That set of 30 and 29 back-to-back is as good of a set i've seen. Rancid and the Yeahs back to back! and those two songs! It could just end there, and i'd give you a gold star.
BUT, NO! You continue with the great stuff. You've got Mastodon, Depeche Mode, and Gaslight Anthem (I said it before, but I truly don't get that criticism. The people who say that should just go jump in a lake).
great stuff, Ryan. and more great stuff coming up, i'm sure.
The end is imminent. All of the graphics are done, all of the writeups are done, everything is set! For now, though, enjoy 20-11, and get ready for the top ten, which IS coming later today!
Out of every song on this list, "Paranoid" was the single hardest to rank. Do I keep it out of the top 20? Do I have the balls to put it in the top 10, given the circumstances revolving around Kanye West? For a while, it was in the top 10. It's just such a fantastic pure pop song, one that delivered on the promise that 808s and Heartbreaks could never reasonably live up to. At the end of the day, it ended up starting the top 20. Don't think that this was influenced by his antics in 2009, though. I just happened to like 19 songs that much more. The chorus also features a star-making turn by Mr. Hudson, who absolutely steals the show from Kanye.
I will probably be one of the few to put this on their year-end countdown, and definitely the only one to put this top 20, but this is the best song from Pearl Jam's rockin' new album Backspacer. This is anything BUT a "rocker", though. "Just Breathe" can be taken in many different ways. Some see it as a simple love song, while others see this as Eddie Vedder reaching out to God. Whatever meaning you get from it, it's a beautiful song, complete with a gorgeous acoustic guitar riff. I would argue that it's their most outright beautiful song since "Black". Yeah, THAT "Black". The greatest song of all time "Black".
Happy now, Raffy Taffy? Happy now, Billiejoe? Happy NOW, Nimrod? Green Day is in the top 20. You can rest easier tonight.
In all seriousness, though, this is definitely my favorite single from 21st Century Breakdown. The thing that gets me about "East Jesus Nowhere" is how simple the song is, yet it hits me in a way that few other songs can. It hits the more rebellious side of my soul, and I always feel like rising up against the system whenever I hear this song. People criticized 21st Century Breakdown for being a bit too much like American Idiot (and rightfully so), and I'd be lying if I said that "East Jesus Nowhere" didn't sound a bit like some of the songs on American Idiot, but "East Jesus Nowhere" is the kind of song that is just universal, for all audiences to consume, with a message to match. If you ever feel angry about authority or feel like rebelling against the powers that be, few songs have the same impact.
Here's the thing about "Dead Memories" that confuses me so much: At one period of time, I can definitely say I liked "Snuff" more. It hit me on an emotional level and inspired me to look at my life differently than I had. So, with that in mind, why the hell is "Dead Memories" higher? Longevity. This song was on the very first Blokk of Rokk of 2009, and it made it all the way to 2009 without feeling overplayed or played out. I listened to this song while I was doing this very blurb, and it felt just as fresh as it did when I first listened to the song last year. Sometimes, longevity can be a very good thing on my year-ender, and "Dead Memories" was definitely there the entire year.
Oh, how I LOVE "Hey You". Everything about the song screams "311". The sound, the message, the vocals, everything sounds like classic 311, exactly what you'd expect from the band. Some people would see this as 311 doing the same old **** that they have always done, but hey, Motorhead has been living off of one sound for 35 years, and it still sounds just as great today as it ever did. AC/DC has had the same sound for even longer, and it still sounds fresh today. Sometimes, being a one trick pony can be a very good thing, and it is here. It doesn't hurt that I also feel deeply connected to the song's message, because music IS my constant companion, the one thing that I know will never betray me and never, EVER leave my side, not even for a moment.
If you're not surprised by "The Fear" not being top ten, then I don't know what to say. "The Fear" was top three or four for eleven months of the year, for god's sake. This song was in the running for #1 for at least the first half of the year! I'm still not sure what happened, because "The Fear" completely defined 2009 for me. No other song had the same impact, no other song on this top 100 completely ruled over my life. Honestly, I just think that the song itself hasn't lasted quite like I thought it would. I still adore the song, but there are times when the song just wears out its welcome. I will ALWAYS cherish the impact that this song had on my life, though, and, when I think about music in 2009, only Muse will come to mind before "The Fear".
"Ignorance" struck a chord with me immediately. First listen immediately. Paramore had always been known for being a fantastic pop-rock outfit, but "Ignorance" comes out with guns blazing, sounding like it truly belongs on rock radio. Anyone who accuses Paramore of being pop and nothing more clearly has not listened to "Ignorance". The guitar riffs alone say "**** you" to that assumption. Of course, I cannot mention a Paramore song (or Paramore, for that matter) without mentioning Hayley Williams, and this is a powerhouse performance, even for her. You can hear the frantic feelings in her voice, the desperation and frustration lurking within, and she continues to prove that she is the best female vocalist in all of rock. A pretty sweeping statement, but just listen to this song and then disagree with me.
