Radioactive (track) by Imagine Dragons
Year: 2012
From the album Night Visions (track #1)
Radioactive appears on the following album(s) by Imagine Dragons:
- Night Visions (track #1) (this album) (2012)
- Continued Silence (track #1) (2012)
- Live At Independent Records (track #3) (2013)
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Condition: Very Good
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Condition: Like New
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Condition: Good
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Radioactive ratings
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
70/100  | 07/20/2025 04:36 | daCritic | | 76/100 |
50/100 | 10/14/2024 18:42 | sunnydhamm | | 56/100 |
85/100 | 08/01/2024 17:28 | araidernomore | | 78/100 |
50/100 | 02/22/2024 22:15 | SD100852 | | 77/100 |
60/100 | 02/05/2024 15:55 |  DommeDamian | | 51/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 4% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 81.4/100, a mean average of 80.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 81.9/100. The standard deviation for this track is 16.1.
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poppmusic 12/07/2015 10:13
I really like this track. I'm dissappointed this band sucks so much other than their singles, because I think the singles are...really emblematic of the age!
soundguardian 06/25/2013 05:23
This single of Imagine Dragon's debut album Night Visions dropped into radio waves in April 2012 and has not shown many signs of deteriorating in airplay. Perhaps the band's greatest calling card thus far, the song centers around insurgent, cleansing, and cataclysmic themes, and is driven by a pulse-pounding electro-dubstep beat.
"Radioactive" has a much darker and glorious tone than the band's other work, which is demonstrated well by the lyricism and the execution. The piece opens with a satisfyingly pretty acoustic intro until the beat bursts onto the scene and shit goes down. Eerie supporting vocals pervade in the background and the texture is held together with buzzing electronic sounds that sound perfect. And then a sudden suspenseful pause as the singer breathes in --
-- and then out. There's a sudden release of tension, that's surprisingly affecting and relieving. The greatest thing about the track is how lead singer and frontman Dan Reynold's voice shines. This is especially true during that insanely triumphant chorus, which spearheads the entire creative direction of the song, while also linking the musical composition with the meaning behind this "radioactive" narrator.
The focus is on an upheaval of a system or a metamorphosis in some thread of society, a change which means doom for the status quo. And it's all starting with the narrator's new-found sense of proactive licence. The analogy being, that "he's breathing in [some sort of] chemicals" which give him fortitude to start a "revolution" or an "apocalypse". There's even imagery related to blood spilt - whether metaphorical or not - when referencing the premise of "painting red" the flags and clothes of tumult.
So what does it mean to be "radioactive"? Radioactive decay occurs due to instability in an atom's chemical integrity. The nucleus sprays out energetic, ionized particles (like alpha particle, beta particles, and gamma rays). The narrator's implying that he's becoming so volatile and unpredictable, like radioactive materials, that change is invariable, regardless of if his listeners like it or not. And with that memorable hook, I can't help but believe him. It's assuredly a powerful canticle heralding drastic measures.
Romanelli 06/20/2013 20:09
A very big anthem sounding track. "Welcome to the new age"...could be better. Could be a lot worse.
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