Before it was hard to determine what songs were going to be on the list. Now we are getting into the gotta have it stage. These songs have to be on this list. You can tell as you move down the list the commentary gets longer and longer. Just so I can justify my reasoning for having these songs so high on list. In the following installments we are going to do the final 40-1 in increments of 10. Hopefully this will help get things out a bit faster while giving each song it’s proper cadance.
I hope people are atleast half enjoying this. I have a blast composing and writing the list, and that’s all that matters.
60. Hips Don’t Lie - Shakira - Oral Fixation Vol. 2 (2006)
Summer Jam 2006. I was in Europe when this song was blowing up, and it was huge. Everywhere I went from Austria to Italy from Germany to the Netherlands this song was playing constantly. And no one seemed to mind, everyone was too busy dancing. I’m not sure what it was like in the US, but as much as I heard it I thought this must be some sort of world wide phenomenon. I can’t hear this song and not think of euro clubs.
59. Lose Control - Missy Elliott - The Cookbook (2005)
Probably my favorite Miss Elliott single she has ever released. It seems like her sound gets stranger with time with the help of two samples from “Clear” by Cybotron and “Body of Work” by Hot Streak. Its the an intriguing mix along with the right amount of bass make this an extremely dance-able hit. That is before Missy Elliot and Ciara manipulate their voices in and out around this ridiculous beat.
58. Since I left You - The Avalanches - Since I left You (2000)
One of the things I really admire about hip hop producers and DJs is their ability to take a song that is forgotten or ignored and turn it into something fresh. Here the Australian duo The Avalanches weave a musical collage. Through the mix they are able to manipulate the songs and alter the meanings. The sample that is front and center is “Since I Met You” from a Main Attraction’s song Everyday. Avalanches turn it on it’s head and it sounds like “Since I left you” turning a song of infatuation into a song triumph over a past lover. Since I left You samples
57. Gamma Ray - Beck - Modern Guilt (2008)
Vintage Rock. During the 2008 campaign in North Carolina I could be seen rocking out (maybe doing the twist) to this song while making calls and printing turf. The video for this song is a personal favorite. I’ve said it before that if I was any rock start it would probably be Beck minus the Scientology stuff. This song may or may not be about climate change. It may be about a girl who shoots out rays of gamma at on lookers. Either way this song is hot.
56. Auditorium - Mos Def - The Ecstatic (2009)
This song will sneak up on you. “Yo the way I feel, sometime it’s too hard to sit still/ Things are so passionate, times are so real/ Sometime it time to chill, mellow down blow a smoke/ Smile on my face but it’s really no joke” They lyrics are vulnerable but still exhibit strength in a way that is unorthodox in hip hop. ”Quiet storm, vital form, pen push the right across/ the mind is a vital force, soul is the lions roar, voice is the siren/I swing round, ring out, and bring down the tyrant” The strength exhibited could inspire kids from the US suburbs to the Middle East fighting oppression. Slick Rick comes in at the end with a great piece from the perspective of a US Solider trying to make sense of distrust among cultures in a war torn country.
55. These Old Shoes - Deer Tick - War Elephant (2008)
I have some friends who love this song to death, and would be upset seeing it at no. 55 on the countdown. Just goes to show how good this song is, and how much you might love it. That is if you have never heard of the oddly named Deer Tick. I wish I would have met Brian Williams (achor of the NBC Nightly News) after I found out he was a big fan of Deer Tick, so we could have discussed that instead pirates and his drug addiction. These Old Shoes is an absolutely wonderful song. It’s our generation’s The Letter but better. If you love this song gives these guys a look, great stuff, and they put on a hell of a live show.
54. Pyramid Song - Radiohead - Amnesiac (2001)
I’m not sure what Heaven is, or what it is like, but I imagine this song playing when/if I get there. It has a very eerie sound to it. Upon death I don’t know what to expect if anything, and thats a pretty frightening thought. This song better than any other so far gives me a feeling of what being faced with an afterlife would be like. It’s dramatic, scary, and beautiful. My favorite part of this song comes in just before the 2 minute mark when the drums finally kick in and the song becomes larger and lush with strings.
53. Elephant Gun - Beirut - Lon Gisland EP (2009)
“If I was young I’d flee this town” the conflicted opening lyrics of my no. 53 song. I think I said that lyrics once, and someone reminded me I was young. This song is rich with horns, mandolin strings, and its video is the perfect compliment. The instrumentation really takes over the song, and it has just the right amount of lyrics to keep it from meandering. Even if it the instrumentation did meander I think I would be fine with it.
52. Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz (2009)
For a brief second I seconded guessed myself on this one. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have come along way since Forever To Tell. With their latest record, It’s Blitz, they have been able to make a sharp polished album without losing what makes the Yeah Yeah Yeahs great. When this song is turned up on full blast and you hear Karen O demand “Dance! Dance! Til you’re dead!” the only correct answer is to follow suit. I also love the Michael Jackson tribute with the werewolf dancer.
51. Kids - MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007)
From its opening seconds you know immediately what this song is, and the feeling is one of two things “OMG not this song again” or “OMG this is my jam!” I think I am somewhere in the middle. I haven’t heard this song so much that I hate it, and I’m not completely in love with it. But if you went to a house party post 2007 it was hard to escape this hit. I felt like I knew this song before I knew it (if that makes any sense). For me there was a lightbulb moment where I was like “ohhh this is MGMT? I’ve heard this before… I don’t know where.” This song I think it shows me that MGMT has a lot of potential to be great. It’s the abrasiveness nature of the rest of Oracular Spectacular makes me think a lot can go wrong if this band gets too full of themselves.
