13 Songs That Make Us Miss 2006
The 2000s weren’t necessarily the best years of anybody’s lives, but 2006 was a good year for music.
2006 was when Justin Timberlake released FutureSex/LoveSounds and when Fergie stepped away from The Black Eyed Peas to put out her debut album, The Dutchess.
While some of these songs fall on the so bad they’re good spectrum, some are classics that we’ll all be listening to for the rest of our lives.
1. “S.O.S.” – Rihanna
Before she was a good girl done bad, Rihanna was just another good girl looking for a little rescue action.
2. “Promiscuous” – Nelly Furtado
While Rihanna was still a good girl in 2006, Nelly Furtado was starting to let her freak flag fly. The gamble paid off and “Promiscuous” became Furtado’s first number-one single in the US.
3. “My Love” – Justin Timberlake ft. T.I.
The same year that Justin famously brought sexy back, he also recorded a little song with T.I. called “My Love” that still makes us swoon 10 years later. If you’ve never seen the music video, do yourself a favor, because contrary to whatever those “Cry Me A River” purists think, this is when Justin reached peak sexiness.
4. “Money Maker” – Ludacris ft. Pharrell
When you think two rappers telling a girl to shake her money maker like somebody gonna pay her, you probably don’t imagine them wearing polo shirts, but this is 2006 and that was the cool thing then. Ludacris, whenever you wanna give acting a break and come back to what you do best, we’ll be waiting. Give us a ring.
5. “Glamorous” – Fergie
Wasn’t it nice when pop songs taught you something about spelling? Thanks to Fergie’s 2nd single off her debut masterpiece of an album, I’ll never forget how to spell one of life’s most important words.
6. “Lost Without You” – Robin Thicke
Yes, Robin Thicke is a dick but 2006 was a simpler time when we still thought of him as one of the sweetest, sexiest men alive. If you’re having a little trouble jogging your memory, one listen to “Lost Without You” should do the trick.
7. “Upgrade U” – Beyoncé
It’s hard to choose one song off of Beyoncé’s impeccable second album, but “Upgrade U” is as good as it gets. Funnily enough, even though the song is one of Jay and B’s best collaborations, our girl’s first pick for this collab was actually T.I. Glad that didn’t work out.
8. “Crazy” – Gnarls Barkley
This is one of those songs that never gets old and everybody likes, unlike Cee Lo Green.
9. “Snap Yo Fingers” – Lil Jon
Okay, so technically this song is more of a song that’s so bad that it’s good, but c’mon, who can resist the allure of Lil Jon?
10. “Wind It Up” – Gwen Stefani
Even though most of us thought “Hollaback Girl” was kind of annoying when it first dropped, Gwen Stefani proved that she knew more about what we really wanted out of a pop song then we did and the song is now a national treasure. The same can be said for “Wind It Up” and just about any single that Gwen has ever put out as a solo artist.
11. “Hey There Delilah” – Plain White Ts
It may make you cringe now, but this song deserves its place on the list from the sheer number of times that you listened to it on a mix CD back in the day. The Plain White Ts never had another big hit, and that’s probably for the best.
12. “Lying Is The Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” – Panic! At The Disco
Remember when pop punk was a thing that everybody loved? Oh, 2006.
13. “Come Back To Me” – Vanessa Hudgens
Okay, so maybe this song is just one of my favorite songs of 2006, but then again, who among us has the power to resist a little Baby V?
