Gay4Grunge: My Top 15 Collective Soul Songs

I've been a fan of Collective Soul since 2002 and I saw the band live 4 times between 2005 & 2010. Collective Soul was one of the first bands I got into when I started becoming a huge fan of Grunge and 90s Alternative in the early '00s. At first, I just bought their Greatest Hits, but eventually I bought their 1995 Self-titled album as well as Youth and Afterwords in the mid-2000s and I heard the rest of their albums thanks to my dad, who ended up becoming a bigger Collective Soul fan than me. That said, while I like Collective Soul, I don't think their albums are quite as strong as their peers overall. While their 1995 Self-Titled is good and features some great singles, it's not nearly as good as say Superunknown, Ten, Nevermind, Jar of Flies, Purple or Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness. That said, if you compare Collective Soul's singles to any other act from the 90s, this band definitely holds their own. Single for single Collective Soul was always able to churn out hooky rock music that always paid lip service to the trends that were happening in rock at the time. 

That means that when they first arrived Collective Soul looked and sounded like a Grunge band and were therefore categorized as one. As the 90s wore on Collective Soul could still drop a heavy rock song such as Where the River Flows and Heavy, but they also started dipping their toes into the Adult Alternative/Roots rock sound that was happening at the time too with bands like The Goo Goo Dolls, The Counting Crows and The Gin Blossoms. Because of that I've always seen Collective Soul as straddling the line between Grunge and Post-Grunge as well as non-grunge rock too. By the time you get to 2000, Collective Soul could still deliver big fuzzy guitars on songs like Why Pt 2, but they now looked like a boy band. Just look at the album cover for 2000's Blender and tell me they don't look like they are trying to compete with NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. This more stylized look would continue to be how Collective Soul presented themselves in the 2000s as they distanced themselves more and more from Grunge/Post-Grunge. 

Of course, this distancing away from the post-grunge sound meant the band eventually lost a bit of their early edge and they were phased out of modern rock radio as a result. That's also around the same time that I lost interest in the group as well. While 2004's album Youth was a very slickly produced pop/rock record it still had enough hooks and fuzzy guitars to keep me interested, but that album was my last hurrah with Collective Soul. The group's 2007 Afterwards is where I jumped ship since I found that album to be lifeless and forgettable and I have not really followed the band ever since besides buying their latest albums for my dad as presents. Afterwards also marks the point that rock radio turned their backs on Collective Soul's newer material though they continued to play the band's 90s hits for many years to come.  

What this means is that for the most part my countdown is focusing on the singles they released from 1994-2004 with some exceptions. The first exception is a song that's a deep cut off one of their 90s albums and another exception is a single off their most recent album. Besides that, though I'm concentrating on the singles from Collective Soul's first decade where they were a modern rock radio staple who churned out hit after hit even if most people didn't realize all those hits were by the same band. In fact, I'm sure many of you reading this might now know just how many hits Collective Soul had at their peak, but by the end of this countdown you're going to realize you know this band better than you thought you did. If you've spent any time listening to rock radio since 1994 then you've heard most of these songs a lot. So, without further ado let's jump into those songs. 

15. Right as Rain (2019)

As I noted in the intro, I jumped ship with the release of Collective Soul's 2007 album Afterwards. I continued to buy Collective Soul's albums for my dad, but I didn't really listen to them myself. Now by 2019 buying CDs was pretty much obsolete and I had Spotify by then so one week on my release radar this song popped up and I really enjoyed it. Collective Soul doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but that's never been their deal to begin with. Collective Soul has always been a dependable rock band who usually deliver straight ahead rock songs with strong hooks and melodies. While Right as Rain wouldn't rank among the band's very best songs, it's still solid and can hold its own against those 90s classics. In fact, this song could have appeared on one of their 90s albums and maybe that's why I like it so much. 

14. Gel (1995)

The first single off the band's 1995 self-titled album, proved the group's staying power after the success of Shine the year before. It would have been easy for Collective Soul to become another one hit wonder that decade, but Gel proved they were just getting started. This song has a nice compact riff and a real groove to it that slaps. Collective Soul's songs could work as bops at times due to the production and the way their songs were constructed. This one will definitely get your head bopping. 

13. She Said (1997)

So, this is a song that I knew for years thanks to Scream 2. This song plays at the end of the film as Neve Campbell's Sidney character walks alone through campus and the camera slowly pans out. I've watched the Scream moves countless times so when I heard a clip of this off Collective Soul's Greatest Hits, I recognized it instantly. She Said sees the band in a more overt pop mode and features strings and slick production that at times recalls one of their biggest hits The World I Know. This was probably no coincidence and I'm sure everyone involved hoped this was going to be a big breakout hit from the Scream 2 soundtrack, but that never really happened. I'm not sure why She Said never took off because it's a really solid song, but I can also see where rock radio might have found it too poppy. At the same time top 40 radio was already starting to get taken over by teen pop so it may have just been the wrong time to release She Said sadly. 

