180. The Beatles — “Here Comes the Sun” — This right here is the reason George is my favorite Beatle.
179. Beyonce featuring Jay-Z — “Crazy in Love” — Normally I’m not a fan of sampling. The exception is when you take an old riff and put it to better use, like with Beyonce’s catchiest song.
178. Better Than Ezra — “Good” — Wah-ah, this song is good. Awah-awah-ah-wahah, yeah it’s good.
177. Aerosmith — “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” — The perfect over-the-top ballad for an awesomely over-the-top movie.
176. matchbox twenty — “All I Need” — Yeah, MB20 started to get overproduced on their later albums, but on this track, the songwriting overpowers the production. (And, frankly, the riff ain’t too shabby, either.)
175. Hilary Duff — “Wake Up” — It’s Saturday night, and anything seems possible in this little pop gem.
174. Belle and Sebastian — “White Collar Boy” — Some songs are great because they mirror the listener’s emotion. This one is great because it creates the feeling of longing after a girl, regardless of what you were thinking about when it started playing. Best lyric: “She said ‘You ain’t ugly, you can kiss me if you like’/ Go ahead and kiss her, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
173. Dido — “White Flag” — Traditional social standards say Dido’s behavior in this narrative is pathetic, but I find it rather admirable that she opts to go down with the ship of this relationship. After all, she’s in love, and always will be.
172. Bruce Springsteen — “I’m Goin’ Down” — Not getting the girl never before sounded so sweet. Everyone can relate to lyrics like “I’m sick and tired of ya setting me up/ Just ta knocka knocka knocka me down.”
171. Rihanna featuring Jay-Z — “Umbrella” — No one tells Rihanna that “umbrella” only has three syllables. No one. When you think outside the grammatical box, an irresistible pop hook can result.
Comments
i didnt realize you were such a big matchbox 20 fan# Posted By Matt | 7/17/10 12:24 AM
180. and 174. are awesome!
George is my favorite Beatle too… you have redeemed yourself# Posted By chance | 7/17/10 4:39 AM
A lot of my list is ’90s stuff — which I know you don’t care for — but it’s front-loaded with 2000s and pre-’90s stuff, so I think you’ll like the direction it’s headed in.# Posted By John Hansen | 7/17/10 9:24 AM
MB20 is good for a gem or two off of each album. I like their earlier stuff better. I pretty much dismiss Thomas’ solo work out of hand; it’s popular, but not as interesting as his early MB20 work.# Posted By John Hansen | 7/17/10 1:20 PM
oh good… when it comes to ’90s i only care about radiohead and belle & sebastian! that’s not good… i know# Posted By chance | 7/18/10 12:25 AM
