The 411 Music Top Five 11.10.09: Top 5 Favorite Songs From 2006

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 11.10.2009

The Top 5 songs of the decade continues. This week, the 411Music staff talks about their Top 5 Songs of 2006. They discuss everything from Justin Timberlake's “Summer Love” to “SexyBack”, Gnarls Barkley's “Crazy” to TV On The Radio's “Wolf Like Me”, and Tool's "Vicarious" to Michael Jackson's “Give In to Me", featuring Youngbloodz.

Lucas Wesley

Honorable mentions.

Beck - "Think I'm In Love," Elton John - "Postcards From Richard Nixon," Prince - "Fury," The Dresden Dolls - "Modern Moonlight," Lily Allen - "Smile," Ben Folds - "In Between Days," Rhymefest and ODB - "Build Me Up," Scissor Sisters - "She's My Man," Willie Nelson - "You Don't Know Me," Sonic Youth - "Incinerate," Fiona Apple and Elvis Costello - "I Want You," Moby and Debbie Harry - "New York, New York" and most of Orphans by Tom Waits

5. Justin Timberlake – "Summer Love".

Always gotta have a blatant pop song, and why not start off with it this time. I resisted Justin for a while, because I am a male and it is demanded of me. "SexyBack" was horrible, I convinced myself, and Justin was evil for trying to claim himself as an heir to Michael's throne. Sure, I liked "Rock Your Body" to some level, but that's the big fluke single. But then along came "My Love", and I felt like it was kind of catchy. Then along came "What Goes Around Comes Around", and suddenly I realized, damn it, this guy can compose. "Summer Love" is in no way proof of composition, but it's the "Beat It" to WGACA's "Billie Jean": the incredibly catchy riff (synth, guitar, whatever, its 2006) with catchy vocals and lyrics to boot. Usually I tend first to the dense song, but here it's too catchy to ignore.

 

4. New York Dolls – "We're All In Love".

It had been over three decades since the most influential band of all time made a record. Two members had died and the leader had turned into a parody lounge act. The announcement that they were making another album came with, shall we say, hesitation. All in all it was an acceptable affair, but it wasn't up to the level of their first two. That is, with one exception. The opening track to the album, "We're All In Love", rivals the greatest songs they've composed. The driving harmonica and heavy riffs coming from every corner made a dense, powerful song. Other bands go to work, the Dolls go to play.

 

3. Camera Obscura – "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken".

Songs about songs are weird. Especially when no one's heard the original song. But the idea of hearing a song that made you write another song...that's just odd to me as someone who can't even write a song about a regular topic, like girls or doing drugs. But whatever, this song is amazing. You don't even need to know who Lloyd Cole is to know this is brilliant fun. Driving synths with, uh, more synths throughout, with Traceyanne Campbell's ethereal voice leading you through a tale of soon to be heartbreak; this is one of the best pop songs you'll ever hear.

 

2. Bob Dylan – "Ain't Talkin'".

Confessions of a Dylan fan: I usually don't care for the long epic songs. Don't get me wrong, I like "Sad Eyed Lady" or "Desolation Row" as much as anyone, and "Hurricane" is bad ass. But "Time Out Of Mind", man...they say atmospheric and fun and all that, but I just can't pay attention. But this song is just bad ass. Dylan's old man growl gets on some people's nerves, and they have their right to feel that way, but I can't imagine anyone thinking it doesn't fit here.

 

1. Sean Lennon – "Dead Meat".

I don't know what it is about this song. This album. Sean Lennon in general. Maybe I feel bad for him because so many people seem to be comparing him to his father, which is impossible. Maybe I feel bad for him because he was friends with Lindsay Lohan, which just had to be one of those friendships where one person just feels bad for the other one. Or maybe it's actually good, I don't know. But I really love this song. It has a perfect fade in and Sean's vocals are wonderful. The whole album carries the mood and I love it throughout. This is a prime example of why I don't like talking about why I like music, I run out of words and can't back up the levity of my claims. But this is great, I promise.

 

Michael James

Honorable Mentions:

Jim Jones- "We Fly High"; John Mayer- "Gravity"; A.F.I.- "Miss Murder"; Ghostface Killah- "Back Like That (feat. Ne-Yo)"; Ray LaMontagne- "Three More Days"

5. Michael Jackson- "Give In to Me (feat. Youngbloodz)".

Through the last few years of Michael Jackson's life, there were persistent rumors that he would be releasing a "hip-hop" album.  I was always worried that this would mean Michael Jackson rapping.  But toward the end of 2006, this track was released on some mixtape or another.  While the Youngbloodz probably wasn't on anyone's short list of rappers destined to collaborate with the King of Pop, "Give In to Me" is fantastic.  Jackson's vocals have a hardened edge and aggression reminiscent of tracks like "Dirty Diana" and seem surprisingly natural over the pounding hip-hop beat.

 

4. Justin Timberlake- "SexyBack". 

From MJ to his heir apparent.  "SexyBack" was an epic, dancefloor filler and dominated the music scene in 2006.  Timbaland's beat is hectic, and the distortion on the lyrics gives Timberlake a sense of "danger" that he hadn't necessarily show before.  If you don't like "SexyBack", you probably also don't like candy canes, puppies and rainbows.  In which case, you're wrong (except for the puppies).

 

3. Amy Winehouse- "Back to Black". 

It's hard to believe that there was a time when Amy Winehouse was known for more than her Sid-and-Nancy-like love life, excessive drug use and, in a new twist, barely contained monster implants.  While "Back to Black" didn't achieve the commercial success of "Rehab" and "You Know I'm No Good," the title track to her 2006 album is her true artistic masterpiece.  Winehouse delivers the lyrics of heartbreak with a touching sincerity that provides a glimpse into the tortured soul thrashing about beneath the self-parody of her exterior.

