***MY PERSONAL FAVE 100 OF 2000***

100. IT'S GONNA BE ME/THIS I PROMISE YOU--'N Sync
Fine extremes of boyband pop suffer from radio overexposure.

99. DON'T CALL ME BABY--MADISON AVENUE
Nice to hear Crystal Waters return to the airwaves.

98. HEMORRHAGE (IN MY HAND)--FUEL
Hope they paid Bernie Taupin for the use of "love lies bleeding"

97. WHY DOES IT ALWAYS RAIN ON ME--TRAVIS
"Is it because I lied when I was 17?" Cool!

96. SO FAR--MATTHEW SWEET
First of 3 by this underrated poprock bubblegummer.

95. CAN I GET YOUR NUMBER--NO AUTHORITY
Formulaic, I know, but i couldn't resist that chorus.

94. SWEAR IT AGAIN--WESTLIFE
Mature boy-band pop; they actually sounded sincere.

93. COULD I HAVE THIS KISS FOREVER--WHITNEY & ENRIQUE
Nice vocal blend, catchy melody, trendy Latin beat, why did it stiff?

92. TELLING STORIES--TRACY CHAPMAN
"there is friction in the space between." Ooooh...

91. ANOTHER DUMB BLONDE--HOKU
The only nymphet on this countdown thanks to the irresistible "that's alright/that's ok/you never loved me anyway" chorus.

90. JOY--GAY DAD
Heavy airplay on WDST, this is sheer pop exuberance befitting of its title.

89. PUMPING ON YOUR STEREO--SUPERGRASS
Fun video

88. QUITTER--GAS GIANTS
The Gin Blossoms returned, but this wasn't the only gas shortage of the summer. Why did this tank?

87. BROADWAY--GOO GOO DOLLS
Typical fare from these hitmakers, but overexposed.

86. BIRD THAT YOU CAN'T SEE--APPLES IN STEREO
A WDST hit; sounds like Garbage of the Shirely Manson variety.

85. ALL THE SMALL THINGS--BLINK 182
Somebody spank those naked naughty boys! Harmless fun.

84. LEAVING TOWN--DEXTER FREEBISH
Sleeper hit whose lyrics borrow the title of my unpublished novel (c) "The World Is My Playground".

83. LOVE IS A HEALER--DONNA SUMMER
Last year, radio snubbed "I Will Go With You"; they repeat their offense to the Queen of Disco in 2000.

82. MUSIC--MADONNA
Sorry, "Music" is no "Ray Of Light" to these ears.

81. MY LUNATIC FRIENDS/NOW THAT I AM BLIND--DEATHRAY
Split Enz for the 21st Century.

80. FREE TO GO--FOLK IMPLOSION
'DST influence "Just leave."

79. THANK YOU--DIDO
Sleeper babe of 2000. Excellent album!

78. THE GREAT BEYOND--R.E.M.
My #15 hit of '99

77. WAITING FOR A SUPERMAN--THE FLAMING LIPS
Practically a lullaby

76. I'M GONNA MAKE YOU LOVE ME/SOMEWHERE IN OHIO--JAYHAWKS
Oh, look, vocal harmonies in 2000. What a novelty!

75. MINORITY--GREEN DAY
Ultra rebellious from the Dookie Boys, but ultra hooky as well.

74. BE WITH YOU--ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
Suffered from radio overexposure. Did you hear Howard Stern's expose' of his alleged lipsynching of "Rhythm Divine"? Hilarious!

73. CHARM ATTACK/NEW YORK BABY--LEONA NAESS
Some relation to one of Diana Ross' husbands, this was Sixpence None The Richer's edgy twin.

72. EASY TONIGHT--FIVE FOR FIGHTING
Woulda charted higher, but released late in the year.

71. CAMERA ONE--THE JOSH JOPLIN GROUP
See #72.

70. LOSER--3 DOORS DOWN
Anything but. This poor song never got a chance because of the radio overkill of "Kryptonite".

69. THE REAL SLIM SHADY--EMINEM
I'm sorry, but this song and video cracked me up this year. Brilliant! Too bad he scares the %$#@ out of me.

