Terrible Top 10s #6: Most Iconic Nu Metal Songs

Hello music fans, and welcome back to this blog for another epic top 10 post! It's been sort of a while since I last did one, so for that reason, I am doing a top 10 post on iconic nu metal songs! I am really excited to do this as I am a huge fan of the genre. So let's do it!



INTRODUCTION

This may be weird, but I am going to introduce this post with a short life story. So about two years ago, I was around the peak of my trap-loving phase, and you know, all I listened to was Migos, Future, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and others of their kind. One Friday at school, I was thinking about fans of other genres and what they would be like, and metal was one of them. I got fascinated thinking about it and even came to a consensus that liking extreme music of that kind might be interesting to experiment with, so when I got home from school that day, I tried my best to start listening to some heavy metal music. I tried a Spotify playlist of newer metal tracks at first, but after about five minutes I decided that what Spotify called old school metal would be better. That playlist had artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Iron Maiden in it, and I listened to it when I was going with my dad to get pizza that night. I even had told him about my plan, and he thought it was cool, but somehow after that I lost my motivation to continue getting into that genre. There was also another instance not long after this when I was in the car with my dad and he had the radio turned to the active rock station. They were playing the nu metal classic "Last Resort" by Papa Roach, and just one second of it made me think that this was more of that heavy metal stuff. My dad told me the song title and artist, and I just thought that Papa Roach sounded like a sort of interesting extreme metal band that I may or may not get into. That only taste of rock radio I had floated in my mind for a few months, and when I rediscovered songs like that months later, it was kind of cool.

So the moral of that story? If I could go back to that day and tell my 13-year-old self one thing about music, it would be to dig deep down into the subgenre of nu metal. Nu metal is a very interesting genre that blends heavy rock music with other styles like hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. It is often based around heavy guitar riffs despite having a very wide variety of influences. A common misconception is that nu metal is just a fancy term for rap rock or rap metal, and while a huge portion of nu metal is also rap rock, nu metal also includes bands that combine an alternative metal sound with influences like grunge. Bands like Staind, Godsmack, Evanescence, Hoobastank, and A Perfect Circle have been cited as nu metal despite a lack of hip-hop influences in their sound, so just take away that nu metal is not rap rock. But I still would have told my 13-year-old self about this subgenre because a huge portion of it does involve rapping over metal riffs, and I guarantee you that my 13-year-old self would have loved that. So yeah, that was a big long, but a good way to introduce this list. This is what I think are the most iconic songs from the nu metal genre. These are NOT my favorite nu metal songs of all time, these are the ones that I think influenced and defined the genre the most. I love all of these songs, but these aren't my favorite nu metal songs, but more of what I think the most iconic ones are. In other words, if you're looking to get into nu metal because you think it sounds cool (which I can confirm it does), then you're in the right place. And I am presenting them in alphabetical order, so they are not ordered from least iconic to most iconic. Enough talking, let's get started!

1. Slipknot - Before I Forget
Slipknot is one of those bands that I can't really pick out one signature song from. There were some earlier songs of theirs like "Wait and Bleed" that were fan favorites, then other rock hits like "Duality", "Psychosocial", and this. I picked this not only because it's my personal favorite, but because I think it represents the nu metal sound the best. And it had commercial success, which is also good. As for the song itself, it doesn't have that super heavy and deadly sound that a lot of Slipknot songs do. I don't mind those type of songs, but I prefer the more friendly sounding ones. This song starts out with a cool guitar riff, and after a few measures it goes into a verse that kicks off the nu metal feel of this song. I wouldn't necessarily call it rapping, but it's kind of a thing that vocalist Corey Taylor does in verses like that sometimes. When it kind of seems to switch up going into the chorus, I enjoy it. Taylor did a great job on that chorus and the song wouldn't be the same without it. In fact, while we're on the topic of that, let me just drop this in here:



Icony, huh? I thought so. I don't necessarily recommend this song or this band for someone just getting into nu metal, but once you've got through the basics and think you're ready for something big to hit, then try this or "Duality" out. They should be cool.

2. Drowning Pool - Bodies
If anyone pulls up in my presence and calls Drowning Pool a one hit wonder because of this song, then we are going to have some serious problems. But I picked this song to be on the list because I do think it is the best one. I am going to review Sinner sometime in the near future, so I will save a lot of my thoughts for that. But I will say this: If you have heard or seen any memes that have a whispering voice that says, "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor...", then it comes from this song. After that short intro with that whispering, which I do think is good, it kicks right into the good stuff. One of the first noticeable things is how singer Dave Williams shows his talent almost right away. He sounds great throughout pretty much the whole song. The rest of the band brings the energy alongside that, and by the time the chorus hits, it's just one big masterpiece. Unlike "Before I Forget", I think this song is a somewhat good nu metal starter, but I would wait before listening to the album. I promise I will talk about this album in a separate post, but for now just understand how iconic this song is.

3. System of a Down - Chop Suey!
Personally, I am not the biggest System of a Down fan, as I think a lot of their music is pretty all over the place, but you still have to admit that they did a lot to the nu metal subgenre and the rock world in general. This is likely my favorite song of theirs because it sounds the most normal out of everything of theirs I've heard. But that's not why I put it on this list. I put it on this list because I think it represents the nu metal genre very well, both musically and commercially. It has a good build-up in the beginning that gets you hooked, and the changing styles and sections throughout the song keep you that way. This was the first System of a Down song I heard, and I'm glad it was because this was the most popular and the most loved out of them. I don't think it's a good nu metal starter song, but as you go on it is good to hear. Not much else to say about this one.

4. Saliva - Click Click Boom
Here's a song that not many people like. I can kind of see why, but as a nu metal fan, it's hard to agree with those people. This song just has pretty much everything I like to hear in it. It clicks on and brings heat almost right away, and it keeps it when it needs to be present. I haven't done much research on the lyrics, and while I know they're not supposed to be serious, it just seems like a story about singer Josey Scott or anybody when they were younger, as you can tell from the first verse. When it gets into the chorus, you can really tell it's just for fun. If you know a thing or two about the nu metal subgenre, you may know that it does have its group of fans, but most other people do not come around to it and don't see why people enjoy it. This song is a perfect example of something that falls into that category, at least in my opinion. It's not for everyone, but it is for some people. If you were like my 13-year-old self and is a rap fan looking for something similar that may not have necessarily been loved, then here you go.

