My Top Five Favorite Imagine Dragons Songs

 

Much like Nickelback, alternative rock band Imagine Dragons is another musical act that tends to get a lot hate thrown their way. While the criticisms are similar, I can't really defend Imagine Dragons the same way I did Nickelback a couple years ago. There are certainly some songs by Imagine Dragons that sound generic and fit right in with modern pop music, whereas Nickelback at least has their own distinct sound. Still, I don't think this happens too often as most of the songs I've heard by the band do tend to fit more with the alternative genre. Again, it's up to you whether you like an artist or not. For the most part, I think there's more to like about Imagine Dragons than not, and I wanted to share my thoughts on some of their best hits. These are my top five favorite Imagine Dragons songs.

5. WHATEVER IT TAKES

If you're building a motivational playlist, I feel like "Whatever It Takes" would be a good selection. Lyrically, the song is meant to amp you up, trying to build your confidence as you work towards your goals. There's also this need for support from others but acknowledging you may have to go it alone. Musically, I love how each stage from the song, from the verses, pre-chorus and chorus (especially the background vocalization), is different while still building off each other. It does a good job at showcasing lead vocalist Dan Reynolds' range as a singer, from fast paced to soft spoken and everything in between.

But as an English major, I am going to use this opportunity to call out a grammatical error in the song: a comma is more appropriate to signify there's more to see rather than an apostrophe.

4. ZERO

"Zero" is a fascinating song in how its sound and message juxtapose each other. Much like "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind, "Zero" is an upbeat song with dark lyrics when you listen closely. To top it off, the song was written for the Wreck-It Ralph sequel "Ralph Breaks the Internet" and played as the end credits begin to roll; it's just kind of ballsy to close out a kids film with a song that has nigh suicidal tendencies. And yet, it fits really well for the film. "Zero" is basically an outcast anthem that acts as a rallying call to other outcasts (possibly quite literally with the vocalizations at the song's beginning and ending), showing they're not alone. Ralph and Vanellope were the outcasts of their own games, bonding over their similar lots in life and becoming best friends. The line "I'm looking for a way out" could also be a reference to the characters "going Turbo" by jumping into different games, like Ralph did in the first film and Vanellope staying in "Slaughter Race" at the end of the second.

The film's context aside, I find "Zero" to be an easily relatable song in its own right. Sometimes you'll find yourself going through life feeling without purpose, and to some degree, you'll either be open about it or keep it inside while finding ways or reasons to stay afloat above the darker thoughts. The verses before the final chorus with the loss of the upbeat music may signify opening up as a way, as said before, to find others who feel the same way.

3. RADIOACTIVE

While considering my choices for this list, I had a feeling that the song that gained Imagine Dragons widespread recognition would be included, similar to what "How You Remind Me" was for Nickelback. While "It's Time" was the band's debut single, I think it's the follow up in "Radioactive" that truly set Imagine Dragons apart. I like "It's Time" and understand its sound had more appeal, but "Radioactive" probably should have been the lead single because it brought something unique and was more likely to catch your attention (it did for me at least). Its' foreboding tone accompanies the description of a world unlike our own and a darker one at that. The lyric "Welcome to the new age" works not only in the message of the song but also as the introduction of the band as they bring something new to the mainstream music scene.

2. DEMONS

Much like "Zero", "Demons" is a song about self-worth but more even more so, it's about being afraid to open up. Even good people have darker traits they keep hidden out of fear of how those they care about could be affected by it. They don't want their own darkness to hurt or spread to someone who doesn't deserve that kind of pain. "Demons" does well in capturing the emotions of such a struggle. The lines that resonate most with me are "Don't wanna let you down but I am hell bound" and "Your eyes they shine so bright, I want to save that light." There is a glimmer of hope though of the right person standing beside you in spite of that ("I can't escape this now unless you show me how").

Before my number one, here's some quick honorable mentions of songs I enjoy just as much and/or feel are similar to those on this list: "Ready, Aim, Fire", "Shots", "Believer", and "Bad Liar".

And my favorite Imagine Dragons song is...

WRECKED

Inspired by the death of Dan Reynolds' sister-in-law, "Wrecked" is about how losing someone close can affect you in a way that you may never fully recover, likening it to the wreck of a ship. It's another easily relatable situation, and in my opinion, this is the band's best song. Ironically, everything about "Wrecked" is so well put together. At each stage of the song, the musical composition heightens Reynolds' emotional vocals as the ship metaphor is used perfectly to describe the feelings being conveyed. While there's a silver lining of the song's message in the verses before the final chorus, it's really more about how grief works in a circle; in between the moments of pain, you remember that the person you lost would still want you to live your own life to the fullest along with the hope you'll someday meet again in wherever the journey after life leads next.

Overall, "Wrecked" highlights the complex feelings of loss and is a perfect example of how deep Imagine Dragons can really be.