Happy 2017!!!

As I was trying to think of a topic for this article, I put some random Spotify playlist on shuffle, attempting to spark my creative thinking, and it turns out that it was a "throwback" playlist. The songs were all ones that I remembered, and as I sang along, I began to wonder what year they all were released, not knowing how old a song needed to be to be considered a "throwback." Interested, I looked through the playlist more in depth, and I saw tracks from artists that I distinctly remember downloading onto my iPod nano back in middle school.

Then it hit me: some of these songs will be turning 10 YEARS OLD in 2017... So, as I can't resist sharing, I bring you 10 songs that will be a decade old this year.

1. "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston

I actually remember singing along to this in the car on the way to a waterpark with my friend. It was quite the jam, and I guarantee if you ask anyone to name a Sean Kingston song, they'll name this one.

2. "Umbrella" by Rihanna feat. Jay-Z

I don't actually remember the music video to this song, but the actual lyrics are something you can't forget. I mean, who can resist singing "You can stand under my umberella, ELLA ELLA EH EH EH." (Hint: no one.)

3. "Crank That" by Soulja Boy

No middle school function was complete without some sort of reference to Soulja Boy. With this song, he established his name, as well as an iconic dance that no one was allowed to sit out on.

4. "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven

I don't remember much about this band, nor how they came to fame, but I'm still, to this day, able to scream out the lyrics to this song.

5. "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne was THE pop punk princess. I remember singing along to this anthem in my mirror at home, and even though I wasn't allowed to sing some of the lyrics because they swore, I distinctly remember fake screaming the "I'm the motherf*cking princess" part with intense feeling. (And maybe even some aggressive fist pumping.)

6. "Stronger" by Kanye West

I've never been a real Kanye fan, but I don't think anyone can deny their love for this song. Plus, I can sing nearly every one of the lyrics, probably due to all the times I have heard it on the radio over the years, but hey, I don't mind it at all.

7. "Pop, Lock & Drop It" by Huey

On par with Soulja Boy's "Crank That," Huey released an anthem that was played at every function I went to in middle school. To this day, if you say "pop, lock and drop it" to me, I still get flashbacks to this song.

8."Thnks fr th Mmrs" by Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy was (and still is) one of my favorite bands, and I can say that I actually thought this song was lyrical genius. It was one of the first time that I truly appreciated song lyrics.

9. "Apologize" by Timbaland feat. OneRepublic

I honestly didn't know Timbaland existed before this point, but this song brought he and OneRepublic to an extreme level of recognition... I even heard this song on the radio last week!

10. "No One" by Alicia Keys

All her songs are jams, but this song was the first time she was really on my radar. From 2007 to this day, she sings with an effortless grace... In my opinion, no one can beat Alicia Keys.