In theory, picking out your favorite song seems pretty easy. That is until it comes down to your favorite band who has put out albums where you end up loving every single track. Since I live for making myself face hard decisions, I have decided to present you with ten Twenty One Pilots songs I think you should listen to. I could easily tell you to listen to every single song they’ve ever put out, but I have to present you with more content than that.
(But seriously, if you have the time, you should really listen to every single song they’ve ever put out.)
For those of you who have not been entirely won over by Twenty One Pilots, you may have heard some of their songs on the radio recently. Stressed Out, Ride and Tear In My Heart have made their rounds on radio stations. Their older songs, House Of Gold, Car Radio, and Holding On To You might even sound familiar.
Now, you might have heard these songs and thought “These are a bop”. You’re right, they are indeed bops. Bops with amazing meanings behind the lyrics and fantastic artistry that Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun present to their audience in every single song.
Along with thinking the songs are bops, you might have also thought “Hey, I should listen to more of their stuff sometime”. Maybe you haven’t gotten around to doing this yet or you’re not sure where to start. Fortunately, that’s where I come in.
So, I’m gonna take my time on this Ride (haha, get it?), and present you with ten TØP songs you should bless your eardrums with.
1.) Kitchen Sink
You might be looking at the title thinking, “Uhh, what?”, but Kitchen Sink is a song chock full of meaning. I think of this song a lot when I’m writing due to the following lyrics:
Are you searching for purpose?
Then write something, yeah it might be worthless
Then paint something then, it might be wordless
Pointless curses, nonsense verses
You'll see purpose start to surface
No one else is dealing with your demons
Could be the beginning of your meaning, friend.
Sometimes, when we create or when we express, the value of it doesn’t seem important or clear. Or perhaps, the meaning makes sense to you, but comes across fuzzy to those around you. Kitchen Sink is an anthem for those of us who are still searching for our purpose. We want to push away, because we feel like we aren’t being understood. At the same time, we want someone to hear what we’re saying.
2.) Forest
Forest, in my opinion, is a very unifying songs. Twenty One Pilots have created this community with their fans, through their music and their experiences. This song alone represents that community as well as the comfort one can find through music. Listening to this song, you can clearly interpret that representation from the following lyrics
Singing songs that nobody wrote.
3.) The Run and Go
The Run and Go makes it to this list solely because it’s one of my personal favorites. As someone who feels bothersome when asking for help or isn’t always keen on expressing their true feelings, I find comfort in this song. Plus the “doo doo doo”’s that the lead singer Tyler sings are pretty darn catchy.
4.) Ode To Sleep
As much as I love sleep, it’s not something that always comes easy. Ode To Sleep talks about the inner demons, or depressing thoughts that can arise in the dark. Tyler expresses the difference of how one’s mindset can be at night and in the morning. The lyric “‘Cause the dark’s not taking prisoners tonight”, shows how much Tyler wants to avoid the night in order to be lead to a better morning.
(This song is also a great to tune to scream on top of your lungs.)
5.) Trees
I just let out a long breath at my computer screen, because I’m not sure how well I can express how meaningful this song is. It’s an important song amongst the fans and Twenty One Pilots themselves. If you give this song a listen, I suggest closing your eyes and focusing every bit of your brain on every bit of the song. Hearing this song live was honestly one of the best moments of my young adult life.
6.) Lane Boy
Lane Boy could definitely be considered a bop, especially towards the end of the song where the music gets you absolutely hyped. This song is neat because it discusses fame and success and how it affects the music industry and music artists themselves. You get the gist of this with the lyrics below:
I'm in constant confrontation with what I want and what is poppin'
In the industry it seems to me that singles on the radio are currency
My creativity's only free when I'm playin' shows
7.) Polarize
Sometimes it’s hard to separate good from evil. Sometimes it’s hard for us to feel complete, because we’re not exactly sure who we are. Tyler defines Polarize through these few lines:
Polarize is taking your disguises,
Separating them, splitting them up from wrong and right,
It's deciding where to die and deciding where to fight,
8.) We Don’t Believe What’s On TV
I’m just going to start off with giving you my favorite verse from this song, okay?
What if my dream does not happen?
Would I just change what I've told my friends?
Don't wanna know who I would be,
When I wake up from a dreamer's sleep.
Personally, as someone who’s currently in college trying to figure out their future, I get so pumped over this verse. Not only do you have the worry of your dream not coming true or your goal not being achieved — you also can’t help but to worry about what the people in your life are going to think.
(P.S. This song is so upbeat, and the “yeah yeah yeah”’s need to be screamed with all you got.)
9.) Goner
One of my absolute favorite songs off their recent album Blurryface! It’s a lot slower than the other tunes. In my mind Trees and Goner are an important duo. When I listen to Goner I become overwhelmed with emotions. Let me just tell you, I once sang along so hard to this song that it felt like my insides were going to explode. Definitely give this song a chance.
10.) Oh Ms. Believer
Oh Ms. Believer comes from Twenty One Pilots’ first album. I find this song to be absolutely beautiful. It’s a song you’d like to listen to on a quiet night while you watch snow fall gently to the ground. Honestly, if someone sang this song to me, I’d probably marry them. So, future spouse, take notes.
BONUS: Heathens
Okay, now I know I said ten songs, but I really have to talk about this one! Heathens is a brand new song from Twenty One Pilots and it just so happens to be on the Suicide Squad Soundtrack. Pretty wicked, huh? Like all the songs above, I really recommend giving this song a listen. It’s absolutely sick, and the music video is equally as awesome.
So, go on. Go and give these songs a go. Maybe you’ll end up finding your new favorite tune.
