Best Songs of the 2000s

Terms that come up more than once in our list of the best songs of the 2000s: "crazy," "idiot," "falling." That's the decade in a nutshell. Too much crazy-making. Too many people acting like idiots. Too many things (buildings, savings, morale) in free-fall. Appropriately, a majority of the songs that will endure beyond the '00s rallied around a common theme: learning to live like there's no tomorrow. Because you never know.

50. 'I Predict a Riot,' Kaiser Chiefs (2004)

An anthem of anarchy perfectly suited to kick off our list. Things are about to get a bit gory, we tell thee.

49. '1234,' Feist (2007)

Thanks to this Canadian singer-songwriter, teenage hope will now forever be tied to iPods and pastel leotards.

48. 'The Seed (2.0),' The Roots (2002)

Neo-soulman Cody Chesnutt sings the hooky refrain to this reboot of his song 'The Seed,' and the psychedelic garage funk laid down by Illadelph's finest hip-hop band renames it rock 'n' roll.

47. 'A Beautiful Mine,' RJD2 (2006)

Best known as the impeccable theme to 'Mad Men,' this combo deal -- space-age pop, chaotic breakbeats, a moody string quartet -- initially appeared on RJD2's excellent collabo with Aceyalone.

46. 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl,' Jet (2005)

Hand clapping, amplifier buzz, spittle on the microphone. Whatever else you might think of Jet's Beatles-and-Stones dilutions, this one is pure rock 'n' roll.

45. 'I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,' Arctic Monkeys (2006)

Just a year after this band of youngsters released its debut, Tom Jones covered the lead track at Wembley Stadium. That's a contender.

44. 'Drop It Like It's Hot,' Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell (2004)

He may be a cartoon, but we do love us some Snoop.

43. 'Walking With a Ghost' Tegan and Sara (2004)
The White Stripes covered this song shortly after its release. And what's good enough for Jack White is good enough for us.

42. 'Hips Don't Lie,' Shakira (2006)

Cumbia, my Lord! Have you seen the video for 'Hips Don't Lie'? They do not.

41. 'Float On,' Modest Mouse (2004)

Every beat of this song is a kind of insistence. Isaac Brock has said it was written as a response to relentless bad news. "I just want to feel good for a day," he said. Or for at least 3:28.

40. 'Take Me Out,' Franz Ferdinand (2004)

The guy they named themselves after was assassinated; on Franz Ferdinand the group's modern rock smash, Alex Kapranos imagines himself in the cross-hairs. No. 1 with a bullet?

39. 'Don't Know Why,' Norah Jones (2002)

To call her tasteful is no knock. It means yummy.

38. 'Trouble,' Ray Lamontagne (2004)

This soulful voice first called out from the backwoods of Maine with the title track of his stunning debut. Picking this: no trouble at all.

37. 'I Turn My Camera On,' Spoon (2005)

Texas troupe brings toe tapping to a whole new, funk-forward, level.

36. 'The Bucket,' Kings of Leon (2005)

We're well aware that 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex on Fire' have made the Followill boys mainstream heartthrobs, but we love the premature jadedness they rolled out here: "Eighteen, balding star."

35. 'Get Ur Freak On,' Missy Elliott (2001)

They call her "Misdemeanor," but Timbaland's wildly infectious Punjabi beat was positively felonious.

34. 'A-Punk,' Vampire Weekend (2008)

The backlash started even before the album came out. Hipsters, you missed the boat.

33. 'Izzo (HOVA),' Jay-Z (2001)

Get your damn hands up!

32. 'Since U Been Gone,' Kelly Clarkson (2004)

Such pop perfection makes us almost willing to forgive her for kicking down the door for all future Idols. Almost.

31. 'Starlight,' Muse (2006)

If this New Wave-y pop tune was the only Muse song you knew (and for many, it might still be), you'd be wigged out by the depth of the band's ambition -- the operatic flourishes, the conspiracy theories and the celestial physics. As commercial grabs go, they don't come catchier.

30. 'No One Knows,' Queens of the Stone Age (2002)

The Ginger Elvis never sounded cooler than on this ultimate stoner throwdown. That's Josh Homme, oozing suave.

29. 'What You Know,' T.I. (2006)

Tip for aspiring lyricists: If you're looking to avoid a year in the clink for weapons charges, refrain from penning lines like "Loaded 44 on low/Where the cheese at?" Oh well. This Atlanta rapper's prison cell can't contain this badass jam, complete with the mightiest response vocals since DMC. "Hey ... Oh ... What?"

28. 'Falling Slowly,' The Swell Season (2006)

You don't have to know the backstory -- Swell Season musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who played falling-in-lovers in the indie sleeper 'Once,' fell for each other in real life -- to be moved. And it takes nothing from the song's sheer loveliness to know that they've since broken up.

27. 'Fallin',' Alicia Keys (2001)

The 2002 Grammy winner for Song of the Year shot then-newcomer Ms. Keys to the top of the pop mountain. 'Fallin'' might have been inspired by James Brown's 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World,' but this woman rules.

26. 'I Hope You Dance,' Lee Ann Womack (2000)

There may never be another wedding reception that doesn't feature this made-to-order tearjerker, and that would be fine by us.