10 Best: Maroon 5

By: Connor Lenahan

Maroon 5 is one of the most commercially successful and popularly adored bands of the last decade and a half. I know what you’re thinking right now, I can promise it. You are struggling to figure out how “decade and a half” is accurate. I’m cheating a bit, but the first (and best) album the band released, Songs About Jane, came out in 2002. I have never felt older in my life.

Maroon 5 has been on my mind for days now after WatchMojo, the most addictive YouTube channel I know, put up their own Top 10 Maroon 5 songs. The list is okay, but largely wrong.

Their list is as follows:

10. “Maps”

9. “Payphone”

8. “Harder to Breathe”

7. “Sunday Morning”

6. “Misery”

5. “One More Night”

4. “Makes Me Wonder”

3. “She Will Be Loved”

2. “Moves Like Jagger”

1. “This Love”

Now, they did a fairly good job of trying to pick the best of Maroon 5, albeit only singles, but I could be more furious than I am. However, I’m still not overjoyed. I want to classify something that I’ve thought for years now: “Moves Like Jagger” is not a Maroon 5 song. It’s an Adam Levine song. Frankly the more recent you go with Maroon 5 the more the band sounds like and becomes Adam Levine and the Adam Levine backup band.

Now, this isn’t a bad thing. Levine is one of the most gifted entertainers alive and I am an unabashed fan of him. However Maroon 5 as a band is more unique and successful in an artistic aspect when they are making more music like Songs About Jane rather than V. Adam Levine is one of the best pop singers alive, but Maroon 5 has a genuine claim to being one of the best bands alive. This is abstract, but anyone that is familiar with both halves of their catalog will understand.

The real top ten for Maroon 5 is as follows:

10. “Won’t Go Home Without You” – I will stand by my claim that It Won’t Be Soon Before Long remains one of the most underrated albums of the 2000s. Fight me.

9. “Sunday Morning” – Moved back slightly only because of some overlooked choices on WatchMojo’s part.

8. “One More Night” – This is the best song off of Overexposed and way better than I remembered.

7. “Wake Up Call” – This is also the song that showed that Maroon 5 had a really, really fun edge to them.

6. “If I Never See Your Face Again” – The second most underrated Maroon 5 song behind #3 on this list.

5. “Misery” – I will be damned if this isn’t the catchiest hook of all time.

4. “Makes Me Wonder” – Stays put. Do you remember when this came out two years after “This Love” exploded and made it clear that Maroon 5 was no joking around terrific? I do, and it’s still a happy memory.

3. “Harder to Breathe” – This is my favorite Maroon 5 song and it should be yours too.

2. “She Will Be Loved” – Moves up after knocking “Moves Like Jagger” off the list. Unbelievable live especially.

1. “This Love” – WatchMojo did happen to nail the number one selection. Still the best all this time later.