Make Believe Mailer 120: You Aughts To Know (Music Magazine's Best 100 J-pop Songs Of The 2000s)

Aiming For Cohesion When Everything Is Starting To Crack

OK, let’s get the most important detail out of the way.

Perfume, “Polyrhythm,” #1 Of The 2000s

LET’S GOOOOOOOO. The critic, reporter and fan in me agree…nothing else could have possibly taken this spot. It’s not just because of my low-key bias towards everything Perfume (though also…it is), but because no other Japanese song from the 2000s — featured on Music Magazine’s latest effort at crafting a decade-centric canon or any outside of it I can think of — better captures the weird, nearly transitional energy of this period better. More on that in a bit.

What, exactly, defines the 2000s to you? English-language music media (along with the industry at large, sensing a trend) has turned to a few ideas as of late to try to make sense of the Aughts, especially as a new generation “discovers” what it was all about. You’ve got your iMac-G3-style Y2K pop, and then “indie sleaze,” however you wish to define that. Bloghouse…that’s due for another revival, or we just add that into The Dare’s album rollout? That’s just scratching the surface of what actually happened back then.

The team assembled by Music Magazine wrestles with a similar challenge when staring down J-pop from the first decade of the 21st century. In a post-list back-and-forth discussion among three of the main folks overseeing this project, they mark the 2000s in Japanese music as a time for booming interest in music festivals, the rise of cell phone ringtone pop, and anime themes becoming central. It’s following in the steps of the publication’s still-ace Best 100 J-pop Songs Of The 1990s ranking, which identified the intersection of song and other media (drama themes, commercial tie-ups, so on and so forth) as central to what “J-pop” meant in the early days of Heisei.

Aya Hirano, Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara and Aya Endo, “Mooteke! Sailor Fuku,” From Lucky Star, #50 Of The 2000s

What I most appreciate about both the list itself and the little chat transcript afterwards is a clear establishment of taste. It’s frankly what I have come to love about the new era of Japanese canon forging, especially compared to what I see playing out in many Western attempts as of late (which seem paranoid to draw lines in the sand and declare “this artist might not be essential to the period” in favor of pleasing as many as possible). There’s no AKB48 here. There’s no Koda Kumi. Perhaps most surprising, Ayumi Hamasaki appears zero times, despite arguably being the biggest J-pop star of the period.

That’s a bold move, and I applaud them for making it…but they also kinda explain themselves in that afterword, which perhaps weakens the punch but offers actual thought process. Idol in the Aughts is mostly defined by Hello! Project, with AKB’s peak period coming a decade later. Hamasaki’s commercial presence was undeniable, but there were so many artists cut from a similar mold it isn’t wild to say, put four Namie Amuro songs on the list along with a Thelma Aoyama hit over any of her stuff.

And that’s just looking at one corner of J-pop…Music Magazine is sorting through a lot. Which actually results in something a little weird with the 2000s iteration of this exercise…at least upon first brush.

When I glanced through it for the first time, I thought…wait, what exactly does J-pop even mean here? This is as loaded a question as you can get¹, but…is LUNA SEA J-pop? Is Cornelius J-pop per se? NUMBER GIRL??? That opens up an even bigger series of rabbit holes…some of these artists put out great work in the ‘90s too, but they are nowhere near that Music Magazine list, why? If the sonic borders of J-pop have been expanded like this, why isn’t Sotaisei Riron or Shugo Tokumaru on here in some capacity? This seems scrambled!

Really though, with more time dwelling on it, that seems perfect for the 2000s.

NUMBER GIRL, “NUM-AMI-DABUTZ,” #70 Of The 2000s

What truly defines the decade — in Japan, in America, nearly everywhere in the world when you look back — is fragmentation. A word mentioned around the edges of this entire Music Magazine package but never central is “internet.” The media delivery systems that powered the ‘90s still thrived of course — here’s where you note J-pop and Japanese entertainment were much more hesitant to the online back then² — but people still flocked to the web, where bulletin boards like 2chan and video platforms like Nico Nico Douga allowed for more info and art to flow. “J-pop” as a term was becoming more complicated because the way people experienced music at large was shifting³.

The team at Music Magazine tries to interpret the decade through a few specific lenses because attempting to do so without guideposts would be chaos. The most notable corner of J-pop not present anywhere on this list is Vocaloid, which truly begins gaining momentum in the latter part of the Aughts and, quite frankly, has proven to be much more influential to where music globally has gone than like, Tanpopo (love ‘em, though). Yet to focus too much on the online would be inaccurate too — Vocaloid and other online music communities were still like alternate pop worlds held at arm’s length from “J-pop,” with the internet just being a part of culture rather than culture.

