With the release of its fourth LP, Notes On A Conditional Form (NOACF) — which also marked its third straight album to peak in the top five of the Billboard 200 — The 1975 doesn’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. After all this time and continued success, it feels fitting to definitively rank every song our favorite British quartet has ever dropped.
Each of these albums tackle different themes and sounds, and no song resembles the next in the slightest. Whether it’s the ’80s groove of The 1975; the infectious nuances of I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it (ILIWYS); the eclecticism of divulging all your struggles on A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (ABIIOR); or the politically charged, bold NOACF, The 1975 knows how to make a tune without fail. That makes this ranking all the more challenging.
84. “Shiny Collarbone”
It starts out sounding like a Zedd song and then transitions into nothing worthwhile. Lovely.
83. “Hnscc”
The 1975 has a plethora of standout instrumentals, but this one is merely OK.
82. “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME”
This track is so annoyingly catchy that you’ll probably listen to it more than two times, but it doesn’t hold much substance.
81. “Talk!”
Take a shot every time Matty Healy says “Why do you talk so loud? / Why do you talk so?” and you’ll be dead from alcohol poisoning in no time. Enough said.
80. “The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme”
ABIIOR just would not be complete without this track, but that doesn’t mean it’s not insanely exasperating. If it was just the “Love Theme” instrumental, it would be higher up on this list.
79. “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)”
This is definitely a feel-good song if you’re in that kind of mood, but compared to the rest of the list, it has nothing to offer.
78. “Anobrain”
The way Healy says, “Man, I’m so high / I think I love you” is enough to send me into orbit, but that’s about it here.
77. “Having No Head”
The first two minutes are tranquil and thought-provoking, but it transforms into a glitchy mess.
76. “How To Draw / Petrichor”
The track is split into two very different halves. “Petrichor” is worth the ride. “How to Draw” isn’t.
75. “Heart Out”
Something about this track just grinds my gears. I think it’s the half-yell you hear in the intro and every time immediately following when Healy says, “Why don’t you figure my heart out?”
74. “12”
Even without lyrics to support it, the airy voices harmonizing together is so magnetizing.
73. “The 1975” (The 1975, ILIWYS, ABIIOR versions)
They’re all the same song about sex, just sonically different. Let it be known that the version from The 1975 is the best.
72. “What Should I Say”
It may sound like bland house music at first, but give it a chance. It gets better with each listen.
71. “Surrounded By Heads And Bodies”
This track is truly haunting from start to finish about a girl named Angela, whom he met in rehab. Goosebumps will probably form at some point.
70. “Please Be Naked”
This is an instrumental best understood when you close your eyes and let it consume you.
69. “Haunt // Bed”
Healy promises his friend, who just lost her dad, that he’ll be there whenever she needs him, even if it’s just to use him for sex. A heart-breaking bop.
68. “Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You”
Imagine writing your brother an apology for leaving to go on tour right after your parents get a divorce because you feel so guilty. My heart aches just thinking about it.
67. “Roadkill”
This song sounds like it was drunkenly written, yet it still slaps quite a bit.
66. “M.O.N.E.Y.”
This may have been The 1975’s first evident reference to cocaine, but it definitely wasn’t the last. The outro bangs whether you want to admit it or not.
65. “Yeah I Know”
This track is literally horrible yet good at the same time. There’s no other way to describe it.
64. “Head.Cars.Bending”
There’s drinking and sex involved. Don’t even act surprised.
63. “Woman”
It takes approximately two seconds for this track to put you in your feels. The story line: Healy fell in love with a prostitute, but nothing happened between them.
62. “The End (Music For Cars)”
This interpolates “Hnscc,” but the orchestration makes it 1000 times better.
61. “Pressure”
It’s honestly a tragedy this is ranked so low. It’s a groovy track about growing up amid fame since both of Healy’s parents are prominent actors, and he became one of the world’s most recognizable faces.
60. “Sincerity Is Scary”
Healy wants to be friends with his lover and develop something more than simply lust between them. The jazzy instrumentation is immaculate.
59. “I Like America & America Likes Me”
Healy pokes fun at American music by using excessive auto tune while ranting about how America needs gun reform. Simply incredible.
58. “Streaming”
The 1975 with strings can’t go wrong. It’s that simple.
57. “The Sound”
It’s fairly straightforward: Despite everything science says, Healy has memorized how his significant other’s heart sounds because he’s so infatuated with her. The ’80s funk makes it all the more special.
56. “Bagsy Not In Net”
The title is laughable, but when Healy says, “Do you wanna leave at the same time?” implying that he doesn’t want to die without the one he loves by his side, those laughs will turn into tears.
