Pop Shots – A Look At The Charts ... From 15 Years Ago
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week I’m hopping into my time machine again, this time setting the coordinates for 15 years ago this week. Remembering back to October of 2001, I was a young, upstart, music journalist just getting his feet wet. J. Lo and Ja Rule's "I'm Real" topped a Billboard Hot 100 that was replete with R&B songs, and a post 9/11 renewed patriotism saw Whitney Houston's version of "The Star Spangled" reemerge at #6.
In addition to those songs, there were a plethora of debut singles from emerging artists who would go on to become gigantic stars. So without further adieu, let’s dive into this classic Billboard Hot 100 from 15 years ago this week. Of course, since this is Pop Shots, you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
"Fallin'" was the song that made us stop everything, and pay attention to a young artist named Alicia Keys. The lead single off of her debut album, "Fallin'" made Keys a household name in 2001, and although her musical output isn't what it used to be, she remains a household name to this day.
Who could have guessed that teaming up the first lady of Ruff Ryders with the lead singer of No Doubt would have resulted in a classic? I’m glad somebody did, because not only was “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” fantastic, Eve and Gwen Stefani teamed up again for Gwen's remake of "Rich Girl." The two toured together earlier this year, proving they're still a killer combo.
"Everywhere" was Michelle Branch’s debut single, and with it she announced her presence as part of the second wave of TRL pop stars, a wave that focused a bit more on musicality (Avril Lavigne, Vanessa Carlton, Alicia Keys, etc.). The song was appropriately titled, as it was seemingly everywhere in 2001, and that was fine with me, because it was a great tune.
Shakira was already a well established star in the Latin music world when "Whenever, Wherever" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 15 years ago this week, but this was the song that broke her into the US market, and made her a hip-shaking star in the States. Word is those hips don't lie, but let's face it, even if they did we'd be fine being lied to by them, because ... Shakira.
The second single by Linkin Park, "Crawling" represented the maturation of nu-metal, and the fact that the genre was going to stick around a little while longer. For quite a few years, nobody did angst like Linkin Park, and "Crawling" was one of their angsty best.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
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