Top 11 311 Songs

I’ve been talking about starting a blog for about 15 years now, so what better day to finally start one on than 311 Day?! For those of you who don’t know me yet, there are a handful of bands/artists that I’m very passionate about. 311 is near the very top of that list. March 11th aka 3/11 aka 311 Day is a national holiday in the eyes of us fans, and every other year (the even-numbered years) the band plays an epically long show or shows on and surrounding March 11th. They play deep cuts that haven’t been played in years, fan favorites, the hits, and even an occasional cover - this year was Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young.”

Left to right: Tim Mahoney, Doug “SA” Martinez, Nick Hexum, Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, Chad Sexton

This summer will be my 25th 311 show dating back to 2005. They’re a band with a cult following, and for all the right reasons. The entire band philosophy is unity and positivity, and they’ve done their best over the past 30+ years to live their lives by it. The mantra that lead singer Nick Hexum says to the crowd at the end of nearly every show is “Stay positive and love your life,” a line from the group’s 1997 track “Jupiter" off their legendary album Transistor. They always switch up their setlists in addition to these biannual 311 Day shows and 311 cruises in March of the odd-numbered years plus occasional special album shows. All of this has helped create the long running diehard fanbase they still have today. Hexum, Doug “SA” Martinez, Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, Tim Mahoney, and Chad Sexton are celebrating 34 years of playing together this summer, making them one of the longest running rock acts in history still together with all its original members, only beaten out by a select few groups including U2, ZZ Top, and Radiohead. Not bad company to be in.

All this to say, it felt right to kick things off here by counting down my personal top 11 songs by the band on their special day. They have a rich and deep discography spanning 13 studio albums, a few early independent releases, compilations, live albums, and more, so it was a herculean task to narrow this list down to 11 songs. Alas, here we go. Happy 311 Day!

11. ‘Face in the Wind’ (2017)

When 2017’s Mosaic dropped, I honestly couldn’t believe just how incredible it was. I’m someone who has enjoyed every single 311 album, but this one stood out to me especially in the more recent half of their catalog. 2014’s Stereolithic was also fantastic and a personal favorite with standouts like “The Great Divide,” “Friday Afternoon,” and “Simple True,” but Mosaic took things up another notch which for some reason I didn’t think was possible.

“Face in the Wind” feels like classic 311, almost as if there’s a world it could have fit in on Transistor or Soundsystem. The lyrics feel very introspective and contemplative. Live life to the fullest, explore uncharted “alien” territory, break free from the norm, keep moving forward, and never stop embracing the present along the way. There’s some signature Tim Mahoney guitar playing throughout, and the entire song just hits that special spot that only the very best are able to achieve.

10. ‘Hive’ (1995)

311 burst into the mainstream with their self-titled 1995 album, also commonly referred to as the Blue Album. It features hits like “Down,” “All Mixed Up,” and “Don’t Stay Home,” but “Hive” has always been the track that stands out above all the rest for me. It is a MONSTER at their live shows, and the crowd energy is palpable whenever they play it. The overall message of the song is “fuck the naysayers” (another 311 mantra) while Nick and SA swap raps throughout. “You’re all up in my mix like fuckin Betty Crocker” still hypes me up as it kicks off the final verse, and really it’s just a burst of energy throughout. The song has become such a piece of their history that they ended up naming their recording studio The Hive, which they still own and record at to this day.

9. ‘Get Down’ (2009)

Uplifter is one of the albums that the 311 fanbase is split on. I’m in the camp that loves it as it came out during one of my summers in college and it was on repeat during some of the best times of my life. I like the production on it, and songs like “Golden Sunlight” and “Two Drops in the Ocean” are top tier for my tastes. I think one thing that everyone can agree on is that some of the bonus tracks or b-sides from this one should have been on the actual album. “Sun Come Through” is one of those, and the other is “Get Down.”

The latter is so incredibly memorable. I love the structure and the songwriting is top tier. It’s full of inspiration and advice we all can follow. It really runs through the entire spectrum of emotions someone goes through when inspired yet hindered by self-sabotage and procrastination. This song is about breaking that cycle and getting down to business. Take that inspiration and go thrive. It’s a beautiful song whose intro really hits at their live shows and which tells a wonderful story beginning to end.