55. “Lostmyhead”
This is the worst sequel of “Facedown,” though its production is still stellar.
54. “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it” (ILIWYS)
First off, imagine someone thinking you look so stunning when you sleep that they name an entire album and song after it. Secondly, this instrumentation is transfixing and will make you astroproject.
53. “Chocolate”
Ah, yes, the song we all know and have a love-hate relationship with. I wonder if the middle schoolers dancing to it know “chocolate” is actually used to describe marijuana here.
52. “UGH!”
This is what I meant when I said “M.O.N.E.Y.” wasn’t the last cocaine reference. The groove nicely juxtaposes Healy’s divulgence of his failed attempt at overcoming his addiction.
51. “An Encounter”
Far and away the band’s best instrumental to date, “An Encounter” literally feels like a blissful dream. Close your eyes and just enjoy it.
50. “Love Me”
Don’t tell me that isn’t the silkiest guitar line ever. Healy wants the fans to know he sees them and doesn’t want to lose touch with them as his fame grows.
49. “Give Yourself A Try”
No matter how difficult life inevitably gets, Healy suggests you should be there for yourself since it’s not guaranteed that everyone else will be forever. The guitar is a bit overbearing, but it helps get the message across.
48. “So Far (It’s Alright)”
A relationship with one of his close mates is coming to an end. As Healy reflects on his time with her, along with the other ups and downs of his life thus far, he knows he’ll be OK in the coming days.
47. “She Way Out”
I’m pretty sure Healy wrote this about me: girls who can’t dance. Those guitar and bass lines by Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, respectively, are impeccable, too.
46. “She Lays Down”
Healy writes about his mother’s postpartum depression she experienced after giving birth to him. If the lyrics “The chemicals that make her love don’t seem to be working anymore” don’t get to you, nothing will.
45. “The 1975” (NOACF)
On the fourth and latest version of “The 1975,” climate activist Greta Thunberg reads an excerpt of one of her speeches, demanding people fight for change while they can. Both her voice and the synths are the epitome of tranquility.
44. “People”
Immediately following Thunberg’s speech is Healy begging for people to not avoid the problem. He criticizes the hypocrites and asks everyone to act upon their wishes of staying alive by sparking change.
43. “I Couldn’t Be More In Love”
In Healy’s love letter to his fans, he thanks them for staying by his side even though he knows he could’ve been better. The guitar solo is also to die for.
42. “The Birthday Party”
Luckily, Healy’s finally clean after going to rehab. Now, his band mates are the reason he doesn’t fall back into his old ways. The tears are flowing.
41. “Love It If We Made It”
Healy doesn’t hold back at all as he criticizes the current political turmoil and how the internet has corrupted our minds. The lyric “Modernity has failed us” basically sums it up.
40. “The City”
The aggressive drumming from George Daniel … yes, please. This track is more subtle in its references to drug use, with Healy disclosing his relationship that’s been ruined by drugs and alcohol, among other things.
39. “Frail State Of Mind”
This song is supposed to depict what it’s like to have a mental breakdown. There’s a lot going on with the instrumentation, but it’s nonetheless pleasing.
38. “Paris”
It’s simple: Healy met a girl at a party, they opened up to each other about their pitiful lives and now wish they were back where times were good — namely, the city of Paris for Healy.
37. “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
The ’80s is back and nearly better than ever as Healy discusses his relationship with a camgirl. It’s a banger through and through.
36. “Nana”
When we lose loved ones, we often turn to music for solace, and Healy did just that when dealing with the death of his grandmother. The synths are eerie, and the lyricism is heart-wrenching.
35. “The Ballad Of Me And My Brain”
Healy’s mental health took a dip as his fame continued to skyrocket, as shown here. His vocals are rightly some of the most evidently emotional in the band’s entire catalog.
34. “Me And You Together Song”
There may be feel-good instrumentation, but it’s completely juxtaposed by Healy revealing his continued love for a girl who doesn’t feel the same way. Ouch.
33. “Inside Your Mind”
Healy wants a peek inside his significant other’s brain because, even though he’s scared, he wants to know what she’s thinking. The strings and guitar line are irreproachable beside Healy’s soothing vocals.
32. “Then Because She Goes”
As he watches his relationship come to an end, Healy, usually very reserved when it comes to his emotions, hopelessly pleads “I love you.” The track needs to be longer.
31. “Mine”
Healy wants the love of his life to know they don’t have to get married because he thinks they’re fine as is. The jazzy instrumentation helps exemplify that even though she’s worried about it, he “see(s) sunshine ’cause I know you are mine.” Goals.
30. “You”
Just like in “Haunt // Bed,” Healy is telling his girl she could treat him however she wants, cheating and all, and he wouldn’t be fazed. The relationship is burnt out, but he’s still all in.
