Turn back the clock a few years to the summer of 2001, turn on the radio, and it is the post-grunge melodies of Lifehouse on "Hanging By a Moment," the production work of Scott Storch backing Eve and guest Gwen Stefani on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," and the picture-perfect pop-rock of Train's "Drops of Jupiter" that are most likely to come to mind.
This list of the top 10 pop songs of the summer 2001 is based on data from record industry charts from the months of June, July, and August 2001.
1. Lifehouse - Hanging By a Moment
"Hanging By a Moment" is one of the biggest pop hits ever by a Contemporary Christian band crossing over into secular pop. The song was the biggest hit of summer 2001 and was eventually named the most played song of the year on the radio.
2. Eve featuring Gwen Stefani - Let Me Blow Ya Mind
This is the pop breakthrough for rapper Eve. It also played a key role in the development of Gwen Stefani into a solo artist.
3. Train - Drops of Jupiter
Train had a top 20 pop single, "Meet Virginia," from their first album, but it was the title song of their second album Drops of Jupiter that turned into a monster hit. By the time its chart run was finished, "Drops of Jupiter" had spent 53 weeks on the pop singles chart.
4. 112 - Peaches & Cream
112 played a key vocal role in Puff Daddy's (now Diddy) massive hit and Grammy Award-winning single "I'll Be Missing You" from 1997. "Peaches & Cream" is the group's only song to hit the pop top 5 without another artist collaborating.
5. Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink - Lady Marmalade
This Moulin Rouge remake of the LaBelle classic spent 5 weeks at the top of the pop singles chart. Eventually, the record won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
6. Usher - U Remind Me
Usher was one of the world's biggest pop and r&b stars when his album 8701 was released. "U Remind Me," the first single from the album, continued the winning streak spending 4 weeks at #1 on the pop singles chart.
7. Blu Cantrell - Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)
So far, Blu Cantrell appears destined to be a one hit wonder. This single reached the pop top 10, but the first single from her followup album failed to reach the pop top 50. "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops)," with its jazz inflections, was one of the most unique sounding hits of the summer of 2001.
8. Nelly featuring City Spud - Ride Wit Me
After rapper Nelly's second single "E.I.," the followup to "Country Grammar," failed to reach the top 10, Nelly proved his staying power with this hit. "Ride Wit Me" reached #3 becoming his biggest pop hit yet.
9. Destiny's Child - Bootylicious
"Bootylicious," the second hit single from Destiny's Child's album Survivor coined a term that has now been included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
10. Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
"Get Ur Freak On" was a hit song in two versions. The first was the original featuring the rapping of Missy Elliott. The remix added in scat singing from Nelly Furtado. Both versions were popular with radio programmers and their audience.
