Ah, middle school: an unsure time of constant awkwardness that we all must be reminded of with cringe-worthy photos. Whether you had braces, glasses, or those weird hair feather accessories everyone was obsessed with (or all three in my case - yikes), middle school was undoubtedly a dark time for fashion choices.
But, the one thing that always shows us the good in those tragic times is the music of the late 2000's. Artists like Usher, Ke$ha, The Black Eyed Peas, Hot Chelle Rae, and Rihanna were some of the first to show our perpetually embarrassing, uncomfortable middle school selves how to have fun.
This late 2000's playlist is in appreciation of middle school and the awkwardness we've all learned to hide a little bit better.
1. Disturbia - Rihanna (2007)
2. Shake It - Metro Station (2007)
3. Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna (2007)
4. Just Dance - Lady Gaga (2008)
5. Heartless - Kanye West (2008)
6. Halo - Beyoncé (2008)
7. So What - P!nk (2008)
8. Live Your Life - T.I. ft. Rihanna (2008)
9. Poker Face - Lady Gaga (2008)
10. Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz (2009)
11. Down - Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne (2009)
12. Chelsea - The Summer Set (2009)
13. Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner (2009)
14. Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada (2009)
15. I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas (2009)
16. Fire Burning - Sean Kingston (2009)
17. Whatcha Say - Jason Derulo (2009)
18. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas (2009)
19. Magic - B.o.B (2010)
20. Nothin' On You - B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars (2010)
21. D-J Got Us Fallin' In Love - Usher ft. Pitbull (2010)
22. Just Can't Get Enough - The Black Eyed Peas (2010)
23. Rocketeer - Far East Movement (2010)
24. Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida ft. David Guetta (2010)
25. Blow - Ke$ha (2010)
26. The Time (Dirty Bit) - The Black Eyed Peas (2010)
27. Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert (2010)
28. We R Who We R - Ke$ha (2010)
29. Replay - Iyaz (2010)
30. Dynamite - Taio Cruz (2010)
31. Love Like Woe - The Ready Set (2010)
32. In My Head - Jason Derulo (2010)
33. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Cristina Aguilera (2010)
34. More - Usher (2010)
35. E.T. - Katy Perry (2010)
36. Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna (2010)
37. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull (2010)
38. Animals - Neon Trees (2010)
39. Chasing the Sun - The Wanted (2010)
40. Good Feeling - FloRida (2011)
41. Without You - David Guetta ft. Usher (2011)
42. Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
43. Glad You Came - The Wanted (2011)
44. Price Tag - Jessie J. ft. B.o.B (2011)
45. Radio - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
46. Not Your Birthday - Allstar Weekend (2011)
47. Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine (2011)
48. Honestly - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
49. On the Floor - Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull (2011)
50. Domino - Jessie J. (2011)
51. Downtown Girl - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
52. Give Me Everything - Ne-Yo ft. Pitbull (2011)
53. You Make Me Feel - Cobra Starship ft. Siba (2011)
54. Yeah 3X - Allstar Weekend ft. Captain J. Hook (2011)
55. Whatever - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
56. I Like It Like That - Hot Chelle Rae (2011)
57. Battle Scars - Guy Sebastian (2012)
58. Good Time - Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)
59. Troublemaker - Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida (2012)
60. Boyfriend - Justin Bieber (2012)
61. Boomerang - The Summer Set (2013)
62. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore ft. Ray Dalton (2013)
63. Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself) - Ne-Yo (2013)
64. Hung Up - Hot Chelle Rae (2014)
65. Don't Say Goodnight - Hot Chelle Rae (2014)
This is only a fraction of the songs that helped shape our love for music. No matter how embarrassing middle school was, those days were so much simpler. Let these songs take you back to those middle school days, and let them bring out the best memories.
Never forget the kid you were in middle school, because they'll always be a small part of you.
Comment any of your favorite middle school jams that I might have missed!