29. “Intro / Set3”
Healy’s watching everyone around him grow up while he reminisces on the times when he had no responsibilities. The outro has no business being that mesmerizing.
28. “Antichrist”
Healy shares the inner workings of his atheism and how he wishes he could believe but just can’t. The way Healy sings “Is it the same for you?” will most definitely echo in your mind for days.
27. “Facedown”
Ethereal instrumentation emphasizes how out of place Healy feels from the life around him.
26. “Medicine”
This song can be taken two ways: either someone finding that their significant other is the only one who can heal them or another look into Healy’s drug addiction. Either way, it’s stunning.
25. “Guys”
A love song about the homies? Yes, please.
24. “Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied”
Alongside the London Community Gospel Choir, glimmering keys and entrancing synths, Healy is searching for his muse.
23. “Settle Down”
Healy has found himself in the middle of a love affair, and he literally tells her to “settle down” so they don’t get caught. It’s as groovy as can be in these parts.
22. “A Change Of Heart”
Sometimes you don’t see people for who they truly are until you don’t love them anymore. That’s what happened to Healy, and the synths during the instrumental break depict the fluctuations of relationships perfectly.
21. “Don’t Worry”
Healy and his dad, Tim, performed this together, reminding each other they’ll always be there, even through all of life’s troublesome moments.
20. “I Think There’s Something You Should Know”
Healy’s thoughts have been building and damaging his mental health. The stimulating electronic instrumentation helps portray what it feels like.
19. “Milk”
The hidden track at the end of “You” is basically a jam about cocaine. Don’t be surprised.
18. “Menswear”
You’re lying to yourself if you say those synths don’t take you to another world. The instrumental turns into Healy’s summary of a day at a wedding, and it’s quite weird but quite good.
17. “This Must Be My Dream”
Healy thought he found the one, but she can’t reciprocate the same kind of love she has for him. The saxophone solo is everything.
16. “102”
Stripped to an acoustic guitar, Healy again has love for someone who doesn’t feel the same. Poor guy can’t seem to find what he’s looking for.
15. “Playing On My Mind”
Healy keeps going back to old habits, reminiscing on a woman he can’t get over. It’s very folksy, and Phoebe Bridgers on backing vocals is a perfect addition.
14. “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”
Though The 1975 has many, this is definitely the grooviest song of all time about a heroin addiction.
13. “Be My Mistake”
Healy finds himself comparing the woman he hooks up with to the woman he truly loves but can’t have. The soft synths and compelling harmonies alone are enough to make anyone cry.
12. “Girls”
Healy knows the girl he’s with wants more than just a hookup, but he can’t promise more. Yet again, that guitar line is incredible.
11. “Somebody Else”
Admit it: we’ve all listened to this at 3 a.m. and cried. Healy sees his ex with someone new, and though he doesn’t love her like that anymore, he can’t stand seeing her with another.
10. “Fallingforyou”
Healy’s been rejected yet again, but he can’t help but continue to fall deeper in love. The lyrics “I don’t wanna be your friend / I wanna kiss your neck” alone are enough to break you. Heartstrings: tugged.
9. “Me”
This track is a letter from Healy to his future self, revealing all of his guilt he feels for his suicidal thoughts and tearing his family apart amid his parents’ divorce. It’s quite haunting.
8. “Loving Someone”
Healy sings from a perspective of someone who is struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and finally realizes it’s OK as long as you’re with who you love. After all, as he puts it, “We’re all human / We’re just like you, man.”
7. “Sex”
If it’s not obvious from the title, knowing The 1975’s antics, this feisty track is about making love.
6. “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”
The track is from a suicidal perspective, but Healy wants listeners to just understand one of its overtly simplistic lyrics: “If you can't survive, just try.”
5. “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America”
Validating bisexuality and including a notable bisexual singer in Bridgers to help do so in one of the most important songs ever written? We have no choice but to stan.
4. “Robbers”
It’s a toxic relationship, but the lovers keep giving each other more chances. In the end, they’re always going to be there, no matter what. The track is a spiritual journey.
3. “She’s American”
This is literally the grooviest song of all time, no cap, even if it is poking fun at stereotypical, shallow American women.
2. “Undo”
Yet again, it’s two people who can’t seem to fall in love with each other at the same time. Shocking. The instrumentation, however, will make you feel like you’re in outer space.
1. “If I Believe You”
Healy, though he’s a nihilist, is turning to God because he needs answers. The choir, the bass, the profound vocals and lyrics like “I mean if it was You that made my body, You probably shouldn’t have made me atheist,” among others? I mean, c’mon.