8. ‘Eons’ (1999)

“Not an even field to be on, feels like standing still for eons and eons, stare it dead in the eye, what now? All we can do is try to shut it down, shut it down.” When that moment kicks in, it’s almost impossible not to get chills. “Eons” is near the top of the list of songs loved by many of the 311 faithful, and for good reason. It says so much with so little - the lyrics allude to hating in others what you actually hate in yourself, and that you have to face the negativity head on and defeat it. Sonically, it sounds a bit different than any other 311 song. “Eons,” “Sever,” “Life’s Not a Race,” and “Strong All Along” are just some of the tracks on Soundsystem that deserve high praise, but “Eons” gets the special nod today.

7. ‘Lucky’ (1994)

“Lucky” is that song that whenever I hear it, I wonder why I’m not listening to it more frequently. It always is one of my favorites to hear live if they play it, and the chorus is so infectious and fun. I love both Nick and SA’s flow on this one, their constant trading off of lyrics in the chorus, and it’s just a delightful 2 minutes and 50 seconds.

6. ‘Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm’ (2003)

What an epic track. There are a few different parts to the song, and it feels like a true journey as it closes out Evolver (well, don’t forget P-Nut’s beautiful Coda hidden after this one). It has always held a special place in my heart dating back to the 311 Day 2004 DVD, and I was lucky enough to hear this one at my personal first 311 Day in 2014 with the Unity Orchestra. Evolver as a whole is sometimes forgotten when it has a handful of quality gems between this, “Reconsider Everything,” “Don’t Dwell,” and of course “Creatures (For a While).” Go back and revisit it if it’s been a while!

5. ‘Use of Time’ (1997)

Tim. Mahoney. miT. The solo at the end of “Use of Time” may be his best moment in 311. It takes you to a higher plane of existence. This song really is one of the band’s very best. It gets deep lyrically, Nick sounds amazing, everyone is on point instrumentally, and Tim absolutely shreds the shit out of the ending. I will hope to hear this one at pretty much every show I go to.

4. ‘Rub a Dub’ (1997)

Transistor is arguably my favorite 311 album. Therefore it deserves two songs on this list and really it was hard to not include more. It’s a sprawling 21-song masterpiece that expands their style into multiple directions that are all exciting. It even has a hard hitting intro that you had to rewind the CD from 00:00 to access. Trippy. “Rub a Dub” is one of these songs that sounds different than anything else they’ve done, and above all, it may be the 311 tune that makes me happiest. It is very reggae-infused but also just feels as if you’re floating through a sunny day in pure relaxation. The vibe is unmatched!

3. ‘Unity’ (1993)

Music is where the journey started for 311 back in 1993. Their debut studio album. They have a few independent releases beforehand (featuring a couple of songs that JUST missed this list like “Slinky” and “Summer of Love”), but this is where things really kicked off. This is my other favorite album - for me it always switches between this one and Transistor. I can listen to this one front to back at all times, and “Unity” really encompasses the mission statement of the band dating back to the very beginning. Stick together and overcome the negativity. It doesn’t hurt that this is maybe one of my favorite songs live by any band ever. The break in the music and then “SWING, I’m doing my thing…” is just next level live. I will never forget on July 4, 2015 at the show where they played the Blue Album and all of its b-sides in full, they had “Amber” on the setlist and on the spot did “Unity” instead. May have been the wildest moment I’ve been apart of at a 311 show yet, and that includes three 311 Days.

2. ‘Fuck the Bullshit’ (1993)

Also known as “Fat Chance” on Music, “Fuck the Bullshit” was the very first 311 song I ever heard. My best friend’s older brother played it for me at the impressionable young age of 14, and I was immediately hooked. The way it hits you in the face right off the bat! The verses are very memorable for me. I love the way Nick turns over the mic to SA for an epic verse, and then P-Nut drops some funky bass lines on us, along with a singalong bridge that crashes into one final chorus. It is the ultimate hype up song, it is my favorite way for the band to close one of their shows, and it hits me with a wave of nostalgia. Fuck the bullshit, it’s time to throw down!

1. ‘Do You Right’ (1993)

I couldn’t help myself. Three off of Music you say?! Hell yes. There are too many classics, many which aren’t even mentioned here. “Do You Right” is the ultimate 311 song for me. It is everything that is great about this band. Happiness and positivity shine throughout. You can’t listen to this song and not feel good. You just can’t. They call it the ‘happy slam dance’ song when they play it live for a reason. Lots of jumping, fun, and good vibes throughout. And who doesn’t love Nick spitting some gibberish towards the end? Long live 311.