Paramore’s second studio album, “Riot!” generates a lot of early 21st-century nostalgia. Released in June 2007, “Riot!”  helped propel the alternative rock band’s brand as a solidified group in the genre.

My very first interaction with this album came through the video game Guitar Hero World Tour, which featured the song “Misery Business,” the album’s leading single. The game showed Hayley Williams, Paramore’s lead singer, as the character singing on stage.

It was a song I enjoyed playing, but at the time I had no idea who Paramore was, nor did I realize the popularity of the song. I didn’t listen to many genres of music, so the video game was one of my first exposures to the rock genre.

I finally listened to Paramore’s full discography in April 2020. I was impressed with all of their music, however, “Riot!” quickly became my favorite album, and the leading singles on the album are now some of my favorite rock songs of all time.

More specifically, “Hallelujah” remains my favorite song on the album to date. Although it’s not Paramore’s most popular song, I feel that it best showcases Williams’ vocal ability.

The song touches on the up-and-down feelings associated with time. For example, Williams sings in the first verse, “If only time flew like a dove,” but later on in the song she sings, “We’ve got nothing but time on our hands.”

This sends the message that time varies, something to which we can all relate. There are points where we find ourselves eagerly waiting for something. At other times, we feel satisfied and as if time is seemingly on our side. Overall, the song reminds me that we’re never truly in control of how much time we have.

I think this album has just the right amount of emotion to be relatable, while also staying on the pop side of the rock spectrum. Williams, in my opinion, is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time.

If you’re looking to dip your toe into the rock genre, but don’t want anything hardcore, I would highly suggest starting with Paramore. Their music is available on all streaming platforms.