Have you ever been scrolling on TikTok and came across a song that just blesses your ears, but then you go to your preferred streaming service and it’s not there? Well, I have. Many times. So if I have to suffer knowing that I will probably never be able to listen to these songs on streaming, then you so do you.
I apologize if the videos embedded in this article don’t work at the time of reading this. And, yes, this list is mostly Olivia Rodrigo and 5 Seconds of Summer, and what about it?
“The ones I love” by Olivia Rodrigo
This was an unreleased song meant to be on Sour that was leaked in April of 2022.
Dare I say my favorite Olivia Rodrigo song. My girl knows how to crush a piano ballad, but this one is in particular is such a unique concept with her admitting all the ways she’s wronged her partner. The imagery is incredible with all the little details she includes. It feels so raw and personal because it’s just her echoey vocals and the simple piano. Don’t get me wrong, I love her rock sound, but I have missed the theater-kid belting from her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series days. Bring back vibrato in Olivia Rodrigo songs, please, she sounds absolutely gorgeous here. This song is the epitome of just how lethal Olivia is with a piano and I’m obsessed with it.
“If You Don’t know” by 5 seconds of summer (5SOS)
From what I can gather from the 5SOS fan Wiki, this song is from the Don’t Stop (B-Sides) – EP (which isn’t available in the US anyway) but only on the physical version. Why? I don’t know, maybe because 5SOS hates all of their songs that their fans love.
I love hearing how young their voices sound compared to today. I like how the song opens with bass and guitar but then they are slowly overpowered by the drums until they pretty much disappear in the chorus, then don’t come back in until the second verse when the drums fall back. This gives the effect of rising intensity until the emotional breakdown of the second verse. Ugh, this second verse. It’s just so good that I have no words. Then the way guitar and bass take the forefront with just a kick drum in the bridge as it builds in anticipation to the final chorus is so satisfying. I remember listening to this song over and over to manifest it being my surprise song for when I saw The 5SOS Show tour in 2023… I got “Voodoo Doll.”
“In Between” by gracie abrams
According to Genius, Gracie wrote this song for her friend who had a huge crush on a guy and was also a massive Swiftie. She then uploaded it to her SoundCloud in 2015.
Gracie wrote her little Swiftie heart out with this one. For the non-Swifties out there, this song includes references to the Taylor Swift songs “Holy Ground” and “Sparks Fly.” The cadence in which Gracie sings the chorus scratches an itch in my brain. It’s one of those songs that makes your heart feel like it’s soaring, especially in the chorus. I was hoping and praying that this would be on The Secret of Us (Deluxe). Maybe next album (let me be delusional).
“I can’t remember” by 5 seconds of summer
This is a cut song from 5SOS’s self-titled debut album that was leaked once in 2014 then again in 2015.
Ugh, baby 5SOS really knew how to make a pop-punk banger. RIP 2010s boyband music, you are sorely missed (they’ve embraced the boyband label now so please don’t come for me). I also love how Australian they sound here. Baby Calum nails the lovesick vibe with his vocals and Michael sings everything in the most emo way possible, as per usual, which I honestly love so much. Just a fun lil bop I wish I could add to my playlist and scream in the car.
“Prison for life” by olivia rodrigo
This is another cut song off of Sour that was leaking in October 2023.
Possible Taylor Swift reference with line, “just boy in a Chevy truck,” which is also in Swift’s debut song, “Tim McGraw.” Olivia really put her theater kid acting into this one because you can hear her yearning for this man and then his smugness when she imitates him. I don’t have much to say about this song other than it feels like a cool rough draft and I need the final version now. Olivia, this song is so fun please put it out.
“When you walk away” by 5 seconds of summer
This song was included in the exclusive physical Target edition of the band’s third album, Youngblood.
I fear that 5SOS is allergic to releasing their best songs. Why the hell was this not included with the main Youngblood album, I will never understand because it is such a banger, holy sh*t. The distorted bass line, the vocals (Luke’s especially), the lyrics: it’s all just chef’s kiss. How the f*ck is “Pizza” on streaming but this isn’t? Like it genuinely pisses me off you don’t understand. This song is so dancey. I’m telling you, it would go crazy at parties.
