#Therefore half my playlist is 2000's songs

[hoarder-of-dragons]

I don't have a specific type of music. The only way I get into music is finding edits of my favourite characters and spending 30 mins on searching what the background song is.

All my songs were some how all were found by being used as a background edits of my favorite characters

[equallyshaw]

ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ ʙᴏʏ - Qᴜɪɴɴ ʜᴜɢʜᴇꜱ. ᴘᴛ 1.

warnings: 2.6k +

word count: swearing? Nothing much.

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It was the first official week of summer break, and that meant that natasha and piper could sleep in as long as they want, grab a coffee and lay out on the boat natasha's parent's had at there lake house. The duo were currently in New Hampshire, a place Piper had never been to before. The first day they got there, Piper was in love and could not wait for the summer ahead. Soon her twin August would be making an apperance to the lake, before they would head off to Toronto and Vancouver for the summer.

Piper and August were born in London, on October 12th 2000. There parents moved between Windsor, England and Canada throughout there childhood while being homeschooled most of there lives. Therefore, Canada to the twins is there home and there favorite parts about summer, is that they get to spend there time there. Piper and August are the grandchildren of Queen Victoria, the 3rd. Born to Queen to be- Charlotte, Princess of Kingston and the Ericson, Duke of Kingston. Piper went off originally to Brown university after highschool while Harry went off to Oxford. Piper being the one that can never stay in one place too long, transferred during the second half of Junior year and met her long lost sister, Natasha Pierce a junior as well. The two bonded over things as roomemates in the dorms and kept a rather low profile. Not wanting anything getting back to her grandmother, whom she adored very much.

Piper turned on the bluetooth speaker playing Natasha's "american greats" playlist of her making, showcasing some of her favorite rock classics from the 80's as well as Piper's favorites: the beatles. If anybody came for them, they'd be locked in a tower. Piper yelled for Natasha, "Get your ass over here Nas! I mean it, im gonna leave without you!" She joked, being over dramatic. Natasha flipped her off, and hopped in the boat. "Lest we forget, lake boats and sailboats are two different things, love." Nas said sticking out her tongue and poking fun at Piper's somewhat 'posh' upbringing. The blonde rolled her eyes and looked out towards the lake and saw one other boat ahead. "Keep clear of them, I don't feel like getting harassed again." Piper groaned as she sat down and crossed her legs. "Oh god yeah, and very lady like miss lady." Nas grinned causing the friend to laugh. "Oh god, my grandma would be up the wall if she did see me sitting like this." Piper said texting her brother. "Im so excited for you two meet the twin though. However, he's going to make it clear that he is older than me by five minutes." Piper warned, causing Natasha to playfully shake her head. "He seems like hella fun though!" Natasha pointed out and Piper rolled her eyes- playfully, "You haven't seen me though." She grinned causing her friend to get excited. "Im so excited to see the real you girl! Too bad everybody has to be a snitch." Her friend exclaimed and Piper nodded. Sweet home alabama came on the bluetooth, and Piper immedietly shrieked in excitment. This was one of the songs, she loved. As cheesy as it sounds, she loved it. Piper hopped on couch, and started singing the lyrics with her coffee in hand. "Where the skies are so blue!!! Sweet home Alabama!!!!" Her and Natasha sang, laughing in between the words. The two were passing up the other boat, when Piper got off the couch and went to the edge of the boat to take a quick picture for her brother. "Fucking Wanker!" Piper exclaimed looking at her brothers text, causing the twin to laugh. Natasha started to laugh too, and caught the eyes of the boat she was passing. Four guys were sitting down and one was on the back getting ready to paddle board or something close to it. Maybe surf?

"Princess Piper, english please!" Natasha joked, causing Piper to laugh. "Last I heard it was!" She said coming up closer to her and looked out in front of them. God, this place is gorgeous the blonde thought. She could get used to it here. "Not gonna lie, those guys were cute...." Natasha trailed off, causing the britain to laugh. "Yeah yeah!" She responded walking back towards the couch and taking a quick peek at the boat behin them, who also had the idea of sneaking a peek. A dark haired boy and the blonde caught eachothers eyes, with Piper quickly to look away and out at the sky. She leaned back in the couch, before shutting her eyes.

