Top 50 Indie ‘Anthems’

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Need some instant floor fillers to add to your party playlist? Or just getting into the indie scene and looking for what the best tunes are to get you going? Well, you’ve come to the right place as I have compiled a list of 50 of the best indie songs that are just all-in-all great. Chances are you have already come across some of these massive hits though it just gives a great insight to what indie music has to offer.

50. Razorlight ‘America’

A negative perception of the political ‘trouble in America’, as it was enlightening the fact of the political issues in America. ‘America’ became the band’s first and only number-one single.

49. Supergrass ‘Alright’ 

Although it’s a really well-known song… it’s not my favourite. Despite that, it is a very well written & feel good song all about feeling young and living young. Definitely, one to add to the summer playlist.

48. Kings of Leon ‘Use Somebody’

A really great song about looking for someone to love with an uplifting chorus brought by the loud drums and guitars which just gets everyone hyped up.

47. Pulp ‘Do You Remember The First Time?’

The soft disco beats throughout this song make it an absolute jam mixed in with the sharp guitar strums.

46. The Stone Roses ‘Fools Gold’

The only reason as to why this song has been placed so far up in the list is because of the length, a whopping 9 minutes and 54 seconds. Though whether or not if you can actually be bothered to listen to the groovy sounds at the end it of the song it still is all-in-all a good tune.

45. Imagine Dragons ‘On Top Of The World’ 

Imagine Dragons released feel good lyrics and beats throughout this song which quite literally could make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

44. U2 ‘Beautiful Day’

You could literally plug your earphones in and forget about the world when listening to this song, lead singer Bono explained how this song is about losing everything yet still finding joy in what you have.

43. Kaiser Chiefs ‘Ruby’

‘RUBY RUBY RUBY RUBYYYY AHHHHHH’… probably one of the most iconic lines from the Kaiser Chiefs.

42. Pulp ‘Common People’

‘Common People’ is very upbeat, with the gradual crescendo of disco beats throughout the song, building up to a great chorus & breakdown.

41. Arctic Monkeys ‘Arabella’ 

What’s an indie music list without the Arctic Monkeys? Well, ‘Arabella’ is the first of many, with the insane guitar strums and just all round Arctic Monkeys greatness.

40. The Killers ‘Smile Like You Mean It’

Not quite as big as ‘Mr. Brightside’ but still an exceptional party anthem.

39. The La’s ‘There She Goes’ 

It’s a pretty chilled song by The La’s but a good one.

38. The Zutons ‘Valerie’ 

Whether or not you know it from The Zutons or the amazing cover done by Amy Winehouse, it is yet a wonderful song. The original by The Zutons is a great example of how amazing 00’s indie rock was.

37. The Libertines ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’

The Libertines, in my opinion, are one of the greatest indie bands and most definitely have quite a few indie ‘anthems’, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ being one of them.

36. Weezer ‘Buddy Holly’

Almost like a dad band classic. Still a great song for this modern age.

35. The Kooks ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’

One of The Kooks most famous songs featured on their debut studio album. It is a really chilled yet upbeat and all-around happy little song.

34. The Wombats ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ 

A dancy song about dancing to other, not so dancy songs… It has a few references to Joy Divison through the lyrics which I think is very clever. As for the beat, it is very funky and an incredible party classic.

33. Jet ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’

I’m not too sure why but whilst writing this the words ‘Jingle-Jangle’ came into my head when describing this song so here we go… it’s very jingle-jangle…

32. Jamie T ‘Zombie’

Lyrically it’s about grieving about post-teenage years ‘Sad sad post teen…’ though it absolutely is a dancefloor classic.

31. The Libertines ‘What Katie Did’

It’s very 2000’s indie disco but I like it a lot.

30. The Stone Roses ‘She Bangs The Drums’

What’s an indie list without The Stone Roses? Of course, if you really want to get into indie music one of the best bands to listen to are The Stone Roses.

29. Blur ‘Song 2’

With the loud guitars and enigmatic lyrics, written to almost ridicule the grunge music that was big in the states which actually made ‘Song 2’ Blurs biggest hit in the US.

28. Radiohead ‘Creep’

Not quite the song you would play at a party… or any Radiohead song really for that matter. It is a great indie classic though.

27. Jake Bugg ‘Two Fingers’ 

Possibly one of the best folk rock songs ever.

26. Coldplay ‘The Scientist’ 

Again, this isn’t really a song you’d play at a party due to the slow melody & sad lyrics but it is a great indie classic by Coldplay.

