The Pretty Reckless: Their Number One Songs
The Pretty Reckless have made a significant impact in the rock world in the past decade. The band, fronted by Taylor Momsen, has scored seven number-one hits on the Billboard…
The Pretty Reckless have made a significant impact in the rock world in the past decade.
The band, fronted by Taylor Momsen, has scored seven number-one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. Their number-one songs "Death By Rock And Roll" and "And So It Went" made them the first female-fronted band to have back-to-back number-ones on this chart.
The Pretty Reckless is also the first female-fronted band to score six number ones on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
Their seventh number-one song --- "Only Love Can Save Me Now" --- came in September 2021. Momsen said of the track in a statement, "The song was born out of tragedy and brought to life by two of my favorite musicians of all time — Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil ...This song represents getting through the worst time in my life, and yet, is one of my proudest achievements."
So, which other songs from TPR have hit number one? Scroll through our gallery below to see!
The Latest on The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless will be supporting AC/DC on their upcoming European tour, which kicks off in May 2024.
As previously reported, Taylor Momsen is pretty pumped about this opportunity. She shared the image below on her Instagram, and captioned it, "It’s f---ing AC/DC...[exploding head/mindblown emoji]. See you on the road!"
The Pretty Reckless have been relatively quiet for a few years now. Their last studio album, Death by Rock and Roll, was released in February 2021. The last single they released was "Only Love Can Save Me Now" (ft. Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron) in June 2021.
The band didn't have a super-packed touring schedule in 2023. Most of their performances were at festivals. Among them were the Innings Festival, Sonic Temple and WDHA's Rock the Rock Fest.
"Heaven Knows"
UMG"Heaven Knows" peaked at number 1 on March 22, 2014. The track was featured on TPR's second studio album, 'Going to Hell.' This was the band's breakout single. Over a decade after its release, "Heaven Knows" still holds up.
"Follow Me Down"
UMG"Follow Me Down" peaked at number 1 on May 2, 2015. The track was featured on TPR's second studio album, 'Going to Hell.' Momsen told us in 2021 about the song, "I was reading [1955 novel] Lolita at the time. I had watched like every [film] version of Lolita. I was very obsessed with the Lolita story. And that's kind of the inspiration for 'Follow Me Down,' the concept of doing something sexually, that is not necessarily considered appropriate. And reveling in it and getting away with it and enjoying all the naughtiness of it."
"Messed Up World"
UMG"Messed Up World" peaked at number 1 on September 13, 2014. The track was featured on TPR's second studio album, 'Going to Hell.' The video for "Messed Up World" shines a light on how women are often exploited in the media. Certainly, Momsen can speak to that narrative more than most.
"Take Me Down"
UMG"Take Me Down" peaked at number 1 on November 5, 2016. The track was featured on TPR's third studio album, 'Who You Selling For.' Momsen told us in 2021 about the song, "That obviously stems from the Robert Johnson legend of going down to the crossroads and selling your soul for your music ... It all came together when got to the 'All I want to do is rock, rock, rock!' part."
"Death By Rock And Roll"
UMG"Death By Rock And Roll" peaked at number 1 on August 1, 2020. The track was featured on TPR's fourth studio album, 'Death by Rock and Roll.' Momsen said in a statement about the song when it was first released, "In a lot of ways, this new album feels like a rebirth and our first single, 'Death by Rock And Roll,' represents that salvation that my favorite music brings me. Rock is freedom and this song is about living life the way you want, and now that belongs to everyone who listens."
"And So It Went"
UMG"And So It Went" peaked at number 1 on April 24, 2021. The track was featured on TPR's fourth studio album, 'Death by Rock and Roll.' Momsen said in a statement about the song when it was first released, "The world has been in such a state of civil unrest. 'And So It Went' basically comes from that vision. As a songwriter, I feel like I'm not here to preach. I use music to observe and communicate what I see around me. This song felt like the perfect storm for Tom Morello to join in and rip the sound waves apart with his guitar. It was more than a pleasure having him add his unique and defining sound to the song."
"Only Love Can Save Me Now"
UMG"Only Love Can Save Me Now" peaked at number 1 on September 25, 2021. The track was featured on TPR's fourth studio album, 'Death by Rock and Roll.' Momsen said in a statement about the song when it was first released, "It’s hard to describe the feeling around our song ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now. The song was born out of tragedy and brought to life by two of my favorite musicians of all time — Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil. Hearing them play it is simply surreal. This song represents getting through the worst time in my life, and yet, is one of my proudest achievements. It means that there is hope, and that life has to go on, and most importantly, is worth living."
