The aughts were quite the time to be alive. In the new millennium, pop music reigned supreme, and singers of the era had a particular knack for penning and performing catchy tunes with unforgettable choruses.
From *NSYNC to Beyoncé, Natasha Bedingfield to Amy Winehouse, read on for four pop choruses we won’t soon forget.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC (2000)
Does a more iconic—and on the nose—dance exist? NSYNC captured teen hearts everywhere when they released the lead single off of the sophomore album. “Don’t wanna be a fool for you” is the start to what became a classic of the era. After passionately declaring “Just another player in your game for two / You may hate me, but it ain’t no lie,” listeners will almost certainly jump their legs out and perform the signature “Bye Bye Bye” motion across their chest.
“Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield (2008)
As Emma Stone’s character in Easy A learned, Natasha Bedingfield’s 2008 tune is one that’s not easily forgotten. A certified earworm, the pop song’s chorus is impossible not to sing along to. Any self-respecting millennial who hears the starting notes of “Take me away” will respond by singing, “A secret place / A sweet escape / Take me away.”
“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse (2006)
The late great Amy Winehouse released the lead single off of her seminal album, Back to Black, in 2006. “Rehab” was an instant hit, and its chorus is surely one of the reasons why. Winehouse’s powerful vocals as she sings the track’s unforgettable lines hold firm in the minds of listeners everywhere.
“They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said, ‘No, no, no’ / Yes, I’ve been black, but when I come back, you’ll know, know, know,” she sings. “I ain’t got the time and if my daddy thinks I’m fine / He’s tried to make me go to rehab, but I won’t go, go, go.”
“Single Ladies” by Beyoncé (2008)
If one song’s accompanying dance stacks up to “Bye Bye Bye” it’s surely that of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.” The track’s signature flip of the hand has gone on to be played at every bachelorette party in existence. On “Single Ladies,” the iconic “Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh” is second only to the rest of the chorus, in which Queen Bey sings, “‘Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it / If you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it / Don’t be mad once you see that he want it / ‘Cause if you like it, then you shoulda put a ring on it.”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for DCPNYE
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