2003 - The Most Underrated

[crash46]

[red]50. Live - Heaven[/red]
[blue]A smash hit at Hot AC, a surprise hit at CHR, but unable to accomplish much at the format that broke them in 1995.[/blue]

[red]49. Hot Hot Heat - Bandages[/red]
[blue]Reached as high on the charts as I could ask, but it took so long that it went recurrent before it was even finished.[/blue]

[red]48. Jimmy Eat World - A Praise Chorus[/red]
[blue]4th single or no, this was top-shelf quality and should have been just as big as "Sweetness" or "The Middle". If they were really looking for pop single #2, this should have been the one.[/blue]

[red]47. Eminem - Superman[/red]
[blue]Thank you MTV for stealing all of this song's thunder and momentum with the video release of the good-but-not-nearly-as-good "Sing For The Moment".[/blue]

[red]46. Eve 6 - Think Twice[/red]
[blue]Can't complain about a #11 peak at Alternative, but they're an established multi-format hit band that deserved much more with this song, and its album.[/blue]

[red]45. Smilez And Southstar - Tell Me[/red]
[blue]Coming at a time of bland and formulaic popular rap music, this more thoughtful piece had a chance to make a larger impact, but it ended up misfiring.[/blue]

[red]44. Billy Talent - Try Honesty[/red]
[blue]Another song being released during a stagnant period of rock music that by all means should have forced its way at least into the top 15.[/blue]

[red]43. Finch - What It Is To Burn[/red]
[blue]Making the top 15 by one single play was a cause for me to celebrate, but this is one of the best songs of the whole year.[/blue]

[red]42. AFI - The Leaving Song (Part II)[/red]
[blue]Another song that performed as well as expected on the charts, but this one kicked more ass than "Girl's Not Grey", and a little longevity would have been nice.[/blue]

[red]41. The Ataris - In This Diary[/red]
[blue]What Columbia Records did to this song (with "The Boys Of Summer"[red][/red]) is like the father walking into the son's room during his first blow job.[/blue]

[red]40. Liam Lynch - United States Of Whatever[/red]
[blue]Now, everyone knows all the words to this song (it doesn't really take much effort...), there just wasn't any radio format willing to give it a home.[/blue]

[red]39. The Streets - Let's Push Things Forward[/red]
[blue]Radio directors wouldn't deny that the song is true, but they also wouldn't shore up the balls to spin this either. It would be higher if it wasn't so left-fieldish.[/blue]

[red]38. Lasgo - Something[/red]
[blue]Being my favorite dance record of the year, and that dance acts are hardly ever more than one hit wonders anyway, this just as well should have been a #1 pop hit.[/blue]

[red]37. Ginuwine (featuring Baby) - Hell Yeah[/red]
[blue]It failed to reach the top 10 on Urban and Pop, and barely did so on Rhythmic, but it wasn't one of the biggest club hits of the year for nothing.[/blue]

[red]36. Unwritten Law - Rest Of My Life[/red]
[blue]A long layoff between singles didn't help, neither did the fact that the song was released to promote a short unplugged album, but the song had "smash hit" written all over it.[/blue]

[Libra]

I think 45 suffered from the same problem as 47 - only 45 lost its to, of all things, Mesmerize. >:( (And MTV had nothing to do with it here)

[crash46]

Ya know, I agree; I totally forgot about "Mezmerize" and how musically similar it is. It's such a forgettable song.

Even though it's obvious, I forgot to mention that I'll be filling more spots in as I go along.

[j]

Yeah, the Unwritten Law song was pretty good. I almost bought one of their albums.

[insect2]

42) I think the fact that "Girl's Not Grey" seems to be the catchiest, in general, of the three singles is why it'll probably wind up with the highest peak.

41) LOL, but on the other hand, you could say it's the son's fault for not locking the door. Although I guess the father should've knocked anyway. Either way, that has nothing to do with my opinion of the song (although I'm not entirely sure how that example relates to the song's performance).

38) I just think it was late on catching the "dance wave" of 2001 and 2002. If it was released six months earlier, it probably would have been a top 5 hit. Probably also why "Breathe" by Telepopmusik got such a crappy peak too.

[irice22]

I definitely agree with you on "Think Twice" and "Rest of My Life." As for "Hell Yeah" by Ginuwine I completely disagree. It was so forgettable. It should not even have done as well as it did.

[crash46]

insect2 said:

41) LOL, (although I'm not entirely sure how that example relates to the song's performance).

