Ben Czajkowski

5. Sevendust – "Praise".

What did you expect? Fools often sometimes forget. Who really knows what's the truth? One of the biggest and most underrated bands of the twenty-first century, LaJon is one of the most talented vocalists out there. He has such a powerful range and his lyrics are as emotional as ever. He can do the hard rock/almost metal, like here in "Praise" and also has the acoustic viability for tracks like "Live Again", "Xmas Day", and "Angel's Song". "Praise" is another amazing rock/nu-metal standout from 2001 and definitely worth a spot on my Top 5 list. Animosity and Home saw a lot of spin-time that year.

4. Adema – "The Way You Like It".

I'm definitely showing off the fact that I was/am a nu-metalhead through and through. Adema sprang up with the likes of "Giving In" and followed with "The Way You Like It", which, to me, is an amazing track. It's a standout from 2001 and one of the best in their catalogue, hands down. It's slightly faster and bouncier than what Adema is really known for; maybe that's why it appeals to me. It has a simple message, simple instrumental hook, and it's catchy as hell (then again, so is herpes). I am hoping for a return to form, maybe in 2010, since Mark Chavez has returned to the band now.

3. Cold – "Bleed/Thirteen".

As far as slow, pretty acoustic songs go, this is one that I can still just close my eyes to, sit back, and just mellow out. Scooter Ward shows an incredible amount of emotion and introspection. The fact that Cold included the vocal talents of Aaron Lewis (who, at the time, was my rock God) in the chorus was one of best possible additions that they could have made to make this track even more epic. The lyrics are so honest and authentic, and I can't think of a better line that I can relate to in all of music: "I need music/to set me free/to let me bleed."

2. Drowning Pool – "Bodies".

Bodies. Let them hit the floor. Right now. Wait, not the floor. Each other. That's what this song invokes; makes you smack shoulders and push off of your neighbor. HIT SOMEONE! Sadly, Drowning Pool has never exceeded this moment, either because they were a flash in the pan or because of the death of their singer Dave Williams due to cardiomyopathy. As far as debut albums go, Sinner is as good as it gets, that had that nu-metal feel to it. It reminds me of a precursor track to something that Five Finger Death Punch would do.

1. Slipknot – "My Plague".

This song was never a single, but it was released on an album that came out in 2001. It was later used on the soundtrack for "Resident Evil." At that point, though, Slipknot had already been discovered as commercially viable and was probably included (with a standard remix) to help push along the soundtrack. "My Plague" stands out as one of my favorite Slipknot tracks, right behind that of "Wait and Bleed". Best of all, and probably most important, it's angry as hell. It's brutal; it'll rip your fucking face off.

Jay Carrol

Honorable mentions:

Shakira -"Whenever, Wherever", Craig David - 7 Days, Linkin Park - One Step Closer

5. Gorillaz – "Clint Eastwood".

Watching MTV2 back when it was still its own channel was awesome. While MTV was starting to shy away from showing videos, you could flick over there and watch a cartoon band run away from a gang of orangutans while their drummer was possessed by Del The Funky Homosapien. The video was awesome, instantly getting me hooked on whatever this group was selling, and the refrain of "I ain't happy/I'm feeling glad, I got sunshine in a bag/I'm useless, but not for long/the future is coming on" is still something I sing to myself on those melancholy days when I need a self pep-talk.

4. Drowning Pool – "Bodies": Before Clear Channel, MTV, the WWF/E, and anyone else with a sensitive bone in their bodies pulled this song from rotation following 9/11, Drowning Pool found their way into my playlist with this debut single from their album Sinner. Since the brief period it was banned, it has become the go-to song for expressing violence in videogames (Arena Football), the UFC, baseball (Johnathan Papelbon has used it as his entrance theme while closing for the Red Sox), plenty of movies, and even to torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That's a long way for a song about mosh-pits to go.

