One of my favorite bands of recent years is Snow Patrol. The band released its first album, Songs for Polar Bears, in 1998, but did not really catch on in the U.S. until the band’s third album, Final Straw, was released in 2004. So when choosing my favorite top 10 Snow Patrol songs, it’s no surprise those off Final Straw and the band’s latest release, Eyes Open, make up most of the following top 10 Snow Patrol favorites.
Top 10 Songs:
10. Signal Fire (Spider-man 3 Soundtrack)
Signal Fire is an appealing song featured on the Spider-man 3 soundtrack. Ever since I saw the music video for Signal Fire featuring a bunch of cute kids in a Spider-man play, I can’t help but smile when I hear the song.
09. Chocolate (Final Straw)
This Snow Patrol song can be found on the band’s Final Straw album. But Chocolate became completely unforgettable after being featured in the trailer for Paul Haggis’ underrated 2006 film The Last Kiss. When I listen to the music of Snow Patrol, Chocolate is one of the few songs that generates a visual connection to both life and love.
08. You’re All I Have (Eyes Open)
You’re All I Have is one of my favorite Snow Patrol songs thanks to the upper beats and clear lyrics that make me want to sing along.
07. Shut Your Eyes (Eyes Open)
One of the coolest songs is Shut Your Eyes, not exactly for what it is, but because of what it could be. Just shut your eyes. And imagine.
06. Crazy in Love
The band Snow Patrol did a killer cover of Beyonce’s Crazy in Love. It is just a fun song. You can listen to this music (here) off YouTube.
05. Set the Fire to the Third Bar (Eyes Open)
I love Set the Fire to the Third Bar which Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody sings along with artist Martha Wainwright. It’s interesting to listen to how their voices play off each other; and it has this haunting quality to it that is hard to shake off.
04. Isolation (Instant Karma)
Snow Patrol made a cover of John Lennon’s Isolation for Amnesty International’s Campaign to Save Darfur. Amnesty International hoped to bring attention to the Darfur crisis and raise funds by producing a CD of John Lennon covers. The CD is called Instant Karma and features 23 different recording artists. I included this song among the top 10 songs by Snow Patrol partly because of what it stands for, hope for Darfur. But also because the band Snow Patrol said they were trying to make John Lennon’s Isolation both “sinister and beautiful”, and they succeeded in my opinion.
03. Open Your Eyes (Eyes Open)
Open Your Eyes has the best progression of any Snow Patrol song. It’s moody, hopeful, and cinematic in nature.
02. Run (Final Straw)
No other Snow Patrol song has the ability to depress me as much as Run. Yet it is strangely hopeful as well. When people listen to music, the best songs usually speak to them on some emotional level. And Run speaks to the things I most want, but cannot have.
01. Chasing Cars (Eyes Open)
Chasing Cars is one of my favorite songs by any band. It’s an emotive song I can play on repeat. That’s all I really need in a song. But Chasing Cars also has the distinction of being featured in one of the best television episodes to ever air on prime-time TV, the season 2 finale of Grey’s Anatomy.
