My 50 Favorite Songs of the Decade

I had much more ambitious ways to present this list, but with almost everything I have intended, procrastination happened. My original plan for 2009 was to write about one great song per week, but then the new year went by and the summer rolled by etc... What made me get off my a** about it was that Pitchfork was about to release their own list.

So what follows is a list of my 50 favorite tracks of the decade (2000 to 2009.) Very few of these songs will come as a surprise to anyone who knows my music taste. Some of the songs I loved because of their great hooks, some for their lyrics, some for their sheer beauty and, of course, some were so innovative, they just blew my mind.

Why is this list important to me? Well, I don't think we always have to look at the past for great iconic songs. I want to express the idea that modern music is capable of producing classics that stand next up our favorites from other decades like the 60's, 80's or whatever. For those of you who doubt that, here are 50 reasons to defend this decade.

2000
"B.O.B." by Outkast
"The National Anthem" by Radiohead
"3rd Planet" by Modest Mouse
"Stan" by Eminem
"Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z (featuring UGK)

2001
"Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott
"Takeover" by Jay-Z
"Frontier Psychiatrist" by Avalanches

2002
"Work It" by Missy Elliott
"Jesus, Etc" by Wilco
"NYC" by Interpol
"Losing My Edge" by LCD Soundsystem

2003
"Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Hey Ya!" by Outkast
"Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)" by !!!
"House of Jealous Lovers" by The Rapture

2004
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West
"Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand
"Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dog (featuring Pharrell)
"Toxic" by Britney Spears
"Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
"Dry Your Eyes" by The Streets
"Heartbeat" by Annie
"Breathe" by Fabolous
"Formed a Band" by Art Brut

2005
"16 Military Wives" by The Decemberists
"Casimir Pulaski Day" by Sufjan Stevens
"Sing Me Spanish Techno" by The New Pornographers
"The Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers
"It's All Gonna Break" by Broken Social Scene
"Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
"I'll Believe in Anything" by Wolf Parade

2006
"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley
"Be Easy" by Ghostface Killah
"The President's Dead" by Okkervil River
"The Funeral" by Band of Horses
"Roscoe" by Midlake
"Pull Shapes" by The Pipettes
"Whoo! Alright-Yeah...Uh-Huh" by The Rapture
"Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" by Camera Obscura
"Kick, Push" by Lupe Fiasco
"That's Life" by Killer Mike
"Phantom Limb" by The Shins
"Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John

2007
"All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem
"Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire
"No Pussy Blues" by Grinderman
"Paper Planes" by M.I.A.

2008
"Nothing Ever Happened" by Deerhunter
"Titus Andronicus" by Titus Andronicus