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Our Top 10 Imagine Dragons Songs list presents the best Imagine Dragons Songs like “Radioactive,” “Believer,” ” It’s Time,” and many more. Fellow Brigham Young University students Dan Reynolds and Andrew Tolman recruited Andrew Beck, Aurora Florence, and Dave Lemke in 2008 to form a rock band while they were in Provo, Utah. Together, they released their first extended play, Speak to Me, before Beck and Florence departed the band to pursue other interests. In 2009, Tolman brought Wayne Sermon on board as the band’s guitarist, as well as Tolman’s wife, Brittany. When Lemke left, Sermon brought in Ben McKee, a fellow Berklee College of Music Student the guitarist also attended. While in Utah, Imagine Dragons earned an impressive fan following before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. While in the hometown of frontman Dan Reynolds, they released three additional EPs. The first was in 2009, titled Imagine Dragons. The next two, in order, were 2010 releases, Hell and Silence and It’s Time.
Hitting the Jackpot
Imagine Dragons got their first big break at the Bite of Las Vegas Festival in 2009 when Pat Monahan of Train fame could not perform in concert due to illness. Between impressing an audience of more than twenty-five thousand people and local music critics, the group seemed to hit the big jackpot as America’s hot new group in the pop-rock genre. However, by 2011, Andrew and Brittany Tolman left the group. Ben McKee replaced them with Theresa Flaminio and Daniel Platzman. However, Flaminio was a short stay that left Imagine Dragons as a four-man band that worked closely with Grammy-award winner Alex da Kid. Together, they released the EP Continued Silence in 2012, then Hear Me later the same year. Shortly after this, Imagine Dragons would realize their first hit single, “It’s Time.”
2012 also marked the year of the group’s debut album, Night Visions. This incredibly successful recording won Top Rock Album with Billboard Music and has gone on to earn a multitude of platinum certifications worldwide. In the US alone, it was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) seven times. To date, it remains the band’s best-selling album. The album featured three hit singles that each became number-one hits and multi-platinum sellers themselves. “It’s Time,” “Radioactive,” and “Demons” did more than just top official music charts around the world. They each broke various US Billboard records and were credited as music that helped rejuvenate the rock music industry throughout the 2010s. In 2013, Imagine Dragons were recognized as the top breakthrough band by Billboard Magazine and MTV.
In 2015, Imagine Dragons released its second album, Smoke + Mirrors. Although it did not match the amount of sales Night Visions did since its release, it still became a certified platinum success on a global scale, namely with the USA’s RIAA, Music Canada, and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). When Evolve was released as the band’s third studio album in 2017, its three number-one singles, “Believer,” “Thunder,” and “Whatever It Takes,” played instrumental roles in its multi-platinum success story. Again, this was global as it became triple platinum with the USA’s RIAA and Italy’s Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI). Double platinum was achieved in Canada, France, and New Zealand. It was single platinum in the UK.
Continuing Momentum
The band’s fourth studio album, Origins, was recorded and released in 2018. From it, “Natural” became the band’s fifth number-one hit single. It also earned platinum certification from the RIAA, France, and Italy. Germany’s Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) and the UK’s BPI each certified Origins with gold. During the autumn of 2021, Imagine Dragons released their fifth studio album, Mercury – Act 1, which has earned gold certifications with France and Italy. The summer of 2022 release of Mercury – Act 2 brings the roster of album-length studio recordings to seven. Since 2009, the momentum of Imagine Dragons has continued to trek forward at an impressive pace that has kept them in the spotlight as a global fan favorite who can’t seem to get enough of this band.
In addition to one of the most impressive discographic portfolios as rock stars, Imagine Dragons has also worked Hollywood, recording and releasing soundtrack music for films such as Transformers: Age of Extinction with “Battle Cry,” and “Sucker for Pain” for Suicide Squad. Imagine Dragons also collaborated on two occasions with the popular video game League of Legends team. “Warriors” was the first recording, released in 2014, and then “Enemy,” released in 2021.
