The 411 Music Top Five 10.20.09: Top 5 Favorite Songs From 2003

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 10.20.2009

2003 was a good year for music, and this week, the 411Music Critics talk about their top five favorite tracks from that year. They discuss everything from Muse's "Hysteria" to Metallica's “St. Anger”, Britney Spears's “Toxic” to Modest Mouse's “Float On”, and Eminem's "Superman" and Outkast's “Hey Ya!”. Stop in, check out the lists, and leave your own.

Chris Crowing

Honorable Mentions:

Metallica – "St.Anger", Evanescence – "Bring Me To Life", Type O Negative – "I Don't Wanna Be Me", VAST – "I Need To Say Goodbye", Coheed & Cambria – "A Favour House Atlantic", Linkin Park – "Faint", Hell is for Heroes – "I Can Climb Mountains", A Perfect Circle – "Weak & Powerless", "Avenged Sevenfold – "Unholy Confessions"

5. The Butterfly Effect - "Crave".

Since my flatmate introduced me to this most excellent antipodean act with this song, they have become one of my favorite artists.  Starting from an alt.rock/nu-metal place and taking it to an increasingly progressive and beautiful place, this song makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and they only get better...

4. The Darkness – "Growing On Me". 

Like it or not, the Darkness were one of THE sounds of 2003, and this is probably my favorite song of theirs, coming out when they were still on the cusp of fame and being far more likeable, honest and 'with a nod and a wink' funny than "I Believe In A Thing..." or "Love Is Only A Feeling."  I would have selected "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" but apparently Americans are sensitive to the C word....  A less than guilty pleasure...

3. Deftones – "Bloody Cape".

The Deftones' self-titled 2003 record was a total masterpiece, displaying their ability to deliver crushing riffs, soaring anthems and delightfully whimsical and heartfelt songs.  I could just as easily have selected "Hexagram", "Minerva", "When Girls Telephone Boys" or "Good Morning Beautiful" but "Bloody Cape" gets the vote for being the most direct.

2. Muse - "Hysteria".

In a year of awesome album releases, Muse's Absolution stands tall, and while "Our Time Is Running Out" was the big hit, and "Stockholm Syndrome", "Butterflies & Hurricanes" and "the Small Print" are all awesomely worthy, it is "Hysteria" which is the most awesome for me.  With stunning infectious interplay between guitar, bass and drums and a simply massive chorus, this is possibly my favourite British-penned song of the decade.

1. Machine Head - "Imperium".

When it looked like they'd been defeated, Machine Head came back with arguably their most complete, mature record and possible their best, most iconic song.  The slow build from the atmospheric intro to the titanic roar of the riffs and drums is metal build & release at its very best.  Always a joyous experience live or in a club, you know what to do... "Hear me now!"

Paul Hollingsworth

Honorable Mentions:

Warren Zevon – "Disorder In The House", Christina Aguilera – "Beautiful"

5. Metallica – "St. Anger".

Most have a low opinion of this song and this album, but for me, it was a necessary step and natural progression of the band's sound. With all the self-indulgence and over-production of Load & Reload, and also the bizarreness that was S&M, this was an album meant to tear everything down and return to basics. While it's not on the level of other Metallica albums, I think it was a necessary step that eventually led to the awesomeness of Death Magnetic.

 

4. Outkast – "Hey Ya!".

What Big Boi and Andre 3000 did with the Speakerboxx/The Love Below double album is remarkable in every way. Like much of their music, it defies classification or easy labels. It's hip-hop, but twisted and moved into directions it had never been before. "Hey Ya!" is easily one of the best songs of the decade, and certainly one of the most original tunes ever recorded.

 

3. Death Cab For Cutie – "The New Year".

Death Cab is a band I didn't think would last very long, or at least not last with any sort of widespread success. Their songs are almost too perfect, too literate and just too damned good for the current scene of lowest common denominator pop songs. Sometimes indie bands have a blip of a hit and disappear back into the woodwork, but it seems as though Death Cab have that secret and rare band chemistry which allows them to exist and thrive in a musical world where bands are rarely allowed to grow.

 

2. The Shins – "So Says I".

The Shins always create amazing songs, and I don't think there's another band quite like them around. I tend to think of them as a new version of The Beach Boys, if the Beach Boys had remained in the vein of Pet Sounds. This song also proves that the band was making great songs before anybody ever heard of Garden State.

 

1. The White Stripes – "Seven Nation Army":

Who the hell knows what this song is about? Maybe Jack White himself? Something akin to Prince's "7"?, Revenge? When a song is this badass, it doesn't really matter. White is the MVP of rock of 2000's, and this is, as far as I'm concerned, the main reason why.

