20 years ago, Wilmslow youths Matty Healy, Ross MacDonald, George Daniel and Adam Hann decided to form a band. At first, they went through many names and many incarnations eventually becoming The 1975 â a band that would go on to shake up the British and global music scene with their loquacious musings on modern life, love and self-loathing.
Over five albums â including the just-released brilliant newbie âBeing Funny In A Foreign Languageâ â and a handful of EPs, the four-piece have often confounded and (almost) always exceeded our expectations. Theyâve shown you can follow your own path and become one of the biggest bands in the country, and if you commit to never being afraid to try something new, you can unearth some real magic along the way.
With The 1975 back on top thanks to their new album, weâve gone through every song theyâve released so far and ranked them in order of greatness. Youâll find no covers, remixes, alternate versions, unreleased songs or tracks that were released under old names here â but everything thatâs featured from the âFacedownâ EP to this latest release. This is how it startsâŚ
96‘Womanâ (2012)
The story behind âWomanâ, the final track on The 1975âs debut EP âFacedownâ, is certainly an interesting one â Matty Healy singing about a sex worker he met in Belfast as a teenager that he âfell in love with a little bitâ, although didnât partake in her services. Unfortunately, though, the song doesnât amount to much more than a gently chiming guitar melody and the frontman painfully crying his way through the lyrics.
95âAnobrainâ (2013)
The made-up word in this songâs title refers to ‘a no-brainer’ and it would have been just that to leave this lifeless song off of the âMusic For Carsâ EP. Unfortunately, The 1975 didnât agree and made this song its opening track.
94âTalk!â (2013)
If ever there was an early sign of the verbose lyricism that was to come from The 1975 it was âTalk!â. Here, though, Healy was yet to nail that art, some of the lines feeling more like heâd spent more time studying a thesaurus than pouring real emotion into pop songs. âTotally wrecked and polemic in the way he talks,â he sang over the disorientating groove of his bandmates. âVocal sabbatical, delayed by churning out the same.â
93âM.O.N.E.Y.â (2013)
âM.O.N.E.Y.â provided another glimpse at where the Manchester band would eventually go in the future, opening on a twinkling, experimental tapestry of melodies. It would go on to be sampled by Travis Scott in his 2014 song âDonât Playâ, but the original would pale in comparison to what The 1975 would become capable of not long after.
92âIs There Somebody Who Can Watch Youâ (2013)
The sentiment of the closing track of the bandâs self-titled debut album is touching â Healy worrying about his younger brother, left behind as he left home to embark on his music career and dealing with their parentsâ divorce. While you can feel the emotion in the singerâs mumbled lines, the bigger picture of the song feels undercooked.
91âThe Man Who Married A Robot / Love Themeâ (2018)
One thing you canât accuse The 1975 of is being uninventive. This two-part song from 2018âs âA Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationshipsâ is narrated by iPhone voice AI, Siri, detailing the life of a man known only by his online handle @SnowflakeSmasher86. Boundary-pushing? Yes. Grating after more than the first listen? Also yes. The string-laden instrumental in the songâs second half is still a beaut, though.
90âAn Encounterâ (2013)
âAn Encounterâ is only one-minute-and-14-seconds long, but itâs an intriguing snippet of softly bubbling synths and glittering, droning notes. Its brevity stops it from being one of The 1975âs best instrumentals, but thereâs a feeling that they missed an opportunity in expanding it into something bigger.
89âUndoâ (2012)
From 2012âs âSexâ EP, âUndoâ is another slow-moving, drifting song. Its choruses tease something more exciting on the horizon but fail to follow through â an anticlimactic offering that joins much of The 1975âs early material in failing to make a strong impression.
88â12â (2013)
So-called because itâs the 12th track on The 1975âs debut album, â12â gave another early look at what would become a tradition for the band on every record: instrumentals. This one clocked in at barely over a minute, drifting by on a pleasant bed of synths and clicking beats.
87âHaunt // Bedâ (2013)
âIâm sorry that your dad is dead,â Healy opens this âIVâ EP song, before offering himself up as a coping mechanism to a friend dealing with grief. Itâs a fresh take on the different intimacies and intricacies of friendship that exist in the world.
86âFallingforyouâ (2013)
At one point, Healy thought âFallingforyouâ was the best song heâd ever written. Thankfully, heâd go on to write much better because this 2013 track, while an early example of the storytelling he could share in his songwriting, lacks anything particularly special.
