Ranking all BLACKPINK Songs

To date, my most viewed weekly posts are my Ranking of all BTS Songs and of all EXO Songs, there are also my most viewed posts of all time. I have attemped to write sequel posts afterwards, but none of them really had the required quality for the series. Eventually, I decided to do such a post on BLACKPINK, who only have 10 singles across their entire career. However, they do have 20-something songs including b-sides, enough for a countdown. Thus, this ranking will rank all BLACKPINK songs.

All songs released by the group will count. Solos and subunits will be excluded, unless included on group albums. I also excluded Sour Candy and Kiss and Make Up, as they were more Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa songs, and even featured on those artists' albums. I also plan on updating this list whenever YG chooses to open their dungeon for the week.

With that said, let the list commence!

21. Ice Cream (With Selena Gomez) (2020)

Perhaps the least surprsising position across the list, Ice Cream is often considered one of BLACKPINK's most disliked songs within the fandom for good reason. The strange innuendos make arguably one of BLACKPINK's worst lyrics yet, and the clobbering EDM beats feel disaccosiated to the song's internal melody. Selena Gomez fails to work well in the song, leaving the entire track as a mess best left forgotten. (Full Review)

20. See U Later (2018)

See U Later has some fun, poppy, verses. Unfortunately, it all collapses into an unexpected drop, lacking rhyme or reason. In many ways, See U Later feels like two songs randomly hodge-podged together to provide another song on the Square Up EP.  Perhaps some connective tissue and some essence of build and release could support this song.

19. How You Like That (2020)

Up until the 0:41 mark (in the music video), How You Like That is perhaps the most galvanizing and euphoric song in BLACKPINK's discography. However, the disastorous drop chorus, assisted by splintering EDM beats and some terrible lyrics ruin all the flow, and the song continues to tumble until its forgettable coda. While despised by K-Pop fans for basically ripping off BLACKPINK's best tracks, How You Like That nonetheless remains their best-selling song, likely due to their clever promotion tactics.

18. Kick It (2019)

Minus the pulasting bass and occasional clever synths, Kick It lacks anything to write home about. A good portion of that can be blamed on the highly generic melody, which fails to understand BLACKPINK's strengths and skills.

17. Really (2018)

A moody trap mid-tempo, Really is more about its smooth vibe than any sense of emotion or deeper meaning. BLACKPINK's four members all provide an engagin performance, but the song lacks any hook that sticks.

16. Bet You Wanna Ft. Cardi B (2020)

A fun little collaboration between one of the biggest rappers in the west and the Korean girl group, Bet You Wanna is simple, driven by minimalist pop beats. It fails to take advantage of either stars' strengths, but it makes nice interlude on The Album.

15. Hope Not (2019)

Hope Not can be categorized as one of BLACKPINK's most forgettable ballads. The vocals on this song are utterly gorgeous, with the vocal harmonies being quite memorable. Unfortunately, the production feels overtly muted, and nothing on the track helps differenciate it from the several ballads swarming the Korean market.

14. Crazy Over You (2020)

Crazy Over You has some interesting ideas and samples. The flute in particular, is quite memorable. However, it does not make as cohesive of a listen as it could. The drop is initially fun, but the "Like eee eee" hook is greatly distracting.

13. Whistle (2016)

While far from BLACKPINK's most popular single, this debut's minimalist trap beat remains quite memorable. From the strummed guitar and powerful vocals in the pre-chorus to the simple anti-drop, Whistle is filled with catchy hooks. Even if a tad repetitive, it thrives on its simplicity.

12. Love To Hate Me (2020)

Love To Hate Me is BLACKPINK by the numbers, but it works much better than other such examples. From the dramatic pre-chorus to Lisa's rap, Love To Hate Me thrives on its over-the-top sense of apathetic drama.

11. Forever Young (2018)

Opting for the then-omnipresent trends of Tropical House and Moombahton, Forever Young keeps things lighthearted, summery, and upbeat for the most of the track. While perhaps one of the group's most generic songs, it remains fun until its absolutely confusing hype-track coda, remaining a confusing distraction at the end of the song.

10. Ddu-Du Ddu-Du (2018)

One of their most iconic and famed tracks, Ddu-Du Ddu-Du is big and brash, from speedy raps to the trap drop. The song is let down by predictable lyrics and Teddy having yet to master his formula for BLACKPINK hype tracks. Nonetheless, the pre-chorus and middle 8 fade away the production for dramatic moments.

