All 20 Songs Of Bastille's 'Wild World' Ranked | The Odyssey Online
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All 20 Songs Of Bastille's 'Wild World' Ranked

Every song is amazing, but which one is best?

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All 20 Songs Of Bastille's 'Wild World' Ranked
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Anyone who knows me, knows I love Bastille. They're my favorite band! I love everything about them: their sound, lyrics, distinct artistic style, all the movie references in their music, Dan's Twin Peaks obsession, Will's "Bad Blood" tattoo, Dan's dancing. . . The list of reasons I love them is never-ending.


I absolutely adored their first album, Bad Blood, but it was their second, Wild World, that really made me fall in love with "the bad lads of bandville." September 9, 2017 marks the first anniversary of the release of this incredible album, so as a celebration of this, I have decided to rank all twenty songs from the full "Target Exclusive" version.

Shall we begin?*

*I should point out here that I absolutely love every song on this album, so even the songs at the bottom of this list are some of my favorites, and I could never label them as the "worst" of anything*

1. "Send Them Off!"

I will never get tired of this song. Overall, it's my third favorite Bastille song (after "Comfort of Strangers" and "Skulls"). I love everything about it, from the brilliant horn section to the imagery it evokes. It never fails to make me smile. It's my favorite song from Wild World.

Best parts: "soak the ropes with your holy water/Tie me down as you read out the words," "Your mind exists somewhere altogether different. It lives in a world where feelings simply cannot be defined by words."

2. "Glory"


Fan-favorite "Glory" is an absolute gem from the album, and arguably the best music video the band has put out thus far. Everything about it, from the vague, "is it a love song or is it about friendship" lyrics to the way you can practically hear Dan standing on his toes when he sings "stop looking up for heaven, waiting to be buried" in the bridge, is perfect.

Best parts: "you make me laugh until I die/can you think of any better way to choke?" "not everything had gone to plan/but we made the best of what we had, you know"

3. "Fake It"

This one, which is absolutely incredible live, is about wishing a relationship could go back to being the way it used to be, before it fell apart. It is gorgeous, heartbreaking, and Dan's voice conveys every emotion perfectly. If you really want to sob through it, this version is one of the best things Bastille has ever done.

Best parts: "Melt me down/I'm like wax to your jokes," "Still wanna waste all my time/I wanna waste all my time on you," "flower through disarray"

4. "The Anchor"

A rare love song from Dan "I don't write love songs" Smith, this one is all about how powerful relationships really can be, especially in a world like the one we live in today. Plus, there are few things better than hearing Dan Smith sing "I think of you all the time," over and over.

Best parts: "let the days be dark, let me hate my work/cuz you cut through all the noise," "bring me some hope by wandering into my mind," "I think of you all the time"

5. "Warmth"

The title track! This is another song about how relationships are necessary to get through life in this world. This song is often associated with the random, adorable videos Dan would post on his Instagram of him spinning around the stage during soundcheck at each stop on the Wild, Wild World Tour. Also, while it is definitely not the first song to do this, "Warmth" was, for many fans, the first song where they noticed that Dan Smith has a habit of using his songs to beg people to hold him.

Best parts: "Hold me in this wild, wild world," "help me keep these hours alive/help me chase those seconds"

6. "The Currents"

Also known by fans as "the one about how much Dan hates Donald Trump," this track is Bastille's first politically charged song. The lyrics adequately expresses the same concern many people feel about the current administration, all while floating over a fun, catchy mix of strings and synth.

Best parts: "how can you think you're serious/do you even know what year it is/I can't believe the scary points you make," "won't you stop firing up the crazies," "when anybody preaches disunity, tries to pit one of us against the other, you know that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and destroy our very lives."

7. "Snakes"

This song is basically just a catchy way to say the world sucks, and we have to be prepared to stand up for what we believe instead of hiding away from it all, even though it's easier to hide. It's a perfect summary of what Bastille does best: dark, sort of depressing lyrics made to sound fun and upbeat.

Best parts: "it's easier to bury my head in the sand sometimes/and I know, I know, I know it's not the right way to go/but I pray for the ground to swallow me whole," "if I'm not ready, snakes will consume me whole/if I'm not steady maybe they'll take control."

8. "Two Evils"

This was one of my least favorites for a while. I liked it, just not as much as "Glory," or "Blame." Then, I heard it live, and it was like the gates of Heaven opened up and angels floated down through Dan's voice. Now, I have a new, deeper appreciation for it. It's literally just Dan and Will, a voice and a guitar. In my opinion, it's Dan best vocals on the album.

Best parts: the last couple of times Dan sings "You and I/You and I/we're not that different, you and I"

9. "Lethargy"

For song that's literally called "Lethargy," it sure is upbeat! This one is also fun because of all the theories surrounding the "there's an Englishman up in space these days" line. (My favorite theory is the "Tim Peake sounds like Twin Peaks" one)

Best parts: "you told me not to be like anybody else," "headspin, happiness, death," "come on, relax," "there's an Englishman up in space these days/floating in awe and wonder"

10. "Blame"

This song, man. It's weird, but in the best way. It's basically about two gang/mob members facing off, so it's also a bit violent, but it's so much fun! Also, Dan actually says "fishes," which is not a word, so that's cool.

