Music
Plus One
The 11 best songs by The Script
With a new album and a new UK tour just around the corner, it's time to rank the best of The Script
If, like me, you grew up during the golden age of television – 90210, The Vampire Diaries, early seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, and the Six Chair Challenge in X Factor – then you’re no stranger to the emotive and uplifting pop rock of Irish band, The Script. Many a pivotal moment on a Young Adult show was marked by the Dubliners’ big, sweeping melodies and lyrics – and we are all better for it.
Originally a spinoff of 90s boyband Mytown, The Script was co-founded by childhood friends Danny O’Donoghue and Mark Sheehan, recruiting drummer Glen Power to round out their sound before releasing their debut self-titled album in 2008. Drawing inspiration from Snow Patrol (another 2010s TV show soundtrack favourite), Coldplay, the Neptunes, Montell Jordan and Timbaland, their debut set the precedent for the anthemic pop-infused indie rock global hits the band is known for, and took the No.1 spot of the UK album chart.
Following the tragic death of founding member Mark Sheehan in 2023, the band chose to continue their journey as The Script as a way to honour Sheehan’s legacy, adding Ben Sargeant on bass and Ben Weaver on lead guitar. As their new quartet line-up, in May 2024, they released their latest single ‘Both Ways’ from their upcoming album, Satellites, and announced a coinciding tour with stops around the UK and in their hometown of Dublin. Ahead of their shows, we rank the best Script songs.
11. ‘Hall Of Fame (feat. will.i.am)’
There wasn’t a radio station in 2012 that did not play this juggernaut of a pop chart hit, and what a better way to start our list. Teaming up with producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and fellow The Voice UK judge will.i.am – Danny O’Donoghue was a judge on the show for two seasons – ‘Hall Of Fame’ is the product of Danny and will.i.am’s first studio session together. The track was produced by Danny and Mark, interpolates Lee Ann Womack’s ‘I Hope You Dance’, and is a testament to perseverance and making a mark for yourself. Plus, it’s unnervingly catchy, and a prime example of Danny’s ability to create a long-lasting earworm.
10. ‘Superheroes’
The lead single from The Script’s 2014 album, No Sound Without Silence, our No.10 spot goes to ‘Superheroes’. An overtly pop-leaning song shouting out the “unsung heroes out in the world”, we once again have a signature chart-friendly uplifting anthem from the Dublin boys, with critics drawing comparisons to Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’. Danny’s vocal performance veers from big belted singalong notes to spoken word/rap-esque adlibs; the video celebrates the unsung heroes of a township in Johannesburg; and no awards ceremony montage has ever been the same since.
9. ‘Rain’
Described by the band as a “feel-good summer tune”, and playing on the irony of making a summer song called ‘Rain’ (“we thought, only The Script can make it rain in summer”) our ninth spot goes to dance pop-infused ‘Rain’. In a similar vain to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You’, the rhythmic drum beat is clear shift from the band’s indie roots and a giant leap into a more party ready single. On composing ‘Rain’, the band noted how they always want to try different sounds and genres, and Freedom Child is a testament to The Script’s more experimental era.
8. ‘This = Love’
From 2010’s Science & Faith – and is there a more 2010 record than Science & Faith – our eighth spot goes to deep-cut, ‘This = Love’. “Love is why we do it, Love is worth the pain,” Danny O’Donoghue lets us know on a song that sounds like it could be comfortable on any coming-of-age movie soundtrack as far back as the 80s. The marching band-esque drum rolls and the Tumblr-ish song title style really bring that sentiment home. ‘This = Love’ is also a great example of what The Script does so well, which is delivering an important theme or message in an easily digestible package, making their music accessible to all.
7. ‘Six Degrees Of Separation’
Another thing The Script is great at conveying? Yearning. From just the chord progression alone, ‘Six Degrees Of Separation’ is swoon-worthy, but the storytelling in the lyrics is what truly brings it home, marking it as one of the band’s best in their catalogue. An astute observation in the comments of the music video on Youtube says “The Script always makes me miss the girlfriends I never had”, and no sentiment about their music is truer than that.
6. ‘Kaleidoscope’
Another deep-cut but this time from their album #3. Showing off Mark and Danny’s collaborative songwriting, ‘Kaleidoscope’ tells the story of wanting to feel the “highs”, “lows”, “joy” and “pain” with a love interest, set against a soundtrack that could fill an entire stadium with its grandness. And with a chorus with the line “our colours come alive when I collide with you”, we hope to hear ‘Kaleidoscope’ during The Script’s arena tour shows in November.
5. ‘No Good In Goodbye’
We’re back in No Sound Without Silence‘s tracklist for our top five, with ‘No Good in Goodbye’. Danny O’Donoghue said of the lyrics that he wanted to find a way to condense big themes into simple songs, another nod to The Script’s ability to make grand topics accessible, and that was his main goal when writing this piano-based ballad. With questions like “Where is the good in goodbye?” and “where’s the nice in nice try?”, you’d think the song would come off more melancholic, but once again, we’re blessed with chart-friendly earworm while still asking existential questions.
4. ‘We Cry’
There is no The Script ranking without The Script. And if there is, there shouldn’t be. A No.1 album with aspects of pop, indie rock, hip hop and folk, their self-titled album was a fitting debut and their lead single, ‘We Cry’, changed the landscape of 2000s pop rock. ‘We Cry’ reflects on the difficulties in life, with rap-sung verses, confessionals about people the band have known around Dublin, and minor chord progressions. Plus, it featured in the early seasons of 90210, which is how I was first introduced to the band.
3. ‘For The First Time’
Our top three kicks off with ‘For The First Time’, a nostalgic mega-ballad from Science & Faith. Once again, the band returns to themes of hope, joy and community as ways to persevere through hard times. “Oh these times are hard, and they’re making us crazy/ Don’t give up on me, baby” is the refrain at the end, almost like a call to connect with our loved ones despite hard economic times and social unrest; and it’s still as relevant today as it was when The Script first released it.
2. ‘Breakeven’
“When a heart breaks, no, it don’t break even” – cinema. Like the YouTube comment about yearning for someone who never existed, ‘Breakeven’ has you hoping for reconciliation with a significant other who also may not exist. From their self-titled debut, The Script asks what they’re supposed to do “when the best part of me was always you”, perfectly capturing that post break-up, or post lover’s spat, moment of regret. We’ve all been there before, “wide awake” while our exes have “no trouble sleeping”, wondering who they’re with, maybe even looking at their social media when we’re not supposed to, and The Script has made a timeless soundtrack for all heartbreak activities.
1. ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’
As if any other song but ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ could take the top spot. Season four of Ghost Whisperer was never the same. The 2009 Victoria’s Secret fashion show soundtrack was never the same. We as a society were never the same. The storytelling of a man camping out waiting for his true love to come back to the place where they first met, hoping his grand gesture will gain her attention, ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ is basically a romcom in a song and no one but The Script could make that happen.
The Script start their UK tour in November. Find tickets here
Satellites is released 16 August, available to preorder here
