Best Song of the 2000s: HEYYYYYYYYYYYY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

rylltraka · Post by **rylltraka** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 1:23 pm

Don't pay him any attention; it's better that way.

vengefulsweatermensch · Sun Jan 07, 2018 2:09 pm

merv1618 wrote:
AKKOLADE wrote:
American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West 23, Yeah! by Usher featuring Ludacris 16
This is the moment Donald Trump became president of the United States.

Insert "Usher should've campaigned in Michigan and Wisconsin" joke here.

A Dim-Witted Saboteur · Sun Jan 07, 2018 4:12 pm

http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewto ... 76#p326376

Charm Bison · Post by **Charm Bison** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 4:27 pm

"Time to Pretend" deserved better. Sucks it had to go up against "Hey Ya!".

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 5:40 pm

If we were posting about bad takes in this thread, I'd probably have enough to make at least a 16 seed tournament and it's only been like two weeks, so congrats, I guess.

sephirothrr · Post by **sephirothrr** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:21 pm

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Time to Pretend by MGMT

One More Time by Daft Punk vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Lose Yourself by Eminem vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes vs. Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz

Yeah! by Usher featuring Ludacris vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West

Dashboard by Modest Mouse vs. 1901 by Phoenix

Hurt by Johnny Cash vs. Crazy In Love by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:43 pm

I got bad news for you, Ram.

sephirothrr · Post by **sephirothrr** » Sun Jan 07, 2018 10:46 pm

AKKOLADE wrote:I got bad news for you, Ram.

rip

merv1618 · Post by **merv1618** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:19 pm

Before the next round starts, Fred (and retroactively, Mike) deserves a thank-you for running this kind of bracket. He's awfully busy, but these threads are a lot more fun than they have any business being.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 4:36 pm

Thanks, Adam. I appreciate that. It's been a lot of fun to run too, even when YOU VOTE FOR THE WRONG SONGS YOU MANIACS.

I'm going to delay the next round until Thursday or Friday. I want to do little write ups about the songs that are left, but I also have real things I need to do first. I'm already about 1/3 done (that sounds more impressive than "I wrote about 5 songs before I had to move on").

rylltraka · Post by **rylltraka** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 10:31 pm

I must also say that I've been really enjoying this experience (especially since listening to new music is something I basically never do). I also appreciate when people put in the time to justify their answers, which is a neat peek into other people's heads. Even the excerpts from Naveed's unpublished autobiography.

El Salvadoreno · Post by **El Salvadoreno** » Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:00 am

merv1618 wrote:Before the next round starts, Fred (and retroactively, Mike) deserves a thank-you for running this kind of bracket. He's awfully busy, but these threads are a lot more fun than they have any business being.

Quoted for truth.

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:06 am

Voting will be open until 1/18/18 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

We can move a little more leisurely and maybe have some more discussion of stuff.

Song: Crazy
Artist: Gnarls Barkley
Album: St. Elsewhere
Year: 2006

The #1 overall seed in the tournament (Hey Ya! was #2), Crazy by Gnarls Barkley transcended its status as a pop song thanks to its combination of a smooth groove, an outstanding beat, and Cee-Lo Green's transcendent vocal delivery. It may have been the last song to have a performance on one of MTV’s award shows that actually garnered meaningful mainstream attention (the Star Wars performance was visually interesting and a quality live performance). The song was so popular in the U.K. that the single was deleted after being #1 for nine weeks so that people wouldn’t hate it due to overexposure. It still somehow became the top selling single in that country for 2006. It also has a great music video with a theme of Rorschach ink blots that worked wonders.

Two interesting notes on “Crazy”: it was covered by Violent Femmes in what was almost a “revenge cover” – the St. Elsewhere album featured a cover of the Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone” (both versions are definitely worth a listen if you haven’t heard them), and Grammy voters somehow managed to give Record of the Year to Dixie Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice.” “Not Ready to Make Nice” is a good song, mind you, and I had no qualms about including it in this bracket, but let’s be real.

