My Favorite Song from Every Year I’ve Been Alive (Part Four: 2000–2009)

The E Street Band Strikes Back

We’ve crossed into a new millennium in my limited series on my favorite song from each year I’ve been alive, and just as it was a transitional decade in my personal life, it was also one with my favorite music. The 2000s saw the arrival of my second daughter, the end of my marriage, the completion of my first novel, and proof (for me at least) that 40 was definitely not the new 30. It was also a significant decade for me from a literary standpoint, with now-beloved novels like The Shadow of the Wind, The Thirteenth Tale, and The Angel’s Game all published during the 2000s.

It was transitional for another reason, as it was the final decade where I would have more impact on my children’s musical taste than they would have mine; in the final installment covering the 2010/2020s, you will clearly see their influence. The 2000s are also a decade that Bruce Springsteen will dominate, though that’s only fair given his total absence from my 1990s list.

As with previous installments, I want to make clear that this is a listing of my personal favorite songs for each year of the 2000s. It is almost certain now that we’ve left the comfort of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s that my favorites will differ greatly from many of yours, and that’s ok.

Now on to the tunes.

2000: “In the End” — Linkin Park. On paper, a band fusing metal and rap should not have been in my wheelhouse. Fortunately, they’re on record and not on paper. Mike and Chester were a duo made in heaven, as this song (and so many others) clearly proves. Runner-up: “Stan” by Eminem.

2001: “Don’t Let Me Get Me” — Pink. This one may shock some of you, but the whole M!ssundaztood album is solid. As I said in the series on my favorite albums, for the past 22 years the only phrase I’ve used more often than “don’t let me get me” is “tramps like us.” Runners-up: “Drops of Jupiter” by Train and “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. “The Middle” might have had a shot at the top spot, but then I heard their version of “Last Christmas” a few days ago. Yuck.

2002: “Mary’s Place” — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. After the birth of my daughter, Bruce resurrecting the E Street Band was the greatest thing to happen for me in the 2000s. It still boggles my mind that The Rising album was the first true E Street Band album since 1984’s Born in the USA; people think of Tunnel of Love as an E Street record, but on the bulk of the songs Bruce played most of the instruments himself. The Rising is a tremendous comeback record and “Mary’s Place” is my favorite from the album (I included a rockin’ version from the Live in Barcelona DVD below). Runner-up: “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland (for me, Beyonce was the second-best artist in Destiny’s Child; Kelly will always be first).

2003: (tie) “Bring Me to Life” — Evanescence and “Somewhere I Belong” — Linkin Park. I said in an earlier installment that if I had a tie for any year, you would all mock me in the comments. Well, for 2003 go ahead and mock away; try as I might, there is just no way for me to choose between these two. I listed “Bring Me to Life” first simply because Amy Lee has the voice of an angel; it would be ungentlemanly to put Chester and Mike ahead of her, even in a tie. Runner-up: “Hey Ya!” by Outkast (it was almost a three-way tie).

2004: “First of the Gang to Die” — Morrissey. It is a testament to my probably unhealthy love of Moz that this song keeps Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia” out of this spot, but in a way it’s fitting; I picked the American Idiot album over Morrissey’s You Are the Quarry as my favorite album of 2004.

2005: “Jackson” — Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Can we all agree that when Kanye’s “Gold Digger” is the biggest song of the year, the year is one to forget? Bruce did release Devils and Dust in 2005, but it’s probably my least-favorite album of his with the exception of the covers album Only the Strong Survive. My favorite song of 2005 was actually originally released in 1967 by Johnny Cash and June Carter, but the version sung by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in the stellar biopic Walk the Line was released in 2005. Runners-up: none.

2006: “Pay Me My Money Down” — Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band. I thought that 2003 was going to be the toughest year to choose a favorite song, but I was wrong. I could really cheat and go with a four-way tie here, but this time there is a tiebreaker: my children. We listened to Bruce’s We Shall Overcome album (a collection of classic American folk tunes) non-stop during a road trip to Galveston during the summer of 2006 and “Pay Me My Money Down” was our favorite, which gives it a happy association on top of its brilliance. The very honorable mentions go to “Come On Hard” by Gin Blossoms, “Gravity’s Gone” by Drive-By Truckers, and “Bendita Tu Luz” by Maná (a song and band I was first introduced to last year by Alex Markham).

2007: “I’ll Work for Your Love” — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I wrote a review a while back calling 2007’s Magic album the best Springsteen album you’ve never heard, and for most this is sadly still true. It wasn’t easy choosing a favorite from among songs like “Last to Die,” “Long Walk Home,” “Gypsy Biker,” and “Terry’s Song” (a moving tribute to Bruce’s longtime friend Terry Magovern, who died shortly before the album was released), but for me “I’ll Work for Your Love” stands just a bit above the rest. It has both religious imagery and a Clarence Clemons sax solo, so what’s not to love? Runners-up: “Misery Business” by Paramore, “Jamie All Over” by Mayday Parade, and “Dear Maria, Count Me In” by All Time Low (my kids were a serious influence for 2007).

2008: None. I literally have no favorite song that was released in 2008. Wow. At least the year was saved when I saw Bruce live on April 13, 2008 during the Magic tour.

2009: “Weightless” — All Time Low. Yes, in a year when Springsteen released the Working on a Dream album with the E Street Band, my favorite song is by four punks from Baltimore. I blame my oldest daughter, but in reality it’s a fair trade: her favorite song from 1980 is Springsteen’s “Sherry Darling.”

Here are the links to Parts One, Two, and Three of the series. As always, I have included a playlist below, and be sure to let me know your own favorites in the comments. Next up, the final installment: 2010 through 2023. Until then, keep on rockin’.

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