Sometimes a pandemic hits and so you spend weeks thinking about and ranking the songs from your favorite band’s catalog.
I just recently ranked 101 of the best NCAA Tournament games of the modern era, so this was cake by comparison. And as I bide my time waiting for a follow-up interview with Steve Lillywhite — which we hope to get done in podcast form later in 2020 — what better time than now to tackle something so fun and fanatical?
I haphazardly ranked out about 85% of the songs below a few years back and never got around to tweaking. Quarantining, and the abrupt end of all sports across the globe, accelerated the project.
Songs that qualified: Any full studio song on a DMB or Dave Matthews album — officially released or in any other capacity. Album instrumental segues or not fully fleshed live songs (like “Grux,” “bkdkdkdd,” “Pantala Naga Pampa,” "Kill the Preacher,” the abandoned Batson ‘06/’07 sessions, “Mother’s Night,” “Litho Blitho,” etc.) were not under consideration. Random one - or two-offs played by Dave (a la “Falling Off the Roof”) aren’t logged, but any song with at least three live plays was considered, and some were included. Covers were not eligible. I’m not merely accounting for the way the songs were recorded/produced, but the essence of each song.
Posted below the rankings, fun for all the DMB fans who find this: a bracket of the 68 best DMB songs in history, complete with two write-in options. Let’s get to the rankings. It’s rough sledding initially but things pick up about 30-35 songs in. This is but one man’s view of DMB’s canon, and above all else, an elongated appreciation for one of the most successful and distinct bands in American history.
169. Blackjack (unreleased). All of the creative instincts and songwriting quirks that can lead DMB to construct such interesting songs and/or subsections of songs completely backfires and folds in on itself in this gibberish-laden disaster.
168. Steady as We Go (Stand Up). Mawkishly piano-dominant, way out of character, and the crescendo is the most cringeworthy moment the band has ever committed to a proper album.
167. Stand Up (Stand Up). The phrase “STAND UP!” is said/sung AT LEAST 72 TIMES -- there well could be another dozen more mercifully buried in the slapdash mix --- during the studio recording of this.
166. Angel (Everyday). “I call you up, you pick up.” Enough sung. Only salvaged ever so slightly because the guitar riff is somewhat catchy, if not entirely derivative.
165. Smooth Rider (Stand Up). Never have I listened to a song for the first time, thought it was pretty solid, only to have the second, third and fourth listens degrade my opinion as rapidly as salt falling into boiling water.
164. Hunger for the Great Light (Stand Up). A bizarre song about oral sex that combines a desire to pull from the flower-power era and then shoehorns in an alt-rock-lite riff.
163. Time Bomb (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). The instrumental intro was a good idea. Everything after was not.
162. Mother Father (Everyday). Only been played a handful of times, and that stands to reason. Everyday’s songs were famously put together in just over a week’s time back in 2000, and no song from that record is a clearer piece of evidence of how that can be a bad thing than this one.
161. Dreamgirl (Stand Up). Or is it “Dream Girl”? You know what, it doesn’t matter. This song talks about digging a whole all the way to China, unless of course you’re already in China, which in that case you’d best dig your way home. It’s a love song, natch.
160. Grey Blue Eyes (Some Devil). Matthews’ very good solo album nevertheless runs about three songs too long, and this is one of them.
159. Baby Blue (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Written for the late, great LeRoi Moore, the song is short, quiet and sweet, but that’s about it.
158. Stolen Away on 55th & 3rd (Stand Up). Forgettable, but evidence that a Moore soprano sax line can save almost any DMB tune to a certain degree.
157. Baby (Some Devil). It’s a nice lullaby.
156. Come Tomorrow (Come Tomorrow). Hard to get on board here. Why did they name the album after this one?
155. I Did It (Everyday). The song that changed the direction of DMB’s trajectory forever. The music video remains bizarrely hilarious. Wow, this was so long ago.
154. Belly Full (Away From the World). The weakest link on DMB’s fifth-best album. Nice, but a bit treacly.
153. When I'm Weary (Come Tomorrow). Few songs in the DMB catalog are a match both in title and vocal delivery like this one.
152. Be Yourself (unreleased). Whether this song actually exists anymore remains a little bit of a mystery, as it was clearly manipulated on Come Tomorrow as a segue track and renamed "bkdkdkdd."
151. Death on the High Seas (unreleased). Matthews has tried to expand his songwriting by pushing himself on the keys. There are instances (as evidenced much further down this list) where he’s found some good, but this isn’t one of them.
150. Can't Stop (Come Tomorrow). Tricky to rank because there are two versions of the song; being that the “faster” version is what was cut and stuck to Come Tomorrow, it’s what gets evaluated. The bridge is an abomination and the lyrics are still brutal. But this version of Dave playing it solo on a baritone guitar, in 2007, is the best one.
149. Trouble (Some Devil). Just a bit filler-ish.
148. Break Free (unreleased). A certain section of the fanbase seems to adore this song, but the chorus has always been bothersome. As is the case with a few other Matthews songs that come up a bit short, the tune itself is saved a bit by the main riff.
147. If I Had It All (Everyday). Meh. There’s a parallel world where Everyday doesn’t include this and the studio cut never sees the light of day. (There’s another parallel world where Everyday doesn’t even get made at all.)
146. Where Are You Going (Busted Stuff). Crazy to think that once upon a time this was considered one of the three worst songs in DMB’s index. But that was 2002 and that was a generation ago.
145. Butterfly (unreleased). Simple acoustic tune that’s made here-and-there appearances for almost 17 years.
144. That Girl Is You (Come Tomorrow). The studio cut is bad, but this number works well as a show-opener.
143. Alligator Pie (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Matthews’ voice is all over the place on this track.
