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Cover of I've Suffered a Head Injury by The Verve Pipe
Cover: I've Suffered a Head Injury

Song · The Verve Pipe

“The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe

From the EP I've Suffered a Head Injury (1996)

“The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe appears on 52 radio countdowns from 27 stations between 1997 and 2025. It was first released in 1996 on the EP I've Suffered a Head Injury. Its best result is #6 on the Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #7 alternative song of 1997, #494 alternative song of all time and #84 of the '90s.

52countdowns
27stations
#6best position
0#1 finishes
5top 10 finishes
1997–2025years charted

Watch

The Verve Pipe - The Freshmen (Official HD Video)

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

"The Freshmen" was the Verve Pipe's breakthrough, released as a single in January 1997 as the third taken from their second album, Villains, and it also appears on their EP I've Suffered a Head Injury.

It's a mournful, slow-building ballad that lets the guitars ring out, with a hush at its center that makes every swell land harder.

It became the band's biggest hit by a distance, climbing to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the Canadian top ten and number 28 in Australia, and it has lingered on alternative countdowns ever since.

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
1997 26 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997 107
1997 36 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1997 91
1997 27 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1997 105
1997 6 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997 101
1997 28 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1997 100
1997 9 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1997 107
1997 7 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997 103
1997 8 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997 106
1997 39 (tie) WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 1997 99
1997 15 X103.9 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA X103.9 Top 103.9 Songs of 1997 104
1997 11 KNRK Portland, OR KNRK Top 94 Songs of 1997 94
1997 7 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 97 Songs of 1997 97
1997 45 WRCX Rock 103.5 Chicago, IL WRCX Top 103 Songs of 1997 103

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 206 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 75 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 788 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 915 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 96 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 273 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 233 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 273 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1879 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 273 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 260 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 273 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 59 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 274 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 492 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2007 462 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 753 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 758 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 784 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 800 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 826 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 867 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 915 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 296 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 296 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2019 56 X96 X96's Top 100 Songs of the 90's 100
2019 313 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 247 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 289 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 825 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 268 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 511 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 271 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2023 273 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2023 501 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 343 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2025 177 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500

Also listed as: the Freshmen; The Freshman; Freshmen.

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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