RuPaul’s biggest singles ranked, from god awful to guilty pleasure

Alas, you cannot blame bad pop music on the edit

2 years ago

If there’s one thing that’s consistent and enduring, it’s that if RuPaul has a catchphrase you better believe that one way or another it will be shaped into a crunchily produced pop song that you want to hate but inevitably won’t stop humming. Here are the biggest RuPaul singles ranked, from the truly terrible to the ones you stream discreetly on Spotify private mode without anyone knowing.

**29. Tr*nny Chaser**

This song centred around a slur deeply offensive to the trans community is one better left on the 2009-era RuPaul’s Drag Race cutting room floor. The less said about it the better, really, because slur aside it is still bloody dreadful.

**28. Responsitr*nnity**

The better of the two slur singles. But barely.

27. Peanut Butter

I have never listened to Peanut Butter without regretting my life decisions. I’m getting the word: Migraine.

26. I’m That Bitch

I made the executive decision to exclude all the singles with the final four queens from different seasons from this ranked list, because those singles are amazing because of the queens’ verses and not because of RuPaul. I’m That Bitch featuring the queens from season 12? Perfect. I’m That Bitch featuring just RuPaul? An endurance task.

25. Geronimo

Another VERY annoying one. RuPaul’s rapping here is truly cursed, and the lyric about Daenerys in Game Of Thrones is the most hamfisted shoving in of a pop culture reference in music history. There’s a frenetic energy to Geronimo that makes me feel like I’ve overdosed on speed. I don’t like it!

24. Blame It On The Edit

This song could be a Disney villain’s theme. It’s pure, unadulterated evil – rotted to the dark core. It’s basically a song about gaslighting all the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race who have been unimpressed with the TV show’s production and edit making them fit a certain narrative, and RuPaul basically telling them to shut up and get over it. I don’t think the way the show edits is completely unethical – they’re making reality television, after all. But to shrug it all off and deny that it happens through a weird song filled with maniacal laughter does not sit right with me. RuPaul is 60 years old. Can we grow up a bit?

23. Be Someone

Be Someone is a manic dance track that played during All Stars 5’s runway sections, and it’s a tinnily produced and forgettable single from RuPaul that treads the same boards that she’s tread in her music for the last 15 years. But even more boring.

22. Sexy Drag Queen

This is the most phoned in song ever recorded. The production sounds like it was done by a group of year 10s starting out their music GCSE. No, it sounds like the electronic music that Demi Lovato’s character keeps telling us is really good in Camp Rock. It’s so horrible. The hook is RuPaul just saying “Sexy, sexy drag queen – la da di, la da da” on loop. I hate it here.

21. Snapshot

Snapshot is kind of like video game background music that you zone out to when scrolling through some menus on a racing game. Just generic EDM filler. Also resembles music YouTubers use for their intro themes when they can’t afford to get licensed songs.

20. Bring Back My Girls

At this point, how many more sayings does RuPaul have left to shoehorn into singles because I swear to GOD half of this ranked list is just Drag Race quotes over a beat? Can you come up with something else? CAN you COME up WITH something ELSE??? But I will say that I love the beat. In the immortal words of Sheree Whitfield, “Definitely, I thought it was fun, I liked the beat, so…”

19. If I Dream

Imagine if RuPaul made an X Factor winners’ single and you’d have yourself If I Dream. This song exists for production to press play on when RuPaul crowns the new Drag Superstar. That’s it. A box ticker song. It’s sickly, but do I want it obliterated off the face of the Earth? No, actually. And that’s the first time when getting RuPaul singles ranked that I can actually say that so far. So that’s something!

18. Here It Comes Around Again

This one sounds like everyone is doing their very best attempt to make a song that sounds like it could be on Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. The Dr Luke style production, the empowering lyrics, all the early 2010s poptimism overload you could ever need. Bit of a bop, though – sorry to say.

17. This Is Our Country

What you’ve done, RuPaul, is theft. Lil Nas X should be taking you to the cleaners in court for this Old Town Road rip off, and if he can’t be arsed then Orville Peck shouldn’t be far behind. But theft aside – is it good? Actually, yes. Ru and Tanya bounce off each other well and listening to it is not the worst way to spend three minutes. The All Stars 6 cast version reigns supreme, though.

16. Jealous Of My Boogie

The first bonafide Ru-banger on this list of ranked RuPaul singles. Jealous Of My Boogie is a bit of a classic. The disco production is good if cheaply done, the autotuned vocals are so bad they’re good and it’s got an undeniable groove to it that you’re lying to yourself if you don’t want to tap your foot along to.

15. Superstar

Not mad at Superstar at all. Very camp, quite cinematic. The key change is earned. Chorus is pretty euphoric for someone with the vocal ability of my Grandma.

