Photos: holeymooon
Today, pop enthusiast and former Idolator scribe Chris Molanphy finishes Tweeting down his “Top 75 Singles of The Noughts”. -ed.
10. OutKast, “B.O.B.” Prophetic—Baghdad matters again? in 2000?—and singular in all of hip-hop.
9. Amerie, “1 Thing.” Best use of a sample in the Noughts, on a song capturing how new love feels: jumpy but electrifying.
8. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps.” This is less a song than a poem, leaving ample space both to rock and to break your heart.
7. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights.” What millennial romance sounds like: a robot body with a human soul.
6. Justin Timberlake featuring T.I., “My Love.” A tour de force for all concerned: JT’s falsetto, T.I.’s rap, Timbaland’s gleeful noise.
5. LCD Soundsystem, “All My Friends.” We could be aging, lonely, hung-over Heroes—just for one day.
4. Jay-Z, “99 Problems.” “Doing 55 in a 54”? Try 150 in a 65. Affirmed the reign of J-HOVA, redeemed Rick Rubin.
3. OutKast, “Hey Ya!” Such an undisputed classic, we jam to it at weddings now, even with those pensive lyrics.
2. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone.” Rewired our very concept of how pop could sound—and offered the showcase Clarkson deserved.
1. Gnarls Barkley,”Crazy.” Definitive and undeniable, for so many reasons.
You can read Part 1 (#75-#11) over here.
I wanted to post this on your “100 and Single” site but comments weren’t allowed for this list…
I don’t think “Crazy” is the song of the decade for one simple reason – neither I nor anyone I know actually wants to listen to it today. Oh sure, it’s a “great” song, but if it came on in a club, I would leave the floor. If it came on in a bar, I would talk louder. I probably wouldn’t even put it on a party playlist. It just feels better as a relic, something to talk about but not something to get down to.
That’s why my pick for song of the decade would have to be Outkast’s “B.O.B.” While it never had the chart prominence of Crazy or many others, it’s always been a hit with critics. And it has belatedly become a hit with listeners, everywhere. An amazing example of genre-crossing, this is drum and bass at hip-hop speed – or is it hip-hop at drum and bass speed? It feels, literally, like a mashup of several different songs and sounds (not just a vague “combination of different genres” like Crazy is).
It also matters (to me at least) that Outkast is easily one of the artists of this decade, as well. Whereas Gnarls has already faded to relative obscurity, Outkast has been relevant the entire decade and I suspect that many (myself included) are salivating at their return.
After Matt & Kim finished an (amazing) live show this August, the venue’s sound system put on B.O.B. – and everyone literally exploded. It was as if the band came back for an encore! For a song to still generate such positive emotions in people, nearly a decade after its release, is incredible. That’s my pick for song of the decade. (I’d put “Crazy” somewhere on my list, high, but outside the top 10.)
Whew. That was rather long – why I couldn’t respond on Twitter. Sorry I had to put it here instead!
Hey Chachwitablog,
Thanks for the comment, I passed it along to Chris, just in case he missed it.
I disagree with chachwitablog; less is more in this case. “Crazy” is a great, “catchy” song, without all the fluff! Don’t get me wrong though, much respect for Outkast. I remember trolling the streets of Tampa listening to their music and dancing it up to their songs at the clubs. I guess with age comes finding peace and contentment for the simpler things in life…