My top 20 favorite Joji songs pt. 1
It was a simpler time. We just wanted our bass boosted, our songs slowed and reverbed and our indie rock Mac Demarco.
Intro:
Before 2016 I knew George Miller aka Joji merely as Filthy Frank, a popular YouTuber who made edgy comedic videos and songs. On top of that, he was also the one responsible for the viral Harlem Shake trend. If you had told me then that the guy making fun of Vegans and Weaboos online would eventually become a major Pop sensation by 2018 I would have called you crazy. Yet, here we are. It was around 2016 that I started to see a few songs from Miller’s new alter ego, Joji, start to float around YouTube. By the time his debut EP In Tongues came out in 2017, I was already acclimated to the idea of one of my favorite online personalities moving on to something different, something more substantial. In Tongues was a weird project, but it fit perfectly within the musical environment of the time. The Soundcloud Rap era was peaking, and with it came the release of XXXTentacion’s 17, a Lo-fi Emo singer-songwriter album from one of the big names in Florida’s grimy Punk-adjacent Rap scene, (I still think it’s crazy that the guy behind “Look At Me” and “Sippinteainyohood” also gave us “Jocelyn Flores” and “F*** Love”.) Lo-fi Indie Bedroom Pop was also becoming popular with artists like Clairo and boy pablo. Joji sort of found himself in the middle of all of that, so naturally I was all over it. It was a simpler time. We just wanted our bass boosted, our songs slowed and reverbed and our indie rock Mac Demarco.
That was a very interesting time in my life. In 2018 I graduated from High School and shortly thereafter went on a proselyting mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is important to note because Joji’s debut album, Ballads 1, was released just two months after I left. One of the rules about being on an LDS mission is that you aren’t allowed to listen to secular music. So Joji’s debut, one of my most anticipated albums of the decade, came and went without me hearing anything about it. When I got home two years later you can imagine how surprised, but also delighted, I was when I saw that Joji’s popularity had pretty much tripled and that his music had improved on all fronts.
When I took on the challenge to do a piece on Joji I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was both hesitant and excited: hesitant because Joji is a relatively new artist with a catalog I’m not as intimately familiar with as Frank Ocean, and excited for precisely the same reason. I was looking forward to strengthening my appreciation for Joji. As I relistened to all of Joji’s albums in preparation I discovered new favorites, did some soul searching, developed a stronger appreciation for his music and contemplated the role an artist like Joji plays in the world of contemporary Pop music. It was more difficult than I expected, but I’m proud to say I was able to pull together a top 20 favorite Joji song list. As it was with my Frank Ocean song list, the songs are in order of least to most favorite.
20. Medicine
I begin this list with the only inclusion from Chloe Burbank and a strange choice from that album to boot. One of the few Joji songs that doesn’t include any vocals from the man himself, I chose “Medicine” for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s a beautiful song. It’s a mighty fine addendum to the Lo-fi tradition that Joji hails from. The combination of the vocal sample, the warm swells of instrumentation and the crunchy Lo-fi snares create an absolutely serene vibe. This song very effectively highlights Joji’s production chops. The fact that it’s more of a Lo-fi beat to chill and study to than a bona fide song gives us a greater opportunity to just sit back and enjoy the production. The song is actually a remix of “Medicine” by an artist called Daughter. The production choices Joji adds give the song new life and are a great introduction to the world of Joji’s music. Even though he’s not singing on it, the song feels very Joji. Joji’s very early stuff isn’t getting a lot of love on this list unfortunately, but it’s great to see some of it still staying relevant for me after all these years.
19. Die For You
There’s a part of me that feels embarrassed when I listen to this music. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy it, but at the same time, I can only handle so much melodrama. This song is for the folks out there that can’t get enough. It’s more than another standard song about someone whose Ex doesn’t love them back anymore, it’s a warm blanket for those drives home after a closing shift at work. Something I think that Joji has mastered in his relatively short career thus far is creating songs that are perfect for a comfortable crying session. I will again point to the production on this track. There just aren’t many Pop artists contending at this level, now or ever. Joji rewards close listening and repeated listening. This isn’t just music you’ll turn on now and then. If it clicks with you it’ll be with you whenever you need it.
18. Demons
For those who are new to the term Lo-fi, it comes from the term “low fidelity”, a musical term referring to the quality of the sound of the recording. Lo-fi artists will meticulously create intentional imperfections in their songs to create a very particular vibe. Like describing the color red to someone who has been blind their whole life, it’s difficult to describe the sounds of Lo-fi music. As you continue to read this piece you will notice I often describe a “warmth” to the sounds of these songs. This is a common quality of Lo-fi music. In the context of the Lo-fi tradition, Joji is simply a student. He did not invent it, and it’s not a particularly new approach either. However, if you want to get into Lo-fi music, I think Joji is an excellent introduction to the sound. Although I would describe most of Joji’s music under the Lo-fi umbrella, the sound is most prominent in his early work, “Demons” is a perfect example. It’s a song about beauty in imperfection and groove in sparseness. Joji’s early vocal performances don’t quite live up to what he accomplishes later in his career, hence why “Demons” is on the lower end of the list, but that shouldn’t stop you from going and checking this song out.
