Which songs are turning 25 in 2025?

There’s no doubt about it that boy bands were taking over in 2000, and *NSYNC was no different. Their third album No Strings Attached was led by the hit single “Bye Bye Bye,” arguably the group’s most popular song. On the track, the group highlights how their partners can be annoying, so they’re ready to leave them. 

Just two years after her self-titled debut album, Mýa returned with her sophomore album Fear of Flying. The album’s second single “Case of the Ex,” produced by Tricky Stewart, tells a woman’s perspective of dealing with her boyfriend’s ex who's still trying to make her presence known. In the second verse she sings, “There’s no need to reminisce about the past / Obviously because that s**t did not last / I know how a woman will try to game you / So don’t get caught up because baby you’ll lose.”

Nu metal band Limp Bizkit released their third album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, which featured their hit single “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).”  It was such a hit song that it saw more life when WWE wrestler Undertaker used the track as his entrance theme music. The band even teamed up with Swizz Beatz on a remix that featured rappers DMX, Method Man, and Redman. 

Janet Jackson starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the comedy film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, it was only right that she added a song to the film’s soundtrack. She teamed up with her frequent collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on the single “Doesn’t Really Matter,” a song that highlights how her film’s character truly loves a person for who they are, and not just based on their looks. 

In 1999, R&B group Jagged Edge released their sophomore album J.E. Heartbreak, but the album’s hit single “Let’s Get Married” wasn’t released until 2000. Co-produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, Jagged Edge uses the track to describe how they’re ready to live in holy matrimony with their partners. As they sing on the hook, “Meet me at the altar in your white dress / We ain’t getting no younger, we might as well do it.” 

Just a year after releasing her debut album ..Baby One More Time, Britney Spears dropped her sophomore album Oops!...I Did It Again, led by the titular single. Produced by Max Martin and Yami Yacoub, the track finds Spears singing about playing with a potential man’s heart. “Oops!...I Did It Again” became a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

“Love Don’t Cost a Thing” was the lead single from Jennifer Lopez’ highly-anticipated sophomore album J.Lo. On the track, Lopez highlights how she’s not impressed if a lover showers her with lavish gifts, her love simply can’t be bought. “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Nelly put the rap scene on notice and opened the world up to St. Louis hip-hop when he released his debut single “Country Grammar.” One of the cool things about the song is how Nelly takes the melody of the children’s nursery rhyme “Down Down Baby,” and turns it into a Midwest anthem. Even in the music video, Nelly made sure to showcase the famous Gateway Arch that his hometown of St. Louis is known for. 

Rock band U2 released their tenth album All That You Can’t Leave Behind, which was led by their hit single “Beautiful Day.” On the track, the band highlights that no matter how life can bring constant ups and downs, it can still be a beautiful journey. 

Destiny’s Child encourages women to feel free and liberated on their hit song “Independent Women Part 1.” It was the theme song to the 2000 action comedy film Charlie’s Angels, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu. On the track, the group highlights how women can always depend on themselves to get what they want. The song was a smash hit and reached No. 1 across several Billboard charts including the Hot 100, Hot R&B Songs, and Dance Club Songs. 

Before P!nk ventured into the pop world, she started her career as an R&B singer. Along with her hot pink hair color at the time, P!nk was introduced to the world with her debut single “There You Go.” Co-written by P!nk, Kandi Burress, and Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs, the track details how P!nk’s ex-lover is trying to rekindle their relationship, but she’s already moved on to the next man. 

Aaliyah starred alongside Jet Li in the action film Romeo Must Die, so it was only right that she contributed to the song’s soundtrack as well. She joined forces with frequent collaborator Timbaland on the hit single “Try Again.” On the track, she gives a woman’s perspective of telling a guy not to give up on asking her out, if it didn’t work in his favor the first time. 

After the success of his debut single “Fill Me In,” Craig David followed up with an even bigger hit “7 Days.” On the track, David tells the story of how he met a woman who caught his eye, he asks her out on a date and they end up spending the entire week together. “7 Days” became David’s most successful single to date as it reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

Madonna released her eighth album Music to rave reviews, helping to solidify her rightful place in the pop world. The album was led by the titular single that finds Madonna detailing how music can make people feel different things and how it can unite the world. “Music” became the last No.1 hit song that Madonna has had to this date. 