I know, I know, a Muse song not being in the top ten. RIOTS IN THE STREETS, DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER, MASS HYSTERIA! "Undisclosed Desires" has had a strange bout of longevity for me, though. I tend to lose focus of it for a little while, and then, out of nowhere, the song comes back to the forefront and stays there for a couple of weeks. Other songs come and go, but "Undisclosed Desires" always finds a way to come and go...and come...and go...and come again. Is it the longing vocals of Matt Bellamy that keep bringing me back? Is it the poppy and funky sounds being performed by the band? Is it the fantastic chorus? I don't know. But something keeps bringing me back. Any other band creates this song and I don't care nearly as much. That's the power of Muse.
I've already complained so much about songs not being higher than they probably should be, but "Ich Tu Dir Weh" has a legitimate case. This song was top ten from the first time I listened to the song. The drudgy music, the fun, intense vocals of Till Lindemann, the atmosphere that only Rammstein can provide, it's all here, and it all adds up to be a top ten song. So why the hell isn't it top ten? Honestly, I just don't know. Was 2009 just that good of a year? Perhaps. But I can't shake the feeling that this is not one of the ten best singles of 2009. We'll find out in a year from now if that's truly the case.
"Treat Me Like Your Mother" was extremely close to the top ten. In fact, it was top ten for quite a long time. However, a couple of songs came into the equation and knocked it back out, but just barely. I love, love, love the vocals in this song. Alison Mosshart is just fantastic here, completely rebellious and spunky, but always in control. She just sounds like she's having fun, and the music follows suit with some of the most fun musical moments of 2009. The song truly reaches its stride in the middle of the song, though, when Jack White enters and begins a vocal tug-of-war with Mosshart that almost single-handedly put the song in the top ten. Oh, if you haven't, see the video for this song. I have said on numerous occasions that "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend is my favorite video of 2009, but "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is a close second.
There are two songs there would have definitely been in my top 10. One of which is quite obvious (and I've mentioned it before when commenting on another song), but what is the other one? Might not be what you think. I'll let you ponder that. That other song also had a shot to be #1 had I done my countdown.
My favorite songs by set:
50-41: Notion and Again
40-31: Crying Lightning, Brick By Boring Brick and For What It's Worth
30-21: Old White Lincoln
20-11: East Jesus Nowhere Yeah, I'm happy now The Fear and Ignorance also make this set awesome!
I had a lot of trouble deciding where to stop with this block, and I decided that, just for you lovely people, I would stop at #5, which means...WE'RE IN THE TOP FIVE NOW! AWWWW ****!
I still don't know if "Out of the Blue" is really a single. It was added to the radio, which is good enough for me, but I still feel like it may or may not deserve to be in the top 100. The song itself DEFINITELY deserves top 100 status, however, and the little song that could even made it to the top ten. Yeah, it's #10, but that means something. It didn't hurt, either, that I finally "got" Julian Casablancas and The Strokes in 2009, and that led to me seeking out Phrazes for the Young. The first time that I listened to "Out of the Blue", I was in love. Everybody needed to hear this song, and I needed to spread the word, I thought. It's not even THAT unique or anything along those lines, but it's just such a universally beautiful and fun song that anyone can like it, no matter what type of music they listen to, even if they don't like the unique vocal stylings of Casablancas. It's just pure pop fun that everyone should try at least once.
It was never in doubt that "Divinations" would make the top ten. The only question was what ranking it would achieve. I had it everywhere from #5 to #10 before it settled comfortably at #9. It's a well-deserved #9, too, as Mastodon continues to be metal's brightest light, with incredibly complex and enjoyable music overcoming convulted messages and crazy as **** concepts. "Divinations" hit me in a very similar way as their other YECA top ten single, "The Wolf is Loose". It's not as furiously fast, but it hits just as hard, if not harder, and it never once loses focus on its goal of making your head bob until it falls off from too much awesome. This is just an absolute beast of a song, one that demands all of your attention, and, once it gets it, a beast that shoves you completely on your ass.
AFI, congratulations, for you have finally created your anthem, the song that will speak to people long after your time is done. This is a very broad statement, to be sure, but no other song in their discography feels as epic or as important. "Beautiful Thieves" doesn't reinvent the wheel or change the game, but what it does do is find the perfect balance between the harder and softer sides of AFI to create a song that reaches out beyond its original message and completely overwhelms you with a blast of sound. The chorus is the key, as it swells and rises over the sea of songs that surround it by just being louder and more bombastic than the others. While other songs will definitely be bigger hits for AFI, no other song, to me, means more than "Beautiful Thieves" for their future, and, hopefully, for music altogether.
