160. Avril Lavigne — “Anything But Ordinary” — A rare pop song that — rather than reflecting on drama — asks for more drama: “Somebody rip my heart out/ And leave me here to bleed … I’d […]

170. Soul Asylum — “Oxygen” — Only the die-hards noticed, but Soul Asylum actually put out one of its best songs just a few years ago. 169. Kelly Clarkson — “Since U Been Gone” — Clarkson and this song […]

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 […]

190. The Jayhawks — “Angelyne” — Has self-pity ever before sounded so gorgeous? I think not. 189. Brenda Weiler — “California” — My favorite song from the most talented musician from my graduating class (Fargo South High School, 1996). […]

200. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — “Walls” — Whether played in the “happy” or “sad” tempo, this is a great Petty tune. 199. Epic Hero — “One Fine Day” — The best track by the best band to […]

210. Foo Fighters — “Long Road to Ruin” — The Foo Fighters have a knack for writing songs that you feel should’ve been written already. It’s like they fill in the obvious gaps of rock history. 209. […]

220. Jewel — “Intuition” — I admit it; I think this song is catchy. I also like how Jewel was doing a parody of sell-outs and got wrongly criticized by people who didn’t understand that it was […]

230. Hootie and the Blowfish — “Tucker’s Town” — The first time I heard the transcendent opening chords, I wanted to go to Tucker’s Town, wherever that might be. 229. Doves — “Pounding” — As the name suggests, it […]

240. Michael Jackson — “Black or White” — A classic riff, and the song has an interesting subtext because it came out during the time that MJ’s skin color was changing from black to white due to […]

250. Britney Spears — “Sometimes” — If pop songs had flavors, this one would taste like strawberries. 249. Tonic — “Head on Straight” — For some bizarre reason, I and the Grammy Awards voters were the only people who […]