Nothing short of a spectacle, Lorde headlined a sold-out show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Wednesday night. The 21-year-old New Zealander brought along special guests Jack Antonoff, Run The Jewels and Mitski for the occasion. In honor of the strong NYU showout at the Melodrama Tour, WSN has compiled a list of the best Lorde songs. For those who missed her Brooklyn show or who are not attending her Newark concert on Friday, let this playlist serve as the next best thing.

“Writer in the Dark”

Yasmin Gulec, Features Editor

Last night, during her concert, Lorde stated that this song is what makes “Melodrama” what it is. She spoke about how it was hard to make sense of all the ideas that inspired it and get it out. She spent many nights in the studio, trying to bang out the chords in her head onto the out-of-tune piano. When she finally succeeded, something very beautiful came to life. “Writer in the Dark” always makes me cry. It is so raw and beautiful. It is about everything: falling in and out of love, jealousy, anger and passion. It is one of the best songs and the most emotion-packed song in her newest album “Melodrama.”

“Supercut”

Natasha Roy, Managing Editor-at-Large

When I listen to “Supercut,” I get the worst kind of nostalgia. It’s about looking back on an old relationship or fling with someone you really loved and only being able to think of the good parts of it. The first few lines — ”In my head, I play a supercut of us. All the magic we gave off, all the love we had and lost” — give me a sense of longing. Throughout the song, Lorde makes it clear that she misses the time when she was utterly, blissfully happy with her ex-significant other, but she’s brought back to reality when she remembers that it’s all “in [her] head.” I think everyone has someone they think of when they listen to this song, and I think it’s fantastic to listen to if you’ve just gone through a breakup and need a reminder that going back to that person isn’t as great of an idea as you might believe it is in the moment.

“Green Light”

Alejandro Villa Vásquez, Copy Chief

The sparkling lights of of the party blind and distract you from whatever heartache you’re feeling. That is the central theme of the lead single from Lorde’s sophomore record, “Melodrama.” “Green Light” speaks to the anger, the trauma, the drama and jealousy we all feel when things — and we — fall apart just when it all seemed to be coming together. Lorde is waiting to finally let go of the pain: “I’m waiting for it, that green light, I want it.” Sometimes we can’t move on, but at least we can shine in the light, even if it’s just for a night.

“Bravado”

Emily Fagel, Theater and Books Editor

It’s hard to choose just one song by Lorde to call my favorite, because Queen Ella and her angsty first-album jams were the soundtrack to my high school years. However, “Bravado” is definitely a highlight of “Pure Heroine.” It’s the perfect blend of her edgy, spooky cover of “Swingin Party” vibe — listen to it if you haven’t, what an amazing cover — and the bounce of her masterful upbeat bops like “Love Club” and the second half of “Hard Feelings/Loveless.” The lyrics are personal but also super relatable. “Bravado” is the perfect pick-me-up when you’re feeling down and need to remind yourself that you’re a star who can and will find your fortitude.

“Ribs”

Jordan Reynolds, Editor-at-Large

“Ribs” is the best song Ella Yelich-O’Connor has ever made, hands down. There is no doubt in my mind. The structure of the song itself is beautiful in a unique sort of way — there is no chorus to the song, a fact that I hadn’t realized until I was browsing YouTube one day and happened upon this video essay. The song begins with a verse that repeats itself three times with one interjected line, then comes the second verse that does the same until it culminates with the somehow simultaneously joyous and tragic ending: “I want ’em back, the minds we had. How all the thoughts moved ’round our heads.” The song yearns for childhood innocence long gone, while making a certain kind of peace with that absence. Yes, it’s gone and we will never be that young and careless ever again, but we know that and we move on with that knowledge, the memories from years past. The feeling I get listening to this song is impossible to be put into words, and that is why it is the best song Lorde has ever created.

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