Released as a part of his second studio album, Work of Art (2023), Asake’s Lonely at the Top shares his view on how fame and success could be isolating, and how he chooses perseverance and insistence over cowering to pressure. The lyrics gave people aiming for success an insight into the world of fame, and helped them navigate through the lyrics and the knowledge that they were not alone on that path.
Lyrics of Lonely at the Top
Intro
Ohh
Obah
Verse 1
It’s lonely at the top
(Lonely Lonely Lonely)
Money on my mind
(Money money money)
Don’t care what they yanning about me in particular
(Ko kan mi, kan mi, kan mi)
Out here on the road chasing my dreams because I know
(No one can chase it for me)
Pre-Chorus
Ọlọ-lọlade maa n gbọmọ ló
(Gbọmọ lọ)
Bọrọkọto idi ṣọmọ lọ
(Idi ṣọmọ lọ)
Ẹ fiwọn silẹ ẹ jẹ kan ma lọ
No dey find anybody na money me I want
(Me I want)
No dey hear wetin people dey talk
(People dey talk)
Wọn ti ge Asake leti lọ
(Leti lọ)
This life na one no get another one
I go take am do wetin I love
Chorus
Wetin you love o
No be wetin I love o
Wetin I love I go do am with all my heart o
Ogogoro no be vodka
Mr Money Ginger
But una know I no dey waste time
Mr Money Ginger
Verse 2
Just carry on baby no time
(No time)
Bad boy me I dey fine
And at the same time me I dey high
Mo duro tan mo stand out
Calm down you go dey fine
Like fine wine no decline
Sing about it, extraordinary things
Show me love I go show you more
Ọpọ lọpọ
Wo bo ṣe n ṣe wo bo ṣe n ṣe
Ọmọ e don tey jẹ a ṣere kere
Mo n fọ f’aye moti fọ f’aye
Ye ye
Back to Pre-Chorus
Ọlọ-lọlade maa n gbọmọ ló
(Gbọmọ lọ)
Bọrọkọto idi ṣọmọ lọ
(Idi ṣọmọ lọ)
Ẹ fiwọn silẹ ẹ jẹ kan ma lọ
No dey find anybody na money me I want
(Me I want)
No dey hear wetin people dey talk
(People dey talk)
Wọn ti ge Asake leti lọ
(Leti lọ)
This life na one no get another one
I go take am do wetin I love
Back to Chorus
Wetin you love o
No be wetin I love o
Wetin I love I go do am with all my heart o
Ogogoro no be vodka
Mr Money ginger
But una know I no dey waste time
Mr Money Ginger
Lyrical Analysis
Verse 1
The central theme of the song is captured by Asake in the first verse. He deploys call and response, emphasizing his call with the response. The message is quite clear. People look up to him and see him at the top of the ladder, but his reality is solitude. Not necessarily because he wants to be alone, but it is just the circumstance he finds himself in.
With his fame comes critical assessments of him, but he doesn’t care ( Yoruba for ko kan mi) about what they yan (pidgin for say) about him; he’d rather channel that energy into chasing his dreams because only he can accomplish his goals for himself.
This was the most well-known aspect of the song, showing Asake not only as Mr Money, but also Mr Wisdom, with so much depth.
Lyrics of Lonely At The Top
Pre-Chorus
The pre-chorus opens with Asake playing on his name, Ololade, as Olololade, probably because of the lyrics that follow. He brings up his flirty side with his use of Yoruba, saying he keeps flirting with largely curvaceous ladies. Immediately after, he goes back to say the door is open for anybody who wants to walk out of his life, because he’d rather money over people.
He doesn’t say that from arrogance, but from weariness, because people keep talking his ears off (wọn ti ge Asake leti lọ). He’d rather use his one shot at life to do things that actually matter.
In one segment, he artfully shows his playful and flirtatious side with his serious side, showing how flexible he is.
Chorus
In the chorus, he emphasizes the difference. We are all different people, with different things we love, and that should be appreciated. He possibly points this out to tell people to stay out of his business, because he’s doing things he loves, with no respect to naysayers.
The third line points light to his doggedness. He firmly says he’ll invest his all into things that he loves. He wittily makes a comparison of ogogoro (local gin) and vodka to reestablish his difference from others.
Asake wouldn’t end a song without psyching himself. That’s what Mr Money Ginger is for.
Verse 2
He appraises himself as a bad boy who wastes no time in this verse. He’s always high, as the only other alternative would be to be at a low, where people are waiting to tear him down. He stands gallantly (mo duro tan) and enjoys his difference that gives him an edge. He admonishes himself and his listeners to remain calm in the face of anything because they’ll be fine like wine at the end of the day.
A member of “matching the same energy” club, he says he has even more love to give to people who love him. He doesn’t just love them, he loves them more (ọpọ lọpọ). Then he goes back to his ladies, calling them to “play” with him, bringing them back into his world.
He goes back to the pre-chorus and chorus.
Conclusion
Lonely at the Top is more than another mellow Afrobeats sound. It tells the artist’s heartfelt story. He relays how alone he feels at the top, how he’s a constant subject of gossip, but also how he’s undeterred by these factors. Knowing fully well that if he succumbs to these pressures, nobody is going to make a better life for him. He therefore chooses to live his life on his own terms, doing what he wants, not just the popular opinions of him. That’s what makes him stand out and gives him an edge.
His difference is notable from his mixtures of English, pidgin, and Yoruba, not caring about the criticisms of his language choices for global appeal. As a work of art, he knows that once he masters his craft and delivers excellently, the world will catch up. He doesn’t cower to the pressures of singing just in English for worldwide recognition. Guess who is a worldwide sensation, regardless?
He later featured the American R&B star, H.E.R., on the acoustic remix. The original music video has gotten 75 million views on YouTube (still counting). It’s not so lonely at the top for Asake now, is it?