68. LET'S GET LOUD--JENNIFER LOPEZ
My #3 Sambooty Shaker for 2000. Scary sight.

67. DESERT ROSE--STING feat. CHEB MAMI
Survived a hot remix but barely the radio overexposure.

66. HANGIING BY A MOMENT--LIFEHOUSE
Why do I have the feeling this will be one of the monster smashes of 2001?

65. I FOUGHT IN A WAR--BELLE & SEBASTIAN
Eerily atmospheric. Poop on me for not buying this CD.

64. WHAT MATTERS--MATTHEW SWEET
Another leftover from '99, my #11 song of last year.

63. MOVE YOUR BODY--EIFFEL 65
My #2 Sambooty Shaker for 2000. I even liked most of "Europop". (Dodges tomatoes)

62. THE ONE--BACKSTREET BOYS
Highest boyband entry on this countdown. Nice harmonies.

61. LUCKY--BIF NAKED
When I saw Bif on all those "Buffy" promos last Spring, I was ready to write her off, but this song is achingly gorgeous.

60. I'M OUTTA LOVE--ANASTACIA
So 70's Retro it hurt, but it hurt so good.

59. KERNKRAFT 400--ZOMBIE NATION
I inverted the Title and Artist of this barnbuster for its entire chart run. Oops.

58. SOMETIMES I DON'T MIND--THE SUICIDE MACHINES
These guys just couldn't seem to catch on despite this catchy alternapop raver.

57. LETTING THE CABLES SLEEP--BUSH
Time to let Grunge finally sleep? Possibly this group's swan song, also one of their best. Cool video.

56. CHEMICAL/IN THE SUN--JOSEPH ARTHUR
Who is this guy? Well, WDST played these a lot and Entertainment Weekly designated the album as Album of the Year.

55. I NEED YOU--LEANN RIMES
A Dana Plato in the making? She went from that Krappy Karaoke Kovers album to this lovely attempt to top "How Do I Live" to the frightening image makeover in that "Can't Fight The Moonlight" song. Brr!

54. PROMISE--EVE 6
A little more successful than #58, but just as fun.

53. FADING OUT--PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS
Practically hypnotic and sadly overlooked.

52. CRASH AND BURN--SAVAGE GARDEN
I think this title unfortunately is a bit prophetic regarding their future chart success.

51. DON'T DEFLATE--STARLING
A hooky WDST staple this summer. "I'm not saying/I'm not jaded/Everytime I try I get frustrated"

50. LITTLE BLACK BACKPACK--STROKE 9
The time's always prime for a good "meet ya by the bikeracks after school" song.

49. TEENAGE DIRTBAG--WHEATUS
Usually, I'd shun whiney drivel like this, but I found these guys utterly charming. Iron Maiden? LOL!

48. NATURAL BLUES--MOBY
Admit it. There was nothing else like this on pop radio in 2000. Captivating video with Cristina Ricci to boot.

47. NICE--THIS WAY
Nope, can't figure out why this didn't pick to click. Not at all.

46. DON'T THINK OF ME/HERE WITH ME--DIDO
There were maybe only about 10 weeks in 2000 that DIDN'T feature Dido on my weekly singles or album chart. Omnipresent!

45. TONIGHT AND THE REST OF MY LIFE--NINA GORDON
Great song, but this former Veruca Salt singer didn't really explode, did she? Wonder whyfore the low-profile?

44. ROAD RAGE--CATATONIA
The lead singer sounds like Cyndi Lauper with a cold, but the song had one hell of a singalong chorus.

43. ONE VOICE--BILLY GILMAN
At last! A prepubescent white boy to fill Donny Osmond's shoes. How long before he goes "street"? I give him 2 years.

42. I TURN TO YOU--MELANIE C
She spun me right round, baby, right round, like a record baby, dizzy and deliteful!

41. SKY/I PUT A SPELL ON YOU--SONIQUE
A big razzberry to any radio programmer who refused to follow up Sonique's debut smash. You know who you are...

40. I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT NOW/RED DIRT GIRL--EMMYLOU HARRIS
I didn't think the single had much of a chance. They should promote the title track to Country radio, though.