85âMedicineâ (2014)
A standalone single released in 2014, âMedicineâ was originally written for a re-scored version of the movie Drive. Itâs fittingly cinematic in its scope â one of the more expansive-feeling songs from the bandâs first releases â and shares its reverb-heavy percussion sound with â60s girl-group pop, if slowed down somewhat. This song would sparkle when performed live.
84âHnsccâ (2013)
The 1975âs first instrumental track, âHnsccâ was written in response to Healyâs grandma dying of cancer (the letters in the title stand for âhead and neck squamous cell carcinomaâ, the type of the disease she was diagnosed with). A brief two-and-a-half-minute interlude on the âMusic For Carsâ EP, it gently takes a glacial guitar line, drawing it out and interweaving it with distortion and other sound effects.
83âMeâ (2013)
Shapeshifting between two different points of view, âMeâ is dripping in guilt and darkness. âIâm sorry, but Iâd rather be getting high than watching my family die,â Healy sings at one point, petulant and self-destructive. Musically, the melodies never lift off the ground â even when a spectral sax solo comes in towards its end.
82âMilkâ (2012)
The 1975 might famously have another song with a title thatâs a euphemism for drugs â aka âChocolateâ â but that wasnât their first to do so. Here, âMilkâ refers to cocaine, Healy singing about a girl whoâs fallen into an addiction to the substance and is âdoing it all the timeâ over a bright, buzzing guitar-led foundation.
81âFacedownâ (2012)
Ambient in nature, âFacedownâ â the first song on the bandâs debut EP of the same name â kickstarted things beautifully. Icy notes chimed like wintry bells, while Danielâs fragmented drum beats and a shadowy synth line underpinned the prettiness.
80âIntro/Set3â (2013)
âWhat you sitting âround here for and why you sad?â Healy asks on this burbling mesh of electronics. âCos everybodyâs pushing out babies now.â Itâs a pensive take on the pressures of adulthood, life and its ensuing responsibilities creeping up on you without you realising, but the music doesnât quite convey those feelings as effectively.
79âHead.Cars.Bendingâ (2013)
Healy often has the power to make the most mundane or crude subjects sound poetic in his songwriting, but 2013âs âHead.Cars.Bendingâ doesnât quite manage it. Instead, âDrink, fall spew / Telephone youâ sounds almost sixth-form level, although his bandmates’ quivering electronics add new layers of gold to the track.
78âSo Far (Itâs Alright)â (2013)
The 1975âs songs might not always be optimistic in nature, but 2013âs âSo Far (Itâs Alright)â manages to look on the bright side. Despite the hardships Healy mentions in the verses â from his dadâs friends dying of heart attacks to relationships reaching their end â the chorus finds him always returning to a point of shrugging it all off: âYeah, so far, itâs alright, baby.â
77âChocolateâ (2013)
Now the bandâs biggest single so far commercially â itâs been certified twice platinum in both the UK and the US â âChocolateâ details the musiciansâ love of smoking weed and their misspent youth in small towns. From the grating delivery of lines like âOh we go where nobody knows / With guns hidden under our petticoatsâ, to the insistent bounce of Hannâs guitar melody, other singles would prove worthy of the success.
76âYouâ (2013)
Although you can easily date âYouâ back to the early 2010s now, thereâs still a charm to its chiming indie sound, Hannâs guitar riffs bursting with the kind of energy that lights up the sticky floors of indie discos. As he spools out the trackâs best parts, Healy depicts a relationship in jeopardy with the kind of cutting lyrics heâd go on to perfect as part of his craft.
75âSurrounded By Heads And Bodiesâ (2018)
A plaintive ode to a girl Healy met in rehab while battling his heroin addiction, âSurrounded By Heads And Bodiesâ starts life sounding like a simple acoustic song. Between its verses, though, the guitar lines snap are joined by a syncopated rhythm of percussion, sounding like something Radiohead might pen.
74âThe 1975â (2013)
By now, youâll know The 1975 always start off their albums with a song named after the band. Over the years, the track has mutated and morphed into many different beasts, but this version â the 2013 original â is in its purest form. âGo down / Soft sound,â Healy murmurs over whirring synths. âMidnight / Car lights / Playing with the air / Breathing in your hair.â Simple but evocative.
73âStreamingâ (2020)
Another instrumental, this time from âNotes On A Conditional Formâ. âStreamingâ lifted many of the sounds that recurred throughout that record â like rippling, trembling string melodies â and created something atmospheric with them, providing a pretty break from the experimentation of the album
72âThe End (Music For Cars)â (2020)
This gloomy mesh of instruments softened the blow of âNotesâŚâ opening punk powerhouse âPeopleâ, an orchestra coming together to create something that felt like a big, black cloud drifting menacingly through the albumâs sky. It had drama and tension, not least in its big rolling drums.
