Top Singles of the 2000s

I'm going to do the same for the 2000s (meaning 2000-2009) as I did for the 1990s. I enjoyed doing it and I think it's quite interesting. Basically, it's a playlist of 100 UK singles, 10 from each year of the decade.

It's not the same as the best songs or, by any means, my favourite songs. The ideas is that it's 10 great singles from each year which combine to tell the story of the pop charts in this decade.

I don't think I could do this as well for any decade apart from the 90s and the 2000s (though I could manage just about for the 80s and probably will at some point). Those are the decades when I had my nose to the ground, my ear to the wall, my finger on the nose. I may even know the 2000s better than the 90s. I certainly bought more music, including singles. I admit that by the end of the decade I was not paying as much attention to the singles chart as I once had, but I still had a pretty good idea where it was at.

There are quite a few things which make the 2000s very different from the 90s, probably the main one being the inclusion of download numbers in chart data from 2007 onwards. Arguably -  for reasons that I can't explain perfectly, though I think I basically understand -  that killed "indie" as a factor in the pop charts for good.

Funnily enough, "indie", or, let's say "guitar music" is a strikingly large chart factor in the years immediately preceding that change. Far more so, in fact, in terms of proportion of Top 10 hits. than in the Britpop era. By this point, that doesn't really mean the music I like. It means Kasabian, Fall Out Boy, and things like that.

Unlike in the 90s, my central taste was not really for the chart music in this decade. I am a grown-up music fan who buys lots of music and goes to lots of gigs. I'm still into popular indie somewhat but more into album-focused Americana. I'm. conversely, much less anti-poppy pop music than in the second half of the previous decade. This is especially true in retrospect. I really love a lot of the massive pop hits of this decade, from both sides of the Atlantic. But, still, not as much, deep down, as I love, you know, Wilco, Josh Rouse, Rilo Kiley, The Pernice Brothers, Bonnie Prince Billy, that kind of stuff ...

So, there's a certain trap I could fall into (and will, to some extent) with this decade. Songs like All My Friends. My Girls, Such Great Heights, seem massive if you're a vaguely music press-following 2000s music fan. And they are dance music, they are pop music. But, no, they weren't UK hit singles. I don't think that kind of "massive pop song that wasn't a hit single" existed in quite the same force in the 1990s ...It's something slightly different ... I won't ignore that stuff, but I'll be a bit cautious of it.

It's noticeable, going through the list of Top 10 hits in the first half of the decade, that the pop/hiphop/rnb bangers are unrelenting. Like it or love it, it was an incredible time for for pop music. Hot streaks for stars and behind-the-scenes figures who are seen as the tastemakers of the century - Max Martin, Timbaland, Missy Elliot, Richard X, Kanye West, Xenomania etc The biggest pop stars of the century emerging or coming into their own - Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Adele, Rihanna. Katy Perry.

No wonder it's the indie that people look at askance. The landfill indie, they say - a term which now covers a wide range of styles and qualities. 

Coldplay, The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys were all phenomena (people forget how widely Franz Ferdinand were talked about for a while). There was Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, Killers, Kasabian and Kooks. All huge, as were Snow Patrol, Travis and Elbow - smarter, initially edgier, bands than Coldplay who sold out and smoothed their edges a little. Oasis were still banging out mediocre Number 1s. There were multiple Top 10 hits for Morrissey and Paul Weller. There were Wombats and Pigeon Detectives and Zutons, not to mention Babyshambles (who had a remarkable number of hits) and Dirty Pretty Things. There were also really good bands like Maximo Park. At one point I was convinced an Irish band called Hal would take over the world. 

The point is, all of them had Top 10, 20 or 40 hits, and none of them, or their equivalent, would these days, and that's a shame.

What else? One track per artist, as with the 90s list, though that is a bit harder here because of all the guest slots so I'll be a bit flexible. Also, I said with the 90s list that I loved every song I included, either at the time or now, but I don't think that can be true with this list. Still, I have taken Mr Brightside out at the last moment. And I choose The Last of the Melting Snow by The Leisure Society rather than Empire State of Mind, because, well, who cares ...

OK, so I might, unlike with the 90s, add some more notes for some specific songs ...