Best parts: "you go sleep with the fishes,"wrap your teeth around the pavement/'cause your body's a message/send my regards to hell," literally any time he sings the word "here."

11. "Good Grief"

The lead single! Yes this song should probably be higher on the list, since it's the reason I fell in love with this album, but there are just so many amazing songs!

This song is about dealing with grief, but it's Bastille, so it's really upbeat and fun to dance to. Also, it has audio clips from the movie Weird Science, which is pretty awesome!

Best parts: "So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?" "Watching through my fingers," "In my thoughts you're far away/and you are whistling a melody/whistling a melody," "What's gonna be left of the world if you're not in it," "Caught off guard by your favorite song/I'll be dancing at a funeral/dancing at a funeral," ""So get drunk/call me a fool/put me in my place,

12. "Shame"

This one is basically "Bad Blood 2.0." It's about an ex-friend who has become completely unrecognizable. It's super relatable, and the horns on it are brilliant!

Best parts: ""I can see a change in you/I see it coursing through your veins/and it is a shame/ oh it is a shame on you/I barely recognize your face," "I don't like who I'm seeing lately," "I never knew that I could be so dumb/until I told you/I can see a change," "maybe I'm living in the past/who am I to judge, I'm the worst of all/some things are better left unsaid, but I miss the person I knew before"

13. "Oil on Water"

I will never get over the fact that they started a song about a sex blog with the line, "so her fingers ran away with themselves." That's all I really have to say about this one. . . .

Best parts: "so her fingers ran away with themselves/til everything was documented," "warm affection runs through every word/we're screens away but we're laughing with her"

14. "Power"

This song about getting away from an abusive person is another one that is really relatable. It's beautifully sung, but it's also really heartbreaking, because you can hear the pain in his voice as he sings about this person (possibly the friend from "Shame"?) and the way they controlled him for too long.

Best parts: "You're squeezing my heart/too hard in your bare hands, they hold too tight," "Power, power/I will never understand the power you were holding over me," "oh you had it too long/yes you had it too long," "power, power/blows my mind to think I ever let you hold it over me"

15. "Way Beyond"

This song focuses on the problems within our society - how social media controls us, how real life is just as, if not more, terrifying than what we see in movies, and how chaotic the world generally is now. Fun stuff!

Best parts: "If we don't post it doesn't happen/oh, I wanna be free of this," Have you and I been sleepwalking way too long/won't someone pour ice water on me," "Movies and news on television/sometimes it's hard to tell the difference/when real life's more f*cked up than fiction/do you wanna be free of this?"

16. "Final Hour"

Another political/problems with society song, this one focuses on a person (Former Pres. Obama? Bill Nye the Science Guy?) who is having to deal with and discuss the awful things happening in the world, but no one seems to listen to him. The lyrics in this one are powerful, and they'll definitely make you think.

Best parts: "Can't you feel the temperature rising/'cause we've never felt a heat like this before," "Would it keep you awake/if it all just didn't seem so far away/'cause it keeps me awake/trying to work this out until my dying day/it's always you standing in our way/it's always you that is leading us astray," "It takes a big man to cry onscreen/delivering words that fall on deaf ears," "would it keep you awake/if the waters rose and took your house away/would it keep you awake/if the gun you loved was turned at you one day"

17. "Campus"

This one is about college! Specifically, about how draining it can be, and how alone it can feel. It's super relatable, and it's another one that's fun to dance to!

Best parts: "Oh, never leave me out/I'm standing by the sidelines," "I watch it all from afar/heaven, help me," "Just another brain on the campus/just another set of ideas"

18. "Winter of Our Youth"

This one is about the nostalgia that comes with growing up and getting older. It focuses a bit on the fear that the past was wasted, and how scary growing up can be.

Best parts: "So the question is, why doesn't he grow up? Why does he still behave as a child? How can we help him get rid of these leftovers from childish behaviors?" "I've got nostalgia running through me/and I don't like it," "It's 4am, here comes the fear i'm/not prepared yet/ and when we pick over the past we glorify it"

19. "Four Walls (the Ballad of Perry Smith)"

This one is about the death penalty (They got super political on this album). Specifically, it is inspired by the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Best parts: "now we're faced with two wrongs/I don' t know, oh I don't know," "you've only these four walls/before they/in cold blood, hang you up."

20. "An Act of Kindness"

I love this song, but it is my least favorite on the album. The vocals are great, the lyrics are interesting, and it really is a great song, I just happen to like the other 19 more.

Best parts: "kindness is what you show to me/it holds me 'til I ache/overflow and start to break," "and now it follows me everyday"

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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