Alkaline Trio was formed in late 1996, by Matt Skiba, Rob Dorran and Glenn Porter as a result of heartbreak and their companionship while drinking. For more than two decades, Alkaline Trio have delivered punk-rock with dark themes and a unique edge that has enabled them to remain commercially viable without giving up their style. Their first breakthrough on the Billboard charts came in 2003 after the release of the album, Good Mourning which also marked the recording debut of Derek Grant, the band’s current drummer. The band’s seventh studio album, This Addiction which was released in 2010 was another milestone in their music career with the album, topping the rock alternative and indie charts in 2010.
In 2011, the band celebrated their 15th anniversary with the release of the album, Damnesia which featured some of the band’s most liked songs as well as several new songs. Matt Skiba took a break from the band in 2015 to join Blink-182 for the recording and promotion of their album, California. Matt Skiba returned to the band in 2017, and in 2018, they released their ninth studio album, Is This Thing Cursed? Which was followed by an EP which contained three tracks. The band’s main lyrical themes revolve around women, alcoholism, and depression. Here are the top ten Alkaline Trio songs.
#10 – Mercy Me
Coming in at the tenth position, is the second song from the band’s 2005 album, Crimson. The song features an absolutely catchy guitar melody at the beginning as Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano belt out some amazing vocal hooks. The track peaked at position thirty on the UK Singles Chart and at position eighty nine on the Euro Chart Hot 100 Singles Chart.
# 9 – Time To Waste
“Time To Waste” is one of the most powerful singles from the album, Crimson. This track was a great representation of what the rest of the album was all about. According to Matt Skiba, the track has elements of everything else in the album and is the song that caught people’s interest and made them listen to the rest of the album. The track features the famous line, “hide the cutlery” which was inspired by a story of a kid who killed his family while sleepwalking.
# 8 – Sorry About That
“Sorry About That” is the twelfth and last single from the band’s 1999 album. Although the song sounds really heartbreaking, it is also quite beautiful. As the title of the song suggests, the song is about a guy breaking up with a lady who was heartbroken in her previous relationship. The guy regrets his actions and wishes she was still with the lady. The lyrics are written and delivered with a lot of emotion and you can understand how the singer feels by listening to the song.
# 7 – Blue Carolina
“Blue Carolina” is a song that portrays all emotions of love. The track, which is contained in the band’s 2003 album, Good Mourning, depicts how Matt Skibba misses his partner while on tour. However, the lines, “I will ask myself, how bad do I want this?…I really want this,” show that he wants to succeed with the band, and that he is ready to give up everything that he misses, including his partner.
# 6 – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
“Maybe I’ll Catch Fire” is the title song to the band’s album from 2000, which was followed in the steps of their previous album lyrically while also retaining the emotional aggression of pop-punk. Although the album was not as successful as the previous one, its lyrics are mind-blowing and have to be up there among their most spectacular lyrical achievements.
# 5 – This Could Be Love
Alkaline Trio’s fourth studio album contained some sad yet fun songs to listen to. The number five track in our list of the greatest Alkaline Trio songs is the first song from the album. The song is about something that he loves, although it is not good for him. The song features some harrowing lyrics that you are unlikely to hear from any pop-punk band. The chorus of the song is quite incredible, though, and is significant for catapulting the band to magazine covers due to its popularity.
# 4 – We’ve Had Enough
“We’ve Had Enough” is the first song on the band’s 2003 album, Good Mourning. The track features backup vocals from Keith Morris of Circle Jerks and Black Flag. The song has a fascinating video that portrays the band members as ghosts who are haunting a family in their house. “We’ve Had Enough” was the band’s first song to chart in the US, peaking at position 38 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart. The track was also a hit in the UK, peaking at position 50 on the UK Singles Chart.
# 3 – Stupid Kid
“Stupid Kid” is one of the greatest punk rock tracks of all time. This timeless punk rock song is contained in their 2002 album, From Here To Infirmary. The video of the track features the band performing outside a school where a boy is attracted to a beautiful female teacher who humiliates him after the boy tries to impress her. The boy unleashes his evil on the teacher, who is consumed in smoke as the boy reveals devil-like horns.
# 2 – Radio
Alkaline Trio’s quintessential sophomore album, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, was a thing of beauty. The album contains a song we’ve been screaming out of our lungs, singing, for close to two decades now. “Radio” features some dark humor throughout the song with straining vocals that reinforce the feeling of hate.
# 1 – Private Eye
The number one song in our countdown of the best Alkaline Trio songs is the second song from their 2001 album, From Here to Infirmary. The track “Private Eye,” is a lesson in dark storytelling, painting vivid images of alcohol abuse and loneliness. The song had two versions released in the UK, with the song peaking at position 51 on the UK Singles Chart. The song’s music video features live footage of the band performing the song on several dates during their 2000 tour.
Feature Photo: IllaZilla, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Updated April 20, 2023
Top 10 Alkaline Trio Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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