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Best songs of the current century?

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Wife has asked me to come up with a playlist of the best songs of this century. There should be none of what I’d call “young people’s music”, though what was known as the “pop” genre in the 60s would qualify- if you know what I mean (mainstream hits, I suppose). As most readers here are of a similar age, I’m sure you can come up with some suggestions that would satisfy. I can think of some, but without lots of research cannot remember whether they are last century or not. Definitely no hippity-hop, rap, boy bands, K-pop, so-called r’n’b etc. There must be loads of classics just evading my gnarled old brain. Perhaps some of you will be able to jog my memory?

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    • I was going to post this one. It borrows heavily from the past but a really outstanding pop single. Inserts itself instantly into the brain; witty, stylish and joyous. If only Prince had come up with it.

  11. “Top of the Pops” could be useful source material.

    Oh, ‘slightly’ awkward.
    The BBC, desperate for audiences, the younger the better, not seeing it (rightly) as a go-able concern in the 21st wotsit… etc. etc… you know the rest…

  14. My favourite songs of the century would be way too many to name. So here are some “classics” I think your wife might have liked and forgotten.

    I don’t know why I think that though – I have never met your wife.

    Norah Jones – Sunrise
    Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
    The Feeling – Sewn
    Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
    John Grant – Sigourney Weaver
    James Blake – Limit to Your Love
    Leon Bridges – River
    Michael Kiwanuka – Cold Little Heart
    Harry Styles – Sign of the Times

    • @Gary Cold little heart by Michael Kiwanuka is my very favourite
      Would add two Dawes songs A little bit of everything and St.Augustine at night.
      Would also add two Baxter Dury songs Miami and Isabel.
      Elbow- Starlings
      David Bowie Love is lost (Steve Reich mix)
      Jason Isbell- Elephant
      Lucinda Williams – those three days

      • I have three versions of Cold Little Heart – the long album version with its fab instrumental intro, the short single version without its fab instrumental intro and the acoustic version. I like the long version best, but I suspect Mrs. Geedubyapee might prefer the single version if she watched Big Little Lies on telly, which I bet she did. (It also featured River by Leon Bridges.)

    • Excellent list, @Gary. Some absolute gems, not least Clint, Crazy, Sigourney and Limit!

      You have wonderfully eclectic taste.

      Has John Grant actually had any hits or is he just the favourite of the cognoscenti?

      He’s excellent live.

      • Thanks KFD. I only know John Grant’s debut album. I thought he’d be huge after that. Sigourney Weaver is a gorgeous song.
        Same with Leon Bridges – I loved his debut album Coming Home. As much as I love the acoustic standout River, it isn’t typical of the rest of the album which has a fantastic Retro Soul vibe. But I checked out his two subsequent albums and he seems to have opted for a more modern, Beat-Based Drivel approach, very different to the superb debut.

    • the resident CRJ devotee (me!) agrees heavily with this. Pop at it’s very best!

      See also
      I Really Like You
      Run Away From Me
      Cut To The Feeling
      I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance
      Talking To Yourself
      Shy Boy
      Kamikaze

      In fact just get on this playlist – 61 songs of joy

    • I was going to post that one Mike, it’s therefore an excellent choice. The Fleet Foxes especially on the first 2 albums and EP released several stand out songs. They are probably my favourite band/artist of recent years.

      Despite buying lots of music recorded since 2000 there aren’t that many great songs that come to mind, albums yes. That’s the problem with buying too much music, you don’t get too many repeat plays.

    • Bloody hell Peter, you picked 3 that had I given the subject a bit of thought all 3 would have been selected by myself.

      All 3 artists are exceptional. Mary Gaultier I’ve only discovered recently, in fact I took a deep dive and a chance maybe. I bought all her albums prior to the last one from the lady’s site, 10 CDs for £35! It was well worth it.

      Jonathan Wilson has been a favourite since his second album. I love that West Coast vibe, he has a new one out soon which I’m looking forward.

      Jason Isbell, I have been a fan since he went solo from Drive By Truckers and Southeastern is a great album.

  23. I have some more to list
    Robyn – Hang With Me
    War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
    Doves – There Goes The Fear
    Xx – On Hold
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
    The Killers – Mr Brightside
    Haim – Summer Girl
    Wet Leg – Being In Love

  27. And, of course, this – apologies if it appears further up – lots of unavailable vids…
    Of course, this might be disqualified as “too pop” – I think its classic status should over-rule that…but it’s your list, of course.

    • One song from the past 23 years is a tough call but the ‘Roses’ have all made a pretty strong claim. I struggled to chose between Whitney Rose “Analog”, Esther Rose “Good Time” or a Caroline Rose song but decided my choice is Caitin Rose’s “Old Numbers”.

      Note, this apparently effortless live version has the bonus of Spencer Cullum on pedal steel.

  29. Does this century start in Jan 2000 or Jan 2001? If we can all agree on the former, then I suggest that this is a classic song, covered by acts as diverse as Wilco and Phoebe Bridger …

  32. Wow! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions – many of which had passed me by, so there will be a lot of listening coming up.
    @fitterstoke referred to Kylie as being “too pop” as though it was a bad thing. At home we don’t tend to listen to music radio, so most of the songs she’s heard will have been used in commercials or as background in TV progs, so would probably by classified as “pop”. Suggestions along this vein are more than welcome. Keep ‘em coming!

    • No, no @geedubyapee – not a bad thing at all.

