Imagine Dragons are a band that everyone seems to have an opinion on. Probably a negative one.
One undeniable thing is how they shaped the early 2010s. This new decade brought on a new generation of people eager to grow up and creatively involve themselves in a changing world with new technological innovations and possibilities; including Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds, who eagerly dropped out of college to pursue his dream of being a musician. The changing times called for a shift in the popular music chosen to soundtrack these new times. Out went the Post-Grunge divorced dad rock, and in came music that embraced a degree of electronic instrumentation, pop hooks, and anthemic, uplifting lyrics. Imagine Dragons was one of the first and the most popular bands to assist in transforming the sound of mainstream pop music as they perfectly encapsulated the vibe of the early 2010s with their sound. This is why, whether you like or dislike Imagine Dragons, you remember at least a few songs. The memorable musical choices they embraced include inspiring, loud, iconic choruses that show up in their hit songs, such as Radioactive and Demons. All good music should be memorable in one way or another, and making music that defines the sound of a decade’s pop music in an uplifting fashion is certainly a way to do it.
This brings me to “Night Visions,” my favorite ID album, which is also their first and most memorable. The album put them on the map as one of America’s most commercially successful bands and supplied a sound that other bands such as One Republic and X Ambassadors copied for the next decade. “Night Visions” blended ID’s previous indie rock sound they perfected on two of their EPs – “Imagine Dragons” and “Hell and Silence” and their new anthemic, electronic, hip hop, and folk-infused pop sound. Tropes and ideas that would be recycled by other bands over and over again can be found all over this album, especially in the song “Underdog,” which has more chants of “Hey!” in the chorus than even the Lumineers could dream of. “Underdog” also happens to be one of ID’s catchiest songs, aided by the distorted DIY-sounding synth tone that lasts for the entirety of the song combined with the slightly blown-out production to make the song sound large. The song also has indie folk-inspired vocals and optimistic lyrics about happily taking your status as an underdog in stride and being young, and ready to take on the world. This song has what ID does best, molding every pop music trope of the early 2010s into one song before other bands would try this strategy.
Just like how the Beatles influenced bands like Weezer and the Pixies- Imagine Dragons influenced other bands such as Bastille and One Republic. Both bands were titans of their time and wildly commercially successful. Whether you enjoy Imagine Dragons and the many bands they influenced or not, their place and influence within the early 2010s musical landscape should not be understated. In fact, the importance ID’s music holds in regards to the time it was made compared to the lack of respect the band receives from most music fans, especially music nerds, is what convinced me to give their discography a second look and get back into listening to them after dismissing them as boring and uncool throughout all of high school.
However, I also understand that Imagine Dragons’ embrace of the musical and lyrical tropes of early 2010s millennial pop music is on its face enough for certain people to dismiss them despite their influence. Even for people who fall into this camp, Imagine Dragons has a collection of introspective Indie Rock songs from earlier in their discography on their first two EPs, future works such as “Mercury Act 1 and 2,” and “Night Visions.” These works are often overlooked due to their massive radio hits that fall under the style of pop music they are remembered for. In fact, the introspective and honest songwriting of frontman Dan Reynolds is also an extremely overlooked positive of Imagine Dragons’ music. “Dull Knives,” a rock song from Imagine Dragons’ mental health-themed epic album “Mercury Act 1,” details Reynolds’ struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis in a visceral fashion with a raw screamed chorus where Reynolds sounds genuinely in pain. Moments like these show Imagine Dragons as capable of well-executed introspection, contrary to the criticism that Imagine Dragons makes vapid radio pop music.
Also, even some of Imagine Dragons’ most early 2010s millennial pop-oriented work features an overlooked amount of introspection and creativity. Contrary to popular belief, these songs were not made with creating a radio hit as their primary objective. Rather, most of ID’s biggest hit songs were made first as artistically honest pieces of music that the band resonated with and felt confident releasing. Their early hit songs just happened to become massive radio hits as people resonated with them and radio stations/record labels rightfully saw commercial potential in the instrumental and lyrical qualities of these eventual hit songs. For example, take “It’s Time,” one of ID’s biggest radio hits. A song so commercially successful that the band put it on their debut album after it was released as the title track of the “It’s Time” EP. “It’s Time” was written by Dan Reynolds at the lowest point of his life after he dropped out of college for good and moved back home to Las Vegas to pursue music full-time. This song was written as a way for Reynolds to grasp the little hope he had left – a much-needed task for someone embarking on a very risky career path. It includes some very amateurish and raw aspects that even stretch to the stomping and clapping which was created by Dan Reynolds hitting his desk in his dorm room days before dropping out of college. To Reynolds, hearing this immensely personal song on the radio is still baffling for him. Yet, this song’s success acts as no surprise to me as it encapsulates the whimsical youthful energy of the early 2010s in a way so much early 2010s millennial pop music strives and fails to do, with its playful mandolin and sitar, folk-inspired instrumentation, and calls of “I’m never changing who I am” repeated in the anthemic chorus. The raw and authentic stomping and clapping leading into the harmonized last run through the chorus act as an exclamation point to this absolute powerhouse of a song.
Finally, “Amsterdam” is easily one of Imagine Dragons’ most compelling rock songs and best songs in general. It’s a heartfelt track about Dan Reynolds regretting letting everyone around him down and neglecting his relationships and education as he tries and fails to find personal success with his passion that would ideally lift himself and the ones he loves. The track progresses stunningly as Reynolds’ vocals become more powerful and out of control as the song reaches its emotional climax in the final verse. Despite the song’s sad theme, there is still some hope in the lyrics as the chorus goes,
“Your time will come if you wait for it, if you wait for it
It’s hard, believe me I’ve tried”.
It is rather poetic how Reynolds’ time finally did come when Imagine Dragons released Night Visions, ensuring he and his band would be remembered forever and those around him delighted.