Top 10 Dana Fuchs Songs

Prev Article Next Article

Our top ten Dana Fuchs songs list digs deep into the music of an American artist best known for her impact on the twenty-first-century blues-rock scene. The 1976-born artist started her professional music career in the early 2000s when she formed the Dana Fuchs Band alongside Jon Diamond. Dana Fuchs achieved success with some of her albums making it to the Billboard Blues Album Chart. Thanks to her spellbinding vocals Dana Fuchs has earned her spot as one of the indispensable blues artists of the twenty-first century.

Her fans (and critics alike) have compared her vocal delivery to that of legendary musician Janis Joplin. While she might not be the most decorated artist in the blues scene, Dana Fuchs has played a significant role in pushing the limits of the genre. Her blues/blues rock songs are often tinged with soul, southern rock, and roots sound influences.

Dana Fuchs’ Career Beginnings and Breakthrough

Dana Fuchs ventured into professional singing in the early 2000s when she formed the Dana Fuchs Band. However, her passion for music started earlier than this having her emerge as an imposing artist in the New York club scene. Dana Fuchs became a remarkable and seasoned professional singer upon the release of the album Lonely for a Lifetime. Lonely for a Lifetime, issued in 2003, was co-produced by Dana, Jon Diamond, and Kenny Aaronson.

Producer Kenny Aaronson has also worked with Rick Derringer (former member of the McCoys), Mountain, Blue Öyster Cult, and Joan Jett. Lonely for a Lifetime is home to some of the best Dana Fuchs songs including “Songbird (Fly Me to Sleep),” “Lonely for a Lifetime,” and “Strung Out.” Dana Fuchs’ next release was the 2008 blues rock album Live in NYC. The album featured new notable musical gems including “What You See,” “Almost Home,” a cover of Etta James’ song “I’d Rather Go Blind,” and a cover of the Beatles‘ song “Helter Skelter.”

Other Album Releases by Dana Fuchs

In 2011, Dana Fuchs returned with the album Love to Beg with Dana, Jon Diamond, and Kenny Aaronson co-producing this record. Love to Beg was issued through Ruf Records, a label (once) home to Ana Popovic, Kevin Coyne, Dani Wilde, Canned Heat, and Sue Foley. The album featured backing vocalists Vivian Sessoms and Jenny Douglas (who worked with Rob Thomas, Janet Jackson, Cher, and Pink). “What You See,” “Keep On Rollin’,” “Drive,” and a cover of Otis Redding‘s song “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” are the most popular songs by Dana Fuchs from the album Love to Beg.

Bliss Avenue, issued in 2013, was Dana Fuchs’ next big release. The album saw her venture into an amalgam of blues rock, electric blues, and country blues sound influences. Bliss Avenue competed fairly with other blues albums of 2013 such as Rhythm & Blues by Buddy Guy, Didn’t It Rain by Hugh Laurie, Memphis by Boz Scaggs, Fight for My Soul by Jonny Lang, and Made Up Mind by Tedeschi Trucks Band. “How Did Things Get This Way,” “Vagabond Wind,” and “Baby Loves the Life” are some of the best Dana Fuchs songs from the album.

Dana Fuchs would later issue the live album Songs from the Road in 2014. The album was also a success having made it to the top ten on the Billboard Blues Albums chart, just like Bliss Avenue. Songs from the Road was followed up by the record Broken Down Acoustic Sessions in 2015. As the title suggests, Broken Down Acoustic Sessions saw Dana Fuchs move away from electric blues to acoustic blues. While the most popular songs from the record had been released earlier, Broken Down Acoustic Sessions featured some new songs.

Love Lives On, issued in 2018, saw Dana Fuchs return to soul-tinged blues. Co-producing this album was Kevin Houston, a record engineer/producer known for his work with Billy Gibson, Ghost Town Blues Band, Tracy Nelson, Buddy Guy, Lee Williams, and Amy LaVere. “Love Lives On,” “Sedative,” “Callin’ Angels,” and a cover of Anita Carter’s hit “Ring of Fire” are some of the best Dana Fuchs songs from the album.

In 2022, Dana Fuchs returned with her album Borrowed Time. With Borrowed Time, Dana Fuchs blended blues rock with southern rock sound influences. Dana Fuchs has mentioned Borrowed Time to be her fastest-ever recorded album. Some of the most popular songs by Dana Fuchs from Borrowed Time include “Call My Name,” “Double Down on Wrong,” “Last to Know,” and “Nothing You Own.”

Dana Fuchs’ Other Musical Pursuits and Legacy

Over the years, Dana Fuchs has proved to be a significant pillar in the blues scene. Together with her band, Dana Fuchs has established herself as one of the best live blues acts. Dana Fuchs has also had quite a magnificent career as an actor—The singer has also showcased her musicianship in several film soundtracks including Sherrybaby and the Beatles-inspired film Across the Universe. Here we present the ten best Dana Fuchs songs of all time.

#10 – I’ve Been Loving You Too Long

Ushering us to the top ten Dana Fuchs songs list is the remarkable hit “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” The song was featured on the album Love to Beg, later featured on the live album Songs from the Road. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” was initially recorded and released by the legendary soul musician Otis Redding in 1965.

