Artist · chart history
Polyphonic Spree
Band Dallas United States Formed 2000
Polyphonic Spree formed in 2000 in Dallas, United States. Polyphonic Spree has 24 chart appearances on 23 radio countdowns from 10 stations on RockLists, spanning 2003–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Light and Day”, which appears on 18 lists with a best position of #13. The station that charted Polyphonic Spree most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 12 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2003.
Somewhere between a church choir and a marching band that wandered into a psychedelic pop session, the Polyphonic Spree burst out of Dallas in 2000 as the new vehicle for Tim DeLaughter, formerly of Tripping Daisy. DeLaughter writes the songs and sings them; everybody else, and there are a great many everybody elses, piles on.
The lineup reads like a small-town orchestra roll call: a full vocal choir riding on flute, trumpet, French horn, trombone, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and even an EWI wind synth. Mike Garson has been part of the crowd, and St. Vincent joined the ranks in 2007.
"Light and Day", off the 2003 EP The Polyphonic Spree, is the one that stuck: a swelling, hands-in-the-air singalong that sounds like sunrise played at full volume, with "Soldier Girl" riding the same wave of uplift on that record. Later songs such as "Hold Me Now" and "Running Away" kept the choir marching, and the band has recorded for 679 Artists.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Polyphonic Spree on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light and Day | 18 | #13 | – | 2004 | |
| 2 | Lithium | 1 | #267 | – | – | |
| 3 | Galloping Seas | 1 | #32 | – | 2023 | |
| 4 | Running Away | 1 | #63 | – | 2007 | |
| 5 | Soldier Girl | 1 | #67 | – | 2003 | |
| 6 | Hold Me Now | 1 | #72 | – | 2004 | |
| 7 | You Don't Know Me | 1 | #97 | – | 2013 |
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 Polyphonic Spree.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.