Day 45. Your favorite song from the 00s.

“What About Everything?” – Carbon Leaf

As we continue the “Your favorite song of the XXs” series, you should know I’m technically breaking the rules with my dates. For an explanation, go here.

I’m going to assume for today’s post that they mean the 2000s and not the 1900s, because otherwise… yeah, I got nothin’.

For the 2000s, the choice is actually pretty easy for me. Many of my favorite artists stopped putting out albums entirely, and those that didn’t… well, let’s just say their output in the 2000s (and beyond) hasn’t exactly overwhelmed me. This includes favorites like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Peter Gabriel. (Oh sure, I bought them, but that doesn’t mean that they were good. One notable exception was The Cars, whose 2011 album Move Like This was actually very good. But unfortunately it doesn’t fit the time period.)

So ’round about 2000, I had to start looking for other bands.

The good news is that there were actually bands out there to like. The bad news is that the music industry had changed so that if a band didn’t sell 9 gazillion units their first time out, they got dropped by their label. A mentality that makes it very hard to build a career and a following. We now live in a world where bands like R.E.M. and Rush would never have gotten the chance to mature.

Anyway, one day in 2005, I’m listening to WBOS (when it was still WBOS and not whatever travesty it is now) and they played this song “Life Less Ordinary” by a band called Carbon Leaf. I really liked it. A few weeks later, they played another song by the band called “What About Everything?” and I was hooked.

I promptly broke my “I need to like three songs from an album before I buy it” rule and… well… bought it. (Truth be told, it’s pretty hard to follow that rule these days, anyway.) On some songs I found them to have a Celtic sound. On some songs I found them to have a Celtic Green Day sound. (I’m not kidding. Check out “This Is My Song.”) On the whole, a really good album that I suggest you check out. But back to the narrative.

Around the time the song was released, I was going through some pretty life-changing stuff and the song spoke to how I was feeling at the time. I could relate to its mood, I could relate to its lyrics; it just hit home. And isn’t that how favorite songs are often forged?

Even after that period passed, the song continued to please me. And it still does. (Obviously. Or I wouldn’t have picked it as my favorite.) More stats: Of songs from the 00s in my iTunes, it has the most plays. Barely. “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson is close on its heels. But plays isn’t always the indication of favorites in my weird world. (For example, see the 80s.) Because, even though I love “Since U Been Gone,” I just don’t have any emotional connection with it. Again, it’s not very quantitative, but it doesn’t “feel” right. (If I was to pick a song that came in second as a favorite—irrespective of plays—it would likely be “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon—the other band from the decade that I really got into).

And now, your favorite part (no, I don’t mean the end)… Some honorable mentions:

• “Hollywood”—Collective Soul. When I said I liked this song, Woody said, “Of course you do. It’s ‘Magic’ by The Cars.” And while he’s right on the intro and the verses (right down to “Summer” as the first word of the song) I think the chorus has its own unique vibe that I like, as well.
• “Take It Outside”—Barenaked Ladies. One of a number of songs on Everything For Everyone that I really like. “Who wants to get their lights knocked out?”
• “Hella Good”—No Doubt. I can’t help but dance all herky-jerky when this comes on.
• “Man It’s So Loud In Here”—They Might Be Giants. The tale of what happens when they (whoever “they” are) revamp the corner store or the airport to look like a nightclub. This song nails the whole techno thing, both lyrically and musically.
• “The Underdog”—Spoon. If I said to you “acoustic guitars and horns” you’d probably think flamenco or something. You couldn’t be more wrong.

And, since I need something to be embarrassed by:

• “Open My Eyes”—Tiffany. Back in 2000 she released a “grown-up” album (that honestly, I got for free) which was actually pretty good. I puked along with everyone else when it came to her 80’s output. This is different.

Yeah, on that last one, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought I’d lost it completely. But I did say I was going to try to expose you to some music you might not have heard before. At least listen to it before you berate me.

So, we’re finished with the decades. It was an interesting exercise, for sure, and it did give me some other songs to think about for later posts. It also gave me a pain in my side and strong urge for Pepto-Bismol. And my left arm is numb… but that’s probably nothing.