Pop singer Samantha Mumba came onto the scene with her debut single “Gotta Tell You.” On the track, Mumba details how she’s finally with the man of her dreams and she’s ready to tell him her true feelings, and she’s hoping the feelings are reciprocated. 

Ricky Martin saw massive success in 1999 when he released his first English-language album, and he followed up in 2000 with the album Sound Loaded. The album was led by the hit single “She Bangs,” a track in which Martin describes a woman’s aura that is so out of this world. 

3LW was the newest girl group on the scene when they released their debut single “No More (Baby I’m Do It Right).” On the track, the group gives the perspective of a woman who’s tired of dealing with her boyfriend who switches up on her depending on the crowd that’s around. They’re asking the question, of whether the man wants to be with her or he doesn’t, but he needs to make up his mind. 

“Ex-Girlfriend” was the second single from No Doubt’s fourth album Return of Saturn. On the track, lead singer Gwen Stefani details how she knew a relationship with an ex-lover wouldn’t work out because they were so different from each other. 

When Ja Rule released his sophomore album Rule 3:36, a lot of the singles were centered around collaborations with women. It was no different when he teamed up with singer Lil Mo and rapper Vita on his hit single “Put It On Me.” Ja Rule wrote that love song as a celebration to his wife, who was by his side before he hit it big with the fame. 

If Diane Warren wrote a song, more than likely, it was going to be a hit. This was the case when Warren wrote country singer LeAnn Rimes’ smash song “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.” The song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Coyote Ugly and peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Black Rob was slowly making his presence known on tracks alongside artists like Total and Faith Evans before he released his debut album Life Story. The album’s lead single “Whoa!” was produced by Buckwild with an infectious beat as Rob describes the things in life that he appreciates and values. 

Rock band Creed released their sophomore album Human Clay, which featured the hit single “With Arms Wide Open.” On the track, it tells the perspective of a man who finds out he will soon be a father and he’s not completely sure if he’s ready to take on this life change. 

In the late ‘90s and 2000s, there was no escaping of hearing a song produced by The Neptunes on the radio. The production duo teamed up with Jay Z on his 2000 single “I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” which also featured vocals from Pharrell Williams. It was the first single from Jay’s fifth album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. 

Girl group Dream was the first pop act signed to Bad Boy Records. They came onto the scene with their debut single “He Loves U Not,” a track that tells the story of a woman confronting another girl who’s trying to make moves on her boyfriend. As they sing on the hook, “No matter what you do / He’s never gonna be with you / He’s into what he’s got / He loves me, he loves you not.” 

The Neptunes were establishing themselves as an in-demand production duo working with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. They teamed up with Mystikal on his song “Shake It Fast,” the lead single from his fourth album Let’s Get Ready. With Pharrell Williams adding vocals to the hook, Mystikal uses the track to describe how much he wants to see a voluptuous woman dance for him. 

Backstreet Boys released their fourth album Black & Blue, which was led by the hit single “Shape of My Heart.” The song became a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Baha Men saw massive success with their 2000 cover of the song “Who Let the Dogs Out.” Not only was the song featured in soundtracks like Men In Black II and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, Baha Men won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. 

Country singer Lee Ann Womack released her third album I Hope You Dance, which was led by the titular single. On the track, Womack encourages listeners to always find peace and positivity while living life to the fullest. “I Hope You Dance” earned Womack a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. 

In December 1999, rapper DMX released his critically acclaimed third album …And Then There Was X. In February the following year, he dropped the album’s second single “Party Up (Up In Here),” a track produced by his frequent collaborator Swizz Beatz. It became one of the rapper’s signature tracks, especially due to the infectious hook as he raps, “Y’all gone make me lose my mind / Up in here, up in here / Y’all gon’ make me go all out / Up in here, up in here.” 

Rock band Papa Roach released their breakthrough song “Last Resort,” which was the lead single from their album Infest. The song is a cry for help as it describes a person who doesn’t feel like they should live any longer. “Last Resort” became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.