Song · Ben Harper
“Diamonds on the Inside” by Ben Harper
From the album Diamonds on the Inside (2003)
“Diamonds on the Inside” by Ben Harper appears on 12 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 2003 and 2024. It was first released in 2003 on the album Diamonds on the Inside. Its best result is #18 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #129 alternative song of 2003.
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Ben Harper made "Diamonds on the Inside" the title song and second single of his 2003 album on Virgin, issuing it that April, and he wrote every word and note of it himself.
Harper goes back a few centuries for its central image: one of its lines borrows from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, where a single small candle throwing its light into the dark stands for a good deed shining in a wicked world. It's the rare radio song with a literature degree, and Harper wears the learning lightly.
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 | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 69 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2003 | 91 |
| 2003 | 72 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2003 | 101 |
| 2003 | 81 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2003 | 102 |
| 2003 | 86 | The Bear Ottawa, ON | The Bear Top 107 Songs of 2003 | 107 |
| 2003 | 101 | Channel 104.9 San Jose, CA | Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2003 | 105 |
| 2003 | 63 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2003 | 103 |
| 2003 | 18 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 168 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2019 | 900 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2019 | 900 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2022 | 353 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 744 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
Also listed as: Diamonds On The Inside.
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