12. Precious Declaration (1997)

Right from the start, Precious Declaration slaps! That drum/beat sounds like something you would hear in a pop song not in a rock song, but then comes that guitar riff on top of it which feels very Collective Soul. Then once we get to the chorus the song has reached maximum catchiness. The way Collective Soul played around with their production and were willing to go more overtly pop in certain ways really sets Collective Soul apart from most of their Grunge and Post Grunge peers. When I saw Collective Soul live the first time, they did a cover song by The Cars and they said the Cars were a big influence on them and ever since then I could really hear that. The Cars were a rock band who always went pop and embraced synths and slick production at a time when many older rockers were resisting such things. While Collective Soul sounds different from The Cars I can hear the spirit of The Cars in their music and especially in their production. 

11. Home (2004)

While this was never officially a single off of Youth it sounds like it could have been. For me this song is all about its chorus which soars. By this point Collective Soul was no longer Grunge in any sense of the word and were really a Pop/Rock band, but at least they still delivered strong hooks at this point whereas some of their latter albums stumbled a bit in that department. In a lot of ways, I consider this the last Collective Soul song I really loved along with the singles from this album. 

10. Why Pt 2 (2000)

The opening bit of production feels very Y2K and of its time, but then comes that guitar riff which is one of the heavier guitar riffs in the band's catalog. I feel Why Pt 2 is a really good balance of the band's harder rocking side and their poppier side, especially once that chorus comes in. Back then Collective Soul always delivered strong choruses that made their songs sound hookier than most of their peers. I also first saw this music video at the hard rock cafe back in 2002 and it's definitely a big change from how the band looked in their earlier videos when they were dressing in flannel like all good Grungers did back in the 90s. Here the band dresses up like a boyband, probably in hopes of getting the music video on TRL though I never saw this video on MTV back in 2000 so that obviously didn't work. 

9. Generate (1999)

Generate is a deep cut off the band's 1999 album Dosage. Again, we have some slick production married to an ear grabbing guitar riff that jumps out of the speakers as soon it comes on. Like Home Generate was never a single, but it easily could have been due to how hooky it is. I know I'm probably repeating myself when I describe most of Collective Soul's music as being very hooky, but I can't help it. When it comes to Collective Soul, it's all about the hooks and for me that's usually enough. 

8. Counting the Days (2004)

The first single off the group's 2004 album Youth is one of the band's best riff rockers. While the production is slick, this feels a bit more grounded in straight ahead guitar rock, which is probably why it was the biggest hit off Youth on rock radio. Along with Better Now, this is the last Collective Soul song to garner a lot of rock radio play though it didn't stick around on rock radio in the years that followed the way their 90s hits did. So, if you were not listening to rock radio in the fall of 2004 you probably don't know this song, but it's well worth getting to know. 

7. Better Now (2004)

Better Now was the second single off of Youth and while it didn't chart as high as Counting the Days did on rock radio, I actually remember hearing this song even more on the radio back then. In the summer of 2005, I was working full time at the Newport Marriott and interning with radio stations in Rhode Island as well. One of the state’s biggest rock stations 94HJY was one of the stations I interned for and the station was played all the time in the kitchen for the restaurant I worked at and 94HJY played Better Now constantly all summer. I loved hearing it every time too though I was a bit miffed that the radio version cut out the sax solo at the end. I love a good sax but the 2000s was very resistant to the sax for whatever reason before making a comeback in the 2010s. So, if Better Now wanted to get played on rock radio it probably had to ditch that sax sadly. Better Now also crossed over to pop radio and got a lot of play on VH1 too. At the time it felt like Collective Soul was now on their way to becoming a true legacy rock band that was going to be churning out hits the way The Foo Fighters and The Red Hot Chili Peppers did and continue to do, but that wasn't the case. After this I never heard a new Collective Soul single on the radio ever again. If Better Now marks the end of Collective Soul's decade of dominance on rock radio, then they at least went out strong. Better Now is most definitely a bop as well, because yes you can dance to this song if you want to. 

6. The World I Know (1995)

Now we're getting to the upper echelon of Collective Soul singles that were not only hits back in their day, but continued to blanket rock radio for years and years to come. For many people this is their favorite Collective Soul song and it definitely crossed over to the multiple radio formats back in the day from rock radio to pop radio to light rock radio. Every time I see the band live, I can tell that a lot of people in the audience have been waiting to hear this song. The song itself is a story about a person who wants to commit suicide but right before they jump off the ledge, they have a change of heart:

"I drink myself of newfound pity

Sitting alone in New York City

And I don't know why, I don't know why

So I walk up on high and I step to the edge

To see my world below

And I laugh at myself while the tears roll down

'Cause it's the world I know, it's the world I know"

This is a rare 90s song about death and suicide that actually has a happy ending. Grunge is not typically known for its happy endings, but Collective Soul has always been an exception. I also want to point out that The World I Know sounds an awful lot like Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls, which came out 3 years later in 1998. Iris became an even bigger hit than The World I Know and it seems to have a more lasting legacy too. I do like the Goo Goo Dolls and I've seen them live, but I'll always prefer The World I Know over Iris. 

