It’s been a while since I posted any reviews because I haven’t been feeling well, which has left me unfocused about what I need to say. In the meantime, I’ve been working on this for the past few months. Something hit me in early November: What are some of my favorite songs? I listen to it every day, especially at work during the daily routes that wake me up. And since Thanksgiving, I’ve been putting together and correcting the list that hopefully paints a picture of who I am. Thinking back and listening to these on repeat while shuffling some around, a good majority of these are popular songs everyone knows. But what I see is music that not only evokes nostalgia but also highlights my vulnerability, fun side, and unexpectedly emotional complexity through a pretty good mix of genres, offering insight into my emotional landscape.
At first, I thought about explaining why these songs impact me or the meaning behind their lyrics. But there are so many to give my two cents on, so I decided to share my thoughts on the top ten, since those matter most. There was only one rule I tested myself: While compiling this list, I wanted to pick only one song per artist (except for two bands with multiple songs) to allow for some variety. Not the easiest decision, given that certain artists have great songs in their discographies. Simply, the more I hear them, the more I realize they make me who I am.
Without further ado, I give you the list of my top 100 favorite songs of all-time (as of 2026):
Honorable Mentions:
- “Forever Young” – Alphaville
- “Private Idaho” – B’52s
- “Why Can’t I Touch It?” – Buzzcocks
- “The Great Beyond” – R.E.M.
- “Ocean Avenue” – Yellowcard
- “Romeo and Juliet” – Dire Straits
- “Miss Murder” – AFI
- “Passing By” – Ulrich Schnauss
- “Demons” – Sleigh Bells
- “Supersition” – Stevie Wonder
- “First” – Cold War Kids
- “Hells Bells” – AC/DC
- “Like a Stone” – Audioslave
- “Blinding Lights” – The Weeknd
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” – Whitney Houston
- “Caught Up” – Death From Above 1979
- “Feel So Numb” – Rob Zombie
- “Where Is My Mind?” – Pixies
- “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
- “Dream On” – Aerosmith
100) “This Isn’t Helping” – The National ft. Phoebe Bridgers (2023)
99) “A Million Little Pieces” – Placebo (2013)
98) “Wise Up” – Aimee Mann (2000)
97) “Love Me Again” – John Newman (2013)
96) “Whatever It Takes” – Imagine Dragons (2017)
95) “Opposite” – Biffy Clyro (2013)
94) “Black Betty” – Spiderbait (2004)
93) “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman (1989)
92) “Everything In Its Right Place” – Radiohead (2000)
91) “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” – Eurythmics (1983)
90) “Personal Jesus” – Depeche Mode (1989)
89) “In the Meantime” – Spacehog (1995)
88) “Battle Flag” – Lo Fidelity Allstars ft. Pigeonhead (1998)
87) “Let My Love Open The Door (E. Cola Mix)” – Pete Townshend (1996)
86) “The End Has No End” – The Strokes (2003)
85) “Free Your Mind” – En Vogue (1992)
84) “The Funeral” – Band of Horses (2005)
83) “Bust A Move” – Young MC (1989)
82) “With or Without You” – U2 (1987)
81) “Flagpole Sitta” – Harvey Danger (1997)
80) “Jerk It Out” – Caesars (2003)
79) “Hypnotize” – The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)
78) “Rock & Roll Queen” – The Subways (2005)
77) “I Think I’m Paranoid” – Garbage (1998)
76) “Time to Pretend” – MGMT (2007)
75) “Into the Great Wide Open” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1991)
74) “Club Foot” – Kasabian (2004)
73) “No Diggity” – Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre, Queen Pen (1996)
72) “No One Knows” – Queens of the Stone Age (2002)
71) “She’s So High” – Tal Bachman (1999)
70) “First Date” – Blink-182 (2001)
69) “Love Runs Out” – OneRepublic (2013)
68) “My Girl” – The Temptations (1965)
67) “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – Arcade Fire (2010)
66) “Wild Horses” – The Rolling Stones (1971)
65) “Tick Tick Boom” – The Hives (2007)
64) “Panic Switch” – Silversun Pickups (2009)
63) “Ordinary World” – Duran Duran (1992)
62) “Paper Planes” – M.I.A. (2007)
61) “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King (1962)
60) “In The Shadows” – The Rasmus (2003)
59) “Angels” – Robbie Williams (1997)
58) “Stolen” – Dashboard Confessional (2006)
57) “I Could Fall in Love” – Selena (1995)
56) “The Last Man on Earth” – Wolf Alice (2021)
55) “Make Me Wanna Die” – The Pretty Reckless (2010)
54) “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys (1994)
53) “It Takes Two” – Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock (1988)
52) “In Too Deep” – Sum 41 (2001)
51) “Breathe Me” – Sia (2004)
50) “The Middle” – Jimmy Eat World (2001)
49) “Hey Ya” – Outkast (2003)
48) “Friday I’m in Love” – The Cure (1992)
47) “Clint Eastwood” – Gorillaz (2001)
46) “Champagne Supernova” – Oasis (1995)
45) “Yeah!” – Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris (2004)