71âThe 1975â (2018)
âA Brief InquiryâŚâs âThe 1975â switched things up, ditching the synths and opting for a more âorganicâ piano instead. Instead, Healyâs voice was filtered through a vocoder, keeping the trackâs futuristic edge in the face of the new instrumentation.
70âThe 1975â (2016)
An updated take on the first âThe 1975â song, this version from âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ was given a makeover with a choir backing Healyâs voice and fresh sonic noodlings layered over the top. At the end, it sounded like a rocket taking off, segueing seamlessly into âLove Meâ â a track which felt like it was leaping into a new world.
69âThe 1975â (2020)
Perhaps the most impactful and attention-grabbing of the âThe 1975â family, the opener to âNotesâŚâ featured the voice of Greta Thunberg. Over a minimal base of keys, the young eco-activist delivered a message about the climate emergency, sharing a dire warning but urging the world to take action before itâs too late.
68âAntichristâ (2012)
Another track from the âFacedownâ EP, âAntichristâ sounds like a band in their first steps. Drum beats crash between the glittering guitars, while Healyâs voice is still an unrefined bleat compared to what itâs become now â most spectacularly evidenced when he yelps: âCriminaaaals and liars!â
67âInside Your Mindâ (2018)
âInside Your Mindâ opens with a gigantic thud of a piano chord, but even that canât match up to the heavy desires Healy shares in its lyrics. As the song progresses, he shares the want to crack open his partnerâs head, so desperate is he to know just what is going on beneath their skull. âMaybe youâre dreaming youâre in love with me,â he ponders. âThe only option left is look and see / Inside your mind.â
66âI Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of Itâ (2016)
As well as filling their second album with a ton of bangers, The 1975 also delved deeper into instrumental territory. The recordâs title track isnât entirely voiceless â Healy sings the line âBefore you go, turn big light offâ four times â but its rhythmic synth melodies are the main focus and biggest draw here.
65âLostmyheadâ (2016)
The immediate successor to âPlease Be Nakedâ â see below â âLostmyheadâ ramps things up again, distorted guitars chugging back into view after a moment of tranquillity. âAnd you said Iâve lost my head / Can you see it? Can you see it?â Healy asks meekly, teeing up the themes of the song that follows it, âThe Ballad Of Me And My Brainâ.
64âPlease Be Nakedâ (2016)
The first instrumental on âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ is almost serene in its sound, three piano notes softly cascading in repetition before a gently thudding beat enters in the distance. As it grows, it doesnât lose any of its calm, only becoming bigger and greater with each new sound.
63âHaving No Headâ (2020)
Written and composed by drummer George Daniel, this instrumental from âNotes On A Conditional Formâ is one of the longest in The 1975âs discography, clocking in at just over six minutes. During that time, it slowly grows, new layers coming in and changing the mood as the minutes tick by. Itâs quite majestic.
62âPlaying On My Mindâ (2020)
Another observational summary from Healy, âPlaying On My Mindâ gently deals out the things that have been occupying his brain â from how long the band will last, to whether heâll one day get divorced. As he paces through his thoughts, an acoustic guitar twangs away beneath him â pretty and fitting for the songâs pensive nature.
61âMineâ (2018)
This âA Brief InquiryâŚâ track â inspired by John Coltrane â saw The 1975 delve into jazz. It was an unpredictable curveball on an album that was hard to pin down. They mostly managed to pull it off, too, although not to the extent that Healy hoped, with him telling Pitchfork at the time he wanted to create a new âstandardâ.
60âDonât Worryâ (2020)
A duet between father and son, this âNotesâŚâ song was written with Healyâs dad Tim about the singerâs mum, Denise Welch, and her experience with postnatal depression. Itâs a touching and pretty song, the pair reassuring, âDonât worry darling, cos Iâm here with youâ as their voices occasionally get processed through some of the bandâs trademark vocal effects.
59âSettle Downâ (2013)
Looking back, you can hear elements of the sound that The 1975âs second album would explore in âSettle Downâ, one of the highlights of the bandâs debut record. It boasted that same jittery approach to guitar lines, but was held back by the use of a similar vocal melody rhythm to much of the rest of the record.
