Song · The Strokes
“Hard to Explain” by The Strokes
From the album Is This It (2001)
“Hard to Explain” by The Strokes appears on 28 radio countdowns from 15 stations between 2001 and 2024. It was first released in 2001 on the album Is This It. Its best result is #5 on the CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2002. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #43 alternative song of 2002, #1,115 alternative song of all time and #273 of the '00s.
28countdowns
15stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
3top 10 finishes
2001–2024years charted
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 2001 | 50 |
| 2001 | 59 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2001 | 100 |
| 2002 | 18 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2002 | 107 |
| 2002 | 7 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2002 | 91 |
| 2002 | 51 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2002 | 106 |
| 2002 | 76 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2002 | 101 |
| 2002 | 33 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2002 | 100 |
| 2002 | 46 | K-Rock New York, NY | K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2002 | 92 |
| 2002 | 82 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 107 Songs of 2002 | 107 |
| 2002 | 73 | 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON | 89X Top 89 Songs of 2002 | 89 |
| 2002 | 5 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2002 | 101 |
| 2002 | 68 | Y100 Philadelphia, PA | Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2002 | 100 |
| 2002 | 95 | Channel 104.9 San Jose, CA | Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2002 | 105 |
| 2002 | 80 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2002 | 99 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1983 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 1751 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1751 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1751 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2006 | 174 | Live 105 | Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) | 500 |
| 2007 | 101 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 115 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 112 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 104 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 100 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 98 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2013 | 249 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013) | 885 |
| 2014 | 100 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2024 | 403 | WXPN | WXPN The 885 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century (2024) | 885 |
Also listed as: Hard To Explain.