142. American Baby Intro (Stand Up). Song is based around a four-note progression and has like eight different words total but it’s better than everything else you read before it.
141. The Fly (Joshua soundtrack). Unless you’re a diehard fan, you probably don’t know about this song. Check it out.
140. Sweet (Away From the World). Matthews on ukulele. This song features frontman by himself for the first 80% of it before the band comes in, a decision I’ve always thought was a good one.
139. Out of My Hands (Stand Up). Good-enough lyrics, forgettable musical effort.
138. Sister (unreleased). Matthews understandably loves the song, and it’s a fine little tune, but it’s so much better suited to a Dave-and-Tim environment than full-band shows.
137. Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives) (Stand Up). Song was salvaged — even improved upon — when it was brought back from the dead in 2012 and then promptly dropped again.
136. Build You a House (unreleased/Lillywhite Sessions side song). Almost like a peek in to the treasure chest of who knows how many other soundcheck and studio jams have been left behind over the past 25-plus years.
135. Corn Bread (Little Red Bird EP). Better lyrics would go a long way. There was a lot of hope for this song when it debuted back in 2007, but it never really met its potential.
134. Spotlight (unreleased). Matthews famously grew to hate this song well before DMB ever went mainstream. It’s by no means a standout, but I actually like it more now than I did 15 years ago.
133. If Only (Away From the World). Good music, forgettable lyrical effort. I think I’m lower on this one — much lower — than the average DMB devotee.
132. Here On Out (Come Tomorrow). Matthews has grown fond of a lot of soft tunes as he’s aged, which is understandable.
131. You & Me (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). It’s irrefutably a well-written, catchy song. The progression from verse to chorus to bridge all flows. I get why it connects with the mass audience, but it’s not my bag and the lyrics lack.
130. Everyday (Everyday). Matthews took one of his most buoyant and flexible songs — #36 — stripped its frenetic energy and molded it into “Everyday,” a good-enough song that remains a crowd-pleaser.
129. Louisiana Bayou (Stand Up). “Bye-you!” Doctors recommend this in small, sparing doses.
128. Toy Soldiers (unreleased). Debated whether or not to put this one on the list. Three plays minimum was the rule, and this one clears that bar at exactly three plays all time. Matthews had something here but bailed. No chance he realizes “Toy Soldiers” was once a thing. ’Cause what you don't know / you don't know / that gets you in trouble.
127. Doobie Thing (unreleased). Nine plays to its name, all over a 65-day span in late 1993. Given that a few shows that featured Doobie Thing were liberally traded in the band’s early days, I’ve always thought this song helped build out DMB’s reputation for being a slightly jammier band than they actually were. I’ve a hunch this song sort of played into the Dreaming Tree—>Pig segue song on Before These Crowded Streets.
126. Break For It (unreleased). The rare instance where a song became known through a stealthy soundcheck capture, only for it to be dropped on an unsuspecting audience years later.
125. Mercy (Away From the World). It’s fine. Moving along.
124. Shake Me Like a Monkey (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Wonderful cut on the album. The dual-horn station has grown to stilt and suffocate DMB’s sound a bit over the past decade, but this is where it works.
123. Dive In (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Some sleight-of-hand with time signature work here and a nice melody. I’m by no means ranking it in my top 50 or anything, but this one’s not fully appreciated. Nice choral melody.
122. Old Dirt Hill (Stand Up). The studio cut is unquestionably among the bottom six or seven the band’s ever done, but check out a Dave & Tim version and you hear how it’s redeemable.
121. Gaucho (Away From the World). Classic Matthews riff, and a tune that’s become a bit overlooked in recent years due to its absence from setlists.
120. Belly Belly Nice (Away From the World). It’s fun, it’s simple, it’s an alteration — and upgrade — on “Shake Me Like a Monkey.”
119. Sleep to Dream Her (Everyday). Ear-catching, descending guitar part, and the soprano sax — on what could best be described as the post-chorus — is lovely.
118. When the World Ends (Everyday). This tune, creatively, is cut off abruptly on the LP, a practice the band has mimicked in shows ever since the song debuted. But I’ve enjoyed how Dave and Tim have opted in acoustic performance to bust past the intended ending into a more traditional finish.
117. Joyride (Stand Up sessions). The weakest of the five “2004 songs,” Joyride is nonetheless a peek into what kind of album DMB could have released in 2005 in lieu of Stand Up.
116. A Dream So Real (unreleased). Once every 30 or 40 songs, Matthews will come up with a tune that is out of his wheelhouse and still manages to land just right. This is a prime example. Unfortunately it’s only been played 18 times, none since 2009.
115. An' Another Thing/Little Thing (Some Devil). Most recognized for its inclusion on Live at Luther College, the thing I’ve always liked about this song is how Matthews picked such creative and unusual chord voicings on the guitar, which led to an impossibility when it came to making a melody during the verse. Then the falsetto chorus hits just right.
114. Heathcliff's Haiku Warriors (unreleased). One of the more adventurous and near-atonal chordal guitar parts Dave’s ever come up with. A shame this song died in 1993.
113. Gravedigger (Some Devil). Gravedigger / when you dig my grave / can you make it shallow / so that I can feel the rain? That’s a really good line. This is a pretty sturdy song with an original concept.
112. People People (unreleased). The Lord of All DMB Sites — DMB Almanac — has in permanent residence on its home page the ever-referenced Liberation List. And since the site went live almost two decades ago, one song has remained atop that list: “People People.” We are closing in on 10,000 days since it was last played. Co-written by former band member Peter Griesar (whose keys largely drive the song), it’s understandable why this one is probably never, ever, ever coming back. But it’s a DMB song that sounds nothing like anything else the band’s ever done. That verse is smooth as shit.
