Our No. 1 songs: 2000-2004

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered – “Our No. 1 Songs: 2000-2004” (August 19, 2025)

Overview

In celebration of All Songs Considered's 25th anniversary, hosts Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson revisit the years 2000 to 2004, sharing and discussing the songs that most defined the show's early years. Rather than focusing on Billboard hits, they highlight tracks that were pivotal for the show, for music discovery, and for their own lives. The episode features deep musical reminiscences, playful banter, and thoughtful commentary on how listening habits and the music landscape shifted during the turn of the millennium.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Early All Songs Considered Era (00:15–03:29)

• Origins: The show began by broadcasting full tracks of instrumental songs used as interstitials on NPR’s "All Things Considered," curated by founder Bob Boilen.
• Evolution: Quickly expanded focus to embrace indie rock, pop, and any music the team loved.

“It was all instrumental music … he played between stories on All Things Considered. That was the original concept.”
—Robin Hilton (02:40)

• First Song Played: “Gaucho” by Gustavo Santaolalla, from “Ronroco.”

[02:36]

2. Turn-of-the-Century Soundscapes & Music Discovery Changes

• File sharing and Napster transformed music discovery right at the millennium, opening up unprecedented ways to find and share music.
• The hosts reminisce about the excitement and confusion of this sea change.

“Right at the turn of the century, we were suddenly starting to get into music in completely different ways … What's an MP3?”
—Stephen Thompson & Robin Hilton (06:26–07:08)

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Year-by-Year Highlights and Conversation

2000

• Foundational favorites:
  • Coldplay – “Yellow”
    • Both hosts agree the early Coldplay albums were "foundational" and emblematic of the era’s indie/alt-pop atmosphere.
    • Notable for the moment the internet “turned on” Coldplay, but praise for early records remains.

    “Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head are phenomenal albums. This song, in many ways, is kind of a fulcrum.”
    —Stephen Thompson (05:09–06:26)

  • Moby – “Porcelain”
    • Ubiquitous as interstitial music at NPR at the time.
  • Air – “High School Lover”
    • Robin highlights the dreamy, electronic sound popular then [09:27].
  • Grandaddy (The Software Slump), Radiohead (Kid A)
    • Brief mentions as major influences/albums.
  • The New Pornographers – “Mass Romantic”
    • Stephen’s favorite album of the year.

    “If you just said, pick a song you love from this year, there’s a very good chance I’m just gonna … play a New Pornographer.”
    —Stephen Thompson (11:01)

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2001

• Bjork – “Hidden Place” (Vespertine)
  • Chosen in 2016 anniversary show, hailed for innovative sound design reflecting technology’s impact on music.
• The Shins – “New Slang”
  • Quintessential for “Garden State Core” and the indie pop/rock resurgence.
  • Notable quote:

    “Was there a bigger song in Indie Pop … that year?”
    —Robin Hilton (13:34)

• Andrew W.K. – “Party Hard”
  • Stephen’s all-time favorite, celebrates unrestrained, feel-good energy.
  • Andrew W.K. wanted “each second of this record to lead into the next second. And that next second is even better.”

  —Stephen Thompson (16:13)

• Alicia Keys – “Fallin’”
  • Acknowledged as a massive, career-defining debut performance.
  • “As much as Moby's Play was made for npr, Alicia Keys was made for the Grammys.”

  —Stephen Thompson (18:31)

• Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle”
  • Lauded for universal appeal and wise, uplifting lyrics.
  • “...a banger that doubles as a collection of really good advice.”

  —Stephen Thompson (19:56)

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2002

• Dirty Vegas – “Days Go By”
  • Robin’s nostalgic pick, also noted for its “incredible dancing” music video [22:47].
  • “[That] one had gotten lost in the recesses of my brain.” —Stephen Thompson (23:24)
• The Flaming Lips – “Do You Realize??”
  • Broke the band to a wider audience; described as unabashedly heartfelt.
  • “The heart is mawkish to you.”

  —Stephen Thompson (26:08)

• Damien Rice – “Volcano” (feat. Lisa Hannigan)
  • Described as a deeply affective, slow-burning duet [27:50].
• The Roots (feat. Cody Chesnutt) – “The Seed 2.0”
  • Noted for its genre fusion and introduction to Chesnutt.

  “They can be any band you want if they decide to be that band.”
  —Stephen Thompson (30:31)

• Other Album Mentions:
  • Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me,” Sigur Rós’ ( ), Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.”

