RockLists.com
Cover of Broken Bells by Broken Bells
Cover: Broken Bells

Song · Broken Bells

“The High Road” by Broken Bells

From the album Broken Bells (2010)

“The High Road” by Broken Bells appears on 57 radio countdowns from 39 stations between 2010 and 2026. It was first released in 2010 on the album Broken Bells. Its best result is #1 on the WRNR Top 103.1 Songs of 2010. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #17 alternative song of 2010, #2,766 alternative song of all time and #60 of the '10s.

57countdowns
39stations
#1best position
1#1 finishes
15top 10 finishes
2010–2026years charted

Watch

Broken Bells, Danger Mouse, James Mercer - The High Road (Official HD Video)

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

"The High Road" introduced Broken Bells, the duo of James Mercer and Danger Mouse, going out as the lead single in December 2009 ahead of their self-titled 2010 debut. Danger Mouse produced it and built most of the room himself, playing drums, synthesizer, organ, piano and bass, while Mercer sings and adds guitar and bass guitar. A string section drifts in around them, and Kennie Takahashi mixed the lot into something plush and faintly melancholy, a searching tune floating over crisp electronic beats.

Critics liked what they heard, singling out the lyrics and the production, and in March 2010 iTunes made it the free Single of the Week. Sophie Muller directed the video.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2010 19 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 30 Songs of 2010 30
2010 71 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 2010 91
2010 9 WFNX Boston, MA WFNX Top 101 Songs of 2010 101
2010 7 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2010 101
2010 7 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON 102.1 The Edge Top 102 Songs of 2010 102
2010 38 FM 102/1 Milwaukee, WI FM 102/1 Top 50 of 2010 50
2010 2 106.1 The Corner Charlottesville, VA 106.1 The Corner Top 106 of 2010 105
2010 8 92.3 WTTS Indianapolis-Bloomington, IN WTTS Top 50 Songs of 2010 50
2010 5 Channel 92.3 San Jose / San Francisco Bay Area, CA Channel 92.3 Top 92 Songs of 2010 92
2010 97 103.1 The Buzz West Palm Beach, FL Buzz 103.1 The 103 Most Played Buzz Cuts of 2010 103
2010 5 94.1 The Zone Rochester, NY 94.1 The Zone Most Played Songs of 2010 91
2010 9 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 2010 103
2010 10 107.1 The Peak Westchester County, NY WXPK Top 107 Songs of 2010 107
2010 3 KSLG Eureka (Humboldt County), CA KSLG Top 94 Slugtunez of 2010 94
2010 9 ALT 104.5 Philadelphia, PA Radio 104.5 Top 50.5 Songs of 2010 51
2010 36 X96 Salt Lake City, UT X96 Top 50 Songs of 2010 50
2010 4 WXPN Philadelphia, PA WXPN Year in Review: Top 100 Songs of 2010 100
2010 1 WRNR 103.1 Annapolis, MD WRNR Top 103.1 Songs of 2010 104
2010 13 90.5 WERG Erie, PA WERG Top 90 of 2010 90
2010 12 93XRT Chicago, IL WXRT Listener Poll: Top 25 Songs of 2010 25
2010 12 The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN The Current Top 89 Songs of 2010 88
2010 49 94.5 The Buzz Houston, TX 94.5 The Buzz Top 94 of 2010 94
2010 12 96X Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, VA 96X Top 20 of 2010 20
2010 2 Exit 97.7 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY WEXT Top 97 of 2010 97
2010 17 Lightning 100 Nashville, TN Lightning 100 Best of 2010 50
2010 50 WRSI 93.9 The River Northampton / Pioneer Valley, MA WRSI Top 94 Songs of 2010 93
2010 46 WFIV 105.3 Knoxville, TN WFIV Top 105 of 2010 105
2010 22 WTMD Baltimore, MD WTMD Top 89 Songs of 2010 89
2010 15 KJEE 92.9 Santa Barbara, CA KJEE Top 92 Songs of 2010 91
2010 52 WFPK Louisville, KY WFPK Top 100 Songs of 2010 100
2010 7 103.1 The River Kalispell-Flathead Valley, MT 103.1 The River Top 103 of 2010 102
2010 24 99 Rock Lebanon-Hanover-White River Junction, NH-VT 99Rock WFRD Top 99 of 2010 99
2010 95 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 2010 100
2010 38 WBRU Providence, RI WBRU Top 95 Songs of 2010 95
2011 92 103.1 The River Kalispell-Flathead Valley, MT 103.1 The River Top 103 of 2011 103

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2010 177 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 200
2010 1043 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 287 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 554 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 532 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 506 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2016 122 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2018 840 WTMD WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018 896
2019 81 102.7 WEQX WEQX Top 102.7 of the 2010's Decade 103
2019 664 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 381 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2019 664 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 82 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of Last Decade (2010s) 107
2022 851 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 1084 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2024 157 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century 1055
2024 634 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2024 469 WXPN WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) 885
2025 270 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century 909
2025 192 The Current 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now 893
2025 315 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) 714
2026 498 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs You Discovered on The Colorado Sound 1055

Also listed as: High Road.

Charting alongside it in 2010

Best songs of 2010 →
  1. 1Little Lion ManMumford & Sons
  2. 2Tighten UpThe Black Keys
  3. 3RadioactiveKings of Leon
  4. 5AnimalNeon Trees
  5. 6Lay Me DownDirty Heads
  6. 7Ready to StartThe Arcade Fire

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "The High Road" by Broken Bells.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.