411's Top 100 Songs of the 2000s: #100 – 81

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 11.11.2009

Join the 411 Music staff as we count down the absolute best songs the decade had to offer. Part one features Kings of Leon, Britney, Eminem and plenty more…

Welcome, welcome, welcome. The mega site you know as 411mania began back in 1996 as a little Geocities site called 411wrestling. By the turn of the century, however, the content had expanded vastly, now covering all things pop culture, including music. That's where we came in.

For the past decade, 411 has been giving you the lowdown on music – keeping you up with all the news, album reviews, opinions and more that help guide you through the vast and complex world of pop, rock, metal, hip-hop, country and more – from the mainstream to the nooks and crannies where the treasures hide.

As the first ten years of the 2000's wraps up, we feel it's time to turn our eyes backwards and decide, once and for all, what were the best songs to come out of this new millennial decade – 411mania's first full decade of existence. So we got together, made some lists, combined those lists, bitched, made some new lists, bitched and then put it all together. This is the result. This is…


This is day one – the first twenty. We've got rap, metal, indie music and plenty of mainstream rock. So kick back and listen with us, starting with…

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#100Welcome Home Coheed & Cambria from Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
		Chart History: Released September 2005 #24 Mainstream Rock #36 Modern Rock
"This is the song that got me into Co&Ca. The Led Zeppelin-like epic scale blew me away on first listen and still impresses all these years later. Underneath the massive weight of the chords and the innovative guitar flourishes, lies a set of lyrics which are dipped in venom. How many of us can identify with the closing line 'Make up your mind girl, before I hope you die...'? If your opinion of this band is based on the falsetto shown in ‘A Favor House Atlantic', listen to the awesome display of grandiose virtuosity on show here and change your mind!" - Chris Crowing "Back when I initially reviewed Good Apollo (yes, I'm still sticking to the short version of the title), I had written of this song in particular: "the song opens the rock portion of the album proper with a tight backing and, near the end, even a downright chill-inducing choral outro that, even three songs in, whets the appetite for more." It whets the appetite for more, alright - for more of this band. This song is one of the main reasons I became a fan of theirs as, after hearing some stuff from them that didn't impress me all that much, this came out sounding like one of the first true epics of this decade." - Michael Melchor

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#99Ghost Of Perdition Opeth from Ghost Reveries
		Chart History: Album track from Ghost Reveries Released August 30, 2005 #64 Billboard 200
" Opeth may be one of the most versatile bands in the metal scene, and this song emphasizes that perfectly. There's an awesome balance between heavy and melodic, acoustic and distorted electric. The complexities of this song are what make it so appealing, as the off-meter beats, random tempo changes, and the general progressive feel make it one of the best metal songs of the decade." - Matt Shoemaker "Death metal growling, acoustic interludes, pummeling riffs and a passage that Steely Dan would be proud of. All in a day's work for one of the new masters of progressive metal. I could kiss whoever voted for this being on the list, much less everyone who voted for it. Wait, that's a whole lot of dudes...I'll settle for a handshake and a ‘thanks', instead. I'm sure they feel the same way." - Michael Melchor

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#98Are You Gonna Be My Girl? JET from Get Born
		Chart History: Released August 25, 2003 #29 Hot 100 #7 Mainstream Rock #3 Modern Rock #16 Top 40
"There was an all too brief period in the early 00's when garage rock ruled the radio. Bands like The Hives, The Strokes and The White Stripes were all over MTV and, dammit, they all sounded really good. JET was Australia's answer to the garage rock sound – equal influences of The Who and fellow countrymen AC/DC, JET blasted onto the scene with this too-hip riff-rocker, setting club floors blazing with flying hair and hips of the female variety. One of the most badass rock bands to come out of the decade." - Mitch Michaels

