| Singles
were the top-notch of music entertainment in 2002 (yet another
symptom of the 60’s revival the masses have adopted?).
They were played anywhere and everywhere from parking lots
to kwik-E marts, and the best of them have been compiled
here for your pop-culture pleasure by yours truly. Like
it or loathe it, this is the list that matters.
| 1. |
NIRVANA
“You Know You’re Right”
First choice by solid principles. Like John Lennon and
Elvis, Kurt Cobain just cannot lose his painfully beautiful
touch on modern music. This song was part of the last
ever Nirvana studio sessions in 1993, and it still sounds
light years ahead of the corporate game that mainstream
rock has pitifully become (Puddle of Mudd…shiver).
Life just doesn’t get any better than Kurt spewing
blood-drenched vocals over crunching feedback.
Mourning over the photo-collage video and the lyrics
“I will never bother you/I will move away from
here/You won't be afraid of fear” suggested.
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| 2. |
THE
WHITE STRIPES “Fell In Love With a Girl”
The left side of Jack’s Brain runs amok; Meg
bashes the living shit out of her drums, shaking her
pigtails while accepting her crown as the Queen of
the Drum Kit. WS is rock, and vice-versa.
|
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| 3. |
THE
BREEDERS “Huffer”
One note bass-lines rule. An all new-and-improved Breeders
line up (Twins Kim and Kelley Deal recruited the remaining
members of L.A. punk pioneers F.E.A.R.: a match made
in post-alternative heaven) chugged out one of the best
albums of the year, Title TK, and the “da da da
dum ta ta ta ta” bliss of “Huffer”.
Savor it; Kim and Kel have reached the big 4-0, and
we all know what happens to old rock stars… |
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| 4. |
QUEENS
OF THE STONE AGE “No One Knows”
Screw the snotty labels (“Stoner Rock”?
Please, it’s just called good music, people) QOTSA
are the future. Josh Homme wails in a robotic falsetto,
while Dave Grohl redeems his crown as the King of the
Drum Kit. Sexy alien guitar licks and the raddest solos
since God knows when ensue. |
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| 5. |
THE
VINES “Get Free”
It’s catchy. It’s hard. Front man Craig
Nicholls screams until his lungs snap, crackle and pop
on the last gut-shredding note. The song is under three
minutes. The band gets shocked by lightening in the
Roman Coppola directed video. Need I go on? |
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| 6. |
YEAH
YEAH YEAHS “Miles Away”
Not technically a single (yet) as this Molotov cocktail
of a song is off the band’s self-titled EP, but
hey, I’m an editor, it’s my job to bend
rules and abuse power. Singer Karen O squeals like a
really demented E-tripping Minnie Mouse (and dresses
like one! Rock on!); when she sings “A spider
comes and looks at you like a enemy”, you tremble
in exactly the places she wants you to. Guitarist Nick
Zimmer and drummer Brian Chase lick Karen’s vocals
with spastic riffs and overwhelming beats… the
art-rock orgy of the year. |
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| 7. |
THE
VON BONDIES “It Came From Japan”
The Motor City scene’s very own underdogs: big
in Britain, unknown in the U.S., rock harder than most
bands out there |
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| 8. |
BJORK
“It’s in Our Hands”
Funny it took an Icelandic songstress with a music-box
fetish in a swan suit to make the most endearing post-9/11
bonding song. Springsteen pales in comparison (I never
thought I’d say that). “It’s in our
hands/It always was” wails Bjork and, for once,
it feels like it. |
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| 9. |
THE
FLAMING LIPS “Do You Realize?”
With hand puppets and flying disco balls, Lips front
man Wayne Coyne sums up the human existence in one phrase:
“Do you realize/That everyone you know someday
will die.” Who knew that a mellow, spaced-out
indie rocker held the secret of life? |
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| 10. |
SUM 41 “Still waiting”
Metal is the new punk-pop. Pass it on. |
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| 11. |
11. ERYKAH BADU “Love Of My Life”
Despite being the soundtrack to the movie with the most
self-degrading racial title of the year (Brown Sugar;
what’s next? White Bread? Yellow Rice?) this still
made for the catchiest R&B tune of 2002. Somebody
finally released a song where it sounds like they’re
in love! The naïve tale of puppy love lost kinda
makes you want to shed a little neo-soul tear, too.
|
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| 12 |
THE
STROKES “Hard To Explain”
Like Iggy Pop decades before with “No Fun”,
this garage gem captures the essence of what it’s
like to be young, drunk and bored out of your goddamn
mind. The coolest lead singer of the world, Julian Casablancas,
resumes it all very nicely: “I watch the TV/Forget
what I’m told/Cause I am too young/And they are
too old. |
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| 13. |
ELECTRIC
6 “Danger! High Voltage!”
Detroit is apparently the new underground rock epicenter.
With this duo straight outta tha Midwest, rock takes
on a whole new meaning, with someone claiming to be
Jack White screaming their head off to boot. And the
best use of the words “Taco Bell” since
Beavis and Butthead’s Spanish classes. |
N/A |
| 14. |
U2
“Electrical Storm”
Bono& co finally begin to SUCK LESS! Praise the
Lord. |
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| 15. |
THE
CORAL “Skeleton Key”
Whiz kids from England make the weirdest single since
the Sixties (without a doubt). I won’t even
begin to name the twenty thousand different instruments
used (with and without distortion). A masterpiece.
|
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| 16. |
THE
MUSIC “The People”
Electro funk-punkers from across the pond light up the
dance floor faster than NME can hype them. Squeaky vocals
and schizo guitars urge the masses to shimmy. |
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| 17. |
THE
HIVES “Die, Alright!”
Ok, bending the rules again: this single was only released
in the U.K. But still, it remains one the most kickass
garage punk tunes ever. Yes that’s right, I said
EVER. Iggy included. Howlin’ Pelle screams for
mercy as the record company CEO steals his indie pride:
the sad truth is, this happens way too much and it was
about time that someone pulled the plug on corporate
fueled rock 'n' roll (the Michael Jackson/Tommy Mottola
feud doesn’t count.
I guess The Sex Pistols’ “E.M.I.”
does though) |
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| 18. |
JIMMY
EAT WORLD “The Sweetness”
The Princes of Emo returned this year with the brilliantly
titled Bleed American, which contains odes to Prozac
and teenage solidarity. Within those punk jewels, “The
Sweetness” arose, asking us if we were listening,
whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh. We just couldn’t help ourselves
to |
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| 19. |
FOO
FIGHTERS “All My Life”
Dave Grohl makes his second appearance on the list,
this time courtesy of his own outfit, Foo Fighters.
After all these, years, near breakups and O.D.ing drummers,
FF release their best single since “Everlast”.
|
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| 20. |
N.E.R.D.
“Rock Star”
Pharell Williams takes a break off of producing “avant”
pop singles for Britney & Justin to actually do
something worthwhile, and does it good. He sounds so
deliciously pretentious when he sings the lyrics: “You
can’t be me/I’m a rock star”. The
1% of the population who didn’t want to be rock
stars convert. |
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Honorable
mentions: Weezer “Keep Fishin’”, The Chemical
Brothers feat.
Richard Ashcroft “The Acid Test” , Princess
Superstar “Bad babysitter”,
Mommy and Daddy "Permed Past Her Prime", OK GO
“Get Over It”, John Mayer “No Such Thing”,
Busta
Rhymes “Make It Clap”, Missy “Misdemeanor”
Eliott, “Work It”.
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