Need some nostalgia to get you out of the present and back into the past, when things were simpler and pop music was (arguably) better? If you were a kid in the 2000s, I bet you know the following three nostalgic songs by heart. I know I certainly do. Let’s take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
“Try Again” by Aaliyah
Who could forget this song by the late great Aaliyah? She had such a gorgeous voice, and the whole of “Try Again” really suited the soundtrack for the turn-of-the-millennium action film Romeo Must Die, which Aaliyah also starred in. This Timbaland-produced track ended up being a pretty hefty charting success, and it took home two MTV Video Music Awards in 2000. “Try Again” also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, among many others.
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“Get The Party Started” by P!nk
P!nk was pop music’s underdog, and she finally broke through with this earworm of a hit in 2001. Honestly, the entirety of Missundaztood is likely burned into the brains of anyone who was young in the 2000s. The party anthem “Get This Party Started” was the theme song of the early 2000s for many, and it’s still such a bop today. They don’t do pop like this anymore, that’s for sure. “Get The Party Started” peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart.
“Not Ready To Make Nice” by Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks (now known simply as The Chicks) found themselves steeped in controversy after they criticized former President George W. Bush back in the day. It was almost a death knell for their careers.
In this in-your-face anthem about empowerment and betrayal, Natalie Maines lashes out, at least symbolically, at the country music world for effectively cancelling The Dixie Chicks. And boy, is this 2006 song a bop. Rick Rubin produced this track, and those three-part harmonies take on a strong and aggressive sort of energy no one was expecting from this country trio.
The Chicks really beat the odds with this entry on our list of nostalgic songs from the 2000s. “I’m Not Ready To Make Nice” made it to No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart after it was released, and it also did fairly well on the contemporary and country charts, too. The Chicks were officially back in action.
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