58âNanaâ (2016)
In 2016, Healy revisited the subject of his grandma and her sad passing on this touching, largely acoustic song. âI wish youâd walk in again / Imagine if you just did,â he muses, later sharing moving details of her last days: âI sat with you beside your bed and cried / For things that I wish Iâd said.â
57âShe Lays Downâ (2016)
Just like his dad did on âDonât Worryâ, the frontman tackled the topic of his motherâs postnatal depression on the closing track of âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ. âThe chemicals that make her laugh donât seem to be working anymore,â he observes as he picks away at his guitar strings. âShe tries her best, but it hurts her chest.â
56âBagsy Not In Netâ (2020)
The glistening strings of this âNotesâŚâ cut feel like theyâre ushering in a Disney score, but then The 1975 zag again, bringing in distant dance beats and talk of the end. On the gentle chorus, Healy asks his partner, âDo you wanna leave at the same time?â, inquiring whether theyâre up for leaving this mortal coil together when the time comes. No fairytale ending, then.
55âSexâ (2013)
A blistering indie-rock anthem, âSexâ recants a fumbled tryst, one that becomes undone quicker than each other’s shirts because of existing partners and lovers. âNow weâre on the bed in my room / And Iâm about to fill his shoes,â Healy narrates, but a conscience kicks in follows: âBut you say no, you say no.â
54‘Guysâ (2020)
The closing song on their fourth album, âGuysâ is a love song not to any partners in Healyâs life, but to his bandmates whoâve been on this journey with him. Itâs a sweet and sentimental tribute to his childhood friends, the singer describing them as âthe love of my lifeâ. Grab the tissues for this one.
53âI Couldnât Be More In Loveâ (2018)
âI Couldnât Be More In Loveâ might be another song that sounds like itâs about a partner, but this time Healy is writing about The 1975âs fans. On it, he envisions their supporters moving on, leaving him and his bandmates behind. âWe got it wrong and you said youâd had enough,â he cries over an emotive organ melody. âWhat about these feelings Iâve got?â
52âShe Way Outâ (2013)
The chorus of âShe Way Outâ â taken from the bandâs self-titled debut album â is where this song really shines. Itâs at that point that the complex rhythms spooling out of Hannâs guitar come into their own, crafting a big, grooving hook thatâs impossible to ignore.
51‘Menswearâ (2013)
One of the more experimental songs on the bandâs first album, âMenswearâ at first appears to be completely instrumental. Itâs not until nearly two minutes in when Healyâs voice enters the fray, the mood set by gliding, muted melodies before he recounts attending a wedding.
50âShiny Collarboneâ (2020)
Originally, âShiny Collarboneâ was set to feature a sample of Jamaican dancehall singer Cutty Ranks and his song âThe Going Is Roughâ. But when the band approached him to clear the sample, he offered to redo his vocals afresh. The results give a new energy to this rippling electronic voyage.
49âThe Birthday Partyâ (2020)
This song takes a microscope to moments at a house party, zooming in on different social interactions over the course of the night, from drugs of choice (Adderall) to snippets of tedious conversation. Where much of âNotesâŚâ deals in electronic sounds, âThe Birthday Partyâ switches things up by opting for folky acoustic guitars, providing a much-needed refresher.
48âThen Because She Goesâ (2020)
A big ol’ plaid-flecked piece of â90s slacker rock, âThen Because She Goesâ flips the sound of âNotesâŚâ on its head even more, but listen closely and you can hear some of its experimental side creep in. Buried among the fuzzy guitars are chopped up cuts of vocals that slowly emerge with each fresh listen, making it feel like a mini treasure trove.
47âOh Carolineâ (2022)
A big, bold pop song that feels both classic and completely fresh, âOh Carolineâ finds Healy trying to right his wrongs. âOh Caroline, I wanna get it right this time / Cos youâre always on my mind,â he sings on the gigantic chorus, but itâs the rasped, urgent bridge that hits hardest.
46âI Think Thereâs Something You Should Knowâ (2020)
Imposter syndrome might not feel like something worth celebrating, but thatâs the atmosphere âI Think Thereâs Something You Should Knowâ creates. Its hushed house beats gently push you towards the dancefloor, just in time for the bridge when Healy finds peace from his brain: âYou get a moment when you feel alright.â
45âPressureâ (2013)
Fame might be a common topic in The 1975âs latter work, but it first popped up on their debut album in âPressureâ. Between slatherings of sax and an infectious groove, Healy compares his then-newfound-celebrity to âliving in a house with just three walls / So Iâm always getting recognisedâ.