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#97How You Remind Me Nickelback from Silver Side Up
		Chart History: Released August 21, 2001 #1 Hot 100 #2 Adult Top 40 #1 Mainstream Rock #1 Modern Rock
"Nickelback get a fairly bad rep, especially over here in the UK. Personally, I don't really have any strong feelings about them either way. This had already been out a couple of years by then, when I was starting to properly get into rock music in my very early teens, "How You Remind Me" seemed powerful, catchy and something different. I'm no longer a big fan of the band or the song, but it's still good for the occasional listen and a trip down memory lane." - Allistair McGeorge "Unlike most people around here, I will admit that I do like some of Nickelback's stuff. Radio-rock is fine in small doses. When "How You Remind Me" first hit radio in 2001, it was a great song and I was really into it. Then radio did what it does best by ruining the song due to overexposing it. You couldn't escape that song no matter how much you tried. An hour worth of listening to the local rock or pop radio station would result in at least two run-ins with "How You Remind Me". I could probably never hear the song again in my lifetime and die a happy man, but let's try to remember it for what it was and not what it has become." - Jasper Jones

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#96Sex On Fire Kings Of Leon from Only By The Night
		Chart History: Released September 5, 2008 #56 Hot 100 #24 Mainstream Rock #1 Modern Rock
"After years of critical acclaim around the world, The Followill kin got a little more mainstream in 2008, propelled by this single (much to the chagrin of Liam Gallagher). The sultry pained vocals of singer Caleb Followill made this single sexy. The guitar is just as pleading as the vocals as Caleb describes an amazing sexual experience and his thirst for more. The band has described the song as "silly" as the title became a running joke. It was almost omitted from the album, a common tale for hit singles. The song charted at #1 in a quarter of a dozen countries globally and won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group." - Tom Santoro

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#95The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails from With Teeth
		Chart History: Released April 18, 2005 #31 Hot 100 #31 Pop #2 Mainstream Rock #1 Modern Rock #30 Dance
"The sound of a genius coming back, but not the same genius we knew before. This is the sound of Trent Reznor, the man who took us on the Downward Spiral and showed us how Fragile we are, growing up and putting the worst of his demons away. Many die hard fans didn't like this song and the album it came on (With Teeth) as it lacked the bite of previous records, but for me it is a key part of the soundtrack to a time. Sure, it's not "Sin" or "March of the Pigs" but at the end of the day, Trent on an off-day is still miles better than almost anyone else's greatest work." - Chris Crowing "It's hard to believe there are two songs written by Trent Reznor on this list, but only one actually performed by Nine Inch Nails. I won't even attempt to explain the heinous crime in that and my disliking for a certain overrated artist. The 00's gave us more Nine Inch Nails releases than even the 90's did. Despite the fact that I could probably fill this entire list with the works of Trent Reznor, this one is here for a reason. Great rock track and I think the only track from the 00's that's pretty much on every NIN set list." - Mikey MiGo

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#94Bat Country Avenged Sevenfold from City Of Evil
		Chart History: Released September 26, 2005 #60 Hot 100 #62 Pop #2 Mainstream Rock #6 Modern Rock
"Despite the fact that I do not find this to be A7X's best song, I love it and I would like to see it get a Top 50 nod. This song propelled A7X into the mainstream and onto MTV and everyone's radio. They were hailed as this generation's Motley Crüe thanks to this song. With "Bat Country" the world was introduced to one of the most talented bands in the world all-around. Gates and Vengance make a mind blowing guitar tandem and The Rev's drum work is the best of the decade bar none. M. Shadows lost his scream in this song and some fans may have left because of that, but in the end they lost a few a gained a million. Avenged Sevenfold hit the jackpot with this song and it's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas themed video." - Jacob Leo "I'm really glad I'm not the only person writing this song up, because to an extent I put it on my final list in spite of myself. I don't want to like Avenged Sevenfold. I really don't. But yet, they refuse to relinquish the vice-grip they have as one of my many musical guilty pleasures. It literally took me months to come around on this track, after being a casual fan of the first couple Avenged records. This is probably as close to Motley Crüe and the ilk our generation will ever get (for better or for worse is entirely subjective - I'm into it), and in terms of just being balls-out commercial metal for dudes who get their metal fix from Hot Topic or Fuse, it's pretty damn good. Given the choice between this or, say, Nailbomb, I'd no doubt pick the latter, but what kind of self-respecting person can hate on Hunter S. Thompson-themed videos and unison solos? Not this one." - Mac Scarle "I first caught this song late one night while watching TV when MTV2 still ran music videos and was completely blown away. Here are these bad-ass looking guys playing double lead guitars while quoting Hunter S. Thompson. This makes a regular band full of regular Joes who sing about lost love, like Nickelback, seem really, really dull. Some people claim that Avenged Sevenfold "sold out" with City of Evil, but it was the first record of theirs that I heard, and it hooked me. Thanks to City of Evil and to songs like ‘Bat Country' and ‘The Beast and the Harlot', I was interested enough to check out the band's awesome back catalogue." - Jasper Jones "Another band I was curious about after their ‘screamocore' days were left behind (thanks to doctor's advice persuading M. Shadows to abandon that format), ‘Bat Country' had some excellent chops. Take Shadows out of the equation – not because of talent but simple vocal style – and Avenged Sevenfold sounds like the modern-day Iron Maiden. Putting out a blistering track about Hunter S Thompson didn't hurt their case, either." - Michael Melchor

