"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value." -Thomas Paine, 1776
"If I die before I witness a San Francisco Giants' World Championship, my life will be somewhat incomplete, no matter what else happens." -Andrew Nolan, 2009
My first thought when the tears came was, absurdly, "I wonder if I've ever cried before 10 a.m. before." The next one was, "I'm almost positive I've never cried in front of this many people..."
I'm not much of a crier. Don't do it at movies (except this one). Didn't do it on the day of my wedding, nor at the birth of my son (nicknamed "Panda" before we decided on his real name because of our love for 2009 Pablo Sandoval). I did get a bit choked up the night the Giants won the World Series for the first time in their San Francisco existence. Oddly, though I had celebrated effusively that night, I still felt a bit...numb. It all seemed a little unreal. After waiting for my conscious life for this to happen, I couldn't quite process it. This team did it? And with relative ease? I'd built it up to be such a Holy Grail, such a vain fantasy, that when it actually happened, when the Giants actually rolled the Rangers in five games...it was a letdown of sorts. Where was the drama? Where was the torture? This wasn't the team I'd followed these many years, knowing that any success was merely a prelude to a massive failure just around the corner.
Catharsis didn't come until approximately 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 3, the morning of the parade that I'd been hoping to attend for the past...well...since I can remember. And it came in the oddest of places: on a BART train.
There are so many things I could write about the 2010 S.F. Giants, but many others have said them already, and better than I have.
I could tell you that part of my "letdown" was that I realized how attached I'd grown to this particular squad, and I wouldn't get to see them play together anymore. They were a constant in my life since April, and they evolved constantly and intriguingly. I devoted many more hours to watching/analyzing/worrying about them than is healthy.
I could tell you that this was the most likable Giants bunch since the late 80's, and possibly ever. It was a "team" in the truest sense of the word. The best team in baseball, for one magical year.
I could tell you how euphoric it feels to write these words: The 2010 San Francisco Giants are World Champions.
Instead, I'd like to share with you what got me so verklempt at the Embarcadero station the other day, and how it fully epitomizes my jubilance as a Giants fan.
As any Red Sox/White Sox/Cubs/Indians fan could tell you, there is (or was, in the case of both Soxes) a legitimate fear that lifelong fans could pass away before seeing the team he or she devoted so much time, energy and passion to reach the ultimate zenith.
You can tell my high school students haven't been Giants fans for long enough because they say things like "You gotta have faith!" and "Stay positive!" They were eight or nine years old in 2002. Not nearly old enough to have the hole punched through their heart still be a gaping wound eight years later. Heck, I was 13 when the Giants were swept by the crosstown A's in 1989, not to mention for the myriad playoff flameouts in between. It takes time to build up this much agita.
And here's the thing: I never saw Mays play. Or McCovey. Or Marichal. Other than the occasional appearance at the ballpark, they're just statues and old newsreel footage to me. There are people who've been rooting for this team since it moved to San Francisco in 1958 and became part of the fabric of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Some of them died before they got a chance to watch the outpouring of joy that the rest of us experienced on Wednesday, November 3, at a parade that part of me dreaded would never take place while I walked this earth.
This championship is for all of us. But even more so, it's for them.
Which is why my eyes clouded with tears when I looked to my right on an incredibly impacted BART train and finally saw the sign the woman in the wheelchair who'd gotten on at Rockridge was holding. She had to be in her 80's and was being wheeled around by her similarly-aged husband. There had been too many people for me to see it before, but once the doors opened at Embarcadero, people got off, and I could see the large, orange sign she was holding. Without warning, I was reduced to a quivering mess.
I took a photo with my cell phone camera as quickly as I could, and then awkwardly half-embraced the man pushing the chair, who had seen me trying to document the moment and aimed the woman and the sign toward me. I stammered, "Her sign...it made me cry." His eyes also began to well up. "Me, too" he replied.
Her dad had raised her a Giants fan, who knows how many years ago. He never got to see them march down Market street as World Series Champions in person.
Well, it finally happened. His daughter made sure he didn't miss it.
