The Best Justin Bieber Songs

From "U Smile" to "Love Yourself," Justin Bieber has had a long list of massive hits this decade. Here’s the very best of the Biebs.

justin bieber getty taylor hill
Image via Getty/Taylor Hill
justin bieber getty taylor hill

There are few cultural juggernauts as polarizing as Justin Bieber—haters will hate—but one thing is for certain: When it comes to the pop music arena, he’s unavoidable. Bieber is cool now, after years of not being cool, but the hits have remained consistent throughout all his career phases. A quick spin of 2013’s “Baby” will confirm it, but even as a teen heartthrob and a bad boy without a boy band, Bieber proved he’s got chops—a real idiosyncratic talent.

With four studio albums under his belt in a near-decade career (plus countless collaborations and guest verses) we’ve taken on the daunting task of finding and outlining the very best of the Biebs. The 2017 summer smash hit “Despacito” alone deserves its own book, but we’ll get to that! We're still waiting for the follow-up to his 2015 album, Purpose, but until that arrives, these are the 30 best Justin Bieber songs.

30. “As Long as You Love Me” f/ Big Sean (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam


On “As Long As You Love Me,” Bieber linked up with longtime friend Big Sean for what would become the second single off of 2012’s Believe. Co-written by both artists with Nasri Atweh, Justin’s falsetto instantly hooks the listener over blow-torching beats courtesy of the legendary Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Andre Lindal. As Bieber’s vocals meld right into the song’s molten landscape, burnt synths and dubstep crunches bend into the track’s warehouse-worthy underground trap. It’s at the chorus when the song strikes hardest as Bieber chops and screws the word “love” before a high-pressure reverb cuts the song’s pop-rock core into EDM gold that hits the ears hard. —Jessie Morris

29. “Hold Tight” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam



Metaphors and similes used in Justin Bieber’s “Hold Tight”:


His girl is:


  • “Something like a Ziploc” (bag—she’s sealed him in)

  • “Wrapped around [his] arm like a wrist watch” (because she’s adorning him, too

  • Sticky “like Krazy Glue”

Missing his girl is:


  • “Like adrenaline” (???)

  • Like being “in a gridlock” (that’s also a “great spot,” duh)

Their relationship is:


  • That of a “fan [and] rockstar” (because he’s exultant—and "hard"—in her presence)

  • Also kind of scary, because “visualize a monster, cuz you’re too bad for me”

  • Like an arrow striking its target, keeping “[her] near [him]”

Of course, there’s also the possibility that this song is really about how he’s stuck on his partner’s labia. But I’m not going near that. —Ross Scarano

28. “Recovery” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam


Sophisticated and grown, 19-year-old Bieber owns up to his wrongs in this R&B-inspired breakup ballad. “I know that I caused a problem, I know that I left you livid,” he says, hoping for a reconciliation. “Recovery” signifies a growth, not just in the boy but in his vocals as well. Bieber harmonizes highs and lows throughout the song against a gentle acoustic as he promises to “make it right.” Unlike his elated dance tracks, this song’s foundation is built on Bieber’s voice, which sounds as mature as the lyrics that show his determination to fix things. —Ishani Desai

27. David Guetta f/ Justin Bieber “2U” (2017)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: “2U” Single Remix

Label: Def Jam

You wouldn’t expect a song that largely exists for a Victoria’s Secret Angels commercial to be one of the best the Bieb’s career, but stranger things have happened. In the later years of JB’s pop profession, Justin has made the incredibly wise decision to lend his angelic pipes to the biggest names in EDM. “2U” is one of his lesser-known examples of that, a David Guetta original, but it’s undeniable—the song doubles as a club banger and, in its soft choruses, a make out-worthy ballad. The song is all decadence: you can have your cake and eat it too. —Maria Sherman

26. “Somebody to Love” (2010)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: My World 2.0

Label: Island Def Jam


This club anthem hung out on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2010, peaking at No. 15 that summer. “Somebody to Love” may have a euphoric, uplifting beat, but the lyrics express a sense of desperation: The boy just wants somebody to love. The song finds Bieber putting his pride aside and professing an innocent admiration for his crush. “I don’t need nothing else, I promise, girl, I swear, I just need somebody to love,” he sings. Can he keep it any more one hunnid than that? —Ishani Desai