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#93Ruin Lamb Of God from As The Palaces Burn
		Chart History: Released 2003
"One of Lamb of God's best songs, from one of their best albums, in my opinion. Everything about this song just kinda forms together to make something incredible. The tone of each instrument, while it's not perfectly produced, sounds absolutely amazing. The muddy, powerful drum beat, the low tuned guitars, and the brutal vocals all show this band at their best. The drum fill towards the middle of the song, right before the breakdown, is still one of my favorites to this day. This is one of the most influential American metal bands of the last decade (and before), and this is really the song that put them on the map." - Matt Shoemaker

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#92Toxic Britney Spears from In The Zone
		Chart History: Released January 12, 2004 #9 Hot 100 #1 Dance
"Every once and again, the perfect pop song is composed. In the 60's, it happened all the time, as rock and pop were one in the same. It was vogue. Now, however, it is often the works of a plastic pop singer, who's second best song is, at best, kind of catchy. However, thanks to the power of a writing team that has been slaving for years attempting to make one good song, they finally manage to strike gold. I don't know when writing teams degenerated from Phil Spector and Brill Building to Bloodshy & Avant and Linda Perry. I don't know when The Corporation's successor was named as mediocre as The Matrix. But it happened, for worse or for worse. These replacements are okay, writing a few radio singles that will get stuck in your head before long. Most of the time you won't like it. Some of the time, you'll accept it. Once every few years, it's ‘Toxic'. A perfect pop song from the most unlikely means." - Lucas Wesley "Three and a half minutes of ear sex from one of the few pop singers who can get away with that type of thing and leave us coming back for more." - Mitch Michaels

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#91Black Balloon Goo Goo Dolls from Dizzy Up The Girl
		Chart History: Released August 31, 1999 #16 Hot 100 #3 Adult Top 40 #13 Modern Rock #28 Mainstream Rock
"I love this song. The Goo Goo Dolls put it all together perfectly on ‘Black Balloon'. When I was a lot younger and I got my first CD player I went straight to the store and bought three albums including Dizzy Up The Girl and spent a full year with nothing but those three CDs (Third Eye Blind and Yourself or Someone Like You by Matchbox 20 being the other two). Since I only had three CDs to listen to, I spent a lot of time listening to this album and to this song in particular. The Goo Goo Dolls did create a classic in this song that I think has been overshadowed unjustly by their other big hits such as "Iris" and "Slide" which came off of the same record. Despite the lack of recognition though, I believe that ‘Black Balloon' does deserve a spot on this Top 100 easily as it just works. It has that "it" factor that puts it ahead of the pack. This is a song where a pop-punk band decided to drop the punk attitude and it actually worked! That alone deserves recognition. I bow to the Goo Goo Dolls for delivering this classic." - Jacob Leo "I am with Jacob on this one – ‘Black Balloon' never seems to get its due thanks to being the third single from an album full of hits. The track gets its recognition here, though, as the only one from that trio to find its peak in 2000. ‘Iris' and ‘Slide' were certainly great tracks and ‘Balloon' is the middle ground between them – balladry with an alt rock edge." - Mitch Michaels

