The 5 best and 5 worst Dua Lipa songs of all time

Lipa has a knack for selecting lead singles for her albums, and the "Radical Optimism" era is no exception.

Coproduced by Kevin Parker and Danny L Harle, "Houdini" is an irresistible dancefloor anthem that's sure to stand the test of time. To paraphrase New York City club scholar Stefon, this song has everything: Tame Impala-esque synths, a fuzzy guitar riff in the bridge, a compact three-minute length that leaves you wanting more, and a sticky, rave-friendly remix by Harle that's almost as good as the original.

Song highlight: "Catch me or I go, Houdini" is such a brilliantly succinct pop hook that I can't believe it didn't exist until 2023.

If you like this, listen to: "Illusion," "Whatcha Doing," "Happy for You"

In her measured "Radical Optimism" review, Laura Snapes made a point to praise the late-album gem "Maria," particularly Harle's avant-garde touch.

"'Maria' dabbles in the pacy acoustica of French DJ Bob Sinclair's 'Love Generation' and Alizée's 'Moi… Lolita' as Lipa sings a paean to her lover's ex for making him the man he is today," Snapes wrote for Pitchfork. "'Faintly Sapphic fixation with the other woman' is a well-worn pop trope by this point, but the force of Lipa's cries in the chorus — 'Maria! / I know you're gone / But I feel ya / When we're alone' — resounds with a curiosity and emotional richness that's all but absent elsewhere."

While I disagree with the addendum "all but absent elsewhere," it's true that "Maria" is an unexpected, thrilling departure from Lipa's usual palette. The brisk guitar strums and chorus' cheerful flute give the song an exotic, sunny edge — perfect for Lipa's favored vacation spot in Ibiza, Spain.

Song highlight: "Deepest effect always comes from a cause / I'm better too from the ones that I've lost."

If you like this, listen to: "End of an Era," "These Walls," "French Exit"

In June 2023, Nine Inch Nails rocker Trent Reznor (also known as one-half of the genius team behind movie scores like "The Social Network," "Soul," and, of late, "Challengers") shared that he had recently "teared up listening to a Dua Lipa track."

"It really reminded me of the art of writing a well-crafted song," he said. "It was clever. It felt good. It's difficult!"

Reacting to this quote, Stereogum's Tom Breihan wrote: "So what Dua Lipa track got Trent Reznor all misty? 'Levitating'? 'New Rules'? 'Don't Start Now'? I bet it was 'Don't Start Now.'"

I do, too. The lead single from "Future Nostalgia" is still the finest hit Lipa has ever produced — a three-minute onslaught of pop perfection. Anything else I could write here would not do it justice.

Song highlight: "If you don't wanna see me dancing with somebody … Don't show up, don't come out" is a deliciously ruthless post-breakup mantra.

If you like this, listen to: "Pretty Please," "Love Again," "Break My Heart"

This is one of those rare times when an artist's biggest hit is also one of their most acclaimed, interesting, and exhilarating tracks.

"Levitating" was not initially appointed as a "Future Nostalgia" primer. But upon the album's release, it was established as an early favorite among fans and critics; Laura Snapes said the song "blooms like a row of tropical flowers," NPR's Ken Tucker praised "the crisp authority that runs beneath the dance-floor theatrics," and Vulture's Craig Jenkins hailed Lipa for the "anxiousness and sexual tension in her vocal delivery."

By the time "Levitating" landed on year-end music rankings, it was being promoted as the album's fifth single. One year later, it was soaring among the very stars that Lipa sings about, when Billboard crowned "Levitating" as the top-performing hit of 2021.

Song highlight: Upon first listen, I was irked by Lipa's gleeful, shameless use of the pet name "sugaboo." Now, it's my favorite part of the song and continues to tickle me to this day — a testament to Lipa's knack for crafting pop songs with staying power.