111. Kill the King (unreleased). DMB went seven years without playing this, only to take it out of moth balls in November 2018. It lost a little something nice once there was no longer a violin to highlight in the post-bridge chorus. The 6/8 rhythm, driven by Matthews’ tromp-ish baritone guitar line, gives it a real forward-moving feel.
110. Oh (Some Devil). Matthews wrote this because of the love he saw from his grandparents, and it’s a fine little tune. You can practically balance it on your shoulder.
109. Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin) (Come Tomorrow). Album-opening track and a really nice later-career effort from Matthews, who’s grown prone to writing about being a father and husband.
108. Christmas Song (Remember Two Things). When you’re at an arena show on a winter tour in December, it is always a pleasure to get this one.
107. Let You Down (Crash). That’s of course the late, great LeRoi Moore whistling on the outro. Easily the weakest song off Crash, it’s nonetheless come a long way — with a much deeper catalog 23 years post helping its case — from being pegged as one of the two or three worst DMB songs.
106. Deed Is Done (unreleased). The definitive version comes from Live at Luther College. If Matthews really did riff that off the top of his head, it’s wildly impressive. The descending guitar riff was later put into one of the BTCS segue songs (or “commercials,” as Steve Lillywhite has referred to them).
105. Spaceman (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Lithe bass, bouncy chorus, classic Matthews riff and sparky drums. It’s the DMB equivalent of an 15-point, six-rebound, three-assist, one-steal game. It gets the job done.
104. Up and Away (Some Devil). Have always wanted to know the story and circumstances behind when and how Matthews wrote this song. It’s bouncy, inventive and disgracefully never been played with DMB!
103. Seven (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). While DMB has played this one with changing-of-the-seasons dependability ever since it came out in 2009, no version has ever topped the studio one, mostly due to Matthews’ satiny delivery on the first verse that he can’t replicate in a live setting.
102. Little Red Bird (Little Red Bird EP). There are 10-or-so songs Matthews has written that you can fit in your back pocket, that show his ability to write with an economy of words. This is a sample of that.
101. Save Me (Some Devil). A great distillation of how Matthews, Tim Reynolds and Trey Anastasio can come together to record a really good song and never step on each other’s toes. Enjoyable all the way through and an easy call for DMB to incorporate into its sets for a decade-plus.
100. The Space Between (Everyday). At some point, Matthews switched from playing this on a baritone guitar to a raised B and it was a significant upgrade. Lyrically, it’s aged well. When this is the 100th best song of your career, you’re a damn good songwriter.
99. You Might Die Trying (Stand Up). The ending is way better than the beginning. Few songs win me over the course of 5-8 minutes like this one can. The Live Trax 13 version has long been one of my favorites.
98. Dreamed I Killed God (unreleased). If I could ever sit down with Matthews for an interview, among the 15 or 20 questions I’d absolutely have on hand would be: How does a song like this just disappear?
97. Eh Hee (unreleased). Can carve a groove three feet deep. This one’s been flirting with becoming endangered in setlists in the past decade, but here’s a slept-on gem of a stanza.
Strange evolution how people have come to believe that we are its greatest achievement
When really we're just a collection of cells
Overrating themselves
Hello God I'm avoiding the truth
96. Get in Line (unreleased). Unless you are a diehard, you won’t know this one. An early era amalgam of a lot of the good, and not so good, DMB was experimenting with. Probably for the best it went inactive in late ’94.
95. Come On Come On (Come Tomorrow). There are probably only 7-10 instances of DMB having a song whose studio cut can’t be topped live, and this is quite obviously one of them. When Come Tomorrow was released in 2018, fans found out this song was more than a decade old. It’s the song that makes CT that much stronger and at eye level with Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King and Away From the World.
94. Digging a Ditch (Busted Stuff). Not an essential song, but an elegant one in its own right and — hey, I’m fulfilling the prophecy by placing it so low — undeniably an underrated tune.
93. American Baby (Stand Up). Shockingly, with a peak position at No. 16 on the Billboard 100, this is the second-best performing single of the band’s career (“What Would You Say” hit No. 9). If memory serves, this song was built around a violin-pluck riff. All things considered, it came out well.
92. #27 (Little Red Bird EP). Matthews sorta channeling Neil Young? If you’ve never heard the studio cut, it’s nothing flashy but instead captured just about perfectly to the spirit of the song.
91. The Riff (Away From the World). Matthews has conjured up six dozen interesting riffs in his life. Why this one gets dibs on being the name of a song is a puzzlement. But anytime DMB wants to feature alto flute on a tune, count me in.
90. What You Are (Everyday). Song is adaptable and doable in spots 1-20, anywhere in a setlist, and I’d like to see it implemented as such in the future.
89. Write a Song (Little Red Bird EP). A little jangle to the verse, a wave-curl pre-chorus and then one of the most joyous hooks of Matthews’ career on the chorus. It’s a stunner this didn’t make the cut for Big Whiskey.
88. Trouble with You (Stand Up sessions). Not everything that was recorded in the studio in 2004 was inferior. Just as the bite of the blade wakes the absent mind / there’s time to dream and there’s time open your eyes.
87. Funny the Way It Is (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). This song holds a special place in the hearts of some fans, as it was the first piece of studio material released, in 2009, after the death of LeRoi Moore. It’s Matthews, not Reynolds, who takes the guitar solo on the album as well (and he does a fine job with it).
