00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most fury-filled ladies' anthems of the 2000s.
00:1710. Picture to Burn – Taylor Swift
00:21Before Taylor Swift was a world-conquering superstar, she was a girl with a guitar and a dream.
00:27But her fourth single, Picture to Burn, showed she also had a serious axe to grind.
00:38Far from the wistful nostalgia of Tim McGraw or the bubbly infatuation of our song, Picture to Burn sizzles with adolescent angst.
00:47Her raw emotion set against the pop country beat perfectly captures the anger that can come from not getting what you want out of a relationship.
00:57There's nothing stopping me from going out with all of your best friends.
01:02She may still be angry, but she knows she'll move on.
01:05After all, what's better than getting rid of a selfish guy?
01:08Destroying the evidence that you ever spent time on him?
01:11As far as I can burn, you're just another picture to burn.
01:169. Smile – Lily Allen
01:19Don't let the light, carefree tone of this track fool you.
01:22Despite being less musically harsh as other entries on this list, there's deep resentment right bubbling beneath the surface of Smile.
01:37It's never a great feeling to watch someone quickly move on after getting dumped.
01:41However, with help from friends, it gets easier to move on.
01:44Even when he tries to get her back, all she can do is smile while she rejects him.
01:55On top of that, Allen gets to take vindictive pleasure in watching misfortune befall him.
02:00If your revenge playlist is missing some schadenfreude, Allen's got you covered.
02:048. I'm So Sick – Flyleaf
02:14Sometimes, there's nothing quite so painful as feeling numb.
02:18Flyleaf knew this and explored it brilliantly with their 2005 single, I'm So Sick.
02:23I will break!
02:27At its center, this song is a cry for something real in an otherwise fake world.
02:33Even if you didn't know Flyleaf was a Christian band, the pain Lacey Sturm projects feels deeply spiritual.
02:40Sturm's guttural scream doesn't just come from wanting respite.
02:51It's a deep desire for the people who wronged her to never forget the pain they caused.
02:56As much as I'm So Sick feels like relief, it also feels like revenge.
03:01And we can't think of a more appropriate combination for this track.
03:097. Bust Your Windows – Jasmine Sullivan
03:13Three years after Carrie Underwood released her card-destroying revenge anthem,
03:18Jasmine Sullivan threw her own crowbar into the ring with this R&B banger.
03:22Bust Your Windows is as heartbreaking as it is empowering,
03:35with Sullivan retaliating against her partner after catching him in bed with another woman.
03:39The pain she feels from putting five years into a relationship,
03:43only for it to end like this, is palpable.
03:45Even if trashing his car didn't help all that much, it sent a clear message.
03:58Break my heart, and I'll break your car.
04:01We don't recommend actually committing property damage against an ex,
04:04but it can be fun to fantasize.
04:066. Are You Happy Now – Michelle Branch
04:19Michelle Branch may have released the definitive post-breakup rage anthem
04:23when she put out Are You Happy Now in 2003.
04:26The music video suggests the song could be self-directed to some extent,
04:30but the heart of Are You Happy Now?
04:32comes from Branch outlining the ways she was mistreated by an ex-partner.
04:41It starts as an indignant demand for him not to pretend their relationship never mattered.
04:46By the time the chorus hits, she finally lets her rage boil over with bite and sarcasm.
04:52You're dead to my face, so have I been erased?
04:57Are you happy now?
04:59Whether she's belting or crooning,
05:01her voice teems with resentment for how casually she's been discarded.
05:05Even if you never get to ask these questions yourself,
05:08shouting this song at the top of your lungs is the next best thing.
05:115. Losing Grip – Avril Lavigne
05:22The queen of 2000's teen angst has arrived.
05:26Described by Pitchfork as a new metal pop song,
05:29Lavigne kicked off her debut album with a deeply frustrated lament
05:33about holding onto someone who isn't treating you well.
