The 25 Best Phish Songs, from Divided Sky to Backwards Down the Number Line

What is Phish's most famous song?

"You Enjoy Myself", a sprawling composition from their 1989 debut Junta, is often called the essential Phish song, and fans also put "Tweezer", "Harry Hood", "Divided Sky" and "Down with Disease" at the top of their lists. On the radio, "Heavy Things", "Free" and "Bouncing Around the Room" are their best-known songs.

Phish's greatest songs

1. "You Enjoy Myself", 1989: a long, intricate composition that is the heart of many shows.
2. "Tweezer", 1992: a funky riff that launches some of their longest jams.
3. "Harry Hood": a slow-building jam that ends in a euphoric peak, a fan favorite for decades.
4. "Divided Sky", 1989: a soaring instrumental piece with a famous pause.
5. "Down with Disease", 1994: a driving rocker from Hoist and a jam launchpad.
6. "Fluffhead", 1989: a multi-part epic from Junta.
7. "Reba", 1990: a complex composition that dissolves into a beautiful jam.
8. "Bouncing Around the Room", 1990: a short, catchy round from Lawn Boy.
9. "Free", 1996: a heavy, catchy single from Billy Breathes.
10. "Heavy Things", 2000: one of their biggest radio songs, from Farmhouse.

Classic Phish songs of the 90s

11. "Chalk Dust Torture", 1992: a hard-rocking concert staple.
12. "Stash", 1992: a dark, tense composition built for improvisation.
13. "Run Like an Antelope", 1990: a frantic, joyful set closer.
14. "Bathtub Gin", 1990: a playful song that grows into a long jam.
15. "The Squirming Coil", 1990: ends with Page McConnell's solo piano.
16. "Sample in a Jar", 1994: a straightforward rock song from Hoist.
17. "Character Zero", 1996: a big, rocking show closer.
18. "Waste", 1996: a gentle love song from Billy Breathes.
19. "Prince Caspian", 1996: a sweeping, anthemic song.
20. "Wilson": a song from Trey Anastasio's Gamehendge saga and a crowd chant-along.

Later Phish songs

21. "Birds of a Feather", 1998: an energetic song from The Story of the Ghost.
22. "Ghost", 1998: a funky jam vehicle.
23. "Sand", 2000: a hypnotic groove from Farmhouse.
24. "Backwards Down the Number Line", 2009: a song about friendship from the reunion album Joy.
25. "Sigma Oasis", 2020: the title track of their pandemic-era album.

Who are Phish?

Phish formed at the University of Vermont in Burlington in 1983, and the classic lineup of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman and keyboardist Page McConnell was in place by 1985. They built a following through constant touring, mixing rock with funk, jazz, bluegrass, reggae and classical influences, and never playing the same show twice. They signed with Elektra Records in 1991 and became one of the biggest touring bands in America.

The Phish live experience

Phish are above all a live band. Every show has a different setlist, songs stretch into long improvised jams, and fans travel from city to city to hear them. Their summer festivals drew enormous crowds, including about 70,000 people at the Clifford Ball in 1996 and about 75,000 at Big Cypress for New Year's Eve 1999. In 2017 they played 13 straight nights at Madison Square Garden without repeating a song, a run known as the Baker's Dozen, and in 2024 they played four shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Halloween costumes and other traditions

On Halloween, Phish famously wear a musical costume, playing an entire album by another artist, starting with the Beatles' White Album in 1994. Fans have always been encouraged to record and trade shows, and the band releases many of its concerts officially. In 1997 Ben and Jerry's, also from Vermont, created Phish Food ice cream, one of the few products ever officially named for the band.

Gamehendge and the early epics

As a student, Trey Anastasio wrote a song cycle called The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday, set in a fantasy land called Gamehendge, and songs from it, including "Wilson", "Colonel Forbin's Ascent", "The Lizards" and "Harpua", became part of Phish lore. Fans still cheer when a Gamehendge song appears, and on rare nights the band has played the whole story. Alongside these, long composed pieces like "You Enjoy Myself", "Divided Sky", "Fluffhead" and "Reba" showed a band as interested in tricky, written-out arrangements as in free improvisation.

Hiatus and reunion

Phish took a break in 2000, returned in 2002 and then broke up in 2004 after a farewell festival at Coventry, Vermont. They reunited in March 2009 with three shows in Hampton, Virginia, released the album Joy that year and have toured steadily since, with members also playing in side projects such as the Trey Anastasio Band.

Phish albums to start with

• Junta (1989): the early epics.
• A Picture of Nectar (1992): with "Tweezer", "Stash" and "Chalk Dust Torture".
• Billy Breathes (1996): their most song-focused studio album.
• A Live One (1995): the best introduction to their live sound.
• Joy (2009): the reunion album.

Phish songs for a wedding or a road trip

"Waste", "Bouncing Around the Room" and "Backwards Down the Number Line" are sweet choices for a Phish fan's wedding, and "Harry Hood" makes a joyful ending to a reception. For a drive, play "Free", "Heavy Things", "Sample in a Jar" and "Down with Disease", and put on a long live "Tweezer" for the open highway. For more, see our road trip songs.

More jam bands

If you love Phish, explore our Grateful Dead songs and Dave Matthews Band songs.

A song about the friends you tour with

Phish songs are about friendship, adventure and the joy of the moment. A personalized song can celebrate someone you love the same way: their name, your shared adventures and the shows you never forgot, with a rock, folk or jam-flavored sound. It makes a great birthday or anniversary gift for a devoted fan.

How to create a personalized song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: rock, folk, jazz and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories or details about them.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $35.99, or $40.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give them a song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.