I'd like to start off by saying that "Seldom Seen Kid" is one of my favourite alternative rock albums of the past 10 years or so. I did like "Build a Rocket Boys!" but I didn't love it... if that makes sense. I did actually review it for this site, you can read that review here. Regardless of how I feel of that album, "Neat Little Rows" as a song and single is very good. It actually has aged very well; I thought it was quite a weak choice for a single when I first heard it but over time it's really settled with me very nicely, and I do certainly think it's one of the best songs off the album. It's pretty much Elbow as a band in a nutshell, full of Guy Garvey's penetrating tones, gorgeous piano and an underlying funky riff. It's a solid track.
Here's the music video if you want to hear it!
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It may lack the backbone from their previous work, but "Build a Rocket Boys!" is one of the happiest albums that's ever graced my ears.
Elbow's fifth album, "Build a Rocket Boys!" was released back in March and is the follow up to the magnificent album, "The Seldom Seen Kid", which was released three years ago. Elbow have been making music for over twenty years although they didn't release their first album until 2001. They remained relatively low key throughout their career, until "One Day Like This" blew up and became one of the most played songs throughout 2008 and 2009. This is their first major album release since that track became a monster hit. "Build a Rocket Boys!, like its predecessor, was nominated for a Mercury Music Award, although unlike "The Seldom Seen Kid", it didn't win the actual award.
As I said earlier, Elbow finally got a lot of recognition with their earlier effort. "The Seldom Seen Kid" was definitely their breakthrough album, and "One Day Like This" was a very important moment for the band, as they finally conquered the UK. Elbow have always been perceived as a very talented band, that represent a combination of bumbling Britain. However there was no more bumbling for the band after the success of their fourth major effort. They found it difficult lyrically to write about the things they had been writing before, due to a lot of their material being about a lack of success emotionally and financially at times. But at this point, they were finally successful; they got the recognition they received. So the band decided to change their lyrical approach for this album by drawing inspiration from their past and reflecting about how far they have come.
The album starts of with "The Birds", an eight minute prelude, which sets the tone nicely for the rest of the album. "The Birds" is a gentle song, which gives you the feeling of being carried nicely on a little journey. The song does build up as it goes on, but it feels welcoming, and makes you feel very warm on the inside. The album continues down this very soft route with "Lippy Kids", a song about the horrible perception Britain has on our youth, and how we're paranoid over these kids being dangerous when they're possibly scared themselves. Some critics have highlighted this as a major track in the album, although personally I think there's better. This was the third single released off this album by the way.
One of those 'better' songs is the frustratingly catchy "With Love", which for me is a highlight of the album. Why frustratingly? Because this song is very reminiscent of church music; there's a full choir (the Halle Youth Choir) clapping and singing the chorus. I'm not anti-religion as such, but sometimes the idea of these beliefs frustrate me. But its a personal thing, and as I said, it's a very catch track, and the church inspirations aside, the song is great. It really stands out as a soft upbeat song that celebrates love in the finest way.
Next on the album is the highlight single of the album, "Neat Little Rows". Just to warn you, there is no "Grounds to Divorce"-esque track on this album, and this song continues on the soft gentle journey Elbow want to take us on. "Neat Little Rows" is definitely the most guitar driven track on the album, however it's not hard in any way, shape, or form. It has some edge to it in comparison to the other songs on the album, and is definitely the most approachable song for those who like indie and rock music.
One of my personal favourite tracks on this album is the great "The Night Will Always Win", which for the most part is a slow piano rhythm while lead singer Guy Garvey soothingly sings over it. It's a song that calls out to a missed but distant loved one, one that has long been attached to the past, never to be relevant to the future. It's quite harrowing but charming at the same time, with Garvey howling "I miss your stupid face" at two separate occasions in the track. I just really like this song and it's arguably the simplest in construction on the album. Not all songs have to be designed with complexity; a simple piano chord can do wonders at times. Another great track is the one that follows "The Night Will Always Win", a song called "High Ideals", which is another of the more upbeat tracks on the album.
"Open Arms" was the second single off the album and is a highlight in the latter stages of the album, with its football anthem-esque chorus, it definitely feels like a song to sing aloud, and is probably great to listen to live. The album's conclusion, "Dear Friends" defintiely feels like a goodbye song, in a way that makes you feel like you don't want to go, and you want the journey to continue. It wraps up the album nicely with an open letter of fondness.
