Does anyone even remember the film, Loser? True to its title, the film follows two teenagers who feel like outcasts in the world and eventually find and fall in love with each other. The theme song from American band Wheatus basically describes the plot of the film in the lyrics, which I'm guessing is why it managed to be more popular even at the time than the film was as it contained its premise in a short amount of time.
This was all set to become another flop for Enrique Iglesias given how it had such a slow climb to the top of the charts worldwide, however it received a sudden boost when it was chosen as the unofficial theme song to the 9/11 attacks as it would play over news coverage of the aftermath of the disaster. This allowed the album it serves as the lead single for to become a massive success for the Latin crooner.
This was the only big hit to come from the Italian DJ Spiller, although the song is better known for having British model turned singer Sophie Ellis Bextor on vocals who would go on to have massive success with her own album later in the decade. I'm not sure why this was Spiller's only hit given how much success Sophie would have, perhaps it was seen as a novelty track at the time.
Just a fair warning that you won't be seeing "Thank you" from Dido on this list, this is because that song wasn't released as a single here in Australia to avoid it stealing success from this haunting track from Eminem about an obsessed fan of his which has since become the term used for these types of people in fandoms. For what it's worth, this song underperformed in NZ where Dido's track was released as a single.
Although these guys had earlier singles and even albums in their native Canada, this was the song which introduced the world to what many regard as one of the worst bands to come from the new millennium. I personally feel these guys get too much hate as there's certainly worse bands and artists out there, although I can't help but notice how much quicker we Aussies were into making this a hit than the rest of the world.
This is one of those songs that people mistake the meaning of what appears to be a song about lying to cover up getting caught cheating turns out to be a song denouncing these types of tracks in the third verse. The complaint people have about this track nowadays is that they consider it false advertising, after all, the featured artist Rikrok has far more presence on here than Shaggy does.
Coyote ugly gets a bit of a bad rep these days, mainly because people don't find it campy enough to be a so bad it's good film whilst also finding it to be too tired and cliched to be a genuinely good film. I personally like it mainly for its uplifting story about a songwriter finding success in the music industry, this theme song from the film being one of the songs she wrote in universe and what transitioned Leann Rimes from country to pop music.
This was one of only two hits that Atomic Kitten had here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies weren't that interested in the UK pop scene as you've likely noticed a lack of British artists on these lists so far compared to our local scene and American artists. Still, they were quite big in NZ and their native UK given how they managed to score multiple hits in those countries with this type of ballad.
There were a lot of post grunge songs to become hits this year, one of the more prominent tracks comes to us from Lifehouse who managed to have the biggest hit of the year in their native America despite this failing to reach number one on Billboard. This is the second time this has happened as the previous year had "Breathe" by Faith Hill claim the top spot despite that also failing to reach number one.
This came from an album that was released two years prior from Crazy town, it's the black sheep of the album given how it was more of a rap rock track similar to what RHCP were doing (it even has a riff from one of their songs) as opposed to the rest of the album which was in the nu metal category. It was a surprise hit for the band likely due to the novelty of it being a love ballad from such a rough looking band.
This is one of the last RNB songs to have its released delayed here in Australia compared to the rest of the world, although the wait for its release was certainly worth it as it became much bigger here than it did even in her native America. I'm guessing this was due to it being about her showing concern towards her partners feelings for their ex and detailing why their relationship with them bothers her.
Nelly Furtado is the latest entry into a Canadian artist who saw massive worldwide success without necessarily being the biggest artist in their homeland that I've featured on this site, oh sure she did fine with her debut album, however it didn't exactly promise the levels of success she would go on to achieve later in the decade. I'm guessing her fellow Canadians weren't as into her spiritual vibes as the rest of the world was.
Well, this certainly took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, heck even in NZ it was a hit upon its initial release the previous year due to it being among the last rock tracks to top the Billboard charts. I guess the consolation for its tardy success was that it was arguably bigger here than it was anywhere else in the world, after all it's the kind of Christian rock that while cheesy, can still comfort audiences.
This wasn't released as a single here in Australia until a full year after its initial release worldwide, I'm guessing we Aussies didn't want to hear Robbie Williams sing about his complicated feelings towards God but changed our minds around the time he released his swing album. This would be the first of many songs from him to explore his complicated relationship with religion.
I guess it was only a matter of time before we had a new version of the Fugees make it big in the music industry, enter City high who scored a massive worldwide hit with this track five years after the original trio made it big worldwide. As this was a hip hop track, it was delayed here in Australia by several months before finally being released, and like most songs on this list, it was more popular here than anywhere in the world.
MJ might have been reduced to a media frenzy by the 21st century (unfairly in my opinion) however that didn't mean that there wasn't any love left for his back catalogue as Alien ant farm managed to score their one and only hit in most parts of the world with their rendition of this track from his album Bad. If you can believe it, they scored a second hit in NZ later in the decade with "Glow."
