Top 10 Most Memorable Pop Song Lyrics 2005

1. Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl

"This sh** is bananas - B-A-N-A-N-A-S"

Songwriters: Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo

This line, and actually, the entire song, made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it. Just what is bananas, Gwen? The over-the-top nature of the song? The whole girl-fight scenario? Or the music world in general? Everyone remembers this line.

2. The Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha

"Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?
Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?"

Songwriters: Ray Anthony, Thomas Callaway, Trevor Smith

You probably never forgot these lines after the first time you listened to the Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha." The brilliant sexy hook was written by rappers Cee-Lo (aka Thomas Callaway), Busta Rhymes (aka Trevor Smith), and their collaborator Ray Anthony.

3. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done

"I got soul, but I'm not a soldier."

Songwriter: Brandon Flowers

In a year in which the news was dominated by the war in Iraq, this line, written by Killers lead vocalist Brandon Flowers, was raised to anthemic status by many, particularly in the UK.

4. Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

"We're going down, down in an earlier round
And sugar, we're going down swinging
I'll be your number one with a bullet
A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it"

Songwriters: Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump, Peter Wentz

No other set of lyrics this year sounds better than Fall Out Boy on this chorus...particularly when the song breaks down to nearly an a capella break. However, I still wonder what a "loaded God concept" is...

5. Natasha Bedingfield - These Words

"Read some Byron, Shelley, and Keats
Recited it over a hip hop beat
I'm havin' trouble sayin' what I mean
With dead poets and a drum machine"

Songwriters: Natasha Bedingfield, Andrew Frampton, Stephen Kipner, Wayne Wilkins

This may be the first time Byron, Shelley, and Keats have been linked together in a hit pop song. You can almost hear the classic poetry over a drum machine in your head as Natasha sings about it.

6. The Click Five - Just the Girl

"She's cold and she's cruel
But she knows what she's doin'
She pushed me in the pool
At our last school reunion"

Songwriter: Adam Schlesinger

Memorable wit written by Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger. Willingness to take abuse from a beautiful, unapproachable woman is an old cliche in pop music, but it's rarely been as vivid, and funny, as on The click Five's "Just the Girl."

7. Weezer - Beverly Hills

"I'm just a no class beat down fool
And I will always be that way
I might as well enjoy my life
And watch the stars play"

Songwriter: Rivers Cuomo

Once again soon-to-be Harvard graduate Rivers Cuomo gives us the essence of emo...and turned it into an anthem that became Weezer's very first top 10 pop hit.

8. James Blunt - You're Beautiful

"I saw your face in a crowded place
And I don't know what to do
'Cause I'll never be with you"

Songwriter: James Blunt, Amanda Ghost, Sacha Skarbek

Heartbreak without bitterness, plain and simple. Thanks to James Blunt.

9. Missy Elliott featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop - Lose Control

"Get your backs off the wall
Coz Misdemeanor said so."

Songwriters: Missy Elliott, Juan Atkins, Richard Davis, Curtis Hudson, Isaac Freeman

This is a command from Missy Elliott...and with the musical power of "Lose Control" it's impossible to ignore.

10. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

"How can I put it, you put me on
I even fell for that stupid love song"

There are few things more fun in pop music than a pop artist revealing the emotional perils of pop songs. We finally got to hear Kelly Clarkson rock and it was impossible to forget.