Terrible Top 10s #6: Most Iconic Nu Metal Songs

Hello music fans, and welcome back to this blog for another epic top 10 post! It's been sort of a while since I last did one, so for that reason, I am doing a top 10 post on iconic nu metal songs! I am really excited to do this as I am a huge fan of the genre. So let's do it!



INTRODUCTION

This may be weird, but I am going to introduce this post with a short life story. So about two years ago, I was around the peak of my trap-loving phase, and you know, all I listened to was Migos, Future, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, and others of their kind. One Friday at school, I was thinking about fans of other genres and what they would be like, and metal was one of them. I got fascinated thinking about it and even came to a consensus that liking extreme music of that kind might be interesting to experiment with, so when I got home from school that day, I tried my best to start listening to some heavy metal music. I tried a Spotify playlist of newer metal tracks at first, but after about five minutes I decided that what Spotify called old school metal would be better. That playlist had artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Iron Maiden in it, and I listened to it when I was going with my dad to get pizza that night. I even had told him about my plan, and he thought it was cool, but somehow after that I lost my motivation to continue getting into that genre. There was also another instance not long after this when I was in the car with my dad and he had the radio turned to the active rock station. They were playing the nu metal classic "Last Resort" by Papa Roach, and just one second of it made me think that this was more of that heavy metal stuff. My dad told me the song title and artist, and I just thought that Papa Roach sounded like a sort of interesting extreme metal band that I may or may not get into. That only taste of rock radio I had floated in my mind for a few months, and when I rediscovered songs like that months later, it was kind of cool.

So the moral of that story? If I could go back to that day and tell my 13-year-old self one thing about music, it would be to dig deep down into the subgenre of nu metal. Nu metal is a very interesting genre that blends heavy rock music with other styles like hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. It is often based around heavy guitar riffs despite having a very wide variety of influences. A common misconception is that nu metal is just a fancy term for rap rock or rap metal, and while a huge portion of nu metal is also rap rock, nu metal also includes bands that combine an alternative metal sound with influences like grunge. Bands like Staind, Godsmack, Evanescence, Hoobastank, and A Perfect Circle have been cited as nu metal despite a lack of hip-hop influences in their sound, so just take away that nu metal is not rap rock. But I still would have told my 13-year-old self about this subgenre because a huge portion of it does involve rapping over metal riffs, and I guarantee you that my 13-year-old self would have loved that. So yeah, that was a big long, but a good way to introduce this list. This is what I think are the most iconic songs from the nu metal genre. These are NOT my favorite nu metal songs of all time, these are the ones that I think influenced and defined the genre the most. I love all of these songs, but these aren't my favorite nu metal songs, but more of what I think the most iconic ones are. In other words, if you're looking to get into nu metal because you think it sounds cool (which I can confirm it does), then you're in the right place. And I am presenting them in alphabetical order, so they are not ordered from least iconic to most iconic. Enough talking, let's get started!

1. Slipknot - Before I Forget
Slipknot is one of those bands that I can't really pick out one signature song from. There were some earlier songs of theirs like "Wait and Bleed" that were fan favorites, then other rock hits like "Duality", "Psychosocial", and this. I picked this not only because it's my personal favorite, but because I think it represents the nu metal sound the best. And it had commercial success, which is also good. As for the song itself, it doesn't have that super heavy and deadly sound that a lot of Slipknot songs do. I don't mind those type of songs, but I prefer the more friendly sounding ones. This song starts out with a cool guitar riff, and after a few measures it goes into a verse that kicks off the nu metal feel of this song. I wouldn't necessarily call it rapping, but it's kind of a thing that vocalist Corey Taylor does in verses like that sometimes. When it kind of seems to switch up going into the chorus, I enjoy it. Taylor did a great job on that chorus and the song wouldn't be the same without it. In fact, while we're on the topic of that, let me just drop this in here:



Icony, huh? I thought so. I don't necessarily recommend this song or this band for someone just getting into nu metal, but once you've got through the basics and think you're ready for something big to hit, then try this or "Duality" out. They should be cool.

2. Drowning Pool - Bodies
If anyone pulls up in my presence and calls Drowning Pool a one hit wonder because of this song, then we are going to have some serious problems. But I picked this song to be on the list because I do think it is the best one. I am going to review Sinner sometime in the near future, so I will save a lot of my thoughts for that. But I will say this: If you have heard or seen any memes that have a whispering voice that says, "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor...", then it comes from this song. After that short intro with that whispering, which I do think is good, it kicks right into the good stuff. One of the first noticeable things is how singer Dave Williams shows his talent almost right away. He sounds great throughout pretty much the whole song. The rest of the band brings the energy alongside that, and by the time the chorus hits, it's just one big masterpiece. Unlike "Before I Forget", I think this song is a somewhat good nu metal starter, but I would wait before listening to the album. I promise I will talk about this album in a separate post, but for now just understand how iconic this song is.

3. System of a Down - Chop Suey!
Personally, I am not the biggest System of a Down fan, as I think a lot of their music is pretty all over the place, but you still have to admit that they did a lot to the nu metal subgenre and the rock world in general. This is likely my favorite song of theirs because it sounds the most normal out of everything of theirs I've heard. But that's not why I put it on this list. I put it on this list because I think it represents the nu metal genre very well, both musically and commercially. It has a good build-up in the beginning that gets you hooked, and the changing styles and sections throughout the song keep you that way. This was the first System of a Down song I heard, and I'm glad it was because this was the most popular and the most loved out of them. I don't think it's a good nu metal starter song, but as you go on it is good to hear. Not much else to say about this one.

4. Saliva - Click Click Boom
Here's a song that not many people like. I can kind of see why, but as a nu metal fan, it's hard to agree with those people. This song just has pretty much everything I like to hear in it. It clicks on and brings heat almost right away, and it keeps it when it needs to be present. I haven't done much research on the lyrics, and while I know they're not supposed to be serious, it just seems like a story about singer Josey Scott or anybody when they were younger, as you can tell from the first verse. When it gets into the chorus, you can really tell it's just for fun. If you know a thing or two about the nu metal subgenre, you may know that it does have its group of fans, but most other people do not come around to it and don't see why people enjoy it. This song is a perfect example of something that falls into that category, at least in my opinion. It's not for everyone, but it is for some people. If you were like my 13-year-old self and is a rap fan looking for something similar that may not have necessarily been loved, then here you go.

5. Disturbed - Down With The Sickness
General music fans and chart fanatics may have heard of Disturbed from their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" that was a hit a couple of years ago. However, if you want to be a nu metal fan, then get that out of your head. I did, and it helped me, so you should do the same. I didn't think that cover was bad, but Disturbed has so many great songs that it overshadows that so much. There's "Stupify", "Liberate", "Remember", "Stricken", "The Night", "Inside The Fire", and this, which is often considered the most iconic of those. It does so much in the time that it runs for, and it leaves me at least somewhat shook after every listen (and I've listened to this about 80 times so I know what I'm talking about). It starts off with a drum beat and quiet guitar riff that makes the song sound pretty passive, but at about the thirty second mark, you hear the first "OH-WAA-AAH-AAH-AAH!", and everything falls into place from there. I feel like this song and this band are good examples of why nu metal and rap rock are not the same thing. This is definitely not a rap-influenced song and Disturbed is not a rap-influenced band, yet they did so much to make the nu metal subgenre what it is. I love this song and love this band, and although they seem hated among regular metalheads they are just what I need.







boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
da boom na da noom na namena
GO!

6. Korn - Freak On a Leash
Most rock fans know Korn as one of the defining nu metal bands of the late 90s and early 2000s. However, there was a time when I just wasn't sure what they were thinking because I did not think that Korn should be considered as a nu metal band. I'm not sure why, I guess they just didn't have the vibe that bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park had. Looking back, I can see what my old self was thinking, and while I definitely wouldn't consider every single thing Korn has done as nu metal, their stuff they put out during the subgenre's peak was pretty nu metal in my opinion. I debated on whether to use this song or "Falling Away From Me" for this list. I almost used "Falling Away From Me" because it sounds way more like a nu metal song than this to me, but this is often considered as Korn's signature song and one of the songs that helped nu metal rise to prominence, and this list isn't really based off of my opinion, so I went with this. "Falling Away From Me" is probably my favorite Korn song, but this song got it all started for me because of how cool it is to get into. It has this funky kind of vibe that captures your attention from the very start, and I feel like the choruses and bridge keep it from being boring for me. I feel it's hard to explain, so I guess you have to listen to see the deal. But let me just say that I've come to be a pretty big Korn fan, and if I didn't hear this song then I might not be as big of one.

