The early 2000s, being a major transitional period in both production and consumption methods, was a fascinating time for music. The industry took a nosedive to mass piracy, dance culture turned into pop culture, and the hangover from the 1990s persisted while the mallrats ditched the food courts and went outside.
Now, more than halfway through the 2010s, those who grew up during that time look (and listen) back with a mix of nostalgia, pride and profound embarrassment. Pop songs dominated the airwaves, TRL, middle school dance parties, and more, but some acts didn’t survive past those hits. Here are the 10 biggest and best one-hit wonders from the aughts.
1. BBMak, “Back Here”
If you don’t remember this song, you might remember BBMak’s appearance on the Nickelodeon show Even Stevens in which the U.K. pop trio tried to record a song that had a “Sacramento sound.” While there’s almost definitely no such thing as a Sacramento sound, BBMak’s “Back Here” took every single pop cliché from the ‘90s and adapted it for Y2K. While they were never heard from again, they made their mark with an earworm that won’t let go even 16 years later.
2. Kevin Lyttle, “Turn Me On”
This track, which seemed to have been mostly forgotten since its initial boom, is going through a bit of a renaissance as meme-bait in popular Vines. Lyttle’s falsetto through the song is both hilarious and agreeable, while its reggae-infused beats opened up the path for early Rhianna hits like “Pon De Replay.”
3. Ashlee Simpson, “Pieces of Me”
Maybe it was the lip-syncing controversy on Saturday Night Live or maybe it was the series of bad reality shows she and older sister Jessica had on MTV, but the world seemed to get over Ashlee Simpson very quickly. Her only major radio hit, however, was big enough to seemingly have been played on constant loop in 2004. For a song that initially oversaturated the airwaves when it debuted, Simpson’s track has held up as a solid archive of the times.
4. Sean Kingston, “Beautiful Girls”
These days, it’s no surprise when pop songs sample other beats, Sean Kingston’s one big hit was a bit adventurous for sampling a track as sacred as “Stand By Me.” Even more scandalous, Kingston borrowed those beats while repeatedly referencing taboo topics like suicide in the hook. Then-teenage Kingston hasn’t seen very much success since this 2007 hit, but it was enough to make him remembered in the years that followed.
5. Leona Lewis, “Bleeding Love”
Leona Lewis didn’t have any other huge hits besides “Bleeding Love,” but at least she went all out on big one. “Bleeding Love” was a No. 1 single for seven weeks straight, a modern record that only recently was outdone by Drake’s “One Dance.”