Neil McCormick, The Telegraph - 100 Songs That Defined the Noughties (2009)

[StevieFan13]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/musi ... hties.html
Our buddy Neil came out with this list back in 2009. It definitely seems like he's speaking positively of all the songs. Keep your eyes peeled for a certain internet meme from long before the '00s (and other songs that were not, in fact, from the '00s. Cheater!).

100) Dido - Thank You
99) Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
98) Jack Johnson - Good People
97) Alicia Keys - Fallin'
96) 50 Cent - In Da Club
95) Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill
94) R Kelly - Ignition (Remix)
93) Black Eyed Peas - Where is the Love?
92) Usher feat. Lil Jon and Ludacris - Yeah!
91) Ciara - Goodies
90) Akon - Lonely
89) The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
88) Jamie T - Sheila
87) La Roux - In for the Kill
86) Razorlight - Golden Touch
85) Gary Jules - Mad World
84) Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
83) So Solid Crew - 21 Seconds
82) Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For?
81) Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
80) Amadou and Mariam - Sabali
79) The Avalanches - Since I Left You
78) The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control
77) The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now
76) Sean Paul - Get Busy
75) Bon Iver - Skinny Love
74) Soulja Boy - Crank Dat
73) Mary J. Blige - No More Drama
72) Amerie - 1 Thing
71) Panjabi MC - Mundian to Bach Ke
70) Sugababes - Push the Button
69) Antony and the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone
68) Lady Gaga - Just Dance
67) Hot Chip - Over and Over
66) Radiohead - Reckoner
65) Green Day - American Idiot
64) DJ Pied and the Masters of Ceremonies - Do You Really Like It?
63) t.A.T.u. - All the Things She Said
62) Tony Christie - Is This the Way to Amarillo
61) Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
60) Moby - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad
59) Madonna - Music
58) The Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha
57) Daft Punk - One More Time
56) Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle
55) MGMT - Kids
54) All Saints - Pure Shores
53) Eric Prydz - Call on Me
52) Mika - Grace Kelly
51) The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
50) Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
49) Robbie Williams - Rock DJ
48) Dizzee Rascal feat. Calvin Harris - Dance wiv Me
47) Jay Z feat. UGK - Big Pimpin'
46) Will Young - Leave Right Now
45) Ms. Dynamite - Dy-na-mi-tee
44) Gorillaz - DARE
43) Klaxons - Golden Skans
42) Aaliyah - Try Again
41) Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
40) Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River
39) Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
38) Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean - Hips Don't Lie
37) Keane - Everybody's Changing
36) Craig David - Seven Days
35) Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks
34) David Gray - Babylon
33) Avril Lavigne - Sk8er Boi
32) Alexandra Burke - Hallelujah
31) The Strokes - The Modern Age
30) Snow Patrol - Run
29) Eminem feat. Dido - Stan
28) Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse - Valerie
27) Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot
26) Rihanna feat. Jay Z - Umbrella
25) The Killers - Mr. Brightside
24) Duffy - Mercy
23) Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
22) Nickelback - Rock Star
21) Elbow - One Day Like This
20) Lily Allen - The Fear
19) Take That - Patience
18) Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
17) Britney Spears - Toxic
16) James Blunt - You're Beautiful
15) Girls Aloud - Sounds of the Underground
14) U2 - Beautiful Day
13) Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
12) Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger
11) The Streets - Dry Your Eyes
10) OutKast - Hey Ya!
9) Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out of My Head
8) The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
7) Johnny Cash - Hurt
6) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
5) M.I.A. - Paper Planes
4) Coldplay - Yellow
3) Beyoncé feat. Jay Z - Crazy in Love
2) Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
1) Amy Winehouse - Rehab

Side note: if Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" didn't exist, I don't think I could find a song that rendered me as completely infuriated as "That's Not My Name."

[andyd1010]

Side note: if Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" didn't exist, I don't think I could find a song that rendered me as completely infuriated as "That's Not My Name."

I can see how the first couple minutes and the chorus could be infuriating, but the melody behind "Are You Calling Me Darling..." is beautiful, and the way it builds into the climax of the song is very well done.

I love songs that pull that off...clearly I like the effect of a nice motif building to an epic climax more than the average person. It reminds me of Nothing But Heart by Low, which is popular around here. But otherwise it reminds me of Tool, A Perfect Circle, Thrice, and Avenged Sevenfold, which don't get much love.

[StevieFan13]

Side note: if Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" didn't exist, I don't think I could find a song that rendered me as completely infuriated as "That's Not My Name."

I can see how the first couple minutes and the chorus could be infuriating, but the melody behind "Are You Calling Me Darling..." is beautiful, and the way it builds into the climax of the song is very well done.

I love songs that pull that off...clearly I like the effect of a nice motif building to an epic climax more than the average person. It reminds me of Nothing But Heart by Low, which is popular around here. But otherwise it reminds me of Tool, A Perfect Circle, Thrice, and Avenged Sevenfold, which don't get much love.

...I don't even hear a tiny bit of Tool in this song. It just sounds bratty to me. And the "are you calling me darling" part strikes me as all build-up and no resolution. Different strokes for different folks, but I hate it start to finish.

[andyd1010]

Well I'll admit that the payoff isn't as satisfying after the buildup compared to the Tool songs I'm thinking about, but it's still a similar approach that I appreciate. Tool does it especially well in 10,000 Days. Vicarious and Roseta Stoned build to epic climaxes, and Right in Two and Wings, Pt. 2 do to a lesser extent.

[StevieFan13]

Well I'll admit that the payoff isn't as satisfying after the buildup compared to the Tool songs I'm thinking about, but it's still a similar approach that I appreciate. Tool does it especially well in 10,000 Days. Vicarious and Roseta Stoned build to epic climaxes, and Right in Two and Wings, Pt. 2 do to a lesser extent.

Gotta listen to a little more Tool. They aren't quite my thing, but they at least seem interesting. I just hear straight pop with this song. I've actually been thinking about a project ranking the best and worst UK no. 1 songs (just seemed like fun), and I can't decide whether this (my least-favorite) or Cher Lloyd's Swagger Jagger (the objective worst) would be my #1 pick for the worst list. Some of those songs are just kinda bizarre. (#1 best - and if I were to separate them into lists, I'd restrict myself by saying they can't have hit #1 in the US as well - might be either Oasis' Don't Look Back in Anger or Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody).

[StevieFan13]

For the record, these were #1 UK singles for real:

[andyd1010]

Interesting idea. I went to collect all of the UK #1s a couple years ago but abandoned that idea when I realized how many terrible songs made it to #1.

[StevieFan13]

Interesting idea. I went to collect all of the UK #1s a couple years ago but abandoned that idea when I realized how many terrible songs made it to #1.

Yeah, but sometimes some awesome songs that never got a chance in the states hit #1. Wuthering Heights, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, a Kraftwerk double A-side...

[andyd1010]

I found those all on this site though. The ratio of hidden gems to horrendous songs did not compel me to continue.