44) “Lose Yourself” – Eminem (2002)
43) “When the Levee Breaks” – Led Zeppelin (1971)
42) “Hymn to Her” – Pretenders (1986)
41) “Umbrella” – Rihanna ft. Jay-Z (2007)
40) “Hey Jude” – The Beatles (1968)
39) “White Flag” – Bishop Briggs (2018)
38) “i” – Kendrick Lamar (2014)
37) “Evil” – Interpol (2004)
36) “Heartbeat” – Childish Gambino (2011)
35) “Purple Rain” – Prince (1984)
34) “Time” (Inception) – Hans Zimmer (2010)
33) “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” – Fall Out Boy (2005)
32) “Crazy” – Gnarls Barkley (2006)
31) “The Mixed Tape” – Jack’s Mannequin (2005)
30) “Surrender” – Billy Talent (2006)
29) “Believe” – The Bravery (2007)
28) “Shake It Out” – Florence + The Machine (2011)
27) “Never Gonna Love Again” – Lykke Li (2014)
26) “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” – Green Day (2004)
25) “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana (1991)
24) “Walk” – Foo Fighters (2011)
23) “Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga (2025)
22) “Burn Baby Burn” – Ash (2001)
21) “What I’ve Done” – Linkin Park (2007)
20) “I’m With You” – Avril Lavigne (2002)
19) “Day ‘N’ Nite – Kid Cudi (2009)
18) “Beat It” – Michael Jackson (1982)
17) “Numb/ Encore” – Jay-Z and Linkin Park (2004)
16) “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – Tears for Fears (1985)
15) “Gangsta’s Paradise” – Colllio, L.V. (1995)
14) “Everything is Alright” – Motion City Soundtrack (2005)
13) “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers (2004)
12) “‘Heroes'” – David Bowie (1977)
11) “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen (1980)
10) “There She Goes” – The La’s (1988)
Every time I put on “There She Goes,” my mood for those nearly three minutes is pure bliss. The simplicity of the lyrics and the repeated chorus never gets old, giving you butterflies when you spot someone you like but never have the confidence to talk to. Sixpence None the Richer also does a great cover.
9) “It’s Tricky” – Run DMC (1986)
Run DMC made me respect ’80s hip-hop when I was younger, along with other artists in the genre. The lasting impact of “It’s Tricky carried nearly 40 years later as a rap-rock masterpiece, is impressive.
8) “Surrender” – Cheap Trick (1978)
Did I know who Cheap Trick was when I was seven years old? Nope. But I first listened to “Surrender” at that age and had the energy I needed to experience ’70s rock. And it’s also my go-to karaoke song.
7) “Starlight” – Muse (2006)
“Black Holes and Revelations” is my favorite Muse album, with “Starlight” being one of the few Muse songs I can describe as a love song. I always think positively whenever it comes on. When I meet the love of my life, I want them to listen to this and connect with it.
6) “Just the Way I’m Feeling” – Feeder (2002)
Feeder is one of those bands I’ve rediscovered over the past few years. “Just The Way I’m Feeling” resonates with me on those days; I feel like, “What’s the point of everything?” Written for their drummer, who committed suicide, it’s a melancholic tune about getting through hard times of depression.
5) “Baba O’Riley” – The Who (1971)
“Who’s Next” is already one of my favorite albums; I can find a gem in every track. No song opens an album better than “Baba O’Riley,” probably the best song to come from the ’70s and one of the greatest songs written of the decade. What other rock song has a violin outro to culminate five minutes of awesomeness?
4) “In The End” – Linkin Park (2000)
I grew up listening to Linkin Park, which is my second-favorite band of all time. Every time I hear “In The End” on the radio or on my phone, it remains the definitive song they’ve ever recorded. It was difficult trying to listen to them after Chester Bennington died. But this hits very differently now, more than ever. RIP Chester.
3) “Welcome to the Black Parade” – My Chemical Romance (2006)
“The Black Parade” hasn’t changed over 20 years; it’s one of the top five albums I’ve listened to, and what got me into My Chemical Romance in the first place. “Welcome to the Black Parade” will forever be the greatest emo anthem of the 21st century, and I will belt it out in the car every time it’s on.
2) “Maps” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
Everything about “Maps” can be summed up with this lyric: “Wait. They don’t love you like I love you,” which will always hit hard for me. Karen O’s vocals and its crushing instrumentation make it their signature unconventional love song for a reason. The music video is unforgettable, too.
1) “Uprising” – Muse (2009)
No song got me into Muse more than “Uprising.” I believe this is the song that defines them as a band, with a very honest and relevant masterpiece that still stands nearly two decades later. They’ve released dozens of songs I love throughout their career, but this was the one that made me the fan I am today and remains my favorite band/artist of all time.
DC's Take 