Three Days Grace got their big start in the wave of alternative rock and nu-metal that took the late 90s and early 2000s by storm. After a hot start to their career, they continued to find success, becoming one of the most successful and prominent acts in rock music of the last two decades. In this article, we’ll look at the 20 best songs Three Days Grace ever released.
1. I Hate Everything About You
It isn’t every day that a band’s debut single is hailed as one of, if not, their greatest song. I Hate Everything About You is a track that can summarize everything great about Three Days Grace. Full of emotion, incredible instrumental sections, and one of the best alternative rock songs of the early 2000s boom in the genre. It’s also an utterly relatable track for anyone struggling with a toxic or confusing relationship, romantic or otherwise.
For them, it turned out to be a number-one single on Canada’s rock chart and a major hit on every US rock chart, spending 45 and 46 weeks on the Modern and Mainstream rock charts respectively. It also happened to be one of the best-performing rock songs of the decade, instantly turning them into a major player in the scene.
2. Never Too Late
One could make a compelling argument that Never Too Late is the best song Three Days Grace ever released and it would be hard to argue, I simply went with the breakthrough single that started them on their journey. It’s a track about not giving up, having mental breakdowns, and finding a reason to make it through another day.
One of their most raw and emotional songs, it was a favorite of everyone on their One-X album. It spent seven weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock Chart, broke onto the Hot 100, and became their only crossover hit single by trending on the Mainstream Top 40 and Adult Top 40 charts.
3. Animal I Have Become
Animal I Have Become is another amazing single from One-X and the first single released from the album. While the band’s reputation was built well before the 2007 album, many of the songs they are best remembered for come from it, this one included. It spent seven weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock chart and two weeks atop the modern rock chart. It also marked a new era for them, as it was the first single they released with their fourth member Barry Stock.
It focused on Adam Gontier’s OxyContin addiction and the way it changed him, writing the track as a way to look at how he didn’t recognize the person he was becoming. The heavy guitar riffs and catchy lyrics of the song cemented it as one of their best singles. In 2006, it was the most-played rock track in Canada and then won Rock Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards.
4. Riot
We’re sticking with the One-X album for this one as well. Riot is a protest song, but it’s about protesting all the negative aspects of life. Three Days Grace had a reputation for not including profanity in their tracks often, but this makes an exception; a well-placed “f-bomb” adds much more than it can possibly take away.
It rose to number 12 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US and just missed out on the top 20 of the Alternative Airplay chart. This has remained a fan-favorite by them over the years and still serves as one of the best angry pump-up songs out there.
5. I Am Machine
I Am Machine is a relatively new song in comparison to the songs we’ve discussed so far, and it sees Three Days Grace evolve to take on universal social traits. It stands as a track meant to help people break free from their emotional detachment and reclaim their humanity, a commentary on the world we live in today.
The song describes society as trapping people into a robotic existence, expecting them to suppress their emotions and serve a purpose rather than go after the things that are important to them. After being released in 2014 from their album Human, it earned a nomination for Rock Song of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards and rose to number 12 on the Rock Airplay chart.
6. Chalk Outline
Chalk Outline has one of the most recognizable bass lines in all of Three Days Grace’s music. Released from their album Transit Of Venus in 2012, it became one of their most awarded tracks. It won Rock Song of the Year from Loudwire and made it to number eight on Billboard’s rankings of the greatest mainstream rock tracks of all time, all backed by solid chart performances. It made it to number five and seven respectively on the Rock Airplay and Hot Rock and Alternative Songs charts.
7. Pain
Pain was a bit of a change of pace on One-X, an emo ballad to eat your heart out to and something of a toxic love letter. It was stated that the song was about feeling constantly numb to things around you, enjoying when pain came your way because it finally allowed you to feel something.
It spent four weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart and 13 weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock chart. It just missed out on the top 40 of the Hot 100 but was the first single by Three Days Grace to rank in the top 50 of that chart. It’s been used in quite a lot of TV programs, from Criminal Minds to CSI: NY.
8. Break
Break was released in 2009 from Three Days Grace’s album Life Starts Now, and it saw them move further into the metal genre. It focuses on being responsible for the situation you find yourself in and breaking away from bad experiences and influences. In 2010, it was the most-played song on the Active Rock format and took home several small awards. In Canada, it rose to number 26 on the Hot 100, and in the US, it spent 12 and 11 weeks topping the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock Songs charts, respectively.
