Best of 2005

Since 1996 I have made a CD of my favorite music from the past year and here is the CD I have made from this past year but I like to put songs in reverse order as so they are counting down to the best song. This CD clocks in at 77:06.


1. Love Love Love - Tristan Prettyman
2. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
3. Fix You – Coldplay
4. You and Me – Lifehouse
5. These Words - Natasha Bedingfield
6. Doesn't Remind Me – Audioslave
7. Existentialism on Prom Night - Straylight Run
8. Breakdown - Jack Johnson
9. Diamonds From Sierra Leone - Kanye West
10. Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
11. Telescope Eyes – Eisley
12. The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
13. Ordinary People - John Legend
14. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
15. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
16. Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own - U2
17. Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick
18. Gold Digger - Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
19. Landed - Ben Folds


To see how Landed stacks up to past #1's, here are a list of those from years past:

1996: No Diggity – Blackstreet & Dr. Dre
1997: Foolish Games – Jewel
1998: One Week – Barenaked Ladies
1999: Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera
2000: Maria, Maria – Santana & the Product G&B
2001: Everywhere – Michelle Branch
2002: Fell in Love with a Girl – The White Stripes
2003: The Seed (2.0) – The Roots & Cody ChessnuTT
2004: All Falls Down – Kanye West
2005: Landed – Ben Folds


As for the artist that made the most impact in the last year here are the ones that showed up most on my Best of lists (for those lists, click on the Best of 2005 label):

1. Kanye West (Best Songs – 2, 11, 32, 39, 79; Best Albums – 2; Best Videos – 2, 9, 16, 28) - It looked like Kanye this year was the ultimate bridesmaid with the runner up position on all but one of my lists. But he did have the unofficial best quote of the year if that is any consolation.
2. The Killer (Best Songs – 5, 21; Best Albums – 14; Best Videos – 4, 8; Best Mash-Ups – 10, 21) - This band really grew on me this year with their blend of catch hooks, inane lyrics, and of course a video with Eric Roberts and a Kate Bosworth look-a-like.
3. U2 (Best Songs – 2, 50, 57, 60; Best Videos – 10, 20) – They may have been a little more higher had How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb had been eligible this year, but unlike the Grammy’s, my year actually runs from January to December. But the album would have definitely been high on my Best Albums list if it were.
4. Dave Matthews Band – (Best Songs – 35, 46; Best Albums – 5; Best Videos – 17, 27; Best Mash-Ups – 13) – A band so great I dedicated a whole week to when Stand Up was released and they didn’t disappoint.
5. Kelly Clarkson (Best Songs – 6, 26; Best Mash-Ups – 2, 4, 12; Best Videos – 21) – Had anyone said that Clarkson would be near the top of any list let alone Best Artist a year ago, I tell them they were crazy. But thanks to some amazingly entertaining mash-ups, the karaoke queen rightfully deserves to be on this list. And the mash-ups just keep on coming as I just heard another one, Since U Been in Centerfield - Kelly Clarkson vs. John Fogerty.

Doing the Bull Dance, Feeling the Flow

When I first was brainstorming for a name for this blog, the most logical choice was a nickname that a college buddy gave me back in the day, Scooter McGavin. Now I have hated the nickname Scooter for the longest time but since this name was a take on a character from one of our favorite movies, Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore, I actually didn’t hate this moniker. Taking my love of the movie one step further, I added an obscure reference to make the blog’s name more unique with the 9th Green referring to where Shooter sent Happy on his first day on tour and ended with Happy getting soaked by the sprinklers.

Due to my unofficial 10 year waiting period for inductions into the Scooter Hall of Fame, Happy Gilmore hasn’t been eligible until now since the movie was released back in 1996, but if there were ever a first ballot inductee, it is this movie. (Granted 1996 was a great year for entertainment which I will go deeper into later this month including a Best of 1996 Lyrics Quiz on the 15th, so look out, and study up, for that). I still remember seeing the trailer to the movie for the first time with the classic line “The price is wrong, Bob” (of course they changed the line in the movie, which was much more funnier) followed by Happy punching the ancient Bob Barker. From that I knew I had to I would be in line I had to see the movie. The full page ad from the newspaper quickly made it up on my wall and was later replaced by the official movie poster that I got for Christmas that year.

