End of Decade Blowout pt 2: Top 60 Singles, 45-31
Numbers 60-46 on this list are in my previous post. Let's continue.
45. Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #2)
Youtube: "Danger! High Voltage"
Commentary: This song has been linked together to "House of Jealous Lovers" and is usually considered inferior, but due to overall bonkers-ness I definitely prefer it. It's got a really nice guitar line and a nice shouty chorus. Overall, it's unlike anything else from this decade, but still oddly appealing.
44. Martina McBride - "This One's For the Girls"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: #39 (Country #3)
Youtube: "This One's for the Girls"
Commentary: No doubt I will receive crap for charting this in my top 50 singles of the decade, being a single male and all, but I will fully support it. The lyrics are nicely uplifting, the rhythm is driving, Martina McBride is one of the greatest all-time singers, and it's got a perfect sunny summery melody. This is the one song from the decade that it makes me happiest to listen to, I don't care if it's intended for girls or not. (For the record, it definitely is.)
43. Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "I'm Real"
Commentary: I guess I'm not doing myself any favors here by charting J.Lo. right after Martina McBride, but this is another one I'll defend tooth and nail. It's got one of the absolutely best beats of the decade and I do like her as a singer even if she's not technically the best. I'm not a Ja Rule fan but his lazy flow is perfect for this song along with the lazy beat. Just an outstanding flowing tempo overall.
42. Ashlee Simpson - "Little Miss Obsessive"
Year: 2008
Chart Peak: #96
Youtube: "Little Miss Obsessive"
Commentary: Whereas "La La" is silly fun, this one is more typical of Ashlee's best output this decade. Great breakup lyrics with some amazing lines combined with really smart melodies and musical accompaniment. Basically, Ashlee's songs take very basic rock structures and songs and make them into something amazing. That's what she's been great at and this is her best work at it to date.
41. Girls Aloud - "Love Machine"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: n/a (#2 UK)
Youtube: "Love Machine"
Commentary: OK, it's hard to argue that this is some kind of deep, meaningful musical accomplishment, but it could well be the catchiest melody of the entire decade. Sure, the lyrics are silly, but there are some genuinely great lines in here ("gift wrapped kitty cats"!, lyrical reference to "Two Tribes"!). It's pure shallow fun, which as you can tell tends to place quite well on my lists.
40. System of a Down - "Chop Suey!"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #76 (#7 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Chop Suey!"
Commentary: This song is so ridiculous it's almost like a parody of an over the top rock song. What with its nonsensical but meaningful sounding lyrics ("when angels deserve to die" wtf) and the crazy "You wanted to!" chant. But, it's one of the most original rock songs of the decade and I'll be damned if it hasn't been stuck in my head for 8 years running now. No matter how ridiculous a song is, that's certainly worth something. The thought that they actually take this stuff seriously is kind of funny to me though.
39. Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland - "Dilemma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Dilemma"
Commentary: Surely we can get some agreement here that this is one of the catchiest pop rap songs of the decade. Clearly, it's the "awww"'s that push it over the top. The beat surely isn't anything too great, but the melody and the catchy flow make this one of the most deserving smash hits of the decade.
38. Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "If I Ever Feel Better"
Commentary: Hey look, it's not all crappy mainstream pop! This is another song from my indie days that I still love today. Actually, I'm pretty sure this song easily could have been a huge hit in the USA. Now obviously it didn't work out that way, but this has just the right driving tempo and smooth rhythm. It manages to be hooky despite a very simple structure and melody and it just consistently drives.
37. Cam'ron - "Hey Ma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #3
Youtube: "Hey Ma"
Commentary: This is probably the silliest song on my entire list, which is surely saying something, but it is (intentionally!) very funny and filled with amazing hooks.
36. Mint Royale ft. Pos - "Show Me"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Show Me"
Commentary: Mint Royale is a weird band. We had their album On the Ropes at our radio station and I think I was the only person who played it. Thing is, it was two amazing songs (this, and "Don't Falter"), then a bunch of really generic and terrible big beat songs. I'm not sure how a band of such little apparent talent managed to shoot out two such amazing songs, but there they are. This one has always been my favorite, it has what probably gets my vote for the best sample of the decade and Pos is always a great rapper.
35. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Want to Have Your Babies"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #7)
Youtube: "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
Commentary: I've written about this song before: "This is completely bonkers in both the music and the lyrics, and I admire its sheer dedication to bonkers-ness. Tash's performance really sells here that she's holding in, about to explode, ready to burst. The whole song is just bursting just below the seams with warmth and energy and love. It makes this the most true to new crush/first love song I've heard in a long, long time." It also has a great music video.
34. Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #2
Youtube: "Survivor"
Commentary: Destiny's Child has released a lot of classic singles over their lifetime, but this is I think the best. Nice empowering lyrics and a big pounding chorus make this a joy to listen to. This one has gotten a bit old from overplaying over the years, but I still really love it.
33. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Irreplaceable"
Commentary: Hey, speaking of Beyonce songs that have become old a bit from overplaying, but which I still love...I've always loved R&B ballads and I think this features possibly the best midtempo ballad melody of the decade. And on top of that, great lyrics and singing too! Right up there with any of the great R&B ballads from history.
32. Charlotte Church - "Moodswings (to Come at Me Like That)"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Moodswings"
Commentary: Funny thing is, I only ranked this song #21 on my list of top singles of 2006 but it has really proven to be a grower. I dedicated an entire post to this song. It is here. (the post contains a comment from one of the song's writers!)
31. Spoon - "The Underdog"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (#26 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "The Underdog"
Commentary: This song was released after I had basically given up on indie rock as a genre, but it managed to pull me back in! I still think this song is really underrated and consider it to be one of the very peaks of indie rock as a genre.
45. Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #2)
Youtube: "Danger! High Voltage"
Commentary: This song has been linked together to "House of Jealous Lovers" and is usually considered inferior, but due to overall bonkers-ness I definitely prefer it. It's got a really nice guitar line and a nice shouty chorus. Overall, it's unlike anything else from this decade, but still oddly appealing.
44. Martina McBride - "This One's For the Girls"
Year: 2003
Chart Peak: #39 (Country #3)
Youtube: "This One's for the Girls"
Commentary: No doubt I will receive crap for charting this in my top 50 singles of the decade, being a single male and all, but I will fully support it. The lyrics are nicely uplifting, the rhythm is driving, Martina McBride is one of the greatest all-time singers, and it's got a perfect sunny summery melody. This is the one song from the decade that it makes me happiest to listen to, I don't care if it's intended for girls or not. (For the record, it definitely is.)
43. Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule - "I'm Real (Murder Remix)"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "I'm Real"
Commentary: I guess I'm not doing myself any favors here by charting J.Lo. right after Martina McBride, but this is another one I'll defend tooth and nail. It's got one of the absolutely best beats of the decade and I do like her as a singer even if she's not technically the best. I'm not a Ja Rule fan but his lazy flow is perfect for this song along with the lazy beat. Just an outstanding flowing tempo overall.
42. Ashlee Simpson - "Little Miss Obsessive"
Year: 2008
Chart Peak: #96
Youtube: "Little Miss Obsessive"
Commentary: Whereas "La La" is silly fun, this one is more typical of Ashlee's best output this decade. Great breakup lyrics with some amazing lines combined with really smart melodies and musical accompaniment. Basically, Ashlee's songs take very basic rock structures and songs and make them into something amazing. That's what she's been great at and this is her best work at it to date.
41. Girls Aloud - "Love Machine"
Year: 2004
Chart Peak: n/a (#2 UK)
Youtube: "Love Machine"
Commentary: OK, it's hard to argue that this is some kind of deep, meaningful musical accomplishment, but it could well be the catchiest melody of the entire decade. Sure, the lyrics are silly, but there are some genuinely great lines in here ("gift wrapped kitty cats"!, lyrical reference to "Two Tribes"!). It's pure shallow fun, which as you can tell tends to place quite well on my lists.