Which is why Perfume, in the end, is the only correct choice to top this list. If you really want to get into the weeds about this, I wrote a whole book basically arguing “Perfume is the internet era version of Yellow Magic Orchestra.” The key though is Perfume represented the meeting point of the old definition of J-pop and the new, web-shaped reality the industry would soon face. No other artist in the 2000s captured this incoming paradigm shift better…while still delivering timeless music. Fittingly, that afterword devotes a whole section to just the importance of Perfume, both for what they represent and the critical attention they have received, including from the world.

I don’t mean the following pejoratively…the 2000s ultimately feel like a true transition period, a sort of shift from analog to digital for J-pop. Music Magazine captures this well, along with the changing nature of what “J-pop” even means (if it means anything, in a stylistic sense), highlighting which songs pushed it forward. It actually ends with something I haven’t seen any Japanese media attempts at this do to date…think about what’s next. “How are we going to define the 2010s?” the writers ponder. Who knows…but at least they took the first steps towards something even knottier with this list.

Buy the actual magazine here or here.

Music Magazine’s Best 100 J-pop Songs Of The 2000s List (Originally Published In July 2024, Links When Available)

Kirinji, “Aliens,” #2 Of The 2000s

1. Perfume “Polyrhythm” (2007)

2. Kirinji “Aliens” (2000)

3. m-flo “come again” (2001)

4. Quruli “Bara No Hana” (2001)

5. Utada Hikaru “traveling” (2001)

6. Chatmonchy “Shangri-la” (2006)

7. Morning Musume “The Peace!” (2001)

8. Chitose Hajime “Wadatsumi No Ki” (2002)

9. aiko “Boyfriend” (2000)

10. Fujifabric “Wakamono No Subete” (2007)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation, “Rewrite,” #12 Of The 2000s