And when I finally saw he movie, it didn’t disappoint. Adam Sandler was at his best as the failed hockey player turned reluctant golfer. Julie Bowen, in her first prominent role before becoming Carol Vessey on the brilliant Ed and more recently guest shots on Lost as Jack's (possibly) ex-wife, was solid as the love interest that helps Happy compete. Then there is my namesake Shooter McGavin as portrayed by the always reliable Christopher McDonald who plays the corny joke spewing adversary of Happy perfectly. Even all the bit players were on point the most memorable being Donald, the dude who Shooter paid to annoy Happy that led to the Bob Barker beating. It was because of him that “jackass” became the most used term of endearment, so to speak, among my college buddies. On top of all that there were great cameos from Ben Stiller, Kevin Nealon, and Lee Travino.

Rarely do long stretches of time go by without me quoting the movie or emulating a scene. Since I’ve seen the movie, there hasn’t been a time when with a female when Endless Love comes on I haven’t turned to her and say, “Friends can hold hands while listening to Endless Love in the dark.” Sadly, though, I have yet to master the running drive. Maybe one day.

Best Songs of 2005

Before I go into the granddaddy of my Best/Worst Week, I would like to make special mention of something that really defies category yet was the most entertaining thing I saw or heard this year – R. Kelly’s Trapped In the Closet masterpiece. I didn’t think there could be anything R. Kelly related that was funnier than Dave Chappelle’s skit, Mr. Kelly found a way to top it and Trapped in the Closet is probably the only thing released this year that is a first ballot entry into the Scooter Hall of Fame. Now onto the Top 100 Songs of 2005, and feel free to leave your favorite songs of the year in the comment section:


1. Landed - Ben Folds
2. Gold Digger - Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
3. Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick
4. Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own - U2
5. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
6. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
7. Ordinary People - John Legend
8. The Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice
9. Telescope Eyes - Eisley
10. Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley
11. Diamonds From Sierra Leone - Kanye West
12. Breakdown - Jack Johnson
13. Existentialism On Prom Night - Straylight Run
14. Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
15. These Words - Natasha Bedingfield
16. You and Me - Lifehouse
17. Fix You - Coldplay
18. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
19. Love Love Love - Tristan Prettyman
20. Ohio (Come Back to Texas) - Bowling for Soup
21. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
22. Somebody - Bonnie McKee
23. Gotta Get Up from Here - Ellie Lawson
24. I'm Feeling You - Santana & Michelle Branch
25. Work - Jimmy Eat World
26. Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
27. 1 Thing - Amerie
28. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
29. Club Foot - Kasabian
30. Testify - Common
31. Speed of Sound - Coldplay
32. Heard 'Em Say - Kanye West & Adam Levine
33. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie
34. The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin
35. Dreamgirl - Dave Matthews Band
36. Ashes - Embrace
37. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
38. Bullet and a Target - Citizen Cope
39. The Corner - Common, the Last Poets & Kanye West
40. A Lifetime - Better Than Ezra
41. Stars and Boulevards - Augustana
42. Home - Marc Broussard
43. Get Back - Ludacris
44. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - Jack Johnson
45. Son's Gonna Rise - Citizen Cope & Santana
46. American Baby - Dave Matthews Band
47. Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
48. Beverly Hills - Weezer
49. When in Rome - Nickel Creek
50. All Because of You - U2
51. Who Did You Think I Was? - John Mayer Trio
52. Some Hearts - Carrie Underwood
53. Trouble - Bonnie McKee
54. The One I Love - David Gray
55. Mind on the Road - Reverend Run
56. My Doorbell - The White Stripes
57. Original of the Species - U2
58. Revolution - Eric Clapton
59. Used to Love U - John Legend
60. City of Blinding Lights - U2
61. Inside Your Heaven - Carrie Underwood
62. Back to Me - Kathleen Edwards
63. Collide - Howie Day
64. When the President Talks to God - Bright Eyes
65. World On Fire - Sarah McLachlan
66. Chariot - Gavin DeGraw
67. Just Feel Better - Santana & Steven Tyler
68. In the Rough - Anna Nalick
69. Pon de Replay - Rihanna
70. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
71. Over My Head (Cable Car) - The Fray
72. O' Sailor - Fiona Apple
73. You Gonna Love Me - Da Backwudz
74. Sugar, We're Goin Down - Fall Out Boy
75. Be Yourself - Audioslave
76. Walk Tall - John Mellencamp
77. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
78. Bad Day - Daniel Powter
79. Go! - Common, John Mayer & Kanye West
80. Landing in London - 3 Doors Down & Bob Seger
81. One Love - Hootie & the Blowfish
82. The Harder They Come - Willie Nelson
83. Your Time Has Come - Audioslave
84. Let Me Go - 3 Doors Down
85. Be the Girl - Aslyn
86. Right To Be Wrong - Joss Stone
87. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
88. DOA - Foo Fighters
89. She Said - Brie Larson
90. Talk - Coldplay
91. Perfect Situation - Weezer
92. Who We Are - Hope Partlow
93. Till I Get to You - Nikka Costa
94. 4ever - The Veronicas
95. She Says - Howie Day
96. Everything to Me - Liz Phair
97. Empty Room - Marjorie Fair
98. Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy
99. I Wasn't Prepared - Eisley
100. Give a Little Bit - Goo Goo Dolls