5. Disturbed - Down With The Sickness
General music fans and chart fanatics may have heard of Disturbed from their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" that was a hit a couple of years ago. However, if you want to be a nu metal fan, then get that out of your head. I did, and it helped me, so you should do the same. I didn't think that cover was bad, but Disturbed has so many great songs that it overshadows that so much. There's "Stupify", "Liberate", "Remember", "Stricken", "The Night", "Inside The Fire", and this, which is often considered the most iconic of those. It does so much in the time that it runs for, and it leaves me at least somewhat shook after every listen (and I've listened to this about 80 times so I know what I'm talking about). It starts off with a drum beat and quiet guitar riff that makes the song sound pretty passive, but at about the thirty second mark, you hear the first "OH-WAA-AAH-AAH-AAH!", and everything falls into place from there. I feel like this song and this band are good examples of why nu metal and rap rock are not the same thing. This is definitely not a rap-influenced song and Disturbed is not a rap-influenced band, yet they did so much to make the nu metal subgenre what it is. I love this song and love this band, and although they seem hated among regular metalheads they are just what I need.







boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
GO!

6. Korn - Freak On a Leash
Most rock fans know Korn as one of the defining nu metal bands of the late 90s and early 2000s. However, there was a time when I just wasn't sure what they were thinking because I did not think that Korn should be considered as a nu metal band. I'm not sure why, I guess they just didn't have the vibe that bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park had. Looking back, I can see what my old self was thinking, and while I definitely wouldn't consider every single thing Korn has done as nu metal, their stuff they put out during the subgenre's peak was pretty nu metal in my opinion. I debated on whether to use this song or "Falling Away From Me" for this list. I almost used "Falling Away From Me" because it sounds way more like a nu metal song than this to me, but this is often considered as Korn's signature song and one of the songs that helped nu metal rise to prominence, and this list isn't really based off of my opinion, so I went with this. "Falling Away From Me" is probably my favorite Korn song, but this song got it all started for me because of how cool it is to get into. It has this funky kind of vibe that captures your attention from the very start, and I feel like the choruses and bridge keep it from being boring for me. I feel it's hard to explain, so I guess you have to listen to see the deal. But let me just say that I've come to be a pretty big Korn fan, and if I didn't hear this song then I might not be as big of one.

7. Trapt - Headstrong
This song was released in 2002, but it's the second youngest song on this list. ("Before I Forget" was released as a single in early 2005, which makes it the youngest) I guess that shows how long it's been since nu metal was at its peak, and how big of a downfall it made. Anyways, I've been really familiar with this song for well over a year now, and I loved it from the first listen. I can't remember how I discovered it, but however it happened, I'm glad it did. In fact, this song was a huge crossover hit, peaking at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ultimately becoming the 49th biggest song of 2003 according to Billboard. It was also a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. I can see people calling Trapt a one hit wonder due to this being their only big crossover song, but they do have a couple decent songs they made after abandoning the nu metal sound in the mid 2000s, with "Bring It" being the best one in my opinion. It's not nearly as hard and angry as songs like this, so you can check that out if you want, though this is the one that ended up defining their career. I don't know why it was such a big mainstream hit, just because of the angry, heavy nature behind it, but hey, it is what it is, and I won't complain. This is not one of my all-time favorite nu metal songs but I do enjoy it quite a bit.

8. Linkin Park - In The End
I won't go too much into this song since I've talked about it on this blog already, but it is one of my all-time favorite songs and probably my favorite song on this list. I love Linkin Park with a pretty big passion, and they have so many songs that are high tier and always fun to listen to. This is like the grandfather of all of them. Not only was it their most commercially successful song, but it is also considered the most iconic. And one listen is probably all it takes to see why. It has great rapping, great singing, great instrumentation and production, and very well written lyrics. There are lots of great songs on Hybrid Theory, and if this one really stands out when compared to the rest of the songs, then that says something. As I previously mentioned, I won't say much more since this isn't my first time discussing it here, but this really is nothing but greatness, and it did a great job in representing the rock world on mainstream radio and charts.







CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES

THIS IS MY LAST RESORT

9. Papa Roach - Last Resort
This is just me, but I have a hard time imagining a big nu metal fan that isn't in love with early stuff from Papa Roach. Everything released after Infest and lovehatetragedy is not really nu metal in my opinion, but those two albums, especially the former, are nu metal essentials for everyone. And this is really what got this band's popularity started. In fact, if you really don't mind cool kid-type rock music, then stop what you're doing and listen to this song now. (Just don't listen to the squeaky-clean version, I put that there as a joke) You may have heard it before because it was a really popular song, but if you haven't, this is a good chance to indulge yourself in it. This band really had rocked the world with this song and album, which is cool to think about. Lyrics and references to it can be found in lots of places, in memes, video games, and even Roblox skins:



That's all pretty impressive for a song about suicide, which not everyone may like to hear. It peaked at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, which I think is pretty good for a hard rock song. Even better, it was a top 3 hit in the UK, and their debut album Infest was certified 3x platinum with the help of this song's success. And again, for a song of this kind I think that's pretty good. I'm glad it got this popular because it really is a great song, and it probably got so many people into listening to nu metal, which is also cool. I don't know if this is my favorite Papa Roach song, because songs like "Between Angels and Insects", "Scars", "Forever", "...To Be Loved", and "Lifeline" exist. However, there will probably never be a time when listening to this won't be fun for me.

10. Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
When many people first see or hear something about Limp Bizkit, only negative things come to mind. That's because not very many people seem to like this band. I can't exactly explain why because I do enjoy their music, but it's hard to get that across to their haters because of how passionate they are about their opinions. This is the first Limp Bizkit song I ever heard, and I loved it from the very first listen. It even remains in my top 50 most played tracks (according to last.fm) to this day. I think the mix of hard rock and rap works very well on this song, and hearing Fred Durst spit the energetic chorus over Wes Borland's heavy guitar is always satisfying to me. The whole white guy rapping thing may be part of why this band is so hated, but I really don't mind it. If you can't stand this band and don't know why they got so popular, I respect your opinion, but just realize that the nu metal genre may not have been so popular without the success of them and other similar bands. And yes, that means that mainstream bands like Linkin Park and Papa Roach and some of their successors may not have been so popular without the initial nu metal boost made by bands like Limp Bizkit in the late 90s. Despite how much it seems like I love this song, it's not my favorite from this band, and I won't reveal my favorite yet because I hope to do a top 10 post on these guys eventually. But if you don't mind having an unpopular opinion and want to try something new, then check this out, and it may be your thing. I'm glad I did.