It seems like it's just me when I say that I was disappointed overall with this album. Don't get me wrong it's good, but I just feel that it's lacking any strength in its sound. I mean I am a fan of Elbow and I know exactly what genre of music they are and what their fans expect from them, but personally, I just feel that such a mellow album needs a certain 'oomph' to it at times. "The Seldom Seen Kid" was a masterpiece, it was one of the best indie/alternative albums of the decade, if not the best. From start to finish it was brilliant, each song was easily detachable from eachother, yet glued together was one of the finest pieces of music the genre has seen. There was some great crackers on that album, my personal favourite being "The Fix"; and songs like that and "An Audience With the Pope" had a certain 'oomph' factor about them. This album for the most part lacks that; it lacks edge, it lacks a backbone. That backbone missing makes the album feel like a breeze pushing a leaf gently, rather than a sudden strong gush that is actually capable of taking the leaves off the tree. All softer indie/alternative bands have certain entries in their albums that show this edge; Radiohead do it, Coldplay do it, Arcade Fire do it. But in this album, Elbow barely show that side of themselves.
"Build a Rocket Boys!" is a good effort by Elbow, but in my eyes they haven't progressed much further than they did with "The Seldom Seen Kid". I don't know if they overexceeded themselves with that effort, or if it's just me being a little pedantic. It's probably the latter. But I think most Elbow fans can agree with me that this isn't their best work, but that it's still a solid effort. If you're new to Elbow my recommendation wouldn't be to start with this album, but an earlier release. There are two very good things I can say about this album; the first is that it's one of the happiest and most affectionate albums to grace my ears. Elbow seem to be in a great place in their career right now and you can feel their happiness and 'everything is rosy' thoughts in this album clearly. It makes a nice change to hearing all the negative lyrical work you hear more now than ever in music. To wrap up, the other good thing is that "Build a Rocket Boys!" is definitely an album to put on if you want to just sit back and relax to soothing alternative/piano rock. It's perfect for someone in that mindset, that's for sure.
Rating: ***3/4 stars
Stand out tracks: "The Night Will Always Win", "Neat Little Rows", "With Love"
Here's the video for the first single, "Neat Little Rows":
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To view part 1, click here. To view part 2, click here. To view part 3, click here. To view part 4, click here. To view part 5, click here. To view part 6, click here. To view part 7, click here. To view part 8, click here. To view part 9, click here. To view part 10, click here. To view the winner, click here. To view my methods and explanations, click here.
Just as a for your information, this is the 100th official post on this blog. Here's to one hundred more!
We're finally here. The last post to do with this listing. This is just a page full of interesting facts and stats to do with the 100 Most Important Songs of the Decade listing, what media had multiple songs appear in its soundtrack and/or background music. Also, the awards and other reputable listings that had multiple songs in it appear too. Also, it shows what artists and albums had multiple entries. There's probably more but let's just get into it. Enjoy.