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2003

• The Postal Service – “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”
  • Hailed as a paradigm shift: blending electronic beats and indie melodies.
  • “Two entirely different sonic universes working together so perfectly here.”

  —Robin Hilton (32:07)

• Death Cab for Cutie – “Transatlanticism”
  • Celebrated as a “masterpiece” and a soundtrack to Gen Xer life/love transitions.
  • “Without fail, everyone in the room is levitating by the time they get to this moment.”

  —Robin Hilton (34:29)

• Outkast – “Hey Ya!”
  • Ubiquitous, genre-defining hit of now-iconic status.
• Beyoncé – “Crazy in Love”
  • Praised as another indelible pop monolith.
• The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
  • “Their signature song” and a stadium anthem [33:53–34:02].
• Missy Elliott – “Pass That Dutch”
  • Lauded for forward-thinking production; Robin recalls trying to imitate its beat at home [37:33].

  “When I first heard this beat...I remember trying to imitate this beat because it is just so sick.”
  —Robin Hilton (37:59)

---

2004

• The Killers – “Mr. Brightside”
  • A defining rock anthem, still beloved on the radio.
  • “To this day, this song comes on the radio and the dial does not, cannot move farther to the right. I will crank this song every single time I hear it.”

  —Stephen Thompson (41:33)

• Keane – “Somewhere Only We Know”
  • Emotional resonance and ties to early-‘00s TV: “I feel like I’m on my couch watching Grey’s Anatomy all over again.”

  —Stephen Thompson (43:00)

  • Discussion about TV’s role (Grey’s Anatomy, The O.C., Six Feet Under) in music discovery pre-streaming era.
• Arcade Fire – “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”
  • Was their pick in the 2016 anniversary episode.
• The Go! Team – “The Power Is On”
  • Example of innovative, collage-style, sample-heavy music rising at the time [46:29].

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the mood of early ‘00s music:
  “This era really is, you know, we’re talking about … this was a really sweet and special time, musically speaking ... bands tapping into indie music that hadn’t necessarily reached this gigantic audience before.”
  —Stephen Thompson (45:21–45:47)

• On cultural & technological shift:
  “It really took me back to the way listening habits have changed, the way discovering music has changed. And yeah, file sharing, that is such a great thing to track right around 2000.”
  —Robin Hilton (07:08)

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Important Timestamps by Year

• 2000 segment: [02:40] – [11:22]
• 2001 segment: [11:22] – [20:18]
• 2002 segment: [21:37] – [30:44]
• 2003 segment: [31:27] – [38:47]
• 2004 segment: [40:00] – [47:27]

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The Episode’s Tone & Personality

• The conversation is nostalgic, reflective, and often humorous, with “dad joke” energy, self-deprecating musings about “calcified” brains, and a warm sense of camaraderie.
• The hosts are passionate, subjective, and self-aware about their biases toward indie/alternative, but underscore that their picks shaped the identity of All Songs Considered.

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Takeaways for the Listener

• This episode provides a lively, personal walk through the musical landscape of 2000–2004—not as ranked by charts, but as remembered by two lifelong music nerds and the NPR community.
• Tracks covered reflect not just what was popular, but the spirit of the time: a period of discovery, transition, and cross-pollination of sounds and cultures.

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For those who missed it: This episode is a joyous celebration of shared memory, with great songs, sharp cultural insight, and a reminder of music’s power to define eras and experiences.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Well, it's been a pretty big year for all songs considered. Stephen Thompson here.

[C]

Hello, Robin.

[B]

You turned 25 years old. This the show turned 25 years old.

[C]

The show can get. Can rent a car.

[B]

The show can rent a car. Exactly. That is sort of the last big thing that you can do, right? Is it like at 25 you can finally rent a car?

[C]

It's until the senior discount, yes.

[B]

And then the next thing around, 50, 55 if you're lucky. But if you've been following along. We have been marking this occasion, the 25th anniversary by looking back at our number one songs from across the past quarter century. We started off with a look at the first five years of the show, 2000 to 2004. And then we did a different year at the end of every show or nearly every show, the Tuesday episodes, all through the spring and summer. We just wrapped those little segments up last week. Our number one songs from 2024. Those segments were criminally short, I think anyone can agree, right?

[C]

I mean the public was clamoring.

[B]

Yeah, you played literally two songs for an.

[C]

Thank you, sir. May I have another?

