Over
the last couple years, I’ve started dipping my toes into expanding my music
palate, checking out critically-acclaimed albums from genres and artists I
haven’t always sought out. Janelle Monáe’s Dirty
Computer is a great example of this, fierce and funky, nimble in its craft
and unapologetic in its themes. Here are my favorite songs from the album.
“Crazy, Classic Life” – It says it all in the run-up to the
chorus, “Just let me live my life” – this is a song about wanting the same life
that everyone wants without being restricted or held back by race, gender, or
sexuality. The melody is both lovely and catchy. I particularly love the
pre-chorus and the repeated insistence by Monáe that she is “not America’s
nightmare.”
Best
lyric: “I don’t need a diamond ring, / I don’t wanna waste my youth. / I don’t
wanna live on my knees - / I just have to tell the truth.”
“Screwed” – Even though the whole album is
strong, this is the start of a run of songs that make up four of my Top Five
here. Everything from here to “Make Me Feel” is amazing, and it starts with “Screwed.” As with all the songs listed
here, it’s wildly catchy, which, combined with its theme makes it feel like a
combination between a march and a dance party. It’s proudly defiant against
corrupting forces in the U.S., not giving into despair or buckling. The chorus
just sizzles.
Best
lyric: “You fucked the world up now, we’ll fuck it all back down.”
“Django Jane” – There’s so much power coming off of
this number, Monáe flexing her success in a way that reaches down to pull
others up along with her. She champions her victories over oppression and
naysayers in intricate, reference-laden rhymes. Unabashedly Black and female,
this song is about Jane being a badass and taking up space for herself.
Best
lyric: “Jane Bond, never Jane Doe and I Django, never Sambo.”
“PYNK” – This is the first Janelle Monáe song
I ever sat down and listened to, after its music video came out and made a stir
for its imagery, feminism, and inclusivity (a.k.a. the “check those vagina
pants!” video.) For starters, it’s just a fantastically listenable, hummable
song, with a terrific groove. Those snaps! I love the complex simplicity of the
verses, lists of “pynkness” that encapsulate everything Jane loves about her
girl, then rising triumphantly through the chorus into a joyous celebration of
female sexuality. Slam dunk all the way!
Best
lyric: “So here we are in the car, / Leavin’ traces of us down the boulevard. /
I wanna fall through the stars. / Getting lost in the dark is my favorite
part.”
“Make Me Feel” – Soooo
danceable, oh man. I like the bouncy groove of the verses and chorus,
especially when combined with the raw power of the pre-chorus. A terrific love
song, artless in the simplicity of its themes but bringing it hard with the
atmosphere and vibe of it.
Best
lyric: “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender, / An emotional
sexual bender - / Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better.”
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