Here’s a list of movies with multiple listing entries:
Movies
American Pie 2 - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm Clockstoppers - #78 - Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Daredevil - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool (trailer), #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence The One - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach
Here’s a list of TV shows with multiple listing entries:
TV
90210 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #59 - That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay The Andy Milonakis Show - #58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz, #1 - American Idiot - Green Day Buffy the Vampire Slayer - #78 - Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Cold Case - #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol Doctor Who/Doctor Who Confrontational - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol Entourage - #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #51 - Dance Wiv Me - Dizzee Rascal ER - #25 - Clocks - Coldplay, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol Generation Kill - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus Gossip Girl - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings Hollyoaks/Hollyoaks Later - #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow House MD - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz One Tree Hill - #31 - Run - Snow Patrol, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol Rescue Me - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #31 - Run - Snow Patrol The Simpsons - #74 - Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six, #69 - Cochise - Audioslave, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay Skins - #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT Smallville - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz, #8 - Last Resort - Papa Roach Top Gear - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #85 - Empire - Kasabian, #75 - The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis Torchwood/Torchwood Declassified - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #88 - Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters, #81 - Time is Running Out - Muse, #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow
Here’s a list of video games with multiple listing entries:
Video Games
Band Hero - #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy Dance Dance Revolution Series - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand DiRT 2 - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #89 - Warriors Dance - The Prodigy DJ Hero Series - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #71 - Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal, #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers FIFA Series - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse Guitar Hero -#69 - Cochise - Audioslave, #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41 , #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver, #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole - Muse, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers Guitar Hero World Tour - #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #23 - Human - The Killers Guitar Hero 5 - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #52 - Brianstorm - Arctic Monkeys, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
- #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #87 - Uprising - Muse, #26 - I'm Not
Okay (I Promise) - My Chemical Romance, #22 - Welcome to the Black
Parade - My Chemical Romance Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades - #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness Other Guitar Hero Titles - #84 - Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Karaoke Revolution - #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm Other Karaoke Revolution Titles - #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness Lego Rock Band - #76 - Monster - The Automatic, #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs Lips - #67 - Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore Madden NFL Series - #79 - Duality - Slipknot, #68 - Feeling This - Blink-182, #1 - American Idiot - Green Day NHL Series - #62 - Fat Lip - Sum 41, #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT, #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit Rock Band - #97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars, #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #79 - Duality - Slipknot, #72 - Tribute - Tenacious D, #63 - Gay Bar - Electric Six, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters, #39 - Fell in Love With a Girl - The White Stripes, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Rock Band 3 - #24 - Misery Business - Paramore, #21 - In the End - Linkin Park Other Rock Band Titles - #46 - Chop Suey! - System of a Down, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters SingStar Pop - #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol Other SingStar Titles - #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers, #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand, #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
Tap Tap Revenge 2 (iPhone game) - #83 - Gives You Hell - The All-American Rejects, #38 - Last Resort - Papa Roach Tony Hawk Series - #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters, #88 - Filthy/Gorgeous - Scissor Sisters
Here’s a list of other parts of the Noughtie Series with multiple listing entries:
Johnny Mercyside Listings
Best Riffs - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes Best Video - #99 - Shut Me Up - Mindless Self Indulgence, #63 - Gay Bar - Electric Six, #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash, #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes, #13 - All the Small Things - Blink-182 Top 100 Favourite Songs of the Decade - #99 - Shut Me Up - Mindless Self Indulgence, #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow, #96 - Bodies - Drowning Pool, #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down, #70 - Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet, #54 - Paper Planes - MIA, #46 - Chop Suey! - System of a Down, #45 - Fire - Kasabian, #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
Other Listings
Here’s a list of
other sourced lists with multiple listing entries. To avoid confusion, the
number with the '#' sign is where it got to on my listing, and the number in
the (bracket) is where it got to in the listing specified. The golden font are
songs that got to #1 on their respective lists.
Absolute Radio's Best Songs of the Decade - #23 - Human - The Killers (25), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (60) Blender's Top 144 Songs of 2008 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (2), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (5) Blender's Top 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born - #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne (197), #21 - In the End - Linkin Park (121), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (493), #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast (15) CMT's Songs of the Decade - #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (2), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (1) MTV's Best Songs of 2009 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (4), #28 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z (8) NME's Best of the 2000's - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (9), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (1), #75 - The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis (96), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (2), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (5), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (41) NME's Greatest Indie Anthems Ever - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (29), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (9), #60 - Standing in the Way of Control - The Gossip (23), #40 - I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs (36), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (16), #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys (10) Pitchfork's Top 100 Singles from 2000-04 - #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (68), #5 - Hey Ya! OutKast (2) Pitchfork's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000's - #100 - Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire (69), #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (14), #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz (308), #74 - Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six (234), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (11), #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (155), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (44), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (30), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (276) Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks - #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (66), #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters (94), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (41), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (8), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (47) Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2006 - #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (1), #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance (17) Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of 2008 - #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (3), #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings (27), #23 - Human - The Killers (1), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (9), #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (40) Rolling Stone's Top 100 Songs of the 2000's - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (2), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (16), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (12), #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (5), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (1), #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day (65), #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (15), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (6), #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast (4), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (13) Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z (172), #86 - Last Nite - The Strokes (478), #61 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (493), #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (236), #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley (100), #25 - Clocks - Coldplay (490), #18 - Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand (327), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (286), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (432) Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004 - #77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets (19), #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers (4), #1 - American Idiot - Green Day (12) Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2007 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (17), #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs (13), #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters (6) Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2008 - #51 - Time to Pretend - MGMT (4), #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (1) Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time - #32 - Hurt - Johnny Cash (60), #18 - Take Me Out = Franz Ferdinand (100), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (20) VH1's Best Hard Rock Songs of All Time - #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver (85), #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes (75), #14 - I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness (94) Village Voice's Top 40 Singles of 2008 - #54 - Paper Planes - MIA (1), #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay (8) XFM's 100 Greatest Songs of All Time - #23 - Human - The Killers (77), #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers (37) Y2KROQ's Top 200 Songs of the Century - #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down (134), #21 - In the End - Linkin Park (1)
Awards
Here’s a list of
award ceremonies with multiple listing entries. The golden font are the
winners, the standard text are nominations.