86. She (Come Tomorrow). An earworm in 9/8 time that — vocals aside — sounds like something Soundgarden could have written in ‘95. But it was composed in 2017 and it mostly works!
85. Black and Blue Bird (Come Tomorrow). As I wrote in my Come Tomorrow review, this is a “constellation-name-dropping number about cosmic humility that got the red-pen treatment in the studio.” Nimble, enjoyable, not too loud, not too soft.
84. #40 (unreleased). How to judge this longtime fan favorite? Lyrics have never been set. The most praised version, from 5.10.95, is essentially perfect. That’s all the more hilarious, considering Matthews ad-libbed the entire thing. If #40 ever became that song with those lyrics, with full band accompaniments, then it’s easily a top-40 song in the band’s catalog. As is, it snugs right into the top 85.
83. Satellite (Under the Table and Dreaming). Back-to-back classics here — probably ranked much lower than many would have either. I like it, I’ve just never loved it. Satellite’s guitar riff is no doubt among the three or four most recognizable Matthews has ever written and is required learning for any young guitar player inspired by the man.
82. Shotgun (unreleased). Of the 60-plus songs Matthews has written in the past 15 years, there might not be one whose potential is as tantalizing — and ultimately not met — as Shotgun’s. But it still packs a good punch, and this is probably the best Veillette guitar one of the bunch; a regular six-string just wouldn’t be the same.
81. Fool to Think (Everyday). A The Police-sounding cabochon to emerge out of the Everyday sessions. To fully appreciate it, watching Matthews play it solo should do the trick.
80. Stay (Wasting Time) (Before These Crowded Streets). The lowest-ranked Streets song is in fact the happiest song on that dynamic monster of an album. Moore’s glorious sax bleat to close out the studio cut can reverberate into the next solar system for all I care.
79. Good Good Time (unreleased). This song is what 6:54 p.m. on a warm-but-not-too-warm Friday summer evening feels like.
78. Cigarette Lit (unreleased/Some Devil sessions). In a Guitar World interview, Matthews said this: "With Some Devil, there was one song we axed called ‘Cigarette Lit’ which, despite being a great song, didn't end up on the album because it was slightly oversized. Its chest was a little too full compared to everything else. When I rejected it, I asked myself, 'Am I being a moron?'“ Hey, at least we have it. And the outro was pilfered from a defunct song — “Hold Me Down” — making it all the more intriguing.
77. Proudest Monkey (Crash). There’s a modest musical wit DMB’s long held — evident from its earliest days — to build brawny arrangements around simplistic structures. Few songs embody this as well as “Proudest,” a song with only four notes that wonders aloud about existential threats that accompany ambition and distraction.
76. Sweet Up and Down (The Lillywhite Sessions). In light of this song not making the cut for Busted Stuff — and never knowing for sure whether it was even laid down for that album — it’s been refreshing to see the two-fisted 12-string tune about sex, love and a little bit of gibberish keep itself around (albeit sparingly) in the 20 years since it debuted to rave reviews on the 2000 summer tour.
75. Rooftop (Away From the World). Cracks the top 75 on the strength of its bridge alone. Also love the quarter-note snare hits that tug the first chorus into the second verse.
74. Loving Wings (unreleased). A song that starts out with a shy, indented guitar riff eventually builds into a powerhouse. Once Carter Beauford starts ripping rolls and popping firecrackers off his snare, it’s a wrap.
73. So Damn Lucky (Some Devil). The most played song by DMB off Some Devil, “So Damn Lucky” hovers — suspends — as the narrator reflects on a life lived in the closing seconds before a (fatal?) car crash. The vibe Matthews pulls off with this song, juxtaposed with the lyrics is, pardon the pun, right in his wheelhouse.
72. Do You Remember (Come Tomorrow). The best compliment one can pay to this song is that, although it was written sometime in late in the 2010s, at its core, you can close your eyes and easily hear this being something a 24-year-old David John Matthews could have written.
71. I'll Back You Up (Remember Two Things). The first song Matthews wrote is a creaky, adoring love song that has stood the test of time but remains a cherished rarity at full band shows.
70. Dreams of Our Fathers (Everyday). There is only one proper song in DMB history to have been released on a studio album but has never been played live. Of course, it happens to be one of the two strongest songs off Everyday. Never say never?
69. Kit Kat Jam (Busted Stuff). The glory of this far-too-infrequently-played song is the locked-in rhythm and power of Matthews, Stefan Lessard and Beauford. It’s a tour de force. In that regard, I don’t know if DMB has 10 other songs that rely so heavily and defiantly on the stamina of those three joining forces from start to finish.
68. Help Myself (BTCS sessions). Before These Crowded Streets is the best DMB album. And although this recording is really good — if not fairly straightforward — the band and Steve Lillywhite made the right call opting to not include it (the LP would’ve been pushing 76 minutes), even though it fits right in with the rest.
67. Grace Is Gone (Busted Stuff). Dave Matthews’ Willie Nelson song, and despite its down-tempo, downtrodden approach, it’s capable of getting a crowd of 30,000 to belt out their sorrows all the same.
66. Busted Stuff (Busted Stuff). This one almost never comes out to play, and that’s a damn shame because the jazz potential with Beauford, Lessard, Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross is immense.
65. Pay for What You Get (Under the Table and Dreaming). It’s easy to picture a scenario where a simple, low-volume song like this is put aside and never makes an album. So my everlasting thanks to everyone involved in the decision to lay this track in the penultimate position on UTTAD. It’s the perfect lead-in to “#34.”
