Welcome to the year 2000. A lot had been expected of this year, and some crazy things did happen, perhaps none crazier than what was happening when this countdown first aired. You see, the U.S. presidential election had taken place eleven days earlier, and yet the winner had yet to be accurately determined. And, some would argue, it never was. Anyway, when people weren't talking about butterfly ballots, hanging chads, and Katharine Harris' makeup, they were listening to these songs.
40 - "E.I.," Nelly
39 - "Stan," Eminem
38 - "Big Pimpin'," Jay-Z
37 - "Pop Ya Collar," Usher
36 - "Walk Me Home," Mandy Moore
35 - "Pass You By," Boyz II Men
34 - "Shake it Fast," Mystikal
33 - "Californication," Red Hot Chili Peppers
32 - "Sleepwalker," The Wallflowers
31 - "Again," Lenny Kravitz
Rappers are a strong presence in this first section. St. Louis' Cornell Haynes had his second hit with this track that modifies the hook from "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to "E-I-E-I-Uh Oh!" Otherwise, it's just a typical rap about women, cars, drugs and bling, but enhanced by Nelly's trademark sing-song delivery. Then we get our first introduction to one Marshall Mathers, the man who came out of Detroit to become arguably the biggest music star of the 21st century to date. His enrty here is arguably his masterwork; a dark tale of a devoted fan who becomes increasingly obsessed to the point where he is personally offended by what he perceives to be Eminem's intentional snubbing of him. Ultimately, the fan decides to punish his former hero by sending him a tape of him drunkenly driving his car over a bridge with his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk. A harrowing exploration of how hero-worship can become something more sinister, helped greatly by a haunting sample from Dido's "Thank You." A clear classic. Jay-Z is here with a track on which his voice and flow rise above the standard lyric about money and sex. Texas duo UGK also contribute to the track. They're all right. And New Orleans' Mystikal had his biggest pop hit with this clean version of a song called "Shake Ya Ass." In spite of the title change, it's still about the wonders of the female posterior. Nothing that interesting, but it does mark one of the earliest pop appearances of the production duo known as The Neptunes. I'm sure we'll hear more from them in the future.
Three solo artists are here. R&B star Usher is here with his ode to showing swagger in the face of haters. He also tells you that "you can eat it or throw it away," although he doesn't specify what "it" is. I imagine I'd throw it away. Mandy Moore continued her brief run of hits with this sub-Britney teen ballad. Highly forgettable. And Lenny Kravitz had his second and last pop Top Five with this midtempo ballad about lost love. He has his moments, but sometimes he's just boring. This is one of those times.
We close this first section with groups. Boyz II Men had one of their last pop hits with this ballad that pleads with someone not to give up on true love for security that makes them unhappy. Above average material, and raised even higher by these fantastic voices. Good stuff. The Red Hot Chili Peppers had another hit with the title track to one of their biggest albums. It's a cool little riff on the dark side of the Hollywood dream. And The Wallflowers had their last major pop hit with this jangly tune about romantic doubt. Just okay, but I'll give a bonus point for namechecking Sam Cooke.
30 - "So in Love With Two," Mikaila
29 - "Stronger," Britney Spears
28 - "Incomplete," Sisqo
27 - "The Itch," Vitamin C
26 - "Right Now," SR-71
25 - "If I Am," Nine Days
24 - "It Wasn't Me," Shaggy featuring Rikrok
23 - "The Way You Love Me," Faith Hill
22 - "Crazy for This Girl," Evan and Jaron
21 - "Who Let the Dogs Out," The Baha Men
Five solo artists here. Oklahoman Mikaila Enriquez had her only hit with this dance track about being torn between two lovers. There are many much better dance songs, and if I want to hear a song about the same subject, I'll listen to...well, "Torn Between Two Lovers." Britney Spears is here with another big Max Martin creation, on which she refers back to her debut hit by singing "My loneliness ain't killin' me no more." Good for her. Sisqo (born Mark Andrews) originally found fame with the vocal quartet Dru Hill, then began a solo career that is now best remembered for the camp classic "Thong Song." But his biggest hit, and only pop #1, was this ballad about how although he has money and fame, his life isn't whole without that one special lady. Whether or not this woman has "dumps like a truck," he doesn't say. Colleen Fitzpatrick, who took her stage name from the most prominent nutrient in orange juice, had her last hit with this stuttery dance-popper about horniness. Her biggest hit was the song "Graduation (Friends Forever)," which I've somehow never heard. And I don't intend to change that. And Faith Hill shows up this week with more of her bouncy country-pop. It's fine, but I'd like it if NBC'd find someone else to sing their football song. And while they're at it, maybe they could get someone to write something original instead of bastardizing Joan Jett.
Then we have three rock bands. Baltimore's SR-71 had their only hit with this song about a woman who's a good sexual partner but not relationship material. And she apparently likes kicking the singer when he's high. That's nice. The only thing memorable about this song is how I used to always get it confused with Sum 41's "Makes No Difference." They're practically the same song. Long Island's Nine Days had two hits: "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" and this one. Both are whiny and terrible. I'm not even goine to bother saying any more. And Georgian twins Evan and Jaron Lowenstein had thei biggest hit with this sap-rocker about being in luuuuuurve. Disposable product for the boy-band audience.
The first half ends with a guy born in Jamaica and a group from the Bahamas. Shaggy got an assist from British singer Rikrok on his biggest hit on which he advises men who are caught in flagrante delicto cheating on their significant others to vehemently claim that it wasn't them on the bathroom floor with the neighbor lady. However, he does seem to acknowledge that this strategy is unlikely to work. But I guess it's worth a try. People have believed more implausible stories. And The Baha Men had their biggest international success with this silly canine-theme novelty that became a favorite of sports arena DJs, kids'-movie trailer editors, and Mitt Romney. Yeah, I mentioned him one last time. Couldn't help it. Now let us never speak of him again. Oh, and by a long shot, "Who Let the Dogs Out" is this week's Uneasy Rider.
In Part Two: the song that made a Hong Kong-born engineering student famous, boy bands galore, and the woman who was "waiting all day for Sunday night" before Faith Hill.
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