Music Recommendations For January 2023

It’s time to share what I’ve been listening to lately. I have very eclectic musical tastes and listen to everything from the past 6 decades ranging from pop to kpop to rap and hiphop to rock and everything in between. No holiday music here. Holidays are over for better or worse. Let’s kick 2023 off with some great music! Tell me, what have you been listening to?

Stray Kids – Charmer

Might be my favorite song right now – no lies.

Stray Kids Charmer English Translation Lyrics:

[Verse 1: Han, Bang Chan, Seungmin]
There’s nothing lacking
I’m saucin’, livin’ in big Seoul City, without showing any modesty
I hang up the imitators on the laundry rack
If we do it, they all fall down like bowling pins
Shoulders held high like Mt. Everest
No chance of falling down, it is unstoppable every day
When I make it big, watch your heads
I’ll change the trend every day like refresh (Cling, cling)

[Pre-Chorus: Lee Know]
(Oh) You can’t resist it
(Oh) Even when you struggle
(Oh) You’ll dance to my spell

[Chorus: Bang Chan, Hyunjin, I.N, Felix]
You can’t stand it, I’m the charmer
I’m the charmer
Charmer, charmer, charmer
Piri para piri para piri para snakе
Piri para piri para piri para snake
Piri para piri para piri para snake
Charmer, charmеr, charmer, charmer

[Interlude: Changbin]
What’s up, what’s up, what’s up? Hey

[Verse 2: Changbin, Hyunjin, Han]
Got my wide pants grasped in my hand as I walk
Loose-fit boxy shirts flapping in the wind
They stick to me like leeches like I am a celeb born in 1999
Even pigeons on the street coo like they are following me
The street cat is mesmerized too like a meerkat
I’ll test the young blood when the blood on my forehead hasn’t even dried
This feeling has got me excited right now
If you recognized me, you’re not silly
Chitty-chitty, bang, take out the complicated rules, ayy
Chitty-chitty, bang, loosen another screw, ayy
Chillin’, chillin’, yeah, every day, I’m chillin’, yeah
Loose yourself in my free movement, look at me

[Pre-Chorus: Felix]
(Oh) You can’t resist it
(Oh) Even when you struggle
(Oh) You’ll dance to my spell

[Chorus: Bang Chan, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know]
You can’t stand it, I’m the charmer
I’m the charmer
Charmer, charmer, charmer
Piri para piri para piri para snake
Piri para piri para piri para snake
Piri para piri para piri para snake
Charmer, charmer, charmer, charmer

[Bridge: Seungmin, I.N, Bang Chan]
Even if I try not to stand out
I stand out right, I know
Upload, #we’regoingup
Yeah, we flying around
Too much attention, oh, it’s focused on me
Even if I’m tired of it
It can’t be helped, yeah, yeah
I am too much of a charmer, I’m the charmer

[Chorus: Han, Bang Chan, Lee Know, Seungmin]
Too much of a charmer, I’m the charmer, yes
I am too much of a charmer, I’m the charmer
Charmer, charmer, charmer
Charmer, yes
I shine without even doing a thing
Go a bit crazy and see the stars
I shine without even doing a thing
Charmer, charmer, charmer, charmer

[Outro: Felix]
You can’t stand it, I’m the charmer, yes

N-Dubz Charmer

I honestly do not think there’s any relation to the Stray Kids Charmer – but I don’t know. They both have the same chorus and overall beat and about being flashy and hella rich but not much else in common. “I’m such a charmer” – but both songs are good.

N-Dubz Charmer Lyrics:

Na-na
Na
Ha-ha
Yeah

3:04 AM, I’m starin’ at this Audemars
Just made a million dollar
I should be buzzin’, but I’m tappin’ on this iPhone in the dark
Right now she pullin’ up
In a minute we gon’ be both naked on the floor
Can’t even hide the way I feel for ya
B-But, baby, come and put it pon me

Huh-oh, yeah, I got something new for ya
Buss down and everything is on fleek
Na-na-na-na-na

I get it when I want it, how I want it, I am such a charmer
Charmer
Nothin’ says sorry like a Birkin or a Dolce & Gabbana
Na-na
You’re the only thing that’s catchin’ my eye
You gon’ be the baby daddy, and it’s real
There’s still a few things you should bear in mind, mind
I get it when I want it how I want it, I am such a

Pull up, pull up, mi have nuff time for ya
Top down, you know seh mi ah ride for ya
Cah if anyting ah anyting I’m nice for ya
I’ll keep the bally in the ride and then I’ll slide on ’em
Big whip, big drip, big business
And I just killed the pussy, no witness
Ayy, she come alive when I’m deep inside
Anytime I pull up, I know she on demon time

Huh-oh, yeah, I got something new for ya
Buss down and everything is on fleek
Na-na-na-na-na

