For 25 years now, The Living End have maintained a career as one of Australia’s most phenomenal live acts, and consistently successful rock bands.
Releasing their self-titled debut album back in 1998, the Melbourne rockers had already carved out a name for themselves as a hard-working live band, becoming favourites of radio stations like triple j in the process.
As the years went by, the trio would go on to top the charts with their albums, becoming the only band to appear in ten consecutive Hottest 100 countdowns in the process.
With the group’s latest record, Wunderbar, being released back in 2018, we’ve decided to take a look back at their ten most successful tracks on the ARIA charts. Using information from the Australian Charts website, we’ve compiled a list of the band’s biggest tracks, according to the music-loving public.
10. ‘Long Live The Weekend’
Peak Position: 23
Peak Date: June 04th, 2006
Hottest 100 Peak: N/A
The second single from 2006’s State Of Emergency, ‘Long Live The Weekend’ had it all on paper; relatable lyrics, a fun atmosphere, and a catchy chorus. Really, the fact that it only hit #23 (one spot behind Shannon Noll’s ‘Now I Run’) is a damn shame.
9. ‘Save The Day’
Peak Position: 22
Peak Date: January 10th, 1999
Hottest 100 Peak: 10
It’s hard to believe, but ‘Save The Day’ is currently the highest-charting song for The Living End in the Hottest 100, serving as their only track to make the top ten. Clearly this popularity didn’t extend to the ARI chart, where #22 was its highest peak.
8. ‘One Said To The Other’
Peak Position: 19
Peak Date: February 2nd, 2003
Hottest 100 Peak: 52
Released on an EP alongside ‘What Would You Do?’, ‘One Said To The Other’ served as the lead single from the group’s third album, Modern Artillery. A brilliant taster of what was to come, the tune showcased the group’s uncanny ability to write catchy, punchy tunes with visible ease.
7. ‘Pictures In The Mirror’
Peak Position: 18
Peak Date: October 29th, 2000
Hottest 100 Peak: 19
By the time 2000 rolled around, it had been two years since The Living End’s debut record, and fans wondered what the future held. The answer was Roll On, and it was ‘Pictures In The Mirror’ that helped welcome fans to their second record. It’s impossible to listen to this one without being transported back to the summer of 2000.
6. ‘Roll On’
Peak Position: 15
Peak Date: February 4th, 2001
Hottest 100 Peak: 72
‘Roll On’ might have been the second single from the record of the same name, but it ended up being the biggest hit of the record. Despite a lower Hottest 100 placing than ‘Pictures In The Mirror’, ‘Roll On’ became a firm favourite, proving the group were never going take it easy on album number two.
5. ‘White Noise’
Peak Position: 12
Peak Date: August 3rd, 2008
Hottest 100 Peak: 23
After two years between drinks, The Living End returned in 2008 with the exceptional White Noise. With the title track serving as the record’s lead single, the tune was a massive hit, becoming the group’s second Platinum single just one year later.
4. ‘All Torn Down’
Peak Position: 12
Peak Date: January 24th, 1999
Hottest 100 Peak: 41
Rapid property development might not be the first thing you’d expect a young punk band to write about, but then again, few bands were like The Living End. With socially-conscious lyrics and a desire to give it their all, ‘All Torn Down’ quickly become one of the band’s most popular tracks in no time.
3. ‘What’s On Your Radio’
Peak Position: 9
Peak Date: December 4th, 2005
Hottest 100 Peak: 49
There’s no denying that The Living End’s State Of Emergency was a huge hit, and tracks like ‘What’s On Your Radio’ are a perfect testament to that. With one of the tightest opening riffs possible, and a chorus built for screaming out at a live gig, at the end of 2005 the answer to this titular question was indeed ‘The Living End’.
2. ‘Wake Up’
Peak Position: 5
Peak Date: March 5th, 2006
Hottest 100 Peak: 53
Serving as a call to action for people all over the world, ‘Wake Up’ not only ended up being one of The Living End’s most successful tracks on the charts, but it has become one of their fans’ most beloved songs as well, turning into one of those songs that can turn a live crowd into a mosh pit within seconds.
1. ‘Second Solution/Prisoner Of Society’
Peak Position: 4
Peak Date: May 24th, 1998
Hottest 100 Peak: 15
Alright, it seems like cheating to put two songs at the top of this list, but that’s exactly how The Living End reached their chart peak back in the day. Releasing ‘Second Solution’ and ‘Prisoner Of Society’ as a double A-side single, the pair of iconic tracks shot to the top of the charts, both reaching #15 in the Hottest 100 one year apart.
The success of this song was so great that it even managed to stay in the ARIA top 100 for 69 weeks, becoming Australia’s best-selling single of the decade. Not a bad way to start a career, eh?
