The Darkness are a British glam rock band that rose to prominence in 2003 with the release of their certified quadruple platinum debut album Permission to Land.
They quickly generated a buzz in the music industry and became so well renowned for their live shows they were booked to play the iconic London Astoria venue before they had even signed a record deal.
Originally formed by the brother duo of Justin and Dan Hawkins, they recruited bass player Frankie Poullain and high school friend Ed Graham. The Darkness released some of the greatest and most era-defining songs of the early 2000s, taking influence from some of the rock greats.
This article takes a deep dive into the band’s 23-year history, and using a mixture of commercial success, fan opinion, and personal opinion, we’ll be taking a look at the 10 best The Darkness songs of all time.
10 Best The Darkness Songs, Ranked!
10. Solid Gold
“Solid Gold” was the second single from the band’s 2017 album, Pinewood Smile. It brilliantly encapsulates everything that drew fans to the band way back in ‘03, with everything from driving bass and drums to tongue-in-cheek, novelty, sing-a-long lyrics and, of course, the arguably iconic falsetto tones of frontman Justin Hawkins.
The aforementioned sing-a-long lyrics boast about the band’s penchant for, as they put it, sh***ing out Solid Gold in the studio. And whilst it’s clearly meant in jest, it’s hard to disagree with them as you listen to their extensive back catalogue. It’s safe to say the fans agree with me, as you’ll learn very quickly if you ever find yourself taking in a live performance.
9. Heart Explodes
“Heart Explodes” was released in the summer of 2019 as the second single of their sixth studio album, Easter Is Cancelled, and more than anything, it is a fantastic example of the band’s prowess for writing epic love-ish ballads.
It quickly became a fan favourite and has firmly found its place on the gig setlist since its release. It tells a story of a man who’s desperately scrambling to write a love ballad that makes his partner want to stay with him before eventually realising what lies ahead of him. Whilst that doesn’t sound very uplifting, it sits beautifully in the sweet spot between meaningful and funny without taking away from either feeling.
8. Out of My Hands
Now this is where the list takes a slight detour from the commercial success side of the band’s discography and leans more into the self-indulgent personal favourites, but don’t worry, these next two songs will not disappoint new listeners at all!
The first is a B-Side of the song that, let’s face it, you all know is going to be right near the top of this list. “Out of My Hands” is yet another love ballad that takes a slightly different outlook on the subject at hand. This time the narrator takes us on a journey of self-reflection, explaining to his partner the inner turmoil he faces as he struggles to decide whether to stick with the relationship that he feels isn’t fulfilling a need within, or leave her in search of what his heart yearns for.
7. You Don’t Have To Be Crazy About Me….But It Helps
A lot of you will be reading the title of number seven and thinking to yourself, “What on Earth is this guy on about?” but trust me, this song is truly outstanding if you let yourself just sit back and enjoy every minute of its genius detail.
A bonus track from the band’s most recent studio album Motorheart “You Don’t Have To…” blends an infectious jazzy drum beat, funky guitar riff, ludicrous heavy breathing adlibs, lots of cowbell, and wonderfully Darkness lyrics into a three and a half minute experience of everything I’ve ever wanted from a song.
It’s a little bit proggy, a little bit jazzy, very funky, dangerously catchy, and just a delight to listen to. Rufus “Tiger” Taylor channels the best of his father into a perfectly timed performance on the drums. Dan Hawkins melts faces with his fuzzy, distorted guitar work.
I don’t think Justin has ever missed a note in his life, and again . . . whoever had the insane idea to just breathe really quickly into a microphone is a genius and I take my hat off to you, sir.
I’ve already written way too much about the number seven entry on this wonderful list but honestly, just give this song a go if you’ve not heard it before, and thank me later.
6. Barbarian
“One by one the kingdoms fall, they looked upon this aisle and took it all.” is an instantly recognisable quote for any member of The Darkness Army, and I’m sure they will be to you too after you listen to our number six entry Barbarian.
The opening track of the 2015 album, Last of Our Kind, this song does exactly what it says on the tin; it invades, pillages, and slays all its competition whilst also taking the listener on a semi-educational journey to the Norse invasion of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom back in the mid-to-late 800’s.
