From playing a makeshift stage on Warped Tour in the early 2000s to filling stadiums, Paramore have experienced an evolution that’s unlike most of their contemporaries. That change was most apparent on 2017’s After Laughter, where the band embraced a fresh sound, indebted to new wave and synth pop, that became their saving grace. They’ve gone on to collaborate with Talking Heads’ David Byrne, win Grammys, and headline When We Were Young in 2022, where Hayley Williams recalled their beginnings: “When Paramore came onto the scene, roughly around 2005, [it] was not always a safe place to be if you were different… I can think of nothing more anti-establishment than young women, people of color, and the queer community. So what I want to say to you, if you are one of those people in those subsets, there is space for you here now.” This is the kind of band Paramore have always been — thoughtful, determined, and unafraid to say it with their whole chest.
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With the band celebrating the 20th anniversary of All We Know Is Falling last week, we asked our readers to tell us the most underrated Paramore songs, and their answers were on point. Find the top fan picks ranked below.
5. “Brighter”
Most people heard Paramore because of their 2007 breakout, Riot!, but All We Know Is Falling was the stepping stone, introducing a generation of misfits to their scrappy energy during their first Warped Tour in 2005. That album was rife with emotional turmoil, centered around the departure of bassist Jeremy Davis and the divorce of Hayley Williams’ parents. In the midst of that, “Brighter” is a stunning tribute to Williams’ friend Lanie Kealhofer, who died in a boating accident at 16 (“You shine brighter than anyone,” the band wrote in the album’s liner notes, dedicating the songs to her). “And if you ran away/I’d still wave goodbye, watching you shine bright,” Williams sings before moving into a titanic chorus.
4. “Adore”
Unreleased songs can truly be the most underrated. “Adore” never got an official release, but this B-side was made around their Riot! era, and it’s since become a bona-fide fan favorite, though not much is known about it. Given that Paramore just put out The Summer Tic EP — a 2006 project once available on CD only — within their All We Know Is Falling deluxe, we can only hope that “Adore” receives a proper release at some point.
3. “I Caught Myself”
Twilight felt inescapable during the 2010s, but the soundtrack for the first movie was pretty stacked. It was filled with alternative heavyweights, including Muse, Linkin Park, and, of course, Paramore. Although many will argue that “Decode” defines the soundtrack, being the lead single, their other contribution, “I Caught Myself,” is just as good. It can be heard in the background when Bella, Angela, and Jessica are trying on prom dresses in Port Angeles, although the film’s team accidentally used the “soundcheck demo version,” and the band didn’t find out until they were at the premiere, Williams wrote on Instagram.
2. “My Heart”
Closing out All We Know Is Falling, “My Heart” hits just as hard as it did in the summer of 2005. That album was steeped in their heavier influences, juxtaposed with a pop-punk buoyancy that struck a winning balance. That was most prevalent on “My Heart,” where the band blended heartfelt introspection with screamo experimentalism. Josh Farro’s harsh backing vocals added a rawer, post-hardcore counterweight to Williams’ soaring melodies, reflecting their love of Thursday, Thrice, and Underoath.
1. “When It Rains”
Musically and culturally, 2007’s Riot! was a pivotal moment for Paramore. It’s the release that launched them into the mainstream, out from their native Franklin and onto bigger stages and a bolder future. The LP was a soundtrack to growing older, brimming with heartbreak, betrayal, and empowerment. As with any album that contains banger after banger, some tracks definitely overshadowed others, including “When It Rains.” After all, this Riot! cut isn’t one where Williams belts. Instead, she opts for a delivery that’s tender and restrained, providing deeper meaning and melancholy. It’s that level of control, allowing those fraught emotions to reach a simmer, that makes the song smack, even if it’s underappreciated.