Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 | Playlist 🎧

6. Alicia Keys, “You Don’t Know My Name”  

💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2003    

“Baby, baby, baby / From the day I saw you / I really, really wanna catch your eye.”  On 🎵 “You Don’t Know My Name,” 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Alicia Keys had a serious crush.  The problem? He doesn’t notice her or know who she is! “Will you ever know it? / No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”  “You Don’t Know My Name” ranks among the biggest hits of Keys’ career, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, the song, written alongside 🎼✍ Harold Lilly, J.R. Bailey, Kanye West, Ken Williams, Mel Kent, won the 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Song.  Worth noting, Kanye West produced this neo-soul gem, which samples 🎙 The Main Ingredient (🎵 “Let Me Prove My Love to You”).

The good news about this 💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys standout is that Keys ensures he DOES know her name! Check out the music video and Keys’ crush frequents the coffeehouse where she works.  So infatuated, Keys informs us that, he “always orders the special.”  She eventually reveals her feelings via cell, eventually securing the date during the spoken word interlude (“I know girls don’t usually do this / But I was wondering if maybe we could get together / Outside the restaurant one day”).  Ultimately, “You Don’t Know My Name’ is a fabulous song about crushing on someone.  Furthermore, it’s one of the finest songs of the aughts.    

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Appears in 🔻:  

• Name: 5ive Songs No. 92 (2021)  
• 15 Compelling Name Songs (2021)  
• The Main Ingredient vs. Alicia Keys: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 1 (2022)  

7. Usher, “Burn”  

💿 Confessions • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 2004   

“It’s gon’ burn for me to say this, but it’s coming from my heart / It’s been a long time coming, but we done been fell apart…” Like 🎵 “Yeah!” – OKAY!!! 🎙 Usher was that dude back in 2004 – untouchable! 💿 Confessions was the biggest album of the year, in a year rich with elite music.  Of course, I don’t have to tell you the album didn’t win the 🏆 Grammy for Album Of The Year (🎙 Ray Charles’ posthumous Genius Loves Company came out on top).  While “Yeah!” was the biggest hit from this diamond-selling affair, 🎵 “Burn” was a juggernaut, nominated for two Grammys itself (Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song).    

Even as Confessions reaches the two-decade mark, “Burn” still sounds incredibly fresh.  Usher delivers the ballad with supreme sincerity, capped off by “Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,” representing the singer’s own ‘burning.’ What’s causing this burning, you ask? Breaking up… it’s hard to do! The chorus says it best:     

“When your feeling ain’t the same and your body don’t want to  

But you know, gotta let it go ‘cause the party ain’t  

Jumpin’ like it used to, even though this might bruise you   

Let it burn, let it burn, gotta let it burn  

Deep down, you know it’s best for yourself, but you  

Hate the thought of her bein’ with someone else  

But you know that it’s over, we knew it was through  

Let it burn (Let it burn), let it burn (Let it burn), gotta let it burn.”  

I can’t end commentary on “Burn” without highlighting one of its best lyrical moments: “You’ve been gone for too long / It’s been fifty-leven days, umpteen hours / I’mma be burnin’ till you return…” #CLASSIC!  

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Appears in 🔻:  

• Burn: 5ive Songs No. 34 (2022)  

8. Green Day, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”  

💿 American Idiot • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2004

“Summer has come and passed / The innocent can never last / Wake me up when September ends.” September is viewed unfavorably on the brilliant, 2004 song, 🎵 “Wake Me Up When September Ends” iThe song hails from 💿 American Idiot, one of the best albums by 🏆 Grammy-winning rock/punk revivalist band 🎙 Green Day. September is viewed unfavorably in the song due to the Death of a loved one, specifically 🎙 Billie Joe Armstrong’s dad when he was just10 years old.  That explains moments like “Drenched in my pain again / Becoming who we are / As my memory rests / But never forgets what I lost.”  Armstrong directly addresses his father’s passing on the final verse: “Like my father’s come to pass / Twenty years has gone so fast / Wake me up when September ends.”  A sad song, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the best by the band. 

Appears in 🔻:  

• September: 5ive Songs No. 70 (2021) 

9. Korn, “Twisted Transistor”  

💿 See You On the Other Side • 🏷 Tempo Music Investments, LLC • 📅 2005

“Hey you, hey you, Devil’s little sister / Listening to your twisted transistor…” Okay, 🎙 Jonathan Davis, please continue.  “Hold it between your legs / Turn it up, turn it up.” Um… Jonathan, Jonathan, what the actual hell are you talking about? I sort of followed the transistor part, associating it with radio and music, but then, I’m not sure what you are asking to ‘hold between your legs,’ following up with “Low end is coming through / Can’t get enough.”  Did 🎙 Korn get outlandish, sexual, and unapologetic on 🎵 “Twisted Transistor”, the crowning achievement from their 2005 album, 💿 See You On the Other Side? Are we talking, um, musical phallus here? Well, there’s obviously some innuendo thrown in there!  

