5 Best Rock Songs of the 2000s
The 2000s were the last decade to give us a string of classic rock songs that people still remember. It was also an eclectic time for rock ‘n’ roll, considering that Green Day and Linkin Park managed to have big hits. Here are the five best rock tracks the decade had to offer.
5. Fall Out Boy’s ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’
Fall Out Boy helped define 2000s rock. With their mix of emo, bizarre lyrical choices, and shameless sexuality, the band earned a cult following that kept them on the Billboard Hot 100 well into the 2010s. Some of their hits are a lot better than others, though.
The vaguely homoerotic “Thnks fr th Mmrs” remains the band’s crowning achievement. It’s a combination of adrenaline, urgency, sexuality, and fun that’ll sound good decades from now. “Thnks for th Mmrs” is good enough to help you forget that the band made a terrible left turn into EDM with the album Mania.
4. The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’
The White Stripes were cooler than cool in the 2000s. Most of their discography is appreciated by a mix of hipsters and classic rock aficionados who knew that they were doing their best to keep the flames of rock ‘n’ roll alive. However, they gave us one song that has become an anthem for everybody.
“Seven Nation Army” has become a sports staple comparable to Queen’s “We Are the Champions” or Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2.” It’s hard to listen to it without feeling like the most awesome person on the planet. The track will be a self-empowerment song for bros for decades to come.
3. Green Day’s ‘Jesus of Suburbia’
Every great band wants to write their own version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” an epic-length song that changes styles and tempos multiple times but still feels cohesive. Green Day gave us some fun pop-punk songs with their album American Idiot, but “Jesus of Suburbia” was the pièce de résistance.
The track is a straightforward punk song, then a ballad, then a pub sing-along, then a punk song again. It’s possibly the best encapsulation of teen angst ever. And it took a lot of chutzpah for Green Day to rip off Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” while claiming to be punk.
2. ‘The Fight Song’ by Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson’s music was falsely blamed for inciting the Columbine High School massacre. This led to a massive, unwarranted backlash against the singer. Rather than recede from the headlines for a while, Manson came out swinging. “The Fight Song” is his way of saying that the world wasn’t going to keep him down.
Taking some ideas from 1970s glam rock and Blur’s “Song 2,” “The Fight Song” is a pure shot of machismo. Anyone who listens to rock ‘n’ roll to feel awesome will love this song as long as they can swallow the social commentary.
1. The Killers’ ‘Mr. Brightside’
The Killers’ debut album, Hot Fuss, was almost perfect. If you listen to that album, you’ll wonder why they didn’t become as big as U2 afterward. Sadly, they never managed to live up to Hot Fuss ever again, even as they put out great songs like “When You Were Young” and “Caution.”
Hot Fuss includes their best track: “Mr. Brightside.” A dizzying cocktail of mixed emotions, few tunes have ever captured the pain of the jilted lover as much as “Mr. Brightside.” And its Moulin Rouge!-inspired music video is better than the actual film.
