The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2006

 The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2006

In the following article, I take a look at one of the weaker years of the 2000s for the Hot 100 and take a look at some of the songs that make it one of the weaker years

Hey guys, welcome back to Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes for another year-end list. Today, we’re examining the top 10 best hit songs of 2006!

So, 2006, my thoughts? Yeah, as I said in my worst list, this year is honestly fine, nothing too special, but I don’t think it’s awful, still one of the weaker years for the 2000s though. But I’ll say, this year wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be going into it, the lows this year were nowhere near as bad as those of the previous year, but that isn’t exactly hard to do haha. The highs this year were also shockingly high. I will say there are some Flaming Hot Takes from me on both the worst and best lists, even more than usual I’d say, probably rivals 2016 for hottest takes to be honest, but I never considered myself to have good music taste at all so as always I’m prepared for tons of disagreements. So it’s time to get started on the list! There were 41 songs on the Hot 100 year-end list for 2006 that I found to be good or better, including repeats from 2005 - and as a reminder of the rule, the songs had to debut on the year-end Hot 100 list for 2006 in order to qualify, so “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy and “Feel Good Inc” by the Gorrillaz are unfortunately ineligible for this list. So let’s get this thing started as always with our honorable mentions!

HM #1: The Fray - Over My Head (Cable Car) (YE: #92, PEAK: #13)

Just a very melodic, enjoyable song, the production’s piano melody reflects the despair that Isaac Slade conveys in his delivery that this relationship is drifting apart, even if he’s too deeply involved and the song’s lightweight feel allows it to soar in the chorus nicely. Yeah, this is a pretty simple song at its core but it’s enjoyable regardless.

HM #2: Three 6 Mafia f/Young Buck, 8Ball, & MJG - Stay Fly (YE: #14, PEAK: #3)

I know this may be a surprise, considering there was one prediction that this would actually make my worst list instead and I get it, that hook can be seen as very annoying but to me it’s  delivered with so much charisma that I kinda think it goes hard haha. Every aspect of this song is so charismatic and the production goes hard too! From the menacing synths and the trap(?) hi-hats, it genuinely sounds like it could be a hit even today, it doesn’t at all sound dated even 17 years later! I don’t know, this just works so well for me.

HM #3: All American Rejects - Move Along (YE: #21, PEAK: #15)

Yeah, if there was an All American Rejects song that deserved to stick around today, it wasn’t “Gives You Hell”, it was this. Well this song kinda resonated with me hard, because sometimes when all you can do is just keep moving along and keep being strong since hardships come and go even if you feel like you’ve lost all hope - “When all you got to keep is strong/Move along, move along like I know ya do/And even when your hope is gone” - because there's no use sulking, the production is also phenomenal, with the dynamic and energetic percussion and strong guitar melody. And on a side note, if you’re going through any hardship or adversity no matter the magnitude, just keep going at it, you can get through this, you’re super strong, I believe in you. Just felt like saying that haha.

HM #4: Nelly f/Paul Wall, Ali, & Gipp - Grillz (YE: #12, PEAK: #1)

Just a fun ass jam with everyone here having so much charisma that I’m able to overlook the content which...I, um, honestly have no clue what it’s about haha. But we still have the production to talk about, built off a sample of “Soldier” by Destiny’s Child, it's admittedly a bit annoying after repeated listens, but everyone here is able to elevate it to being fun thanks to their charisma. Ultimately though, this missed the list proper because  as already mentioned, it’s the kind of song that does tend to get annoying after repeated listens. Still, a fun jam when the mood’s right.

HM #5: TI - What You Know (YE: #37, PEAK: #3)

Such a triumphant sounding banger, from the synths that sound incredibly celebratory and TI’s flow is great here! He is clearly letting you know that he’s cooler than you are in every way - But/you's a scary dude, believed by very few” - he’s also smart enough in his tone to make sure he doesn’t come off as too condescending and thus unintentionally alienating the listener, he’s just making a flexing song here to me and the production and TI’s delivery support that he’s definitely earned it! Honestly, it sounds a bit like a song that’d be big in the club boom, and that’s a compliment!

HM #6: Ne-Yo - Sexy Love (YE: #51, PEAK: #7)

I think what separates this song from many of the R&B hits from 2005 is that it doesn’t feel overly horny like, say “U Already Know” by 112, it genuinely sounds really sweet, from the really nice sounding R&B melody and production, and Ne-Yo selling the sentiment of there being nothing he’d rather do than be with his girlfriend wonderfully, and even if the term “sexy love” seems a bit horny Ne-Yo and the production just sound so nice it’s very hard for me to notice, it’s more sexy than horny for me, great little song!

HM #7: Rihanna - SOS (YE: #19, PEAK: #1)

No, it’s not better than “Don’t Stop The Music”, but you’re comparing two great songs here. “SOS”, like “Don’t Stop The Music” is built on a razor-tight, albeit slightly weaker than “Don’t Stop The Music”, groove and Rihanna is a great presence here with slinky vocals that ride the beat so incredibly well. Just a bop!