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#90The Real Slim Shady Eminem from The Marshall Mathers LP
		Chart History: Released May 16, 2000 #4 Hot 100 #3 Adult Top 40 #11 R&B/Hip-Hop #7 Rap
"This is one of those timeless songs that alongside ‘Stan', Eminem will always be remembered for. In comparison to the serious and more focused nature of ‘Stan', ‘The Real Slim Shady' featured Eminem at his wacky best, jumping from topic to topic and poking fun at a wide range of celebrities who were at the top of the pop music world at the time, such as Britney Spears, N*Sync and Christina Aguilera. Dr. Dre was partially responsible for this track and in typical Dre style, it's simple yet unbelievably catchy and allowed Eminem to really let loose in a fun way on the track. As many of Eminem's singles in recent times get criticized, it's because he has songs such as this in his catalog to compare them to and I feel that ‘The Real Slim Shady' marked the beginning of not only Eminem's, but Dr. Dre and the rest of the Aftermath and Interscope hip-hop family's dominance of the 2000s." - Patrick Robinson

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#89All The Small Things blink-182 from Enema Of The State
		Chart History: Released January 18, 2000 #6 Hot 100 #1 Modern Rock
"It wasn't until the release of this single that blink-182 reached superstar status. Always a favorite at Warped Tour during the 1990's, the band was known primarily for its sophomoric antics in the studio and at their live shows. With the release of ‘All the Small Things', blink took a break from their comedy routine and gave us a tender moment. The song is written for Tom Delonge's girlfriend (now wife) and "all the small things" she did for him despite his treatment of her. It is a very simple pop song that will make you nauseas from all the sappy sugar, but it is damn catchy. The video gained the band more attention because it poked fun at all the pop stars at the time." - Tom Santoro

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#88The Pretender Foo Fighters from Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
		Chart History: Released August 21, 2007 #37 Hot 100 #1 Modern Rock #1 Mainstream Rock #47 Pop
"This isn't the only time you'll find Foo Fighters on this list and for good reason. The Foos are easily one of the small handful of truly great pure rock bands out there. This song is only two years old, but I think five years from now this track would probably place a bit higher." - Mikey MiGo "The Foo Fighters probably have as many significant songs from the 2000's as Nirvana did in the 90's. They're just that damn good. It's hard to take this band for granted as frontman Dave Grohl is constantly jumping around from one great side project to another, but ‘The Pretender' was just another reminder of how vital a new Foo Fighters album is. Like Mikey said, not even the best Foos song of the decade, but definitely deserving of a place in songs that shaped the decade." - Mitch Michaels

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#87I'm On A Boat The Lonely Island feat. T-Pain from Incredibad
		Chart History: Released February 3, 2009 #56 Hot 100
"This is the only track on this list that's not by a real band, unless you count Nickelback. The Lonely Island guys have given us some of the best comedic musical performances of the decade with ‘Lazy Sunday', ‘Dick In a Box', ‘Motherlover' and ‘Jizz In My Pants'. To me they're all great in their own way, but I never saw any of those videos on FUSE of MTV like I have ‘On A Boat'." - Mikey MiGo "It's so easy for a comedy song to get old fast. Even The Lonely Island fall into this trap – seriously, how long's it been since ‘Dick In A Box' made you laugh? ‘I'm On A Boat' is that rare exception. I was talking to my brother the other day about why it was so perfect – it just gets better with each verse, and there's nothing throwaway in the whole song. Building and building from ‘riding on a dolphin/doing flips and shit' to ‘fuck trees, I climb buoys motherfucker' to T-Pain's epic verse and revelation that – yes – he fucked a mermaid. You will never, EVER be on a boat and not think of this song." - Mitch Michaels

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#86My Girls Animal Collective from Merriweather Post Pavilion
		Chart History: Released March 23, 2009 #13 Billboard 200 #2 Independent Albums
"Animal Collective have always had a knack for great melodies and harmonies, and with ‘My Girls' they crated their best ones yet. Coming off the heels of the somewhat chaotic Strawberry Jam, the group made their most accessible work yet by incorporating the Beach Boys elements that member Panda Bear used on his solo album Person Pitch. There's a sincerity to lyrics like ‘I don't mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status/I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls,' that sucks in the listener, along with the hypnotic and mesmerizing production. This is definitely one of my favorites on this list, no doubt." - Andrew Moll