3. Alicia Keys – "Fallin'": The second this song hit my eardrums, I was captivated. I'm proud to say that Songs In A Minor was the first album I ever purchased, and "Fallin'" was the number one reason why. Considering that this was Alicia Keys' first single, this ode to literally falling in and out of love with someone could have been performed by any R&B newcomer and have gotten over. However, Alicia's approach to the song and masterful singing of the track (she was 19 at the time, for the record) automatically elevated her into being more than just another new face in the R&B scene.

2. Weezer – "Hash Pipe".

Coming off of Weezer's 4 year studio hiatus, Rivers Cuomo and company needed a song to announce that they were back. So, they decided to record and release a song about a transvestite prostitute from Santa Monica, California that apparently had his/her ass wide. The real message of that song was hidden by the music video, which featured a bunch of sumo wrestlers wrestling and even stepping in for the band. Yet, this is the song that got me into Weezer, and they must have done something right. I haven't missed an album since.

1. Nas – "Ether".

Nas wasn't my favorite rapper at the time. Hell, Nas barely registered on my board of great rappers when I was 11. With that said, the first time I heard "Ether" (and this was a radio edit, mind you), I'll be damned if I wasn't somehow changed by the track. Keeping in mind the last major hip-hop "beef" ended with 2 slain rappers, the climate of hip-hop at the time didn't exactly lend itself well to a beef between arguably the two best rappers in the game. Nas didn't care. He reacted (or over-reacted, depending on your point of view) to Jay-Z using one line in his "Takeover" song and decided to unleash hell's fury in the form of "Ether". To this day, there hasn't been another track in the hip-hop genre that shifted the climate as quickly as this one did, and the repercussions can be seen to this day.

Paul Hollingsworth

5. Leonard Cohen – "A Thousand Kisses Deep".

Cohen is, quite possibly, my favorite singer/songwriter. You don't listen to Cohen while you're busy doing other things. He doesn't write songs as background music. Cohen has something to say and demands your attention while he says it. This song is one of his best, and its cryptic lyrics hide, what is, at its core, a very relatable lament on the loss of a lover.

4. Alicia Keys – "Fallin'".

Time hasn't faded the strength of this song, which was Keys' first big hit, and perhaps the best thing she's ever done. Even though it was one of those songs that was absolutely everywhere for a while, it never seemed overplayed. Keys successfully took the best parts of 60's soul and modern soul and created a tune that is as unique as it is timeless.

3. The Gorillaz – "Clint Eastwood":

This is, without a doubt, the best song ever with a video of gorilla skeletons and some sort of acid tripped Scooby Doo episode. (The bass player is what's left of Shaggy, right?) Without the video, the song is pretty nondescript, plain even, but a good video can make a song sound better than it is. Since the group is a made-up, cartoon band, it seems fitting. "The future is coming on/it's coming on" also has a bit more weight, in hindsight, considered the year it was released.

2. The Strokes – "Someday".

Ah, the Strokes, crowned as the kings to be of garage rock, destined to claim the throne of rock and roll. Sadly, no such kingdom ever came to be, but songs like "Someday" show why everybody jumped on their bandwagon. It still sounds like a refreshing breath of fresh air, free of premanufactured agendas or overproduced studio trickery. I'm not sure anyone has made a serious run as kings of rock and roll since.

1. Manic Street Preachers – "So Why So Sad".

Even though this was released months before the 9/11 attacks, this song (and video) manages to capture the defining moment of the decade in terms I can relate to. Although other musicians recorded songs about the attacks, none struck home or closer to the bone than this one. The Preachers had an almost Nostradamus-type foresight, and whenever I watch the video or hear this song, I still get chills.

Mac Scarle

Well, 2001 was a much better year than 2000, wasn't it? This was hard as hell. Lots of stuff I wanted to include ended up getting dropped. Sorry, The Strokes!