64. Sugar Will (unreleased). Which version to consider here? The hypnotic 2004 incarnation of this song is a top-50 DMB composition. Unfortunately, that’s no longer what the song is. A truncated, horn-gilded update has taken some of the shine off what was a kaleidoscope of a tune. It’s still tasty, though.
63. Too High (Some Devil). Methodical, moody, leadenly. Safe to say that Some Devil was a successful mid-career solo endeavor for Matthews, who released the record when he was 36 years old.
62. One Sweet World (Remember Two Things). Certain tunes are emblematic of the band’s formative years, and for such a long time that was the case with “One Sweet World.” I’ve only four words, though: bring. back. the. intro. One of the best riffs Matthews has written.
61. Idea of You (Come Tomorrow). Ascending verse, catchy/open-your-throat chorus, a bridge that flows seamlessly, and a song that gave hope to the fan base after the debacle that was Stand Up. A keeper.
60. Big Eyed Fish (Busted Stuff). Per DMB Almanac, quite the name journey for this one in its nascent days: “One Eyed Fish,” “Fish Monkey Man,” “Man Bird Fish Monkey,” “Fishman & the Drunk Monkey,” “Fish Monkey,” “A Little Fishy,” “Street Fish,” “Roi's Bent Fish” and “Fish Schtick.” Its ultimate title is the best one, and though this was also recorded for The Lillywhite Sessions, it did not debut until 2001.
59. So Much to Say (Crash). Here’s the song that delivered DMB its first Grammy. “So Much to Say” won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1997. It’s the only track on Crash that makes sense to open the record. It’s almost never been altered since its conception in 1992 and is on a short list of songs to be played every year since 1992.
58. Drunken Soldier (Away From the World). From overhyped to underhyped. The album-closing Soldier was the song selected to tease fans when Lillywhite returned to work with DMB after more than a decade apart. That only upped the stakes. Is it an outright epic? No, but it’s musically robust and unafraid of anything in its path. The outro pulls from Pink Floyd so much it verges on copyright infringement but no matter: this should dot setlists regularly.
57. Halloween (Before These Crowded Streets). For years, this song’s strength was perceived by its rarity. Getting “Halloween” at a show immediately made it a special show. In some ways that’s still true, but in 2020 it’s not close to the white whale that it was in the ’90s and up through most of the aughts. There are many defining versions, but Live at Luther College’s cut is still one of the best.
56. Stay or Leave (Some Devil). We used laugh underneath the covers / maybe not so often now / the way I used to laugh with you / was loud and hard. Damn, Dave, this is a devastating breakup song dressed in ordinary clothing.
55. Bismarck (unreleased). Matthews taps into his inner Paul Simon and delivers a later-career gem. This one is remarkably terrific, and the fact it didn’t make the cut for Come Tomorrow remains a quizzical stunner. Here’s to hoping whatever album comes next for DMB includes this storytelling and musical W.
54. Why I Am (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). For the late LeRoi Moore, and what a splendid tribute this is. Matthews’ lyrics are fantastic; the whole vibe of the song is of a classic DMB mold. The taffy-pull chorus is a little stroke of genius, too. The bitter irony is that the song can only be because Moore is no longer here. If DMB ever gets to a point where it knowingly plays its last show as an outfit, this one has to be on that setlist.
53. Rhyme & Reason (Under the Table and Dreaming). A growler of a track that deals with the trappings of drug use, most specifically heroin. Song chugs like a racehorse and is made all the better whenever it features an electric guitar solo. Dare I say the Joe Lawlor sit-ins even one-up Reynolds’ offerings on this one.
52. #36 (unreleased/defunct). Song is dead and never coming back but it’s going on this list, dammit. Indicative of the freewheeling, quasi-jammy ethos that DMB flirted with in the first four years of its existence. Live at Red Rocks goes down a notch if this isn’t played at that show. One of my favorite Beauford tunes, to boot.
51. Grey Street (Busted Stuff). Incredibly, the original version of this list had Grey Street in the 80s out of protest over the baffling omission — for 18 years — over the song’s third verse. On the very same day the list published, Matthews played a solo version of the song in the midst of the pandemic and brought back the verse. Am I taking credit for this cosmic coincidence? A lesser man would. This song was an immediate hit upon its debut in 2000 and has held its status as a Matthews Band show staple every year since.
50. Dodo (Some Devil). Why would you play by the rules? Who did? You did. You. Just a playful song about skepticism of what the world tells you is true, that’s all. Can anyone explain why this has never been played by DMB? Look at it. It’s just sitting there!
49. Some Devil (Some Devil). The highest-ranked non-DMB song on the list. Put a pair of good cans over your ears, close your eyes and you can practically envision Matthews in a club playing this with almost all the lights off in a soundcheck environment. Simple, yet one of the best studio cuts he’s ever done.
48. So Right (Everyday). Almost two decades later, this has proven to be the best song off Everyday. A stand-up double at that.
47. Crash into Me (Crash). Mandatory Lady Bird mention here? Have to. The Academy Award-nominated movie helped with the critical reexamination of not just this song but DMB on the whole. That said, there are almost four dozen songs better than this one in the band’s oeuvre. The finest version of the song — featuring soprano sax! — was played on New Year’s Eve in 1996.
46. #34 (Under the Table and Dreaming). There are a scattering of songs and recordings that can transport me back to the late ’90s — when shows were traded on cassette, via a process known as B&Ps — and tap into that early, infectious, bottomless fandom. The few versions of #34” with lyrics hit that spot.
45. What Would You Say (Under the Table and Dreaming). In many ways, the song that started it all. DMB’s first single off its first major-label record. While this can be said of plenty of acts in the 1990s, when “What Would You Say” landed on radio, there was nothing that sounded like it. John Popper’s harmonica solo made it that more distinct. I’ve always liked how DMB’s first single featured a guest spot; the band has been graciously collaborative from the beginning and this was a reflection of that. Also, the alto sax-guided breakdown is as danceable as anything else in the band’s catalog.
