Rewind: Top Songs of 2001

A 2006 list of top songs was compiled at the time (and reposted here), leaving the 2001 list as the last on our semi-decennial (not a word) march from 1966 to 2011.

In 2001, I was frequently working 90+ hour weeks as an M&A analyst, which left me with very limited free time. This sleep-deprived and emotionally-weakened state directly contributed to me falling hard for three things: my wife, SF Giants baseball and indie music. This isn't the place to discuss the first. The Giants were my constant companion in the office most evenings at 10:35 pm ET as they played out a frustrating year for the team and a magical one for my steroid-enhanced hero. But when I was in the office and there wasn’t a game on, I was listening to more music than I ever had in my life. As it was for the Giants, the excellent year in music in 2001 took what was in interest and made it a passion.

Looking back on the eight top 10 lists I’ve compiled over the past year, I’d put the 2001 list behind only the incredibly strong 1971 list.

Top 10 Songs of 2001

1. "Someday" / The Strokes / Is This It
   "Oh my ex says I'm lacking in depth / I will try my best"
2. "Johnny Appleseed" / Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros / Global a Go-Go
   "If you're out to the get the honey / then you don't go killing all the bees"
3. "Okkervil River Song" / Okkervil River / Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See
   "Then I woke up one cold morning, felt an absence at my back / and I searched and stared but only the river stared back"
4. "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" / The Flaming Lips / Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
   "I was wanting you to love me / but your love it never came"
5. "New Slang" / The Shins / Oh, Inverted World
   "Hope its right when you die / old and bony"
6. "Penelope" / Pinback / Blue Screen Life
   "Don't want to see you floating upside down / on the top of the bowl when I come 'round to visit you"
7. "As If You've Never Been Away" / Ulrich Schnauss / Far Away Trains Passing By
   <instrumental>
8. "Way Down in the Hole" / Blind Boys of Alabama / Spirit of the Century
   "Don't pay heed to temptation / for his hands are so cold"
9. "We're Going to Be Friends" / The White Stripes / White Blood Cells
   "And when I wake tomorrow I'll bet / that you and I will walk together again"
10. "Tribute" / Tenacious D / Tenacious D
    "the song we sang on that fateful night it didn't actually sound anything like this song"