Honorable Mentions:

Kenna – "Hell Bent": In all honesty, this was a "good" song made "great" by one of the best damn music videos I've ever seen. Wasn't this guy supposed to be really famous at some point?

Dimmu Borgir – "King of the Carnival Creation": Song rips, plain and simple.

Ash – "Burn Baby Burn": This band is so poppy that it seriously gives me that stomachache you get when you eat too much candy. I love it.

5. The White Stripes – "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground".

I almost put a White Stripes song on my list last week, and this time I just couldn't keep myself from doing it. I know there are a lot of people out there who absolutely detest this band, but this song is just fantastic. Absolutely filthy guitar tone with a simple but soulful guitar lead. This song pretty much sums up everything I love about this band: quick, dirty, and simple.

4. N.E.R.D – "Lapdance".

This beat out Missy Elliott just because I've heard all her shit so many times that I'm at a point where I kind of never want to hear it again. Pharrell still can't really rap to save his life, so thankfully he keeps it simple with this one, letting the beat do most of the talking. Myself, I'm more of a fan of the rock-influenced original, rather than the more straight-up rock version that I'm linking below, but it's the only one I could embed, so whatever. What the hell happened to Lee Harvey, anyway? You give Malice and Pusha T cameos in the video and can't give them a damn verse on this song? Anyway, yeah....great song.

3. Converge – "Homewrecker".

Jane Doe isn't my favorite Converge record, but this song is definitely up there with my favorites. You can definitely start to hear the production that made later records like No Heroes so good on this one - it's absolutely punishing, and Jake Bannon's vocals sound just as unforgiving as ever.

2. Kylie Minogue – "Can't Get You out of My Head".

So, how's this for a change of scenery, then? When it comes to dance music I tend to try to avoid the sugary pop fare, but I could never deny this track. Infectiously catchy, incredibly sexy, and interesting enough to keep it separated from some of the other "hair salon music" that you tend to get with electro-pop. Oh, and she's totally hot. Always helps. Included the "Blue Monday"-infused version because, well, it's awesome.

1. Jimmy Eat World – "Sweetness".

First of all, let's talk about how mad I am that the real video of this song is "embedding disabled." As I've said before, I'm an absolute sucker for "whoa-oh" parts, and this song has them in abundance. The first time I ever heard it I was absolutely blown away. It's definitely standard JEW powerpop/emo, but with this jangly, dreamy twinge that just makes it way more sweeping and (dare I say) epic than any song from this genre has any real right to be. It's totally gorgeous, and it hasn't gotten old yet.

Michael James

Honorable Mentions:

Case- "Missing You"; Fat Joe- "Whats Luv (feat. Ja Rule & Ashanti"; P.O.D.- "Alive"; Alicia Keys- "Fallin'"; Drowning Pool- "Bodies"

5. Jagged Edge- "Where the Party At? (feat. Nelly)".

This song became my anthem when it was released during the last few months of my senior year of college. While I definitely didn't love all of college, I had hit my stride by senior year and this brings back memories of some of the most fun times I've had in my life. Nelly was near the height of his popularity and his verse only elevates the track's celebratory tone.

4. Destiny's Child- "Emotion".

This, as well as my next selection, really announced the solo career of one of the decade's biggest stars. A group-track in name only, this cover of a Bee Gees song was Beyonce's coming out party. Her powerful lead vocal, and the simple acoustic production, really captured the emotion and longing of the lyrics.

3. ‘N Sync- "Gone".

The paragraph above could have just as easily described this song: Break out solo performance, check; acoustic production, check; emotional lead vocal performance, check; group members limited to background harmonies, check. Boy bands have a notoriously short shelf and a sketchy track record of launching successful solo careers. This song, which is essentially a precursor to his breakout solo hit "Cry Me A River" established Justin Timberlake as a rising solo star, and as we know, he went supernova soon after.

2. 2pac- "Until the End of Time (feat. RL)".