The song was well on its way to the top ten and being their breakthrough hit, the record company barges in and puts all their eggs in that cover song's basket, and "In This Diary" never gets played on the radio again.

irice22 said:

As for "Hell Yeah" by Ginuwine I completely disagree. It was so forgettable. It should not even have done as well as it did.

Yeah, I know the song didn't click with a lot of people here, but for me, it was my third favorite club hit of the year behind "Beautiful" (by Snoop Dogg), and "Frontin'", both of which topped the Urban chart.

[BlahBlahBlah]

I totally agree about "Hell Yeah." It doesn't make sense how "In Those Jeans" did much better on Urban and especially CHR/Rhythmic when "Hell Yeah" is clearly the better song. "Tell Me (What's Goin' On)" did pretty well for a song on a small label, though you could argue that it didn't stop "Get Low" from being huge. You can't really blame anyone on the lack of success of "Superman" (well, it still did pretty well). He pretty much screwed himself over when he decided to make a bad pornographic (no, it's not an oxymoron) video for "Superman", which you can only find on his DVD, while releasing "Sing For The Moment" video right away.

[halo19]

Well, you know I agree with Billy Talent and AFI, since those both were #1 peaks on my chart. Finch peaked in the top five on my chart. Oh well, even if music wasn't as bad as 2003, there'd still be ignorance towards particular good songs.

I still consider LPTF as a 2002 song, but that's a pretty overlooked track, although if you listen to actual good alternatives (i.e. KSYY), you'll likely hear it.

I think that The Ataris should've just never released TBOS, seeing as ITD could've been their summer hit had it turned out that way. Then something else as the follow-up, then perhaps "The Saddest Song", which peaked in the 20s if I remember correctly.

[iceman]

Forty Foot Echo! Both of their singles have been overlooked as far as I am concerned.

[EvanJ]

Smilez And Southstar - Tell Me
Finch - What It Is To Burn
AFI - The Leaving Song (Part II)
The Ataris - In This Diary
I like "Tell Me (What's Goin' On)" but after the first single flopped I was happy with its performance. Crash46 was disappointed in it when he heard it for the first time.
I like the shouting in the AFI song. I don't normally like shouting and the Finch song has the worst shouting. I like "In This Diary" better than "The Boys Of Summer."

[crash46]

So, moving right along...

[red]35. The Used - Blue And Yellow[/red]
[blue]This band, being one of the most popular new rock bands of the year, deserved at least a top 10 record to show for it. All three of their singles should have made it, but this one I feel had the highest ceiling, while ending up peaking the lowest.[/blue]

[red]34. Interpol - PDA[/red]
[blue]Well, bands that sound like this are still making an impact, as Jet was able to hit big right out of nowhere, so you'd think this at least should have charted somewhere.[/blue]

[red]33. Johnny Cash - Hurt[/red]
[blue]Another case of the song without a home. No radio stations that play modern music are willing to play old guys. Alternative gave it curiosity spins from being a NIN song, but that's it. Had it not been for the massive critical response, this song would be top ten on this list.[/blue]

[red]32. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dosed[/red]
[blue]It is blasphemous for any RHCP single to miss the top 10 on any of the rock charts. Especially one as great as this one.[/blue]

[red]31. 311 - Beyond The Gray Sky[/red]
[blue]It was a questionable release to begin with, but not so bad that it deserved being their most poorly performing second single since the Grassroots album.[/blue]

[red]30. The Foo Fighters - Low[/red]
[blue]The first single off of One By One that I enjoyed immediately. Then before it could even sink in, the song descends faster than I've ever seen a song descend before (under normal circumstances).[/blue]

[red]29. Kings Of Leon - Molly's Chambers[/red]
[blue]I really hate it when record companies/radio stations pull the plug on songs before the public even gets a chance to hear them. Why did they make an attempt in the first place. This song vaulted into Alternative's top 50 and only ended up spending one week there.[/blue]

[red]28. Marilyn Manson - mOBSCENE[/red]
[blue]Love 'em or hate 'em, there's no other band like them in the mainstream, and the music (and videos) are always interesting enough to deserve more than just occasional pit-stops on the chart.[/blue]

[red]27. Stone Temple Pilots - All In The Suit That You Wear[/red]
[blue]Started off just fine, but quickly leveled off. Too often that is the formula for veteran bands whose earlier music you can hear ad-nauseum on any rock station. Try something different, damn it.[/blue]

[red]26. Iggy Pop (with Sum 41) - Little Know It All[/red]
[blue]I guess it was a longshot for this to have much of an impact, since Iggy's never been much of a hitmaker, but with this song, that's not a good enough excuse.[/blue]

[red]25. Clipse - When The Last Time[/red]
[blue]I wouldn't have complained as much about this song and its #48 pop peak if Lil' Jon hadn't taken basically the exact same formula and made it into a top 10 smash (with a song that I like...I always have to point that out :)[red][/red]).[/blue]

[red]24. Telepopmusik - Breathe[/red]
[blue]With their field of musik being on the rise but still without a home format, this song was as good as any for finding one, yet it was coldly denied.[/blue]

[red]23. The Transplants - Diamonds And Guns[/red]
[blue]Surely this song had to have caught the attention of someone besides Garnier Fructis shampoo. Coming from an all-star cast, along with being one of the best songs I've ever heard, this should have been not merely more than a #18 peaker, but a staple in every alternative playlist for the next 20 years.[/blue]

[red]22. Blu Cantrell - Breathe[/red]
[blue]Push after push after push (and then some), this song undeservedly failed to make an impact with any of its sixty attempts. I guess that's what you get for having a debut hit being way too catchy.[/blue]

[red]21. BT - Somnambulist (Simply Being Loved)[/red]
[blue]The most mainstream song he's ever recorded (not counting that damn 'nsync song), yet it doesn't lack in quality. I guess it probably just missed the "wave" like insect2 claims, but this song missing the top 50 altogether is highway robbery.[/blue]

[Mega248]

Are you gonna post the top 20?

[jond7699]

I definitely agree with Blu Cantrell's "Breathe" and Telepopmuzik's "Breathe"

[crash46]

The top 20 will probably come tonight. I have all the songs written out, but they aren't in order, and the descriptions take a while too.

[JCMF3]

jond7699 said:

I definitely agree with Blu Cantrell's "Breathe"

I agree with this one and NOT with the Telepopmusik one. That one was so bland and not interesting.

I will also agree with the BT song. That could have easily been a top 20 hit if given a shot.

[crash46]

Alright...time to wrap it up!

[red]20. Thrice - All That's Left[/red]
[blue]Personally, I think this band is on the verge of something big, and that they'll be like Queens Of The Stone Age or Lostprophets and have a huge lead single off the album after their first minor hit. The problem here is, this song here should have been that huge hit.[/blue]

[red]19. Amerie - Talkin' To Me[/red]
[blue]Coming at a time where there are so many female vocalists that are either bland, awful, or both, it's inexcusable for Amerie to have no pop hits to her credit. It was the only female urban song to hit my chart all year, and that has to count for something. That and the fact that she looks and sounds beautiful.[/blue]

[red]18. The Roots - The Seed [2.0][/red]
[blue]This is probably too sophisticated for Urban or Pop, and only a few Alts were willing to experiment with this, so this is probably the biggest case of "the song without a home". It's too bad you have to be big sellers like OutKast or Eminem to score a decent alternative-rap hit.[/blue]

[red]17. Ra - Rectifier[/red]
[blue]At least Active Rock was willing to spin their first single(which will also have a place of honor on this list), but I'm stymied over how this one was ignored there. And I'm angered over how this band was ignored by just about everyone this year.[/blue]

[red]16. Madonna - American Life[/red]
[blue]Well, I liked it. It's probably the most wrongfully hated song of the whole year, which also has to amount for something here.[/blue]

[red]15. Metallica - St. Anger[/red]
[blue]And this is the other most wrongfully hated track of 2003. It rocks you so hard that it makes your balls itch afterward, and that's what Metallica is all about. I loved this one right from the beginning.[/blue]

[red]14. The Ataris - The Saddest Song[/red]
[blue]Damn, at least "In This Diary" was given a moment to shine. Once again, great job, Columbia Records. This one was just as catchy as all the huge pop-punk fusions that Good Charlotte keeps putting out there, only with more substance.[/blue]

[red]13 The Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough[/red]
[blue]I can't think of any reason why this shouldn't have at least been a modest hit. Other similar bands like Finch or even The Used were able to break through, it's not too uptempo, it's memorable, and it's got a point.[/blue]

[red]12. Cold (featuring Sierra Swan) - Suffocate[/red]
[blue]So what the hell happened here. Cold hasn't been able to shake off the (undeserved) Staind comparisons, but now there's a major difference: Cold hasn't sold out. Year Of The Spider was one of the best albums of the year and realistically could have gone 4 or 5 deep. The song was supposed to be huge.[/blue]

[red]11. Mudvayne - World So Cold[/red]
[blue]Possibly the finest piece of metal to be sent to radio stations all year. This band really should be a household name by now. I guess I could take consolation in the fact that since radio basically cold-shouldered this one, I was able to come across my own copy of the promo CD for this song.[/blue]

Okay, and now for the top ten, and some of you may not have even heard of any of these. That's one reason why they're on the list to begin with.