39. RIGHT NOW--SR-71
"Why/why do you always kick me when I'm/high?" Innocent teen angst set to a driving beat.

38. NO MAN'S WOMAN--SINEAD O'CONNOR
The Pope's favorite extends her 10-year winning streak. And did you catch her saying the 'S' word live on "Today"?

37. SPACESHIP--ANGIE APARO
If you thought the single was something special...

36. GLITTER IN THEIR EYES--PATTI SMITH
The cosmic event of 2000 is when I was humming this in the East Village and spotted Ms. Smith in a restaurant at the same time.

35. I'M THE MAN WHO MURDERED LOVE/STUPIDLY HAPPY--XTC
Their unmistakable sound remains intact. WHY didn't I buy this album in '00?

34. IT WASN'T ME--SHAGGY
Sorry, Shag, it's Ricardo "Rikrok" Ducent who shone on this number. My Number One "Urban" Song of 2000.

33. YOU'RE A GOD--VERTICAL HORIZON
I gotta be honest, I didn't think they could top "Everything You Want", but they came awfully close.

32. AGE OF REASON--JOHN FARNHAM
From a compilation tape that Tim (beyondradio) Harris made me, I couldn't get enough this summer.

31. I WANT YOU TO NEED ME--CELINE DION
One of the few artists whose formulaic retreads don't bother me in the least.

30. CRY/MEMPHIS CITY RAIN--ANGIE APARO
...check out these cuts from my Number One Album of 2000.

29. THIS YEAR'S LOVE--DAVID GRAY
I was mostly liking this album on first listen, but this is the song that clinched it for me. Beautiful!

28. EILEEN'S SONG/DAISIES AND ROSES--BURLAP TO CASHMERE
Another Chart Club rec, this one from Steve(lonestarboy). Both songs are pop-oriented gems.

27. OPPENHEIMER/NINETEEN--THE OLD 97's
Utter sing-along fun the way they used to make 'em.

26. CHOOSE LIFE--BIG TENT REVIVAL
Another Steve Lincoln rec, with the year's most meaningful lyric set to a simple, but beautiful melody.

25. IDOL--AMANDA GHOST
Thanks, WDST, for playing this sadly neglected track.

24. BYE BYE/IT'S SATURDAY--MARCY PLAYGROUND
The silly, fun side of the "Sex And Candy" guys. More overlooked gems.

23. KRYPTONITE--3 DOORS DOWN
There was no escaping this "RadarLove"-like rocker in 2000, and I was hooked like most everyone else.

22. MRS. POTTER'S LULLABY--COUNTING CROWS
Their best stuff is this driving, storysong material, but it usually stiffs on the charts. Too bad.

21. FA FA (NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN)/BARREL OF A GUN (4,3,2,1)--GUSTER
Minor hits that should have been majors. Hook-filled and fun.

20. TAKE A PICTURE--FILTER
My #12 song of 1999, I just never tired of this one. "Hey, dad/ what do you think about your son now?"

19. I KNEW I LOVED YOU--SAVAGE GARDEN
#50 in 1999; I just love this guy's voice. I'm gleening more than a few similarities to a former Wham lead singer, though...

18. THIS IS YOUR TIME/MISSING PERSON--MICHAEL W. SMITH
Thanks to Steve and Tim, respectively, for introducing me to these mega-life-affirming songs from this powerful vocalist who deserves a secular comeback.

17. EVERYTHING YOU WANT--VERTICAL HORIZON
WDST started playing this in late '99. Almost a year later, it was winding its way down the Hot 100.

16. SOUR GIRL--STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
This song sounds like no other I've heard by this band. Very melodic with harmonious 60's vocals.

15. HE'S MY SON--MARK SCHULTZ
His voice reminds me of the guy from Air Supply. Heartfelt, sincere vocals and story.

14. FAITH IN YOU--MATTHEW SWEET
Highest of his 3 entries this year, shoulda been a major smash.

13. IT FEELS SO GOOD--SONIQUE
U-nique is more like it. Vocals and production stood out among the plethora of female dance toons.

12. I'M SORRY NOW--JUDE
Steve Lincoln again. Super singsongy with LFO-ish lyrics like "i hate spaghetti/i also hate divorce". Huh? But it worked!

11. IF YOU'RE GONE--MATCHBOX TWENTY
This song spent the 2nd most number of weeks on my chart in 2000--16. I love these guys!

