Top 20 songs of last decade (Part Two)

After my previous slating of various songs that were considered to be outstanding from the last decade but in reality proved otherwise, I decided it was only fair to list some of the ones that I personally feel should have been included. I'm not going to re-write the entire list as I don't wholly disagree with the last one, but am just going to put a few suggestions out there that I feel should have had a look-in. Feel free to suggest your own if they've been missed out too!

In no particular order...

Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Ridiculously atmospheric, a breath-taking change half way through, beautiful orchestral music and passionate lyrics, this is a definite contender.




Jay-Z - 99 Problems
I know Jay-Z isn't everyone's cup of tea, that much was made pretty apparent by a large crowd of unimpressed faces surrounding me when I saw him 'support' Coldplay at Wembley Stadium. Whether you're a hip-hop fan or not, you can't deny that the lyrics of this song aren't an incredibly thought - provoking social commentary. The prominent addition of percussion to a rap track was pretty impressive as well. He's built an empire (including his own record label) from scratch and paved the way for current and emerging hip hop artists, plus he married one of the biggest selling female artists of our generation. Not bad going for a disadvantaged kid from Brooklyn.




Coldplay - In My Place
Although the success of some of their more recent songs seems to have eclipsed their earlier releases, In My Place remains, for me, one of the best tracks of recent years. The first few drum beats before the guitar kicks in are instantly recognisable, and the sweeping crescendo key change at the start of the chorus has sparked thousands of yearning sign-a-longs. This song also marked the point in their career where they progressed from sentimental indie musicians into mainstream soft rock stars. Their first album was released in 2000, but it wasn't until In My Place in 2003 that they really started to gather a strong following and develop into one of the biggest bands in the world by the time the decade was done.




The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

For a Jack White creation not to be included in any list categorising some of the best music of the decade would in all honesty, be a bit of a travesty. One of the most influential artists of the last decade and fearless leader of the 'super-'group' movement, White has thrust himself upon our earlobes via three different incarnations; The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and more recently The Dead Weather. 

After they made waves with their single 'Fell in Love with a Girl', it was Seven Nation Army that really made everyone sit up and pay attention to the Stripes duo. Never has single drum beat and a lone guitar riff sounded so addictively irresistible, and by the time the more perplexing and raucous bridge and chorus kick in, you know that you want to be signing up to White's Army too.

Top 20 songs of last decade (Part One)

Over the New Year period, Channel 4 decided to broadcast the twenty best songs of the last decade. All I can say is that I really hope whoever voted has been living in a cave for the past ten years, because if this is the best music that they've heard in that amount of time then I pity them greatly. For those of you who didn't watch it, here's the rundown...

20: Leave Right Now - Will Young
19: Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
18: Valerie - Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse
17: Viva La Vida - Coldplay
16: Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
15: Mercy - Duffy
14: Patience - Take That
13: Stan - Eminem
12: I Don't Feel Like Dancin' - Scissor Sisters
11: Hey Ya! - Outkast
10: You're Beautiful - James Blunt
9: Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue
8: Crazy in Love - Beyonce
7: Rule The World - Take That
6: Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
5: Rehab - Amy Winehouse
4: Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
3: I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
2: Mr Brightside - The Killers
1: Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Many would argue that this list is tailored to Channel 4 viewers tastes, which is why the list is entirely comprised of 'mainstream' songs. Fine, but call your programme 'Channel Four viewers' songs of the decade' instead to clarify this.

I'm not saying I disagree with the entire thing. Gnarls Barkley certainly deserve to be on the list; not only is Crazy a ridiculously catchy song, but it represented a milestone for digital media in the music industry as it was the first track to reach number one in the singles chart on download sales alone. Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand's releases heralded the resurrection of the indie era in British music and Can't Get You Out Of My Head proved that pop can be classy as well as catchy. Even though I may not be a fan it is fact, like it or not, that Eminem's emergence in the charts paved the way for rap music to become more generally accepted in popular culture.

It is undeniable that Ruby is a ridiculously catchy song. But one of the best written, both lyrically and musically, over the past ten years? No way. Lead singer Ricky Wilson himself admitted that the entire song is based on about three notes. Combine that with the ridiculously repetitive lyrics and you may have  a hit single, but not a well written track.

It is a similar situation for the Snow Patrol track, though at least Ruby came towards the bottom of the list. Chasing Cars is a good song. The harmonies and lyrics are meaningful and thought out, and it's popularity has increased after it's increased usage on tv shows and adverts. Yet we all know that just because lots of people buy it, it's still not necessarily an outstanding song. Bob the Builder was one of the biggest selling songs of the last decade for crying out loud. When I think of the last ten years, this song wouldn't even register in my head as a possible contender, let alone winner.

Whereas now we can look back and say that the Beatles' 'She Loves You', 'Son of a Preacher Man' by Dusty Springfield or 'I Got You Babe' by Sonny and Cher were stand-out songs of the 60s, I don't believe that half of these tracks listed will be considered in the same high esteem as these older tracks are when we look back at the noughties in forty years time. I don't think this is because there were not enough memorable and incredibly produced songs over the last ten years, far from it. It's just perhaps the general music buying public has become far too content in their acceptance of mediocre lyrics and music.