44âWhat Should I Sayâ (2020)
Although the band were thinking about New Order as their inspiration when working on this song, the results feel more akin to Ye â fka Kanye West â in his âYeezusâ-era in places, not least the powerful but lightly deployed bassline. The track is a marriage of light and dark, though, those thudding notes contrasted by twinkling melodies and airy backing vocals from FKA twigs.
43âPart Of The Bandâ (2022)
The 1975âs big comeback single for their fifth album, âPart Of The Bandâ is folky, but not in the finger-picked way. Instead, it feels more like something Tuung would write â or big, sawing strings cutting back and forth beneath the verses. It is, of course, full of instantly quotable lyrics, Healy singing them with a Dylan-like intonation to cement the folk feel.
42âHuman Tooâ (2022)
A piano-led beauty on the bandâs latest record, âHuman Tooâ is as introspective as they come, diving into the frontmanâs flaws â and sharing some âoverdueâ apologies. Instead of fully accepting his (many) cancellations, though, he makes his argument that no oneâs perfect â not even celebrities â through the repeated line: âDonât you know that Iâm a human too?â Itâs a thoughtful summation on his own mistakes, but also the way society reacts to those who cross a line.
41âThis Must Be My Dreamâ (2016)
âLet me tell you âbout this girl / I thought sheâd rearrange my world,â Healy shares early on in âThis Must Be My Dreamâ, a velvety â80s pop cut from âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ. But the songâs first flushes of positivity are short-lived, him soon after admitting: âWell, I thought it was love, but I guess I must be dreaming.â Poor Matty.
40âTonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)â (2020)
This âNotesâŚâ track feels like it shares its spirit with another part of Kanyeâs discography, the Temptations-sampling song burrowing into a similarly retro sound as the rapperâs earlier albums. As âTonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)â progresses, though, it moves into its own lane â soulful, smooth and sensitive.
39âRoadkillâ (2020)
Set to a boot-scootin ‘country twang, âRoadkillâ shares Healyâs thoughts on peopleâs views on him in typically wry and crass form. âMan in the gift shop called me a f*g,â he sings in the first verse. âI feel like my tucked-up erection / Thereâs pressure all over my head.â
38âBe My Mistakeâ (2018)
Elsewhere on âA Brief Inquiry…â, the frontman might deny cheating on his partner but, here, the story is quite the opposite. Backed only by an acoustic guitar and some ripples of keys, he sings to someone he feels heâs betraying another person with â whether theyâre still in a relationship or not. Itâs painfully honest but all the more arresting for it.
37âThe 1975â (2022)
The latest evolution of this introductory track, âThe 1975â in its current form is a four-minute, piano-led cut that takes obvious inspiration from LCD Soundsystemâs âAll My Friends. âIâm sorry about my twenties, I was learning the ropes / I had a tendency to think about it after I spoke,â Healy apologises midway through, referencing the numerous backlashes heâs put himself through during his outspoken career.
36âNothing Revealed / Everything Deniedâ (2020)
âI never fucked in a car, I was lying,â Healy admits, dismantling one of The 1975âs most striking lyrics (from âLove It If We Made Itâ): âI do it on my bed, lying down, not trying.â His candidness is backed by a shuffling, jazz beat from Daniel and decorative piano turns, his pleas for âsomething to be trueâ cushioned by a chorus from The London Community Gospel Choir.
35âAll I Need To Hearâ (2022)
One of the slower, statelier songs on their latest record, âAll I Need To Hearâ creaks with the echoes of fragments of guitar noise through its melancholy waltz. Itâs incredibly understated but thatâs where it wields its power, its despondent glimmers reeling you in as Healy asks: âJust tell me what I want to hear.â
34âHow To Draw / Petrichorâ (2018)
Another two-parter on âA Brief Inquiry…â, âHow To Draw / Petrichorâ reimagines a 2016 bonus track of the same name, Healyâs vocals fed through a vocoder as he sings: âWhat if you die with all of the cameras?â The âPetrichorâ half, meanwhile, shifts into a stuttering dance track at odds with, but melding perfectly into, what came before.
33âYeah I Knowâ (2020)
Inspired by both Thom Yorkeâs solo releases and the music released by Kode9âs label Hyperdub, âYeah I Knowâ is a glitchy piece of minimal electronica, and perhaps one of the most interesting and unexpected songs The 1975 have released so far. âHit that shit, go hit that shit,â Healyâs pitched-up voice repeats over and over, sounding like â were it to be transplanted onto a different sonic bed â it would be perfectly at home on a Charli XCX track.
