How Many Of These Supposed Hits Ring A Bell?
What leads to a song being a hit can be pretty hard to articulate. And looking back, can you remember what was even in the air for a rather forgettable pop song to blow up? Let's take a moment to remember these number one hits that already been forgotten.
“Butterfly”
If you’re a fan of the 2002 comedy Orange County, you may remember the song “Butterfly” being a recurring gag in it. Otherwise, you’re probably out of luck.
Crazy Town - Butterfly (Official Video) [4K Remastered], elcoronelGOD
“Incomplete”
Sisqo is so strongly associated with “The Thong Song” that it’s hard to remember that he had other hits. This sappy ballad is pretty far from the flamboyant fun of that track, and probably doesn’t get much modern play.
Sisqo - Incomplete (Official HD Music Video), RNB RADAR
“Doesn’t Really Matter”
It’s as easy to forget about this song as it is Janet Jackson’s acting career in general. After all, this forgettable hit was from The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.
Janet Jackson - Doesn't Really Matter (Official Video) [HD], HDmjuzik
“Ain’t It Funny”
Jennifer Lopez had many big singles, but this one from her peak in 2001 is easy to forget. Though, it at least partly stands out with its Latin themes.
Jennifer Lopez - Ain't It Funny (Official Video), Jennifer Lopez
“Angel”
We’re not referring to Sarah McLachlan’s downer ballad that plays at countless funerals and ads for animal shelters, but Shaggy’s follow-up to “It Wasn’t Me”. Frankly speaking, it’s absolutely no “It Wasn’t Me”, which still rips.
Shaggy - Angel [1080p Remastered], elcoronelGOD
“Maria Maria”
Santana had a lot of bangers in the late 90s and early 2000s, be it “Smooth”, or heck, “The Game of Love”. That being said, do you dare put “Maria Maria” in the same breath?
Santana - Maria Maria (Official Video) ft. The Product G&B, Santana
“Bump Bump Bump”
We can’t name one of the artists associated with this track; let’s just say they’re currently on trial. So maybe this track is good to be forgotten for the next while.
B2K, P. Diddy - Bump, Bump, Bump (Official Music Video), B2K
“I Believe”
The American Idol-to-radio play pipeline used to be a real thing. This was definitely the case with Fantasia’s first single, “I Believe”, which is now in the dustbin of history.
Fantasia - I Believe, Imaginative TV
“Slow Motion”
It feels bad to pick on something that was released posthumously, but does this track even ring a bell for you? It was by rapper Juvenile and the late Soulja Slim, who had passed away four months before its release.
Juvenile - Slow Motion ft. Soulja Slim, Juvenile
“Laffy Taffy”
Great song title that instantly puts you in a good mood, but how’s the actual production? Frankly, nobody can remember it enough to say we’re sorry, D4L.
D4L - Laffy Taffy (Official Video), Atlantic Records
“Grillz”
Nelly’s track about his love of Nikes probably remains a certain nadir of dumb rap, but this track is not as stupid, even if still being far less memorable. We were long from the heights of “Ride Wit Me”.
Nelly - Grillz ft. Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, Nelly
“You’re Beautiful”
It’s hard to remember if James Blunt had any other hit singles. Regardless, he can probably live off residuals for this track, which every cringey guy tried to impress a woman by quoting.
James Blunt - You're Beautiful (Official Music Video) [4K], James Blunt
“This Is Why I’m Hot”
Undeniably, “This is Why I’m Hot” is a great title, but can you hum the song from memory? We didn’t think so, but evidently people in 2007 could.
Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot (Official Music Video), MIMSVEVO
“Kiss Kiss”
It’s odd thinking about the moment before Chris Brown became completely toxic. His 2007 single “Kiss Kiss” likely represents that, which is hard to remember.
Chris Brown - Kiss Kiss (Feat. T-Pain) (Official HD Video) ft. T-Pain, Chris Brown
“Bleeding Love”
Is it “keep keep bleeding” or “keep keep breathing” that is sung by Leona Lewis? A small number of people are still debating this because the track is long forgotten.
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (Official Video), leonalewis
“Whatever You Like”
TI’s reign may be easy to forget, but there was a time when he was constantly on the radio as well as in the movies. This track is catchy, but representative of shallow, radio-friendly hip-hop.
T.I. - Whatever You Like (Official Video), Atlantic Records
“Crack A Bottle”
Eminem’s album Relapse remains one of his most unhinged works ever, which says a lot for the artist. So to be honest, it’s surprising that anything from it ever charted, which included this.
Eminem - Relapse Vinyl Unboxing, Unbox Kings International
“Down”
“Down” by Jay Sean and Lil Wayne should be thanked for one thing: kicking Black Eyed Peas’ deplorable “I've Got a Feeling” from number one on the Billboard Hot 100. That being said, it’s pretty hard to remember how the track actually goes.
Jay Sean - Down ft. Lil Wayne (Official Music Video) ft. Lil Wayne, jayseanworldwide
“3”
Perhaps Britney Spears’ biggest hit since George W Bush left office was this 2009 track. She was lucky to have the help of super-producer Max Martin, though admittedly, people aren’t really humming it today.
Britney Spears - 3 (Director's Cut) 4K 60fps, Victor Costa Productions
“Raise Your Glass”
It’s never not surprising how much longevity pop star Pink has had. She was still charting into 2010 with this pretty annoying track.
