Song · The Decemberists
“The Crane Wife 3” by The Decemberists
From the album The Crane Wife (2006)
“The Crane Wife 3” by The Decemberists appears on 12 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 2013 and 2025. It was first released in 2006 on the album The Crane Wife. Its best result is #121 on The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #802 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"The Crane Wife 3" comes from The Crane Wife, the Decemberists' 2006 album, and Colin Meloy wrote it alone, words and music. Tucker Martine produced it with Chris Walla and mixed it himself, and the pair give Meloy's storytelling plenty of room: a patient, melancholy build that lets the tale unfold at its own pace, with the band swelling around him rather than crowding him out.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 729 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2018 | 172 | WTMD | WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018 | 896 |
| 2020 | 866 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 243 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2022 | 308 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2024 | 121 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 947 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years | 1049 |
| 2024 | 256 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
| 2024 | 269 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
| 2025 | 385 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
| 2025 | 368 | The Current | 893 Essential Songs of The Current: 2005 to Now | 893 |
| 2025 | 711 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
Also listed as: Crane Wife 3; The Crane Wife Pt. 3.
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