A few hours later, her and Natasha were docking the boat when they heard the loud shouts of boat next door to them. "They're your neighbors??" The blonde hissed to her best friend, as they walked back down the dock. Natasha shrugged, "Dude, they're never here when im here. So I thought they weren't here." Her friend responded honestly and Piper nodded, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Piper! You have a phone call!" Natasha's mom yelled out from the back porch and Piper's eyebrows crinkled. "All I know is that's its a block uk number!" Her mom yelled out as she saw the confusion and Piper took of into a quick jog. "Oh my god its the Queen!" Natasha shrieked, causing the neighbors to look over, catching the tail end of Piper's figure. Piper slipped into the house, and grabbed the phone on the wall. "Grams?" She questioned and was met with the sound of her sweet grandma. "Oh darling! I was afraid, I had called the wrong number and if that was the case I'd send August into the dungeons." Her grandma joked causing the young blonde to giggle. "Oh yes, you might as well send him anyways." She retaliated garnering a laugh from her grandmother. "August said you two will be back in time for my birthday, correct?" Her grandma asked and Piper nodded. "Yes! We will be back the week before, just so we have extra cuddles and cookies." She smiled, thinking about her grandmothers jubilee coming up. "Oh I can't wait!" Her grandmother exclaimed and Piper smiled. Natasha came into the kitchen and smiled, "Hey grandma, I have somebody who wants to say hi." Piper explained, pushing the phone towards Natasha. "Granny! How are ya doing over there?" Natasha playfully asked causing the two royals to laugh out loud. "Your punctality is exqusite." The queen joked, in which Natasha agreed. "Well, Im sure you don't know this but ill be accompanying this blondie for your jubilee because heaven knows her and Harry need a babysitter." Natasha mused, causing Piper to playfully slap her arm. "Oh yes! I am so excited to meet you Miss Natasha, you will make a wonderful addition to the family." The queen spoke and Natasha's heart swooned. Natasha handed the phone back to Piper, and she hung up a few minutes later. "We're gonna need to work on your curtsying...Miss Natasha." Piper grinned as they jogged up the stairs to change.

Later in the evening, Piper and Natasha walked onto the dock after dinner to 'practice' her curtsying. "Can't I just nod like the dudes do?" She questioned the royal and Piper laughed. Her stomach tighened as she did so, earning a much needed heavy laugh. "Shh, they're staring. Just go already!" Natasha hissed, looking between Piper and the boys next store. Who were trying non chalantly to look over between there smore making. "Ok, ok." Piper said putting her hands up in playful defense. "Here." Piper said doing a deep as cursty which Natasha's eyes popped out of her eye sockets. "Wait woah woah, im not that flexible lady." Nas said starting to freak out. "It's fine, do this." Piper said modifying the curtsy. Natasha still looked on with shock. "Can't I just do the nod, please?!" Natasha begged and Piper shook her head playfully. "No, I want you to try." The blonde stated and crossed her arms. Natasha sighed, before trying to curtsy. She almost fell out of it. Piper's hand went straight to her mouth to cover her laugh. "Hey! No laughing! I didn't have 21 years of training for this moment!" Natasha jokingly exclaimed and Piper nodded giving her the floor again. Natasha did another cursty, which was much better than the previous. "How about we send Harry a video for approval??" The blonde grinned pulling out her phone and Natasha lunged for the girl to not take a video. "NO!" She said pulling the phone from the girl's grasp and used her height- only two inches - and put it up high away from the girl. Piper crossed her arms and began to walk off, "Where are you going?" Natasha asked and Piper smirked turning around as she walked back. "Hmmm, gotta go tell Granny to lock you in a tower!" She threw out and slipped inside. Natasha's mouth fell open and began to walk back inside. "Hey! Natasha!" The young girl stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at the group of boys, and the one that yelled her named. Jack Hughes made his way over towards the brunette and she sighed, crossing her arms. "Yes?" She questioned. "We just wanted to know who she is? Why was she making you curtsy?" He asked peering over her shoulder towards the house, hoping she'd come back outside. Natasha would never lie, she had had a hopeless crush on this boy since they first moved in next store. But he never felt that way, and thus, she was hopelessly pining after him with it going no where. "None of you buisness Hughes." She said about to walk off when Luke walked up. She looked up at the tallest brother and gave him a small smile. He was pissed off, "So you'll show up here but then disappear from school completley? Did you drop?" He asked trying to figure out what happened to her. Piper did.