Preview most of these songs and download them DRM free from Amazon MP3 using the widget below:

Best Mash-Ups of 2005

One of the coolest musical innovations in recent memory is the mash-up. For those that may not be familiar with the term, it is when you take the vocals from one song and place them over the instrumental from a different song. This technique was popularized last year when a DJ by the name of Danger Mouse took Jay-Z’s The Black Album and mashed it up with the Beatles White Album to create the Grey Album. Since then the art form has exploded with DJ getting more creative and sometimes mashing up five or more different song at the same time. So to honor the brilliance of this new art form I decided to list the best mash-up I have heard for the first time this past year. I tried to give credit to the creator of the mash-up, but due to some poor labeling, some have gotten lost and I even had to create a name for a few mash-ups that I discovered nameless. Please do not ask for me to send you any of these songs because for legal reasons I cannot confirm or deny that any of these songs actually exist not that I would illegally download copyrighted material even though that material has been altered from any version that could be bought. If you want the unaltered album version, I will list some of the songs featured in the mash-ups in parentheses.


1. Boulevard of Broken Songs - Dean Gray (Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dream; Oasis – Wonderwall)
2. Spending One of These Nights with Kelly - Aggro1 (The Eagles – One of these Nights; Kelly Clarkson – Since U Been Gone)
3. You're The One I Want in the Next Episode - Artist Unknown (Songs from Grease; Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg – The Next Episode - 2001)
4. Behind These Immigrant Eyes - Aggro1 (Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song; Kelly Clarkson – Behind These Hazel Eyes)
5. Karmastition - Artist Unknown (Alicia Keys – Karma; Stevie Wonder – Superstition)
6. It Takes a New Sensation - Big Ruckus (INXS – New Sensation; Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock – It Takes Two)
7. We Will Rock and Roll You - DJ Matt Hite (Joan Jett – I Love Rock and Roll; Queen – We Will Rock You; 50 Cent – In da Club)
8. Yoshimi Battles Snoop Dogg - DJ BC (Snoop Dogg – Song Unknown; The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)
9. Make Love in Ohio F*** War - Aggro1 (Public Enemy – Make Love F*** War; Crosby Stills Nash and Young – Ohio)
10. Somebody Rock Me - Party Ben (The Clash – Rock the Kasbah; The Killers – Somebody Told Me)
11. Rock wit Hurt - Aggro1 (Johnny Cash – Hurt; Ashanti – Rock wit You)
12. Behind This Summer Madness - Aggro1 (Kelly Clarkson – Behind These Hazel Eyes; Kool and the Gang – Summer Madness)
13. Drop When The World Ends Freak - Aggro1 (Snoop Dogg – Drop it Like it’s Hot; Dave Matthews Band – When the World Ends; Missy Elliott – Get Ur Freak On)
14. Feel Like Making La-Di-Da - FiDELSKi – (Bad Company – Feel Like Making Love; Slick Rick – La-Di-Da-Di)
15. Left You a Closing Lullaby - BigBadBaz (Avalanches – Song Unknown; Semisonic – Closing Time; Shawn Mullins – Lullaby)
16. Oblateeth - bass 211 (Obie Trice – Got Some Teeth; The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da)
17. Nothing In It's Right Place - DJ BC (The Roots – Don’t Say Nothin'; Radiohead – Song Unknown)
18. How We Do Cocaine - DJ Spenny (Eric Clapton – Cocaine; 50 Cent – How We Do)