5. Where the River Flows (1995)

Where The River Flows was one of five singles off Collective Soul's 1995 self-titled album, which was their biggest album overall, selling more than 3 million copies in the U.S. Where the River Flows became another #1 mainstream rock hit for Collective Soul and that chart frequently rewarded Collective Soul with multiple #1 hits during the 90s. That said, despite its success I didn't know this song for years. Where the River Flows is the one glaring omission from Collective Soul's greatest hits so it wasn't on my radar for a few years after I had become a fan of the band. I didn't become aware of Where the River Flows until I saw Collective Soul live for the first time in 2005. My Dad and I both instantly liked it and it became a big favorite of ours quickly thereafter. While Collective Soul didn't always fall under the Grunge label, Where the River Flows could be the Grungiest song they ever did. Where the River Flows is anchored by the sludgiest riff Collective Soul ever came up with and it features a pretty great guitar solo to boot. If you want to hear Collective Soul at their heaviest then be sure to check out this song. 

4. Run (1999)

Run was the lead single off Collective Soul's 1999 album Dosage and it was also featured on the Varsity Blues soundtrack, which was an MTV movie about high school football in Texas. In fact, I remember when MTV constantly ran ads for Varsity Blues at the start of 1999 and they used the song Run in all of them, which is how I first heard the song. This is one of those Collective Soul songs that people may not remember by the song title alone, but once they hear Run, they usually recognize it by the time that soaring guitar part takes off during the bridge, which reappears again at the end of the song too. Run is a melancholy anthem that is sure to lift your spirits. 

3. December (1995)

December was the second single off Collective Soul's 1995 album and you'd be forgiven if you thought it was by the Gin Blossoms, because this song features strong jangly guitars that are clearly influenced by The Byrds. Again, people might not remember December by the title alone, but trust me when I say that you have heard this song because it's instantly recognizable right from the start when you hear that jangly guitar line. That chorus is also probably lodged somewhere in the back of your brain too. You know how it goes:

"Don't scream about, don't think aloud

Turn your head now baby just spit me out
Don't worry about, don't speak of doubt
Turn your head now baby just spit me out"

December wound up becoming another #1 mainstream rock hit for the group and it also peaked at #2 on the Alternative Rock chart making it their most successful song on that chart. The song also hit #11 on the Adult Alternative Chart, #20 on the billboard singles chart and it got to #7 on the mainstream pop chart. Needless to say this was an across the board smash that crossed over to multiple radio formats and charts and it's never gone away since then. 

2. Heavy (1999)

Speaking of songs that are instantly recognizable from the start, Heavy begins with one of the best and most iconic guitar riffs of the 90s. Where the River Flows might be the sludgiest and grungiest rock song Collective Soul ever did, but Heavy might be the most high-octane song they've ever done, because this song smokes! Coming in at just under 3 minutes, Heavy never lets up for its entire duration and it features one of the most exciting guitar solos of the decade as well. Upon its release Heavy became the biggest song in the history of the mainstream rock chart up till that point when it spent a record breaking 15 weeks at #1. The song also peaked at #5 on the Alternative Rock chart and like December and the song I picked for #1, Heavy never fell out of rotation on rock radio in the years that followed. Heavy continues to endure because of how exhilarating it still sounds 23 years later. If this song doesn't pump you up, you may need to check your pulse. 

1. Shine (1993)

Shine was Collective Soul's breakthrough single in early 1994 and it became an instant classic that has gone on to become one of Grunge's most enduring anthems. This is the song that got me to look into the band's greatest hits initially so it's really the song that made me a fan of Collective Soul. The song itself features lots of memorable guitar riffs, a great guitar solo and hooks for days. The lead up to the main chorus when we hear that guitar riff punctuated by the lead singer saying "yeah" is one of my favorite moments in all of 90s Grunge. This song isn't just my favorite Collective Soul song, but it's in my top 10 songs of the 90s period. I never grow tired of this song no matter how many times I listen to it and I've listened to this song a lot over the past 20 years. I've also heard it live 4 times and it's always a huge fan favorite at every concert I've attended. Collective Soul might not be remembered the same way that Nirvana and Pearl Jam are remembered, but as long as Grunge and Alternative rock have any cache, Shine will stick around. It's almost 30 years since Shine came out and it still hasn't lost any of its luster.