RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 29 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 2009

29 radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2009: KROQ, 91X, Q101, WFNX, 89X, CD101, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, The Buzz, 102.7 WEQX, 103.1 The Buzz, 105.7 The Point, 88.3 The Sting, 90.5 WERG, 94.3 WCYY, 94.5 The Buzz, 96X, 99 Rock, ALT 104.5, FM 102/1, Impact 89FM, KFMA, KSLG, Studio Brussel, WBER, WVBR, X103.9, X96, Triple J and WBRU. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2009 is “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon, which appeared on 26 of the 29 countdowns and was voted number one by ten of them. 20 different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon (7 stations), “Panic Switch” by Silversun Pickups (3 stations), “Feel Good Drag” by Anberlin (2 stations), “Savior” by Rise Against and “Like A Vibration” by Whigs and others. Kings of Leon was the year’s most-charted artist, with five different songs placing 72 times across the countdowns.

29countdowns
725songs charted
20different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2009

All 725 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2009 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Use Somebody Kings of Leon
2,361		 26 #1 10
2 Uprising Muse
2,323		 28 #1 1
3 Panic Switch Silversun Pickups
2,258		 27 #1 3
4 Aint no Rest for the Wicked Cage The Elephant
1,993		 24 #1 1
5 (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To Weezer
1,955		 27 #4 –
6 New Divide Linkin Park
1,735		 21 #4 –
7 Savior Rise Against
1,652		 21 #1 2
8 The Fixer Pearl Jam
1,644		 25 #4 –
9 Feel Good Drag Anberlin
1,568		 20 #1 2
10 21 Guns Green Day
1,543		 26 #3 –
11 Kids MGMT
1,483		 18 #1 1
12 Notion Kings of Leon
1,474		 24 #7 –
13 Know Your Enemy Green Day
1,458		 23 #3 –
14 Audience Of One Rise Against
1,441		 19 #3 –
15 1901 Phoenix
1,362		 21 #2 –
16 Help, Im Alive Metric
1,361		 19 #2 –
17 No You Girls Franz Ferdinand
1,336		 19 #4 –
18 Check My Brain Alice In Chains
1,291		 21 #10 –
19 Ignorance Paramore
1,275		 23 #10 –
20 Sometime Around Midnight The Airborne Toxic Event
1,264		 18 #4 –
21 Wheels Foo Fighters
1,232		 24 #12 –
22 Wrong Depeche Mode
1,180		 23 #5 –
23 Medicate AFI
1,160		 20 #10 –
24 Sex On Fire Kings of Leon
1,119		 16 #3 –
25 Second Chance Shinedown
1,089		 13 #2 –
26 Meet Me On The Equinox Death Cab for Cutie
1,080		 22 #14 –
27 Kings & Queens 30 Seconds to Mars
1,050		 20 #11 –
28 I Will Not Bow Breaking Benjamin
1,043		 13 #5 –
29 Zero Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1,043		 18 #10 –
30 Jars Chevelle
1,029		 15 #2 –
31 Back Against the Wall Cage The Elephant
1,016		 22 #17 –
32 Break Three Days Grace
1,001		 16 #4 –
33 Decode Paramore
992		 14 #3 –
34 LifeLine Papa Roach
962		 15 #4 –
35 Black Heart Inertia Incubus
955		 18 #14 –
36 I've Got Friends Manchester Orchestra
923		 18 #9 –
37 Spaceman The Killers
893		 16 #9 –
38 You're Going Down Sick Puppies
886		 11 #4 –
39 Hey You 311
864		 20 #18 –
40 Dirt Room Blue October
847		 17 #3 –
41 Careless Whisper Seether
846		 14 #5 –
42 I Don't Care Apocalyptica
821		 11 #7 –
43 Sound of Madness Shinedown
771		 12 #8 –
44 Love Hurts Incubus
762		 10 #1 1
45 You're Gonna Go Far, Kid The Offspring
757		 10 #2 –
46 Substitution Silversun Pickups
754		 17 #27 –
47 Sink Into Me Taking Back Sunday
747		 17 #8 –
48 She's a Genius Jet
733		 17 #21 –
49 Breaking Anberlin
725		 13 #2 –
50 FireFlies Owl City
680		 12 #1 1
51 Blood On My Hands The Used
674		 11 #6 –
52 Heads Will Roll Yeah Yeah Yeahs
601		 9 #9 –
53 Brother Pearl Jam
599		 17 #36 –
54 One Day Matisyahu
597		 12 #8 –
55 The Night Disturbed
593		 8 #9 –
56 Daylight Matt And Kim
572		 8 #1 1
57 Just Breathe Pearl Jam
568		 15 #13 –
58 Half Truism The Offspring
566		 11 #15 –
59 Kristy, Are You Doing Ok? The Offspring
553		 13 #16 –
60 New Fang Them Crooked Vultures
533		 14 #19 –
61 Again Flyleaf
530		 13 #23 –
62 Grapevine Fires Death Cab for Cutie
517		 10 #10 –
63 Indestructable Disturbed
515		 7 #10 –
64 If You Only Knew Shinedown
510		 10 #1 1
65 East Jesus Nowhere Green Day
493		 13 #41 –
66 Life in Technicolor Coldplay
442		 9 #12 –
67 Champagne Cavo
437		 9 #16 –
68 Last One to Die Rancid
415		 10 #40 –
69 Get on Your Boots U2
406		 13 #18 –
70 Ulysses Franz Ferdinand
392		 9 #6 –
71 Slow Poison The Bravery
388		 12 #44 –
72 Magnificent U2
386		 9 #29 –
73 The Reeling Passion Pit
381		 6 #2 –
74 Wishing Well The Airborne Toxic Event
370		 8 #19 –
75 Dead Memories Slipknot
369		 7 #1 1
76 Funny the Way It Is Dave Matthews Band
350		 8 #24 –
77 Drowning (Face Down) Saving Abel
329		 8 #11 –
78 Crawl Back In Dead By Sunrise
324		 11 #45 –
79 Human The Killers
320		 6 #6 –
80 Snuff Slipknot
309		 7 #6 –
81 At the Bottom Brand New
308		 5 #12 –
82 I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked Ida Maria
298		 7 #18 –
83 Whiskey Hangover Godsmack
296		 10 #33 –
84 Seasons Veer Union
292		 6 #6 –
85 Undead Hollywood Undead
289		 6 #14 –
86 A Dustland Fairytale The Killers
289		 8 #38 –
87 Lollipop Framing Hanley
285		 7 #27 –
88 Treat Me Like Your Mother The Dead Weather
277		 7 #15 –
89 Percussion Gun White Rabbits
275		 5 #6 –
90 Changing Saosin
273		 7 #31 –
91 Oscar Wilde Company of Thieves
270		 4 #2 –
92 Breakdown Seether
269		 4 #21 –
93 Crying lightning Arctic Monkeys
268		 6 #17 –
94 For What It's Worth Placebo
266		 6 #11 –
95 It's Alright 311
265		 10 #40 –
96 Say Hey (I Love You) Michael Franti & Spearhead
264		 5 #18 –
97 Brick By Boring Brick Paramore
263		 5 #12 –
98 Say It Blue October
262		 10 #25 –
99 Sleepyhead Passion Pit
258		 3 #12 –
100 Take Me Home After Midnight Project
257		 7 #27 –