"Um...." She looked between the two boys and sighed, "Piper... she uh. We just laid low her first semester." Natasha explained, trying to not give away who she was. That didn't help Luke at all, "I promise it was not my intention. Everything just happened." Natasha said in almost a pleading tone. He didn't want to believe her, "If I could tell you I would. All of you. But I can't." Natasha gave them a small smile before walking back into the house. Piper opened the door, and eyed the brothers. One who was giving her the 'eyes', which grossed the girl out. She rolled her eyes, shutting the door. She already knew what they were asking. She wasn't stupid. She just hated, keeping her friend from her life. Even if it meant, there friendship in whole.

Piper sat outside on the dock at 6 am, giving her brother a quick facetime call. He picked up on the second ring with a amusing look. "Hey bro." She said smiling, a genuine smile. "Hi sis, how's lake life?" He questioned sipping his tea. She sighed, pushing some hair behind her ear. "It's uh ok. The guys next store wanna know who I am and confronted Nas about me. One of which she's had a huge crush on for forever and doesn't see her in that way. And the other brother a giant, asked her if she dropped since he hadn't seen her around campus. And like, I feel back Auggie. I feel bad that I intentionally made her lay low this semester." She confessed and he nodded. "I feel like it would be easier if I went to school near you or in Canada and they knew who I was already and the security would be provided." She rambled some more and he nodded. He pushed back some of his dirty blonde hair, "Well for one, Nas loves you and is not in anyway regretful or upset she laid low this semester. She loves you P. Besides, you were never going to be the one who went somewhere the Crown had meaning, it was never you. You always wanted to live in the US. Just look at Harry and Meghan- which reminds me we gotta facetime when I get there, but don't second guess now. You are exactly where you need to be, I promise." He said with sincerity and the girl nodded. "I heard mom and dad are sending security to school for the fall, and I know when I get there in a week, ill have my guy." He explained and she smiled, "Joey!" She scheered. Joey was like an uncle to the two, always there in the thick of things when the twins were together. "He's excited too, but enjoy being alone. You'll miss the freedom." He laughed and she did too. "Okay I gotta go, Grandpa wanted to talk to me. Love you." He said setting down his tea, "Love you too Auggie." She said and they hung up. She set her phone down to the side of her and took in the morning breeze. She knew once her brother got there, things were going to change. He was 3rd in line to the thrown, and has been his whole life. Out of the two twins, he would always be more protected. Just because, in her lifetime, she more than likely wouldn't be Queen. She was the spare, the extra kid, the safety child, so she didn't have as many responsibilites or extra concerns. That was all him.

As a kid, she used to want to be 2nd in line, so he wouldn't have to deal with the pressures. She wanted him to live the normal life and to have genuine happiness. She still would do it, if it was possible. She loved her brother too much, to watch him and have watched him go through what he was gone through. But he loved his country and his grandmother and would be ready when the time came. She heard some ruckus behind her and she turned instantly out of habit, as her anxiety grew. She saw two guys from yesterday walk out of the lake house and she sighed, turning back to the lake. She stood up in her spot, grabbed her phone and walked back towards the house. She felt the eyes of the two dudes as she did so, but she wouldn't give them that satisfaction. "Wait!" She heard a voice and she out of habit, stopped dead in her tracts and turned around slowly. The tall dark haired boy from the boat, was the one who called her. She sighed, as he walked over. "Can I help you?" She asked, wanting to be anywhere but there. "Hey, uh. Im Quinn." He said awkwardly putting his hand out and she stepped back a tiny step. "Uh Piper." She said with a small smile. He dropped his hand in defeat and took in the 5'6 blonde haired girl and was puzzled. Who was this Piper? Why was she and everyone of Natasha's family so secreteive? His mom tried to get info, but Nas' mom would not budge. "Piper! There you are, we've been looking for you." Natasha's mom said saving the girl. The girl gave the boy a small smile, as the mom wrapped an arm around her and pulled her inside. Quinn stood there for a brief moment, before walking back over towards Luke. As soon as Quinn made it over to Luke, the mystery of a girl was no longer a mystery. She was Princess Piper, of Windsor. Somebody he had met in his first nhl season, when her family and a few others of the family came to a game against Toronto. He couldn't believe he'd seen her once again, somehow more closed off and secretive.

