3 Rock Songs From the 2000s That Still Sound Fresh, Despite Being 20+ Years Old

The early 2000s were a rich era for new evolutions of rock music as the world entered into the 21st century wondering what the next big thing in popular music would be. Indie rock, garage rock revival, and the last inklings of new wave dominated the charts. And when it comes to the following hit rock songs from the 2000s, they manage to still sound fresh and enjoyable after more than 20 years. Let’s take a look, shall we?

“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes from ‘Elephant’ (2003)

Sometimes less is more, and that much was proven by the insane success of “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes in 2003. This bluesy alt-rock hit was a smash on the charts, reaching No. 1 in the UK and on the Alternative Airplay chart in the US. And this minimalist classic features vocals, drums, and the slide guitar… and not much else. You really don’t hear simple and enjoyable music quite like this nowadays.

“Last Nite” by The Strokes from ‘Is This It’ (2001)

This song just sounds like the early 2000s to me. And this stripped-down garage rock jam from 20001 still sounds quite contemporary today. “Last Nite” by The Strokes was a pretty hefty hit when it dropped, peaking at No. 5 on the Alternative Airplay chart in the US and No. 1 on the UK Indie chart. Like the previous entry, this indie rock jam is fairly simple, and it (allegedly) took heavy inspiration from Tom Petty’s legendary 1976 hit, “American Girl”. Some riffs are just timeless, whether there’s 20, 30, or 40 years behind them.

“Mr. Brightside” by The Killers from ‘Hot Fuss’ (2003)

Millennials will belt this song until their dying breaths, and I can certainly see why. This 2003 alt-rock smash from The Killers is one of the most beautiful songs of its era. “Mr. Brightside” was also a hit among listeners at the time of its release, and it reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s still one of the most-streamed songs today. And it’s worthy of a spot on our list of rock songs from the 2000s that still sound fresh because those poetic lyrics and anthemic composition still get emotions out of listeners after all these years.

Photo by Frank Mullen/WireImage

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