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#85Ridin' Chamillionaire feat. Krayzie Bone from The Sound Of Revenge
		Chart History: Released January, 2006 #1 Hot 100 #7 R&B/Hip-Hop #2 Rap #3 Pop
"Chamillionaire is one of a kind when it comes to hip-hop artists and manages to blend a mainstream feel to music, at the same time as making a song with a message in it. ‘Ridin'' details how racial profiling often takes place on the roads and Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone paint contrasting images with their verses. Whilst Chamillionaire is driving properly and isn't carrying any drugs on him, Krayzie Bone is supposedly drinking, smoking and holding and swerving all over the road, yet Chamillionaire is the one who gets pulled over by the police for driving an expensive looking car. It's also an excellent example of how an artist can make a song with a hook perfect for ringtone sales, but still preserve their artistic integrity and not be forced to sell out in order to make those sales. Now if only the ringtone rappers polluting the genre would take notice…" - Patrick Robinson "I know that ‘Ridin'' is supposed to be about racial profiling and the treatment of suspects by the police. However, it stroked the ego of every frat boy gear-head with a suped-up car. They tried to make it their own anthem. ‘Oh man, dawg! The police just busted me for my tinted windows. They're always trying to catch me riding dirty like that song says.' I doubt that's what Chamillionaire had in mind. Despite all that, the song is incredibly catchy and extremely well done. It's even a Grammy award winning tune, winning for Best Rap Performance By a Group or Duo." - Jasper Jones

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#84Maps Yeah Yeah Yeahs from Fever To Tell
		Chart History: Released February 10, 2004 #87 Hot 100 #9 Modern Rock
"I remember when I first heard this song that I went out and bought the CD as soon as I could. Nothing on the album was as beautifully constructed and done as ‘Maps', but on the flip side I was treated to some really cool art-punk. It was most of the world's first taste of Karen O's chops and the band has secured a pretty respectable cult following. I think the YYY's best work is still to come in the upcoming decade." - Mikey MiGo

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#83Mountains Biffy Clyro from Only Revolutions
		Chart History: Released August 18, 2008 #5 UK
"Undisputably my Song of 2008, largely due to the BBC using it as the soundtrack music to their T in the Park advertisements that year meaning I had to sit up and take notice. From the restrained piano intro and fragile 'Took a bite out of a mountain range..' opening line, this song draws you in and by the time the massive chorus hits, you are well in its grasp. It's a tender love song, wrapped up in metaphor and Biffy's trademark tangential way of storytelling. A massive sing-along anthem, it's prog, it's rock, it's pop, it's BEAUTIFUL and it's easily one of my favorite songs from this decade. 'mon the Biffy!" - Chris Crowing

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#82Dig Mudvayne from L.D. 50
		Chart History: Released 2000 #33 Mainstream Rock
"Ahh, the promise shown here. Mudvayne certainly came out of the gate fired-up and ready to grab radio, among other facets of the industry, by the balls. Alas, what would follow is a descent into mediocrity, but for one brief moment at the beginning, Mudvayne sounded like a violent buzzsaw to be reckoned with." - Michael Melchor

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#81Go With The Flow Queens Of The Stone Age from Songs For The Deaf
		Chart History: Released April 7, 2003 #24 Mainstream Rock #7 Modern Rock
"Queens of the Stone Age are one of the most consistently awesome bands of the past decade. I don't think they get as much love and respect as they should. The three times I've seen them live, I always find myself amazed with how many awesome singles and tracks they have hidden in their discography." - Mikey MiGo "Man, did QotSA ever bust down the radio doors in 2003. This fuzzed out rocker has atmosphere to spare and sits firmly at the crossroads of hard rock and garage rock. Great harmonies and that driving guitar rhythm combined with some spacey fills and Josh Homme's creepy loser lyrics. I still miss Nick Oliveri these days." - Mitch Michaels

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That's it for today. Hook back up with us next week, where we continue with #80.