My Favorite Songs from April 2026

Honestly, I had trouble picking my favorite songs from April 2026 because I didn’t listen to a lot of albums this month. I’ve been watching way too much YouTube lately and consequently, I became very lazy. Most of the songs I’ve selected were inspired by the past two weeks. Notable events that took place include re-following a Disney YouTuber I stopped watching for three years, Thundermother releasing their first live album (digitally), and the new Michael Jackson biopic that came out on April 24. As a result, I’ve selected a bunch of songs from different genres such as classic rock, hard rock, southern rock, pop, heavy metal, and orchestral pop. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

10. “Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd from Gimme Back My Bullets (1976)

Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote “Gimme Back My Bullets” about their frustrations over competing with the Billboard charts. They did big business with “Sweet Home Alabama” from Second Helping (1974), but unfortunately, they struggled to write another hit that was just as successful. Recently, I’ve created a new meaning for “Gimme Me Back My Bullets,” where I interpret it as a fight back song. Fight back for your life and what it stands for. Ronnie Van Zant gets his message across with his understated, yet charismatic vocals, it’s got a stomping groove, and Gary Rossington’s bleeding Gibson Les Paul is all over this song! The band stopped playing “Gimme Me Back My Bullets” live for years because fans used to throw gun bullets at them; they’re lucky nobody lost an eye.

9. “Brightside” by Halestorm from Back from the Dead (2022)

Being the sarcastic and opinionated person I am, “Brightside” is a song that I constantly have to play in my head whenever I feel like I’m going to explode. The lyrics, “I keep looking on the bright side of life cause it only gets harder,” are so true, yet so hard to follow, especially during stressful times. “Brightside” is heavy, yet the melodies are gorgeous, Lzzy Hale’s vocals are incredible, I love the piercing guitar riff, and it’s got a sick beat! It’s just a well-written song and the chorus is excellent. “Brightside” makes me think of Dick Van Dyke because he said in recent interviews that he doesn’t fill his heart with hate, which he believes is the reason he’s still alive today. 

8. “Journeyman” by Iron Maiden from Dance of Death (2003)

I finished reading a good Iron Maiden book two weeks ago called, Iron Maiden at 50 (2025), by Daniel Bukszpan and it made me admire Iron Maiden’s work ethic and their ability to not compromise with anyone. Steve Harris had a vision for the band and stuck with it since day one. “Journeyman” is one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs because it’s so different from the band’s catalog; it’s their first fully acoustic song. Though the band initially wrote “Journeyman” about the life of a touring musician, music critics suggested the message was about seizing the day and going after what you want. Iron Maiden aren’t one of my favorite bands, but I respect the heck out of them for being smart businessmen. Heavy metal wouldn’t be where it is today without their mascot, Eddie the Head!

7. “Spellbound” by Triumph from Thunder Seven (1984)

Triumph began their Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded tour on April 10. Last year, when I found out Gil Moore was planning an extravagant Triumph show to celebrate the band’s legacy, I didn’t think it would turn into a full-blown reunion tour with two of the original members. I only saw clips for the first show and while I wasn’t blown away, I’ll give props to Todd Kerns, one of the guest musicians who appears with Moore and Rik Emmett on the tour, because he sounded incredible! He did an amazing job on the Gil Moore songs, especially “Spellbound.” His voice suits that song perfectly! Thunder Seven was right before the band started getting crazy with the synthesizers, glossy production, and sappy ballads, so there are some bangers on that album! The guitars sound awesome on “Spellbound” and the vocal melodies are insanely catchy.

6. “So Close” by Jon McLaughlin from Enchanted: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack (2007)

There’s a Disney YouTuber I followed for a few years; I watched her videos on my Disney College Program. But, I stopped watching her videos for three years until recently. In some of her 2026 videos, I noticed she included a cover of “Ever Ever After” from Enchanted (2007) at the end. Not sure if it’s a temporary thing because I haven’t heard the song in her videos from the past two weeks, but nonetheless, it’s still a bop! Enchanted is also a very underrated Disney film because it combines elements from previous Disney princess films, the music is so good, and Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams make such a cute couple. My favorite song from the movie is “So Close,” performed by Jon McLaughlin, which is the song that Dempsey and Adams’ characters slow dance to at a costume ball during the film’s climax. It’s the best Disney ballad I’ve ever heard in my life; I’m not even kidding! It’s such a beautifully written song that perfectly sums up the two lead characters’ relationship. 

