‘We Are Live’ N°5 – Vintage 2000s Music Videos

  • Over the years, the track “Higher” by Creed, led by Scott “Have you seen my leather pants?” Stapp, has become an anthem in American football stadiums.
  • In “What Took You So Long?”, the singer from The Courteeners compares himself to Morrissey. “Times Like These” by the Foo Fighters is the song that David Grohl dedicates to the late Taylor Hawkins during a tribute concert in London.
  • Other highlights include “If I Had Eyes” by Jack Johnson and “You Don’t Love Me” by The Kooks.
  • Not to mention : Koopa, Rooster, Little Boots, Manic Street Preachers, The Kinison, The Automatic, Ringo Starr.

These are the Key Moments that define this playlist of twelve “live” music videos that were ranked in various charts, this week (03/52) BUT … in the Noughties 2000s.

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1 . The Automatic – Raoul

Released during a time when the post-punk revival was rapidly gaining traction, “Raoul” by The Automatic captures the restless energy of youthful ambition colliding with mundane reality.

Emerging as part of their debut album “Not Accepted Anywhere,” the track made an initial splash on the UK Singles Chart in 2006 at No. 32, only to climb to No. 30 upon re-release the following year—thanks to persistent radio demand that defied the band’s mixed feelings about revisiting the song.

The single is named after a Cardiff sandwich shop worker and encapsulates a hyper-local yet oddly universal theme: the strange camaraderie found in life’s simpler routines and the nagging fear of bigger aspirations left by the wayside.

The instrumentation leans into the angular intensity of alternative rock and post-punk revival tropes, peppered with split vocals that ricochet between urgency and resigned reflection.

Its production, helmed by Stephen Harris and Richard Jackson, thrives on controlled chaos, while the accompanying video features surreal vignettes of vintage concert aesthetics, gym antics, and nods to its titular character’s eatery.

The song was further amplified by spirited live performances on platforms like “Later with Jools Holland,” as well as appearances at high-profile festivals such as Reading and Leeds in 2006.

“Raoul” doubles as an anthem of resigned determination, with its infectious hooks and sarcastic narrative standing the test of fleeting trends to remain emblematic of its era.


Featured on the 2006 album “Not Accepted Anywhere”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Facebook

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2 . The Kooks – You Don’t Love Me

The Kooks’ “You Don’t Love Me” from their 2006 debut album “Inside In/Inside Out” lands squarely in the mid-2000s indie rock moment, teetering between scruffy charm and polished intent.

Its raw edges owe much to the production of Tony Hoffer, whose credits with Beck and Air add a layer of cohesion that elevates the track’s otherwise youthful angst.

Thematically, the song navigates the pathos of betrayal, with Pritchard’s strained croon oscillating between defiance and resignation as he captures the frustration of not breaking free from a toxic relationship.

The melody leans heavily on repetition and simplicity, trading complexity for immediacy—a hallmark of their early sound that served them well on the UK charts, where the single climbed to a respectable number 12.

The video, meanwhile, combines black-and-white visuals with nightclub performance aesthetics, swathed in ominous red lighting, making it more atmospheric than narrative-driven.

There’s an unspoken tug-of-war between the band’s Britpop influences and their eagerness to establish their own identity, evidenced in the way they straddle accessible hooks and something rawer around the edges.

Cultural context works in their favor here, as 2006 marked an appetite for indie acts that wore their heart on their sleeve, a space The Kooks occupied comfortably.

Although undeniably radio-friendly, the track doesn’t reach the lyrical or musical depth of later triumphs like “Seaside” or “Sway,” often falling back on its own brisk pace to carry weight that isn’t quite there.

Whether or not it breaks new ground isn’t really the point—it locks into a moment, a sound, and a sentiment that resonates with the rise-and-fall motion of mid-aughts heartbreak.


Featured on the 2007 album “Inside In / Inside Out”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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3 . Jack Johnson – If I Had Eyes

“If I Had Eyes” by Jack Johnson lands in 2007 as a mellow introspection on lost love, wrapped in soft rock and subtle blues influences.

The track’s main conceit—a breakup metaphor springing from Johnson’s son’s quirky tale about sprouting a tail with an eyeball—brings a peculiar charm to its otherwise somber narrative.

Produced by J.P. Plunier, the song echoes elements of Johnson’s earlier work, though it incorporates more electric guitar for a slightly edgier feel, reminiscent of the *On and On* album.

