Song · Flobots
“Handlebars” by Flobots
From the album Platypus (2005)
“Handlebars” by Flobots appears on 18 radio countdowns from 16 stations between 2008 and 2024. It was first released in 2005 on the album Platypus. Its best result is #2 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 2008. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #9 alternative song of 2008, #6,902 alternative song of all time and #300 of the '00s.
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"Handlebars" first rolled out in 2005 on Flobots Present...Platypus, the band's first EP, and the take most people know came later, when they cut fresh vocals for their debut album, Fight with Tools. It's a loping, brass-flecked slice of alternative hip-hop that Flobots produced themselves, with Greg McRae recording and guest Joe Ferrone on trumpet, and the six-way writing credit (Stephen Brackett, Mackenzie Gault, Andy Guerrero, Jamie Laurie, Kenny Ortiz and Jesse Walker) marks it as a true group effort.
Its break was pure grassroots. At the end of 2007 it won a listener-voted contest at a local station, by the end of January 2008 that station had it in full rotation, and the record companies started paying attention. Universal Republic signed the band on the strength of it, and it became their biggest hit: a top-three placing on Modern Rock Tracks, and a climb to 37 on the Hot 100.
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 | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 17 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2008 | 106 |
| 2008 | 7 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2008 | 91 |
| 2008 | 33 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2008 | 105 |
| 2008 | 2 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2008 | 103 |
| 2008 | 8 | KFMA Tucson, AZ | KFMA Top 50 Songs of 2008 | 50 |
| 2008 | 23 | 99 Rock Lebanon-Hanover-White River Junction, NH-VT | 99Rock WFRD Top 99 of 2008 | 99 |
| 2008 | 5 | ALT 104.5 Philadelphia, PA | Radio 104.5 Top 50.5 Songs of 2008 | 51 |
| 2008 | 49 | 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO | 105.7 The Point Top 106 Songs of 2008 | 105 |
| 2008 | 11 | 94.1 The Zone Rochester, NY | 94.1 The Zone Most Played Songs of 2008 | 94 |
| 2008 | 40 | 103.1 The River Kalispell-Flathead Valley, MT | 103.1 The River Top 103 of 2008 | 103 |
| 2008 | 5 | KSLG Eureka (Humboldt County), CA | KSLG Top 94 of 2008 | 94 |
| 2008 | 29 | KWOD Sacramento, CA | KWOD Top 106 Songs of 2008 | 106 |
| 2008 | 54 | 88.3 The Sting Cleveland, OH | 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2008 | 88 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 499 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) | 500 |
| 2010 | 147 | 94.1 The Zone | 94.1 The Zone 210 Most Played Songs of the Decade | 210 |
| 2020 | 437 | DC101 | The DC101 Top 500 | 500 |
| 2022 | 776 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 443 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
Also listed as: Handle Bars.
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