Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1

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Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 features music courtesy of 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Green Day, and Usher.

Often, the music that shapes you, or that you remember the most, comes from the era when you were a teenager. For me, most of my teenage years took place in the 2000s, the era explored on 🎧 Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1, another entry into the ever-expanding decade series. All the songs from this list were released between 2000 and 2009 without exception. 🎧 Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 features music courtesy of 🎙 50 Cent, 🎙 Alicia Keys, 🎙 Beyoncé, 🎙 Green Day, and 🎙 Usher among others. Keeping it as eclectic as the 2000s were, many different styles of music are covered on this musical compendium. So, without further ado, let’s take it back to 2000s music style, shall we?

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1. D’Angelo, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” 

💿 Voodoo • 🏷 Virgin • 🗓 2000 

“I’d love to make you wet / In between your thighs ‘cause / I love when it comes inside you.” WOW! Cutting straight to the chase, 🎙 D’Angelo delivered one of the sexiest, most soulful gems of all time with 🎵 “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”.  Yes, the music video 🎶📼 stole plenty of attention, and how could it not? A nude, chiseled D’Angelo was certainly a sight to behold 🤤.  That said, no matter how fine D was, the song itself is the crowning achievement. Listening to “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” you can’t help feeling a bit guilty.  Why? Well, D’Angelo goes all in on the neo-soul sound, meaning the influence of gospel music is crystal clear.  Some of the most soulful R&B hearkens back to the sounds of the church with big bass lines, marvelous piano riffs, harmonized vocals, and the groove. “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” checks off those boxes, adding guitar to the mix.  Those layered harmonized vocals are utterly sublime! As heavenly as this seven-minute aughts R&B classic sounds, there’s nothing godly about this record. Mr. Archer is all about S-E-X.  Yes, there’s dedication too, but “I can provide everything that you desire” certainly indicates plans to stick [his] key in [her] ignition. Also, later, he asserts, ‘Let me take off your clothes…” All told on 🎵 “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”, D’Angelo sings his ass off, and understandably, women (and men too) felt ‘some type of way’ listening to this one. 

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2. O-Town, “Liquid Dreams”

💿 O-Town • 🏷 J Records • 🗓 2001

One of the requirements of any boy band is to sing songs about girls.  Another requirement? Be hot! 🎙 O-Town had both things covered during their brief run 😍.  🎙 Backstreet Boys, 🎙 N*Sync, and🎙 98º they weren’t, but they earned a platinum album with 💿 O-Town (2001), and a gold single, 🎵 “Liquid Dreams”. Hmm, what makes a dream liquid exactly? Think back to those adolescent days, and a certain release that takes place at night, and there’s your answer, confirmed via an interview with Cosmopolitan (“… It’s [‘Liquid Dreams’] about nocturnal emissions, to be honest… [Clive Davis] thought this was a way for us to make our mark separate: we were a lot more dirty, a lot more edgy than the others [boy bands]”). Ooh wee, childdd!!! 

“Posters of love surrounding me, lost in a world of fantasy 

Every night she comes to me and gives me all the love I need.”  

Wow! There’s a significance with the word ‘comes,’ if you catch my drift.  Clearly, the youngsters of O-Town were fantasizing about women they wanted to be with (*cough have sex with).  The innuendo doesn’t stop there of course, as “this hot girl” is “So fine designed to blow your mind / She’s a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen.” Day-um! Of course, as “Liquid Dreams” progresses, O-Town name drop the hottest women whom their sexy girl is patterned after.  In 2001 that included the likes of Destiny’s Child, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek – you get the gist of it! Horny guys who have gotten so worked up they are experiencing these “liquid dreams.” While the music video 🎶📼 does NOT depict a nocturnal emission, it is captivating, nonetheless.  The big takeaway regarding “Liquid Dreams” is this is a prime example of utterly infectious, sex-driven pop music.  I mean, has a nocturnal emission ever sounded so rad?    

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Appears in 🔻:

O-Town, “Liquid Dreams”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 No. 1 (2022)

3. Enrique Iglesias, “Hero”  

💿 Escape • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2001

🏆 Grammy-winning Latin pop artist 🎙 Enrique Iglesias is… SMOKING HOT 😍! Now that I got that out of the way, let’s focus on what truly matters – his voice. Throughout the course of his career, Iglesias has wowed with his expressive instrument.  His tone is truly radiant, particularly on arguably his best song, 🎵 “Hero” (💿 Escape, 2001). Does it help that Iglesias is easy on the eyes – quite the heartthrob? Yes,it does help, but he is more than his dashing good looks – he is incredibly talented.  “Hero” spent 34 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at no. 3. 

