I Refuse - Songs

Songs

"We Need a Resolution" depicts a dilmma between discordant lovers over push-pull rhythms. The song leaves its hook unresolved, and its music plays backwards after Timbaland's rap, with a reversed loop of the vocal "where were you last night" echoing the female protagonist's sentiment. "Loose Rap" features subtle Neptunes-styled electronica, aquatic sounds, and velvety harmonies by Aaliyah, who declares "it ain't just rhythm and blues." The song is titled after the slang phrase of the same name, and its lyrics dismiss romantic admirers who use corny pick-up lines. Static mumbles the song's hook. "Rock the Boat" has a slick R&B production, sexual and nautical imagery, and breathless vocals by Aaliyah, who instructs her lover on how to please her sexually and equates her erotic high to a drug high.

On the empowerment-themed, club-influenced "More Than a Woman", Aaliyah sings with an emboldened delivery over harsh guitars and aggressive synthesizers. "Never No More" mixes classic soul with modern hip hop, with live strings by producer Bud'da. It is about a defiant woman who decides to leave a physically abusive relationship. "I Care 4 U" features sibilant wind chimes, reverberating synth chords, and lo-tech vocal percussion. The song's narrator comforts a broken-hearted friend, but is distressed by her own unrequited love for him. The key-shifting "Extra Smooth" addresses an enthusiastic courtship, and ranges stylistically from hip hop and funk to drum and bass. It developed from a conversation between Aaliyah and Static about how men try to act suave. "Read Between the Lines" is a rhythmic digital samba, with Latin percussion, and lyrics that deal with infidelity.

The funky "U Got Nerve" features multi-layered, staccato vocals, and electronic blips. A baroque romantic concerto, "I Refuse" opens ominously with sounds of a rainstorm and distant horse hooves. It features melancholy piano and symphonic flourishes, including guitars, minimalist percussion, and strings that progressively build to a dramatic climax. "I Can Be" is about an adulterous man's mistress who wants to be his foremost girlfriend. Alex Macpherson of The Guardian writes that "Aaliyah's blank, numbed delivery" on the song "makes being the other woman seem like an emotionally masochistic form of self-medication." "Those Were the Days" dispassionately dismisses a male lover. Both "I Can Be" and "What If" have 2-step and rock elements, with the latter song drawing particularly on Detroit techno and industrial rock. "What If" angrily threatens an unfaithful lover and by extension other men of that ilk.