The Darkness' 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' Ranked 'Best Rock Song of the Century'

The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" has been named the best rock song of the century by Louder. The track was a massive hit among rock fans in the early 2000s, but didn't quite break into mainstream radio play.

Written by the band's frontman Justin Hawkins, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" has somewhat of a confusing history. The song was originally issued as a three-track EP in 2002, but was ineligible to chart due to the short length of the project. Despite this commercial underperformance, it was a major hit that cemented The Darkness as up-and-coming voices in the rock scene.

When the band released their debut studio album Permission to Land in 2003, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was finally released as a single-but by this point, the song had already peaked in popularity. It managed to reach No. 2 in the United Kingdom, but didn't leave a dent on the Billboard Hot 100.

Thankfully, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" still found an audience among rock fans and alternative music communities. It peaked at No. 1 on the U.K. Indie charts, and reached No. 9 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

The Darkness were clearly emerging as one of the new century's boldest and most ambitious rock bands, even if the radios hadn't quite caught onto the trend. The band released a music video for "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" that was intended to help the English band break through to America, and it did a fairly good job.

Later in 2003, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" received even more attention when it was included as the B-side to The Darkness' festive hit "Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End)". This exposed the track to even more audiences-particularly those who may not have been listening to rock radio, either.

Of the song, Louder writes: "With I Believe In A Thing Called Love, The Darkness made striking gold seem effortless. A decade after Classic Rock crowned it the greatest song of the noughties – and despite the great tracks in the rundown you've just read – nothing has really come along to dethrone it."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:59 PM.