actually invested,” and, “God, I’m jumping in the deep end.” Those abuses of God’s name are compounded by the fact that this catchy chorus easily gets lodged in your brain, and those are the phrases from this song that come to mind first.

And even though Abrams says she doesn’t even know this guy yet, she’s still imagining him being with her in bed at night: “And I wake up/In the middle of the night/ … And I feel like I could die/‘Cause you’re not here/And it don’t feel right.” Later she circles back more clearly to this fantasy: “I wish you could hold me here, shakin’/You’re the risk, I’m gonna take it/Why aren’t you in my bedroom.”

And this line is both mildly profane and mildly suggestive: “Knowing d–n well that I haven’t been touched by you.”

The video shows Abrams drinking wine in her bedroom by herself.   

TRACK SUMMARY

Listening to this admittedly infectious song, I couldn’t help but think, “This sounds like Taylor Swift about 10 years ago.” And, looking up the two singers’ respective ages, sure enough, Swift’s a decade older than Gracie Abrams.

While I can’t say for sure, it definitely seems as though Abrams has imbibed deeply from the Taylor Swift well of songwriting. We get the same kind of girl-next-door heroine confessing and battling with her conflicting emotions as she works up her courage to take a chance on a guy who’s captured her fancy.

As gushing infatuation songs go these days, this one’s relatively tame. That said, the mild profanity, misuses of God’s name and some slightly suggestive references mean you may not want your tween or teen putting Gracie Abrams’ latest effort on repeat.

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Maybe not for you or me or the calendar makers, but certainly for the artists fighting to throw out the best summer song. And while the winner is not quite yet decided (it is, after all, April), there is one song in the running you should know about. 

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”

This earworm, released by the 24-year-old former Disney star-turned-actor-turned singer, has a 70s feel. That’s especially true of the accompanying video which has already garnered close to 9 million views in a little over a week, and that number is still climbing.

This song equates Sabrina–all of Sabrina–to an addictive drug that a new man in her life just can’t quit.

POSITIVE CONTENT

There’s nothing wrong with someone liking you (“Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh/Isn’t that sweet? I guess so”). And Sabrina knows that this new guy is really into her (“Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know/that’s that me espresso”).

CONTENT CONCERNS

In fact she’s so sure of this man’s affections that she confidently stands on the side of arrogance (“I can’t relate to desperation/My give-a-f—s are on vacation/And I got this one boy and he stop calling/When they act this way, I know I got ‘em”).

It’s pretty clear that the addiction and obsession here are due to a few things:

Sabrina’s skin and scent (“Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya”), her overall demeanor (“Walked in and dream-came-trued it for ya”) and of course the sexual interaction Sabrina has with this man.

Now, all of that above information sets the stage for the music video, which finds Sabrina and her backup dancers at the lake, dressed in an array of very revealing bikinis, along with shirtless men, for whom the women flaunt, dance and act provocatively, even to their embarrassment.

In addition to the f-word, Sabrina also says “holy s—” in one line of her song.

TRACK SUMMARY

Sabrina Carpenter isn’t a new name. While many may know her best as an actress, she’s continuing to make a very prominent space for herself in the music industry.

She’s had a handful of songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and, even bigger, she opened for Taylor Swift in 2023 during her Eras Tour. That’s no small accomplishment.

Here, she boldly sings about how glorious it feels to be someone’s addiction–and to know it. This song, while it is remarkably catchy and meant to be a light summer hit, is laced with sensuality, arrogance and a few harsh profanities that likely will make it out of reach for young listeners.

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At least that’s what she’s telling listeners in her latest single, “Illusion.”

This track, from the 28-year-old Grammy-Award winner’s upcoming album Radical Optimism, finds Lipa admitting to some of her past mistakes while claiming she’s ready to move forward from them.

Almost.

See, Lipa may know a red flag when she sees one, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have fun while it’s waving.

POSITIVE CONTENT

To Lipa’s credit, she admits that she’s made some mistakes when it comes to former relationships (“I been known to miss a red flag/I been known to put my lover on a pedestal/In the end, those things just don’t last”).

But she’s done with that and ready to move forward (“It’s time I take my rose-coloured glasses off/…Now I’m grown, I know what I deserve”).

See, she recognizes all the questionable signs she never saw before (“I already know your type, tellin’ me the things I like/…Don’t you know I could do this dance all night?”).

And she’s letting this new guy know she’ll never fall for shady behavior again (“Don’t know who you think that you’re confusin’/I be like, ooh, it’s amusin’/You think I’m gonna fall for an illusion”).

CONTENT CONCERNS

Still, Lipa has no problem dancing and flirting with this guy she says she’ll never date (“I still like dancin’ with the lessons I already learned”). And in one line, Lipa uses the s-word.

