My Favorite Songs of The 2000s (Pt. 1)

I post this list with a feeling of bittersweetness. The sweet: it's given me the impetus to listen to all my favorite songs of the past ten years over and over again, and I get to publish a list that has technically been in the works since I was seven and a half years old. The bitter: I've been downloading and buying music for the past ten years to make this list, and now that it's done, what the hell will I do with my time? I guess I'm now officially looking forward to my best of the 2010's list.

Anyways, this list is indeed exciting (for me, at least.) It covers the music of my decade, so making this list felt more relevant and personal than making, say, my best of the '60s one. Because I remember when this stuff came out. I remember getting Good News For People Who Like Bad News for fifth grade graduation and immediately getting rid of my Hoobastank CDs. I remember. I remember hearing "Fell In Love With A Girl" when I was nine and falling in love with rock n' roll. I remember hearing Animal Collective for the first time after Feels came out and having my mind blown, never to fully recover. This music is close to me, and it's awesome. Wow, that was sappy.

You know how people on VH1 are always like "I was a child of the '80s or the '90s. I'm soooo cool." Well, I'm a child of the '00s, and I, too, am so cool. This is the first decade that I've lived through entirely, and I must say, it's been a pretty good one--for music and in general. So sit back and enjoy what I think to be the best music of this decade, whatever you choose to call it.

First up is Part 1 of My Favorite Songs list, which will include #'s 150 through 61. Part 2 will have #'s 60 through 1. After that, we'll count down the Top 150 Albums of the decade in either three or four parts. We'll see about that.

As far as picking the songs goes: 1) It was very difficult, and 2) I focused on singles. When it comes down to it, I wanted to go with the songs that I listened to the most over the course of the whole decade and the songs that really caught my ear. Some caught my ear a couple months ago and others: eight years ago. Is Jimmy Eat World as groundbreaking as Dirty Projectors? No, but they released an amazing single that I was obsessed with when it came out, and I still like. So, yeah. Oh, and I did set up one restriction, which was that one album can only have two songs on the list. I did this for the sake of diversity. Here goes.

150. TV On The Radio--DLZ

149. Sleigh Bells--Crown On The Ground

148. Missy Elliot feat. Ludacris--Gossip Folks

147. Caribou--Melody Day

146. Basement Jaxx--Romeo

145. Amerie--1 Thing

144. Beirut--Nantes

143. Beach House--Norway

142. Lady Sovereign--Random

141. The Streets--Has It Come To This

140. Fishcerspooner--Emerge

139. Sonic Youth--Sympathy For The Strawberry

138. Ghostface Killah--Shakey Dog

137. No Age--Eraser

136. Joanna Newsom--Emily

135. Dirty Projectors--Rise Above

134. Yo La Tengo--You Can Have It All

133. Clinic--The Second Line

132. My Morning Jacket--Off The Record

131. Broadcast--Colour Me In

130. The Sandwitches--Back To The Sea

129. Arthur Russell--Close My Eyes

128. Fleet Foxes--White Winter Hymnal

127. Grouper--Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping

126. Fuck Buttons--Sweet Love For Planet Earth

125. Grizzly Bear--While You Wait For The Others

124. Prinzhorn Dance School--You Are The Space Invader

123. Dan Deacon--The Crystal Cat

122. Aeroplane feat. Kathy Diamond--Whispers

121. Chromatics--In The City

120. Daft Punk--Digital Love

119. Fugazi--Life And Limb

118. Girls--Lust For Life

117. The White Stripes--Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground

116. Air France--Collapsing At Your Doorstep

115. Panda Bear--Comfy In Nautica

114. M.I.A.--Galang

113. Basement Jaxx--Where's Your Head At

112. Beyonce--Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

111. Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.--My Love

110. Hot Chip--Ready For The Floor

109. The Exploding Hearts--Modern Kicks

108. The Field--A Paw In My Face

107. The Go! Team--The Power Is On

106. Radiohead--Idioteque

105. Animal Collective--Brother Sport

104. LCD Soundsystem--Tribulations

103. Portishead--The Rip

102. Mu--Let's Get Sick

101. Fuck Buttons--Surf Solar

And now: the top 100! (This line is completely unnecessary!)

100. Deerhunter--Nothing Ever Happened

99. Kelis--Milkshake

98. !!!--Me And Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard

97. TV On The Radio--Mister Grieves

96. Modest Mouse--Gravity Rides Everything

95. Junior Boys--In The Morning

94. The Strokes--Last Nite

93. The Shins--New Slang

92. Yeah Yeah Yeahs--Y Control

91. Kelly Clarkson--Since U Been Gone

90. Brian Eno & David Byrne--Strange Overtones

89. Grizzly Bear--Knife

88. Devendra Banhart--The Body Breaks

87. Missy Elliott--Work It

86. Big Boi feat. Gucci Mane--Shine Blockas

85. Jimmy Eat World--The Middle

84. Animal Collective--Grass

83. R. Kelly--Trapped In The Closet: Chapter 22

82. The Very Best--Warm Heart Of Africa

81. Dizzee Rascal--Jus A Rascal

80. Dirty Projectors & David Byrne--Knotty Pine

79. Outkast--Ms. Jackson

78. Andrew W.K.--Party Hard

77. Sigur Ros--Svefn-g-englar

76. D'Angelo--Devil's Pie

75. Freelance Hellraiser--A Stroke Of Genius

74. Hercules And Love Affair--Hercules' Theme

73. Modest Mouse--3rd Planet

72. Animal Collective--Who Could Win A Rabbit

71. Radiohead--Everything In Its Right Place

70. Hot Chip--Over & Over

69. Grizzly Bear--Two Weeks

68. Lily Allen--Smile

67. The Hives--Hate To Say I Told You So

66. Gorillaz--Clint Eastwood

65. Fiery Furnaces--My Dog Was Lost But Now He's Found

64. YACHT--Psychic City (Voodoo City)

63. Fleet Foxes--Blue Ridge Mountains

62. The Strokes--Hard To Explain

61. Justice--D.A.N.C.E.

That's what I think. According to the timeline at the top, Part 2 will come out tomorrow. Let's hope so. Merry Christmas!