The Strokes Songs Ranked

The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Following the conclusion of five-album deals with RCA and Rough Trade, the band has continued to release new music through Casablancas’ Cult Records.

Met with widespread critical acclaim, the Strokes’ 2001 debut, Is This It, helped usher in the garage rock revival movement of the early-21st century—and ranks number eight on Rolling Stone‘s 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time, number two on Rolling Stone‘s 100 Best Albums of the ’00s, 199 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number four in the NME top 500 albums of all time. Here are all of The Strokes songs ranked.

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20. Machu Picchu (Angles, 2011)

“I absolutely love this! Best song in Angles by far. It never fails to excite me. Also, the lyrics are really good. It has some sort of psychedelic feel I just absolutely love! Great riffs, great chorus, melody, beat.”

19. The Modern Age (Is This It, 2001)

“This is the song that brought them to the public eye. The verses and the chorus are both brilliant. It’s a great “feel good” song, too. Simply perfect. Best appreciated live, great guitar work, sweet solo, great lyrics and singing with a great melody.”

18. Taken for a Fool (Angles, 2011)

“Don’t know if it’s the best but it’s the most catchy of the strokes just after last nite. For that it deserves to be in the top 5: reptilia, yolo, someday, last nite, machu pichu and (ups they just have so many great songs) taken for a fool. 😛 The strokes are the best band on planet earth.”

17. What Ever Happened? (Room on Fire, 2003)

“One of the BEST songs, not only on Room on Fire, but of all the Strokes songs. It’s so underrated but it is seriously one of the best. The chorus gives me chills! The Strokes are the best band of the 21st century”

See more: The Strokes Albums Ranked

16. One Way Trigger (Comedown Machine, 2013)

“This is my song of the day, absolute perfection. Julian belting his heart out is amazing first and for most. The song brings a unique chorus pattern even for a band that already paces themselves so uniquely. Just an all around great song.”

15. Is This It (Is This It, 2001)

“I’m just way too tired. ” I think this is The Stroke’s best song. If I had to choose one song to represent my life, this would be it. Everyone can relate to the weariness and frustration expressed in this song.”

14. Take It or Leave It (Is This It, 2001)

“When I first listened to it, the song blew me away and became one of my favourite songs of all time. Powerhouse song with so much passion. My favourite strokes song. So good”

13. Ize of the World (First Impressions of Earth, 2005)

“Despite it not being instantly catchy as their more pop-friendly songs, this one grows on you. Really nice guitars and dynamic drums. The chorus makes this song peak. The contrast between the powerful and loud instrumentation, and Julian’s sad and hopeless singing and then a powerful scream like he burst into a tantrum. Brilliant.”

12. Heart in a Cage (First Impressions Of Earth, 2006)

“Probably my favourite song ever. True rock’n’roll, the drunk Julian wrote it, with all the parts and this amazing solo guitar work. Real talent.

11. The End Has No End (Room on Fire, 2003)

“This song its pure beauty from start to end period. But the voice melody, men this has to be the greatest voice melody ever “He wants it easy he wanted relaxed! ” Catchy as hell. Lyrics fit ridiculously fine on the voice harmony. If you’re a vocalist on a rock band you WILL want to sing this song live. Its just. Damn its too perfect!”

10. Juicebox (First Impressions of Earth, 2005)

“This song always makes gets me hyped up and feeling ready to take on the world! This is my favorite Strokes song of all time. I think it should be in the top 5 AT LEAST! I really don’t know what else to say about it other than it’s the most amazing song ever.. I really recommend this to any rock lovers and anyone who wants a thrill. Definitely a great song. GREAT.”

9. 12:51 (Room on Fire, 2003)

“Hooked from the first listen when my brother turned it on and we we’re flying down the road in the car and I kept going back to the same track over and over.”

8. New York City Cops (Is This It, 2001)

“‘New York City Cops’ was the b-side on the ‘Hard To Explain’ single in June 2001. It was included on the UK version of ‘Is This It’ and on the American vinyl pressings of the album, which were both released in August 2001, but when New York suffered the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, it was thought an inappropriate lyric to include on the album, and was replaced with the song ‘When It Started’. It delayed the album’s release from the planned September 25th date until mid October, but it was felt necessary by the band to maintain an air of positivity through-out the crisis.”

7. Under Cover of Darkness (Angles, 2011)

“Probably the tightest track they’ve recorded. The instruments all blend together extremely well, and there’s plenty of tasteful guitar work. It is an interesting song since it has an upbeat and high energy groove that you can easily dance to, yet also has a melancholy feel to it lurking below the surface, especially in the way that Casablancas delivers the memorable vocal melody.

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6. Someday (Is This It, 2001)

“Last Nite is critically regarded as their best song, and honestly I can see why. It embodies the supercool apathy atmosphere the Strokes are all about. That sort of attitude is what makes the Strokes my favourite band of the century. They are the coolest band around today, hands down. But the song that got me into the Strokes is Someday. I have pleasant memories attached to this song and its feel good vibes. That’s why it gets my vote.”

5. Automatic Stop (Room on Fire, 2003)

“I imagine that everyone here has heard at least 1 full album by the Strokes. So I assume that you all know what are the things that make this band so awesome: Julian’s voice and the riffs. And this song has the best of both fields! You can FEEL the emotion in Julian’s voice and even the INSTRUMENTS speak so well to me.

4. Hard to Explain (Is This It, 2001)

“By far the greatest song EVER made by the band, absolutely a masterpiece. With its hip hoppish sounding drums in the beginning, a mellow guitar and a deep bass sound to it, the chorus mixing together just sounds aesthetically pleasing, and it shifts towards the end of the song to a maximal climax. Absolutely one of the best songs of the 21st century.”

3. You Only Live Once (First Impressions of Earth, 2005)

“Not only is this song upbeat and addicting, the lyrics are meaningful and deep! Hearing this song for the first time a long time ago, I wasn’t expecting this. You Live Only Once has awesome guitar riffs and speaks the truth. The Strokes, keep up the good work!”

2. Last Nite (Is This It, 2001)

“Very catchy song, one of the best I’ve heard from The Strokes. I can’t stop listening to it! It also has a great beat and rhythm. Julian does a good job on the vocals. The rest if the band does fantastic too!”

1. Reptilia (Room on Fire, 2003)

“Best band. Best song. In all seriousness, the only problem with it is the fact that it doesn’t go for 6 minutes. Few songs have this level of genius in them. This is the song that made me love The Strokes. definitely their best song in my opinion. All the instruments and Julians vocals… This song is AMAZING!”