By Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

For the last decade, no band has dominated the state's rock zeitgeist quite like The Gaslight Anthem, New Jersey's beloved greaser-punks.

No other new band has risen to the level of headliner at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, strumming before nearly 20,000 fans. No other group has welcomed Bruce Springsteen as a special guest — multiple times.

Gaslight bounded from New Brunswick’s competitive basement scene in 2007, touting a union of Springsteenian anthem-rock, pumping East Coast punk and a revving sentimentality for '50s subculture. The foursome introduced themselves with “Sink or Swim,” a propulsive album that celebrates its 10th birthday May 29.

And with 2008’s career-defining followup “The ‘59 Sound,” the group led by earnest Red Bank singer Brian Fallon was embraced by listeners around the world. The band announced a hiatus in 2015, after five LPs and an exceedingly devout fan base, especially around the Garden State.

So in celebration of the band’s approaching 10th anniversary, we take a deep dive into its discography, ranking all 71 album tracks (live versions not included) and rediscovering just what makes Gaslight the go-to band for so many New Jersey rock listeners. (Photo by Lisa Johnson)

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71. "Sliver," Handwritten, 2012

Our list’s dubious bottomfeeder is a forgettable, end-of-album cover of “Sliver,” the buzzy Nirvana jam. Fallon isn’t a very adequate fill-in for Kurt Cobain here; if you’re one for covers, the Rise Against version of the 1990 tune is a bit better.

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70. "You Got Lucky," Handwritten

We are willing to bet you forgot this Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers cover was ever added to Handwritten, as a deluxe-version closer. While well-played, this straightaway retread does nothing for the Gaslight discography.

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69. "This is Where we Part," Get Hurt, 2014

This is where you realize that for sake of highlighting the band’s original work, we listed its four album-appearing covers at the bottom, including this perfectly serviceable rendition of a track from the Swedish punk band Twopointeight.

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68. "Once Upon a Time," Live at Park Ave, 2009

This Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise cover, appearing on the band's Park Ave live EP, is the best of the bunch. The guitar is warm, Benny Horowitz's tapping swings with aplomb and Fallon feels earnest in the rolling "Marvin Gaye singin'" chorus.

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67. "Mama's Boys," Get Hurt, 2014

Okay, onward to the original tunes. You'll find several album tracks off the band's last LP Get Hurt here, for sake of lacking impact on fans as well as diminishing originality when weighed against the rest of the catalog. The least fulfilling of the bunch is the bluesy riffer "Mama's Boys," where Fallon's higher register seems strained beyond its limit.

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66. "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?," Senor and the Queen EP, 2008

There’s an overall sloppiness to “Elvis,” not in a cool punky way but as in “this needed another take or two.” If there’s a throwaway tune on this otherwise strong four-song EP, it’s this one.

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65. "Sweet Morphine," Get Hurt

The title is apt; “Sweet Morphine” is at times numbing with its puttering riff and Fallon’s lulling chorus — when Gaslight eventually records a new album, we hope they opt for less pseudo-haunting vocal filters, as if Fallon was singing from inside a cave.

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64. "Ain't That a Shame," Get Hurt

The overly round guitar sound here, more so a poor production choice than the writing itself, is unpleasant, and the "ain't that a shame / ain't that a shame" hook is uninspired when measured against the rest of Get Hurt, which despite heavy criticism upon its release does have its merits (more on that later).

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63. "Angry Johnny and the Radio," Sink or Swim, 2007

Even though I do appreciate the "Bobby does it better" line, the start-and-stop of the chorus has made me irrationally angry for the past 10 years. If you choose to dive back into old Gaslight and take on its debut Sink or Swim, this is the last tune you should to relive.

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62. "We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Diner," Sink or Swim

Parts of the first verse are brutally out of key, the second is has an odd rhythmic issue. Though the gang vocal later isn’t necessarily un-fun, and the opening sample the declares “It’s zombie time” is a fine conversation starter.

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61. "Casanova, Baby!" The '59 Sound, 2008

Not every song off The '59 Sound can appear right at the top of the list, okay? And the flatly paced rocker "Casanova, Baby!" is the track I for one am most likely to skip, in efforts to get to "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and the rest of the album's excellent end.

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60. "Red Violins," Get Hurt

Four of the next five songs are Get Hurt album tracks that all fall in the same unremarkable category: not exactly bad compositions, but no diehard is wearing out the CD (or streaming account) for any of these. "Red Violins," another mid-tempo pumper is exactly this: meh.