[red]10. Rancid - Red Hot Moon[/red]
[blue]The band didn't sign on with the Warner Bros. record company to watch them dump all their money on Linkin Park and for their own songs to only peak at #39. This one is irresistably catchy and it's coming from guys that know what street punk is all about.[/blue]

[red]9. Brand New - The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows[/red]
[blue]I think the reason this band has made little to no impact with their first two albums is that their harmonies sound really strange on first listen. But once you get past that and listen to their excellent hooks and amusing one liners, the band is brilliant. They're definitely a band to watch out for.[/blue]

[red]8. Box Car Racer - There Is[/red]
[blue]This song totally caught me by surprise. It's got a really nice hook to it and the subject matter is definitely something the target radio audience can relate to, and...oh it's already off the chart. Go back and read what I said about Kings of Leon, I think I put them at #29, only this song is so much better.[/blue]

[red]7. 30 Seconds To Mars - Edge Of The Earth[/red]
[blue]Oh my god how the rock formats f**ked themselves by turning their back on this one (and for that matter, their whole debut album). Their style is unparalleled by any other band out there now. Their first single, "Capricorn", should have set the foundation for this one, and this one should have set up singles #3, 4, 5, and 6. There is nothing not to like about them. Quoting Nicholas2.0, "The songs are fucking great."[/blue]

[red]6. Less Than Jake - The Science Of Selling Yourself Short (My Own Worst Enemy)[/red]
[blue]This one is just like "Red Hot Moon" in the sense that it's an irresistably catchy second single by a punk band looking for success stories over the radio, but it was just not to be. Maybe radio's afraid to play a song driven by horns or something. I don't know. At least it was able to outperform their single #1.[/blue]

[red]5. Ra - Do You Call My Name[/red]
[blue]I tell ya, I bought their album early this year, then later saw them and had them autograph my CD, and I did what I could to promote these guys. I distributed this song to seven people (cause god knows no one will ever hear this song on the radio again unless they happen to move to some place with a tolerable active rock outlet) and the thumbs ended way up on all 7 of them. Makes me wonder if radio stations ever do any research anymore.[/blue]

[red]4. Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street[/red]
[blue]When I first heard the album, I listened to this song and immediately thought this was the one that could get them back in the top 10. It was the best song of theirs since "Crush". It had amazing hooks, and was the deepest song Matthews had ever written up to that point. Unfortunately the band is signed to RCA records, which at the time was caught up in pushing two absolutely horrendous Christina Aguilera singles to the pop format. 6 months after "Where Are You Going" had peaked, RCA finally decides to make this single #2. Not the way it works, guys. I hope everyone at RCA accidentally gets hit in the nuts with a football at some point this year for this.[/blue]

[red]3. R.E.M. - Bad Day[/red]
[blue]I'll never understand how this band can be disregarded the way they are today. There would be no alternative format without R.E.M. Without R.E.M., every Hot AC station would have to find fifty more songs to play in place of all the times they play "Losing My Religion" per week. At least Triple A and its panel of nine radio stations got it right. But this is one of the best songs they've ever done, and one of the most amusing videos of the year to boot.[/blue]

[red]2. The Transplants - DJ DJ[/red]
[blue]Case study number three of the process previously explained with Kings Of Leon and Box Car Racer. This song had no trouble whatsoever finding its way to #50 on the chart, and no trouble finding its way to #49 the week after, then radio says "we've had enough". With "[red][/red]Diamonds And Guns" being one of the best songs ever, "[red][/red]DJ DJ" was every bit as catchy, whereas D&Guns had more of a gloomy point of view, this was a feel-good song with a positive outlook, giving radio all the more reason to play the song. At least give people a chance to hear the song.[/blue]

[red]1. The All-American Rejects - The Last Song[/red]
[blue]Never before have I seen a second single improve in quality so much over an already good first single and end up more disappointed over its chart life. I would have been fine if this song would have crossed over and become as big as "Swing, Swing". It should have! The whole song is a masterpiece. And who could forget the symphonic bridge that always caused me to take my hands off the wheel and start playing the air violin. Maybe this song was ignored as a service to the public. I just don't know why else.[/blue]

[insect2]

I personally think #1 is overrated, instead of underrated. I don't get the big deal with it. I liked the follow-up "Time Stands Still" better.