14. Live Forever

Live Forever is a banger from start to fin. The Eurodance production, the house beat, it’s just a good time. Not exactly one of the most well known and over saturated from the RuPaul Haus of Pop, but perhaps one that probably should be. Turn it up!

13. I Bring The Beat

The lyrics here are very hell on Earth, but the beat is so bloody good I d0n’t care. Ms. RuPaul Charles was not messing about when she said she was bring the beat. She brought beat and then some. Have great memories of watching the iconic queens of season five stomp down the runway to it. Good times.

12. Modern Love

Modern Love actually has a lot going for it. A real life music video, and not one that’s done in front of a cursed green screen and looks like it’s been made for a college BTEC media studies course. It’s got a kind of Nicki Minaj circa Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded energy to its production that gives it a bit of a Pound The Alarm thump. Not bad at all.

11. Main Event

Cinema. Pure cinema. The Dune soundtrack wishes it had the big screen scope of Main Event. The opening track of RuPaul’s Champion album, it’s a high camp, drama filled disco track that is genuinely a little bit brilliant.

10. Born Naked

Bit of a banger, isn’t it? In all iterations. Music video is a bleak affair and I’m not sure why Pearl, Violet and Ginger are all wearing six quid Missguided black dresses but hey, the track is huge and it’s very danceable.

9. Champion

A really fun, winners’ style song that is definitely and unabashedly a classic RuPaul banger. It’s all very 2007 but that is pretty much its charm. I think part of how enamouring these early Drag Race era tunes are from RuPaul is down to how good the show was then – raw and full of icons. Raja, Manila and Alexis serve Olympics lewks in the video and I live tbh.

8. U Wear It Well

It’s actually hard to imagine the world of RuPaul and the music of RuPaul’s Drag Race without U Wear It Well in it at this point. It’s become a pretty immediate RuPaul staple since its 2016 release and it’s got a lot of the charm that made the Champion / Glamazon / Born Naked singles so successful.

7. The Realness

I staunchly believe that RuPaul singles are at their best when they’re 90s house influenced, and that is clearly reflected in how this ranked list has been structured. The Realness has an air of coolness very rarely found in Ru’s music, and if it came on in the gay club, I’d dance to it with minimal cringe impact.

6. The Beginning

I always remember how hard this song hit when I was going to uni, and how fun singing it with my queer friends who were also about to embark on this big, new journey. I felt so independent and grown up, and this song had such a new beginnings energy that I will always hold it close to my heart looking back. Cringe but true!

5. Glamazon

Season four’s big finale song is one that never fails to get my cranky toe tapping, fair play, Ru. It’s got a Femme Fatale era Britney Spears pop energy to it that makes it one of the most instantly gratifying bangers RuPaul’s ever put her name to. It still maintains it’s ability to bang to this day.

4. Call Me Mother

The infamous drama between RuPaul and Azealia Banks over Call Me Mother is gay history, when the latter accused Ru of ripping off The Big Big Beat. Call Me Mother was briefly removed from streaming services, but is back on now and Banks remains uncredited. So, all was settled amicably or she had no claim in the first place, but my GOD does it sound similar. Of course, The Big Big Beat is infinitely better – mostly because it’s written and ripped by a very talented artist and not a drag queen in his mid 50s. But to its credit, Call Me Mother is inarguably one of Ru’s best bangers. Because even a rip off Big Big Beat is always going to bop HARD.

3. Cover Girl

There’s a reason Cover Girl has endured across over 20 seasons of main, international and all-star seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race for when Ru walks the runway. It’s an absolute staple. If we’re being honest, it’s literally not even particularly good. But it’s so engrained in the culture, such a big part of the brand that none of our lives would be the same without it. I will know every lyric of this until the day I die.

2. Sissy That Walk

Okay, Ru went off here. Fair play. Sissy That Walk is Ru’s biggest non-cast featuring hit of the streaming era with good reason. It’s a thumping pop tune that plays to her vocals minor qualities and builds euphorically to that iconic drop. I dread to think how many gay club dance floors this has filled over the past decade. And I’m not that ashamed to confirm I’ve definitely been one of them.

1. Supermodel (You Better Work)

There’s a subversive and enduring coolness to Supermodel (You Better Work) that no RuPaul song since has ever managed to capture. Kurt Cobain famously called it one of his favourite songs of 1993. Just this year, Mabel’s Let Them Know samples and is greatly inspired by the infectious house beat used in Supermodel. It’s finger snapping, biting and sharp. Just an excellent song that made a rare transition from queer dance floors to mainstream radio play. Very iconic, and easily the best when getting all RuPaul singles ranked.