The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #249

#249: "Sour Cherry" (2008) - The Kills

Alison Mosshart & Jamie Hince--girlfriend & boyfriend duo, playing distorted, blues-derived, raw rawk & roll--sound familiar? Yeah, they're not the White Stripes--not as famous, not as talented (at least in the writing department), and not as magnetic. They've got one thing, though, that Jack & Meg don't--a legitimately hip-hop sounding song--a great one, too. This one. "Sour Cherry." Doesn't sound anything like what The Kills had recorded before, yet it sounds so them. The production is minimal, and it sounds almost homemade, but it moves and it shakes, and this track would work wonders just as an instrumental--a hip-hop instrumental, too! Except for the militant drumming near the end...well, Kanye West has appropriated that sound, now, too (he swiped it from Gang of Four, who swiped it from funk bands because Gang of Four didn't have any horn or keyboard players, so they punctuated how and where they could), and I guess you could say that The Kills are swiping it back! I wouldn't say that though. Unless I just did. Doesn't matter, though, not as long as those handclaps keep handclapping, and those drumsticks keep clicking, and the drum machine keeps dink-dinking, and Hince's guitar keeps plinking that exotic Middle-Eastern solo, and Mossheart keeps stage-whispering those vocals, all sultry come-on, all bedroom tease, promising, promising, and then sending us away, telling us to get off the ride, telling us to go home 'cause it's over, knowing the whole time that we'll keep coming back 'cause when she's singing and the music keeps shaking and swinging this hard, she's the only cherry on the fruit stand, and we want a bite.

The Countdown Capsule, Part II: 300-250

For those new--and old and in-between--here's a quick listing of the last fifty-one songs:

300 - "Chronic Schizophrenia" - Wesey Willis
299 - "Shake Your Blood" - Probot
298 - "Capillarian Crest" - Mastodon
297 - "I'd Follow You Anywhere" - Jim Lauderdale
296 - "When Did Jesus Become a Republican?" - Cindy Lee Berryhill
295 - "Chicken Payback" - A Band of Bees
294 - "I'll Roll with You" - Eli "Paperboy" Reed
293 - "Like Red on a Rose" - Alan Jackson
292 - "Boyz" - M.I.A.
291 - "Travelin' Soldier" -Dixie Chicks
290 - "4th of July" - Shooter Jennings
289 - "Fat Man" - Chestnut Station
288 -"Pistol Packin' Mama"- John Prine & Mac Wiseman
287 - "O Katrina" - Black Lips
286 - "Welfare Bread" - King Khan & the Shrines
285 - "Where's Your Head At?" - Basement Jaxx
284 - "I Idolize You" - Lizz Wright
283 - "What Would Jay-Z Do?" - Ben Lee
282 - "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"- Jay-Z
281 - "Don't Let Me Get Me" - P!nk
280 - "Thunder on the Mountain" - Bob Dylan
279 - "Fallin'" - Alicia Keys
278 - "Golden" - My Morning Jacket
277 - "My Heart Is the Bums on the Street" - Marah
276 - "The Devil Never Sleeps" - Iron & Wine
275 - "Pump Up the Volume" - Art Brut
274 - "Yours to Keep"- Teddybears featuring Nenah Cherry
273 - "The Seed (2.0)" - The Roots & Cody ChesnuTT
272 - "All My Life" - Foo Fighters
271 - "Hot in Herre" - Nelly
270 - "Too Much" - David Garza
269 - "Steal My Kisses" - Ben Harper
268 - "Tonight" - Sara Evans
267 - "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" - Camera Obscura
266 - "Add Your Light to Mine" - Lucky Soul
265 - "Milkshake" - Kelis
264 - "Smile" - Lily Allen
263 - "Poor Old Dirt Farmer" - Levon Helm
262 - "She Only Calls Me on Sundays" - Gary Louris
261 - "The Wedding Song" - Charlie Robison
260 - "Rosalie" - Alejandro Escovedo
259 - "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - Black Crowes
258 - "Wucan" - Black Mountain
257 - "The Devil" - PJ Harvey
256 - "Kiss the Devil" - Eagles of Death Metal
255 - "Psychotic Girl" - Black Keys
254 - "The Boogie Monster" - Gnarls Barkley
253 - "Can't Stop Moving" - Sonny J.
252 - "I Ain't Leaving" - Mary Gauthier
251 - "The Rising" - Bruce Springsteen
250 - "Get By" - Talib Kweli

Songs ranked from 333-301 can be found here.

