Pitchfork's Top 100 Singles of 2000-04

B.O.B.
HEY YA
LOSING MY EDGE/BEAT CONNECTION
GET UR FREAK ON
CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD
HEARTBEAT
CRAZY IN LOVE
WORK IT
house of jealous lovers
maps
cry me a river
ignition remix
toxic
fell in love with a girl
pyramid song
digital love
in da club
miss jackson
yeah (crass version)
galang
milkshake
99 problems
I luv u
romeo
take me out
the modern age
one more time
since I left you
move your feet
where have all the rude boys gone?
float on
pda
the rat
hot in herre
the dream of evan and chan
harder better faster stronger
try again
izzo (h.o.v.a.)
chair girl/let's get sick
books ep
new slang
chewing gum
weak become heroes
svefn-g-englar
me and giuliani down by the schoolyard
slow jamz
fix up look sharp
freak like me
in a beautiful place out in the country
frontier psychiatrist

Annie doesn't even sing 'truuuuly' in 'my heartbeat' does she?

listen to the song you love so much pitchfork.

maybe work out the lyrics a bit.

what is this shit? i know people work hard at it but for fuck's sake. i don't mind the list per se (well, maybe a bit) but the blurbs are so... boosterish. yes they're boosting stuff they like, but um that's no excuse. and i really don't like '99 problems' and everyone forgets 'got your money', though perhaps that was '99 stateside.

But I like the list. Part of the Pitchfork M.O. is writing in a boosterish and evangelizing way. We are not really the audience for their boosterism on ILM, but that doesn't make it bad.

I also don't think "Maps" should be anywhere near the top 10.

but it's a good list I guess. is it now officially ok to like pop? we all remember the rooty review.

Miles, but lots of people actually don't listen to pop music. I never listen to the radio and I am a pretty normal person. (I think.)

like on "Forgot About Dre"

but that would completely miss the point of music criticism in the first place

I love ILM threads where the Pitchfork-bashers lose.

The beat is SO good though.

It'd be like if Hitler baked me a delicious cake. It's so yummy, but so evil!

On second thought, I'd be best not letting Hitler anywhere near my oven.

020: M.I.A.
"Galang"
[XL; 2004]

Her country sinking, Sri Lanka-to-London garage-hop/mix-tape It girl Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.) and her exuberant Slits-on-Missy octave-flip accrue a revolutionary dare-to-dance poignancy on Piracy Funds Terrorism, Vol. 1 and her official debut, the forthcoming Arular.

It already has a lot of competition, but "Galang" (and its accompanying graffiti-tron video) is her most instantly infectious moment, a pack of distorto soul-stir wrapped in steel-drum-cum-keyboard reggae rattle. And hey, instead of diffusing that joy by locking "Galang" (and the rest of her oeuvre) in the simplified human-interest carnival of the tsunami tragedy, try absorbing M.I.A.'s jubilant blaze-a-laze on its own terms. Yes, music-for-music's-sake is incredibly naive, but besides the obvious beats, wrapped inside the syllables of "Galang"'s tossed off doggerel, there's some truly soothing balm.

the Rooty review is now the stuff of internet lore though, the fact that they include 2 Jaxx singles from that record without mentioning it is a bit odd.

x-post, hahaha that MIA review is hilarious!

"instead of diffusing that joy by locking "Galang" (and the rest of her oeuvre) in the simplified human-interest carnival of the tsunami tragedy"

WHAT THE FUCK!!!

:(

war's not won yet, kids

besides the obvious beats

gnnnnnnnnhhhh

I don't want to be all "do you hate fun??" but I'm having trouble imagining how someone couldn't find at least one of JT's four singles from Justified catchy and engaging on some level, unless you're put off by his singing or something (which I don't mind but more finicky listeners [Dan Perry] might]. I mean, dude writes awesome bridges, for one.

An intertextual reference to "Visitor," right?

:(

nevermind, i AIM complained, order is restored.

like on "Forgot About Dre"

As the writer of said blurb, Ronan, I'd like to know where you think I'm actually "negative" about the song. Of course, I'm reading it from the vantage point of knowing that I like the song, but if I'm negative about anything, it's my interpretation of Dre's attitude in the song, not the song itself.

