Complete List Of Social Distortion Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: IllaZilla, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Social Distortion emerged from Fullerton, California, in 1978 and became one of the longest-running and most influential bands to grow from the Southern California punk scene. Singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter Mike Ness built the group’s identity around punk urgency, 1950s rock and roll, country storytelling, blues phrasing, and songs about consequences, survival, loyalty, and redemption.

The band’s earliest recordings captured the speed and confrontation of first-generation Orange County punk. Songs including “1945,” “Playpen,” “Mainliner,” “Mass Hysteria,” “Moral Threat,” and “All the Answers” were recorded before the debut album and later collected on Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past. Those performances documented a young group finding the sound that would soon define Mommy’s Little Monster.

Mommy’s Little Monster, released in 1983, delivered “Another State of Mind,” “The Creeps,” “Telling Them,” “Hour of Darkness,” and the title track. The album became a foundational Southern California punk recording, while the documentary Another State of Mind introduced the band’s difficult touring life and fiercely independent attitude to a wider audience.

After years disrupted by addiction, legal trouble, and lineup changes, Ness rebuilt Social Distortion and released Prison Bound in 1988. The album slowed the tempos, strengthened the storytelling, and drew more openly from country, blues, and roots rock. “Prison Bound,” “Back Street Girl,” “No Pain No Gain,” “Indulgence,” and “It’s the Law” established the mature style that would carry the band into its major-label period.

The self-titled Social Distortion album arrived in 1990 with “Story of My Life,” “Ball and Chain,” “Sick Boys,” “Let It Be Me,” and a widely recognized version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Two years later, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell continued that run through “Bad Luck,” “Cold Feelings,” “Born to Lose,” “When She Begins,” and “99 to Life.”

White Light, White Heat, White Trash pushed the band toward a louder and more aggressive attack in 1996. “I Was Wrong,” “Don’t Drag Me Down,” “When the Angels Sing,” “Dear Lover,” and “Crown of Thorns” combined punk force with Ness’s increasingly reflective writing. The 1998 concert album Live at the Roxy documented the group’s stage power near the end of founding guitarist Dennis Danell’s life.

Following Danell’s death in 2000, Social Distortion returned with Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll in 2004. “Reach for the Sky,” “Don’t Take Me for Granted,” “Highway 101,” “Angel’s Wings,” and “Live Before You Die” addressed loss, friendship, mortality, and perseverance. The 2007 collection Greatest Hits added the new song “Far Behind” and a digital bonus recording of Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.”

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes followed in 2011 with “Machine Gun Blues,” “California (Hustle and Flow),” “Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown,” “Bakersfield,” “Still Alive,” and the band’s new recording of Hank Williams’ “Alone and Forsaken.” The album reached number four on the Billboard 200, the highest chart position of Social Distortion’s career.

Social Distortion returned in May 2026 with Born to Kill, its eighth studio album and first full-length release in fifteen years. Produced by Mike Ness and Dave Sardy, the eleven-song record included “Born to Kill,” “The Way Things Were,” “Tonight,” “Partners in Crime,” “Crazy Dreamer,” “Wicked Game,” and “Walk Away (Don’t Look Back).” The album connected the band’s punk roots to the rock, country, and 1970s influences that have always run through Ness’s songwriting.

Complete List Of Social Distortion Songs From A to Z

A–E

1. “1945 (13th Floor Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
2. “1945 (Posh Boy Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
3. “99 to Life” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
4. “All the Answers” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
5. “All the Answers (1981 Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
6. “Alone and Forsaken” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
7. “Alone and Forsaken (2011 Version)” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
8. “Angel’s Wings” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
9. “Another State of Mind” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
10. “Anti-Fashion” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
11. “Back Street Girl” – Prison Bound (1988)
12. “Bad Luck” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
13. “Bakersfield” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
14. “Ball and Chain” – Social Distortion (1990)
15. “Born to Kill” – Born to Kill (2026)
16. “Born to Lose” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
17. “Bye Bye Baby” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
18. “California (Hustle and Flow)” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
19. “Can’t Take It With You” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
20. “Cold Feelings” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
21. “Crazy Dreamer” – Born to Kill (2026)
22. “The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
23. “Crown of Thorns” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
24. “Dear Lover” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
25. “Diamond in the Rough” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
26. “Don’t Drag Me Down” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
27. “Don’t Keep Me Hanging On” – Born to Kill (2026)
28. “Don’t Take Me for Granted” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
29. “Down Here (With the Rest of Us)” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
30. “Down Here (With the Rest of Us) (Live)” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
31. “Down on the World Again” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
32. “Drug Train” – Social Distortion (1990)