Every station’s number one of 2009

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Use Somebody Kings of Leon KROQ Top 20 Songs of 2009
91X Use Somebody Kings Of Leon 91X Top 91 Songs of 2009
Q101 Savior Rise Against Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2009
WFNX Use Somebody Kings of Leon WFNX Top 101 Songs of 2009
89X Feel Good Drag Anberlin 89X Top 89 Songs of 2009
CD101 Like A Vibration Whigs CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2009
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Panic Switch Silversun Pickups 102.1 The Edge The Top 102 of 2009
The Buzz Use Somebody Kings of Leon The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2009
102.7 WEQX Ain't No Rest for the Wicked Cage The Elephant WEQX Top 102.7 of 2009
103.1 The Buzz Love Hurts Incubus Buzz 103.1 Top 103 Buzz Cuts of 2009
105.7 The Point Get On Your Boots U2 105.7 The Point Top 105 Songs of 2009
88.3 The Sting 1-2-3-4 I Love You Plain White T's 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2009
90.5 WERG Gives You Hell All American Rejects WERG Top 90 of 2009
94.3 WCYY Use Somebody Kings of Leon WCYY Top 50 of 2009
94.5 The Buzz Feel Good Drag Anberlin 94.5 The Buzz Top 94 of 2009
96X Back Against the Wall Cage The Elephant 96X Top 30 of 2009
99 Rock Ulysses Franz Ferdinand 99Rock WFRD Top 99 of 2009
ALT 104.5 Dirt Room Blue October Radio 104.5 Top 50.5 Songs of 2009
FM 102/1 Use Somebody Kings Of Leon FM 102/1 Top 50 of 2009
Impact 89FM All The Pretty Girls fun. Impact 89FM Top 89 of 2009
KFMA Panic Switch Silversun Pickups KFMA Top 50 Songs of 2009
KSLG Use Somebody Kings of Leon KSLG Top 94 of 2009
Studio Brussel Rex Customs Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 2009
WBER Kids MGMT WBER Listener Countdown 2009
WVBR If You Only Knew Shinedown WVBR Top 93 of 2009
X103.9 Dead Memories Slipknot X103.9 Top Songs of 2009
X96 Uprising Muse X96 Top 50 Songs of 2009
Triple J Little Lion Man Mumford & Sons Triple J Hottest 100 of 2009
WBRU Panic Switch Silversun Pickups WBRU Top 95.5 Songs of 2009

All 2009 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2009 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 2009 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all 29 qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.