Even Dan Perry likes "Rock Your Body" and "Senorita".

every pop/r&b song on that list is one of those. I mean, mostly they're great songs (inc "Toxic") and I'm not complaining, but it does smack of jumping on a 'safe' bandwagon (hence lack of Girls Aloud - if Annie can be on twice despite not having broken America this isn't a valid excuse).

haha, and I like that J-Lo sax loop!

I know, but Toxic is the one song of them all(perhaps the only) that I loathe. My hate for Britney knows no boundaries even though I like the singles from her first two albums(yes, even "Sometimes").

I'll never understand the greatness of Girls Aloud. They just seem so average. Annie is class though, despite the "hip club people makes pop music for other hip club people" feel I get from it.

I am sort of amazed that Kylie track is apparently so much more well-liked than come into my world & love at first sight, but it was also a much bigger hit in the u.s. than those others, which probably partly explains it here.

(xpost I like the sax loop too! I can see how it could be annoying, though.)

(xposts)

Well, however it was you were going to say it, I'm with you.
(oh yeah, and that Kylie April fool thing. What a fucking wheeze)

hella good split votes with the other no doubt/gwen tracks; brandy almost made it, that was probably around 110 or so.

I think Girls Aloud make a lot more sense in a British context, I'd definitely like to see more non-British opinion on them though because I'm not sure exactly which of their qualities are responsible for this.

Exactly. Though I don't often mind a bit of flailing limbs. Dancefloor collisions can lead too allsorts (hopefully good sorts, o'course).

Yeah, J-Lo's newie is wicked.

I like the new JLo single a lot.

The "Hot in Herre" writeup was the best blurb in the whole thing. That song always makes me think of a bunch of law students trying to dance at happy hour. Maybe it's the logic.

"Full Moon" is one of my favorite singles, I don't know why that and "Who Is She 2 U" are so underrated here.

YES!

Dan Perry is wise.

"Toxic" is BAD!

Um, I take that back.

xpost - I FORGOT "WHAT ABOUT US"!!!!

That said, there is a slanting towards "fizzy pop fun" as the definition of what a single is about which is unsurprising when a mass of people's lists get averaged together, but it is not the only measuring stick for what makes a song released by itself worth listening to. Current 93's "I have a special plan for this world" is a single 20 minute track, released as an EP so it counts, and it's just spoken word and drone and signal processing, but it manages to swallow up the entirety of the universe and then to swallow itself up in the process, it makes your heart race with queasy panic and makes everything around you seem terribly unreal. It is one of the loneliest and coldest things ever. In other words, it's an amazing single. But it's not doing what pop singles do. I would have liked to have seen a more open-ended approach to the idea of a single as "an isolated, self-sufficient musical statement" rather than the "hooky, catchy, chorus-oriented playlisted instant orgasm" definition of what a single is, personally. But one can, it seems, endlessly fret about the drowned and the saved when it comes to canon-building/busting. . . .

I quit.

Does that mean Drew quits?

(OK, I'm done.)

all are fucking amazing though

haha i beg to differ

Also you clearly underestimate Pitchfork's clout: it was my early review of "Milkshake" that sent it racing up to the top of the US charts! Check the dates, dude.

well, it made my list!

BYOB, David!

JoB - is that a request or an observation?

And will reporters be all up in Rollie's grill like the first time Shaq faced the Lakers this year?

perhaps, but anonymous bands aren't likely to be mentioned in the week's 'coverstory' article anyway: It's more like one less sentence for spoon or arcade fire or something) (although, actually both those artists made the list) (plus most of us prefer timberlake to polyvinyl bands!)

The Fork unis clearly have to utilize the Seattle Mariners logo from the 80s.

I mean, there's a level on which you're right -- and I assume Ryan's spent a fair amount of time thinking about audience in those terms as well -- but I think the past few years have demonstrated that ossifying around a particular core is the last thing Pitchfork needs to do. Never in music history has assuming a stable core been a good idea! The audience changes, the discourse changes, and there's a certain trust that doing your best with the latter will take care of everything with the former.

