Top 100 Favorite Songs of the 2000's (Part X)

Hey everybody,

Here it is, the next installment of the countdown. Today will cover numbers 30 through 21, after which we'll take a figurative day off and then switch to a slightly different format for the final 20 songs. (This is all detailed in yesterday's post.) I should tell you that, as we get closer and closer to the top, some of my preferred artists and bands may start to emerge; that's only natural with a list of this style. I say this because, in today's list of ten, two bands have two listed songs each. Who are they, and what are the songs? Read on...


SONGS 30 THROUGH 21


30. Dave Matthews Band, "Grey Street" [single version, 2002]

And though it's red blood bleeding from her now/It feels like cold blue ice in her heart/When all the colors mix together to grey

Shorter than the polished version on Busted Stuff, and livelier than the rough version from The Lillywhite Sessions, the "Grey Street" single was all over the radio in the second half of 2002 (you know, back when people still listened to the radio).


29. Incubus, "Dig" [2006]

So when weakness turns my ego up/I know you'll count on the me from yesterday

It took a long time for this song to grow on me, but it's now far surpassed every other Incubus single ("Drive" and "Wish You Were Here," of course, being the other main contenders) as my favorite song by the group. The great lyrics, never obvious and definitely thought-provoking, turned the tables for me.


28. Jimmy Eat World, "The Authority Song" [2001]

Honesty or mystery?/Tell me, I'm not scared anymore/I got no secret purpose/I don't seem obvious, do I?

One of the many standouts on Bleed American, an extremely influential and powerful album, "The Authority Song" benefits from backup vocalist Rachel Haden's echoed harmonies, as well as the inherent name-dropping involved with naming one song after another song (John Cougar Mellencamp's 1983 hit "Authority Song").


27. Keane, "Is It Any Wonder?" [2006]

Is it any wonder I'm tired?/Is it any wonder that I feel uptight?/Is it any wonder I don't know what's right?

I'm a songwriter, so I instantly notice unique elements that stick out in new songs. So, a warning, the electronically-processed keyboards that announce the first ten seconds of "Is It Any Wonder?" may startle you. After that, Keane settles into a U2-esque groove, mixed with old Tears for Fears chord changes. The song centers around the dual topics of the band's success after Hopes and Fears, and their views on President Bush's failures.


26. Howie Day, "She Says" [acoustic version, 2002]

And when she says she wants somebody else/I hope you know she doesn't mean you

For anybody who heard too much of Howie Day's biggest hit, "Collide," or wasn't quite on board with the heavily-produced version of "She Says" on Stop All The World Now, check out his original recording of the latter song on his debut album Australia. "She Says" actually dates back to the year 2000, when Day first performed it live and it was included on the independent release of Australia.


25. The Goo Goo Dolls, "Here Is Gone" [2002]

I thought I lost you somewhere/But you were never really ever there at all

Some people discredit Gutterflower because the singles weren't quite up to par with those from GGD's previous release, 1998's Dizzy Up The Girl. But in my opinion, "Here Is Gone" is every bit as good as "Slide," and if we're going to get into Gutterflower's merits anyway, "Big Machine" could have easily made this list too.


24. Dave Matthews Band, "The Space Between" [2001]

These fickle, fuddled words confuse me/Like "Will it rain today?"

This line baffled me for about three years before I finally gave up trying to understand what Dave meant. Harsher than "Crash Into Me" yet in a way even more delicate than "Satellite," it's the band's best ballad, and probably their biggest qualifiable hit.


23. The Swell Season, "When Your Mind's Made Up" [2006]

So, if you ever want something/And you call, call/Then I'll come running

The Frames' Glen Hansard and his ex-girlfriend Marketa Irglova comprise The Swell Season, a side project which resulted in the acclaimed 2007 movie Once, which is where I first heard "When Your Mind's Made Up." The scene in which Guy (Hansard) and Girl (Irglova) record this song, in full, is one of the most moving cinematic sequences in a long time.


22. Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know" [2004]

Oh simple thing, where have you gone?/I'm getting old and I need someone to rely on

Just like John Lennon begat Oasis, and Oasis begat Coldplay, Coldplay's early-decade success spawned a large number of imitators, the foremost of which is Keane. A piano-led trio, the band struck gold with this, the leadoff track of their debut album Hopes and Fears. Soaring vocals by Tom Chaplin and a driving piano riff by composer Tim Rice-Oxley are the endearing characteristics of one of 2004's signature songs.


21. Ben Lee, "Catch My Disease" [2005]

They don't play me on the radio/But that's the way I like it

The Australian Ben (stay tuned for later on in this list) provides, appropriately, one of the most infectious songs in recent decades using simple instrumentation: a glockenspiel, an acoustic guitar, handclaps, and a barroom chorus. The innocence of the lyrics culminates in the final verse, where Lee name-drops Good Charlotte, Sleepy Jackson and Beyonce before exuberantly proclaiming the final line as seen above.


Alrighty folks, that's it. Gotta run, and I'll get back to the posts tomorrow! Gonna be throwing some statistics your way about some of the artists and years represented on the list.

-- pl