Rock and Reel
My 100 Favorite Songs of the Decade

For a while, I was successfully resisting the urge to post my obligatory end-of-decade lists before the end of the year, but Pitchfork’s Top 500 Tracks list has given me the excuse to post at least one of my lists early.  Here are my 100 favorite songs from 2000 to 2009, limited to one song per album.

This list was interesting to put together for me because, for the most part, I listen to either 1960s songwriters or 1980s American Alternative.  However, this is the music that was released during my years in middle school, high school and college, giving the songs a more personal significance.  I have a distinct memory of hearing “Icky Thump” by the White Stripes when it first came out and thinking it was the greatest single of the decade.  Its stature in my mind has dropped considerably since, but then again, I guess #27 isn’t that bad.

Yes, there are some dinosaurs like U2, Springsteen and Dylan, but there is also some indie music, depending on your definition of “indie.”  (Wilco? Pedro the Lion?) A list like this would also be incomplete without pop treasures like “Umbrella” and “Toxic.”  Those two songs along with the best songs of Beyonce are far more interesting than the majority of Coldplay or Kings of Leon’s output.

Perhaps the most significant artist missing from the list is TV on the Radio, and that is not because I dislike their music.  There is simply no single track that happens to stand out in my mind.  I’m sure there are other obvious exclusions, but that is likely out of ignorance of most contemporary music more than anything else.  For example, I haven’t had the chance to really listen to the Roots or Animal Collective.  However, the lack of Arctic Monkeys and the Killers is completely intentional. Simply put, they aren’t very good.

And now, the list that goes to show the uncomfortable inconsistency of my taste in contemporary music.

  1. The Hold Steady- Constructive Summer
  2. Radiohead- There There
  3. OutKast- B.O.B.
  4. Arcade Fire- Rebellion (Lies)
  5. U2- Beautiful Day
  6. Jay-Z featuring Eminem- Renegade
  7. Wilco- I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
  8. Death Cab for Cutie- Title and Registration
  9. Ben Folds- Fred Jones Part 2
  10. Ryan Adams- Oh My Sweet Carolina
  11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Rich
  12. Broken Social Scene- 7/4 (Shoreline)
  13. The Hold Steady- Your Little Hoodrat Friends
  14. Kanye West featuring Jay-Z- Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)
  15. U2- City of Blinding Lights
  16. The Trash Can Sinatras- Leave Me Alone
  17. OutKast- Morris Brown
  18. The Hold Steady- You Can Make Him Like You
  19. Sufjan Stevens- Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
  20. Immortal Technique- Dance With the Devil
  21. Annie- Heartbeat
  22. Radiohead- Idioteque
  23. Paul Westerberg- Only Lie Worth Telling
  24. Bruce Springsteen- American Skin (41 Shots)
  25. Beck- Lost Cause
  26. Lil’ Wayne featuring T-Pain- Got Money
  27. The White Stripes- Icky Thump
  28. Morrissey- Something Is Squeezing My Skull
  29. Josh Ritter- The Temptation of Adam
  30. R. Kelly- Ignition (Remix)
  31. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Get Ready for Love
  32. Nas featuring 2Pac- Thugz Mansion (N.Y.)
  33. Dinosaur Jr.- We’re Not Alone
  34. Kanye West- Stronger
  35. Death Cab for Cutie- Bixby Canyon Bridge
  36. Sonic Youth- Incinerate
  37. Queens of the Stone Age- No One Knows
  38. Eminem- Lose Yourself
  39. Electric Six- Danger! High Voltage
  40. Ghostface Killah featuring Ne-Yo- Back Like That
  41. Belle and Sebastian- I’m a Cuckoo
  42. Fountains of Wayne- Mexican Wine
  43. Ryan Adams- Firecracker
  44. Lily Allen- Everything’s Just Wonderful
  45. Radiohead- Knives Out
  46. System of a Down- Prison Song
  47. Bob Dylan- Mississippi
  48. Nelly Furtado- I’m Like a Bird
  49. The Flaming Lips- Fight Test
  50. Eminem- Kill You
  51. Interpol- Obstacle 1
  52. Rihanna featuring Jay-Z- Umbrella
  53. Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros- Streetcore
  54. R.E.M.- Imitation of Life
  55. Weezer- Photograph
  56. Art Brut- Emily Kane
  57. Wilco- Impossible Germany
  58. The White Stripes- The Hardest Button to Button
  59. Jay-Z- Dirt Off Your Shoulder
  60. Franz Ferdinand- Do You Want to
  61. Morrissey- Irish Blood, English Heart
  62. Wilco- At Least That’s What You Said
  63. The White Stripes- Blue Orchid
  64. Spoon- You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
  65. Neil Young- Let’s Impeach the President
  66. Weezer- Pardon Me
  67. Tom Waits- Metropolitan Glide
  68. Neil Young & Crazy Horse- Bandit
  69. Basement Jaxx- Good Luck
  70. Bright Eyes- Bowl of Oranges
  71. Tom Waits- Coney Island Baby
  72. The Mars Volta- Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)
  73. Green Day- Jesus of Suburbia
  74. Damien Rice- The Blower’s Daughter
  75. Franz Ferdinand- Take Me Out
  76. Kanye West- Through the Wire
  77. OutKast- Hey Ya!
  78. The Strokes- Hard to Explain
  79. The Hives- Main Offender
  80. Basement Jaxx- Where’s Your Head At
  81. Bob Dylan- Things Have Changed
  82. Weezer- Keep Fishin’
  83. The Walkmen- We’ve Been Had
  84. Broken Social Scene- KC Accidental
  85. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists- Biomusicology
  86. Pedro the Lion- Options
  87. Bruce Springsteen- My City of Ruins
  88. Joseph Arthur- You’re So True
  89. The Streets- Stay Positive
  90. Johnny Cash- Hurt
  91. Beyonce- Irreplaceable
  92. Junior Senior- Move Your Feet
  93. Rufus Wainwright- One Man Guy
  94. Britney Spears- Toxic
  95. Modest Mouse- Dashboard
  96. Leona Lewis- Bleeding Love
  97. Against Me!- Thrash Unreal
  98. Jens Lekman- Night Falls Over Kortedala
  99. Justin Timberlake- My Love
  100. The Vines- Homesick
Posted 3 years ago
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