 

Lucas Wesley

Honorable mentions:

R.E.M. - "Bad Day," David Bowie - "New Killer Star," June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash - "Keep on the Sunny Side," Massive Attack - "Future Proof," Rufus Wainwright - "Oh! What a World," Ringo Starr - "Eye to Eye," Ted Leo - the whole Hearts of Oak album, Jay-Z - the whole Black Album, Yo La Tengo - "Today is the Day" (EP version), Radiohead - "2+2=5"

5. Daniel Johnston – "Now".

Daniel Johnston is my favorite songwriter. I don't think I've ever really hidden this fact, although at times my opinion may have been different and I may have been louder, leading to some confusion. But really, it's Danny. And like every other Danny fan, my favorite songs are the ones he did alone in his brother's basement on a toy organ. However, as time went on, he found friends in high places with big studios, willing to help him "improve" his sound. This track comes from the album Fear Yourself, where his friend in high places was Sparklehorse. A lot of the songs on the album feature an odd over-production, but "Now" is different, at least for the first three quarters of the song. A cute little ukulele strummed song, this is what I love about Daniel Johnston. Sure, the production comes in and the song drastically changes, but give it credit for when it rocks. Apologies for the lack of a video.

4. Scissor Sisters – "Comfortably Numb".

I don't like Pink Floyd. I get flack from it, especially from the other big music fans I know. I love disco. I don't get quite as much flack, but we all know that's not a popular opinion either. This song combines my distaste for Pink Floyd with my love of disco in ways that no other song even tries. It's really quite fantastic. Scissor Sisters really managed to reinvent and (kind of) re-popularize disco, so they deserve an ample amount of credit for that alone. However, their ability to tackle a sacred cow and make it better is what really earns them their props.

 

3. The Dresden Dolls – "Good Day".

The Dresden Dolls are probably the best female lead band of this generation. Amanda Palmer is an absolute genius. The first song on their first studio album, "Good Day", is perhaps their greatest. Of course, we also have the fun songs like "Coin-Operated Boy", but this is the one that wins it for me. The really powerful chorus coming after the slowly building intro really gives me a good, happy feeling, even if it is kind of a negative song. But hey, she's on fire, so I guess there's some happiness in her complaints.

 

2. Beyonce and Jay-Z – "Crazy In Love".

I feel kind of ridiculous putting a Beyonce song at number two. Especially since this is the year The Black Album was released. It would be so easy to pick an easy, popular choice and look cool. But no, I have to be honest and stuff. And honestly, I enjoy "Crazy In Love" way more than any singular song on the Black Album. In Beyonce's catalog, there's probably about five songs I enjoy at all, and only one that I truly love. But hey, that track is "Crazy In Love", so here it lands. The song's horns are just spectacular, and Jay-Z and Beyonce go together perfectly. I have nothing else to say, you know how great the song is.

 

1. Britney Spears – "Toxic".

I feel like people will hate me since my top two are really blatant pop songs. Not to mention number four murders a sacred cow. But, well. 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. Now, however, it is often the works of a Barbie-esque pop singer, who's second best song is, as 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 Linda Perry. I don't know when The Corporation's successor was named as mediocre as Bloodshy & Avant. But it happened, for worse or for worse. These replacements are at best 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 decade or so, it's "Toxic". A perfect pop song.

 

Paul Schofield

5. The Bronx – "Heart Attack American".

I don't think there's a true punk band out there that can melt faces quite like these guys. This song is fucking intense, brutal, and a thousand other adjectives that would only hurt your eyes to continue to read. Seeing them live is an experience to say the least. As there's no official video for this, here's the music set to clips from Hot Fuzz. You can't go wrong.

 

4. Obie Trice – "The Set Up".

The sickest beat I've ever heard in hip hop. Obie's first album was a classic, and this track is just all kinds of awesome. It's a song that all the family can enjoy, as it's about a woman who is easier than an Easy-Bake Oven. What's not to like? I don't think she's got a light bulb inside her though. Sick, sick song.

 

3. The Killers – "Mr. Brightside".

There's nothing quite like the thrill of seeing a dancefloor fill up from just the opening chords of a song. Well, other than the thrill of chocolate, rollercoasters, and when people finally get together in TV shows. Sigh. But there's something about being in a crowd of sweaty, drunken, unfamiliar people, all singing a song at the tops of their voices, that's just brilliant. Everyone has a great time, even though the song matter isn't all that joyful. One of life's little ironies. Also, Eric Roberts is one ugly motherfrigger. I'm no oil painting myself, I'm more of a watercolor.