Thank you, 2010 San Francisco Giants. Thank you, from all of us.
Same rules apply here as to my music blogs (songs and albums). Unlike with music, I consider myself a pretty astute judge of film. Still, I'm perfectly aware that there are others more qualified than I to make a "Best of" list for the decade. Thus, movies that I consider works of art, such as Brokeback Mountain and There Will Be Blood will only make the honorable mentions list. As great as I think they are, I don't want to watch them over and over again.
Therefore, this list should be considered the 10 movies that I never got sick of. If I see any of these showing on cable, I'm guaranteed to watch for at least 15 minutes.
First, the honorable mentions:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Almost Famous (2000), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), Mission: Impossible III (2006), X-Men (2000) and X-2: X-Men United (2003), Hotel Rwanda (2004), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Star Trek (2009), Old School (2003), Casino Royale (2006), Bowling for Columbine (2002), Children of Men (2006), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Milk (2008), Miracle (2004), Road to Perdition (2002), Super Troopers (2001), There Will Be Blood (2007), Unbreakable (2000), Training Day (2001), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Grizzly Man, (2005), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Kill Bill, Vols I and II (2003, 2004).
The two films I had the toughest time omitting (Honorable Honorable Mentions?): Batman Begins (2005) and Garden State (2004). Begins would've made it if I didn't like The Dark Knight even better, and Garden State would've made it if Zach Braff had let someone else play the lead instead of moping through his otherwise excellent film.
The top 10:
10. The Departed (2006) A brilliant mobster/cop flick where everyone's throwing their fastball, sans perhaps Jack, who decided to chew scenery rather than craft a three-dimensional character. The rest of the cast more than makes up for it. Damon and DiCaprio are so good they make me want to see an inverse version of the film where they switch roles. Wouldn't that be fascinating?
The film's got crackerjack tough-guy dialogue as well, like this exchange after DiCaprio punches a guy for demeaning his choice of cranberry juice at the bar:
Mr. French: [calmly] Hey, hey, hey... do you know me? Billy Costigan: No, no. Mr. French: Well, I'm the guy that tells you there are guys you can hit and there's guys you can't. Now, that's not quite a guy you can't hit, but it's almost a guy you can't hit. So I'm gonna make a fuckin' ruling on this right now. You don't fuckin' hit him. You understand?
However, Wahlberg gets the best lines. My favorite:
Dignam: This is unbelievable. Who put the fuckin' cameras in this place? Police Camera Tech: Who the fuck are you? Dignam: I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy.
9. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) This loving ode to the 70's is by far my favorite Will Ferrell performance. Is it a great film? No, but it's absurdly funny.
When I first saw this movie, by myself on dvd, I'm not sure I even liked it. Oh, there were some chuckles here and there, but nothing special, I thought. Anchorman is like one of those catchy pop tunes on the radio, though. The lines just went around and around in my head and got funnier on repeated viewings. It eventually ended up my most quoted film of the decade.
To wit: Ron Burgundy: I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly...
Veronica Corningstone: My God, what is that smell? Oh. Brian Fantana: That's the smell of desire my lady. Veronica Corningstone: God no, it smells like, like a used diaper... filled with... Indian food. Oh, excuse me. Brian Fantana: You know, desire smells like that to some people. News Station Employee: What is that? Smells like a turd covered in burnt hair. News Station Employee: Smells like Bigfoot's dick. Ron Burgundy: You are a smelly pirate hooker. Veronica Corningstone: You look like a blueberry. Ron Burgundy: Why don't you go back to your home on Whore Island?
[to Baxter the dog] Ron Burgundy: What? You pooped in the refrigerator? And you ate the whole... wheel of cheese? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not even mad; that's amazing.
Ron Burgundy: I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal. Veronica Corningstone: Really. Ron Burgundy: People know me. Veronica Corningstone: Well, I'm very happy for you. Ron Burgundy: I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.
Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale's vagina. Veronica Corningstone: No, there's no way that's correct. Ron Burgundy: I'm sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don't know what it means. I'll be honest, I don't think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago. Veronica Corningstone: Doesn't it mean Saint Diego? Ron Burgundy: No. No. Veronica Corningstone: No, that's - that's what it means. Really. Ron Burgundy: Agree to disagree.
Ron Burgundy: I'm gonna punch you in the ovary, that's what I'm gonna do. A straight shot. Right to the babymaker.
And, of course, the immortal Brick Tamland (Steve Carrell)... Brick Tamland: I love... carpet. [pause] Brick Tamland: I love... desk. Ron Burgundy: Brick, are you just looking at things in the office and saying that you love them? Brick Tamland: I love lamp. Ron Burgundy: Do you really love the lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it? Brick Tamland: I love lamp. I love lamp.
...and my favorite moment of the film:
Ron Burgundy: Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast. Champ Kind: It jumped up a notch. Ron Burgundy: It did, didn't it? Brick Tamland: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart. Ron Burgundy: I saw that. Brick killed a guy. Did you throw a trident? Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident. Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
8. Spider-Man 2 (2004) A couple years ago, this would be higher on my list, but for whatever reason it hasn't aged for me as well as some of the others. I haven't watched it in a while. It's possible I'm also downgrading it because of the colossal wreck that is Spider-Man 3. Anyway, it's still beloved.
Like many sagas, Spider-Man really hits its stride in the second installment. All that origin stuff is out of the way; now Peter must deal with being a hero and the toll that can take on one's social life. He goes through the same doubt that anyone does when they undergo a huge lifestyle change. What did I just do? Is it too late to take it back?
He loses his mojo for a while, which is something else we can all relate to. However, he has enough of it to save everyone's bacon in one of my favorite scenes of the decade. The train rescue itself is great, but what gives me chills is the part at the end where the passengers catch Spider-Man and pass him backward through the train. When the little kid says, "Don't worry. We won't tell," (unfortunately, it's not in this clip) well, let's just say my allergies start acting up.
7. The Bourne Identity (2002) The second installment might be a better film, and the third is no slouch, either (although I could never quite get into it the way I can the first two). However, the first Bourne movie was so refreshingly different than any other action/spy thriller that came before it.
It's hard to recall now, but the odds were stacked against this film being a success. Nobody thought of Matt Damon as an action star; it turned out he was the best choice for the agile, cerebral Bourne. The film's director (Doug Lyman) was known for making hip comedies like Swingers and Go, not helming an action franchise. Nevertheless, his kinetic style serves as the perfect tone for the techno cool of the film.
Not only does The Bourne Identity get credit for being awesome on its own merit, it also deserves kudos for inspiring the amazing Bond reboot, Casino Royale. There's no way that movie gets made in the style it did without taking its blueprint from Bourne.
In terms of cerebral action, both Bourne's escape from the embassy and his Mini Cooper joyride are as good as it gets, without our hero firing a shot and with nary an explosion in sight. That sound you just heard was Michael Bay snorting in derision.
6. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) Have I ever laughed harder in the movie theatre? Not in my adult life (seeing The Naked Gun when I was 12 probably wins out all-time). The truly amazing thing about the most hilarious film of the decade is that my expectations were incredibly high going in. I was a fan of The Ali G Show, where the Borat character originated. The buzz before the film's release was otherworldly. Still, I found myself crying tears of laughter along with a packed house on opening night at Sasha Baron Cohen's antics.
Admittedly, some of the scenes are one-trick ponies because of their shock value. You can only get the full comedic effect of the nude wrestling or the "attempted kidnapping" of Pamela Anderson once. But a line like this gives me the giggles just thinking about it:
Sometime my sister, she show her vazhïn to my brother Bilo and say "You will never get this you will never get it la la la la la la." He behind his cage. He cries, he cries and everybody laughs. She goes "You never get this." But one time he break cage and he "get this" and then we all laugh. High five!
