Top Ten Songs of the 21st Century that are the Best of Their Respective Year

So that there is no mistake: this list is NOT about the best songs of the 21st century. It is about the songs that are the best of each year. The idea is that everyone adds ONE SONG PER YEAR that they consider the greatest of it (if it isn't already on the list), and then vote for the song they like best out of the ones added. The difference to a list about the best 21st century songs is that in such a list one especially strong year would be absolutely dominating (in my case, 2011 has countless of my favorite songs of this young century and would take up a majority of space in the top spots, but I can only add one song, which is my absolute favorite), on here this wouldn't be the case and each year will be featured equally.
The Top Ten
1 Wheel of Time - Blind Guardian (2010)
2 Spit Out the Bone - Metallica (2016)
3 And Then There Was Silence - Blind Guardian (2002)

This song was first released as a single in 2001 but it was on their 2002 album.

4 Stan - Eminem (2000)
5 I Am - Theocracy (2011)
6 Mutter - Rammstein (2001)
7 Mana - Equilibrium (2008)
8 Ghost Love Score - Nightwish (2004)
9 Damien - Iced Earth (2001)
10 The Throne - Blind Guardian (2015)
The Contenders
11 American Life - Madonna (2003)
12 Mensch - Herbert Grönemeyer (2002)

Herbert Grönemeyer wrote “Mensch” after a hiatus due to the loss of his wife and his brother. The sadness, but also the will to continue in life, is present throughout the entire song - and album, for that matter. While trying to cope with the depression, the song also works as an essay on the oddities of the human species, which he sings are the reason why he will ultimately be able to further live his life. It also is an outstanding song musically, having a soft, melodic composition, modern day drum kits and a characteristic, toned down yet strong vocal performance.

13 Everything Burns - Ben Moody & Anastacia (2005)

A song of such a power would have deserved to be in a movie better than “Fantastic Four”. It would belonged on a movie dwelling more on personal conflict and the search for understanding. Ben Moody, who is best known for his work with Evanescence, has packed all the insecure and negative feelings into the writing of this song about a girl ignored by the world that still keeps on singing until the world has to hear her in all her overwhelming emotion. International superstar Anastacia gives her heart to the performance - you can almost hear the tears in her eyes during the first verse - but when she sings the final chorus, everything burns. And with what fire.

14 Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance (2006)

"Welcome to the Black Parade”, as well as the album it is from, may be the only modern work from a popular rock genre that has the same big ambition of the 70s concept albums. But as great as the whole album is, this is the moment that everybody remembers. The bittersweet nostalgia, the gentle piano intro, the thundering parade-like drums, the powerful guitars, the punk-ish main part and the cinematic ending section of the song - this song is so filled up with action that it indeed feels like witnessing the many different trucks of a parade, seeing all through a child’s eye.

Before anybody points it out, I already realized my mistake, this song is from 2006. And it stands as my favorite song from that year. In that case, I'll think of another song from 2007 to put on here, and I'll just leave the Christina Aguilera song on here in case someone wants to vote for it.

15 Sacrifice - Edguy (2006)
16 Orbital Elements - Obscura (2009)
17 Oh Mother - Christina Aguilera (2006)

I originally chose this song as my favorite of 2006, but I mistook My Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade" as being from 2007, but it was released a year earlier. Now, "Oh Mother" is no longer on my remix as it was replaced by the My Chemical Romance track, but of course you can still vote for it or include it on yours.

Original text:
I must say this was the hardest to choose. This and Beyoncé’s “Listen” are the most stunning soul pieces of the 21st century, and both were released in 2006. And I came to the conclusion that Beyoncé’s song has the greater vocal performance, and is even equivalent to the big divas of the 60s, but that Aguilera’s “Oh Mother” is far, far, far, far more hard hitting on an emotional level. Aguilera pours her heart out, she bleeds her lines rather than singing them, and we can feel in every line, every nuance of every word, how she wants to hold and protect her mother so bad. Probably the most ...more

18 Paradise - Coldplay (2011)
19 Crimson King - Demons & Wizards (2005)
20 Rolling in the Deep - Adele (2010)
21 Love Lockdown - Kanye West (2008)
22 What I've Done - Linkin Park (2007)

If there is one song I will always immediately associate with the strength of Linkin Park, it is this one. Featuring one of the most iconic and well known piano melodies of the decade, the musical outfit creates an emotional tension and almost claustrophibic atmosphere in the verse, with Chester Bennington's barely raised voice weakly sliding over the music - until the chorus kicks in. And this is one of those moments where this can be taken literally. The power it creates during the transition from verse to chorus is outstanding - because this feels real. From then on, the song gains more and more feeling and strength. The lyrics feel like realistic train of thoughts, the chorus is perfectly interpolated into the rest of the song.

23 The World is Yours - Arch Enemy (2017)
24 Everytime I Die - Children of Bodom (2001)
25 Donaukinder - Rammstein (2009)
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