In these moments, life can feel overwhelming and devoid of hope. But in this collaboration by Christian artists NEEDTOBREATHE and Tori Kelly (which you can find on the companion soundtrack for Prime Video’s new series House of David), we’re challenged to reframe our disappointments. We’re invited to look at life’s dark moments not with despair, but with a faith-filled belief that God’s redeeming work sometimes happens in life’s deepest, shadow-filled valleys.

POSITIVE CONTENT

NEEDTBREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart unpacks the paradox of how God meets us and provides for us in our most desperate moments. “I was standing at the bottom,” he sings. “Piled up ash and broken bone/It was only then I realized/What I needed all along/At the end of me/Finds the truth of You.”

Likewise, Kelly’s part in the song echoes similar ideas about encountering redemption when life feels bleak: “There’s a beauty in the ashes/There’s redemption in the fall/There’s no way that we can rise/Until we’re brave enough to crawl.”

The chorus mingles NEEDTOBREATHE’s soulful, Southern, country-rock style with Kelly’s more pop-focused sound and a backing choir that lends the entire song a very strong gospel vibe: “Cause I’ve got a story (We can sing, we can sing)/From out of the fire (We can sing, we can sing)/We’re gonna rise up/We got victory/Hallelujah (Hallelujah).”

CONTENT CONCERNS

None.

TRACK SUMMARY

Rinehart said of the song and the TV series to which it’s connected, “I heard about the show and always felt connected to the story of David. I could always see myself in his story. Sometimes beauty and brokenness can exist in the same place. The song ‘I’ve Got a Story’ is really my story.”

Kelly added, “‘I’ve Got a Story’ is a song about struggle, perseverance, reflection and triumph. I believe its message is relatable to so many people going through trials and tribulations in their lives. I hope this song finds anyone who listens to it in a moment when they need it most, whether they’re going through a painful time or a moment of victory.”

Fans of NEEDTOBREATHE or Tori Kelly will likely love this gritty, redemption-focused collaboration. And even if you’re not familiar with them, “I’ve Got a Story” is definitely worth checking out if you’re in need of an inspirational, gospel-focused dose of hope.

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Dua Lipa is in the business of making both. 

Back in May of 2023, Lipa released her song “Dance The Night” for the Barbie movie. Since then, it’s been consistently climbing the musical charts, all the way to number one on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Charts, thanks to Lipa’s 70s disco vibes. 

The song, which has hit over 123 million views on YouTube (thanks in large part to Lipa’s 22.2 million subscribers), features a sparkly, Barbie-themed music video that finds Lipa declaring that nothing, including relationship issues, will come in the way of her and the dance floor. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

It’s not necessarily a negative thing that Lipa enjoys dancing, even when she’s upset or out of harmony with her current love interest. In fact, she claims she’s quite resilient (“my heart could be burnin’, but you won’t see it on my face”), and she shows that resiliency by choosing to “dance the night away”. 

CONTENT CONCERNS

On the other hand, it can be argued that dancing “the night away” and pretending everything is fine (“lately, I’ve been moving close to the edge/Still be lookin’ my best”), instead of dealing with your problems can be, well, problematic (I’ll still keep the party runnin’, not one hair out of place”). 

Lipa tells her love interest that he should dance with her not only to help her cast her cares aside, but because her outfit is enticing (“Oh, my outfit so tight”).

The song and music video alike include the word “d–n,” which is used multiple times. 

In the music video (featuring Lipa and Margo Robbie), Lipa and other dancers sport short skirts, cleavage-baring tops and some sensual dance moves. 

TRACK SUMMARY

I told you above that this song was made for the Barbie movie soundtrack, which means that the themes here, though they could certainly apply to Lipa’s own life and her “dance the night away” anthems, for which she’s famous, are probably more about the movie itself and Barbie as a character than Lipa. But, it could be both.

The movie shows how Barbie was always expected to be perfect, but then learned just how unreal those expectations are for everyone. And Lipa recognizes in this song that she’s choosing “happiness,” and a fake form of perfection, despite her sorrow or sadness. 

These themes are present and worth working through. But still, the bulk of this song includes profanity and finds Lipa enticing a lover and dancing away her problems, even when she should face them head on. 

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Big names are being revealed in collaboration with the movie, such as Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj. And, as of a few days ago, perhaps the biggest name dropped: Billie Eilish. 

Eilish’s melodic contribution to the film comes in perhaps her most coined sounds: ethereal, beautiful and contemplative. 

Instead of choosing something upbeat, which would seem to fit the film well, Elish has written a slow, clean, beautiful ballad called “What Was I Made For?” that asks some big spiritual questions. And with the song garnering over 8.4 million views in only four days, it’s safe to say that this song is resonating with many a listener. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

While Eilish may resonate with everything she’s written on a personal level, she wrote this song from the perspective of Barbie. 