 

2. Modest Mouse – "Float On".

Brilliant, brilliant song. I backed my car into a cop car the other day. Unfortunately I was heavily fined, and now my insurance is screwed. Bastards. Luckily this song is so uplifting, it could coax a sloth out a winter coma and encourage him to buy Wii Fit. It could convince a depressed suicidal maniac to untie that noose and turn it into a jump rope. If only this song were around in the 1930s, Hitler might have thought, "You know what? Let's not invade Poland today, let's go to the beach!" He would have been stupid to think that, as Germany has terrible beaches, but you get the idea.

 

1. Johnny Cash – "Hurt".

Best cover ever? Abso-frigging-lutely. Sorry Jeff Buckley. The way Cash turns this song to himself is amazing, yet chilling at the same time. The video is sublime. There just aren't enough superlatives to throw at it. If you're not welling up by the time the song reaches its peak, then you are a zombie and you deserve to have a piano dropped on you. It's a stark contrast to the previous song on this list, but emotionally it's the best song of the year, and for me the song of the decade.

 

Ben Czajkowski

Honorable Mentions:

Staind - "Price To Play", Saliva - "Rest In Pieces", Linkin Park - "Faint", Chevelle - "Send The Pain Below", A Perfect Circle - "Weak & Powerless", Seether - "Driven Under", P.O.D - "Sleeping Awake", Evanescence - "Going Under", I'll Nino - "How Can I Live", Finger Eleven - "One Thing", Smile Empty Soul - "Bottom Of A Bottle", Revis - "Caught In The Rain", Cold - "Stupid Girl", Limp Bizkit - "Behind Blue Eyes", Seether - "Fine Again", Korn - "Right Now", Fingertight - "Guilt(Hold Down)"

5. Eminem - "Superman".

By 2003, an Eminem song was always cemented at the center of radio play. It's not sweet, poppy and playful, not like Britney or Christina; this is vicious and scathing. Almost always a new find of misogynistic in every play. "Don't put out? I'll put you out/Won't get out? I'll push you out/Puss blew out, coppin' shit/Wouldn't piss on fire to put you out/Am I too nice to buy you ice/Bitch if you died, wouldn't buy you life". That's not even the most creative digs that the lyrics make at the female figure, the ho's. There's also a reference to his relationship with Mariah Carey, which, six years later, continues to be a sore spot between the two.

 

4. Trapt - "Headstrong".

This song was a plague, an anthemic battle song that echoed across years of sports, radio, TV, and movies. For whatever its worth to the band, it was their debut hit track that garnished them 15 minutes in the spotlight and tours with other various rock bands. While it's their most popular song; it's not their best, in my opinion. It did win a couple of awards and peaked at the radio charts, surprisingly to me. I dug the track in my more violent years, which is probably why it appealed to so many other rebellious teenagers.

 

3. Evanescence - "Bring Me To Life".

In 2003, I discovered Lacuna Coil's In A Reverie and Comalies, and I was in love with female front lady. So, whenever the X in Pittsburgh debuted "Bring Me To Life", I immediately dove into KazaaLimeWireNapster and tried quite hard to find this song. I could not and had to shyly call the radio station for assistance. The shock jock, Alan Cox, snapped the name of the song to me and hung up. An hour later, I had most of Fallen and whatever back catalogue had been leaked to the internet for Evanescence. It wasn't until I started writing my column and doing research about the band that I grew to detest Amy Lee. Still, though, I can't deny how much this song affected my critical listening during 2003-2004. I do still listen to it from time to time, as I do admire the touches of Ben Moody.

 

2. Three Days Grace - "I Hate Everything About You".

It might be a bold statement, but I mean it when I say that this song was the transition piece for radio from nu-metal into generic, modern rock. It is a simple, straightforward track with an underlying acoustic melody. At the same time, the lyrics are fierce and emotional, prompting the listener to sing along almost automatically, calling out: "I. Hate. Everything about you. Why do I love you?" A line I continuously found I asked myself about my ex. Since this song, Three Days Grace has put out three albums of about the same material and bands like Theory of a Deadman, Hinder, Saving Abel and Nickelback all seemingly rule the modern and active rock radio charts. Ah well.

 

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Can't Stop".

Luckily, though, there will always been The Red Hot Chili Peppers to save us from the mundane. It was a daunting task to follow up Californication and "Californication". And even more so to find a piece from them that was worthy of my worship as much as that album was. "Can't Stop," though, boasts some of the most creative and energetic works from their catalogue and from any band. The music video, as well, blows my mind, in its artistic flaunting. I suggest that if you've never given this track a try, you do so now.

 

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 2003": Why you picked it. 4. Artist - "Song from 2003": Why you picked it. 3. Artist - "Song from 2003": Why you picked it. 2. Artist - "Song from 2003": Why you picked it. 1. Artist - "Song from 2003": Why you picked it.