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59. "Stray Paper," Get Hurt

The same goes for "Stray Paper." Take it, leave it, skip it, listen to it — it's all good. After the potent first three tracks on Get Hurt, this is the first letdown of sorts

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58. "Howl," Handwritten

The main complaint against “Howl” may be that it wraps too quickly, finishing at just over two minutes flat. A few more of those “hey-eh-eh” refrains would’ve been nice, and maybe less talk about the radio (has anyone ever counted all the band’s radio references?).

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57. "Underneath the Ground," Get Hurt

The concept for “Underneath the Ground” is interesting, as Fallon investigates his hypothetical death and the emotional response his demise would receive: “would you spit and hiss and curse my name / and embarrass me to the other graves” he wonders. The droning composition matches well.

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56. "Halloween" Get Hurt

Gaslight isn't the first or last band to analogize Halloween costumes and emotional disguises, but this slow-burning Get Hurt deluxe track does the dance pretty well. "Me, I'm a tomb, a corpse in a suit," is a little melodramatic but hey, let it out, Brian!

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55. "Old Haunts," American Slang, 2010

Here we find our first cut off American Slang, the highly anticipated followup to The '59 Sound's life-changing success and perhaps the most polarizing album in the band's discography. Some fans embraced the marked change in sound, others were wholly disappointed. It's hard to argue "Old Haunts" much for one side or the other. A fine rock song, but only fine.

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54. "Orphans," American Slang

“Orphans” really moves, and always plays well on stage. The main guitar riff is a bright, proper pickup from the slow dance of “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” before it, and the bridge pumps with aplomb. If Gaslight’s next album attempts any “return to form” uptempo tunes, let’s hope its something like this.

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53. "Selected Poems," Get Hurt

The lyrical content here is some of the strongest on Get Hurt, surrounding this wistful mid-tempo soul searcher, with the refrain that "all in all I find that nothing stays the same." Vocally, Fallon is deliberate and while this is far from a happy tune, there's a sense of catharsis that carries through much of the album.

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52. "Senor and the Queen," Senor and the Queen EP

“Señor and the Queen” sounds like New Brunswick on a Friday night, down in someone’s basement for an imperfect, fast and sweaty show. Everyone leaves happy — would you shake, shake, shake, shake, Señora?

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51. "Desire," Handwritten

A fun, full-bodied singalong, and in my mind the hook always bleeds into the chorus of “Meet me by the River’s Edge,” but that can be said about many Gaslight songs, right?

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50. "Stay Lucky," American Slang

The extra twang that every guitar part on Slang seems to feature may be best on "Stay Lucky," a nice, fast tune to launch the album after the title track welcomes the listener in. Always a great driving tune.

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49. "Have Mercy," Get Hurt

There’s brilliance in the honesty threaded throughout “Have Mercy,” a dirge-like bonus track that plainly states “don't ask me where I've been / ‘cause you don't want to know.” And the way the kicker line “leave a little room for the holy ghost” lingers in the dark is quality, Leonard Cohen-esque songwriting.

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48. "Keepsake," Handwritten

"Keepsake" likely gets lost in the Handwritten shuffle for many fans as it's not quite as good as the pound of "Mulholland Drive" before it or the sincerity of "Too Much Blood" that follows it. But the big, wailing chorus is a nice bridge, and the prominence given to Alex Rosmilia's lead guitar pulls — early and often — is a cool touch.

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47. "Boxer," American Slang

I know a handful of Gaslight diehards who cannot stand "Boxer" but I've always sort of liked the band's best try at a pop-rock song on American Slang, from the rapped lead-in and jaunty verse to the pinging guitar riff and chorus I always find myself revisiting. Stand up for the songs you believe in, folks!

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46. "1930," Sink or Swim

Not Fallon’s best vocal performance, but “1930” is a bright, fast, angry tune — something of a culmination of the band’s early career greaser-punk image — and the miniature breakdown at the end of the chorus is always a fun live moment.

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45. "She Loves You," The B-Sides, 2014

This slow and steady folk-rock number — the lone new, original track on B-Sides — was a sure precursor to Fallon's impending solo career and would fit well in a live set among the singer's latest tracks. The campfire-style gang voca herel is super smooth.