On “Hero,” his dedication and devotion to his lover is respectable.  “I can be your hero, baby / I can kiss away the pain,” he sings in the chorus, continuing, “I will stand by you forever / You can take my breath away.” Essentially, Iglesias seems willing to die for this person. Of course, there is also sensual element as well, particularly lines like, “Would you tremble, if I touched your lips.” Still, the big takeaway is L-O-V-E. More than 20 years after its release, “Hero” remains powerful and a heroic statement about love.

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4. Missy Elliott, “Gossip Folks” (Ft. Ludacris) 

💿 Under Construction • 🏷 Elektra Entertainment • 📅 2002  

“When I walk up in the piece / I ain’t gotta even speak / I’m a bad mamajama / Goddammit, motherfucker, you ain’t gotta like me!” WOO! Now that’s some confidence right there, 🎙 Missy Elliott. Even though the 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper slowed down after her 2005 album, 💿 The Cookbook, her iconic status, particularly as a female rapper, is indisputable.  Among Elliott’s many hits, 🎵 “Gossip Folks”, from her 2022 masterpiece, 💿 Under Construction, ranks as one of the most beloved, top-tier moments.  Here, Missy exudes confidence, exhibits creative and innovative spirit, and shows off that marvelous, idiosyncratic personality.  Those opening lyrics from the first verse kick ass and take names – legendary! It shouldn’t come as a shock that “Gossip Folks” peaked at no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. #SLAY QUEEN! 

It doesn’t stop there for Missy Elliott and “Gossip Folks,” of course! What about that wild sample in the chorus? It sounds ridiculous, yet it snaps something fierce! Furthermore, there are additional samples that make this 🎛 Timbaland co-production the sugar honey iced tea that it is.  Honestly, his work behind the boards on this track alone is some of the most electrifying of the aughts! Besides two stellar verses of her own, where she puts these “Bitches [who] wanna talk shit” in their place, Missy gets an assist from fellow 🏆 Grammy winner, 🎙 Ludacris in the third verse? “Once upon a time in College Park/ Where they live life fast, and they scared of dark / There was a little nigga by the name of Chris.” WOO! We get enamored by the new wave of female rappers but let’s not forget that Missy Elliott was that girl, NO 🚫 CAP🧢!

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5. 50 Cent, “In Da Club”

💿 Get Rich or Die Tryin’ • 🏷 Shady / Aftermath / Interscope • 📅 2023  

“Go Shorty, it’s your birthday / We gon’ party like it’s your birthday / And we gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday / And you know we don’t give a fuck, it’s not your birthday.” 🎵 “In Da Club” is a surefire, totally undeniable club classic. This is the breakout, no. 1 hit that made 🎙 50 Cent a star, and propelled 💿 Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003) to multiplatinum status. 🎛 Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo ‘stuck their foot’ into the production of this aughts hip-hop masterwork. The intro is iconic. The chorus is the crowning achievement, in all it’s irresponsible excellence:  

“You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub’ 

Look, mami, I got the X if you into takin’ drugs 

I’m into havin’ sex, I ain’t into makin’ love 

Soo come give me a hug if you into gettin’ rubbed.”  

Totally unapologetic, but irresistibly so! The verses are no slouch either, with 50 Cent bringing toughness, memorable lines left and right, and a unique delivery.  Some of the standouts include referencing being shot (“Been hit with a few shells, but I don’t walk with a limp…”), or the regrettable use of a gay slur 😬 (“I’m that cat by the bar toastin’ to the good life / You that faggot-ass nigga tryin’ too pull me back, right?”). That ugly ‘f-word’ aside, there’s plenty to love about “In Da Club,” two decades after its release!

Appears in 🔻:

11 Compelling Songs That Reference Da Club (2020)

6. Alicia Keys, “You Don’t Know My Name” 

💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys • 🏷 RCA • 📅 2003   

“Baby, baby, baby / From the day I saw you / I really, really wanna catch your eye.”  On 🎵 “You Don’t Know My Name,” 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Alicia Keys had a serious crush.  The problem? He doesn’t notice her or know who she is! “Will you ever know it? / No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”  “You Don’t Know My Name” ranks among the biggest hits of Keys’ career, peaking at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, the song, written alongside 🎼✍ Harold Lilly, J.R. Bailey, Kanye West, Ken Williams, Mel Kent, won the 🏆 Grammy for Best R&B Song.  Worth noting, Kanye West produced this neo-soul gem, which samples 🎙 The Main Ingredient (🎵 “Let Me Prove My Love to You”).

