What is the Childish Gambino’s best song?
You need look no further! The answer lies here!
Childish Gambino is known as an American multi-talented artist. He has his hand in diverse roles from producer, writer, director, and comedian to singer and rapper. The sensation is also belovedly named Donald Glover or mcDJ – two of his stage names.
His musical style is a blend of hip-hop, R&B, pop, funk, soul, and rock. All these genres gave Childish Gambino his one-of-the-kind sound. With hip-hop, Gambino’s consistent foundation, his musical style is also described as “neo-funk” (soul music with a greater emphasis on the rhythms and beats of an arrangement, influences from blues and jazz).
Perhaps, it would be tricky to choose the best one, as his discography is the bomb. Still, we enjoyed going through each of his songs to come up with this list (from Billboard chart), and you can see the answer below!
Table of Contents
The Childish Gambino’s Best Songs – Top 10 Ranked On The Billboard
Through a swarm of one-of-a-kind music products, the author of the quote “I try to be me to the utmost” rose to fame in the music industry rapidly. What are the Childish Gambino’s best songs? Let’s follow our shortlist from Billboard’s data and see if one rocking your world stays there or not.
10. Childish Gambino – “Me and Your Mama” (2016)
Skip the space-tinged hits of Gambino’s early recording days for a bubbly, modern innovation with ”Me And Your Mama” (the first single from the third audio album, “Awaken, My Love!”).
The first taste of “Me And Your Mama” is bold and audacious. The whole song delivers a painful blues roar that alludes to a relationship.
It spreads a kind of real, sad, tragic feeling that you can move to tears for what’s sad. Still, you do not lose hope that things can get better and the couple will be happy again.
“They wanna see us fallin’ apart
You know that I love you
So let me into your heart
Let me into your heart.” – Sings Gambino
The whole song is him singing to her and asking for more, loving stronger. The enthusiasm mixed with the soulful drip of gospel rock truly makes this single leave an unforgettable impression in the listeners’ hearts.
Eager to own an explicit album “Awaken, My Love!”? Complete your purchase with a box set including: Exclusive booklet, 2x heavyweight 45 RPM LPs, Virtual reality headset, and Glow in the dark cover:
This single honorably received a slew of awards. Remarkably, it peaked at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 28 on the Hot R&B/Hiphop songs Billboard chart (Wikipedia – 2016), and so on.
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – Me and Your Mama (Explicit)
9. Childish Gambino – “Kids” (2011)
Listen to ”Kids”, you can’t help but immerse yourself in those soft-wired jingle xylophones in this artwork, which is about the fleeting joy of childhood crushes in late middle schooldays. But the couple falls apart as they grow up due to their separate responsibilities and no longer trust each other.
“The girls that I tried to hit last year, I still can
Karmas is a bitch who doesn’t smoke, but I still like
If we were kids, I’d have black K-swiss and Reebok
If we were kids, I wouldn’t act like that but we don’t.” – raps Gambino.
Gambino delves deeply into his emotions in “Kids”, yet he doesn’t draw his lyricism too far into melancholy.
Maybe, this awe-inspiring song blows your mind in no time and makes you cry sometimes as well.
Watch Video: Childish Gambino- Kids
8. Childish Gambino – “Pound Cake Freestyle” (2013)
Appearing as a guest on the music programming ‘’Sway In The Morning’’, Childish Gambino had a chance to try out a few bars with the “Pound Cake” instrumental. Of note, it is an instrumental for Drake’s single ‘’Pound Cake’’ that spawned many remixes and freestyles by many artists, including Childish Gambino.
Then, he released this song and called it ‘’Pound Cake Freestyle” which eventually became a huge hit.
Childish Gambino starts it off with aggression:
“Let them say
I know I’m Meek but Mill’s is louder
Watch the Throne kings slain as the prince feels power.”
Childish Gambino said that he had a gentle mixing to make the vocals sit better on the song’s strong beat. The song is a rap that revolves around wealth and how his good friends like Chance The Rapper and Kendrick Lamar are “making millions”.
Through this spontaneous-style song, he references many events in his life. An example of this is the line: “You’re still on the [Community] show, are you dating Jhene? Aiko] no?”
Watch Video: Childish Gambino Freestyles over Drake’s “Pound Cake” Beat | Sway’s Universe
7. Childish Gambino – “I. Crawl’’ (2014)
“I. Crawl” or ‘’Crawl’’ features background vocals from Mystikal and additional vocals from Kai. On February 7, 2014, Childish Gambino released it as the second official single from his second studio album ‘’Because the Internet.’’ The rapper once explained to New Musical Express (NME) that an exciting conversation with Beck (his friend – a producer) inspired the song’s title.
Glover teamed up with Christian Rich, a renowned producer, to develop the smashing rhythm with tweaked-out vocals.
It is a real magic trick. Many also feel that this tune could have been a flawless soundtrack for a video game or a movie.
The song peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 150 on UK Single (The Official Charts Company – OCC), number 23 on the UK R&B (OCC), and number 28 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of Billboard (Wikipedia).
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – I. Crawl
6. Childish Gambino feat. Chance the Rapper – “I. The Worst Guys” (2013)
Ludwig has been a prominent producer in Donald’s music career since his early mixtape ‘cul de sac Childish Gambino’ (2010). After that, they continued producing ‘I. The Worst Guys’ (‘Because the Internet’) together.
The lyrical content of the song seems light-hearted and honest. Donald uses many metaphors and wordplay with his rapping to jump from stories and random lines while keeping the flow of the verses tight and on point.
For instance, the dark tonality with the “all she needed was some” hook (up to 16 times) means that Donald never finds out exactly what she needed. Others assume that Donald talks about a girl who came over the night before, and all she needed was just his body and money.