From what I can tell, Duets is a film that exists. It's about Huey Lewis teaching Gwyneth Paltrow how to be a singer which led to this cover of the Smokey Robinson track that I personally don't have much issue with, although how it became a huge success in the southern hemisphere and nowhere else in the world is beyond me.
This was the theme song to the show of the same name, technically it's existed since 1998 when the show premiered, however it was only released as a single in 2000 when the show became one of the most popular children's programs of (then) recent memory. I'm guessing the show didn't become as popular here in Australia until this year (I was too busy watching Cartoon network to notice) which explains its popularity this year down under.
Although his earlier song outranked this when it comes to their respective chart runs, this second single from Hot shot was actually the biggest hit of Shaggy's career in Australia likely due to it sampling both "Angel of the morning" (specifically Juice Newton's cover from 1981) and "The joker" from Steve Miller. It's also the second hit that he had with Rayvon who previously collaborated with him on his cover of "In the summertime."
This was always meant to be the lead single to Destiny's child's third album Survivor, however it came out as such an empowering feminist anthem that it was selected as the theme to the theatrical adaptation of Charlie's angels which has received a mix reception over the years due to some praising it for its female empowerment while others feel that it's a campy remake of a property made at the height of misogyny in pop culture.
This was one of two collaborations that Eve had with Gwen Stefani, the other would come later in the decade when the latter released her solo debut to establish herself away from No doubt. In the meantime, we have this sex jam where both of them feel confident in being the love of the listeners lives and how irresistible they feel they are, audiences naturally agreed as it was a huge hit for them.
There were two different versions of this track to become popular worldwide, we'll be looking at the original version on this list as I feel this version was the one that was more popular here in Australia as I haven't heard the remix with Ja rule that much over the years and even at the time. It was the fourth single from her sophomore album and by far the biggest given how the other songs from the album underperformed.
This was another RNB track that was released fairly late here in Australia compared to the rest of the world, again it was for the best as it proved to be a bigger hit here for Debelah Morgan than even her native America likely due to it having Latin elements to the track that appeased those who wanted more of the Latin craze down under. She's a one hit wonder with this track which is a shame because she was a good singer.
This was the final hit that S club 7 managed to score outside their native UK, it was hailed as their "coolest yet" thanks to it having a rap verse during a time where a rap verse from a non-rapper was still considered a selling point. The song is also known as the band's one and only foray into disco as they were clearly cashing in on 70's nostalgia on this track the same way their other hits were cashing in on 50's nostalgia.
"Let's get married" was originally released the previous year to deafening silence here in Australia, however it was a moderate success in Jagged Edge's native America due to it being an RNB ballad in the vein of a Boyz II men track from the 90's. It was remixed and rereleased with "Promise" this year where it became an even bigger hit down under than it was in their homeland.
Given how inescapably popular Usher was quickly becoming throughout the world, it only makes sense there would be a British equivalent which came in the form of Craig David. This was his second single from his debut album and by far the biggest on said album here in Australia, mainly because it has a gimmick of detailing his sexual escapades on each day of the week hence the name of the song.
This was one of only two hits that 3 Doors down managed to achieve in Australia, the other was "Here without you" three years later which was a much more serious ballad compared to this pop rock classic which is all about the camp factor as evidence by the stupidly amazing video. It had a bit of a delay to its success here as it was already a moderate success in NZ the previous year for the band.
This was meant to be the middle ground between P!nk's earlier material and her second album given how it's a hybrid of a pop rock jam and an RNB joint to bridge her early fans with the music she wanted to make. It paid off for her as the rest of her career saw her moving in a rock direction to the point where her first album feels like a complete black sheep from the rest of her catalogue.
This was originally a track from Vitamin C's debut album from the end of the 90's, it was also included on her second album where it was decided to be released as its lead single where it became a hit for the American pop star due to it being the perfect theme to a graduation ceremony. It would've been an even bigger hit here in Australia were it not pulled from shelves in order to promote her second single "The itch."
This was the first hit that Outkast managed to achieve outside of their native America, I'm guessing because people took an interest in the song's subject matter about how the narrator is apologising to the mother of his girlfriend and how he impregnated her during the relationship. Both rappers take a different approach to the song with Andre being more sympathetic whilst Big Boi isn't as such.
There won't be a lot of appearances from Coldplay on this site, at least not on my 00's lists as their popularity would largely be confided to their albums in the southern hemisphere due to illegal downloads eating up the success of their singles. The exception to this was their debut single which was a massive hit here in Australia like it was in their native UK.
This was the third and final hit to come from Craig David's debut album in most parts of the world, it's a more standard RNB ballad from Craig as it's him walking out of a toxic relationship and indeed everything making his life worse than what it needs to be. No doubt the success of all of these tracks from his album led to the success of his American counterpart Usher later in the year worldwide.
