Originally published July 25, 2018 on radiofodder.com
There are some songs that stand the test of time—Celine Dion’s heart-wrenching power ballad My Heart Will Go On, Britney Spears’ iconic bop Toxic, Toto’s meme-tastic Africa. But then there are those songs that fall into the cracks. This post is for all those hits that, for one reason or another, everyone forgot about. Get ready for a walk down memory lane by revisiting 20 songs from the ‘00s (i.e. the golden era of trashy pop bops) forgotten by time. Not by me, though.
1. According to You – Orianthi
Badass rocker kween Orianthi (which is her actual name, by the way) rose to fame in the wake of Michael Jackson’s ill-fated final This Is It tour, for which she was meant to be the guitarist, with her debut single According to You—an angsty anthem giving the middle finger to a f*ckboy who did her dirty. Unfortunately, Orianthi failed to replicate the success of this hit with any of her follow-ups. Girlfriend still travels around the world, shredding her guitar.
2. All You Wanted – Michelle Branch
It hurts my heart that Michelle Branch’s music hasn’t stood the test of time like her other pop rock peers, such as Avril LaQueen and Kelly Clarkson. While some people might still remember her hit song Everywhere, her other singles like All You Wanted, Are You Happy Now?, Goodbye to You and The Game of Love (her Grammy-winning collab with Santana) have fallen by the wayside. After disappearing from the music scene for a while, she came roaring back last year with her well-received album Hopeless Romantic, and is also expecting a baby with Patrick Carney from The Black Keys!
3. Baby Boy – Big Brovaz
After the fleeting success of their debut album, which spawned four top 10 singles for the UK group, a series of scandals and changes to the group line up saw a decline in Big Brovaz’s popularity. The group split in 2007, but have since come together a few times for those nostalgic reunion tours that all the ‘00s groups are doing. Baby Boy is still a great song though, and the Friends-themed music video is EVERYTHING.
4. Check Yes Juliet – We The Kings
Referencing Romeo & Juliet seemed to be a big thing in the late ‘00s. This rockin’ jam only reached 70 on the Billboard charts, but did much better in Australia, peaking at number 26. Unfortunately, the group have yet to be able to replicate even this middling success since. We The Kings are still kicking it, and released their sixth studio album Six in early July this year.
5. Cherry Lips – Garbage
Cherry Lips is one of those songs you’ve 100% heard before, but probably don’t know by name. The song is catchy is hell, and was a pretty big hit in Australia. Its lyrics, inspired by JT Leroy’s book Sarah, tell of a young boy that dresses in drag and is potentially a prostitute. Eek.
6. Don’t Miss You – Amy Pearson
Amy Pearson’s biggest hit to date, Don’t Miss You is my ultimate post-f*ckboy empowerment anthem. The song did pretty well in Australia, but Amy wasn’t able to match her initial chart success—her third single Ready to Fly was used by Channel 7 during the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, though! Since then, Amy’s been doing some songwriting, and even co-wrote Zoe Badwi’s iconic bop Freefallin.
7. Falling – Candice Alley
Falling was a big hit for Aussie singer Candice Alley, reaching the fifth spot on the ARIA charts, but none of her follow-up singles topped its success—a common theme, apparently. Candice went on to marry Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett, and starred in a recurring role for a while on Neighbours.
8. Flashdance – Deep Dish
In the heyday of Ministry of Sound, dance hits like Flashdance by Deep Dish reigned supreme on the radio during the mid-‘00s. With vocals from Anousheh Khalili, the song peaked at number 14 on the ARIA charts. My mum absolutely frothed this song.
9. Hit Me Up – Gia Farrell
For me, the ‘00s was all about these fun, uptempo bops with mildly sexual lyrics, a kickass vocal, and like a bajillion runs and ad-libs at the end. Hit Me Up featured on the Happy Feet soundtrack, and hit up the ARIA charts at the number 6 spot. Unfortunately, Gia never got to release her debut album due to issues with her label, but apparently she has a new album in the works.
10. I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair) – Sandi Thom
Although I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker was the best selling song in Australia in 2006, it’s just one of those hits that people forget about unless you remind them of it. Which is pretty hard, considering this song was everywhere. It’s a damn shame, because it’s iconic. That a capella intro? Yes. The Scottish singer has continued to tour around the world and release albums.
