1,001 songs to listen to before you die...

[MalaCloudy Black]

Oh no, now we're really getting into shit I don't know a goddamn thing about. Modern era. I like Damian Marley though. 

[gunnar hendershow]

That Damien song is a real banger.

I used to love (still? The shit with their drummer sorta soured me) Sigur Ros and "Hoppipolla" is the moment where a band puts everything together into something really incredible.

Big time whatever to the rest of this list. I'm not a Foo Fighters hater by any means but come onnnnn. There are better songs by them.

[GoGo Yubari]

Haven't posted in ages so here's my quick thoughts on a whole bunch of songs from the last couple pages:

"Slob" by Weezer: A lot of Weezer fans around the mid-2000s were really hot on this one and I really think it's just that it's the closest they came to sounding like Pinkerton again. I actually really like Maladroit, I think it's on the whole one of their three best albums, but this wouldn't even be my representative from this album if you had to put one in. I'd probably go "Burndt Jamb" or "December" as the best off that album, and neither are ones I could argue for getting in the book.

"Step Into My Office, Baby" by Belle and Sebastian: What a curious pick for them! I don't think it's an especially bad pick but I do wonder if it's the Trevor Horn thing. Cute song. I think it wavers into being too cute for me some days (which is saying something because I fucking love twee music), where a lot of other B&S songs feel a lot more timeless.

"Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Just wanted to break the trend and say this 1000% deserved to get in and I expect would remain in in a 2021 version of this book. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a weird band for me in the sense that I own two of their albums and can name at least five songs of theirs I love -- this is one of them -- but I wouldn't actually describe myself as a fan. I don't really follow them or anything but they're really good at what they do. In this year or maybe the next I would have seen them open for The White Stripes and they were great. Phenomenal drums here, huh?

"Toxic" by Britney Spears: Even in 2003, when I was around my most anti-pop music period of my life, I couldn't deny that "Toxic" was really really good. Very important signifier of the times changing in pop (this and/or Justin Timberlake going solo are really the official end of that TRL boy band/wholesome girl pop star era to me) and just a great song that hits on every level.

"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers: It's good but I always find The Killers to be a little overwrought. I get the appeal of this one, though. Can easily imagine it being a massive fucking singalong song. It's not for me, but I definitely get who it's for.

"Through the Wire" by Kanye West: I have to disagree with the idea that this is an odd Kanye choice, I can't think of a College Trilogy song I'd put in ahead of it other than maybe "Stronger." But "Stronger" is a celebration of Kanye having reached the top, and "Through the Wire" is probably more important because it's him introducing himself as a solo artist and not just a superproducer. The beat is great and really reflects what his style at the time was better than, say, a "Jesus Walks" and the overall story of the song makes for an easy and engaging writeup.

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes: I'd be lying if I told you I could remember the first time hearing this song but I definitely was hyped as hell about it when it came out. It's to its detriment that it's become the song you hear when someone scores a goal in soccer but at the same time it's also a testament to how immediately iconic it was, feels like the start of that final point in time where guitar rock songs could have that kind of pop cultural hold. Elephant on the whole is my favorite White Stripes album, I remember buying that one for my first trip to Japan and listening to it over and over and over again, I think it was probably a couple days before I even thought about putting one of the other CDs I'd brought along into my Discman.

"Fix Up, Look Sharp" by Dizzee Rascal: I'd say that Dizzee Rascal isn't really an egregious UK-centric pick. UK rap always screams the 2000's to me for whatever reason, basically Dizzee Rascal and The Streets and Lady Sovereign were all known quantities in the States (though of the three the only one I really like at all is Dizzee). Anyway, this song is good and is worth inclusion.

"Crazy in Love" by Beyonce: Pretty much immortal. I didn't really latch on to how good it was until the '10s because in 2003 I was paying next to no attention to radio R&B/rap (I got into Kanye like two years later in part because of the "George Bush doesn't care about black people" drama). I love pretty much all of it, though Jay-Z's verse has that weird thing a lot of Jay-Z guest verses do where it feels like his flow doesn't quite mesh with the flow of the song.

"Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand: One of my favorites from this era of radio rock. Franz Ferdinand kind of faded down the stretch, but I love this song and this album. It's so catchy and it brings back a lot of fun, nostalgic memories of watching music videos on TV at like 1am with my little sister. So does...

