According to a former preteen…
Enter the year 2007: The year Britney lost her shit, the year LiLo was released from prison for a DUI, and the very same year that everyone wore velour Juicy Couture sweatsuits and bedazzled their magenta Razr phones (which you can nab on Amazon for $134.10 if you’re feeling nostalgic). At the very same time, many current college students were just entering their teenage years, and spending a lot of money on their developing identity crisis. Were you an Aeropostale girl or a Hot Topic girl? Did you like pop or alternative? Was rap really that good, or did you like it because your friends liked it? Like our confused preteen selves, the musical landscape seemed to be changing quite a bit. As many will tell you, the nineties seemed to drag on well into the ‘00s, and it was during the mid ‘00s that we finally saw a shift into what is now ‘00s pop culture.
While the 22-year-old in 2017 would fully acknowledge the beauty in Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, or Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare, or Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible…the 13-year-old in 2007 didn’t really care about indie music.
8. Say It Right – Nelly Furtado (Loose)
An underrated pop gem that was definitely overshadowed by the more-popular (and moderately amazing) “Promiscuous“
7. Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’) – T-Pain ft. Yung Joc (Epiphany)
One of those songs you forget about for a while, but the minute you hear the first few synth notes, you know exactly what dance to do.
6. Umbrella – Rihanna ft. Jay Z (Good Girl Gone Bad)
Despite the dark tones of the song, and the equally (kind of) edgy video, Umbrella is easily one of the most cheerful pop songs in existence. Look the lyrics up… it’s bubblegum without the sugar.
5. “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” – Fall Out Boy (Infinity on High)
The one chance I had to scream “goddamn” at the top of my lungs… when my mom wasn’t around, of course. One of the easier FOB songs to sing along to (thank you Mr. Stump).
4. Good Life – Kanye West (Graduation)
Just an overall feel-good song. Even though Kanye has done and said some highly unfavorable things lately, Good Life continues to be one of many songs that still cause a crowd to lose their minds.
3. D.A.N.C.E. – Justice (†)
The 2017 22-year-old may be sneaking in a bit here, but Justice’s aptly named D.A.N.C.E. has aged pretty well, which isn’t an easy feat for most dance electronica songs. Not to mention it includes excellent usage of MJ’s famous acronym P.Y.T.
2. Low – Flo Rida (Mail on Sunday)
Everybody knows this song. Everybody likes this song. Do you know all the words? Probably not. But you know the chorus and that’s all that matters.
And finally…
1. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s
The cause of many a swoon, and the new go-to song for the one guy who brings guitars to every public space (you know the one…). “Hey There Delilah” had girls all over the world wishing cute, shy, and lanky boys would write songs about them. It’s no doubt one song guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yes, technically the song was released in 2006, but it rose to our collective conscious in 2007… so I’m counting it.