[B]

We really did. We only focused on a couple of SO songs from each year. So what we're going to do now is we're going to break those years, those segments out into their own little episodes and we'll expand them to include some more songs from across the years. You are going to find these in the all songs considered feed. Every Monday we will feature a different year every Monday through the end of the year. But we're going to start here with the original first five years that we did, 2000 to 2004. And to clarify, these are not Billboard number one songs from each year or whatever. These are songs that have helped define the sound of all songs considered. Songs that were big for us, that shaped the show and our lives. I thought it would be fun if we just sort of play some stuff for each other. We can say what our number one song is. But there's so much other stuff. We can test the limits of our pea sized dust filled brains and see what we remember.

[C]

The calcified remains of our synapses.

[B]

And I thought we could start with the song that we've been listening to. And I bet you don't know what it is I'm gonna bail you out.

[C]

Yeah, I have no idea.

[B]

This is the first song ever played on All Songs Considered.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

So when the show first started In January of 2000, it was all instrumental music. It was music that Bob Boylan, who started the show, that he played Between Stories on All Things Considered, he was the director of all the stuff.

[C]

That was the original concept of the show. It was the interstitial music from the news magazine.

[B]

Right. That was the whole premise, to play full versions of those little. The little snippets between stories. Eventually, I started working here about a year after the show started, and we just started covering all kinds of stuff, mostly indie rock and pop, you know, regardless of whether or not it was ever played Between Stories and All Things Considered. And this was a big one. I don't think I said it. Gustavo Santo Alaya. The song is Gaucho, from his album Ron Rocco. What were you doing 25 years ago, Stephen? What do you think of when you think of 2000 in music?

[C]

Well, in the year 2000, I was working at the Onion, right. I was editing the AV Club and copy editing the comedy. When I think about that particular era in my life, I mean, I was probably listening to an album from 1999 called you'd favorite Music by Clem Snide. I was a Clemsnide super fan. Still am a Clemsonide superfan. But if I were picking, like, what music defined the late 90s early aughts for me, that's probably the band I was obsessing over to the point where I was, like, collecting bootlegs on the Internet and stuff. I mean, in every single one of these years, we could go 50 different directions. Sure. Right. I mean, I was gonna play Thong Song by Cisco. I could have played Higher by Creed when we're talking about the biggest hits of the year 2000. But I think a song that encapsulates, I think part of where All Songs Considered is coming from and where indie pop and rock and quote unquote, alternative music kind of all came together. A band that has since become something of a punchline.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

But that made, I think, an absolutely perfect song as its introduction to the world.

[B]

Come on, brain.

[C]

This is actually. This has continued to be one of your favorite bands, am I?

[B]

Oh, of course. Oh, my God. Coldplay. Let me tell you, those first couple Coldplay albums are foundational.

[D]

Look at the stars look how they shine for you Everything you do.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

They were all yellow I came along I wrote a song for you and all the things you Do. And it was cold. Yellow.

[C]

Look, Coldplay reached a point, and Coldplay's relationship with the Internet is really wild, where somewhere along the way, probably around, like, X and Y, it felt like the Internet just turned on this band and just decided that Coldplay was hot garbage. And I think the weakest moments of Coldplay on the records that have come out in the. In the 25 years since yellow came out have some pretty shaky moments on them. But as you say, foundational records, Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head are phenomenal albums. This song, in many ways, is kind of a fulcrum that leads us into a lot of the music that was really resonating throughout the 2000s.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

And when we talk about the era that we're hearkening back to here, the first time I heard Coldplay was from downloading songs on Napster.

[B]

Napster was a file sharing program where people, sorry, you gotta do the npr.

[C]

The Batman is a crime fighter. So. And then eventually they hugely took off in the US Yellow became this big hit. But it speaks to the era of, like, right at the turn of the century, we were suddenly starting to get into music in completely different ways than we had ever gotten into music.

[B]

What's an MP3?

[C]

Right.

[B]

What is file sharing? What is this Napster thing? Yeah. I remember the first time I ever heard someone say, I got that for free. I just downloaded it from Napster. What are you talking about? Why? Yeah, what? And that's something I also found as I went through all this music from the past. It really took me back to the way listening habits have changed, the way discovering music has changed. And yeah, file sharing, that is such a great thing to track right around 2000.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, I'm so glad you picked that because I was thinking of playing Coldplay a little later around when we get to 2002, because that's when A Rush of Blood to the Head came out. And that was also a really huge album. We did a version of the show in 2016 when All Songs Considered turned 16. And this was the song that we played for 2000. Oh, come on. You. You should have this instantly.

[C]

Oh, this is. Oh, this is the. The Moby record.