"Float On" by Modest Mouse: From what I remember bad things happen to some sheep in this video. My sister did not like that. I really like this song by Modest Mouse and while I think I respect what they go for I never actually liked a single other song they did that I heard. Isaac Brock's voice is not for me, really.

"Portland, Oregon" by Loretta Lynn & Jack White: As a huge White Stripes fan and aspiring hipster you better believe I got this album when it came out and was very proud of myself for buying an album by a classic country artist I had never heard of before this song turned up on alt rock radio. Nowadays I honestly don't have much use for most of that album but "Portland" is still great, love the blend of Lynn's delivery and White's guitar. I often don't really think Jack White is a great duet partner (see: "Another Way to Die") but he's good here.

"Points of Authority..." by Jay-Z & Linkin Park: I think it makes sense to pick the actual official collaboration here, but this was always just a less-interesting conclusion to the wave of remix albums marrying Jay-Z's Black Album stuff to other music. Like, The Grey Album by Danger Mouse, which married those Jay-Z songs with Beatles tracks off The White Album, was a lot better and I think more interesting whereas the Jay/Linkin Park collabs mostly felt like fodder for Entourage episodes to me.

"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens: Phenomenal. Another great "moment in time" song IMO, I think it's one of the touchstones for indie music at this point in time and it's far and away the best thing Sufjan's ever done. The rest of this album doesn't land as well for me but tbf it's been a very long time since I've listened to it so maybe that'll change, but this song will feature in playlists of mine for the rest of my life. That dreamy little intro before sending you headlong into that sweeping string arrangement, goddamn.

"Hard to Beat" by Hard-Fi: When I said that after a certain point the song choices in this book becomes as much hedging bets as anything else, I'm pretty sure I had just gotten to Hard-Fi. Absolutely no doubt in my mind that this song would be one of the first cuts from a 2021 edition of this book, IIRC the writeup was as much about grousing about the UK music press as anything else.

"Fix You" by Coldplay: Honestly I could also see a 2021 version of the book cutting this for "Viva La Vida" because you probably should have a Coldplay song in here and this feels like a "we had less sure things for 2005 than we did a couple years ago" where we might have seen "Yellow" or "Clocks." I really hate this song, I think it's unbelievably treacly even by Coldplay standards.

"Best of You" by Foo Fighters: This book makes a lot of really bad choices with the big post-grunge '90s alt-rock bands and while I think a bit like Coldplay this is a "this was a huge song that can fill out the more recent years where we're much less sure on what will stand the test of time" pick, like... come on. This band had a lot of great songs, and "Best of You" feels like the start of their gradual transformation into being The Last Big Guitar Rock Band, who make listenable-but-forgettable radio rock singles. Still, it was huge. It was really huge. Prince covered it, for god's sake.

[Malenko]

I like CSS's song more than anything else this last bunch. It's not the song I would choose but i believe it was their most famous. Either that one or Alala which would have been a choice I'd like more. I'm surprised they're in the book at all to be honest. They became mostly a synthpop band after this and their following records are different. This one, the first is a nice mix of electro clash and fancy dancy indie rock. I understand it's definitely not for everyone but enjoy it anyway for what it is.

The rest of it I'm not a big fan of. I like reggae but I'm not a fan of Damien Marley. 

I love Foo Fighters first album, but those Foo Fighters were long gone at this point. It's not that I hate them, or even dislike them. I just don't care much for it.

Sigur Ros are huge in some circles. I never cared too much for them personally but I do know plenty of people who adore them.

[MalaCloudy Black]

What’s the thing with the drummer from Sigur Ros? I don’t want to know do I?

[Liam]

6 minutes ago, CLDY said:

What’s the thing with the drummer from Sigur Ros? I don’t want to know do I?

Accused of sexual assault. 

[Liam]

961.      

‘Little Bear’, Guillemots (2006)

I’m pretty sure my younger brother is a Guillemots fan, whilst I couldn’t pick them or a song by them out of a line-up. This is pleasant enough, but an odd choice that seems like a gamble by the writer/producer that people would give a shit about the band still…people don’t, do they? The lead singer does have a pretty good voice and I can hear the appeal, so that’s at least something.

962.      

‘Consolation Prizes’, Phoenix (2006)

A French band who sound like they are cosplaying about a million indie bands from the UK (The Kooks, The Coral, some other The bands I’m sure), this is another ‘shrug’ of a choice. This has a lively beat and catchy moments, yet doesn’t really stand the test of time.

963.      