50. Marry Me - St. Vincent - Marry Me (2007)
One of my favorite artists of the 2000s was St. Vincent. Fellow fan of the show Arrested Development (one more reason to love her) the title of this song and album were inspired by the impulsiveness of some of the characters to say “Marry me!” It is an absolutely delightful song. I could spend the day with this song on repeat and feel great about my day. A couple of my favorite lines in the song “I’m ask fickle a paper doll, being kicked by the wind/ when i touch down again I’ll be in someone else’s arms” and ”Let’s do what Mary and Joseph did … without the kid” The sounds are sweet but tragic.
49. Pot Kettle Black - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
This is just a great track from a great album. No 49 on the list is a great song of triumph without sound over the top. It’s just the kind of song you play driving with the top down and feel on top of the world. “I am hoping for.. revival of myself.” Listening to this song you realize every reason why people love this album. Highly rated deservedly, overrated hardly. The instrumentation on this song is wonderful in every way and is just one track from a superb album. “Every song is a comeback” The video with this song is extremely sweet. Check it. Highly recommended.
48. Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
Amazing. This is one of those songs that make me long for real country music. I guess this would be classified as Alt-Country, but I wish more Country was like this. In the same way Rap has difficulty being universal today’s country music has a tough time getting out of the Red state mentality. At least enough so that it can make a simple hit like this. There is something that comes across in Ryan’s lyrics and harmonica that make you feel that longing for someone who clearly isn’t good for you. It’s a simple song and I think everyone can relate.
One of… if not the best opening track in Hip Hop history. Overstatement? Maybe, but when I play this song for people for the first time and even people who don’t listen to rap/hip hop they are within a minute asking “Who is this???.” From the first plucks of the stand up bass I was hooked. Then comes in the synth beat… piano… strings and drum. Now you are in the groove. The lyrics are extremely soulful. If there is one song that could be in the soundtrack of my life and explain who I am as a person this would be it. Hopefully I can live up to that.
46. Glosoli - Sigur Ros - Takk… (2005)
I think I discovered Sigur Ros well after any of my friends who did. This song as always stuck out to me. I know there “()” album is much more renowned but I none of the songs ever stuck out to me like this song. Not quick speaking Icelandic but their own made up language “Hopelandic” the words/lyrics sound so delicate. Taking our marching orders from the guitars and drums the song suddenly picks up its pace, and explodes at 4:33. It will make the hair on your neck stand up, give you goose bumps, or both. Watch the video, and if you don’t feel anything you might be dead.
45. Girl - Beck - Guero (2005)
I was not the biggest fan of this when I first picked up this album. Yea, it was crazy, but it didn’t immediately click for me. Before I knew it I had this song on repeat for weeks at a time. Don’t be fooled by the sound of this song, because it’s lyrics are extremely dark. Even the nicest sounding lyrics have a dark side to them. There is a debate as to what Beck is saying. It sounds like “My sun eyed girl” sounds sweet enough, but some hear it as “My cyanide girl” which is … not as sweet. The second interpretation goes along a lot better with lyrics like “with a noose she can hang from the sun” and “I know I’m going to make her die, make her where her soul belongs.” Sorry if I ruined the song for anyone. It’s still an amazing song, just don’t go dedicating this to any loved ones.
44. Swagga Like Us - T.I. (feat Jay -Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne) - Paper Trail (2008)
I think it’s interesting that they were able to take one of the biggest strongest female hits and put four of the biggest male rappers on top of it and all they could do was rap about themselves. With that said it’s a hell of song. Took of the best lines from Paper Planes and turned it into the summer jam of 2008. One of the best producers ever and three of the great rappers of this decade in one song? They could have easily phoned it in, but instead they all tried to top on another and we all benefited.
43. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige - No More Drama (2002)
Classic Mary J Blige which may have been the summer jam 2002, 3, and 4… I feel like this song was big for a longtime. This song was also a classic beat by Dr Dre. According to the wikipedia for this song “was responsible for popularizing the terms ‘hateration’ and ‘dancery’ in the US, as well as contributing to the popularity of the word ‘crunk’” which is one of the funniest things I have ever read on a wiki. Considering the amount of turmoil in the 2000s we needed a song like this.
42. Here I Come - The Roots - Game Theory (2006)
To me this song was a warning shot to a generation. An older generation that for too long had been destroying a great nation that they get credit for building. More importantly a generation that didn’t bat an eye at destroying this planet. Politically here in the states I had grown sick and tired of the older people telling me the way things had to be. Issues aren’t black and white. I’m not concerned with just making a ton of money for myself. And yes our actions can have global consequences. Game Theory is one of the great political albums to come out of the Bush years. Listening to this song I feel like it’s hard to stay on the sidelines. Two years later this song would be my fight song in North Carolina. If that doesn’t get you to listen to this song, then check out ?uestlove’s drums on this track. One word: fierce.
41. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
This is a hard song to ignore on a list like this. This song is inescapable. I was kind of stunned looking at the year this song came out, 2003. As much as we hear it in movies, TV shows, commercials, and covers you would think this song came out last month or week for that matter. It’s that weird electro-indie-pop that is safe to play for your family or that girlfriend of yours that doesn’t quite get it. I know a lot of people love the sleepy version of this song by Iron and Wine, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to this version. This song isn’t going any where any time soon.