This is my favorite of all the posthumous 2pac tracks and I think it's our generation's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay". The contemplative tone of lyrics like "For quiet time disappear listen to the ocean/Smoking ports, think my thoughts/then it's back to coasting/who can I trust in this cold world" really highlight 2pac's versatility. Combined with RL's soulful hook, this track gives me the chills every time.

1. Jay-Z- "Song Cry".

I guess a lot of my selections for 2001 are pretty similar, as this song shares a lot with the 2pac track. Jaguar Wright's killer hook (check out her solo work, its underrated) sets a perfect tone for Jay-Z's ruminations on a failed relationship. Jay-Z backlash is always pretty in vogue, but if you listen to the lyrics of this song and not recognize him as one of the greatest of all time, you're lying to yourself.

Lucas Wesley

Honorable mentions:

First, the pop hits I can't admit to putting in the real list: "Get Ur Freak On" and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head," this is your moment. Then we have alternative clichés like "Island in the Sun," "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," "Weapon of Choice" and "Imitation of Life." You just don't need my praise. Finally, some album shout outs where I couldn't pick just one song: Amnesiac, Poses and The Blueprint, you know I love you. Now, the full list.

5. Ben Folds – "Fred Jones, Part 2".

Featuring John McCrea of Cake, if you didn't know. 2001 was the year Ben released his first full fledged solo album, Rockin' the Suburbs, and it contained a ton of great songs. Some were his usual, awesome, (occasionally deceptively) happy, fun style ("The Ascent of Stan", "Annie Waits", "Zak and Sara", "Fired", "Not The Same"), and others were his usual, also awesome, blatant, sometimes depressing slow songs (this one, "The Luckiest", "Carrying Cathy"). While on the whole, I think I prefer the faster, fun songs; in the end, this is the song that wins. Two fun facts: first, the song is a conceptual continuation of Whatever And Ever Amen's "Cigarette." Second, it's one of the few songs I consider truly sad. Basically, it's a song about a man forced into retirement despite years of loyal service. Those bastards.

4. Daniel Johnston – "Impossible Love".

My love of Daniel Johnston is no secret. However, that I love a few of his more composed works, with the help of such luminaries as Sparklehorse, Butthole Surfer Paul Leary and in this case, Glass Eye member Brian Beattie, is kind of rare amongst us super fans. Though I naturally prefer his solo, lo-fi works, I feel like he occasioned a great song in the pure pop medium as well. This is one of those cases. Though "Billions/Rock", from the same album, might have a little more weight, this is the one I'm going with since it's far more instantly fun and accessible. I apologize that the video randomly cuts out; I couldn't find a full version.

3. Bob Dylan – "Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee".

At the time, Bob Dylan's Love and Theft, released the same day as Jay-Z's groundbreaking The Blueprint (and Rockin' the Suburbs, for those keeping score), seemed rather anachronistic. On one end, Dylan released this collection of songs where the most recent song sounds like it's from the dying days of rockabilly, or maybe a blues song from the 60s folk revival. On the other hand, Jay-Z was reinventing rap in a manner still popular today. Talk about different ends of the spectrum. And yet, those two albums are likely my two favorite of the year. So why does "Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee" beat out, say, "Never Change?" Maybe it's just because I heard it first. Maybe it's because Dylan means more to me than Jay-Z. Maybe I just don't want to be a cliche. Or maybe, and this is a big maybe, it's because the song is just that fantastic.

2. Michael Jackson – "Unbreakable".

It was hard picking an Invincible track to include here. A horribly underrated album (and I've been saying that well before he died), though it was far too long, it did contain about nine or ten perfect songs. Eventually, it came down to the hugely different "Unbreakable" and "Whatever Happens". "Unbreakable" wins just because I like dancing more than I like swaying, I guess. Or maybe because Biggie is a cooler guest star than Santana. Or maybe it's just because "Unbreakable" is Michael's second best ("Black or White" beats it) dance song since the "Bad" era, if not going so far back as to say "Thriller". Baby don't you make no mistake; the man had what it takes. If this had been the single over "You Rock My World" as Michael had intended, who knows, maybe the album could've done well.

