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Cover of Sublime by Sublime
Cover: Sublime

Song · Sublime

“Wrong Way” by Sublime

From the album Sublime (1996)

“Wrong Way” by Sublime appears on 75 radio countdowns from 31 stations between 1997 and 2026. It was first released in 1996 on the album Sublime. Its best result is #1 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #8 alternative song of 1997, #115 alternative song of all time and #45 of the '90s.

75countdowns
31stations
#1best position
1#1 finishes
7top 10 finishes
1997–2026years charted

Watch

Sublime - Wrong Way

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

"Wrong Way" comes off Sublime's self-titled third album from 1996, and MCA sent it out as a single on May 25, 1997, the third one pulled from the record. It's punk-fueled third-wave ska through and through: Bradley Nowell's guitar skanks on the offbeat, Eric Wilson's bass bounces like a lowrider, Bud Gaugh keeps it tight and nimble, and Jon Blondell's trombone blurts in like a party crasher who ends up the life of the room.

Nowell, Wilson and Gaugh share the writing credit, and Nowell sings it with a loose, sunny ease. Paul Leary produced and mixed, with Stuart Sullivan engineering, and they keep it breezy without sanding off the punk edges.

It climbed to number three on Billboard's alternative chart and spent 26 weeks on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1997 1 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997 107
1997 11 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1997 91
1997 3 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1997 105
1997 41 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997 101
1997 16 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1997 100
1997 13 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1997 107
1997 5 KNRK Portland, OR KNRK Top 94 Songs of 1997 94
1997 15 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997 106
1997 16 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997 103
1997 6 X103.9 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA X103.9 Top 103.9 Songs of 1997 104
1997 11 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 97 Songs of 1997 97

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 17 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 13 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 42 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 347 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 76 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 309 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 128 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 476 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 478 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 73 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2001 485 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 139 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 41 K-Rock K-Rock Top 92 Party Songs of All-Time (2002) 92
2002 440 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 485 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 56 The Buzz The Buzz Top Songs of All-Time (Labor Day 2002, partial) 144
2002 821 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 5 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 259 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 485 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 88 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 47 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 485 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 133 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 6 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 57 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 482 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 58 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 98 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 39 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 103 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2007 19 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 88 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 38 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 84 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 164 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 12 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 86 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 200 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 88 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 88 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 88 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 87 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 12 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 10 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2019 13 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 408 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 318 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 59 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 41 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 116 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 222 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 51 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 15 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 51 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 229 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 13 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 431 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 48 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 165 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2025 162 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 377 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 18 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500
2026 373 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1997

Best songs of 1997 →
  1. 1Song 2Blur
  2. 2Walkin' On The SunSmash Mouth
  3. 3TubthumpingChumbawamba
  4. 4FlySugar Ray
  5. 5The Impression That I GetThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  6. 6Semi-Charmed LifeThird Eye Blind

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