The grayscale music video, occasionally lit by the colors of instruments, gives the piece a raw, behind-the-scenes intimacy—less spectacle, more studio authenticity.

Commercially, the track holds its own, peaking at No. 7 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks and receiving gold certification in markets like Brazil, Canada, and Australia.

Yet, its moderate chart success in Europe hints at a less universal appeal, overshadowed in some regions by heavier hitters of the time.

With Zach Gill’s clavinet and piano contributions, the arrangement feels lush without overstepping the bounds of Johnson’s laid-back aesthetic.

There’s an undeniable pull to its simplicity, even as the album’s theme of “electric lullabies” walks a fine line between atmospheric and, at times, forgettable.

Still, as the launch point for *Sleep Through the Static*, the song sets a thoughtful, if not groundbreaking, tone for the solar-powered album and its eco-conscious narrative.


Featured on the 2008 album “Sleep Through the Static”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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4 . Koopa – Blag Steal & Borrow

Koopa’s “Blag Steal & Borrow” sneaks onto the scene with the energy of a heist and the grit of a garage jam session, carrying the distinction of being the first unsigned band to chart on the UK Singles Chart through download sales alone.

Released on April 30, 2007, as part of their debut studio album via Pyropit Records, this track made music industry history when it hit No. 31 in January 2007 without the help of traditional physical releases—a stunning middle finger to the established norms of the time.

Equal parts indie rock and punk rock, its raw and rebellious undertones feel like an ode to defiance, even if the production doesn’t exactly redefine the wheel.

With various producers behind it, the song seems to capture a DIY authenticity, where every chord and lyric leans into a scrappy, unapologetic ethos.

Distribution gimmicks like free downloads and merchandise bundle deals further reflect their anarchic approach, proving that sometimes breaking the rules is the rule itself.


Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Instagram

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5 . Little Boots – Meddle

“Meddle” by Little Boots is a dizzying cocktail of electronic pop, disco, and drum-and-bass elements, served with an unapologetically quirky flair.

Released as a limited-edition vinyl in 2008, the track found its way into her debut album “Hands,” though it never climbed high on UK charts, peaking modestly at 97.

Produced in collaboration with Joe Goddard of Hot Chip, the song carries an unmistakable sense of experimental charm, layering plucky synths, irregular beats, and an elastic vocal delivery that thrives on its unpredictability.

Its accompanying music video captures the essence of early 2000s electropop—a vibrant amalgamation of retro-futuristic aesthetics and DIY visuals that hint at Little Boots’ emerging artistic identity.

The track owes part of its enduring appeal to its cultural ubiquity, popping up in Victoria’s Secret ads, British sitcoms like “Friday Night Dinner,” and even Dance Central 2, cementing its playful, offbeat legacy.

While remixes by Joker and Treasure Fingers added different shades to “Meddle’s” frenetic energy, it’s the original’s almost mischievous dissonance that still manages to captivate decades later.

Victoriously odd yet spirited, it’s a song that refuses to sit still, much like Little Boots herself, ricocheting between mainstream gloss and indie eccentricities.


Featured on the 2008 album “Hands”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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6 . The Courteeners – What Took You So Long?

“What Took You So Long?” by The Courteeners wears its frustration on its sleeve, taking a pointed jab at screen-obsessed youth disconnected from face-to-face experiences and live music.

The track appears on the band’s 2008 debut album “St. Jude” and climbs to number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, marking their first foray into the Top 40.

Produced by Stephen Street, a name forever linked to The Smiths and Blur, the album blends jangly, sharp-edged indie rock with more than a hint of Britpop nostalgia.

The lyric “Do you know who I am? I’m like a Morrissey with some strings” plants an obvious seed of comparison to their Mancunian musical forebears, dripping with both irony and bravado.

The song’s brisk guitar-driven energy is tempered by a thematic cynicism, a mix that resonated enough to be repurposed for a UK government Science and Maths campaign, oddly marrying teen angst with academic ambition.

Its video, available on Apple Music and other platforms, is unremarkable but serves the purpose of extending the track’s reach beyond the airwaves.

Performances like the huge 2015 Heaton Park gig, where this song took its place in the sun alongside other fan favorites, cement its role as a staple in their setlist.

Revisited in a 2018 acoustic version for “St. Jude’s” anniversary reissue, its raw edges gain a quieter introspection, though the original’s defiant tone remains its lasting signature.

As indie rock wrestled with a digital takeover in the late 2000s, “What Took You So Long?” captured a moment when unplugging felt both rebellious and righteous.


