MUSIC | HISTORY | 2001 | LISTS

The 12 Biggest Hits from 25 Years Ago

Here are the songs that spent the most weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2001

Photo by Alfred Kenneally on Unsplash

It is difficult to believe, but the beginning of this millennium was already over twenty-five years ago.

The world is quite different since that time as technology now dominates every part of our lives. Television, movies, and music are now all digitized and easily accessed through various streaming services.

What music were people listening to twenty-five years ago? Here is a list of the songs that spent the most weeks at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2001

12. “Bootylicious” Destiny’s Child (2 weeks at #1)

Beyoncé Knowles co-wrote and sang Destiny’s Child’s hit “Bootylicious.” She came up for the idea of the song while listening to Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen” which was sampled in the song.

The song would spend two weeks at #1 in August of 2001. Incidentally, after the popularity of the song, the term “bootylicious” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

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11. “Butterfly” Crazy Town (2 weeks at #1)

Crazy Town was an American rap/rock band popular in the 2000s.

The song “Butterfly” was written by Crazy Town band members Shifty Shellshock and Bret Mazur. The song samples parts of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Pretty Little Ditty.”

The song would have worldwide success and would spend a week at #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March of 2001 and then come back for another week at #1 in April of that year for a total of two weeks at the top spot.

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10. “It Wasn’t Me” Shaggy featuring Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent (2 weeks at #1)

The song, “It Wasn’t Me” would spend two weeks at the top of the U.S. charts in February of 2001, but it was also a worldwide hit, topping the charts in UK, Australia, and France of that year.

The band said that the song was inspired by Eddie Murphy’s stand-up performance in Raw.

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9. “How You Remind Me” Nickelback (4 weeks at #1)

Although Nickelback is frequently mocked for being one of the worst bands of all time, somebody obviously listened to them in 2001. Their song, “How You Remind Me” spent two weeks in the top spot at the end of the year, and an additional two weeks there at the beginning of 2002.

On Nickelback’s third studio album, Silver Side Up, “How You Remind Me” not only spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it was also the most-played song on U.S. radio of the 2000s decade.

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8. “U Remind Me” Usher (4 weeks at #1)

Although the title was similar to Nickelback’s #1 hit the same year, Usher’s “U Remind Me” was very different.

The song is about how a new woman reminds the singer of a manipulative ex-girlfriend. It would spend four weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in July of 2001. It reached the top five spot in countries around the world including Australia, Belgium, and the UK.

“U Remind Me” would win Usher his first Grammy Award in 2002.

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7. “Stutter” Joe featuring Mystikal (4 weeks at #1)

“Stutter” was Joe’s first #1 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It spent four weeks in a row in the top spot starting in February of 2001.

Joe’s R&B vocals are blended with Mystikal’s rap in this popular remix. The song’s popularity was boosted by being featured in the 2001 movie Double Take.

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6. “Lady Marmalade” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink (5 Weeks at #1)

The original “Lady Marmalade” was performed by the American pop group Labelle in 1974. In 2001, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink did a rendition of the cover for the movie Moulin Rouge!

The soundtrack from that movie was a huge success and propelled the song to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.

Produced by Missy Elliott and Rockwilder, the collaboration would win an Emmy in 2002.

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5. “I’m Real (Murder Remix)” Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule (5 weeks at #1)

“I’m Real (Murder Remix)” by Jennifer Lopez, featuring Ja Rule spent three weeks at #1 on the U.S. Hot 100 beginning in September of 2001. In the second half of October, it would once again hit #1 and stay there for two more weeks for a total of five weeks at the top of the charts.

The song was a hip-hop remix from the popular album J.Lo.

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4. “Fallin’” Alicia Keys (6 weeks at #1)

“Fallin’” is the third song on this list that hit #1, dropped a few spots, and then climbed back to #1.

In August of 2001, Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks. Then, towards the end of September, it again hit #1 for an additional three weeks.

The song would spend six weeks in the top spot in 2001. In 2002, “Fallin’” would win three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year.

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3. “Family Affair” Mary J. Bilge (6 weeks at #1)

Mary J. BIlge’s 2001 hit, “Family Affair” was produced by Dr. Dre. It was featured on her album No More Drama.

The song would reach #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on November 3rd and spend the entire month in the top spot and into December.

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2. “All for You” Janet Jackson (7 weeks at #1)

Janet Jackson’s first #1 hit was “When I Think of You,” which reached the top spot in the charts in 1986. Fifteen years later, she still proved that she was relevant when “All for You” spent seven weeks at #1 in April and May of 2001.

“All of You” was Jackson’s 10th single to hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It would win a Grammy in 2002 for Best Dance Recording.

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1. “Independent Women” Destiny’s Child (11 weeks at #1)

This is the second Destiny’s Child hit on this list. “Independent Women” was their first hit of 2001. It actually hit the top spot in November of 2000 and stayed there until the beginning of February of 2001.

It was the #1 song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for an amazing 11 weeks. The song, written by Beyoncé, was part of the soundtrack for the movie Charlie’s Angels.

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Hip hop was certainly popular twenty-five years ago in 2001. It was also a great year from women to snag the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The top six biggest hits from that year all came from women.

What were you listening to in 2001? Is that music on this list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading!

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