Tag Archives: Decades 2000

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Song of the Day #3,584: ‘Susan’ – Aimee Mann

The best album of 2000 comes courtesy of Aimee Mann and her third solo album, Bachelor No. 2 (subtitled The Last Remains of the Dodo).

This pop rock masterpiece almost went unheard, as the record label didn’t hear a hit and held up its release. Mann bought back the rights and released it herself online, making it one of the first ever albums to find success with strictly digital distribution. Eventually she expanded the release to retail stores (how quaint that seems now) and the album went on to sell more than 200,000 copies.

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Song of the Day #3,583: ‘I Better Be Quiet Now’ – Elliott Smith

My second favorite album of 2000 is the last record Elliott Smith released before his 2003 suicide. Figure 8 was Smith’s fifth album and possibly his best (though I have an even softer spot for 1997’s Either/Or).

Figure 8 was Smith’s second album with major label Dreamworks, and the baroque instrumentation on much of the record stands in stark contrast to his ultra lo-fi beginnings.

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Song of the Day #3,582: ‘Silvertown Blues’ – Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler’s Sailing to Philadelphia is my third favorite album of 2000. This was Knopfler’s second solo effort (not including soundtrack work) and the first album of his I really dug into since 1988’s Dire Straits greatest hits collection Money For Nothing.

I’ve always loved Dire Straits’ sound, particularly Knopfler’s guitar work, but I’m far from a completist. I own Making Movies and Brothers in Arms — classics both — but other than the early hits, that’s it.

But Sailing to Philadelphia struck a nerve and continues to resonate nearly two decades later.

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Song of the Day #3,581: ‘The Way I Am’ – Eminem

My #4 album of 2000 is a record I still consider Eminem’s best: The Marshall Mathers LP. The celebrated rapper has put out a number of great albums since this one (including The Eminem Show and the Marshall Mathers sequel) but this record’s culture-shattering impact gives it the edge.

Through today’s lens this album seems almost tame but at the time it ignited a firestorm of controversy over free speech and satire. Second Lady Lynne Cheney lambasted the album and called on the music industry to adopt age restrictions. The controversy just helped propel the album to a then-record 1.76 millions sales in its first week alone.

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Song of the Day #3,580: ‘Some Flowers Bloom Dead’ – The Wallflowers

It’s been more than a year since I last contributed to my Decades series. To refresh your memory, this is where I highlight albums from a specific year across four decades. I started with 1972 before covering 1982, 1992 and 2002, then moved to 1970, 1980 and 1990. Which brings me to 2000.

As always, I will feature my own top five albums of the year before exploring songs from ten celebrated albums I’ve never heard. All clear?

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