19. Tipsy Bros - Artist Unknown (J-Kwon – Tispy; The Blues Brothers)
20. Thundertrain - DJ Over-EZ (AC/DC – Thunderstruck; Quad City DJ's – C’mon ‘N’ Ride It)
21. Somebody Told Me to Feel Good - Aggro1 (Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.; The Killers – Somebody Told Me)
22. What I Got is Two Turntables – Artist Unknown (Beck – Where it’s At; Sublime – What I Got)
23. Dope Man Stew - Listen up! (N.W.A. – Dope Man; Green Day – Brain Stew)
24. Hey Ladies Night - DJ BC (Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies; Kool and the Gang – Ladies Night; Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun)
25. I Ain't Got Daughters - c.h.a.o.s productions – (Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got You; John Mayer – Daughters)

Best Videos of 2005

Luckily I have this best/worst lists to fall back on this week because there is very little else to talk about. We are still about three weeks until we get new television shows. There doesn’t look like any music worth reviewing in the near future as the Ying Yang Twins were the big release this week and The Stokes the next and I’m too old to like the Ying Yang Twins and not pretentious enough to listen to The Strokes. Even though I didn’t get any DVD’s for Christmas (well a Chris Rock concert and Dukes of Hazard 1.x, which is not to be confuesed with the movie that I will never see, don’t really count), I’ll probably still have a few DVD reviews next week as I most likely pick up the Sin City Extended Version and I believe Wedding Crashers comes out next week. And I plan on watching Star Wars Episodes I-III on New Years Eve and Episodes IV-VI on New Years and have a complete review of the series too. But I have to check to make sure I can get all the movies in without messing with other festivities because Dick Clack would be disappointed if I miss his party this year. As for today, I’m counting down the best videos of the past year. To view the videos, click on the artist’s name and it will lead you to their video page in Yahoo or AOL where you can click to play it. If you click on the song name it will lead you to the song in iTunes. Feel free to leave your favorite videos of 2005 in the comment section.


1. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing - Jack Johnson
2. Diamonds From Sierra Leone - Kanye West
3. World On Fire - Sarah McLachlan
4. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers
5. Doesn't Remind Me - Audioslave
6. Hell Yes - Beck
7. Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
8. Mr. Brightside - The Killers
9. Heard 'Em Say (Department Store Version) - Kanye West & Adam Levine
10. Original of the Species - U2
11. Perfect Situation - Weezer
12. O' Sailor - Fiona Apple
13. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie
14. Beverly Hills - Weezer
15. Girl - Beck
16. Gold Digger - Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
17. Dreamgirl - Dave Matthews Band
18. Get Back - Ludacris
19. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
20. Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own - U2
21. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
22. Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy
23. Helena - My Chemical Romance
24. Walk Tall - John Mellencamp
25. These Words - Natasha Bedingfield
26. We Are All On Drugs - Weezer
27. American Baby - Dave Matthews Band
28. Heard 'Em Say (Cartoon Version) - Kanye West & Adam Levine
29. Landed - Ben Folds
30. Talk - Coldplay