      I was trying to acknowledge the instructions in your OP (“There should be none of what I’d call “young people’s music”, though what was known as the “pop” genre in the 60s would qualify- if you know what I mean (mainstream hits, I suppose).” I thought Kylie might fall within that banned parameter. Then again, I might have misinterpreted what you meant…

      • Perhaps I worded this badly. Genres are always difficult, but what I meant was that the type of music we called”pop” in earlier decades (specifically stuff that we liked, and still do) was what I was looking for. I was just classifying rap, r&b, grime etc as being not what I was looking for. Certainly nothing suggested so far would be dismissed..

  35. Yay! This list is really really taking shape. I shall be playing all these while re-incorporating all the essential so-called r’n’b and (*groan* 🙄) “hippity hop” that’s been turned away by the bouncers..

  46. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – Pick It Up, Lay It In The Cut.
    Rag’n’Bone Man – Human.
    Madeleine Peyroux – Don’t Wait Too Long.
    Melody Gardot – Baby I’m A Fool.
    Samara Joy – Can’t Get Out Of This Mood.

  49. Here are a few of my favourites:

    Mary Chapin Carpenter – Between The Dirt And The Stars (guitar solo by Duke Levene)

    Ben Watt – Spring

    The Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice

  51. A few who didn’t trouble the charts much.

    Eileen Rose had links to Del Amitri, from the same scene as Laura Cantrell and the like, here’s the near-title song of her 2000 debut:

    Fonda 500 formed in 1999, so almost everything they’ve released is this century. He’s the title track of my fave album from 2008, Je M’appelle Stereo. I’m going to miss them when they go.

    I did the sound twice in the early days for (Elbow-adjacent) The Slow Show. Here’s my fave, Dirty Little Secret:

    I did sound four or five times for electro-blues duo Vienna Ditto

    Sea Stacks. What do you mean, an 18-piece orchestra playing for 50 quid is going to stuggle to make a living? Possibly my hardest technical challenge, and the most rewarding. I spent more on extra microphones than they got paid.

    I’ve been doing sound regularly in small to medium venues for the last 35 or so years, so I could go on like this at length…

  53. Apologies if I have duplicated any here – a few links above were not visible.

    This current century has had some absolute pop classics so this is the genre which immediately springs to mind for me. Personally I think call Me Maybe (already shared by @Black Type above) is the perfect example of this, but here are some others I think should be in contention;

    Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
    https://open.spotify.com/track/7n9Q6bXSjm74uCtajkddPt?si=96f39cecd6d9491c

    Taylor Swift – Anti Hero

    Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind

    Robyn – Dancing On My Own

    Alessia Cara – Here

    Little Mix – No More Sad Songs

    Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

    If we are talking non pop – then it’s There Goes The Fear by Doves

    • Crazy in Love is a great call – I thought it was earlier than 2000 for some reason.

      I’d go for England by The National, or possibly Pink Rabbits. And anything off Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black would make the cut, but it’s Rehab or Back To Black itself for me.

  56. How about Frankie’s Gun by The Felice Brothers

    “Spit makes a fender shine, Frankie’s a friend of mine, Got me off a bender after long-legged Brenda died” – lyrics up there with the best.

  61. Not going to post videos of all of these, but I made a list of some that came to mind:

    Aimee Mann – This Is How It Goes
    Justin Timberlake – Señorita
    A Camp – I Can Buy You
    Dungen – Du e för fin för mig
    Scissor Sisters – Take Your Mama
    José Gonzales – Crosses
    Kings Of Convenience – Misread
    Grace Jones – Sunset Sunrise
    Kleerup feat. Robyn – With Every Heartbeat
    Neko Case – Hold On, Hold On
    The Middle East – Jesus Came To My Birthday Party
    Anaïs Mitchell – Venus
    Sinéad O’Connor – I Had A Baby
    Amadou & Mariam – La Réalité

    And all of Long Gone Before Daylight by The Cardigans…if I’d absolutely had to choose one track off that masterpiece, I guess I”d choose 03:45 No Sleep…or Lead Me Into The Night, but I do love me some melancholy music…

    Which is why I’m posting this video of one of my absolute favourite artists and songs: Andreas Mattsson – Metaphors. The third/last verse gives me happy little shivers (it’s a sad lyric, but just perfect!)

    • Nice work, @Locust! You really did us proud there.

      I’m an enormous fan of Kings of Convenience. I’ve seen them live several times and they always, with the most minimal of means, create magic.

      A Camp and the Cardigans! No complaints about Nina Persson appearing twice. As I’m sure you all know, she’s now touring rather extensively with James Yorkston.

      And here they are! I just stumbled across this German concert. Something for you, @DuCo01!

      A few suggestions from me…

      James Yorkston – Tortoise regrets hare
      The Delines – Oil rigs at night
      Aldous Harding- the Barrel
      Camera Obscura – Lloyd, I‘m ready to be heartbroken
      Lola in Slacks – Trocchi’s Canal
      Jakie Leven – Exit Wound, Sexual loneliness of Jesus Christ
      Weyes Blood – It’s not just me, it’s everybody
      Divine Comedy – Absent Friends
      Jenny Lewis – She’s not me
      She and Him – This is not a test
      Ballboy feat Laura Cantrell – I lost you but I found country music
      Laura Cantrell – Not the tremblin’ kind

  62. Not a single song yet from Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields?

    We’d better put that right!

    “You want what you’ve turned off turned on
    You call it sunset, now it’s dawn
    You can’t go ’round just saying stuff
    Because it’s pretty
    And I no longer drink enough
    To think you’re witty.”

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