10. ALL AROUND THE WORLD--RAZE
Who? The highest Chart Club recommendation on this list, compliments of lonestarboy. Swirling, danceable Christian pop with uplifting lyrics to boot. Shoulda been a crossover smash.

9. BEAUTIFUL DAY--U2
With this record, U2--never one of my faves-- u-surps their previous high of "All I Want Is You" with this uplifting Retro smash.

8. NEVER LET YOU GO--THIRD EYE BLIND
11 weeks in my Top Ten, this song had it all, hooks, tempo shifts, a sense of fun. Their best ever.

7. SAY HELLO WAVE GOODBYE--DAVID GRAY
This album cut from "White Ladder" has been #1 on my unpublished Big 15 for a total of 3 weeks at the top. 9 minutes long and it's still too short. A masterpiece!

6. BOHEMIAN LIKE YOU--THE DANDY WARHOLS
The Rolling Stones meet 80's Brit-pop. Hooks + Fun Lyrics=SMASH! 9 weeks in Top Ten.

5. THE BAD TOUCH--THE BLOODHOUND GANG
This one should have had a short shelf life, but it's so infectious and fun and singable, I STILL like hearing it! 8 weeks in Top Ten.

4. MICHELANGELO--EMMYLOU HARRIS
I don't usually chart album tracks unless they're truly special. This one is. Accompanied by a gorgeous melody, Emmylou longingly croons "Last night I dreamed about you" with utter sincerity. 8 weeks in Top Ten.

3. WHO LET THE DOGS OUT--THE BAHA MEN
THIS was the Sambooty Shaker of the Year. I don't understand the universal contempt of this song. The remix is fun, expertly produced, and different. Woof! 9 weeks in my Top Ten.

2. BENT--MATCHBOX TWENTY
Besides a superb vocal, original lyrics, and a killer hook, this song had enough tempo changes to make it sound fresh after 14 weeks in my Top Ten (tied for the record).

1. BABYLON--DAVID GRAY
This is the song that stole #1 away from "Bent" in its final week of eligibility, the 14th on the survey, 3 of them at #1. Its chart progression is interesting. I first heard it intermittently on WDST (where else?) in August. Then it was all over the radio in London when I was there in September. Then 'DST started playing it a lot in October. I bought the album in November. By December, everyone was on it. A major find and the only contender for a spot on my all-time chart.

NUMBER ONES FOR 2000

Take A Picture--Filter (2)
Mrs. Potter's Lullaby--Counting Crows
Never Let You Go--Third Eye Blind (2)
Faith In You--Matthew Sweet (2)
I'm Sorry Now--Jude
I Knew I Loved You--Savage Garden
The Bad Touch--Bloodhound Gang(3)
Glitter In Their Eyes--Patti Smith
Spaceship--Angie Aparo
Fa Fa--Guster (2)
Road Rage--Catatonia
Crash And Burn--Savage Garden
I Want You To Need Me--Celine Dion (2)
Sour Girl--Stone Temple Pilots
Bent--matchbox twenty (4)
All Around The World--Raze
I'm Outta Love--Anastacia
Missing Person--Michael W. Smith (2)
Who Let The Dogs Out--The Baha Men (3)
Bohemian Like You--The Dandy Warhols (3)
Nice--This Way
Right Now--SR-71
Sky--Sonique
Michelangelo--Emmylou Harris (2)
Beautiful Day--U2
Babylon--David Gray (3)
He's My Son--Mark Schulz
If You're Gone--matchbox twenty
It Wasn't Me--Shaggy featuring Rikrok
Idol--Amanda Ghost (2)
Say Hello Wave Goodbye--David Gray (3)

LONGEVITY LEADERS

(23 weeks)
I Knew I Loved You--Savage Garden

(20 weeks)
Bent--matchbox twenty

(19 weeks)
Never Let You Go--Third Eye Blind

(18 weeks)
The Great Beyond--REM
Take A Picture--Filter

(17 weeks)
What Matters--Matthew Sweet
Kryptonite--3 Doors Down
Babylon--David Gray*

(16 weeks)
Mrs. Potter's Lullaby--Counting Crows
If You're Gone--matchbox twenty*

