Best of the Decade

What a decade it has been for music. As with every decade we had some good songs, some terrible song, and few totally awesome songs. Thanks to things like Youtube, iTunes, and Rhapsody all of said mentioned songs were accessible to people everywhere and anywhere you could find a computer anytime you wanted. Gotta love it.

I took a few things into consideration when making my list such as overall popularity, music and lyric quality, and impact on pop culture. I tried to keep it from being a list of Millie's favorite songs but there are few that made this list soley for that reason.

Enjoy the trip down memory lane my friends!!!



20) Rehab – Amy Winehouse 2006 – Let me start by saying that I don’t really care for this song. It’s not bad but I just don’t see what the fuss is about. That being said, it is on my list because I cannot deny that was a staple of the decade. Everyone was singing it though I am not sure why. Do you remember that clip of Rosie O’Donnell singing it to her webcab? What the fuck was that about? But I digress…but I don’t really care so I’ll move on. Best Line – “No No No”



19) Can’t Get you out of my head – Kylie Minogue 2001 – La La La La…La La La La La La… can’t get you out of my head is right. Holy Shit was this song annoying. Everywhere you turned you heard it. It was on every radio station, played in every gym on the planet, and let’s not forget the extended remixes that graced every club on the planet. Personally this song drives me crazy but there is no denying that it earned a spot as one of the best songs of decade. Best Line – “La La La La…La La La La La…La La La La La”



18) Daylight – Matt and Kim 2009 – Thank you Barcardi for exposing this song to millions of music lovers like myself who might never have heard this song otherwise. You know the one that I am talking about…where they are going through time and everyone is dancing and drinking Barcardi. It was actually the perfect song because this song makes me want to hang out with my friends while having a few drinks. The lyrics are what takes this song from average to awesome. This song is all about just letting go for awhile. Forget the clocks, forget the job, forget the bullshit. Just kick off your shoes, run around and have some fun. No stress…just fun. I love this song. You can’t be in a bad mood when you hear this song. Best Line – “I hope someday I’ll see without these frames.”



17) Piece of Me – Britney Spears 2007 – Hooray for this song making it cool to like Britney again!!! It is catchy, clever and a ton of fun to sing. And it really is as simple as that. Best Line – “I’m Misses Oh My God That Britney’s Shameless.”



16) If I Were A Boy – Beyonce 2008 – Scorned women of the world united thanks to this song. This song was our generation’s answer to “I Will Survive”. Leave it to a woman like Beyonce could sing a song like this and make it work. Everything clicked on this song. There is no doubt that Beyonce belongs on every Best of the Decade list. Now I know that most other lists chose Single Ladies or Crazy in Love however I could not. Those songs are awesome but for me this song was her jewel of decade. The emotion that you can hear when listening to this song is what sets above all of her others. This song has soul, it has heart and to convey that in song takes real talent. Best Line – “If you thought I would wait for you, you thought wrong.”



15) Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani 2005 – This shit is Bananas indeed. Only someone as confident and talented as Gwen Stefani could have pulled off this song. Not only did she pull it off but she rocked the shit out of this song making her a bona fide solo star. I really don’t think that I need to say much more than that about this song. If you missed the awesomeness of this song you must have spent the mid-00s in a cave. Best Line – “B-A-N-A-N-A-S.”



14) Sundrenched World – Joshua Radin 2006 – Remember folks, my blog…my rules. So I can pretty much guarantee that this song is not on any Top Songs of the Decade List but it damn well should be! This is a truly beautiful song about the rejection. You try and try to make it work, then it gets weird, then it just sucks. I don’t know…I truly cannot describe all the reasons that it is great. This is one of those songs that you have to listen to in order to understand what I am talking about. But trust me…musically and lyrically it is my pick for the most beautiful song of the decade. Best Line – “I’m talking to you but you’re not listening.”



13) New Slang – The Shins 2001 – If you don’t know this song you should have someone kick you in the shin. Ok lame joke but still true. Everything about this song freaking phenomenal. It has made almost every bloggers Top Songs of the Decade which in itself is amazing since it has never been a mainstream song. So let’s start with the music, which is hypnotically awesome. It’s simple yet catchy beat scores in the playability factor. The tambourine is subtle but fits perfectly with the acostic guitar and nicely compliments the occasional whistling of the song. Musically it rocks. Now lyrically is where it gets a little tricky. I say this because the low monotone voice of James Mercer can be difficult to understand but trust me…it is worth the effort. This is a perfect song of how it feels when the magic fades and there is nothing left but the bitterness of reality. Best Line – “Turn me back into the pet that I was when we met, I was happier with no mind-set.”