Like any great satire, the film can be enjoyed on two levels. My teenage students think it's funny because "It's so racist!" (this applies to stupid adults as well). The rest of us are able to see that Borat is not skewering Kazakhstan or Jews but our own cultural ignorance (not to mention geographical ignorance- the Kazakhstan bits are actually filmed in Romania, neither of which most Americans could get close to finding on a map).
Regardless of one's comedic acumen, everyone is rolling when Borat and his portly assistant throw money at the cockroaches, supposedly a kindly old Jewish couple who have "changed their shape." Or when Borat demands of a woman at a garage sale, "Gypsy, give me your tears." Or when Borat addresses a cheering rodeo crowd, "May George Bush drink the blood of every single man, woman, and child of Iraq!"
5. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001) A funny thing happened here. When I first wrote my list, I had the first Lord of the Rings movie as an honorable mention, and The Two Towers made the Top 10. I had convinced myself that it was my favorite of the three excellent films. Then I started thinking about all the moments from the movies I liked...and 70% of them came from Fellowship.
The mines of Moria scene is still the series' seminal moment. It's the spot when the daunting challenge of Peter Jackson's really long movies about wizards, elves, and hobbits suddenly became, "Holy crap! This is actually going to work!" When it comes down to it, if I could only watch one of the three LOR films for the rest of my life, it would be this one, which came as a surprise to even me.
4. The Dark Knight (2008) There's been a revisionist tendency to describe this film as overrated after the initial rush of praise. Sorry, I still love it. It's filled with tension; there's not a dull moment. Bale's "Batman voice," first mocked, has now become a pop culture staple. I still believe the movie missed an opportunity, but that will affect further installments, not this masterpiece.
3. The Ring (2002) I love horror movies the way a fat kid loves cake. It's my guilty pleasure genre, and I end up sitting through a lot of dreck in search of a few good scares. Most of my favorite horror films (Halloween, The Exorcist, A Nightmare on Elm Street) came out before I was alive/allowed to watch them in the theatres; thus, The Ring is the most scared I've ever been at the movies, narrowly edging The Blair Witch Project. When Samara crawls out of the well and through the tv at the end, I can still remember what I said aloud, squirming with the rest of the opening night crowd: "Oh my god, you've got to be f#%&ing s@#tting me."
It would've been one of the best horror films of the decade if it had ended after the harrowing scene with Naomi Watts "rescuing" Samara out of the well. That double climax just made it an instant classic. Basically, you're on edge of your seat from the masterful opening scene with the two girls alone in the house, and it never lets up. The tape that supposedly kills you if you watch it itself is unsettling, and when you get home and realize that you've also seen it, you're just hoping that the tv isn't on static when you turn it on, or you just might wet yourself.
As for The Ring 2, let's all just pretend it never happened, shall we?
1. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) When I sat down to make this list, it was the first one I wrote down. Still, I figured something would eventually surpass it. I mean, it's a silly little comedy movie. Hell, let's face it; it's pretty much a romantic comedy. I hate romantic comedies!
Or do I?
Isn't what I hate about most romantic comedies what I hate about other crappy genre flicks? They stick to formula. They're usually merely star vehicles. They're sloppily written. They're full of flat characters. They're cynically aimed at an audience who doesn't care about any of that; they want to turn their brains off and drink in the formula.
It occurred to me that another favorite, eminently re-watchable movie of mine is Say Anything, essentially another rom-com. So it's not this genre of film I necessarily hate (although I certainly don't gravitate to it), it's just that very, very few of them do love and funny as well as Sarah Marshall.
It's one of the few films that gives me a grin just thinking about it. I own it on blu-ray and also have it saved on my dvr. My wife asked me why, and I told her it was because we don't have a blu-ray player in the bedroom, and I might want to watch part of it when I'm down there. It easily passes the "If it's on cable, will I watch for at least 15 minutes?" test. Speaking of my wife, she had to threaten a divorce if I didn't stop singing "Die...die...die...I can't" from "Dracula's Lament."