“Fantasize” by Ariana grande
In a later deleted TikTok comment, Ariana claimed that she wrote this song as part of a comedy sketch. Apparently the song was later reworked and replaced by “the boy is mine” which is featured on her album, Eternal Sunshine. In the previously mentioned TikTok comment, Ariana asks fans to stop spreading leaks of the song. Out of respect for her wishes, I’m not going to include a video of the song here. If you want to listen to it, it’s easy to find on YouTube and TikTok.
I love how Britney this song is. It’s by far my favorite Ariana Grande song so of course it’s in unreleased song purgatory. It’s funny how many songs artists write as jokes that actually turn out to be good. I don’t understand why this song has remained unreleased with the amount of hype it’s gotten. Maybe it’s because of the song’s apparent similarity to “the boy is mine,” although I personally don’t think that they sound all that similar.
“Roman empire” by bang chan
This song was put on YouTube as a collaboration between Bang Chan, leader of the famous Kpop group, Stray Kids, and the Italian luxury brand, Fendi. It is unclear if this song will ever make its way to streaming platforms.
This song is kind of dumb in how forced the Roman theme is. It feels half-baked and rushed and, honestly, less like a song Chan wanted to write and more like one he was forced to write by Fendi. I could be wrong but that’s just how it feels to me. I wish JYP (his label) would let my guy freak out because it feels like he’s holding back. The song would feel more natural without the constraint on how sexual Bang Chan is allowed to be in his music. Then again, this is for a brand deal so I guess it isn’t entirely JYP’s fault. All that being said, this song is very fun and super catchy and I would 100% stream it no matter how stupid I think it is. Sometimes you just need a fun stupid song to bop along to. I love this man’s voice so I would listen to him sing literally anything. I also appreciate how he uses “Roma” instead of “Rome,” which is a nod to the theme that feels less stereotypical than other Roman/Italian references in the song.
“Secret snippet” by Jorge rivera-herrans
The link to this “Secret Snippet” was included in the video Jorge (the creator of Epic: The Musical, which I have written several articles on) made for his top listeners’ Spotify Wrapped’s. Guess who got that video in their Wrapped? (Me hehe). I just want to say that this is something I’ve never seen before from artists as a way to thank their loyal Spotify listeners, so thank you Jorge for sharing this with us. I don’t believe music should be gatekept, so I’m gonna share this lovely little tune with y’all too. To be clear, this isn’t a leak since Jorge posted it to YouTube himself.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve woken up to having this song stuck in my head. It’s so short but also so beautiful, especially with Jorge’s gorgeous falsetto. I can’t wait to see what the finished product will look. I’m assuming it’s going to be part of a musical he’s currently working on based off Homer’s The Illiad. He just started on it so I doubt we’ll see an official version for a few years, but still this little taste is promising and I can’t wait to see what Jorge does with this project!
“Where is the justice” From death note: the musical
This song is from the Death Note: The Musical original english concept album. Based on the popular anime and manga, this show has had several stage productions in countries such as Japan and the UK. It has had several cast albums in different languages, but none of them are available to stream in the US.
I am so mad that this certified banger isn’t on streaming. I was obsessed with this song before I had ever watched Death Note and I love it even more now that I have. Besides the fact that this song slaps on its own, it’s sung by Broadway tenor superstar Jermey Jordan. Jeremy f*cking Jordan. If you’re not a theater nerd, just know he’s pretty much the Kelly Clarkson of Broadway. He absolutely kills this song and the angst of Light Yagami. It’s interesting how passionate about helping people Light appears in this song compared to in the anime. Even in the beginning of the series, he never showed much warmth for others. His motivation to kill was because he was bored and had a god complex rather than because he actually cared about avenging the victims of crime. This song explores a new take on the character while maintaining his quick-wit and intense self-righteousness. I haven’t listened to the rest of the album, but this song alone is worth a Tony award.