25. “Beauty and a Beat” f/ Nicki Minaj (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam


In 2012, Nicki Minaj was already living in 3012—this was the year of her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded release. So it makes sense that the track she co-wrote with Max Martin, Zedd, and Savan Kotecha (the Weeknd, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, etc.) for Bieber’s Believe would soar to new heights. “Beauty and a Beat” is the only song Bieber didn’t have a hand in writing, which will be fairly obvious upon first listen to the frantic, overwhelming EDM sounds. It’s a cutesy banger about showing off your girl in the club, and it dropped at the peak of Biebs’ relationship with Selena Gomez. Minaj takes it to new heights on her verse with the line, “Justin Bieber/You know I'm gonna hit 'em with the ether/Buns out, wiener/But I gotta keep an eye out for Selener.” Bless you, Nic. —Lauren Nostro

24. “I Would” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe Acoustic

Label: Island Def Jam

Imagine that deep down in Justin Bieber’s heart is the longing to forgo his adhesion to fleeting pop trends and go back to making music devoid of synths and transmogrified vocals. There has to be a reason, outside of monetary gain, that he released acoustic versions of two of his albums and his latest singles, right? Just listen to “I Would,” one of the stand-outs from Believe Acoustic, where Bieber sounds right at home singing about mending a girl’s broken heart over the jovial production that consists of just a guitar, drums, and some violins. They can’t play it at a party in Ibiza, but it still knocks. —Damien Scott

23. “U Smile” (2010)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: My World 2.0

Label: Island Def Jam

Bieber followed up his My World EP a little over four months later with his debut album, My World 2.0. Three songs into the LP, it sounded like Bieber was only about those upbeat dance floor tracks. Then came “U Smile,” a piano-driven number that lets Bieber's voice shine. He expertly sings circles around the gently rocking rhythm, which only gets kicked up momentarily by some staccato chords midway through on this warm, no-frills song where the message is simply, “You smile, I smile.” The kid could sing, and if you didn't know that after hearing this one, then you just weren't listening. —Christine Werthman

22. “Never Say Never” f/ Jaden Smith (2010)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Never Say Never

Label: Island Def Jam

Other than inspiring the title of his 2011 concert film (side note: a young Bieber talking about his mom doesn’t bring you to tears, you might be dead inside) “Never Say Never” is one of Bieber’s early classics.  This pop banger is all about believing in yourself—it doesn’t hurt that Bieber joins forces with fellow wunderkind Jaden Smith for the retro track—and that shit is universal. It might sound dated, but that doesn’t make it any less catchy. If anything, it only serves to illustrate what future Justin Bieber would be capable of: an unending ego in a musical climate where he could only go up…and up he went. —Maria Sherman

21. “Catching Feelings” (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam


Wow, this is low key Bieber at his most cinematic. My man painted the narrative of a marketable tween-girl bait blockbuster in all of 55 seconds. And songs like this are a great example of why being derisive toward what the tweens are messing with can be a small-minded perspective. Relatable? Mmmm maybe not (maybe more so than you'd want to admit, though?) But damn well made and executed. Those strings? Those high notes toward the end? This is cotton candy on wax. —Frazier Tharpe

20. “Home to Mama” f/ Cody Simpson (2014)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: N/A

Label: Believe Partners, Def Jam


Even if you only have basic Google knowledge of Cody Simpson—and this song does not quite inspire a deeper dive—you have to give it to the Australian pop singer/songwriter, musician, dancer, and actor—he laid down the sincerity gauntlet in verse one of this song and left Bieber no choice but to get on his level. Two guys singing about bringing a girl “home to mama“ to the tune of a solo guitar sounds like it would be terribly schmaltzy, and it is, but the sentiment is still convincingly real. Call it charming. Or better yet, call it Beliebable. —Christine Werthman

19. Travi$ Scott f/ Justin Bieber and Young Thug “Maria, I’m Drunk” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Rodeo

