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#50. It's Gonna Be Meby *N Sync (2000)
Shutup. It's a great pop song! Ok, I admit 99% of why I love this song is nostalgia based. My affection for it probably stems from the short span me and a couple buddies spent "touring" our choreographed lip-sync performance of it at NHS assemblies...and various elementary schools around Davis County (remind me to put that on Youtube..). But it is an enormously catchy pop gem. Admit it. You kinda love it.
#49. Harder, Better, Faster, Strongerby Daft Punk (2001)
I didn't fully hear this song until years after its initial release, probably around the same time Kanye West aped it for his own song. Kanye's was awesome...when he let Daft Punk do the talking. Mere child's play compared to the goosebump inducing "voice-guitar" solo that bust through on this dance masterpiece.
#48. Love Addictby Mika Nakashima (2003)
>Hummuna-hummuna-hummuna!<
I didn't even know who Mika Nakashima was when I heard this bit of audio sexiness, but she sure sounded like a babe. And she is. If ya ask me, this throwback jazz tune sounds exactly how she looks. Which is definitely a good thing. That's why seven minutes and fifteen seconds isn't so long after all.
#47. Into the West
#46. Sakura Drops
#45. 遠雷- (Enrai)
by Annie Lennox (2003)
First of all, Howard Shore's beyond brilliant score for the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the best scores (THE best?) ever. And when this original song backed the final credits with a sigh of bittersweet melancholy, I was completely mesmerized. The perfect end to an epic.
#46. Sakura Dropsby Hikaru Utada (2002)
I can almost guarantee that anyone who was in Japan around 2001-02 has heard this song before. There's no escaping a monster pop hit, especially when its brilliant. The fact that this gal writes, arranges, and produces her own stuff only adds to the flava'. (Take that, Britney.)
#45. 遠雷- (Enrai)by Do As Infinity (2001)
Language barrier or not, it is painfully obvious from the beginning how sad this song is (check out the lyrics). I can still remember feeling the heartbreak in singer Tomiko Van's voice when I first heard it. Definitely one of the saddest songs I've ever heard.
#44. Agaetis Byrunby Sigur Ros (2000)
Another mind-bogglingly beautiful piece of work from the elves of Iceland. The lyrics translation are as casually relaxed and wispy as the tune itself. Some of the best moments of this track are the sprite-like backing vocals that float around Jonsi's own magical whisperings.
#43. My Kind of Sceneby Powderfinger (2001)
This one has narrated my life more than a couple of times the last decade. "Footprints on the other side/remind me where I've been, oh yeah/I'll watch from the other side." The kind of tune that helps ya dust off the shoulders and keep things in perspective.
#42. Like Spinning Platesby Radiohead (2001)
This scared the hell out of me the first time I heard it, in all the right ways. Rarely has a song been so pleasantly unsettling. I still have a hard time deciding if I like the live version (completely different, but every bit as brilliant) or this one better. I decided to go with the original gangster for the list.
#41. My Favourite Thingby Silverchair (2002)
The first track off of Diorama to grace my ears was through a video sent to me by the fam while on the mission. Twas this sad little nugget of a "love" song. Its the closest to previous album Neon Ballroom that they get, so it was the perfect bridge to one of my favourite (notice spelling) albums ever.
#40. Cocoon (EXPLICIT CONTENT)by Bjork (2001)
While Radiohead was frightening me into submission, Bjork was seducing me with the same results. It was the minimalist blippity-blip of the beat that first drew me in and it was the shocking poetic intimacy of the lyrics that kept me there. Apparently the words came straight from a diary page, and you can tell.
#39. Lion Thiefby Beta Band (2004)
Aside from the awesome groove, it was the disguised hilariousness of the lyrics that really caught me on this one. The opening line is one of my favorites ever. Besides, it breaks down into a Stevie Nicks-by-way-of-Destiny's Child-"Bootylicious" beat in the middle. How can that possibly go wrong?? It can't.
#38. You Only Live Once by The Strokes (2006)
Another good-times bounce from The Strokes. They make quite a bit of those, don't they? This is for sure one of their best. And, "the best" of The Strokes is quite a bit better than most. (Rhyme?Sorta...) Its just infectiously groovy... not sure what else to say about it!
#37. Low by Silverchair (2007)
On Young Modern, the Chair boys attempt quite a variety of styles and genres without missing a step. This is their 70's summer song. Reflective lyrics, epic harmonies, and a nice honky tonk breakdown make this "Low" point one of Young Modern's highest. Meh heh heh... puns...
#36. Your Songby Love Psychedelico (2001)
This is such an easy breezy groove-tastic tune. My first thought upon hearing this: There are so many American/European bands that have tried to nail this typically western sound the past decade, and it amuses my soul to see a Japanese group putting them all to shame with a song like this. And it sounds effortless.
#35. I Will (No Man's Land)by Radiohead (2003)
Not even two minutes in length, nothing but subtle guitar and layered Thom harmonies. Breaking it down, this seems like it should just be an interlude of filler material between songs. But its the haunting lyrics, the brilliant aforementioned harmonies and a saturation of pure tension that make this my favorite song under two minutes ever, and ironically, the best song on the album it came from.
(Trivia: the 'Head song at #42 was born from playing an early demo of "I Will" backwards!)
#34. Island in the Sunby Weezer (2001)
This is stapled to the great summer I had before leaving on a mission. Just out of high school, hangin' with friends, summer love interests, family vacations, and not a care in the world. At the same time, there was an undertone of knowing it wouldn't last while wondering what was ahead (in the song, as well as the time I've associated it with). Growing up was made just a little easier with songs like this.
#33. The Scientistby Coldplay (2002)
The video nearly made me cry when I first saw it. The fact that the song itself isn't exactly "cheery" doesn't help either. One of the few songs I've actually taught myself to play on the piano (not like its incredibly hard.)
#32. Since U Been Goneby Kelly Clarkson (2004)
We've all heard it. But can you recall where exactly you were the FIRST time you heard it? I remember sitting in the passenger seat of my buddy Ben's car at a gas station when this came on the radio. I can honestly say I was blown away. I had to know who it was, because I wanted to crown them the new queen of pop. I was embarrassed to admit my adoration, until I noticed everyone else loved it too.
#31. Weird Fishes/Arpeggiby Radiohead (2007)
It was a slow burner, but it eventually claimed its place as my favorite song off of In Rainbows (the 3rd or 4th song to do this...). I love the intense build-up and the backing "heeey-aaaaah"s at the climax. I think it was seeing it live on Jools Holland that officially bumped it up. Goosebumps every time.
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