On January 3, 2022, I discovered the album Alone At Prom by Tory Lanez from a TikTok video. Since that fateful day, Alone At Prom has become my favorite album of all time and has entirely changed how I listen to music. The album is a blast from the past with its 80s feel that few mainstream artists bother tapping into these days. Autotune is used heavily in this album but how it is used couldn’t have been any better. It creates a relaxed tone within Lanez’s voice that makes each song feel like a dream experience.
For the past year, I had been wishing and praying for Tory Lanez to release more of this type of music. With the controversy surrounding him and Megan the Stallion for the past year, I thought my prayers would never be answered. But I couldn’t be happier that I was wrong.
On November 17, 2023, nearly two full years after the original album was released, Tory Lanez finally released Alone At Prom (Deluxe) for the whole world to enjoy. Since then, my Spotify has been plagued by nothing other than this album. Since writing a simple album review wouldn’t do the songs in this album justice, I’ve decided that a top 10 list considering all 21 songs from both the original album and the 10 newly added ones would do it. I hope this list will pique your interest so that you can enjoy the same emotions I felt listening to it for the first time.
10. Crystal Strawberry
The hardest part about any top ten list is deciding what to leave out. This was probably the hardest decision of the whole list but in the end, “Crystal Strawberry” narrowly makes it onto the list. This song is about seeing a girl at a party and immediately knowing that you want to end the night with them. The song’s beat is one of its highlights, constantly building and lowering the tempo. It has me bumping my head to each beat of the drum. Another highlight is how Lanez stretches out the pronunciation of words in the chorus like “Whirlwind” and “girlfriend.” The guitar also gets its moments to shine within the song with a beautiful little riff at the end. The happy vibe this song gave me is what landed it a spot on this list.
9. Hurts Me
This was the song that gave me hope for a deluxe. Since the release of the original album, I hadn’t heard any news about Tory Lanez releasing any more 80’s music but then this song leaked on TikTok. Lanez’s catchy verse took the internet by storm and had fans of the album begging for the release. Within a month, Lanez’s team got Trippie Redd and his brother Yoko Gold on the record and released it. While I love the part that got leaked in June, sadly the rest of the song doesn’t live up to the 40-second clip. Trippe Redd does enough to help finish this record to make it a song but he doesn’t add enough to match Lanez’s verse. You can tell the clip of Lanez’s voice was the only lyrics they had for this song originally due to the repetitiveness of it. While I don’t think it’s the most finished song, Lanez’s part does just enough to get it on this list.
8. Last Kiss of Nebulon
Tory Lanez knows how to make an outro song let me tell you that. “Last Kiss of Nebulon” was the last song of the original album, and it wrapped the album up perfectly. The song is about having one last night with someone and then heading their separate ways. The feeling I receive is otherworldly. I feel like I’m flying through space while stars are exploding all around me. The heavy drums at the beginning feel magical especially since at certain parts it feels almost like pixy dust is being sprinkled around the song. The production of this song is some of the best of the whole album and deserves its praise because this piece of art is transformed from a song to an experience.
7. Lavender Sunflower
This is the most meaningful song on the list so far. “Lavender Sunflower” is about finding a girl who excites you, but you don’t want to hurt your loving girlfriend. Lanez contemplates the idea of going for this new girl whom he seems to love but feels guilty leaving his girlfriend who loves him more behind. The song has some of the best lyricism on the album and his delivery of the chorus is what makes this song so memorable. The relatability of this song is what helps set it so high up. I also believe that this is one of the most underrated songs off the album, so I hope this helps get it the love it deserves.
6. Lady of Namek
The one that started it all. This was the first 80’s song Tory Lanez dropped ahead of Alone At Prom’s full album release and what a start to the project it was. This song is about Lanez fighting the urge to get back with a girl who broke his heart. He wants to try again but feels that she’ll just hurt him all over again. This song is a lot of people’s favorite song off the album and for good reason. The message is relatable to a lot of people and Tory’s vocals are incredible on this track. One part I’d like to highlight is “So can we, Play with the stars tonight?” This is probably my favorite part of the whole song because the amount of passion that Tory delivers in this line transforms this into a great song. This was our first look at this new era for Tory Lanez, and he made sure to deliver.