12) Sexyback – Justin Timberlake 2006 – So I guess that I really hadn’t been aware that sexy had left but I do thank Justin for bringing it back with this fetish-filled song. This song made the bad girl in every woman want to break free. I had never thought much of Justin sexually or musically until this song came out and honestly my interested in him faded with the airtime for this song did. But for the year that it lasted, we all got our sexy onto this song and that is why I love it. Best Line – “I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave.”



11) She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5 2004 - Oh Adam Levine, why won’t you sing just for me? So this song was most definitely overplay songs of the decade but I freely admit that I never got tired of hearing of it. The lyrics of this song are powerful and so beautifully sung that there really is no way to resist it. The reality of the words is what keeps the song from being a sappy love song. This song is not a happy love song. It is not a happy woman and her Prince Charming. This song is about trapped women and the fool who longs to save her. He will put himself through hell to do it. Who doesn’t understand that? Who can sit and listen to this song and not hope that “everything works out” even though it is pretty clear that it never will. But in the end, what really does work out in this fucked up world that we live in? But I digress…this song is absolutely amazing. Best Line – “Tap on my window, knock on my door, I want to make you feel beautiful.”



10) Soul Meets Body – Death Cab For Cutie 2005 – Yes I know…Death Cab for Cutie already made an appearance on my list. I standby this decision. This is song is one of those songs that you decide if you are going to like the first time that you hear it. Either you get it or you don’t. Luckily I got it because it is one my all time most played and favorite songs ever. There is no way to pick out one or even two specific reasons that this song is so amazing. Much like the other songs that I have selected for this list, every aspect of this song comes together and knocks the song out of the perfect. Lyrically is freaking phenomenal, musically it is catchy and unique, and the boys of Death Cab for Cutie are flat out awesome. You add that all together and you get the music magic that is this song. I realize how bias I am towards this song and prevented myself from making it the #1 on this list but believe me…I wanted to. Best Line – “If this silence takes you than I hope it takes me too.”



9) Family Affair – Mary J Blige 2001 – It’s actually a little intimidating to write about this song because it is so awesome. I don’t want to miss anything. This might be the best “ass shaking” song ever produced. Oddly this song finally made me understand what Gloria was singing about when she said “The rhythm is going to get you”. This song grabs hold of your for the entire four and half minutes of the song and when it ends there is almost an urge to do it all over again. Mary J is DA WOMAN and she said it best in the best line in the song. Best Line – “You gots to dance for me”.



8) American Idiot – Green Day 2004 – It was tough for me to decide between this song, Wake Me When September Ends, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. That’s right…three songs by one band from the same album and all three deserve in the Top 20 Songs of Decade list. But let’s focus on the winner. When I heard this song for the first time I was shocked. Not because it’s political message but because it was so damn awesome. For a punk rock song this song is remarkable insightful and incredibly catchy. This songs popularity spanned multiple generations as evidenced by the fact that my mother wanted me to set this song as her ringtone on her cell phone during the same week when a teenager in Washington got fired for wearing a shirt with the album cover on it. Let’s simplify this song and its greatness…it rocked, it made you think, and showed everyone that Green Day was the real deal. This song is a modern day protest anthem and America loved it. Best Line – “Everything isn’t meant to be okay.”



7) Lose Yourself – Eminem – 2002 - Hmmm…who would have thought that Slim Shady would give us a movie like 8 Mile that would have given us a song like Lose Yourself? Eminem gave us a ton of songs that made us cringe, made us dance, and made us laugh but this song was some unique. This song was real deal and even if you don’t like rap you can’t deny that this song is powerful. I don’t see how anyone could not find some sort of courage while listening to this song. When you add into the fact that this is some dumb “poser” song but a song about real life it takes it from awesome good to ironically great. Lyrically there is no denying that Eminem is on top of the rap world in this song. He paints a picture with this song so that even if you had never seen 8 Mile one could picture what the “character” is going through. Best Line – “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted; one moment would you capture it or just let it slip?



