2009's Best Rock Songs ... So Far

What have been the best rock songs of 2009 thus far? Well, there’s been a little bit of everything: rockers, ballads, tracks from up-and-comers, tunes from established titans, well-known radio smashes, and obscure album cuts that are just begging to be discovered. Here are 2009's top songs to this point.

11.SEETHER (Careless Whisper)

Photo courtesy Wind-Up.

  George Michael hasn’t received the best treatment from rock bands covering his material – let us all pause to remember Limp Bizkit's snarky, tone-deaf cover of “Faith.” But Seether give his old group Wham’s “Careless Whisper” a vigorous, sincere redo. The original was an elegant pop ballad, but Seether turn it into a grunge heartbreaker.

 

10.Disturbed "The Night"

Photo courtesy Reprise.

Disturbed walk the line perfectly between metal and rock, appealing to headbangers while sneaking in melodic choruses that make their songs catnip for radio programmers. “The Night” is a good example of this – booming drums, sawed-off guitar riffs and a slick, shiny chorus all work in unison.

9. Hoobastank "So Close, So Far"

Photo courtesy Island.

Hoobastank  focuses on the sadder aspects of love – frontman Doug Robb seems to be dealing with one bad girlfriend after another on the album. “So Close, So Far” is the big ballad in the vein of their huge 2004 hit, “The Reason,” although thankfully it’s not a note-for-note rewrite. You can roll your eyes, but Hoobastank have a gift for big, emphatic relationship songs that rock fans and soccer moms can both claim as their own.

 

8. Loaded "Sick"

Photo courtesy Century Media.

When old-school Guns 'N' Roses fans imagine what Chinese Domocracy might have sounded like if the original lineup had remained intact, the betting is that it would have come close to “Sick,” the title cut off former GNR bassist Duff McKagan’s most recent album. The song’s 172 seconds are all bad attitude and guitars, guitars, and more guitars – there’s nary a keyboard or bombastic string section to be found.

 

7. Incubus "Black Heart Inertia"

Photo courtesy Epic.

Included as part of a new Incubus greatest-hits collection, “Black Heart Inertia” is much better than your typical best-of throwaway track. To the contrary, “Black Heart Inertia” is an engaging, pop-leaning mid-tempo number that’s a bit of a departure from their normal sound. It’s a love song that’s refreshingly romantic: “You’re a mountain/That I’d like to climb/Not to conquer/But to share in the view.”

 

6. Chris Cornell "Long Gone"

Photo courtesy Interscope.

Hate it or love it, Chris Cornell's scream elicits passionate reactions, although strong album sales haven’t followed in the wake of all that difference of opinion. Still, I think “Long Gone” remains one of the album’s surest shots, a deft blend of Cornell’s booming voice and producer Timbaland's silky pop rhythms. 

5. U2 "Magnificent"

Photo courtesy Interscope.

The first single off No Line on the Horizon, “Get on Your Boots,” divided audiences, but the next single proved to be an across-the-board success. “Magnificent” combines the clanging guitar energy of Achtung Baby with the openhearted romantic fervor of U2s ‘80s work – and yet it sounds remarkably contemporary. As always, the song’s secret weapon is Edge’s fluid, magnificent guitar playing.

 

4. The Answer "Comfort Zone"

Photo courtesy The End.

We haven’t had an epic get-out-your-lighter stadium anthem on the radio this year, but that’s because enough people haven’t heard “Comfort Zone” Hushed guitars in the verses give way to a soaring chorus sung by frontman Cormac Neeson, who just wants a moment with his special someone. Like everything else the Answer do, “Comfort Zone” fondly recalls the broad-chested power of ‘70s arena-rock. This song is a buried gem.

 

3. Eels "Freash Blood"

Photo courtesy Vagrant.

“It felt good,” E of the indie-rock group Eels said in aninterview about the making of “Fresh Blood.” “It had the feeling you want to have when you’re making a new song, like ‘Oh, here’s something new.’” He wasn’t kidding: This Hombre lobo track throbs with desire and is highlighted by a menacing beat and some bloodcurdling howls.

 

2. Green Day "Know Your Enemy"

Photo courtesy Reprise.

At first, “Know Your Enemy” felt like just anotherGreen Day song – solid but not exceptional. But over time, the first single from the muscular 21st Century Breakdown has proven itself to be a pretty fantastic song – one that’s just about impossible to get out of your head. 

1. Kind of Leon "Use Somebody"

Photo courtesy RCA.

Kings of Leon "Only by the Night" dropped in 2008, but “Use Somebody” has made its impact felt this year. A nearly flawless example of mainstream rock writing that nonetheless sounds deeply personal and musically exciting, “Use Somebody” talks about lovers separated by distance, superbly articulating the drag of being a band toiling on the road away from those you care about: “Off in the night/While you live it up I’m off to sleep/Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat.” You can hear the longing in every guitar strum.