The 10 Best Tame Impala Songs of All-Time

Kevin Parker is the man behind Tame Impala. He’s capable of playing multiple musical instruments. For proof, look no further than how he does all the recordings for his music project. Parker got started in 2007. Since then, he has released several studio albums that have received enthusiastic receptions in Australia and beyond. As such, it’s no exaggeration to say that Tame Impala is one of the most notable psychedelic acts to ever emerge from that country.

Here is our opinion of the ten best Tame Impala songs released so far:

10. “The Bold Arrow of Time”

“The Bold Arrow of Time” comes from Tame Impala’s debut album. It has a simple name that makes a memorable impression. Funny enough, something similar can be said about the song itself because it opted for a more straightforward sound rather than run the risk of becoming overproduced and overcomplicated. Suffice it to say that this worked surprisingly well.

9. “Mind Mischief”

“Mind Mischief” was the third of three singles from Tame Impala’s second album. The numbers show that it was never as popular as its two predecessors. Still, this song about a deteriorating relationship is worth checking out.

8. “Disciples”

Dread is no stranger to Tame Impala’s music. Despite this, “Disciples” is one of the finest expressions in Parker’s body of work. It’s short. Even so, it packs plenty of emotional punch.

7. “Apocalypse Dreams”

“Apocalypse Dreams” is another song from the second album. It contradicts itself in several ways. For example, the song’s happiness is mixed with melancholy. Similarly, the narrator sings about everything changing while simultaneously singing about nothing changing. It feels like the song was meant to encourage people to assign what meaning they want to the lyrics, thus enabling them to connect on a more fundamental level. Certainly, that would fit with the words that make up the song’s name. Regardless, “Apocalypse Dreams” is a superb example of Tame Impala’s sound. Indeed, it’s a surprisingly popular introduction to the music project because it’s a good way for interested individuals to determine whether they want to hear more or not.

6. “Borderline”

“Borderline” is the second single from 2019’s The Slow Rush. So far, it’s one of Tame Impala’s best-received songs, as shown by how it went platinum in the United States. Interested individuals might have heard of it, even if they aren’t familiar with the rest of the music project’s work. That is because Parker decided to debut it when he performed on Saturday Night Live in 2019. Something particularly noteworthy because he had to improvise some of the lines since he hadn’t polished everything to his satisfaction by that point. Considering how “Borderline” has been received, it seems safe to say that he did many things right.

5. “New Person, Same Old Mistakes”

“New Person, Same Old Mistakes” was the last single from Tame Impala’s third album. It was also remarkably successful, so much so that it sold more than two million copies in the United States. Of course, it’s easy to sympathize with the sentiments laid out as early as the song’s name. People are constantly changing. Due to this, one could say that we’re always someone other than who we were. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we’ve changed enough, meaning we can repeat our past mistakes. Indeed, we might be prone to it because mistakes are like other choices in that they can be habit-forming.

4. “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”

As mentioned earlier, “Mind Mischief” was the third single from Tame Impala’s second album. Before it, there was “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.” It reached the number 74 position in Australia. However, it’s important to note that it was better received than that number indicates. After all, the song went double platinum in Australia and platinum in the United States, meaning it sold numerous copies. Given the song’s name, interested individuals should have no problem guessing it fits into the album’s general theme of loneliness. The narrator might be in a relationship. Unfortunately, things aren’t working out too well for him.

3. “The Less I Know the Better”

“The Less I Know the Better” is the most successful of Tame Impala’s singles so far. For proof, consider how it went quadruple platinum in the United States. That means the song sold a confirmed eight million copies, which is an incredible number by any reasonable standard. “The Less I Know the Better” isn’t Parker’s favorite track. Even so, it is extremely popular.

2. “Elephant”

“Elephant” was the first single from Tame Impala’s second album. It’s notable because it’s so different from the rest of the release. For instance, it has a more blues-influenced sound. Something that does much to isolate it from its album-mates. Everything makes more sense when one learns that “Elephant” was penned at a much earlier point, meaning it’s rooted in a different creative period. For that matter, its focus on a swaggering bully from a resentful perspective does seem like the kind of thing that would come from a younger artist.

1. “Let It Happen”

“Let It Happen” opened Currents in 2015. As such, it makes sense that it’s emblematic of the album. As the name suggests, Currents is about the changes that happen in life. “Let It Happen” encourages the listener to accept the inevitability of change, which is a much healthier attitude than resisting pointlessly. That isn’t the most comforting of themes. As such, it’s no coincidence that this tension is reflected in its gorgeous sound.

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