The song serves as a perfect introduction to Dana Fuchs’ hypnotic vocal delivery. Dana Fuchs gives us a taste of her smoldering raspy vocals which have seen her compared to Janis Joplin. Other artists that have recorded their version of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” include The Rolling Stones, William Bell, Dionne Warwick, and Aretha Franklin.

#9- How Did Things Get This Way

“How Did Things Get This Way” is one of the most outstanding songs from the mainstream successful album Bliss Avenue. The song was also featured on the singer’s live album Songs from the Road. “How Did Things Get This Way” is enough proof of Dana Fuchs’ solid musicianship during her live performances. Joining her on the backing vocals in this song were Nicki Richards (who worked with Madonna, Mary J. Blige, and Celine Dion among others) and Tabitha Fair (who worked with Sting, Carole King, and Travis Tritt).

#8 – Love Lives On

Coming in at number eight on our top ten Dana Fuchs songs list is the awe-inspiring hit “Love Lives On.” The song serves as the album title track of Dana Fuchs’ 2018 album of the same name. About two decades after she started her music career, Dana Fuchs still managed to give us one of the best performances of her lifetime. The song is more than just Dana Fuchs’ great Janis Joplin-Esque vocals—“Love Lives On” is also a perfect exhibition of Dana Fuchs’ songwriting abilities. The song was delivered alongside a promotional music video, a rare move by Dana Fuchs.

#7 – Almost Home

Let’s explore some blues rock inflections with Dana Fuchs’ hit “Almost Home.” Earlier in the article, we mentioned that liver performances have been Dana Fuchs’ perfect route to express her musicianship. Dana Fuchs chose to release her then-new song “Almost Home” on her 2008 album Live in NYC. The song has since become one of the singer’s live staples. “Almost Home” was the first song Dana Fuchs performed during her live performance in 2010 at Rockpalast.

#6 – I’d Rather Go Blind

One of the artists who had quite some impact on Dana Fuchs’ music career was Etta James. On her live album Live in NYC, Dana Fuchs decided to pay homage to Etta James’ songs picking her hit “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Her cover of the song makes it to the sixth spot of our ten best Dana Fuchs songs list. Dana Fuchs’ version might not have been like Etta James’ original version of the song.

However, Dana Fuchs did a magnificent job with this hit giving us an unadulterated vocal performance. Her energetic performance on this hit might have you wondering why Dana Fuchs hasn’t earned an international breakthrough yet. Other artists who have delivered a rendition of the hit “I’d Rather Go Blind” include Rod Stewart, Koko Taylor, Chicken Shack, Earl Thomas, and Beyoncé.

#5 – Drive

Incredible is the single word that perfectly describes the hit “Drive” by Dana Fuchs. The song has two versions—the acoustic and the electric blues version, both of which are just spellbinding! “Drive” is featured on Dana Fuchs’ record Love to Beg. The song has earned a spot as one of her concert staples—Dana Fuchs performed the electric version of this song at Rockpalast in 2010. “Drive” gives us a taste of Dana Fuchs’ great vocal range.

#4 – Misery

“Misery” is yet another impressive pick by Dana Fuchs from her live recording Live in NYC. As the song commences, Dana Fuchs reveals that “Misery” was her first love song ever penned. In one of the live performances, she revealed that her mother used to complain about her songs being quite dark and depressing. The song’s title feels like an extension of Dana Fuchs’ dark and depressing lyrical contexts. Nevertheless, “Misery” features some tempestuous feel that makes it quite appealing to many.

#3 – Helter Skelter

Any time Dana Fuchs takes on a song by another artist, she turns it into one of her best records. In fact, some of her most popular songs are cover songs. One of her most popular cover songs is “Helter Skelter,” a 1968 song originally released by The Beatles. Dana Fuchs’ version of “Helter Skelter” was featured on the soundtrack of the film Across the Universe. Other artists who have delivered a rendition of “Helter Skelter” include U2, Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, The Dead Daisies, and Mötley Crüe.

#2 – Strung Out

“Strung Out” is one of the most imposing original songs ever penned by Dana Fuchs. The song was featured on Dana Fuchs’ debut album Lonely for a Lifetime. “Strung Out” was later featured on Dana Fuchs’ record Live in NYC. The song finds Dana Fuchs serving us with her powerful raspy Janis Joplin-Esque vocals. “Strung Out” also features an acoustic version which is also mesmerizing. Joining Dana Fuchs in the acoustic version is Jon Diamond who plays the acoustic guitar and harmonica.

#1- Songbird (Fly Me to Sleep)

Number one on our top ten Dana Fuchs songs list is the alluring hit “Songbird (Fly Me to Sleep).” While there are many top songs by Dana Fuchs (including great cover tracks), it is “Songbird (Fly Me to Sleep)” that allows the singer to exercise her musicianship optimally. There’s everything great in this song from the inspirational lyrical content to hypnotic vocals by Dana Fuchs. We cannot forget the alluring instrumentation, especially Jon Diamond’s noteworthy guitar riffs. “Songbird (Fly Me to Sleep)” is featured on the singer’s debut studio album Lonely for a Lifetime.