Song: Mr. Brightside
Artist: The Killers
Album: Hot Fuss
Year: 2003

I have to precede this by admitting: I am not a big fan of this song. It’s fine, to me, but it’s not an all-time classic to me. That said, even I can give it the following props:

1) It’s a great chorus that is super memorable. This was basically one of their very first songs that they ever put together. Being able to get this structure this early on is a hell of a thing.
2) Flowers delivers the vocals wonderfully, basically making it the superior version of Panic! At the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” The first verse in particular is done in such a way that it guarantees this song will be memorable.
3) The 2000s got its version of an upbeat song with a dark meaning, making it basically the spiritual successor of, I don’t know, The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.”

Song: Jesus Walks
Artist: Kanye West
Album: The College Dropout
Year: 2004

The selection of Kanye’s song was harder. Cases could be made for “Gold Digger,” “Stronger,” “Love Lockdown,” and God knows what else.

I went with this one because I thought the backing music was constructed in a really impressive way; I can’t imagine many other artists being able to make a rap song off a sample of a gospel song and incorporating a drill sergeant-esque shouts. It’s also the highest ranked song of Kanye’s on Acclaimed Music, so I’ll take that.

Song: Toxic
Artist: Britney Spears
Album: In the Zone
Year: 2003

Britney’s last great song and possibly her greatest. It almost certainly is her greatest backing track – the combination of that beat, synthesizers, and the Bollywood strings forms the backbone of one of the decade’s defining pop songs.

Fun fact: Britney’s been in a receivership since her famed meltdown around this time. There’s a very sad podcast episode about this on What Really Happened? that I recommend.

Song: 99 Problems
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: The Black Album
Year: 2003

This rap song was so great it permeated the nu-metal rock and country dominated this era in West Virginia.

It might have the best chorus out of a rap song, well, ever. I’m pretty sure in 20 years there will be a Jay-Z movie and then there will be a bunch of bad memes based around the opening lines of 99 Problems, a la Straight Outta Compton.

Song: Paper Planes
Artist: M.I.A.
Album: Kala
Year: 2007

This song is catchy as hell. I’m pretty sure this is the only song with a chorus that is 50%+ made up of sound effects and is actually good.

I feel like I should write more here, but I don’t really know what else to say. It’s a good song. Sometimes that’s all you have to say.

Song: Ignition (Remix)
Artist: R. Kelly
Album: Chocolate Factory
Year: 2003

R. Kelly apparently performed this song at Coachella with Phoenix as a mash-up with “1901.” I predict that in the future there will be one of those “I Love the 90s” tours, only for the 2000s, and it will rely extensive on mash-ups. And that sounds like it’d be rad, but I’m pretty sure that they’ll be really lazily done and not good.

Also, in the excellent baseball book “The Only Rule Is It Has to Work,” the team was rallied around this song in 2015, just because of how ridiculously catchy (and kind of silly) it was.

R. Kelly is a real gross dude though.

Song: Chicago
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Album: Illinois
Year: 2005

Illinois is a good album and Sufjan Stevens is good and this song is good, but y’all real dumb for voting out Last Nite for this. :(

Song: Hey Ya!
Artist: Outkast
Album: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Year: 2003

Look. Hey Ya! is one of the best damn songs ever. I don’t need to tell you a damn thing about this.

There are three things I don’t like about Hey Ya!, and none of them are actually about the song, and only one of them could actually be put at Outkast’s feet.

1) It has an exclamation point in the title and it really doesn’t need it. Hey Ya is not a phrase you would say without an exclamation point after it, ever. I do not know if I should have put a period after that exclamation above. It

2) There is a disambiguation page on Wikipedia when you type in Hey Ya, and that’s really insulting to Outkast. Nobody would confuse your efforts to read about this song with Sarosh Sami’s album; Sarosh Sami wouldn’t confuse this two things.

3) It’s probably not his fault, and his version is actually good, but I blame the acoustic version by the guy from Obadiah Parker for the whole “it is very interesting if I take a hip hop song and redo it all sad and hipster-ish” trend.

Song: Bad Romance
Artist: Lady Gaga
Album: The Fame Monster
Year: 2009

This song’s cool as hell, even though there are things that probably shouldn’t be cool in it but still are because Gaga was that good. The whole “Fa ra fa ra ra” thing in particular.

The Russian gangsters in the video really should be a “tag yourself, I’m [blank]” meme.