Label: Epic


By the time of Travi$ Scott's Rodeo, Biebervelli had established a rock-solid line of good hip-hop credit, so his feature here shouldn't be surprising. But for some reason, maybe Scott's relative newbie status, it still was. A freshman rapper on the game gets the biggest pop star on his debut album and on a song with Thug no less? Cause for excitement. Then cue the biggest Bieber/rap surprise since “Runaway Love” when instead of JB, it's Young Thug handling hook duties on the ode to passing the time with chill women and alcohol…and instead Bieber lowkey kindaaaaa murders both rappers with a surprisingly sturdy sing-songy 16. Bieber made some of the best songs of 2015, but nobody expected him to rap on one of the best rap songs of that year. A comeback strikes in many forms, apparently. —Frazier Tharpe

18. “Die in Your Arms” (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam

Is that a church choir? Sounds like it. Mmm hmm. Uh huh. Yeah, yeah. All right. Bieber throws on his robe for this one and leads the congregation in a sing-along, snap-along song that makes dying in someone's arms sound not so bad. And how could it when you're bouncing in front of Michael Jackson's "We've Got a Good Thing Going"? Preach, JB. —Christine Werthman

17. “PYD” f/ R. Kelly (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam


It’s commendable that Justin Bieber decided to go head-to-head with Mr. 12 Play on a song about sex. It really is. Over ephemeral chords and rounded out percussion the two detail all the ways they want to get it in. And while it’s clear this was an attempt to seem grown in the eyes of people who still see him as a little kid with a bowl cut, his verse shows that he wasn’t quite ready to play with the big kids. Granted, R. Kelly’s been talking about carnal pleasures longer than Bieber’s been alive, so it’s no surprise that his verse crackles with lines like, “It seems your man been treating you like a stepchild, sub him out, sub me in, and Imma get on the floor, and shut the whole game down.” —Damien Scott

16. “Change Me” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam


When Bieber was doing his #MusicMondays as a prelude to the release of Journals, he described “Change Me” as being “very personal” to him. It’s a piano ballad where he sings about looking for a relationship to make him a better man. This would make for a lousy partner in real life, but dammit if this song doesn’t make me move misty-eyed through my apartment singing in a creaking falsetto like the ghost of my pubescent self. “Girl, I’m ready, if you’re ready” is a tender, trembling start to a pledge of romantic allegiance—don’t play this at your wedding—but like so much of R&B Bieber, part of the charm is that he’s a rakish dweeb making impossibly sweet music. —Ross Scarano

15. “All Bad” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam

Remember when Justin Bieber wasn’t a fount for sincere apologies? Remember when he was more like the hot high school dirtbag from your hometown? Remember when he was R&B Bieber and, yeah, he might make you mad but then he’d just be like “my bad” and toss his hair (or an egg), and you’d be like, “Yeah, cool”? That’s Journals Justin Bieber, and on “All Bad” he explains that he’s mostly a nice dick over 40-esque underwater percussion and reverb-heavy piano from Andre Harris (you know him as half of the duo Dre & Vidal, responsible for Ciara’s “Oh,” among other excellent songs). There’s no need to grovel, Justin. You’re so much better when you’re a rude little boy. —Ross Scarano

14. “I’ll Show You” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Purpose

Label: Def Jam


Justin Bieber spent the better part of 2014 on an apology tour, whether it was sharing a heartfelt message to his fans on Facebook, a nationally televised appearance on Ellen, or even his Comedy Central roast. Calculated, sure. But his sincerity shined through in each moment. That same sincerity is what makes “I’ll Show You” the perfect bookend to his troubled past and his bright future. Over heart-pounding drums and a pensive backdrop from Skrillex, Bieber owns up to his past actions as much as he reminds people, hey, nobody’s perfect. Lines like “Don't forget that I'm human, don't forget that I'm real” and “It's like they want me to be perfect/When they don't even know that I'm hurting” drive this point home. Life lesson learned. —Edwin Ortiz

13. “One Time” (2009)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: My World

Label: Island Def Jam


“One Time” is the song that started it all. Bieber was a 15-year-old Canadian kid with the voice of a prepubescent angel, and the songwriting team of The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, and Kuk Harrell gave him the perfect song to soar over with this debut single. The video that dropped a month after the song's release was a major bonus, where the cherubic-faced Bieber plays video games, throws a party at Usher's house, and scores a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. Times have certainly changed, especially when you consider what Usher's house would look like now if Bieber hosted an unsupervised party: 

https://images.complex.com/complex/image/upload/t_in_content_image/bieber_nxm6aw.gif

