Cover Katy Perry in Bon Appetit (2017)
A dinner party playlist with something to whet everyone's appetite

1. Red Red Wine by Neil Diamond (1968)

In Red Red Wine, American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond warbles about wine being a double-edged sword. Sure it can be a salve for the broken heart, but with consequences. While Diamond composed Red Red Wine, it was UB40 that really rocketed the song to the charts with their cover. The latter includes a 'toasted verse' (think Jamaican rap) verse that is arguably the catchiest part of the song we know and love today, but this same verse is also why Red Red Wine is inaccurately attributed to Bob Marley time and again:

"You keep me rockin' all of the time
Red red wine, you make me feel so grand
I feel a million dollar when you're just in my hand
Red red wine, you make me feel so sad
Any time I see you go, it make me feel bad"

 

2. Bon Appétit by Katy Perry (2017)

You've been warned: this one’s a bit of an earworm, especially after watching the music video which, in true Katy Perry fashion, contains highly sexualised, over the top imagery. Featuring hip hop group Migos, Bon Appétit shows the pop star being extracted from a freezer, floured, kneaded and seasoned before being tossed into a bubbling vat of stock, all while singing,

"I'm a five-star Michelin
A Kobe flown in
You want what I'm cooking, boy"

Before you know it, the video takes on a redemptive, cannibalistic spin. When asked to expound the song's themes, Perry said they ranged from sexual objectification to seizing power from the patriarchy.

3. 'Waffles Are Better Than Pancakes' by Doja Cat

It's a question that makes or breaks relationships: "Do you prefer waffles or pancakes?" (French toast and crêpes are occasionally thrown into the equation, as well). Amala Zandile Dlamini, better known by her stage name Doja Cat, states her preference loud and clear in this slow rap:

"I could eat waffles in the shower
Make it in a heart shape or a flower"

Dubbed a psychedelic prodigy by Vibe magazine following the release of her debut single So High, the 420-friendly artist is vocal about her love of cannabis, which clearly goes hand in hand with her affinity for 'stoner food.'

4. Sweet Like Chocolate by Shanks & Bigfoot (1998)

A UK chart-topper for two whole weeks in 1999, Sweet Like Chocolate by British garage producers Shanks & Bigfoot uses simile to liken a love interest to one of the world's most widely eaten treats:

"You're sweet like chocolate, boy
Sweet like chocolate
You bring me so much joy
You're sweet like chocolate, boy"

If you think the song stretches the truth, chew on this: cocoa's compounds do, in fact, impact your feelings: serotonin affects sexual desire while phenylethylamine is a proven mood booster.

Related: How Ong Ning-Geng Has Carved A Name For Single-Origin Malaysian Chocolate

5. P-A-S-T-A by Tom Rosenthal (2017)

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Photo 1 of 3 Video still: P-A-S-T-A by Tom Rosenthal
Photo 2 of 3 Video still: Big Pot Of Hummus by Tom Rosenthal
Photo 3 of 3 Video still: Watermelons by Tom Rosenthal

The king of food ballads, English singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal often addresses stress eating with a slice of humour. Take P-A-S-T-A, for instance, which includes the following verse:

"Feed me carbs, baby
Ravioli daily,
Al dente in the soul

Beauty in the blandness,
Cheese for sadness,
Pesto for the hole"

Likewise, Big Pot Of Hummus describes someone who deals with depression by drowning his sorrows in a tub of chickpea dip. Only Watermelon escapes Rosenthal's sense of existential dread by being exceptionally cheery.

6. Cola by CamelPhat & Elderbrook (2017)

It was the break every musician only dares dream of: never did British electronic house duo CamelPhat or vocalist and co-writer Alexander "Elderbrook" Kotz picture being nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2018 Grammy Awards or hitting the number one spot on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in November 2017—not when it took them just three hours to write and record Cola.

"See how she looks for trouble
See how she dances and
She sips a Coca Cola
She can't tell the difference yet"

Although enthusiasts speculate that Cola's lyrics (see above) are about date rape drugs, Kotz has tried to set the story straight by commenting: "It's about somebody that goes on a night out, but has maybe enjoyed themselves a bit too much before they actually left the house."

7. Apple Pie by Princess Nokia (2015)

Proving that tomboys can also be girly (if they wish), Princess Nokia bins her oversized jeans and basketball jersey for a sundress and a straw hat in Apple Pie. Dripping vanilla ice cream all over herself, playing on a tire swing, and literally running through open pastures, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican musician expresses what it feels like to be in love, which isn't too far from warm apple pie:

"Warm and fun like apple pie
You heat me up and cool me down
Come have a slice
I'm twice as nice
When you wash me down with lemon ice."

8. Lollipop cover by The Chordettes (1950s)

A sticky situation inspired this catchy doo wop from 1958: Julius Dixson and Beverly Ross penned the following lyrics down after Dixson's daughter got a lollipop stuck in her locks:

"Call my baby Lollipop
Tell you why
Her kiss is sweeter than an apple pie
And when she does her shaky rockin' dance
Man, I haven't got a chance."

9. Champagne Showers by LMFAO featuring Natalia Kills

"Shake it, spray it on a body or two
And walk out the party with a hottie or two"

A status symbol if there ever was one, Champagne sets the tone for the party in LMFAO's hit song. Laced with suggestive moves that could connote a bottom of bubbly exploding...or something else, the music video starts off with an unnecessarily long intro, so skip ahead to minute 01:55 for the actual song.

10. Grapefruit Diet by Weird Al

"Who's been waddling down the street,
It's just me cause I love to eat"

Also known as the Hollywood diet and the 18-day diet, the grapefruit diet of the 1930s is the butt of the joke in this Weird Al song.

"Every picture of me gotta be an aerial view
Now the doctor tells me
There's only one thing left to do:
grapefruit diet
Throw out the pizza and beer."

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