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44. "Drive," Sink or Swim

Some of Fallon’s best early Gaslight songwriting comes on “Drive,” a mix of uncertainty, hope, camaraderie and a certain fascination with night’s wee hours — one of the singer’s many Springsteenian overlaps. The song chugs along just fine and the original music video, shot in a true, blue Jersey basement, is a great look back to the band’s days before they could headline PNC Bank Arts Center.

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43. "We did it When we Were Young," American Slang

The traipsing closer to Slang has grown on me over time; there's a mesmerizing quality to this song, in the metered, rolling chorus, but also in the verses, where Fallon's voice achieves great pleading as he juxtaposes the trials of love, time and death. "We did it When we Were Young" has become a "never skip" for me in recent years.

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42. "Dark Places," Get Hurt

Wading through a handful of mediocre rock jams may be worth it to reach "Dark Places" at Get Hurt's end, where that wonderful opening riff crashes like a wave (and then Fallon sings about crashing waves). It's been well reported that Get Hurt is largely a product of Fallon's divorce, and the hook here "if I thought it would help I would carve your name into my heart" cuts extra deep.

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41. "Stay Vicious," Get Hurt

The searing hard-rock album opener "Stay Vicious" was a statement song in 2014, revealing immediately to listeners that Get Hurt would be as far removed from the patented "Gaslight sound" as the band had attempted. But it's not all crunching riffs; the tune dynamically allows a soft "sha la la" chorus and reminds of a track Brand New or Manchester Orchestra might conjure.

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40. "Blue Dahlia," Handwritten

“Blue Dahlia” would be even higher on the list if not for the mucky transition into the chorus, which nonetheless is one of my favorite Gaslight refrains to date. The track is a vibrant, in-the-pocket jam for the guys. What a hot and sultry summer …

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39. "The Spirit of Jazz," American Slang

"Jazz" is the unsung hero of American Slang, a light, loving tune where everything resolves beautifully, from exciting lead guitar melody, to the lively call-and-response pre-chorus into the main hook, which details a relationship on the ropes, but with real hope of recovery.

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38. "Boomboxes and Dictionaries," Sink or Swim

If your introduction was someone handing you a CD, saying “you have to hear this new band,” then the propulsive opener “Boomboxes” was the first thing you ever heard from Gaslight. And you could have done worse; the song is a fine first taste of the band’s blend of Jersey rock, rockabilly and basement punk, with Fallon assuring “if you’re scared of the future tonight, we’ll just take it each hour one at a time.” Good advice.

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37. "Biloxi Parish," Handwritten

The titanic, country-rock groove to “Biloxi” is wholly unlike anything Gaslight has release before or since, and for all the Gaslight music that focuses on New Jersey and New York, it’s nice to hear the band work on Louisiana for a change. Lyrically the track is a little clunky, but that riff is worth a blown speaker.

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36. "High Lonesome" The '59 Sound

This is classic Gaslight; a pumping rock chorus and Fallon singing about a girl named Maria and his yearning to look like Elvis. Not the best, or most thoughtful track on '59 Sound, but still a powerful thumper wedged between many other great tunes.

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35. "Rollin' and Tumblin'," Get Hurt

Fun fact: “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” was originally to be named “The Great Depression,” but Fallon didn’t want to step on the toes of Philadelphia singer-songwriter buddy Dave Hause’s identically named tune. So Fallon opted for the current title, which shares a moniker with Hambone Willie Newbern’s 1929 delta blues jam.

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34. "Here Comes My Man," Handwritten

Easily the best tambourine work on any Gaslight song, and melodically there feels to be a ton of Springsteen here, particularly in the four-on-the-floor drum pattern that might as well have Max Weinberg playing. But it works, particularly in the second half where the melody is polished and pleading through another lovesick tune.

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33. "Meet Me By The River's Edge," The '59 Sound

An infectious singalong that may have ranked higher if not for the “no surrender, my Bobby Jean” line — we know the band’s love for Springsteen but did we need two direct “Born In The U.S.A.” references in the same song? It's too on the nose, but otherwise a Gaslight classic of sorts.

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32. "1,000 Years," Get Hurt

For me, "1,000 Years," is and will remain the enduring singalong off Get Hurt. That "hey-ay-ay!" hook is gold, mixed with the tune's dream-like content and middle pacing. Just writing this makes me want to go listen again, for the 1,000th time.