• Try Again - Aaliyah
• Pure Shores - All Saints
• Yellow - Coldplay
• Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)  - Spiller ft Sophie Ellis Bextor
• Gravel Pit - Wu-Tang Clan
• Barcode Bypass - Mull Historical Society ... aah, good times. This wasn't a hit, though it is their greatest song, but MHS were one of those indie bands that managed some incongruous Top 40 hits.
• It Feels So Good - Sonique
• Actually It's Darkness - Idlewild
• Chase the Sun - Planet Funk
• Winterlight - Clearlake
• Family Affair - Mary J Blige ... one of the best singles ever, by anyone.
• Witness (One Hope) - Roots Manuva
• Shining Light - Ash
• She Fell into My Arms - Ed Harcourt ... I loved and listened to this song more than pretty much any other this decade. It was not successful. No. In fact, I remember reading something to the effect that it had been sent back to the record company by shops more than any other single in 2001. Ed Harcourt did, once of twice, creep in and around the Top 40, but this is a perfect idea of my really losing my ear for a hit. Could have sworn this sounded like a smash hit. No one bought it except me.
• Since I Left You - The Avalanches
• In the End - Linkin Park
• Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliott
• Can't Get You Out of My Head - Kylie Minogue
• Good Fortune - PJ Harvey
• Hard to Explain - The Strokes
• Do You Realize - Flaming Lips
• Dy Na Mi Tee - Ms Dynamite
• Time for Heroes - The Libertines. This is their best song, right? A great song.
• Lose Yourself - Eminem
• Complicated - Avril Lavigne
• Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
• Dilemma - Nelly and Kelly Rowland
• Dreaming of You - The Coral
• If You're Not the One - Daniel Bedingfield
• Hate to Say I Told You So - The Hives
• Crazy in Love - Beyonce ft Jay-Z
• All the Things She Said - Tatu
• Mundian Te Bach Ke - Panjabi MC
• Leave Right Now - Will Young
• I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
• Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
• Hey Ya - OutKast
• The Rat - The Walkmen
• Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
• Danger High Voltage - Electric Six
• Chewing Gum - Annie
• Milkshake - Kelis
• Laura - Scissor Sisters. Not sure if this is the right song for them, but it's probably my favourite, and they were huge, weren't they ...
• Long Time Coming - Delays
• Some Girls - Rachel Stevens
• If There's Any Justice - Lemar. I really love this. This is in my Top 10 of all of these. Lemar should be a superstar.
• You are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve - Johnny Boy
• Irish Blood, English Heart - Morrissey
• I'm a Cuckoo - Belle and Sebastian
• Somewhere Only We Know - Keane
• 1 Thing - Amerie
• I Bet You Lok Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
• So Here We Are - Bloc Party
• Toxic - Britney Spears
• Hung Up - Madonna
• Hounds of Love - Futureheads
• Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz
• I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs
• Push the Button - Sugababes
• All Night Disco Party - Brakes
• We Are Your Friends - Justice vs Simian
• Patience - Take That
• Rehab - Amy Winehouse
• Trains to Brazil - The Guillemots
• Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above - CSS
• Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
• All My Friends - LCD Soundssytem
• Once and Never Again - The Long Blondes
• Running the World - Jarvis Cocker
• Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
• With Every Heartbeat - Robyn
• Your Love Alone is Not Enough - Manic Street Preachers
• Umbrella - Rihanna ft Jay-Z
• She's Got You High - Mumm-Ra
• No Pussy Blues - Grinderman
• 1234 - Feist
• Stronger - Kanye West. 
• Standing in the Way of Control - Gossip
• Grace Kelly - Mika
• Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
• Les Artistes - Santigold
• Hometown Glory - Adele
• So What - Pink
• Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
• The Promise - Girls Aloud. Biology is better, but I think was a little harder to fit in.
• One Day Like This - Elbow
• Paper Planes - MIA
• American Boy - Estelle ft Kanye West
• Time to Pretend - MGMT
• Waving Flags - Sea Power
• Zorbing - Stornoway
• Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
• Dog Days are Over - Florence and the Machine
• My Girls - Animal Collective
• Love Story - Taylor Swift
• Love You Better - The Maccabees
• In for the Kill - La Roux
• Red - Daniel Merriweather. I have a weird affection for this song and certain others like it.
• Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada
• The Last of the Melting Snow - The Leisure Society

The most stacked years were 2003 and 2007, I think.

Oscars

I have watched every film nominated for Best Picture. Thank you, thank you, I accept the plaudits.

People are saying it's a great year, which it may be. I don't think any of the ten nominated films are bad or undeserving. Equally, the way it's going, I feel like I might disagree with pretty much every major award at the Oscars (apart from Davine-Joy Randolph, who will win and should win). Though I may not.

Here is a ranking. It is not exactly least favourite to favourite, but some charting of least enjoyed vs a combination of my own highest expectations and the extent to which it has been justly or unjustly venerated or pilloried ... it will include the 10 Best Picture nominated films and the five others I've seen which were around and about being nominated for things ...

Past Lives. Theoretically right up my street, but I felt no strong emotions when watching it. Not a patch on some of the films it was favourably compared to, for me.

Napoleon. Kind of fun, but probably a fair bit sillier than everything else here.

Rustin. Enjoyed this very much, and the central performance is great, but it is a little formulaic.

Oppenheimer. I thought Oppenheimer was great, but it's going to win everything, right? So I place it here. I think it has more obvious flaws than most of the other films. Lots of Brits and Americans doing weird European accents. The first half-hour's dialogue bring a real whistlestop tour of mild clunkiness. The last hour being about something that it is really determined you find as interesting as the second hour, even if it's not. But it has more than enough that is great to overcome that. Though if Downey wins and it wins Best Picture, and Cillian doesn't, that'll be a madness. He makes the film great. 

Barbie. Fun, clever, but felt a bit discombobulated by it, really.

Nyad. The best acting performance I saw was Annette Bening in this. She should win Best Actress. The film is good. The story is a bit dodgy, apparently, which is probably why the film is not up for more.