(15 weeks)
Bye Bye--Marcy Playground
Telling Stories--Tracy Chapman

(14 weeks)
Letting The Cables Sleep--Bush
Eileen's Song--Burlap To Cashmere
Spaceship--Angie Aparo
Sour Girl--Stone Temple Pilots
You're A God--Vertical Horizon

(13 weeks)
Charm Attack--Leona Naess
This Is Your Time--Michael W. Smith
Be With You--Enrique Iglesias
The One--Backstreet Boys
Who Let The Dogs Out--Baha Men
Leaving Town--Dexter Freebish
Michelangelo--Emmylou Harris*

Country Top 30

30. She Ain't The Girl For You--The Kinleys
29. Go On--George Strait
28. Carlene--Phil Vassar
27. She's More--Andy Griggs
26. The Way You Love Me--Faith Hill
25. No Mercy--Ty Herndon
24. How Do You Like Me Now--Toby Keith
23. That's The Kind Of Mood I'm In--Patty Loveless
22. Georgia--Carolyn Dawn Johnson
21. Put Your Hand In Mine--Tracy Byrd
20. He Didn't Have To Be--Brad Paisley
19. Me Neither--Brad Paisley
18. Without You--The Dixie Chicks
17. You Won't Be Lonely Now--Billy Ray Cyrus
16. Flowers On The Wall--Eric Heatherly
15. Feels Like Love--Vince Gill
14. www.memory--Alan Jackson
13. Goodbye Earl--The Dixie Chicks
12. Just Because She Loves Here--Chalee Tennison
11. Buy Me A Rose--Kenny Rogers
10. What Do You Say--Reba McEntire
9. Blue Moon--Steve Holy
8. When You Come Back To Me Again--Garth Brooks
7. Ashes By Now--Lee Ann Womack
6. One Voice--Billy Gilman
5. Love's The Only House--Martina McBride
4. Born To Fly--Sara Evans
3. I Need You--Leann Rimes
2. Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye--Vince Gill
1. I Hope You Dance--Lee Ann Womack

Favorite 40 Albums
(Wanna get to know a person? Check out what's in their Discplayer. Out of the 48 CD's I acquired in 2000, these 40 got listened to the most. Now you know me.)

40. Michael W. Smith--This Is Your Time
Disappointing considering how much I loved the title track.

39. Boy George & Culture Club--At Worst

38. Celine Dion--All The Best

37. Carly Simon--The Bedroom Tapes
Extremely disappointing considering she's one of my all-time favorite artists.

36. Cher--If I Could Turn Back Time

35. Lara Fabian--I Will Love Again
The new Celine? I thought so at first, but Ms. Fabian ultimately fell short.

34. Linda Eder--Christmas Stays The Same
Adam was right all along; I predict major success in 2001 for this gifted vocalist.

33. Shenandoah--15 Big Ones

32. Linda Ronstadt--A Very Merry Christmas
My most played Christmas disc this year.

31. Matthew Sweet--100% Pure Fun
Bubblegum rock vocals too often buried beneath guitar noise.

30. Fisher--True North
A real hit-and-miss effort that may produce a smash hit in "I Will Love You" in 2001.

29. Sarah Brightman--La Luna
This started to annoy me after a couple weeks.

28. Carly Simon--Letters Never Sent
Unfortunately, the best tracks I already owned on "Clouds In My Coffee".

27. Dar Williams--Mortal City
Her first effort starts out strong, but flounders mid-way through.

26. Sara Evans--No Place That Far
Her debut contained many strong cuts besides the radio hits.

25. Bjork--Selmasongs
People either loved or hated the movie; I did the former, and thus this soundtrack that I have to be in the mood for.

24. Various Artists--Faire Celts
A group of mostly mellow Irish folk songs all by female vocalists. Nice.

23. Dolly Parton--Hungry Again
I listened to this more often than I'd expected to.

22. Liz Phair--whitechocolatespaceegg
"Whip Smart" was one of my favorite albums of the 90's. This one fell a bit short.

21. Eiffel 65--Europop
Mostly fun, danceable, some clunkers.

20. The Buckinghams--Mercy Mercy Mercy--A Collection
I bought it for the Greatest Hits, but discovered a lot of unfamiliar gems as well.

