Kings Of Leon's Official Top 10 biggest songs
03 March 2021 | By Rob Copsey

Kings of Leon have dependably delivered blistering rock anthems for almost 20 years. Over that time the band have gone from a wild, Southern garage band to expansive, seasoned rockers who regularly top the charts across the world.

Now on to their eighth studio album, When You See Yourself, below we run down Caleb, Jared, Nathan and Matthew Followill's Top 10 biggest songs on the Official UK Chart, based on Official Charts Company data.

10. On Call (2007)
Official Chart peak: 18
UK chart sales: 218,000
The band's lead single from their Because Of The Times album is one of their simplest lyrically, with Caleb Followill once admitting that, after four years non-stop on the road: "Maybe at that point I was just exhausted. But I still think I’m saying something nice. It was a pleasant thing to say.”

9. Supersoaker (2013)
Official Chart peak: 32
UK chart sales: 223,000
Written by Caleb shortly after the band's famously disastrous Dallas gig that led them to go on hiatus, Supersoaker - the lead to their sixth record Mechanical Bull - has a throwback Southern rock sound that recalls their early work, while lyrically it tells the story of how someone from a different band lost their inspiration.

8. The Bucket (2004)
Official Chart peak: 16
UK chart sales: 252,000
The first single from the band's second album Aha Shake Heartbreak saw them break the Top 20 on the Official Singles Chart for the first time. The track was written by the band about bassist Jared and his handling of finding fame at the age of 17.

7. Revelry (2008)
Official Chart peak: 29
UK chart sales: 279,000
Caleb admits that this bluesy ballad, which served as the third single from their Only By The Night album, was written through a haze of prescription painkillers, which he was taking due to a shoulder injury. "It's kind of like you feel good but it's the kind of good feeling that brings about kind of sad emotions, things like that," he said.

6. Fans (2007)
Official Chart peak: 13
UK chart sales: 284,000
Kings of Leon pay homage to their UK fans on this 2007 single - the country the band credit turning them into global superstars. Fittingly, it became their highest-charting UK single at the time, until the release of Sex On Fire.

5. Radioactive (2010)
Official Chart peak: 7
UK chart sales: 297,000
For their highly anticipated lead single from Come Around Sundown, the follow-up to 2008's Only By The Night, the band looked back, releasing a song that had long been in their repertoire at live shows. The track's gospel influence comes from the band's religious upbringing, and is reflected in the accompanying music video.

4. Closer (2008)
Official Chart peak: N/A
UK chart sales: 332,000

Despite not being given the single treatment, the opener from their Only By The Night album is hugely popular with fans, featuring a now-iconic three note riff created by bassist Jared.

3. Waste A Moment (2016)
Official Chart peak: 45
UK chart sales: 352,000
The trailer for KoL's seventh album Walls arrived after years of struggle between the band, feeling as though they had become business partners rather than being a band of brothers. Waste A Moment is a defiant statement in overcoming their conflict, revisiting the radio friendly sounds of their biggest hits eight years prior.

2. Use Somebody (2008)
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 1.82 million
The second of a one-two punch of hits from their Only By The Night album, Use Somebody was written by Caleb about lonliness while on a seemingly endless tour. The track was a huge success, reaching Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart and earning the band three Grammys.

1. Sex On Fire (2008)
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 2.42 million

KoL's first true mainstream hit, Sex On Fire was written by Caleb about his now-wife Lily Aldridge - but he insists it was never meant to be as raunchy as it appears. The track was originally titled Set Us On Fire, while in recent years, since becoming fathers, the band have given it the PG-friendly title Socks On Fire. Regardless, it was a huge hit, logging three weeks at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart and ranks as the UK's 54th best-selling single ever.

Kings of Leon's Official Top 10 biggest songs
POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR
1 SEX ON FIRE KINGS OF LEON 1 2008
2 USE SOMEBODY KINGS OF LEON 2 2008
3 WASTE A MOMENT KINGS OF LEON 45 2016
4 CLOSER KINGS OF LEON N/A 2008
5 RADIOACTIVE KINGS OF LEON 7 2010
6 FANS KINGS OF LEON 13 2007
7 REVELRY KINGS OF LEON 29 2008
8 THE BUCKET KINGS OF LEON 16 2004
9 SUPERSOAKER KINGS OF LEON 32 2013
10 ON CALL KINGS OF LEON 18 2007

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

I guess it sort of makes sense given the timing of its release with respect to the streaming era etc. but 'Waste A Moment' really does not feel like it is their 3rd biggest song

I'm not sure many people would be able to agree on what their third biggest song should be though.