[B]

Moby. Yeah.

[C]

Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. This record and npr.

[B]

Yeah, this is npr. So the song's Porcelain from Play. Like, every song on that album was.

[C]

Used as interstitial music.

[B]

Exactly. But I'm gonna pick one for 2000. I think you'll also get this one pretty quickly. But let's see. It's another band that I think of right around that time as being kind of foundational.

[D]

Sam.

[C]

Is this Radiohead?

[B]

No, it's Air. It's Air. Air.

[D]

Air.

[C]

I'm like, I bet Robin's picking something from Kid A. Oh, no, that's a good pick. I had been unable to shake the thought that you were gonna play Radiohead Air. Yes. From the Safari.

[B]

No, this is the one that came after their soundtrack to the film Virgin Suicides. Virgin Suicides. And this is the song High School Lover. Early Aughts, that whole moody kind of drifty, but still hooky electronic music that was being made then. So many we could play from 2000. I was thinking maybe Granddaddy the Software Slump. That album came out talking about Foundational.

[C]

Records for what makes a Robin Hilt.

[B]

Oh, my God. Yeah. That album was huge for me. I certainly could have played something from Kid A, maybe like National Anthem or something. Radiohead was really big then, too. Yeah.

[C]

Well, if we're just gonna play our favorite songs, I will give you one.

[B]

More from 2000, and then we need to move on to 2001.

[C]

All right.

[B]

This is going to take us, like, 17 hours. Oh, new Pornographers. New Pornographers.

[C]

Mass Romantic came out.

[B]

Yes. Oh, my gosh. Of course.

[D]

What the last 10 minutes have taught me Bet the hand that your money is on where the hell at the 70s bought me? You trade me when I'm gone.

[C]

This was my favorite album of 2000, Master Romantic. It continues to absolutely rule in many of the 25 years that we're talking about. If you just said, pick a song you love from this year, there's a very good chance I'm just gonna go ahead and play a new pornographer.

[B]

Yeah, I saw a lot of Nico Case. I saw a lot of New Pornographers.

[C]

I saw Acne AC Newman.

[B]

He had some great stuff. Oh, yeah. Oh, great pick. Let's go to 2001. I mentioned that we did a version of this show in 2016. Here is the song that we picked in 2016.

[C]

Oh, Bjork.

[B]

It's Bjork. Yeah. So this song is Hidden Place. It was the opening track to her album that came out that year, Vespert. Great.

[C]

Such a good record.

[B]

It was absolutely incredible. And I remember thinking, what is happening with music? I found that through a number of these years, especially in the early aughts, where it felt like things were constantly shifting and moving in new directions. And I think it was because technology was changing so rapidly and musicians, artists were finding new ways to turn sound inside out come up with strange polyrhythms in ways that they had never done before. I think you really hear that on this Bjork record. But honestly, in retrospect, I don't know why we didn't pick this.

[C]

Oh, sure.

[D]

Sam and the Curse for this Town were all in my mouth. Only I don't know how they got out here. Turn me back into the dead I was only dead I was happier Than with no mindset.

[B]

Was there a bigger song in the Indie Pop the New Slang by the Shins that year?

[C]

I mean, this really defines so much of the music that I was listening to around 2000. 2001, 2002. Kind of garden State Core.

[B]

Right, Right.

[C]

So you got the Shins, you've got Death Cab for Cutie, you've got Iron and Wine.

[B]

Well, maybe we didn't pick it for 2001 because even though it came out, you mentioned Garden State, Garden State, the movie. It had this incredible indie pop and rock soundtrack, and this was included on it. That came out in, like, 2003 or 4, something like that, a few years later. So maybe this just wasn't on our radar for that year. But this is definitely what I'd pick now.

[C]

All right, so I'm going to play something completely different. You will be able to figure out what it is in approximately one second.

[B]

Is this Andrew wk?

[C]

It sure is. Who else? No, no, Robin. It's Rhett Miller from the old 97. What do.

[D]

Sad when things stop feeling all.

[B]

You give me so much grief for Robin. Core music that I like. There is no band that says Stephen Thompson more, or I should say artist than Andrew wk. Maybe Weird Al. But yeah, Andrew wk.

[C]

I mean, this record, I Get Wet, is one of my favorite albums of all time. And I interviewed Andrew W.K. about it for the AV Club when this record came out, and he was talking about his process and what he wanted to do with music. And the way he described it, he's an extremely passionate kind of voluble guy. And he was sort of saying, like, my goal was for each second of this record to lead into the next second. And that next second is even better.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Like he's trying to top himself.