19. Kristine W--Stronger
My favorites are the all-out dance tunes, but she tries other styles as well, most of which work.

18. Rick Springfield--Best Of

17. Deathray--Deathray
Tracks 1--6 were powerpop delight.

16. Old 97's--Fight Songs
The songs I liked I liked a lot. Too much was unremarkable, though.

15. Elton John--The Road To El Dorado
Surprisingly listenable, though there's no real standout track.

14. Patty Loveless--Only What I Feel

13. Diana Krall--When I Look Into Your Eyes
Oh, now I know why she was nominated for that Grammy. Our new "martini by the fire" album.

12. Dandy Warhols--13 Tales From Urban Bohemia
The songs averaged over 5 minutes each, but they sure were catchy.

11. The Supremes--Box Set
I thought I'd listen to this a couple times before shelving, but I kept coming back to it. It was 4 discs after all.

10. Marcy Playground--Shapeshifter
See #16.

9. Kim Richey--Glimmer
Started slowly in January, then just grew and grew and grew on me.

8. Alison Krauss--Forget About It
The sameness of the songs bothered me at first, but I eventually couldn't escape their loveliness.

7. Dar Williams--The Honesty Room
Not a bad song in the bunch on Dar's second album.

6. Matthew Sweet--In Reverse
75% of this album is poprock perfection and consquently received nearly daily airplay for a month.

5. Dido--No Angel
Not much variety, but flawless for what it is. My summer chill-out album of 2000.

4. Joni Mitchell--Both Sides Now
Our "martini by the fire" album for most of 2000. Her remakes of "Case Of You" and the title track the way they were always meant to sound.

3. Emmylou Harris--Red Dirt Girl
"Michelangelo" is in a class by itself. 2/3 of the rest is outstanding and the other third is just very good.

2. David Gray--White Ladder
Had I discovered this sooner, it may have been #1. A killer vocalist who writes melodic pop with a bitter edge. His rendition of "Say Hello Wave Goodbye" is 9 minutes of gut-wrenching beauty.

1. ANGIE APARO--THE AMERICAN
Starts out like 80's Billy Joel on "Green Into Gold". Then comes the Bowie-like single "Spaceship". "Hush" is not the Deep Purple classic but reminds me of Matchbox 20. Ohmigod, "Cry" is achingly real like a David Gray song. Then listen to those hooks in "Third Time Around". That would be enough, but the next 3 tracks --"Free Man", "Gravity" and "Beautiful"--build in intensity before climaxing with the album's high point "Memphis City Rain". "Swell" and "It's Alright"'s exuberance leads us into the "Tumbleweed Connection"-like "Wonderland". Then there's a few tracks of silence before the title tune. This album almost never left my CD player this year. A classic!

The WORST of 2000

SPECIAL DISHONORABLE MENTION MUST GO TO 5 SONIC ASSAULTS THAT REPRESENT THE VERY WORST 2000 HAD TO OFFER:

5. GRADUATION (FRIENDS FOREVER)--VITAMIN C
Enough to make me wanna drop out. Where did the lyricist graduate from--Insipid High?

4. CAUGHT OUT THERE--KELIS
Featuring that lovely refrain "I hate you so mucchhhhhh/ right nowwwww". At least she was making a point. But really, who in God's name would want to hear this more than once?

3. BREAK STUFF--LIMP BIZKIT
For that matter, add "Take A Look Around", "Re-Arranged", "Rollin'", and "My Generation". I understand there's such a thing as teenage angst, but hey, Fred Durst, there ARE alternatives! And you aint no teenager. But you are pretty loaded now, though, aren't ya, pal? Hmmm...

2. HOW MANY LICKS--LIL' KIM
"...does it take to get to the center of a ----?" Inquiring minds do NOT want to know, and shame on MTV for showing this vulgar slop as the kiddies are getting ready for school.

1. AMERICAN BAD ASS--KID ROCK
Hey, George W., better hope THIS isn't the country you've chosen to lead. I can only hope the "American" values espoused in this song/video are enjoyed by even a smaller number than the number of votes you won by. Revolting.

Sam's Absolute Chart Page

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