Look out below! After sitting comfortably at No. 6 last week, Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks" plummets out of the Top 10 on this week's Billboard Rock Songs chart. But an Icelandic band's departure makes room for an English group's debut...
10. Imagine Dragons - "It's Time"
Photo courtesy Total Assault.
Imagine Dragons are one of three bands in our Top 10 who will be squaring off for Best Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. These guys have to be considered the underdog in that category -- just like they are on our countdown. For a second straight week, "It's Time" hangs at No. 10.
9. Grouplove - "Tongue Tied"
Photo courtesy Atlantic Records.
For a second week, "Tongue Tied" holds down the No. 9 spot. With Grouplove's breakout track winding down its stay on the chart, it's worth pointing out that the quintet have already started gathering momentum for the follow-up single, "Itchin' on a Photograph," which they performed on Conan in early August.
8. Muse - "Madness"
Photo: Danny Clinch
Our sole new entry is by Muse. Their forthcoming album, The 2nd Law, arrives on October 2, three years and a month after The Resistance. The album's first single to crack our countdown, "Madness," finds itself at No. 8. Flavored with electronic beats, the song builds to a rousing finale. I have a feeling it might be on our countdown for a good long while.
7. Mumford & Sons - "I Will Wait"
Photo courtesy Big Hassle.
Mumford & Sons made a big splash on last week's chart, crashing the Top 10 at No. 8. This week, the Babel single moves up a spot to No. 7. The band's debut album, Sigh No More, went double-platinum and produced two platinum singles, "The Cave" and "Little Lion Man."
6. The Black Keys - "Gold on the Ceiling"
Photo courtesy Nonesuch.
The Black Keys entered the countdown 24 weeks ago with "Gold on the Ceiling," the second single from El Camino. Getting as high as No. 2, the song has been drifting down the charts of late, but this week there's a brief reprieve: It moves up a notch to No. 6.
5. The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
Photo courtesy Big Hassle.
Probably the cheeriest sing-along track on our countdown, the romantic "Ho Hey" has been in the Top 10 for about a month now. The Lumineers don't gain any ground this week, though: For a second straight week, they're at No. 5.
4. fun. - "Some Nights"
Photo courtesy Atlantic.
For a third week in a row, fun.'s "Some Nights" is at No. 4. The band members have designed a special T-shirt that they're selling on their site to raise money for LGBTQ awareness.
3. Linkin Park - "Burn It Down"
Photo courtesy Warner Bros.
After three weeks at No. 2, "Burn It Down" drops one spot. The Linkin Park track had managed to hold down the No. 1 spot for 11 weeks, just a week shy of their record, which was for "New Divide."
2. Alex Clare - "Too Close"
Photo courtesy Universal.
In my time covering the Billboard Rock Songs chart, "Too Close" is the first song to enter the Top 10, immediately fall out of the Top 10, and then perform this well. Alex Clare's modern-rock tune moves up from No. 3 to No. 2. "Too Close" is already the king of the Alternative Songs chart -- is our countdown next?
1. Green Day - "Oh Love"
Photo courtesy Reprise.
Green Day are taking a risk with their ambitious plans to release three albums in the span of four months. (The first disc, Uno!, arrives September 25.) But if the first single is any indication, fans are very happy to have some Green Day in their lives. "Oh Love" claims the top spot for a fourth straight week -- and a fifth week overall.