‘Not Ready To Make Nice’, The Dixie Chicks (2006)

Influenced by: Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American) • Toby Keith (2002)   

Influence on: Dear Mr. President • Pink (2006)   

Covered by: Wanessa (2007)   

Other key tracks: Everybody Knows (2006) • I Hope (2006) • The Long Way Around (2006)

A choice that is all about encapsulating a political moment as much as anything else. The Dixie Chicks had suffered death threats and radio blacklisting for speaking out about their lack of support for George Bush, and this was the first song (I believe) released after that controversy. I’ve never knowingly listened to a Chicks song before, though this does ring somewhat of a bell. It went on to win a whole host of awards, so good for them.

964.      

‘Crazy’, Gnarls Barkley (2006)

Influenced by: Nel Cimitero di Tucson • Gianfranco & Gian Piero Reverberi (1966)  

Influence on: American Boy • Estelle featuring Kanye West (2008)   

Covered by: The Kooks (2006) • Alice Russell (2008) • Violent Femmes (2008)

An absolute banger of a pop tune. Interesting titbit: it became the first UK number one off of the strength of downloads alone. Cee-Lo Green has gone on to let himself down a fair bit in the media, but the guy has a really good, really soulful voice. Mixed with great production and ridiculously catchy hooks throughout, this rightly became a complete smash globally.

965.      

‘Love Is A Losing Game’, Amy Winehouse (2006)

Influenced by: Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand) • The Shangri-Las (1964)   

Influence on: If He Should Ever Leave You • Tom Jones (2008)   

Covered by: The City Champs (2009)

There is probably some debate as to whether Winehouse merits two choices on the list. There is also some debate to be had over passing up putting ‘Rehab’ on here. Outside of that, nothing much to say about this. It feels like an R&B standard and she does Amy Winehouse things with it. If that’s your thing, then this will be a very enjoyable few minutes.

[gunnar hendershow]

Boy howdy some odd inclusions. Phoenix definitely did better work a couple years on in the decade. "Crazy" was great and maybe still would be if Cee-Lo Green wasn't a POS. Not one of Winehouse's best songs. I remember the huge feud The Chicks had with the pro-Bush country music machine and I think they're at least massively significant in a historical context. So sure, let's say that's worthy of inclusion. Nobody has given a fuck about "Little Bear" as a song since 2006.

[Hobo]

"Not Ready To Make Nice" is probably my favourite The Chicks song.

The outcry against their fairly minor comments was just wild. They went from a huge country act to persona non grata. I'm not even sure they fully recovered.

[MalaCloudy Black]

They released a new album last year that hit #1 on the Country charts for a bit, actually! But it was also their first new release in like.. 15 years or something.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah they were innocuous comments made at a time when an innocuous comment would absolutely destroy you in the Fox News propaganda machine. That's what's so incredible about it. Going from one of the biggest country acts in the US to more or less nothing. Grammys bailed them out a bit after this and I think the album "Not Ready to Make Nice" was on swept all the awards.

I remember people saying "They have the right to their opinion but they have to know who their audience is" a ton back then and that's really an encapsulation of mid-00s US political discourse.

[GoGo Yubari]

I think Amy Winehouse getting two songs is pretty defensible, though admittedly I don't know if that's the second Winehouse pick I'd make. It helps a little that she's surrounded by some artists around this point who probably shouldn't even have gotten the one, admittedly.

"Crazy" is an excellent song, a really wonderfully left-field Song of the Summer. I couldn't believe it when I first heard it on the radio at the beach and realized that Danger Mouse and the guy from Goodie Mob had put out a smash hit. Shame that Cee-Lo is a big old creep which severely hinders my desire to go out of my way to listen to the Gnarls stuff I like, though if the song comes on I'll still probably listen to it.

I get including Phoenix, but I've never really loved them so I can't speak to whether this was the right choice for them or not.

And yeah, The Chicks recovered some from basically getting cancelled in the early '00s but "fully" recovered... no, not really. They felt like they were a juggernaut up until they had the temerity to be a country act and not like George W. Bush, they're not that anymore even though they're back to being a critically and commercially successful group. I imagine the fifteen years off from making new music probably played a role in that as well, mind.

[Liam]

966.      

