7 SZA Songs You Should Listen to Ahead of “SOS”
By Tyra Watts | Published February 13, 2022
The wait is finally over. After five years, SZA’s long-awaited sophomore album, “SOS,” has been officially released. The album consists of 23 tracks and has guest features from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
Ahead of the album’s release, SZA, whose real name is Solána Imani Rowe, stated that she has been “currently stressed,” about meeting the album’s December deadline. Still, she has been in control of the “SOS” album rollout, releasing the highly awaited track “Shirt” on Oct. 28 and appearing on SNL as a musical guest on Dec. 2 alongside Keke Palmer, who hosted the episode.
The “SOS” album was met with praise, with critics such as Pitchfork calling the album, “a clear document of how extensively SZA has sharpened her songwriting since the exquisite CTRL, how she’s become an even more exacting lyricist and imaginative musician. While placing herself firmly in the tradition of R&B, she’s forcefully blasé about genre tropes.”
Not only was “SOS” enjoyed by critics, but it is also an album that is popular amongst students at Kean University.
Bianca Nunez, a senior who is majoring in communication studies, expressed her support of the album, calling it a masterpiece.
“SZA made a masterpiece. The meaning behind the album cover was phenomenal,” Nunez stated. “The introduction of this album reeled me like a fish on a hook. Her voice is amazing. Compared to her debut album ‘CTRL’, she is ahead of her time with this album. My top 5 from the album are ‘Snooze’, ‘Open Arms’, ‘Low’, ‘Too Late’, and ‘Far’.”
Stephanie Tande, a junior majoring in psychology, showed praise for SZA and the album, stating that it wasn’t bad.
“The album was pretty good,” She began. “It wasn’t bad. She definitely did her thing on it, she snapped.”
Tande then said that her favorite tracks on “SOS” are “Low” and “Kill Bill”.
Meanwhile, Gina Marzella, a senior majoring in education, stated that “SOS” is her most listened-to album, alongside SZA’s 2017 debut album “CTRL.” Marzella also expressed appreciation towards SZA for her vulnerability.
“As an artist, you can see she’s trying to be vulnerable,” Marzella stated. “She does her best to maintain her individuality, which is inspiring to me.”
Marzella also mentioned that her favorite songs from “SOS” are “Blind” and “Love Language”.
“SOS” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, gaining 318,000 equivalent album units earned. This marked SZA getting her first-ever number-one album. Currently, “SOS” remains number one on the Billboard 200, breaking records weekly.
To prepare you ahead of listening to “SOS,” here are seven SZA songs you should listen to.
Listed as the ninth track on SZA’s 2017 debut album “Ctrl,” “Broken Clocks” is a song where SZA looks back on her love life while dealing with her working life. She then realizes that her love life is getting in the way of her work life. One of the stand-out lyrics in this song, “I ain’t had a smoke break / In about two days, don’t break (Ugh) / Been about three years since I dated you / Why you still talkin’ ’bout me like we together? / I moved on for the better, you moved on to whoever / I was down for whatever, and then some / You gon’ make me late to work again,” highlights how SZA’s focus has shifted from love to work, and that it is her start to become independent.
One of the 23 tracks on “SOS” released on Christmas Day in 2020, SZA seeks out positivity and hope for a future of “Good Days.” Accompanied by background vocals from Jacob Collier and a dream-like production, SZA is yearning for something more but not missing her ex, with a lyric stating that “I don’t miss no ex, I don’t miss no text / I choose not to respond,” which many fans can relate.
Another one of 23 tracks included in the “SOS” album, “I Hate U” is arguably the most straightforward track on this list. This song was originally on SoundCloud in August 2021 and gained popularity on social media, mainly on the video-creating app TikTok. It led to SZA officially releasing this track on Dec. 3, 2021. “I Hate U” is malicious from the start, with the first lyric being “I be so sick of you n*****, y’all contradicting,” which sets the tone of the song, highlighting those who have hurt her while reminiscing on the past.
“20 Something,” serves as the last track on “Ctrl”, and it’s one of the most vulnerable songs off the album. Not having both her life and love life together, SZA sings about the struggles and realities of going through your 20s. She prays that she keeps all her friends and that the 20-somethings don’t kill her. From lyrics such as “Honesty hurts when you’re gettin’ older,” to “Hopin’ my 20 somethings won’t end / Hopin’ to keep the rest of my friends,” encapsulates the realities of adulthood with the hopes that things will get better.
One of seven additional tracks included in the deluxe version of “Ctrl,” “2 AM” is an interpolation of “Come and See Me,” by PARTYNEXTDOOR featuring Drake. In the original song, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake talk about wanting 2 a.m. hookups while the women they’re messing with want more than that: a romantic relationship. Meanwhile, in “2 AM,” SZA sings from the perspective where she realizes that she is not the only girl in the picture but doesn’t leave the situation because she is too attracted to the other person. The lyrics, “One of your girls on the side like that / I know your kind, how you lie like that / I know you’re mine when you bite it like that / I know you’re mine when you put it like that,” shows how SZA does not care that there are other women involved, and instead desires how the other person satisfies her.
“Drew Barrymore,” is the fourth track of “Ctrl,” named after the actress of the same name. In this song, SZA is insecure while dealing with a problematic relationship. You can feel the sadness and worry in her voice as she questions her partner and the relationship, with lyrics such as “Is it warm enough for ya inside me / Me, me, me?” and “Do you really love me? / Or just wanna love me down, down, down, down?” During a live performance, SZA explains that “Drew Barrymore” is about a party she went to, where she was supposed to meet a boy. However, the guy brought another girl to the party, and SZA decided to smoke alone. Despite this, SZA said she had a fantastic time.
Another deluxe track from the deluxe edition of “Ctrl,” “Awkward” is a song in which SZA questions whether hooking up with a friend was worth it, and now she believes that she made things awkward. Despite this, SZA doesn’t regret it and hopes the hookup turns into a relationship, but she is unsure if her friend feels the same way. Lyrics such as “It is just deeper than friendship / Now let’s keep it awkward / I think we’re ready for it, yeah, mmm / Let’s keep it awkward / I know I’m ready for it, you feel me?” sheds light on the effects of hooking up with your friends.
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