Album · The Decemberists
The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists
The Hazards of Love is an album by The Decemberists, released in 2009. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 8 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “The Rake's Song”, on 7 lists with a best position of #7.
The Hazards of Love, the Decemberists' fifth album, came out on Capitol Records and Rough Trade in March 2009, and it is Colin Meloy's most ambitious swing yet: a full-blown rock opera. It started as a single song named after an Anne Briggs EP and just kept growing, until every track fed into one story.
The tale is pure folk-ballad gothic. Margaret, sung by Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark, falls for William, a shape-shifter from the boreal forest; his jealous mother the Forest Queen, voiced by My Brightest Diamond's Shara Nova, and a villainous Rake stand in the way, with Meloy singing both William and the villain. Jim James of My Morning Jacket drops in on vocals, and Robyn Hitchcock plays guitar on "An Interlude". The music lurches from heavy, prog-ish riffing to hushed folk, and "The Rake's Song" is the black-hearted highlight, all pounding drums and glee. The King Is Dead followed.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from The Hazards of Love on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rake's Song | 7 | #7 | – | 2009–2026 | |
| 2 | The Hazards Of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) | 1 | #46 | – | 2009 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.