‘Ain’t No Other Man’, Christina Aguilera (2006)

Influenced by: Car Wash • Christina Aguilera featuring Missy Elliott (2004)   

Influence on: Until I Stay • Jully Black (2007)   

Covered by: Frida Sanden (2007) • David Davis (2008) • Jordin Sparks (2008)

I don’t think it has ever been particularly in doubt that Christina Aguilera is a very strong singer. What I can definitely debate is whether this is really the best song to showcase her if this is the only song that ends up on the list (and that’s a big if as I wouldn’t be surprised to see her find her way back on later). It was her first platinum single since ‘Genie In A Bottle’, so for pure recognition, it perhaps has earned its way onto the list and it is a decent enough bop with blaring horns and upbeat hooks…I just always come away feeling a little underwhelmed by it.

967.      

‘Supermassive Black Hole’, Muse (2006)

Influenced by: Do Somethin’ • Britney Spears (2005)  

Influence on: Where Did All the Love Go? • Kasabian (2009)   

Covered by: Threshold (2007) • Billy Lunn (2009) • Tiffany Page (2010) • Theshold (2010)   

Other key track: Knights of Cydonia (2006)

The inclusion of Muse on a list like this could be fairly divisive, as I find that you either like them or you hate them. However, in terms of a single and an album that took a band from being noteworthy to being megastars, this is a perfect example. Stepping away from the proggy rock stylings to embrace a more groovy take on the genre, this catapulted Muse above pretty much any other band in the UK outside of…Coldplay? That’s definitely what it felt like in the mid 2000s and in the years that followed. I remember being very surprised by the change in style at the time, though the song has held up as amongst the band’s best songs in my opinion.

968.      

‘We Are Your Friends’, Justice versus Simian (2006)

There are some songs that you really don’t know who created it, but could pick it out from a mile away. The moment the first beat hit, I knew exactly what this song was, which says a lot considering even the title didn’t spark a note of recognition for me. This could only have been an absolute banger of a tune in the clubs around this time. An electro bop with great lyrics to sing along to? Sign me up.

969.      

‘Pop The Glock’, Uffie (2006)

This isn’t really in my wheelhouse whatsoever, though it sounds oddly in debt to earlier records whilst being somewhat ahead of its time. It doesn’t feel too many steps away from the type of song that someone like Sia would become popular off of the back of in the next decade. It doesn’t really do anything for me if I’m honest, though I’m sure with the correct audience this is rightly lauded.

970.      

‘Ovenque proteggi’, Vinicio Capossela (2006)

A piano ballad that apparently took Italy by storm at the time, this signified a transition (according to the book) of the artist to a more eccentric, yet successful, addition to the musical landscape. From setting up studios in caves to refusing to perform anywhere but in stone auditoriums, Vinicio sounds like an interesting character. As for the song, it is pleasant enough, if not particularly mindblowing.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah lots of "huh?" in that group. I'm fine with a Muse inclusion and that might be the best song of theirs to include. Likewise, Christina definitely belongs in a list like this but probably not for that song. But for the rest? Justice had their moment in the sun and then were just as quickly forgotten. Same for Uffie. Both part of that post-Daft Punk wave of everyone thinking electro pop was going to define the future. When this book was written it required a ton of guesswork identifying what would stand the test of time. And they surely guessed wrong. Never heard the last song in this group before and while nice I don't know if I *had* to hear it.

[Malenko]

 

5 minutes ago, damshow said:

Yeah lots of "huh?" in that group. I'm fine with a Muse inclusion and that might be the best song of theirs to include. Likewise, Christina definitely belongs in a list like this but probably not for that song. But for the rest? Justice had their moment in the sun and then were just as quickly forgotten. Same for Uffie. Both part of that post-Daft Punk wave of everyone thinking electro pop was going to define the future. When this book was written it required a ton of guesswork identifying what would stand the test of time. And they surely guessed wrong. Never heard the last song in this group before and while nice I don't know if I *had* to hear it.

Electropop is quite big in Europe so they're never really quickly forgotten in some places. Radios won't allow it. 

A bit like apart from ginormous names, most famous american hip hop acts barely get any airplay in Europe. It's a regional thing, I think.

 

It was the first time I heard the last song in this group too. It's the first song I definitely never heard n the last 10 pages or so. 

This bunch isn't for me. I don't really care about any of them. I agree Christina Aguilera belongs in the book though but is this really her first song in the book? I don't remember.

[Colly]

Much as Justice have faded from the public consciousness (if they were ever there) it's definitely a worthy song in my view.

[GA!]