The music video for this track features Lipa and other women in bikinis and other revealing outfits, dancing on a ship and sometimes against one another. It also features men in speedos and other suggestive outfits dancing with Lipa. And, on the cover for this single, Lipa sports a bikini top.

TRACK SUMMARY

If you were to just listen to this track, you wouldn’t have too many issues to comb through (though they still exist).

Dua Lipa is claiming to have grown up and moved on from making questionable relationship choices. But she’s still OK with flirting and entertaining these bad choices, even if she doesn’t go home with them.

But the song isn’t on its own. The accompanying video has already gained 8.8 million views in just a few days. And it features Lipa and other women and men in revealing bathing suits, dancing together, pretty suggestively, on a ship. And she does say the s-word in one line of her song.

It’s nice to see Dua Lipa growing up and wanting healthier relationships, but this latest track still has hints of what has made Lipa so famous: dancing, lighthearted-vibes and love–or a lack thereof.

The post Illusion appeared first on Plugged In.

Just watch any music video with former DisneyChannel or Nickelodeon stars and you’d understand that pretty quickly.

But in this case, we’re not talking about those stars. We’re talking about YouTube sensation JoJo Siwa.

Siwa started out as a dancer on the second season of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition and, when she was eliminated in week nine, she took to YouTube, where she became a star.

Siwa took fans around her mansion, unboxed sparkly gifts, did her makeup, had many a heart-to-heart with viewers and even came out with dance videos and music videos.

And her videos received millions of views. Meaning, she is no small influencer.

That makes her latest hit, “Karma,” quite the shocker.

This song, and its accompanying video, is a billboard for anyone who wants to watch a good-girl-gone-bad-gone-lesbian sort of video.

Of course, this was Siwa’s intent. She said in an interview with Billboard that her desire was to be as “bold” and as “b-llsy” as possible. She also said that she wants to create a new musical style, which she wants to call “gay pop.”

And this profane song about the effects of karma has helped her to accomplish that mission on all fronts. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

The saving grace here is that Siwa quotes a part of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shall not lie, thou shall not cheat,” Siwa parrots.

Siwa admits that she cheated on her girlfriend, but that she is sorry for what she did (“This lonely room feels so empty, just me and my regrets/And cold blue eyes look back at me, the mirror has no sympathy/My guilts become a symphony that won’t let me forget”).

CONTENT CONCERNS

Siwa is telling listeners that she’s been cheated on, but that it’s because she also has cheated and lied in the past.

And so she tells the story of her infidelity. “I was a bad girl, I did some bad things/I swear I did it all for fun and it meant nothing.”

She intended to keep her tryst a secret (“It never happened, it was a secret”) and didn’t think about how her actions would hurt her girlfriend (“Another late night, another crazy mood/And I didn’t think twice what it would do to you”).

Until, of course, her girlfriend cheated on her (“When I saw the pics of you and her, I fеlt the knife twist/…It still kills me you hooked up with her”) and she realized that “the universe is giving me what I deserve.”

Which perfectly sets the stage for the chorus, which repeats: “Karma’s a “b–ch/I should’ve known better/If I had a wish, I would’ve never effed around.”

There’s also a double entendre in the chorus that says not only is Karma the worst, but so is the girl that’s now with Siwa’s former girlfriend (“Karma’s a b–ch, and she’s with you right now”).

TRACK SUMMARY

There are a lot of ways to rebrand oneself. But this is one of the most problematic.

This song, and subsequent music video, feels like Siwa is trying too hard to give herself a new name and distance herself from her YouTube personality of sparkles, bows and all things girly.

I’m sure she’s grown up and changed in many ways. I just wish she would have expressed that differently. Especially because the young girls that have grown up with her may watch this shocking transformation and feel that they should do the same.

This is nothing new. Miley Cyrus spiraled out on Bangerz, Demi Lovato went wild on Confident and Taylor Swift promised revenge on Reputation.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the natural progression for young stars who never really had a childhood. Or for those whose entire childhood was put on display and scrutinized at every turn.

It makes me sad for the slow, unbothered childhood that they never got to have. And for the unhinged personalities they feel they need to take on afterward.

But if you’re a parent of a JoJo Siwa fan, you should know that this new turn she’s taking is laced with profanity and glorifies her own lesbian lifestyle.

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This 34-year-old Irish native is probably best known for his hit “Take Me To Church,” which told listeners that sex was both a part of Hozier’s religion and an act of worship.

So, in many ways, listeners have come to expect Hozier to be lyrically daring. And he continues to be so. Especially on his new EP, Unreal Unearth: Unheard, with his latest single called “Too Sweet.”

While his former hit was bold and basically sacrilegious, “Too Sweet” is so masterfully written that you might not expect it to simply be about how Hozier is not a morning person, while a woman in his life is. And he is, kindly, over it.