Featured on the 1999 album “St. Jude”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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7 . Creed – Higher

Released in 1999, “Higher” by Creed drags listeners into a post-grunge fever dream, courtesy of Scott Stapp’s fascination with lucid dreaming techniques he picked up from a book on Hindu monks.

The track flirts with introspection wrapped in a radio-friendly hard rock package, propelled by Mark Tremonti’s chugging riffs and a vocal delivery that oscillates between earnest and overwrought.

Commercially, it dominated charts, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and securing top spots on multiple rock and alternative airplay lists—proof that sometimes angsty power chords and lofty aspirations can go mainstream.

The accompanying video, directed by Ramaa Mosley, veers into an almost comically literal interpretation of dreaming, with Stapp levitating and eventually diving into a crowd.

If the visual metaphors seem heavy-handed, it’s because they are, though it’s hard to look away.

Stapp himself later cringed over his wardrobe choice, but hey, what’s a late ’90s music video without questionable fashion decisions?

While some critics dismissed the song’s earnestness as syrupy, the masses couldn’t get enough, and the track earned its place among Creed’s biggest hits.

The anthem remains a touchstone of its era, for better or worse, solidifying Creed as a band perpetually oscillating between widespread adoration and snarky derision.


Featured on the 2008 album “Human Clay”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Facebook

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8 . Ringo Starr – Liverpool 8

“Liverpool 8” is another chapter in Ringo Starr’s ongoing conversation with his past, dressed in nostalgia with a side of rock-pop sheen.

Co-written and partially produced by Dave Stewart, the track is less about sonic innovation and more about sentimentality, as Ringo retraces his journey from “the docks of the Mersey” to the heights of global fame.

It’s autobiographical to a point where Liverpool itself feels more like a supporting character than a vivid backdrop. The lyrics are simple, like a friend recounting stories you’ve heard before but smile through anyway.

The Beatles-era references hit predictably, albeit warmly, but don’t expect intricate storytelling—it’s more like flipping through an old photo album.

The production sees territory handed from Mark Hudson to Dave Stewart amid amicable drama, though the result doesn’t bear obvious fingerprints of conflict.

A low-key entry on charts doesn’t mean the song lacks resonance; it’s just aimed more at wistful memories than playlists.

The accompanying video cheekily splices in Beatles-era clips alongside Ringo strumming through Liverpool landmarks, which, while charming, occasionally feels more like a tourism ad than a music video.

Performed on the roof of St. George’s Hall for a European Capital of Culture event, the track sounded perfectly at home, though it left one wondering if it serves more as a nostalgia exercise than a creative leap forward.

In the end, “Liverpool 8” doesn’t rewrite history or try to—it’s content remembering it, warts, warmth, and all.


Featured on the 2000 album “Liverpool 8”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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9 . Manic Street Preachers – The Masses Against The Classes

Released on January 10, 2000, “The Masses Against The Classes” by Manic Street Preachers arrives with clenched fists and biting purpose, fitting for its position as the first UK number-one single of the millennium.

The band abandons the polished sheen of their previous album, opting for a raw, garage-inflected sound that straddles alternative rock and the sharp edges of pop-punk.

This standalone single refuses to linger in subtlety, opening with Noam Chomsky’s pointed assertion and concluding with Albert Camus, framing the track as a manifesto of defiance.

Lyrically, it takes aim at complacency, capitalism, and the critiques hurled at their prior work, snarling with a conviction often missing in mainstream chart-toppers.

The limited-edition release and deliberate deletion upon the day of launch feel like a strategic rebellion against the very commercial metrics they dominated, a move as audacious as it was clever.

Visually, its accompanying live video captures the electricity of their December 31, 1999, performance at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, cementing the song as both a celebration of survival and a rallying cry for resistance.

While it soared to number one in the UK, its reach elsewhere proved more niche, landing far lower in charts like France’s, yet this merely underscores its unapologetically localized fury.

As a track, it exemplifies the Manics’ refusal to simplify their revolutionary fervor, pairing brash energy with ideological precision, ensuring its place as a curio for fans who value not only melody but meaning.


Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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10 . Foo Fighters – Times Like These

“Times Like These” pays homage to endurance, setting its sights on renewal during challenging moments with a groove that stubbornly sidesteps the melodrama often afflicting its contemporaries.

The Foo Fighters, self-producing under RCA Records, stitch together complex time signatures—switching seamlessly from 8/4 to 7/4—without the pretension of obscurity.

