Doja Cats Hit and 7 More Ways of Seeing Red
The New York Times Hear songs by Willie Nelson, TLC, King Crimson and more.
By Lindsay Zoladz
Dear listeners,
This Friday, the rapper and singer Doja Cat will release her highly anticipated fourth album Scarlet, which features the ubiquitous No. 1 hit Paint the Town Red. That is, to quote Playboi Carti, a whole lotta red.
Doja Cats crimson era got me thinking about all the other musicians who have used that evocative color to conjure all sorts of images wine, ballet shoes, luftballoons. Red sometimes signifies love, but it also suggests anger, passion and danger. Red is the color of blood and roses. Its the musical connection between artists as disparate as Taylor Swift and King Crimson. Clearly, it calls for its own playlist.
Doja Cats vampy hit kicks off this mix, but you hardly need to be familiar with her music to listen. (My boyfriend has admitted that, until recently, he thought Doja Cat was a cryptocurrency.) It pulls from a variety of decades and genres, featuring artists including TLC, Willie Nelson and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. I omitted some of the more obvious choices, like Lady in Red or Red Red Wine, because I assume weve all heard those enough for several lifetimes. I couldnt resist adding a well-known Prince song, though, because, well its Prince!