BRIT Awards - #11 - Valerie - The Zutons/Mark Ronson - Best British Single, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol - Best Single Grammy Awards - #93 - 99 Problems - Jay-Z - Best Rap Performance, #91 - Slither - Velvet Revolver - Best Hard Rock Performance, #90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz - Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals; Record of the Year, #82 - B.Y.O.B. - System of a Down - Best Hard Rock Performance, #54 - Paper Planes - MIA - Record of the Year, #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley - Best Urban/Alternative Performance, #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne - Song of the Year, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day - Record of the Year, #43 - All My Life - Foo Fighters - Best Hard Rock Performance, #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence - Best Hard Rock Performance, #35 - The Pretender - Foo Fighters - Best Rock Song; Record of the Year, #34 - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon - Record of the Year; Best Rock Performance by a Group with Vocals; Best Rock Song; Song of the Year, #29 - Best of You - Foo Fighters - Best Rock Song, #28 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z - Record of the Year, #25 - Clocks - Coldplay - Record of the Year, #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers - Best Rock Song, #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay - Song of the Year; Record of the Year, #16 - Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes - Best Rock Song, #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers - Best Rock Song, #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast - Best Urban/Alternative Performance; Record of the Year, #4 - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol - Best Rock Song, #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback - Record of the Year, #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon - Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Group; Best Rock Song Ivor Novello Award - #98 - Grounds for Divorce - Elbow - Best Contemporary Song, #55 - For Lovers - Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty - Songwriting, #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne - International Hit of the Year, #6 - One Day Like This - Elbow - Best Song NME Awards - #20 - When You Were Young - The Killers - Best Track, #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys - Best Track UK Record of the Year Award - #56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus, #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley, #10 - Rockstar - Nickelback
Artists with Multiple Entries
Two Songs
30 Seconds to Mars - #97 - The Kill, #65 - Kings and Queens Electric Six - #74 - Danger! High Voltage, #63 - Gay Bar Dizzee Rascal - #71 - Bonkers, #51 - Dance Wiv Me System of a Down - #82 - B.Y.O.B., #46 - Chop Suey! Kasabian - #85 - Empire, #45 - Fire The Ting-Tings - #59 - That's Not My Name, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go Jay-Z - #93 - 99 Problems, #28 - Empire State of Mind The White Stripes - #39 - Fell in Love With a Girl, #16 - Seven Nation Army Blink-182 - #68 - Feeling This, #13 - All the Small Things Mark Ronson - #33 - Oh My God - #11 - Valerie Florence and the Machine - #95 - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up), #9 - You've Got the Love Arctic Monkeys - #52 - Brianstorm, #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Limp Bizkit - #73 - Break Stuff, #7 - Rollin' Elbow - #98 - Grounds for Divorce, #6 - One Day Like This Snow Patrol - #31 - Run, #4 - Chasing Cars Nickelback - #10 - Rockstar, #3 - How You Remind Me Kings of Leon - #34 - Use Somebody, #2 - Sex on Fire
Three Songs (maximum cap on songs in the listing)
Kaiser Chiefs - #80 - Everyday I Love You Less and Less, #49 - Ruby, #40 - I Predict a Riot Gorillaz - #90 - Feel Good Inc., #58 - Clint Eastwood, #37 - Dare Muse - #87 - Uprising, #81 - Time is Running Out, #36 - Supermassive Black Hole Foo Fighters - #43 - All My Life, #35 - The Pretender, #29 - Best of You My Chemical Romance - #84 - Famous Last Words, #26 - I'm Not Okay (I Promise), #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade Coldplay - #25 - Clocks, #19 - The Scientist, #17 - Viva la Vida The Killers - #23 - Human, #20 - When You Were Young, #12 - Somebody Told Me Green Day - #50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams, #1 - American Idiot
Albums with Multiple Entries
Two Songs
