Our top 10 Lorde songs list looks at the body of work of a New Zealand artist famed for her pensive songwriting skills. Born in 1996, Lorde grew up reading lots of books which she credits for sharpening her songwriting skills. Her music career beginnings are traced to the time she won an annual talent show alongside her friend, Louis McDonald. She would later appear in a local radio show where she performed covers to Pixie Lott and Kings of Leon’s songs.
Louis’ father would later send the recording of Lorde and Louis singing cover songs to Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company. The company would hire a vocal coach to perfect Lorde’s vocals. Executives on the company would later try to partner the singer with different songwriters and producers. However, this bore no fruits at the initial stages.
Lorde started writing her own songs ad soon started working on a project with Joel Little, who has produced for Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, and Taylor Swift. The result was the EP, The Love Club (2012). Lorde self-released this magnificent musical piece on her SoundCloud account, with Universal Music Group releasing the EP commercially in 2013. This marked Lorde’s rise to stardom, having the album rise to number two on the Australian and New Zealand albums charts.
“Royals” was one of the musical gems from the EP. The song rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over ten million units globally. This saw her become the youngest musician ever to have a song at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Her record beat the 1987 record by Tiffany Darwish with the cover of Tommy James and the Shondells hit “I Think We’re Alone Now.”
Amazingly, Lorde won two Grammy Awards, thanks to “Royals” for the Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year in 2014. “Royals” was included in her debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). Her debut album sold more than a million copies. This saw Lorde become the only female artist to sell over a million copies since 19 by Adele in 2008. Eventually, the album sold over four million copies globally, earning a Grammy Awards nomination for the Best Pop Vocal Album. However, it lost to Unorthodox Jukebox (2012) by Bruno Mars.
Lorde was tasked with curating the soundtrack to the 2014 dystopian sci-fi war film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. One of the best songs from the soundtrack is the award-winning song “Yellow Flicker Beat.” The electronic duo Disclosure featured Lorde on their hit “Magnets.” She would later be featured on “Heartlines” by her fellow New Zealand duo, Broods
In 2017, Lorde released her sophomore album to capture heartbreak and solitude after she got heartbroken. This is contrary to the initial idea of capturing her disillusionment with fame. Melodrama (2017) was home to several of her greatest hits, including “Green Light,” “Perfect Places,” and “Homemade Dynamite.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, winning Lorde a Grammy for the Album of the Year.
Later in 2021, Lorde came back with her third studio album Solar Power. The album was quite a success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Solar Power (2021) is home to some of her best releases, including “Mood Ring,” “Stoned at the Nail Salon,” and the album title hit “Solar Power.”
Her music majorly features elements of electropop as influenced by top electronic music producers, including Sleigh Bells and Grimes. She has also stated that her musical journey was inspired by other artists, including Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, Bon Iver, and Arcade Fire. Lorde has also stated several poets, including her mother, as her influences towards her songwriting style. Here we present the top 10 Lorde songs.
#10 – Mood Ring
Ushering us to the top 10 Lorde songs is the hit “Mood Ring.” The song is featured on her most recent album Solar Power (2021). Notably, mood rings refer to rings that adjust their color as per the temperature of their wearer. The title is metaphoric for a person’s mood, which changes according to the situation at hand. The New Zealand artist sings of fixing her dark mood through meditation in this song. “Mood Ring” peaked at number forty-eight on the UK Singles Chart.
#9 – Homemade Dynamite
“Homemade Dynamite” is one of the best hits from Lorde’s sophomore album Melodrama (2017). The song was penned by Lorde, Ludvig Söderberg, Jakob Jerlström, and Swedish pop star Tove Lo. In this song, Lorde sings about getting her spirit up once more. The song finds her nursing a heartbreak. Later, she released a remix to the song featuring Post Malone, Khalid, and SZA. The song peaked at number ninety-two on the Billboard Hot 100.
#8 – Buzzcut Season
Coming in at number eight is the electropop ballad “Buzzcut Season.” Initially, the song was a promotional single to Lorde’s debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). “Buzzcut Season” finds the singer trying to disconnect from the collapsing world and nonsensicality of modern life. The song has its electropop feel spiced up by some tropical music elements.
#7 – Solar Power
“Solar Power” is the title track to Lorde’s most recent third studio album. This acoustic-driven hit finds Lorde enjoying the humble thrills of a warm day on the seashore. While her previous album found her wallowing in the pain of a heartbreak, Solar Power (2021) finds her embracing a happier life. Her exploration of Antarctica inspired the title of this song and album. “Solar Power” peaked at number sixty-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
#6 – Yellow Flicker Beat
Number six on our top 10 Lorde songs is the hit “Yellow Flicker Beat.” The song is featured on the soundtrack to the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. This dark and haunting hit is a result of trying to understand the emotions of the movie’s protagonist Katniss Everdeen. “Yellow Flicker Beat” rose to number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
#5 – Perfect Places
“Perfect Places” is an impressive electro-pop hit from Lorde’s sophomore studio album Melodrama (2017). The song alludes to a pleasure-seeking teenage party. However, the New Zealand singer tells of melancholy within these fun moments quoting that the times are far from perfect, which is a complete paradox.
#4 – Tennis Court
While most of Lorde’s hits are majorly electropop, “Tennis Court” blends elements of downtempo, art pop, and alternative pop. The song is featured on her debut album, Pure Heroine (2013). “Tennis Court” alludes to Lorde’s newfound stardom, especially changes that have taken place. The song peaked at number seventy-one on the Billboard Hot 100.
#3 – Green Light
Coming in at number three is the hit “Green Light.” The song is featured on Lorde’s album Melodrama (2017). “Green Light” finds Lorde dealing with a heartbreak. As the lyrics tell, she tries getting his ex-boyfriend out of her mind. Lorde waits on a “Green Light” to move on with her life. The song rose to number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100.
#2 – Team
While everyone is getting taken away by modern pop music, Lorde seems not to be boarding this caravan. Her song “Team” finds her singing on her disconnection with contemporary pop songs. She also mentions the variances between reality and choreographed portrayals. “Team” is one of her most successful hits, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
#1 – Royals
Number one on our top 10 Lorde songs list is the hit “Royals.” While the song is featured on her debut album Pure Heroine (2013), it was initially released on her debut EP, The Love Club. However, its success prompted the reissue of the song on a commercial release.
Despite being an underdog in the music scene at the time of its release, “Royal” proved too good to discount. The song soon topped both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100. Lorde became the youngest musician to reach this feat. “Royals” went on to win two Grammy Awards in 2014 in the Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year categories.
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