1/10 to 10/10 – Muse Songs

I recently watched a video of a man naming animes from 1/10 through to 10/10 in quality, and I enjoyed the format so much that I decided to steal it for my blog.

I talked about my definitive one-through-tens for Ace Attorney cases, and now I’ll be looking at Muse songs in honour of their new album “The Wow! Signal” coming out soon. I’ll limit myself to one song per album (plus a single) to keep me on my toes.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Muse Albums Ranked

Muse Opening Songs Ranked

EVERY Muse Album Song Ranked

My Favourite Lyrics On Every Muse Song

1/10: Execution Commentary (Single)

I struggled to think of the definitive 1/10 Muse song at first. There are some bad songs on their studio albums, but I don’t think any of them are a total travesty.

This is partly why I expanded my “one per album” rule to also include one single, because I suddenly remembered their early single “Execution Commentary”. It’s two and a half minutes of muddy riffs and Matt Bellamy screaming. If I had to delete one Muse song from existence, it would easily be this.

2/10: Drones (Drones)

Of all of the songs on all of the Muse studio albums, I think I can quite comfortably pick my least favourite – because it’s not really a song to begin with.

“Drones”, the title track from the album of the same name, is a choral filler track which sounds nothing like a Muse song. I have absolutely no idea why they decided to both make and include it on a Rock album.

3/10: Compliance (Will Of The People)

I don’t like “Will Of The People”. It’s now my least favourite Muse album by a country mile, and there are only a couple of songs from it that I still listen to.

My least favourite track from it is probably the cheesy, Pop Synth Rock song “Compliance”. It’s exactly the kind of generic, tough to listen to song which has turned many critics against the band.

4/10: Save Me (The 2nd Law)

God bless Chris Wolstenholme for giving the main vocals and songwriting thing a try, but it doesn’t work here. “Liquid State” from the same album is a much better Wolstenholme outing.

“Save Me” is a slow, derivative, sloppy song in which nothing interesting happens. It doesn’t piss me off as much as the lower three songs in this list, but it’s such a nothingburger of a track.

5/10: Dig Down (Simulation Theory)

I liked “Simulation Theory” more than most critics, but even I have to admit that some of its songs are cringey.

“Dig Down” is supposed to be this big, rousing crowd-pleaser, but it’s so basic it hurts. It did the job when I saw it live, to be fair, but if I’m taking the album versions only then it’s as 5/10 as it gets.

6/10: Uno (Showbiz)

“Showbiz” is a very 6/10 album on the whole, so I thought it would be fitting for one of its tracks to take this slot.

I regularly see Muse fans singing the praises of “Uno” and calling it one of their most underrated songs, but I’ve never understood the hype. It’s a very run-of-the-mill early song with a decent chorus, but it’s a bit rough-around-the-edges for me.

7/10: Space Dementia (Origin Of Symmetry)

Now that we’re in the 7/10 range and above, we’ve hit the vast majority of Muse songs. They’re a band I’ve liked since I was a teenager, and a lot of their songs have a special place in my heart.

One song that I like but don’t love, however, is “Space Dementia”. It’s one of my least favourite, least memorable tracks from “Origin Of Symmetry”, but it’s still a good time. The welcome kind of weird.

8/10: Resistance (The Resistance)

For me, a definitive 8/10 song is one that I think is great and yet I hardly ever go out of my way to play it. If it comes up, I’m vibing. If it doesn’t, I don’t go and seek it out (especially since there are dozens of better Muse songs).

This is perhaps best exemplified in “Resistance”, the title track to Muse’s 2009 Operatic Rock album. Its chorus is an earworm, and Chris Wolstenholme gives one of his most energetic bass performances. There are just too many other Muse songs I like more.

9/10: Time Is Running Out (Absolution)

I had a few choices for my 9/10 song – I almost went with “Stockholm Syndrome”, but I think that’s closer to a 10. I considered “Map Of The Problematique” for a time, but that would have broken my “one per album” rule.

In the end, I think a 9/10 song is one that slaps but never quite became iconic. “Time Is Running Out” is a song well-known for its heavy chorus, and lots of Muse fans love it, but I rarely see it in the conversation of best Muse songs.

That bassline is one of Muse’s best.

10/10: Knights Of Cydonia (Black Holes And Revelations)

My favourite Muse song is “Hysteria”, but I don’t know if it’s the definitive 10/10 Muse song. It’s got a special place in my heart for its bassline (and the fact it was the first Muse song I fell in love with), but I don’t know if many others would put it as their all-out favourite.

“Knights Of Cydonia”, on the other hand, is a song that couldn’t have come out any better. It’s Bohemian Rhapsody-esque with its multiple sections and glorious finale, and it became their go-to set closer for many years.

If you had to boil Muse down to one song – something that summarised their Arena, Space Rock style – it would no doubt be “Knights Of Cydonia”.

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!