There's simply nothing I don't like about this film. Most importantly, all the characters are multi-dimensional and believable. Even the supposed "bad guy," Aldous Snow, is a pretty decent fellow. Main character Peter Bretter reluctantly admits, "Fuck, you're cool!" Those typical "cute" romantic comedy moments never feel forced, even though they're all there: The first kiss, the first fight, and the guy gets the girl.
Then there's the fact that it's funny as hell. Lance already posted a lot of his favorite lines in his own blog about Sarah Marshall, but I can list a bunch more without repeating any.
Brian: You don't need to put your P in a V right now. Peter Bretter: No, I need to B my L on someone's T's.
Brian: Look. Liz and I, we think the world of Sarah. We think she's great. But, and I'm just being honest here, every time she would come over to our house, she always acted, you know, like a... like a little bitch. Okay, okay, okay, pump the brakes. Peter Bretter: Dating Sarah is not like dating Liz, okay? Sarah is better than Liz! Brian: You really want to have this conversation? Do you really want to have this conversation? Peter Bretter: Yes. Brian: [screaming] She is the mother of my unborn child! Peter Bretter: [meekly] Sorry. Brian: You're my step-brother! We're not even blood! I have no qualms with sticking you! I will equalize you! Peter Bretter: Sorry. Brian: You dick!
Sarah Marshall: When were you planning on telling me this? Aldous Snow: I just told you, then. Sarah Marshall: Yeah. No, I know. But telling me now isn't really the same as telling me. Aldous Snow: Well, look, you know, I've not told you I've got genital herpes, because it's not inflamed at the moment...
Kunu: [singing to himself] Oh the weather outside is weather...
Aldous: It was like going on holiday ... not with Hitler maybe — but Goebbels, yeah.
I'll leave you with my favorite moment from the film:
Albums are one thing. But songs? Even if you mainly stick to pop and rock (as I do), that's still a ton of material to go through. Initially, I was trying to reign myself in and hold to just 10 songs. However, there were a bunch that I just couldn't stomach leaving out. Then it occurred to me: Why am I torturing myself? It's my blog, ain't it? I make the rules here. So you, constant readers, get 2X the list and 2X the music. Happy New Year!
The same disclaimer applies as it did for this blog on my 10 favorite albums. I'm not saying these are the 20 "best" songs of the decade. I don't know how you'd do that, anyway; musical tastes are so subjective. These are just my 20 favorites as of today. If you asked me to make this same list tomorrow, I'll bet there would be five or six different entries, and the order would be all switched around. Thus, the numerous honorable mentions that follow (and I guarantee I'll be kicking myself for not including tunes on there, as well).
A couple thoughts, before I get on with the main attraction. First, I welcome all criticisms and comments. Half the fun of making lists is the discussion they generate. I would just remind you that it's pretty easy to trash the work of others (and these blogs have taken me several hours) when you yourself put nothing on the line. These are my choices. If you don't like them, suggest some of your own or debate the wisdom of certain picks with thoughtful critique. Simply indignantly spluttering that I have terrible taste in music, with nothing insightful nor intelligent to back up your assertions, kind of makes you an asshole.
One last thing. When writing about one's favorite music, you can take three different tacts:
1. Mention critically-acclaimed and respected acts (Radiohead, The Arcade Fire, etc.) in order to have your assertions immediately backed. Very safe.
2. Name a bunch of esoteric, relatively unknown bands, along with the fact that you don't listen to the radio and hate MTV. This will give you instant indie cred, although few will care about what you have to say, because most have never heard of these artists.
3. Be honest and acknowledge what you love, no matter how it makes you look. The bravest choice.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that by making these lists with a pure heart and putting them out for public consumption (and evisceration), I'm pretty courageous. Not as brave as William Wallace or Martin Luther King, maybe, but probably right around Ghandi's level.
