As the year and the decade draws to a close, various “best of” lists are cropping up all over the place. Everyone from the NME to XFM have given their verdicts on what they think are the greatest tracks to have come out during the noughties. The other day, Channel Four’s “Greatest Songs Of The Noughties” programme named Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” as the best of the decade, following a poll of critics and the public that was conducted for the show. Quite who or how many were asked in the survey, I don’t know – this member of the public wasn’t asked for her opinion, that’s for sure. Don’t get me wrong – I love Snow Patrol and I rate that song highly, but best song of the decade overall? I’m not so sure. However it was certainly the best promoted, having been used repeatedly on a multitude of TV shows as well as holding the accolade of being the last song to have been performed on Top Of The Pops.
I could pretty much go on for ages about what I think of these “best of” lists. However, I would rather give my own list of my favourite songs from the noughties. These aren’t in any particular order (partly because I couldn’t be bothered to rank them) and it will probably not be the definitive list. I’m pretty sure they’ll be plenty that I’ll think I should have included after I publish this. I should also point out that for every few on here that you know, there might be one or two that will have you thinking “who the hell are they?” – either because they are acts that have long been forgotten or they are ones that I have come across on sites like MySpace or YouTube. If you see any of these, you might want to check them out (I highly recommend Officer Kicks and Stickboy).
Anyway, here are my songs of the decade:
Stereophonics – Dakota Doves– There Goes The Fear Goldfrapp – Ooh La La The Killers – All These Things That I’ve Done Ladyhawke – My Delirium Dum Dums – Everything The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You Athlete – You Got The Style Editors – All Sparks Boy Kill Boy – Suzie The Cooper Temple Clause – Who Needs Enemies? Hope Of The States – The Red The White The Black The Blue Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict A Ri0t Keane – Is It Any Wonder? Coldplay – Yellow Snow Patrol – Run The Feeling – Sewn Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire JJ72 – October Swimmer Muse – Supermassive Black Hole Goldfrapp – Strict Machine Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over The Hoosiers – Worried About Ray Kasabian – LSF Hard Fi – Cash Machine Wolf Gang – The King and All of His Men The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition Noah And The Whale – 5 Years Time The Darkness – I Believe In A Thing Called Love Keane – Spiralling The Killers – Somebody Told Me The Caesars – Jerk It Out Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor Starsailor – Four To The Floor Ok Go – Get Over It Athlete – Wires Ed Harcourt – Apple Of My Eye All-American Rejects – Move Along The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army Florence + The Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) Paramore – Misery Business Arctic Monkeys – Fluorescent Adolescent The Last Shadow Puppets– The Age Of The Understatement The Libertines – Up The Bracket Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood Feeder – Seven Days In The Sun Officer Kicks – Pictures Of Me Elbow – One Day Like This Queens Of The Stone Age – No One Knows U2 – Vertigo Muse – Time Is Running Out Keane – Everybody’s Changing Coldplay – Clocks The Maccabees – No Kind Words Razorlight– Golden Touch Kaiser Chiefs – Modern Way Green Day – American Idiot Air Traffic – No More Running Away Bat For Lashes – Daniel Capital – Ruin Bloc Party – Helicopter Ellie Goulding – Under The Sheets Feeder – Just A Day OK Go – Here It Goes Again Florence + The Machine – Kiss With A Fist Stickboy – Blanket For The Lonely Doves – Pounding Royworld – Dust The Wombats – Let’s Dance To Joy Division A – Nothing Little Boots – Stuck On Repeat Badly Drawn Boy – Silent Sigh Lostprophets – Last Train Home The Hoosiers – Worst Case Scenario Ed Harcourt – All Of Your Days Will Be Blessed Maximo Park – Graffiti Tommy Sparks – She’s Got Me Dancing Muse – Uprising Snow Patrol – Spitting Games Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls Grace – Stand Still Ladyhawke – Dusk Till Dawn.