Top 10 Best Lorde Songs

Top 10 Lorde Songs

This New Zealander took the world by storm with the release of “Pure Heroine” back in 2013, and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Lorde Songs.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the best Lorde songs, however we won’t be including songs that Lorde features on. So, songs such as "Magnets" by Disclosure will not be considered.

#10: “Perfect Places”
Melodrama (2017)

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The second single to be released from her sophomore album “Melodrama,” “Perfect Places” was co-written and produced with fellow singer-songwriters Jack Antonoff and Andrew Wyatt. While the song sounds like its promoting good times all around, you shouldn’t let the pop infused hook fool you; this song is a melancholy rebuffing of the superficiality of the party scene. It might sound like a fun song, however once you begin to dig into the lyrics it becomes clear that “Perfect Places” is a song about anything but. Either way, we’re down for a second listen.

#9: “Writer in the Dark”
Melodrama (2017)

If you haven’t heard this song in full we encourage you to stop what you’re doing and go listen to it immediately. The track is quite simple, just Lorde’s darkly visual lyrics and piano playing in the background… but it’s incredibly effective. Lorde delivers a story as only she can; a beautiful mixture of hope and despair layered atop a soulful beat that one can’t help but fall in love with. “Writer in the Dark” may be about a breakup, but it’s overflowing with enough passion to make anyone stop what they’re doing and listen.

#8: “Liability”
Melodrama (2017)

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Similar to “Writer in the Dark” this track is just Lorde and a piano, but that only serves to accentuate the story she is telling. “Liability” is a straight up confession, as Lorde rips open her heart and lays bare all the issues that she is currently struggling with. The track may be simple, but that doesn’t seem to matter, as Lorde’s storytelling ability is more than enough to carry it from start to finish. The song really is beautiful, as the piano rises and falls in conjunction with Lorde’s heartbreaking lyrics.

#7: “400 Lux”
Pure Heroine (2013)
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From the moment the beat kicks in, you can tell this song is going to be special. “400 Lux” is hypnotic and it won’t take long for you to start tapping your feet and bobbing your head to it. While the beat may be the soul of the song, Lorde’s lyrics are definitely the heart. She weaves an intricate love story that spans multiple seasons, and expresses her desires with that particular Lorde style, with lyrics like “We’re never done with killing time / Can I kill it with you?”

#6: “Buzzcut Season”
Pure Heroine (2013)

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Peaking at number 29 on the U.S. Hot Rock Songs, “Buzzcut Season” was one of the most popular tracks from Lorde’s debut album. The song was a precursor to some of the New Zealand artist’s later work, blending her signature vocals with a truly unique, and somewhat tropical beat. The song’s lyrics rail against the modern world, lambasting “men up on the news” and “explosions on TV”. However, Lorde manages to give it a positive spin by proclaiming that “now we live beside the pool, where everything is good.” This is definitely one of her greatest skills as an artist, and one that has become a signature in her work.

#5: “Green Light”
Melodrama (2017)
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“Green Light” was both the first song she wrote for “Melodrama,” as well as the first single to be released from her second album. The song combines elements of electro-pop and dance-pop and was inspired by Lorde’s first breakup. As is the case with many of the tracks off “Melodrama,” “Green Light” makes great use of the piano. However, this time the piano is upbeat, infusing the song with a positive vibe that just makes you want to dance. Seriously, we dare you to listen to this song without busting at least one move.

#4: “Tennis Court”
Pure Heroine (2013)

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The second single to be released off “Pure Heroine”, “Tennis Court” is easily one of Lorde’s most recognizable tracks. The song is a mixture of various genres, including hip-hop, alternative pop and EDM. Certified platinum in both New Zealand and Australia, “Tennis Court” was written in response to the artist’s sudden rise in popularity, and addresses the fact that her world is about to change dramatically. Lorde received considerable praise for the track and it is often considered the catalyst of her rapid rise to the top of the pop music world.

#3: “Royals”
Pure Heroine (2013)

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Released as her debut single in 2013, “Royals” thrust Lorde into the limelight and turned her into a household name seemingly overnight. Topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. for nine weeks, Lorde became the youngest person to score a number-one single in over 25 years. The track combines elements of art pop and electro-pop and features lyrics that poke fun at the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and those who covet them. Here are a couple of fun facts: Lorde got the name of the song from a 1976 photograph of a Kansas City Royals baseball player and subsequently wrote it in just half an hour. Now that’s impressive!

#2: “Supercut”
Melodrama (2017)

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Expertly placed at the end of “Melodrama”, this song sums up the themes of the album in a coherent and mature way. It has all of the elements that Lorde has become synonymous with: brooding lyrics, a melancholic beat and just enough positivity to keep it from turning into a downer. What makes “Supercut” special is its ubiquitous nature. It doesn’t matter if you’re at a club or studying for an exam, the song is perfectly suited to both, making it a rarity in the pop genre. So, sit back and relax or get up and dance, either works when it comes to this song.

“Homemade Dynamite”
Melodrama (2017)

“Ribs”
Pure Heroine (2013)

“Glory and Gore”
Pure Heroine (2013)
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#1 (FAKE): I’m Lorde, YaYaYa

#1: “Team”
Pure Heroine (2013)

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Climbing to number six on Billboard Hot 100, “Team” was one of a handful of songs responsible for introducing Lorde’s unique sound to the world back in 2013. The catchy track helped solidify the New Zealand artist’s place in pop music, and was subsequently performed on a number of late night talk shows around the world. In fact, the song was so popular that when the music video was released, it crashed the Vevo channel on YouTube. “Team” is alternative pop at its best, combining meaningful lyrics with a beat that just won’t quit. The passion in Lorde’s voice is enough to give even her most ardent critic chills.

Do you agree with our list? Which Lorde song is your favorite? For more entertaining Top 10s, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.