[B]

I thought you were gonna say one party is gonna lead to another party, and that party is gonna be bigger and better than the party that came before.

[C]

I mean, he would tell you that as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, the fact that this record has three different songs with the word party in the title. Party. Hard Party. You puke. It's Time to party. And they're all so good. This record has given me so much joy and so much life. The number of times that I've been on a road trip where I'm about to fall asleep, and then all of a sudden I'm like, I need something. I need a pick me up. I could pull over to a truck stop and get some godforsaken energy drink that will give me a rapid heartbeat. Or I could just put on I Get Wet by Andrew wk.

[B]

So I know we're technically picking a number one song from each year, but there's so many things that I keep thinking of from each year, and there's some really big ones that I feel like might take people back right away if they hear it. This is actually another one that I think of. Whenever I think of 2001, I keep on falling.

[C]

Oh, sure.

[B]

Alicia Keys.

[C]

I was gonna try to. I was gonna try to do the vocal Run and bail that, please.

[B]

Thank you for not doing that.

[D]

Sometimes you make me blue Sometimes I feel good at times I feel used Loving you, darling Makes me so confused I keep on falling in and out of love with you I never love someone the way that I love Me, you oh, oh, ah.

[B]

From her debut songs in A minor, the song Fallen. I remember seeing her play this. It might have been at the Grammys, I think. And just being absolutely blown away.

[C]

As much as Moby's play was made for npr, Alicia Keys was made for the Grammys.

[B]

Yeah, totally.

[C]

I'm gonna do one more before we get to the end of this year. A song that has, frankly, only somehow improved with age.

[B]

Jimmy Eat World. Very good.

[C]

The Middle.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[D]

Hey, don't write yourself off yet it's only in your head you feel left out or look down on. Just try your best, try everything you can and don't you for it. What they tell themselves when you're away, it just takes some time.

[B]

I remember when I was in high school, somebody brought up the band Boston, and I kind of heard of Boston. I didn't really know Boston. And my friend, in trying to explain what Boston was, what the band was, said, boston's that band that literally everybody loves, Right? I would say the same thing, at least about this song, if not Jimmy.

[C]

And that Bleed America record, which was later changed to self titled in the aftermath of September 11, is just Wall to wall bangers. And the middle is a banger that doubles as a collection of really good advice.

[B]

What a great song. And they did this at their tiny.

[C]

Desk when they did they did and people lost their minds.

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

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[E]

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[B]

EDU all right, 2002. We have clawed and scratched our way all the way to 2002. Stephen.

[C]

We'Re currently considering whether this was a good idea.

[B]

For those who are still with us as we've catapulted our way to 2002. See if you remember this one.

[C]

Is this Daft Punk?

[B]

No.

[D]

You leave me when I'm at my worst Feeling as if I've been cursed.

[B]

Days go by, days go by Dirty Vegas. Dirty Vegas. This was their self titled debut.

[C]

I'm sitting here like Mint Royale.

[B]

Oh wow. Yeah. Dirty Vegas.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

This has had the best video from around that time. I'm not even gonna bother explaining what happens in video. It's this. Oh, it's incredible. Dirty Vegas. I was absolutely obsessed with this song when it came out. There's some incredible dancing in the video and all I wished more than anything in the world is that I could dance like the dude in that video. Oh my God.

[D]

Wow.

[C]

That one had gotten lost in the recesses of my brain.

[B]

That's something else that happened as I was going through these years is. Oh, right. Oh my God, of course. Dirty Vegas. I haven't listened to this song in 20 years, but it was so huge in my life when it came out.

[C]

Culturally speaking, we have such a strange relationship with the past in this country. And there's so much retro radio and retro playlists and think back to the. You know, the. We're playing all 80s, but then they're playing like the same six songs, right? And so it's like, oh, the 80s, that's summer of 69. Girls just want to have Fun, Thriller, and that's it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so it's so easy for great stuff, stuff that you loved every time you heard it on the radio, stuff that you played in your car to have totally evaporated from your world. And so, like Dirty Vegas.

[B]

But it's in there somewhere.

[C]

I had not thought about dirty Vegas in 20 plus years.

[B]

Yeah. What do you got?

[C]

All right, well, I'm gonna go. You're gonna get. Who am I talking to? You're gonna get this in porn.

[B]

Don't say that, because then I'm gonna feel like a complete idiot.

[C]

Robin, there's no way.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. All right. Everyone knows this is Avril Lavigne's Complicated.