25. Kings Of Leon ‘Sex on Fire’

Wild guitar and drum beats are surely not one to miss… though I really do doubt you have never heard this song.

24. MGMT ‘Kids’

Without a doubt, ‘Kids’ is one of the best summer songs ever.

23. The Smiths ‘Panic’

There will be a real panic if The Smiths aren’t played at an indie party. How can you even mention something remotely indie without even making a slight reference to The Smiths?

22. The Fratellis ‘Chelsea Dagger’

Sad? ‘Chelsea Dagger’. Happy? ‘Chelsea Dagger’. Mellow? ‘Chelsea Dagger’. It’s just one of they songs that it doesn’t matter what mood you’re in you just want to listen to it.

21. Two Door Cinema Club ‘Undercover Martyn’

Honestly any song by Two Door Cinema Club is an indie anthem.

20. Catfish And The Bottlemen ‘Kathleen’

Catfish should be at the top of the list for a summer party playlist, their music has very mellow rock vibes which literally are amazing.

19. The Killers ‘Mr. Brightside’

Have you ever been to a party that hasn’t played ‘Mr. Brightside’? I didn’t think so.

18. Jamie T ‘Sheila’

A party song about the consequences of drink and drugs? I mean why not, better safe than sorry, am I right??…

17. The Strokes ‘Last Nite’ 

‘Like a band from the past took a time-trip into the future’

16. Oasis ‘Wonderwall’

Usually, this song should be placed in the top 5 as it is one of the biggest songs to come out of the 90’s.

15. The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ 

Fun fact, the video for this amazing song has gained a reputation for one of the most effective motion sickness videos.

14. The Smiths ‘This Charming Man’

Very funky and fairly happyish for The Smiths.

13. Pulp ‘Disco 2000’

Having a 2000’s themed disco? This song is perfect.

12. The Kooks ‘Naive’ 

Probably the most well-known song by The Kooks, which I completely understand as it’s an absolute tune.

11. Arctic Monkeys ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’

This song is guaranteed to get everyone and their grans dancing.

10. The Kinks ‘Waterloo Sunset’

An oldie but a goldie as some might say. The David Bowie cover of this is fantastic too.

9. Franz Ferdinand ‘Take Me Out’

If you want to get into indie music, Franz Ferdinand is the way to go. They are one of my personal favourites. ‘Take Me Out’ is a great song to listen to to get into their music.

8. Tame Impala ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ 

All about the helpless feeling of getting your hopes up in love and getting let down. Though just like some other songs on this list the beat makes the fairly sad lyrical meaning quite funky.

7. The Black Keys ‘Howlin’ For You’

Known for its compelling chorus of “Da da da da da, Da da da da da da,”. Writing this, the band were influenced by the Blues band Howlin’ Wolf. This song gained popularity after the release of the music video.

6. Arctic Monkeys ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ 

I mean, how could you resist a song with a well put together, rhyming title like that. Though believe it or not, the writing for this song started out as a joke but soon blossomed into something wonderful.

5. The Libertines ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’

Carl described the funky Libertines track to have “such a reservoir of wonderful, rich, lyrical material that we’d really wanted to sing about when we were young, fresh and idealistic,”

4. Arctic Monkeys ‘Mardy Bum’

It just is everyone’s favourite Arctic Monkeys song. And if it’s not, you’re lying.

3. Mac Demarco ‘My Kind Of Women’

If you want to get into indie music and you had to listen to one person, listen to Mac Demarco. ‘My Kind of Women’ is like the perfect modern indie love song.

2. Joy Division ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’

Joy Division were fairly influential yet didn’t sell many records, for example, this was released in April 1980, and like their other singles, it didn’t chart. A month later after lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide the single was re-released in June 1980 and became their first and only hit.

1. Oasis ‘Some Might Say’

It would be wrong not to put Oasis in the number one spot as they are one of the greatest indie bands to have ever existed. ‘Some Might Say’ was the band’s first UK number one; after it was written Noel Gallagher, lead guitarist was confident it would be number one and he was right. The lyrics through the verses have quite deep meaning as Noel describes them as “Some of them are about homeless people, and people who can’t always get what they want, and how people who can get what they want always seems bemoaning more than people can’t. That’s why it’s, ‘Tell it to the man who lives in hell.'”

Check out my indie hits playlist here featuring all these fantastic songs and a few more.

Thank you for reading, be sure to be kept up to date on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Also, don’t forget to follow either by WordPress or email to be notified whenever I post a new blog post. You can also follow my Spotify to see what music I’ve been listening to.

See you soon, Rachael