Fire - Electric Six - #74 - Danger! High Voltage, #63 - Gay Bar Tongue 'n' Cheek - Dizzee Rascal - #71 - Bonkers, #51 - Dance Wiv Me We Started Nothing - The Ting Tings - #59 - That's Not My Name, #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go Employment - Kaiser Chiefs - #80 - Everyday I Love You Less and Less, #40 - I Predict a Riot Demon Days - Gorillaz - #90 - Feel Good Inc., #37 - Dare The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance - #84 - Famous Last Words, #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay - #25 - Clocks, #19 - The Scientist Version - Mark Ronson - #33 - Oh My God - #11 - Valerie Lungs - Florence and the Machine - #95 - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up), #9 - You've Got the Love The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow - #98 - Grounds for Divorce, #6 - One Day Like This Only by the Night - Kings of Leon - #34 - Use Somebody, #2 - Sex on Fire
The only artist with three songs by the same artist on the same album is Green Day. Their album, American Idiot, featured the songs at #50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends, #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams and #1 - American Idiot.
#1 Hits by Country
United Kingdom
#77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets #71 - Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal #59 - That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley #51 - Dance Wiv Me - Dizzee Rascal #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence #37 - Dare - Gorillaz #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock #8 - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys #7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Australia
#56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence #27 - Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Canada
#97 - The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley #50 - Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne #10 - Rockstar - Nickelback #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast #1 - American Idiot - Green Day
Ireland
#77 - Dry Your Eyes - The Streets #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley #49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock #7 - Rollin' - Limp Bizkit #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
Norway
#58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz #57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne #23 - Human - The Killers #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast
United States
#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town #29 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Austria
#56 - Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Czech Republic
#49 - Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs #29 - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay
Italy
#58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz #47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne #42 - Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
Poland
#87 - Uprising - Muse #19 - The Scientist - Coldplay #12 - Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Spain
#90 - Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz #58 - Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz #23 - Human - The Killers
Switzerland
#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
Denmark
#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town #3 - How You Remind Me - Nickelback
Germany
#57 - Butterfly - Crazy Town #15 - All Summer Long - Kid Rock
Mexico
#47 - Complicated - Avril Lavigne #41 - Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
Argentina - #44 - Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day Belgium - #34 - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon Finland - #2 - Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon Holland - #11 - Valerie - Mark Ronson Hungary - #53 - Crazy - Gnarls Barkley Israel - #22 - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance Slovakia - #17 - Viva la Vida - Coldplay Sweden - #5 - Hey Ya! - OutKast
Here’s all the songs filtered by what year the single was released, with the number in the bracket the total amount of songs from that year on the listing:
2000 (7)
#78 – Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols #73 – Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit t#57 – Butterfly – Crazy Town #56 – Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus #38 – Last Resort – Papa Roach #13 – All the Small Things – Blink-182 #7 - Rollin’ – Limp Bizkit
2001 (9)
#96 – Bodies – Drowning Pool #94 – Sing - Travis #86 – Last Nite – The Strokes #62 – Fat Lip – Sum 41 #58 – Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz #46 – Chop Suey! – System of a Down #27 – Smooth Criminal – Alien Ant Farm #21 – In the End – Linkin Park #3 – How You Remind Me - Nickelback
2002 (9)
#72 – Tribute – Tenacious D #69 – Cochise – Audioslave #64 – We’re All Made of Stars - Moby #47 – Complicated – Avril Lavigne #43 – All My Life – Foo Fighters #39 – Fell in Love With a Girl – The White Stripes #30 – By the Way – Red Hot Chili Peppers #25 – Clocks - Coldplay #19 – The Scientist - Coldplay
2003 (10)
#81 – Time is Running Out - Muse #74 – Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six #70 – Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet #68 – Feeling This – Blink-182 #63 – Gay Bar – Electrix Six #42 – Bring Me to Life - Evanescence #32 – Hurt – Johnny Cash #16 – Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes #14 – I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness #5 – Hey Ya! - OutKast
2004 (12)
#93 – 99 Problems – Jay-Z #91 – Slither – Velvet Revolver #79 – Duality – Slipknot #77 – Dry Your Eyes – The Streets #55 – For Lovers – Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty #44 – Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day #40 – I Predict a Riot – Kaiser Chiefs #31 – Run – Snow Patrol #26 – I’m Not Okay (I Promise) – My Chemical Romance #18 – Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand #12 – Somebody Told Me – The Killers #1 – American Idiot – Green Day
2005 (10)
#100 – Rebellion (Lies) – Arcade Fire #92 – Wires - Athlete #90 – Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz #88 – Filthy Gorgeous – Scissor Sisters #82 – B.Y.O.B. – System of a Down #67 – Sugar, We’re Going Down – Fall Out Boy #50 – Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day #37 – Dare - Gorillaz #29 – Best of You – Foo Fighters #8 – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor – Arctic Monkeys
2006 (11)
#99 – Shut Me Up – Mindless Self Indulgence #97 – The Kill – 30 Seconds to Mars #85 – Empire - Kasabian #76 – Monster – The Automatic #60 – Standing in the Way of Control – The Gossip #53 – Crazy – Gnarls Barkley #36 – Supermassive Black Hole - Muse #22 – Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance #20 – When You Were Young – The Killers #10 – Rockstar – Nickelback #4 – Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
2007 (8)
#84 – Famous Last Words – My Chemical Romance #66 – Foundations – Kate Nash #42 – Brianstorm – Arctic Monkeys #49 – Ruby – Kaiser Chiefs #35 – The Pretender – Foo Fighters #33 – Oh My God – Mark Ronson #24 – Misery Business - Paramore #11 – Valerie – Mark Ronson
2008 (15)
#98 – Grounds for Divorce - Elbow #83 – Gives You Hell – The All-American Rejects #80 – Everyday I Love You Less and Less – Kaiser Chiefs #75 – The Shock of the Lightning - Oasis #61 – Time to Pretend - MGMT #59 – That’s Not My Name – The Ting-Tings #54 – Paper Planes – MIA #51 – Dance Wiv Me – Dizzee Rascal #41 – Shut Up and Let Me Go – The Ting-Tings #34 – Use Somebody – Kings of Leon #23 – Human – The Killers #17 – Viva la Vida – Coldplay #15 – All Summer Long – Kid Rock #6 – One Day Like This – Elbow #2 – Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
2009 (9)
#95 – Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up) – Florence and the Machine #89 – Warriors Dance – The Prodigy #87 – Uprising - Muse #71 – Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal #65 – Kings and Queens – 30 Seconds to Mars #48 – Don’t Upset the Rhythm – The Noisettes #45 – Fire - Kasabian #28 – Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z #9 – You’ve Got the Love - Florence and the Machine
Noughtie: The Most Important Songs of the Decade Mixtape
(The caps for this Mixtape are one song per artist, and at least one song from each year will be chosen. If you're not familiar with my Mixtapes, look at the bottom of this website and click on the 'mixtape' tab to see the more Mixtapes, and to get a feel of what they're about.)
...and that's the end! Of the Noughtie Series! Officially! Finally! Thank you so much for taking part in this, regardless of how you got here, and how much you've actually read. One more stat before we go, the total Noughtie listing - from the first post on Wednesday, 26th January to today, 23rd July, the Noughtie Series is a grand total of 72, 041 words long. I've dedicated 6 months to put it all down on the internet, and around 18 months of getting the idea into my head, juggling ideas, doing research, and then actually creating everything. That's a very long time. I think it was worth it. I hope you agree. I'll be back in a few days when everything will be back to normal on this site, and I may keep away from discussing music for a little while anyway! Thanks again for your time and take care.
To view part 1, click here. To view part 2, click here. To view part 3, click here. To view part 4, click here. To view part 5, click here. To view part 6, click here. To view part 7, click here. To view part 8, click here. To view part 9, click here. To view part 10, click here.
