Top 20 Underrated Muse Songs

Muse are one of my favourite bands ever, and while I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’re underrated I do think they’re quite underappreciated nowadays – almost every album of theirs is a rock banger, and if not it’s probably an experimental electronic banger instead.

I recently did a list like this for David Bowie (I’ll link it below), but that was a more generic list in no particular order – I’ll actually be selecting my top 20 this time around, so don’t be annoyed if I like a Muse song more than you do!

You can check out some of my related lists below:

20 – I Belong to You (+Mon Coeur S’ouvre a ta Voix)

Sorry about my spelling of any French words, but it can’t be as bad as Matt Bellamy’s actual pronunciations.

“I Belong to You” is a gorgeous track with some beautiful piano work and melodies, and it gets lost in the general bombastic-ness of the other tracks on Resistance. While not the craziest track, it’s definitely worth a listen.

19 – The Groove

The B-side to “Time Is Running Out”, “The Groove” is a really cool song with some killer riffs.

I can see why it never made an album, and they didn’t spend too long producing it, but the bass and guitar work is stellar as always.

18 – Exo-Politics

Black Holes and Revelations is my favourite Muse album (if I was forced to pick one from the holy trinity), and that’s mainly due to the consistency of the tracks. They’re all rock bangers, but they also experiment enough to bring something new to the table each time.

“Exo-Politics” is just a really solid rock song, with an anthemic chorus that draws you in. It’s nowhere near the best song on the album, but it keeps up the energy and flow of the tracklist.

17 – Jimmy Kane

The first B-side from their first single “Uno”, but this is one of those cases where the B-side is actually better than the A-side.

“Jimmy Kane” is raw and furious, without going too far into the deep end. It’s Chris Wolstenholme’s bass that ties the whole thing together, and it remains to this day one of my favourites to play.

16 – Futurism

You’ll soon notice that the bonus tracks from all of the holy trinity of albums have made my underrated list – I have no idea why none of them were included, and their respective albums would have been so much better with them on the tracklist.

“Futurism” contains one of the most insane basslines I’ve ever heard, and Matt Bellamy’s vocals are on fire. It’s almost the precursor to “Hysteria” – the best Muse song of them all.

15 – City of Delusion

Another banger from Black Holes and Revelations, yet “City of Delusion” brings something exotic and fresh to the table as well.

Wolstenholme’s basslines are exquisite, and the Spanish-infused acoustic guitar is a nice touch.

14 – The Small Print

One of the heaviest songs from Muse’s heaviest album, “The Small Print” starts off energetic and never loses momentum.

Those choruses back a real punch, and I really like how Chris Wolstenholme sings part of it live (that shouldn’t affect my ranking if I was being fair, but oh well).

13 – Aftermath

The only Drones song on this list – I originally loathed “Aftermath” for how slow it is, but I’ve grown to really appreciate it.

The vocal harmonies are gorgeous, and the lyrics are surprisingly tender and introspective. Drones does a good job of conveying the brutality of war, but the calm before the storm can also be impactful too.

12 – Eternally Missed

“Eternally Missed” was the B-side to “Hysteria”, and I love the guitar tones in the verses so much.

Early Matt Bellamy is my favourite version of the lead singer’s voice, and his vocals here are exceptional.

11 – Darkshines

One of the sexiest basslines you’ll ever hear, accompanied by some thumping synths and a huge chorus that brings it all together.

“Darkshines” has always been one of my favourites from Origin of Symmetry, and solidifies Chris Wolstenholme’s place as one of rock’s best ever bassists.

10 – Ruled by Secrecy

An understated end to Absolution, and while that annoyed me at first it’s actually the perfect send-off to the record.

Matt Bellamy’s vocals and piano work are both some of his very best, and the way the song crescendos to a huge finale is mesmeric to hear unfold.

9 – Explorers

“Explorers” feels like an anomaly on The 2nd Law, as it doesn’t really have the huge, experimental sounds of some of the other tracks, but that ends up working in its favour.

It’s such a lovely change of pace from what comes before and after, and the sweet lyrics that sound like a lullaby perfectly complement the gorgeous and almost whimsical melodies.

8 – The Void

You’ll notice a trend of “understated closing tracks” being on this list, so I was delighted when “The Void” appeared at the end of Simulation Theory.

It still has the electronic, experimental goodness that I’d come to expect from the album, but I actually think it works best on this song more than any other. That closing motif of “They’re wrong … Oh baby, they’re wrong” with the huge bass tone is goosebump-inducing.

7 – Fury

The bonus track from Absolution, and I’m still a little salty that “Thoughts of a Dying Atheist” made it on the tracklist over this.

“Fury” has an excellent riff with doom-ridden lyrics, and the sound the band creates is huge. Matt Bellamy has gone on record saying this was one of his favourites … so why the heck was it only a bonus track?!?

6 – Showbiz

It’s strange that title track from an album – their debut album – has flown under the radar so massively, but that’s probably because everyone’s forgotten about this album anyway.

“Showbiz” is one of those tracks that just grows and grows, until exploding in a furious climax (maybe I could have worded that better…). Matt Bellamy’s vocals are absolutely insane in this song, especially in the final minute – I may even go as far as saying they’re the best he’s ever done.

5 – Animals

A song in 5/4 time, which is already rare enough, but to get it to be so groovy at the same time is nothing short of genius.

“Animals” also has some of Bellamy’s best lyrics, as rather than being a bombastic call to action it’s more understated in its political commentary. Their most underrated song of the past decade.

4 – Glorious

My favourite of the bonus tracks, for years I thought “Glorious” was the actual closing track to Black Holes and Revelations, rather than “Knight Of Cydonia”.

The fantastical synth work is at an all-time high, and those choruses are catchy as hell. I kinda get a “Take A Bow” vibe from it, which is exactly why I thought it worked so well as the final track.

3 – Dead Star

An absolutely incredible single, “Dead Star” will go down in history as Muse’s best song outside of an album, and it’s one of the best non-album songs I’ve ever heard from a band.

It’s their heaviest and grittiest song, rivalling “Stockholm Syndrome” as their loudest and rawest, and the guitar tones are fantastic. Once the powerhouse chorus kicks in, the headbanging can start.

2 – Hyper Chondriac Music

Hullabaloo is a pretty mediocre album on the whole, and since it isn’t a mainline album pretty much all of the tracks have flown under the radar – for the most part, I don’t think music history will be missing these tracks too much.

The exception, however, is the closing track “Hyper Chondriac Music”, a wonderful, emotive rendition of “Hyper Music” that arguably trumps the original. The crescendo to the climax is one of the most chilling pieces of music I’ve ever heard, and Bellamy’s vocals send it to the stratosphere.

1 – Megalomania

From one closing track to the other, “Megalomania” – the final song on Origin of Symmetry – is my pick for most underrated Muse song of the bunch.

It’s a little slower and more introspective than you’d expect from a Muse song, but that just makes the huge choruses that much more impactful. Matt Bellamy’s vocals and organ work are virtuoso-esque , and the notes he hits at the end shouldn’t be physically possible in the male voice.

It’s their most dramatic song, with the best lyrics in any Muse song, so that’s why it’s easily their most underrated track of all them.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my most recent blog posts below.