Wanna get the explicit MP3 version of Childish Gambino’s ‘I. The Worst Guys’? Check out this link and complete your purchase:
Watch Video: The Worst Guys (Feat. Chance The Rapper) – Childish Gambino
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5. Childish Gambino – “Pop Thieves (Make It Feel Good)” (2014)
As soon as you hear the birds chirping in the song “Pop Thieves (Make It Feel Good)”, you would feel like you’re on an island chilling to the sound of crashing waves, lush greenery, and pure love. This song is a banger.
This Kauai EP’s second track samples bird sounds juxtaposed with trap beats which give some romantic vibes of Kauai (Hawaii).
‘’I used to walk on the beach at night
I remember
The best time was when well, me and you
We got all our friends and we got a tent.’’
Childish Gambino showed off his singing prowess with Kauai flawlessly. What would wrap your ears are his sublime sounds and Jaden Smith’s appealing spoken-word outro.
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – Pop Thieves (Make It Feel Good) (explicit)
4. Childish Gambino – “Secret Track – 3005” (2013)
Not just a love song, ‘’3005’’ expresses Gambino’s existential loneliness inside. Source: i.ytimg
“3005” is a secret track hidden inside Childish Gambino’s 72-page Because the Internet online movie script (a script that shows Glover’s TV writing/acting chops).
This song tells a story about what it’s like being a black artist in America. Under a black man’s eyes, Childish Gambino expresses his uncomfortable experience and confusion while living in his society. Typically, black male artists may not freely participate in most art activities.
You may find it hard to put your feelings into words, especially when you hear these lyrics:
“I used to care what people thought
But now I care more
Man nobody out here’s got it figured out
So, therefore, I’ve lost all hope of a happy ending.”
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – 3005 (Beach Picnic Version) [Secret Track]
Take a closer look at his music video. The bear next to him represents children’s innocence, yet after each cycle of the Ferris wheel, it shows signs of wear, implying that as this child gets older, his innocence and childhood joy go away. And, he begins facing sadness from his love and society.
Hungry for more? Let’s follow some of the well-known Male Singers in the U.S.
3. Childish Gambino – “Stand Tall” (2016)
When “Stand Tall” was released, it gained instant hype from music critics and Childish Gambino’s fans. He called this 11th single from his album “Awaken, My Love!” as his version of wonderland.
In ‘’Stand Tall’’, you can hear how Childish Gambino finds poetry in his father role. Beyond that, he aspires to pass his life-searching counsel to his kids.
The song’s harmonious choir, vocoders, ’70s-inspired wah-wah guitar riffs, and floating pipes make the song a unique auditory experience.
“Stay strong and hold on to all of your dreams
Keep your head up and don’t give up.”
You may never hear such a song start mellow, add a choir, switch the style amazingly as ‘’Stand Tall’’ does.
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – Stand Tall
2. Childish Gambino – “IV. Sweatpants” (2014)
Thanks to its distinctive blend of whistles and bells, ‘IV. Sweatpants’ could stand next to “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” (Kanye West), ‘’Backseat Freestyle” (Kendrick Lamar), and “Trophies” (Drake) in a list of ultimate pumped-up rap songs.
This song is about rich kids, rich guys. If you’re rich enough, you can wear whatever you want, no matter if you show up to a black-tie affair in sweatpants, no one would carp at you.
It’s safe to presume it is one of Glover’s top songs. Listeners can’t help but recall classic phrases like:
“Yeah, you have some silverware,
but really, are you eatin’ though?”
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner’s for beginners,
you ain’t even know.”
On June 9, 2014, Childish Gambino released this song as the third single in ‘Because The Internet’. ‘Donald Glover IV. Sweatpants (explicit)’ peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and 35 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard).
Watch Video: Donald Glover IV. Sweatpants (Explicit)
1. Childish Gambino – “Redbone” (2016)
‘’Redbone’’ is the Childish Gambino’s best song, which appears in his third studio album “Awaken, My Love!” as the second single.
Actually, this record evokes a near-psychedelic experience from start to finish. In “Redbone,” Childish Gambino confides in his superstitions, doubts, and paranoia about his lover and her loyalty, yet believes they can be together.
‘’Daylight, I wake up feeling like you won’t play right
I used to know but now, that sh*t don’t feel right.’’
Besides the love story, it is the musical torchlight about the most striking topic of our era: stay woke (a popular phrase used to encourage political and social awareness). What’s more, the song’s title is a tribute to the term “redbone” – a slang word referring to an attractive black woman with red undertones in her skin and hair.
‘Redbone’ is just one of the sweet and super refreshing tunes in the album ‘Because The Internet’. Hungry for more? You can opt for its explicit Audio CD or Vyril disc available freely here:
‘’Redbone” was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Award. It also won the award for the Best Traditional R&B Performance (Wikipedia).
Watch Video: Childish Gambino – Redbone (Official Audio)
For more choices in your me-time, read on Rupi Kaur Love Poems or explore what songs can make you feel like a baddie.
The Childish Gambino’s Best Song – Final Thoughts
Childish Gambino once said: “Being happy is the goal, but greatness is my vision.” With his fabulous discography, anyone could tell that he has achieved both happiness and greatness. It’s exciting to see what else he could come up with in his future albums.
“Being happy is the goal, but greatness is my vision” is Gambino’s wide-reaching quote. Source: cdn.wealthygorilla
Donald Glover is all set to have other excellent years ahead! What he does never fail to inspire die-hard fans worldwide. His music is shifted and re-freshed over each song released.
While you do not get enough of Childish Gambino’s best songs as your favorite songs like ‘American Royalty, So Fly, Heartbeat’, to name a few, don’t come to the list. Jot down a comment! We’re here to listen to you!
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