And that wraps up this top 10 post! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it, and don't forget: If you ever feel like my 13-year-old self did at the point I described, then this subgenre is for you. Or if you just think any of these songs sound cool to you, you can listen to them using the YouTube embeds that I placed when presenting each song. You may like them, you may not. But giving nu metal a try may not hurt you.

Also, before I sign off, I want to advertise that I am going to do a Q&A on this blog sometime in the future, and you guys will ask the questions. If you have anything you want to ask me, music related or not, you can ask me using this form, and I will answer your questions in a future post. There's no real deadline to send them, so if you have one in mind, send it as soon as you can. Just nothing too weird, disgusting, creepy, or personal. (I've already had to throw out three questions because of that so watch out) That is all I have for you, thanks again and have a great day!

Random Post #2: Discovering New Music...

Hey everyone! I'm bored right now and it's been a while since I last posted, so I'm doing this post just for fun. The title seems very vague, but I will have a lot to say about that title in this post. Let's get to it!



INTRODUCTION

Most of you reading this probably know what it's like to be a real music fanatic at this point. You listen to music all the time and love jamming out to your favorite songs and artists. But often times, you're stuck asking yourself this question: "How can I discover new music?" Well, in this post, I will not only give advice for discovering new music, but I will also talk about my own experiences and how I came to discover a lot of my favorite music, which can be an inspiration to everyone out there who is stuck on just what the heck you can listen to. And I've certainly been there, which should make me even more qualified to do this. So if you're unsure on methods of discovering new music and want some help, you're in the right place. Hopefully I don't screw up. So yeah, hope you enjoy.



MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH DISCOVERING NEW MUSIC

Okay, so I think starting this post off with some life stories that have to do with this topic should be good. But in case you don't know much about me, here's some background info: I've been a big music listener and fan for almost four years now, and it all started around May or June 2015 (I was about 11 at that time) when my friend would turn on my local top 40 radio station while we would play video games together. He knew all of the songs and would often sing along to them when they came on. During the time when he was visiting (he lives 5 or 6 hours away from me so he stays for a few days when he visits), I got more and more attached to this pop radio, probably just because I had never heard a station like that before (when I was younger, my Christian mom only let me listen to the Christian stations probably because she didn't want me hearing a lot of the stuff on pop radio). After he left, I would spend pretty much all of my spare time listening to my local pop station and also things like the American Top 40 station, and it didn't take me long to discover Spotify from there. Being able to pick what songs I could listen to was like heaven for me, and I just spent even more time listening to the songs I liked from the radio on that. But when I realized how much music was out there was when I first took up the music discovering processes I sometimes use today.

Strangely enough, I didn't think too much to use the Internet when wanting to find new music to listen to, so I just went off on my own trying to find my new favorite songs and artists. I found out that I had to know what forms and genres I wanted to discover. The first thing I thought to find was rap music because it seemed that was what everyone at my school was listening to (this was around the beginning of my 6th grade year), and I thought it may be cool to try to take up rapping myself. I had heard before about big-name rap artists like Eminem and Drake, so it didn't take long for me to find a lot of songs from people like them that I loved. Following that was a short new pop music phase, and then my trap phase hit me hard. I certainly regret having that phase due to me thinking of my 13-year-old self as screwed up because of it, but one thing I did get out of it was music discovering methods. I knew what artists and genres I liked, so I just used Spotify to know what songs and artists from those genres were trending. I would find an artist that was supposedly similar to my faves or just trending in the trap world, so I just listened to a song or two from them, and that worked out perfectly. I still do that a lot to this day; in fact, I just did last night with some artists I knew were similar to my current rotation. It may seem risky, but I promise it does work.

Now let's go back to the summer of 2017, which was smack dab in the middle of my stupid teenager trap phase. I was encouraged to do an online game involving the 100 most popular songs of the 2000s, according to Billboard. I had to get familiar with all 100 songs, and then rank them from favorite to least favorite. But forget the ranking part. I didn't get crap out of that. I did get crap out of indulging myself in these songs. It was my first time in a pretty long while getting exposed to music that I wasn't used to hearing, and in this case, real music. There were some rap songs I got attached to, but there was also pop, rock, and even a little bit of country. I was getting attached to a lot of the rock stuff the most, and for once in my life I felt comfortable listening to that stuff around trap fans in school (by this point I had just started 8th grade). I did get that feeling out of doing this, but I also got a new music discovering tool for my tool box: Listening through charts or lists of successful songs.

Flash-forward to about a year later, which was actually last September. I had started high school at a pretty different school without all those unintelligent trap fans. I knew that that was my chance to really go where I wanted to go with music discovering. So I started a campaign where I would listen to the top 25 songs of every alternative chart from the previous year (2017) to 1999 (except I listened to the full '99 chart for another ranking game). I would put all of the songs I listened to in a playlist that I would then pick favorites out of. (And if you're wondering why I chose alternative, it's because I thought it would sound really good on my new headphones) I kind of look back at it now as a small failure, but it did lead me to discover many great bands from doing it, including Foo Fighters, Incubus, The Offspring, A Perfect Circle, and (cue the booing) Limp Bizkit. I don't think I'd use that exact method of discovering just because it didn't do as much as I wanted it to for me, but it did lead me to another common discovering method: Listening to albums.

I had never been much of an album person before this time. Unless it was one I had already listened to 20 times somehow, I usually got really bored when listening to them. But that changed one day towards the end of last September. I was really into listening to a then-strange band called The Offspring for some reason. They had quite a few songs I liked that I discovered through the chart-listening thing I did. Three of them, which were "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)", "The Kids Aren't Alright", and "Why Don't You Get a Job?" came off of one supposedly good album called Americana. I thought, "Hey, why don't I try listening to this? It shouldn't be too boring considering how upbeat a couple of these songs are." So I did. And it seemed to be pretty enjoyable for me, so I went on to another one that had the jam "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" on it. It was called Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. I didn't think it stood out as much as Americana, but I liked it as well, and even decided to add "Hammerhead" from it to my rock playlist. That Offspring binge kicked off a whole album phase for me that lasted way longer than I thought it would. I listened to entire discographies of artists I had already loved and discovered from the previous method, though the immediate effects only brought four songs for my playlist: "Monkey Wrench" from the Foo Fighters' The Colour and the Shape, "Bullets" from Creed's Weathered, "Riot" from Three Days Grace's One-X, and another Offspring song called "Original Prankster". I did get my huge and powerful love for The Offspring out of doing that, but when I realized I could listen to a lot of these albums on my own time, it gave me albums for that, too. So nowadays when I find myself enjoying hour-long albums from Avenged Sevenfold, I thank myself from that time for stepping out of my comfort zone to discover more.

