Westlife are really good.
So, in light of this fact, let us consider Westlife and their barrage of hits they have released over the years.
And what better way to consider these #hottracks than a divisive, actively controversial list?
(Disclaimer: we are well aware that there are more than 16 Westlife songs in existence. However, ranking them all would warrant a list of approximately 776 entries and honestly, who has the time?)
Let’s kick this off, shall we?
16. ‘Seasons In The Sun’
Let’s be honest lads, ‘Seasons in The Sun’ is simply not a good song.
It’s nice and it’s airy, but at the end of the day it’s got the chorus of something you might sing along to when you’re in playschool, covered in Mála, and rearranging the bits you brought in for the nature table.
Is this Westlife’s fault? No. Did they write the song? Absolutely not.
Is the track actually about a man who’s dying of a broken heart because his wife has slept with his best mate? Yes, apparently it is – but that does not change its ranking in this definitive list.
15. ‘Queen Of My Heart’
Does anybody even remember this song? Could you sing it on demand?
Should it take up a space on this definitive list of top Westlife tracks? Arguably, no – to all of the above – and yet here we are, giving ‘Queen Of My Heart’ our time.
An instantly forgettable tune. Next.
14. ‘Bop Bop Baby’
Please.
13. ‘Mandy’
Hum a couple of seconds from Westlife’s ‘Mandy’ and you know what happens? You’ve got that song stuck in your head for the next two hours.
Every. Time.
It’s incessant and even though at it’s core it might just be a decent enough song, it’s just too repetitive therefore, making it bad.
Sorry.
12. ‘Unbreakable’
Now we’re getting down to it.
Just missing out on the ever-coveted Top 10 spot, ‘Unbreakable’ slides in at a respectable (ish) No. 12 as probably the least-good-slow-ballad-Westlife-did-over-the-course-of-their-careers.
The key change is there. The matching outfits featuring many brown leather jackets are there. And yet, there’s something missing.
Shane may sing, “This love is unbreakable,” but our love for this song? It’s pretty fragile.
Still a soft banger though.
11. ‘You Raise Me Up’
The first few seconds of that piano riff and your life’ll be changed forever.
‘You Raise Me Up’ isn’t just a song, it’s a call to action, proof that you – yes you – can do anything you want to do without the help of others.
You are your own person, the author of your own story, the creator of your own dreams, who doesn’t need nobody else to realise their full potential.
… Except that one person who raises you up til you’re all the way up on mountains and going along the sea or whatever. They’re pretty good too.
10. ‘Fool Again’
Vulnerability. Sensitivity. A strong sepia tone filter.
Only some of the things that spring to mind when we think of Westlife’s ‘Fool Again.’
Never before have we seen the boys in such delicate states as they are at this moment as they sing about pain, tears, and not being called ever again.
Essentially, the original victims of ghosting. Tragedy.
9. ‘Swear It Again’
‘Swear It Again’ came out in 1999, just on the cusp of the millennium.
Would it be incorrect to say that the song was responsible for the turn of the century?
No, probably not, but it’s still a solid sensitive banger and we’re pretty content with it holding a straight No. 9 on this definitive ranking list.
8. ‘I Have A Dream’
Where were you when you first heard ‘I Have A Dream’?
If it wasn’t around some sort of Christmastime scenario then you’re probably wrong, because ‘I Have A Dream’ is, for some reason, exclusively a Christmas song.
We don’t make the rules. We just follow them. And ‘I Have A Dream’ is a beautiful song about love, hope, and people dressed in white clothes, so we don’t mind.
7. ‘Hello my Love’
‘Hello My Love’ was the song that defined the boys’ re-entrance into the Irish (and indeed, global) music scene.
Before it dropped, people were worried.
Would this song live up to classic Westlife hits? Could it ever possibly be as good? Would Ed Sheeran’s presence ruin things a bit?
Thankfully, it did not and ‘Hello My Love’ presented itself as an upbeat, fun, mildly inspiring track.
Fair play.
6. ‘Home’
Ah, the anthem of any angsty teen stuck in school eagerly awaiting for the bell to ring.
Get it? Because the lyrics?
‘Home’ is a great song, really powerful, etc. Deserved spot at No. 6 here.
5. ‘When You’re Looking Like That’
Alright, let’s just cut to the chase here – ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ is the ultimate having sex song that Westlife have ever produced.
Or perhaps even the only having sex song that Westlife have ever produced.
Either way, it’s fast, it’s fun, it’s easy to imagine yourself grinding up against some guy in the club while it plays but in a nice way.
When ‘When You’re Looking Like That’ is on, everybody’s having a nice time.
4. ‘Flying Without Wings’
Listen to it without bawling crying, we dare you.
3. ‘What About Now?’
What about today?
What if you’re making me… all that I was meant to be?
What if our love – never went away? What if it’s lost behind… words we could never find?
Those lyrics are hashtag deep and that’s why ‘What About Now?’ is so high up this list, don’t @ us.
2. ‘Uptown Girl’
Billy Joel, who?!
Just kidding, we know who he is. We just don’t really care ATM because the only backstreets guys that we’re interested in are Nicky, Shane, Brian, Mark, and Kian.
And the Backstreet Boys, the band, obviously.
If you’re at all shocked and appalled that this absolute banger has made it so far up this definitive ranking list, please take a moment to consider the video for the song.
It’s set in a diner. Everybody’s got frosted tips. Mark is a cocktail bartender.
‘Uptown Girl’ is so good it could almost be No. 1.
Almost.
1. ‘World Of Our Own’
It was always going to be ‘World Of Our Own’ at the top spot, realistically.
It’s got everything one could possibly want from a beautifully constructed pop song: excellent key change, fast paced beat, exquisite use of the exclamation ‘Oh!’, and an excessively strange music video where a load of things happen that don’t have anything to do with the song but sure look, it’s grand.
‘World Of Our Own’ is The Song.
Just admit it and let’s get on with the day.