We're finally here. Before I reveal #1, here's a quick recap of the 99 songs before it:
#100: “Rebellion (Lies)” - Arcade Fire
#99: “Shut Me Up” - Mindless Self Indulgence
#98: “Grounds for Divorce” – Elbow
#97: “The Kill” - 30 Seconds to Mars
#96: “Bodies” - Drowning Pool
#95: “Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)” - Florence and the Machine
#94: “Sing” - Travis
#93: “99 Problems” - Jay-Z
#92: “Wires” - Athlete
#91: “Slither” - Velvet Revolver
#90: “Feel Good Inc.” - Gorillaz
#89: “Warriors Dance” - The Prodigy
#88: “Filthy/Gorgeous” - Scissor Sisters
#87: “Uprising” - Muse
#86: “Last Nite” - The Strokes
#85: “Empire” - Kasabian
#84: “Famous Last Words” - My Chemical Romance
#83: “Gives You Hell” - The All-American Rejects
#82: “B.Y.O.B.” - System of a Down
#81: “Time is Running Out” - Muse
#80: “Everyday I Love You Less and Less” - Kaiser Chiefs
#79: “Duality” - Slipknot
#78: “Bohemian Like You” - The Dandy Warhols
#77: “Dry Your Eyes” - The Streets
#76: “Monster” - The Automatic
#75: “The Shock of the Lightning” - Oasis
#74: “Danger! High Voltage” - Electric Six
#73: “Break Stuff” - Limp Bizkit
#72: “Tribute” - Tenacious D
#71: “Bonkers” - Dizzee Rascal
#70: “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” - Jet
#69: “Cochise” - Audioslave
#68: “Feeling This” - Blink-182
#67: “Sugar, We're Goin Down” - Fall Out Boy
#66: “Foundations” - Kate Nash
#65: “Kings and Queens” - 30 Seconds to Mars
#64: “We Are All Made of Stars” - Moby
#63: “Gay Bar” - Electric Six
#62: “Fat Lip” - Sum 41
#61: “Time to Pretend” - MGMT
#60: “Standing in the Way of Control” - The Gossip
#59: “That's Not My Name” - The Ting Tings
#58: “Clint Eastwood” - Gorillaz
#57: “Butterfly” - Crazy Town
#56: “Teenage Dirtbag” - Wheatus
#55: “For Lovers” - Wolfman feat. Pete Doherty
#54: “Paper Planes” - MIA
#53: “Crazy” - Gnarls Barkley
#52: “Brianstorm” - Arctic Monkeys #51: "Dance Wiv Me" - Dizzee Rascal #50: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" - Green Day
#49: "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs #48: "Don't Upset the Rhythm" - The Noisettes #47: "Complicated" - Avril Lavigne #46: "Chop Suey!" - System of a Down #45: "Fire" - Kasabian #44: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Green Day #43: "All My Life" - Foo Fighters #42: "Bring Me to Life" - Evanescence #41: "Shut Up and Let Me Go" - The Ting Tings #40: "I Predict a Riot" - Kaiser Chiefs #39: "Fell in Love With a Girl" - The White Stripes #38: "Last Resort" - Papa Roach #37: "Dare" - Gorillaz #36: "Supermassive Black Hole" - Muse #35: "The Pretender" - Foo Fighters #34: "Use Somebody" - Kings of Leon #33: "Oh My God" - Kaiser Chiefs/Mark Ronson #32: "Hurt" - Johnny Cash #31: "Run" - Snow Patrol #30: "By the Way" - Red Hot Chili Peppers #29: "Best of You" - Foo Fighters #28: "Empire State of Mind" - Jay-Z #27: "Smooth Criminal" - Alien Ant Farm #26: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" - My Chemical Romance #25: "Clocks" - Coldplay #24: "Misery Business" - Paramore #23: "Human" - The Killers #22: "Welcome to the Black Parade" - My Chemical Romance #21: "In the End" - Linkin Park #20: "When You Were Young" - The Killers #19: "The Scientist" - Coldplay #18: "Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand #17: "Viva la Vida" - Coldplay #16: "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes #15: "All Summer Long" - Kid Rock #14: "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - The Darkness #13: "All the Small Things" - Blink-182 #12: "Somebody Told Me" - The Killers #11: "Valerie" - The Zutons/Mark Ronson #10: "Rockstar" - Nickelback #9: "You've Got the Love" - Florence and the Machine #8: "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" - Arctic Monkeys #7: "Rollin'" - Limp Bizkit #6: "One Day Like This" - Elbow #5: "Hey Ya!" - OutKast #4: "Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol #3: "How You Remind Me" - Nickelback #2: "Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon
Okay, here we go, the most important song of the last decade is...
