Top 500 songs of 1999-2008 (1-10)

10. Britney Spears - Everytime (2004) PEAK: #1 (4 weeks)

Notice me, take my hand
Why are we strangers when
Our love is strong
Why carry on without me

Everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, it's haunting me
I guess I need you, baby

I make believe that you are here
It's the only way I see clear
What have I done
You seem to move on easy

And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby

I may have made it rain
Please forgive me
My weakness caused you pain
And this song's my sorry

At night I pray
That soon your face will fade away

And everytime I try to fly, I fall
Without my wings, I feel so small
I guess I need you, baby
And everytime I see you in my dreams
I see your face, you're haunting me
I guess I need you, baby

Back when the "In The Zone" album came out, it was my most anticipated album ever. And one of the reasons why was because of this song, which I instantly felt was Britney's best ballad ever. Following the first two singles, I was thrilled to hear that this was the next single, so it made its way up my chart fast, and ended up spending four non-consecutive weeks at #1, alternating with Hoobastank's "The Reason", and leading off my top 10 best charted songs of the first 10 years of my chart.


9. Britney Spears - Toxic (2004) PEAK: #1 (7 weeks)

Baby, can't you see, I'm calling
A guy like you should wear a warnin'
It's dangerous, I'm fallin'

There's no escape, I can't wait
I need a hit, baby give me it
You're dangerous, I'm lovin' it

[Bridge:]
Too high, can't come down
Losing my head,
Spinning 'round and 'round
Do you feel me now?

[Chorus:]
With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slippin' under
taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?
And I love what you do
Don't you know that you're toxic?

It's getting late to give you up
I took a sip from my devil's cup
slowly, It's taking over me

[Bridge]
Too high, can't come down
It's in the air and it's all around
Can you feel me now?

[Chorus:]
With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slippin' under
Taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?
And I love what you do
Don't you know that you're toxic?
Don't you know that you're toxic?

(Taste of your lips I'm on a ride)
You're toxic, I'm slippin' under
taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?

With a taste of your lips, I'm on a ride
You're toxic, I'm slippin' under (Toxic)
taste of a poison paradise
I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?

Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now
(I think I'm ready now)
Intoxicate me now
With your lovin' now
I think I'm ready now.

And here's more Britney! While this wasn't an immediate standout for me, it quickly ended up becoming one of my favourites, debuting at #14 at the beginning of 2004, and eventually spent 7 weeks at #1 total. The video really helped my enjoyment of the song, as I still feel it's Britney's best video to date. But not her best song, as that's still to come (yes, she does have three songs top 10!)


8. Michelle Branch - Are You Happy Now? (2003) PEAK: #1 (7 weeks)

Now, don't just walk away
Pretending everything's ok
And you don't care about me
And I know there's just no use
When all your lies become your truths and I don't care... yeah, yeah, yeah

Could you look me in the eye
And tell me that you're happy now, ohhh, ohhh
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?

You took all there was to take,
And left me with an empty plate
And you don't care about it, yeah.
And I am givin' up this game
I'm leaving you with all the blame cause I don't care, yeah, yeah yeah,

Could you look me in the eye?
And tell me that you're happy now, oohh oohhh
Would you tell it to my face or have I been erased,
Are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now? yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you really have everything you want?
You can't ever give somethin' you ain't got
You can't run away from yourself

Could you look me in the eye?
and tell me that you're happy now, yeah, yeah
come on, tell it to my face or have i been replaced,
are you happy now? Ohhh, ohhhh
are you happy now?

Would you look me in the eye?
Could you look me in the eye?
I've had all that I can take
I'm not about to break
Cause I'm happy now, ohhh, ohhh
Are you happy now?

I'm sure some people thought this would be a contender for #1... but while I did rank it at one point as my favourite song of all time, in chart performance, it does slightly fall short at #8! This was another song I got into thanks to a live leak beforehand, which made me excited for the studio version, which certainly didn't disappoint. Michelle Branch got her biggest hit on my chart here, spending 7 weeks at #1 and becoming my #1 song of 2003.


7. Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone (2007) PEAK: #1 (5 weeks)

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do

When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were, yeah
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah

[Chorus]

I was anticipating Avril Lavigne's third album, "The Best Damn Thing", quite highly; however, I was disappointed that pretty much the entire album sounded the same, it just wasn't the same Avril I knew and loved! However, there were some rare exceptions, this song being one of them... and one I'd hailed as one of Avril's best ballads ever. Not only that, but it ended up becoming my favourite Avril song ever, spending five weeks at #1 on my chart, and becoming my #1 song of 2007.


6. Ashlee Simpson - L.O.V.E. (2006) PEAK: #1 (4 weeks)

im talkin about love

All my girls stand in a circle
and clap your hands this is for you
Ups and downs highs and lows no matter what you see me through
My boyfriend he don't answer on the telephone
I don't even know where the hell he goes
But all my girls we're in a circle and nobody's gonna break through
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Im talkin' bout
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O

I'm talkin' bout love, say you'll be my girls for life
Girls for life
Oh hold up, I need another one
I thank you, you do too
Grab my bag, got my own money
Don't need any man in this room
My boyfriend he'll be calling me now anytime
I need all my girls to keep him off my mind
So hold up we need another one
What we got is all good

L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talking bout
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O

I'm talkin' bout love
Love is an energy, love is a mystery
Love is meant to be true
Love is a part of me, love is the heart of me
Love is the best thing we do

I'm talking bout love
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout love
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
Oh did you hear me say?
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout love
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout love
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout love
L-O,L-O,L-O,L-O-V-E
L-O,L-O,L-O
I'm talkin' bout im talkin' bout im talkin' bout love

It's the "guilty pleasure" of the top 10... I'd always liked Ashlee Simpson, but this song took it to a new level! While her lyrics are far from genius, I took this for what it was, and that's a catchy pop song. However, it did stick in my head for longer than I anticipated, and that helped it spend twenty weeks in my top 10; at the time, this was a record! Not surprisingly, it's my favourite from her.


