Today it’s the second part of Dave’s Top 10 Singles of the Decade. Again, it’s the singles, so that means they were released as such. It’s not just songs, it’s singles. If you missed 6-10, go check it out. Then come back and read 5-1.
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The Top Singles of the Decade
5. “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens (2005)
Upbeat but smooth, Sufjan Stevens created this surrealist indie folk single that just feels like Chicago. Running at 6:05, “Chicago” feels as epic as the city it’s describing, especially with the background trumpets and driving drum beats.
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4. “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers (2005)
This song sounds like activism to me. I associate it with the Ugandan activist organization Invisible Children, who I worked with back in summer 2006. The song’s bridge—perhaps most well-known for the phrase “I got soul but I’m not a soldier”—builds excitement culminating with a big finish. It’s the best song The Killers ever put out and I still love to hear it.
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3. “My Girls” by Animal Collective (2009)
In the same vein as “Hungry Like the Wolf”, I predict that “My Girls” will sound incredibly dated in 20 years. However, unlike the new-wave pop of Duran Duran, Animal Collective’s music will continue to reverberate because of its influence. “My Girls” is an upbeat electronica song that reeks of pop but deals with very down-to-earth, ordinary themes lyrically. As people’s American dream collapses around them, frontman Panda Bear proclaims “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.” These lyrics about the ordinary blessings in life contrasted with the extraordinary sounds of Animal Collective’s cross-genre bending electronica make it an incredible single, especially late in the decade.
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2. “Yeah!” by Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris (2004)
This is the crunk jam of the 2000s; it’s the “YMCA” of the decade. I remember being in 8th grade when this song dropped like a bombshell. You couldn’t go anywhere and not hear that sick synth hook and Lil Jon’s hysteric cries of “Yeah!” This is the song that everyone stops what they are doing and dances to in whatever setting it’s played.
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1. “B.O.B.” by Outkast (2000)
The drum-and-bass, metal, hip-hop, funky sounds of “B.O.B.” are unrivaled by anything that came after it. Lyrically, it’s almost prophetic given its 2000 release date—three years prior to the invasion of Iraq. It’s infectious and haunting, catchy and important, head-bangin’ and fist-pumpin’. It’s the best song of the decade.
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