1. Björk – "Pagan Poetry".

If there's any term that, as a music fan, I overuse and exaggerate to the point where it means nothing when I say it, it's "best song of all time." I once read the best song of all time is "the song that's playing right now," and that's probably true for me a lot of the time. It's definitely true when "Pagan Poetry" is playing. As an album, Vespertine is a little overrated. Don't get me wrong; it's great, but after the perfect trio of Debut-Post-Homogenic, I (unfairly) expected more than I got. But at least for these five and a half minutes, everything was right in the world of Björk. This song is perfect. I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. He loves it, he loves it, he loves it, he loves it.

Paul Schofield

5. Jay-Z – "Heart Of The City".

Probably my favorite Jigga song, Kanye's production is top notch, and Jay's lyrics are superb. It's one of those songs that just fits in all aspects. However, it's the old school vibe it has that does it for me. If you listen to it, you might understand what I mean:

4. Train – "Drops Of Jupiter".

With songs that you like, you tend to remember where you were when you heard them. Like where you were when Kennedy was shot. Or where you were when Liverpool won the Champions League final in the greatest comeback since Lazarus. I was in some bar with a friend, this came on; I said "What's this song?" She told me. Then we kissed, passionately. Well, that last part isn't true, but I wish it had been. It's a beautiful song that deserved a beautiful moment.

3. N.E.R.D. – "Lapdance".

Anyone who hasn't popped when this has hit in a club please leave the room now. And no peeking through the keyhole either. This song is badass. And it's about lap dancing, fortunately, from women. There is nothing to not like in this, apart from Pharell, because none of us will ever be as rich or successful as he is. Bastard.

2. Muse – "Plug In Baby".

The BEST Muse song by a country mile, which is the same distance as a city mile, only with more scenery and less smog. I had the privilege (a $40 privilege, but one nonetheless) of seeing Muse at the new Wembley Stadium, and it's the best show I've ever seen. And I've seen Chas n Dave. When this song came on, I went batshit and headbutted a guy twice my size and girth. Well that last part isn't true, but a song that rocks this much deserves a rocking moment. My life is devoid of cool memories.

1. System Of A Down – "Chop Suey".

You know when something important happens, because you don't say anything for a while, and then say words monosyllabically. Like when Janice appears in Friends. You know how it goes. My first response after hearing this song was something along the lines of, "What. The. FUCK. Was THAT?!" I, then, discovered that the frenzied attack of the song had melted my face, and I looked like that guy from Total Recall that lives inside the other guy. How does that guy eat? Does he tug on the other guy's intestines when he needs a cookie? Countless facial reconstructions and a brief spell as John Merrick's stunt double later, my face can now withstand the full force of this song, but only just.

Mike Knowles

5. Lostprophets – "The Fake Sound of Progress".

Lostprophets' debut album thefakesoundofprogress was re-released in 2001 on Columbia Records, so I'm cheating a little. But what a debut. It's a shame that this is their only good album, as things went downhill as soon as the mainstream was hit with Start Something. The title track is a pretty simple headbanger. But there's something about the simplicity and chunkiness of the chorus that really appeals to me. Sometimes metal has to be kept simple, with Korn being one of those examples in many cases. I like it when a killer tune is so effortlessly created with a few chords.

4. System of a Down – "Prison Song".

Buying the album Toxicity when I was 14 was a big moment. I was going through that ‘Listen to metal, hate parents, wear shitty black jeans' phase. It meant I had to listen to nothing but the finest metal. Slayer had not yet been discovered; they were too hardcore. What an opener to the album though! Really vicious political lyrical content sent some reverberations through my young mind, meaning that I still listen to this song pretty religiously as a wake up song. Loud and angry, just as metal should be. Unfortunately, this song was the springboard to my short career as a teenage Slayer fan.