You'd think doing all of that would cook up a big storm, but I think I was wrong. That winter, my music discovering journey seemed to hit a dead end. I had just listened to whole alternative charts that gave me a love for bands like Godsmack, Papa Roach, Breaking Benjamin, Korn, Disturbed, and Shinedown, but by the end of that month I had no motivation or direction for getting more listening music in my arsenal. I took to music servers on Discord for advice. The first piece I got was to take what Spotify gives you. That made sense to me, because after all Spotify does make a huge effort in recommending you music they think you'll like. They have this playlist called Discover Weekly that they update every week with 30 songs they think you'll like, and this dude told me it was "flames" and that it was good for discovering music. And looking back, I do not regret taking his advice. I don't listen to it as much as I used to, but it does give me a great song or two when I need one. It is good for getting into new artists as well. And that pretty much takes us to the present day, where I am just a 15-year-old rock-head who is always finding great new rock songs and bands to listen to. I know this section was pretty long, but we're getting to the fun part, trust me.



HOW TO DISCOVER?

So all of me talking about how I discovered a lot of my favorite music comes down to this question: How can any average music can discover music that they will like and want to listen to? Well, the following paragraphs should be packed with discovering methods and advice for finding stuff you like. I will try not to include methods that I have not tried or have not gotten much out of, so all of these should work for at least someone. It doesn't matter which one(s) you start with, just whatever works for you I guess. So here is the general advice and some methods that should work for you.



GENERAL ADVICE FOR DISCOVERING

1. Know what you want to discover. Not knowing what kind of music you want to discover is like driving to a place you've never been to or seen without a map or GPS: It's really hard and will probably take a while to find the place. It works the same way with discovering new music. If you don't know what you want to discover, you're going to have a very hard time getting progress. Just knowing what genre you like or want to get into is a good start. But knowing what type of charts or what era of music you want to know also works. Just have at least a little bit of a game plan. You don't need too much.

2. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. If I didn't do this, then I would still be that annoying trap teenager I was 2 years ago. It feels weird at first, but it won't be long before it does become part of your comfort zone. If there's something you think you may like but you don't know if you will, please do not hesitate.

3. It's good to discover, but don't over-discover. I actually made this mistake right after I started listening to stuff Spotify recommended to me. As a result, I couldn't keep up with everything I had discovered and added to my playlists that I pretty much had to listen to playlists with a bunch of songs I'm not too familiar with, which often times isn't good for me. I had to take a long break from discovering music after that, which wasn't too fun. So please watch yourself and try not to make this mistake.

4. Take what your streaming service gives you. I already mentioned this one, but this does help. Spotify is a great service that has personalized mixes and playlists, but lots of services have top songs playlists for many eras and genres that can be very good for someone who is looking for new stuff to listen to. If you don't take advantage of this, then you're missing out.

5. Music and reviewing websites can be your friend. When you see a critic or general person mention that a certain song, album, or artist is good, they are likely not wrong. Even YouTube videos are good for this type of thing because they play samples of these songs right in front of you. Also, along with this, try not to listen to negativity that comes from critics and websites. You don't need to prevent yourself from listening to things because critics say they suck.



EFFECTIVE METHODS FOR DISCOVERING MUSIC

1. Listen through charts of genres and eras you like or want to discover. This helped me a lot in getting more into rock music and I plan to do this with more active rock charts this summer. Just try to actively listen to whatever song comes up, and if you like it, save it to your library or add it to your playlist so you can keep listening to it.

2. Listen to albums. It may seem boring since a lot of albums can be boring, but you will quickly get used to it. Have a few go-to albums that you can queue up and listen to at any time. What albums you listen to don't matter as long as you think you may enjoy them enough that you can listen to them any time.

3. Use streaming services and recommendation sites to your advantage. I talked about this in number four of the last list, but taking what your streaming service gives you is a great way to find something new to listen to. And I mentioned music reviewing websites right after that. Another thing is to use websites like last.fm that give you recommendations based on what you listen to. It's a really cool site that I really enjoy using. You can look at my profile here if you wish.

4. What I like to call the "just because" method. This is when you pick out an artist or a song you have heard is similar to stuff you like, and you queue a lot of different things up just because. I have discovered lots of my favorite songs and artists over the years from doing this, and that's because it really does work. For example, if you wanted to try getting into post-grunge, you would go find out some of the most influential post-grunge artists, and just pick out a couple songs from each of them to listen to. And you can find what you like and go from there. It also helps with stepping out of your comfort zone, which makes it an all-around good way to find good music.

5. YouTube videos! By this, I mean videos that show charts or genre-specific songs and play 10-15 second samples of them. When I do this, I have my phone right in front of me ready to search up a song to save if I like what I heard from it. It is quick and it is effective, as these videos are not hard to find.

6. Listen to the radio. After all, that is how I came to be a music fan. Your city probably has radio stations for pretty much any genre, and you can discover lots of great stuff from there. The Music Choice channels you get from cable TV work as well.

7. Ask other people. Whether in real life or over the Internet, other people can be a great source of great new music. A good option is to find someone who has a similar taste to you, or join an online community of people who are a lot like you. These people will more than likely know at least a great song or two that you don't know, and by using them you can quickly get a bunch of new songs for your playlist. What I like to do is trade recommendations with people, which means I give them a song or album recommendation that I think they'd like, and then I ask them to give me something in return, that way we're both benefiting from the process. This is also here to let you know that if you want to know more rock songs of any kind, then feel free to ask me and I can help you out.



TOO LONG? DIDN'T WANT TO READ?

Here's a summary of all I've said in this post: All music fans should love discovering new music, but often times we don't know how. But there are many different ways of doing this. You can listen through charts or albums, or be wise and take what your streaming service gives you. The "just because" method I previously explained also works out great, as well as asking other people, listening to the radio, and watching YouTube videos with compilations of song samples in them. Some things to remember as you discover include knowing what you want to find, being open to trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone, and not overloading with stuff you're not as familiar with. If you ever hit a discovering rut and don't know how to get out of it, then just check back here for advice and you're good to go!



