Maroon 5 might not be the most fashionable of 21st century bands, yet few others have enjoyed more enduring success. Adam Levine and co. have reached the Billboard Hot 100 on a whopping 32 occasions since their debut single “Harder to Breathe” (from 2002’s Songs About Jane) peaked at No. 18 in 2002. And perhaps even more impressive considering the fickle nature of the pop market, they have done so every calendar year from 2010’s “Misery” to 2021’s “Beautiful Mistakes” feat. Megan Thee Stallion.
While Levine has experienced solo success, particularly as a coach on NBC’s hit singing competition The Voice, it’s Maroon 5 upon which his musical legend rests. Formed as the band Kara’s Flowers in Los Angeles when Levine was just a teen, Maroon 5’s members include or have included Levine, Jesse Carmichael, James Valentine, Matt Flynn, P.J. Morton, Sam Farrar, Ryan Dusick and Mickey Madden over the course of a lengthy career.
In addition to the aforementioned 32 appearances on the Hot 100 (so far), the band has scored 15 top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including four No. 1s: “Girls Like You” feat. Cardi B, “Moves Like Jagger” feat. Christina Aguilera (a fellow coach on The Voice), “One More Night” and “Makes Me Wonder.” “Sugar,” “Memories” and “Payphone” feat. Wiz Khalifa almost reached the top spot, peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
But which hits from the pop/rock combo’s insanely catchy back catalog deserve to be singled out? Here’s a look at ten of their best – not all of which are necessarily their biggest hits.
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“Won’t Go Home Without You”
The third single from 2007’s curiously titled It Won’t Be Soon Before Long peaked at No. 48, but “Won’t Go Home Without You” still remains one of the group’s strongest, most emotionally persistent ballads. Levine has never sounded more regretful as he begs a spurned lover, presumably someone he’s moved on to after the previously ubiquitous Jane, for one last throw of the dice. Not for the last time in their career, the group also borrow heavily from The Police, namely the nagging bass line from their deceptive stalker anthem “Every Breath You Take.”
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"Girls Like You” feat. Cardi B
Maroon 5’s habit of chasing trends can sometimes result in the kind of lowest common denominator pop which sounds like it’s been built by algorithm. See “Don’t Wanna Know,” a lazy attempt to jump aboard the tropical house bandwagon about three years too late which somehow needed nine different writers. Their invitation to Cardi B on the No. 1 “Girls Like You” may have been another blatant bid to align themselves with someone more TikTok-friendly. But the straight-shooting rapper fulfils her promise to “rev things up like a Ferrari” with a spirited guest spot which blends well with Levine’s pillowy come-ons. Listen here.
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"Sugar"
We’re still not sure whether the wedding crasher promo for “Sugar” is a genuinely sweet gesture that will be cherished for years to come or a cynical marketing tool that essentially stole the bride and groom’s thunder. Levine and co. certainly did themselves a favor by going with the concept for such an irresistible dancefloor-friendly jam. Even newlyweds typically averse to Maroon 5 found themselves nodding their heads and tapping their toes to its falsetto-voiced funk-pop sound. In a discography packed with crowd pleasers, the third and biggest hit from 2014’s V may well be the most pleasing. Listen here.
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"One More Night”
As if Maroon 5 needed any further help in conquering the charts, the Californians recruited the 21st century’s premier hitmaker Max Martin for their fourth album Overexposed. Even with the much-maligned genre of cod reggae, the Swede still steered the band to a third No. 1 hit. “One More Night” is never going to be mistaken for the real thing, of course – British newspaper The Independent wryly observed that it “makes Ace of Base sound like Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.” But what it lacks in authenticity it makes up for in impossibly infectious hooks. Listen here.
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"Cold" feat. Future
By 2017’s collab-heavy Red Pill Blues, Maroon 5 had practically become a solo vehicle for Levine, making his later comments about the lack of bands all that more puzzling. Its second single was the first real indication this new set-up could work. Tapping into the moody, melancholic and minimalist R&B sound that had helped Drake take up residency at the top of the charts, “Cold” sees the frontman – then going through his mandatory bleached blonde phase – pining over a girl who’s giving him the silent treatment. According to Future’s cameo, she was only with him for the money, anyway.
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"She Will Be Loved”
Levine first positioned himself as a soft rock crooner with the third single from the all-conquering Songs About Jane. On one of the album’s few tracks about a relationship other than his own, the lover man instead sings of a turbulent romance involving two real-life friends. Despite the emotional distance, “She Will Be Loved” set the blueprint for the Maroon 5 ballad, dominating adult contemporary radio for the latter half of 2004 in the process. Remarkably, Levine and guitarist James Valentine (yes, there was a time when the band didn’t need a super-sized songwriting camp to pen a hit) knocked the whole thing out in less than an hour. Listen here.
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"Maps"
“All the roads you took come back to me/So I’m following the map that leads to you.” Levine once again is more than happy to play the stalker as he tracks down a lost love on the lead single from Maroon 5’s second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, V. But ignore the restraining order vibes and you’re left with the irresistible lovechild of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” and OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars,” the latter no doubt as a result of prolific hitmaker Ryan Tedder’s involvement. The second-best song called “Maps” behind Yeah Yeah Yeahs’. Listen here.
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"Moves Like Jagger" feat. Christina Aguilera
Chair-spinning talent show The Voice might not have produced any Hot 100-topping contestants, but it was inadvertently responsible for one of the most ubiquitous No. 1s of the 2010s. A collaboration which came about due to Levine and Christina Aguilera’s judging stints, “Moves Like Jagger” is a tour-de-force of brain-lodging hooks, from the latter’s powerhouse entrance and the opening whistle melody to the bravado chorus that the titular Rolling Stones frontman described as “very flattering.” You could argue this is the moment that Maroon 5 stopped becoming a conventional guitar band — but when it’s this danceable, who cares?
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"This Love"
“It’s one of those perfect songs you always hope to write,” said John Mayer, who invited the then-fledgling Maroon 5 to provide support for his 2003 tour after hearing “This Love” for the first time. You can understand why the guitarist, who had previously attended Berklee College of Music with Valentine, was so smitten. Penned by Levine during a particularly emotionally challenging time, the radio staple channeled the funk of James Brown, the soul of Stevie Wonder and, with lines such as “I tried my best to feed her appetite / Keep her coming every night,” the sexual overtones of Prince. Listen here.
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"Makes Me Wonder"
After an album full of relationship woes, Maroon 5 made a surprisingly political comeback in 2007, albeit one disguised as another toe-tapping love song. “Makes Me Wonder” was inspired by Levine’s lack of faith in the Bush administration (“Give me something to believe in/’Cause I don’t believe in you anymore”). But far from triggering a Chicks-esque backlash, it deservedly became the band’s first Hot 100 chart-topper (also achieving the biggest leap to No. 1 ever at the time) and bagged the guys a third Grammy. For all its success, “Makes Me Wonder” has since been overshadowed by the group’s more obvious bangers. But it’s the Californians at their effortlessly sexiest, hookiest and funkiest. Listen here.