The honorable mentions, in no discernible order: Coldplay: "In My Place" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head," Jimmy Eat World: "Kill" and "Big Casino," Bouncing Souls: "Lean on Sheena," Augustana: "Boston," Pearl Jam: "Come Back," "Unthought Known" and "Force of Nature," Outkast: "Hey Ya," Muse: "Hysteria," Social Distortion: "Don't Take Me for Granted," Taking Back Sunday: "Cute Without the 'E'," Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me," My Chemical Romance: "Helena" and "Famous Last Words," Frightened Rabbit: "Head Rolls Off," Katy Perry: "Hot and Cold" and "Thinking of You," Fountains of Wayne: "Mexican Wine," Regina Spektor: "On the Radio," All-American Rejects: "Swing, Swing" Alicia Keys: "No One," The Strokes: "Sometimes" and "Reptilia," Rhianna: "Umbrella," Liz Phair: "Why Can't I?" and "Red Light Fever," Dashboard Confessional: "Vindicated," Hilary Duff: "So Yesterday," New Found Glory: "My Friends Over You," Interpol: "Evil," MXPX: "Heard That Sound" and "Quit Your Life," (my first-dance wedding song) Death Cab for Cutie: "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," Jack's Mannequin: "The Mixed Tape," Yellowcard: "Empty Apartment," Mary J. Blige featuring U2: "One," The Killers: "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," "All These Things That I've Done," and "Spaceman," Bloc Party: "Helicopter," Silversun Pickups: "Well Thought-Out Twinkles" and "Panic Switch," Against Me!: "Thrash Unreal," Paramore: "Crushcrushcrush," Kate Nash: "Foundations," MGMT: "Time to Pretend," The Ting-Tings: "That's Not My Name," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: "Falling Slowly," M.I.A.: "Paper Planes," T.I. featuring Rhianna: "Live Your Life," The Sounds: "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake," Avril Lavigne: "Don't Tell Me" and "How Does it Feel?," Enrique Iglesias: "Escape," Lady Gaga: "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," The White Stripes: "Blue Orchid" and "Icky Thump," Pink: "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "So What?," Blink-182: "Always," "Feeling This," and "I Miss You," Green Day: "Waiting," "Minority," "Church on Sunday," "Holiday," "Letterbomb," and "Whatsername," Rhett Miller: "Our Love," The Shins: "New Slang" and "Phantom Limb," The Fray: "How to Save a Life," Britney Spears: "Oops, I Did it Again."
My top 20:
20. The Killers: "When You Were Young" (Sam's Town, 2006)
The mark of any truly great song is that you never tire of hearing it. I'm not sick of this one yet, despite its ubiquitous presence.
19. U2: "Walk On" (All That You Can't Leave Behind, 2000)
Back from when U2 "reapplied for the position of biggest band in the world." Mission accomplished, at least for the first part of the decade. Then they made No Line on the Horizon and ended not with a bang, but a whimper. 18. All-American Rejects: "Move Along" (Move Along, 2005)
A real pick-me-upper, this one. Yeah, it's relentlessly earnest, but I'm about as cynical as they come, and this song inspires me.
17. Taking Back Sunday: "Makedamnsure" (Louder Now, 2006)
Hardcore TBS fans will castigate me for choosing the band's mainstream hit, but there's a reason it's their biggest song: It's awesome. I even made this the ringtone on my phone for when Eileen called. "I just wanna break you down so badly..." Completely ironic, of course.
16. Beyonce: "Irreplaceable" (B'day, 2006)
"To the left, to the left." Beyonce's fierce kiss off to a cheating spouse is irresistible, no matter one's gender.
15. Grandaddy: "Now It's On" (Sumday, 2003)
A melodic, quirky little tune whose greatness sneaks up on you. Had this video saved on my tivo for a year because my former roommate "British" Sam Dean would request me to play it by saying, "Mate, give me my click" (watch the beginning of the clip, and you'll get it).
14. Jimmy Eat World: "A Praise Chorus" (Bleed American, 2001)
Driven and sentimental, this is the song that made me fall madly in love with Jimmy Eat World. Contains several allusions to other rock songs, the most obvious being "Crimson and Clover," but there are more subtle references to acts as widely disparate as Motley Crue and They Might Be Giants. Clever, hopeful songwriting.
