Apple Music UK is celebrating the ’00s, launching today with a playlist that reveals the 200 most enduringly popular songs from that decade.
The era’s unstoppable guitar music leads the way, with The Killers’ ‘Mr. Brightside’ which is the most-streamed track, closely followed by Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ and the dance floor anthems of Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and Florence + the Machine. And it’s no surprise that Coldplay feature so heavily here: 2000 brought the arrival of debut album ‘Parachutes’, introducing the world to a British band that would go stratospheric. Listen to the *playlist in full here.
Paying homage to the ’00s, R&B and Pop legends, Craig David and Will Young, also perform for Apple Music Home Session. Their exclusive performances include two stripped-back tracks – a unique cover version from the era and a new version of their own track. Craig David has chosen Destiny’s Child’s smash hit ‘Say My Name’ for his cover, while also performing a stripped back version of his own mega-hit ‘Fill Me In’. Will, however, has picked Outkast’s seminal ‘Hey Ya!’ for his cover and a new version of his own 2002 single, ‘You And I’.
“‘Say My Name’ was actually released at the same time as ‘Fill Me In’ [in April 2000]. For me to actually sing the song here brought back all the memories of that week and getting my first solo Number 1.” The Southampton singer-songwriter may have held off Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle at the top of the UK singles chart with his debut solo single, but he’s under no illusions about the quality of ‘Say My Name’. He explains: “It’s easily one of the best Destiny’s Child songs. Just incredible writing and the melody’s amazing. It’s a song that any songwriter would say, ‘I wish I had written that.’ It rang true for so many people — it just cuts to the chase.” – Craig David
“I love covering songs and maybe finding a new story in a song. ‘Hey Ya!’ is a very sad song, but it’s really upbeat—so people might not notice what it’s actually saying. It’s about a break-up. So slowing it down and making it soulful in a different way really brings out this different narrative of the song. It’s such a great tune, it doesn’t matter how you change it. If the melody and the lyrics are great, then it will work. You could do it as a rock tune. You could do it as a dance tune. It still sounds amazing because it’s just a brilliant pop song.” And on his new version of ‘You and I, he explains: “That song was quite a turning point for me because I’d done three covers up to that point. So that was my first original song and it was a bit more refined and quite gospel-y and it marked the way to my next record. So it is a really special song for me.” – Will Young
Apple Music’s Home Session series started during the first lockdown in early 2020. Apple Music Home Session: Craig David and Will Young are now live. Listen to Craig David and Will Young’s Home Sessions in full on Apple Music.