Pull up in the AM, I’m a charmer
In the red, or black, or maybe nada
Drip me in Dior, forget the drama
Push up on me harder
Back to the bag and I’ma handle all the business
Take time, been a while since you was in this
Can never be a side ting
You know my ting
Baby, I’m the baddest, I’m the only one

Huh-oh, yeah, I got something new for ya
Buss down and everything is on fleek
Na-na-na-na-na

Oh
Ha-ha
Yeah

KEY – Another Life

KEY – Another Life Lyrics:

Levels, levels
Fighting battles
I want you back in my life

Shadows, shadows
Hollow, hollow
Light’s fading fast, so fast

Show me what you want on the reply
Tell me how you feel make it deep babe
Tonight
Oh, tonight yeah

If you need my love say you want that
Hit the pedal and drive we can backtrack
Don’t stop
Just give your all

Like rockets we will blaze up to the outer-space
Until we reach the roof, hey, what we gotta lose?
See we’re gliding now high above the ground
Lift off, past the moon

Leave all the madness
And let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life (another life, another life)

Up to Atlantis
Let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life
And we’ll be alright

The air is so shallow
Breathing is matter over my mind
You’re on my mind yeah

Fears will not settle
Emotions forever planets we fight
Through the heights yeah

When the bass goes boom
Lighting we flash, opposite moods
But you like it like that in the rumble
With our full love, full speed hit the thunder
Feel the heat (yeah, yeah)
When ya move (yeah, yeah)
From your feet to the groove (through the galaxy we’re riding in)

Like rockets we will blaze up to the outer-space
Until we reach the roof, hey, what we gotta lose? (What we gotta lose?)
See we’re gliding now high above the ground
Lift off, past the moon

Leave all the madness
And let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life (another life, another life)

Up to Atlantis
Let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life
And we’ll be alright

Oh-oh (meet me), oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh (meet me in another life)
Oh-oh-oh (meet me in another life)

Many miles to go to reach the stars
Oh, it’s linear
I will chase for life to where you are (come on, come on)

Leave all the madness
And let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life (another life, another life)

Up to Atlantis
Let go
To another life (another life, another life)
To another life
And we’ll be alright

Oh-oh (meet me), oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh (meet me in another life)
Oh-oh-oh (meet me in another life)

Emily James – For An Evening

Fresh off the presses, this music video is only 6 days old. It’s beautiful and sad and sweet. I’ve never heard of Emily James until now, but now I’m instantly a fan.

Emily James – For An Evening Lyrics:

★ verse 1 ★
For an evening i thought you were the one
It came in pieces and hit me all at once
On the rooftop of your new apartment
Felt it there when you were walking me home

★ pre-chorus ★
And when we ran into my friends
I paused as i said your name
I didn’t say what you were to me
There weren’t words but we both knew

★ chorus ★
Don’t go and pack your heart up
Promise me you’ll start again
And even better with someone new
Please have no regrets
I wish you all the best
And know every moment meant something to me too
’cause i already miss you right beside me while we cross the street
I miss the way you talked to strangers with your arm around me
And i even miss the unevenness of the two of us hand in hand

★ verse 2 ★
’cause for an evening there as i’m leaving
I wonder if you wonder what i mean when
I say that it’s not you, no it’s just
Me, myself and my stupid habit
Of breaking hearts as soon as i have them, oh, oohh

★ pre-chorus ★
’cause when we ran into your friends
You smiled when you said my name
And from your face they knew i was the one
You wouldn’t shut up about

★ chorus ★
Don’t go and pack your heart up
Promise me you’ll start again
Even better with someone new
Please have no regrets
I wish you all the best
And know every moment meant something to me too
’cause i already miss you right beside me while we cross the street
I miss the way you talked to strangers with your arm around me

Ben Kessler – Graffiti

Apple Music recommended this one to me today. His “official” lyric video is blurry AF and hard to read lol. So I shared some lyrics beneath the video as well.

Ben Kessler – Graffiti Lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Saw a fight break on the bus, so
I jumped right out
Wish I said something, but
It takes too much time to talk to strangers now
I slip on some ice

[Pre-Chorus]
And I start running
Like somebody’s watching me (Ayy-yeah)
Hood up, covering up my sleeves
Take a left on your street, unconsciously
New York City November always gets to me

[Chorus]
And I thought that I could run away
And I almost thought I would feel the same
Now everybody has your face
And I’m tracing graffiti with your name
Yeah, I’d wait for you all night
Just to know that you’re alright

[Verse 2]
Thought I saw you on the corner
I took a sip and smoked
Almost said something out loud
I’m counting all the times I let a good thing go
Through the wet in my eyes

[Pre-Chorus]
And I’d start running
Wishing I was under you
Feel the air from the subway
Like your breath, brand new
Take a left on your street
Tripping over my feet
New York City and you get the best of me

[Bridge]
I’m skipping every crack in the concrete
I’m tripping over ghosts and they got your face
Now everywhere I go, you haunt me
The writing on the wall is just graffiti with your name

[Outro]
Yeah, I’d wait for you all night
Just to know that you’re alright

Taylor Swift – Antihero

I love this song – I’m sure you’ve heard this one. I think I relate to it in a way. Although I try not to be so hard on myself. We all sometimes feel like we don’t fit in.

