Song · The National
“Terrible Love” by The National
From the album High Violet (2010)
“Terrible Love” by The National appears on 10 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 2010 and 2025. It was first released in 2010 on the album High Violet. Its best result is #38 on the Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 2011. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #539 alternative song of 2010.
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"Terrible Love" comes off High Violet, the fifth album The National put out through 4AD in May 2010, and the credits split the work cleanly: Aaron Dessner wrote the music, Matt Berninger wrote the words and sings them, and the rest of the room fills in the dread. Bryce Dessner plays electric guitar, Scott Devendorf holds down bass, Bryan Devendorf handles drums and percussion, and Padma Newsome adds violin.
The band produced it themselves with help from Peter Katis, their partner on Alligator and Boxer, working between their own studio in Brooklyn and Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Katis mixed it. The result is a slow burn that sounds like it's holding its breath, waiting to find out whether it gets to exhale.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 50 | WLOY Baltimore, MD | WLOY Top 50 of 2010 | 50 |
| 2010 | 89 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2010 | 88 |
| 2010 | 87 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2010 | 103 |
| 2010 | 73 | WBRU Providence, RI | WBRU Top 95 Songs of 2010 | 95 |
| 2011 | 38 | Studio Brussel Flanders, Belgium | Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 2011 | 40 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 645 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2016 | 564 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 | 913 |
| 2024 | 946 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2024 | 198 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
| 2025 | 570 | WYEP | WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far) | 714 |
Also listed as: Terrible love.
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