7. Trapt - Headstrong
This song was released in 2002, but it's the second youngest song on this list. ("Before I Forget" was released as a single in early 2005, which makes it the youngest) I guess that shows how long it's been since nu metal was at its peak, and how big of a downfall it made. Anyways, I've been really familiar with this song for well over a year now, and I loved it from the first listen. I can't remember how I discovered it, but however it happened, I'm glad it did. In fact, this song was a huge crossover hit, peaking at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ultimately becoming the 49th biggest song of 2003 according to Billboard. It was also a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. I can see people calling Trapt a one hit wonder due to this being their only big crossover song, but they do have a couple decent songs they made after abandoning the nu metal sound in the mid 2000s, with "Bring It" being the best one in my opinion. It's not nearly as hard and angry as songs like this, so you can check that out if you want, though this is the one that ended up defining their career. I don't know why it was such a big mainstream hit, just because of the angry, heavy nature behind it, but hey, it is what it is, and I won't complain. This is not one of my all-time favorite nu metal songs but I do enjoy it quite a bit.

8. Linkin Park - In The End
I won't go too much into this song since I've talked about it on this blog already, but it is one of my all-time favorite songs and probably my favorite song on this list. I love Linkin Park with a pretty big passion, and they have so many songs that are high tier and always fun to listen to. This is like the grandfather of all of them. Not only was it their most commercially successful song, but it is also considered the most iconic. And one listen is probably all it takes to see why. It has great rapping, great singing, great instrumentation and production, and very well written lyrics. There are lots of great songs on Hybrid Theory, and if this one really stands out when compared to the rest of the songs, then that says something. As I previously mentioned, I won't say much more since this isn't my first time discussing it here, but this really is nothing but greatness, and it did a great job in representing the rock world on mainstream radio and charts.







CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES

THIS IS MY LAST RESORT

9. Papa Roach - Last Resort
This is just me, but I have a hard time imagining a big nu metal fan that isn't in love with early stuff from Papa Roach. Everything released after Infest and lovehatetragedy is not really nu metal in my opinion, but those two albums, especially the former, are nu metal essentials for everyone. And this is really what got this band's popularity started. In fact, if you really don't mind cool kid-type rock music, then stop what you're doing and listen to this song now. (Just don't listen to the squeaky-clean version, I put that there as a joke) You may have heard it before because it was a really popular song, but if you haven't, this is a good chance to indulge yourself in it. This band really had rocked the world with this song and album, which is cool to think about. Lyrics and references to it can be found in lots of places, in memes, video games, and even Roblox skins:



That's all pretty impressive for a song about suicide, which not everyone may like to hear. It peaked at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, which I think is pretty good for a hard rock song. Even better, it was a top 3 hit in the UK, and their debut album Infest was certified 3x platinum with the help of this song's success. And again, for a song of this kind I think that's pretty good. I'm glad it got this popular because it really is a great song, and it probably got so many people into listening to nu metal, which is also cool. I don't know if this is my favorite Papa Roach song, because songs like "Between Angels and Insects", "Scars", "Forever", "...To Be Loved", and "Lifeline" exist. However, there will probably never be a time when listening to this won't be fun for me.

10. Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)
When many people first see or hear something about Limp Bizkit, only negative things come to mind. That's because not very many people seem to like this band. I can't exactly explain why because I do enjoy their music, but it's hard to get that across to their haters because of how passionate they are about their opinions. This is the first Limp Bizkit song I ever heard, and I loved it from the very first listen. It even remains in my top 50 most played tracks (according to last.fm) to this day. I think the mix of hard rock and rap works very well on this song, and hearing Fred Durst spit the energetic chorus over Wes Borland's heavy guitar is always satisfying to me. The whole white guy rapping thing may be part of why this band is so hated, but I really don't mind it. If you can't stand this band and don't know why they got so popular, I respect your opinion, but just realize that the nu metal genre may not have been so popular without the success of them and other similar bands. And yes, that means that mainstream bands like Linkin Park and Papa Roach and some of their successors may not have been so popular without the initial nu metal boost made by bands like Limp Bizkit in the late 90s. Despite how much it seems like I love this song, it's not my favorite from this band, and I won't reveal my favorite yet because I hope to do a top 10 post on these guys eventually. But if you don't mind having an unpopular opinion and want to try something new, then check this out, and it may be your thing. I'm glad I did.







And that wraps up this top 10 post! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it, and don't forget: If you ever feel like my 13-year-old self did at the point I described, then this subgenre is for you. Or if you just think any of these songs sound cool to you, you can listen to them using the YouTube embeds that I placed when presenting each song. You may like them, you may not. But giving nu metal a try may not hurt you.

Also, before I sign off, I want to advertise that I am going to do a Q&A on this blog sometime in the future, and you guys will ask the questions. If you have anything you want to ask me, music related or not, you can ask me using this form, and I will answer your questions in a future post. There's no real deadline to send them, so if you have one in mind, send it as soon as you can. Just nothing too weird, disgusting, creepy, or personal. (I've already had to throw out three questions because of that so watch out) That is all I have for you, thanks again and have a great day!

Terrible Top 10s #5: 1997

Hey guys, and welcome back to the blog for another top 10 post! This is one I've been waiting to do for a while now, but I feel like now is the time to crank it out, so here it is! Let's dive right in!



INTRODUCTION

1997 is considered by many to be one of the best years for music. There were many fun pop, rap, and R&B hits that dominated the charts throughout this time that made people in love. And honestly, I have to agree with the people who call 1997 one of the best years for music. Along with 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2015, 1997 is one of my personal favorite years for music because of all the good stuff that came out during that time. Because I love that year so much, I decided to put together a list of my top ten songs that were hits during that year. It was extremely difficult, but I did it, so I'm here to present it. Any song that appeared on the Hot 100 Year-End Singles chart, Hot 100 Year-End Airplay Singles chart, or was a notable alternative hit during that year is eligible to appear on here, just to make it easier for me. Also, I tried not to include any repeats from 1996 on this list because I can see myself making a 1996 list in the future. In other words, I would have had the huge hit "Don't Speak" by No Doubt on this list, but I'm saving it for 1996 in case I do that. So yeah, let's get to this list!

10. Mariah Carey - Honey
When people call Mariah Carey a queen and one of the best R&B vocalists of all-time, they are not lying. She really is that good. While I do not think this song is her best vocal performance nor her best song, it is more than worth talking about here. You may not know this song, but it was a huge hit, as it debuted at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. So think of it as a "thank u, next" of 1997. It was the third Mariah Carey song to do this, which is pretty impressive if you ask me. The song was also nominated for two Grammy awards, and while it did not win any awards, the nominations were well-deserved in my opinion. Mariah Carey has an amazing voice and she really shows it in this song. The song does not represent her usual style very well in my opinion, which can be good because it means she's trying something new. One thing I do really enjoy about it is that piano riff that comes in once every few bars. I think that is really satisfying to hear for some reason. It makes the song sound really good for me. I doubted about putting it on this list because of how great of a year 1997 was for music, but this masterpiece is my most played Mariah Carey song, and it's not close either. So it had to be on here.

9. Third Eye Blind - Graduate
Just listen to a few seconds of the chorus to tell how amazing this song is. The band is trying something a little different with this song and I love it. In fact, the only one of the five singles from their self-titled album I'd say is like their usual style is "How's It Going To Be", so I overall love how they tried some different styles with the singles. This song is a lot harder and more energetic than their usual stuff, which I enjoy. It definitely wasn't as big as the three top ten singles from the album, but it still was an alternative hit which was good. I wasn't sure what the song really meant until I got 3EB's greatest hits CD and read the inside booklet, where lead singer Stephan Jenkins was giving commentary on each of the songs. For this one, he said that it's about "demanding your place", which kind of makes sense considering that the main hook is where he says, "CAN I GRADUATE?" A bio of the song as written on Genius says similar things like, "Graduating from play-pretend to making things happen." I really like this theme as we all will probably feel this way at least once in our lives. That and the energy level always make the song fun to listen to. This isn't the last 3EB song we will see on this list, but this song is still amazing and deserves to be recognized more.

8. Puff Daddy/Faith Evans/112 - I'll Be Missing You
Unlike the previous two songs, I'm pretty sure most of us have heard this song or the song that this song samples at least once in our lives. That's part of why it spent eleven weeks in the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1997. But the other part means everything. We'll get to that in a minute. Anyway, this song samples and interpolates the 1983 hit single "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, which is why it could have sounded familiar during the first listen for anyone. I think the sample was made very well and holds up the song nicely. Puff Daddy's rapping is great and Faith Evans's chorus is amazing. 112 also made some nice contributions on the bridge. But the real highlight of this song is the meaning. Unlike a lot of songs, the meaning should be easy to tell if you have just a little bit of background knowledge of hip hop music of the 1990s. It's really nothing more than a tribute song to rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered in March of 1997 at the young age of 24. You can tell from the verses that Puff Daddy and Biggie were very close friends, which means that Puff was very saddened by his death. You could probably tell that Faith Evans, who was Biggie's wife, was feeling the same things as Puff was just by listening to the chorus. I'm not really sure what relation 112 had to Biggie but there's some emotion in their parts as well. So if you don't know how talented Biggie was and how much he meant to the world of rap music at the time, listen to this song and you should tell. It was amazingly written and proves its point perfectly. My personal favorite Puff Daddy song.