FINAL WORDS

And that brings this post to an end. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed making it. (And for the record, yes, I did enjoy making this) If you have any questions or want recommendations, then feel free to talk to me and ask me. You can comment here or use a site like Discord to talk. And if you have any recommendations for me, please share them because I am very open to listening to them. But that's all for now, and I'll see you all next time! Have a great life! :D

Crappy Chart Reviews #2: SiriusXM Hits 1 Weekend Countdown (2016)

So, I got a request from Chasetrovicii to review a SiriusXM Hits 1 Weekend Countdown, and I thought that would be a good idea. I haven't reviewed anything related to Hits 1 in a while, so I think this should be fun. However, I have been pretty busy lately and don't have time to go through a weekend chart, so I will look at their year-end chart for 2016 because it's one of the ones I'm most familiar with. I hope that's sufficient for the suggestor. Anyways, no need for an introduction because I kind of just gave one. Let's do this!




REVIEW

45. "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I remember hearing this song on the radio all the time back in late 2015 and early 2016. I liked hearing it on there because I thought the song was catchy and well-produced. I'm glad that Shawn Mendes got so popular because he is talented.

44. "Hymn For The Weekend" by Coldplay and Beyonce
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Although Hits 1 apparently played the SeeB remix of this song, I am basing this off of the original because it's the one I am more familiar with. I loved the original from the very first listen and still do to this day. Probably not Coldplay's best, but I am impressed with how good it is considering how late in their career it was released.

43. "Roses" by The Chainsmokers and ROZES
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This song is weird, but I enjoy it. The Chainsmokers make some good EDM music and they are the main reason why this appeals to me.

42. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Yay, more Shawn Mendes! I don't stan him or anything, but I'd much rather see him on 2016 charts than some lazy, overrated trap music. Camila Cabello is great on this song as well.

41. "Same Old Love" by Selena Gomez
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Some people were not huge fans of Selena's music from this era, but I didn't mind it. This song sounds very similar to "Havana" by Camila Cabello to me, and I guess that's a good thing because it could have paved the way for "Havana" to be as good as it is. I don't know. But I do think this song is decent.

40. "Into You" by Ariana Grande
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I was really into this at one point, and my love for it hasn't really decreased any. I don't know what it is, it's just so fun and upbeat. This is what I like to hear from Ariana rather than stuff like "7 rings".

39. "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber
Rating: 6.5/10
Comments: I like it, but I think it is kind of overrated. It was Billboard's #1 song of 2016, which I don't really agree with, but it's better than a boring trap song, I guess.

38. "Let It Go" by James Bay
Rating: 5/10
Comments: I have mixed thoughts about this one. Part of me thinks it sounds okay, but a bigger part doesn't find it as pleasing to the ear. It's certainly not bad, but it's also hard to call it good. I don't know what it is.

37. "Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I actually listened to 1989 in full a couple weeks ago. It was a great album that I could do a full post on in the future if anyone wanted it. All of the many singles were great, and this is no exception. The production is great and Taylor sounds just as great. I wish I was into it more when it was popular.

36. "Girls Talk Boys" by 5 Seconds of Summer
Rating: 7/10
Comments: I don't remember this band's songs from around this time too well, but this was pretty decent from what I remember. But I think I preferred their more recent hit "Want You Back".

35. "Youth" by Troye Sivan
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I was sort of into this song when it was popular, and I tend to forget about that. This isn't quite as good as songs like "My My My!" but I like the background music in this one a lot.

34. "One Call Away" by Charlie Puth
Rating: 6/10
Comments: I think Charlie Puth is very talented, but this song is pretty boring. His vocals kind of keep it from being something not worth listening to, although it's still nothing I would look forward to going back to.

33. "Confident" by Demi Lovato
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Wow, I've gone back and remembered a lot of talented singers from this time now. Demi has a ton of good songs and this is a good example of what she can do. I always seem to forget about how good she is, although I wish I couldn't.

32. "Stand By You" by Rachel Platten
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Wow, I've gone back and remembered a lot of talented singers from this time now. [2] I liked "Fight Song" but I prefer this for sure.

31. "In The Night" by The Weeknd
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Not the best song off of Beauty Behind The Madness, as that probably goes to "Can't Feel My Face". But I think it's good, he sounds great as usual.

30. "Drag Me Down" by One Direction
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I wish these guys would get back together in an attempt to pull everyone away from the dangers of rap flooding the charts. This song spent a week at the top spot of Hits 1's weekend countdown, which is good considering what music had usually been like. Both the vocals and production shine a lot on this track, something that is common with this band. If you have not heard a song by One Direction and want something kind of recent, I recommend this. It's really cool.

29. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" by Adele
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I actually had to listen to this song for a listening assignment in music class a couple months ago. I kind of forgot that it existed until then. I had it on Spotify for a fair amount of time so I obviously thought it was good, but I may have liked it more a couple months ago than I did in 2016. It's just catchy and the instruments work well together.

28. "History" by One Direction
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: This feels like nothing compared to how good I thought "Drag Me Down" was. In fact, it seems a bit different from 1D's average style. It worked pretty well to me, although songs like "Drag Me Down" remain superior.

27. "No" by Meghan Trainor
Rating: 8/10
Comments: This song was hated by all sorts of music critics out there. While I certainly don't think it's bad, the lyrics and the tone of the song are a bit cringe-worthy. But aside from that, it sounds kind of catchy, and I think Trainor is a good vocalist. I think her 15 minutes of fame have passed, but I didn't mind hearing this song on the radio a lot when it was popular.

26. "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors
Rating: 5/10
Comments: I really liked "Renegades", but this didn't appeal to me all that much. The vocals weren't as good and it didn't have too much of a punch to it. It's just not really for me.

25. "Closer" by The Chainsmokers and Halsey
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I know a few songs called "Closer", but this is hands-down the best one. It has great vocals by both artists, and an amazing EDM production that this duo is always capable of. I'm glad it was so successful because it deserved it.

24. "7 Years" by Lukas Graham
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This song got quite a bit of hate for various reasons, but other than the vocals, which I don't think are the best, this song is pretty much flawless. The story told in the song is interesting and lots of fun to hear. This song should not be so hated, it really is not that bad.

23. "Sorry" by Justin Bieber
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I personally think this is a lot better than "Love Yourself". The vocals are better and it is a whole lot more fun (thanks to Skrillex for that). It was a pretty big hit but I would replace this with "Love Yourself" as the #1 song of 2016 if I could.

22. "Work From Home" by Fifth Harmony and Ty Dolla $ign
Rating: 10/10
Comments: The lyrics in this song are extremely cringy, as I assume it means that the girl wants her boyfriend to work at home so they can have sex there. Or maybe the "work" she is talking about means sex. Just something to do with that. But that aside, this song is fun for me. I like the vocals, and the production isn't too much but it makes the song sound cool. I don't mind Ty Dolla $ign's part too much but it doesn't make much of a difference to me. Good song, though.

