If you are a girl born in 1994-1997 or in years close to it, chances are these songs definitely had a positive effect on your life. We spent hours listening to them and eventually, our Moms said the c.d. "disappeared." When we found it in her room a few days later, it was on repeat, louder than before. Thanks to those hours, I still have every word memorized and they are as important to me now as they were when I was younger.
1. Who Let The Dogs Out
Although I was too young to recognize this group was a total one-hit-wonder, 'Who Let The Dogs Out?', released in 2000, was a major hit at my five-year-old birthday party. It was the first time a big group of girls got to stay the night at my house. We had a karaoke machine and it was a pajama party. Thank you, Bahamen, for providing the theme song to the best sleepover ever!
2. Oops!... I Did It Again
For us, Britney did it again and again and again. Whether your favorite is '...Baby One More Time,' 'Oops!... I Did It Again,' 'Lucky,' her songs are embedded in our minds. If the songs weren't enough, I idolized the outfits and the dancing. As a Britney fan, I acknowledge her 2007 meltdown. But, hello, her Circus album was a total comeback. After all, it's Britney, Bitch.
3. Hey Now
Have you ever seen such a beautiful.... Movie!? Not only did Lizzie and Isabella stop the bad boy, but Lizzie completely rocked her performance in Rome. Because of this song, I know what dreams are made of: a little cartoon character that represents my conscious, falling in love in Rome, and becoming a pop star.
4. Beautiful Soul
It was 2004 and Jesse Mccartney was looking for more than just a pretty face and someone to hold. It was on the radio, but I swore he was singing straight to me. More than just good lyrics, this song offered a good message, too. He deserves recognition for praising a beautiful heart and soul!
5. Hot In Herre
Nelly gave so much to our generation. Between 'Grillz,' 'Country Grammar,' 'Ride Wit Me,' and 'Hot In Herre', we owed it to him to listen and memorize. Plus, our parents owe him gratitude. When else would they have taught us to keep our clothes on? Consider yourself lucky if your dad didn't say "It's getting cold in here, so keep on all your clothes" every time you heard this song.
6. Hollaback Girl
Simply because I sing this song every time I spell B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
7. Confessions/Confessions Pt. II (Because choosing one song is way too hard)
Oh, Usher. You taught us so many lessons with these albums. First, if you're gonna tell it, you gotta tell it all. Second, don't ever let a boy get you caught up. Third, sometimes, even when you don't want to, you gotta let it burn.
8. 1, 2 Step
Ciaraaaaaaaaa! When I was little, I couldn't understand half of these words, but they sure sounded good in the song. I spent hours in my room dancing to this song. Bonus: I'm really tall and this was around the time I was 5' 2" so rapping Missy Elliot's part felt natural. (I'm 5'2" I wanna dance with you!)
9. Bye Bye Bye
NSYNC was my personal favorite and this song taught me never to mess around with a boy who wasn't good for me! Whether your favorite was NSYNC or the Backstreet Boy, boy bands were everything. My mom probably still has the posters that filled my walls when I was little and honestly, I still have every NSYNC album on my phone.
10. 7 Things
These definitely are not the only songs I remember from childhood or the only good ones. These songs, among many others, are the ones that come on and I, along with my friends, still know all of the words and don't hesitate in belting them like we sang it originally.