[C]

Also, a great song came out as.

[B]

It came out in 2002.

[D]

Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face? Do you realize Floating in space?

[B]

So one of the things that was amazing about this song. Do you realize it came out on Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots? Is that when it came out, when the Flaming Lips put this out, they had been making music at that point for like 25 years or something. I mean, just some astronomical. Yeah. You know, and then they finally strike gold with this huge.

[C]

Well, they had had moments. She Don't Use Jelly was a big hit.

[B]

Yeah. But I don't think it had the reach that this song did. And it's sort of like. What did you call it? Like, crossover. Right. It was getting its hooks in people who had never listened to Flaming Lips before. And the other one, she Don't Use Jelly, was a little more.

[C]

Was a. More of a 90s ironic kind of vibe. I mean, one thing that this record is not is ironic.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And for me, in terms of when this album came out in my life, this is, you know, 2002 is the year I turned 30. I had an infant son at home. And what a time to find a record that puts you instantly and deeply into your feelings. And I know there were people who were like, oh, it's a. It's mawkish. It's too. But it's like, oh, I'm sorry. The heart is mawkish to you.

[B]

What a great pick. I'm glad you picked that one. That was on my short list of ones that I might have picked for 2000 for the 2016 show. We did Wilko's I'm Trying to Break youk Heart, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot had come out. That was certainly huge. But when we think back to, you know, you said, wow, Dirty Vegas is a band I hadn't thought of in a really long time. There's another artist who put out an incredible record that year. And I thought, we are gonna get something from him every year or every couple of years, and it will always be amazing. And this is one of the songs from the record he put out in 2002, Damian Rice. Very good. Wow.

[C]

You got that f.

[D]

Don't hold yourself like that. You hurt your knees well, I kissed your mouth and back but that's all I need don't build your world around volcanoes melt you down and what I am to you is not real.

[B]

What.

[D]

I am to you you do not need oh, God.

[B]

That is that Lisa Hannigan.

[C]

Yes.

[D]

Oh, my God.

[B]

So good. When those harmonies kick in. This song Volcano from the album O from Damien Rice. He only put out two more records after that. The first was like. Like follow up with in 2006, and then another one, 2014, and that was it. Yeah.

[C]

I mean, I don't think he necessarily had commercial ambition.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I don't think being a big rock star was what he necessarily wanted from life. He was a big one for me. My Irish mopes, Damien, Rhys, the frames.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But I want another record. I'm very greedy.

[B]

Okay, one more.

[C]

Okay. So I really thought about doing Lose Yourself by Eminem here.

[B]

I wrote that down on my short list, too.

[C]

That is peak Eminem. But I'm gonna go with. I'm gonna go with a different one. It's one of my favorite songs of that year, but I wonder if you know it.

[B]

This sure sounds familiar.

[D]

I don't ask for much these days and I don't sit and whine if I don't get my way I don't know it I only wanna fertilize another.

[C]

Behind my love this is the seed 2.0 by the roots.

[D]

Wow.

[C]

With Cody Chestnut. And this was my introduction to Cody Chest, who's another artist like Damian Rice, who I would have assumed was Gonna put out 20 classic albums and slowed way down. This, for me, is just like a perfect marriage of what the Roots do, what Cody Chestnut does, into this just big, grand, timeless anthem.

[B]

I just. When I think of the Roots, this is not what I think of now.

[C]

Right. Well, I mean, one thing about the Roots is they can be any band you want if they decide to be that band.

[B]

Very Cool pick. I should Also note, for 2002, that was the year Norah Jones put out Come Away With Me.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

That album and the song Don't Know why, that was a really huge one. On All Songs Considered Sigurosa's the Parentheses. That album came out, that was a huge one. But we should move on to 2003. And when I look back at what it was like listening to music then and working on this show, it felt like we were entering this kind of new golden age of pop and rock music, if you want to call it indie pop and rock music. And the last time we did an anniversary show, the 2016 one, this is the track that we picked as our number one song for 2003.

[C]

The District Sleeps alone tonight. The Postal Service, that is. And Name that Tune. I can get that in one half of one, Stephen.

[B]

Name that tune.

[D]

Smeared blacking, your palms are sweaty and I'm barely listening to Last Demons I'm staring at the asphalt Wondering what What's buried underneath?

[B]

We talk about how music felt like it was changing and entering this new era. And one of the things I don't really think I'd heard before was something like this, which is these sort of disjointed beats, polyrhythms set against a voice that sounds like. In melody, that sounds like it should be alongside a. A piano or a guitar strummed or something. Right. Two entirely different sonic universes working together so perfectly here.

