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Song · 311

“Down” by 311

From the album 311 (1995)

“Down” by 311 appears on 71 radio countdowns from 31 stations between 1996 and 2026. It was first released in 1995 on the album 311. Its best result is #1 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1996, and it was voted number one on two countdowns in total. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #1 alternative song of 1996, #195 alternative song of all time and #37 of the '90s.

71countdowns
31stations
#1best position
2#1 finishes
8top 10 finishes
1996–2026years charted

Watch

311 - Down (Official 4K Video)

Video from YouTube (311VEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Down" kicks off 311's self-titled third album, and it's the song that finally put them on top: their first number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Nick Hexum wrote the music and shared the lyrics with S.A. Martinez, and the two of them trade vocals over a hard-bouncing groove, Hexum and Tim Mahoney's guitars crunching, P-Nut's bass popping, Chad Sexton's drums and percussion keeping it frantic, and Martinez scratching on the turntables.

It's a rap-rock mash-up with a funk bounce and a wall of riffs, loud and sunny and built for a mosh pit. Ron Saint Germain produced it with the band and mixed and recorded it alongside Scott Ralston, and it sounds huge without losing its looseness.

Its video was in rotation on MTV when it came out, and the song has been a fixture of their concerts ever since, usually dedicated to the old-school 311 fans. It later opened both the live album Live and the collection Greatest Hits '93–'03.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1996 1 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1996 107
1996 8 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1996 91
1996 6 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1996 25
1996 4 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1996 101
1996 1 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1996 99
1996 3 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1996 107
1996 13 WBCN Boston, MA WBCN Top 104 Songs of 1996 104
1996 12 WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 1996 100
1996 11 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 1996 100
1996 6 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 96 Songs of 1996 96
1997 47 97.1 The Eagle Dallas-Fort Worth, TX KEGL The Eagle's Top 97 Songs of 1997 97
1997 71 WRCX Rock 103.5 Chicago, IL WRCX Top 103 Songs of 1997 103

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 20 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 14 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 91 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 53 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 264 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 62 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 248 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 1957 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 51 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 234 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1953 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 90 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2000 101 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2001 1956 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 57 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 83 K-Rock K-Rock Top 92 Party Songs of All-Time (2002) 92
2002 397 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 1940 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 82 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 257 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 1884 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 268 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 133 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 1884 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 34 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 73 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 12 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 1872 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 57 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 60 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 206 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2007 33 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 346 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 62 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 303 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 38 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 292 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 259 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 251 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 244 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 243 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 15 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 13 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2019 62 X96 X96's Top 100 Songs of the 90's 100
2019 16 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 27 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 58 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 96 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 223 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 82 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 510 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 71 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 311 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 35 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 58 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2023 9 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2024 99 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2025 478 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2026 287 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1996

Best songs of 1996 →
  1. 2PepperButthole Surfers
  2. 3Where It's AtBeck
  3. 4SpiderwebsNo Doubt
  4. 5What I GotSublime
  5. 6MachineheadBush
  6. 7Tonight, TonightThe Smashing Pumpkins

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