7. Foo Fighters - Everlong
Well, here's the first of five songs from this list that I've talked about on this blog already. I won't spend too much time raving about those because they are already praised in other posts, but I will still give an overview. Anyways, to me, this is kind of a song you have to listen to to see the deal. It is hugely iconic and hugely amazing, but I can't really explain why. That's kind of something you have to hear for yourself. But I think the guitars here sound really good, especially the ones in the intro, and Dave Grohl sounds great along with them. The song isn't a huge banger like songs like "The Pretender" (which is still my favorite Foo Fighters song), so it sounds good in the sort of non-banger way, I guess. It sounds like a usual Foo Fighters song, but better, let's put it that way. So yeah, not much else to say. This song was a huge hit everywhere and is often considered as the best and most iconic Foo Fighters track, so don't be afraid to give it a listen.

6. The Offspring - I Choose
...and we're back here again. I already gave a huge explanation as to why this song is just amazing in my top 10 Offspring songs post I put out on Sunday, so go check that out if you want more. But in short, life is often unfair and messed up to us, and that sucks. But you can make the choice to look at life in a more positive way, and make it like, as the chorus says, a playground rather than a nightmare come true. That's basically what the song is about and I love that theme so much. It also has that insanely catchy guitar riff that follows the song very well. The chorus is amazing not just lyrically, but musically, too. But yeah, I won't get too much into this one because I already did in that top 10 post. Let's get to the top 5 now!

5. Chumbawumba - Tubthumping
As random as this song seems, you've probably heard it before, you just don't know the name of it. This is that bouncy one-hit wonder song that goes, "I get knocked down, but I get up again..." and stuff like that. I think I might have known it from memes or something like that, but I really don't know. This song is really catchy to me and I like how the intro makes it sound slower, but it really just breaks into something awesome and full of energy. The chorus really shows that, as it's the part that makes me enjoy the song so much. The rest of the song is cool, even if it can be weird. I also think the guy singing in this (not sure who it was because this band had a lot of different singers) sounds really good and makes the song slightly better. This song deserved to top lots of charts and gain lots of recognition around the world because it is that good. Very iconic song that is worth still listening to 20 years later.

4. Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
Have you ever heard a song, like "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People, that is really fun and catchy but actually has a pretty dark meaning behind it? Well, here you go. This song is a perfect example of that. In fact, it goes so extreme that the catchy guitar riff that helps make the song upbeat even has a connection to the darkness behind it. But more on that in a minute. The main reason why I enjoy this song is because it's catchy and I love catchy. The song is set up very well and flows through perfectly and it's hard to get tired of that. Stephan Jenkins sounds good throughout the song, too. But what's also really good about it is how well the song was written and set up so that the dark meaning is disguised behind the fun stuff in the song. Basically, the lyrics have to do with an addiction to crystal meth, which is obviously kinda dark. While I definitely do not have much to say about that theme because I wouldn't be able to relate to any of it, I really like how it is hidden behind such fun instrumentals that it shouldn't matter too much. Also, I heard once that the great guitar riff that follows the song is a reference to the charming sound of crystal meth or something like that, and if that's true, then that's just genius at work. I love that. This is definitely not my favorite Third Eye Blind song, as that title goes to "Jumper", but this is still an unforgettable song because of how well it is written and structured.

3. The Notorious B.I.G./Puff Daddy/Mase - Mo Money Mo Problems
I already talked some about this song in my top 25 songs of all-time post, but it's time to revisit it because of this post. I feel like it would be quite wrong to not include a Biggie song on this list because 1997 was quite the year in terms of his music. His second and final album, Life After Death, was released, he had two number one songs in this and "Hypnotize", and another song about him (which I already talked about in this post) spent most of the summer at #1. But on the flip side, it was also the year when his life was tragically brought to an end at the young age of 24. Even though he only released two albums and didn't have too many mainstream hits, he is still considered one of the best and most iconic rappers of all-time, and I agree with anyone who says that. He really is that good. And although he only has one verse in this song, it really proves how good he was and his affiliates are. All of the verses are amazing and the chorus is iconic, too, and the beat is really fun. Some of my personal favorite old school rap songs are ones with both awesome rapping and a more upbeat/catchy production, and this song is a perfect representation of that. It's exactly my style and I enjoy it. Sounds like a pretty amazing song, right? Well, let's just see how much more amazing our top 2 are, because they're obviously pretty good.

2. The Offspring - Gone Away
I kind of just reviewed this song in my top 10 Offspring songs post I put out the other day, but I'm fine with revisiting it again because it's just so good and the version that Five Finger Death Punch did is not. The guitars sound great and the drum line fits with it very well in my opinion. I like how it brings the heat for a few bars in the intro, slows down quite a bit for the verses, and then goes back up for the chorus because it's the best part. As for the lyrics, they're great. They're about what lead singer Dexter Holland was feeling after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident, and although this might be tough to write about, Dexter did it perfectly. He is Noodles's favorite poet for a reason. The emotion in this song can really be felt when Dexter sings it, which is also amazing. So yeah, I won't get too much more into it since I just did a week ago. This is still a pretty awesome song that I'm glad was a big hit.

1. The Wallflowers - One Headlight
I debated for some time on whether to count this song as from 1996 or 1997, but since it peaked on the alternative charts on 1997 and won its two Grammys in the 1998 ceremony, I included it here. I gave a full, in-depth review for it already in my top 25 songs of all-time post, so I'll just go over the basics for this one. I think the production for this song is absolutely on point and fits with the song very nicely. Jakob Dylan has great vocals throughout the song as well. It takes a lot of listens to finally get it and see why I think it's as amazing at it is, so when I was able to get it and see what the big deal was, that was cool because this song was a new favorite of mine. The song is so well-written that it often just speaks to you, and that's really cool. So yeah, I won't say much more since I already talked a ton about it in my first post. This song is overall a masterpiece and I'm glad it was as popular as it was and won as man Grammys as it did.



And that wraps up this post! I hope you had a fun time reading it because I had a fun time making it. 1997 was truly an awesome year for music and a lot of the songs we got out of it were just amazing. If you want to listen to any of these songs because they sound cool to you, I embedded YouTube videos for each song when presenting them so you can listen to them that way. I recommend all of these songs because of how good they are. I will have a 2018-related post out pretty soon (hopefully) so I need to get working on that, but until that comes out, thanks and if I don't post again today I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year and that you have a fun time celebrating today and tomorrow! See you next time!

Terrible Top 10s #4: The Offspring

Well, after reviewing lots of their albums, this post is finally here! I've been waiting for a while to find the right time to make it, and for certain reasons I feel like that time is now. So welcome, everyone, to this post talking about my ten favorite songs from The Offspring! So let's do it!



INTRODUCTION

The Offspring is a punk rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally named Manic Subsidal, the band's starting origins were in 1983, when two friends and cross country teammates, drummer Bryan "Dexter" Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel often played music in a garage together. However, two things made this duo motivated to start a full band: Their failure to get into a Social Distortion concert and their hearing of T.S.O.L.'s album Change Today? at a party. So they did. The original lineup consisted of Doug Thompson on lead vocals, Jim Benton on drums, Kriesel, and Holland, who had switched from drums to guitar. Thompson and Benton departed the band shortly after forming it, though, so Holland became the band's lead vocalist and James Lilja became the band's drummer. They also added additional guitarist Marcus Parrish for a short period of time, but in 1985, school janitor Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman replaced him because he was old enough to buy alcohol for the other members, who were not yet old enough to do so. Manic Subsidal changed their name to The Offspring in 1986, when they released their first demo tape that contained the single "I'll Be Waiting". Lilja left the band soon after and was replaced by teenager Ron Welty. Three years later, they recorded and released their self-titled debut album with producer Thom Wilson after signing with a smaller record label. They toured nationally for six weeks to support the album. They recorded another EP and demo with Wilson in 1991 before going back to the studio the next year to record their second album, Ignition. That album, which helped give the band the right to tour with Pennywise, Lunachicks, and NOFX, was released in October of 1992. Just two years later, they went to the studio again to record their album Smash, which was released on April 8, 1994. This album is what got the band into the mainstream and high up on the charts. In fact, this album smashed the record for the most album sales by an independent label band. It has been certified platinum six times by the RIAA to this day. Motivated by this success, they went on to release three more albums in the next six years: Ixnay On The Hombre, Americana, and Conspiracy of One. While none of these albums were as successful as Smash, they all helped the band reach even higher heights of fame. Following the unexplained departure of drummer Welty in 2003, the band recruited Josh Freese to record drums for their seventh album Splinter. This record was released in December of 2003, and shortly after they got Atom Willard to replace Welty. After releasing a greatest hits album and touring for it in 2005, the band decided to take a break from writing, recording, and touring. But that didn't last long, as they were back in the studio by late 2006 to record their eighth album. Freese drummed on this album, although new drummer Pete Parada was recruited before the album, titled Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, was released. It was released on June 17, 2008. Their next album was planned to be released in 2010, but in order to tour more they pushed it back. The record, Days Go By, was released in the summer of 2012. Their long-awaited tenth album has yet to be released, but since Holland finished the work for his Ph.D. and the band put out a new song this summer, Noodles says that two separate albums will be coming pretty soon! So while we wait for those, I'm here to count down my favorite songs from this band. This list was hard to make because I love so many songs from them, but I did it, so let's present it!