Even with some eyebrow-raising lyrics and references, the big takeaway from “Twisted Transistor” is the power of music. It may not make perfect sense initially, but “Twisted Transistor” begins to make sense. “A lonely life, where no one understands you,” Davis sings in the pre-chorus, adding, “but don’t give up, because the music do.”  When providing more context, via the chorus, the hold it between your legs makes more sense:   

“Because the music do   

And then it’s reaching  

Inside you, forever preaching  

Fuck you, too  

You’re scream’s a whisper  

Hang on, you twisted transistor.”  

Gah-day-um, this song STILL kicks some serious ass, Just remember, “And as the tears fall on / Your breasts, your dress / Vibrations coming through!” Or something like that 🤘!   

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Appears in 🔻:   

• Korn, “Twisted Transistor”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 15 (2022)   
• Twist: 5ive Songs No. 58 (2022) 

10. Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together” 

💿 The Emancipation of Mimi • 🏷 Island Def Jam • 📅 2005   

“Who else am I gonna lean on when times get rough? / Who’s gonna talk to me on the phone ‘til the sun comes up / Who’s gonna take your place? There ain’t nobody better / Oh, baby, baby, we belong together.” Really, is there any introduction needed? 🎙 Mariah Carey was everywhere in 2005, experiencing a resurgence in popularity that many music artists only dream could happen. 🎵 “We Belong Together” was a big reason for that, spending 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. 💿 The Emancipation of Mimi gave Carey her biggest critical and commercial triumph in years.

“When you left, I lost a part of me / It’s still so hard to believe / Come back, baby, please / ‘Cause we belong together.” “We Belong Together” is simply an enjoyable, well-rounded R&B break-up song.  Mariah Carey misses her man and begs him to come back because, in her eyes, they “belong together.” It’s well-produced (Carey, 🎛 Jermaine Dupri, and Manuel Seal) without being incredibly flashy. The production does get a lift from two samples – 🎵 “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” (🎙 Bobby Womack) and 🎵 “Two Occasions” (🎙 The Deele featuring 🎙 Babyface). Its simplicity and straightforwardness serve it well.    The biggest selling point? The voice – “marvelous darling!”

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Appears in 🔻:   

• 15 Songs Where We are in This Together! (2020)  
• 15 Compelling Songs About WE (2022)  

11. My Chemical Romance, “Cancer”  

💿 The Black Parade • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2006

“If you could get me a drink / Of water ‘cause my lips are chapped and faded.” Of course, of course – that is not asking much. “Call my Aunt Marie / Help her gather all my things / And bury me in all my favorite colors.” Um, bury? Uh-oh – this is getting morbid! 🎵 “Cancer” is one of the best songs by 🎙 My Chemical Romance.  Arguably, it is the crowning achievement of their conceptual, 2006 album, 💿 The Black Parade. Sometimes, the best songs are sad like “Cancer,” which finds 🎙 Gerard Way portraying a character who is diagnosed with cancer 😢.  The patient understands his cancer is terminal – his death sentence.  That is incredibly tough to cope with.

“Cancer” is filled with pain, which the listener perceives from Way’s assertive performance as well as the dramatic lyrics.  The lyrics don’t sugarcoat the experience – they keep it 💯.  In the second verse, the patient sings, “Now turn away / Cause I’m awful just to see / Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body / Oh, my agony / Know that I will never marry / Baby, I’m just soggy from the chemo.” After reading some annotations of this song, specifically regarding the second verse, it is notable that the patient shows some legit disappointment and sadness about his lot before blaming that vulnerable moment on chemotherapy. “But counting down the days to go / It just ain’t living,” the patient – well Way – sings in the chorus.  Also, fittingly, he adds, in his goodbye message, “‘Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you.” “Cancer” is an MCR classic.

Appears in 🔻:   

• Simply Morbid: 16 Songs Referencing Various Causes of Death (2017)  
• My Chemical Romance, “Cancer”: FIERCE Pop + Rock 🔥🤘 No. 24 (2023)  
• My Chemical Romance vs. Twenty One Pilots: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 21 (2023) 

12. Kanye West, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”  

💿 Graduation • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2007 

“La, la, la-la / Wait ‘til I get my money right.” 🎙 Kanye West is POLARIZING to the nth degree and has said lots of messed-up things. Still, musically, the 🏆 Grammy-winner is innovative, consistently challenged the boundaries of hip-hop.  A personal favorite song arrived on his 💿 Graduation album, released in the Fall 2007, 🎵 “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. This magnificent single helped West secure another no. 1 album. He produced this banger alongside 🎛 DJ Toomp. Notably, it samples 🎵 “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” (🎙 Pete Rock and 🎙 C.L. Smooth) and 🎵 “I Got Money” (🎙 Jeezy). These repurposed joints help shape “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” into the elite rap cut it is. It only peaked at no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the quadruple-platinum single has stood the test of time.

The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the chorus.  West exudes ample personality – he’s confident AF.  But, even if he has an ego, this quasi-melodic hook is potent:

 “La, la, la-la  

Wait ‘til I get my money right  

La, la, la-la  

Then you can’t tell me nothing, right?  