#1. "American Idiot" - Green Day Released: 31/8/04 Album:American Idiot Accolades: #22 in Triple J's Hottest
100 of 2004, #13 in Rolling Stone's Best of 2000s, #432 in Rolling Stone's Best Songs of all Time Appearances: Wedding
Crashers (movie trailer), Madden NFL 2005 (video game), The Andy
Milonakis Show (TV series), The Simpsons Movie (movie), Johnny Test (TV
series) Chart Positions: UK - #3, US - #56 (#1 in Hot Modern Rock Tracks Chart), Best Elsewhere - Canada - #1
"American
Idiot" is for me, the most important song of the decade. Now that might
upset some of you people who don't like modern punk, and want to stick
to your indie roots, which is fair enough. In fact, some could argue
that "Boulevard" was a bigger hit, which it was. But the reason why it
was a bigger hit is because at the time of "American Idiot"'s release,
downloads weren't considered. Between the releases they were. I'm sure
some of you think "Sex on Fire" is a more deserving entry, but here me
out.
Imagine
in your mind it was 2004 again. 9/11 happened not too long ago and
every American is on high alert about the whole thing. The war on Iraq
was a controversial decision. On a less serious side of things, Green
Day not long released International Superhits!. They had just just
passed 15 years of music making. They were now at the peak of their
career in terms of the fact that everyone worldwide knew of their music
and they had experience and maturity on their side.
They
then release a concept album about a guy that hates his life and
everything about it. "Emo" was on the rise not too long from the release
of the album. "Emo", if you didn't know, is the rise of a 'new' fashion
statement and music genre associated with teenagers who dress in dark
makeup, tight black trousers and stripy tops. "Emo" culture fell into
teenage life where these young individuals were questioning life and
disliking the negative elements within it. It can stretch to self harm
and even suicide, although I'm not going to talk about those dark
elements in a strong way.
So,
everything, in my eyes, came to a climax with the release of this song.
It's anti-American lyrics, the attachment to the album with its
punk/emo qualities were definitely part of the reason this song because
such a huge hit. Green Day as I said, were getting to the stage of their
career that they were an experienced well respected band, and they were
about to get a huge influx of new fans. No, it didn't sell as well as
"Sex on Fire", or many other songs in this listing, but I'll tell you
now, since 2004, I've not seen one song played more on multiple video
channels that's not an RnB or pop or rap song. I've heard this song more
than any other song in the decade I'd say. It's revived Green Day's
career, it was accepted as a great track by many diverse fans, rock,
metal, pop, indie, and everything in between. It has a purpose in this
decade, it was a form or rebel song in reference to the 9/11 attacks and
American culture as well. America in this decade has started to be
perceived as a silly nation and this song definitely pinpoints that.
"American Idiot" above all that is a decent little punk/emo song. I don't love
it, but I don't hate it either. And while a lot of people got fed up of
the band after a while, the playing of this song hasn't really gone
away. It ticks all my boxes when it comes to its importance in the
decade, and that's why I believe, it's the most important song of the
decade.
So Green Day, this award goes to you!
Agree?
Disagree? Comment below. So there you have it, the 100 Most Important
Songs of the Decade. But this Noughtie series hasn't quite finished yet.
Tomorrow I'm going to explain myself further. How did I make this
listing? How did I
go about it? Read tomorrow if you want to know. On Friday will be the
stats post, where I'll compile all the songs that featured in certain TV
shows or games, as well as a compiled list from each year, and more.
Hopefully you'll find that interesting. Also you'll see a Mixtape in
that post, if you want to create a Johnny Mercyside Important Songs of
the Naughties playlist. After that, the whole thing will be
finished. It's took nearly six months to put the whole thing down on the
website and I've really enjoyed it. I hope you have too, if you agree or
disagree. I'll see you again tomorrow I hope.
To view my methods and explanations, click here. To view a full archived stats index of the songs listed, click here.