11. Crazy Ken Band “Tiger & Dragon” (2002)

12. Asian Kung-Fu Generation “Rewrite” (2004)

13. YUKI “JOY” (2005)

14. EGO-WRAPPIN’ “Kuchibashi Ni Cherry” (2002)

15. YUI “CHE.R.RY” (2007)⁴

16. BUMP OF CHICKEN “Tentai Kansoku” (2001)

17. BONNIE PINK “A Perfect Sky” (2006)⁵

18. RIP SLYME “Rakuen Baby” (2002)

19. Sheena Ringo “Gips” (2000)

20. Kishidan “One Night Carnival” (2001)

Ken Matsudaira, “Matsuken Samba II,” #21 Of The 2000s

21. Ken Matsudaira “Matsuken Samba II” (2004)

22. Sambomaster “Sekai Wa Sore Wo Ai To Yobunndaze” (2005)

23. MISIA “Everything” (2000)

24. Tokyo Jihen “Gunjou Biyori” (2004)

25. Supercar “YUMEGIWA LAST BOY” (2001)

26. ORANGE RANGE “Loco Lotion” (2004)⁶

27. Ranka Lee (Megumi Nakajima) “Seikan Hiko” (2008)

28. EGO-WRAPPIN’ “~ Midnight Dejavu ~ Shikisai No Blues” (2001)

29. SMAP “Sekai Ni Hitotsu Dake No Hana” (2003)

30. Utada Hikaru “Can You Keep A Secret?” (2001)

Southern All Stars, “Tsunami,” #31 Of The 2000s

31. Southern All Stars “Tsunami” (2000)

32. Tommy febraury6 “Everyday At The Bus Stop” (2001)

33. Dragon Ash “Fantasista” (2002)

34. B’z “ultra soul” (2001)

35. NANA Starring Mika Nakashima “GLAMOROUS SKY” (2005)

36. ORANGE RANGE “Shanghai Honey” (2003)⁷

37. Shuji To Akira “Seishun Amigo” (2005)

38. Perfume “Computer City” (2006)

39. Miyuki Nakajima “Chijo No Hoshi” (2000)

40. Namie Amuro “Baby Don’t Cry” (2007)

Shoko Nakagawa, “Kirei A La Mode,” #42 Of The 2000s

41. LUNA SEA “TONIGHT” (2000)

42. Shoko Nakagawa “Kirei A La Mode” (2008)

43. Namie Amuro “GIRL TALK” (2004)

44. Yo Hitoto “Hanamizuki” (2004)

45. Mika Nakashima “Yuki No Hana” (2003)

46. CHEMISTRY “PIECES OF A DREAM” (2001)

47. Tavito Nanao And Yakeno Hara “Rollin’ Rollin’” (2009)

48. SMAP “Lion Heart” (2000)

49. BENNIE K “Dreamland” (2005)

50. Aya Hirano, Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara and Aya Endo “Mooteke! Sailor Fuku” (2007)

Kaela Kimura, “Rirura Riruha,” #53 Of The 2000s

51. Tommy february6 “je t'aime ★ je t'aime” (2003)

52. MINMI “The Perfect Vision” (2002)

53. Kaela Kimura “Rirura Riruha” (2005)

54. UA “Senko” (2002)

55. Takashi Fujii “Nanda Kanda” (2000)

56. Thelma Aoyama Featuring SoulJa “Soba Ni Irune” (2008)

57. Namie Amuro “WANT ME, WANT ME” (2005)

58. Ken Hirai “KISS OF LIFE” (2001)

59. Tanpopo “Otome Pasta Ni Kando” (2000)

60. Arashi “a Day in Our Life” (2002)

Rimi Natsukawa, “Nado Sousou,” #68 Of The 2000s

61. THE HIGH-LOWS “Seisyun” (2000)

62. Quruli “World’s End Supernova” (2002)

63. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra “Utsukushi Kumoeru Mori” (2002)

64. Yura Yura Teikoku “Yura Yura Teikoku De Kanagaechu” (2000)

65. BEGIN “Shimanchunu Takara” (2002)

66. Perfume “love the world” (2008)

67. Ling Tosite Sigure “Telecastic fake show” (2008)

68. Rimi Natsukawa “Nado Sousou” (2001)

69. Naotaro Moriyama “Sakura (Dokushoo)” (2003)

70. NUMBER GIRL “NUM-AMI-DABUTZ” (2002)

Ken Hirai, “POP STAR,” #76 Of The 2000s

71. Quruli “Rock and Roll” (2004)

72. nobodyknows+ “Kokoro Odoru” (2004)

73. SUPER BUTTER DOG “Sayonara COLOR” (2005)

74. Namie Amuro “NEW LOOK” (2008)⁸

75. Aya Matsura “Yeah! Meccha Holiday” (2002)

76. Ken Hirai “POP STAR” (2005)

77. RIP SLYME “One” (2001)

78. HALCALI “Tandem” (2003)

79. Cornelius “DROP” (2001)

80. TOKIO “AMBITIOUS JAPAN!” (2003)

Sheena Ringo, “Tsumitobachi,” #84 Of The 2000s

81. Spitz “Stargazer” (2004)

82. Kazuyoshi Nakamura “Cannonball” (2002)

83. Arashi “Happiness” (2007)

84. Sheena Ringo “Tsumitobachi” (2000)

85. aiko “Eriashi” (2003)

86. Keisuke Kuwata “Naminori Johnny” (2001)

87. Morning Musume “Renai Revolution 21” (2000)

88. Miriya Kato “Dear Lonely Girl” (2005)

89. Mika Nakashima “STARS” (2001)

90. Kaela Kimura “jasper” (2008)

HALCALI, “Strawberry Chips,” #99 Of The 2000s

91. KICK THE CAN CREW “Marche” (2002)

92. RADWIMPS “Yuushinron” (2005)

93. Kinmokusei “Futari No Akaboshi” (2002)

94. Ayaka Hirahara “Jupiter” (2003)

95. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra “Canary Naku Sora” (2001)

96. Chatmonchy “Renai Spirits” (2006)

97. Yura Yura Teikoku “Utsukushi” (2007)

98. Ken Hirai “Hitomi Wo Tojite” (2004)

99. HALCALI “Strawberry Chips” (2003)

100. Masafumi Akikawa “Sen No Kaze Ni Natte” (2006)

Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies

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1. “Is K-pop a genre?” being the only one that gets discourse going wild even more.

2. Fittingly, I think this list features the most Johnny’s acts I’ve ever seen on such an editorial work.

3. This was something also very clear in Music Magazine’s albums list for the 2000s too…and like I’m not alone in thinking this decade is a weird one to make sense of. One contributor joked upon its release how surprised he was by everyone’s enthusiasm for the decade…and I get it! Some of the songs on this list are garbage, but did help define the Aughts.

4. C’mon now, putting two cherry songs next to one another…

5. I’m still holding out for the great BONNIE PINK revival, and hope this placement helps jumpstart.

6. A song that dares to ask, “what if The Offspring covered ‘The Loco-Motion?”

7. Look, given that this is my second footnote about them it might be obvious, but I’m not particularly versed in the catalog of ORANGE RANGE. So…is the final part of this video supposed to be “‘Windowlicker’ but without the irony?”

8. Shout out to the hard-working Amuro fans creating live compilations of these songs, which have all been scrubbed from streaming and YouTube.