It’s been five years without Chester Bennington.
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While the pang of his death still rings in the hearts of family and fans, there is much to be celebrated from Bennington’s life. The Phoenix-hailing artist is best known for his role as the lead singer for the rock band Linkin Park. Bennington also fronted the rock supergroup Dead by Sunrise and Stone Temple Pilots from 2013 to 2015. Overall, through his many roles, Bennington delivered rock and metal music to the masses.
So, in honor of the lauded singer/songwriter, we’ve listed just five of his best songs, in no particular order.
“In the End” by Linkin Park
Starting off strong is Linkin Park’s signature song, “In the End.” The song was originally released ahead of Linkin Park’s debut studio album, Hybrid Theory, and it went on to become the first nu-metal song to hit one billion streams on Spotify. Bennington wrote the 2001 track with fellow Linkin Park members Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda, and Rob Bourdon.
“Numb/Encore” by Jay-Z and Linkin Park
“Numb/Encore” is an iconic mash-up of industry titans Linkin Park and Jay-Z through their songs “Numb” and “Encore,” respectively. As if that wasn’t enough star power, Kanye West provided backing vocals on the track. Unsurprisingly, “Numb/Encore” went on to win the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
“Somewhere I Belong” by Linkin Park
When this began/ I had nothing to say, Bennington sings on “Somewhere I Belong,” And I let it all out to find/ That I’m not the only person with these things in mind. “Somewhere I Belong” was internationally successful upon release in early 2004. The track topped the Mainstream Rock chart and entered the top ten on several other music charts around the world.
“Crawl Back In” by Dead by Sunrise
The second track from Dead by Sunrise’s debut studio album, “Crawl Back In,” covers Bennington’s personal history with addiction, similar to the themes on Linkin Park’s album Hybrid Theory. And, as Bennington explained in a 2009 interview, “Crawl Back In” is “straight-up rock stuff.”
“Let Down” by Dead by Sunrise
Another single from Dead by Sunrise’s studio album, Out of Ashes, is the acclaimed “Let Down.” This song was among the first tracks that Bennington helped to pen for the band. Amir Davidson, Ryan Christopher Shuck, and Anthony Valcic co-wrote the song.
“On a song like ‘Let Down,’ which I felt really strongly about, I really wanted that song not to change. I didn’t want to go in and change the words, I didn’t want to change any of the vibe, and I knew that would happen a lot taking it to Linkin Park. So it was pretty easy to figure that out,” Bennington told MTV of keeping “Let Down” for Dead by Sunrise.
