Oh boy, you’re gonna have fun and be depressed at the same time with the following list of 22 amazing hit songs that turned 22 years old in 2022. Meaning they were “born” in 2000. So they’re Gen Z age in music format 😀 From Rock, Pop, Rap, and R&B, every Millennial knows the following hits except many may not have realized that they’re over 2 DECADES old. Have fun and cry after!
22. Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men
Up to this article, we never really knew that the phrase Who let the dogs out? was originally written with the intent to portray women calling back to men who cat-called them first. Whuuut?
The song originally was titled Doggie and was released by Anslem Douglas. Then Jonathan King aka Fat Jakk and his Pack of Pets covered the record ultimately bringing it to the attention of Steve Greenberg. It was the latter who convinced Baha Men to cover it the way you and us know it.
Who Let The Dogs Out turned out to be the band’s first and only hit in the UK and the US, with a meteoric ingraining into Pop culture through the soundtracks of Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and Men in Black II.
21. She Bangs by Ricky Martin
An absolute Latin Pop smash hit and a legendary reinforcer with the public of Martin’s global star quality. With Salsa influences and composed in F# minor, She Bangs is the third component in the trilogy made of the previously released Maria in 1995 and Livin La Vida Loca in 1999.
Ricky Martin recounted having imagined the music video taking place in Atlantis (where did THAT come from?) thus picking the Bahamas for it was a no-brainer. The creative director behind the then-controversial visual (yes! it got banned in multiple countries in Latin America) was Jamie King who involved over 100 people in the production process.
The single was certified Platinum in Australia, Gold in Denmark and Sweden, and Silver in UK. The latter actually comprises more sold physical copies (a whopping 200k) than the other certifications as standards for each country differ based on economic level and population.
20. Party Up by DMX
Party Up is what made DMX DMX. Being the rapper’s most successful single of his career, Party Up was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards and was certified Platinum twice for the over 2 million sold copies in the US alone.
The upbeat track paired with DMX’s unique voice made for early 2000s epicness. The music video shows DMX being mistaken for someone else at a bank holdup. The video, which has amassed over 145 million views as of 2022, was shot at the Frost Bank building on Market Street in Galveston, Texas.
19. Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65
Maurizio Lobina is the guy who composed the opening piano hook which then inspired the rest of the song. Jeffrey Key and Massimo Gabutti then came up with the idea of making the whole thing a Dance Pop release to be added to their debut album, Europop. Jeffrey Key shared that blue was very randomly picked and the entire lyrical narrative had the aim of being nonsensical. Massimo Gabutti was THE genius behind da ba dee da ba di that we all sing along with when hearing this masterpiece.
The song is the group’s most popular single, reaching number one in at least 18 countries, charting at number two in Italy, and peaking at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 2000.
18. Be With You by Enrique Iglesias
Be With You was the singer’s 2nd hit in the US and even received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording in 2001. Written by the artist himself and co-produced by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling, who by the way were responsible for Cher’s Believe, Be With You is dramatic, powerful, and a staple Enrique Iglesias song.
It was also successful internationally, peaking at number 4 in Spain, 1 in the Czech Republic, 2 in Canada, 3 in Belgium, and 3 in Hungary.
17. That’s The Way It Is by Céline Dion
Known for her otherworldly vocals, Celine Dion took everyone by surprise with That’s The Way It Is, produced by Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, and Kristian Lundin, the composers behind megastars like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and ‘NSYNC. The shock factor resided in the danceability of the record whereas the songstress had been previously known for her ballads and slow-tempo songs.
That’s The Way It Is spent an entire year and a half on the Billboard chart thus becoming one of the longest-running singles in the chart’s existence. The song was also certified Platinum in Sweden, Gold in Australia, Belgium, Germany, and Silver in France.
16. Thong Song by Sisqo
When this song came out, it was like anything you’ve ever heard/ seen. Everyone was singing it, especially a bunch of kids without knowing what the lyrics were about. The song was commercially and globally so successful that it sent Sisqo’s follow-up efforts into oblivion. Did you even know he put out an album named Last Dragon in 2015? Us neither.
Thong Song got nominated for 4 categories at the Grammy Awards and peaked at the top position on the Billboard Rhythmic top 40 and number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. European countries loved the record as well charting the single in numerous top 10 charts in the UK, Netherlands, and Denmark.
15. What A Girl Wants by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera was the R&B-Rock-Pop equivalent of Ariana Grande in the 2000s and she was a monster at it. Her repertoire was incredibly vast and she ranged from the sweet girl-next-door look and voice to the in-your-face rockstar.
What A Girl Wants was originally written and recorded by the French singer Ophélie Winter in 1998 for her album Privacy, released a year prior to Aguilera’s album. A strong followup to Genie in a Bottle, the single became Aguilera’s 2nd number 1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 and reached peak spots in Brazil, Canada, Spain, New Zealand. It also got certified Gold in Europe in countries like Spain, Belgium, and Sweden.
14. Say My Name by Destiny’s Child
A lot of the modern feminist movement commenced in the new millennium through pop culture. Young, beautiful, and talented, the songstresses at Destiny’s Child put out hit after hit, one better than the next. Say My Name was the group’s 2nd number 1 hit single in the US.
The song received a long list of well-deserved accolades such as Best R&B/Soul Single at Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, Most Played Song at BMI Pop Awards, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B song at the Grammy Awards. The music video won Best R&B Video at the 2000 MTV Awards.
13. Breathe by Faith Hill
A ballad with radio power. That would be the headline for Breathe by Faith Hill. The song became the artist’s 7th number 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in the US, locked on the position for an entire 6 weeks. In April 2000 it peaked at number 2 on Billboard Hot 100. The stats are particularly amazing when you consider Breathe was released as a physical single.
In 2009, the single was named the 27th-most-successful song of the 2000s, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.
12. Waiting For Tonight by Jennifer Lopez
Absolutely legendary for both the past and the present, but especially in the year 2000, JLo’s Waiting For Tonight feels like a warmly colored, fuzzy-tasting Tokyo Ice Tea. It has a ton of musical influences at the core such as the Electro synth, the acoustic guitar, the Dance rhythm, the unusually clean vocals for that time, and the Latin music percussion style. Sh*t’s fire!
Released in late 1999 and reigning high on the musical charts all the way through the year 2000, Waiting For Tonight is a smash record that turned Jennifer Lopez into the face of Dance-Pop.
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