11. I’m in Heaven – Jason Nevins ft. Holly James
This song is so forgotten that it isn’t on YouTube, so here’s the video on some weird video platform that isn’t YouTube: https://ok.ru/video/83209619978
I heard this song once when I was working in a cafe and quickly whipped my phone out to Shazam it. Hearing this dance/house track while washing coffee cups transported me right back to 2003. What a throwback. Jason has a number of producing, songwriting and mixing credits under his belt, while Holly has been busy with her musical theatre work, appearing in Monty Python Live (Mostly) in 2014 and the Broadway run of American Psycho in 2016.
12. Kiss Kiss – Holly Valance
Kiss Kiss is a certified bop. Don’t @ me on this. I know a bop when I hear one. After the commercial success of Kiss Kiss, Holly’s subsequent singles also did well on the charts (SHOOK!), but she stopped when “music wasn’t fun anymore” for her. Holly, who rose to fame on Neighbours, continued acting after her short music stint, including a starring role in the so-awful-it-was-good film Dead or Alive.
13. Light Surrounding You – Evermore
Even though the song hit number one on the ARIA charts, had a music video with Aussie actress Emily Browning, and was featured on Home and Away as the swan song for Kate Ritchie’s character, Light Surrounding You by New Zealander brother trio Evermore hasn’t managed to stick around in the public consciousness.
14. Like it Loud – Cassie Davis
This 2009 banger was certified gold and climbed up to the number 11 spot on the ARIA charts. I also remember it being everywhere on the radio back then. It kind of reminds me of The Best Damn Thing era Avril Lavigne. Unfortunately, Cassie couldn’t replicate the success of her anthem. Since then, she’s devoted her efforts to songwriting and producing, and joined a group named Contra.
15. Lovesong – Amiel
The explicit version of this acoustic guitar-driven, bitter as hell ballad introduced seven-year-old me to the F word, and it shook my world. The song made it to the sixth spot on the ARIA charts, and got nominated for two ARIA awards that year for Highest Selling Single and Single of the Year. Unfortunately, Amiel lost out to Delta Goodrem’s Born to Try, and has since faded into obscurity. Bloody Delta. The last update on her Wikipedia page was about an independent album that was meant to come out in 2009. Where is she???
16. Mistake – Stephanie McIntosh
I! DON’T! WANT! TO! MAKE! ANOTHER MISTAKE LIKE YOOOOOOOOU! An ANTHEM. After her breakthrough success, the former Neighbours star halted her music career to focus on her acting, appearing in a few indie films. She also has a daughter, with another baby on the way. Congrats, girl! Fun fact: Ryan Carnes, who starred in the iconic gay comedy Eating Out, plays her love interest in the music video.
17. Someday, Someday – Thirsty Merc
Everyone knows this song, but Thirsty Merc’s Someday, Someday just hasn’t thrived like other iconic Aussie rock anthems have. It’s a shame, because this song is actually pretty good. The band released their latest album in 2015, and are embarking on a tour later this year.
18. These Words – Natasha Bedingfield
This song throws me all the way back to SingStar Pop on the old PS2. What a time. Objectively, this song is much better than her more popular hit Unwritten, which has become all but an anthem for white girls and graduating students. These Words is an anthem of our generation, and I will not hear a bad word about it.
19. When You Look At Me – Christina Milian
I remember being exposed to this fun pop bop when I got a free CD from Clarks when I got a new pair of school shoes in primary school. The CD also featured the equally forgotten Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, A Little Bit by Pandora, and Life is Fun by Amica (check all of these out for more nostalgic moments!). Fun fact: Christina Milian also sang the theme song for Kim Possible. She now has a daughter, and continues to record music and act.
20. With You – Jessica Simpson
Before I even knew what the internet was, I remember frantically jotting down the lyrics to With You on a piece of paper when I heard it on the radio. This song meant that much to me. People sometimes forget Jessica Simpson had a music career. Some people even forget about Jessica Simpson. She served us so many bops, so it’s a damn shame this queen doesn’t receive the respect she deserves. The good sis is working on an eighth (oh my gosh) studio album that’s set to release this year.