6. Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body

This song sounds beautiful to me instrumentally and melodically with the acoustic guitar, bass, triangle(?) etc. and creating the perfect vibe for the lead singer's voice ands some of the nature type descriptions he's talking about. I really like how the first half of the song and the first bridge part build the eventual "I do believe it's true" chorus and the "brown eyes I hold you near" line is romantic. I also really like I Will Follow You into the Dark but the hit rule made the decision for me as I decided SMB getting to around 60 on billboard is good enough, or else I'd have to disqualify it and two of the other songs in my top 6, although IWFYITD while doing poorly originally has become popular since and a retroactive hit like I'm Shipping Up To Boston. I also think Soul Meets Body is the pick at the end of the day anyways.

Eminem was/felt so huge. Everyone knew him regardless of whether they liked or even heard any of his music.

I wonder if it's just a matter of perspective (big artists in the years you grew up seeming bigger than the big artists after you grow up), but for me the big names of the late 90s and early 00s (Eminem, Nsync, Britney, etc.) felt significantly bigger at the time than pretty much any big name artists thereafter, especially in more modern years.

It seemed like everyone was familiar with them, like they were ingrained with the current pop culture and inescapable. Larger than life. Turn on the TV, open a magazine, turn on the radio, they were always visible.

Yeah, I think it's true and interesting what you say about stardom. I think there's yet to be a rapper and popstar as big as Eminem and Britney Spears since them, there have been big stars since, but as big or bigger then them, I feel none.

I'd say Taylor Swift is pretty iconic

5. Talib Kweli - Get By

This has been one of my favorite rap songs for a long time. The production is outstanding from the piano riff to bassline and the chorus ("this morning, I woke up, feeling brand new, etc.") is a great pump up. Kweli kills all his verses flow wise. He kind of ripped himself off with I Try which I forgot existed for ten years, but that song is still pretty good.

I think Em, Britney, Justin, etc.. also filled the role that people like the Kardashians and Paul brothers fill today. Celebrities who are famous for being famous and how they got there doesn't really matter all that much.

Get By is a great song!

Not sure I got the top 4 order right (actually the top 6 is probably interchangeable) but I'll just keep the same songs top 2 that were my first instinct making the list



4. Bon Jovi - It's My Life

While it doesn't hide that it's Livin on a Prayer 2.0 with the Tommy and Gina reference, it stands out on its own musically and lyrically to me. I think being more of a 1st person song instead of a 3rd person one like that is part of the reason and makes it easy to connect to with its message about living your life to the fullest. It has another one of the most massive choruses of all time and epic guitar sound and Bon Jovi kills the emotional chorus that peaks in the last times he sings it. After putting them #1 in the 80s maybe it played a factor that it would have felt weird putting them #1 again since I haven't even tried to these guys full albums.

3. Dashboard Confessional - Vindicated

Another huge chorus due to both the lead singer's vocal and the guitar, I also really like the way he sings the verses (which actually work pretty well with Spiderman 2). The lyrics "vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right, I swear I'm right, Swear I knew it all along" is something I can relate to and the whole "hope dangles on a string thing" also works well. The bridge is also excellent.

I feel bad. I honestly don't think I've ever heard of Talib Kweli, or Get By. Rap/hip-hop is my least favorite genre(s), so maybe I really haven't, but considering this is Hits list, I figure I would have some knowledge of him and the song. Did he have a bigger hit, perhaps?

Vindicated is good.

It’s his most well known song, he was known for social conscious style which only had so much legs on the charts. It, Vindicated and Soul Meets Body were stretching to count strictly from a chart perspective (Get By was 77 billboard chart 16 rap) but I’m more lenient to count it if it feels like their signature much like how Vindicated is clearly the song people know Dashboard for.

