The frontman of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons, Dan Reynolds is an inspirational model to look up to. With his hands on Alternative rock, Indie rock, Pop Rock, and Electronic music, he is one of many influential musicians in the modern world.
Music is an inspiration for many people around the globe. It has helped everyone release grief, and all those have happened to Dan Reynolds too. Back in 2018, Imagine Dragons were the most streamed group on Spotify. With touring and creative materials, he was under constant pressure which threatened his mental health.
That’s when he took some time off to cool down. It did its work and Imagine Dragons returned with an emotional new album last year. During the promotion of the album, Ryan revealed songs and artists who shaped him.
He has revealed his favorite songs in a few different interviews. Back in 2019, when he sat down with US Weekly, he also talked about his playlist of favorite tracks. It was after he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. Below is the list of his favorite tracks.
Dan Reynolds’ Favorite Songs
Catharsis by Cat Stevens
Dany remembered his older days while talking about this song. He reveals that he listened to a lot of Cat Stevens when he was a kid. He revealed that he was about 12 when he was first dealing with depression. He said that Father and Son was the first song he listened to which was by Cat Stevens. He said, he remembers sitting in bed and crying listening to the song. He said,
“Wow. This is what I want to do. I want to impact people with music, in the way that this is impacting me,” That is something the song made him feel. He, later on, added that it made him feel less alone.
Graceland by Paul Simon
He says he smiles at everything he listens to this song. Graceland is one song you always love even though you’re life may be at a bad place. The song is a peaceful bliss to the mind to listen to. While talking with US Weekly, he shared,
“It’s just one of those songs where you can’t help but smile when you hear it and feel like you’re driving through beautiful green scenery and the sun is out and the birds are chirping. Paul Simon is just so eloquent with his lyrics and heartfelt.”
Dreams by The Cranberries
Another song he selects is Dreams by The Cranberries. He straight up goes to the point and says, “From the second the guitar kicks in, it just feels like a flood of emotion and it’s very atmospheric. The voice is so beautiful. I feel like it’s one of the best songs ever written.”
Motorcycle Drive By by Third Eye Blind
Dan says that this song has been one of his staple songs since he was 13/14 years old. Dan pointed out,
“I love this song. I love the emotion of it. It’s just one of those songs you sing at the top of your lungs in your car when you’re by yourself or not by yourself. “
The Look by Metronomy
In this song, he praises the melody and harmony of the song. He says, “The production is mind-blowing because it’s just so simple but perfectly put together. It’s not overthought. Amazing harmony. Amazing melody work … If you’re feeling like you want to dance, then this is a song for you.”
The Underdog by Spoon
Talking about the band, he praises Spoon and says it is one of the greatest bands of our generation. Being with a band himself, it was quite a surprise but still, he appreciates Spoon a lot.
“One of the greatest bands of our generation, if not all time. I love Spoon. His voice is unmistakable. The raspiness, the passion. ‘The Underdog’ is just so jangly and loose, but it all feels good and comes together and celebrates … It feels like a celebration. Life should be a celebration,” he said in the interview.
At Home by Crystal Fighters
The smoke + Mirrors Tour happened all the way back in 2015. It ended a year later in 2016. It was a total of 109 shows, and it was exhausting for the band. Dan says that when he is having a bad day, this song comes out of a pothole.
He said, “This song is what we would listen to backstage as a band before we’d go onstage every night for our Smoke and Mirrors tour. Whatever mood you’re in, if you’re having a bad day, it just comes on and is so soothing and bright and happy. There’s enough darkness in the world, so it’s nice to have a happy, bright song.”
First by The Cold War Kids
The second to last song on his list is First by The Cold War Kids. He pointed out, “This song, the first time I heard it, I was driving in my car and immediately had to pull over because I just was like, ‘This is incredible, I need to sit and appreciate this.’ Luckily, I wasn’t on the highway. Yeah, I pulled over and I sat there and I just listened and thought, man, I wish I wrote this song. It’s so good.”
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
The final song on his list was by Louis Armstrong. He says that it is his guilty pleasure. He listens to it every time he is in stress. He says, “It’s just one of those songs where you could turn it on at any point in time, put your headphones on, and the world just disappears, the stress, the anxiety, work, school. That voice is just one for the ages.”
The music that inspired Dan to be an LGBTQ+ ally
During the promotion of his album Mercury – Act 1, he talked about music that made him. It was a mix match of pop and rock songs. He also talked about Harry Nilsson and said he was the most influential artist for him. At the same time, he revealed what really made him an ally of the LGBTQ community. He said,
“Tyler Glenn is the singer of the band called Neon Trees. We grew up together. We both were raised in Mormonism. We went on a Mormon mission to Nebraska before either of us had bands. Tyler came home, started the band Neon Trees. I started Imagine Dragons. We didn’t quite fit with Mormonism. Tyler ended up coming out [as gay] later, and the amount of blowback he got from a lot of his fans who were Mormon was devastating for him. And it was devastating, as his friend, to watch that. To see all these people turn their backs on him for being who he was, and had been since he was a kid. He’d had to hide it for decades. Tyler really inspired me to get involved. [Reynolds now runs the LOVELOUD festival in Utah, to “celebrate our LGBTQ+ friends and family”.]”
