Our 10 Favorite Lumineers Songs

Feature Photo: MPH Photos / Shutterstock.com

Our Top 10 Songs by The Lumineers list explores the music of one of the most successful folk-rock bands of the modern era. Built around the songwriting partnership of Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, The Lumineers have developed a catalog filled with memorable melodies, intimate storytelling, and arrangements that can move from a whisper to a room-shaking chorus.

The band broke through with its self-titled debut album in 2012 and continued its success with Cleopatra, III, BRIGHTSIDE, and Automatic. The latter became The Lumineers’ fifth studio album when it was released in 2025. The ten songs below stand among our favorites and offer a perfect introduction to this beautiful band.

# 10 – “Slow It Down”

We open our presentation of favorite Lumineers songs with the compelling “Slow It Down.” Released on the band’s self-titled debut album, the track creates emotional tension through a restrained arrangement that gradually pulls the listener into its melodic current.

The song portrays two dramatically different people struggling to make a complicated romance work. Its slow pace allows every line to settle, turning the performance into a reminder of how much emotional range could be found throughout The Lumineers.

# 9 – “Flowers in Your Hair”

Playfully performed, “Flowers in Your Hair” became an immediate crowd favorite after appearing on The Lumineers’ debut album in 2012. Its hippie-flavored folk-rock sound helped the song reach number 19 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart. It also received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

The message revolves around love, youth, and maturity. Wesley Schultz’s vocals, Neyla Pekarek’s cello, and the rest of the band’s instrumentation work together beautifully. The song is lively enough to make it almost impossible to remain seated while listening.

# 8 – “Gloria”

Released in 2019 as the first single from III, “Gloria” introduced listeners to the fictional Sparks family at the center of the album’s interconnected story. The song reached number 41 on the United Kingdom’s Official Singles Sales Chart and became one of the album’s defining tracks.

Despite its upbeat acoustic pulse, “Gloria” is not a cheerful song. It examines alcoholism and the damage addiction inflicts on a family. Schultz sings from the perspective of a child addressing a mother whose drinking has placed everyone around her in danger. The contrast between the lively music and devastating subject makes the song even more powerful.

# 7 – “BRIGHTSIDE”

The Lumineers released the title track from BRIGHTSIDE in 2021, several months before the album arrived in 2022. The song reached number two on Billboard’s Rock Airplay chart and number 13 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

“BRIGHTSIDE” tells a dramatic story of young love colliding with life’s harsh realities. Rather than confronting everything directly, the couple imagines running away together and staying ahead of the heartbreak waiting for them. The song’s urgent rhythm gives that escape a sense of momentum, as though standing still would be the worst possible choice.

# 6 – “Sleep on the Floor”

“Sleep on the Floor” is beautiful, dramatic, and perfectly designed to tug at the heart. The haunting piano, percussion, and vocals frame a plea to escape a dark present before circumstances make that escape impossible.

The song opens Cleopatra and also forms part of the interconnected video narrative later assembled as The Ballad of Cleopatra. Its central question is simple but powerful: Do you stay where life has placed you, or take a chance on something better before it is too late?

# 5 – “Cleopatra”

The title track from Cleopatra was inspired by a taxi driver Wesley Schultz met in the country of Georgia. She told him about turning down a marriage proposal from her first love as a teenager and continuing to carry that regret decades later.

The song transforms that story into a meditation on missed opportunities, aging, pride, and the way a single decision can reshape an entire life. Its reference to Cleopatra is not a literal claim that the woman portrayed the Egyptian queen. Instead, it suggests a younger self who once felt powerful, beautiful, and full of possibility.

The arrangement is deceptively simple, but the song grows heavier with every verse. By the time the narrator reflects on the life she might have lived, the performance has become one of the band’s most affecting pieces of storytelling.

# 4 – “Angela”

“Angela” appeared on the album Cleopatra. The song follows a woman attempting to leave her past behind, but it understands that running away does not automatically erase the memories and pain traveling with her.

The song became part of The Ballad of Cleopatra, the short film assembled from five interconnected music videos. The sequence brings together “Ophelia,” “Cleopatra,” “Sleep on the Floor,” “Angela,” and “My Eyes,” forming a larger narrative about choices, regret, love, and the different lives a person might have lived.

# 3 – “Stubborn Love”

“Stubborn Love” was released from The Lumineers’ self-titled debut album in 2012. The song examines a damaged relationship that somehow retains the ability to survive despite everything that has gone wrong.

Schultz’s vocal, Fraites’ percussion, and Pekarek’s cello build gradually, allowing the song to move from quiet reflection into an emotional release. The accompanying video is hauntingly beautiful and gives the song’s message about pain, forgiveness, and endurance even greater impact.

# 2 – “Ophelia”

Released on the 2016 album Cleopatra, “Ophelia” combines piano, acoustic instrumentation, and one of the band’s most memorable melodies. The piano wraps around Schultz’s voice like a warm blanket on a cold northeastern night.

Beneath its sweetness, the song addresses the complications that arrive with sudden success. Ophelia becomes a symbol for fame itself, something irresistible that can inspire love, anxiety, dependency, and fear at the same time.

It is tender, melodic, and instantly recognizable. It represents everything listeners have come to expect from this gifted group of musicians and songwriters.

# 1 – “Ho Hey”

“Ho Hey” was the first single released from The Lumineers’ self-titled debut album. The guitar at the beginning of the track is immediately captivating. The first time I heard it, I picked up my guitar and began learning how to play it.

The lead vocal, handclaps, and shouted responses create a simple but irresistible celebration of connection and longing. The song sounds communal, as though everyone in the room has been invited to sing along.

Look at how happy everyone appears in the video. The performance feels spontaneous, warm, and completely alive. “Ho Hey” introduced millions of listeners to The Lumineers and remains one of the most iconic folk-rock songs of its generation.