44. Beach Ball (Little Red Bird EP). Those who might still foolishly look down on Matthews’ songwriting chops need to familiarize themselves with this jewel of a tune that has woefully been ignored for most of its existence. But! The band did revive it in early 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic sideswiping the planet. Hope for the future.
43. Lover Lay Down (Under the Table and Dreaming). The only love song off UTTAD, “Lover Lay Down” was among the best songs to showcase how inventive, delicate and colorful Moore could be on soprano sax. Jeff Coffin has his own amazing style, but he’s done a good job over the years tapping into Moore’s MO when taking solos on this beautiful song.
42. Broken Things (Away From the World). Another terrific album opener. Another terrific song that’s been kept on the shelf for the most part. One of the last shining moments for Boyd Tinsley in the studio, too.
41. Squirm (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). A twisted sort of a thing. A creeping-if-not-creepy threat of a song that’s ultimately all about laying down your guard accepting the inevitable: joy and love are what make you human, so stop fighting the nature of those emotions. It’s one of a few DMB songs with a Middle Eastern bend, which is one of the sharpest tools in the band’s tool belt.
40. Jimi Thing (Under the Table and Dreaming). This is probably Matthews’ favorite song. It almost never disappears for more than a five-show stretch, a reality that has come to torment the hardcores and bring a cheeky delight to Dave, who never hesitates to taunt the fans by reminding them that he’ll play this damn song any and every time he pleases. It’s vintage DMB and one of the biggest crowd pleasers in the catalog.
39. Again and Again (Come Tomorrow). Producer Rob Cavallo described this song’s chorus as “fucking glorious.” He’s fucking right. The album cut is stellar and, given that it existed as “Bob Law” in live sets well before Come Tomorrow was released, “Again and Again” ranks as one of the most shockingly great album tracks in the band’s history.
38. Say Goodbye (Crash). I’d say this is about where we enter into the “great” tier. From here on out, everything’s at A-minus level or better. There are far too few DMB songs that feature flute and Beauford utilizing mallets instead of traditional drumsticks. Fortunately, this one-night-stand temptation of a tune has both, and boasts among the best crescendos in the catalog.
37. Cry Freedom (Crash). Among the five or six first songs Matthews wrote, “Cry Freedom” poignantly takes on the issue of apartheid in South Africa and turns it into an earnest but not syrupy anthem about commonality, egalitarianism and integration.
36. Virginia in the Rain (Come Tomorrow). Who would have ever thought a keys-driven song — on a Rhodes piano no less — could turn into one of the best studio cuts of the band’s career? This is a pristine capture. Put everyone involved in this into the studio again at any other point or any other time and it will never be as magical as this.
35. Granny (UTTAD sessions). Easily among the best and most infectious songs that’s never been properly released. A late-stage cut for Under the Table and Dreaming. We’re so far removed from that album’s release, it’s almost impossible to imagine this song fitting anywhere on that record — despite the fact it was initially anticipated being the debut single. The Central Park version from 2003 is a top-three edition, hands down.
34. Tripping Billies (Crash). One of only five songs in the 1,000-play club, per the Almanac. Billies sits at No. 3 all time with 1,050 known performances. You could wrangle up six or seven lyrics that will ultimately be most prominently associated with DMB, and though it’s not entirely original, “eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die” is neck and neck with “Two Step’s” “celebrate we will, for live is short but sweet for certain” at the top of the list. (Without a violin, the song is not the same and loses its personality, which is true of about another 15 or so songs.)
33. Too Much (Crash). The first single off Crash was an alert, in 1996, that the Matthews Band would be going nowhere. This song is a beast. It’s cool as hell when slowed down acoustically, and the bombast of the full band never lets up or lets down. Among the most overlooked terrific opening lines Matthews has written: Hoo! Straight in, suck up and go / cool it, swallow, swallow / ah, breathe deep, take it all / it comes cheap.
32. Crazy Easy (unreleased). Something inspired clearly hit Matthews in between late 2003 and the summer of 2004, when he wrote five songs (“Crazy Easy,” “Joyride,” “Good Good Time,” “Sugar Will” and “Hello Again”) that seemed to indicate a path toward an album of substance that still had its ethos tied to the songwriting of DMB in the ’90s. These songs were to be a bridge from one era to the next. Most didn’t make it to 2005 specifically, but all thankfully have kept on to varying degrees in the years since. Here’s the best version of “Crazy Easy,” which is punctuated by an unexpected extended outro, the only one of its kind.
31. Monkey Man (The Lillywhite Sessions). This is no half-baked, used up and then thrown out studio cut. “Monkey Man” is an alert, sinewy composition — its outro catching flares of some Radiohead influence. Unlike a few other LWS songs, the lyrics are not improvised; Matthews quite obviously sat down and wrote out some good copy here. It’s also infamously never been played live. If such a day ever arrives, it would register as one of the most stunning and satisfactory moments the band could ever deliver to its fan base.
30. Hello Again (Stand Up). This is like “#27’s” scarier big brother. The best neo-country song DMB ever did. Just a two-steppin’ confessional about drowning the love of your life. What’s the problem? It packs a punch then pulls out another half-dozen haymakers.
29. Dancing Nancies (Under the Table and Dreaming). Existentialism laced with enlightenment padded by the sounds of violin and tenor saxophone. The man wrote it at 23 years old, proving yet again that so many eye-opening, ear-bending songs across our history were written by people in their late teens and early 20s. Fascinating thing, that.