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31. "Wooderson," Sink or Swim

For those who never put it all together (I didn't for years) "Wooderson" is named for Matthew McConaughey's smooth-talkin' "Dazed and Confused" character, hence the song's "alright, alright" line threaded throughout. The tune's big, bold melody feels like a blueprint for the '59 Sound hits that would follow and Monmouth County folks always shout the "I fell in love with the Shrewsbury stars" line a little louder than the rest.

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30. "National Anthem," Handwritten

It's no "Star-Spangled Banner," but "Anthem" is a hugely successful piece of songwriting, with well-thought, Bowie-reminding lines like "Now everybody lately is living up in space / Flying through transmissions on invisible airwaves." Instrumentally the ballad is fairly simple, led mostly by the same acoustic riff, but as Fallon dives wistfully near the end of Handwritten, there's plenty on which to chew.

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29. "Red in the Morning," Sink or Swim

Imagine if you will the alternative universe where Gaslight viewed “Red In The Morning” — the band’s heaviest, most aggressive punk-rock assault — as the band’s primary blueprint going forward. They’d be a very different band, but anyway, “Red” is a kick in the teeth and adds some range to the group’s debut LP.

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28. "Say I Won't (Recognize)," Senor and the Queen EP

If there’s any Gaslight song that mimics the spirit of Springsteen’s “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” it’s this EP deep cut, which basically says “we’re having a party, and you should come!” It’s a fun song with an interesting tempo change and deconstruction midway through. Please, don’t make Brian Fallon dance alone.

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27. "I'da Called You Woody, Joe," Sink or Swim

Another pumping early thrasher from the Jersey guys — a tribute to The Clash's Joe Strummer — with a fun music video filmed on the Asbury Park boardwalk. The thick, gritty chorus feels designed for a Central Jersey basement show — no complaints here.

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26. "Too Much Blood," Handwritten

The gritty southern-rock verses are appreciated here, with Fallon using every bit of his gravel. And the message here is interesting, as he speaks to a lover about putting “too much blood on the page.” Whether it was meant exactly this way or not, the concern, that Fallon’s loved ones will have none of him for themselves if he blasts all his feelings into songwriting “on the page,” is an intriguing, sort of meta idea for a tune. Good stuff.

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25. "Red at Night," Sink or Swim

One of the band's simplest, folksiest tunes, with little more than Fallon's acoustic guitar and a few deep harmonica pulls. While some moments on Sink or Swim can feel a little forced or strained, this easy ballad roams effortlessly. Check out the video here, of the tune mixed with Springsteen's "I'm on Fire."

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24. "The Queen of Lower Chelsea," American Slang

When anyone talks about the expansion of Gaslight's sound from their beloved '59 Sound to the anticipated follow-up American Slang, "The Queen" is the surest example. The song is sonically defined by its needling, western riff and Fallon does great work as storyteller here, deftly prodding all those "uptight, rowdy girls of Lower Chelsea."

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23. "Miles Davis & the Cool," The '59 Sound

There’s plenty to love in “Miles Davis,” a beloved track in the Gaslight cohort, from the cascading swing beat that hypnotically moves the song — while Fallon throws rocks at a girls’ windows and pleads for his lover to come home soon — before a bluesy, full-band buildup brings the song a notch higher. This is a well-formed fan favorite.

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22. "Bring It On," American Slang

In most cases, the more space the band allots for Fallon to stretch his lyrical legs in a song, the better. Instrumentally, Gaslight is rarely smashing through genre walls and carving new paths for rock n’ roll. No, it’s all a vehicle for Fallon’s songwriting and in “Bring It On,” where “the Cool” is mentioned once more, Fallon tears through an ex-lover and her new beau with spite, and delivers a truly impassioned tune.

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21. "Break Your Heart," Get Hurt

An honest, wrenching folk ballad — the kind of song you can't hear all the time, for sake of it ruining your afternoon. Fallon's own chapter of "nobody knows the trouble I've seen" is very strong and affecting, and one could argue "Break Your Heart" is the deftest piece of songwriting on Get Hurt overall.

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20. "Here's Lookin' at you, Kid," The '59 Sound

The approach is unique on "Kid," the one true ballad off '59 Sound, where Fallon instructs on what to say to his past lovers and never-weres — the Gayles and Janies of the singer's retro-infatuated imagination — and to tell the girl who shrugged him off that he's a rock star now, "even if that's a lie." The melody is easy and a necessary dynamic break from the album's heap of crunching rock.

