The Ten Best Songs Showcasing the Evolution of The Darkness
From the glam rock stylings of ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ to the stadium rock of ‘Open Fire’, these are the best songs from UK act The Darkness.
Words by Tobias Handke
It’s been over two decades since Suffolk rockers The Darkness took the world by storm with their hit single, ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’. A catchy, 70s glam rocker highlighting frontman Justin Hawkins’ epic falsetto, the song propelled The Darkness to worldwide success. But things didn’t go exactly to plan, with poor album sales and Hawkins’ addiction issues resulting in a five-year hiatus.
Reforming in 2011, third album Hot Cakes was something of a return to form for The Darkness, who have gone on to establish themselves as one of rock’s greatest live acts going around.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album Permission to Land, The Darkness is hitting Hindley Street Music Hall on January 30, performing the album in full along with a host of B-sides and rarities. With that in mind, here's a look at the ten best songs The Darkness has ever released.
‘GROWING ON ME’ (2003)
Before hitting pay dirt with ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, The Darkness broke through with this classic guitar number.
‘Growing on Me’ is old school rock and roll harking back to the glory days of the 70s. It’s been rumoured the song is about STIs, with Hawkins having this to say about the tune in a 2001 interview with Kerrang!, “People did say the song was actually about STIs. I am disinclined to confirm or deny anything – but I am keen on writing lyrics that mean different things to different people.”
‘I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE’ (2003)
Recorded on the day of the 9/11 terror attacks, ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ is the song The Darkness will forever be remembered for.
A catchy slice of glam pop that makes the most of Hawkins’ dynamic falsetto, it peaked at number two on the UK singles charts and was voted the greatest rock song of the 21st century by Classic Rock readers.
“We created something uplifting on a day that was otherwise full of terror”, Hawkins told Kerrang! when recalling the recording process.
‘CHRISTMAS TIME (DON’T LET THE BELLS END)’ (2003)
The race to top the charts at Christmas is a big thing in the UK and The Darkness threw their hat in the ring with ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’ in 2003.
Looking to capitalise on the success of Permission to Land, ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’ features Haberdasher Aske’s Hatcham College choir combining with the hard rock act’s trademark humour, resulting in festive mentions intertwined with penis references.
Unfortunately for The Darkness, the song failed to take out the top spot, piped by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews’ cover of Tears for Fears ‘Mad World’. Despite this, ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)’ still gets plenty of radio play in the UK during the festive season, highlighting the longevity of both the song and the band.
‘ONE WAY TICKET’ (2005)
Taken from The Darkness’ sophomore effort One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back, this is straight-up classic rock channelling Van Halen and AC/DC at their prime.
Chock full of references to cocaine, ‘One Way Ticket’ is bigger, bolder and rockier than the band’s previous singles and proves The Darkness are no one-hit wonders.
‘IS IT JUST ME?’ (2006)
Justin Hawkins marries himself in the ‘Is It Just Me music video?’. Confident guy. Narcissism aside, the song combes wicked riffs with Hawkins’ charming falsetto and is another solid rock tune from the UK stalwarts.
What really makes this song great is the epic guitar solo towards the end. It’s so infectious you’ll be hard-pressed not to headbang along in your living room.
‘EVERYBODY HAVE A GOOD TIME’ (2012)
Five years after Hawkins left The Darkness the band reunited and released Hot Cakes.
Critically well-received, the album failed to please fans, with many believing The Darkness had lost their mojo.
While not entirely true, the band had evolved, with ‘Everybody Have a Good Time’ showcasing a much less rambunctious and more mature side to The Darkness while still retaining sparks of their old self.
‘OPEN FIRE’ (2015)
Most fans point to ‘Barbarian’ as the best song off Last of Our Kind, but it’s hard to go past ‘Open Fire’.
This is stripped-back rock concerned with big riffs and anthemic choruses, with Hawkins in fine form singing about “embrace[ing] the darkness” while doing his best impersonation of The Cult’s Ian Astbury.
‘SOLID GOLD’ (2017)
After almost 15 years in the business, The Darkness still has a sense of humour. ‘Solid Gold’ is a two-finger salute to record labels and those in the music industry who doubted the band.
“And we’re never gonna stop/Shitting out solid gold” Hawkins sings with tongue firmly in cheek.
Still influenced by 70s glam rock, ‘Solid Gold’ has glimmers of modern rock, fusing the old with the new, which is one of the reasons The Darkness continues to have a large following.
‘ROCK AND ROLL DESERVES TO DIE’ (2019)
If you need further proof The Darkness is more than a one-hit wonder, give ‘Rock and Roll Deserves To Die’ a whirl.
Opening with acoustic guitar and Hawkins’ customary falsetto, the song transforms into an 80s rock epic with soaring harmonies, dazzling basslines and tributes to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
‘MOTORHEART’ (2021)
Not many people would have picked The Darkness as one of the early 2000s rock bands to still be around making music but here we are.
‘Motorheart’ is the title track from the band’s seventh long player – a song about a man dating a robot with thumping percussion, excessive cowbell and Hawkins once again vocally on point.
While not reinventing the wheel, ‘Motorheart’ is good time rock showcasing why The Darkness still appeals to rock enthusiasts.
