Between “Radioactive,” “Believer,” and “Enemy,” Imagine Dragons have been one of alternative’s biggest hitmakers for over a decade. Starting in Las Vegas in 2009, Imagine Dragons released their first self-titled EP before signing to Interscope Records in 2011. There, they would put out some of their biggest hits, “Radioactive,” “It’s Time,” and “On Top of the World,” on their debut album, Night Visions, in 2012. Their success was almost instantaneous, with “Radioactive” hitting No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also the most streamed rock song of 2013, and that number continued to grow, as it has amassed over a billion streams. Songs like “Believer” and “Thunder” have since surpassed that one billion mark as well.
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Vocalist Dan Reynolds, one of Imagine Dragons’ founding members, first realized his love for music while attending college. He and his bandmates would navigate Las Vegas’ club scene as performers before landing a record deal. Since then, he has primarily worked on Imagine Dragons releases, but he also put out an EP with his then-wife, Aja Volkman, under the name Egyptian in 2010. He also founded Night Street Records in 2016, where he signed artists K.Flay and Benson Boone.
Reynolds has not penned every Imagine Dragons song but had a hand in a large majority of them, including some of their most popular songs. That is to be expected when, according to People, Reynolds writes songs almost every day, treating them like journal entries. Here are some underrated Imagine Dragons tracks that Dan Reynolds helped write.
1. “The River” (2011)
Written by Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, and Wayne Sermon
“The River” is one of Imagine Dragons’ first recordings, originally appearing on their debut EP, Imagine Dragons, along with “It’s Time.” Unlike the latter track, “The River” did not receive a rerelease after the band signed to Interscope, until they put out the deluxe version of Night Visions.
The song features Andrew and Brittany Tolman of husband-wife duo TOLMAN, while they were still members of Imagine Dragons. Andrew is heard on drums, whereas Brittany performs keys and backing vocals. The two also worked on “It’s Time.”
“The River” is a break from the bombastic highs of “It’s Time,” and later the rest of Night Visions. Featuring twinkling guitars and an electronic drum beat, the song feels bright and refreshing, signaling in the new wave of alt-pop Imagine Dragons would help foster in the 2010s.
In the latest midnight hour When the world has gone to sleep You gotta get up
When doubts begin to rise
And the world is at your feet
You gotta get up
Reach, it’s not as bad as it seems
I cleanse in the river for somebody else For anyone but myself
Overall, “The River” helped set the tone for Imagine Dragons’ future, being enough to prove themselves to their label.
2. “Battle Cry” (2014)
Written by Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, and Daniel Platzman
By 2014, Imagine Dragons had several hits under their belt, and they solidified their core lineup. “Battle Cry,” one of their first singles after the success of their last album, preceding “Warriors,” would later appear on their 2015 album, Smoke + Mirrors.
“Battle Cry” was originally composed as the theme song for Transformers: Age of Extinction, one of their first movie soundtrack credits, second to “Who We Are” as it appeared in Hunger Games: Catching Fire. They were hand-selected by Transformers director Michael Bay.
“Some songs take a year to come together, but ‘Battle Cry’ wrote itself very quickly. It was cool to compose a song in a more cinematic way – we tried to create something to benefit a visual as opposed to just being true to the song,” Reynolds told Billboard in 2014.
Imagine Dragons would go on to compose original material for movies and television, including Suicide Squad (2016) with “Sucker for Pain,” along with “Enemy,” featuring JID, for the Netflix original series Arcane.
3. “Birds” (2018)
Written by Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Joel Little, and Daniel Platzman
“Birds” is a lead single off of the band’s compilation album Mercury — Act 1, which would later receive a second act in 2022. Both parts were personal to Reynolds and his struggles with his mental health, loss, and overall vulnerability. It was a full circle moment for him.
“I turned to music to voice the things that I could not say through just words alone,” he told People in 2022. “Something about melody and chord progression and setting up a soundscape really makes me feel safe and able to say the things I need to say.’
“Birds” centers around a lost connection. Whether that means they’ve gone separate ways, or a person has passed, Reynolds hopes they may cross paths again one day and check up on each other, but realizes that most connections often dwindle.
Seasons they will change, life will make you grow, dreams will make you cry, cry, cry Everything is temporary, everything will slide, love will never die, die, die
I know that birds fly in different directions I hope to see you again
“Birds” is a return to form for Imagine Dragons, harkening back to some of the twinkling sounds of Night Visions, as well as its rich, grand components, and incorporating them into their modern, anthemic feeling.
Photo by Didier Messens/Getty Images
