Song · TV on the Radio
“Staring At The Sun” by TV on the Radio
From the EP Young Liars (2003)
“Staring At The Sun” by TV on the Radio appears on 7 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2005 and 2025. It was first released in 2003 on the EP Young Liars. Its best result is #97 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,200 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (TV On The Radio - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Staring at the Sun" first surfaced on Young Liars, TV on the Radio's 2003 EP, before becoming the American band's debut single in 2004. Tunde Adebimpe and Dave Sitek wrote it, and Sitek has said it came together over two days; they were the only members of the band on the track, with guests filling in: Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played guitar and Katrina Ford of Celebration sang backup.
It runs on nervy momentum, a heavy, fuzzed-out bass line under distorted single guitar notes strummed at a furious clip. The single came as an enhanced CD carrying the video, backed with "Freeway" and "On a Train" from OK Calculator, and Pitchfork later placed it at 41 in its list of the top 500 songs of the 2000s.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 444 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 423 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) | 499 |
| 2009 | 414 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2019 | 388 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2022 | 97 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 739 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2025 | 331 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
Also listed as: Staring at the Sun.
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