13. Weezer: "Perfect Situation" (Make Believe, 2005)
I love the way the opening guitar builds in intensity and then explodes into a sweet solo, leading into River's plaintive lyrics. It's also one of my favorite videos of the decade; it captures Elisha Cuthbert (24's Kim Bauer) at the apex of her hotness.
12. My Chemical Romance: "Welcome to the Black Parade" (The Black Parade, 2006)
Epic, bombastic, impassioned...right up my alley.
11. Dashboard Confessional: "Hands Down" (MTV Unplugged, 2002)
Despite the annoying sing-a-long crowd, I prefer this version to the electric one. Based on this song's inclusion, you'd think I was a hopeless romantic. I'm not, but whatever romantic bone I have in me is tickled by this charming little ditty.
10. The Dixie Chicks: "Not Ready to Make Nice" (Taking the Long Way, 2006)
I despise most country music. But this song isn't country. It's punk. It's a big, angry F.U. to the ignorant masses who turned on the Chicks for having the gall to suggest the Iraq war wasn't such a good idea. Boy, the egg's really on their faces, huh? The best part is the the violin solo after Natalie Mains' incredulous wail about dealing with death threats from moronic rednecks. Chills.
9. All-American Rejects: "The Last Song" (The All-American Rejects, 2003)
I want this song played at my funeral. There won't be a dry eye in the place.
8. Snow Patrol: "Run" (Final Straw, 2003)
I can remember hearing this for the first time on the radio and thinking "Who is THAT?" I'm a sucker for a soaring guitar solo, and this song's got a great one.
7. Sum 41: "Walking Disaster" (Underclass Hero, 2007)
I still can't figure out why this song never took off on alternative radio. Whatever; it pushes my foot to the gas pedal, the mark of any great rock tune.
6. Fall Out Boy: "Sugar, We're Going Down" (From Under the Cork Tree, 2005)
I dig the way the song starts, with the drum beat then the guitar crash. Even better are the lyrics: "I'm just a notch in your bed post, but you're just a line in a song" just edges out "Wishing to be the friction in your jeans." Classic.
5. My Chemical Romance: "Disenchanted" (The Black Parade, 2006)
Sometimes you can like a song because you haven't heard it a ton of times. This one never became a single, which makes me overvalue it, perhaps. All I know is that it's my favorite song on one of my favorite albums.
4. Kelly Clarkson: "Since U Been Gone" (Breakaway, 2004)
The odds of this song being this high are astronomical once you factor in that I have a petition to ban American Idol posted in my classroom. Before I heard this, I was willing to hate on anything that was spawned by that mind-sucking show. Such is the power of this incredibly singalong-able tune. The quintessential pop song of the decade.
3. The Killers: "Mr. Brightside" (Hot Fuss, 2004)
Who doesn't love a good "My heart has been ripped out of my chest and stomped on" song? The tune's got just the right pinch of optimism to go with Brandon Flowers' repeated lament after the bridge: "I never..." Never what? I don't know, but I never tire of listening to his pain.
2. Green Day: "Jesus of Suburbia" (American Idiot, 2004)
By all rights, this song shouldn't work. It's a nine-minute magnum opus by a band known for poppy three-minute chordfests. It has five distinct movements. It's incredibly thematic and ambitious, bordering on pretentious. To get any radio airplay at all, it would have to be magnificent. Done and done. This anthem will be remembered in the same way something like "Won't Get Fooled Again" is.
1. Jimmy Eat World: "23" (Futures, 2004)
No matter where else I turned, this one kept coming back to me. I believe it's the song I listened to the most this decade, and since it clocks in at over seven minutes, that's a lot of time we spent together. I have an intensely personal connection to it, despite being 28 when it came out, not 23 (I'm probably at least five years immature, anyway). The song simply speaks to me, especially regarding my relationship with my wife (who wasn't my wife then). It's about coming to terms with adulthood, with waking up one day and realizing it's about time to get your shit together and grow up. If it weren't so long, we probably would've used it for our first dance at our wedding. Musically, I'm enthralled by its slow build and epic climax, followed by the gentle fade out. Achingly beautiful.