That'd be the Muse song I'd pick too. It's their highest charting single in the UK and almost single-handedly responsible for propelling them from arenas into stadiums. 2006 was pretty much their peak creatively too - Black Holes and Revelations isn't my favourite album of theirs (still a ***** album tho) but it's the perfect mix of their Radiohead and/or Jeff Buckley / prog / Queen influences.

Funny you cite Britney Spears as an influence on Supermassive Black Hole. The Internet really derided Muse at the time for it, but I take it for "huhuhuh she's a pop singer and also a girl" reasons. Fuck them, Britney has had some absolute bangers, and a budding musician would be smart to learn why her tracks worked so well.

[GoGo Yubari]

The Muse choice is good and I think the Justice choice makes sense. The Christina pick feels a bit like some of the other "their most famous/beloved song was a few years prior but we're thinner in the mid-'00s so let's do this one instead" but I do think there's some merit to picking it.

I'd never heard of Uffie prior to getting to her song in this book and I wish it had stayed that way. Interminable "look at this white girl passably rapping" stuff, IMO.

[Liam]

971.      

‘Please Read This Letter’, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (2007)

Considering this felt like it was everywhere during 2007, I never actually got around to listening to anything by Plant and Krauss. This was originally recorded by Plant and Page, before turning up on what I believe to be an album of covers. This feels – for lack of a better way of describing it – very grown up, and I like the adding of the fiddle partway through to add another sonic layer to what is a largely straightforward song. I really like it, and I guess its success at the Grammy awards is enough of a reason for it to end up on the list.

972.      

972. ‘Crank That (Soulja Boy)’, Soulja Boy (2007)

The desire for songs to offer a dance or move for people to do felt like it was very 90s or early 00s, until (probably some other songs I’m forgetting…) this song came along. The inclusion on the list is inarguable in some ways as this was a huge song, one that you couldn’t really avoid. Primarily, it is a fun slice of rap with a hint of reggae in the steel drums – little more than that really, but sometimes that is all things need to be to sell millions of record.

973.      

‘My People’, The Presets (2007)

Who? Having read the entry for the song, this seems to go back to ticking the Australian music box that hadn’t been addressed for a little while. Disco-pop-punk melds together into a fun enough song, but it does little for me and feels very much shoehorned onto the list.

974.      

‘Flux’, Bloc Party (2007)

Influenced by: Swastika Eyes • Primal Scream (1999)   

Influence on: Mindestens in 1000 Jahren • Frittenbude (2008)   

Covered by: Brand New Rockers (2009)  

Other key tracks: Banquet (Phones Disco Edit) (2004) • Hunting for Witches (2007) • Waiting for the 7:18 (2007)

This is where I do my usual thing whenever Bloc Party is mentioned and state that Kele Okereke went to my school, though we probably were passing ships in the night at best. This is a song I absolutely love, up there with some of my favourite songs of all time. I wasn’t a huge Bloc Party fan, but what this song ended up doing was making me check out and re-evaluate what had come before. The whole tune feels so urgent and full of forward momentum, all accompanied with a pretty catchy chorus. The screaming guitar in the background alongside the pulsing techno beats pull everything together – a great song.

975.      

‘My Moon My Man’, Feist (2007)

Influenced by: Lover’s Spit • Broken Social Scene (2004)   

Influence on: Drumming Song • Florence & The Machine (2009)   

Other key tracks: 1234 (2007) • I Feel It All (2007) • Sea Lion Woman (2007) • Honey Honey (2007)

Feist sits in a style or ouvre of music I have merely dabbled in but have never really immersed myself in – the North American singer/songwriter/indie singer or group. There is probably a better way to describe it, but stuff like Feist, Broken Social Scene, etc. ‘1234’ was a bigger song in the UK than this was, yet this is a jaunty little tune that makes the most of some entertaining string work in particular. Maybe I should have spent more time getting into this…

[gunnar hendershow]

While I won't deny Soulja Boy was very popular for a few short years and even was fun to have come on at parties in college, what the fuck.

We're very well into them throwing darts at a board and hoping their choices stand the test of time. Really good Bloc Party song but I'm hard-pressed to think of this as a Bloc Party song you absolutely need to hear. Likewise for Feist.

Robert Plant & Allison Kraus were everywhere in 07 and 08. That plus the one-off Zeppelin reunion put Plant back on a ton of people's radars. I'll let this song slide, especially when held up against basically everything else Robert Plant has done after Led Zeppelin.

Who the fuck are The Presets?