Okay, time for another sweeping statement in a top 100 full of them: No other song meant more to me, personally, than "Let Down" in 2009. It's also a song that was created, seemingly, to have that kind of impact on my life. 2009 was a very tumultuous year in my life, and one that I'm not sure that I want to relive in 2010. I had a lot of personal ups and downs, with more downs than ups, and "Let Down" was a means of letting go of 2009 and the problems that surrounded that year. I really don't want to be led down the same road in 2010, and I will try, as hard as I can, to break the mold. In other words, "Let Down" was my 2009 in a four minute song. How could it not make the top ten?
I have tried to come up with something to say to describe my feelings for "Panic Switch", but nothing is coming to me. Everything just keeps coming back to the mindset of "This song just completely kicks ass, and it definitely kicks your ass and my ass and everyone else's ass." "Panic Switch" was a STATEMENT song, especially for me. I kept assuming that Silversun Pickups were always going to be the "Lazy Eye" band, a band that can make softer alternative music with the best bands out there, and, while they did have some harder songs like "Well Thought Out Twinkles", even those seemed more harmless. "Panic Switch" is not harmless. It's an explosion of sound, blasting through your speakers with reckless abandon and precision. Silversun Pickups, thank you, sirs (and madam). May I have another? Please?
The biggest compliment that I could give "Renegade" is that it never once left the top five of my year-ender. Not even once. Something about "Renegade" just clicked immediately. It could be the rugged vocals of Jared Gomes, or it could be the simply awesome music, or it could be the uplifting chorus, or it could just be everything within the song coming together to create an awe-inspiring package. Above all else, though, "Renegade" was a massive disappointment for me, personally. Here's a song that could have lit up the airwaves and CHANGED THE GAME on rock radio, and very few people heeded the word. Thus, we have the same old **** dominating the airwaves, while literal gamechangers like "Renegade" get relegated to "minor hit" status. Well, let me tell you something, rock radio: You missed out on a goldmine, and I am giving "Renegade" the props that it deserves right now.
We're about to hit the TOP FOUR! And, because the top four was just that close this year, I'm going to give you all four at once! Stay tuned, because the last update of the YECA's top 100 singles of 2009 is coming later tonight!
"Beautiful Thieves" and "Let Down" = THE BEST. Seriously. Love those songs immensely, and hopefully they'll be in the top ten of my 2010 year end chart. "Renegade" — the #36 Mainstream Rock hit.
Holy crap #20-11 is amazing.
Great to see PJ and GD top 20 with those tracks. Additionally, Muse, Paramore, and Lily! **** yeah. But I was hoping 'The Fear' would be top 5. 'Paranoid' shocks me being so high.
Top 10.
Alright, so I just hear that DBS track, and **** it is good.
Completely agree about being hard to define SSPU. It just kicks ass, what else can you say?
I too've been dreaming about my freedom on the underground train ( what a stupid lyric) but yeah, "Renegade," "Beautiful Thieves" and "Divinations" are great.
Hope you'll at least stick around for #100-91 of mine!
Hope you'll at least stick around for #100-91 of mine!
Considering I still have a top 100 singles of the entire DECADE to do, I don't think that should be too hard.
You know what? I want to get it done, you guys (probably) want me to get it done, so **** it, here it is, the very last update of the top 100 singles of the year, as we finally get to my #1 single of 2009! I'm going to preface this update by saying one thing: Expect the unexpected.
"Holy freaking crap!" That was all I could say for five minutes after I listened to this absolute beast of a song for the first time. This five minute...song, if I can even call it that, just blasted through my speakers and destroyed me. My second thought, after I finally regained my senses? "I need to listen to this song again." And so, I did. And again. And again. And AGAIN. The more I listened to the song, the more that I fell in love with. I fell in love with the constant tempo shifts, the vocals shifts, the uplifting final verses, the moody and dark opening, and ESPECIALLY the very first verse, which blows me away every time I listen to it. I cannot even fathom another band trying to match the sheer intensity of that first verse. Can it even be done? Does anyone want to even try?!
Here's a question for you: How can so many people ignore such an incredible tune? I can understand that HORSE the band is not a household name or anything, but you would think that more people would spread the word about such a unique and mindblowing song. Remember, their most well-known song is a song named "Birdo". This song is not, in ANY way, "Birdo". At all. The lyrics may be just as goofy as ever at times, but "Shapeshift" doesn't hold back and especially doesn't try to be funny. "Shapeshift" is as serious as any song in this top 100, and it seriously kicks a lot of ass. If you consider yourself a fan of rock in any way, you owe it to yourself to check this song out at least once.