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19. "Helter Skeleton," Get Hurt

“Helter Skeleton” wastes no time — it smacks you immediately with a huge, punky vocal from Fallon and exclamatory guitars, before the chorus sonically softens. But the message doesn’t, between mentions of “Madame Misery” and residing on “the 99th floor of apathy.” This is an angry song, some mix of love and self-destruction, but it’s easily the best rocker of the band’s most recent album.

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18. "I Could'a Been a Contender," Sink or Swim

I've always loved the toughness of "Contender," full of regret and soul and a refrain that cries "there's a stormfront blowin' in / there's an S.O.S. on the sea tonight." Sink or Swim toes the line of raw and too raw, and this enduring jam falls on the right side.

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17. "Mae," Handwritten

“Mae” may be the most under-appreciated track in the entire Gaslight Anthem catalog. The slow, deliberate tune just melts into you, with hope and muster from Fallon, asking a girl to go for a drive, and the line “we wait for Kingdom Come, with the radio on” does its emotional damage. Now that Gaslight has been away a while, go back and listen to “Mae” once more — time has done it well.

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16. "Navesink Banks," Sink or Swim

“Navesink Banks” marks the band’s first terrific ballad, a brooding, sonic ode to Johnny Cash. Fallon dances around religion here, talking sins and youth near the Navesink River — the waterway that runs through his native Red Bank. There’s no big, meaty chorus here, and it’s not an easy song to sing beside, but it’s very strong, honest writing.

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15. "Mulholland Drive," Handwritten

This is as polished, comfortable and in the pocket as Gaslight has ever sounded on record. There’s no fat on this song — frankly, the jam is so tight that one might assume “Mulholland Drive” was a cover of some past great, and not something a few dudes from Central Jersey conjured. But this is all them; Fallon’s grit is dead on, charging through a killer groove and tales of desperation.

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14. "Film Noir," The '59 Sound

So, everyone talks about the Springsteen influence and the punk tinges, but perhaps just as integral in the Gaslight sound is that rolling, rockabilly groove, a Stray Cats sort of pulse that works in “Film Noir” and other tunes — it’s what separates the band best from any other four chord punk-rock group wailing around New Brunswick. It’s also Gaslight’s most dedicated homage to past culture, as opposed to one-off songs that reference radios or Golden Age films.

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13. "American Slang," American Slang

If The '59 Sound showed the world "here's what we can do," then American Slang added "and this is where we're going." All of that began with "Slang" the song, the LP's telling opener, which introduced sharper production, more verbose guitars and another stellar batch of lyricism from Fallon. Years from now, "They told us fortunes in American slang" may go down as one of the songwriter's most iconic lines.

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12. "Get Hurt," Get Hurt

Emotionally, “Get Hurt” may be the most unsettling nadir for love-ruined Fallon, but for songwriting this rock-bottom ballad is a triumph. There’s a pile of pain, yes — if you’re having a fine day, surely avoid this track — but there’s some catharsis, too. The refrain “might as well do your worst to me” can be viewed as liberating, as though Fallon chooses to endure all the terrible bit of love right now, survive them and move along to some place better.

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11. "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," The '59 Sound

“Cowgirls” is full of name-checks, from the song’s title (taken from the 1976 Tom Robbins novel — or the widely panned 1993 Gus Van Sant film adaptation) to the hook “we still love Tom Petty songs” and even Springsteen’s coined Asbury Park nickname “Little Eden.” But the big bluesy guitar groove is the band’s own, and Fallon swings well with plenty of gravel to compliment the waltzing pace.

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10. "The Diamond Church Street Choir," American Slang

Gaslight never forgot New Brunswick, it’s Hub City home. “Diamond” is an homage to the city’s Court Tavern basement club where the band first cut its teeth, as well as a bit of appreciation for local punk worker Andy Diamond, who booked the group in its early days. The shuffling melody strays far from most of the Gaslight catalog, and Fallon croons well: the “who, who, who” hook just melts, and the retro imagery, of girls with their ribbons and curls is very vivid.