Now, you’ll be very aware this far into our list that The Darkness don’t just write lyrics about anything, they go for the most ridiculous, outlandish and frankly, down-right insane option, but they ALWAYS make it work. Barbarian is probably the best example of that.
You never knew you needed a song about Norse invasions of 800’s England until now, but you’ll never be the same again, and that spoken word intro will stick in your mind for the rest of time. You’re welcome!
5. One Way Ticket
We’re going back in time now as we reach the upper echelons of our list, not quite as far back as our last entry but not far off. One Way Ticket was the title track and first single of The Darkness’ second studio album One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back.
There was a lot of pressure on the band to follow up on the success that their debut effort brought them, and for a multitude of reasons, they fell short, but that’s not to say this is a bad album. In fact, this song is a major part of the band’s live arsenal, usually taking pride of place as the song that welcomes the band back on stage from their mid-concert break.
The song is very on the nose, if you’ll pardon the expression, with its references to cocaine use and addiction, which were very real problems for Justin at the time. Even in the state he was in, him and his bandmates managed to write a timeless classic that is still well-loved within the fanbase nearly twenty years after the fact. And they did all that whilst still finding time to have pan flutes be the first thing you hear.
4. Growing On Me
Growing On Me was the second single released from the band’s mega-successful debut album Permission To Land; you’ll see a theme starting to emerge soon. It rocketed up the charts peaking at number 11, and it’s easy to see why when you listen to it.
Like a lot of the band’s music, this is very much a tongue-in-cheek, hard rock take on a love song with potential innuendos plenty. One thing this song does really well for me is highlight Justin’s ability to squeeze as many syllables into a song as possible and still make it such an earworm and so simple, yet rewarding to sing along too.
3. Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)
Yes, it is on the list. I know there would have been a few people clicking on this, wondering if we’d include the band’s incredibly successful festive tune. Of course we did! We had to! It’s widely regarded as one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time and still gets constant playtime twenty Christmases later.
Sure, it was only written as a ploy for Justin to sing some naughty phrases live on Top of The Pops, but it’s The Darkness! That’s what they do, they take a normal topic like Christmas and turn it upside down by adding asinine innuendos, thumping drums, heartbreak, and an incredible Dan Hawkins Solo. The Norfolk outfit blends their brand of glam rock with sleigh bells, a children’s choir, and a singing robot to craft a timeless classic that Christmas isn’t complete without.
2. Love Is Only A Feeling
Obviously, the number one spot was only ever going to one song, but the other nine spots were very much open. The sheer multitude of outstanding songs The Darkness have written in their 20+ years is often overlooked. This list chopped and changed even after I’d started writing it, but Love Is Only A Feeling simply had to be in the top 3. Some could even say it’s the hipster’s choice for number one, not that The Darkness is particularly big in the hipster scene, but that’s beside the point.
This song, yet again from the Permission To Land album, is iconic. The opening riff isn’t one you forget after you hear it once. Lyrically it’s the best example of Justin showing off his incredible vocabulary and ability to include words like scudded or systematically that just don’t feel like they belong in rock music. Even if the rock music in question is a surprisingly poignant ballad about the fact that love isn’t the be-all and end-all of life.
1. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
Here it is, the magnum opus, the “Greatest Song of the Century (so far)” if you believe Classic Rock Magazine and honestly, I think I do.
It’s almost certainly the reason you know The Darkness, and it’s probably safe to say it’s one of the main reasons the band has earned so many accolades over their career, especially the three BRIT Awards, Ivor Novello Songwriting Award and MTV Europe Music Award that they raked in throughout 2004.
There’s not really much more you can say about it. You knew it was going to be number one because it’s simply the best song The Darkness has ever written or released, and it’s hard to see them toppling it anytime soon.
It’s a timeless masterpiece that perfectly reflects the rock music of the era. The intro riff is iconic, the lyrics embed themselves into your memory after a single listen and it has three killer guitar solos, yes . . . THREE!
10 Best The Darkness Songs – Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this look through the best The Darkness songs. They are undoubtedly an epic band who have produced some amazing hits over the years. If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out some of our others, such as the 10 Best Avenged Sevenfold Songs. Have a great day!