The early 2000s were right around the time when I started listening to music other than hits from Disney Channel child actors who were also singers. I was of the era where cassette tapes were just beginning to get replaced by CDs, but I owned plenty of both. I was also one to exhaust my favorite CDs and tapes from playing them over and over so many times. Needless to say, I not only knew every single lyric, but I knew every instrumental solo, every deviation from the original melody, and truly performed for the rest of the car whenever these songs came on. It's really amusing when you realize how many lyrics have somehow remained locked in your memory to this day. Though you may agonize over memorizing 40 chemistry flashcards, the lyrics to "Sk8er Boi" will simply never leave your brain. Never.
1. "Hey ya!" - OutKast (2003)
This one reminds me of bus rides when everybody would belt it out together the entire ride home, to the dismay of the disgruntled bus driver. ("Hey ya, hey ya" wasn't all that difficult to remember, so everyone at least joined in on the chorus.) This is also a dangerous song in that it was (and still is) capable of getting stuck in your head for hours. I apologize.
2. "So Yesterday" - Hilary Duff (2003)
Okay, so this one's not too far from Disney Channel Land, but it was actually a hit on the radio and everything. Back in the days when Hilary Duff was actually the coolest person on the planet to every 6-year-old girl, there was no stopping this song from winning the hearts of everyone.
3. "This Love" - Maroon 5 (2002)
What a classic. Old Maroon 5 is the best Maroon 5. Right from that angsty opening guitar riff, your 1st-grade-self knew you were hooked. Here's to belting this one into your hairbrush in your room with your best friend, or just alone when you were feeling especially emotionally invested.
4. "Soak up the Sun" - Sheryl Crow (2002)
Looking at these lyrics now reminds me that this was an example of a song where I absolutely faked it when it came to knowing the words, but it had a fun and happy beat and was perfect for a beach day or just hanging out in the backyard on a summer day.
5. "The Reason" - Hoobastank (2003)
Back before we actually listened to or cared about the lyrics, songs like this were perfect. They gave us a vague idea of how the singer felt (he's "not a perfect perfect person") and we could relate to that, but mostly we just enjoyed rocking out to the angsty chorus.
6. "Sk8er Boi" - Avril Lavigne (2002)
If there was ever an elementary school anthem, this was it. Countless talent show interpretations and karaoke performances at birthday parties ingrained this one in everybody's mind. Who couldn't identify with the edgy Avril Lavigne and the compelling storyline created in this song?
7. Crazy in Love - Beyoncé (2003)
This song reminds me of the birthday parties at the roller rink where the music made the experience. This song was many of our first time experiencing solo Beyoncé, and it has only gone uphill from there.
8. Beautiful - Christina Aguilera (2002)
This one's been tainted a bit by its appearance in "Mean Girls" (don't get me wrong, Damian's rendition of this song in the talent show is absolutely my favorite part of the movie) but when it actually came out, it was the perfect combination of inspirational and catchy for our young minds to latch onto.
Some of these songs have reemerged or stood the test of time (a terrifying 8 years at this point) and some have shrunk away into invisibility only to be dug up again by the nostalgia-craving millennial. Either way, listening to these songs will bring you back to a blissful time of no responsibilities, not to mention no shame at proving yourself worthy of giving the performance of a lifetime to anyone who would listen.
