As anyone who was around for the era knows, 2001 was a tough year. There was a lot of worry, fear, and aggression in the air. But at the same time, certain artists were trying to combat the combat. They were trying to tell music fans out there to remember that love still existed and there was another way to find happiness besides revenge. Below, we wanted to explore three pop songs from the year after 2001 that proved the genre cared about making things better. About showing affection. Indeed, these are three pop songs from 2002 that proved love was in the air.
“A Moment Like This” by Kelly Clarkson (Single, 2002)
After Kelly Clarkson won the singing competition show American Idol, she had to almost instantly release new music to keep the momentum going. So, that’s just what she did in 2002, releasing the single “A Moment Like This”, a swelling, hopeful, amorous song about finding that single second in life that means it all. With a voice that soars to the heavens on the tune, Clarkson cemented her status as an up-and-coming pop music force in the early 2000s.
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“Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake from ‘Justified’ (2002)
When love is in the air, oftentimes that means lust is not far behind. And in 2002, former *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake released his sweaty dance club hit “Rock Your Body” on his debut solo LP. That album, which also featured the breakup song “Cry Me A River”, helped to push Timberlake into solo stardom. For an artist who was all about stoking the fires of attraction, this was a bullseye.
“Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera from ‘Stripped’ (2002)
When you talk about love, you also have to talk about self-love. That’s just what pop star Christina Aguilera sang about so eloquently on her 2002 single, “Beautiful”. On it, she urged people who perhaps weren’t as traditionally attractive as she to believe in themselves, to honor themselves, and to show off their best sides. For someone who was singing about genie bottles just a few years before, this was an important turn to showing more dimensions of herself, too. Well done, Christina!
Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage
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