5. Kelly Clarkson - Because of You (2005) PEAK: #1 (5 weeks)

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you



This is another case of "highlight album track that became a single and I still loved"; "Because of You" was always one of my favourites on Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" album, and when it became a single, it definitely didn't disappoint, spending five weeks at #1 in 2005. To date, despite having many other songs I've really liked, this remains my favourite from Kelly.


4. Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved (2004) PEAK: #1 (3 weeks)

Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else

I drove for miles and miles
And wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow
I want more

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved

Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved

I know where you hide
Alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls

Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved

[in the background]
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye

Yeah
[softly]
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain

Try so hard to say goodbye


I'd got into Maroon 5 slowly but surely, and this was the song that got me to get their CD "Songs About Jane". It had a slow climb at first, but after four months or so, it was #1 on my chart. Its longevity (spent a total of 42 weeks on my chart), combined with this, helped it become my #1 song of 2004, which I still feel it deserves to this day. And while I preferred their album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" in general, this song remains my favourite from them.


3. Britney Spears - Baby One More Time (1999) PEAK: #1 (5 weeks)

Oh baby
baby, oh baby baby

Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know
That something wasnt right here
Oh baby baby, I shouldnt have let you go
And now youre out of sight, yeah
Show me how you want it to be
Tell me baby cuz I need to know now, oh because

Chorus
My loneliness is killin me (and I)
I must confess I still believe (still believe)
When Im not with you I lose my mind
Give me a sign, hit me baby one more time!

Oh baby baby, the reason I breathe is you
Boy youve got me blinded
Oh pretty baby, theres nothin that I wouldnt do
Thats not the way I planned it

Show me how you want it to be
Tell me baby cuz I need to know now, oh because

Chorus

Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know
Oh pretty baby, I shouldnt have let you go
I must confess that my loneliness
Is killin me now
Dont you know I still believe
That you will be here
And give me a sign, hit me baby one more time

Chorus

I must confess (my loneliness) that my loneliness
(is killing me) is killing me now
(I must confess) dont you (I still believe) know I still believe
That you will be here (I lose my mind)
And give me a sign...
Hit me baby one more time!

Here's the first really big hit my chart had... it was #3 when I first started, and on my third chart, had ascended to #1. It ended up spending a total of five non-consecutive weeks at #1 on my chart, but stayed on until September 1999, when my chart started in January! This was Britney's first single, and I still think it's her best to this day, despite her having a total of 14 #1's on my chart, a record that'll prove to be hard to beat.


2. Christina Aguilera - Hurt (2006) PEAK: #1 (8 weeks)

Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today

I would hold you in my arms
I would take the pain away
Thank you for all you've done
Forgive all your mistakes
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To hear your voice again
Sometimes I want to call you but I know you won't be there

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself by hurting you
Some days I feel broke inside but I won't admit
Sometimes I just want to hide 'cause it's you I miss
You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this

Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
Are you looking down upon me?
Are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To have just one more chance
To look into your eyes and see you looking back

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself
If I had just one more day, I would tell you how much that
I've missed you since you've been away

Oh, it's dangerous
It's so out of line to try to turn back time

I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself

By hurting you

Christina Aguilera's "Back To Basics" was a rather ambitious project... and while I do feel it wasn't her best effort, I do feel that her best song ever was on it. "Hurt", an emotional ballad about the abuse she'd encountered from her father when she was younger and how sorry she was about it all, ended up breaking the record for most weeks at #1 on my chart; it had spent six weeks on top, fallen out, then returned for another two weeks making a total of eight weeks!


1. Kate Voegele - Only Fooling Myself (2008) PEAK: #1 (10 weeks)

I stop to catch my breath - And I stop to catch your eye
No need to second-guess - That you've been on my mind
I dream days away, but that's okay -
It's like I want to hear a silent sound - And then hold it in my hand
But a rose won't blossom from a ground - Of desert sand, but I like to pretend that

One day I'll turn around - I'll see your hand reach out
I'm only fooling myself, ohhh,ohhh,ohhh - But maybe when you smile
It means you'd stay awhile - Just maybe yeah you'd save me now

Well, now it's etched in stone - That I can't survive alone - You have the missing piece
That I need so desperately - Yes, I slip away to a day that'll never come
It's like a splash of water to my face - When I suddenly realize - That you could never find a place
For me in your eyes, and I don't know why I keep thinking

One day I'll turn around - I'll see your hand reach out
I'm only fooling myself, yeah, yeah, yeah, - But maybe when you smile
It means you'd stay awhile - Just maybe yeah you'd save me now

It's love in disguise - I'm lost in your mind - I'm lost in your eyes

One day I'll turn around - I'll see your hand reach out
I'm only fooling myself, yeah, yeah, yeah, - But maybe when you smile
It means you'd stay awhile - Just maybe yeah you'd save me now - Save me now
Just maybe you'd save me now



If you'd been watching my chart over the past year, you'd know that Kate Voegele had become one of my core artists. This was the song that started it all for her; I got into it very quickly, which for a new artist is quite rare. I found her vocals very reminiscent of Michelle Branch at first; this song was instantly catchy, and in the end, it spent a total of ten weeks at #1 on my chart, which is a record that has yet to be matched. Not only that, but since then, it has broken almost every record that exists on my chart, spending 22 weeks in the top 10, 37 weeks in the top 40 and 52 weeks in the top 100. So needless to say, it's no surprise that "Only Fooling Myself" definitely triumphed over all to become my best-charted song of the past 10 years.