32âFrail State Of Mindâ (2020)
Although âFrail State Of Mindâs vocal melody is reminiscent of that found in âTOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIMEâ, released one album earlier, its subject matter is far less nonchalant. Whereas that tropical single batted away suggestions of infidelity, the âNotes…â track deals with social anxiety, sharing a look at Healyâs mind over a brooding garage instrumental.
31âWinteringâ (2022)
âWinteringâ puts everything from veganism to trends in body size in its jangly crosshairs â if it wasnât so good, youâd probably roll your eyes at it. Perhaps you should anyway. Its shining highlight, though, comes in the form of a nod to Healyâs mum, Denise Welch. âMumâs not a fan of that line about her back she said it makes her sound frumpy and old,â he sings at one point, before sharing his response: âI said, âWoman, you are 64 years oldââ.
30âWhen We Are Togetherâ (2022)
âBeing Foreign…âs closing track dips back into the acoustic guitars, fingerpicked, folky lines cushioning the songâs melancholy-tinged narrative. After the first chorus, a gorgeous string melody pierces through the layers, elevating its emotional qualities to new heights.
29âTOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIMEâ (2018)
The 1975 go tropical on this summery dance track, a satirical take on the world of modern dating, it succinctly analyses the boundaries we draw and shift around relationships, and the temptation our digital world offers us.
28âMe & You Together Songâ (2020)
Although 2020âs âNotes…â took a more experimental shape largely, the jangle of âMe & You Togetherâ gave it one of its biggest bangers. Subject-wise, it details feeling smitten by a friend and both âbeing in love with her for agesâ and falling âin love with her in stagesâ, building up to a big confession at the end.
27âThe Cityâ (2013)
The idea of metropolises is something The 1975 have returned to multiple times over their careers, but one of the first instances came in âThe Cityâ. âYou wanna find love then you know where the city is,â Healy shared over dark, crashing instrumentation, capturing the feeling of limitless possibility and adventure that comes from running around urban streets in your youth.
26âGirlsâ (2013)
An early example of the bandâs trademark bouncy pop sound, âGirlsâ is an ode to young love â or lust â Healy sharing a nonchalant assessment of the women he met. âTheyâre just girls breaking hearts / Eyes bright, uptight, just girls.â A little reductive, perhaps, but it captures the youthful feeling of going out on the pull, looking for anyone to hook up with.
25âIf I Believe Youâ (2016)
Here, on this âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ cut, the bandâs contradictory nature and inventiveness is in full force. Whatâs the perfect genre to share your feelings about religion and searching for some kind of salvation in your life? For Healy, the answer was a snapping gospel song, complete with the glorious backing of a choir.
24âLoving Someoneâ (2016)
âIâm the Greek economy of cashing intellectual cheques,â Healy offered on this jewel of a song, instantly self-deprecating, pretentious and smart at the same time. Like that line, âLoving Someoneâ is multi-faceted â putting a spotlight on the need to share your life and love with another, commentating on modern culture and society, and sharing a piece of spoken word poeticism thatâs buried so low in the mix it really makes you lean into the song.
23‘Happinessâ (2022)
Another loved-up highlight from The 1975âs latest record, âHappinessâ finds joy in a new partner who âshowed me what love isâ. This being The 1975, though, thereâs still a hint of doom lingering around the corner, as Healy sings on the â80s jam: âIâm gonna stop messing it up because Iâm / Feeling like Iâm messing it up.â
22âJesus Christ 2005 God Bless Americaâ (2020)
Teaming up with Phoebe Bridgers, this acoustic track deals out words on both religion and love, Healy lamenting his relationship with God while their guest star struggles to tell the girl next door how she really feels. Like many 1975 songs, itâs simultaneously touching and subtly witty.
21âRobbersâ (2013)
Hannâs sharp guitar melody here is one of the most recognisable in The 1975âs discography â and one of the most effective, perfectly mirroring the desperation and dejection in his bandmateâs lyrics. Another powerful moment: when Healy rasps, âNow everybodyâs deadâ as if heâs holding back a flash flood of tears.
20âAbout Youâ (2022)
The penultimate track on âBeing Funny…â, âAbout Youâ is also that recordâs longest moment. It builds from sax-flecked rushes of sound to a softly fizzing crescendo, Healy singing more beautifully than he ever does all the while. Itâs an absolutely stunning song â equal parts emotional and swooning, and completely impossibly not to fall in love with.