The good news about this 💿 The Diary of Alicia Keys standout is that Keys ensures he DOES know her name! Check out the music video and Keys’ crush frequents the coffeehouse where she works.  So infatuated, Keys informs us that, he “always orders the special.”  She eventually reveals her feelings via cell, eventually securing the date during the spoken word interlude (“I know girls don’t usually do this / But I was wondering if maybe we could get together / Outside the restaurant one day”).  Ultimately, “You Don’t Know My Name’ is a fabulous song about crushing on someone.  Furthermore, it’s one of the finest songs of the aughts.   

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7. Usher, “Burn” 

💿 Confessions • 🏷 LaFace • 📅 2004  

“It’s gon’ burn for me to say this, but it’s coming from my heart / It’s been a long time coming, but we done been fell apart…” Like 🎵 “Yeah!” – OKAY!!! 🎙 Usher was that dude back in 2004 – untouchable! 💿 Confessions was the biggest album of the year, in a year rich with elite music.  Of course, I don’t have to tell you the album didn’t win the 🏆 Grammy for Album Of The Year (🎙 Ray Charles’ posthumous Genius Loves Company came out on top).  While “Yeah!” was the biggest hit from this diamond-selling affair, 🎵 “Burn” was a juggernaut, nominated for two Grammys itself (Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song).   

Even as Confessions reaches the two-decade mark, “Burn” still sounds incredibly fresh.  Usher delivers the ballad with supreme sincerity, capped off by “Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,” representing the singer’s own ‘burning.’ What’s causing this burning, you ask? Breaking up… it’s hard to do! The chorus says it best:    

“When your feeling ain’t the same and your body don’t want to 

But you know, gotta let it go ‘cause the party ain’t 

Jumpin’ like it used to, even though this might bruise you  

Let it burn, let it burn, gotta let it burn 

Deep down, you know it’s best for yourself, but you 

Hate the thought of her bein’ with someone else 

But you know that it’s over, we knew it was through 

Let it burn (Let it burn), let it burn (Let it burn), gotta let it burn.”  

I can’t end commentary on “Burn” without highlighting one of its best lyrical moments: “You’ve been gone for too long / It’s been fifty-leven days, umpteen hours / I’mma be burnin’ till you return…” #CLASSIC! 

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Burn: 5ive Songs No. 34 (2022)

8. Green Day, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” 

💿 American Idiot • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2004

“Summer has come and passed / The innocent can never last / Wake me up when September ends.” September is viewed unfavorably on the brilliant, 2004 song, 🎵 “Wake Me Up When September Ends” iThe song hails from 💿 American Idiot, one of the best albums by 🏆 Grammy-winning rock/punk revivalist band 🎙 Green Day. September is viewed unfavorably in the song due to the Death of a loved one, specifically 🎙 Billie Joe Armstrong’s dad when he was just10 years old.  That explains moments like “Drenched in my pain again / Becoming who we are / As my memory rests / But never forgets what I lost.”  Armstrong directly addresses his father’s passing on the final verse: “Like my father’s come to pass / Twenty years has gone so fast / Wake me up when September ends.”  A sad song, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” is one of the best by the band. 

Appears in 🔻:

September: 5ive Songs No. 70 (2021)

9. Korn, “Twisted Transistor” 

💿 See You On the Other Side • 🏷 Tempo Music Investments, LLC • 📅 2005

“Hey you, hey you, Devil’s little sister / Listening to your twisted transistor…” Okay, 🎙 Jonathan Davis, please continue.  “Hold it between your legs / Turn it up, turn it up.” Um… Jonathan, Jonathan, what the actual hell are you talking about? I sort of followed the transistor part, associating it with radio and music, but then, I’m not sure what you are asking to ‘hold between your legs,’ following up with “Low end is coming through / Can’t get enough.”  Did 🎙 Korn get outlandish, sexual, and unapologetic on 🎵 “Twisted Transistor”, the crowning achievement from their 2005 album, 💿 See You On the Other Side? Are we talking, um, musical phallus here? Well, there’s obviously some innuendo thrown in there! 

Even with some eyebrow-raising lyrics and references, the big takeaway from “Twisted Transistor” is the power of music. It may not make perfect sense initially, but “Twisted Transistor” begins to make sense. “A lonely life, where no one understands you,” Davis sings in the pre-chorus, adding, “but don’t give up, because the music do.”  When providing more context, via the chorus, the hold it between your legs makes more sense:  

“Because the music do  

And then it’s reaching 

Inside you, forever preaching 

Fuck you, too 

You’re scream’s a whisper 

Hang on, you twisted transistor.”  

