Ye Olde Hit Parade: Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?

Editor's note: Ye Olde Hit Parade takes a look back at my favorite songs year by year (starting in 1978, when I really started paying attention to music).

2003: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?

In the year 2003, there was a lot going on but with a baby, we understandably were a little shell-shocked. The U.S. invaded Iraq, the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded upon re-entry, Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California and Apple launched iTunes.

In the spring, my daughter Hannah turned one and took her first steps. By the summer, we discovered Deb was pregnant with our second child. We had planned on having two kids, so things were going along as planned, although I was definitely wondering what doubling the diapers was going to be like.

Meanwhile, I was getting into running in a big way. I ran two marathons in '03, Boston in the spring and New York in the fall. We drove up to Toronto for two weddings in the summer. And I did some more traveling for work, going to San Antonio in June (a tad toasty) and Chicago in the fall.

MP3 blogs were all the rage (at least for indie rock nerds such as myself) so I was downloading a lot of stuff and getting introduced to a lot of new music from bands like the Postal Service, Cat Power, Fiery Furnaces, Drive-By Truckers, the Wrens and TV On the Radio. And there was plenty of other great stuff from the likes of Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers, the White Stripes, the Black Keys, Gord Downie, Sloan and a boatload of others. Concerts included Pat DiNizio (playing a "living room show" with my friend Andrew's band WOW backing him up in Portland), Yo La Tengo, Gord Downie, Radiohead and Guster. (Speaking of blogs, I also launched this one in '03, although not as an MP3 blog.)





My favorite song was from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, who released their second terrific record in a row with Hearts of Oak. "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" was a rollicking tribute to old-school ska, featuring Leo's hot guitar work and high-pitched vocal style. The album as a whole is a feel-good combination of punk-pop that was part Clash, Thin Lizzy and Elvis Costello. It was a perfect blend of all the good stuff I dug, and Leo has continued to do quality work to this day. But "Rude Boys" has that timeless feel that never fails to raise your spirits.


Honorable mentions: The Postal Service - "Such Great Heights"; Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "The High Party"; Cat Power - "He War"; Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - "Water and a Seat"; Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - "(Do Not Feed the) Oyster"; The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"; The White Stripes - "The Hardest Button to Button"; Yo La Tengo - "Today is the Day"; The Black Keys - "Set You Free"; The Black Keys - "Have Love, Will Travel"; Matthew Sweet - "Dead Smile"; Matthew Sweet - "Tonight We Ride"; Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"; Electric Six - "Gay Bar"; Electric Six - "Danger! High Voltage!"; Riverboat Gamblers - "Hey! Hey! Hey!"; Radiohead - "2 + 2 = 5"; Radiohead - "Myxomatosis"; Drive-By Truckers - "Outfit"; Drive-By Truckers - "Hell No I Ain't Happy"; TV On the Radio - "Staring at the Sun"; Sloan - "Gimme That"; Sloan - "Backstabbin'"; Frank Black and the Catholics - "Nadine"; Outkast - "Hey Ya!"; Outkast - "The Way You Move"; The Twilight Singers - "Teenage Wristband"; The Twilight Singers - "The Killer"; The Shins - "So Says I"; Mark Lanegan - "Methamphetamine Blues"; Mark Lanegan - "Message to Mine"; Johnny Cash - "Hurt"; The Wrens - "This Boy is Exhausted"; Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - "Coma Girl"; Gord Downie - "Figment"; Gord Downie - "Pascal's Submarine"