Also, one more note for this list. Because using every single song they've made would be extremely hard to work with, only songs officially released as singles in the U.S. are eligible for this list. It does exclude a lot of album tracks that I can call favorites of theirs, including "Secrets From The Underground", "Spare Me The Details", and "Dammit, I Changed Again", but it makes it easier to work with, so I'm putting that down. That said, let's get this over with!

10. Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) (from Americana)
Let's start off with a song I'm pretty sure all of us have heard at some point in our lives. We just often didn't know the name of it or who it was by. But I'm glad that I do because I can listen to it on my own time, and trust me, I have done that plenty, as it's my 37th most played song ever according to last.fm at the time of me typing this. I just think the song is really fun, and you can tell that just from the title. It has a very playful production that gives the song a happy tone, and Dexter sings very well throughout the song. The lyrics in the song are about a white guy from the suburbs trying to act like they're a gangster from the ghetto or something along the lines of that. Dexter even said once that he had met a lot of boys like that in Orange County (where he lives), so that could have been what inspired him to write this song. The music video, which is what's embedded above, shows this pretty well if you're unsure of what I'm talking about. There is a white man in the video that is dressed like a wannabe gangster that is walking around acting like one throughout the video, which is the perfect way to represent the song in my opinion. Even if it's bad to be one of these people, the song is still really fun and energetic which I love to hear from bands like The Offspring. I'm pleased with how popular this song it is because it's pretty iconic. Not the best song off of Americana, but it is one of the songs that makes that album really stick out.

9. Self Esteem (from Smash)
Believe it or not, this is the only single from Smash to appear on this list. Don't get me wrong, Smash is a beyond amazing and iconic album, it just doesn't have many songs that stand out too much against the rest of their discography. Except there's this song. You might even have heard this song before because it was a huge hit around the globe, reaching number one in Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, and Norway. Lots of critics even call it the best and most iconic Offspring song. While I personally disagree with this, I can see why they think this. This isn't the most upbeat song out there, but it does still sound pretty fun. I'm not really sure what the meaning behind the song is, but that's okay because not every song has to have a real meaning like "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" does. I think the guitars in this song also work out well and fit with the style of the song. But my favorite part is Dexter. This song has always been one of my personal favorite vocal performances from him, especially when it comes down to that awesome chorus. That's what really makes the song stand out in my opinion. It's definitely not my favorite Offspring song, unlike what others think, but that doesn't mean it isn't amazing, either.

8. Hit That (from Splinter)
This is the only Splinter song that will be on this list, unfortunately. I did discuss that in my review for that album, saying that there were only two singles from this album because most of it isn't too radio friendly, but that's okay because there are more amazing songs to come after this. This is also not my favorite Splinter song, but my favorite one wasn't a single in the U.S., so I think this is the better of the two U.S. singles from there. Aside from that issue, this song is really nothing but fun. It is a bit of a step away from The Offspring's usual style, but that happens sometimes so it's okay. I don't know much about the meaning of the song, but Dexter sounds really good when singing about whatever that is, which is great. It's not the loudest rock song out there, but it's not the quietest either. But yeah, I really just enjoy listening to this not because of a cool story behind it or an awesome vocal performance, I just do because it's fun and I love fun. Not much else to say about this one. It's definitely not my favorite alternative song of 2004, but it is one of the highlights from that category.

7. Half-Truism (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
The first of three Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace singles to appear on this list, this one caught my attention from the very first listen. It's not very uptempo, but it does sound very good with the amazing guitars and Dexter's amazing vocals. I've browsed the web a lot for possibilities as to what the lyrics in this song are saying, because it does sound like they're saying something to me. But I can come to the conclusion that no one really knows that for sure. That's okay, though, because I love the song either way. I have not talked Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace yet, but I'd like to make a post on it pretty soon because it is a very good album that I think I would have a lot of fun talking about. It's mainly the three singles from the album that appear on this list, including this one, and some of the album tracks that get my attention as well ("Takes Me Nowhere", "Nothingtown", "Stuff Is Messed Up", etc.) that motivate me to talk about it. So I hope to do that soon. But for now, this song is amazing and really shows what the band can do. Even though this wasn't too big of a hit, it's a pretty good place for an aspiring Offspring fan to start because of that.

6. Hammerhead (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Oh, look, here's another single from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace that I can call a major Offspring favorite of mine. Actually, if I had to be honest, there are only two real differences between this and "Half-Truism": This was a much bigger hit and this actually has an interesting meaning behind it that people know about. So, anyone remember that 2011 song "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster The People that was about a school shooting? Well, the meaning in this song is very similar to that. Both Dexter and Noodles have confirmed that the song is from the perspective of a gunman initiating a school shooting, which is a very interesting perspective to write from. And I think they did it pretty well. Dexter's vocal performance here is also one of the best off of the album in my opinion. Also, I think the guitars in the song fit very well with the song. I like how before the bridge it starts off with a new riff only on the bass, then the guitar breaks in and it gets really lit from there. The energy in this song helps it be what it is in my opinion as well. So yeah, this song is amazing and while it's not quite my favorite song off the album, it is still an extremely fun listen even if the meaning is sort of dark.

5. Original Prankster (feat. Redman) (from Conspiracy of One)
First of all, I'd like to mention that the video for this song is amazing and goes with the song perfectly, so be sure to watch that if you decide to listen to this song. Second of all, YES! Out of all artists that The Offspring could collaborate with to make a song, they chose an amazing rapper that has a lot of talent, and that makes me very glad, especially considering that he's an affiliate of my favorite rap artist Wu-Tang Clan. And since he's basically the 10th member of the Clan because of how much they've collaborated, this is basically a collaboration between my two favorite music artists, which is nothing but epic. The song is catchy in pretty much every way, and just like "Hit That", it's really nothing but fun. As for the meaning, well, you can watch the video for it if you want to find that out. Other than Redman's cool contributions to the song and video, that's pretty much it. This is definitely my favorite single from Conspiracy of One, even with some really cool other ones on there. I recommend this song (and this band) for anyone who loves fun rock songs like one called "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" because that's basically what it is.

4. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (from Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace)
Even though this song was a hit only ten years ago, it's extremely iconic to the point that doesn't even matter. It even just sounds that way in the song. That's how cool it is. And to be honest, that's really the only reason why I love this song. It just feels really good, even if the meaning isn't too bright. Speaking of the meaning, I've done research and concluded it has something to do with the government, probably along the lines of them manipulating their people. That doesn't stick with me too much, but what does is a lot better. There aren't as many guitars present in this song as I'm used to, but they make the background of the song at least somewhat memorable. And Dexter sounds amazing as usual. There's also the fact that while this was not the first Offspring song I listened to on my own time (that was "Days Go By" for some reason), this was the first one that I kind of got into and looked forward to listening to after I first heard it. And as you can see by its placing on this list, it remains as one of my favorite singles from them to this day. Very good song that deserves to be one of their most commercially successful ones.


So it is now time for our top three. These three songs are not my top three overall favorite Offspring songs, but they are all still flawless songs that make this band very amazing for me. I have already done an in-depth review for one of them, so I won't have much to say about it, but as for the other two, I might have quite a bit to say about them, so bear with me as I do this. Let's get started now.

3. I Choose (from Ixnay On The Hombre)
So the only two Ixnay On The Hombre singles on this list are in the top three. Pretty impressive. The fourth and final single from the album is the first of them. It took me a few listens to get into this song, but I did, and it was just so good once that happened. So let's start off with the basics. The guitar riff that keeps the song flowing is really simple, as it's easy to play on guitar, but it's really awesome at the same time, with the muted chords and all. The bass is good, too, because it helps the first half of each verse go along pretty smoothly. Dexter's vocals are very good as usual, and while he has a lot of amazing vocal performances on Ixnay On The Hombre, this is one of the best. And the chorus is the best part. You really have to listen to that to see the deal. Okay, now for the fun part. I enjoyed the song a lot when I was first into it, but when I found out the meaning behind it, everything changed for me. In short, it's just one of those songs about life and how unfair it can be to you. But in depth, it's about how even though life is often that way, you have the ability to choose (hence the title) to turn it around and look at it more positively. This song's lyrics about this theme are just totally on point in my opinion and could not have been any better. It really helps the song take shape and click with the listener. That combined with how catchy and energy-filled the song is makes for something totally awesome. I have not talked much about Ixnay On The Hombre yet, but I do plan to give it a review when it turns 21 years old this February, so stay tuned for that. But until then, we have this amazing song plus another amazing song from that album which is...

