Top 10 Thirty Seconds To Mars Songs

Photo: Pawel Maryanov from Russia, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Thirty Seconds To Mars songs list looks at a band whose lead singer is famed actor Jared Leto and were first formed in the late 1990s.

Their self-titled debut was released in 2002 and was well received critically but was only moderately commercially successful. Their first big success came with the release of their second album A Beautiful Lie which was released in 2005. Their next album This Is War in 2009 showed a much more experimental musical direction for the band. They have since released two more albums Love Lust Faith and Dreams in 2013 and America in 2018. The band have had a very successful career having sold over fifteen million albums worldwide. They have also played many sell out tours. They have been acclaimed for their progressive musical style which mixes a wide variety of genres. Here is a list of their ten best songs.

# 10 – The Kill

Kicking off our top ten Thirty Seconds To Mars songs is the second single taken from the second album A Beautiful Lie released in 2005. It reached number sixty-five on the Billboard Hot 100. Jared Leto has stated that the song is about the kind of relationship that an individual has with themselves and trying to break through any fears and anxieties that they have. The song is also known for its promo video that is based on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

# 9 – Edge of The Earth

Up next we have the second single from the band’s self-titled debut released in 2002. This single was released on US radio in 2003. It was performed on Tonight With Jay Leno and was the first performance of guitarist Tomo Milicevic. It was featured on the soundtrack to the video game Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit.

# 8 – Night of the Hunter

This next track is taken from This Is War released in 2009. This is about the Leto brothers early days and how they had dreams to be the big stars that they are now. This is a song that is a live favourite with fans. The whole album is a concept record about the band’s personal struggles, particularly the legal issues that they had with Virgin Records. It was the fifth and final single to be released from the album and it got to number fifty on the Billboard US Hot Rock songs.

# 7 – A Beautiful Lie

Here we have the title track and fourth single from the band’s second album, although it was not released as a single in the UK. After receiving much radio airplay in the US, it got to number thirty-seven on the US Modern Rock Charts. The release of the single was delayed slightly due of the music video which was filmed in the North Pole.

# 6 – City Of Angels

Ending the first half of this list we have a song taken from Thirty Seconds To Mars’ fourth album Love, Lust Faith and Dreams released in 2013. As the title would suggest, it is about Leto’s time living in Los Angeles and the culture of the city. It received positive critical acclaim for its experimental sound and charted high across the world.

# 5 – From Yesterday

Kicking off the second half of this list we have the third single to be taken from A Beautiful Lie. The video for it is said to be the first ever American music video to be filmed in the People’s Republic of China. Said video was also the last appearance of then bass player Matt Watcher. It won the Kerrang! Award for best single in 2006.

# 4 – Up In The Air

This is another track from Lust, Love, Faith and Dreams. The marks a departure in sound from much of the band’s previous work as it is more electronic and New Wave influenced. It was the lead single from the album and was premiered from the International Space Station. It peaked at number three on the US alternative songs charts and was also successful in several other countries. The video which features a lot of conceptual imagery, was also highly acclaimed by critics.

# 3 – Attack

At number three we have the lead single from A Beautiful Lie. It was critically acclaimed due to its sound, which many critics felt was unique. It was a Billboard Modern Rock top thirty hit where it peaked at number twenty-two. It also had success in the UK where it reached number nine on that country’s Rock charts.

# 2 – Kings and Queens

Just off the top spot is this track taken from This Is War. This epic track was written across both the United States and South Africa. It received critical acclaim with several critics calling it a highlight of the album. It was the band’s’ second number one hit on the US Alternative songs charts and also had moderate success internationally. It was yet another of the band’s numbers which had a highly acclaimed promo video, so much so that it was nominated for four awards at the 2010 MTV Music Video Awards. The song has a very epic sound that is somewhat reminiscent of U2 and also has a lot of progressive rock elements to it. It is the kind of track that has very much proved to be a stadium classic when it has been performed live.

# 1 – Closer To The Edge

At the top spot is the third single from This Is War. The song was described by the band as being their “pop song.” The video was filmed whilst the band were on tour and showed clips of them with fans in several different countries across the world. It was positively reviewed by critics who once again praised the epic nature of its sound. They also said that the video was very nice to watch. It entered the charts in the UK at number ninety before climbing up to number eighty-two.

It peaked at number seventy-eight and topped the UK rock charts, knocking off the Pretty Reckless who had been at the top of the chart for seven weeks. It is their highest charting single in Australia where it peaked at number thirteen. In the US, it debuted at number ninety-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It had previously been on both the Rock and Alternative songs chart. It was also their first single in the US to be played on Adult Contemporary Radio. Its highest chart position was at number one on the US Rock and Metal Chart.

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business or any organizations is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission.