The #1's of the 2000's - A Decade Study

For a lot of millennials, myself included, I think it's difficult to accept that the 2000's began twenty years ago now. As a 2000's teen, I feel like I remember key moments from this decade with startling clarity like they just happened a year or two ago, not fifteen or possibly more. As unsettling as it is to think about the actual ages of the songs that hit #1 during this decade, every one of them perfectly encapsulates the sound of this time in our world and although I felt that I aged one million years listening to them, it was a very enjoyable trip down memory lane.

2000 - Breathe by Faith Hill (written by H. Bentley, S. Lamar)

I can't even accurately describe to you how big my eye roll was when I found out this was the #1 song of 2000. I couldn't stand it when it came out on the radio and, surprise surprise, I still don't like it much. Is it nice to see a country song topping a Billboard list? Yes, but at what cost, dammit? Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way, to the facts: released as a single in October 1999, this song was featured on Hill's 1999 album Breathe and while it never actually peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (it never got higher than #2), it did spend 6 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs List and somehow made it to the #1 spot on the Year End Hot 100. The song is certified Gold by the RIAA for having sold over 800,000 physical copies and over 500,000 digital downloads since its release and won Hill Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. I get why a lot of people do like this song, even though I don't agree with it - Hill has a good voice for power ballads, there's no denying that.

I can feel the magic floating in the air/Being with you gets me that way/I watch the sunlight dance across your face/And I've never been this swept away/All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze/When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms/The whole world just fades away/The only thing I hear is the beating of your heart/'Cause I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me, and suddenly, I'm melting into you/There's nothing left to prove, baby, all we need is just to be/Caught up in the touch, the slow and steady rush, baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be/I can feel you breathe/Just breathe

2001 - Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse (written by J. Wade)

To me, Lifehouse is one of those bands that helped define the sound of the early 2000's because literally almost all pop music sounded a little bit like this - you just had to pick which lead singer you liked best. To be fair, I like Lifehouse a lot and was glad to find them on top for this year. Released as a single in August 2000, this song was featured on the band's 2000 album No Name Face and, like Breathe the year before, peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 but spent so much time on the chart that it became the #1 song on the Year End Hot 100 List. Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade wrote this song in roughly five minutes and admitted he had no idea what this song would do for the band or how big it would possibly become.

Desperate for changing/Starving for truth/I'm closer to where I started/I'm chasing after you/I'm falling even more in love with you/Letting go of all I've held on to/I'm standing here until you make me move/I'm hanging by a moment here with you

2002 - How You Remind Me by Nickelback (written by C. Kroeger, M. Kroeger, R. Peake, R. Vikedal)

It's pretty safe to say that Nickelback is one of the biggest memes in the music industry - since they came on the scene, there's no gray area with these guys, you either love them or you hate them. I trend more positively when it comes to Nickelback myself, they've only upset me once very recently when they covered The Devil Went Down to Georgia, but the rest of their music I really don't mind listening to although I totally get why the people who can't stand them feel the way they do. Inspired by the tumultuous relationship frontman Chad Kroeger had with his girlfriend at the time, this song was released as a single in August 2001 and was featured on the band's 2001 album Silver Side Up and has since become to many the band's signature song. Being ten at the time, I didn't realize just how huge this song actually was. It was named by Billboard as their #1 Rock Song and #4 Alternative Song of the 2000's decade as well as #36 on their All Time Top 100, VH1 named the song their 16th Greatest Power Ballad, and it ended up being featured in the 2010 Neversoft video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The song spent 49 weeks total on the Hot 100, peaking at #1, and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies.

Never made it as a wise man/I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing/Tired of living like a blind man/I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling/And this is how you remind me/This is how you remind me of what I really am/This is how you remind me of what I really am/It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story/This time I'm mistaken for handing you a heart worth breaking/And I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle/These five words in my head scream, "Are we having fun yet?"

2003 - In Da Club by 50 Cent (written by C. Jackson, A. Young, M. Elizondo)

I'm pretty sure anyone who speaks English on this earth, and probably a decent portion of the population who doesn't, knows this song purely based on the iconic opening line, "Go shawty, it's your birthday." Released as a single in January 2003, the song was featured on 50 Cent's 2003 debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. This song was another HUGE success commercially - Rolling Stone named it #13 on their Best Songs of the 2000's and #448 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time from 2010. Billboard named it #24 on their Hot 100 Songs of the Decade for the 2000's, and in 2003 the song spent 9 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 List. The song is certified Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over one million copies. This song was definitely up their on my shock factor for not realizing how old it actually is now (17 years!!! WHAT?!), but it's definitely still fun to listen to.

