The 10 Best Selena Gomez Songs of All Time
From a child star on Barney & Friends to one of the top triple-threat stars in the world today, Selena Gomez’s career has had many ups and downs. I’m not talking about her relationships with Justin Bieber or The Weeknd, but her music.
After being discovered by Disney to play the role of Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez soon gained fame as a Disney actress. As her star power began to grow, she took some time off from acting and decided to pursue a career in music and has had moderate success so far.
The young singer has released three studio albums and a handful of EPs and singles. She has found success in the music industry with “Good For You” and “Same Old Love,” both peaking at number 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100, making her one of the youngest women to score two top-five hits, but what are some other underrated hits of hers?
10. “Come and Get It” (from the “Stars Dance” Album — 2013)
“Come and Get It” is the fifth single off her debut solo album, “Stars Dance.” It’s a carefree track with an island sound to it. Selena co-wrote this song along with Ester Dean, MS. Eriksen, and T.E Hermansen, and it shows off her range and maturity as a singer.
The song is about her finally being willing to let someone in and give them what they want. It’s a sweet song with a perfect edge to it. Since going solo, this was her first song ever to land in the top 10 of Hot 100, peaking at number 8. Selena’s transition from Disney Princess to a more mature heartfelt singer is evident in this song and is one of the most underrated songs of her career.
9. “Back to You” (from the “Rare” Album — 2018)
In 2018, Selena hit the airwaves with one of the most emotional doozies to date. “Back to You” is a heartfelt love ballad about the girl wanting her love back. She’s been through hell and back with him, but she can’t stay away and just wants to come crawling back to him. It’s about being miserable without someone and wanting them to be back in your life again. This was one of two new songs she released after taking a break from the music industry for several months, so it proved that she still had the chops to sing on key despite her hiatus away from the game.
8. “Kill Em with Kindness” (from the “Revival” Album — 2015)
“Kill Em with Kindness” is one of the most politically charged songs Selena has ever released, but that doesn’t stop it from being an anthem for all who are dealing with naysayers and haters in their lives. The song conveys to her critics and bullies that she doesn’t need to resort to negativity, but she chooses kindness over all else. It’s a more mature sound for the singer, different from her usual pop style. For the first time, she showed that she could stand up against her bullies and stay positive regardless of their harsh words.
7. “Perfect” (from the “Revival” Album — 2015)
“Perfect” is a more somber ballad about accepting the flaws you have and learning to love yourself for who you are. It’s about being happy with all of your mistakes and not letting anyone get in the way of loving yourself. The song is an anthem for women everywhere who are insecure but know that they are strong and capable of doing anything — especially loving themselves. It’s a touching song from her third solo studio album, “Revival,” showing off Selena’s range as a singer and giving us another peek into how far she has come as an artist since she entered the music scene.
6. “Slow Down” (from the “Stars Dance” Album — 2013)
“Slow Down” is a club-banger and the second single from her debut solo album “Stars Dance.” The song is about letting yourself loose and having some fun. Selena is having fun and letting loose, and you should too. The song hit number 27 on the Hot 100 chart and was her first single that didn’t have any ties to Disney in anyway whatsoever. It showed that she could hold her own in the industry without being tied down to anyone but herself.
5. “Bad Liar” (from the “Rare” Album — 2018)
“Bad Liar” is a song about keeping a secret and not fully expressing what you want the other person to know. It’s a sensual song that has an almost 60s vibe to it. The song was released as one of two new songs on her “Rare” album along with “Fetish,” which was influenced by Kesha, who Selena has said that she admires quite a bit. Selena wrote the song alongside Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, and BloodPop, showing how far the starlet has come in her songwriting craft since embarking on her musical journey.
4. “Fetish” (from the “Rare” Album — 2018)
“Fetish” is one of the most pop-influenced songs on Selena’s “Rare” album, but it also stands out as one of her best tracks to date. The song has numerous interpretations, but at the core, it’s about having a fetish for someone who has an equally seductive appeal on you. We see Selena eating a fruit, dousing herself in the rain and dirt, touching a glass, and so on. Although she’s donning a yellow summery dress, you can tell there’s something sinister about her and that she’s not what she appears to be. The song was produced and co-written by Selena with Alex Schwartz, Joe Khajadourian, and Jonas Jeberg and is a departure from her usual Latin-pop sound we’ve heard in the past. It also sees her venturing into darker territory than we’ve seen before, which is inspiring.
3. “Hands To Myself” (from the “Revival” Album — 2015)
“Hands To Myself” is the sexiest song Selena has ever recorded, without a doubt. It’s catchy, raw, sultry, and seductive. The song is about a woman who can’t keep her hands off of a man she has an immense physical attraction to but also doesn’t know him at all — so it’s a tease as much as it is a turn-on for both parties involved. The lyrics are arousing and sensual, and the music video was equally sexy.
2. “Good for You” (from the “Revival” Album — 2015)
“Good For You” is one of Selena’s best songs to date. The song is simple but addicting. The lyrics are sweet, seductive, and sexy. It’s a pop track that doesn’t use too much auto-tune or sound overwhelmingly electronic. Selena co-wrote the song alongside Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, who also did most of the production for the song. It’s sensual and catchy, but it also shows off Selena’s vocal chops. She holds some of the song’s more difficult notes with ease and grace.
1. “The Heart Wants What it Wants” (from the “For You” Compilation Album — 2014)
“The Heart Wants What It Wants” is a song about heartbreak and one of the rawest, honest songs we’ve ever heard from Selena. It’s based on her true-life experiences, without shying away from what she was going through at the time. The lyrics are heart-wrenching but also empowering at the same time. Selena co-wrote the song along with Antonina Armato and Tim James. It’s a ballad that hits hard and sends a powerful message that no matter how much you want to — sometimes you can’t control your heart. It’s one of her most raw, authentic songs to date.
Bonus Track: Lose You To Love Me (from the “Rare” Album – 2018)
“Lose you to love me” offers us an emotional glimpse into Selena Gomez’s headspace at the time. The song is about making tough choices in life. From the lyrics, you can tell she’s having difficulty letting things go even though she knows it might be for the best. The song was co-written with Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, and BloodPop. It’s a soft ballad that shows off Selena’s emotional side in an honest way. At this point in her career, very few people can give us realness quite as she does.
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