Bad Wolves‘ “Sober” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart this week, making the emotional, mid-tempo number the band’s fourth No. 1 on the tally and fifth success on that chart overall. That’s a pretty impressive feat when one considers that “Sober” is only Bad Wolves’ fifth proper single so far.
Yet that is indeed the case for the Tommy Vext-led “Zombie” rockers. The group’s Cranberries cover and “Remember When” — both from Bad Wolves’ debut Disobey — each also climbed to modern rock radio’s top position. So did “Killing Me Slowly” from the band’s most recent effort N.A.T.I.O.N.
Only Disobey‘s “Hear Me Now” (with Diamante) failed to nab a Mainstream Rock No. 1, even though it got as close as it could. That song peaked at No. 2 on the chart earlier this year, as Billboard laid out at the time.
All the same, “Sober” reaching such heights is certainly a boon for the act. Especially since the tune tackles topics that — while important to the band — can often be the source of sadness and regret.
“This song was a unique opportunity to talk about addiction not only from the perspective of the addict but also from the perspective of their loved ones,” Vext said.
He continued, “The message is very different from traditional songs that seem to always perpetuate a mentality of self-victimization, which is exactly the kind of misguided thinking that perpetuates the mental obsessive side of alcoholism and addiction. In the end, the moral of the story is about holding on.”
“Sober,” which was at the No. 2 position for the last two weeks, ascends to No. 1 for the week ending June 20. The triumph will reflect on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart when it updates on Tuesday (June 16).
Bad Wolves, “Sober”
See Bad Wolves’ “Sober” in the 66 Best Rock Songs of 2019
