2003: The Year In Music

2003 – Airstrikes by an American and British-led coalition signal the beginning of the Invasion of Iraq, without United Nations support and in defiance of world opinion. The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%. “The Return of the King”, the third and final film in the Lord of the Rings series, premieres. A year of ups and downs … so let’s see if the music is more consistent!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Bring Me to Life (Evanescence feat. Paul McCoy)

In the same vein as “In The End” by Linkin Park, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence is a quintessential NuMetal song.

I’m more impartial to a “My Immortal”, but this is an early contender for song of the year.

9 – Picture (Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crow)

Kid Rock is as American as it gets – Country Rock with a Pop duet sprinkled on top.

I don’t like Country Rock so “Picture” was fighting a losing battle.

8 – Miss You (Aaliyah)

Really boring RnB. I almost fell asleep.

7 – Right Thurr (Chingy)

Again, a pretty boring rap song. More of a bounce than the previous two but I’m still not impressed.

6 – Unwell (Matchbox Twenty)

Urgh. I thought Matchbox Twenty had already had their share of the spotlight, but apparently they had a few more hits in them.

“Unwell” is fine, but once again 2003’s music is proving to be uneventful.

5 – When I’m Gone (3 Doors Down)

3 Doors Down seem to be a huge band – one of their songs has over a billion Spotify streams. Can’t say I’m a fan, though.

I’m sure there are lots of people out there who like “When I’m Gone”, but I can’t find much of interest.

4 – Crazy In Love (Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z)

Finally! A song that’s still relevant twenty years later!

Great percussion, a great trumpet hook, a chorus that’s catchy as hell … “Crazy In Love” is better than the previous five songs combined.

3 – Get Busy (Sean Paul)

Sean Paul’s Jamaican rap style can only be described as the “Sean Paul” style. Nobody else sounds like him.

“Get Busy” is fine, but it sounds emptier than these other 2003 songs.

2 – Ignition (R. Kelly)

I’m sure R. Kelly has no defenders these days, but I know people still like “Ignition”. It’s a bit one-note to me.

1 – In da Club (50 Cent)

One of the best rap songs of the 2000’s.

“In da Club” is slick and sexy, and 50 Cent’s lyrical flow is very catchy.

FAVOURITE – “Crazy In Love” (Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Miss You” (Aaliyah)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Transdermal Celebration (Ween)

I don’t know many Ween songs, but they all seem to have some things in common – they’re well written and produced, and the lyrics are odd.

I don’t think I’ll revisit “Transdermal Celebration”, but I had a decent time.

9 – Carry Me Ohio (Sun Kil Moon)

A beautiful song, with sombre lyrics that made me think.

8 – 2 + 2 = 5 (Radiohead)

“Hail To The Thief” isn’t one of my favourite Radiohead albums, but “2+2=5” is definitely one of their best openers.

It starts off dark and mysterious, and the sudden explosion in the middle is euphoric.

7 – Out Of Time (Blur)

I like everything Damn Albarn does, whether that be Gorillaz or Blur, and “Out Of Time” is no exception.

It’s not as flashy as other Blur songs but it hits the mark.

6 – Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

“Maps” has always been a favourite, from the affirming lyrics to the lazed vocal delivery. It’s not a grand masterpiece of songwriting but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

5 – Hey Ya! (OutKast)

I thought “Hey Ya!” was an enormous hit, so I was surprised not to see it in the Billboard top ten. Maybe it’ll make a belated appearance in 2004.

It’s a classic through and through, with production and songwriting guaranteed to get you moving.

4 – Across The Universe (The Beatles)

Yes, you read that right – “Across The Universe”, a Beatles song from 1970, made the 2003 shortlist. It’s because the “Let It Be … Naked” album released in 2003 so all of its songs were eligible – I’ll talk about the changes briefly, but I won’t pick it as my favourite of 2003 for obvious reasons.

This is probably my least favourite version of “Across The Universe”. It’s very stripped back, which worked on the remix for “The Long And Winding Road” but here I was missing the background orchestration.

3 – Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)

Best riff of the year, no doubt, and easily one of the most iconic riffs of all time.

“Seven Nation Army” has been played in every sports arena in the world a hundred times over, and yet I still never tire of it.

2 – Reptilia (The Strokes)

One of The Strokes’ most iconic songs, and for good reason.

Those guitars slap, and the general vibe is immaculate.

1 – There, There (Radiohead)

Hot take time – I like “There, There”, but it wouldn’t be in my personal top five favourites from “Hail To The Thief”.

It has a nice groove, and Thom’s vocals are as weird as ever.

BEST SONG OF 2003 – “Seven Nation Army” (The White Stripes)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Chutes Too Narrow (The Shins)

I thought The Shins would be a band that made heavy music, but I was pleasantly surprised by the soft, often wacky Indie tones on “Chutes Too Narrow”.

The whole thing makes for a nice listen if you’re looking for a laid-back, low-stakes Indie / Folk record.

4 – Room On Fire (The Strokes)

The Strokes continue to be one of the most exciting bands of the 2000’s with “Room On Fire”.

It’s not going to be my favourite album of the year on account of the songs blending together somewhat, but it has a few peaks.

3 – Absolution (Muse)

Muse are one of my favourite bands ever – especially this early 2000’s era where every album and song was a certifiable banger.

“Absolution” is my least favourite of the holy trinity (just under “Origin of Symmetry” and “Black Holes and Revelations”), but some of the songs like “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Hysteria” remain some of my favourite songs ever.

2 – Hail To The Thief (Radiohead)

“Hail To The Thief” is on the weaker side in terms of Radiohead albums. Which, of course, means it’s still excellent.

There aren’t as many iconic songs on here as some of their other albums, but I adore individual tracks like “2+2=5”, “Sail To The Moon”, “A Punch Up At a Wedding” and “A Wolf At the Door”.

1 – Elephant (The White Stripes)

“Elephant” starts with “Seven Nation Army”, which is clearly the peak of the album. The rest isn’t bad at all, though.

Other favourites include “The Hardest Button to Button” and “Ball and Biscuit”.

BEST ALBUM OF 2003 – “Absolution” (Muse)

I tried to be unbiased in my choice, so it was quite close between the top three. In the end I decided to let my personal tastes pick the winner – otherwise it would’ve been a three-way tie!

Final Thoughts

2003’s hits bored me to sleep, and while the high-rated songs and albums were good they didn’t do enough to win me over.

Overall Grade: C+

Aaaaand that’s my list! On a sentimental note, this is the 500th post on this blog by my count. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck with my ramblings over the years … here’s to 500 more posts!

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