Song: Take Me Out
Artist: Franz Ferdinand
Album: Franz Ferdinand
Year: 2004

This is the most rocking song left in this bracket, in the sense of straight rock being a thing. Stevens is good but he does not rock. Mr. Brightside kind of rocks, but it’s also sad and that hurts its rocking-ness.

Last Nite was the most rocking song in this bracket.

Also, debating the rock-ness of a song is basically the white guy version of “does it slap?”

Song: Rehab
Artist: Amy Winehouse
Album: Back to Black
Year: 2006

I really like listening to this song because it’s got a great groove, an awesome retro instrumentation, and Winehouse’s wonderful voice & delivery, and then I think that it’s basically if Winehouse said, “hey, what if I sang a song about the literal reason I will die in five years,” and then I get real sad. :(

Song: Feel Good Inc.
Artist: Gorillaz
Album: Demon Days
Year: 2005

The fact that a virtual band put together by a British guy who was previously best known for being the guy behind the “woo hoo” song, and that would be heavily influenced by R&B sounds, would be so extremely successful is one of the most wonderful (and honestly a little stupid) things of the 2000s.

Song: American Boy
Artist: Estelle featuring Kanye West
Album: Shine
Year: 2008

I didn’t see this very high initially because I wasn’t terribly familiar with it and it’s really low on Acclaimed Music (it’s #174 for the decade, which is good, but not particularly eye popping when you’re doing a list of 80 songs).

I am now at the point where I will fight you in the street if you insult this song.

Song: 1901
Artist: Phoenix
Album: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Year: 2009

how did this get here, what is this

Song: Hurt
Artist: Johnny Cash
Album: The Downward Spiral
Year: 2002

Johnny Cash straight up stole this song from Trent Reznor, and Trent Reznor admitted it. This is like that NBA Dunk Contest where you had to spin the wheel and recreate a classic dunk because the NBA had no faith in the year’s dunkers, only the idea totally worked and Michael Jordan came out and admitted that, like, Steve Francis out dunked him. Which would never happen. So I think I can conclude that Trent Reznor is cooler than Michael Jordan.

Here's your ballot:

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

AKKOLADE · Post by **AKKOLADE** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:09 am

Oh, and I never got to secretly post this as the Seven Nation Army link because you all voted it out early, so here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTlTxFio6DY

sephirothrr · Post by **sephirothrr** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:14 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Muriel Axon · Post by **Muriel Axon** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:08 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Little to say about these. I like Mr. Brightside.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears

There are a lot of things I admire about Jesus Walks, but I never felt like Kanye was at his strongest in his more serious songs. Toxic's string hook alone (sampled from a Lata Mangeshkar song!) justifies this vote.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.

I know that being North Indian and being Sri Lankan Tamil are two very different things -- but something about Paper Planes just makes me feel good about being brown. It's also (to me, an easily amused person) a genuinely laugh-out-loud funny song, though of course 99 Problems has its moments, too.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

Someone on the MSU team of years past (Mike Malloy?) would ask people whether they liked Ignition (Remix) or Slow Jamz better, and seemed to consider it some sort of Rorschach test -- for what, I'm not sure. (I'm a Slow Jamz guy.) Ignition (Remix) is a fun party song (by a really gross dude), but Chicago is one of those songs that just the world feel bigger and more exciting to me.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Little to say here. Hey Ya! is a perfect song.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Meh.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West

This was a tough choice. Two good songs I don't feel strongly about.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

This whole album by Phoenix has a feeling of weightlessness to me. They wrote great melodies -- I love how Thomas Mars's voice bounds around in thirds and fourths and fifths. Hurt is a good song in both NIN and Johnny Cash's versions, but I never responded as strongly to it as many other people do, it seems.

merv1618 · Post by **merv1618** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:10 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

No contest.

Toxic by Britney Spears

Also no contest. Kanye is growing on me, but Toxic transcends most pop.

99 Problems by Jay-Z

Paper Planes is great, but 99 Problems is better.

Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

This matchup was the musical equivalent of a landscape competition between Claude Monet and Thomas Kinkade.

Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Bad Romance is the best pop song of the past two decades. It should win this tournament. I'll probably end up voting for Hey Ya until it ultimately comes out on top, but nothing can match this chaotic burst of perfection from the best true pop vocalist since Freddie Mercury.

Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Shocked Take Me Out made it this far

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz

The weakest matchup of the bracket

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Perfect cover.

Charm Bison · Post by **Charm Bison** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:19 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIxMMv_LD5Q
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears: Womanizer is Britney's last great song. And Till the World Ends wasn't too bad either.
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.: All I wanna do is (sound of mouse clicking)
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens: Oh god I might have to vote this all the way because you reminded me of The Only Rule Is It Has to Work.
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga: ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse: I love Take Me Out, but I just cannot get over how good Mark Ronson's production on this album is.
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West: Feel Good Inc. is probably one of my top songs left in this bracket, for the laugh alone. That being said, I haven't gotten American Boy out of my head since the play-in round. CINDERELLA STORY BABY HERE WE GO
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash: This matchup is why we should've reseeded.

And my favorite mopey hip-hop cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeL9gagV_VA

kammajos000 · Post by **kammajos000** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:21 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Never understood any of the hype for Crazy. The whole song is a bit boring, and CeeLo's voice doesn't do anything for me. Mr. Brightside, on the other hand, is a fantastic song. Fun fact: Mr. Brightside has been on the UK top 100 charts every year since its release, with a total of 194 weeks on the charts. It's been over 13 years since its release, and it's currently at position 72. Easy choice here.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
At least a dozen other Kanye songs could've won this for me.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Ignition is a hilarious song, and should probably be the national anthem

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
Sorry

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Irreligion in Bangladesh · Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:32 am

Mr. Brightside
Toxic
Paper Planes
Chicago
Hey Ya!
Take Me Out
American Boy
1901

Auroni · Post by **Auroni** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:36 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers - I feel bad for consistently voting against a song by a formative band from my musical youth, but I like every other single from Hot Fuss better than Mr. Brightside :(
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West - Before this bracket, I, too, didn't realize how much I love American Boy, which has survived dozens of listens since.
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is a decent, well-put-together song, but I think lacks something of the vulnerability expressed by the original (which is magnified by how much it contrasts with the rest of NIN's big songs)

Stained Diviner · Post by **Stained Diviner** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:55 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

This was easy. I am voting for the great song instead of the bad song.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West

I would vote for early Britney over either of these songs, but that would be a different decade.

99 Problems by Jay-Z

That was easy.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly

I'm a bad person. I should like Stevens and hate Kelly but I don't.

Hey Ya! by Outkast

Two great songs, but only one is the greatest song.

Rehab by Amy Winehouse

I couldn't stand Winehouse generally, but this song endures.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz

Two very good songs, but I'm voting for this one because I like it more.

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Country music should be banned, but Johnny Cash is great.

The Favourite · Post by **The Favourite** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:03 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

women, fire and dangerous things · Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:05 am

Mr. Brightside

Toxic

Paper Planes

Ignition (Remix)

Hey Ya!

Take Me Out

Feel Good Inc.

Hurt

Apocolocyntora · Post by **Apocolocyntora** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:10 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
These are both good songs, but Mr. Brightside is more of a song that I like stumbling upon while switching radio stations in the car, whereas I could make a 50-song playlist where every track is Crazy.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Probably the most meh matchup this round.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Chicago isn't the best song on Illinois, nor is Illinois Sufjan's best album, but it is still a beautiful song. I don't really get Ignition.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
I started out disliking Rehab, but it has grown on me over the past couple of rounds.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
Both of these are really good.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

pray for elves · Post by **pray for elves** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 12:54 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Wynaut · Post by **Wynaut** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:21 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Everything I wanna say about these two songs has been said already.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
I think this wins on the string sample alone.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Very tough decision for me. I like both songs, and the mashup of 99 Problems with Linkin Park was alright too, but I have to give the lyrical edge over to Paper Planes, even with 99 Problems' "police stop" verse. And come on, Paper Planes' chorus is one of the most memorable of the decade!