2. Gone Away (from Ixnay On The Hombre)
New music fans might have heard of this song because heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch covered it recently for their seventh album And Justice For None. But that cover is so bad that I could not even make it through the whole thing. This is just not a good song to cover and I'll explain why in a minute. But for those of you that have heard of this song only because of that cover, please stop what you're doing right now and listen to the original version, because it's so much better that it doesn't even compare to the Five Finger Death Punch version. If you think it's good then replace the cover with this in your playlists, because you don't need to be listening to that awful cover. So now onto the song. I think the drum line that starts off the song is great and gets the song started pretty well. When the guitars come in, it starts getting pretty lit. I like that guitar riff that comes at the beginning and in the chorus. After the intro, it slows down a little for the verse and then jumps back in for the chorus. It's basically that back and forth for the whole song, which I enjoy. Now onto the lyrical content. Basically, Dexter wrote this song after his girlfriend died in a car crash, and this song is about what he felt after that happened. It's so strong that you can feel the emotion that he feels by listening to his voice in this song. Just amazing. That is also exactly why most of the time this is not a good song to cover. When hearing the Five Finger Death Punch version of this song, you can't feel any emotion in Ivan Moody's voice at all because I don't think he had anyone close to him pass away before he performed the song. If any other artist, even if it was one of my favorites, did this, it would probably be just as bad because you can't feel the emotion that you're supposed to feel with this. And that's exactly what sets this song apart from the others. You can tell that there was a lot of effort put into this song because it's about something personal that can't be copied by others easily. And that's why I love it so much that it's easily one of the fifty or so best songs I've ever heard before. Great job, guys.

1. The Kids Aren't Alright (from Americana)
Well, I'm pretty sure this was expected because this was the only Offspring song to appear on my top 25 songs of all-time list I did back a month or two ago. Because I already did a pretty in-depth review of this song in that post, I won't get too much into it here. But I love this song because it's a perfect representation of what this band can do. It's not just an outright nothing but fun song like "Hit That", and it's not a super deep and emotional song like "Gone Away". It's right in between, which is great. It is one of the band's most uptempo songs as well, which accounts for a whole lot of energy. Even if it is very fast, it flows super well. All of the guitar riffs here sound great, and I love the short but sweet solo as well. The song is about Dexter going back to the neighborhood that he grew up in only to see that everything is not as great as it used to be, which I enjoy very much. Dexter sings very well in this song, which is also cool because it is pretty different from most of the songs off of Americana. So yeah, if you want to see more about this, you can check out that post I linked. This song is truly incredible and exactly what I want to hear in a great punk rock song. My ears were extremely pleased after being introduced to this flawlessness, and I'm sure yours will as well. ;)




And with that, this post is officially done! I'd like to give a big thanks to anyone who made it this far, as I really appreciate that. Also, if you have any suggestions for future posts, please feel free to share them because I will not turn down anything. And I will most likely not post anything else before Christmas, so I want to wish you guys a merry Christmas as well! Hope it goes well! Other than that I recommend all of these songs to anyone looking for good rock songs to listen to, I have nothing else to say here. Thanks for reading again and have a great Christmas!

Terrible Top 10s #3: Three Days Grace

So I finally get to do this post! I'm really excited about talking about my top 10 songs from this awesome band because all ten of these songs are amazing and deserve to be talked about. This list was very hard to make, but I'm glad I did because I didn't think I could. But yeah, without further ado, let's jump right in!



INTRODUCTION

Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band. The band was formed by singer and guitarist Adam Gontier, drummer Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst in 1997 in Ontario. Guitarist Barry Stock joined those three in 2003, the year that their self-titled debut album was released and hit the charts. The singles "I Hate Everything About You", "Just Like You", and "Home" helped propel this album to success, with the former being noted as their signature hit. However, around the time that the latter two were being released, Gontier was in bad shape due to a drug addiction, and knowing that the band couldn't continue with him being that sick, he went to rehab in 2005. While in treatment, he wrote a lot of lyrics describing how he felt during that time, a lot of which ended up on their second album, One X, which was released in June of 2006. Songs such as "Animal I Have Become", "Pain", "Never Too Late", and "Riot" made the album receive generally positive reviews from critics (like me). After three years of touring for it, they released Life Starts Now, which took a turn from their more angry sound that everyone was used to. People seemed to like that, as they ended up touring with bands such as Nickelback, Buckcherry, and My Darkest Days after its release. In 2012, they released Transit of Venus, but just three months later, the band confirmed that Gontier had left due to then-unexplained reasons. He was soon replaced with Walst's brother and My Darkest Days lead singer Matt Walst. So far, they have released two albums with him, 2015's Human and 2018's Outsider. So you ask, what's the big deal about them, and why do the critics and the general public really love them? Well, I will attempt to show why by sharing my top ten favorite songs from them. Let's do it!

10. Chalk Outline (from Transit of Venus)
This song is really good for a hard rock song released in a decade fueled by computer-generated instruments. I'm glad that like the Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace didn't abandon that sound when this new decade rolled around. As for this song, I like the theme in it, which if I remember correctly is about the feeling you have when someone just leaves you. That is the usual kind of thing for Three Days Grace, and I like how they continued it on into this decade. The hard rock feel in this song makes me feel so good knowing that it goes against what's popular. Really good song, and it deserved its Rock Song of the Year award given by Loudwire.

9. The Good Life (from Life Starts Now)
If this was an average artist I was ranking, this song would've been top 5, maybe even top 3. It hurt to put this song this low on the list because of how good it is, but I guess that shows how much I love Three Days Grace. This is an average great hard rock song for me, as it has some cool, heavy guitars, along with a faster tempo that gives it energy. And like most of these, the chorus is the best part because of how awesome it feels. This isn't quite my favorite Life Starts Now song, but I'm glad it was a single because it feels like a good one to me.

8. Pain (from One X)
This is one of their more well-known songs, and although it took a while to really click with me, I enjoy it quite a bit. It's not like a big banger like "The Good Life" or anything, but when he yells, "rather...feel...PAIN!" it's pretty awesome. And considering that there were a couple great absolute bangers off of One X, this is really good for a slower one. The theme of the song, according to Gontier, is the feeling that, "you're constantly numb to things around you, thanks to your own actions, and it's about being sick of that feeling." I'm pretty sure a lot of us have experienced that before, so it's a good idea for a song in my opinion. And Three Days Grace is the perfect band to make it, and because of that it's really good.

7. Just Like You (from Three Days Grace)
This is the first of three songs from their self-titled debut album to appear on this list, and while the highest one is #3, I still think the album is amazing and might be their best work to date. While I didn't give this song too much praise when reviewing their self-titled album, I grew into it a lot recently, so I decided to give it a spot on this list. That said, I think the way the song is structured and how it flows is really nice. Also, that main guitar riff that you hear in the intro and throughout the verses is really nice. The meaning behind this song is, as Gontier says, that you're often told how to live your life by your parents or someone else, and how you can stand up to it and choose your own path. This theme reminds me a lot of another great song that has a similar meaning, "Numb" by Linkin Park, for some reason. But yeah, I really enjoy this song, and despite what I might have said about it on my review of their self-titled album, it deserves to have been a single because the side of them shown here is really awesome.

6. Painkiller (from Human)
This is the only song on this list that features Matt Walst on lead vocals rather than Adam Gontier. And the reason why I put this this high is that when I heard that Three Days Grace had a new lead singer starting in 2013, I was quite afraid to listen to their music after that, just because it might be so different that it's not that good. But surprisingly, I really like Walst's contributions to the band, and I'm glad they picked him as a new lead singer because he has a lot of talent. And while I think this song would've been much better if Gontier sang it, Walst has a really good effort here. This song, which drummer Neil Sanderson says is about how everyone is addicted to something, has a really high energy level, which you could probably tell by now is something I love to hear from Three Days Grace and in general, and that's the first thing that makes me love it. And there's also the fact that this song was released in 2014, which was definitely not a year when you could hear rock songs with guitars on the radio. I like how they continued their classic alternative metal sound this far into this decade. Overall amazing song that really shows that a band doesn't always go downhill after getting a new lead singer.

5. I Hate Everything About You (from Three Days Grace)
Yes, you read that right, this band's most commercially successful hit is only at #5 on this list. Although this song is amazing and the song that got me into them, I think that it isn't very original and that another band could've done it and it would've been just as good. But in terms outside of this list, I don't care. I still think that this song was very well-made and deserved its success. It has a catchy guitar riff and an awesome chorus that gets you every time. And the fact that this song was their debut single is just cool, because it sounds like something by a band that's been around for a while. But just like a lot of my favorite bands and artists, their most popular song is not always their best song, so if you're making a list and feel like you should put the most popular song first, you don't have to. It's fine.