The rest of them were all excellent, really ...

All of Us Strangers. As with Past Lives, I was less moved while watching than i thought i'd be, but then certain elements of it really started to hit home later. 

Poor Things. Just a load of fun people fucking about and having the time of their lives on a superbly designed film. A hoot. Here, the phony accents are the making of the film, unlike with Oppenheimer.

May December. Some major skills and dark humour in this.

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers. If anything, I thought I would love this a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more. Maybe I was expecting a fairytale or gut-wrenching ending. The ending is right for the film, but it's quite low key.

American Fiction. Loved this. Strikes me that Jeffrey Wright and Paul Giamatti are pretty similar in status. Just absolutely guarantees of quality, mainly support acts, but can be great leads whenever the part is right. If either of them takes Best Actor from Murphy, think i'd slightly prefer it was Wright.

Killers of the Flower Moon. De Niro should win Best Supporting Actor. Like, obviously. Why is the fact someone who was once considered the Greatest Film Actor of All Time has given his best, most thrilling, commanding, memorable performance for 30 years not more of a thing compared to the fact that, wow, Robert Downey Jr has done making billions of dollars in technicolor and also can act ok  in black and white ... who knew ... anyway, i think this film has a lot that is great about it, and little that isn't ... and they do treat Scorsese like shit at the Oscars, they really do.

The Zone of Interest

Maestro. I'm making Maestro my Number 1, because I was genuinely moved by it, it'll win nothing, and loads of people seem to hate it and be going all in on Bradley Cooper being a charlatan and a dick, whereas in fact he's directed excellently and acted excellently.

Poem (22): Swans

 

Swans

It’s such a filthy river where

the shopping trolleys dive then die in vain,

a seasonless reminder that

the bed’s been shat, the ooze attacks

the nose, the lack attacks the eyeballs

where I used to push you to the

outlet centre and you’d hoot - in the

dark pissy pass between the bins that overflow

with small town deeds undone

beneath the railway - you still do, to wit, to woo,

and I’m still required

with stern and stifled laugh

to steer you off the lightning cycle path -

 

you name the pylon by the depot

the Eiffel tower … why not, this slimy

Seine is all we’ve got.

 

Between the needles and the beer cans,

you saw, last Saturday, a single family of swans,

two parents and three chicks, hard to spot

below the zealot banks of nettles

and complacent weeds, you made me stop

and we discussed their history, whether perhaps

they were the poorer cousins of some

Canterbury congregation or perhaps republicans in exile,

distrusted of Tunbridge Wells.

 

It’s not swan country round here, I said,

it’s duckling country,

it’s an ugly duckling country.

Poem (21): I had a dream that I was not free

 I had a dream that I was not free

The helicopter I can see through wintered windows

buzzes like a bat above allotments

spending their changeless days spying on

the notoriously-near suburban twin tube stations,

which I’d join with icy tape in the dark blue shock of morning.

 

Every night, modern with disaster, the pride of the skies

clucks sudden and inevitable on its singular target

– which is me, curious and naïve - at a precise forty-five degree.

Move, boy, move, to the back room where you’ll be safe

with the black cat purring like a machine with no cogs.

 

Here it comes the smoking agent of bright night, all

features framed in childlike wonder, blinking over the newsagent

and the furniture showroom, pausing in kinship

with the crumbling cinema, bursting the bravest alien from

the sepia screen and spiralling to fill the frame of middle age,

 

clicked and cut like newsreel over the chimney

of Sydney and Sally playing their morning saxophones

viciously like a jazz lullaby, of Phillip the cameraman

crying his love to sleep, of Dennis the luminous drunk hitting his

pale children in the fragile explosive peace.

 

I had a dream that I was not free.

Poem (20): Pioneer

Pioneer

I flopped before Fosbury,
but stopped cos they threatened me
with infinite infamy.
Now history’s forgotten me.

Poem (19): The hose

 The hose

And after all that, it was me that left the hose

on overnight. I only meant to water that

new honeysuckle, as an afterthought at dusk.

They had to cancel my book tour, of course, for one

mistake that flooded every town. Non grata now.

Destroyer of civilizations, they’re calling me,

just for one small, albeit significant, brain lapse.

The honeysuckle won’t survive this dry summer.

Poem (18): Wrath

 Wrath

You sleep beneath a bivouac with nothing else

but tins of beans and worms of words like carbon, like

dioxide, sank into the bracken, listening for

the woken Kraken on your not-yet-broken back.

 

From somewhere near the cerebellum, ghosts of choirs

of fallen states sing resurrection vigils while

the wind spins mountains round the bend of history, till

your fears of futures unknown sink into the soil.

 

You call across another valley where was lost

a plan for boundaries, where was found a sound to dull

the shock explosion of aeonian progress, locked

and loaded in the flow of freedom and its will.

 

The right side of the loch is lapped in blood red swarms

of agitating midges, darkening flint and tints

of tingling scree – and now, you cannot rest to send

a message of remembrance to the enraged expanse.