These Songs Will Be Hits In Our Hearts Forever

Hit songs come and go, and while there are many from the early aughts we no longer recall, others we’ll never forget. Listening to them stirs up all kinds of yummy nostalgia for a simpler time of flip phones, Myspace, and iPods. Here are some of our favorite songs from the early 00s to reminisce to.    

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1. Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz

It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve heard it, this song still slaps. It was a collaboration between Gorillaz and De La Soul and although it never topped the charts in the US, it has stood the test of time. 

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2. Drop It Like It’s Hot - Snoop Dogg

Before Snoop was selling gin and cookbooks and bidding on hockey teams, he was actually a rapper! This iconic song featuring a then very young Pharrell, and a stripped-down drum beat with tongue clicks was cutting-edge for the time and became an instant classic.

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3. American Idiot - Green Day

Easily their most political song, “American Idiot” captures the disenchantment and paranoia of post-9/11 America in typical Green Day fashion–with lots of power chords and distortion. The song grapples with themes of lasting relevance, making it a timeless headbanger.

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4. Irreplaceable - Beyoncé

Irreplaceable is Queen B at her peak. Her impeccable vocals and the empowering lyrics combine to create a killer song we’ll gladly belt out any day.  

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5. Mr. Brightside - The Killers

It’s been called the “Bohemian Rhapsody” for millennials and when it still plays in clubs, you can see why. Every millennial knows every word of this total banger by one of the most classic early 2000s bands. 

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6. Time to Pretend - MGMT

This song captures what it’s like to graduate from being a teen to a completely discouraged and cynical adult–the millennial experience! It’s an awesome song, full of electronic elements that bridge the gap between alt-rock and dance genres.

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7. Toxic - Britney Spears

We had to include a song by the Princess of Pop on this list, the problem was choosing which one. We landed on “Toxic” because not only is it one of her most iconic songs ever, but it also encapsulates the time when Brit rebranded herself from a child star to a sexualized woman.

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8. One More Time - Daft Punk

It’s hard to say whether “One More Time” is pop, house, or disco, but whatever it’s classified as, it’s gold. Nothing more or less than a super fun party song, it’ll never stop turning up the energy in a room and bringing people joy.

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9. Umbrella - Rihanna

We couldn’t make a list of music from the early aughts without including Rihanna. Still her biggest hit, Umbrella was one of the most-played songs in the 2000s. 

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10. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson

What could be more 2000s than a young Kelly Clarkson belting out a breakup song sporting cargo pants and ombre hair? This song is honestly still great, with a dramatic build to the chorus that gives you chills. 

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11. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

This song played on the radio a lot in 2009. So much so that it became the longest-running number-one hit of the year, and it’s no surprise. Its catchy feel-good lyrics and addictive dance-pop melody make it absolute radio candy.

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12. Complicated - Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne takes us back to when life wasn’t so complicated. “Complicated” was an emotional but still infectiously catchy piece of pop-rock that captured an era and an age. 

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13. Photograph - Nickelback

The band that everyone loves to hate had to make it on our list. “Photograph” is the song that most perfectly sums up the band for its faux emotional lyrics that you just don’t buy, laughable music video, and ridiculous soft rock melody. This is why everyone loves to make fun of them. 

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14. Bye Bye Bye - NSYNC

NSYNC were boyband royalty in 2000, and this song is the perfect representation of them. It had a resurgence of popularity this year after being used in a film and dare we say it’s still the best boyband song of all time? 

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15. I’m Just a Kid - Simple Plan

We can think of no better song to sum up teenage angst than this one. It captures the confusion, loneliness, and strange emotions when every little thing feels like the end of the world, all sung out in an emotive nasal whine. 

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16. 99 Problems - Jay-Z

It was clear the lyrics of Jay-Z’s provocative rap song made an impact when Barrack Obama referenced them at the white house correspondence dinner a decade later. The song has been hailed for astutely capturing the age-old struggle between classes and races in the USA. 

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17. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

This is a song about an aging woman who misses her youthful days. It’s catchy and raunchy and boy, we don’t know if it’s the lyrics or the fact that it’s from 2007, but it makes us feel crazy nostalgic.  

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18. It Wasn’t Me - Shaggy

“It Wasn’t Me’ is a hilarious and lighthearted song about a man who was caught cheating on his girlfriend with the girl next door. It’s bound to stir up some laughs and a whole lot of nostalgia. 

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19. Yeah! - Usher

Before he was dancing in roller skates at the Super Bowl, Usher made some incredible hits. This song took the number one spot on the charts and stayed there until another Usher song knocked it down.

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20. Hips Don't Lie - Shakira

Shakira’s massive global hit broke records for the most radio plays in one week and we can see why. It’s a catchy Latin number with sexy lyrics and an iconic trumpet loop that can only be described as addictive. 

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