247 Album Verdict
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Best Songs of the 2000s

Garage-rock revival, indie's boom and pop's reinvention — twelve songs that defined the 2000s.

Reviewed by Callum Ashworth, 247 Album Verdict · Last updated · How we rank

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  1. 1
    ST

    Last Nite

    The Strokes · from Is This It (2001) · Album scores 92/99

    The effortless cool that kicked off the revival.

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  2. 2
    AM

    I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

    Arctic Monkeys · from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006) · Album scores 84/99

    A breathless debut single full of wit.

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  3. 3
    OU

    Hey Ya!

    OutKast · from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) · Album scores 79/99

    An inescapable, genre-proof pop song.

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  4. 4
    GB

    Crazy

    Gnarls Barkley · from St. Elsewhere (2006) · Album scores 85/99

    A soulful, instant classic.

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  5. 5
    AW

    Rehab

    Amy Winehouse · from Back to Black (2006) · Album scores 80/99

    Retro soul with a brutally modern lyric.

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  6. 6
    WS

    Seven Nation Army

    The White Stripes · from Elephant (2003) · Album scores 84/99

    That riff became a global stadium chant.

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  7. 7
    JA

    99 Problems

    Jay-Z · from The Black Album (2003) · Album scores 78/99

    A Rick Rubin beat and a fearless verse.

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  8. 8
    MG

    Kids

    MGMT · from Oracular Spectacular (2007) · Album scores 86/99

    A synth hook that defined a festival era.

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  9. 9
    LS

    All My Friends

    LCD Soundsystem · from Sound of Silver (2007) · Album scores 99/99

    A pulsing, emotional dance-rock epic.

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  10. 10
    AF

    Wake Up

    Arcade Fire · from Funeral (2004) · Album scores 86/99

    A communal, goosebump-raising anthem.

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  11. 11
    BE

    Crazy in Love

    Beyoncé · from Dangerously in Love (2003) · Album scores 90/99

    The horn-stab hit that launched her solo run.

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  12. 12
    M.

    Paper Planes

    M.I.A. · from Kala (2007) · Album scores 80/99

    A sampled hook and a sly, global groove.

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  13. 13
    OU

    Hey Ya!

    OutKast · from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003) · Album scores 79/99

    The most joyful song about existential uncertainty ever written.

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  14. 14
    AW

    Rehab

    Amy Winehouse · from Back to Black (2006) · Album scores 80/99

    Three times she said no and the world said yes.

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  15. 15
    AF

    Rebellion (Lies)

    Arcade Fire · from Funeral (2004) · Album scores 86/99

    The full-band catharsis that made indie rock feel important again.

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  16. 16
    RA

    Knives Out

    Radiohead · from Amnesiac (2001) · Album scores 68/99

    The guitar pop song Thom Yorke buried in an experimental record, and the best on it.

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  17. 17
    ST

    Last Nite

    The Strokes · from Is This It (2001) · Album scores 92/99

    The Petty guitar, the nonchalant verse, the effortless cool.

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  18. 18
    KW

    Gold Digger

    Kanye West · from Late Registration (2005) · Album scores 84/99

    Ray Charles, Jamie Foxx's impression, and Kanye's perfect pop instinct.

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  19. 19
    M.

    Paper Planes

    M.I.A. · from Kala (2007) · Album scores 80/99

    The gunshot cash-register chorus that became 2008's most ubiquitous sound.

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  20. 20
    GB

    Crazy

    Gnarls Barkley · from St. Elsewhere (2006) · Album scores 85/99

    The Camille sample and Cee-Lo's vocal — six weeks at UK #1.

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  21. 21
    SS

    Chicago

    Sufjan Stevens · from Illinois (2005) · Album scores 91/99

    The banjo-and-brass climax that made indie folk feel like a revelation.

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  22. 22
    WS

    Seven Nation Army

    The White Stripes · from Elephant (2003) · Album scores 84/99

    The bass line (actually guitar) that became the universal crowd-chant.

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  23. 23
    FF

    Take Me Out

    Franz Ferdinand · from Franz Ferdinand (2004) · Album scores 80/99

    The tempo change that made indie-dance feel new in 2004.

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