List of Billboard number-one adult alternative singles of the 2000s

Adult Alternative Airplay, also known as Triple A, is a record chart that ranks the most-played songs on American adult album alternative radio stations. Formulated based on each song's weekly total plays, the chart was introduced in the January 20, 1996 issue of Radio & Records magazine.^[1][2] Adult Alternative Songs, along with other Radio & Records airplay charts, was initially compiled using radio airplay data from Mediabase.^[3] In August 2006, Radio & Records was acquired by The Nielsen Company – then known as VNU Media – parent company of rival publication Billboard.^[4] Following the purchase, Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems replaced Mediabase in monitoring airplay for charts, beginning with the issue dated August 11, 2006.^[5][6] Billboard themselves introduced the chart in their July 5, 2008 issue, appropriating the same Nielsen data,^[2] and became its sole publisher after Radio & Records ceased publication in June 2009.^[7]

The Billboard website currently lists Adult Alternative Songs charts dating back to January 1996.^[8] These charts are based on data from a Triple A chart that had previously been published in the Billboard-owned Airplay Monitor magazine from that date until the acquisition of Radio & Records, and which had used Nielsen data that was largely similar to the Mediabase data used in the Radio & Records chart.

On the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs decade-end chart, "Use Somebody" by American rock band Kings of Leon, which originally topped the chart for two weeks in 2009, ranked as the overall top single of the 2000s.^[9] The decade-end top artist was English alternative rock band Coldplay,^[9] who scored eight number-one adult alternative singles during the 2000s.^[10]