21. "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots
Rating: 6/10
Comments: I'm pretty surprised that Hits 1 would be in love with a band like this. People often consider Twenty One Pilots an emo band, and this song is a good example of how dark they can get. This song is weird for sure, but I guess it's not bad.

20. "Just Like Fire" by P!nk
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Another talented singer pulls up to the list. I like it. P!nk's talent plus that awesome production makes for a pretty fly song. I kind of miss hearing stuff like this.

19. "Hands To Myself" by Selena Gomez
Rating: 7/10
Comments: This is one of my least favorite Selena Gomez songs although it isn't bad. It has good parts and it has not-so-good parts. The good parts are what I like to hear from her, and vice versa. The song is overall decent, I guess.

18. "This Is What You Came For" by Calvin Harris and Rihanna
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The drop in this is pretty underwhelming, which is a huge drawback for me because that build-up is awesome. But everything else shines so much. The newer Calvin Harris isn't as bad as I remembered because this song has a lot of good qualities in it.

17. "Irresistible" by Fall Out Boy and Demi Lovato
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Another emo band that Hits 1 somehow likes. But I won't complain. I liked this song a lot when it was big. The original is great enough, but the Demi Lovato version brings more talent and more heat, and I'm glad that one was popular.

16. "Pillowtalk" by Zayn Malik
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: Here's another instance of a solo artist's music being quite a bit different from the one they did with their band. I don't know how to describe this song because it sounds kind of funky and abnormal. Zayn's vocals are great, however, which make it a good listen.

15. "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I had mixed feelings on this one when I first heard it, but now I think I have come to a consensus that I enjoy it. The chorus is really the good part for me, I don't know why, I just enjoy that.

14. "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" by Mike Posner and SeeB
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I totally forgot that this song existed until now! I remember discovering it before it blew up, and I'm glad I did because seeing it be a big hit made me glad. I wish we had more music like this out nowadays.

13. "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes
Rating: 9.5/10
Comments: The vocals on this track really get me into it. The guitars are good too.

12. "Hello" by Adele
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I remember the day this song came out, when it blew up and broke some Internet records. I think Adele has a great voice in this song, which is why I love it. Some of the records this song set have probably been broken by now, but at least this song seemed to make the mark that it should have.

11. "New Romantics" by Taylor Swift
Rating: 10/10
Comments: It's so cool how an album released in 2014 still had singles going strong two years later. Shows how good people, including me, thought it was. This isn't one of the best ones but I don't mind it being a single because it does sound really cool.

10. "Sit Still, Look Pretty" by Daya
Rating: 6/10
Comments: Meh.

9. "Victorious" by Panic! At The Disco
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I had to re-listen to this one because I didn't remember it as well, but I remembered it once I did, and I think it's good. Not a huge fan of the "Tonight we are victorious" shouts, but everything else is good.

8. "Cheap Thrills" by Sia and Sean Paul
Rating: 8.5/10
Comments: This song is slightly boring but catchy at the same time. Also, I think the version without Sean Paul is much better than the one with him.

7. "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers and Daya
Rating: 10/10
Comments: Here's something else I was really into at some point in 2016. I still kind of love it now. I remember trying to play the guitar part in this once because I thought it was pretty cool. I'm not the biggest Daya fan but I can't picture anyone else singing in this. And The Chainsmokers did great as usual. Once again, we need more songs like this becoming hits. I really like them.

6. "Perfect" by One Direction
Rating: 10/10
Comments: I kind of loved One Direction for some reason, and I feel like a lot of it started with this song. I was pretty shook when I first heard this back in late 2015, and it still sort of leaves me that way to this day.

5. "Ride" by Twenty One Pilots
Rating: 10/10
Comments: One of my favorite songs from them. A lot of them feel a little too dark and edgy, but this is perfect for me.

4. "My House" by Flo Rida
Rating: 10/10
Comments: His songs from earlier in the decade were obviously better, but for a time when his career was supposed to be dying down, this is pretty good. I like the rapping and the production and everything. It's a fun escape from the trap that was popular at the time.

3. "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake
Rating: 10/10
Comments: If I had to pick a song in the top 5 to be #1, I'd pick this. It was played on the radio a lot after it came out and I still hear it sometimes to this day. It's such an uplifting, energetic song that is pretty hard not to like. I love JT and this song started a lot of it.

2. "Cake By The Ocean" by DNCE
Rating: 10/10
Comments: This band seems like a nice Joe Jonas side project. I haven't heard much from them outside of this song but I really liked this, so it must be good. I didn't expect this to be this high on the chart, but I won't complain.

1. "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I don't think this should be the #1 song of 2016 according to this station, because as you just saw, there are much, much better options. I like this song, but it doesn't feel as good as a lot of the other ones at the top do. But it's better than something like "Love Yourself" at #1, I will give you that.



OVERALL CHART SCORE

403/450 = 8.95555/10 = 0.895555 = 89.5555%



FINAL WORDS

Wow, that was much better than I thought it was. I never considered 2016 all that great of a year for music, but then again, this station kind of omitted the popular rap songs from around that time, so I guess I don't know yet. But either way, this was fun to do, as I enjoyed looking back at songs I enjoyed a few years ago. Thank you if you read this far, I appreciate it. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know as I would be happy to comply with them. I have a few posts in mind I want to do in the future, so stay tuned for them if I decide to do them. Thanks again and I'll see you guys again soon!

Random Post: 32 GREAT songs I recommend that are under 3 minutes long!

Hey there everyone, and welcome back to a seemingly random post I'm making just because I'm bored! First of all, I did get a post recommendation from the last time I posted, and I'm just letting everyone know that I am working on that and it will come when I get the chance. But for now, I have this. It's pretty self explanatory if you read the title. Have you ever been in a situation where you want to listen to new songs, but you can't because you're short on time and won't get enough songs in? Well, you've come to the right place! These are 32 songs I love and recommend to you guys that are under three minutes long. And that way, you don't need as much time to listen to them, and you can listen to more songs in a shorter period of time. A huge portion of these songs are rock and punk songs, but I threw in some country and rap songs along with it so you have a good mix of songs to get into. Also, I did set a limit of three songs per artist just so you won't have too much of anything. I will present the songs from longest to shortest, so the ones closer to three minutes will be first and the shorter ones will be last. I will post a YouTube embed for each song and make a Spotify playlist with them, which will make things easier on you. So yeah, enough talking, let's do this!