19âItâs Not Living (If Itâs Not With You)â (2018)
While this bright, upbeat track might at first glance sound like an ode to a lover (âAll I do is sit and think about youâ), it quickly reveals itself to be about heroin (âCollapse my veins wearing beautiful shoesâ) and Healyâs attempts to get free of his addiction to it. As well as one of the best pop songs in recent years, it also provided a ludicrously daft moment to rally around at their live gigs where fans belt out a throwaway line. All together now: âSELLING PETROOOOLâ
18âI Like America & America Likes Meâ (2018)
Described as the bandâs leader as a âhomage to SoundCloud rapâ, âI Like AmericaâŚâ is The 1975 in some of their most brilliantly experimental form. In part, between its glitchy beats and metallic production, it stands as a protest against the gun-culture of the US (âKids donât want rifles, they want Supremeâ), while encapsulating the feeling of being young in our modern world.
17âGive Yourself A Tryâ (2018)
A needling guitar riff immediately set âGive Yourself A Tryâ out as something new and different from The 1975 upon its release in 2018. Insistent and piercing, it perfectly backed up the songâs sentiment of Healy urging himself, his fans and the world at large to do as the title says and give themselves a try.
16âIâm In Love With Youâ (2022)
A pure, unabashed celebration of romance â but with a very 1975 edge â âIâm In Love With Youâ is a joyful rarity in the bandâs catalogue. The chorus makes Healyâs feelings for his partner crystal clear, while he still manages to pack some laugh-out-loud moments into the timeless sound of the song, notably when he tells himself: âDonât fuck it, you muppet.â
15âA Change Of Heartâ (2016)
This glistening synth-led ballad is perhaps one of The 1975âs simplest songs but it loses nothing in its effectiveness. Lyrically, the frontman delivers some of his best put downs â from âYou were coming across as clever / Then you lit the wrong end of your cigaretteâ to the subtly mocking âYour eyes were full of regret / And then you took a picture of your salad / And put it on the internet.â Ouch.
14âI Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)â (2018)
âI bet you thought your life would change / But youâre sat on a train again,â Healy sings in the opening lines here, highlighting the idea that, despite all our grand plans for life and no matter what fame, fortune and achievements come our way, weâre all just the same regular people in the end. Itâs a thought-provoking start to one of The 1975âs most poignant songs â one that tries to centre hope in the face of despair.
13âThe Soundâ (2016)
The biggest The 1975 song in terms of pure pop sound, this âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ single pogos through four-to-the-floor beats and funk grooves as Healy does what he does best â doles out wordy verses that send you running to the dictionary, but has you dancing the whole way there. âThe Soundâ is such a great pop song that it was nearly given to One Direction â but thank god that deal didnât come off in the end, else weâd be robbed of one of the shining moments in The 1975âs career.
12âParisâ (2016)
Crowned by Matty as The 1975âs best song during their Reading 2022 headline set, âParisâ might not quite win out for us, but itâs certainly up there. A brilliant and incisive piece of observational songwriting, the 2016 track takes aim at materialistic, self-centred party friends and Healyâs himself, and contains some of his sharpest lyricism to date.
11âThe Ballad Of Me And My Brainâ (2016)
Set to a revolving chorus of choral backing vocals and a distorted rumble, this gem from âI Like It When You SleepâŚâ is one of the smartest, most darkly humorous takes in pop on the collision of failing mental health and the side effects of fame. Healyâs twisting journey takes him from flirting with girls on buses to dodging autograph hunters in the supermarket, all while summing up the panicked frenzy that comes with feeling like youâre losing your mind.
10âLooking For Somebody (To Love)â (2022)
The most Springsteen the band have ever sounded, âLooking For Somebody To Loveâ is the latest curveball from The 1975 camp â but itâs a style that suits them down to a tee. It rollicks through its three-minute run time, fun little inflections â like the muttered âbang bang bangsâ meshed into its middle â coursing past as it goes. If âBeing Foreign…â is the four-pieceâs brightest, most consistent album then this song is its dazzling high point â an irresistibly euphoric piece of classic rock that you canât help but give yourself over to completely.
9âPeopleâ (2020)
The 1975 go punk on this abrasive bolt from the blue â an unforeseen veer off their usual course that introduced the âNotes…’ era to the world. Through blistering riffs and battering drums, Healy urges the world to âwake up, wake up, wake upâ and address climate change, the declining economy and more. His screamed lyrics are hard to ignore, sending sparks of electricity down your spine.