HM EX: High School Musical - Almost the whole soundtrack ngl (YE: N/A, PEAK: there are so many songs in this soundtrack I don’t have the time nor patience to list every peak for every song)

Oh, don’t be surprised at this, I’ve said time and time again on this blog that I have a massive soft spot for this franchise - it’s just charming enough to keep the plot from being insufferable. This entry is probably just my nostalgia clouding my better judgement but in particular, I adore “Breaking Free” and “The Start Of Something New”, the latter of which, I can’t lie, I’ve fantasized about singing karaoke to before haha. Yes, these movies are far from accurate of how high school actually is - fun fact, in AP Lang, I wrote an essay on that and got 100% on it haha - but that won’t stop me from loving these movies unironically, sue me, I know all credibility I may have had has vanished

Alright, now for the list proper!

10...So I feel sometimes I try to write an intro for these entries that may come off like it’s foreshadowing more than it actually is. But for this one, all I can say is time goes by so slowly...

10. Madonna - Hung Up (YE: #91, PEAK: #7)

“Hung Up” finds Madonna jumping right into synthpop territory and it’s such a great end result, from the strings to the tight groove and even to Madonna’s vocals effortlessly riding the production and she sells the sentiment of being hung up on someone really well to the ticking clock sounds in the production that just match the production so well in a way I don’t even know how to describe.

9…I’m maybe a bit more than just a little embarrassed to say that this wasn’t my first exposure to this band, I was first introduced to them with their excellent song “Home” in 2016 and while I don’t think this song is quite on the same level as that one, it’s still great...

9. Blue October - Hate Me (YE: #82, PEAK: #31)

This song honestly feels maybe a bit similar to “Home” in content with an added catharsis, while “Home” was about Justin Furstenfeld finally saying he’s past his depression and his struggles, “Hate Me” is more about him thanking his ex-girlfriend or maybe even his mother or another loved one helping him through all his struggles even if they should hate him - “I’m sober now for 3 whole months/It’s one accomplishment that you helped me with” and “You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicide and hate” all while he wasn’t there for this figure and now they’re gone - “Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you”. Combine that with a very tense production that is dark in the most haunting ways, and you get a song that isn’t a very easy listen, but still is a great one regardless.

8...Maybe a flaming hot take incoming? I’m honestly not sure haha...

8. Fort Minor f/Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga - Where’d You Go (YE: #43, PEAK: #4)

So, the one hit from Mike Shidona of Linkin Park’s side venture into hip hop and...I genuinely love this song. The production is pretty simple, just a piano melody and an admittedly very artificial sounding drum machine, but that piano melody really carries this for me, it sounds genuinely sad and rings out a vibe of longing, but there’s also Skylar Grey’s - or really on this song Holly Brooke’s - hook sounds really pretty. The song’s content is about a singer’s loved ones missing said singer while they’re out, presumably touring. And I think Skylar Grey's hook reflects it so well even if Mike Shidona isn’t exactly the most expressive rapper here and maybe Jonah Matranga could’ve done more here than just the backing vocal, I feel there was so much potential for this to be even better, have Matranga play the singer on tour, and shift the focus to how the singer touring affects both sides, this had a lot of potential to be fantastic, but hey, even if this admittedly sounds like something I could make, sometimes you can do just enough with it to make it really work, excellent song.

7...Ok, damn Ne-Yo had a great year...

7. Ne-Yo - So Sick (YE: #17, PEAK: #1)

I’m a bit at a loss of how to properly state why I think this song is amazing, I mean obviously, Ne-Yo is a great performer that details the emotions our narrator is facing after a breakup wonderfully but there’s a certain magic in this song that just captivates me, maybe the content? Which as I just said, details the emotions the narrator faces after a breakup - “Gotta change my answering machine/Now that I'm alone/'Cause right now it says that we/Can't come to the phone/And I know it makes no sense/'Cause you walked out the door/But it's the only way I hear your voice anymore” and then the chorus - And I'm so sick of love songs, so tired of tears

So done with wishin' you were still here/Said I'm so sick of love songs, so sad and slow/So why can't I turn off the radio?” - despite the love songs on the radio reminding him of this failed relationship, he finds himself unable to turn off the radio. That last line of the chorus kinda cuts deep because he has the realization that even though he’s so sick of this ex, he’s clearly still not over it. Plus a muted production that allows all the focus to go onto the songwriting and Ne-Yo’s great performance, if I had one minor gripe with this song though, there is a synth present here that kinda feels a bit out of place to me at points and doesn’t match the R&B production as well as I’d like it to, but regardless, excellent track.

6...Honestly, this was what I thought would be my #1 before diving into this year-end, wow, guess I underestimated you too 2006...

6. Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (YE: #6, PEAK: #5)

Yeah...what I thought would be my #1 isn’t even in my top 5 for this year. But anyway, I’ve always absolutely loved this song from the first time I heard it, from the wonderfully blissful vocals from Natasha Bedingfield to the almost strangely nostalgic-feeling production - and no, I don’t know why I feel nostalgic for this song, but it just has a weirdly innocent vibe that I can’t help but just adore, the production is just so feel-good from the guitar loop that just radiates pure joy it genuinely feels like the sun is illuminating, as the song says, the song in a sense, if that even makes any sense, and then the content which is simple at its core - it’s just about making your own choices and living for yourself because no one else can live your life for you, and it’s just the only life you get so just embrace it - forge ahead your own story basically, but Bedingfield is just having so much fun in this song and radiates so much joy in the sentiment that it just gets elevated that much more. Excellent little song, but what 5 songs could beat it?