28. Pig (Before These Crowded Streets). An anti-Hobbesian strain that is one of the few songs truly threaded through Tinsley’s violin lines. When people describe DMB’s sound on the whole as being hard to pinpoint or place in a genre, “Pig” goes a long way to defining that lack of definition. All I know is: it just makes me feel good whenever I listen to it.
27. Drive In Drive Out (Crash). Force of nature, one of the 10 best Beauford songs out there. Snarling vocals, and a bridge that aurally replicates the feeling of being on a StairMaster on its fastest setting. This song should close shows.
26. Raven (Busted Stuff). An ace in the hole. Who doesn’t welcome “Raven” at a show? No person of this world. The 2000/improvised versions are held in high regard by hardcores, but even the Busted Stuff rework stands tall. The stammer-rhythm chorus is yet another example of how this band takes time to challenge itself and add wrinkles to songs that most others simply wouldn’t.
25. Rapunzel (Before These Crowded Streets). What a tonic this tune is. Matthews hasn’t been able to restrain himself from writing about how great sex is for the past two and a half decades, but he never did it to greater success and taste than on “Rapunzel,” which pulls off danceability in 5/4 time and features one of the more adrenalized sax solos Moore ever put to tape. It’s also got a top-five all-around showing from Beauford on any record. We can rev this up right at the outro.
24. Snow Outside (Away From the World). When Lillywhite teamed back up with DMB for AFTW, hopes were cautiously high. The record doesn’t comes close to the heights of the Big Three, but “Snow Outside” proved beyond a doubt that the band and Lillywhite still had the goods and chemistry to create together. The height of the studio cut feels like everything’s being pulled from off the ground.
23. Captain (Busted Stuff). I’m still partial to the ’97 Dave and Tim performances, when this was known as “Crazy,” but it’s a knockout still all the same. Slick-as-ice drum part, palpitating bass line, great chord voicings and a sax line that lingers in the room, bouncing from wall to wall.
22. The Song That Jane Likes (Remember Two Things). The distillation of all the fun facets to what DMB’s music represents. Another one that needs to be played at the band’s final show, whenever that is. Another one lessened by lack of a violin.
21. Lying in the Hands of God (Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King). Wonderful studio cut and a song that’s become a giant in the live setting. Lessard’s subterranean bass contrasted against Matthews’ raised B guitar, both parts laced together by soprano sax. It’s stellar songwriting, with lyrics just ambiguous enough to raise its level.
20. Don't Drink the Water (Before These Crowded Streets). Matthews has said that this song might well be the one he considers his best. He has a case, though obviously disagreement arrives here. Lyrically, it’s a clever, serious-sounding sendup of all the carnage and bloodshed that spoils our country’s soil. The persecution and murder of Native Americans that dates back centuries. It’s in drop D tuning and climaxes with an angry narrator bellowing “I live with my hatred, I live with my jealousy.” And this was the lead single! Musically, it’s a powerhouse, no way around it. It’s also adaptable in any setting, and Alanis Morissette’s guest spot on the record makes it work all the more, adding to the craze.
19. Spoon (Before These Crowded Streets). The best album closer DMB has ever done and the caboose on the strongest five-song run on any record in DMB’s discography. Acoustic versions, rare though they are, also deliver. Dynamic, limber, and as heavy as it is light.
18. Blue Water Baboon Farm (unreleased). Has not been played in its full/proper form since 1995, but this is unquestionably a DMB epic. Vivid, potted lyrics and stretched out solo sections for violin and sax that take the song into the mesosphere. A brooding two-chord structure (E minor, C), “Blue Water” is frayed at the edges —and that only makes it better. Boyd Tinsley never sounded better than on this song; it suits his strengths and weaknesses as a violinist perfectly. Matthews has teased and half-played it over the years, but diehards still wait and hope for a full-fledged return.
17. The Best of What’s Around (Under the Table and Dreaming). UTTAD’s lead track is contagiously optimistic and perhaps the ideal song to introduce this band to a stranger. The hey-la group-singalong ending that melds with a carefree sax solo is vintage DMB.
16. Warehouse (Under the Table and Dreaming). Minor-to-major shift from verse to chorus, a perennial fan favorite and welcomed at every single show from time eternal. Its title is derived from the famous pink warehouse in Charlottesville, where the band played its first officially billed gig in 1991.
15. Recently (Remember Two Things). A pliable tune about early-20s infatuation that illustrates 1991-1993 DMB as purely as any other song in the archives. Ageless DMB, and a real fun one on guitar.
14. Bartender (Busted Stuff). Been a concert behemoth for two decades now. “Bartender” was the song that signaled the shift off of BTCS and toward whatever was going to come next. It debuted in acoustic sets long before a full-band version was ever heard, and what fans got was a reassuring example that DMB could be for the long haul. The definitive version of the song, ironically, comes on the night of Moore’s death in 2008, when DMB opened its concert at Staples Center with it.
13. Minarets (Remember Two Things). Boasting one of Matthews’ best vocals, “Minarets” is a signature song for DMB’s individuality amid otherwise sensible acknowledgement as a mainstream rock band. Bless up the band, for starting in 2014 it fell back in love with this outright classic and played it more than 80 times since — which is a higher volume of plays than “Minarets” received from 1996-2013 combined.
12. The Last Stop (Before These Crowded Streets). A nine-foot-tall savage of a song that dials it up to 11 to blare about the pitfalls of mankind’s penchant for war. It’s as clamored for at concerts as much, or more than, any other song in DMB’s catalog. The build-up and release of “The Last Stop’s” key-change reprise is one of the paramount live experiences the band has to offer.