Gah-day-um, this song STILL kicks some serious ass, Just remember, “And as the tears fall on / Your breasts, your dress / Vibrations coming through!” Or something like that 🤘!  

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10. Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together”

💿 The Emancipation of Mimi • 🏷 Island Def Jam • 📅 2005  

“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, baby, we belong together.” Really, is there any introduction needed? 🎙 Mariah Carey was everywhere in 2005, experiencing a resurgence in popularity that many music artists only dream could happen. 🎵 “We Belong Together” was a big reason for that, spending 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. 💿 The Emancipation of Mimi gave Carey her biggest critical and commercial triumph in years.

“When you left, I lost a part of me / It’s still so hard to believe / Come back, baby, please / ‘Cause we belong together.” “We Belong Together” is simply an enjoyable, well-rounded R&B break-up song.  Mariah Carey misses her man and begs him to come back because, in her eyes, they “belong together.” It’s well-produced (Carey, 🎛 Jermaine Dupri, and Manuel Seal) without being incredibly flashy. The production does get a lift from two samples – 🎵 “If You Think You’re Lonely Now” (🎙 Bobby Womack) and 🎵 “Two Occasions” (🎙 The Deele featuring 🎙 Babyface). Its simplicity and straightforwardness serve it well.    The biggest selling point? The voice – “marvelous darling!”

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11. My Chemical Romance, “Cancer” 

💿 The Black Parade • 🏷 Reprise • 📅 2006

“If you could get me a drink / Of water ‘cause my lips are chapped and faded.” Of course, of course – that is not asking much. “Call my Aunt Marie / Help her gather all my things / And bury me in all my favorite colors.” Um, bury? Uh-oh – this is getting morbid! 🎵 “Cancer” is one of the best songs by 🎙 My Chemical Romance.  Arguably, it is the crowning achievement of their conceptual, 2006 album, 💿 The Black Parade. Sometimes, the best songs are sad like “Cancer,” which finds 🎙 Gerard Way portraying a character who is diagnosed with cancer 😢.  The patient understands his cancer is terminal – his death sentence.  That is incredibly tough to cope with.

“Cancer” is filled with pain, which the listener perceives from Way’s assertive performance as well as the dramatic lyrics.  The lyrics don’t sugarcoat the experience – they keep it 💯.  In the second verse, the patient sings, “Now turn away / Cause I’m awful just to see / Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body / Oh, my agony / Know that I will never marry / Baby, I’m just soggy from the chemo.” After reading some annotations of this song, specifically regarding the second verse, it is notable that the patient shows some legit disappointment and sadness about his lot before blaming that vulnerable moment on chemotherapy. “But counting down the days to go / It just ain’t living,” the patient – well Way – sings in the chorus.  Also, fittingly, he adds, in his goodbye message, “‘Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you.” “Cancer” is an MCR classic.

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12. Kanye West, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”

💿 Graduation • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 2007

“La, la, la-la / Wait ‘til I get my money right.” 🎙 Kanye West is POLARIZING to the nth degree and has said lots of messed-up things. Still, musically, the 🏆 Grammy-winner is innovative, consistently challenged the boundaries of hip-hop.  A personal favorite song arrived on his 💿 Graduation album, released in the Fall 2007, 🎵 “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. This magnificent single helped West secure another no. 1 album. He produced this banger alongside 🎛 DJ Toomp. Notably, it samples 🎵 “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” (🎙 Pete Rock and 🎙 C.L. Smooth) and 🎵 “I Got Money” (🎙 Jeezy). These repurposed joints help shape “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” into the elite rap cut it is. It only peaked at no. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, but the quadruple-platinum single has stood the test of time.

The crème de la crème – the crowning achievement – is the chorus.  West exudes ample personality – he’s confident AF.  But, even if he has an ego, this quasi-melodic hook is potent:

 “La, la, la-la 

Wait ‘til I get my money right 

La, la, la-la 

Then you can’t tell me nothing, right? 

Excuse me, was you saying something? 

Uh uh, you can’t tell me nothing 

You can’t tell me nothing 

Uh uh, you can’t tell me nothing.”

Beyond the timeless chorus, Kanye flexes, flexes, and then, he flexes some more in the verses.  There are vintage one-liners like in the first verse where he asserts, “I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / When I awoke, I spent that on a necklace.” Another gem comes in the second when he spits, “But homie, this is my day / Class started two hours ago, oh, am I late? / No, I already graduated / And you can live through anything if Magic made it.” There’s also the bullet in the third verse: “Life is a–uh–depending how you dress her / So if the Devil wear Prada, Adam Eve wear nada / I’m in between, but way more fresher.” WOO! 