8âSomebody Elseâ (2016)
Weâve all been through those places where a relationship has dissolved and you canât stand the sight of your former partner, but youâre not quite ready to let go. On âSomebody Elseâ, The 1975 neatly sum up that sensation, their singer sighing, âI donât want your body but I hate to think about you with somebody elseâ on this beautifully sad, almost nihilistic post-break-up paean. When Healy later spits, âGet someone you love? / Get someone you need? / Fuck that, get moneyâ, you can almost see his wounded heart putting the barricades up around it as it tries to heal.
7‘UGH!â (2016)
Drugs have never been far from Healyâs lyrical arsenal and âUGH!â, as jittery and arrhythmic as someone who’s way too coked up, is one of his finest portraits of someone whoâs indulged a little bit too much. âThis conversationâs not about reciprocation no more,â he sings over a squelchy bassline, accurately capturing the moment you get trapped being yakked at by someone full of gear. âBut Iâm gonna wait until you finish so I can talk some more / About me and my things, my car, my living / And about how Iâm giving it up again.â
6âHeart Outâ (2013)
The jewel in the crown of the bandâs debut is âHeart Outâ. Driven by a retro-futuristic, staccato bassline in the verses, it abruptly switches its dynamics up for the quieter chorus â flipping the approach artists usually take on its head. That move doesnât make the song any less anthemic, though, but puts more of a spotlight on Healyâs challenge in the hook: âItâs just you and I tonight / Why donât you figure my heart out?â His barked backing vocals only add to the provocation, goading you into trying to beat him at his own game.
5âIf Youâre Too Shy (Let Me Know)â (2020)
At first, âIf Youâre Too ShyâŚâs opening doesnât signpost where the song is going, a bubble of undulating notes and an elegant female backing vocal. Then, the guitar riff cuts into view, the drums enter and the bop is upon us. Examining intimacy with a partner online as opposed to someone in the flesh, Healy veers from being magnetised by âthe girl on the screenâ to feeling âweirdâ about being naked on the other end of the phone. A very modern predicament â but matched brilliantly with sounds that feel very â80s, without ever becoming pastiche.
4âSincerity Is Scaryâ (2018)
Perhaps The 1975 at their most meta, this âA Brief InquiryâŚâ moment is nothing short of stunning amid its self-referencing. As sax lines float through the shuffling drums, Healy turns the sharp nib of his pen off other people and onto himself. âYou lack substance when you say / Something like, âOh what a shameâ,â he sings. âItâs just a self-referential way / That stops you having to be human.â If other songs in The 1975âs catalogue find their principal songwriter becoming a larger-than-life character, observing everyone else from up above, this song brings him back down to earth with a gentle, but solid bump.
3âLove Meâ (2016)
When âLove Meâ first burst out the gates as a single in 2015, it presented something of a shake up from The 1975âs first album. The potential that debut record had shown in parts was now fully realised and demanding attention in the form of a spiky, Bowie-indebted and genuinely great pop song. It was here that Healyâs lyricism showed just how brilliant it could be â from the delicious satirical punning of âKarcrashian panacheâ to digs at superficial cultural figures (âYou look famous, letâs be friends / And portray we possess something importantâ). Most importantly, though, it was such an undeniably massive banger, it forced people to do a complete U-turn on their thoughts about the band â including little old NME.
2âSheâs Americanâ (2016)
Another of the âwhat a shameâ gang â alongside âParisâ, âThe Ballad Of Me And My Brainâ, âLove Meâ â the spangled synth-pop of âSheâs Americanâ took a big swipe at people Stateside. It played on perceived stereotypes about people on both sides of the pond â Brits have bad teeth but accents that make them sound smart, Americans have guns and sleep medication â to somehow create a magnificent anthem about cultural differences. The song also comes with a warning for anyone who might find themselves in a similar position to Healy, though: âDonât fall in love with the moment / And think youâre in love with the girl.â
1âLove It If We Made Itâ (2018)
If you boil The 1975 down to their simplest form, what do you get? Hard-hitting, meta and endlessly quotable lyrics. Big, glittering melodies underpinned by inventive, experimental rushes. Pop gold that is both infectious enough to lift the roof off an arena anywhere in the world and refuses to settle for the same old thing thatâs been done a hundred times before.
No other track in the bandâs discography is quite as exemplary of all those things as âLove It If We Made Itâ, which invites you to come for the Instagrammable lyrics â âpoison me daddyâ and âthank you Kanye, very coolâ being just two â and stay for the incisive, insightful analysis of where our world is at. Backed by a nagging, insistent musical foundation, itâs a masterclass in songwriting from all aspects and, if you ask us, The 1975 at their very, very best.