On Monday, American pop group Fifth Harmony announced their indefinite hiatus from recording music together.
Like any pop collective, the Miami-based group enjoyed a tumultuous and dramatic career over five years and three albums. Founded in 2012 after earning third place on The X Factor, the group lost its fifth member, Camila Cabello, in December 2016, after she embarked on a solo career. Performing as a four-piece, the remaining members—Ally Brooke Hernandez, Normani Hamilton, Dinah Jane Hansen and Lauren Jauregui—released a self-titled album in 2017. Even without Cabella, who went on to release the wildly successful track "Havana," Fifth Harmony's final album showcased some of the group's best work.
In honor of Miami's widely beloved girl group, here are Newsweek's top five Fifth Harmony tracks, ranked according to criteria like replayability, uniqueness and best accompanying music video.
5. "Sauced Up"
Though this track from the group's final album wasn't a single—and therefore doesn't have a music video—it's on the list because it confirmed that the girls were doing just fine without Cabello. All four girls open the track harmonizing with minimal instrumentals, and the song unfolds segment by segment, allowing each vocalist enough wiggle room to stretch out and perform her persona.
Replayability: "Sauced Up" is the rare Fifth Harmony track that doesn't accelerate from zero to 60 in the first few seconds. It never escalates beyond its smooth chorus, but it doesn't drag for a second. A great track for jogging.
Uniqueness: Part of what set Fifth Harmony apart from their contemporaries was their near-militant adherence to "Lean In" feminism. Their brand of empowerment tends to be very corporate and based in "getting your money," which makes the low-key "Sauced Up" fun to hear. Plus, it doesn't get much cooler than the lyric, "I don't want no problems, I want power."
4. "Worth It" ft. Kid Ink
This track is Fifth Harmony's most capitalist: The girls literally perform in pantsuits, in front of a screen displaying stocks. When the group released the song in 2015, it marked the first top 20 single from a girl group since The Pussycat Dolls, announcing that Fifth Harmony had cemented itself a place on the charts and was there to stay.
Replayability: This song starts to feel stale upon too many replays, but it's not as capital-M militant as some of the group's other tracks.
Uniqueness: The lyrics here are very repetitive, but the song's core message is just interesting enough to keep it on the list. "Worth It" feels especially prescient in the age of young girls working as social media influencers and older women fighting for pay equity.
3. "That's My Girl"
In 2016, the group dropped its first big single pushing teamwork. Though earlier tracks had the girls singing as one united voice, calling for a man to treat them well, "That's My Girl" addressed fans directly. Fifth Harmony wasn't only leading by example on the track; the group was inviting its millions of female fans to join in.
Replayability: This one is only recommended for working out, specifically if you're lifting weights or doing repetitive movements instead of cardio.
Uniqueness: It's a breath of fresh air to hear a girl group encourage hardworking women instead of getting a "good for you" message from male singers, who often come off sounding condescending.
2. "Bo$$"
The lead single from the group's first album, "Bo$$" had immense pressure riding on it. Luckily for Fifth Harmony, their first track remains one of their greatest. At the time, nothing else on pop radio was as rhythmic, sassy and unafraid to drop pop culture references.
Replayability: The lyrics on "Bo$$" practically demand to be memorized, and the song is so simply constructed that it's easy to feel like it's an old favorite after only hearing it once or twice.
Uniqueness: Is there another pop song in existence to congratulate Kim Kardashian for marrying Kanye (not Ray J) while rhyming "Michelle Obama" with "Oprah dollars"? No. No, there isn't.
1. "Work from Home ft. Ty Dolla $ign"
When Fifth Harmony dropped the incredible music video for "Work From Home," the lead single off their second album, it felt as if they had dropped an atom bomb on the pop music scene. These girls weren't just talented vocalists; they also were a well rehearsed group of dancers and actresses. The girls won Best Collaboration at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards for "Work From Home," marking their first national awards.
Replayability: "Work From Home" is, relatively speaking, a slow jam for Fifth Harmony, which means it's the perfect track to play during a rest period at the club.
Uniqueness: The group followed an already clever song—singing that their NSFW selfies were going to get their boyfriends fired—with a doubly clever video that saw them writhing and dancing around "men at work" at a construction site. "Work From Home" wasn't just a smash hit single, it was a slam dunk for the group's marketing.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Emily is a culture and entertainment writer living in Manhattan. Previously, she ran the culture section at Inverse and has been published in The Daily ... Read more
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