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Neither of these songs stand out for me for some reason, but I just like Chicago slightly more.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Even the rapid-fire Hitchcock reference verse or the bridge in French couldn't save Gaga against probably the best song of the decade.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Another really tough decision here. This is where my alternative bias starts showing.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
Feel Good Inc. is good, but American Boy is just too good.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash
And this is where my alternative bias really starts showing. This isn't even the best song on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix either!

ryanrosenberg · Post by **ryanrosenberg** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:37 pm

My main criterion for this round is "how well does it stand up to repeated listens".

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
When I played NBA Live 06 I would set the soundtrack to only be "Remember the Name" (a grave omission from this bracket) and not get tired of it. NBA Live 07 had an even better soundtrack (including the best Lupe Fiasco song, "Kick Push") and I would still do the same with "Crazy". An easy choice.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
"Jesus Walks" gets me just a hair more hype, probably because "You know what the Midwest is? / Young and restless" is such a good opening line.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
"99 Problems" seems a lot hokier now. That might be because of pop culture overexposure; other songs off the Black Album don't feel the same way.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Shan's quote about how "Chicago" makes the world seem bigger and more exciting is so true. It's really grown a lot on me throughout the bracket, so much so that I'm voting for it over a song that doesn't have much beyond the (glorious) vibe and chorus.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
oooooof both these songs are easily Final Four material for me.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Contra the songs in the first matchup, I never set the Madden 2005 soundtrack to just be "Take Me Out" (that soundtrack also featured the Hives' "Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones", great song).

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
"Feel Good Inc." gets worse the second time, "American Boy" gets better.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash
"1901" stood up remarkably well to constant radio play, but "Hurt" hits hard every single time.

Whiter Hydra · Post by **Whiter Hydra** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:34 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
I still don't get the appeal of Crazy, while Mr. Brightside continues to be a Good Song.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
Coming into this I didn't think I'd be voting Kanye into the top 8, but here we are.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
99 Problems is starting to grow on me, but I would be okay with either of these songs winning.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Chicago is a decent song, but I continue to dislike Ignition (and R. Kelly)

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
I wish I could find some way to keep Bad Romance in, but Hey Ya is just too good.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Take Me Out continues to rock. The intro to the first verse is my favorite segment in the entire bracket.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
I'm kind of meh on both these songs, but Feel Good Inc. has the slight edge here.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash
Both these songs are good and I'll be voting for the winner in the next round.

Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:44 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Auger recombination · Post by **Auger recombination** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:16 pm

Auroni wrote: 1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is a decent, well-put-together song, but I think lacks something of the vulnerability expressed by the original (which is magnified by how much it contrasts with the rest of NIN's big songs)

This may be premature of me to say, but I think we've got a strong contender for "Worst Take of 2018."

Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Toxic by Britney Spears

99 Problems by Jay-Z

Chicago by Sufjan Stevens

Hey Ya! by Outkast

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Muriel Axon · Post by **Muriel Axon** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 5:29 pm

Tibetan literature wrote:
Auroni wrote: 1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is a decent, well-put-together song, but I think lacks something of the vulnerability expressed by the original (which is magnified by how much it contrasts with the rest of NIN's big songs)
This may be premature of me to say, but I think we've got a strong contender for "Worst Take of 2018."

Actually... this is a good take.

Like everyone in America, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Johnny Cash, but I could never understand why people were so taken in by his late-life covers. Same with, say, "I See a Darkness" -- his cover is good, but I don't feel the same vulnerability in his version as in the original, where Will Oldham's voice sounds like it could crumble at any moment.

eliza.grames · Post by **eliza.grames** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:40 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

MiltonPlayer47 · Post by **MiltonPlayer47** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 6:52 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
"Paper Planes" is one of two songs remaining that I really love. I hate that it has a tough match up here.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
I can't believe that I just voted for a Sufjan Stevens song.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Once again, the song that I really like has a brutal match up.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash
I like Johnny Cash, but I just don't get the hype over his cover of "Hurt."

