THE HIT LIST
Year In Music
This year was an interesting
one for the Hit List. It ceased
production once again in August, but I was still able to pull out my first
year-end list. I did not compile points;
instead, I perused the first chart from each month for songs that I thought
were spectacular, and then I used my own faulty memory for the last few months
of the year, when I was not at all focused on the current music scene. This was only supposed to be a top fifty,
but I found so many songs that I enjoyed that I expanded it to a top 75. A little more than a third (28) of the songs
are rap titles. Counting the pop songs
on the chart is a much more tricky exercise, as many songs, such as Janet’s
“All For You” and Nsync’s “Gone”, straddle the line between R&B and
pop. Even more complicated, rap titles
such as “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Jay-Z and “Please Don’t Mind” by Philly’s Most
Wanted, straddle the emerging fault line between hip-hop and pop. The most troublesome song to categorize has
to be “I’m Real (Murdah Mix)” by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule. In it a rapper sings and a singer raps; even
more paradoxically, it is a remix to a pop song that was made to have greater
crossover appeal than the original pop version! Thus, it splatters itself across all three genres that represent
on the year-end Hit List.
But the Hit List isn’t
concerned with categories; it’s concerned with good music. With that said, let’s take a look at what
ended up as my favorite songs for the year…
- Ginuwine’s
“Differences” reached #5 on my last chart; however, it was good enough to
nab top honors. This was a banner
year for ballads by R&B guys; three land in the top ten, and sixteen
such songs are on the year-end tally in total. Early on, #3 track “Love” by Musiq Soulchild (#1 for 5
weeks) had the edge; but it was overtaken.
- The year after
OutKast became superstars with their crossover hit “Ms. Jackson”, they
find themselves well-represented on the Hit List. “So Fresh So Clean”, which topped the
Hit List for 5 weeks, easily becomes the #3 hit of the year. As part of the Dungeon Family, they are
at #10 with “Crooked Booty”, and their new hit “The Whole World” sits at
#15. Thus, OutKast is clearly the
artist of the year on the Hit List.
- But wait! Sure, OutKast has three songs in the
top 15…but Jay-Z notches six entries on the year-end tally! His highest mark is as the featured
artist on R. Kelly’s “Fiesta” at #16, but surely quantity counts for
something. Indeed, he has to be my
solo artist of the year for a second year running. Certainly he deserves the title of
reigning king of rap!
- Now let’s take a
look at the pop that made the year-end list. Britney Spears, shockingly, rings two tracks on the year-end
list, both in the top 50: “Stronger” at #32 and “I’m A Slave 4 U” at #49. Mandy Moore, owner of the #2 hit “I
Wanna Be With You” from 2000, has the #67 hit of 2001 with “In My
Pocket”. Madonna hit #2 with “What
It Feels Like For A Girl”, and it comes in at #60 for the year. The biggest pop hit, though, was from
British pop outfit S Club 7, who only reached #7 with “Never Had A Dream
Come True”, but due to staying there for about 10 weeks, they notch the
#19 song of the year.
- Aaliyah, sadly,
passed away this year. She had the
two longest-running hits in the history of the Hit List. The #1 hit “I Don’t Wanna” spent 51
weeks on the chart, while the #2 hit “Try Again” spent 52 weeks on the
chart. This year she sees two
singles on the year-end tally.
“Rock the Boat” is the #8 song of the year, while “We Need A
Resolution” is #44.
- Now, to the
producers. Timbaland has six
tracks on this year’s list, including the #2 song, “Get Ur Freak On”. The Neptunes have five singles on this
year’s tally, the highest being the #13 “Southern Hospitality”. Dr. Dre only put two songs on the list,
“Let Me Blow Ya Mind” and “Break Ya Neck”, a big drop-off from last
year. Also, his biggest hit of the
year, “Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige, is conspicuously absent. DJ Hi-Tek actually produced three
titles in the top 20: “The Sun God” (#5), “Round and Round” (#14), and
“The Blast” (#17). Earthtone III
(OutKast and Mr. DJ) account for three in the top 15, but these are their
own singles. The Trackmasters
account for at least three, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for five singles,
all by Janet or Usher, and P. Diddy for at least four. Thankfully, Jermaine Dupri only gets on
the board once, for “Where The Party At?”
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