P!nk - Raise Your Glass (Official Video), P!NK
“OMG”
Usher already feels like a bit of a legacy act, so it’s almost surprising to remember he still had number one hits in 2010. He’s got some bad publicity to overcome in order to get back to the top.
Usher - OMG ft. will.i.am, Usher
“Black And Yellow”
Wiz Khalifa has been one of the most popular rappers of the past 15 years, but it’s always hard to actually remember what his tracks are. Well, we’ll always have Mac & Devin Go to High School at least.
Wiz Khalifa - Black And Yellow [Official Music Video], Wiz Khalifa
“Somebody That I Used To Know”
An important question arises with Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”: Do you remember the song or the video? The brief sensation originated as a viral YouTube hit.
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) [Official Music Video], gotyemusic
“Locked Out Of Heaven”
The tyranny of Bruno Mars had to end, for reasons including songs as unimaginative as this one charting so high. He, sadly, probably has a non-stop chart presence comparable to Maroon 5.
Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven (Official Music Video), Bruno Mars
“Harlem Shake”
Doing the “Harlem Shake” became a strong meme in early 2013, inspired by this song. It was the kind of thing that would’ve blown up even more in the TikTok era.
HARLEM SHAKE (ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO), Sensei D Tv
“Fancy”
Charli XCX probably wants to forget she ever did this track with the pariah Iggy Azalea, who was the most hyped pop artist in America until a political shift occurred. It got to the point that Azalea’s world tour was cancelled and never even occurred.
Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCX, Iggy Azalea
“Rude”
Canadian reggae fusion group MAGIC is definitely a “the less said, the better” situation. Their one hit, “Rude,” was particularly hard to escape if you were in Canada, where radio airplay rules ran it into the ground.
MAGIC! - Rude (Official Video), MAGIC!
“Cheerleader”
Jamaican artist Omi first released the song “Cheerleader” in 2012 but didn’t top the charts with it until 2015. A great story, but can you actually remember how the track goes?
OMI - Cheerleader 2012 (Official Music Video), OMI
“Black Beatles”
“Black Beatles” may not be that memorable, but it at least bears the distinction of getting rapper Gucci Mane at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Though, we should mention the song was primarily the product of rapper Rae Sremmurd.
Rae Sremmurd - Black Beatles ft. Gucci Mane (Official Video), Rae Sremmurd
“Havana”
Camilla Cabello is generally one of the most forgettable pop stars of late, so it’s not surprising that you probably can’t even hum this track, which hit number one. Did it at least feature someone else famous on it?
Camila Cabello - Havana ft. Young Thug, Camila Cabello
“This Is America”
Zeitgeist-baiting can work in the moment, but it doesn’t usually have much in the way of longevity. So, is the case with Childish Gambino’s 2018 single, which gained attention and then quickly became a joke?
Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video), Donald Glover
“Psycho”
Post Malone gradually transitioned from rapper to pop star, as cemented by his 2020 single “Circles”. That being said, 2018’s “Psycho” showed the endgame was in his sights.
Post Malone - Psycho (Official Music Video) ft. Ty Dolla $ign, Post Malone
“7 Rings”
It says a lot about the presence Ariana Grande had on the charts that a single as thoroughly unmemorable as this could chart for weeks. However, her latest single from last year wasn’t much better.
Ariana Grande - 7 rings (Official Video), Ariana Grande
“Rockstar”
The brief dominance of controversial rapper DaBaby is already pretty much forgotten. You don’t find anybody humming his number one hit “Rockstar” from only five years ago.
DaBaby - Rockstar feat. Roddy Ricch [Official Music Video], DaBaby
“Rich Men North Of Richmond”
Country musician Oliver Anthony briefly became a viral sensation when America’s Republican party disingenuously tried to reclaim his first hit track as a right-wing populist anthem. Anthony made sure to publicly note he was criticizing the exact people trying to claim it as their own.
Oliver Anthony - Rich Men North Of Richmond, radiowv
“First Person Shooter”
Drake’s 2023 album For All the Dogs represented the nadir of his career, and perhaps why he’s no longer a big deal outside of being mocked by Kendrick Lamar. That being said, it still produced at least one hit song.
Drake - First Person Shooter ft. J. Cole, Drake
“Carnival”
This track will likely be Kanye’s last ever appearance at number one, given well, certain circumstances of late. Frankly, it’s far from the best thing he did on both Vultures albums with Ty Dolla Sign.
Kanye West - CARNIVAL ft. Playboi Carti ,Ty Dolla $ign and Rich the Kid (LYRICS), Hotspot
“Bad Day”
Man, oh man, is this track by Canadian artist Daniel Powter extremely corny. That being said, people probably did relate to it, hence the chart performance.
Daniel Powter - Bad Day (Official Music Video) [HD], Daniel Powter
“Ridin’”
Chamillionaire, as a rapper, is probably representative of the 2000s overlap between hip-hop, pop, and self-aware novelty. That being said, his single “Ridin’” did inspire the excellent Weird Al parody “White & Nerdy”.
Chamillionaire - Ridin' (Official Music Video) ft. Krayzie Bone, ChamillionaireVEVO
“ET”
It’s easy to forget that Katy Perry and Kanye West once did a track together. Being that they’re both currently pariahs, maybe they should work together again.
Katy Perry - E.T. ft. Kanye West (Official Music Video), Katy Perry
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