F–J

33. “Faithless” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
34. “Far Behind” – Greatest Hits (2007)
35. “Far Side of Nowhere” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
36. “Footprints on My Ceiling” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
37. “Ghost Town Blues” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
38. “Gimme the Sweet and Lowdown” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
39. “Gotta Know the Rules” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
40. “Highway 101” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
41. “Hour of Darkness” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
42. “I Want What I Want” – Prison Bound (1988)
43. “I Was Wrong” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
44. “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
45. “I Won’t Run No More” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
46. “Indulgence” – Prison Bound (1988)
47. “It Coulda Been Me” – Social Distortion (1990)
48. “It Wasn’t a Pretty Picture” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
49. “It’s All Over Now” – Social Distortion (1990)
50. “It’s the Law” – Prison Bound (1988)
51. “Justice for All” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)

K–O

52. “King of Fools” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
53. “Lawless” – Prison Bound (1988)
54. “Let It Be Me” – Social Distortion (1990)
55. “Like an Outlaw (For You)” – Prison Bound (1988)
56. “Live Before You Die” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
57. “Lost Child” – Prison Bound (1988)
58. “Machine Gun Blues” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
59. “Mainliner” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
60. “Mainliner 1992” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
61. “Making Believe” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
62. “Mass Hysteria” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
63. “Maybellene” – Greatest Hits digital bonus track (2007)
64. “Mommy’s Little Monster” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
65. “Mommy’s Little Monster (Live)” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
66. “Moral Threat” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
67. “Moral Threat (1981 Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
68. “Never Goin’ Back Again” – Born to Kill (2026)
69. “Nickels and Dimes” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
70. “No Pain No Gain” – Prison Bound (1988)
71. “No Way Out” – Born to Kill (2026)
72. “On My Nerves” – Prison Bound (1988)
73. “Over You” – Born to Kill (2026)

P–T

74. “Partners in Crime” – Born to Kill (2026)
75. “A Place in My Heart” – Social Distortion (1990)
76. “Playpen (13th Floor Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
77. “Playpen (Posh Boy Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
78. “Pleasure Seeker” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
79. “Prison Bound” – Prison Bound (1988)
80. “Reach for the Sky” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
81. “Ring of Fire” – Social Distortion (1990)
82. “Road Zombie” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
83. “Shame on Me” – Social Distortion (1990)
84. “She’s a Knockout” – Social Distortion (1990)
85. “Sick Boys” – Social Distortion (1990)
86. “So Far Away” – Social Distortion (1990)
87. “Sometimes I Do” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
88. “Still Alive” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
89. “Story of My Life” – Social Distortion (1990)
90. “Take Care of Yourself” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)
91. “Telling Them” – Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
92. “This Time Darlin’” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
93. “Through These Eyes” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
94. “Tonight” – Born to Kill (2026)

U–Z

95. “Under My Thumb” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
96. “Under My Thumb (1981 Version)” – Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)
97. “Untitled” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
98. “Walk Away (Don’t Look Back)” – Born to Kill (2026)
99. “The Way Things Were” – Born to Kill (2026)
100. “When She Begins” – Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)
101. “When the Angels Sing” – White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)
102. “Wicked Game” – Born to Kill (2026)
103. “Winners and Losers” – Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)
104. “Writing on the Wall” – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)

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Social Distortion Albums and Major Releases

Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)

Prison Bound (1988)

Social Distortion (1990)

Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992)

Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995)

White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996)

Live at the Roxy (1998)

Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll (2004)

Greatest Hits (2007)

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)

Born to Kill (2026)

Updated August 1, 2026.

Complete List Of Social Distortion Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026

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