Interestingly enough, as well-favored as Imagine Dragons, it has been with fans worldwide, and some of the music critics and fellow entertainers in the industry have expressed mixed reviews about them. Despite the difference in opinion, the formula of success has paid off for the group that continues to have them in high demand as performers. Since 2013, Imagine Dragons has often been nominated for various music awards from many organizations that recognize the best in the business. Out of those nominations, there have been a series of wins between the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BMI Pop Awards, and Teen Choice Awards. Among the music award organizations on soil outside the US, Imagine Dragons have also earned a series of nominations and wins.
Top 10 Imagine Dragons Songs
# 10 – Whatever It Takes
In 2017, “Whatever It Takes” was released from Imagine Dragons’ third studio album, Evolve. On the US Billboard Adult Top 40, the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, and the US Billboard Rock Airplay chart, it became a number-one hit. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Whatever It Takes” peaked at number twelve. On a worldwide level, it became a top ten hit among the nations of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
It also became the theme song for a WWE pay-per-view event, Battleground. The Conservative Political Action Conference used it until Imagine Dragons asked them to stop using it in February 2018. In sports arenas, “Whatever It Takes” has become a popular song of choice to pump up the crowd and the players lined up to play a scheduled game.
# 9 – Enemy (featuring JID)
The immense popularity of League of Legends led to the animation series Arcane. On Netflix, it streamed for one season in 2021, and its opening was “Enemy,” performed by Imagine Dragons. As a single, when played in its entirety, it features the rap performance of JID. Darkly entertaining, “Enemy” pointed out how quickly people can become divided when they once united. On the US Billboard Adult Top 40 and the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chats, “Enemy” became a number-one hit.
On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked as high as number five and was also a number one hit among the nations of Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. At the very least, it was a top ten hit among most Commonwealth nations and European nations. This song remains in heavy rotation on many radio stations and has already become certified platinum among the nations of Australia, Austria, France, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain.
# 8 – Sucker for Pain (featuring Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, Wiz Khalifa, and X Ambassadors)
The combined talent of Imagine Dragons, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, Wiz Khalifa, and X Ambassadors performed the hit single, “Sucker for Pain,” for the 2016 motion picture Suicide Squad. The mix of the electro-pop style from Imagine Dragons and X Ambassadors, combined with the rapping talent of Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, and Wiz Khalifa, made this song a heavy-hitting cult favorite.
On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Sucker for Pain” became a number fifteen hit, and it was a number three hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also became a triple-platinum seller with the RIAA, double-platinum with Italy’s FIMI, and single platinum with Australia, France, Germany, and the UK. This dark and entertaining tune developed just as strong a cult following as the movie right after it was released. It remains a favorite today.
# 7 – Natural
“Natural” was the self-acceptance hit single from the 2018 album Origins. On the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternatives Songs chart, it became the fifth number-one hit for Imagine Dragons. It was also a number-one hit on the US Billboard Rock Airplay chart. Globally, “Natural” was a top ten hit among many nations: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Ukraine.
It has joined the ranks of other best-selling singles produced by Imagine Dragons as a multi-platinum seller. With the RIAA, “Natural” became certified platinum four times. This also occurred in Poland, while in Portugal, it was twice. “Natural” earned a single platinum medal among the nations of Canada, France, Italy, and Mexico. The powerful message in this song, to stay true to oneself, became the song of choice during the 2018 ESPN College Football season and was part of the EA Sports’ NHL 19 video game soundtrack.
# 6 – On Top of the World
In 2013, “On Top of the World” was digitally released as the fifth single from the album Night Visions. This celebratory song of accomplishment was Imagine Dragons’ way of basking in a success story they worked so hard to achieve. The guitar and piano mix was as upbeat as Dan Reynolds and his vocal performance. Because “On Top of the World” was performed as a song of triumph, it became a major fan favorite. While it was only in Portugal that “On Top of the World” became a number-one hit, its popularity peaked as high as number ten on the US Billboard Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
It also became a four-time platinum seller with the RIAA. On a global scale, “On Top of the World” was either certified platinum or multi-platinum among the nations of Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK. It was also used as a song of choice by then-president Barack Obama when he was inaugurated for the second time. The video games FIFA 13 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 also featured “On Top of the World” as part of their music roster. This song was also featured in various film trailers, television episodes, movie soundtracks, and commercials.
