My Top 10 Favorite Hit Songs of 2006

 

10. Savin' Me - Nickelback

Nickelback are a good band. I said what I said. I do not care about any judgements people make against me for thinking this. Rockstar made my 2007 best list and I stand by that. But this is frankly even better. Not quite their best song cause How You Remind Me exists. But this song rules. Chad Kroeger sounds absolutely haunted singing about how depressed he is and how he needs someone to show him that life is worth living. And the guitar line fits the depressing tone so well. And that is just one hell of a hook. The way he sings "show me what it's like to be the last one standing" is just so beautiful to me. Oh and also the strings are beautiful. 

9. Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy are a band I have let's just say... conflicting thoughts on. A lot of their big hits from the 2000s are classics, but then This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race sucks. Or like Uma Thurman rules but Young And Menace is godawful. But yeah this is an absolute classic. Incredible guitar line, incredible vocal performance, iconic and incredible hook, the narrator in an awkward night with the girl he loves on the dancefloor. 

8. How To Save A Life - The Fray

I'm kinda surprised this ended up this low on the list, since like a year or two ago this would have been top 3. And I mean it's still an absolute classic and it only ended up this low because of competition. This is just an absolutely heartbreaking song about an experience that the lead singer had at a shelter for depressed teenagers, where he was reminded of how he failed to save his friend from comitting sucide, and wondering why he even came. How can he help these teens if he couldn't save his own friend.  This has become a song that comforts me whenever I think of my grandmother who passed away several years ago. Or my grandpa's housemate who was really nice to us who passed away before that. The lead singer sounds absolutely demented on this track and it really hits hard. Plus, beautiful piano line. I guess part of why it ended up this low is that it can be hard to listen to at times. 

7. Who Says You Can't Go Home - Bon Jovi, Jennifer Nettles

So I'm not that familiar with Bon Jovi to be honest. I mean I've probably heard a bunch of their songs, but I don't know them by name. Outside of like Livin' On A Prayer of course, which is a pretty good song. But frankly I like this song more. And I am probably alone in loving this song this much in this community. I wouldn't be surprised if half of you reading this don't remember or have never heard this song. It's just a fantastic duet. I love Jennifer Nettles's voice so much and she absolutely kills it here, and Jon Bon Jovi does great too. They have such great chemistry and this guitar line is so infectious. Give this one a chance if you haven't. You just might like what you hear. 

6. Ridin' - Chamillionaire, Krayzie Bone

I feel like some of my close friends on Discord might be shocked this didn't even make my top 5 considering how much I have talked about loving it. It only missed the top 5 because of strong competition for the record, cause in all honesty this is one of my favorite rap songs I've ever heard. This song is just an absolute experience, the fast pace and speed of their flows and the beat conveys the feel of dodging cops coming after you in a car incredibly well. And unlike some fast rap songs I have shitted on before like Godzilla or Rap God by Eminem it actually has good lyrics about how they are being pursued by racist cops racially profiling them and coming after them even though they have literally no evidence that they are carrying drugs. Just one hell of a banger. 

5. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield

2000s acoustic pop by female artists is just musical candy to my ears as I have said before. I am so happy this song has gone viral right now after being used in a new movie. Let's get it to rechart on Billboard! But anyway this is an absolutely generational classic that once again didn't make the top 3 cause of competition. This is one of the most uplifting songs I have ever heard. It is hard to hear this song and not feel happy. The lyrics in this song are just incredibly uplifting and motivational. My favorite line is "We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way" That is so fucking true. In this fucking country we have been taught over and over again by our school system, and by our jobs that making mistakes is something that should be avoided at all costs, and like, mistakes are fine because you learn from them. Just an absolutely beautiful song that I am so glad I came around to after not getting for a while. Turns she did write a classic. Well and another one but that's a story for when I get to 2008...

4. Too Little Too Late - JoJo

JoJo deserved better. She got absolutely SCREWED OVER by her label. If you want the full story watch this video: 

But basically after her second album (which this song comes from) her label was collapsing and their production deal with a bigger label had ended meaning they were unable to release her third album, but they refused to drop her from the label since she had signed a 6 album deal with them. So she was stuck in musical limbo for many years. And when she finally changed labels and was finally able to release said album in 2016, TEN YEARS after her second, all her hype was completely gone and the album flopped hard. When I hear Too Little Too Late I hear what could have been. And it leaves me speechless every time. She was 16 when she sang this. She sounds absolutely stunning on this song. Heck she even hits a fucking whistle note near the end. At 16! And the lyrics are incredibly cathartic and well written, and she sells them perfectly. This has become an all time favorite for me in all honesty. And it's only #4. And the album it comes from is really good too for the record. 

3. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray

I think this is one of the most underappreciated hits of the 2000s in this community. I get that it's been overshadowed by How To Save A Life, and I mean fair, but honestly at this point I like this song a fair amount more. It has an absolutely stunning piano and guitar line, the lead singer just sounds phenomenal, and the changes in tone are so well executed between different parts of the song. In fact the sound of the song kind of evokes the feel of a cable car. But what really caused me this song to just grow and grow on me with every single listen are the lyrics. This is a song about the lead singer getting in an argument with his brother that causes them to fall apart, and it feels like everyone he knows was waiting on a cue to turn on him, so he's completely in over his head. And while I am not in that position myself, I have drifted apart from my brother the last few years. When we were younger we had more shared interests and spent a lot more time with each other, but now we have very few shared interests and so we hardly even spend any time with each other. And I kinda miss that. But I also just relate to being in over your head because adult life is just so stressful sometimes and espically since I don't know what I want to study or do as a long term career path, I often feel in over my head these days. And this song helps me when I feel that way. 

2. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

Well one of my old Throwback Breakdown posts (forget if it was in this blog or my old Rate Your Music page) has aged like shit. When talking about another song by this band I called Chasing Cars good but not great. Well, um, about that. This is now one of my favorite songs ever. As you would assume since I said that about the song two picks ago. I can only think of a few songs that sound as serene and peaceful as this song.  This song sounds absolutely transcendent. And that climax is one of my favorite moments of any song ever. Just absolutely perfect. This is a song about him just spending time laying there with his girlfriend, forgetting about the pressures of the world, just getting some peace and quiet and enjoying each other's company. And it sounds so fucking peaceful and calming. Which I have sorely needed these days. Absolutely transcendent song. In fact it's my pick for the best song on any of the year end lists I use for eligibility. So then why did it only end up at #2? Well, you'll see, after the  Honorable Mentions:

HM. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood

Ended MAGAbby Barrett. 

HM. Leave The Pieces - The Wreckers

Michelle Branch country is something I didn't know I needed until I heard it. 

HM. When You Were Young - The Killers

Is it weird that I have nostalgia for this song than Mr. Brightside? It's not as good as that song though but still great. 

HM. Irreplaceable - Beyonce

One of my favorite Beyonce songs. If not my favorite. One of the final cuts. 

HM. Hung Up - Madonna

I think this is actually the first time I've talked about Madonna on this blog. I like her. Although not as much as my mom. And this song is a pretty good dance jam. She's got better though. 

HM. When I'm Gone - Eminem

This one's cute. I like it. 

HM. Black Horse And The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall

Don't remember who, but someone I was around a lot in my childhood played this song all the time so it has so much nostalgia. And those ooohs. So good. 

HM. Far Away - Nickelback 

I used to think this was one of their worst hits, but I came around on it. That chorus melody is fantastic. 

HM. Snap Yo Fingers - Lil Jon, E-40, Sean Paul

Lil Jon. 

HM. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Their worst Year End hit and it doesn't hold a candle to Snow (Hey Oh) but few things do, and this is still fantastic. 

HM. Move Along - The All American Rejects

Hey at least they made one song I like. Mostly for the chorus and the message. 

HM. Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado, Timbaland

The final cut and it was a hard one. Stellar song. 

HM. Hips Don't Lie - Shakira, Wyclef Jean

Her hips don't lie indeed. 

Alright and finally...

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1. Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick

Okay so, this song is not eligible for this list by my rules. It didn't make any of the year end lists I use for eligibility. Because it was caught between years. It had two separate runs on the Hot 100, one in 2005 and one in 2006 after being used in Grey's Anatomy. It would have easily gotten enough points to make a Year End list if its run was all in one year. And this is my current favorite song I've ever heard. I was not gonna let an opportunity to talk about this song pass by. Cause as I said, it's my favorite song ever currently. The piano line, strings and Anna's voice soaring over them are just absolutely perfect. Her voice and the serene instrumentation are so soothing and calming. And the lyrics just inspire me so much. This song has become more than any other song, my personal anthem. It helps me when I need to be calmed down, it helps me by inspiring me when I need that, it's also just a beautiful song I can enjoy whenever. Genuinely re-discovering this song changed my life and I'm not sure where I would be if I never rediscovered it after not knowing what it was called for years. Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick. My pick for the best hit song of 2006!

Thanks for reading.