4. Break (from Life Starts Now)
If I remember correctly, this was the second song I came to really love from Three Days Grace after "I Hate Everything About You". And knowing how good I thought "I Hate Everything About You" was, I was excited to hear more from them when I was listening to older alternative charts. In fact, my last.fm account says that the week before I really got into them, I had 47 scrobbles (or plays) for "I Hate Everything About You". But by the next week, I had ten brand new plays for this song, including seven in a three-day span, because the first time I listened to it, I was shook. The theme about wanting to break away from a situation that you're in that you don't like stuck out so much to me, along with the extremely high energy level, really showed me what this band could do aside from their commercially successful songs like "I Hate Everything About You" and "Lost In You", and that started my true love for them. Seems like a really good song for only number four on this list, right? Well, then there's no telling how legendary all of our top three songs are. So let's introduce them.

3. Home (from Three Days Grace)
I know, I know, I ranked "I Hate Everything About You" higher than this when reviewing their self-titled album. But I feel like that for this list, "Home" should be higher because it represents Three Days Grace's sound way better than "I Hate Everything About You" does. So it is. As for everything else, it's not quite as upbeat as some of their other songs like "Break" and "The Good Life", but that doesn't stop Adam Gontier's aggressive voice from coming out and showing what it can do. In fact, it's the first thing that catches my attention when the song kicks in. According to songmeanings.com, the song is apparently about a typical conflict between a parent and a teenager, and although some say it's about a conflict between a boyfriend and a girlfriend, I personally disagree because it sounds way more like parent vs. teenager to me. Pretty interesting to me because I know what it's like, as I've been through that many times. Aside from the lyrics and vocals, the heavy sound in this song is just cool. Like I said before, it's not a total banger because it doesn't have as high of a tempo as some of their other songs, but everything else revolving around that makes up for it. And by far the most satisfying part (at least to me) is when Gontier belts out the chorus. You can feel what's going on in the song then, and as someone who loves hard rock, it's satisfying and fitting for me. So yeah, everything about this song is amazing, and if something was changed, it wouldn't be the same. I don't know if this is my favorite song off of Three Days Grace, but it sounds the most like a great Three Days Grace song, which does so much for me, which is why it's this high.



Alright, so now that everything else is done. it's time for our absolutely legendary top 2. And honestly, picking which one of these songs to put at #1 was an extremely hard decision for me. Both of these songs are truly amazing in every way, and while one was more popular than the other, I like them both pretty much the same amount. But I had to make a decision, so I did. The only real reason why I put my #1 pick at #1 is because I discovered it before my #2, but just note that they are interchangeable because they're both just so good and it's almost impossible to make a true decision. So take that into note when I reveal my top 2. Let's do it.

2. Riot (from One X)
On an average hard rock list with this song on it, in most circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to put a song like this at the top spot. But as I just said, this song is pretty much just as good as my #1, I just put this here because I had to. Anyway, if you're trying to get into super hard rock music but don't know where to start, here you go. This is the perfect example of a great 2000s hard rock song because it has pretty much everything I need. It's super upbeat, has that super fast and catchy guitar riff, and has such an energy-filled chorus, so much that sometimes you can't help but just get up when you hear it. The lyrics in this song don't go too deep, but I love them. They're basically about being really angry to the point where you're just not being afraid to show it. In other words, normal Three Days Grace stuff. And you can definitely tell from listening to it that Three Days Grace were the perfect band to make it, because nothing can sing these lyrics better than Adam Gontier's angry-sounding voice. So not much else to say here. This is a pretty simple song, but no one said that a song has to be super complex to be good, so that doesn't bring this song down any. Everything else added to it makes it even better, which makes this #2 spot on this amazing list of songs very deserving. But the #1 song, although being just as good, was also pretty deserving. And considering that there is one big hit of theirs I haven't talk about, my #1 shouldn't be that hard to guess. It is...

1. Animal I Have Become (from One X)
I don't say this about many songs, but other than one or two small things, this song is flawless. It just has lots of good things in it put together to make something just so amazing. I could spend hours raving on about everything great about this song, but I don't have the time or effort to do that, so let's make it short. I love the guitar riffs that come all throughout the song, and the first few measures where it's just the kick drum and the bass is really cool as well. The verses sound pretty much perfect, as if just one thing was changed it wouldn't be the same. And that brings us to the story behind the song, which might be my favorite thing about it. Basically, after the band finished touring for and promoting their self-titled debut album, lead singer Gontier became addicted to drugs so much that it was preventing the band from starting work on their second album. He has said that during that time, he was just so angry and abusive and couldn't figure out who he was. So while he was in rehab for that addiction, he wrote a lot of songs for a possible second Three Days Grace album, and this song was among that bunch. It's basically about that rough time he went through and how much he wanted to get out of it. It doesn't sound like too much, but to be honest, this is one of the most well-written songs I have heard in quite a long time, because you can tell what he was going through just by listening to this song. Lots of other artists have tried to do something like this, but most have failed, so it's nice to see one succeed. As for everything else, the song has so much energy in it it's almost unreal to me. It's definitely Three Days Grace's usual sound, but a lot better. And that plus that interesting story makes something awesome. Also, this isn't really about the song, but the music video for this is really cool and describes what's going on in the song pretty well. I embedded it above if you want to check it out. But yeah, I think I've said enough. This song is great in every way and definitely deserved to be Billboard's #1 Mainstream Rock song of 2006.




And that's it for this post! Thanks for reading, and if any of these songs sound cool to you (which I hope they do), you can listen to them with the YouTube embeds I provided with each one. So yeah, see everyone tomorrow for a cool new series!

Terrible Top 10s #2: Foo Fighters

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog for another top 10 list from me! This time, instead of breaking down a year, I will be sharing my favorite songs from an artist, which I see myself doing quite often, actually. We are starting this with the Foo Fighters, who have more than enough songs I love, so it was kind of easy to put together a list for them. So without further ado, let's get into it!



INTRODUCTION

The Foo Fighters are a rock band originally founded as a one-man project for former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain. While Grohl was on tour with Nirvana, he often brought a guitar with him and wrote songs when he wasn't performing, but since he loved Cobain's songs too much, he kept them to himself. After Cobain died and Nirvana was disbanded, Grohl began to record a lot of these songs anonymously under the name "Foo Fighters" because he wanted it to sound like a group. But unexpectedly, the tape of these songs gathered interest among several record labels, so Grohl gathered together some other musicians to support the album. After he recruited guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith, the album was completed under Grohl's new record label. They went on to release eight more albums that contained many hit singles. Because I personally enjoy a lot of these hit singles, I picked out ten of them to represent my favorite songs that they have recorded. And I'm here to present those ten songs and talk about why I love them. Let's dive in!

10. Learn To Fly (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
This is one of the most noticeable hits from the Foos, as it peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Personally, I think it deserves it. It's not a very hard or upbeat song, which is what I'm used to hearing from them. And this type, which reminds me a lot of their iconic single "Everlong", is a nice change. Also, Dave Grohl sounds a little different here, too, and that's also kind of cool. So yeah, this is pretty good for the only Hot 100-charting single from There Is Nothing Left To Lose.

9. Rope (from Wasting Light)
Unlike "Learn To Fly", this song, and this album in general, isn't much different from what I'm used to hearing from the Foos. That's part of what I like about it. This song is really fast and energy-filled, which is the big thing that makes me want to stick around until the end. It also has some cool guitar riffs that go with that tempo nicely. It's not my favorite song off of Wasting Light, but it is an honorable mention for that honor.

8. No Way Back (from In Your Honor)
In Your Honor is not one of my favorite Foo Fighters albums, but it did have some cool songs on it, such as this one. It's a very good example of this band's usual sound, which I like. The guitar riff is the catchiest part of this song to me, as is the chorus, which defines the song along with that riff. While I do prefer seven other songs from the Foos over this, if I had to listen to any song from In Your Honor, I would immediately go to this one.

7. Walk (from Wasting Light)
Here's another Wasting Light single that I think shows their sound really well. I like how they continued their harder rock sound even into the 2010s, as that wasn't what was popular at the time. But some people, like me, enjoy hearing it, so I'm glad this song is out there for that. We'll have to wait until the top five to see what my favorite Wasting Light song is, but although this mystery song is better, I really enjoy this one.

6. Monkey Wrench (from The Colour And The Shape)
This is one of many songs from the late 1990s that were renowned hits but never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 because of the chart rules at the time. I think this is definitely cruel, but that doesn't affect my opinion on this song. It has some really catchy riffs throughout, plus that really hard rock feel that Dave Grohl is great at making. It's not better than "Everlong", which will appear on this list eventually, but I'm glad this was a hit along with it.