Christine Werthman

11. "I'm The One", DJ Khaled f/ Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne (2017)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Grateful

Label: Epic


There’s a myriad of reasons why this star-studded collabo became an indisputable and inescapable hit in 2017, and we’re gonna give a lot of credit to our boy Biebs. He sings the hook in “I’m the One,” giving the otherwise optimistic and hard song some soft boy pop edge. When you get Justin on your track, not matter how good it is otherwise, you guarantee it’s going to become a hit. It might be Khaled who says he’s the one, but in our eyes, it’s Bieber. —Maria Sherman

12. “Right Here” f/ Drake (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam

Long before Drake and Justin Bieber were ringing the “Hotline Bling” together, there was their Believe collaboration, “Right Here.” The seductive Canadian connection not only includes a fire Hit-Boy R&B beat, but it features peak simping from both Bieber and Drizzy. It's almost like they were trying to outdo each other while convincing their ladies that they never want to leave their sides. “Lost in your eyes, every time you look into mine,” Bieber sings, only to be one up'd by Drake with, “Wished that you knew all that I do to make this thing go right.” It's possible that you might need a box of tissues if you're thinking about an ex while listening to this one. —Zach Frydenlund

10. “Boyfriend” (2012)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Believe

Label: Island Def Jam

Long before his Journals days, Bieber was trying to nab your girl with the line “Swag, swag, swag on you/Chillin' by the fire while we eatin’ fondue” on his most mature song at that time, proving he went from tween heartthrob to, well, not a virgin. Between the falsetto breaks and Pharrell-inspired production, “Boyfriend” was a strong start for Biebs’ campaign toward maturity (think 2003 Justin Timberlake), and while the lyrics are almost cringe worthy at times, the ’90s-influenced Pop&B sound was a solid step in the right direction. We’d get “Boyfriend” in an even better format on Journals’ “Heartbreaker” and “Hold Tight.” —Lauren Nostro

9. “Runaway Love (Kanye West Remix)” f/ Raekwon (2010)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Never Say Never (The Remixes)

Label: Island Def Jam


Behold, the birth of Bieber as we know him today. Everyone who has just taken to relenting that, “Wow, hate to admit this, but that Justin Bieber sure is making fire music!” is about seven years too late. Where were you at seven years ago when Yeezus threw him on a track with the Chef for a doubly improbable collab that resulted in pure fire? Everyone talks about how ahead of his time Kanye can be, well, here stands one of his most bizarre and subsequently spot-on choices. The song was such a jam that Raekwon had to come back for a second verse just to do it justice. In the back half of 2010 Kanye was on a speeding bullet train of buzz, but using his power trip to drop Justin Bieber off on the path to making music relatable to ages beyond tween is a rare instance of Ye maybe not getting the full credit he deserves. —Frazier Tharpe

8. “What Do You Mean?” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Purpose

Label: Def Jam


Was this song worth the elaborate countdown? Not at first. While “Where Are Ü Now?” signaled the arrival of a new and improved Bieber in 2015, “What Do You Mean?” felt less immediately impressive. But the ticking that opens the song ended up being fortuitous: Given enough time, the record proved to be one of his best. Produced by MdL, who also collaborated on Bieber's “Boyfriend,” the song has a light tropical house bounce that is guided through the chorus by a synthetic pan flute. The only lingering question here is, which is better: the original or the acoustic? —Christine Werthman

7. “Heartbreaker” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam


Justin Bieber was going through some serious relationship ish in 2013, and while he's rebounded now, it led to some really great music at the time. Bieber's most open and emotional track from his super-underrated Journals project is “Heartbreaker,” where he full-on confronts his feelings about Selena Gomez. “Don't tell me you're my heartbreaker, 'cause girl my heart's breaking, heartbreaker,” Bieber sang while probably holding back tears in the studio. The Biebs put everything out on the line with “Heartbreaker,” and while it didn't get him Selena back, it elevated his catalog to new heights, and we thank him for that. —Zach Frydenlund