When I pull up out front, you see the Benz on dubs/When I roll twenty deep, it's twenty knives in the club/N**** heard I fuck with Dre, now they wanna show me love/When you sell like Eminem and the hoes, they wanna fuck/But homie, ain't nothing change, hoes down, G's up/I see Xzibit in the cut, aye n**** roll that weed up/If you watch how I move, you'll mistake me for a player or pimp/Been hit with a few shells, but I don't walk with a limp/In the hood, when the ladies saying, "50, you hot"/They like me, I want them to love me like they love 'Pac/But holla in New York, them n*****'ll tell ya I'm loco/And the plan is to put the rap game in a chokehold/I'm feeling focused, man, my money on my mind/I got a mil' out the deal and I'm still on the grind/Now, shawty said she feeling my style, she feeling my flow/Her girlfriend willing get bi and they ready to go/You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub/Look mami, I got the X if you into taking drugs/I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love/So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed/You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub/Look mami, I got the X if you into taking drugs/I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love/So come give me a hug if you into getting rubbed

2004 - Yeah! by Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris (written by C. Bridges, J. Phillips, J. Smith, L. Jefferson, P. Smith, R. McDowell, S. Garrett)

Ok, this one hurt. I have been known to brag about this being the first "rap song" (yes, it's totally okay to laugh, I can take it) that I ever memorized when I was in the 6th grade and you couldn't walk three steps without hearing this song come on. Let's be honest - this song STILL slaps. Released as a single in January 2004, it was featured on Usher's 2004 album Confessions (which as a whole was also super great, I owned it). It spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over four million copies, and won Usher, Lil Jon, and Ludacris Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Grammy Awards.

Up in the club with my homies, tryna get a little V, I keep it down on the low key/She know how it is/I seen the shorty, she was checking up on me, from the game she was spitting in my ear, you would think that she know me/So we decided to chill/Conversation got heavy/She had me feeling like she's ready to blow, oh/She was saying, "Come get me"/So I got up and followed her to the floor/She said, "Baby, let's go," when I told her, I said/"Yeah, yeah," shorty got down low and said, "Come and get me"/Yeah, yeah, I got so caught up, I forgot she told me/Yeah, yeah, her and my girl used to be the best of homies/Yeah, yeah, next thing I knew, she was all up on me, screaming/'Yeah, yeah, yeah"/Yeah, yeah, yeah/Yeah, yeah, yeah/Yeah, yeah, yeah

2005 - We Belong Together by Mariah Carey (written by K. Edmonds, B. Womack, D. Bristol, J. Austin, J. Dupri, M. Seal, M. Carey, P. Moten, S. Sully, S. Johnson)

Time for another likely unpopular opinion - I am not a fan of Mariah Carey and I think she's way overrated. I know her songs impact a lot of people and she obviously has a huge fan base, but her music just really doesn't do it for me and only has on one occasion: when she sang a duet with Whitney Houston on the Prince of Egypt soundtrack for When You Believe. This song was released as a single in March 2005 and was featured on Carey's 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi. It spent an impressive 14 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also named their Song of the Decade for the 2000's and their 11th most popular song of all time. It's been certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over 4.7 million copies and it earned her Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards.

I didn't mean it when I said I didn't love you so/I should have held on tight, I never should've let you go/I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish/I was lying to myself/I could not fathom that I would ever be without your love/Never imagined I'd be sitting here beside myself/'Cause I didn't know you, 'cause I didn't know me, but I thought I knew everything/I never felt the feeling that I'm feeling now that I don't hear your voice/Or have your touch and kiss your lips 'cause I don't have a choice/Oh, what I wouldn't give to have you lying by my side right here, 'cause baby/When you left, I lost a part of me, it's still so hard to believe/Come back, baby, please, 'cause we belong together/Who else am I gonna lean on when times get rough, who's gonna talk to me on the phone 'til the sun comes up/Who's gonna take your place, there ain't nobody better, oh baby, we belong together

2006 - Bad Day by Daniel Powter (written by D. Powter)

Ok, now we're getting to my high school years and these pills are getting harder and harder to swallow in terms of age. I think I sing at least the chorus of this song about once a week either to myself or someone else when they...you know...have a less than awesome day. Released as a single in February 2005, it was featured on Powter's 2005 self-titled album. It spent a cool 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (his only single to date to do so) and has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over three million copies. This is honestly just a nice, hopeful little song that even though you inevitably will have a crappy day here and there, they don't last and you have to move on from it to finish living your life.