05:36Despite everything saying you should let go,
05:45something inside of you still cares, even though you know you shouldn't.
05:50Lavigne did everything she could to be seen by this guy and still felt invisible.
05:54When you turn around, can you recognize my face?
06:00The best part comes right at the end when she officially declares the relationship over and done.
06:06It's a cathartic feeling too many of us can relate to.
06:09If you don't care, then I don't care when I'm going anywhere.
06:154. Not Ready to Make Nice – The Chicks
06:19The Chicks are no strangers to righteous anger,
06:33but not even Goodbye Earl can compare to the unapologetic fury of Not Ready to Make Nice.
06:38This was their first single after being blacklisted from country radio stations
06:42following critical remarks frontwoman Natalie Maines made about then-president George Bush.
06:47Rather than shy away or apologize, they double down with a powerful statement of defiance.
06:53Ground the very first note, this song seethes with it.
06:57Maines' voice soars with frustration as she faces the backlash head-on,
07:02even referencing an actual death threat she received before a concert.
07:06Grab me a letter, saying that I better share it and sing or my life will be open.
07:12Tense string arrangements and bombastic harmonies from Marty McGuire and Emily Strayer
07:18solidify the chicks as a unified front ready to face anything.
07:22Talk about girl power!
07:253. Misery Business – Paramore
07:28There's no shortage of Paramore songs we could have put on this list.
07:32But how could we not pick Misery Business?
07:34In the business of misery, let's take it from the top
07:38She's got a body like an hourglass, it's taken like a clock
07:40The song was pulled from their set list in 2018 due to backlash to the song's lyrics and themes,
07:46and it's not hard to see why.
07:48Frontwoman Hayley Williams spends the song spitefully mocking another woman after getting with that woman's ex.
07:54But God, it feels so good
07:56Even if some of the lyrics haven't necessarily aged well,
08:03it's hard to deny how cathartic jamming out to this can be.
08:06It's too catchy and goes too hard to nod.
08:10Besides, whoever said Rage was nice?
08:12We never meant to brag,
08:13but fans got what they wanted when Misery Business made a triumphant return in 2022 after years of demanding it back.
08:20Watch this wildest dreams come true
08:23And not one of them involving me
08:25Number 2. Fighter, Christina Aguilera
08:29Hell hath no fury like Christina Aguilera scorned,
08:33and she's ready to go scorched earth on everyone who hurt her with her 2002 hit Fighter.
08:38Yes, I, I couldn't trust
08:41Cause I'm love, Tommy's love, cause I've had enough
08:43Co-written by Aguilera, she explores all the different ways she's been put through the ringer,
08:48but she channels that pain into self-improvement.
08:52Rather than crumble, she rises, becoming stronger, faster, and wiser.
09:05Fighter's hard rock edges drive home the burning rage in Aguilera's delivery,
09:09and the way she belts I've had enough throws fuel onto an already raging fire.
09:18We just want to say thank you for this inspiring banger.
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09:41Number 1. Since you've been gone, Kelly Clarkson.
09:45The first thing anyone should know about Kelly Clarkson, she gets what she wants.
09:50We feel like we can too when we belt this at the top of our lungs.
09:54Since you've been gone, I can't breathe all the best time.
10:01With Since You've Been Gone, Clarkson proved she had some hard edges which American Idol couldn't soften.
10:07Thanks to that, she became all the more relatable.
10:10After all, falling too hard in a one-sided situationship is something too many of us have experienced,
10:17and the rage that comes from it bleeds all over this song.
10:20Had a chance, she blew it, out of sight, out of mind.
10:27More than that, it's a moment of triumph.
10:30Being awarded both Best Pop Video and Best Female Video at the 2005 MTV Music Awards for this
10:36must have been the cherry on top of a stellar winning streak.
10:47Did your favorite make our list?
10:49What songs are you adding to your rage playlist?
10:51Let us know down in the comments, and we'll see you next time.
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