 

2. Gary Allan- "Best I've Ever Had".

I'm cheating a bit with this pick, since Allan's Tough All Over was actually released in October 2005.  But I forgot to include in that list and couldn't miss the chance to write about it.  Now I generally hate popular country music—it's the only genre I can't appreciate on any level.  But Allan's cover of the Vertical Horizon hit is heart-wrenching, particularly against the backdrop of his having recently lost his wife to breast cancer at the time he recorded it.  The vulnerability in his vocal gives me the chills.

 

1. Gnarls Barkley- "Crazy".

The breakout gem from Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse's first Gnarls album St. Elsewhere, "Crazy" has a timeless feel which sounds immediately familiar from the first listen.  They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and covers of "Crazy" began to emerge on Youtube and .mp3 sites immediately from artists as disparate as Nelly Furtado, The Raconteurs and, my personal favorite, Ray LaMontagne.  Unlike most singles of this magnitude, the song is a breath of fresh air every time I hear it, despite its ubiquity.

 

Paul Schofield

5. The Black Angels – "The Sniper At The Gates Of Heaven".

If Jim Morrison and The Doors were around today, this is probably what they would sound like. I was torn between this song and "The First Vietnamese War", but this song wins it on terror alone. This song is the closest any of us will ever get to Vietnam, you can almost taste the purple haze at the back of your throat. It's dark, disturbing, and downright brilliant. Passover is one of the albums of the decade, and is filled with tracks that would fit on the soundtrack to any war film.

 

4. The Bronx – "History's Stranglers".

If there's been a better punk band (real punk, not pop punk) this decade than The Bronx, then I'm a monkey's uncle. Though if you believe in evolution, technically we are all the uncles of monkeys. Like almost every Bronx song, it's savage and brutal. When Matt screams "Mother****er I want your blood", you know he means it. Seeing it live is quite the experience as well.

 

3. Cold War Kids – "We Used To Vacation".

About as personal as a song can get. We all love a good drinking song, right? But when the track is about the influences of alcoholism, everything that has been lost, the lies, the deception, it's impossible not to be affected. Just a superbly written song, lyrically it's rare that a song like this comes along. Take your pick from any line; it's all dripping with emotion.

 

2. Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family – "The Mourners Of St Pauls".

Sticking with the theme of emotional songs, here is the song I want to be played at the start of my funeral. As much as Johnny Cash's "Hurt" can bring a lump to the throat and sting the eyes, this song could have you bawling your eyes out if the mood takes you. A song about his father's death, Liam sings with so much feeling it physically hurts, but the real surprise is when the song metamorphoses at the end into an Arcade Fire style romp that can't help but lift your spirits back up. Liam is one of the more talented singer/songwriters out there, and his brilliance deserves recognition.

 

1. TV On The Radio – "Wolf Like Me".

Part of me loves this song because I love anything supernatural, even awful vampire movies, but the rest of me loves this song because it's absolutely brilliant. Like everything else TV On The Radio has done, it's densely layered, and once it kicks into a higher gear it's simply unstoppable. Just an excellent song, it seems TVOTR can do absolutely no wrong. I would kill to see these live, and afterwards I would howl at the moon.

 

Ben Czajkowski

5. Blue October - "Hate Me".

Blue October brought something strong to mainstream radio with this song, in 2006. They unexpectedly blew up on the charts with easily the weirdest entry of the year. The song isn't even that catchy. However, the sheer honesty and emotion behind this song are coupled with simple instrumentals. The lyrics are creative and evoke powerful imagery:

"I have to block out thoughts of you, so I don't lose my head
They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed
Dropping little reels of tape, to remind me that I'm alone
Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home"

4. Tool - "Vicarious".

This isn't the best song from Tool. Not even close. But, whatever. I'll take whatever Tool I can get. Am I right? It's still the #4 best Rock song of 2006. They're not saying anything new, recounting the nightly news and humankind's love-affair with violence and our preoccupation with it. But there's something behind the progression, behind Maynard's delivery that sets it apart from anything else on the radio that year. Maybe it was also because modern rock radio stations absolutely played the shit out of it (and "The Pot").

3. Breaking Benjamin - "The Diary of Jane".

Breaking Benjamin is, at best, a mediocre modern rock band that will probably become a footnote over the next ten years. However, when they bring their singles, they bring them well. They're catchy and all cut from the same cloth. "The Diary of Jane" is absolutely no exception to this rule. Three years later, it still receives modest play and I don't skip it when it comes onto my playlist. It ranks within the top 20 songs, for me, of the decade, as well.

2. Incubus - "Anna Molly".

Nu-metal was dead. What was Incubus supposed to do? They reinvented their sound with A Crow Left of the Murder and then refined it Light Grenades, which was brought headfirst with Anna Molly. I absolutely love and respect the play on the word "anomaly." Incubus continued to show that they are going to be more relevant for many years to come.

1. Stone Sour - "Zzyzx Rd.".

Coming from Come What(ever) May, the best rock album of 2006, Stone Sour and Corey Taylor released a solid album, start to finish. It's capstone: this melodic piece. Truth be told, I could have picked "Socio" or "Through Glass", but there's something about "Zzyzx Rd." that invokes such a powerful emotion with its piano canter:

"I'm over existing in limbo
I'm over the myths and placebos
I don't really mind if I just fade away

I'm ready to live with my family
I'm ready to die in obscurity
Cause I'm so tired that I gotta go"

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 2006": Why you picked it. 4. Artist - "Song from 2006": Why you picked it. 3. Artist - "Song from 2006": Why you picked it. 2. Artist - "Song from 2006": Why you picked it. 1. Artist - "Song from 2006": Why you picked it.