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And there you go, second part coming soon :) Please reblog and like, i'd appreciate it 🤍

[paradise-creator]

Than,, thank you?? So much for the match up?? It warms my heart bby ;-;

Anyhow, here’s my description!!

She/her, Taurus, INTJ, slytherin

Personality: the first thing people notice about me is that I am less of a feeler and more of a thinker. I do have an IQ of 125, but my emotional intelligence is quite low, so I have trouble sympathizing with others. But I learned through experience, so I don’t SEEM emotionless. I can (and will) help my friends through tough times if they need me. I’m pragmatic, so I always go for the facts instead of the feelings during decision making or tough situations. I hold a lot of perfectionist traits that make it really hard for me to be satisfied with my results if they aren’t higher than the norm. I also have a slight issue with saying no, so sometimes I’ll offer my help or enrol myself in long-term projects while knowing I legit do not have time for more stuff on my schedule. Being a bit smarter than average, I sometimes feel like I’m obligated to help others so that they can do good too (however, I do like helping people with their hw to a certain extent). I’m working on those issues though!! I’m also an introvert, and I can get rlly tired if I have to be interacting for more than four hours straight with people, especially if their persona isn’t rlly compatible with mine.

However, when I’m surrounded by friends (or generally people who aren’t my superiors), I’m very energetic, loud, silly and I have a sharp tongue. My sense of humour goes from absolute nonsense to almost mean spirited sarcasm, but it all depends on who I’m talking to. I’m a MAJOR memer, I have a bunch of files filled with them, and I couldn’t bear be with people who didn’t understand my meme references. When I start liking something, I can get easily obsessed. I’m stubborn, therefore very passionate about the things I care about. I also have a slight case of the Endorphin Junkie, meaning that I really, really like the high you get after sports so I do crossfit training like five to six times a week. I’m unapologetically myself, and I will not ever change who I am to fit within the norm. I’m sometimes told that (that I’m odd, I mean), but I usually thank the people who tell me. I have a really, really big love for music and I have a tendency to break into song sometimes when people say a line from a song I know.

Appearance: I’m around 5’6”, with hazel eyes and brown hair that goes around to my shoulders. It gets curly out of nowhere. I can either wake up with straight hair or wake up with a freakin perm, it’s funny. My body isn’t exactly the lean type, I’m somewhere around the buff area of the scale instead, but as long as I seem visibly strong, I’m satisfied. When I’m not going anywhere significant, I usually just wear sport shirts and sweats, but I have a penchant for Dark Academia so I like /looking/ like I’m smart sometimes. And I have glasses bc apparently my eyes are assholes and they work too hard and it hurts my brain all the time

Likes: music (DavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBow-); I have a really wide range of music that goes from early 2000’s pop to 1700’s requiems. I enjoy studying theoretical fields, reading, and I like talking about Absurd Theories About Reality That Make Little To No Sense. I like sports, and I love joking around with friends in the most exaggerated ways. I also love the colour green and I’m more of a cat person

Dislikes: dogs (they’re cute but keep them away pls), ignorant people, irresponsible people, spiders, things I’m not good at from the beginning, having to deal with strangers being upset, crying (me. I don’t like crying; I mean me, I’m fine if my friends cry)

Other fun facts!!

- my goals for the future are all over the place; I want to work for Disney, I want to get a musical composition degree, I want a biomedical engineering bachelors degree, I want an astrophysics doctorate, I want to study languages, I want to be a foreign English teacher... I can’t ever decide.

- I have a long history with getting crushes on guys who turned out to be gay. It happens so often and I HATE IT, it makes me feel terrible.