(figures - Nabisco's making points, & I'm shopping for hotdog buns.)

I'm intrigued by this Annie lady, though...she seems like a Scandinavian Cristina or something...is this the case?

http://www.colawp.com/media/2/20040920-topic.jpg

Yeah, Anthony, I don't see the Weekly Feature article coming at the expense of a daily review, of like, Aloha or whoever -- esp. not with 100 album reviews a month. One thing that the Top 100 list does, though, is works at establishing a canon, and I actually might be interested in a more indie-centric list if it helps me navigate through all the shitty indie-rock that Pitchfork reviews throughout the week and gives me a few interesting songs in that genre to download. But maybe that's best served by something other than a Top 100 Singles of the Half-Decade poll.

yeah, that's what I'm getting at. And the album list will be undoubtedly more in this direction, I know.

I'll handle all bloody goods because the last time I wasn't in charge of bringing the meat, a dopey friend - a vegan, FWIW - went out and bought FLANDER'S BURGERS. Upon arrival @ the campground, some other dude @ picnic exclaimed, "Dude, are those FLANDER'S BURGERS? They're awful!" Indeed, what was tucked inside the D.O.T. orange box were round patties the color of art-class clay that SMOLDERED the minute they were put on the grill. Like Laser Floyd amounts of smoke - fuck dry ice, use FLANDER'S. #3 ingrediant, after water & some other obvious thing = BEEF HEARTS. I was the only one to eat a FLANDER'S BURGER that day - it tasted innocuous, like death (if death came via a run-away hot dog cart). It's only because of some divine spirit that I'm able to tell you this story w/ some semblance of a digestive system remaining in my body. I didn't talk to my friend for nearly a month afterwards, and if I ever see him walk by the meat section of my local grocer, I'm taking him down before he does any more damage.

The lesson, BTW, is not "don't let a vegan buy meat products for a picnic"; it's "don't let my idiot friend buy meat products for a picnic". It goes w/out saying that he ain't invited.

So, in conclusion - BYOBoca.

On numerous occasions, you have expressed the conviction that your area's sports team will be victorious. I must admit that every time I hear you make this proclamation, I react with both laughter and disbelief. "Ha!" I say to myself with laughter. "What?!" I say to myself in disbelief. How could you believe that your sports team could beat my sports team? It is clear that yours is inferior in every way.

When the sporting contest begins, the players on your team will be treated as though they are inconsequential. It will be remarkably easy for my team to accumulate more points than yours. There are many reasons for this, starting with the inferior physical attributes of the players representing your area. Strength, speed, and agility are just three of the qualities that the players on the team from your area lack. The players representing my area, on the other hand, have these traits in abundance.

I would not be a bit surprised if the individuals on the team from your area were sexually attracted to members of their own gender. That is how ineffective they are on the field of battle.

Underscoring your team's inferiority is its choice of colors. It is ludicrous to believe that your team's colors inspire either respect or fear. Instead, they appear to have been chosen by someone who is colorblind or, perhaps, bereft of sight altogether. The colors for my team, on the other hand, are aesthetically pleasing when placed in proximity to one another. They are a superior color combination in every way.

While we are on the subject of aesthetics, let us compare the respective facilities in which our teams play. While my team's edifice is blessed with architectural splendor and the most modern of amenities, yours is a thoroughly unpleasant place in which to watch a sporting contest. I know of what I speak, for I once attended a game between our respective teams in your facility. Let's just say the experience left me wishing that my car was inoperable that day due to mechanical problems, rendering it impossible for me to get to your area to attend the game.

If you need another reason why the sporting franchise representing my area is superior, look no further than the supporters for the two sides. Not only are the supporters of the team from my region more spirited, but they are also more intelligent and of finer breeding than you and the rest of your ilk. In addition, the female supporters of the team from my area possess more attractive countenances and figures than yours. Some of the women from my side that I have observed could make a living by posing for pictures for major men's magazines. The women who cheer for your team, I'm afraid, are far too unattractive to do so.

