10 Best Songs Of The Zombies

Songs of the Zombies

Our Top 10 Songs of The Zombies list takes a look at a band from the 1960s that was part of the legendary rock and roll British Invasion of rock bands that traveled from England to the United States during the decade of the 1960s. Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and many other bands, The Zombies electrified American audiences with a sound completely different from the music the 1950s had spawned. The legend of The Zombies has been defined by a small catalog of albums that had a huge impact. Songs like “Time of the Season,” “She’s Not There,” and “Tell Her No” inspired countless bands for years. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Zombies included Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Paul Atkinson, Chris White, and Hugh Grundy. The band’s early success came with the release of their debut single, “She’s Not There,” in 1964. The song hit number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The band’s 1965 debut albums differed by market: the U.S. self-titled album featured both “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” while the original UK album Begin Here featured “She’s Not There” but did not include “Tell Her No.”

Three years after the release of their debut album, The Zombies would return with their masterpiece Odessey and Oracle. The album featured their classic track “Time of the Season.” Odessey and Oracle became one of the most famous rock albums of the 1960s, sealing The Zombies’ place in classic rock history.

Many rock fans probably do not realize that The Zombies returned to the studio many years later and released New World in 1991. However, Rod Argent played a very small role on the record. Thirteen years after the release of New World came the album As Far As I Can See. The album featured original Zombies members Colin Blunstone, Chris White, and Rod Argent and was released in 2004.

Blunstone and Argent reunited again as The Zombies in 2011 with the release of the album Breathe Out, Breathe In. The album included new material alongside two songs reworked from Argent’s earlier catalog.

The Zombies followed with Still Got That Hunger in 2015. Their most recent studio album is Different Game, released in 2023.

Our Top 10 Songs from The Zombies article focuses mostly on their 1960s material. If you are not familiar with the band, we hope this article introduces you to one of classic rock’s most important groups.

# 10 – Just Out of Reach

The track “Just Out of Reach” was released as a U.S. single in 1965 and in the UK in January 1966. The Zombies released only two principal studio albums in the 1960s, yet numerous compilation albums combined album cuts, non-album singles, and B-sides. Colin Blunstone composed the song.

# 9 – Any Other Way

The Zombies’ “Any Other Way” is the only 21st-century Zombies song to be included on this list. It’s a great track released on their 2011 album, Breathe Out, Breathe In. This one has such a cool groove that it sounds like it could be placed on a modern film-noir-sounding track. We love this one.

# 8 – Kind of Girl

“Kind of Girl” was released on The Zombies EP in 1965. The EP contained only four tracks, including a remake of Gershwin’s “Summertime.” The song featured Colin Blunstone on lead vocals, Rod Argent on organ, Paul Atkinson on guitars, Chris White on bass, and Hugh Grundy on drums.

# 7 – Care of Cell 44

The Zombies’ “Care of Cell 44” was the opening track on their second album, Odessey and Oracle, released in April 1968. Rod Argent composed the song. It is easily one of the band’s most underrated songs. The group never understood why the song wasn’t a bigger hit.

# 6 – I Want You Back Again

“I Want You Back Again” was a stand-alone single released in 1965. It was later included on the compilation album Early Days. The song charted on the Billboard Hot 100 but stalled at number 95. Rod Argent composed the song.

# 5 – Leave Me Be

“Leave Me Be” was the follow-up single to the band’s debut, “She’s Not There,” in the UK. It was released in 1964 and later appeared as the U.S. B-side of “Tell Her No.” Those opening guitar chords go through me whenever I hear this great song. This one is so haunting. That melody never fades from memory.

# 4 – She’s Coming Home

“She’s Coming Home” was released as a single in 1965. The song was also included in the popular compilation album Time of the Zombies. It was a two-record set that combined non-album tracks, unreleased songs, and some of their big hits.

# 3 – Tell Her No

The final three songs on our Top 10 Songs from The Zombies list were tough to choose. These three songs defined the sound of the 1960s in so many ways. “Tell Her No” was released in the United States in December 1964 and reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1965.

# 2 – She’s Not There

“She’s Not There” is the song that started it all for the band. “She’s Not There” was released as a single in 1964. It reached the number two position on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number one on the Cash Box chart in the U.S. The song “She’s Not There” was written by Rod Argent. In interviews, Rod Argent has explained that John Lee Hooker’s “No One Told Me” helped inspire the song. Thirteen years after the song was released, the band Santana recorded a successful cover that reached number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eleven in the UK in 1977.

# 1 – Time of the Season

The classic Zombies song “Time of the Season” was released on the Odessey and Oracle album. “Time of the Season” reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969 and number one on the Cash Box chart. The song presents listeners with one of the best musical introductions in classic rock history.