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

Hey all,

Back to the grind today for five more songs on the list! This has been a really fun project and I hope you're all having a good time reading up on some nostalgia. And awaaaaay...we go:


SONGS 15 THROUGH 11


15. Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy" [2006]

Come on now, who do you/Who do you, who do you, who do you think you are?/Ha ha ha, bless your soul/You really think you're in control?

Gnarls Barkley is comprised of producer Danger Mouse (whose 2005 collaboration with MF Doom, appropriately called Danger Doom, almost yielded a spot on this list with "Old School") and singer Cee-Lo Green, whose previous project had been a 2004 solo album entitled Cee-Lo Green...Is The Soul Machine. They teamed up in 2006, derived their name from a certain former NBA star, took to naming their albums after classic TV series (St. Elsewhere, The Odd Couple), and began turning out one neo-soul gem after another. Cee-Lo's voice is perfect for this kind of thing; he's as raspy as Reverend Al Green, often with James Brown-type energy. That combination comes out in nearly all of Gnarls' best songs -- "Smiley Faces," "Who Cares?", "Run," "Going On," and the ridiculous "Transformer" -- but no song grooves better than "Crazy," a Top 5 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. "Crazy" revolves around a rubbery bass line, wall-of-sound background vocals, and an Italian opera sample that runs through the chorus. Add to that Cee-Lo's seamless falsetto and off-beat bits of humor sprinkled throughout the lyrics, and you have an instant classic that's guaranteed to be the life of the party.


14. Nada Surf, "Do It Again" [2005]

Maybe this weight was a gift/Like I had to see what I could lift

Years ago, the Beach Boys had a hit with a song called "Do It Again." That was also the name of Steely Dan's first hit in 1972. Nada Surf's composition has little to do with either of those tracks, save for the close Brian Wilson-type harmonies on the chorus...but make no mistake, it has an identity all its own. Starting with a fantastic bass-and-drums intro (no, not drum-n-bass, there's a difference), the arrangement expands to include a few slinky guitar lines during the verses and through the first chorus. Then at the middle eight, power chords explode as the beat becomes more syncopated, a theme that reoccurs at the very end of the song. Sorry to get so technical, but this ain't as simple as "Popular" or "Always Love." To whom does "Do It Again" owe thanks for its stellar, intricate production? None other that Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, whose own solo work isn't as vibrant as his contributions on "Do It Again" and, moreover, the entire Weight Is A Gift album. Not to mention, there are some fantastic lyrics in this one (like the above couplet, which of course provides the title of the record). Generally considered to be the best song on The Weight Is A Gift, "Do It Again" takes its well-deserved place on this list at number 14.


13. Kings of Leon, "Sex On Fire" [2008]

Soft lips are open, knuckles are pale/Feels like you're dying, you're dying

Reaction to this song by critical bigwigs has been mixed. I love it, though, and so does most of the American and British general public as judged by radio airplay and sales. KoL's latest LP, Only By the Night, is propelled by this high-energy track and its follow-up single, the aching "Use Somebody." Forget trying to interpret the meaning -- if it's not about sex, as some claim it's not, then why is sex so obviously at the forefront of the lyrics? -- it's just a solid rock song. In fact, that's the biggest knock I've heard about this song, that it's just an ordinary rock tune. Uh, no one was asking the Followill brothers to write a sequel to "Stairway To Heaven." Sometimes, it's refreshing to appreciate music for what it is rather than what it isn't, to take notice of nuances like the chord change right before the second chorus. Or the way Caleb Followill continues to wail away over a lonely backbeat toward the conclusion of the song. Or the staccato instrumental stabs leading back into the last chorus. Yeah, I bet you didn't hear that while you were trying to figure out how "Sex On Fire" relates to God and life and space. Give me a break, people. It's a great song. I'm a simple guy. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Amen.


12. OutKast, "Hey Ya!" [2003]

Thank God for Mom and Dad/For sticking two together/'Cause we don't know how

A song that brought "shake it like a Polaroid picture" into the American lexicon and a video that made jazz hands fashionable again, "Hey Ya!" is the total package. Andre 3000 and Big Boi, after almost a decade building their rep, were probably the only people on Earth who could have afforded to come up with this silly creation and escape with their careers intact; remember, these are the same folks who brought you "Rosa Parks" and "B.O.B." So you'll excuse the slightly off-key vocals on the chorus, the toy synthesizers, the hiccuping beats, the shameless name-dropping, Andre's miscounting on the intro and needless affectation of stretching out every other word, and the ridiculous "daddy/Caddy" rhymes. You know why you'll excuse all of that? Because everything that's seemingly wrong with "Hey Ya!" for some strange, twisted reason, is somehow undeniably right. It was a fortuitous release: the right song, at the right time, by the right artist. Not to take anything away from the other songs mentioned, much less "The Way You Move," which was the other half of this double-A-side single, but "Hey Ya!" will go down as the most memorable OutKast track...if not necessarily the best. (hint hint)


11. The Killers, "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" [2004]

She said she loved me/But she had somewhere to go/She couldn't scream while I held her close/I swore I'd never let her go

Let me set the scene for you. A 17-year-old kid, a big fan of the 80's, has just listened to Duran Duran's 2004 Astronaut album for the first time. He's impressed by what the old boys can do after almost a decade apart, but knows there will never be another "Hungry Like The Wolf" from this band. Soon after, the same kid is bestowed a copy of the Killers' Hot Fuss. Oh, he's come across "Somebody Told Me" on the radio, and from what he's heard, a song called "Mr. Brightside" is going to be the next single. But he's not expecting much. Flash forward about 30 seconds later, to the opening drum fill of "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine." The 17-year-old, always enamored with time travel, is back in 1981 and this is the best song since "Girls On Film." Only later will he listen to the lyrics -- it's about a murder, and two more songs will follow to complete the story -- because this particular experience is about the music. All about a synth, a hi-hat, a kick drum, and a punchy bass line. Years later, he'll recount the experience like the romantic that he is, proclaim "Jenny" still to be the best song on Hot Fuss, and place it on a countdown of his favorite songs of the decade. See where I'm going with this?


OK, that's enough writing for one day. See you tomorrow to close out the week with numbers ten through five!

-- pl