One of the more pathetic aspects of the team from your area is the fact that only people in your immediate area possess an affinity for it. By means of contrast, the team from my area inspires loyalty and affection in individuals who live in many other geographic locations.

To illustrate this point, let me tell a brief story: Recently, I was on vacation in an area of the country far away from my own, and I saw many individuals wearing items of clothing that bore the insignia of my team. I approached one such individual and asked him if he originated from my area. He said no, explaining that he simply liked the team from my area and had for many years. Interestingly enough, during this trip, I saw no clothing or other paraphernalia bearing the insignia of your team.

Do you still doubt that the team from your area is inferior to the one from mine? Just look at our teams' respective histories. In the past, we have defeated you on any number of occasions. Granted, there were times when your team beat my team, but those were lucky flukes.

The day of the game will soon be at hand. And no matter how hard you pray to a higher power or how many foam accoutrements you wear in support of the team from your area, your team will be defeated. We will win and you will lose. This is your fate.

Prepare for humiliation. It shall be upon you at the designated hour.

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/151/3090.jpg

"What About Us" was on the radio yesterday, I'd forgotten what a monster that track is. Brandy about to stomp Tokyo. Would that win in a fight vs J-Kwon "Tipsy" or not?

(xpost YOU TOO JAYMC OMG DOWN IS UP LEFT IS RIGHT etc)

If I did I've forgotten it. When was it a big hit? I'm familiar with several Brandy hits but there are times where I was paying less attention.

"Snake" was the only R Kelly song from that year to be any good.

Yes "Ignition (Remix)" is awful. So are "Yeah" and "Work It" and "Driop It Like It's Hot." It's just like ILM's Rolling 2004/2005 Singles lists: there's way WAY too much mediocre hip-hop.

No, but he did put out a completely GODAWFUL shitrecord that made us all never want to listen to him ever again and wonder why we ever liked the guy in the first place.

stylus will naturally be called the "stylii"

i've also asked mayor street to *actually* leave city hall to commemorate the event. i've scheduled it to fall between greek picnic and the fall rush events.

and it's kegs of yuengling, btw.

B-but Jess doesn't write for either site.

therefore, WOOOOOO

and we'll invite amy phillips, sara sherr.

haha xpost

Okay, dude, stop the madness. Not everything by black people sucks.

This is probably what I liked most about this list.