5. All My Life (from One By One)
I personally thought that One By One was a forgettable album, but I remember it at least somewhat because of this song. I like how this song starts with not as much in it, then some breaks in during the second half of the first verse and pre-chorus, then by the chorus it's just super fun. I don't know why but those kind of songs really stick out to me in a great way, and that's why I love this song. I considered putting it higher, like at #2 or something, but I guess this placing shows how strong their discography is.

4. These Days (from Wasting Light)
I love this song for the exact same reason why I love "All My Life": It has an awesome build-up that sets the stage for the song very nicely. And this is yet another one of those songs with actual guitars in it that was made in this decade, which you don't see or hear every day. But yeah, I like how the Foos didn't change according to the trends and just stuck with what they were used to playing, as many artists throughout this decade are victims of that. But the Foos aren't, and I'm very glad about that.

3. Something From Nothing (from Sonic Highways)
Okay, so think back to "These Days" and Wasting Light in general for a second. That album was released in 2011 and still possessed that great hard rock sound that is almost extinct in the 2010s because of new trends. Well, this song and album were released in 2014, which is a year right between the dance-pop and trap trends. And those subgenres are based off of computer-generated instruments. The Foos probably knew this, but even this far into this decade, they were still making actual rock music, and I admire that so much because not many artists will have the courage to do that. Anyway, this song is fantastic in pretty much every way. It is another one with an amazing build-up that is very noticeable, and very good at the same time. The many different riffs coming together help a lot with that. And how Dave Grohl's voice changes throughout the song to match the tones of it...just so good. 2014 was not an awesome year for music, but this song is one of the real highlights from that year, even though it barely did not chart on the Hot 100.

2. Everlong (from The Colour And The Shape)
Yes, this hugely iconic single is not my top pick for the best Foo Fighters song, and you'll find out why in a minute. But for now, let's just say that this song is a part of why 1997 was such an awesome year for alternative rock music, and music in general. There were a lot of great pop crossover hits from that year that helped make it what it is, but there were also songs on more of the actual rock side, like this one, that helped as well. While this song is certainly not the best of those, because 1997 was so awesome, it's up there, and I still enjoy listening to it when I get a chance to. However, as good as this song sounds like it is, it's not quite my favorite Foo Fighters song. It wasn't very close, either. So what is? Well...

1. The Pretender (from Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace)
If this song was a bigger mainstream hit and not have been caught between years, 2007 and 2008 would have been so much different for me. That's because this song just outright stands out when compared to other songs from that era. Okay, so if you decide to listen to this song, or have already, you probably heard the first 25 seconds or so and went, "Man, this is so slow and boring, I don't see why so many people love it. Maybe I should just stop here." Well, that's when it breaks right in and goes so hard that the energy is just way over the top. And by the time that super awesome chorus hits, you just feel so good because the song is now so upbeat and energy-filled. I know I've talked about of a lot of these other songs being really upbeat and energy-filled, but they don't even compare to how hype this one is. And I love hype songs, so this is perfect for my taste. You might not agree and think that something like "Everlong" is better, but I personally love this song too much to not say it's my favorite from them.






And that does it for this top 10 list! What do you think? Did you agree or disagree with my opinions, or do you just want to share your thoughts on the songs? Well, that's what the comment section or my Discord DMs are for, as you're welcome to hit those up anytime. You can also use those for suggestions for other posts you'd like to see from me if you want. But yeah, I had a lot of fun making this list and this post, and if you want to hear the goodness in these songs for yourself, that's what the YouTube embeds I included are for. I recommend all of these songs to anyone who is looking for things to listen to, so you are free to check them out if you're bored. But for now, that's it for this post and I'll see you guys next time! Have a great rest of your day!

Terrible Top 10s #1: 2000

Hey guys, and I'm back again for another post! This is the start of a series I'll be doing on this blog called Terrible Top 10s, which is basically a top 10 list of anything based on my opinion. It can be of a year, an artist, an album, an era, or anything like that. I'll be doing a lot of these, so if you like this one then you're in good hands. Anyways, let's get into the first one!

INTRODUCTION

2000 was an amazing year for music. We saw the dominating comeback of Santana, the first time in a while where the #1 song of the year didn't actually hit #1, and the release of lots of great music by many great artists. And this post is going to acknowledge those songs by making a top 10 list out of them. However, there is one issue with this year I have that will affect this post: A lot of the time, if I'm doing a top 10 list for a year, like this, I will only use songs that were on the year-end list for that year for certain reasons. But I will not be doing that for this list, because a lot of the songs that make 2000 such a great year weren't huge hits and didn't make that list. So while most of the songs from this list did appear on the year-end list, there are a couple on here that weren't on there, and that's okay because they're great either way. Just putting that out there if you're confused by a couple of songs on the list. Enough said, let's get to it!

10. Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want

I was pretty close to not including this song considering all of the goodies that we got throughout the year 2000. But I remembered how much I enjoyed it and how much of a good job I thought these guys did on it, and that made me change my mind. If you listen to this song, 9 times out of 10 the first thing that catches your ears is that catchy guitar riff that starts at the very beginning and continues throughout the whole song. That is what hooked me in from the first listen and still plays a huge part in making the song what it is. I also liked the acoustic guitar that comes in after a couple bars of the main riff in the intro. It adds to the song some as well. It stays at a low energy level throughout the verses, when those great vocals come in. But when the chorus hits, that's when it gets truly amazing. I can't really explain why, it just feels like that to me. When that hits by the first chorus, that amazing vibe stays with me for the rest of the song, which is what makes it what it is for me. It also makes me miss how good music used to be, mainly because the guitars (which are very rarely used in music nowadays) are so good here. It's not quite in my top 100 songs ever, but it is good enough that I can say it's one of my favorite songs of this amazing year.

9. Everclear - Wonderful
I might get some hate for this choice, just because not everyone loves this band. But I do, and I thought this song was good enough to include here. It might not click with you from the first listen, as that was certainly the case with me. But when I did finally get into it, it wasn't just any other song to me. First of all, I think this might be Art Alexakis's best vocal performance, even with the existence of songs like "I Will Buy You A New Life" and "Everything To Everyone". The other thing is the story behind it. Wikipedia says that the song is about, "a divorce as perceived by a child. Each verse of the song corresponds to a different stage of the divorce. The first verse describes the child hearing their parents fight as they try to block it out, remembering what it was like before their parents began to fight. The second verse describes the child going to school and pretending to their friends that everything is all right at home, despite what is heard in the first verse. The bridge describes the child lashing out at their parents, not wanting to comprehend that their parents have begun to grow apart and date other people." It's not necessarily something that does anything for me, but I'm really impressed at how well it was put into song form here, especially with each verse being about a different stage of the situation. And like I'd say with a lot of songs, when everything here is fit together, the song sounds just like its title: Wonderful! Overall great song, I wish I could put it higher, but that shows how great of a year 2000 was I guess.

8. Eminem - The Real Slim Shady
It might be a little surprising that this is only #8 on this list, because it sees like I would love it way more. But to be honest, I was on the fence about whether or not to include this in the first place, and I did. So here we are. Anyway, I think just one word can describe this song: Iconic. It sounds that way when listened to, and it is that way. The verses aren't supposed to mean too much, as the song's Wikipedia page says that its genre is "comedy hip hop". So if you think that what he said about all of the celebrities he mentioned was bothering, it's just a joke, so it's fine. The chorus is what's iconic. It's very catchy and very easy to get stuck in your head. In fact, it's so iconic that it was parodied and covered so many times by many different TV shows, music artists, and even by political figures and sports teams. Very cool. I think the beat is fun as well, considering that it's been used for many different things, too. The song wouldn't really be the same without it. Other than that, there's the video, which won two VMAs because of how well it imitated the song. I like it and think it represents the song's lyrics very well. So in short, this song is iconic and sounds very good with everything put together, and while this isn't Em's best song, it's one worth listening to.

7. Santana/Rob Thomas - Smooth
It shouldn't be a surprise to see this, considering it spent a lot of weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and is ranked as the 2nd-best performing song of all-time by them. And just one listen can present all of the icony that lives in this song. There's that guitar riff that makes the song sound really catchy, and the fact that it's a pretty simple love song. But what I enjoy about it is rather than someone like George Michael that was hugely popular in the 80s, Santana chose a much better 90s rock vocalist to be in this song, and in my opinion Rob Thomas handled this song better than anyone else who could've been picked. And I'm not just saying that because it made his band more popular, he actually made this song a lot better than it would've been otherwise. And that says a lot. Aside from all this I'm unsure of what else to say. It's a very cool song that deserved every bit of its success it got. I would've put it higher, but 2000 was a stacked year.

