Complete List Of Snow Patrol Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: Ellen van Bodegom, from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

It started with a band called Shrug and a student radio station at the University of Dundee, but no one could have predicted the slow-burning, arena-filling rise that would follow. Snow Patrol began in 1994 when Northern Irish students Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland formed the group with drummer Michael Morrison. After briefly using the name Polarbear, they adopted Snow Patrol in 1997. Based in Scotland but deeply rooted in Northern Ireland, the band spent the better part of a decade touring university towns, recording on limited budgets, and gradually shaping its sound before the wider world began paying attention.

Their first two albums, Songs for Polarbears (1998) and When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (2001), were released through the independent Jeepster label. Both records earned critical praise and developed a loyal following, but neither achieved major commercial success. During those years, Lightbody’s writing began moving from the band’s more experimental indie tendencies toward the direct melodies and emotional sweep that would later become central to Snow Patrol’s identity.

The turning point arrived after the band signed with Polydor’s Fiction label and recorded its third studio album, Final Straw. Released in 2003, the record introduced guitarist Nathan Connolly and brought Snow Patrol its first major international success. The single “Run” reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, while “Chocolate,” “Spitting Games,” and “How to Be Dead” helped establish the band well beyond its original audience. A 20th anniversary edition released in 2023 expanded the album with demos, B-sides, live performances, and the previously commercially unreleased song “Tired.”

The momentum grew dramatically with Eyes Open in 2006. Powered by “Chasing Cars,” “You’re All I Have,” “Open Your Eyes,” and “Set the Fire to the Third Bar,” the album became the best-selling album of the year in the United Kingdom and achieved multi-platinum success around the world. “Chasing Cars” developed a life far beyond its original release, becoming a fixture in television dramas, weddings, memorials, and radio programming. Its endurance helped turn Snow Patrol from a successful alternative-rock band into an international arena act.

The fifth studio album, A Hundred Million Suns, followed in 2008 and expanded the band’s polished, cinematic approach. Singles including “Take Back the City” and “Crack the Shutters” carried the record, while the three-part composition “The Lightning Strike” demonstrated the group’s willingness to work on a larger scale. The 2009 collection Up to Now then surveyed the band’s first 15 years and introduced new material including “Just Say Yes,” “Give Me Strength,” and “Dark Roman Wine.”

Fallen Empires, released in 2011, brought more electronic textures, loops, and synthesizers into Snow Patrol’s sound while retaining the emotional directness of earlier records. The album debuted at number three in the United Kingdom and included “Called Out in the Dark,” “This Isn’t Everything You Are,” “New York,” and “In the End.” Its supporting tour became one of the band’s largest, extending Snow Patrol’s audience across Europe, North America, and other international markets.

After Fallen Empires, the band entered a prolonged period without a new studio album. Gary Lightbody later spoke openly about depression, addiction, and writer’s block during those years. Snow Patrol returned in 2018 with Wildness, a record shaped by themes of memory, family, survival, and reconnection. It debuted at number two in the United Kingdom and was followed in 2019 by Reworked, which paired newly written songs with reimagined versions of recordings from throughout the band’s career.

During the 2020 lockdown, Snow Patrol collaborated with listeners through a series of online songwriting sessions. The resulting five-song release, The Fireside Sessions, appeared under the name Snow Patrol and the Saturday Songwriters, with proceeds benefiting the Trussell Trust. The project included “Reaching Out to You,” “On the Edge of All This,” “The Curve of Earth,” “Dance with Me,” and “Light Years.”

Drummer Jonny Quinn and bassist Paul Wilson left the group in 2023. Snow Patrol continued as the trio of Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, and Johnny McDaid, releasing its eighth studio album, The Forest Is the Path, in 2024. The record became the band’s first UK number-one studio album since Eyes Open. An extended edition followed in 2025 with additional songs including “But I’ll Keep Trying,” “This Is the Silence,” “Waking Up Now,” and “What’s Left in the Light.”

The catalog continued expanding in 2026. Snow Patrol joined Kylie Minogue for the non-album single “These Alarms,” and a 20th anniversary edition of Eyes Open collected 36 tracks from the era. Along with the original album, the release brought together B-sides, rarities, live recordings, remixes, and the soundtrack single “Signal Fire.”