40. System of a Down - "Chop Suey!"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #76 (#7 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "Chop Suey!"
Commentary: This song is so ridiculous it's almost like a parody of an over the top rock song. What with its nonsensical but meaningful sounding lyrics ("when angels deserve to die" wtf) and the crazy "You wanted to!" chant. But, it's one of the most original rock songs of the decade and I'll be damned if it hasn't been stuck in my head for 8 years running now. No matter how ridiculous a song is, that's certainly worth something. The thought that they actually take this stuff seriously is kind of funny to me though.
39. Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland - "Dilemma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Dilemma"
Commentary: Surely we can get some agreement here that this is one of the catchiest pop rap songs of the decade. Clearly, it's the "awww"'s that push it over the top. The beat surely isn't anything too great, but the melody and the catchy flow make this one of the most deserving smash hits of the decade.
38. Phoenix - "If I Ever Feel Better"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "If I Ever Feel Better"
Commentary: Hey look, it's not all crappy mainstream pop! This is another song from my indie days that I still love today. Actually, I'm pretty sure this song easily could have been a huge hit in the USA. Now obviously it didn't work out that way, but this has just the right driving tempo and smooth rhythm. It manages to be hooky despite a very simple structure and melody and it just consistently drives.
37. Cam'ron - "Hey Ma"
Year: 2002
Chart Peak: #3
Youtube: "Hey Ma"
Commentary: This is probably the silliest song on my entire list, which is surely saying something, but it is (intentionally!) very funny and filled with amazing hooks.
36. Mint Royale ft. Pos - "Show Me"
Year: 2000
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Show Me"
Commentary: Mint Royale is a weird band. We had their album On the Ropes at our radio station and I think I was the only person who played it. Thing is, it was two amazing songs (this, and "Don't Falter"), then a bunch of really generic and terrible big beat songs. I'm not sure how a band of such little apparent talent managed to shoot out two such amazing songs, but there they are. This one has always been my favorite, it has what probably gets my vote for the best sample of the decade and Pos is always a great rapper.
35. Natasha Bedingfield - "I Want to Have Your Babies"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (UK #7)
Youtube: "I Wanna Have Your Babies"
Commentary: I've written about this song before: "This is completely bonkers in both the music and the lyrics, and I admire its sheer dedication to bonkers-ness. Tash's performance really sells here that she's holding in, about to explode, ready to burst. The whole song is just bursting just below the seams with warmth and energy and love. It makes this the most true to new crush/first love song I've heard in a long, long time." It also has a great music video.
34. Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
Year: 2001
Chart Peak: #2
Youtube: "Survivor"
Commentary: Destiny's Child has released a lot of classic singles over their lifetime, but this is I think the best. Nice empowering lyrics and a big pounding chorus make this a joy to listen to. This one has gotten a bit old from overplaying over the years, but I still really love it.
33. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: #1
Youtube: "Irreplaceable"
Commentary: Hey, speaking of Beyonce songs that have become old a bit from overplaying, but which I still love...I've always loved R&B ballads and I think this features possibly the best midtempo ballad melody of the decade. And on top of that, great lyrics and singing too! Right up there with any of the great R&B ballads from history.
32. Charlotte Church - "Moodswings (to Come at Me Like That)"
Year: 2006
Chart Peak: n/a
Youtube: "Moodswings"
Commentary: Funny thing is, I only ranked this song #21 on my list of top singles of 2006 but it has really proven to be a grower. I dedicated an entire post to this song. It is here. (the post contains a comment from one of the song's writers!)
31. Spoon - "The Underdog"
Year: 2007
Chart Peak: n/a (#26 Modern Rock)
Youtube: "The Underdog"
Commentary: This song was released after I had basically given up on indie rock as a genre, but it managed to pull me back in! I still think this song is really underrated and consider it to be one of the very peaks of indie rock as a genre.
Labels: List
posted by Greg at 6:48 PM
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