The track floats on raw, jangling guitar arpeggios before Dave Grohl’s gravelly timbre proclaims, “It’s times like these you learn to live again.”

The lyrics, deceptively simple, untangle hope and connection in an abrasive, post-grunge soundscape that’s neither preachy nor saccharine.

The release’s success unfolded in patches: overlooked in the US charts at #65 while climbing to top-five spots in Australia and Canada, a duality that mirrors its understated charm amid commercial pop ubiquity.

Despite its uneven chart life in 2003, the song veered into zeitgeist territory during the COVID-19 pandemic, morphing into a solidarity anthem via the “Live Lounge Allstars” cover.

The acoustic version, barebones yet haunting, turned BBC’s “Live Lounge” into an unexpected showcase for the song’s emotional nucleus.

Visually, the Marc Klasfeld-directed music video plays with projections of urban decay and nature’s resilience, mirroring the dichotomy of hardship and recovery threaded through the track.

Far from a flashy anthem, “Times Like These” instead leans into purposeful sincerity, shirking bombast for coaxing listeners to reflect within its angular, unsettled rhythm.


Featured on the 2005 album “One by One“.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Official Site

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11 . Rooster – Staring At The Sun

“Staring at the Sun” sits as a turning point for Rooster’s self-titled debut, riding on a blend of indie rock and pop rock with a generous dash of hard rock grit.

Produced by Steve Robson, Pete Woodroffe, and Charlie Grant, the track leans into reflective lyricism mingled with emotional undertones—less “rock star swagger” and more “post-party introspection.”

Nick Atkinson’s vocals walk the line between vulnerability and defiance, tackling personal journeys with just enough earnestness to avoid being maudlin, yet not quite enough to dodge a few moments of lyrical cliché.

The song’s placement at #5 on the UK Singles Chart hints at its mass appeal, though one suspects its success owes as much to the polished production as to Rooster’s pioneering 3G-streamed live performance—a tech gimmick that oddly complements the track’s modern, self-reflective ethos.

The instrumentation straddles a line: punchy guitars and an anthemic chorus that nod toward stadium rock, while the slower verses lend the track a brooding intimacy.

The video clip feels predictably indulgent, heavy on backlit silhouettes and melancholic stares—an echo of early 2000s rock tropes that somehow don’t stray into parody.

More intriguing than reinventing the genre, “Staring at the Sun” offers a snapshot of UK indie rock in 2005—a genre flirting with commercial gloss while still clinging to emotional authenticity. Its contradictions don’t detract from its appeal but leave just enough edge to spark some curiosity on repeat listens.


Featured on the 2004 album “Rooster”.

Lyrics >> Review >> More by the same : Facebook

12 . The Kinison – You’ll Never Guess Who Died

“You’ll Never Guess Who Died” by The Kinison unfurls like a sonic lightning strike, blending psychobilly fervor with a sardonic sense of humor.

Released in 2004 under La Salle Records, this track doesn’t waste time easing its way in; instead, it barrels forward with jagged guitar riffs and frenzied pacing that mirrors the chaos suggested by its title.

The production helmed by Eskil Lövström and Pelle Henricsson creates a raw, unpolished texture that suits the genre’s rebellious ethos, but also teeters on the edge of overexposure, leaving no room for subtlety.

The energy feels almost too tense, leaning into disarray rather than controlled chaos, a decision that might baffle those looking for cleaner hooks.

Lyrically, the song’s cryptic edge heightens its intrigue, hinting at unexpected tragedy or dark humor without spilling too many details, tying into the shock-value ethos of its name.

Briefly breaking into the UK Singles Chart at #79 in early 2005, its modest commercial impact contrasts with its ambition, signaling its role as the electric underdog in a mainstream airwave dominated by safer choices.

The track also found niche recognition in Portugal and earned a note in *CMJ* magazine as part of the wave of emerging artists from 2004, though its resonance with listeners seems to lie more in its raw energy than in accessibility.

While the track imbues a sense of restless urgency, its potential alienation of those unconditioned to the frenzied nature of psychobilly reveals an inherent contradiction; the chaos feels intentional, but the lack of balance might leave some disoriented.

As part of a 7″ single and tethered to a scene defined by energetic unpredictability, the song may not reinvent the genre’s wheel, but it slams hard enough to leave a skid mark.


Featured on the 1981 album “What Are You Listening To?”.

Lyrics >> More by the same : Wikipedia

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