The 10 Best Collective Soul Songs of All-Time
Collective Soul was founded in Stockbridge, Georgia, in 1992. The group got its name from the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. The original lineup was Ed Roland on lead vocals, guitarists Dean Roland and Ross Childress, and Will Turpin and Shane Evans on drums and percussion. Collective Soul was one of the first grunge groups to form outside of Seattle.
Their first album, Hints Allegations & Things Left Unsaid, was released on Atlantic Records in 1993; it went platinum and led to them becoming the opening act for Aerosmith. The following year, they played at Woodstock in 1994. Their next album, Disciplined Breakdown, produced five top ten hits on the Hot Mainstream Rock Charts. By the late 90s, their fame had started to fade as more groups began to progress towards the metal scene.
In 2000 the group released Blender, which was markedly different from their earlier albums featuring dance and pop elements. Additionally, there was a duet with Elton John. At the end of their contract in 2004, the group added a new guitar player and released an album closer to their original genre, Youth, released on their own label imprint. Over the next decade, the group did many tours and kept busy with other side projects. Several band members started solo projects. Their last album, Blood, was released in 2019. These are the top 10 Collective Soul songs of all time.
10. Listen
This is a song about working together for the greater good. Heavy drum looks take a back seat to rhythmic electric guitars. This song is a bit of an oddity for the group because it lacks many sad litanies. Collective Soul leaves behind the coldness of life and how everything can weigh a person down. Instead, it’s an uptempo song about listening to the subtle signs in life and following them down your journey.
9. Run
Roland’s voice is softer throughout this song; it feels like a track you’d play when you’re leaving a bad situation and feel like you still have a long way to go. During parts of the song, you hear a lilting violin that helps create a peaceful sound for troubled souls. Many times people lose parts of themselves through life and try to get back to the basics in life. However, finding yourself is one of the best journeys in life.
8. Precious Declaration
This is another uptempo song from Collective Soul. Despite some driving guitar riffs, it remains a powerful song about breaking free from something holding you back and deciding to head to somewhere where you feel the positivity of life. The song ends with the line “I was blind, but now I see, salvation has discovered me,” a line about something finding us even when we’re not looking.
7. Gel
This song sounds like it’s a part of the punk genre with overtones of light metal. The group showcases their eclectic style delivering a romp more than a sad song. It’s an early Netflix and chill song from the Grunge Era. Beyond that, it’s about starting a new relationship and discovering boundaries.
6. Tremble, My Beloved
At the beginning of this song, it sounds like the opening to a Pink Floyd tune. As the song progresses, it goes into electric guitar tracks with bright overtones. Despite the song’s tone, the lyrics are about a life where all of your feelings are chained by the past, and it’s driving someone to insanity because they can’t have the one they want.
5. Where the River Flows
Roland’s voice is almost a whisper throughout the song, creating an eerie track about someone whose Soul is in question because they are with someone who is constantly draining them. Combining lighter vocals and heavier instrumentation creates urgency, which starts with the lyrics and moves forward.
4. Heavy
There’s a force reverb at the beginning of the song with a driving beat. Even though there are heavy elements of grunge, the vocals lend a softer pop element. Throughout the song, some epic guitar solos propel this song into another dimension. The song is about the pressures in life and how they drag you down if you’re not careful. Moreover, it’s about the people we let into our lives and let them weigh us down with their negativity.
3. December
According to an interview with Stereo Gum, The group didn’t like Ed Roland’s original version, although he wanted to keep it because he liked the guitar chords. They thought what he’d written was boring because it only had four chords. The opening guitar chords of the song are slow and lilting. The group often has portions of this song to illustrate the lyrics before diving into heavier drum licks and guitar chords. December is a song about a toxic relationship where even though one of the people thinks the other is toxic, they are still leading them on for their own good.
2. The World I Know
The opening guitar chords in this song sound similar to Iris by The GooGoo Dolls. The overall vibe of this song is introspective, and it challenges the listener to look outside themselves and really see the world around them. Everything about the music is haunting and beautiful. The best line in the song is, “I laughed with at myself as the tears rolled down.” Sometimes, the best thing you can do in life keeps upbeat even when everything is crashing down.
1. Shine
Despite being part of the Grunge Era, this song is exceptionally upbeat. You hear some electric drums and heavy drums, but the lyrics express a positive message about finding love and seeking the truth from the universe throughout the song. The intermittent heavy beats create a piece of music for getting motivated and rising from your procrastination. Bookended by impressive instrumentation and lyrics, there is a fantastic guitar solo that This song was the group’s first mega-hit.
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