6. “Sorry” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Purpose

Label: Def Jam

“Sorry” found Justin Bieber fully embracing his pop star identity at 21, and he owned it to the core. Skrillex and Blood set the tone with an undeniably infectious tropical house melody that was and remains ripe for the dance floor. On track, Biebs slides through proper with some easily digestible lyricism about trying to win back his significant other. “I hope I don't run out of time, could someone call a referee?” is—let’s be honest—borderline corny. But his delivery is so seamless, his honesty so evident, you can’t help but want to give Bieber a second chance. And you know you will. —Edwin Ortiz

5. “Baby” f/ Ludacris (2010)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: My World 2.0

Label: Island Def Jam


One of the best songs of Bieber’s career was released five years before his tropical house-infused “What Do Ü Mean?”. For a cheesy ballad about Bieber's “Baby,” The-Dream and Tricky Stewart laced Bieber with some of the best production of his career on the 2010 hit. “Baby” became an instant hit—Bieber’s R&B ballad of a chorus, with glistening synths and a club-ready beat, catapulted him to new heights—even with a cutesy, puppy-love line like “And I wanna play it cool/But I'm losin' you…/I'm in pieces/Baby, fix me….” Add to that Luda’s verse, and Bieber has a song that is not only catchy but gives him some cred in the game. —Lauren Nostro

4. “All That Matters” (2013)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Journals

Label: Island Def Jam

For all of the talk about taking things back to the '90s vibe in R&B, this gem from Bieber's Journals really honed in on what made some of those solemn Timbaland-produced bangers so perfect. Syrupy-sweet guitars lace some beastly bass and drums, providing the perfect bed for Justin to pour all of the feels on to. And truth be told, even though he's not the greatest singer in the world, he peels back layers of his voice and matched his heartfelt lyrics with an equally raw vocal performance. —khal

3. "Despacito"(Remix), Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee f/ Justin Bieber (2017)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: “Despacito” Remix

Label: Universal Music Latin Entertainment

Where do we even begin with “Despacito”? For the first time since the Macarena is a partially-Spanish sung track atop the Billboard charts and it reflects the diverse reality we already live in, and must celebrate. The Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee tracks was blowing up internationally when Bieber heard it, but our boy brought it to the next level. He hopped on a remix of the track, laying down a Spanish verse and making his version bigger than the original. Here’s hoping for more Spanish-singing Bieber in the future! He could certainly make reggaeton big stateside again, and we’re ready. —Maria Sherman

2. Jack Ü f/ Justin Bieber “Where Are Ü Now?” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü

Label: Atlantic


Not only was “Where Are Ü Now” one of 2015's biggest anthems, it's also became a crowning achievement in Justin Bieber's career; hell, it's the record that helped Bieber go from the bratty rich kid many people saw him as and ushered in the next can't-miss phase of his evolution as an artist. In a world where  EDM and pop music are intertwined like never before, of course a number of highly successful artists who get their fair share of hate—Skrillex, Diplo, and Bieber—linked up to create such an infectious tune. It's hard to deny such a timeless track, but you'll be hard-pressed to find another vocalist who could breathe this kind of life into that monstrous tune. —khal

1. “Love Yourself” (2015)

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

Album: Purpose

Label: Def Jam

Let’s face it: if you’ve made it this far down the list, you know that Bieber not only has hits, he makes songs hits. His voice is part of this new generation, and he will go down in the history books as one of the biggest pop superstars of not only our time, but of all time. He’s not afraid to experiment and grow with whatever trends are happening around him, and that’s why he’s been able to go from teen heartthrob to serious singer. “Love Yourself” is not only a perfect pop song—but it embodies all of the things that make Bieber great: it showcases his range, his ability to create chart toppers in a way no one else would truly be able to master. It calls out his mom, giving a certain softness that his old school fans love, and deals with mature themes, resonating with his newfound, older audience. It was written by Ed Sheeran, so even if Bieber seems too edgy for that Starbucks-drinking crowd, they can relate to this track over others. There’s something in it for everyone, and therein lies to beauty of Bieber: everyone can find something attractive within his discography, and because of that, it’ll be a long time before he leaves our radar. Hell, we all need someone to remind us to love ourselves every once in a while. —Maria Sherman

Latest in Music