25. 'Electric Feel,' MGMT (2008)
The electro feel of this indie synth-pop stunner should please MGMT's stockholders, as this Brooklyn duo demonstrates a CEO's knack for dance floor management.
24. 'New Slang,' The Shins (2001)
"You've got to hear this one song. It'll change your life," said
Natalie Portman when she handed the headphones to
Zach Braff. We don't know about that, but it sure is pretty.
23. 'Lazy Eye,' Silversun Pickups (2007)
No, your speakers are not channeling 1991, and no, this is not a lost
Smashing Pumpkins single, but both of those assumptions would be high compliments for this loud-soft epic.
22. 'Paper Planes,' M.I.A. (2007)
No doubt the late
Joe Strummer would have loved M.I.A., the
Clash-sampling, pan-global mongrel who pinballed between Sri Lanka, London and India in her formative years. Her dad was a Tamil rebel, and she knows how to take a stand.
21. 'Maps,' Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
She's Korean, she's Polish, she lives in L.A. But
Karen O is New York all over. Her band's breakthrough track still pulses with the anxious energy of her former hometown.
20. 'Hip Hop Is Dead,' Nas (2006)
The gifted wordsmith had bigger hits ('
I Can') and more forward-thinking tracks ('
Black President') in the '00s, but he could hardly have made a bolder statement.
19. 'This Love,' Maroon 5 (2004)
John Mayer called it a perfect song. We don't call it anything -- too busy singing along.
18. 'Jesus Walks,' Kanye West (2005)
WWJD? He'd walk with Kanye, of course. Got to be tough finding anyone else to walk on water with.
17. 'Feel Good Inc.,' Gorillaz (2005)
Cartoon bands (with the possible exception of
Spongebob's 'Band Geeks' episode) have never been so thoroughly enjoyable.
16. 'Yellow,' Coldplay (2000)
It's the color of fear, caution and tabloid journalism. It's also the color of the sun, and the band that came out of the shadows with the single called 'Yellow' has been a bright light ever since.
15. 'Lose Yourself,' Eminem (2002)
In hindsight, Eminem's autobiographical acting debut in '
8 Mile' marked the high point of the trickster's relevance. The tense, grunge-y featured track gained him plenty of new admirers and made it almost possible to repeat.
14. 'Rehab,' Amy Winehouse (2006)
Still saying "No, no, no," the beehive of '06 rather predictably fell into a hornets' nest of personal trouble. But the naughty defiance of this bad-girl anthem has kept us buzzing.
13. 'Mr. Brightside,' The Killers (2004)
Boy meets girl. Girl leaves boy. We'd feel sorry for frontman Mr. Flowers if we weren't so busy dancing.
12. 'Hey Ya!,' Outkast (2003)
For a moment there, the eccentric drawling ATLien in the plaid suit and the futuristic nickname had the whole world under his thumb. Shake it, shake it, shake it ...
11. 'Hurt,' Johnny Cash (2002)
Rick Rubin gave the great Man in Black some weird material to cover during their multi-album collaboration in Cash's last years --
Neil Diamond,
Simon & Garfunkel. No song seemed as strange a fit as
Trent Reznor's addict's lament, 'Hurt' ... until you heard the thing and couldn't catch your breath.
10. 'Do You Realize??,' The Flaming Lips (2002)
Though the tune designated as Oklahoma's official rock song gently but firmly reminds us that we'll all die someday, the existence of a work of art as vital and breathtaking as this proves there is such a thing as immortality.
9. 'Cry Me a River,' Justin Timberlake (2002)
One Mouseketeer wrongs another, and we get this grown-up, innovative breakup song. The moment that simultaneously marked JT's maturation and the beginning of
Britney's fall from grace.
8. 'Pon de Replay,' Rihanna (2005)
Though '
Umbrella' was a certifiable blockbuster around the globe, we'll go with the effervescent tune that first introduced Barbados' finest to an international audience.
7. 'Seven Nation Army,' The White Stripes (2003)
Choosing the best White Stripes single of the decade is like playing Pick-up Sticks -- almost any one will do, but you can't help but disturb the others. Here, they're a one boy/one girl wrecking crew.
6. 'American Idiot,' Green Day (2004)
The canny reinvention of rock's favorite juveniles as socially conscious
auteurs has unfurled a string of big pop hits, none as definitive as the lead track from their 2004 "comeback." "Don't want to be an American idiot," declared the same
Billie Joe once known for poop jokes and masturbation fatigue.
5. 'My City of Ruins,' Bruce Springsteen (2002)
Written for Asbury Park, the down-and-out Jersey Shore town that made Springsteen famous, this humble gospel song took on a whole new meaning when the Twin Towers fell, restoring the Boss to his role as a cultural rallying point.
4. 'Crazy in Love,' Beyonce Feat. Jay-Z (2003)
Crazy energy from the power couple of the decade -- prettier than Brangelina, more clout than the Obamas.
3. 'Beautiful Day,' U2 (2000)
With one simple thought -- "It's a beautiful day/Don't let it get away" --
Bono reclaimed his self-appointed role as rock 'n' roll's resident spiritual adviser.
2. 'Last Nite,' The Strokes (2001)
The song that crowned rock's new saviors, short-lived as they were. People, they don't understand.
1. 'Crazy,' Gnarls Barkley (2006)
In the summer of '06, who among us wasn't asking, "Does that make me crazy?" Who doesn't ask it every day?
Acclaimed London electropop quintet 
