The Top 100 from 1997-2002: No. 61-80
No. 80: Smash Mouth- All Star
A tongue-in-cheek, happy, vibrant and energetic summer tune, exactly when this single tore up the charts back in 1999. Very reminiscent of the band's earlier tune "Walking On The Sun" and a much smarter version, but the band's decision to stretch the same formula ultimately led to their downfall with the absolutely dreadful "Pacific Coast Party" as they lacked the creativity they showed with this song.
No. 79: McMaster & James- Love Wins Every Time
Okay, these guys are a pop act, but for once they're actually uplifting, creative and actually pack a punch as opposed to their tone-deaf, stale pop brethren. This was one of their classics, a very emotionally uplifting track which, at the same time, is very easy to listen to. Of all the pop acts that should have done well, Canadians McMaster & James fully deserved to, since their work is at a much higher level than the bands that did better.
No. 78: 98 Degrees- The Hardest Thing
These guys are America's McMaster & James, a pop act that actually sung tunes that actually had substance to them as opposed to only appearing like they did. This song is a very soulful song about love, pitted with actual emotion and with a touch of authenticity- plus the fact these guys can actually sing is a bonus. Now, if only the Backstreet Boys and *N Sync could have tried harder�
No. 77: Shaggy & RikRok- It Wasn't Me
"What do today's kids talk about today? Computers and sex," said Shaggy during an interview about this song, which re-launched his then fading career. I'm thankful he did release this track, as it is a clever spin on the lives of players (something the self-proclaimed "Mr. Lover" sings often about) and wonderfully drawn out. It closes with RikRok saying to Shaggy "I'm going to tell her that I'm sorry for the pain that I've caused/You may think that you're a player but you're completely lost", reinforcing that honesty, even in love, is always better than lying.
No. 76: Moist- Underground
While I consider frontman David Usher's work as a soloist to be, overall, much better than his band Moist's, none of his work ever quite compared to "Underground", as the full band was better able to capture the complete talent that is Usher. This song is a thoughtful, deep and a little dark, an impressive track that clearly states Moist are among Canada's leading true artists.
No. 75: Shawn Mullins- Lullaby
Contrary to the title, this song doesn't put you to sleep: rather, it's a folky, poetic song about a girl who can't seem to enjoy herself. It's exceptionally written and is vibrant in it's relaxed state, though my only complaint- and it's a small one- is that I wish Mullins would actually sing as opposed to talk, because he can do that well too.
No. 74: Dr. Dre f/Snoop Dogg- Still D.R.E.
Dr. Dre proves he can rap with this song, released in late 1999, a blazing, tear-the-roof track where Dre answers back every last one of his critics. In a few words, Dre basically is saying "I'm back" and, my, what an entrance it was.
No. 73: *N Sync- Pop
What's this: *N Sync is answering back at their critics? You mean, a boy band is actually being creative? What a concept! It's not exactly top quality but just hearing the band utter the words they do is definitely worth the price of admission.
No. 72: Chef- Chocolate Salty Balls
Chef- or Isaac Hayes- basically serves up a recipe for love with this track. It's a clever and very funny song, an expose of what the South Park writers can do best.
No. 71: Amanda Marshall- Dark Horse
I've always held that Canadian Marshall has the music industry's best voice, displaying a deep and powerful voice that can convey any message needed. It also doesn't hurt that she can also write too, as is the case with this track, a very deep and powerful song on love and one of 1997's finest songs.
No. 70: Weird Al Yankovic- It's All About The Pentiums
You just can't help but laugh when this song comes on, since Yankovic expertly and cleverly makes fun of P. Diddy's lame "It's All About The Benjamins", turning the former song- one about money and sex, something heard before too many times- into one about the joy of computers. Well done.
No. 69: Fuel- Shimmer
This band was always a stumper. They're exceptional songwriters, showcasing deep and powerful rock tunes that only Nickelback (as a whole) have done better, yet the Montreal band could only do well in the U.S. and not in Canada. Huh. As for this song, it's everything Fuel was: deep and powerful, and definitely worthy of a hit.
No. 68: Nickelback- Too Bad
A showcase of Chad Kroeger's exceptional songwriting capabilities, this song was apparently a page out of both frontman Chad's and bassist Mike Kroeger's actual lives. This song, the follow-up to the smash "How You Remind Me" proved that Nickelback were among rock's leaders, as they proved that they could be consistent with providing quality music.
No. 67: Collective Soul- Run
Always straying from the normal driving rock sound, rockers Collective Soul provide a solidly deep and thoughtful song that appeared on the "Varsity Blues" soundtrack (which wasn't that bad of a movie I might add). Probably the best way to describe this song was the time a radio station ran a "name that tune" contest and one caller thought it was an Eric Clapton hit, which should alone tell you just how good this song actually is.
No. 66: Nickelback- Leader Of Men
Few in the U.S.- and even in Canada- probably knew that Nickelback was around before "Silver Side Up", and, in that time, was still doing what they did best- rock 'n roll. This song is an example of Chad Kroeger's excellent storytelling capabilities, and, while Nickelback may not be great instrumentalists, they're among the best in rock today simply because their sound always fit Kroeger's exceptional lyrics. Hey, it's not making every aspect sound great: it's making the overall picture work and these guys do that well.
No. 65: The Tea Party- Heaven Coming Down
Before Nickelback, Default and Sum 41, Canadian rock was dark, deep and very artistic and this song is a very good example of the style. The Tea Party- who's other impressive tracks includes "The Bazaar" and "Temptation"- worked the dark/deep formula to perfection on this actually uplifting song. With the rise of more international, more radio friendly and, besides Nickelback, less impressive rock acts, sounds like the Tea Party's unfairly faded away. Oh well: sometimes you can't win.
No. 64: J. Englishman- More
This "poor lil' rock star" (his album title) came onto the Canadian music scene as another of Canada's true dark rockers in 2000 and gave us his little gem, "More". It's a little bit of a cross between Econoline Crush and Matthew Good Band, but what stood out about the track was how well both styles were blended. Sure, he may have been part of a big crowd, but at least it was a good one.
No. 63: Faithless- God Is A DJ
Dance music I've always considered to be the most artistic form of music (when done well, of course) since the dance artists can combine, create and blend so many different sounds in such a way that normal instruments could not do, and this one's a fine example. It's smooth, uplifting and very easy to dance to, plus having Maxi Jazz's voice- arguably one of music's finest dance voices- doesn't hurt either. A slam dunk.
No. 62: Baz Luhrman- Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Probably the strangest of the Top 40 hits ever, Luhrman took an article written by a Chicago Tribune columnist (by the same title) and added a dance beat. It was thoughtful and very thought-provoking, although it did toe the line of being preachy. Still, I won't let that take away from the value of this song.
No. 61: Papa Roach- Last Resort
This song was probably the band's only good hit, as it was very emotional, deep and dark as a cry of someone about to commit suicide. The album- and uncut- version went to places radio could not dare to venture to, giving the track a sense of freshness. My only problem with the boys is that they could've been more creative, exploring only the angry route and I couldn't stand the frontman's constant yelling after a while. The good side is they at least have this one, certainly among the best of the past five years.
-DG
The Top 100: Nos. 80-61
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