2. The Killers - Mr. Brightside

The Killers are my favorite band and Mr Brightside has always been one of their most fun songs to listen to. There's just something about instrumental's tone that feels exciting and from from the first guitar notes is instantly catchable, while the lyrics and vocals perfectly describe Mr Brightside's paranoia and internal turmoil. There is many memorable lines of course from the opening "coming out of my cage", it "started out with a kiss how did it end up like this?", and "open up my eager eyes" among others. I didn't realize this is actually the most streamed song of the decade on Spotify and for people growing up now this is a Sweet Home Alabama or Don't Stop Believing type song or something.

1. Rihanna feat Jay-Z - Umbrella

This is a perfect pop song all around but the chorus line has to be one of my favorites in history, it always gets me "When the sun shines, we'll shine together. Told you I'll be here forever, Said I'll always be your friend. Took an oath, I'm a stick it out 'til the end. Now that it's raining more than ever. Know that we'll still have each other, you can stand under my umbrella", a perfect mix of metaphor/romance/reality of life/loyalty/etc. all while being perfect from a catchiness standpoint. The verses also add to that romantic type feel. And in a song that probably could've lived without him, Jay-Z's 30 second verse manages to be the perfect hypeman introduction.

Full list

1. Rihanna feat Jay-Z - Umbrella
2. The Killers - Mr. Brightside
3. Dashboard Confessional - Vindicated
4. Bon Jovi - It’s My Life
5. Talib Kweli - Get By
6. Death Cab for Cutie - Soul Meets Body
7. Eminem - Lose Yourself
8. System of a Down - Chop Suey
9. Michelle Branch - All You Wanted
10. Coldplay - The Scientist
11. U2 - Stuck in a Moment
12. 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
13. Taylor Swift - You Belong With me
14. T.I. feat Justin Timberlake - Dead and Gone
15. Lady Gaga - Just Dance
16. Counting Crows - Accidentally In Love
17. Avril Lavigne - When You’re Gone
18. Linkin Park - In the End
19. Blink 182 - The Rock Show
20. Modest Mouse - Float On
21. City Lights - What Would You Do?
22. Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag
23. Rob Thomas - Lonely No More
24. Beyonce - Irreplaceable
25. Our Lady Peace - Innocent
26. The Dixie Chicks - Long Time Gone
27. Leann Rimes - Life Goes On
28. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
29. BEP - Where is the Love
30. Evanescence - My Immortal
31. Hate it or Love It - The Game feat 50 Cent
32. Nickelback - How You Remind Me
33. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
34. Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment
35. 50 Cent - In Da Club
36. Fountains of Wayne - Stacy’s Mom
37. Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
38. Papa Roach - Last Resort
39. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
40. RHCP - Can’t Stop
41. Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance
42. Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles
43. Kanye West - Homecoming
44. Jimmy Eat World - The Sweetness
45. Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone
46. Gwen Stefani - The Sweet Escape
47. Usher - Yeah!
48. The Offspring - Hit That
49. Bowling for Soup - 1985
50. Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats
51. Dropkick Murphys - I’m Shipping Up to Boston
52. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
53. Maroon 5 - This Love
54. Keane - Somewhere Only We Know
55. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
56. Hinder - Lips of an Angel
57. R Kelly - Ignition
58. Twista - Overnight Celebrity
59. Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA
60. Shakira - Hips Don’t Lie
61. Kid Rock/Sheryl Crow - Picture
62. Weezer - Island in the Sun
63. Shaggy - Angel
64. DMX - X Gon' Give It To Ya
65. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
66. Good Charlotte - The Anthem
67. Blu Cantrell - Hit Em Up Style


Thanks for the reading and comments, Corpse you're up!

For my next list I think I'll pull an American Horror Story and alternate in a period piece with 70s or 60s/70s combined... but that won't be for a while

1,2 and 4 are some of the best songs ever, so excellent Top 5.

The Killers are great.

Surprised me with the #1. Umbrella is certainly catchy, and might be my favorite Rihanna song too.

I noticed I didn't comment on these yet and, that's another great 3, Teenage Dirtbag without a doubt a great movie song, and well, I don't remember much about the film except the song's video clip.

Loved Lonely No More when it came out, and Irreplaceable also without a doubt one of Beyonce's best songs.