1. Ty Dolla $ign/E-40 - Saved (2:59)
I would say that rap fans shouldn't go too far into this because they may not enjoy it, but I feel like it's for everyone. It has a great beat and great rapping from both artists, and unlike most modern rap songs, it's just fun. I've been into it for a while now and you should too.

2. Skillet - Monster (2:58)
I didn't know about this song until recently, and I'm glad I found about it because I love it. At first I thought it was supposed to be an edgy teenager sort of thing, but after doing my research I found out it is a Christian song that has to do with how you feel when you're doing non-Christian things. A bit weird but that doesn't bring the song down. It's very energetic and fast and anyone who loves hype songs like that will love this. No guarantees but I think some will.

3. Godsmack - Bulletproof (2:57)
I will talk a lot more about how much I love this song when I make a top 10 Godsmack songs post (yes, that will happen eventually), but for now, let's just say that despite my somewhat disapproval of the new direction this band has taken with their new album, there were some very good songs that came out of it, and this is one of them. It's very anthemic and I love that. It's hard to get sick of because of how much heat it brings with every listen. Hopefully I still love it by the time I make that post because this will be kind of high up on that list.

4. Breaking Benjamin - Polyamorous (2:57)
It took me a few listens to Saturate to get the appeal of this song, and I don't regret listening to that album that much because of how much it's gotten me to love this song. It is under two minutes long, but there is fire in pretty much every second of it, and if you're a bit hesitant about listening to Breaking Benjamin because of the really edgy songs they have, go for this, because it's nothing but awesome. Not my favorite Breaking Benjamin song but it is kind of up there.

5. Flaw - Get Up Again (2:57)
Here's a really random song I discovered when listening to my Discover Weekly on Spotify. This is more chill and not as exciting as the four songs I just talked about, but it's still fun to hear. The guitars in the background work very well and give the song the life it needs. Chris Volz has nice vocals throughout as well. It's not a song I would recommend for people who want to start getting into nu metal, but if you want to hear a more chill nu metal song with not much of that screaming, then this is for you.

6. Michael Ray - Think A Little Less (2:57)
Looking back, I'm not sure how I discovered this song, but it doesn't matter as long as I love it, I guess. I tend to like most country songs I hear, but ones like this that just seem to stand out are the ones I like to hear the most. It's not as country as a lot of other hit country songs, so if you're not into the stuff that is a little too country then you should still proceed with this.

7. Chris Stapleton - Second One To Know (2:56)
I guess I can say I'm a Chris Stapleton fan because he has a pretty decent amount of songs that I can get into and enjoy listening to. I think I discovered this song from a game I did on Pulse Music Boards, and out of all the songs and genres in the list this stood out so much, that I started listening to it way more than I should have. I'm not sure why it's that good, it just sounds cool, I guess? I don't know. You can just listen for yourself and see.

8. City High - What Would You Do? (2:56)
I really was into this song last summer. It's pretty hard to get sick of for me which is a good sign. It's not the most upbeat or club banger-type song, as it's more of a chill old school-sounding thing, but listen to the lyrics. I haven't done my research on this song, but I think the lyrics are pretty straightforward. They seem to tell the story about someone going through certain hard times, and they are always interesting to hear. Cool how an interesting story like that is packed into this short of a time frame.

9. Linkin Park - Lying From You (2:55)
I debated on whether or not to include this or "Faint" as the third Linkin Park song for this list, and I ended up choosing this one. But definitely check out "Faint" as well because it is pretty much just as good. This is one of the highlights off of Meteora for me because of its cool rap verses and awesome screaming in the chorus. The bridge might be my favorite part, though, because the energy seems to peak then. But all of it is good and worth a listen.

10. Good Charlotte - The Anthem (2:55)
This is a really weird band, as I haven't been able to get into everything I've heard from them. Although this song sounds kind of cheesy, it is still pretty fun, and as the title hints, sort of an anthem. This is probably my favorite Good Charlotte song because it has the most energy and it's the least weird. But if you don't like songs with somewhat cheesy lyrics, then proceed with caution.

11. Godsmack - When Legends Rise (2:53)
Yet another gem from Godsmack's newest album. I don't know if I'd call it better than "Bulletproof" or not, but this really does bring the heat like it should, and if you like anthemic songs then you will like this. Also, fun fact: I put a comment on the video of this song that has 164 likes at the time of me typing this, so you can see that if you wish.

12. Three Days Grace - The Good Life (2:53)
If I redid the top 10 post I did for this band forever ago, this song would be a lot higher just because of how fun it is. About 70% of the songs I know from them are either really edgy or not very upbeat or fun, and this is one of the 30% that is nothing but energy and good things. (Just don't listen to the album if you don't like the edgy stuff)

13. Rise Against - Give It All (2:51)
When I think of great punk bands, Rise Against doesn't immediately come to mind for me, just because of their mainstream kind of nature. But they do have some pretty good songs that are worth checking out. This is one of them, as it goes hard and leaves a lot behind. If you liked this, then also check out "Savior" and "Prayer of the Refugee", which are great songs although they don't fall into the requirements for this post.

14. Bad Religion - 21st Century (Digital Boy) (2:51)
First off, I would like to clear up that two versions of this song exist: One from Bad Religion's 1990 album Against The Grain, and a re-recorded one from their 1994 record Stranger Than Fiction. Both versions are good, but please listen to the version from Against The Grain because it's a lot better in my opinion. I will do a music battle post on those versions in the future, but if you want a short answer on which one, then there you go. Anyways, I will probably do a top 10 post on Bad Religion in the future, so get ready for that because this song will be high up on it. I'm glad it was released as a single because not all of their great songs from the 80s and 90s were.

15. Blink-182 - The Rock Show (2:51)

This has pretty much everything I need in a good pop punk song. It has pretty catchy lyrics that make the song sound good, and it goes hard for the whole short time that it lasts. Not the best Blink-182 song out there but this is worth checking out.

16. Lit - My Own Worst Enemy (2:49)

This is nothing but a pop punk classic. This band may seem like a one hit wonder, but they do have a few other good songs out there. However, they don't come close to topping this because of how hard to top it is. The guitar riff is great and it builds a strong foundation to keep the song going in a good way. In addition, A. Jay Popoff is a great singer and this song really shows it. It's hard to believe that this band went country recently, though, because this sound worked out great for them.

17. SR-71 - Right Now (2:47)

I think I already talked about this song in-depth in a separate post, but I don't mind bringing it up again because it's that good. The guitars are catchy, including the solo, which is worth paying attention to. Everything else builds off of the guitars and instrumental nicely to form a fun, fast-moving song. Glad it was a hit because it deserved it.

18. Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff (2:47)

Definitely proceed with caution on this one, because I think loving this song and Limp Bizkit in general is unpopular. However, if you like rebellious songs and songs about, well, breaking stuff, then I guarantee you that you won't have any problems. I just really like the guitars and Fred Durst's rapping, and I've had this song in my playlists for about six months now if I remember correctly, which is pretty good if you ask me.

19. Linkin Park - Bleed It Out (2:46)

Minutes To Midnight did have some really popular singles like "What I've Done" and "Shadow of the Day". While I like those songs, I think it's songs like this and "Given Up" that make the album stand out. This song was very well-made and well-produced, and I feel like if one instrumental or vocal thing was even slightly changed, the song wouldn't be the same. Mike Shinoda's rapping and Chester Bennington's singing are on point and do a lot to help the song be great. Pretty underrated if you ask me.

20. Weezer - Troublemaker (2:45)

I'm not sure how popular this song was, but I don't feel like it got as much recognition as it should have. The lyrics in this are fun and give the song a catchy vibe. You kind of get infested in it and don't realize that it's only two minutes and 45 seconds long, which is good because it means the song is a good listen. Any Weezer fan, or alternative rock fan in general, should like this a decent amount.

21. Thousand Foot Krutch - Rawkfist (2:40)

I kept getting recommend this band on Last.fm and other places, so I decided to give a couple of their songs a try. I found this one and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's one of those anthem-type songs that you often can't help but love because of how upbeat and energetic they are. So shoutout to Last.fm for helping bring me to this.

22. Sum 41 - Still Waiting (2:39)

Along with "The Hell Song", this is one of my two favorite songs from Sum 41. It goes right in with bringing the hype and energy, and it stays that way for pretty much the whole song. It seems like the shorter the song is, the more energetic it can be, and this song proves that true. This should have been Sum 41's biggest hit instead of "Fat Lip" because it's significantly better in my opinion.

23. Tee Grizzley/Lil Yachty - From The D To The A (2:39)

This was my absolute favorite song about two years ago, and despite all the hours I spent listening to it, I would never get tired of it, because just like "Still Waiting", it brings the heat right off the bat, and it keeps the heat until the last beat. Even now when I value older mainstream rock over modern rap, this song is such a fun listen, and if you despise trap music that is popular nowadays, this will be a nice escape for you.

24. Linkin Park - One Step Closer (2:37)

This is not my favorite song off of Hybrid Theory because "In The End" exists, but this plays a huge role in making that album so good. It just feels perfect to me. Everything comes in at the right time and plays the role it should in the song. That screaming in the chorus and in the bridge helps as well. It's just a nu-metal classic that doesn't get old.

25. Sum 41 - Over My Head (Better Off Dead) (2:29)

As another single off the album that "Still Waiting" and "The Hell Song" were on, this was bound to not disappoint. It has pretty much the same amount of energy that those two songs do, and how it does so much in just under two and half minutes is great. I know a couple other songs called "Over My Head", but this may be the best one.

26. Art of Dying - Get Thru This (2:28)

Here's another song I found through my Discover Weekly on Spotify. I don't know any other songs from this band, but I'd like to find more because of how good this song is. The line, "If I can get through this, I can get through anything," is great and I feel like the song wouldn't be as good without the same theme. The instrumentals and vocals also are up to par. I don't know anything else from this band, but because of this song they're probably worth checking out.

27. Bad Religion - Punk Rock Song (2:27)

This is one of my current obsessions. It is not quite Bad Religion's usual sound, and while I do love their usual sound, they need more songs like this. The lyrics are a bit intriguing, and I like how Greg Graffin uses political statistics to convey a message (example: "One in five kids below the poverty line, one population runnin' out of time"). I think it is one of Bad Religion's most popular songs on Last.fm, and that is good because it deserves more recognition. If you're looking for a perfect example of a great political punk song, then here you go.

28. The Offspring - (Can't Get My) Head Around You (2:15)

The Offspring have a lot of awesome songs that don't reach the three-minute mark, so I tried to go with some shorter ones that aren't quite the normal length for a song. I don't think I have this song too much respect when I reviewed Splinter for its 15th birthday, but it grows on you like a lot of songs. It's so upbeat and has some pretty groovy riffs that help it stay that way. For me, it turned from an undeserving single to a highlight off of its album. And it can do something for you, too. Give it a try.

29. NOFX - Linoleum (2:10)

This may sound weird, but I think that NOFX's 1994 album Punk In Drublic may be one of the best albums of the 90s. This song is the album's opener, and although it wasn't released as a single, many recognize it as NOFX's signature song. It is definitely in my top three favorites from NOFX, because of that grinding riff and fun nature of the vocals and lyrics. Minus the silence from the hidden track, Punk In Drublic is under 40 minutes long, so you can listen to it in full if you ever get bored. The album has so many energetic songs that keep your attention, which is why I love it so much. Maybe I'll do a full post on it in the future.

30. Madvillain - All Caps (2:10)

You know how nowadays, people seem to classify rap music into categories such as "brag rap" and "real rap"? Well, if anything should automatically go into the "real rap" category because it just sounds better than most of the stuff out there, it's this. The production is cool, but it's the rapping that stands out as something above average that we sadly do not hear more often. So give your ears a break from low-quality modern rap and introduce them to this beauty.

31. The Offspring - All I Want (1:55)

This was one of the four singles off of The Offspring's 1997 album, Ixnay On The Hombre. I can't necessarily call it the best of those because "Gone Away" and "I Choose" are out there, but this is still a great example of a short but sweet punk rock anthem. YAH YAH YAH YAH YAH!

32. Bad Religion - Henchman (1:08)

Well, here's the final song, which means shortest song, on this list. I know quite a few good Bad Religion songs around this length, and while "Henchman" was not released as single nor seems to be a huge fan favorite, it's just a masterpiece to me. It doesn't take long for it to leave you shook from all of the energy that bursts out in the first couple seconds, which is amazing. No Control, or what I like to call "15 joints in 28 minutes", is an awesome album that you should for sure check out if you liked this. 

And that is the end of this post! Thank you, everyone for reading it, and if you think any of these songs sound cool to you, then take advantage of my commentary and give them a listen. I gave YouTube embeds for each one, and if you prefer Spotify, I made a playlist that has all of these songs in it. You can check that out here. Thanks again and I'll see you guys next time!