Where is the moment we needed the most/You kick up the leaves, and the magic is lost/They tell me your blue skies fade to gray, they tell me your passion's gone away/And I don't need no carrying on/You stand in the line just to hit a new low/You're faking a smile with the coffee to go/You tell me your life's been way off line, you're falling to pieces every time/And I don't need no carrying on/'Cause you had a bad day, you're taking one down, you sing a sad song just to turn it around/You say you don't know, you tell me don't lie, you work at a smile and you go for a ride/You had bad day, the camera don't lie, you're coming back down and you really don't mind/You had a bad day, you had a bad day

2007 - Irreplaceable by Beyoncé (written by A. Björklund, B. Knowles, E. Lind, M. Eriksen, S. Smith, T. Hermansen)

I have my issues with Beyoncé, it's true, but I do really enjoy this era of her music - I think she has a really great R&B voice, and her 2000's stuff was just really fun to listen to. Released as a single in October 2006, it was featured on her 2006 album B'Day and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's since been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over three million copies and remains fairly iconic to this day. This song gets picked apart for reference probably every day by at least a couple of people, whether you're telling someone or something to move "To the left, to the left" or that "You must not know 'bout me."

To the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left/In the closet, that's my stuff, yes, if I bought it, n****, please don't touch/And keep talking that mess, that's fine, could you walk and talk at the same time/And it's my name that's on that Jag, so remove your bags, let me call you a cab/Standing in the front yard, telling me how I'm such a fool/Talking 'bout how I'll never, ever find man like you, you got me twisted/You must not know 'bout me, you must not know 'bout me/I could have another you in a minute, matter of fact, he'll be here in a minute, baby/You must not know 'bout me, you must not know 'bout me/I can have another you by tomorrow, so don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable

2008 - Low by Flo Rida ft. T-Pain (written by C. Harris, D. Siegel, M. Humphrey, D. Balan, T. Dillard, H. Simmons, J. Scheffer, J. Smith, K. Washington, K. Roberson, M. Riddick, F. Najm)

The fact that this song is now 12 years old causes me to experience extreme nausea because I feel like I bought this song on the iTunes Store 3 days ago and downloaded it to my prized pink iPod mini. This song for sure has stood the test of time, possibly to a lot of people's surprise because it's honestly goofy as hell, but when over a decade later it's still being used in commercial advertisements and everyone watching can still sing every word of the chorus, you clearly have something going for you. Released as a single in October 2007, the song was featured both on Flo Rida's 2008 album Mail on Sunday and the soundtrack for the 2008 film Step Up 2: The Streets (starring Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman). The most downloaded single of the 2000's decade, Billboard named this song #3 on their Hot 100 Songs of the 2000's decade and #26 on their All Time Hot 100. It spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 List and has been certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over 7.3 million copies.

Hey, I ain't never seen nothing that'll make me go this crazy/All night, spending my dough, had a million dollar vibe and the body to go/Them birthday cakes, they stole the show, so sexual, she was flexible/Professional drinking X and O, hold up, wait a minute, do I see what I think I, whoa/Did I think I seen shawty get low, ain't the same when it's up that close/Make it rain, I'm making it snow, work the pole, I got the bankroll/I must say that I prefer them no clothes, I'm into that, I love women exposed/She threw it back at me, I gave her more, cash ain't a problem, I know where it goes/Shawty had them apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur/The whole club was looking at her/She hit the floor, next thing you know/Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low/Them baggy sweatpants and the Reeboks with the straps/She turned around and gave that big booty a slap, hey/She hit the floor, next thing you know/Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low

2009 - Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas (written by J. Gomez, S. Ferguson, A. Lindo, W. Adams)

To round out the decade, I just knew thinking back to 2009 that the #1 song would either be this one or I Gotta Feeling because pop radio was basically not playing anything but Black Eyed Peas that year. With its iconic clapback "I'm so 3008, you're so 2000-and-late," I still think this song is a bop, though I am glad it's possible to turn on a radio station and not have it play every 10 minutes anymore. Released as a single in March 2009, this song was featured on the Peas' 2009 album The E.N.D. It spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was named #14 of Rolling Stone's Best 25 Songs of 2009, and earned the band Best Short Form Music Video at the 52nd Grammy Awards. The song has now been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA for having sold over 6.9 million copies.

Yo, I got that hit to beat the clock, you can get that bass on the low/I got that rock 'n roll, that future flow/That digital spit, next level visual shit/I got that boom, boom, boom, how the beat bang, boom, boom, boom/I like that boom, boom, pow, them chickens jacking my style/They try to copy my swagger, I'm on that next shit now/I'm so three thousand and eight, you're so two thousand and late/I got that boom, boom, boom, that future boom, boom, boom, let me get it now/Boom, boom, boom, gotta get that boom, boom, boom/Gotta get that boom, boom, boom, gotta get that boom, boom, boom/Gotta get that boom, boom, boom, that boom, boom, boom/That boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom

I hope everyone enjoyed this trip down memory lane even if, like me, you feel like you aged approximately eight hundred years looking at the release dates for these songs. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!