Number-one singles

Key

† – Billboard year-end number-one single

‡ – Billboard decade-end number-one single

↑ – Return of a single to number one

Contents
← 1990s • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010s →

Single	Artist	Reached number one[10]	Weeks at number one[10]
"The Great Beyond"[11]	R.E.M.	December 25, 1999	8
"Telling Stories"[12]	Tracy Chapman	February 19, 2000	8
"Steal My Kisses"[13]	Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals	April 15, 2000	3
"Desert Rose"†[14][15]	Sting featuring Cheb Mami	May 6, 2000	4
"Bent"[16]	Matchbox Twenty	June 3, 2000	14
"Babylon"[17]	David Gray	September 9, 2000	2
"Beautiful Day"[18]	U2	September 23, 2000	16
"Sleepwalker"[19]	The Wallflowers	January 13, 2001	1
"Easy Tonight"[20]	Five for Fighting	January 20, 2001	1
"I Did It"[21]	Dave Matthews Band	January 27, 2001	5
"Camera One"[22]	Josh Joplin Band	March 3, 2001	2
"Superman Inside"[23]	Eric Clapton	March 17, 2001	1
"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"†[24][25]	Train	March 24, 2001	12
"Imitation of Life"[26]	R.E.M.	June 16, 2001	3
"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" ↑†[24][27]	Train	July 7, 2001	2
"The Space Between"[28]	Dave Matthews Band	July 21, 2001	1
"When You're Falling"[29]	Afro Celt Sound System featuring Peter Gabriel	July 28, 2001	6
"Life on a Chain"[30]	Pete Yorn	September 8, 2001	6
"Peaceful World"[31]	John Mellencamp featuring India Arie	October 20, 2001	1
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"[32]	U2	October 27, 2001	1
"Peaceful World" ↑[33]	John Mellencamp featuring India Arie	November 3, 2001	4
"New York, New York"[34]	Ryan Adams	December 1, 2001	2
"No Such Thing"[35]	John Mayer	December 15, 2001	1
"New York, New York" ↑[36]	Ryan Adams	December 22, 2001	1
"Everyday"[37]	Dave Matthews Band	December 29, 2001	8
"Let Me Down Easy"[38]	Chris Isaak	February 23, 2002	4
"Strange Condition"[39]	Pete Yorn	March 23, 2002	1
"In a Little While"[40]	U2	March 30, 2002	1
"Strange Condition" ↑[41]	Pete Yorn	April 6, 2002	1
"Soak Up the Sun"[42]	Sheryl Crow	April 13, 2002	7
"Flake"†[43][44]	Jack Johnson	June 1, 2002	3
"American Girls"[45]	Counting Crows	June 22, 2002	1
"Where Are You Going"[46]	Dave Matthews Band	July 6, 2002	4
"The Rising"[47]	Bruce Springsteen	August 3, 2002	3
"Where Are You Going" ↑[48]	Dave Matthews Band	August 24, 2002	3
"Your Body Is a Wonderland"[49]	John Mayer	September 14, 2002	2
"In My Place"[50]	Coldplay	September 28, 2002	3
"Electrical Storm"[51]	U2	October 19, 2002	6
"When You're on Top"[52]	The Wallflowers	November 30, 2002	1
"The Zephyr Song"[53]	Red Hot Chili Peppers	December 7, 2002	5
"Clocks"†[54][55]	Coldplay	January 11, 2003	15
"The Remedy (I Won't Worry)"[56]	Jason Mraz	April 26, 2003	2
"Peacekeeper"[57]	Fleetwood Mac	May 10, 2003	1
"Calling All Angels"[58]	Train	May 17, 2003	2
"The Horizon Has Been Defeated" [59]	Jack Johnson	May 31, 2003	2
"Calling All Angels" ↑[60]	Train	June 14, 2003	1
"The Horizon Has Been Defeated" ↑[61]	Jack Johnson	June 21, 2003	1
"Calling All Angels" ↑[62]	Train	June 28, 2003	6
"Amsterdam"[63]	Guster	August 9, 2003	2
"Smoothie Song"[64]	Nickel Creek	August 23, 2003	1
"Amsterdam" ↑[65]	Guster	August 30, 2003	2
"Bigger Than My Body"[66]	John Mayer	September 13, 2003	5
"Bad Day"[67]	R.E.M.	October 18, 2003	5
"Red Light"[68]	Jonny Lang	November 22, 2003	1
"You and I Both"[69]	Jason Mraz	November 29, 2003	1
"The First Cut Is the Deepest"[70]	Sheryl Crow	December 6, 2003	3
"Perfect Time of Day"[71]	Howie Day	December 27, 2003	1
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" ↑[72]	Sheryl Crow	January 3, 2004	1
"She Don't Want Nobody Near"[73]	Counting Crows	January 10, 2004	1
"Save Me"[74]	Dave Matthews	January 17, 2004	3
"She Don't Want Nobody Near" ↑[75]	Counting Crows	February 7, 2004	2
"Sunrise"†[76][77]	Norah Jones	February 21, 2004	2
"Breathe"[78]	Melissa Etheridge	March 6, 2004	2
"Sunrise" ↑†[76][79]	Norah Jones	March 20, 2004	4