17. Daylight (feat. Diplo)
A Joji and Diplo collab makes very little sense if all you know about Joji is his Lo-fi prowess. Diplo is, after all, one of those big-name EDM DJs. This song is the result of Joji’s evolution from a Lo-fi singer-songwriter to Pop star status. In 2020 Joji released his sophomore Major Label album Nectar, an album full of highs and lows. Even though the album has lots of my favorite Joji songs, it also has quite a few misses. That aside, I admire the record for what it is, Joji’s biggest and most daring album to date. “Daylight” is a brilliant Pop song. It doesn’t feel dreary or sullen like most of what we know Joji for, and his vocal performance is excellent! A Diplo feature isn’t exactly something I’d be excited about normally, but in this context, it makes a lot of sense.
16. Will He
When I referred earlier to Joji having a few “standard song[s] about someone whose Ex doesn’t love them back anymore” I wasn’t kidding. If you’re coming to Joji for a variety of lyrical topics I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. But that’s ok because that’s not what we need from Joji. As far as I’m concerned this was the first Joji song that ever truly “clicked” for me. I love the bleakness of his vocal delivery paired with the meandering piano sample. I couldn’t imagine making a list of my favorite Joji songs without including this one.
15. 777
Going back to what I was saying about Nectar, if “Daylight” was Joji’s take on the modern Pop song then “777” is a hyper-realization of that idea. I feel kind of embarrassed listening to this song as well, but not in the same way. This feels like a Pop song that my Dad or my nine-year-old brother would like, (which is no offense to them I clearly like this song). Like I said before, I think Nectar is full of misses—songs where Joji flies a little too close to the sun—and “777” is the closest I think he gets without completely losing me. Like all of Joji’s greatest songs, it takes you into another world. In this case, think of that Lotus casino from Percy Jackson.
14. FTC
The YouTube description for this song calls it a “NOT SONG”, which I think is a fair assessment. It’s still on the list though, so that should say something to you about what I tend to value in Joji’s work. Interestingly enough, I think “FTC”, which was released around when Nectar came out, signaled Joji’s return to a more minimalist approach typified in his most recent album SMITHEREENS, (which is probably my favorite Joji album right now, so be on the lookout for more songs from that record.) “FTC” is rad, what more can I say? It’s like a cloudy day at the beach. It’s like listening to a memory.
13. worldstar money (interlude)
I was kind of surprised to see that this song is one of Joji’s most streamed songs ever on Spotify, which is cool, but I couldn’t tell you why that is. It’s a freakin interlude, after all, (and not the only one in the Top 20 *wink*.) The fact that that’s the case speaks volumes about the art that Joji makes and what makes him appeal to his audience. It has little to do with song structures, big hooks or massive instrumentation, and everything to do with the vibe. I don’t know how else to say it. All that being said, Joji does have songs where he pulls out all the stops with big hooks and instrumentation, and I think he’s great at that too, you’ll be seeing more of that in the Top 10.
12. Before The Day Is Over
What is it specifically that makes this song great? Is it the haunting falsetto croons? The gorgeous harmonies? The warm walls of buzzing 808s? “Glimpse of Us” was the big single for Joji’s latest album, SMITHEREENS, and it’s a great song, but I’ve always thought this was a better song and a better representation of Joji’s artistry. “Before The Day Is Over” shows Joji firing on all cylinders. Top-tier vocal performances, top-tier production, top-tier songwriting, this song really has it all.
11. WANTED U
I’m going to say it now, and I’ll probably say it again when we move into part 2, but the leap in songwriting quality from In Tongues to BALLADS 1 is insane. One of the hardest decisions in the making of this list was whether to put “WANTED U” above or below “Before The Day Is Over”, and I guess you know where I decided to go with it. “WANTED U” showcases everything I look for in a Joji song. I love the clicky Lo-fi drum beats and his very unique mesh of phenomenal singing with kinda bad singing, (if you’re a fan of Joji you know what I’m talking about). I think all of that is what makes Joji such a Lo-fi GOD. It takes a well-trained ear to know when things should sound perfect and when things need to have imperfections. Joji’s mastery of that is on full display in “WANTED U”, making it worthy of recognition.
Intermission:
That’s the first half of the Joji Top 20! To be completely honest, the making of this list ended up being way more difficult than I anticipated, ( I might’ve said the exact same thing about the Frank Ocean list but I can’t remember.) Seriously though, I thought that I’d have a hard time finding enough Joji songs to fill the list, but narrowing it down to 20 ended up being the hardest part by far. There are a lot of great songs that didn’t make the final list. Let me know which ones you would’ve included! Also, let me know which ones you were surprised I put here! I’m a big Joji fan, obviously, but I still think I have a lot of hot takes that go against what a lot of the fans might think.
Stay tuned next week for the Top 10!
For want of another standard song about someone whose Ex doesn’t love them back anymore,
Lewis