Throughout its career, Snow Patrol has received Grammy and BRIT Award nominations and numerous honors in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The band has also remained connected to charitable work, youth music programs, and mental health advocacy. Lightbody’s willingness to discuss depression, recovery, and emotional vulnerability has added another dimension to songs already known for their openness and empathy.

Snow Patrol’s endurance has always been about more than its largest hits. Whether through the slow-building longing of “Set the Fire to the Third Bar,” the widescreen release of “Open Your Eyes,” or the quieter intimacy of the band’s early records, its music rarely depends on spectacle alone. The songs linger, grow, and find their way into the private moments of listeners’ lives.

Across eight studio albums, anniversary editions, compilations, soundtrack recordings, EPs, B-sides, and collaborative releases, Snow Patrol has built a catalog defined by persistence and emotional clarity. What began in university clubs in Dundee developed into a career spanning more than three decades, without losing the vulnerability that first distinguished Gary Lightbody’s writing.

Complete List Of Snow Patrol Songs From A to Z

“A Dark Switch” – Wildness – 2018
“A Youth Written in Fire” – Wildness – 2018
“Absolute Gravity” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“All” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“An Olive Grove Facing the Sea” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“And Then I’m Gonna” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Ask Me How I Am” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Batten Down the Hatch” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Berlin” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Black and Blue” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Broken Bottles Form a Star (Prelude)” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“But I’ll Keep Trying” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“By Heart (demo)” – Final Straw (20th Anniversary Edition) – 2023
“Called Out in the Dark” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Chased by… I Don’t Know What” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Chasing Cars” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Chocolate” – Final Straw – 2003
“Crack the Shutters” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Crazy in Love” – Up to Now – 2009
“Dance with Me” – The Fireside Sessions – 2020
“Dark Roman Wine” – Up to Now – 2009
“Days Without Paracetamol” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Disaster Button” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Don’t Give In” – Wildness – 2018
“Don’t Give In (alternate version)” – Wildness – 2018
“Downhill from Here” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Empress” – Wildness – 2018
“Engines” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Everything’s Here and Nothing’s Lost” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“Fallen Empires” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Falling Through All of This Time” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“Favourite Friend” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Fifteen Minutes Old” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Firelight” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“First Week of Term” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Get Balsamic Vinegar…Quick You Fool” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Give Me Strength” – Up to Now – 2009
“Gleaming Auction” – Final Straw – 2003
“Grazed Knees” – Final Straw – 2003
“Half the Fun” – Final Straw – 2003
“Hands Open” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Headlights on Dark Roads” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Heal Me” – Wildness – 2018
“Heal Me (alternate version)” – Wildness – 2018
“Hold Me in the Fire” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“Hollow as I Am” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Holy Cow” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“How to Be Dead” – Final Straw – 2003
“I Am an Astronaut” – Colours Are Brighter – 2006
“I Could Stay Away Forever” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“I Think of Home” – Reworked – 2019
“I Won’t Let You Go” – Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – 2014
“I’ll Never Let Go” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“If I’d Found the Right Words to Say” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“If There’s a Rocket Tie Me to It” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“In Command of Cars” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“In My Arms” – Eyes Open – 2006
“In the End” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Isolation” – Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur – 2007
“It Doesn’t Matter Where, Just Drive” – Eyes Open (20th Anniversary Special Edition) – 2026
“It’s Beginning to Get to Me” – Eyes Open – 2006
“JJ” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Just Say Yes” – Up to Now – 2009
“Last Ever Lone Gunman” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Life and Death” – Wildness – 2018
“Life on Earth” – Wildness – 2018
“Life on Earth (alternate version)” – Wildness – 2018
“Lifeboats” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Lifening” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Light Years” – The Fireside Sessions – 2020
“Limited Edition” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Little Hide” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Made of Something Different Now” – Reworked – 2019
“Mahogany” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Make Love to Me Forever” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Make This Go on Forever” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Make Up” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Making Enemies” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Marketplace” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“May You Never” – Johnny Boy Would Love This: A Tribute to John Martyn – 2011
