Katrina Rees
Just like Charli XCX and Troye Sivan sang in their hit collaboration earlier this year, “I just wanna go back, back to 1999”. What a golden year in music, which saw artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and Westlife hit the charts with countless bops which have pretty much remained timeless to this day.
In fact, it’s hard to believe that tracks such as ‘Genie in a Bottle’ and ‘I Want It That Way’, which we still know word for word, will be turning 20 years old in 2019. That’s right, we’ve been singing these iconic songs for almost two decades.
Anyone else feeling SO OLD right now? Just in case you’re not, we’ve rounded up 19 of the most iconic songs which will be turning 20 years old in 2019. You’re very welcome.
1. Artful Dodger and Craig David – ‘Re-Rewind’
Before Craig David stole our hearts with tracks such as ‘Fill Me In’, ‘7 Days’ and ‘Walking Away’ in the year 2000, he made a name for himself on the music scene in 1999 with this absolute bop in collaboration with Artful Dodger. All together now, “Re-rewind, when the crowd say Bo Selecta!”
2. Backstreet Boys – ‘I Want It That Way’
Taken from their third studio album Millenium, ‘I Want It That Way’ was a huge hit for the Backstreet Boys, and is one of their biggest singles to date. The track and its iconic music video have been covered and parodied countless times over the years, proving just how much of a classic ‘I Want It That Way’ is.
3. Britney Spears – ‘(You Drive Me) Crazy’
‘(You Drive Me) Crazy’ was the third single to be taken from Britney’s debut album …Baby One More Time. The infectious track is just as much of a sing-a-long today as it was back in 1999, and we love the dance-filled music video which also features Sabrina The Teenage Witch herself, Melissa Joan Hart.
4. Christina Aguilera – ‘Genie in a Bottle’
From one Mickey Mouse Club alumnus to another, vocal powerhouse Christina Aguilera made her musical breakthrough in 1999 with ‘Genie in a Bottle’. The track topped the charts across the globe and marked the beginning of a sensational music career for Christina.
5. Destiny’s Child – ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’
Back when Destiny’s Child were a four-piece, made up of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, they released the sassy ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’. The track became Destiny’s Child’s first number one in the US on the Billboard Hot 100, whilst it also spent nine weeks at the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart.
6. Dido – ‘Here With Me’
‘Here With Me’ was the debut single from English songstress Dido, who later went on to achieve incredible success with singles such as ‘Thank You’, ‘White Flag’ and ‘Stan’ with Eminem. Despite being from the UK, she first achieved her success in the US – ‘Here With Me’ wasn’t released as a single in the UK until 2001 following the worldwide release of ‘Thank You’.
7. Eminem – ‘My Name Is’
‘My Name Is’ is taken from Eminem’s second album The Slim Shady LP. The track earned the rapper his first Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000.
8. Five – ‘Keep on Movin’
‘Keep on Movin’, taken from Five’s sophomore album Invincible, is one of the band’s most successful singles. Not only did the song reach number one in the UK, marking their first chart-topper, but it also charted well in a string of other countries including Hungary, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
9. Geri Halliwell – ‘Look At Me’
How on earth do you go about making your solo debut after leaving the world’s biggest girlband? Just ask Geri Halliwell. She pulled out all the stops when she launched her solo career with the balls-to-the-wall ‘Look At Me’. Despite missing out on the top spot in the UK to Boyzone, it didn’t stop Geri from following up with more great tracks including ‘Mi Chico Latino’ and ‘Lift Me Up’.
10. Jennifer Lopez – ‘If You Had My Love’
Jennifer Lopez launched her music career with ‘If You Had My Love’ and it couldn’t have been a more perfect debut single for her. After bubbling on the Billboard Hot 100 for a few weeks after its release, following significant radio play, it finally reached number one and spent four weeks at the top before being knocked off by Destiny’s Child’s ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’.
11. Lou Bega – ‘Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)’
If you don’t remember this absolute classic, then have you even lived? Every Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary and Jessica has probably had this song quoted to them at a point in time and it’s no surprise considering the song’s success. ‘Mambo No.5’ hit number one in the UK, US, Australia and over 15 European countries.
12. Macy Gray – ‘I Try’
‘I Try’ remains Macy Gray’s biggest hit to date, charting well across the world in 1999 (and in the US in 2000). ‘I Try’ won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001, whilst it was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
13. Ricky Martin – ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’
Arguably Ricky Martin’s biggest hit to date, the infinitely infectious ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ rocked the airwaves on both sides of the globe. The track remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, whilst topping the Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Songs charts for nine and ten weeks respectively. It also topped the charts in the UK, and many countries in between.
14. Ronan Keating – ‘When You Say Nothing At All’
With Boyzone still in full swing at the time, frontman Ronan Keating stepped out with his first solo release, a cover of ‘When You Say Nothing At All’, originally sung by both Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss. The track was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Notting Hill and later appeared on Ronan’s debut solo album, Ronan.
15. S Club 7 – ‘S Club Party’
‘S Club Party’ was the second single to be released from S Club 7’s debut album S Club and remains an absolute bop to this day. Everyone’s tried to jump up in the air and do the ‘S’ symbol, right? The track acts as the perfect introduction to the band and shows off their personalities perfectly.
16. Smash Mouth – ‘All Star’
If you’ve ever seen Shrek then you will definitely be familiar with ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth. The track, taken from the band’s second album Astro Lounge, remains one of their most successful songs to date, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
17. TLC – ‘No Scrubs’
‘No Scrubs’ is the lead single from TLC’s second album FanMail and spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The track also enjoyed great success in the UK, Australia, and other countries. There is no doubt that ‘No Scrubs’ is one of the most iconic and well-loved songs of all time, and has been covered by a number of artists including DNCE, Kelly Clarkson and The Saturdays.
18. Vengaboys – ‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom’
‘Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom’ marked Dutch Eurodance group Vengaboys’ first number one in the UK, becoming one of the catchiest songs of the summer. With its cheeky lyrics and infectious rhythm, the track was also a hit in countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMP-JqFQ_l4
19. Westlife – ‘Flying Without Wings’
Without doubt one of the biggest boybands of the 90’s/00’s, Westlife enjoyed their third UK chart topper in 1999 with ‘Flying Without Wings’. The soaring ballad remains as one of the band’s biggest singles to date and has been certified Gold in the UK. With the band having recently announced their reunion for 2019, we’re hoping to hear ‘Flying Without Wings’ on their UK arena tour.
