ONTD Original: Ranking the Music of 'The Idol'
HBO's The Idol ended its first (and, God willing, final) season with a whimper Sunday night, leaving much left unexplained and unresolved in true Sam Levinson fashion. The one downside? No more post-episode music drops.
Following the series' less-than-stellar debut, Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye seemed to quietly cancel the June 30 release of The Idol Vol. 1 (Music from the HBO Original Series), opting to digitally release the tracks featured in each episode as they aired. This is a shame, because while Tesfaye can't act, and shouldn't ever again, the soundtrack he executive produced for The Idol is almost good enough to forgive his portrayal of Tedros-almost.
Below, a ranking of the original songs from the HBO original series.
Note: Instrumentals (e.g., "The Lure (Main Theme)") and covers (e.g., Troye Sivan's rendition of "My Sweet Lord") were not included.
13. "Crocodile Tears"
Performed by Suzanna Son
Click to viewFirst heard in Episode 4, this bare track is a showcase for 27 year old Suzanna Son's emotive voice that manages to impress despite feeling unfinished.
12. "Family"
Performed by The Weeknd with Suzanna Son
Described by Son, who wrote the track on a day off from shooting The Idol, as Tedros' followers "cult song," "Family" is slightly elevated by Tesfaye's vocals but offers little in the way of replay value.
11. "Like a God"
Performed by The Weeknd
Partially performed by Son as part of Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp)'s impromptu showcase of Tedros' talented followers, this track's lyrics are the most blatantly about The Idol of the bunch, as Tesfaye retells Jocelyn's story through his character's eyes.
10. "False Idols"
Performed by The Weeknd with Lil Baby and Suzanna Son
Son's performance of "Like a God" gets chopped and screwed on this track that finds Tesfaye cautioning against characters like Tedros: "Be careful who you call a god."
9. "A Lesser Man"
Performed by The Weeknd
With an opening reminiscent of Lana Del Rey's "Million Dollar Man," this track, first teased in mid-June when it was added to the setlist of Tesfaye's After Hours Til Dawn Tour in Denmark, finds the 33 year old in a refreshingly vulnerable state.
8. "One of the Girls"
Performed by The Weeknd with JENNIE and Lily-Rose Depp
The fact that this is the sole track to feature contributions by BLACKPINK's JENNIE, whose portrayal of a duplicitous background dancer was a highlight of The Idol, is a shame. The fact that she merely bookends what is a duet between Depp and Tesfaye adds insult to injury. That hook ("We don't gotta be in love, no / I don't gotta be the one, you know") is infectious, though.
7. "Get It B4"
Performed by Moses Sumney
Another highlight of The Idol was the stunning Moses Sumney as another one of Tedros' talented followers. Here's hoping that his equally beautiful voice compels viewers to check out his back catalog and propels him to wider recognition going forward.
6. "Fill the Void"
Performed by The Weeknd with Lily-Rose Depp and Ramsey
Despite the seemingly contradictory lyrics ("I don't want to decide things for myself, on my own / Finally, for the first time I'm alone"), this track from Jocelyn's Mike Dean sessions has a haunting allure, in no small part thanks to a vocal assist from LA singer-songwriter Ramsey.
5. "Dollhouse"
Performed by The Weeknd with Lily-Rose Depp
This sultry track, used in The Idol to illustrate Jocelyn's artistic final form, is the second from the series to call Del Rey to mind. Still stuck on the "Stargirl Interlude" not being longer in 2023? "Dollhouse" is for you.
4. "Double Fantasy"
Performed by The Weeknd with Future
The first taste of The Idol's sonic atmosphere, "Double Fantasy" bridges the gap between Tesfaye's last two albums as The Weeknd, making it the track most likely to be a hit in the real world.
3. "Take Me Back"
Performed by The Weeknd
Seeming to have been originally written with Depp's Jocelyn in mind (her reference track leaked back in April), the yearning "Take Me Back" ranks among The Weeknd's best ballads.
2. "Popular"
Performed by The Weeknd with Playboi Carti and Madonna
Fans of Madonna's Hard Candy era (there are dozens of us!) will love this track. Though an outlier on the soundtrack from a production standpoint, it's neck and neck with "Double Fantasy" for Most Likely to Succeed on the Charts.
1. "World Class Sinner / I'm a Freak"
Performed by Lily-Rose Depp
Despite Jocelyn's dissatisfaction with this version of her comeback single, viewers of The Idol's premiere couldn't get their hands on it fast enough. Levinson and Tesfaye may have fumbled the biggest show of the summer, but with "World Class Sinner / I'm a Freak" they have a dark horse in the race for its song-ChatGBT lyrics and all.