[C]

Yeah. What a year Ben Gibbard had in 2003. He's the singer songwriter on the Postal Service, and, you know, he's working with Jimmy Tamborello and Jenny Lewis. That's a brilliant record. But Death Cab for Cutie made transatlanticism in 2003.

[D]

The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door have been silenced forevermore the distance is quite simply much too far for me to row that seems farther than half before oh, no I need you so much closer I need you so much closer.

[C]

There are several Death Capture Cutie records that one could describe as masterpieces. And I think Transatlanticism is probably the one that stands out the most. I mean, the fact that he made two of the very best albums of the year in 2003 and 2003. Man, this is a very hard year to narrow down.

[B]

Incredible year. Like I said, for indie rock, my Morning Jacket releases is still moves. That album came out that year. The White Stripes had Seven Nation Army.

[C]

Seven Nation army, which is now basically their signature song.

[B]

But this song. Have you seen Death Catch do this specific Song, the title cut to Transatlanticism live. Yeah. Oh my God. When it builds at the end. I've seen them in massive, like music festivals playing this. I've seen them in small venues playing this. And without fail, everyone in the room is levitating by the time they get to this moment.

[C]

Levitating is exactly the word that I was searching for. There's just this sense that you're being.

[B]

Lifted, light is bursting from your chest.

[C]

Yeah. And what a great batch of music to have when you're discovering how to articulate your feelings for the first time. Which for me was like new parent, early 30s, waking up to some stuff, learning how I fit into the world and having stuff like that Flaming Lips record or Transatlanticism or the Postal Service record. These records that are going for something really big and grand and are all about pulling feelings out of the person listening to them. Just a beautiful, beautiful record.

[B]

It was a big time for Gen Xers because like right around then, late 90s, early 2000s, they're all starting to turn 30. Going through these big life changes and this music soundtrack to so perfectly. But I have a long list here from 2003.

[C]

Where do we even begin? I mean, let's just.

[D]

1, 2, 3.

[B]

I mean, you had to play Outkast, right? I mean, I. I mean that record was so huge.

[D]

Don't try to fight the feeling. Cause the thought alone is killing me right now. Thank God for mom and dad for sticking two together.

[B]

This song from speaker box, the Love Below. Hey, yeah.

[C]

I mean, Crazy in Love by Beyonce came out in 2003. I mean, Beyonce's gonna come up again later in this, in these discussions. Yeah. And we're just, we're just talking in a way. Like there are some years where you just have to talk about what were the most important songs, what were the songs that defined the year. And you can't talk about 2003 without talking about, about hey ya, you know you can't. Or Crazy in Love.

[B]

Seven Nation Army.

[C]

Seven Nation Army. Like some of these songs that have, have never stopped reversing, reverberating so good and just such, just like such a forward thinking sound.

[B]

I kind of feel like I know we should move on to 2004, but can I play something from the world of hip hop and rap that stands out for me from that year?

[D]

Pass that Dutch past interruption Pass that Dutch pasta touch Past that misdemeanor on the floor Pretty boy, here I come Pumps in the bump make you want to hurt something I could take your man I don't have to set something. Hang them out the window. Call me Michael Jackson.

[C]

Oh my God, Missy Elliott is another one. We talked about Damien Rice and Cody Chestnut, people that I wanted to put out like a dozen more albums than they have.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. But my God, this is not a test. That album from 2003 Missy Elliott album. I remember when I first heard this beat on Pass that Dutch. I was just starting to get into making music at home, like with a home recording system and I had a drum machine and I remember trying to imitate this beat because it is just so sick.

[D]

Number one drums go bum bum bum this beat here with me make it home Pump jump if you a fat one Put your clothes back on before you start putting potholes in my lawn. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh I'm under attack like my name was a Dawn I am the bomb from New York to my lawn and now I can write a song Sickle Ben Jeffrey dawn touch my car.

[B]

Oh my God.

[C]

So good and just such, just like such a forward thinking sound.

[A]

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[B]

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[B]

Today, I guess we're up to 2004 and this is where we were going to end this episode.

[C]

So I'm going to go with a big fat pitch down the middle and one of the songs that truly defines 2004 in a good way.