Pigskin Prognostications, Week Ten

Oh, snap! I almost forgot that this weekend's slate of NFL games starts tonight! This'll be a rush job, so forgive me...or don't.

Broncos 17, Brown 12 - Brady Quinn will start his first NFL game tonight for struggling Cleveland, and Shaun Rogers may not play. If Rogers doesn't play, then this one's Broncos all the way in a romp. If he does, then the Cleveland D should keep it close.

Falcons 28, Saints 27 - Atlanta sports the NFL's top rushing attack, and the Saints have one of the NFL's best passing offenses...and worst defenses. Atlanta's defense hasn't played superbly throughout the season thus far (they're middle of the pack), but they did last week, and a half-way decent defense with a great running game and a smart quarterback will beat a team with a terrible defense any day, no matter how great their offense is.

Titans 20, Bears 10 - I don't think Orton will play, and I think Grossman will turn it over a couple of times, and the Bears can't run the ball as well as they wish they could, and they're playing the Tennessee, so....

Jaguars 14, Lions 9 - Jacksonville can't run the ball worth a spit, and though the Lions' offense has started to greatly improve, they'll get a new QB this week...and as of Thursday, they're not exactly sure who that'll be yet. NOT a good sign.

Ravens 24, Texans 12 - Rookies Flacco and Rice are playing fantastic football, and (other than Andre Johnson and Mario Williams), Houston has sputtered.

Dolphins 14, Seahawks 10 - Miami's starting to gel, and Seattle looks lost.

Packers 20, Vikings 17 - Should be a great game. Packers should prevail, but they could be down emotionally after the overtime loss to the Titans last week.

Patriots 21, Bills 13 - Buffalo? Where are you? You're out there somewhere? Right? Right?

Jets 24, Rams 12 - St. Louis's running game is kaput, and the Jets have a stout run D, so what happens? Sack city.

Panthers 32, Raiders 2 - Al Davis fired DeAngelo Hall, and he's let Javon Walker know he could be next. Meanwhile, the offense amassed seventy-seven total yards against the Falcons. They may not produce much more against the Panthers.

Colts 16, Steelers 14 - If Manning plays this week like he played last week--and I believe he will, as his O-line is as healthy as it's been since the first game, and all his weapons are in place--then even the fierce Steeler D can't stop him completely.

Chiefs 24, Chargers 21 - Neither D can stop anyone, but I think this is the week that KC--two close losses the past two weeks--puts it together. Probably won't happen, yeah, but it could. It could.

Giants 21, Eagles 14 - Game of the week, as both teams are playing phenomenal football right now. If Eli turns it over too much this week, the Eagles will turn those, uh, turnovers into points, unlike Dallas.

Cardinals 27, 49ers 14 - Singletary will have 'em primed in San Fran, but the birds are playing in rarefied air now, and I don't think the 49ers can slow 'em down too much.

The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #250

#250: "Get By" (2002) - Talib Kweli

With the duo Black Star, rapper Talib Kweli--and rapper-turned actor Mos Def--made one critically-acclaimed album and then split. Since, Kweli has been a critic's darling because of the depth of the content of his verses, focusing as they do on inner-city life and politics. Kweli, though, never caught on with the mainstream, one reason being his honest, tough, often-bleak lyrics that rarely glamorize the thug or playa lifestyle; another reason--and I this one's much more telling--is that he's not had a great producer or a great tune to rap around. However, this isn't the case with "Get By," by far the best record of Kweli's career.

Kanye West--early in his professional career--devises one of his production jobs, starting the song with a simple bass groove, followed by a woman--I don't know who she is, but she's fantastic--singing in an African (Swahili?) dialect--and then Kanye lays on (what sounds like a) live drum track, loops a jazz piano loop, and throws down some double-time handclaps, all three (drum, piano, handclap) working together to form one of the best polyrhythmic tracks of the past decade. On top of this early West masterwork (as great as anything Wilson or Spector put on wax), Kweli drops the best lyrics of his career, offering reasons--though not excusing nor apologizing for--destructive inner-city lifestyles and proffering love, unconditional, for his brethren, for he understands that if they have something to live for, a dream to realize, and someone to show them love, that they can do more than do just what it takes just to get by.

"This morning, I woke up, feeling brand new, I jumped up, feeling my highs, my lows, and my soul, and my goals, just to stop smoking, and stop drinking, I've got my reasons, just to get by."

