Picture this: It's 2013, Friday night. You're rocking the side pony. Your hair feather is looking ~fire~. Aeropostale shirts are on. Patterned leggings and UGG boots are the staples of your outfit. You meet up with your friends in the lobby of your middle school so you can walk into the dance together. Life is good.
Don't even try to deny it. No matter how cringe middle school seems now, you danced the night away to these songs and loved every second of it. Although music has changed over the last 7 years, the love for our favorite throwback hits will never die. Here is a list of some of my favorites, and I'm sure they're some of yours, too!
1. "Tik Tok" — Ke$ha
Had to kick off the list with the original Tik Tok, well before we all became obsessed with the app. 'Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack,' was a fan favorite line, even though we were 13 and didn't know what Jack Daniel's was.
2. "Unwritten" — Natasha Bedingfield
If you don't sing this song while dancing around your kitchen I don't trust you.
3. "Leavin'" — Jesse McCartney
Honestly, anything from Jesse McCartney is an absolute jam.
4. "Low" — Flo Rida
If you don't drop it low when he says 'she hit the floor,' then I don't wanna talk.
5. "Firework" — Katy Perry
You know what? Sometimes I do feel like a plastic bag, blowing through the wind, wanting to start again. But then I listen to this song and remember that I'm a strong, independent firework.
6. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" — Soulja Boy
The dance that took the world by storm. If you don't crank that soulja boy, then it cranks you.
7. "Call Me Maybe" — Carly Rae Jepsen
Holding your hand like a phone against your ear while singing along is an absolute must.
8. "Fergalicious" — Fergie
I can't remember information that I just learned for an exam, but you can BET I will never forget the iconic rap in this song.
9. "Club Can't Handle Me" — Flo Rida
Another Flo Rida favorite, that has a lot of great memories for me. Grab some sunglasses and a fake microphone and I'm ready to sing and dance my heart out.
10. "Potential Breakup Song" — Aly & AJ
These girls had me angry at the boyfriend I never had with this song, and it's a freakin' jam.
11. "Replay" — Iyaz
I consider it a rule that you have to point at your best friends when he sings 'That girl, Like somethin' off a poster, That girl, Is a dime they say.' And you should too.
12. "Crush" — David Archuleta
David Archuleta's cameo on iCarly will go down in history, and so will this song.
13. "Moves Like Jagger" — Maroon 5
Maroon 5 has so many incredible songs it was hard to just choose one. But dancing to this song is always a good idea. Plus, the Christina Aguilera verse is fire.
14. "Pon de Replay" — Rihanna
Every Rihanna song is a jam, but this one just hits different when it comes to middle school vibes.
15. "Pocketful of Sunshine" — Natasha Bedingfield
Emma Stone singing this song in Easy A cause it's stuck in her head is the most relatable thing ever. But this song still rocks.
16. "Miss Independent" — Ne-Yo
If this song doesn't hype up independent ladies everywhere, then idk what will.
17. "Wake Up" — Hilary Duff
Don't sleep on Hilary Duff. Though we may know her as Lizzie McGuire (or Isabella Parigi), the girl(s) who single-handedly took down Paolo at the Italian Music Awards, she also created musical masterpieces like this in her free time.
18. "Super Bass" — Nicki Minaj
A middle school music playlist would be incomplete without some Nicki Minaj, and that's a fact.
19. "I Gotta Feeling" — Black Eyed Peas
This playlist would ALSO be incomplete without the Black Eyed Peas. Plus, the call and response at the end is amazing. If you don't sing both parts of it, you're lying.
20. "Just Dance" — Lady Gaga
You have to dance to this song, Gaga literally tells you to in the title.
21. "Every Time We Touch" — Cascada
If you want to get a bunch of college girls excited beyond belief, put this song on, and let it work its magic, you won't be disappointed.
22. "Tonight, Tonight" — Hot Chelle Rae
This song needs no explanation, it's good vibes all around.
23. "Down" — Jay Sean
If you don't slowly drop it low every time he says 'down,' I don't believe you.
24. "Beauty and A Beat" — Justin Bieber
It would be criminal to not include Justin Bieber in this middle school master list. Anything from his Believe album takes me back to those dances.
25. "Get The Party Started" — P!nk
And FINALLY – we can't forget about our girl P!nk to close out the list. All of her music going back to 2000 are absolute jams, and this one truly does get the party started.
I would like to thank my lovely friends for their help creating this list. It's weird yet comforting to know that we all had the same middle school experience, and our music taste definitely reflects that.