POSITIVE CONTENT

It’s true. Hozier is not a morning person (“It can’t be said I’m an early bird/It’s 10 o’clock before I say a word”). But this woman in his life is, and she feels that if Hozier was, he’d be a healthier person (“How do you sleep so well/You keep tellin’ me to live right/To go to bed before the daylight/But then you wake up for the sunrise”).

But that’s not how he wants to wake up. He wonders if she ever wants to just take it easy and “wake up, dark as a lake/Smellin’ like a bonfire/lost in a haze?”.

It’s clear this woman is “drunk on life” and he thinks “it’s great.”

Still, his preferences are vastly different from hers.

He wants to enjoy life with a drink (“I think I’ll take my whiskey neat”), a strong cup of coffee (“My coffee black”), unconventional work hours (“I work late when I’m free from the phone”) and a much later bedtime that’s certainly unproductive in this woman’s eyes (“And my bed at three”).

It seems that she’s the opposite of Hozier in every way. He calls her “sweet.” In fact, she’s “too sweet” for him. Too structured, too put together and too uptight (“You treat your mouth as if it’s Heaven’s gate/The rest of you like you’re the TSA”).

CONTENT CONCERNS

It’s not necessarily bad to be a morning person. It’s not a sin to be a night owl. It’s totally fine to enjoy different things, to have different preferences and to work on a different schedule than most. To view life in a different lens.

Really, the only concerning lyric here is that Hozier thinks it’s strange this woman wants to keep in shape. To which he comments “who wants to live forever, Babe?”.

He also mentions that he enjoys drinking his “whiskey neat.”

TRACK SUMMARY

Of all the things this song says, I think it most clearly communicates that Hozier is a masterful lyricist.

I’ve never listened to a song that basically told someone to enjoy life and not take everything so seriously in such a beautiful way.

As someone who is pretty type-A, I can appreciate a lot of what is being said here. Especially because Hozier is clear that he appreciates this woman’s preferences (“If you’re drunk on life babe, I think it’s great”) and views her as a beautiful creature (“You know you’re bright as the morning/As soft as the rain/Pretty as a vine/As sweet as a grape”).

Just one that needs to calm down and be OK that he too has his own way of enjoying things.

As for problematic content, there isn’t much here to worry about. Yes, Hozier enjoys whiskey. Sure, some of his habits could be called questionable. And he does say that he doesn’t feel life is so great that he’d want to live forever.

But there’s no profanity. No references to sex. No videos from which you’d need to shield your eyes. Just some wonderfully wound lyrics that tell a funny story of sorts.

The post Too Sweet appeared first on Plugged In.

The second single from Grande’s album, Eternal Sunshine, “We Can’t Be Friends” encapsulates the heartache of an ended relationship. In the song, Grande declares to an unnamed ex that although “we can’t be friends,” she would “like to just pretend” and “wait until you like me again.”

A music video, which is based on the premise of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, accompanies the song and adds to its meaning.

In the video, Grande plays a character named Peaches. Peaches goes to a medical clinic, asking them to perform a procedure that would erase her ex from her memory. Although she is seemingly content with her decision, the song’s ending repeats the phrase, “I’ll wait for your love.”

POSITIVE CONTENT

Music is filled with bad advice about breakups. Country songs often suggest drowning your sorrows in alcohol. Oliva Rodrigo’s recent single, “Bad Idea,” suggests you give into temptation and sleep with your ex.

In contrast, Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” doesn’t offer any explicit advice; however, it does present a relatable example of someone processing a breakup. The song demonstrates that it’s normal to desire separation from a previous partner while also missing his or her affection and company.

CONTENT CONCERNS

Unfortunately, Grande’s relatable representation of a breakup ultimately offers little hope. The song ends with repetition of the phrase, “I’ll wait for your love,” leaving listeners with her feelings of insatiable longing for a relationship that did not work out.  

This song also includes some postmodern themes. For example, she states, “Me and my truth, we sit in silence/Baby girl, it’s just me and you.” Grande’s message here doesn’t seem agenda-filled; however, she does implicitly suggest a worldview based on subjective truth and personal experience.

The music video doesn’t add anything terribly explicit, but there are a few moments to consider. As mentioned before, the premise of the video involves a woman undergoing an operation that promises to erase all memories of her ex. Obviously, this is not a realistic or healthy way to process a breakup. Additionally, a scene in the video involves a couple lying in the same bed together, and the man is seen without a shirt.

TRACK SUMMARY

Compared to many other relationship-related songs, Ariana Grande’s breakup commentary could be seen as being more positive—which is an indicting comment on the overall state of this medium. Although she avoids offering blatantly negative advice, her conclusion is an ambivalent acceptance of her dissatisfaction.