11. You Never Know (Busted Stuff). Among the 10-or-so best lyrical efforts of Matthews’ life, “You Never Know” came along at a time when a significant portion fan base was dispirited over the abandonment of The Lillywhite Sessions in favor of Everyday. “You Never Know” debuted a few months in advance of its inclusion on 2002’s Busted Stuff and was a pivotal sign that the band hadn’t lost its fastball.
10. Two Step (Crash). As big as it is nimble, “Two Step” is a band-defining song. Beauford is in fifth gear from start to finish, the up-beat rhythm ceaselessly pushing ahead. It’s evolved many times since its birth in 1992, a testament to how strong a song it is . The studio cut — which sounds so different from what the song is today — is a great night driving song.
9. Lie in Our Graves (Crash). Would you not like to be sitting on top of the world with your legs hanging free? As Matthews has bluntly put it a few times before: “this is a song about being dead.” And it’s ebullient! Tailor-made for guest spots or the core five all the same, “Graves” has produced nearly two dozen distinct, unique, must-listen versions over the past 28 years.
8. The Dreaming Tree (Before These Crowded Streets). The song that Steve Lillywhite says is his greatest achievement in the studio with the band. He has a good case. It’s a triumph all around, from songwriting to studio technique to instrumentation and skill therein. Storytelling Dave at his finest. Lessard’s lissome bass part at the heart of this beautiful elegy.
7. The Stone (Before These Crowded Streets). No song in DMB’s inventory has a more satisfactory switch in moods from verse to chorus than “The Stone,” a ruminating piece whose meaning has never been fully explained. All for the better. (For all its capacity, this solo version remains among the best ever.) It’s just a damn good song with a quintessential Matthews riff narrating the way and a hammer-wielding ending in the live setting.
6. JTR (The Lillywhite Sessions). The combustibly joyful outro to this beloved fan favorite — for diehards and casuals alike — might feature the best section of music the band’s ever written. The guitar part is effervescent, the song greater than the sum of its parts. I don’t think the band realizes how great the song actually is, and its cut for The Lillywhite Sessions, even if incomplete by definition, cannot be improved upon. LeRoi Moore from the heavens.
5. Seek Up (Remember Two Things). There is no better song to open a show — no matter the venue, no matter the season — than “Seek Up.” The heart of the song is bookended by a slow-boil, sax-led intro and a ruminative violin-guided escape route before culminating in a signature Dave-wail climax. This is how you introduce yourself to 20,000 people on a summer evening. What’s more, there is a case to be made this is Matthews’ best lyric, start to finish.
4. Ants Marching (Under the Table and Dreaming). At 1,362 known performances as of April 2020, this is far and away the most commonly played song in Dave Matthews Band history — as it should be. It’s never been the same without Moore on the tune, but it is a consummate DMB song. Anthemic, and in the live setting, every single member gets a chance to solo or have the spotlight on them. It’s the song most associated with DMB, and it should be the final song the band ever plays. Lights down, you up and die.
3. Typical Situation (Under the Table and Dreaming). The moment that hooked me for good came within the first five seconds of hearing Moore’s flute solo on UTTAD for the very first time. A ghostly guitar riff, a grinning chorus, a head-bopping 7/4 jam in the live setting. Distinctly DMB, “Typical Situation” is irrepressibly uplifting and doesn’t fully get its due for being an A-plus songwriting effort.
2. Crush (Before These Crowded Streets). A grand slam of a song. The best combination of lyrics, musical arrangement, studio production and melody in DMB history. Also has the signature bass line of Lessard’s career and is among the more colorful drumming arrangements Beauford’s come up with. How many classic songs wait until more than two minutes into a song before hitting the first chorus? “Crush” pulls it off. Jazz, rock, folk, blues all fused into the best love song of DMB’s oeuvre.
1. #41 (Crash). Obscure but poignant and powerful lyrics. Interesting chords, evocative vocals and as mutable a jam as any song DMB has ever or will ever come up with. It’s just as good in a Dave and Tim setting as it is with 10 people playing it in an 18,000-seat arena. We’re talking about a tune that once went 32 minutes — and rightfully so. The cut off Crash is practically impeccable and, from a studio standpoint, encapsulates almost every facet of what makes DMB so talented, enticing and ultimately long-lasting. The definitive DMB song, and I think the band knows it.
DMBracket: The best songs in Dave Matthews Band history
Now, the really fun part.
As a college basketball writer, how could I not subsequently bracket out the rankings, right? Here is the final product, with my thanks to talented graphic designer Brian Hodges, who also created the Records & Riffs podcast cover art, for helping bring my idea to something tangible. Clicking on the image below will enlarge it and enable it to be printed, so go to town and have fun.
Putting together a bracket will inevitably lead to gripes over seedings and snubs — as it should! — and so I made sure to leave one 12 seed and one 16 seed slot open in the play-in matchups for voters to have two write-ins of their choice. The seedings correspond with my rankings above. Oh, and since the bracket pertains particularly to DMB songs, I went ahead and didn’t include anything from Some Devil that would have otherwise qualified for an at-large bid.
The bracket breaks down by album like this:
UTTAD: 11
Crash: 10
BTCS: 9
Unreleased/LWS: 9
Busted Stuff: 8
Remember Two Things: 6
Come Tomorrow: 4
Big Whiskey: 3
Away From the World: 3
Lillywhite Sessions: 2
Everyday: 2
Stand Up: 1
There was some balancing: no album has two songs seeded in the top three in any quadrant, and albums were mostly evenly split up between the regions. Long live the Matthews Band.