A Dim-Witted Saboteur · Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:17 pm

Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Being as white as I am I think I'm contractually obligated to vote for this
Toxic by Britney Spears
Cool orchestration
99 Problems by Jay-Z
Paper planes is too repetitive for my tastes
Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Feel the illinoise
Hey Ya! by Outkast
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
Hurt by Johnny Cash
Upon relistening this is actually the better song

Post by **Auks Ran Ova** » Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:55 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers - song's just great man
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears - not Kanye's best
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A. - this one was a little tougher, still a clear choice
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens - probably giving this a little more credit than it deserves due to how great the Young the Giant cover is, but still
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga - unfortunate for Lady Gaga, but Hey Ya! should obviously be in the finals
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse - could go either way on this one
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West - I think this one is a little overhyped, which I've never quite understood, but it's still a very good song
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash - speaks to some odd seeding that 1901 has somehow made its way to the sweet sixteen here, it's a fine but fairly unremarkable song

$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy · Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:02 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Auger recombination · Fri Jan 12, 2018 10:16 pm

Muriel Axon wrote:
Tibetan literature wrote:
Auroni wrote: 1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt is a decent, well-put-together song, but I think lacks something of the vulnerability expressed by the original (which is magnified by how much it contrasts with the rest of NIN's big songs)
This may be premature of me to say, but I think we've got a strong contender for "Worst Take of 2018."
Actually... this is a good take.

Like everyone in America, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Johnny Cash, but I could never understand why people were so taken in by his late-life covers. Same with, say, "I See a Darkness" -- his cover is good, but I don't feel the same vulnerability in his version as in the original, where Will Oldham's voice sounds like it could crumble at any moment.

I have in my possession a list of over 200 members of the quizbowl community who are known ~~communists~~ possessers of bad taste.

El Salvadoreno · Post by **El Salvadoreno** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:02 am

The ballot (w/ more commentary, as requested):
Crazy- I don't hate Mr. Brightside, but Crazy always had this je ne se quoi. I don't know why it works so well, it just does.
Jesus Walks- Toxic is a solid pop song, but it has corporate pop written all over it. Kanye's scathing yet entertaining and proficient song on race and religion gets the nod for that reason.
99 Problems- Paper Planes is solid, but HOV is not only the more proficient rapper, but he captures the essence of rap so effortlessly.
Ignition- I do not get the hype surrounding Sufjan Stevens. Chicago's beat is not bad, but I find his voice very obnoxious, and his songwriting ability is nothing to write home about either. I won't defend R. Kelly's personal flaws, but Ignition is a fun, undemanding listen, which is more than I can say for Chicago.
Hey Ya!- Bad Romance is a great song, but I do not think it can or will hold up overtime the way Hey Ya! has, though I still do not think it is as strong as some of Outkast's other work (namely So Fresh, So Clean and Ms. Jackson).
Rehab-Take Me Out is not bad, but Amy Winehouse (may she rest in peace) just has such a powerful voice that it brings Rehab to life in a way most songs never achieve.
American Boy- Not one of Kanye's better verses, but Estelle is a talented singer and Feel Good, Inc. does not seem to have an identity as to what it wants to be, so American Boy gets the nod.
Hurt- I listened to Trent Reznor's version as well, but to me, Johnny Cash's stripped-down version and more vulnerable way of doing the chorus makes it better than the original, as well as much better than 1901, which is pretty standard 2000s rock, good, but not special.

Sam · Post by **Sam** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 4:50 am

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers -- A little surprised by my choice here, but after repeated listens it is what it is.
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A. -- Early in the video, M.I.A. is shown cutting baguettes crosswise, but the sandwiches she sells (admittedly wrapped in aluminum foil, so it's impossible to tell for certain) look like they'd be cut lengthwise. This fortunately is not enough to sink the song.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse -- I like these songs and will listen to both again, but they're also the non-R. Kelly ones I care about the least.
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West -- I don't understand the lyrics well enough to know if there's a coherent train of thought, but the (to me) disparate series of images still manage to tell a story, or at least describe a mood.
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash -- Shan's comment inspired me to listen to the original version of "Hurt" for the first time. It is an amazing song and he and Auroni are right Reznor (assuming that's the singer?) does sound more "vulnerable" than Cash does in his rendition. But I think the strength of the cover is that lack of vulnerability or frailty, that Johnny Cash is singing these emotional and frankly almost histrionic lyrics in such a matter-of-fact way. It feels more a reflection on a life ill-spent than agony over a recent series of mistakes. That's not to put one over the other, but I think it's impressive Cash took an incredibly depressing song that sounds like it was written by a twenty-nine-year-old and made it an incredibly depressing song that sounds like it was written by a seventy-year-old.