5. “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon from Wheels Are Turnin’ (1984)

Lea Michele posted a video from the season 2 finale of Glee on her Instagram last week in celebration of her receiving a portrait of herself displayed at Sardi’s, an iconic restaurant in New York City that features caricatures of Broadway celebrities. The scene from the Glee episode features Rachel Berry (played by Michele) and Finn Hudson (played by Cory Monteith) having dinner at Sardi’s, where Berry then meets one of her idols, Patti LuPone. Before writing this post, I proceeded to go down a Glee rabbit hole because I wanted to relive my favorite Cory Monteith memories from the show and pretend he was still alive, even if it was for a brief second. My favorite performance of his was when he covered REO Speedwagon’s “I Can’t Fight This Feeling,” which was during season 1. The first season was truly something special and it’s bittersweet looking back on it now because Monteith looked so happy and he truly was in his element performing the song in the choir room with the band accompanying him. May he rest in peace.

4. “Bad” by Michael Jackson from Bad (1987)

What’s mind-boggling to me is that even 16 years after his death, Michael Jackson is still in the public eye. This dude was in the public eye since childhood and that must’ve been so difficult for him to deal with. The tabloids commented about everything regarding his nose, skin, personal life, child sexual abuse allegations, you name it! As mentioned in my “10 Songs That’ll Help You Blow Off Steam When You’re Mad at the World” post, I’m not sure how I feel about Jackson as a person, but he was very talented. With the new Michael Jackson biopic being all the rage, I browsed the internet and stumbled upon the title track from Bad, which every time I think of that song, I think of the Glee version from season 3. 

3. “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” by Def Leppard from Pyromania (1983)

In case you guys missed my previous post, Disney released the tracklist for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and one of the featured songs is “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” by Def Leppard. They will perform the song with The Electric Mayhem, the ride’s headlining act, which should be very interesting. I’m not sure whether it’s a dream come true or a nightmare in disguise, but I’m going into the new ride with no expectations because honestly, I think the rest of the ride’s tracklist is garbage. However, I think “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” will sound really cool on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets and I’m glad Disney decided to pick a lesser-known Def Leppard track rather than “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” It’s funny because when my family and I were in Las Vegas for Def Leppard’s 2026 Las Vegas residency, I told my mom that Phil Collen looked like a “hot chick” in the “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” music video and she didn’t totally disagree with me!

2. “Far Cry” by Rush from Snakes & Arrows (2007)

After another exhausting family dinner, the first song I put on my CD player was Rush’s “Far Cry” from Snakes & Arrows because there were so many things I wanted to say at dinner, but couldn’t because it wasn’t my place to say anything. “Far Cry” is an absolute banger; it’s so freaking good! I love the instrumentation with Geddy Lee’s ferocious bass line, Alex Lifeson’s exquisite guitar playing, and Neil Peart’s genius drumming. I always get chills during the chorus where Lee sings, “you can almost see the circuits blowing,” and Peart does sixteenth notes on the snare drum to depict fireworks. Forgive me if those aren’t sixteenth notes; the point is he goes fast and hard! The song’s message is about the highs and lows of life.

1. “Hellevator” by Thundermother from 2016

When I got into Thundermother last year, I was shocked to learn that “Hellevator” is not featured on any of their studio albums, excluding the deluxe version of Heat Wave (2020). The chorus is insanely catchy, the guitar riffage is stellar, Clare Cunningham’s vocals are mean and nasty, and it’s got a wicked beat. Then, as a gift from the rock ‘n’ roll gods, Thundermother released the live version of “Hellevator” that’ll be featured on their first ever live album, Live’n’Alive (2026). I’ll take it, as long as I get a physical copy of the song, I’ll take it! The album was digitally released on April 17, but it’ll get a physical release on July 10. Thundermother are really special to me because I don’t listen to a lot of female rock singers, but Thundermother were the first female rock band that made me go, “dang, where did that come from?”

There you have it, people! Those are my favorite songs from April 2026. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opens on May 26, so we’ll see if that influences some of my picks for May 2026. Also, I’ll work on ending my YouTube addiction once and for all, so that I have more time for my albums. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to watch Glee and Enchanted because I’m in the mood for more nostalgia!

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Lana