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Lauren Sanchez

Ranking Daisy Jones & The Six's Album "AURORA"

While Daisy Jones & The Six may be a fictitious band, their album “AURORA” is very much alive and real. Here are all 11 tracks ranked from worst to best.

Photo: Spotify

When Taylor Reid Jenkins released her book “Daisy Jones & The Six” four years ago, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success that would follow. With a book-to-television adaptation created by Amazon Prime and stars like Riley Keough, Sam Claflin and Suki Waterhouse being some of the talented frontrunners of the show, “Daisy Jones & The Six” became one of the most anticipated shows of 2023.


The show, which just premiered its last two episodes of the series, takes the audience through the rise and fall of a fictitious ‘70s rock band and their journey through creating their album amidst the glitz and glam of the L.A. music scene. Yet it’s not every day in today’s television that a star-studded cast is given the chance to record and produce an entirely new album that tops the very real charts.


Daisy Jones & The Six’s album “AURORA” made it to the No. 1 spot in the U.S. on iTunes and has gained over 27 million streams on Spotify alone. Emulating the sounds of rock bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles, “AURORA” brings ‘70s rock and delivers the iconic “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” feel. So without further ado, here are the tracks of the album ranked from worst to best.


11. "No Words"

It’s incredibly fitting that the last song on the album would also be ranked last place on the list. While this song may be a beautiful, slow folk track about not having the right words to say how you really feel, the repetition of the lyrics was a bit underwhelming and wasn’t the most lyrically driven piece on the album. For me, this might be the only song on the album that I would skip and/or need to be in a very specific moment to fully immerse myself with the song, and for that, it takes 11th place.


10. "You Were Gone"

Even with the acoustics and powerhouse vocals, this song was incredibly sad lyrically. A song all about needing someone who wasn't there during your worst moments juxtaposes with such a summery and sweet instrumental that you can't help but sing the catchy chorus and then realize later just how depressing it actually is. But while this song does show a bit more emotion and emphasizes the chemistry between Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, other tracks on the album proved to be stronger, and this song fell behind.


9. "Please"

All jokes aside, Billy (aka Sam Claflin) most definitely put on a show with this song. I never knew that Sam Claflin had vocals until this song arrived. With this track being the only Billy solo on the album, the song and its intentions make it the perfect addition to the drama and chaos of his and Daisy's relationship both on and off the stage. In an act of desperation and a full-on pleading tone, Billy sings his heart out about not wanting to give into temptation and addiction. Whether the temptation is his admiration for Daisy or his desire to use drugs and alcohol (we never get the full answer), Billy Dunne is certainly down bad for either vice. But while this song does showcase his vocals, the drumming and Karen Sirko's keyboarding create too much angst for a casual listen.


8. "Two Against Three"

Here come the waterworks! On the album, Daisy has two solos: one that's an absolute powerhouse vocally and full of edge, and this one that is the complete opposite. "Two Against Three" is a beautiful and soft acoustic that Daisy sings at the end of the second episode to reaffirm that the life of a singer/songwriter is the one she truly wants. You can't deny Daisy's star quality (and maybe that has to do with the fact that Riley Keough is the granddaughter of Elvis Presley) and this song just further proved her talent.


7. "Regret Me"

"Regret Me" was one of the very few songs to retain its title from the original book, and I am forever upset that the writers of the song did not use the original lyrics "And, baby when you think of me/ I hope it ruins rock 'n' roll"– because that would have been the cherry-on-top for Daisy's revenge song for Billy. The insane guitar riffs, courtesy of the lead guitarist Graham Dunne, and the charged vocals between Daisy and Billy easily help make it a fan favorite.


6. "Kill You To Try"

If "Dreams" and "You Make Loving Fun" by Fleetwood Mac were to mix together, the end product would be "Kill You To Try." And with this song being mostly about unfulfilled promises made within the love triangle of Daisy, Billy and Camila, the lyrics are some of my favorites of the album: "Could the words ever be unspoken?/ Could the truth ever untell the lies?/ Could a promise ever be unbroken?/ Oh, would it kill you to try?" But my favorite part of the song has to be the little xylophone bits sprinkled throughout the song– it creates a lighthearted touch amidst the chaos between the two frontrunners of the band and is a perfect addition to the track.


5. "Aurora"

The title track of the "AURORA" album debuts at number five on our ranking list. While this may not be the most lyrically charged song out of the bunch, the overlapping of vocals at the end of the song between Billy and Daisy is out of this world. The track feels incredibly groovy and the roller-coaster of emotions this song expresses helps make it even more of a solid tune.


4. "The River"

"The River" does an amazing job at commemorating the '70s classic rock sound and deserves to be put on a pedestal. It's no wonder that Suki Waterhouse and Camila Morrone chose this song to be their favorite on the album. If this song was released back in the day, I have no doubts that this song would be an immediate chart-topper. But while this song has killer instrumentals (almost too good to the point that it overpowers Daisy and Billy's vocals), Billy and Daisy have better duets and for that, it won't be making the top three.


3. "Let Me Down Easy"

If I could pick any song off the album that was the closest to a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, "Let Me Down Easy" takes it. As the song title implies, the track is all about letting someone down easy even if you don't really want to– and that couldn't describe the relationship between Daisy and Billy any better. Something about their harmonies and vocal runs (especially around the "If you're gonna let me down/ Let me down easy") being so smooth makes this track lovely to listen to. Fleetwood Mac would be proud!


2. More Fun To Miss

Now, THIS one might be a controversial take to put this song so close to the top. But I'm sorry, there's no denying that Daisy Jones was trying to channel her inner Stevie Nicks in this song (Think of the vocal impact and mood of Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen). Moments leading up to the recording, Billy actually kisses Daisy to amp her up and be able to perform the song the way he wanted her to. The drama in the show mixed with the passion that comes from the track was more than enough to claim this second-place spot. A rage-fueled song with haunting "ooh-ahs" and punk-packed guitar riffs, easily made this track a top favorite.


1. "Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)"

There's a reason why this song made the top of our list, and not just because this was the song that put Daisy Jones & The Six on the map. Seeing this song performed on the screen with the whole band and the crowd going absolutely feral over it gave me the chills. The harmonies between Billy and Daisy in this song showed that the two of them were destined to sing together, whether they care to admit it or not. Its transition from an acoustic guitar ballad to a full rock anthem at the end of it was brilliant and emphasized just how much of an impact Daisy had on the band's sound. With its incredibly catchy chorus and Graham's killer guitar solo that's reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", the energy that this song brings is unlike any other. So, if you are ever in need of a song to motivate you or need a song to blast as loud as you can driving down the highway, we couldn't recommend this song enough.



Even with the show coming to a complete end, the "AURORA" album leaves a part of Daisy Jones & The Six with the audience and listeners everywhere. And with the major success of the album, who knows what could happen with the band now! Perhaps, if we keep streaming the songs and manifest, the fictitious band could end up going on a very real tour and that would be a dream come true.

 

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