Best Pop/Rock songs of the 2000s

I got to thinking (yeah, dangerous prospect, haha) today about what some of my favorite songs of the last 10 years have been. I'm still up to my eyeballs in Keane music. I just keep replaying my "Keen on Keane" playlist on iTunes and I'm not sick of it yet.

Obsessive personality? Maybe--or, maybe, it's just really good music.

But I love lots of other music as well, and thought I'd do a personal Top Ten list of the best pop/rock tunes of the early 2000s. Make sure to check out the links to YouTube videos. Here goes!


10. She Will Be Loved by Maroon Five

She Will Be Loved is from Maroon Five's 2002 Songs About Jane. I had bought the album well before leaving for England in 2004, but it was in England that I realized how much I liked a lot of songs from the album. She Will Be Loved is one of my favorites.

9. Fidelity by Regina Spektor

Released in 2006, on Spektor's album Begin to Hope. My dad, of all people, introduced me to Regina Spektor--he loves her voice. I find it quirky and fun, and this song is really awesome. It's not easy to sing that broken "fa-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-all" (also done with the word "heart") stuff and make it sound cool, rather than crappy.

8. Good Day by Luce

This is a lesser-known song that had some serious playtime on Sacramento radio stations in 2001/2002. Summer and I were fortunate enough to see these guys live at a summer concert put on by a local radio station.

I love how they incorporate an almost jazz-like style with the brass. I bought their album and have long since gotten rid of it, keeping only Good Day for my iTunes library.

7. These Words (I Love You, I Love You) by Natasha Bedingfield

This was the second single off of Bedingfield's 2004 record Unwritten. I first heard it towards the end of my year in England, and when I got back to the States, it was a hit over here, as well. I love it for mixing a hip-hop beat with a definite pop hook. As a singer, it's also fun to sing along with. Which, believe it or not, is one of my criteria for liking a song--I know, I know, I've got a degree in music, and I like songs I can sing along with.

Also, it's sentimental. It reminds me of my friends in England--whom I haven't seen in FIVE YEARS now. I'm listening to "These Words" as I type this, and it takes me back. Never underestimate the power of music to bring back happy memories.

6. Starlight by Muse

I have to admit that I'm new to Muse. They've been around a few years, and I'm just getting to know them. Starlight is a 2006 song that I've always enjoyed on the radio, but until recently, I didn't know who it was. It's quickly becoming a favorite.

I'll add here that it wasn't until sometime this weekend that I realized that Muse is British. Meg and her British music...

5. I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

I was introduced to this awesome tune by my high school choir students who sang it (endlessly) in the choir room. You'd think I'd be sick of it, or absolutely hate it, but nope. I love this song. I'm Yours (We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things of 2005) is a quirky, fun song which showcases an awesome vocal range. I dare you to listen to it and not smile. It is simple with very little instrumentation and a heavy reliance on awesome harmonies.

And maybe I like it because the one time those two stupid, whiny choir boys ever came across as likeable was when they were singing this song.

4. Tripping by Robbie Williams

I first fell in love with Robbie and his music in 1999, when I heard songs like "Strong," "Angels," and "Millennium" all over England when I was there for London Semester. They quickly became part of the soundtrack of my post-London life, and I have eagerly awaited every album he's done since.

His most recent albums, Intensive Care and Rudebox, have not been my absolute favorites compared to Escapology and earlier fare, but I love that he has taken a chance and redirected himself since he and Guy Chambers, who co-wrote so much of that early music, split. And Tripping is a great, hyperactive dance-style song that features Robbie's fearless use of his falsetto (I love a man who is not afraid of his falsetto...see Numero Uno on this list).

3. Viva La Vida by Coldplay

The minute Viva La Vida came out in 2008, I was all over it. From the opening strings playing a syncopated rhythm and the lyrics about ruling the world--I was hooked. Coldplay hit on some pop music GOLD with this one. By the time you get to the wailing "Whoa's" at the end--which were, of course, made for a stadium crowd to sing along with--I am always ready to hit the back button and play it again.

Live, Chris Martin disappointed in this one (for me), but I was having a great time watching the drummer wail away on a huge tom-tom.

2. Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train

I half-jokingly refer to Drops of Jupiter as my "theme song." I have loved it since it was released, around the same time I was graudating from Chico (in 2001) and finding my way through that twisty, difficult road called Real Life after getting my degree.

According to Wikipedia:

Due to its unique and enigmatic lyrics, the meaning of song has been the subject of speculation since its release.[citation needed] Lead singer Pat Monahan has stated that the song was inspired by the death of his mother, and that the opening lines came to him in a dream. The song, which started as a song about his mother, has evolved into a love song, according to Monahan in 2006.

Poetically, the use of references to planets, stars, galaxies and so on gives an ethereal feel to the music, contributing to its popularity. The lyrics propose a lost lover who has 'found a shooting star', explored the Universe, but comes home.

I always rather identified as the one who is "looking for [my]self out there."

Beyond the meaning I found in the words, this is just a great song from a great Bay Area band--I like a lot of their stuff (Meet Virginia, When I Look to the Sky, and others).

1. Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Duh. What else would Number 1 have been?

From 2004's Hopes and Fears, Keane's debut album, comes this awesome, awesome song.

I first became acquainted with Somewhere Only We Know on the radio, and also when Keane performed it live on Saturday Night Live. I rushed out and bought the CD, but, being me, I only ever listened to the one song I knew. I held on to that album for a few years, but eventually copied Somewhere Only We Know onto iTunes and took the CD to some used music store and forgot about it.

That said, this song was in my Top 25 Most Played Songs list on iTunes, right up until about May 9, 2008, when it slipped into the number one slot.

You see, on May 8, I saw Keane live in Oakland, and at some point in the evening, I turned to Summer and yelled over all the awesomeness, "HOW THE HELL DID I NOT KNOW THESE GUYS WERE SO FUCKING GOOD?!?!"

I love a lot of their music, from all three of their albums (other, lesser, fans were disappointed by the slightly different approach they took on Perfect Symmetry, their third record...I love it). But this song remains my favorite. From the opening piano chords to the huge, climatic chorus, it is just an awesome, inspiring song.

I think what I like best about Keane is their overall simplicity--they don't need gimmicks and crazy personalities. They just get the job done using great music and natural talent for what they do.

Now that's good pop music.