3. Afroman – "Because I Got High".

Come on. You can't ignore this tune. It rapidly became one of the most annoying songs of the year. This is due largely because of my friends discovery of the stoner stereotype, and how utterly hilarious it was to them. Cue my friend Will telling me that he smoked bud with his older brother behind the bike racks and played Tekken 2 for a few hours. The song itself is standard novelty rap from a standard novelty rapper, but it's the memories that it brings up that puts it in my top 5.

2. So Solid Crew – "21 Seconds".

This reminds me of the joys of being a British 11 year old. My discovery of music was founded with a terrible mixture of Prodigy and Limp Bizkit ("Rollin'" anyone?) on the radio. After this, I thought I would expand into cheap London-based urban music. So Solid Crew, by the standards of most British satire TV programs, was a joke. With over 30 different members of the band, a particularly vivid memory was of them all performing the single "21 Seconds" as part of a giant multi-story stage with every band member on it. The video is as sublime as it was ridiculous. Also, the rapping in the song was; by my young standards, next level in comparison to Fred Durst. And all of my friends and I wanted those cool contact lenses that the guy has in the video. We thought it was so edgy.

1. Dream Theater – "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence".

Yes, I hear all kinds of debate about if it's one big song or not. Come on, it all merges together; it's a song. With a time that clocks in at around 42 minutes, it's a real achievement even by the Dream Theater standard of half an hour or so of solid noise. Lyrical content that explores the depths of different mental illnesses brings an emotional element to the table, and adds a story to each section that one can easily follow. What really impresses me is how dramatic it all sounds. From the orchestra section of "I-Overture", through the Imperial March-esque main hook of "III-War Inside My Head", all the way to the grand climax of the aptly named "VIII-Losing Time/Grand Finale", the whole thing feels like a soundtrack to something bigger, like a movie or a theatre production. The work and micromanagement that went into this monster must be gargantuan. It's one of those songs that you'll hear once, and never forget.

(Editor's note: This track is 42 minutes long and is considered a single track, according to Wikipedia. I'm not including the videos for it. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

The Final Word

As always, the last thoughts come from you, the reader. We're merely unpaid monkeys with typewriters and Wikipedia. Here's what you need to do: List your Top Five for this week's topic on the comment section using the following format:

5. Artist - "Song from 2001": Why you picked it.
4. Artist - "Song from 2001": Why you picked it.
3. Artist - "Song from 2001": Why you picked it.
2. Artist - "Song from 2001": Why you picked it.
1. Artist - "Song from 2001": Why you picked it.

Finally some love for Sevendust. "one of the most Underrated bands of the 21st century": agreed. And when you consider they're still going, up to their seventh album when most of nu-metal is either dead or dying, when Limp Bizkit hasn't released since 2005 and Linkin Park has a total of 3 albums of original material, I think you get a picture of where the real longevity lies.

As for my top 5 of 2001, man that was a good year for music. You don't realise until you do something like this. I limited myself to one song from each band, or this would be way too hard.

Special mentions: Scum of the Earth - Rob Zombie; Dread and the Fugitive Mind - Megadeth; Days of the Week - Stone Temple Pilots; Superstar, Click Click Boom - Saliva; Chop Suey - System of a Down; Who We Be - DMX; Forgotten, Crawling, One Step Closer - Linkin Park

5. Ms Jackson - Outkast (also Rosa Parks)
4. Youth of the Nation - POD (also Alive, Boom)
3. Beautiful - Sevendust (also Praise, Crusified, Live Again)
2. Parabola - Tool (also Lateralus, Schism)
1. Oh My God - Michael Franti and Spearhead (also Rock the Nation, Stay Human)

Posted By: Ray Church (Guest) on October 06, 2009 at 11:39 PM