When it comes time for Danko Jones to pick a single, the namesake of the veteran Canadian group recuses himself.
"I'm too close to the songs, and any fondness for a particular track always stems from something self-centred," he admits. "But sometimes, whether it's my favourite track or not, there have been songs we've written that make me quietly say to myself, 'We did it.'"
Nearly 30 years into his career, and with new album Electric Sounds arriving September 15 via Sonic Unyon, Exclaim! asked Jones to rank his five best songs for our High 5 column. Picking from the band's 11 albums and three compilations, he had close to 200 hard-hitting rock anthems to choose from — but he tells Exclaim! that he tried to be objective when selecting the ones that rose to the top.
Ironically, given that Jones doesn't select his own singles, most of the songs on this list were indeed released as singles — although there's also a track from the band's outtakes compilation that didn't make the cut when it was initally recorded for an album.
5. "Full of Regret"
Below the Belt (2010)
Truth be told, I wanted a drum pattern in one of our songs like Ian Paice's intro on Deep Purple's "You Fool No One," off their Burn album. So, why not just lift it and twist it? That's what this song did, and the guitar lick pretty much wrote itself during a soundcheck in Bergen, Norway, back in 2009.
4. "I'm in a Band"
Rock Supreme (2019)
This song was written as an anthemic salvo, and it's the song I wake up to in the morning and play air guitar in front of the mirror, cranked to 11. Too much info?
3. "Woogie Boogie"
B-Sides (2009)
This was recorded for our 2003 album, We Sweat Blood, but it didn't make the cut. We took it to a vote and I was the only one who voted for its inclusion. Still, we ended up playing it live for the next 3 years. It's not hit single material, but it's got that rock 'n' roll je ne sais quoi we're all thirsting for.
2. "My Little RnR"
Wild Cat (2017)
This was the chorus that I thought would get the stadiums singing back to us. However, the caveat was we had to get to the stadiums first. Unfortunately, that did not happen and still hasn't — yet.
1. "Good Time"
Electric Sounds (2023)
Even though this is the first single off our new album, Electric Sounds, and it sounds like I'm just trying to promote new stuff, we've been trying to write a chorus à la "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" for the last 27 years. We finally did it with this one.
"I'm too close to the songs, and any fondness for a particular track always stems from something self-centred," he admits. "But sometimes, whether it's my favourite track or not, there have been songs we've written that make me quietly say to myself, 'We did it.'"
Nearly 30 years into his career, and with new album Electric Sounds arriving September 15 via Sonic Unyon, Exclaim! asked Jones to rank his five best songs for our High 5 column. Picking from the band's 11 albums and three compilations, he had close to 200 hard-hitting rock anthems to choose from — but he tells Exclaim! that he tried to be objective when selecting the ones that rose to the top.
Ironically, given that Jones doesn't select his own singles, most of the songs on this list were indeed released as singles — although there's also a track from the band's outtakes compilation that didn't make the cut when it was initally recorded for an album.
5. "Full of Regret"
Below the Belt (2010)
Truth be told, I wanted a drum pattern in one of our songs like Ian Paice's intro on Deep Purple's "You Fool No One," off their Burn album. So, why not just lift it and twist it? That's what this song did, and the guitar lick pretty much wrote itself during a soundcheck in Bergen, Norway, back in 2009.
4. "I'm in a Band"
Rock Supreme (2019)
This song was written as an anthemic salvo, and it's the song I wake up to in the morning and play air guitar in front of the mirror, cranked to 11. Too much info?
3. "Woogie Boogie"
B-Sides (2009)
This was recorded for our 2003 album, We Sweat Blood, but it didn't make the cut. We took it to a vote and I was the only one who voted for its inclusion. Still, we ended up playing it live for the next 3 years. It's not hit single material, but it's got that rock 'n' roll je ne sais quoi we're all thirsting for.
2. "My Little RnR"
Wild Cat (2017)
This was the chorus that I thought would get the stadiums singing back to us. However, the caveat was we had to get to the stadiums first. Unfortunately, that did not happen and still hasn't — yet.
1. "Good Time"
Electric Sounds (2023)
Even though this is the first single off our new album, Electric Sounds, and it sounds like I'm just trying to promote new stuff, we've been trying to write a chorus à la "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" for the last 27 years. We finally did it with this one.