6) Big Girls You Are Beautiful – MIKA 2007 – How did I ever survive without the joy of MIKA? Seriously… Almost any one of MIKA’s song could have made this list because everything he does is outstanding however I chose this particular song since it showcases all of the reasons why he is amazing and because it is the song that made me fall in love with him. I doubt that there is a music-lover alive who could resist doing the “head bob” to this sing. The beat is ridiculously catchy and is impossible to resist. The best part is that the lyrics make every woman want to smile because let’s face…this song celebrates female beauty as it is…and not as the media says it should be. Praise be to Mo for MIKA and for this dance floor anthem. Best Line – “Big Girls…you are beautiful!”



5) Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand 2004 – The funny thing about this song is that everyone has heard it, everyone knows at least part of it but most people still don’t know who did it. This song is the only song of the decade that was forever stuck in your head but never drove you crazy. There is not that isn’t made better by listening to this song. Hell, just listening to it right now is making me type faster. If there was one song from this decade that I could gift to everyone for their iPod it would be this. There is nothing offense about it, there is no guilty pleasure shame attached to it…it is simply an awesome tune that everyone loves. Nod your head with me Peeps…you know you want to. Best Line – “I want you to take me out.”



4) I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab For Cutie 2005 – If any of my old subscribers are still around (and bless you if you are) you already know my thoughts on this song. This is another song that I highly doubt made any other list from the decade but it seems like a crime to leave it off. This song is the best most romantic song of the decade, if not of all time. For that reason alone it deserves its spot on my list. Any man can say “Til death do us part” but you knows its real love when he promises to be there even after that. Musically the song is average but lyrically this song is one of my all time favorites. I don’t know what more to say. Listen to it, embrace it, and hope that you find someone to love you so much that he would follow you too. Best Line – “Love of mine, someday you will die but I’ll be close behind, I’ll follow you into the dark.”



3) Mr. Brightside – The Killers 2004 – So I’ll be honest when I hear the opening chords I always pause for a moment, catch my breath, and brace myself for the wonderful journey that is this song. I kid you not…I have to stop myself not to get lost in this song every time I hear it. This song is a flashback of the one who got away set to music. It is four minutes of reliving the bitter love story that haunts us all. If this had not been performed as a rocking pop song it would be one of those songs that breaks your heart as you sob along to it. Luckily for all of our sanity, The Killers were smart enough to make it a catchy, face paced song that moves too quickly for one to get thoroughly depressed. Lyrically they capture the misery that comes from knowing that the one you love is with someone else and yet musically it makes you want to dance around. This song is music at its finest. Best Line – “It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this?”



2) I Miss You – Blink 182 2004 – So I have highlighted quite a few songs that kicked ass lyrically…this is my pick for the best song of the decade musically. From the drumline to the bassline, it is simple and yet freaking fantastic! Don’t get me wrong, it has awesome lyrics too but the songs hypnotic beat is what makes it stand above the rest. I think that it is one of the most underrated songs of the decade and that is a shame because it really does have everything. It is another song that captures me from the first note and doesn’t let ago until it’s over. Yet this is a song that is tough to listen to over and over again because it does hit so close to home. Lyrically they manage to mix iconic pop culture references with the simplicity of the title line and it makes a song that is almost haunting. Seriously…I love this fucking song. Best Line – “Don’t waste your time on me you’re already the voice inside my head.”



1) Hey Ya – Outkast 2003 – OK, I firmly believe that anyone who says that they never got caught dancing to this car, be it in your car, making copies at work, on the treadmill, etc is a LIAR! This song is why Mo gave us this ability to dance in the first place. J The thing that makes this song better than your average rump-shaking tune is the fact that it is deliciously naughty lyrically. (I’m pretty sure that I don’t need to say anything more than that.) But if there is any doubt that this song is the best song of decade let it be put to rest by the fact that this song created such a frenzy that Polaroid had to release an official statement discouraging customers from shaking their film “like a Polaroid picture” as it could damage the photo. Hands down…BEST SONG OF THE DECADE. Best Line – “Lend me some sugar…I am your neighbor.”

Here's hoping that the next decade brings us some equally good musical gems!