RockLists.com
Cover of Good News for People Who Love Bad News by Modest Mouse
Cover: Good News for People Who Love Bad News

Song · Modest Mouse

“Float On” by Modest Mouse

From the album Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)

“Float On” by Modest Mouse appears on 91 radio countdowns from 39 stations between 2004 and 2026. It was first released in 2004 on the album Good News for People Who Love Bad News. Its best result is #1 on the WBER Listener Countdown 2004, and it was voted number one on eight countdowns in total. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #1 alternative song of 2004, #394 alternative song of all time and #11 of the '00s.

91countdowns
39stations
#1best position
8#1 finishes
22top 10 finishes
2004–2026years charted

Watch

Modest Mouse - Float On (Official Music Video)

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

Good News for People Who Love Bad News, the fourth studio album by Modest Mouse, was introduced in 2004 by "Float On", and the song sounds like Isaac Brock woke up on the right side of the bed. Brock wrote the words and sings them in his familiar strangled yelp, but this time the yelp is grinning, riding a skittering guitar riff and a beat that won't stop bouncing.

Brock and Dann Gallucci trade guitars, Eric Judy plays bass and Mellotron, Benjamin Weikel drives the drums, and Gallucci and Judy pile on the backing vocals; the music is credited to Brock, Gallucci and Judy. Dennis Herring produced it and mixed it with Jacquire King, with King and Clay Jones recording, and they keep the band's jittery edges while pushing everything toward a big, sunny chorus.

It topped Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song in 2005, yet for all its polish it never sands off the band's weird, wiry charm.

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
2004 1 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004 107
2004 3 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 2004 91
2004 1 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2004 106
2004 1 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004 101
2004 3 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2004 100
2004 1 K-Rock New York, NY K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2004 93
2004 2 WFNX Boston, MA WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004 100
2004 1 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 77 Songs of 2004 77
2004 46 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON 89X Top 89 Songs of 2004 89
2004 2 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2004 101
2004 2 Y100 Philadelphia, PA Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004 99
2004 8 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2004 102
2004 52 CHOI Radio X Quebec City, QC CHOI Top 98 Songs of 2004 98
2004 2 The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2004 99
2004 12 Channel 104.9 San Jose, CA Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2004 105
2004 3 99X Atlanta, GA 99X Essential 99 of 2004 99
2004 1 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 2004 103
2004 1 X96 Salt Lake City, UT X96 Top 50 Songs of 2004 50
2004 5 WHTG Monmouth-Ocean, NJ G106.3 Top 106 Songs of 2004 106
2004 1 WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 2004 227
2004 6 88.3 The Sting Cleveland, OH 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2004 88
2004 11 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 2004 100
2004 15 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2004 100
2004 100 WIRS 107.9 College station WIRS Top 107 Songs of 2004 107
2005 45 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2005 106
2005 38 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005 101
2005 33 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2005 102
2020 90 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 93 Songs of 2020 93

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2004 299 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 1918 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 254 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 20 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the New Millennium 96
2005 84 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 1880 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 635 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 34 The Edge KEDJ Top 103 on Independent Radio 103
2006 2 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the Millennium (December 2006) 107
2006 309 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 52 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 112 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 15 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 163 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 212 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 80 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 4 WFNX WFNX Top 101 Songs of the Decade (December 2009) 101
2009 34 WYEP WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade 913
2009 134 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 72 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 74 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2009 876 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 94 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (2009) 100
2009 289 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 51 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 200
2010 128 94.1 The Zone 94.1 The Zone 210 Most Played Songs of the Decade 210
2010 58 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 206 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 50 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 95 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2012 669 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 46 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 29 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) 885
2013 45 Triple J Triple J Hottest 100 of the Past 20 Years (2013) 100
2014 41 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 76 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 84 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 60 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2018 295 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2018 30 WTMD WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018 896
2019 807 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 100 KEXP KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time 627
2019 68 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 807 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2020 433 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 97 107.7 The End The End Obligatory Top 100 Alternative Songs of All Time (2021) 100
2022 3 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s 907
2022 35 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 226 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2022 269 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 102 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 76 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 59 ALT 104.5 ALT 104.5 Top 104 of ALT Time 104
2023 318 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2024 21 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century 1055
2024 288 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 16 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2024 32 WXPN WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) 885
2025 6 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century 909
2025 11 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) 714
2025 115 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 295 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 23 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 2004

Best songs of 2004 →
  1. 1Somebody Told MeThe Killers
  2. 2American IdiotGreen Day
  3. 4Take Me OutFranz Ferdinand
  4. 5VertigoU2
  5. 6MegalomaniacIncubus
  6. 7The ReasonHoobastank

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Float On" by Modest Mouse.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

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