American author Flannery O’Connor delineates the problem with such conclusions by stating, “At its best our age is an age of searchers and discoverers, and at its worst, an age that has domesticated despair and learned to live with it happily.”

Unfortunately, O’Connor’s “despair domesticators” dominate this postmodern generation. And based on “We Can’t Be Friends,” Ariana Grande seems to be one of them.

The post We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love) appeared first on Plugged In.

Longtime fans watched him step away from NSYNC and forge his own insanely successful solo career, which now includes 10 Grammys, four Emmys and six studio albums. 

Timberlake’s most recent album, his first in six years, is called Everything I Thought It Was. It includes 18 songs, one of which debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s called “Selfish.” 

This track is an earworm, like many of the songs Timberlake has written in the past. That said, this one isn’t as racy as some of his past work. Instead, it focuses on Timberlake’s deep love for his wife of more than a decade, Jessica Biel.

POSITIVE CONTENT

Timberlake tells listeners that his wife completely captivates him (“If they saw what I saw/They would fall the way I fell”). He shares that he and Biel have a special bond (“But they don’t know what you want/And baby, I would never tell”) and a deep level of intimacy (“If they knew what I know/They would never let you go”). Because of those traits, he intends to be with her forever (“So guess what?/I ain’t ever lettin’ you go”). 

Timberlake believes that Biel was made for him, in more ways than one (“’Cause your lips were made for mine/And my heart would go flatline/If it wasn’t beatin’ for you all the time”). 

As for rivals? Forget about it: “And I don’t want any other guys/Takin’ my place, girl, I got too much pride/… So if I get jealous, I can’t help it/I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish.” 

CONTENT CONCERNS

A few lyrics include mildly suggestive imagery, such as when he describes her lips (“your lips were made for mine”) and his desire for “every bit” of her. 

TRACK SUMMARY 

Justin Timberlake isn’t necessarily known for his romantic songs. 

Seductive? Yes. Lustful? For sure. 

But this one is different. 

This isn’t the first time Timberlake has written a song about Jessica Biel or his love for her. But “Selfish,” despite its title, is sweetly centered on the woman he loves so deeply.

There are a few nods at sensuality here. Still, this is ultimately a love song that finds Timberlake declaring his faithful passion for his wife.

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He goes by his stage name Swims, which is an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes, while Teddy refers to the frame of his youth. 

Swims was born as Jaten Dimsdale in Georgia back in 1992. He grew up a multi-talented young man, playing high school football and then finding his true passion for singing in musical theater. For Swims, it was a joy to work on his vocal technique as he constantly experimented with music of all genres, from rock to soul to R&B. 

After that, he sang in multiple bands; but his real claim to fame came in 2019, thanks to his YouTube channel. There, he began putting out covers from a range of genres, dipping his toes into many melodic waters.

And now we’re back in the present. 

Swims’ track “Lose Control,” from his debut album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy, continues to climb the charts. It’s currently sitting at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It’s being played all over TikTok and Instagram. It’s everywhere. 

I’d venture to say it’s because this man can sing. Seriously. He doesn’t need an ounce of Auto-Tune or any editing. And in “Lose Control,” his powerful vocals call out to a woman who brings out both the best and worst in him. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

“Lose Control” has introspective moments, as Swims wrestles with his “addiction” for his lover, realizing that they’re not the best for one another. 

Swims feels trapped by his desire (“Feels like the walls are all closin’ in/And the devil’s knockin’ at my door”) and doesn’t know what to do in his solitude (“It’s takin’ a toll on me, tryin’ my best to keep/From tearin’ the skin off my bones”). 

But despite this woman’s apparently negative influence on him, Swims would still rather be with her … 

CONTENT CONCERNS

… and that’s what he’s wrestling with in this song. He admits that he has no self-control without her (“I lose control/When you’re not next to me/ … You make a mess of me”). He equates his desire to a drug addiction (“Problem is, I want your body like a fiend, like a bad habit/… I want that real full moon black magic and it takes two”) that can only be solved, it seems, in bed (“And I need some relief, my skin in your teeth/Can’t see the forest through the trees …”). 

TRACK SUMMARY 

Swims is known for singing about a wide range of topics, such as heartbreak, codependency, sex, substance abuse and alcohol. 

At times, he’s got intuitive psychological insights that are worth noting. And we hear some of those in this song. 

And man, can he sing, as I noted above. There’s just something about real singing. Real music. Real talent. You can feel it in your bones. In my opinion, Teddy Swims has that kind of real  talent.

But let’s not confuse his artistic capability with being family friendly. Because this song certainly isn’t. It’s primal, graphically sensual and deeply problematic as Swims wrestles through a codependent, toxic relationship as strong as drug addiction itself.

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