- I!!love!!70’s!!music!!so!!much!! I was raised on that stuff, my dad wouldn’t let us listen to anything else

- Lol my favourite playlist name is Drugs Playlist But I Don’t Even Do Drugs it’s just a bunch of Pink Floyd and David Bowie songs

- My favourite movies are 80’s or 90’s comedy classics!! Like Wayne’s World, or Airplane!, or Night at the Roxbury. I keep quoting Wayne’s World and no one understands :(

Lol it’s very long I Apologize

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ɴᴏᴡ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ

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Hello and Welcome my Starlight!

The Haven box includes:

- Match up

- Sun drop

- Dreamscape

- Study date

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

I'd match you up with

Kuroo Tetsuro, The captain of Nekoma

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Sun drops

The reasons why I paired you

-Honestly it took me a while to think on who you would match with (You just remind me so much if my best friend that I ship with Yams-)

- I had Sugawara or Kunumi in mind but I decided that Kuroo would be a perfect match! (THAT HEIGHT DIFFERENCE THO)

- Kuroo is a very smart man and he's also very observant.

- So you might lack in the expressing emotions, Kuro's got you (He'll buy those flip plishies to know your mood or smth like that)

- And though Kuroo is the outgoing type, he will definitely respect your boundaries

- I mean Kenma is a major introvert so Kuroo will know what to do

- Not only that! Kuroo has this sense of protectiveness and motherly vibes (Canon Kuroo that is-). So he will definitely take care of you

- He has his iconic hyena laugh, Meme exchange is a must! And you both would often have laughing fits.

- Did I mention that he'll take care of you?

- He absolutely and I mean absolutely adores your passion for music like yes

-He loves your style and the two of you would often have matching couple outfits.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Dreamscape

(A surprise drabble!)

"Out of everyone, YOU GOT A GIRL FIRST?!?" Yaku yelled as his eye twitched. "Got that right, Yakkun," Kuroo then said with a smirk. "And you are still as single as ever, docosahexaenoic acid. Still chasing after the same girl, huh?" He added as he patted the shorter male's shoulders. "And so what?!?" Yaku yelled back. "And the Demon-senpai strikes again," Kuroo stated as he backed away. "Kuroo-senpai! Can you tell us about her?" Lev asked enthusiastically. "You seem enthusiastic," Kenma said. Then Lev restarted back and it became a one sided argument.

Soon enough, the drama died down and Kuroo started to talk about his one and only. "She's amazing~" He started. "She's a bit odd but I love her nonetheless. She kinda reminds me of Kenma and Bokuto in a way. She loves music and would often send me some songs to listen," And that was the start of a half hour rant of his girlfriend. Right then and there, Lev regretted his decision.

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Study date

Kuroo and his Oxytocin (lover), were having a small study date. They were in Kuroo's house and were enjoying their little date time before they study. The Mario team song was playing as the two were racing. "YES! I'M WINNING!" His lover yelled as she was in front of him. "Not for long~" Kuroo stated as his focused was on the screen. As time passes and the gap widens, Kuroo turned to his plan B. He then looked at his Oxytocin and kissed her out of nowhere. The girl immediately responded to the kiss and stopped pressing the buttons. Soon enough, Kuroo passed the girl with ease and won. His lover looked at him with a betrayed look and then scowled. "You cheat!" Hse said as she pointed a finger to him.

"C'mon my Oxytocin~ I didn't cheat in Mario carts!" Kuroo declared as he gazed at his lover. "Didn't cheat?!? Didn't cheat?!? YOU KISSED ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME!" She yelled as she hit his shoulders gently. "And? We didn't lay any ground rules so what's the point?" Kuroo then stated. The girl huffed and played the controller down. "Should we start studying?" She asked as she picked up a book. The book was a chemistry book taht wasn't even for their curriculum. It was just an extra book to fulfill Kuroo's love for chemistry. She placed it down and picked up her book instead. "We still have a bit of time," Kuroo started as he patted on his bed. He then stood up and gazed at the book she took. And English book to be exact, he took the book and placed it down. "Let's cuddle for a while," He added as he pulled you to his bed and cuddled you.

"And I wonder if your team mates know how much of a cuddle monster you are?" She said as she chuckled. Kuroo placed his arms around her body and nuzzled his head on her hair. "Yes, of course. I won't shut up about you," he added as he pulled you closer. "So are we studying or not?" She then said as she kissed his cheek.