Excuse me, was you saying something?  

Uh uh, you can’t tell me nothing  

You can’t tell me nothing  

Uh uh, you can’t tell me nothing.”

Beyond the timeless chorus, Kanye flexes, flexes, and then, he flexes some more in the verses.  There are vintage one-liners like in the first verse where he asserts, “I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace.” Another gem comes in the second when he spits, “But homie, this is my day / Class started two hours ago, oh, am I late? / No, I already graduated / And you can live through anything if Magic made it.” There’s also the bullet in the third verse: “Life is a–uh–depending how you dress her / So if the Devil wear Prada, Adam Eve wear nada / I’m in between, but way more fresher.” WOO! 

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Appears in 🔻:   

• Songs Where Musicians Just Can’t, Vol. 1 (2017)  
• Kanye West, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”: Rap BNGRZ 🔥 No. 18 (2022)  

13. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”  

💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2008 

“All the single ladies (All the single ladies) / All the single ladies / Now put your hands up.” WOO! Need an example of a truly ubiquitous song? Look no further than 🎵 “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” one of the best songs in the illustrious musical catalog of 🎙 Beyoncé.  The song, which rightfully won the 🏆 Grammy for Song of the Year, appears on her 2008 double album, 💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce. “Single Ladies” is filled with fun. Produced by Queen Bey, 🎛 The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart, “Single Ladies” remains fresh 15 years after its arrival.  The beat! The synths! Most of all, the assertive, attitude-laden vocals of Queen Bey with catchy lyrics makes “Single Ladies” a surefire winner.  The minute you hear it, whether you’re a single lady, a married lady, or a fella, it makes you wanna dance – #INFECTIOUS.  The chorus is golden, with Beyoncé telling these boys, if you like it (aka her) you better lock it (her) down!   

“‘Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it  

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it  

Don’t be mad once you see that he want it  

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it  

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.”

Appears in 🔻:   

• Put Your Money 💵 on These 15 Put Songs (2022) 
• 13 Blingy, Hella Icy Jewelry Songs (2023)  

14. Lady Gaga, “Just Dance” (Ft. Colby O’Donis) 

💿 The Fame • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2008 

“I had a little bit too much, much / All of the people start to rush,” 🎙 Lady Gaga asserts in the first verse of her 2008, debut single, 🎵 “Just Dance”. The 🏆 Academy/Grammy award winner continues singing, “A dizzy twister dance, can’t find my drink or man / Where are my keys? I lost my phone, phone.” Clearly, Lady Gaga is drunk AF, having a little too much fun at the club.  Her inebriation is our listening pleasure.  She’s assisted by 🎙 Colby O’ Donis on this 💿 The Fame standout. Following the success of “Just Dance,” Lady Gaga’s ascended and remains electric to this day.

The production by 🎛 RedOne is the perfect fuel for Gaga’s fire.  Unsurprisingly, the biggest moment of “Just Dance” – where everyone wants to take their booty to the dance floor – is the chorus.  Basically, after getting drunk, she’s going to dance, baby! 

“Just dance  

Gonna be okay, da-da-doo-doot-n  

Just dance  

Spin that record, babe, da-da-doo-doot-n…”  

As you can imagine – or listen/read the lyrics – more craziness happens at the club.  In the second verse, she questions “How’d I turn my shirt inside out?” Colby arrives in the third bringing some swagger and trying to get some, of course: “I’ma hit it, I’ma beat it up, latch onto it until tomorrow, yeah / Shorty, I can see that you got so much energy / The way you twirlin’ up them hips ‘round and ‘round / And there is no reason at all why you can’t leave here with me.” Oh, sugar-honey-iced-tea! You never forget your first.  I highly doubt that Lady Gaga has or can ever forget the impact that 🎵 “Just Dance” had on pop and dance. 

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Appears in 🔻:  

• Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”: Dance Hitz 🕺 💃 🎶 No. 4 (2022)  

15. Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” (Ft. Alicia Keys) 

💿 Blueprint 3 • 🏷 Roc Nation • 📅 2009  

“Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game / Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can…” What happens when you put two 🏆 Grammy-winning musicians on the same track? Excellence, at least that’s the case with 🎙 Jay-Z and 🎙 Alicia Keys, who joined forces in 2009 to create a new anthem for the state/city with 🎵 “Empire State of Mind.”  “Empire State of Mind” marked one of the brightest spots of Hov’s 💿 The Blueprint 3. Keys gets the honor of performing the most memorable part of the song, the chorus, in all its glory.     

“In New York  

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of  

There’s nothin’ you can’t do  

Now you’re in New York  

These streets will make you feel brand-new  

Big lights will inspire you  

Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York.”   

Even if she’s the star in that regards, Jay-Z is on-point, dropping some of the best rhymes of his career.  Looking back on this gem, it’s not surprising why it was so beloved at the time and still garners plenty of praise.

Appears in 🔻:  

• New York: 5ive Songs No. 13 (2021) 
• 15 Compelling New York Songs (2021)