Kweli even namedrops John Lennon here, and quotes him, too, and I think Lennon would've approved, for they--Lennon and Kweli--both dreamed and imagined a day when there was no need for greed or hunger or selling crack to your own.

The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #251

#251: "The Rising" (2002) - Bruce Springsteen

Today, at the end of a forty-minute faculty meeting after school--one most teachers complained about (much moreso than usual) because they wanted to be able to go vote (as many of our teachers live thirty miles or more away from the school)--two staff members (Sue Stanford and Peggy Snow) gave a power-point presentation on the Pentagon Memorial held two months ago in honor of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon seven years ago, killing the fifty-nine passengers aboard (as well as 125 military on the ground). One of those fifty-nine passengers aboard Flight 77 was Sue's brother, Joe. Prior to the power-point presentation, Sue recalled for us what she was doing that day seven years ago. She had seen the news coverage that day, she said, but it didn't seem to really get to her, because she was safe in small-town Mississippi, where catastrophies of that sort just didn't happen. She went outside that afternoon and walked her dog, and when she came back into her house, her (other) brother called and asked her if she'd been watching the news. She said she had. Had she seen the news about the plane crashing into the Pentagon? She had. Her brother then informed her that their brother Joe--who, working for National Geographic, was taking some students and some teachers on a field trip--was on that flight.

Sue talked for a few minutes more, introduced the presentation, and then we all watched: slides of the crash, the smoke, the thin metal strips with the terrazo finish overlooking a small pool of water (186 of them), the inscripted names (186 of them), the school children who raised $20,000 so they could attend the memorial, the one-thousand flags on display, the pictures of the deceased, and a few pictures of Sue. When the presentation ended, everyone sat silently until our principal, several seconds later, thanked Sue and Peggy for their presentation, and he then dismissed us. No one grumbled about the length of the meeting or about the fact that we had one at all. I didn't hear much chatter at all, at least nowhere near as much as I usually do after a faculty meeting. I was moved, and I think many others were as well; it seemed to show on their faces.

Later tonight, after discussing politics with my wife (and recouting for her the political ideas my students shared with me today), ABC news announced Barack Obama's presidency. The TV screen showed live footage from Grant Park in Chicago and from Times Square in NYC; the crowds were jubilant to a person, many in tears. My wife told me that the scenes seemed funny to her, surreal, because--though she understood the reason for their excitment--she didn't seem to share their unbridled joy and enthusiasm. I told her that I didn't either, and I proffered a reason why: neither of us has been ardent supporters of the Obama campaign from the get-go (or either from the DNC)--we weren't fans (in fact, we both admired different apsects of both candidate's characters and policies). I compared this disconnect to watching the Super Bowl without really being a true fan of either team. One could enjoy the contest and feel great about the winning team and its fans, but the energizing spirit of victory just isn't internally there (of course, I made this comparison in my mind--after we'd talked about it--right before I started typing, but, hey, what can you do?). We started wondering aloud why we didn't feel it like we thought we should, but then Obama started making his acceptance speech.

We both listened silently (for the most part), and I--and I think my wife--admired both his speech and his speaking, and then he began talking about the 106-year-old lady from Atlanta who cast her first ballot (ever) today. Obama detailed the history that she's seen, the country's advances and changes that she's witnessed as well as the racist and prejudicial treatment she's experienced as both a woman and a person of color. It was during this portion of Obama's acceptance speech that it hit me. I began feeling the tides and waves of history wash over me, slowly, and a song started ruminating through my head:

I began to understand; I looked at this election, this country and its troubled past, from a different perspective, from the perspective of a person of color who lived through those times, and I began to get it. The result of this election is a culmination of the rights granted to all men in the Constitution, rights fought for by Lincoln, and JFK and RFK and LBJ and MLK; at the same time, it's much more than that: it's the promise of a chance to have a better America. So many people voted in this election that had never voted before because--as McCain stated in his concession--they believed they could make a difference; that they could help make a better, stronger, more stable, more compassionate America; that we--as a people--could take from the ashes and the smoke and the ruins and the devestation (each in all its literal and metaphorical forms) and build a brighter place for ourselves and our posterity.

As President-Elect Obama finished his speech, the pundits started to speak, but in the background, I heard Springsteen singing the title track from his stately 2002 album The Rising. Springsteen recorded this anthemic yet folksy song (the combination of those two elements a feat that maybe only Woody Guthrie and Sam Cooke and Paul Robeson and John Lennon could pull off as well as the Boss does here) in the aftermath of the catastrophies of 9/11. This song focuses on the event itself--the alarm, the blood, the death, the fear, the paranoia--and a calling for hope and brotherhood, for a unification of American spirit, for patriotism grounded in compassion, all bound by the love for one another and the dream of brighter days. Tonight, election night, the song still works, and it fits perfectly the theme of Obama's (and McCain's) campaign: We Shall Overcome. Yes We Can.