conzole - 14 zero zero
legowelt - disco rout
freeway & allen anthony - alright
manitoba - jacknuggeted
medicine 8 - rock music pays off
michelle branch - everywhere
new order - crystal
swayzak - I dance alone
adam beyer - ignition key (speedy j mix)
herbert - deck the house (akufen mix)
snap ant - savior piece
aztec mystic - jaguar
bjork - it's in our hands
beck - lost cause
black strobe - me and madonna (two fairlight bitches mix)
funk d'void - diabla (heavenly mix)
blondie - good boys (scissor sisters mix)
badly drawn boy - silent sigh
recloose - can't take it
bug ft daddy freddy - run the place red (afx mix)
chromeo - destination overdrive (dfa mix)
codec & flexor - crazy girls make my heart go boom
clinic - second line
iconz - get fucked up
fresh - shinobi
ellen allien - wish
tok tok vs soffy o - jean
add n to x - take me to your leader
avenue d - do I look like a slut?
avril - the date
bis - the end starts today
dave clarke - the compass
gus gus - david
ladytron - discotraxx
freeform five - electromagnetic
har mar superstar - ez pass (mint royale mix)
lady b - swany (vitalic mix)
mint royale - show me
miss kittin & the hacker - stock exchange
international jazz day - recurring
jamelia ft beenie man - money
foxy brown - oh yeah
playgroup - number one (yeh yeh black strobe remix whatever)
space cowboy - I would die 4 u
tiga & zyntherius - sunglasses at night
w.i.t. - ooh I like it
wu-tang clan - pinky ring
simian - never be alone (justice mix)
snoop dogg - snoop dogg
truth hurts ft rakim - addictive
Bangkok Impact - Junge Dame Mit Friendlischer Telefonstime
mc pitman - pitman says
felix da housecat - silver screen shower scene (lrd mix)
cosmos - take me with you
fc kahuna - machine says yes
audio bullys - the snow
broadcast - pendulum EP
goldfrapp - utopia (cosmos mix)
go team - junior kickstart
mogwai - two rights make one wrong
moloko - familiar feeling
dj zinc - 138 trek
zed bias - neighbourhood
s club 7 - don't stop movin'
louise - 2 faced
kelis - young fresh and new (timo maas mix)
x-press II - muzikizum
alcazar - sexual guarantee
n.o.r.e. - nothin'
royksopp ft erlend oye - remind me
kraftwerk - aero dynamik
sweet female attitude - flowers
bomfunk mcs - freestyler (pojmasta mix)
truesteppers ft victoria beckham and dane bowers - out of your mind
baha men - who let the dogs out
d12 - purple pills
supermen lovers - starlight
sophie ellis-bextor - get over you
dannii minogue - don't wanna lose this feeling
lisa maffia - all over
mos def - umi says (zero 7 mix)
macy gray - I've committed murder (gang starr mix)
death in vegas - hands around my throat
punjabi mc - jogi
shimon & andy c - bodyrock
shy fx & t power - shake ur body
hanayo - joe le taxi
teddybears sthlm - yours to keep
pj harvey - good fortune
brandy - what about us
n.e.r.d. - lapdance
joe logic - just a little bit lush
orbital - funny break (one's enough)
primal scream - miss lucifer (jagz kooner mix)
cut copy - glittering clouds
cassius - the sound of violence
colder - crazy love
dmx - x gon give it to ya
black box recorder - these are the things
lacquer - behind

conzole - 14 zero zero x2
legowelt - disco rout x4
herbert - deck the house (akufen mix)
black strobe - me and madonna (two fairlight bitches mix)
chromeo - destination overdrive (dfa mix)
codec & flexor - crazy girls make my heart go boom
clinic - second line x indiefuxor not-so-corny
ellen allien - wish x make it "Trashscapes" instead
tok tok vs soffy o - jean x 10 million
avril - the date
ladytron - discotraxx
miss kittin & the hacker - stock exchange
playgroup - number one (yeh yeh black strobe remix whatever)
w.i.t. - ooh I like it
Bangkok Impact - Junge Dame Mit Friendlischer Telefonstime
felix da housecat - silver screen shower scene (lrd mix)
fc kahuna - machine says yes
audio bullys - the snow
royksopp ft erlend oye - remind me
death in vegas - hands around my throat
brandy - what about us x wompabompBZZZT
cut copy - glittering clouds
dmx - x gon give it to ya

michelle branch - everywhere
new order - crystal
clinic - second line
snoop dogg - snoop dogg
truth hurts ft rakim - addictive
broadcast - pendulum EP
n.o.r.e. - nothin'
d12 - purple pills
pj harvey - good fortune
brandy - what about us
n.e.r.d. - lapdance
dmx - x gon give it to ya

"Sk8er Boi" happened, too, didn't it?

(That Toulouse track is from their 2nd album, on Grimsley, right?)

michelle branch - everywhere
new order - crystal
bjork - it's in our hands
codec & flexor - crazy girls make my heart go boom
gus gus - david
space cowboy - I would die 4 u
truth hurts ft rakim - addictive
mc pitman - pitman says
audio bullys - the snow
moloko - familiar feeling
alcazar - sexual guarantee
n.o.r.e. - nothin'
sweet female attitude - flowers
truesteppers ft victoria beckham and dane bowers - out of your mind
baha men - who let the dogs out
d12 - purple pills
brandy - what about us
n.e.r.d. - lapdance
joe logic - just a little bit lush
orbital - funny break (one's enough)
dmx - x gon give it to ya

(Movietone's The Blossom-Filled Streets, on the other hand, may actually be a Big Accomplishment.)

also whoops: where's "apollo kids" by ghostface?

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT 'WE DON'T CARE' BY AUDIO BULLYS