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9. "45," Handwritten

If you take Spotify streaming totals as gospel, then the galloping Handwritten opener "45" stands as The Gaslight Anthem's most popular tune, with 12 million plays and counting. And it's not without reason; "45" is a tightly-wound, anthemic rocker — pleasant, harmonized and hooky enough for radio, and with a well-explored metaphor, of flipping a record over to signify a waning love's true end. It's a fun, bright track all the way 'round.

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8. "The Patient Ferris Wheel," The '59 Sound

With only a few tweaks, the vibrant bop “Ferris Wheel” could have been a blink-182 pop-punk rager. It has the same, straightaway and youthful pacing with a lively chorus and mentions of a Ferris wheel, carnival lights, the Fourth of July and boardwalk talks. Crank it up this summer once you get to the shore — it’s one of the best.

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7. "We Came to Dance," Sink or Swim

A live staple since its inception, “We Came to Dance” has endured each of the band’s twists and turns, and from the crowd you can always tell the longtime listeners from the newbies as soon as this rollicking jam kicks in. It’s a sharp, hopeful party song and of course, the Jersey folks love to wail the “quiet Edison skies” line in the bridge.

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6. "Old White Lincoln," The '59 Sound

If the beloved first two tracks off '59 Sound are, say, the fan-beloved equivalents of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (more on these soon), then "Old White Lincoln" is James Worthy — strong and necessary if not quite as flashy. Fallon's affinity for hotrods (he was once known to ride his black Dodge Challenger around Central Jersey) bisects Springsteen's in "Lincoln," with imagery about "old 55's" and "dreaming about classic cars" and there's a round earnestness in this favored rocker. And kudos to bassist Alex Levine with the sharp opening riff.

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5. "The Backseat," The '59 Sound

The closer to '59 Sound frankly doesn't sound like it belongs on the album — the double-time opening riff sounds like something British electro-rockers Muse might unleash. What follows is just terrific; an explosion of youth, sin and cruising that hits with so much brevity it makes us believe Fallon and his crew may actually be the rightful heirs to The Boss's rock kingdom.

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4. "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts," Senor and the Queen EP

The best slow-smoking Gaslight ballad of them all appears not on a major album but on Señor and the Queen, an EP that may have been completely forgotten by now if it weren't for Fallon's sweet song of brotherhood and love — if he ever loves at all, that is. It was great fun to watch the band play this classic at the Skate and Surf festival in 2015, where outside Convention Hall in Asbury Park, Fallon sang the Cookman Avenue line to raucous cheers, for the city, the band and one of its best songs.

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3. "Great Expectations," The '59 Sound

“Great Expectations,” a wistful freight train of a tune, is without question the strongest album opener in the band discography and ultimately one of the group’s most well-rounded songs. The writing is forceful: “Everybody leaves so why wouldn’t you?” and melodically there’s a great, driving blend of old-fashioned rock n’ roll and fast, buzzy punk. It doesn’t get much better than this.

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2. "Handwritten," Handwritten

Fallon spins the spotlight onto his own musicianship here, expressing why he writes: to make some sense of his waning youth (the singer entered his 30s not long before this tune would have been penned) and all the heartsickness he wouldn’t know how to expel any other way. The bounding title track still receives regular rock radio play, and the closing refrain “and with this pen, I thee wed from my heart to your distress” is one of the more poignant, poetic lines Fallon has ever conjured.

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1. "The '59 Sound," The '59 Sound

When Bruce Springsteen first joined Gaslight on stage, at the U.K.'s Glastonbury Festival in 2009, the collaboration came at The Boss's urging. "I think I know the chords!" Springsteen told Fallon before the band's set, as reported by New York Times Magazine. Watch the video here, of Fallon and Bruce singing into the same microphone, both smiling widely. One might expect as much from Fallon in the moment, but the grin from Springsteen seemed an acknowledgment, to The Gaslight Anthem as a worthy Jersey successor — and simply that he was playing one heck of a rock song.

“The ‘59 Sound” encapsulates all we’ve talked about on this list. Yes, it’s got the anthemic rock riffs and choruses, but there is also the tarnished punk heart, and the rockabilly twist that takes off the edge. Forgive all the Springsteen comparisons but this is and always will be Gaslight’s “Born To Run.” It’s the band’s calling card; an introspective questionnaire for a friend passed on, hidden beneath a blazing melody fans wait for every show.

So go and blast it while cruising through New Brunswick or Asbury Park, and revel in all this bounding band has offered over the past 10 years — we hope Brian, Benny and the two Alexs return soon.