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13. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” 

💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce • 🏷 Sony • 📅 2008 

“All the single ladies (All the single ladies) / All the single ladies / Now put your hands up.” WOO! Need an example of a truly ubiquitous song? Look no further than 🎵 “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” one of the best songs in the illustrious musical catalog of 🎙 Beyoncé.  The song, which rightfully won the 🏆 Grammy for Song of the Year, appears on her 2008 double album, 💿 I Am… Sasha Fierce. “Single Ladies” is filled with fun. Produced by Queen Bey, 🎛 The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart, “Single Ladies” remains fresh 15 years after its arrival.  The beat! The synths! Most of all, the assertive, attitude-laden vocals of Queen Bey with catchy lyrics makes “Single Ladies” a surefire winner.  The minute you hear it, whether you’re a single lady, a married lady, or a fella, it makes you wanna dance – #INFECTIOUS.  The chorus is golden, with Beyoncé telling these boys, if you like it (aka her) you better lock it (her) down!  

“‘Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it 

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it 

Don’t be mad once you see that he want it 

If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it 

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh 

Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.”

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14. Lady Gaga, “Just Dance” (Ft. Colby O’Donis)

💿 The Fame • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2008

“I had a little bit too much, much / All of the people start to rush,” 🎙 Lady Gaga asserts in the first verse of her 2008, debut single, 🎵 “Just Dance”. The 🏆 Academy/Grammy award winner continues singing, “A dizzy twister dance, can’t find my drink or man / Where are my keys? I lost my phone, phone.” Clearly, Lady Gaga is drunk AF, having a little too much fun at the club.  Her inebriation is our listening pleasure.  She’s assisted by 🎙 Colby O’ Donis on this 💿 The Fame standout. Following the success of “Just Dance,” Lady Gaga’s ascended and remains electric to this day.

The production by 🎛 RedOne is the perfect fuel for Gaga’s fire.  Unsurprisingly, the biggest moment of “Just Dance” – where everyone wants to take their booty to the dance floor – is the chorus.  Basically, after getting drunk, she’s going to dance, baby! 

“Just dance 

Gonna be okay, da-da-doo-doot-n 

Just dance 

Spin that record, babe, da-da-doo-doot-n…” 

As you can imagine – or listen/read the lyrics – more craziness happens at the club.  In the second verse, she questions “How’d I turn my shirt inside out?” Colby arrives in the third bringing some swagger and trying to get some, of course: “I’ma hit it, I’ma beat it up, latch onto it until tomorrow, yeah / Shorty, I can see that you got so much energy / The way you twirlin’ up them hips ‘round and ‘round / And there is no reason at all why you can’t leave here with me.” Oh, sugar-honey-iced-tea! You never forget your first.  I highly doubt that Lady Gaga has or can ever forget the impact that 🎵 “Just Dance” had on pop and dance.

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Appears in 🔻:

Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”: Dance Hitz 🕺 💃 🎶 No. 4 (2022)

15. Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” (Ft. Alicia Keys)

💿 Blueprint 3 • 🏷 Roc Nation • 📅 2009 

“Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game / Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can…” What happens when you put two 🏆 Grammy-winning musicians on the same track? Excellence, at least that’s the case with 🎙 Jay-Z and 🎙 Alicia Keys, who joined forces in 2009 to create a new anthem for the state/city with 🎵 “Empire State of Mind.”  “Empire State of Mind” marked one of the brightest spots of Hov’s 💿 The Blueprint 3. Keys gets the honor of performing the most memorable part of the song, the chorus, in all its glory.    

“In New York 

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of 

There’s nothin’ you can’t do 

Now you’re in New York 

These streets will make you feel brand-new 

Big lights will inspire you 

Let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York.”  

Even if she’s the star in that regards, Jay-Z is on-point, dropping some of the best rhymes of his career.  Looking back on this gem, it’s not surprising why it was so beloved at the time and still garners plenty of praise.

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Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Aftermath, Elektra Entertainment, Interscope, Island Def Jam, J Records, LaFace, RCA, Reprise, Roc Nation, Shady, Sony, Tempo Music Investments, LLC, UMG Recordings, Inc., Virgin; ANTONI SHKRABA from Pexels]

Incredible Songs: 2000s, Vol. 1 | Playlist 🎧

Published by the musical hype on June 16, 2023June 16, 2023