Also, not to sell Shan out, but he has repeatedly praised the virtues of, and I believe even resided in, Toronto, a city which is not only not in the United States but within a different country entirely. We should keep this in mind when he makes value judgments about music, or really anything.

Steeve Ho You Fat · Post by **Steeve Ho You Fat** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:15 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers. Crazy is just too great. The groove, the vocals, the lyrical themes - it's all there.
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears. Team, I don't know what the best song of the 2000s is. But I'm pretty confidant that it is not Toxic by Britney Spears.
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A. You crazy for this one Rick!
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan is a cool dude and Chicago is an excellent song, but it doesn't have the cultural impact to be the song of the decade. Scummy as R. Kelly is, he made a song that has had incredible staying power.
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse Why isn't Amy's estate making points off all Adele's sales?
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West. This is really a vote for Yeah!, which is one of the best songs ever and was wrongly toppled.
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash. This song still manages to reinvent the original version and turn it into the best performance of Johnny Cash's career.

Victor Prieto · Post by **Victor Prieto** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:38 pm

Crazy
Jesus Walks
Paper Planes
Ignition (remix)
Hey Ya!
Take Me Out
Feel Good Inc.
1901

Fat Lip · Post by **Fat Lip** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 6:21 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Jesus Walks by Kanye West
Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga - My best friend got his license before me and only listened to Gaga for the first 6 months while we drove around.
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Hurt by Johnny Cash

Off To See The Lizard · Sat Jan 13, 2018 7:14 pm

Crazy
Jesus Walks
Paper Planes
Chicago
Hey Ya!
Take Me Out
Feel Good Inc.
1901

kady · Post by **kady** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:00 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

The 2000s had some good alt.

Remembered Guy · Post by **Remembered Guy** » Sat Jan 13, 2018 11:04 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

Gemistus Pletho · Post by **Gemistus Pletho** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:05 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash

heterodyne · Post by **heterodyne** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:42 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley
Toxic by Britney Spears
Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz
Hurt by Johnny Cash

Amiable Vitriol · Post by **Amiable Vitriol** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:41 pm

Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Toxic by Britney Spears
Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Hey Ya! by Outkast
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
Hurt by Johnny Cash

Wartortullian · Post by **Wartortullian** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:56 pm

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley vs. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Wow, this was hard! I gotta hand it to Crazy: the groove is great, and Ceelo just nailed the vocals. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go anywhere. Mr. Brightside, however, starts of with that great hook and gradually builds until the chorus. It gets a few points off for effectively repeating the same verse twice, but that's not enough for it to lose my vote. It's just a killer song, with enough emo influences to sound passionate, but not so much as to be cloyingly angsty.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West vs. Toxic by Britney Spears
As much as I like the hook in Toxic, the lyrical content of Jesus Walks makes it a much more powerful song.

99 Problems by Jay-Z vs. Paper Planes by M.I.A.
Again, lyrics. And as many people have said before, Paper Planes is repetitive and the backing track sounds a bit grating after a while.

Ignition (Remix) by R. Kelly vs. Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Another hard one. R. Kelly's grossness aside, Ignition is the quintessential party song. Chicago, however, carries a lot more emotional weight, so it comes out on top for me.

Hey Ya! by Outkast vs. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
The most difficult choice of the bracket. These are two of the most iconic pop songs of the decade, and while Hey Ya is amazing, Bad Romance has that striking hook and an incredible chorus, which ultimately push it out on top. In addition, I've heard Hey Ya a lot lately, and I've started to grow tired of it.

Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand vs. Rehab by Amy Winehouse
I love the instrumentation on Rehab, but other than that, the song just doesn't do anything for me. Take Me Out wins for having a great intro and an iconic riff. It's a bit repetitive, but not enough to unseat it.

Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz vs. American Boy by Estelle featuring Kanye West
American Boy has really grown on me, and I just don't get the Gorillaz hype.

1901 by Phoenix vs. Hurt by Johnny Cash
I hand't heard 1901 before this bracket, and I really like it! It sucks that I have to vote against it, but Hurt is just too good.