I don't know about you, but I love a good outro to end a good song. I'm not saying that songs without outros are bad, but a well-done outro always makes a good song even better in my opinion. For anyone who lives under an music-blocking rock, an outro is defined as "an instrumental passage that concludes a piece of music." Now I know this isn't the only definition of "outro," but it's the one that I like the best and the one I will be most closely following for this list as most of these outros are purely instrumental. Now of course, since this is the internet where people love to argue over opinions, I have to give the disclaimer that this list is MY OPINION as it stands at this moment. Also, I will try to explain and analyze each song through words, but words alone can hardly do any of these songs justice, so go listen to them yourselves if they interest you! All ten are available to stream on Spotify, and all except for one (which I’ve marked) can be bought or listened to on iTunes/Apple Music. Anyway, without further ado, let's go ahead and look at my 10 favorite outros in songs.

Number 10: “Army of Two” by Olly Murs

This song places at number 10 on the list mostly because of the fact that the outro is very short. And while it may only be about 20 seconds long, it still stands out in my memory for its uniqueness. The song—track number one on the album Right Place Right Time—fades out with the sound of soldiers marching to the beat of a snare drum, perfectly fitting in with the song's theme of being an “army of two.” The outro compliments the uncommon instruments in the intro and bridge very well and leaves the listener with a strong impression of the album to come.

Number 9: “War of Change” by Thousand Foot Krutch

To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the hard rock-metal scene. For the most part, I only ever listen to it when I'm working out and need something to really get me moving. But, if we're sticking to the war aesthetic from the previous entry, “War of Change” by Thousand Foot Crutch certainly fits the bill. The outro to this song really fits the vibe and idea that, as the lyrics put it, "there's a war going on inside of me." Every time I hear this song it leaves me feeling very thoughtful about exactly what message the song is getting across. It’s just one of those outros—the type that really makes you think.

Number 8: “Shoot” by Boys Like Girls

Honestly, I really wanted to put the song “Go” by Boys Like Girls on this list but I decided against it because, one, I found another song with a string section outro that is just as good if not better, two, I didn't want two songs by the same band on this list, and three, I figured longer doesn't necessarily mean better. So, here is “Shoot” instead! I absolutely love this song and the message of it, about hope, moving on, and finding a better place. It might break the no-words rule a little bit as singer Martin Johnson talks longingly throughout the outro, but I'll let it slide because it's just that good (and I’m writing this, so I get to make the rules).

Number 7: “Be Still” by Jeremy Camp

And here's that strings-dominated outro that replaced Go on this list. The first time I heard this song, I thought this outro was very out of place. But now that I've listened to it several times, I think it's a beautiful way to end the faith-driven song. This song was actually a bonus track on the album I Will Follow, though if you ask me, it by all means should have been the album's intended finale. Real missed opportunity there...

Number 6: Indiginis's remix of “Tragedy” by DIGY

Tragedy by DIGY is a fine song in my opinion, but Indiginis's remix just makes it so much better for me. Not to mention it adds one of the sleekest Outros I've ever heard. The way it fades out on the lone piano into that final glissando-esque sound is a perfect way to finish the dynamic of the happy sounding sad song.

Number 5: “San Francisco” by 5 Seconds of Summer

I'm pretty curious to see the reactions to this one. On the album Sounds Good Feels Good by 5 Seconds of Summer, a few of the tracks contain long outros that are added on to the end of songs, and I've heard a lot of bad reception toward them. Are they unnecessary? Absolutely! The songs would still feel just as complete without them. But “San Francisco's” outro just sounds too good to not make this list. It certainly makes the song stand out from the other pop and pop-rock tracks like it, and the violin at the very end is a nice touch that brings it all together before the album's final track.

Number 4: “Jungle” by Jon Bellion (not available on iTunes, but available on Spotify)

Of course—of course—Jon Bellion was going to be on this list. The question was which song? I could've gone with “Fashion” or “He is the Same” or even “Weight of the World” if I fudged the rules a little, but in the end I had to pick “Jungle” because I feel it captures the essence of Jon Bellion as a singer and writer better than any of those other songs. This outro is incredibly unique—weird, and unique. The xylophone beat and voices mimicking sounds you might hear in a jungle bring a kind of harmony that I at least have never heard anywhere else. And it's that uniqueness that makes this outro—this whole song, really—stand out so much.

Number 3: “Worthy / Let All I Do” by Aaron Shust

This song is both eerie and beautiful. The instrumentation is unique, and the slow tempo with building orchestration sounds so good that it’s one of those songs that gives me chills every time I hear it. What really makes the outro here for me is the drums. After the song shifts back and forth a few times from a slow, simple beat to a full drum set, it fades out on a strong note of percussion that really brings the whole six-minute-six-second piece all together.

Number 2: “Hey You” by Boys Like Girls

Ok, I know I said I didn’t want two songs by the same band on this list, but that’s because I didn’t want to give this one away. Besides, Boys Like Girls are just the kings of pop-outros, so I couldn’t help myself. But anyway, this is a tough one to put at number two. If I were ranking these based on how much I actually like the song, this would be number one for sure—this is one of my favorite songs of all time. And one of the reasons why I love this song so much is its outro. After the lyrics of this song—which are surprisingly thought provoking—end, we are met with a simple piano melody on repeat. The melody is joined by a drumbeat that builds slowly until it explodes into an amalgamation of pianos and guitars that just begs the accompaniment of fireworks or some such spectacle. “Hey You” is really the perfect ending to a fantastic album.

Number 1: “Waking Up” by OneRepublic

You gotta hand it to Ryan Tedder and the guys of OneRepublic on this one—especially when the 2009 album’s titular track ends on a three-minute outro. I’m a sucker for a long song, and when you can draw a song out with that long an outro while still making it fresh and enjoyable to listen to, you’ve done right in my eyes! This outro is really the antithesis of the outro to “Hey You”; moreover, it begins with soaring electric guitars before fading into a gorgeous, harmonious segment of piano and overlapping strings. After each time I hear this song, I find myself sitting in silence just humming the outro’s melody over and over again. In my mind, there is no better pick for the best musical outro of all time.