I could probably just begin and end this description with these simple words: "Eminem's best song in seven years, and it's not even close." I figure, however, that you expect more out of me than that, so let me try to put together a description for one of the year's best songs, and now one of Eminem's best songs, too. MC Steven has said that Eminem "seems to be at his best when he's serious", and I can't really disagree. My favorite songs are the ones that go beyond his usual jokes: "Stan", "Lose Yourself", and so on. "Beautiful" becomes the latest in a long line of great serious Eminem songs. But the song being serious isn't the reason why "Beautiful" is so high. Oh no, there's more to it than that.
The most important factor is that Eminem actually sounds like he cares on this track. The biggest fault that I could think of with Em is that he completely rested on his laurels and stopped trying to realize his true destiny of being perhaps the greatest rapper the world has ever known. Even though I liked Relapse, I knew (and most people should know) that it's just not the same. But "Beautiful"...man, it's like he lifted this song straight off of The Marshall Mathers LP. More importantly, "Beautiful" is proof that, when Em cares, there are very few rappers who can hit as hard and as forcefully. It doesn't hurt that I connected to this song on a more personal level, either. In certain years, I have no doubt that this would have been #1.
Well, you knew that this song was going to come sooner or later. What can I really say? Almost all of you have heard the song. You know what it's about. You know how much I like it. You knew it was going to be super high. Maybe it's not #1, but top 3 was never, ever in doubt. I guess I could say that it's a very, very catchy song from a band that has made plenty of catchy songs, that Matt Bellamy possibly had more fun singing this song than any other Muse song, and that you could have taken this song, placed it in the early 80's, and BAM, it's right at home. It's that authentic as a glam rock/new wave foot stomper. Seriously, there's nothing else for me to add. You already know everything about this song, right down to my love for it and its varying degrees.
So now, you're officially wondering to yourself, "Gee, Red, just what the hell could be #1 if MUSE isn't #1?" Well, the answer goes all the way back to the beginning of the year, with the song that was #1 on the first Blokk of Rokk of 2009. This song was also my #32 song of last year, as well. Still don't know? Well, here's an interesting little tidbit for you: The top 100 also began with this artist at #100. From #100, we come full circle with #1. And jesus, if you don't know it by now, I might as well hunt you down without mercy for not knowing.
Well, what a controversial #1 this is, huh? I mean, who could have seen THIS coming?! Everyone and their mother thought it was going to be Muse. I guarantee you that there are a few dropped jaws about Muse not taking #1, when #1 was so clearly theirs three years ago. And hey, "Uprising" kicks so much ass that it could kick the ass of MMA fighters. "Uprising" also probably dominated my music taste more than any other song, at one particular point. I realize that. So, obviously, it's SUPPOSED to be #1. Here's the thing, though: While "Uprising" kicked ass, one song kicked harder ass, one song kicked ass for longer, and one song kicked the most ass. Sorry, Muse, but your luck has run out.
At the same time, I have no idea how Metallica got to be #1, and I know exactly why "All Nightmare Long" is in this position. There's nothing that particularly stands out here, no particular point where the song clearly establishes itself as the top dog of 2009, other than, perhaps, the brief two to three second pause near the end. But, perhaps, the reason why nothing stands out is because everything is so awesome that it comes together to make the ultimate package. James Hetfield's snarling vocals, Kirk Hammett's FANTASTIC guitar riffs, Lars Ulrich's frantic drum beat, there's even a Robert Trujilo sighting, if you listen hard enough. Every single piece of the equation, from the western-influenced intro to the catchy as HELL chorus to the best solo on the album (yeah, I said it), works to perfection. Nothing is out of place. There's no point in the song where I tell myself, "Okay, but why not try it a little bit differently?" No, it's all fine the way it is. Don't change a thing!
So yes, Muse is still my favorite band. They're still the top dogs, and "Uprising" is still a fantastic song. But "Uprising" did not put all of its pieces together as precisely and as perfect as "All Nightmare Long" did, and, honestly, I didn't have as much fun with any other song in 2009. Enjoy the #1, "All Nightmare Long", because you sure as hell earned it.
(Oh, for those keeping track: Yes, that's the second year in a row a 7+ minute song has been my favorite single of the year. I know, I know. And here is a link to the actual video.)
And FINALLY, the top 100 is over. I'd like to thank everyone who has commented so far on ALL of the YECA lists, including the Video Games, YouTube Videos, Albums and Singles lists of 2009. But that's nothing. We're about to reach the cream of the crop. It's 2010, and that means that an entire decade has come and gone. So why not take a look back with my own list of the top 100 singles of the ENTIRE DECADE? Stay tuned, because this **** is about to get real.