2004: #5 - "Float On"

Disguised as a cheery, uplifting anthem - with pristinely produced guitars dancing around huge drums and retaining only the slightest bit of indie rock prickliness - "Float On" was actually pretty depressing, too. The protagonist goes through a bunch of mundane irritations throughout the verses, all of which are easy enough to brush off and spin positively, but the refrain was ambiguous, filled with nihilistic dread and cynicism. After all, it's difficult to trust a lisping indie rock quaver offering a semi-confident reassurance that everything's gonna be alright.

P.S. - Your pop culture life is not complete until you've heard the Kidz Bop crew sing "A fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam - YEAH!"