Artist · chart history
Manchester Orchestra
Band Atlanta United States Formed 2005
Manchester Orchestra formed in 2005 in Atlanta, United States. Manchester Orchestra has 110 chart appearances on 94 radio countdowns from 38 stations on RockLists, spanning 2007–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “The Gold”, which appears on 25 lists and was voted number one once. In total the artist has topped 2 countdowns. The station that charted Manchester Orchestra most often is WBER (Rochester, NY), with 11 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2009.
Manchester Orchestra are from Atlanta, not Manchester, and they're not an orchestra, but the name fits the way Andy Hull writes: huge, swelling songs built on the quietest of confessions. Hull, the band's singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist, is its only original member, and he has steered every version of it, with Robert McDowell on lead guitar and Andy Prince on bass.
I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child in 2006 was the scrappy beginning. Mean Everything to Nothing, in 2009, was the leap: a loud, raw, emotionally exposed record where "I've Got Friends" and "Shake It Out" come on like a panic attack with a backbeat. Simple Math followed in 2011, then Cope in 2014, a dense wall of distortion that brought "Top Notch" and got an acoustic twin called Hope. A Black Mile to the Surface in 2017 went wide and cinematic with "The Gold", and The Million Masks of God in 2021 kept that spell going with "Bed Head", before The Valley of Vision arrived in 2023.
The lineup has turned over through the years. Drummer Jeremiah Edmond left in 2010 to run the band's own label, Favorite Gentlemen; original bassist Jonathan Corley departed in 2013 and keyboardist Chris Freeman in 2016; drummer Tim Very died in February 2026. They have long been a festival fixture, playing everywhere from Bonnaroo to Reading and Leeds.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Manchester Orchestra on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Gold | 25 | #1 | 1 | 2017 | |
| 2 | I've Got Friends | 20 | #9 | – | 2009 | |
| 3 | Bed Head | 11 | #1 | 1 | 2021 | |
| 4 | The Way | 9 | #6 | – | 2023 | |
| 5 | April Fools | 7 | #11 | – | 2011 | |
| 6 | Shake It Out | 8 | #53 | – | 2009 | |
| 7 | Telepath | 4 | #30 | – | 2022 | |
| 8 | Top Notch | 4 | #21 | – | 2014 | |
| 9 | The Moth | 3 | #5 | – | 2018 | |
| 10 | Simple Math | 3 | #3 | – | 2011 | |
| 11 | Where Have You Been? | 1 | #2 | – | 2008 | |
| 12 | In My Teeth | 2 | #11 | – | 2010 | |
| 13 | Lead, SD | 1 | #11 | – | 2018 | |
| 14 | Make It To Me | 1 | #12 | – | 2013 | |
| 15 | Dinosaur | 1 | #13 | – | 2023 | |
| 16 | Pensacola | 2 | #47 | – | 2011 | |
| 17 | The Internet | 1 | #27 | – | 2022 | |
| 18 | Keel Timing | 1 | #27 | – | 2021 | |
| 19 | Girl Harbour | 1 | #62 | – | 2014 | |
| 20 | I Can Barely Breathe | 1 | #64 | – | 2009 | |
| 21 | Virgin | 1 | #67 | – | 2011 | |
| 22 | Wolves at Night | 2 | #91 | – | 2008 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about Manchester Orchestra.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.