Barbie is beginning to see that her life isn’t what she’s always thought: “I used to float, now I just fall down/I used to know, but I’m not sure now.” 

She wonders: “What was I made for?”

And this thought plagues her as she thinks through different moments in her life (“Taking’ a drive/I was an ideal”), wondering if she’s a real person or just “somethin’ you paid for.”

She’s accustomed to being happy and cheerful for herself and those around her, but she can no longer relate to those feelings (“I don’t know how to feel/But I wanna try/…I’m sad again, don’t tell my boyfriend”). 

However, she realizes that although she’s not happy anymore (“Think I forgot how to be happy”),  she can be and was made to be (“Somethin’ I’m not, but somethin’ I can be/Somethin’ I wait for/Somethin’ I’m made for”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

None.

TRACK SUMMARY

I find this track to be really interesting. While it was written for the upcoming Barbie film, the song still fits Eilish well. 

While Eilish’s fanbase has grown accustomed to her writing dark music with troubling lyrics, her music has shifted in the past few years as she admits to unhealthy patterns and relationships and yearns to be healthy. 

And now she’s written a song that, although it’s from the perspective of Barbie, asks big, spiritual questions about her existence: What was she made for? 

Before you think I’m reaching too far, Eilish sat down to chat with Zane Lowe from Apple Music and had this to say about the song: “Every single lyric is about my life.” 

She goes on to say that although she wouldn’t have thought to write this song without the push of needing to do so for the soundtrack, she feels these lyrics deeply and thinks about this question often. 

That feels like a step in a very positive direction. 

As Christians, we know that the purpose and the meaning of our lives are rooted in Jesus, and perhaps as Eilish searches she too will find that she was made for more than fleeting, happy moments. Perhaps she’ll find that there is a joy in Christ that can never be taken away. 

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This track was written and produced for the biographical drama King Richard, and it was nominated for a 2022 Oscar for Best Original Song. (It lost to Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die”.) “Be Alive” focuses on the long, difficult journey that Serena and Venus Williams made, aided by their family, to become the unparalleled athletes that they are today. 

POSITIVE CONTENT

Beyonce explains how hard both of these women have had to work to get where they are today (“The path was never paved with gold/We worked and built this on our own/…This is hustle personified”), and how they’ve persevered despite all of the obstacles they’ve faced (“Look how we’ve been fighting to stay alive/So when we win we will have pride/Do you know how much we have cried?/How hard we had to fight?”). 

CONTENT CONCERNS

None.

TRACK SUMMARY

This track praises the work that the Williams sisters put into their sport. Not only does it explain where both women are today (“it feels so good to be alive”), but it shows that they’ve pushed past doubts (“they want to see how far I’ll go”), socio-economic disparities (“the path was never paved with gold”) and racism (“couldn’t wipe this black off if I tried”) to achieve success. And in so doing, the song might encourage others to work and persevere as the sisters did.

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Eilish’s latest track, “No Time To Die” is a blend of somber and haunting. The tune showcases Eilish’s natural ability to vocalize ambiguity and tension, and it focuses on Bond’s own anguish as he tries to move past heartbreak and betrayal.

Lies, Lies and…

Spectrewas the last Bond film to hit theatres back in 2015, and it suggested that Bond could, perhaps, live happily ever after. But the latest previews for the upcoming flick, No Time to Die (which, like most every major movie scheduled to be released this spring, has been delayed because of the coronavirus) hint that that might not be true. And this theme song, if Eilish pinned its lyrics on the film itself, suggests that Bond may be played for the fool once more.

Eilish opens from Bond’s perspective as he reflects on mistakes from his relationship with Dr. Madeleine Swann: “I should have known/I’d leave alone/Just goes to show/That the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe.”

He says that though he and she used to have a great relationship, she’s caused him so much internal pain that he wonders if it was a mistake to love her at all: “You were my life, but life is far away from fair/Was I stupid to love you?/Was I reckless to help?/Was it obvious to everyone else?”

He feels he’s “fallen for a lie.” And now he declares that he will no longer be made the fool as he casts her aside: “Fool me once, fool me twice/Are you death or paradise?/Now you’ll never see me cry/There’s just no time to die/I let it burn/You’re no longer my concern.”

…More Lies

Eilish has come quite far in her career in just a few short years. The singer, who began debuting her music at the young age of 13, is now 18: She took home five Grammys from 2020’s ceremony, has topped the charts with her gothic, sound bending singles and has become one of the most talked-about artists in the world.

It’s quite impressive. And now, to add to her list, she’s the youngest artist to ever write and record a Bond theme. It steers away from profanity and graphic references, and it instead delves into more generalized themes of love and loss.   Staying in tune with her own style, this track weaves together a sad tale of hurt and betrayal and leaves Bond fans wondering if 007 will ever be happy again.

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