5...It’s funny, this is the 2nd Disney song to make this list, if you count the “HM EX” entry as part of this list at least haha, I don’t know what that says about me...

5. Rascal Flatts - Life Is A Highway (YE: #76, PEAK: #7)

You don’t have to tell me that this doesn’t change anything from the 1991 Tom Cochrane original, I don’t give a flying fuck. This may be here mostly on Cars nostalgia but I still think this song is an absolute slapper, it’s energetic, bombastic and lively and the guys in Rascal Flatts are having a lot of fun here too! Also fun fact, in the hospital I was in this past summer they played this song on the radio one day and it’s been stuck in my head since, probably was what put this song on this list in the end, I can’t lie haha. Fun nostalgic banger overall, sue me.

4...Yay, I’m really glad R&B turned around this year and gave us excellent songs like this one!...

4. JoJo - Too Little Too Late (YE: #72, PEAK: #3)

This song is one I can only describe as like “My Happy Ending” by Avril Lavigne in that it harbors bitterness and despair like that song does, and like that song, the despair lies in the production, that melody sounds really sad and it explodes into catharsis in that chorus, JoJo’s delivery also harbors some bitterness, though even though it doesn’t have the sarcastic “so much for my happy ending”, it has the “you’re just a little too late”. Plus, JoJo’s delivery is absolutely incredible - she belts out in a manner that honestly reminds me of Avril Lavigne, and that’s a compliment! Excellent song, definitely deserves to be revisited if it’s been awhile since you heard it, and if you’ve never seen it, change that right now! With that said, there were still 2 songs I found better. But which ones?

3...So eurodance was mainly popular in the 90s but it did continue into the first few years of the 2000s, this song was kinda a leftover from that era and it’s an absolute banger...

3. Cascada - Everytime We Touch (YE: #31, PEAK: #10)

This production is simply an absolute monster of one, from the powerful percussion to the synths sounding absolutely amazing and  the lead singer of Cascada having an incredible presence and the tone of being over the moon in love, the song is just pure euphoria, an incredible song for sure, and still 2 songs better, which ones?

2..Well fuck, now I’m stuck with the monumentally impossible task of justifying why I love this song so much even with such an outrageous take as to put JT on my worst list twice...

2. Daniel Powter - Bad Day (YE: #1, PEAK: #1)

Um, yeah, I ain’t gonna make any fans with this at all, On some level, I guess I do understand the hate for this, Daniel Powter’s delivery in the chorus admittedly is kinda annoying and his falsettos in the outro are painfully thin and it does feel like a song that tries to be uplifting when it really isn’t but fuck it, I love this song. Yes, it may SOUND uplifting but it really isn’t uplifting when you look at the content, where even Powter has admitted that it’s about mocking narcissistic people who bitch about having a bad day. But honestly the reason I love this song is purely in the production and nothing else. The piano sounds really warm and comforting and the melody is so uplifting I kinda end up skating past the content. And yeah, I suppose you could say that this creates a tonal dissonance but if you interpret this song’s message as not worrying about trivial things, it isn’t really an issue to me. Yeah, I get the hate for this, but I love this regardless and no joke, in my first draft of this list, this song actually topped this list, what elbowed past it in the end? Well...

1..I’ll admit that part of my love for this song is that for reasons that I’ve detailed in my 2022 best list, my singing voice range is now absolute shit and this is about the only song I feel confident in singing now, But even if I wasn’t confident in my singing of this song that doesn’t stop this song from being excellent in my eyes...

1. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars (YE: #29, PEAK: #5)

“Chasing Cars” just feels almost other-worldly, frontman Gary Lightbody has a very comforting voice that’s also strong enough to allow him to belt on the chorus and somehow it stays comforting through it all! And that vocal delivery reflects the content well too - it’s about how  the narrator wants to leave behind his past troubles and just go somewhere more carefree and he asks his partner if he were to do that, if they would follow him - “If I just lay here/Would you lie with me and just forget the world?”  and the production backs this up as well. The way the song explodes in the chorus gives a feel of liberation, like you’re free from everyone and everything. Even if the production and vocal delivery admittedly feel very samey after some time, the way it sweeps you away allows you to not even notice! Absolutely excellent track, and with that, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol is the best hit song of 2006 without a shred of doubt. Wow, Maybe I shouldn’t have called 2006 a weaker year for the Hot 100 after all, because the highs delivered in spades to make up for the lows, it’s like 2005 all over again haha.

Next stop on our journey through the 2000s is 2007! And as always, Spotify playlist is below this article and if you wanna comment your own lists of the best hit songs of 2006 or predict what my 2007 worst list could be, please comment below, I’m eager to see them! But until then, you’ve been reading Fire’s Flaming Hot Takes, and I’ll see you next time!

 Spotify playlist