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Song · The Darkness

“I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness

Released 2003

“I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness appears on 49 radio countdowns from 26 stations between 2003 and 2025. It was first released in 2003. Its best result is #9 on the Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #28 alternative song of 2004, #2,458 alternative song of all time and #140 of the '00s.

49countdowns
26stations
#9best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
2003–2025years charted

Watch

The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love (Official Music Video) [HD]

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

"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" is the one that made the Darkness, an English band with a love of cranked amps and ridiculous excess, impossible to ignore in 2003. It was the third single from their debut album, Permission to Land, and when it came out that September it shot to number two in the UK and cracked the top 10 in Ireland, New Zealand and Sweden, plus Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks in America.

It's a gleeful blast of arena hard rock, played with a wink and absolutely no irony about the riffs: twin guitars from Dan Hawkins and Justin Hawkins chugging and harmonizing, Frankie Poullain's bass strutting underneath, Ed Graham pounding like the stadium is already full. Justin Hawkins' vocal flies straight for the rafters and stays there. All four members share the writing credit.

Here was a band that wanted to grin and play a solo, and rock radio took the joke, and the tune, seriously.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2003 54 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 2003 91
2003 67 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2003 101
2003 47 K-Rock New York, NY K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2003 92
2003 96 WFNX Boston, MA WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2003 100
2003 39 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2003 101
2003 45 Y100 Philadelphia, PA Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2003 100
2003 99 The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2003 99
2003 57 WCCC The Rock Hartford, CT WCCC Top 106 Songs of 2003 106
2003 93 Channel 104.9 San Jose, CA Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2003 105
2003 18 102.1 The Edge Dallas-Fort Worth, TX KDGE Top 102 Songs of 2003 102
2003 50 WBCN Boston, MA WBCN Top 104 Songs of 2003 104
2003 72 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 2003 103
2004 81 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004 107
2004 72 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2004 106
2004 53 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004 101
2004 23 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2004 100
2004 34 K-Rock New York, NY K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2004 93
2004 17 WFNX Boston, MA WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004 100
2004 9 Y100 Philadelphia, PA Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004 99
2004 29 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2004 102
2004 29 CHOI Radio X Quebec City, QC CHOI Top 98 Songs of 2004 98
2004 25 The Bear Ottawa, ON The Bear Top 107 Songs of 2004 107
2004 50 The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2004 99
2004 53 Channel 104.9 San Jose, CA Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2004 105
2004 51 88.3 The Sting Cleveland, OH 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2004 88
2004 20 99X Atlanta, GA 99X Essential 99 of 2004 99
2004 21 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 2004 103
2004 21 WHTG Monmouth-Ocean, NJ G106.3 Top 106 Songs of 2004 106
2004 47 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2004 100

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
2003 1945 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 1910 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 112 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 215 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 1901 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 1000 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2007 1514 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1524 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1439 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1349 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1408 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 622 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 1373 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 373 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) 885
2014 1428 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2022 736 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s 907
2024 190 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century 1055
2024 394 WXPN WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) 885
2025 184 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century 909
2025 245 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

Also listed as: I Believe In a Thing Called Love; I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

Charting alongside it in 2004

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

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