5. Enchanted Waterfall
I’m now entering the top 5 songs on my favorite album and to start me off, I have the opener of the original album. I don’t know how Tory and his team came up with the name of this song but they got it on the nose; enchanted is the perfect word to describe this song every time I hear it. The song opens with an incredible rhythm that feels like you’re climbing upstairs, a perfect example of the innovation in music in the 80s. While there is nothing spectacular about the song, its simplicity is what makes it great to me. This opener doesn’t blow me away but sets the mood for the rest of the album with the repetition of the chorus and themes of love and heartbreak. Unfortunately for Spotify users who love this song as much as I do, the song was taken off the app because of certain copyright infringements or so I’ve heard. Should speak volumes about how good this song is that I have to go to YouTube anytime I want to listen to it.
4. Poison Ivy
The long-awaited “Poison Ivy” has finally been released. This song was leaked around the same time as “Hurts Me” but in my opinion, it easily sounded like the better of the two songs. The song is a warning that Lanez gives the listener about a beautiful girl who will only hurt them. Lanez sings about falling for her trap and getting burned and cautions others about getting too close. The chorus of this song is what drives this song home for me. Lanez went into his bag for this one because every note in the chorus is hit to perfection. It has me moving and swaying in my seat every time it comes on and I couldn’t be happier. The only reason this song isn’t a little bit higher is because, besides the leaked portion (the chorus) that came out over the summer, I wasn’t blown away by it. The beginning of the song feels very different from how the rest of the song sounds but once the pre-chorus kicks in everything turns to gold.
3. Wilona’s Workshop
I think that out of all the songs on the original album and the deluxe, “Wilona’s Workshop” encapsulates the 80’s sound best. Normally when I listen to an album for the first time, it takes a lot for a song to stand out off the first listen but this song grabbed me immediately and had me dancing around my room at midnight. While the lyricism isn’t the best and it is quite repetitive, the song still manages to thrive. I was instantly hooked by the intro of the song because it had me clapping along to its little guitar riff. The beat and rhythm carry me into a groove that feels impossible to stop while listening. I can do nothing more but applaud the production of this track because it was so good that it made the top 3.
2. The Color Violet
What more can be said about this incredible song? After amassing over half a billion streams on Spotify, “The Color Violet” should be considered Tory Lanez’s most successful song ever, and for good reason. For every song on this list that I have called “perfect”, I’ve given some sort of criticism about it to justify the ranking. This song is a bit different; This song is genuinely perfect. From its lingering vocals in the background, the saxophone that ties the verses and chorus together, the passion in Tory’s lyrics, and everything in between, “The Color Violet” is more than just a song; it’s an exquisite experience. If there is ever a need for a sad song, this is the first song queued. Whether you want to sit and sulk in the beauty of the lyrics and vibe, or you want to belt out your pain, this song allows for it. This song has been given its flowers time and time again, but it will get it once again in this ranking because in all honestly, as a song, it is the best song on the whole album.
Honorable Mention: Splash.Wave.Repeat
While it didn’t seem fair to compare real songs to an interlude, I still feel this interlude deserves to be talked about. This song is the same four lines repeatedly until around the middle of the song we get something unexpected. Lanez’s team decided to include a portion of Katt William’s Pimp Chronicles stand-up show where he talks about the importance of haters. I loved this inclusion and while the speech is incredible to listen to, it’s not even the best part of the interlude. When the interlude transitions from the speech back into the song, they decide to boost the sound of both the vocals and the saxophone to create a masterpiece. I’ve had this song on repeat all week at the gym and it’s an instant motivator. This song deserves some love and so does the producer because turning 4 simple lines into this interlude takes some skill.
‘87 Stingray
The first line of this song may be my favorite part of any song I’ve ever listened to. “‘87 Stingray” gives me a feeling of happiness, excitement, and ecstasy that is unmatched. I hear that first “Woah” and I know the next 2 minutes and 21 seconds of my life are going to be incredible. The drums are one of the many highlights of this song because they create the fast tempo this song brings to anything I’m doing. If I’m working out, doesn’t matter how heavy the weight is, I will finish the set no matter what; if I’m running, doesn’t matter how tired I am, I will run my heart out; if I’m driving, doesn’t matter the speed limit, I’m going fast. Nothing matters when this song comes on. Tory’s vocals are great, that can be said for any song on the album, but here the vocals are spectacular. It’s hard to put into words what this song means to me and that is why it has my number one spot. There are songs with better aspects, better lyrics, and even a whole better song on this album but none of them even come close to the feeling of this song. I can’t thank Tory Lanez enough for releasing this song.