9. Just Like You
Just Like You is a song that many non-fans forgot about, as it was the follow-up single to I Hate Everything About You and didn’t find the same popularity. Despite having less mainstream popularity, the track actually rose to the same position on the Hot 100 and topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts.
It’s a song about standing up for yourself, focused on parents and kids not wanting to be pushed into certain boxes particularly. Some ended up hearing it for the first time in the film xXx: State Of The Union.
10. Infra-Red
Infra-Red is going to be a divisive song, I know. It doesn’t really capture the older music of Three Days Grace the way fans wanted it to but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one of their best offerings. The track was released as the second single from their album Outsider in 2018 and made history for them. It topped the Mainstream Rock chart, earning them their 14th number-one single on the chart and allowing them to surpass Van Halen for the act with the most number-ones on that chart.
11. World So Cold
Speaking of their number-one singles on the Mainstream Rock charts, World So Cold counts as one of their lofty numbers. Released in 2010 from their album Life Starts Now, it had been written years earlier before One-X was ever finished. The song focuses on how life changes when you lose somebody you’re close to, feeling colder and emptier.
Interestingly, a piano version of the track with no lyrics was released on their website before the album was released to the public. It even found a place on the year-end top of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
12. The Good Life
The Good Life was the single released right before World So Cold, serving as the second single for Life Starts Now. Even before being released as a single, it made it to number 85 on the Canadian Hot 100, and after being released, it took the top spot on the Mainstream Rock and Rock Songs charts in the US.
The track is about always thinking the grass is greener elsewhere, and how for many people, no matter how much they have there will always be something more they want. It’s still one of their most infectious instrumentals.
13. Painkiller
Painkiller was released in 2014 as the lead single for Three Days Grace’s album Human. It was a song about how everyone is addicted to something, whether that be a drug or some other vice.
It was a modest hit in comparison with some of the other tracks on the list, reaching number 24 and 14 on the Rock and Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts respectively. But that lower performance didn’t reflect the lyrical and emotional depth of the song, encapsulating the newer sound they were going for at the time while still tackling deep issues.
14. Home
Home was released in 2004 as the third single to come from the band’s eponymous debut album. It had a much lower commercial peak than the first two singles on the album, earning a gold certification and not topping an official chart, but it was one of their favorites. The song focuses on how a home can leave you feeling alone when the people waiting there aren’t supportive. It ended up peaking at number two and number seven on the Mainstream Rock and Alternative Airplay charts respectively.
15. The Mountain
The Mountain was released as the lead single from Outsider and turned out to be a history-making hit. It topped the Mainstream Rock chart in 2018 and tied Three Days Grace with Van Halen for the most number-ones on that chart. It’s mainly about dealing with the repetitiveness of everyday life and sees Matt Walst reach the highest note he sings on any of their songs.
16. The High Road
The High Road was released as the second single from The Transit Of Venus in 2013. It was also sadly the last track from them to enter the Canadian rock chart before Adam Gontier left the group. In the US, it rose to number 14 on the Rock Airplay chart and number 32 on the Rock and Alternative Songs chart.
17. Misery Loves My Company
Misery Loves My Company was the band’s last song to feature Adam Gontier on lead vocals and ended up with an interesting music video. They held a contest for fans to make a video for the track, with the winner earning $5,000. After a winner was decided, the video was released in 2013.
18. Lost In You
Lost In You was the final single released from Life Starts Now and was a crossover top-40 hit. Seen as a departure from their typical sound and subject matter, it mostly focuses on the bittersweet ups and downs of being in love. It also marked their first offering on adult contemporary radio stations.
19. Let You Down
Let You Down perfectly captures the feeling of being let down by everyone in your life who convinced you that you were sage with them. It’s one of the band’s most raw and emotional songs, giving fans something incredibly vulnerable and relatable in one go.
20. Fallen Angel
Fallen Angel was released as the final single from the band’s album Human. Written about his mother’s grief at the death of his father and brother, it serves as a testament about losing the people we love and wishing we could have saved them.
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As a contributing writer for Music Grotto, Dakotah writes and produces professional music/media content. He works closely with editorial staff to meet editorial standards and create
quality content for the Music Grotto website. Dakotah is passionate about music in a wide variety of genres, from hip-hop to country and lo-fi to metal, and he enjoys creating music pieces for Music Grotto.
