Between two studio albums, one live album, many EP’s, and even more unreleased songs, Calum Hood of 5 Seconds of Summer has quite a few incredible solos.
With his birthday coming up, we at CelebMix would like to take a few moments and appreciate our 20 favorite solos. Hopefully with an upcoming world tour, we will have even more to add to this list by the end of 2016.
20. Permanent Vacation
“Watch out, I think we’re going under. Right now, you’re just another number. Get out, the system’s in the gutter, and we’re all so proud”
Starting at 4:05 in the video, Calum leaves us jumping in our seats for more of his voice before the song goes back to lead singer Luke Hemmings
19. Voodoo Doll
“Tell me where you’re hiding your voodoo doll ’cause I can’t control myself, I don’t wanna stay, I wanna run away but I’m trapped under your spell. And it hurts in my head and my heart and my chest, and I’m having trouble catching my breath. Ooh. Won’t you please stop loving me to death?”
Although this one isn’t quite a solo, Calum is the lead voice of the chorus in this live version. His voice is mesmerising in this catchy tune. (Starts at 0:49 in the video and repeats three times)
18. Out of My Limit
“Back in high school we used to take it slow. Red lipstick on and high heel stilettos. Had a job downtown working the servo. Had me waiting in line couldn’t even let go. ‘Cause I never wanna be that guy. Who doesn’t even get a taste. No more having to chase, to win that prize”
Calum practically owns this song. “Out of My Limit” really shows off his vocal talent and also gives fans a reminder as to how much his vocals have improved since 2012. He also sings the second verse in the song! (First verse starts at 0:19)
17. Over and Over
“You said it’s no concern, and everything’s alright. Sometimes we all get burned, and then we try to hide. Oh, and I know, and I know, and I know, and I know I should have been by your side”
This solo just leaves us speechless every time. We have nothing to say besides, wow. (Begins at 0:44)
16. If You Don’t Know
“Let’s forget the past. I swear we’ll make this last, ’cause I remember the taste of your skin tonight and the way that you looked, you had those eyes. I remember the way it felt inside, and the names of the songs that made you cry. You would scream, we would fight, you would call me crazy. I would laugh, you were mad, but you always kissed me, and the shirt that I had, that you always borrowed. When I woke, it was gone, there was no tomorrow”
At 1:05, Calum’s second solo in this track leaves us impressed. The amount of passion put into it gives us the perfect reason to put it onto our list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijo-XGKKkJo
15. Heartache On the Big Screen
“Curtain closes on this cliché, a good story of a bad day. Back to square one where I started, as I stand here broken-hearted. Fast forward to the end, after everyone’s gone home and they’ve forgotten it all”
Off of their debut album, Calum constantly kills his solo on this heartbreak song. Fast forward to 1:52 to hear it now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SyBbdaDEiw
14. Kiss Me Kiss Me
“Close your eyes you’ll be mine and it’s alright. Take a breath, no rest ’til the sunrise
Heartbeat, so sweet when your lips touch mine. We don’t have to go home right now, we’re never gonna stop cause we’re dreaming out loud. We know what we want, we know we’re gonna get it somehow. Never say goodbye.”
We sure wouldn’t mind if Calum wanted to kiss us, kiss us! (Starts at 1:27)
13. All About You (cover)
This one is a cover of McFly’s song “All About You” completely done by Calum. What are you waiting for? Grab your tissues and hit play!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz04kTE_hhU
12. Don’t Stop
“You come in close now, swear I can taste it, you’ve got me tongue tied I can’t escape it. I’m loving what you got but then you push me off, Ooooh oh-oh-oh. And everybody wants to take you home tonight, but I’m gonna find a way to make you mine”
Every time this track is played, we can’t help but to get up out of our seats and dance when Calum’s solo comes on! You can skip ahead to 1:27 (or watch all of it) to get the same feeling.
11. Broken Home
“Hey mum, hey dad when did this end? When did you lose your happiness? I’m here alone inside of this broken home. Who’s right, who’s wrong, who really cares? The fault, the blame, the pain’s still there. I’m here alone inside of this broken home, this broken home.