Fifth Down, Week Nine

Bills 24, Jets 13 - Loss. I was wrong multiple times in my assessment of this one; KC (this week and last week) peformed better than the Bills did, in every facet of the game, and so did the Jets, with their D playing superbly--again. Actual score: Jets 26, Bills 17

Bears 31, Lions 20 - Win. Detroit and Orlovsky came to play, but so did both of Chicago's QBs; when Orton--who was playing well at the time--went down, Grossman came in and played well, too. Actual score: Bears 27, Lions 23

Ravens 15, Browns 13 - Win. Anderson and Edwards played well, but Flacco and the Raven running game--where was Cleveland's?--played better. Actual score: Ravens 37, Browns 27

Buccaneers 24, Chiefs 9 - Win. Jeff Garcia posted the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in Tampa Bay history, but still...Tyler Thigpen and the Chiefs looked impressive. Actual score: Bucs 30, Chiefs 27

Texans 20, Vikings 14 - Loss. Guess what? Minnesota halved Andre Johnson's receiving numbers. Result? Victory. Actual score: Vikings 28, Texans 21

Cardinals 27, Rams 13 - Win. The birds racked up over five-hundred yards of offense against the Rams while limiting St. Louis to less than sixty-five yards rushing. Dominating performance, and the birds will soon be playoff contenders, and they've got the talent to go all the way. Actual score: Cardinals 34, Rams 13

Titans 14, Packers 10 - Win. Great rough and tumble game by both teams. Actual score: Titans 19, Packers 16

Broncos 23, Dolphins 16 - Loss. Which Bronco team showed up? The one that couldn't run the ball early and refused to run it late when they should have. Actual score: Dolphins 26, Broncos 17
Giants 24, Cowboys 12 - Win. Eli turned it over more than twice; even then....Actual score: Giants 35, Cowboys 14

Falcons 17, Raiders 12 - Win. Oakland's performance in this game was the worst NFL team performance all season. Massive FAIL in every department. I said they were improving, and I'm ticked off that they proved me so wrong. Just lose, baby. Actual score: Falcons 24, Raiders 0

Eagles 28, Seahawks 7 - Win. 'Hawks were overmatched, and Seneca Wallace didn't go deep near enough times. I came close to nailing this one on the head. Missed it by this much. Actual score: Eagles 26, Seattle 7

Colts 21, Patriots 20 - Win. Great game. Both QBs looked sharp, and--aww, who the heck am I kidding? Way to go Colts! Woo-hoo! Actual score: Colts 18, Patriots 15

Redskins 20, Steelers 17 - Loss. Pittsburgh's D did more than just keep 'em in it; it won it for them. Fantastic defensive game, by both sides. Actual score: Steelers 23, Redskins 6.

I forgot to predict the Bengals/Jaguars game; how'd I miss that?

The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #252

#252: "I Ain't Leaving" (2007) - Mary Gauthier

The maturity that most of us find when we either ease gently into adulthood or are summarily thrust into it often comes in a box that contains one garment with a lapel label that reads "responsibility." On that garment, though new, are two stains: sacrifice and regret. Sometimes, at night, or early on Saturday mornings, we're able to discard the garment to wash it for a few hours, but the stains--try as hard as we might--can't be removed; they're permanent. Depending on our emotional framework, the stains are either front and center, for all to see; on the back, where everyone can see them except ourselves; or--as is in most cases--hidden in crevices, where no one can view them except for those we care to show, though ofttimes we won't even show our most intimate partners every inch of these stains.

Country/folk singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier has spent most of her career singing about these deep-laden emotional stains, including ones we so often fail to admit are there. "I Ain't Leaving" is one of these songs; it's about a woman who decides to stop running away from responsibility no matter how much it may hurt.

This song, I dedicate to my wife, Penny, today on her 28th birthday. After ten years of marriage, she has never once left me, though God knows I've given her many reasons to leave. Thank you, Penny, for staying with me, your biggest stain.

I love you,

Andy

The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #253

#253: "Can't Stop Moving'" (2007) - Sonny J.