If you like this, listen to: "One Kiss," "Hallucinate," "If It Ain't Me"

"New Rules" may be the breakout hit from Dua Lipa's self-titled debut album, but its true highlight is "Be The One," a wistful, glittering club track that Troye Sivan loved so much, he was inspired to invite Lipa — a then-burgeoning pop star with only a handful of songs to her name — to open for his 2017 Suburbia Tour. (Seven years and many smash hits later, Lipa and Sivan remain close friends.)

Song highlight: Lipa's raspy belt at the end of the bridge: "Will you be mi-i-ine?"

If you like this, listen to: "Genesis," "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)," "Room For 2"

Despite the impetus for this article, I'd like to go on the record to say that Lipa has never released a "bad" song. Her discography is remarkably consistent, largely thanks to her rich vocals and keen ear for pop melodies.

But even the most discerning musicians have their low points — songs that can't compete with their career's highest peaks. "Anything For Love" is one such example.

"Anything For Love" is slotted at track nine on "Radical Optimism," bringing an anticlimactic lull to the back half of the album. Flanked by robust, soaring tracks "Falling Forever" and "Maria," it simply pales in comparison.

Worst offense: The song's titular phrase ("Remember when we used to do anything for love?") doesn't make sense within the album's narrative, which celebrates Lipa's confidence and hard-earned discernment in the dating world.

Saving grace: "Anything For Love" kicks off with a cute audio recording of Lipa teasing her key album collaborators, whom she has affectionately described as her "band."

Again, it's not that "Sweetest Pie" is a "bad" song, per se. It's that Lipa has an exceptional track record with collaborative singles ("One Kiss" with Calvin Harris, "Electricity" with Mark Ronson and Diplo, "Prisoner" with Miley Cyrus, just to name a few), so the fandom's hopes were much higher for this release.

Megan Thee Stallion is one of the most formidable rappers working today, and much like Lipa, she tends to bring a jolt of energy to her duets. "Sweetest Pie" should've been so much better, so it ends up being forgettable.

Worst offense: Squandering a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion.

Saving grace: Lipa's swooning delivery of the following line: "I might take you hooome with this, I might give you aaall of it."

"Future Nostalgia" would be a skip-less pop classic if it weren't for its closing track. The intent behind "Boys Will Be Boys" is undeniably admirable: Lipa chastizes our misogynistic culture, which puts the onus on girls to grow up faster and shoulder the burden of boys' immaturity. She even drove this home by performing "Boys Will Be Boys" at the 2020 Billboard Women In Music event.

Indeed, the problem lies not in the song's ambition, but in its heavy-handedness. I have to believe there were more effective ways to make Lipa's point than spelling it out in the most obvious terms.

Worst offense: Taken out of context, "Boys will be boys / But girls will be women" sounds like a justification for that very double standard.

Saving grace: "If you're offended by this song / You're clearly doing something wrong."

This "Dua Lipa" deep cut doesn't quite suit the singer, who shines brightest while smirking her way through a kiss-off bop — not while sinking to her knees.

"All my bones / Are begging me to beg for you / Begging me to beg for your love," she sings in the massive, thumping chorus, which is trying a little too hard to be anthemic. The whole thing comes across as forced. Lipa doesn't sound persuasive; she sounds like a young woman still finding her footing in a crowded pop landscape.

Worst offense: I don't know who this song is about, but I can pretty much guarantee he's not worth all that. In the immortal words of Chrissy Chlapecka, "He is literally just a guy."

Saving grace: "All of these highs / And all of these lows / Don't keep me company."

"Dua Lipa" is a notably strong debut album — but alas, much like "Future Nostalgia," it ends on a low note. "Homesick," the closing track on the standard edition, is a rare moment of cloying, wounded balladry in Lipa's catalog.

Lipa duets with an uncredited male vocalist, who adds such a thick sheen of soppiness that I'm forced to assume "Homesick" was salvaged from Coldplay's cutting room floor — and I'm only partly wrong. That male voice belongs to Chris Martin, who also cowrote the track.

Worst offense: Chris Martin, what are you doing here?

Saving grace: The deluxe version of "Dua Lipa" ends with the aptly titled "Last Dance," so "Homesick" is transformed from an unworthy closer to an inoffensive mid-tracklist skip.