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Author's note

Thanks for complying with my request! I hope it wasn't much of a bother. 👉👈

I had fun writing this! I hope you enjoy this one~

[soundofawesomeblog]

This Fall, we are counting down the 100 best tracks of the 2000s with a new article every Monday. To learn more about the project and why the 2000s were amazing for music, click here.

After what felt like forever, we finally made it to the end: this week, we present the top 10 positions of the countdown. To listen to every single track listed in our top 100, you can head to the Spotify playlist we created at the bottom of the page.

Navigation

Intro   100-91   90-81   80-71   70-61   60-51   50-41   40-31   30-21   20-11   10-1

10. The Strokes - Hard to Explain

True, it is a little easy and inaccurate to say that The Strokes single-handily saved rock music in 2001. But during the summer of that year, the new band felt like a breath of fresh air, no matter how much they smelled like cigarette. Hard to Explain sounds easier than it is with a metronome-like drum beat and an endless stream of downstrokes. The track keeps moving forwards and forwards until it reaches its climax two minutes in and, just like that, disappears completely. The band then reels it right back and goes for the ride a second time, as exciting as the first. It is the track that rightfully set the expectations rocket high for the band’s first album Is This It and it’s a miracle they managed to reach them.

9. Amy Winehouse - Rehab

If America wasn’t already sold to Amy Winehouse yet by the time Rehab was released, it took only about 30 seconds to get it all hooked. On the biggest single of her cruelly short career, Amy wastes no time belting out the chorus in the opening seconds, backed by soul band the Dap-Kings and immaculate production from Mark Ronson. Don’t get it twisted though; it truly is Amy’s presence at the center stage that infuses the song its magnetism, with her defiant and relentless personality, giving it enough character to live long after she’s gone. With Rehab, Amy Winehouse kicked the door wide open for women to sing their imperfections with sass and break from the picture perfect plastic mold.

8. Radiohead - Idioteque

Radiohead truly became immortals in the 2000s, thanks in no small part to key tracks like Idioteque. After all, only a rock band in full grace mode could ditch its guitars for 1970’s computer music samples and end up with such a compelling piece of music. Thom Yorke’s falsetto, which ranges from delicate to plain manic as the song progresses, clashes with the robotic and cold background provided by a highly compressed drum machine and a Paul Lansky chord progression. The result sounds both like a virtual nightmare Yorke tries to wake up from, and a real dream to IDM-trained ears.

7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

As punk as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were on their début album, no track they would ever release would reach the height of the tender ballad of Maps. Propelled by Nick Zinner’s rapid strum and secret weapon drummer Brian Chase’s thoughtful performance, the Fever To Tell highlight remains a love song for the ages. Meanwhile, Karen O’s feelings can’t help but burst out the iconic track, helped by its iconic “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” line.

6. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

By the end of the decade, indie pop was still interested in bedroom aspirations, making delicate, intimate pieces of music. Grizzly Bear, however, was ready to make the most grandiose track they could with Two Weeks, and it sure feels like they reached both the moon and the stars. Starting with a bouncy piano motif and cartoonish whoa-ohs, Two Weeks builds upon a drum loop that would make Vampire Weekend jealous before crashing into a confetti convention in the chorus. The dizzying layers of synths and celestial backing vocals elevate the track to outer space for the band’s finest hour.

5. The Knife - Heartbeats

In the 2000s, few choruses felt as vital as the one The Knife cranked out on their synthpop masterpiece Heartbeats: “To call for hands from above to lean on/Wouldn’t be good enough/For Me, oh”. What is magical about the track, however, is the way Karin Dreijer Andersson sings. Channelling her inner Björk, she injects a duality of emotions in her delivery as she tiptoes between pure joy and pure nostalgia. Instead of “hands up above” though, she leans on a colourful yet robotic wall of synths and steel drums, one that is trying to rationalize her confused feelings. Heartbeats might not have been exactly a hit when it first came out, but such an ageless track can only win in notoriety through the years.

4. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)

With its first album Funerals, Arcade Fire launched nothing less than an indie revolution in the mid-2000s. This rings especially true with Rebellion (Lies). The cathartic single is a deep journey to the grandiose. The real tour-de-force here is how natural it sounds; how Win Butler and his friends manage to create such a resonating piece, such an emotionally heavy track without ever sounding fake, forced or cheesy. Instead, the band wears its feelings right on its sleeve with an attitude that would inspire thousands of alternative rock bands for generations to come. Sung from the point of view of a child, Rebellion (Lies) pleas for the listener to stop hiding underneath the covers and to be who they want to be and to dream outside of their bed, an advice that isn’t as naive as it sounds.

3. M.I.A. - Paper Planes

The Clash started as a punk band but quickly incorporated elements of funk, reggae, hip-hop and world music to its core. It is therefore fitting that an artist like rapper M.I.A., one who was born from DIY and punk ethos, would end up sampling a song of them. On Paper Planes, the Londonian celebrates globalization one cash register noise at a time. Migrants, refugees or stoners, there was something for everyone on this global track, even if the visa trouble that inspired the song come from M.I.A.’s very own personal experience. In a decade with so many male rappers using girls as props in their videos while literally calling themselves P.I.M.P. in the process, it is telling that the most essential rap single of the 2000s came from a woman.

2. The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers

If you can scream the title of this track and count to 8, you can already sing 90% of House Of Jealous Lovers. The Rapture forms here the tightest rock unit making the nastiest, sweatiest, slickest disco song possible, one that could make CBGB and Studio 54 burn simultaneously. The quintessential dance-punk number gets its power from a groovy bass for the ages, funky drumming, an incisive guitar sound, epileptic vibratos and a stupid amount of cowbell. In the 2000s, there was simply no other song that managed to channel such frenzy as effectively as House Of Jealous Lovers.

1. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

Growing old is scary as fuck, which is why our culture is so obsessed with staying young. Pop stars rarely survive long after they reach 30 years old, either because newer stars replace them, either because they literally die before they get old. James Murphy was, therefore, a bit of an oddity when he first came out of the New York scene with his début single Losing My Edge at 32 years old. Sure, his indie dance tales are a little too weird for him to truly become a star; he only got a number one album in the USA on his comeback album in 2017 on an especially slow chart week. But for a generation of well-informed music fans, he was the best-kept secret of the 2000s.

It also helped that, with LCD Soundsystem, Murphy wasn’t especially singing about being young. He preferred to sing about inviting an A-list electronic band to play in his basement, about death or about being the fat guy in a t-shirt doing all the singing. Losing my Edge, in fact, addressed this very situation, exposing a narrator who was starting to lag behind the cool kids, but who wanted to show he was still cooler because he “was there” when it started.

This all leads to All My Friends, without a doubt the greatest single track of the 2000s. Starting with a shivering piano riff, the song builds on as Murphy adds years to his odometer. All My Friends isn’t exactly a party track as much as it’s a song about trying to live the life of the party, about doing everything to get as much from our younger years, surviving the tomorrows and ruining our bodies just trying to fit in and live. Soon, the piano riff becomes drilling, it feels more and more urgent. The rapid-fire hi-hats open more and more often. The guitars and the synths are more and more present, leading to a mid-thirties James Murphy pleading to “see all my friends tonight”. As LCD Soundsystem reformed itself in 2016 after a five-year hiatus, Murphy’s words bear more and more weight, with the idea that each stupid decision, each thrill could be the last. All My Friends is more than a song about the midlife crisis: it touches themes of nostalgia, friendship, growing old and trying to make it work out in the end. And just like a lifestyle of partying, the song never puts the breaks on, drifting at 140 beats per minute before crashing seven minutes and a half later. 

In the end, All My Friends is scary. It’s frenetic, it’s wise, but it’s also so brutally honest in its statement and subject matter that it ends up intimidating. In a decade that saw the increase of the influence of the internet, of social media, of phones and of everything else that would make our parents cringe, All My Friends arcs back to the universal idea that you are probably missing out, that you are missing your friends more than you think, that your life is getting empty and that your youth is slipping away. Goddammit, do something with it before it’s too late. Check the charts, figure it out and go out there. 

(Note that Jay-Z’s 99 Problems and Primal Scream’s Kill All Hippies are not available on Spotify)

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