Music Lists Are Us: Favorite '00s Songs by Year, with brief comments

2000

Smile by The Jayhawks (mixing their alt-country sound with power-pop)

By Your Side by Sade' (considered one of the best love songs ever; many cover versions, too)

You're an Ocean by Fastball (I listened to it again today; It still sounds fresh and fun)

Si Te Vas by Shakira (I.Q. of 140, sings, dances, writes songs; quadruple threat?)

Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols (I fell in love with this one from film doc.; Dig, in '04)

Riding With The King by B.B. King & Eric Clapton (1983 John Hiatt song he rewrote for this collab)

Farmhouse by Phish (from my favorite Phish album; I really like the whole disc)

Maria Maria by Santana & The Product G&B ("Smooth" got hype, but this might be even better)

I Try by Macy Gray

Red Vines by Aimee Mann (fave song from the album rated 28th best of the decade by Metacritic)

The Crystal Lake by Grandaddy

Steal My Kisses by Ben Harper

Letter From an Occupant by New Pornographers

Again by Lenny Kravitz

Too Soon Gone by Jules Shear

2001

Zak & Sara by Ben Folds

Fallin' by Alicia Keys (brilliant debut single was a top 3 hit all over the world)

Flowers in the Window by Travis

Whenever, Wherever by Shakira

O Divina by Terence Trent D'arby

Ordinary Dream by Electric Light Orchestra

God Save Us All by Lenny Kravitz

I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll by Gillian Welch

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum by Bob Dylan

Survivor by Destiny's Child

New Slang by The Shins

Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Lil' Kim and Mya

2002

Don't Give Up On Me by Solomon Burke (the title song from the Grammy award winning album)

Do You Realize? By The Flaming Lips

Objection (Tango) by Shakira

We Are All Made Of Stars by Moby

If I Could Fall in Love by Lenny Kravitz

Humpty Dumpty by Aimee Mann

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Done Gone Blue by Los Lobos

Mountain Top by Toshi Reagon

Lost Cause by Beck

Steve McQueen by Sheryl Crow

How Come You Don't Call Me by Alicia Keys

The Game of Love by Santana & Michelle Branch

2003

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Hey Ya by Outcast

B.P.D. by Over the Rhine

Andromeda & the Milky Way by Meshell Ndegeocello

Fighting in a Sack by The Shins

When I See You by Macy Gray

Young Liars by TV on the Radio

Waitin' on a Sunny Day by Bruce Springsteen (the Boss writes a pop song, and it's really good)

Stronger Than Me by Amy Winehouse

No Letting Go by Wayne Wonder

Fire Island by Fountains of Wayne (just one of the many great songs on this album)

Love Song #2 by Meshell Ndegeocello

Carmine Street by Kaki King

Dead Smile by Matthew Sweet

From Blown Speakers by New Pornographers

Superstar by Ruben Studdard

2004

She Has No Time by Keane

There Will Be A Light by Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama

They by Jem

If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys

Heaven by Los Lonely Boys

You're Not Sorry by Matthew Sweet

Hello Stranger by Queen Latifah

Heaven Help Us All by Ray Charles & Gladys Knight

Fill It Up Again by Indigo Girls

Jockey Full of Bourbon by Los Lobos

Two Thousand Places by The Polyphonic Spree

California by Lenny Kravitz

Falling Upstairs by Fastball

2005

It's All In My Mind by Teenage Fanclub

Positivity by Stevie Wonder & Aisha Morris

I'm Feeling You by Santana & Michelle Branch

Bleeding Heart Show by New Pornographers

La Tortura by Shakira & Alejandro Sanz

22 Hours by Toshi Reagon

First Day Of My Life by Bright Eyes

What Good Am I by Solomon Burke

Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple

Wraith Pinned to the Mist by Of Montreal

If Your Love Cannot Be Moved by Stevie Wonder & Kim Burrell

Landed by Ben Folds

Pure Gold by Earth Wind & Fire

2006

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer

Blame It On The Rain by Sam Moore & Fantasia

Illegal by Shakira & Carlos Santana

Black Horse & The Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall

Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae

Rehab by Amy Winehouse

White & Nerdy by Weird Al Yankovic

Etude by Puffy Amiyumi

The Sharpest Thorn by Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint

Steady As She Goes by The Raconteurs

Can I Get A Witness by The Temptations

I See The Rain by Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

2007

Back to Black by Amy Winehouse

No One by Alicia Keys

Energy by Apples in Stereo

In the Colors by Ben Harper

Gone, Gone, Gone by Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

Someone to Love by Fountains of Wayne

Billy 1 by Los Lobos

Edith and the Kingpin by Herbie Hancock & Tina Turner

Amor Gitano by Beyonce & Alejandro Fernandez

The Fragile Army by Polyphonic Spree

Sing by Annie Lennox, Madonna, et al

I'll Be Waiting by Lenny Kravitz

Funnyman by KT Tunstall

Whatever Gets You Through the Night by Los Lonely Boys

Mutiny I Promise You by New Pornographers

2008

Electric Feel by MGMT

If You Want It by Lenny Kravitz

You Are Free by Mates of State

Superwoman by Alicia Keys

Loving You Always by Los Lonely Boys

Mercy by Duffy

Festival by Sigur Ros

Who's Gonna Save My Soul by Gnarls Barkley

Despedida by Shakira

Tell Me by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings

In My Arms by Teddy Thompson

You Don't Know Me by Ben Folds & Regina Spektor

Let the Good Times Roll by Brad Paisley & B.B. King

2009

Lisztomania by Phoenix

Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) by A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls feat. Nicole Scherzinger

Wait Til You See Me Smile by Alicia Keys

Este Seu Olhar by Diana Krall

Warm Heart of Africa by The Very Best & Ezra Koenig

Mono to Stereo by Fastball

The Hard Way by Phantom Limb

Love You by Maxwell

Linda Linda by MxPx

Mi Plan by Nelly Furtado & Alex Cuba

Love is the Answer (Hindi version) by Weezer & Amrita Sen

The Long and Winding Road by Ruben Studdard

New York by Paloma Faith

Not in Nottingham by Los Lobos

21 Guns by Green Day