[Nicholas2.0]

crash46 said:

[red]41. The Ataris - In This Diary[/red]
[blue]What Columbia Records did to this song (with "The Boys Of Summer"[red][/red]) is like the father walking into the son's room during his first blow job.[/blue]

LOL

Sorry I've finally gotten around to reading this 3 months late, but if you're gone for a month, it takes much longer to catch up.  As you can tell, I'm working my way through everything I missed in this forum now.

crash46 said:

[red]15. Metallica - St. Anger[/red]
[blue]And this is the other most wrongfully hated track of 2003. It rocks you so hard that it makes your balls itch afterward, and that's what Metallica is all about. I loved this one right from the beginning.[/blue]

LOL I loved it, too! It's surprising just how many diehard Metallica "fans" shunned this album. And I'm no diehard fan; I want all their albums, but I'm only up to 3 so far, and the last one I got was in '02. Despite the love-it-or-hate-it production, you'd think people would be a little more open minded about the new stuff. This and "Frantic" (I don't have the album yet, because it's always been a little too expensive) are two of the most gut-kicking Metallica songs I've ever heard.

crash46 said:

[red]13 The Alkaline Trio - We've Had Enough[/red]
[blue]I can't think of any reason why this shouldn't have at least been a modest hit. Other similar bands like Finch or even The Used were able to break through, it's not too uptempo, it's memorable, and it's got a point.[/blue]

As long as it's under $10, I think I need to buy this album very soon, despite having heard only one song off it. I think it's something I would like a lot. That's the thing, too: Why didn't they ever release a follow-up? That's the surest way to shoot your album in the foot if you're trying to break through. By the way, KNSX still plays this fairly often.

crash46 said:

[red]12. Cold (featuring Sierra Swan) - Suffocate[/red]
[blue]So what the hell happened here. Cold hasn't been able to shake off the (undeserved) Staind comparisons, but now there's a major difference: Cold hasn't sold out. Year Of The Spider was one of the best albums of the year and realistically could have gone 4 or 5 deep. The song was supposed to be huge.[/blue]

And now, after a video was shot and everything, their surefire hit "Wasted Years" will never be released, due to a falling out with Geffen Records. Meanwhile, their other guitarist quits. After the stimulating success of "Stupid Girl," this band seems to be cursed, potentially forever blue-balled.

crash46 said:

[red]9. Brand New - The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows[/red]
[blue]I think the reason this band has made little to no impact with their first two albums is that their harmonies sound really strange on first listen. But once you get past that and listen to their excellent hooks and amusing one liners, the band is brilliant. They're definitely a band to watch out for.[/blue]

Like Alkaline Trio, this is a band/album I think I could get into if I just got to hear them other than this one song.

crash46 said:

[red]7. 30 Seconds To Mars - Edge Of The Earth[/red]
[blue]Oh my god how the rock formats f**ked themselves by turning their back on their debut album). There is nothing not to like about them. Quoting Nicholas2.0, "The songs are fucking great."[/blue]

Ha, when did I say that?

crash46 said:

[red]6. Less Than Jake - The Science Of Selling Yourself Short (My Own Worst Enemy)[/red]
[blue]This one is just like "Red Hot Moon" in the sense that it's an irresistably catchy second single by a punk band looking for success stories over the radio, but it was just not to be. Maybe radio's afraid to play a song driven by horns or something. I don't know. At least it was able to outperform their single #1.[/blue]

Why does all the new stuff from Warped Tour veterans (who've never broken through in a major way) seem to fall flat, while the bands they inspire scamper all the way to the bank with a wheelbarrow full of cash?

crash46 said:

[red]5. Ra - Do You Call My Name[/red]
[blue]I distributed this song to seven people (cause god knows no one will ever hear this song on the radio again unless they happen to move to some place with a tolerable active rock outlet).[/blue]

Or in St. Louis, where KPNT, from the time it scraped the chart until just recently, played the song at least 10-20 times a week.

crash46 said:

[red]4. Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street[/red]
[blue]I hope everyone at RCA accidentally gets hit in the nuts with a football at some point this year for [the failure of] this.[/blue]

LOL

crash46 said:

[red]2. The Transplants - DJ DJ[/red]
[blue]At least give people a chance to hear the song.[/blue]

Around June of last year, Travis Barker was thinking the same thing.

crash46 said:

[red]1. The All-American Rejects - The Last Song[/red]
[blue]Never before have I seen a second single improve in quality so much over an already good first single and end up more disappointed over its chart life.[/blue]

I'll never understand why this wasn't huge. It was damn near unanimous among the "rock kids" on this board that this song was better in every way. At least KNSX played it consistently all year long. You'd never know it wasn't huge if you were only listening to them.

[billcs]

I definitely agree with Blu Cantrell, Lasgo, Telepopmusik, BT, and The Roots! :)