200 BEST SONGS OF THE CENTURY Update: #110-101. More songs added tomorrow.

THE 200 MOST ESSENTIAL SONGS

FROM THE FIRST 15 YEARS

OF THIS CENTURY

Now that we are 15 years into the 21^st Century, it’s apropos to look back over the 200 songs since 2000 that have made the greatest impact on the sound of music as it stands in 2015.

To be eligible for the Top 200, a song must have officially appeared on an album, CD single  or as a download between Jan. 1, 2000 and December 31, 2014.

110 HOT IN HERRE

NELLY [2002]

 

Nelly drops a sexy funky hip-hip track whose title soon became a pop culture reference.

109 1 THING

AMERIE [2005]

 

Producer Rich Harrison was an in-demand producer when he co-wrote and produced this killer R&B track for Amerie. 

108 HAPPY

PHARRELL WILLIAMS [2013]

 

Pharrell's years of hard work under the radar finally saw him become a household name with the infectious feel-good song "Happy". The global smash hit was from the film 'Despicable Me 2' and his solo album 'Girl'. 

107 BREATHE ME

SIA [2004]

The world suddenly became aware of Sia when this haunting track was used in the closing scenes of the final episode of the excellent TV series "Six Feet Under". Anyone who investigated further discovered an Australian recording artist with a depth that is still being mined to this day.

106 CLOSER

NE-YO [2008]

 

Ne-Yo unleashed this romantic soulful track that set a new mould for R&B into the future.

105 SMILE

LILY ALLEN [2006]

 

Cute melodies and a sweet voice were wrapped around cheeky and stinging lyrics. "Smile" announced Allen's arrival in 2006. Underneath the seemingly innocent song was a woman that was not to be messed with. Fun Brit-pop with a clever execution for the millennium.

104 DIRT OFF YOUR SHOULDER

JAY-Z [2003]

Jay-Z further established himself as 1 of the leaders in rap with this track off his 'The Black Album'. Timbaland's production makes the song even more essential.

103 DON'T KNOW WHY

NORAH JONES [2001]

 

Norah Jones reminded the world how a voice can take your breath away when she delivered her smooth brand of jazz pop which captured our attention in 2002. It led to numerous imitators.

102 SHE WANTS TO MOVE

N.E.R.D. [2004]

 

N.E.R.D. was a side project by the songwriting / production team of The Neptunes, consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Today, Pharrell is a popular recording artist in his own right, after years of enhancing songs such as "Get Lucky", "Blurred Lines", and collaborating with artists as varied as Kanye West, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears. 

101 GANGNAM STYLE

PSY [2012]

 

When this dance song from South Korea went viral, it left no doubt what the potential of the internet is. Becoming Youtube's 1st video to get 1 billion views only hints at the possibilities it will lead to in the future for music. In the process, Psy introduced the West to K-pop.