Taylor Swift – Antihero Lyrics:

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser
Midnights become my afternoons
When my depression works the graveyard shift
All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room

I should not be left to my own devices
They come with prices and vices
I end up in crisis (tale as old as time)
I wake up screaming from dreaming
One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving
‘Cause you got tired of my scheming
(For the last time)

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby
And I’m a monster on the hill
Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city
Pierced through the heart, but never killed

Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism
Like some kind of congressman? (Tale as old as time)
I wake up screaming from dreaming
One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving
And life will lose all its meaning
(For the last time)

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me)
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

I have this dream my daughter in-law kills me for the money
She thinks I left them in the will
The family gathers ’round and reads it and then someone screams out
“She’s laughing up at us from hell”

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, everybody agrees, everybody agrees

It’s me, hi (hi), I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me)
At tea (tea) time (time), everybody agrees (everybody agrees)
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Sam Fischer & Hana Effron – Carry It Well (The Duet)

A reminder to check-in with your “strong” friends.

Sam Fischer & Hana Effron – Carry It Well (The Duet) Lyrics:

[Verse 1: Sam Fischer]
Come home, get high
Forget about the time between the highlights
Yeah, I know but I’m fine
It’s been a rough time
Poker face, in play
Otherwise it makes me think I’m unsafe
Yeah, I know, it’s strange
Wish it wasn’t this way

[Pre-Chorus: Sam Fischer]
But no one seems to know any better
I designed it that way
I know it seems I have it together, but

[Chorus: Sam Fischer]
Just because I carry it well
Doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy and I don’t need some help
I know I keep it locked down, but all I want now
Is somebody who can tell me how it’s gonna turn out
‘Cause I thought I’d be doing better by now
Yeah, I thought I’d be doing better by now
But don’t I carry it well?

[Verse 2: Hana Effron]
I’m grateful but impatient, get hateful, but don’t say it
So those who mean the most still get the best of me
And I can come back home and fight the rest of me
It’s best to leave

[Pre-Chorus: Hana Effron, Sam Fischer & Hana Effron]
‘Cause no one seems to know any better
And I designed it that way
I know it seems I have it together, but

[Chorus: Sam Fischer & Hana Effron, Hana Effron]
Just because I carry it well
Doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy and I don’t need some help
I know I keep it locked down, but all I want now
Is somebody who can tell me how it’s gonna turn out
‘Cause I thought I’d be doing better by now
Yeah, I thought I’d be doing better by now
But don’t I carry it well?

[Post-Chorus: Sam Fischer & Hana Effron, Sam Fischer]
Don’t I carry it well?
‘Cause no one seems to know any better

[Chorus: Sam Fischer, Sam Fischer & Hana Effron]
Just because I carry it well
Doesn’t mean it isn’t heavy and I don’t need some help
I know I keep it locked down, but all I want now
Is somebody who can tell me how it’s gonna turn out
‘Cause I thought I’d be doing better, by now
I thought I’d be doing better by now
But don’t I carry it well?

[Post-Chorus: Sam Fischer & Hana Effron, Sam Fischer]
Don’t I carry it well?
‘Cause no one seems to know any better

Matthew V – Dancing In The Sky

For those we’ve lost… sad and sweet.

Matthew V – Dancing In The Sky Lyrics:

Tell me, what does it look like in heaven?

Is it peaceful?

Is it free like they say?

Does the sun shine bright forever?

Have your fears and pain gone away?

Cause here on Earth it feels like everything good is missing since you left.

And here on Earth, everything’s different.

There’s an emptiness.

Oh-Oh, I hope you’re dancing in the sky

I hope you’re singing in the angels’ choir

And I hope the angels know what they have

I’ll bet it’s so nice up in heaven, since you arrived

Tell me, what do you do up in heaven?

Are your days filled with love and light?

Is there music?

Is there art and adventure?

Tell me are you happy?

Are you more alive?

Cause here on Earth it feels like everything good is missing since you left.

And here on Earth, everything’s different.

There’s an emptiness.

Oh-Oh, I hope you’re dancing in the sky

I hope you’re singing in the angels’ choir

And I hope the angels know what they have

I’ll bet it’s so nice up in heaven, since you arrived

Since you arrived

Oh-oh-oh

I hope you’re singing