# 5 – Thunder
“Thunder” was a single released by Imagine Dragons in 2017 from their album Evolve. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked as high as number four. As for the US Billboard Adult Top 40, the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40, and the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, “Thunder” was a number-one hit. It was also popular enough to chart within the top ten among the nations of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
The highlight of this pop-rock favorite was the helium-sounding “Thunder,” which accompanied Dan Reynolds’s vocals in what remains one of the catchiest tunes too irresistible to ignore. Its popularity earned it a nine-time platinum certification from the RIAA. It also earned multi-platinum certifications among the nations of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK.
#4 – It’s Time
The six-time RIAA platinum single, “It’s Time,” officially put Imagine Dragons on the map as America’s next new musical act that just took the world by storm. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked as high as number fifteen and was a number-four hit on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. Globally, “It’s Time” was a number-one hit in Belgium and at least a top-ten hit among the nations of Austria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, and Portugal.
In sales, it became certified platinum six times over with the RIAA, three times in Canada, and twice in Australia. Among the nations of Denmark, Italy, Sweden, and the UK, “It’s Time” also became platinum. The refusal to compromise to change one’s ways, even when facing adversity, was the theme of what sounded like an Irish-style rock song, thanks to the mandolin. In many ways, this song developed anthem-like status among a fan base who embraced the celebration of individuality.
# 3 – Believer
Released as a single in 2017, “Believer” soon became a number-four hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as a number-one hit on the US Billboard Adult Top 40, the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, and the US Billboard Rock Airplay chart. On a global scale, it was a top twenty hit among most nations and has since earned a collection of platinum and multi-platinum certifications. With the RIAA, “Believer” was certified diamond, joining the ranks of “Radioactive” and “Demons” as one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The popularity of “Believer” received a significant boost after it was aired on the television series CW’s Riverdale, as well as part of the promo for the Nintendo Switch video game Super Bowl LI. “Believer” was also featured in several movie and television trailers. As the title suggests, “Believer” served as a song of inspiration to rise above adversities and believe in faith. History has demonstrated, over and over again, that faith always overcomes fear when there is a strong enough belief to overcome the worst.
#2 – Demons
When “Demons” was released as a single in 2013, it served as a song of warning from the narrator to his closest companion about the inner conflict he had with himself as a person. Cited as “Demons” that hide within, there was also a plea to be shown how to defeat them to become a better version of himself. Featured on the Imagine Dragons’ debut album, Night Visions, “Demons” not only became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 but an RIAA-certified diamond seller.
Worldwide, “Demons” was also a number-one hit in Canada and Latvia. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Demons” peaked at number six. It was also a top ten hit among most European nations, and it earned a series of platinum certifications. So far, “Demons” remains one of the most downloaded songs in rock history. In 2014, “Demons” won Canada’s MuchMusic Video Award for International Video of the Year by a Group and the iHeartRadio Music Award for Alternative Rock Song of the Year.
Read More: Complete List Of Imagine Dragons Band Members
# 1 – Radioactive
In 2014, “Radioactive” won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. Recorded on the EP Continued Silence and the studio album Night Vision, this single was released for the first time during the fall of 2012 before reaching contemporary radio stations during the spring of 2013. As a song of inspiration to still cling to hope no matter what the world hurls out, “Radioactive” was more than some number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. It was also more than a diamond-certified seller with the RIAA.
This sleeper hit peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became a global sensation. Regarded as one of the best-selling singles of all time, “Radioactive” was electrifying and hypnotic. The popularity of this song reached the NBA 2K14 soundtrack, a popular video game played on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. This single also became a multi-platinum success on a global level, with over a combined total of twenty-five million copies either sold or downloaded.
Read More: Complete List Of Imagine Dragons Albums And Discography
Top 10 Imagine Dragons Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2024
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