Lorde picks her 13 favourite songs of all time
As the 2010s were dawning, the pop scene didn’t know what it wanted to be. Although Lady Gaga was still reigning as one of the resident queens of the genre, the subsequent influx of musicians tended to be flashes in the pan or plastic pop stars that didn’t have much going on behind the massive hits. While other artists were getting by on the momentum of their past hits, Lorde arrived like a bolt of lightning with her smash hit album, Pure Heroine.
Although she wasn’t what most people expected out of a pop star, Lorde was the most authentic artist working at the time, always saying what was on her mind on tracks like ‘Royals’ and ‘Tennis Court’, the former of which went after the aforementioned plastic pop stars that strutted their stuff across music videos. While she may have been the closest thing to punk that the pop world had seen in a while, Lorde had a far more eclectic taste than that.
When talking to I-d, Lorde spoke extensively about the massive influences every genre of music has had on her. Going through her favourite songs, Lorde’s record collection ranged from early rock and roll to the world of soul, art rock, dance, and everything in between.
While Lorde’s musical style, in general, evokes a range of different influences, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she cited David Bowie as a primary influence. Singling out the song ‘Fashion’, Lorde called ‘The Starman’ one of her idols and was utterly flustered when meeting him for the first time.
Among some of her other picks from classic rock include the likes of Fleetwood Mac, relating to the massive production of ‘Landslide’, as well as The Beach Boys’ ethereal harmony work on the song ‘God Only Knows’. Then again, an artist of Lorde’s stature can’t change the world without having her finger on the pulse of contemporary music.
Combing through her various playlists, the New Zealand singer would consider Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’ to be a “perfect” pop song, as well as The 1975’s bittersweet anthem ‘Somebody Else’. Although there are elements of mainstream music, Lorde has also prided herself on loving artists who are deliberately against the sugary side of pop.
Alongside her influences, Lorde also came across songs like Banks’ ‘Fuck With Myself’, boasting a seductive darkness reminiscent of where she would go in her best ballads like ‘Team’. Even experimental artists have gotten the nod from Lorde, citing Yeasayer’s ‘Ambling Alps’ as one of her favourites since she was a teenager.
Given the vast array of genres spanned throughout every song, what’s the common link between all of them? While it’s never easy to compare artists as diverse as Katy Perry, Fleetwood Mac, and Drake, Lorde said it best when describing ‘Hotline Bling’, applauding his “creative, clever way of saying something really simple”. Even though artists may sometimes focus on making the most intricate song possible, Lorde understands the importance of pairing things down to their bare essentials.
Stream the playlist in full below.
Lorde’s favourite songs:
- ‘Dancing On My Own’ – Robyn
- ‘God Only Knows’ – The Beach Boys
- ‘Teenage Dream’ – Katy Perry
- ‘Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart’ – Alicia Keys
- ‘Antidote’ – Travis Scott
- ‘Fashion’ – David Bowie
- ‘Fuck With Myself’ – Banks
- ‘Ambling Alp’ – Yeasayer
- ‘Keep On’ – Kehlani
- ‘Landslide’ – Fleetwood Mac
- ‘Hotline Bling’ – Drake
- ‘Imagining My Man’ – Alduous Harding
- ‘Somebody Else’ – The 1975
