Ranking the Songs on the Brightside Album by The Lumineers

January 17, 2023
Emily Schenkel

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Class of 2024

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  • "Brightside": 7/10 

This song makes me feel so many emotions and it's ideal for playing in the background while getting ready. It's also a perfect opening song for the album. The joyous tone in the artists’ voice when saying “I’ll be your brightside, baby, tonight. Tonight,” is what makes me feel so strongly about the song. 

  • "AM Radio": 10/10 

This is my favorite song on the album and has been since it came out. It makes me feel so nostalgic and at home. The repeating lyric of “I couldn’t give you up” is what especially helps me get that feeling. 

  • "Where We Are": 9/10

This song is my comfort song. It’s the best when just needing to scream that no matter what happens, you’ll still be here and be okay. The repetition of the line “I don’t know where we are but it will be okay,” helps emphasize it more than any other line in the song. That line gives me so much comfort and stands out throughout the rest. 

  • "Birthday": 8/10

This song is so special to me because it shows that days that are supposed to be ‘special’ won’t always be and there's nothing wrong with that. Even when you know it's a special holiday like your birthday, you cannot change your current feelings about life. The lyric in the song that truly gives that message to me is, “It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s your birthday, dear.” 

  • "Big Shot": 7/10 

This song is so important to me because it makes me feel the same as everyone around me, even though we are oh so different. It also shows that being humble no matter what, is one of the most important things. The lyric in this song that always hits home for me is, “You wanna be the big shot now. The chosen one your mother loved the most. After all.” Through whatever is going on in your life, being the big shot won’t fix it any more than a temporary smile. 

  • "Never Really Mine": 9/10

This song shows how love can be removed just as quickly as it can be brought into your life. However, I like it because there will always be an opportunity for new love to enter your life. If someone worth loving leaves, a new person just as worthy of loving will soon come along. 

  • "Rollercoaster": 8/10

I’m personally not a fan of rollercoasters but this song makes me feel as if I'm at peace. No matter how far away you are from your family, friends, and original home, there will always be a place for you and your heart to make a new home. 

  • "Remington": 8/10 

This song gives anticipation of something greater than we are ourselves. It makes me feel peaceful yet so strong at the same time. The lyric that really makes me feel this way is, “And the ocean was all in my fingertips. But I held you on my back.” It really makes me think about how we have the entire world at our fingertips, yet not many of us use it as well as we truly could.

  • "Reprise": 10/10

This is the perfect song to close out the album. It gives me the feeling of being able to choose my destiny and my life, being the brightside. This is no doubt my second favorite ‘Brightside’ song. My favorite lyric throughout the song is “I’m headed for the brightside, baby, tonight.” This lyric tells me that life is about going forward and though it may not always be puppies and rainbows, you’re always going forward: towards the brightside. 

Speaking from experience, this album is the best to jam out to in the car with your close friends and I hope that I am able to see the Lumineers in concert again one day!

Emily Schenkel is a BBG in Charlotte, North Carolina, who loves exploring her creativity through her face painting business, creative writing, and art.

All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.

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