9. Pretty Savage (2020)

Easily one of BLACKPINK's best Teddysound tracks, building off a set structure. Succeeding where How You Like That failed, Pretty Savage feels dramatic, but never is enveloped by the instrumentation. While it may lack the emotion of their top songs, it is hard to not bop your head along to the central drop.

8. You Never Know (2020)

A dramatic ballad on the sufferings of an idol, You Never Know is generic, and almost certainly manafactured, as the members did not have a hand in writing the song. Nonetheless, BLACKPINK are strong vocalists, and the synth-strings prove a strong assist across the chorus. (Full Review)

7. Boombayah (2016)

One of BLACKPINK's debut singles, Boombayah set the stage for most of BLACKPINK's future tropes, from Teddy's drop chorus to their basic strong structure. It is one of the few BLACKPINK songs that perfectly blend their 'black' and 'pink' styles, and the Phrygian melody in the chorus perfectly captures the hype track's energy, even if it is melodically unsatisfactory,  it sets up BLACKPINK as the direct successors of 2NE1.

6. Kill This Love (2019)

Easily one of BLACKPINK's best hype tracks, Kill This Love explodes with miltant percussion and tense energy. From the blaring brass to the silent, graceful pre-chorus, Kill This Love is always bursting at the seams with drama. It does kowtow to the trends of its time, and also follows Teddy's set formula to a 'T', but it still functions as an above-average release.

5. As If It's Your Last (2017)

One of the few BLACKPINK songs to exclusively cater to their 'pink' sound, As If It's Your Last is a synth-kissed pop track, bright and joyful from start to finish. The cotton candy hooks prove a strong contrast to Rose and Jennie's dramatic timbres and driving percussion. While far from perfect, it remains an enjoyable entry into the girl group's discography.

4. Don't Know What To Do (2019)

Don't Know What To Do remains highly simplistic and stripped back, but its building pre-chorus and anthemic chorus are quite memorable, particularly the striking EDM drop at the chorus' heart. It remains aggressive without detracting from the expericence.

3. Lovesick Girls (2020)

As of the time of writing, BLACKPINK's latest title track, and also one of their best. Lovesick Girls takes its time to build to peaks, but succeeds greatly once there. With pulsating bass and smooth rhythm guitar, the song nonetheless thrives on resonant silence and emptiness, a strong assist the lyrical themes of the song. A strong songwriting debut for the members, Lovesick Girls was a stunning reinvention and return to form for the famed girl group. (Full Review)

2. Playing With Fire (2016)

While not even three-month rookies, BLACKPINK released this modern K-Pop classic. From the melodic chorus to the graceful second verse rap, Playing With Fire thrives on a sense of dreamy, reckless, and young nostalgia. Producers R.Tee and Teddy Park anchor the track with a harmonic EDM drop, repeated throughout, but never overused.

Playing With Fire knows that melody matters most and puts hooks headfirst. For such a simplistic track, vocal prowess is required, and more than provided by the underrated talents of Jisoo and Rose. Like a warm cup of hot chocolate, Playing With Fire is tangy, with just enough acidic richness to act upon the dreamy hooks.

1. Stay (2016)

Despite their global fame and popularity, BLACKPINK's Stay remains hopelessly underrated, as both their best and least famous single. Taking heavy inspiration from previous Teddy Park songs, particularly 2NE1's Lonely, Stay nonetheless forms its own identity. Driven by a folksy, Taylor Swift-Esque instrumentation, Stay has none of the big and flashy moments associated with BLACKPINK. Instead, it is just an emotional ballad, thriving on the quartet's voices.

And the four provide the best performance of their entire career. No swag, no aggressiveness, just pure emotion given through their voices. Jisoo, Rose, Lisa, and Jennie all perfectly capture the unreliable, often complex emotion of love, singing "Don't ask me why it has to be you, just stay with me".  Rather than overproduce the production and drown BLACKPINK's voices as he often does, Teddy Park instead opted for a simple instrumental set to assist the track. Strummed guitar, claps, and a gorgeous post-chorus harmonica breakdown keep things simple, letting the members lead the song. From its simplistic but perfectly tuned melody to the memorable music filter, Stay does nothing wrong. Stay remains hopelessly underrated, but equally memorable, showing the charms that put BLACKPINK on the map while being one of the greatest girl group tracks of the 2010s.

Image Source: NME