“Monkey Mobe” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“My Last Girlfriend” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Never Really Tire” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“New York” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“NYC” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“On the Edge of All This” – The Fireside Sessions – 2020
“On/Off” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“One Hundred Things You Should Have Done in Bed” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“One Night Is Not Enough” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Open Your Eyes” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Perfect Little Secret” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Play Me Like Your Own Hand” – Eyes Open (20th Anniversary Special Edition) – 2026
“Please Just Take These Photos from My Hands” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Post Punk Progression” – Final Straw – 2003
“Raze the City” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Reaching Out to You” – The Fireside Sessions – 2020
“Riot, Please” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Run” – Final Straw – 2003
“Same” – Final Straw – 2003
“Set Down Your Glass” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Set the Fire to the Third Bar” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Shut Your Eyes” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Signal Fire” – Spider-Man 3: Music from and Inspired by – 2007
“Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking” – Final Straw – 2003
“Soon” – Wildness – 2018
“Soon (alternate version)” – Wildness – 2018
“Spitting Games” – Final Straw – 2003
“Starfighter Pilot” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Steal” – Final Straw – 2003
“Sticky Teenage Twin” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Stronger Than Before (demo)” – Final Straw (20th Anniversary Edition) – 2023
“T.M.T.” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Take Back the City” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“Talk to the Trees” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Talking About Hope” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“The Beginning” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“The Curve of Earth” – The Fireside Sessions – 2020
“The Finish Line” – Eyes Open – 2006
“The Forest Is the Path” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“The Garden Rules” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“The Golden Floor” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“The Last Shot Ringing in My Ears” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“The Lightning Strike I. What If This Storm Ends? II. The Sunlight Through the Flags III. Daybreak” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“The Only Noise” – Eyes Open – 2006
“The Planets Bend Between Us” – A Hundred Million Suns – 2008
“The President” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“The Symphony” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“The Weight of Love” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“These Alarms (with Kylie Minogue)” – Non-album single – 2026
“These Lies” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“This Is the Silence” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“This Is the Sound of Your Voice” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“This Is the Sound of Your Voice (Will Reynolds Remix)” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“This Isn’t Everything You Are” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Those Distant Bells” – Fallen Empires – 2011
“Time Won’t Go Slowly” – Reworked – 2019
“Tiny Little Fractures” – Final Straw – 2003
“Tired” – Final Straw (20th Anniversary Edition) – 2023
“Velocity Girl” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Waking Up Now” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“Warmer Climate” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Ways & Means” – Final Straw – 2003
“We Can Run Away Now They’re All Dead and Gone” – Final Straw – 2003
“What If Nothing Breaks?” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?” – Wildness – 2018
“What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get? (alternate version)” – Wildness – 2018
“What’s Left in the Light” – The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) – 2025
“Whatever’s Left” – Final Straw – 2003
“When I Get Home for Christmas” – It’s a Cool Cool Christmas – 2000
“When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“When Love Breaks Down” – I Give It a Year: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – 2013
“When You’re Right, You’re Right (Darth Vader Bringing in His Washing Mix)” – Songs for Polarbears – 1998
“Wild Horses” – Wildness – 2018
“Workwear Shop” – When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up – 2001
“Wow” – Final Straw – 2003
“Years That Fall” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024
“You Could Be Happy” – Eyes Open – 2006
“You’re All I Have” – Eyes Open – 2006
“Your Heart Home” – The Forest Is the Path – 2024

Snow Patrol Studio Albums and Selected Releases

Songs for Polarbears (1998)

When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up (2001)

Final Straw (2003)

Eyes Open (2006)

A Hundred Million Suns (2008)

Up to Now (2009)

Fallen Empires (2011)

Fallen Empires by Snow Patrol (2012) Audio CD

Wildness (2018)

Reworked (2019)

The Fireside Sessions (2020) (with the Saturday Songwriters)

Final Straw (20th Anniversary Edition) (2023)

The Forest Is the Path (2024)

The Forest Is the Path (Extended Edition) (2025)

Eyes Open (20th Anniversary Special Edition) (2026)

Check out our fantastic and entertaining Snow Patrol articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

Top 10 Snow Patrol Songs

Updated July 26, 2026.