It’s just what you’d expect to happen to a band like Violent Femmes. Here they were helping to start a new musical genre and giving inspiration to bands left and right. And, look, they’re the ones left in the shadows. Ever underrated, and with one of the greatest debut records of all time, Violent Femmes is one of the top bands in alternative rock.

Yes, the band’s discography is a little lopsided. But uneven as it is, there are moments of pure brilliance in there.

Here are the top 10 songs by Violent Femmes.

Top 10 Greatest Songs by Violent Femmes

10. “Good Feeling”

It was hard to know when they were joking or not. Hell, half the time, it was hard to tell if Violent Femmes were a real band or a social experiment.

There were hardly any trios that sounded like them. There certainly weren’t songs like theirs. And the band could switch from humorous to barbarically violent in the same line.

But it was the most confusing when the group was earnest. “Good Feeling” was featured on the 1983 self-titled debut. It’s a sweet jingle about the lovely times slipping away. And it’s the way that Gordon Gano sings this that makes you think some bodies must be hidden out of plain sight.

9. “Out the Window”

By the early 1990s, so many bands were ripping off Violent Femmes that the trio itself decided to get in on the act.

“Out the Window” is the closest that the group gets to sounding like their 1983 selves. But it was a welcome return. Fans embraced this. And, perhaps, the same fans would’ve preferred more of this eerie acoustic direction than the slick pop tracks.

8. “I Held Her In My Arms”

Violent Femmes peaked early. Their 1983 album became an instant cult classic. Much of the alternative music of that decade couldn’t have been made without them.

Still, the band never really got bigger. This happened despite the band clearly wanting to connect.

By 1986, they were putting their quirky charm in the service of radio-friendly pop-rock material. “I Held Her In My Arms” is a gem, albeit a semi-lost one.

You can easily tell that one of the Talking Heads, Jerry Harrison, was involved with the production. Still, few fans of David Byrne’s band made the leap. How sad!

7. “Jesus Walking on the Water”

“Hallowed Ground” had the task of following an instant classic. And while it’s less famous, it works because the band hasn’t yet found the time to doubt itself.

“Jesus Walking on the Water” pre-dates and, in many ways, anticipates the eventual success of Neutral Milk Hotel and folk-punk groups.

It’s quirky, sinister acoustic country music. It’s funny, sure. But you wouldn’t want to make sudden movements around these guys.

6. “American Music”

Violent Femmes might have had every right to be bitter about the rise of early 90s alternative music. Then again, this might’ve been what sparked something of a comeback.

“Why Do Birds Sing?” was released in 1991 and was the strongest effort since the group’s legendary debut.

“American Music” finally strikes the ideal balance between pop songcraft and eerie folk-punk ideas.

It did not make Violent Femmes as big as Nirvana, no. But it might’ve just helped give a new generation a taste of the band.

5. “Country Death Song”

Add “Country Death Song” to the list of stone-cold classics that the band made after its debut. Sure, cynics might claim that said list should be closed immediately afterward. But, no matter.

The song explores the messed-up acoustic folk-rock territory that their debut was so full of. A bizarre song about child murder set to an Appalachian instrumental, “Country Death Song”, is a brilliant, unsettling work.

4. “Kiss Off”

The debut album by Violent Femmes seemed to be made by a band that had never heard rock music before. Consequently, the trio fels like it’s stepping on rules and breaking cliches without even knowing it.

“Kiss Off” with its rise in intensity and “Why can’t I get just one…” sounds either like the work of musical visionaries or unfriendly social pariahs. Audiences could never decide which. Audiences celebrated the group as a cult act instead.

3. “Gone Daddy Gone”

Violent Femmes didn’t just write weird songs about strange concepts. They also wrote incredibly hooky material.

The playing is sparse, and so is the production. But from the minute that you hear the bass riff to “Gone Daddy Gone,” you know you’ve heard a classic.

2. “Add It Up”

Plenty of 1980s rock bands wrote angsty music. There were many singers who sounded like they were on edge. And, sure, there were plenty of things to complain about.

Violent Femmes, however, brought a strange new perspective to tense rock music. And, certainly, they had a new way of playing it. “Add It Up” is one of the great songs of the era. It’s a song that couldn’t be more removed from the electric-guitar-driven rock music of the times.

1.”Blister in the Sun”

The words to Violent Femmes songs were designed to sound perverse even when they were uninterpretable. “Blister in the Sun” is one of the great alternative rock hit songs. It’s a song that you need to hear precisely once to remember every detail of it.

“Blister in the Sun” is to 80s indie-rock what “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is to 90s grunge. Everyone who enjoys the genre knows it, and bands feel obliged to cover it.

It’s a great, bizarre, and memorable song. It’s the shining moment of Violent Femmes and one of the greatest songs ever recorded.