Every Song on Liam Payne's 'LP1', Ranked

Image from Genius

By Conner Tighe

Liam Payne spent years chasing a debut album that would define him outside of One Direction, and when LP1 finally landed in December 2019, it arrived as a scattered, genre-hopping mission statement: part Justin Timberlake homage, part EDM playlist, part late-2010s pop-R&B grab bag. Six years and a handful of hit singles later, it's still the only real document of who Payne was as a solo artist. With Liam Payne LP1 songs ranked from weakest to best below, all 18 tracks are here (counting "Midnight," the Alesso collaboration added for the 2020 digital reissue and now the version streaming on Spotify), from the ones that get skipped to the ones that made him a legitimate pop star.

Liam Payne LP1 Songs Ranked

18. Midnight (Alesso feat. Liam Payne)

Technically an Alesso single first, tacked onto LP1 for the reissue rather than built for it. Payne's vocal is mostly a texture within Alesso's production, and the song lacks the personality that defines the rest of the album. The clearest case of a bonus track being a bonus track.

16. Rude Hours

The most forgettable stretch on the album. "Rude Hours" leans on a moody, after-hours atmosphere that never quite locks into a hook, and it gets lost fast between stronger tracks on either side of it.

15. Weekend

A serviceable slice of tropical-tinged pop that sounds like it was built from a formula rather than an idea. Pleasant in the background, forgettable the moment it ends.

14. Heart Meet Break

    
    

Barely two minutes long, and it plays like an interlude that never earns its own spot. A decent vocal turn from Payne, but there's not enough song here to rank higher.

13. Tell Your Friends

Competent mid-album filler. The chorus reaches for anthemic and lands somewhere closer to generic, though it's far from a bad listen.

12. For You (Fifty Shades Freed)

The Rita Ora duet, pulled in from the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, feels bolted onto the album rather than built for it. The chemistry between the two voices is fine, but it never quite escapes its soundtrack-single origins.

11. Remember

A smooth, slightly retro pop cut that shows off Payne's falsetto well. It's a grower rather than an instant standout, but it holds up better on repeat listens than its placement here suggests.

10. Hips Don't Lie

Not the Shakira song, despite the title, this is a confident, hip-hop-leaning cut that lets Payne loosen up vocally. It's one of the more purely fun deep cuts on the record.

9. All I Want (For Christmas)

A genuinely charming holiday single that doesn't try too hard to be a modern classic. It's warm, a little nostalgic, and works far better as a standalone single than as an album track.

8. Say It All

One of the more emotionally direct songs on LP1, and Payne sounds most comfortable when the production steps back and lets the vocal lead. A quiet highlight in the back half of the record.

7. Both Ways

A slinky, R&B-adjacent track that plays to Payne's strengths as a vocalist rather than a hitmaker. It's one of the better arguments on the album for Payne as a serious solo artist rather than a boy-band graduate chasing radio play.

6. Live Forever (feat. Cheat Codes)

The album's closing single is pure EDM-pop, built for festival playlists rather than close listening. It's not subtle, but it's effective, and it sends the album out on a genuine high.

5. Polaroid (with Jonas Blue & Lennon Stella)

Technically a Jonas Blue single first and an LP1 track second, "Polaroid" is one of the most purely likable songs with Payne's name attached. The three-way vocal blend works better than it has any right to.

4. Get Low (feat. Zedd)

Zedd's production does a lot of heavy lifting here, but Payne holds his own on a track built for big speakers. It's the album at its most maximalist, and mostly, that maximalism pays off.

3. Familiar (with J Balvin)

The J Balvin collaboration is where LP1 sounds most like a genuine hit record instead of a solo artist finding his footing. The Latin pop influence gives Payne a lane where he sounds natural.

2. Stack It Up (feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie)

The album opener and one of its lead singles, "Stack It Up" is confident, hooky, and a genuinely fun way to kick things off. A Boogie's verse gives it an edge the rest of the record doesn't always have.

1. Strip That Down (feat. Quavo)

Still the song LP1 will be remembered for. "Strip That Down" was the moment Payne proved he could exist as a pop star outside of One Direction, and years later it remains the most fully realized song on the album: a sharp hook, a genuinely great Quavo feature, and a sense of confidence the rest of the record only occasionally matches.