Lightning 100 · Year-end countdown series
Lightning 100 Top Songs of the Year
RockLists has 18 editions of the Lightning 100 Top Songs of the Year, from 2008 to 2025. Across all of them, the most successful song is “Taking Me Back” by Jack White, which appears in 3 editions.
18editions
2008–2025years
18different #1s
Every edition and its number one
How the top songs moved between editions
Each song’s position in every edition. A dash means it did not appear.
| # | Song | '08 | '09 | '10 | '11 | '12 | '13 | '14 | '15 | '16 | '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taking Me BackJack White | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | 12 | – | – | – |
| 2 | ChapstickCoin | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 3 | Modern WomanErin Rae | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 22 | 23 | – | – | – |
| 4 | Little MoviesAaron Lee Tasjan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 27 | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | RedboneChildish Gambino | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 32 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6 | Come A Little CloserCage The Elephant | – | – | – | – | – | 24 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | Nothing Ever Hurt Like YouJames Morrison | 36 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | Broken HorsesBrandi Carlile | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 77 | 5 | – | – | – |
| 9 | Get LowJames Vincent McMorrow | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 14 | 57 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10 | RiptideVance Joy | – | – | – | – | – | 12 | 31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 11 | You are the best thingRay LaMontagne | 27 | 17 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12 | BreezeblocksAlt J | – | – | – | – | 37 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 13 | CannonballersColony House | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11 | 86 | – | – |
| 14 | Say Hey (I Love You)Michael Franti & Spearhead | 42 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 15 | The Last danceSt. Paul & The Broken Bones | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 23 | 76 | – | – | – |
| 16 | Lost On YouLP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 26 | 51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 17 | Take Back The CitySnow Patrol | 26 | 29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 18 | This DisorderThe Features | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 41 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 19 | Hey! Yeah!Deer Tick | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 44 | 70 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 20 | 1901Phoenix | – | 39 | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 21 | Stubborn LoveLumineers | – | – | – | – | 52 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 22 | The Adults Are TalkingThe Strokes | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 72 | 58 | – | – | – | – |
| 23 | Many TimesDijon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 40 | 91 | – | – | – |
| 24 | Lost!Coldplay | 24 | 43 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 25 | ShineMondo Cozmo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 46 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 26 | Rock & RollEric Hutchinson | 31 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 27 | Gold Don't RustThe Weeks | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 89 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 28 | Light OnMaggie Rogers | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 35 | 104 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 29 | AlabasterWood Brothers | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 56 | 86 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 30 | PhasePinegrove | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 46 | 102 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 31 | Ain't Nothin' Wrong With ThatMarcus King Band | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 44 | 63 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 32 | MadnessMuse | – | – | – | – | 46 | 32 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 33 | Let Her GoPassenger | – | – | – | – | 62 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 34 | Make You CrazyBrett Dennen | 57 | 22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 35 | Thunder ClatterWild Cub | – | – | – | – | – | 77 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 36 | TeamLorde | – | – | – | – | – | 22 | 58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 37 | Lonely BoyThe Black Keys | – | – | – | 31 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 38 | Waste a MomentKings of Leon | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 30 | 102 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 39 | FugitiveDavid Gray | – | 13 | 35 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 40 | I and Love and YouAvett Brothers | – | 64 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 41 | Love and HateMichael Kiwanuka | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 78 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 42 | Chasing PiratesNorah Jones | – | 49 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 43 | Holding On For LifeBroken Bells | – | – | – | – | – | 68 | 21 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 44 | 1957Milo Greene | – | – | – | – | 82 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 45 | You Found MeThe Fray | 81 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 46 | Before I Have A DaughterBre Kennedy | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 59 | 124 | – | – |
| 47 | Why I AmDave Matthews Band | – | 26 | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 48 | ShakeThe Head and the Heart | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | 76 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 49 | HeroFamily Of The Year | – | – | – | – | 86 | 11 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 50 | Just Say YesSnow Patrol | – | 93 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 51 | Sex On FireKings of Leon | 69 | 33 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 52 | Windows Are Rolled DownAmos Lee | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 53 | Too SweetHozier | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 54 | The One That Got AwayThe Civil Wars | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 55 | Use SomebodyKings of Leon | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 56 | Bad Bad NewsLeon Bridges | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 57 | Diamond Studded ShoesYola | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 58 | If I Had EyesJack Johnson | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 59 | ColorsBlack Pumas | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 60 | Feel It StillPortugal. The Man | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |