5 Iconic Songs That Instantly Make Me Think of the Late 2000s

The late 2000s were interesting years for music. Lady Gaga was on the scene, Kesha was just starting out, and emo and pop-punk were building up steam. For those of you who want to revisit those years in music, here are five songs that instantly transport me to the late 2000s.

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“Bad Romance” — Lady Gaga

When Lady Gaga’s new song “Abracadabra” premiered during the Grammy Awards, it immediately made me think of the “Bad Romance” music video. When I think of the late 2000s-early 2010s, I think of Gaga. “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” and, of course, “Bad Romance” when she was getting into her weird era. The Fame Monster was peak Gaga, and she’s never been more Gaga than she was since then.

“DONTTRUSTME” — 3OH!3

If you asked me to name a lyric that encapsulates my experience of the late 2000s, it would be a no-brainer: “And tell your boyfriend / If he says he’s got beef / That I’m a vegetarian / and I ain’t f–kin’ scared of him.” There’s a special place in my heart where 3OH!3’s album WANT lives. It was the rather aggressive and kind of cringe soundtrack to my high school years, but I still find myself returning to it now and again. Also, everyone who wants to compare 3OH!3 to LMFAO will have to go through me.

“Love Song” — Sara Bareilles

The three piano girlies of the late 2000s, for me, were Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, and Sara Bareilles. “Love Song” was a personal favorite for its sharp attitude, and only later did I find out Bareilles wrote it in response to her record label. Apparently, the execs were giving her unsolicited advice about her third album, telling her to write more love songs. This was her witty and dismissive response, and it still holds up as a “f–k you song,” as Bareilles said in 2010.

“Take It Off” — Kesha

I’ve written about Kesha’s influence on my high school years before, but she really did have a profound effect on my formative teenage experience. I think of her debut album Animal with unwavering fondness, and listening to it again years later brings out an overwhelming nostalgia in me. Kesha wasn’t—and still isn’t—afraid to use sexuality to make a statement. Her early persona was hypersexual, outspoken, and maybe a little reckless. However, there’s something about her music that influenced a certain highly opinionated attitude in me (you wouldn’t last a day in the asylum where they raised me, but it’s just Animal by Kesha).

“Bleeding Love” — Leona Lewis

It took me a full 17 years and seeing Jesse McCartney in concert last year before I learned that he originally wrote Leona Lewis’ debut single “Bleeding Love.” This was, globally, the best-selling single of 2008, and I listened to it non-stop. It’s raw, emotional, and evokes an immense sense of nostalgia whenever I hear it. When Jesse McCartney sat down at the piano and busted this one out during his show at the Ryman, I was swept away to the late 2000s, which is where we all stayed for the duration of his live show.

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