"Mad World"[80]	Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules	April 17, 2004	1
"Clarity"[81]	John Mayer	April 24, 2004	1
"Cannonball"[82]	Damien Rice	May 1, 2004	2
"Everything"[83]	Alanis Morissette	May 15, 2004	4
"Oh"[84]	Dave Matthews	June 12, 2004	4
"Accidentally in Love"[85]	Counting Crows	July 10, 2004	2
"What Am I to You?"[86]	Norah Jones	July 24, 2004	2
"Accidentally in Love" ↑[87]	Counting Crows	August 7, 2004	3
"Gonna Be Some Changes Made"[88]	Bruce Hornsby	August 28, 2004	3
"Leaving New York"[89]	R.E.M.	September 18, 2004	4
"Vertigo"[90]	U2	October 16, 2004	9
"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"[91]	Green Day	December 18, 2004	9
"All Because of You"[92]	U2	February 12, 2005	3
"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"†[93][94]	Jack Johnson	March 5, 2005	6
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own"[95]	U2	April 16, 2005	5
"Speed of Sound"[96]	Coldplay	May 21, 2005	9
"Good People"[97]	Jack Johnson	July 23, 2005	10
"The One I Love"[98]	David Gray	October 1, 2005	1
"Good Is Good"[99]	Sheryl Crow	October 8, 2005	1
"The One I Love" ↑[100]	David Gray	October 15, 2005	5
"Soul Meets Body"[101]	Death Cab for Cutie	November 19, 2005	10
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"[102]	KT Tunstall	January 28, 2006	3
"Talk"[103]	Coldplay	February 18, 2006	1
"Upside Down" †[104][105]	Jack Johnson	February 25, 2006	13
"Better Way"[106]	Ben Harper	May 27, 2006	3
"Dani California"[107]	Red Hot Chili Peppers	June 17, 2006	1
"Crazy"[108]	Gnarls Barkley	June 24, 2006	6
"Saving Grace"[109]	Tom Petty	August 5, 2006	1
"Waiting on the World to Change"[110]	John Mayer	August 12, 2006	5
"Is It Any Wonder?"[111]	Keane	September 16, 2006	2
"Waiting on the World to Change" ↑[112]	John Mayer	September 30, 2006	1
"Chasing Cars"[113]	Snow Patrol	October 7, 2006	1
"How to Save a Life"[114]	The Fray	October 14, 2006	1
"Chasing Cars" ↑[115]	Snow Patrol	October 21, 2006	7
"Window in the Skies"[116]	U2	December 9, 2006	7
"See the World" †[117][118]	Gomez	January 27, 2007	4
"New Shoes"[119]	Paolo Nutini	February 24, 2007	5
"Thinking About You"[120]	Norah Jones	March 31, 2007	3
"Read My Mind"[121]	The Killers	April 21, 2007	6
"Better Than"[122]	John Butler Trio	June 2, 2007	7
"Hey There Delilah"[123]	Plain White T's	July 21, 2007	4
"Bubbly"[124]	Colbie Caillat	August 18, 2007	3
"Hold On"[125]	KT Tunstall	September 8, 2007	4
"Shut Your Eyes"[126]	Snow Patrol	October 6, 2007	1
"Hold On" ↑[127]	KT Tunstall	October 13, 2007	7
"You're the World to Me"[128]	David Gray	December 1, 2007	8
"If I Had Eyes" †[129]	Jack Johnson	January 26, 2008	10
"Supernatural Superserious"	R.E.M.	April 5, 2008	4
"You Can't Count on Me"	Counting Crows	May 3, 2008	1
"Supernatural Superserious" ↑	R.E.M.	May 10, 2008	1
"I Will Possess Your Heart"	Death Cab for Cutie	May 17, 2008	2
"Violet Hill"	Coldplay	May 31, 2008	2
"I Will Possess Your Heart" ↑	Death Cab for Cutie	June 14, 2008	2
"I'm Yours"	Jason Mraz	June 28, 2008	1
"I Will Possess Your Heart" ↑	Death Cab for Cutie	July 5, 2008	1
"Viva la Vida"	Coldplay	July 12, 2008	11
"Come Around"	Counting Crows	September 27, 2008	3
"Shattered (Turn the Car Around)"	O.A.R.	October 18, 2008	4
"Take Back the City"	Snow Patrol	November 15, 2008	1
"Lost!"	Coldplay	November 22, 2008	3
"Take Back the City" ↑	Snow Patrol	December 13, 2008	2
"Rock & Roll"	Eric Hutchinson	December 27, 2008	1
"You Found Me"	The Fray	January 3, 2009	5
"Get On Your Boots"	U2	February 7, 2009	4
"You Found Me" ↑	The Fray	March 7, 2009	2
"Crack the Shutters"	Snow Patrol	March 21, 2009	7
"Funny the Way It Is"	Dave Matthews Band	May 9, 2009	12
"Life in Technicolor II"	Coldplay	August 1, 2009	1
"Use Somebody" †[130] ‡[9]	Kings of Leon	August 8, 2009	1
"You Never Know"	Wilco	August 15, 2009	1
"Use Somebody" ↑ †[130] ‡[9]	Kings of Leon	August 22, 2009	1
"You Never Know"	Wilco	August 29, 2009	2
"Fugitive"	David Gray	September 12, 2009	10
"Who Says"	John Mayer	November 21, 2009	5
"Chasing Pirates"	Norah Jones	December 26, 2009	6