Wrote it down on the walls, she was screaming it out. Made it clear, she’s still here, are you listening now? Just a ghost in the halls, feeling empty, they’re vacant now. All the battles, all the wars, all the times that you’ve fought, she’s the scar, she’s the bruises, she’s the pain that you brought. There was life, there was love, like a light and it’s fading out”
This song is an emotional one, Calum leads a strong role putting every ounce of expression that is needed to help get the feeling of the song across. (If you’re ready to cry, you can go ahead and start at 0:34)
10. Catch Fire
“The words you speak, surrounding me, this is broken love in the first degree. The air you breath is haunting me, maybe I’ll change your mind”
Who knew that the most beautiful bridge in the world, you hear, not see? Skip ahead to 2:25 to hear it now!
9. Drunk (cover)
Another 100% Calum cover! This time, it’s “Drunk” by Ed Sheeran. With the song being a bit more fast paced, it’s great to see more of Calum’s vocal abilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8YMMea9Iag
8. She’s Kinda Hot
“My shrink is telling me I’ve got crazy dreams. She’s also saying I’ve got low self-esteem. She’s kinda hot though. Yeah, she’s kinda hot though. (Just a itty bitty little bit hot.) She put me on meds, she won’t get out of my head, she’s kinda hot though. 1 2 3 4″
“She’s Kinda Hot” was the lead single for 5 Second of Summer’s second album and gave a great message. This song gave fans a look into Calum’s maturing voice in his solo that begins at 0:52.
7. English Love Affair
“When the lights go out, she’s all I ever think about, the picture burning in my brain, kissing in the rain, I can’t forget my English love affair. Today, I’m seven thousand miles away. The movie playing in my head, of her king size bed means I can’t forget my English love affair. My English love affair”
This steamy song gives us a new trek into Calum’s voice. If you’re a Calum girl, when listening to this song at 0:39, you may need to take a moment and sit down.
6. Everything I Didn’t Say
Calum’s bass solo in “Everything I Didn’t Say” is phenomenal. It shows that he has multiple talents and gives fans a tune to remember!
5. Disconnected
“I like the summer rain, I like the sounds you make. We put the world away, we get so disconnected. You are my getaway, you are my favorite place. We put the world away, yeah we’re so disconnected”
This chorus is displayed so amazingly, it hits us in the feels every time. Calum presents the song very well and makes it complete. (Skip ahead to 0:49 for Calum’s solo)
4. Beside You
“Within a minute I was all packed up. I’ve got a ticket to another world, I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go. The silent words are hard to speak, when your thoughts are all I see, ‘Don’t ever leave,’ she said to me.”
“Beside You” is a more mellow song by 5 Seconds of Summer. Calum’s voice is soft and goes perfect with the tune, it sets the tone and mood for what to expect.
3. The A-Team (cover)
Another Ed Sheeran cover, this time, “The A-Team” along with band mate Luke Hemmings. Overall, it’s just a great song and a great cover to listen to.
2. Heartbreak Girl
“I bite my tongue, but I want to scream out, you could be with me now, but I end up telling you what you want to hear. But you’re not ready, and it’s so frustrating, he treats you so bad and I’m so good to you, it’s not fair.”
Calum has a few other solos in this older song, but this one has to be our favorite. You can listen to the entire song now, or skip ahead to 1:04 to hear this solo.
1. Invisible
“Wasted days, dreaming of the times I know I can’t get back, it seems I just lost track. Looking on as all of life’s colours seem to fade to grey, I just walked away
I was already missing before the night I left, just me and your shadow and all of my regrets. Who am I? Who am I when I don’t know myself? Who am I? Who am I? Invisible”
Once again, Calum has multiple solos on this track yet we narrowed it down to just one that makes our heart melt a bit more than the others. His voice really carries through the song and pours out the emotion in the lyrics.
The song itself really shows vulnerability and Calum takes down his walls while singing this song. That is such an important aspect as it’s showing people that it is okay to be vulnerable, this is why it has earned our top spot in our favorite Calum solos.
Let us know what your favorite Calum solo is and if it made our list by commenting below or tweeting us @CelebMix! Make sure to check back into CelebMix each day leading up to Calum’s birthday on January 25th for a new listicle.