Halloween is over, but before the Autumn People pack up their tents, we need a silly, celebratory song to help send them on their way. This ode to joy (and dancing), by British DJ Sonny J--who samples what sounds like the Jackson 5 along with a few soul sisters and grafts their voices onto a hip-hop beat and soulful horns--is silly, celebratory, and infectious, guaranteed to ward off Coogar & Dark & the Dust Witch & Mr. Electrico & whatever's been causing your soul to sink. Pump up the volume and break the mirror maze of doubt and regret and free your soul. Step right up.

Pigskin Prognostications, Week Nine

Mississippi State loses after KY--and their rookie QB making his first start--blocks an extra point--an extra point!--and then, after intercepting the ball, State drives it down...and misses a twenty-seven-yard field goal. Heartbreaking. State should have won this one--multiple times. What gives? Typical MSU year.

Bills 24, Jets 13 - The Jets let Tyler Thigpen slice and dice their secondary last week, but Farve--after tossing three picks--brought 'em back in the end. Won't happen this week, as Buffalo is tougher than the Chiefs in just about every category (tight end withstanding).

Bears 31, Lions 20 - Chicago's rested, and their D versus Buffalo's Orlovsky? Ooo, I feel bad for him.

Jaguars 17, Bengals 10 - Jacksonville doesn't have the aerial firepower (meaning Andre Johnson) that Houston employed last week to destroy Cincinnatti, but they can control a ballgame against a lesser opponent--most of the time--as I expect they'll do here, but I think that Cincinnatti's got a chance if Fitzpatrick can limit his turnovers.

Ravens 15, Browns 13 - Baltimore's secondary is a mess, which should mean that Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards should have a field day, but...I just don't think they will, because they're not Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne (who torched Baltimore three weeks ago), even on a good day.

Buccaneers 24, Chiefs 9 - Tampa's pass D is the best in the business, and they're not going to sit back and let Tyler Thigpen do to them what he did to the Jets. This one could be a massive blowout.

Texans 20, Vikings 14 - Wow, Houston looked impressive last week. Of course, that can happen when one plays Cincinnatti, but actually, Cincinnatti had been playing decent football up until then, so I was that much more impressed with the Texans victory. If the Vikings figure out a way to take Texan receiver Andre Johnson completely out of the game, then Minnesota can win this one; only thing, though, is Minnesotta hasn't been able to stop anyone through the air all year.

Cardinals 27, Rams 13 - St. Louis has look much improved of late, but so has Arizona, and Arizona's got better talent to begin with, so as long as Warner doesn't turn it over more than twice, then this one's Arizona's all the way.

Titans 14, Packers 10 - Should be a tough, slog-it-out game, and Tennessee's better at those types of games than anyone else this year, as Kerry Collins doesn't seem to feel pressure like he used to, as he dinks and dunks at will. I hate the dink and dunk, but Tennessee's built on running the ball and run defense and clock management, so you gotta take the good with the bad. Or you don't. Either way, I don't think the Pack is ready for his type of test, as they haven't run the ball with consistency, and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch is back healthy for Tennessee.

Broncos 23, Dolphins 16 - Who knows which Broncos team will show up for this one? Which Dolphins team? I sure don't. They're playing in Denver, and the wind's starting to sport a chill, so I giving to the horsies.

Giants 24, Cowboys 12 - Even after last week's ferocious defensively-assaultive (like my diction) win over Tampa Bay, nobody's picking the Cowboys here. I'm not either. Their offense--it stunk. New York's offense is much tougher, bigger, and more multifaceted than Tampa Bay's is, and their D is just as imposing, so the only way I foresee NY losing this one is if Eli turns it over more than twice; and even then....

Falcons 17, Raiders 12 - Oakland's been improving, especially defensively, but their offense goes three-and-out too much, and their defense tires late, and that'll prove deadly against the powerful Falcon running attack.

Eagles 28, Seahawks 7 - Hasselbeck's still not playing, and Seattle QB Seneca Wallace can't win against Philly by playing as conservative as he did last week, 'cause Philly's not going to turn the ball over as often as the 49ers did.

Colts 21, Patriots 20 - Who knows? I think it'll be close, and that favors New England, but Indy's playing at home, and...aww, heck, I'll admit it: I'm rooting for the Colts. I'm biased. So Sue me. Or don't. Please don't.

Redskins 20, Steelers 17 - Ben Roethlisberger's playing hurt (if he indeed plays), and Washington's defense is stout, but still I think Pittsburgh's tough D keeps 'em in it.