[D]

Coming out of my cage and I've been doing just fine God I gotta be down because I want it all. It started out with a kiss out and it ended up like this. It was only a kiss. It was only a kiss. Now I'm falling asleep and she's calling a cab While he's having a smoke and she's taking a drag now they're going to bed now my stomach is sick and it's all in my head but she's touching.

[B]

I think I know the band, but is it the killer?

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Oh, of course. Okay. Yeah.

[C]

Robin. My God.

[B]

I didn't listen to a lot of the Killers at the time, but. But. Right. Mr. Brightside. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

[D]

And I just can't look. It's killing me that. Taking control Jealousy Turning sink Sake to the sea Swimming through sick love.

[B]

But.

[D]

It'S just the price I paid Destiny is calling me Open up my eager eyes cause I'm Mr. Brightside to this.

[C]

Day this song comes on the radio and the dial does not, cannot move farther to the right. I will crank this song every single time I hear it.

[B]

Undeniably huge in 2004. I guess I just wasn't really listening to a lot of them then. And there's so many others that I think of first when I think of 2004. Like this one.

[C]

Oh, this is key. Yeah.

[B]

So I'm just as incredulous that you wouldn't know this immediately.

[C]

Okay. It took me like three seconds.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

I walked across an empty land I knew the pathway like the back of my hand I felt the earth beneath my feet Sat by the river and it made me complete oh, simple thing where have you gone? I'm getting old and I need something to rely on so tell me where you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired of name.

[C]

Oh, man. This. And Snow Patrol.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I feel like I'm on my couch watching Grey's Anatomy all over again.

[B]

That's something I actually meant to say about the Death Cab for Cutie, because we talk about what was happening in the world of music. Streaming services hadn't launched yet. How were we discovering music? How are we listening to music? And there were a handful of. Handful of TV shows back in the very early 2000s that were pushing all of this music onto the world in wonderful ways. The O.C.

[C]

Totally the O.C.

[B]

Yes. Grey's Anatomy. Six feet under. The Transatlantis. That was on six feet under also. You know, Saturday Night Live just had its 50th anniversary, that big special. And everyone on the music team started reflecting on their favorite performances. I ended up writing about Pearl James, their 1994 performance. But King's performance of this song actually was One that I thought of when I think back of really great performances. It was a pretty simple performance, but it was the first time I'd ever seen the band do this song live. And I realized they don't have a guitarist. It was such an unusual setup to me. The keyboardist, the drummer, the singer, and such an incredible, incredible sound.

[C]

There's such an interesting confluence of cultural influences going on here. Right. Like, we're. We're talking about the blog era. We're talking, you know, early Internet era. We're talking about the OC and Six Feet under and TV shows that really became known for the musical stamp that they put on each episode. But also you're hearing some of the. A little bit of the influence of, like, American Idol.

[B]

I thought the same thing. I started seeing all these releases, like, oh, wow. All the American Idol winners and runners up are all starting to put out records.

[C]

And that's. And that's a big part of kind of the. The soup of what we're hearing in the early aughts. And obviously as we get into the late aughts and into the teens, you know, we're gonna get into the Johe era.

[B]

Right?

[C]

We're gonna get into this stomp, the stomp and clap. And how many drummers does your band have? Fewer than three.

[B]

Right.

[C]

You know, but. But this. This era really is, you know, we're talking about, you know, we're roughly past the 20th anniversary of this era. This was a really sweet and special time, musically speaking, you know, when a lot of these. A lot of these bands and had extremely commercially accessible sounds, but were tapping into indie music that hadn't necessarily reached this gigantic audience before.

[B]

Yeah. So the number one song that we picked back in 2016 when we did this was from Arcade Fire's funeral album, the song Neighborhood Number One. I think I would probably pick the King song somewhere. Only we know. But let's just do one more from this year from a band that. I think you're gonna know this one right away. This was another one that was really big for All Songs Considered when it came out.

[C]

Oh, no. Oh, this is Go Team.

[B]

Go Team. You're right. Go Team. From Thunder Lightning Strike, the power is.

[D]

On.

[B]

Again, going back to. How is music changing this collagist music that we started hearing, you know, like, somebody's really chopped all this up really, really brilliantly. So fun. Okay. Obviously, tons more that we can play, but we're gonna end it here. For now, as I mentioned, we'll keep the conversation going by looking back at a different year Every Monday. Well, we'll do 2005 this week. It'll be on Thursday. And then we'll do every Monday after that. And they'll run through the end of the year. Until then, thanks as always, Stephen.

[C]

Thank you, Robin.

[B]

For NCare Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's ALL Songs Considered.

[D]

It.

[E]

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