6. Incubus - Drive
Yes, I know, this song technically shouldn't be on this list, because it peaked in 2001 and was pretty high on that year-end list. But it was released closer to 2000 than 2001, and I don't see myself doing a top 10 list of 2001 anytime soon, so I'll go ahead and put it on here. As for the actual song, I think the vocals provided by Brandon Boyd do a lot here. He is very talented and definitely puts that talent to good use in his band's songs. I think those vocals added with the cool acoustics play a huge part in making this song so good. And like a lot of songs, the chorus is the best part here. Really good song to sum up. It's between this and "Megalomaniac" for my favorite Incubus song, and I don't know which to pick because they're both so good, so let's leave it at that.

5. Kid Rock - Only God Knows Why
Kid Rock shows up on a top list of mine yet again. I could get some hate here because not too many people outside of myself are fans of him. But I don't care. I love this song. The first 2-3 minutes don't really do much for me, which is why it took me a while to get into this one. But when Kid Rock's tone of voice changes, it makes the song a LOT more exciting, so much that it made me love it a lot. I don't even know why, that's just the way it is. The best part is the "ONLY GOD KNOWS WHY" part for sure. I can sort of see why some people would hate it. Not just because it's Kid Rock, but he sings about some questionable stuff in it too. But the song sounds great to me and that's all that matters! I'm glad it was somewhat of a hit because there weren't too many Kid Rock songs that crossed over to the mainstream. But this song is great so I'm glad it's one of the ones that did.

4. Creed - Higher
Here's another song by an artist that is not too well-liked among music fans. But unlike with Kid Rock, I never really understood the hate for Creed. They sound just like any other awesome hard rock band to me. And while I do like their biggest hit "With Arms Wide Open" to some extent, I'm very glad that this song appeared higher on the 2000 year end list because it's much better in my opinion. Just like a lot of songs I like, it doesn't really do anything personal for me. It's just a fun little listen that's hard to get tired of. It's very upbeat and contains a lot of energy throughout, which makes a great song for me 99% of the time. Scott Stapp also sounds pretty good in here. So yeah, love this song, love the energy in it, and love the fact that it was a pretty big hit. It's probably my favorite Creed song because it's the one I'm most familiar with. But I'm not sure. Maybe I could do a top 10 for them someday and see.

3. 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite
If I'm being totally honest, there's really only one reason why I put this song this high on the list. But we'll get to that in a minute. The song itself sounds really amazing. The riff that goes on throughout sounds really nice (and it's easy to play on a guitar, too). I enjoy Brad Arnold's voice throughout the song as well. Additionally, the whole "superman" thing sounds nice in the chorus. But yeah, all that sounds cool, but that's not too much of why I put it this high. Let's flash back to summer 2017 and see. I was a dumb teenager, like a lot of people are at that age, so I was right in the peak of my trap-rap phase then. By that I mean I literally only listened to trap music and didn't really have anything from other genres I could call a favorite. My favorite artists were Migos, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, you know, those kind of people. Despite these obsessions, however, I decided to do the rankdown for the 2000s decade-end chart which was hosted on Pulse Music Boards. Sometime in July of that year, the day came for me to start listening to the songs on it, and when I shuffled the playlist, I'm pretty sure this was the first song that came up on it. I didn't think I'd enjoy very many of the alternative rock songs on the list, but while listening to this song, all I was thinking was stuff like, "Holy hell, this is so good!" But little did I know that this discovery would be the earliest signs of my shift from loving only trap music to loving and listening to pretty much all kinds of music. Anyways, let's not get too much more into that, because there could be another time where that discussion would be useful. Let's talk about this song. But yeah, the song sort of means something to me because of what happened there, so much that I still try to listen to it often today. And that's why I have it in the top 3 of my list. In a normal year, this could've been #1, but 2000 was not a normal year, so there are two songs released around then that are slightly better. So let's talk about those two songs.

2. Savage Garden - Crash and Burn
I was so unbelievably close to putting this at #1 on here, just because it sounds so cool. But even though I didn't, it's still a pretty good song. And I don't really know what brought me to love it in the first place, if I'm honest. I just remember that I started to love it and a few other songs from them one day. Now onto the song. I think the production is really cool here, which is one thing I like about Savage Garden. They have some pretty catchy songs out there, some of which have what's in the background as the highlight in my opinion. This song is no exception. The actual music in this stands out a whole lot, just as much as extremely catchy songs such as "I Want You". Also, like I said in my introductory post, I think Darren Hayes is a very talented vocalist that brings light to songs that wouldn't be as good without him singing in it. That's why I love songs like "Truly Madly Deeply", and it's part of why I love songs like this. To add, the meaning behind this track isn't something that captivated me from the start, but it is worth taking a look at. This song's Wikipedia page has a whole section on the meaning of this song, which says that the song is about, "the difficult search for solace and meaningful relationships in a cold world, peaking in a chorus that argues it is fine to 'crash and burn' during tough times in order to get over heartache and pain." Now that's just cool. And remember in my introductory post when I said I love songs that were written by someone who seems to have a pretty high intelligence level? Well, this is an example of that. Another thing is that according to Wikipedia, Darren said once that the lyrics of the song are, "all the words I wished someone would have said to me during the period after the first Savage Garden album." Basically, he's writing a song with words he really wanted someone to tell him during that time period. Not everyone out there is capable of that, so that's pretty cool. So yeah, I think I've said enough. This is a pretty genius song for sure, and it is performed with great vocals over a very catchy and well-produced instrumental, which always makes for a great song for me. I know that "I Knew I Loved You" was the biggest hit off of Affirmation, but this song is much, much better than that in my opinion, so I'm glad it got some recognition.






...so nine songs and explanations later, we are moments away from the #1 spot on this list, which is what I would call the best song released in or just before the year 2000. As much as I love all of these nine songs I just talked about, this masterpiece of a song just barely overtakes all of them to gain the title of my favorite song of 2000. But what could it be? Could it be a random one-hit wonder song that blew up the charts when not many people expected it to? Could it be what Billboard called the number one song of 2000? Could it make an artist double up on this list, or even better, form an all-Savage Garden top 2? Well maybe...











...you're wrong.

1. Method Man & Redman - Da Rockwilder
Yep, you read that right. This seemingly random underground rap song is one that I would call my favorite song of an awesome year for music. But I don't care. THIS SONG IS SO GOOD! It might not sound good to you because rap isn't the most loved genre out there, but it is definitely a score for me. And the thing is, unlike the other two songs in the top 3, it doesn't have any special meaning or personal connection that I care about. It's just...fun! The beat is fun, the flow is fun, and the high energy level makes it even more fun! And I love fun songs, so this is a perfect fit for my playlists. In fact, the only slight problem I have with it is that it's really short, at only around 2 minutes and 15 seconds long. But I just turn that into a positive thing, as that makes it easier to listen to the song multiple times in a row. I always feel so good when listening to it because it's so upbeat and fun. The beat, which was produced by Rockwilder (hence the song's title) helps with that a lot. When it goes past that intro and breaks into the song, that's cool. It flows nicely throughout Method Man's verse, which I'd like to take a look at because I love his lyricism.

"Microphone checka, swingin' sword lecture
Closin' down the sector, supreme neck protector
Better warn 'em kid, Mr. Meth's a boiling pot
About to blow his lid from the pressure, too hot for TV
For sheesy, too many wanna be hard be easy
It's all N'together, going all out together
It don't take much to please me
Still homes I'm never satisfied like the Stones
We don't condone bitin' see them skull and crossbones"

This is just so cool. He uses all the right rhymes and puts them together perfectly in what is a perfect example of a rap verse. And oh yeah, this is just a sample of what he has to offer. The verse continues on with just as good of rhymes and just as good of a flow. But things really get lit when Redman comes in and starts delivering his verse. Here's a sample of that:

"Yo, I was going 2 buck we roam, cellular phones
Doc-Meth back in the flesh, blood and bones
Don't condone, spend bank loans on homegrown
Suckers break like Turbo and Ozone
When I, grab the broom
Moon-walk platoon hawk my goons bark
Leave you in a blue lagoon lost (true)
Three nines in the glove with Masu, D-Don and The Gov'
Right behind on a bus"

Pretty cool, huh? Well, the song is even better than these verses sound like, because it also has that fire beat and that amazing buildup throughout. Redman's vocals are also amazing in his verse. These things all flow with each other extremely well, and like I've said many times before, this all makes for a pretty awesome song. It's just the type of song that I can listen to on repeat for extended periods of time, and get hype to pretty much whenever. You might not love it, but I definitely do. Thank you, Red and Meth, for making this good of a song for me to listen to whenever. I really appreciate that.






And with that, we are now through with this post! If you made it this far, then thank you for reading it, because I love every fan I get here. If you are curious as to what I'm talking about when I discuss the good qualities of these songs, you can easily listen to them via the YouTube embeds I provided when introducing each song. You don't have to do that, but if you're searching for some awesome songs to listen to, then you've come to the right place. I'm not sure when I'll get another post out, so until then, thanks for reading and have a great rest of your day! :)