Although this song has a relatively low placement on this list, this is mainly because it was slightly delayed here in Australia and then released where it became Kylie's biggest hit in her career despite having a relatively short chart run. This was a practice that had ruined the Billboard charts throughout the 90's and would have similar damage to the ARIA charts throughout the 00's.
I used to like this song, granted I was only nine years old when it came out, but there's a certain innocence to it that makes its popularity back in the day make sense to me. I do feel bad for it as it's often considered one of the worst songs of all time from an Australian artist, likely due to it being the rare, manufactured teen pop track from Australia in comparison to the rock and roll audiences are used to.
Most people believe that "All-star" was the theme song to Shrek, though it does appear in the film (the first scene as a matter of fact) the honour of the theme song actually goes to Smash Mouth's cover of the Monkees signature track which played in the final scene of the film before Eddie Murphy puts his spin on it (yeah, I'm a big Shrek fan, don't @ me.) It remains the final hit single from the band to date.
It appears that rave tracks were still a thing going into the new millennium, so much so that this was able to crossover to Australia during a time where EDM was quickly losing its popularity in our music scene. There's not much to say about the group in question, Public domain was a British EDM group who had their success before fading into obscurity in their native UK.
This was a fantastic year for Mya in Australia as she not only achieved two hits on her own, but also was part of a highly popular posse cut from the Moulin rouge soundtrack (which we'll get to in a bit.) Here she sings about being free from a toxic relationship, presumably the same one that she was in on her earlier entry on this list which makes this a compelling narrative if that's the case.
I guess there was supposed to be a third round to the boy band wars this decade given how Blue were just the latest entry into the boy band genre to make it big with this track, although we Aussies sat out of it if there was as I don't remember there being many other contestants back in the day once the Backstreet boys faded into irrelevancy. Like many British acts of the decade, these guys were far more successful in NZ.
This is another song that's relatively low on this list due to shenanigans with the ARIA charts of the 00's, however I've gone on long enough about how dodgy they were on this site already, so I won't dwell on it here. This was the theme to the Baz Lurhman flick Moulin rouge which was a jukebox musical that revived the musical genre in the mainstream after many years of it being restricted to Disney flicks and their knockoffs.
This was the one and only hit for the protegee of Pras Michel, this was a surprisingly good year for artists discovered by former members of the Fugees between this guy and City High from earlier on this list. Pras himself provides a guest verse on this RNB track which apparently wasn't meant to be the case originally as this was meant to be a standalone singer for the rising RNB singer.
If you think stoner culture is anything new, then you should probably know that this comedy track from Afroman was a huge worldwide chart topper despite being little more than a song about how him being a stoner had ruined his life (I personally don't find it funny but evidently a lot of people did.) This was his one and only hit despite being a legitimate rapper who's released several albums in his career.
It appears that EDM was still here to stay as this track from the American duo IIO was a massive hit in most parts of the world except of course for their native America given how EDM rarely does well on Billboard at the best of times, it was a massive hit here in Australia likely due to how lovestruck the track is as well as it being catchy enough to be played on the dance floors.
For nine years, this was the only hit that Train had outside their native America as none of their other singles from the 00's managed to become a hit for them outside of the Billboard charts. That of course changed in 2010 when "Hey soul sister" got them out of the one hit wonder bin in most parts of the world, although I'm sure many people would rather this be their one and only hit in retrospect.
This may seem a bit low to my readers, however rest assured that Alicia Keys wasn't as inescapable here in Australia as she was internationally given that her debut single was only a moderate success here compared to how well it did internationally. Admittedly it was still a huge hit here considering that it was an RNB piano ballad which still didn't have much appeal in our music scene even going into the new millennium.
It looked like that Madonna was here to stay for the third decade in a row as this third single from her album Music was a massive success for the queen of pop worldwide, although her popularity would quickly fade away when she released her next album later in the decade where she attempted to tackle politics to dismal results. The decade would turn out to be a rocky one for her, although at least she had some success throughout.
The last time Gabrielle had a hit here in Australia was with her debut single "Dream" from eight years prior, so to see her back on the charts with this theme song to the first Bridget Jones' diary film was a bit of a surprise to say the least even if its success was inevitable in retrospect due to how popular the movie was and remains to this day. It was able to get the British RNB singer out of the one hit wonder bin if nothing else.
This was another massive hit that the Offspring were able to achieve in their career, it seems to continue the narrative they had with their previous album Americana right down to the music video complimenting the lyrics in a way I feel few others had in the twentieth century. The band's popularity would dwindle as the decade went on; however, they did score one more hit with "Hit that" two years after this.
Much like Daft punk, this was also a French duo who scored a massive hit at the start of the decade with an EDM number, although unlike Daft punk, they wouldn't last very long in the mainstream as they would disband later in the decade. Honestly there's not much more I can add to this track other than them being a less successful version of those guys.
This is the second and final hit to come from Geri Halliwell, it serves as the lead single to both her second album and the Bridget Jones' diary soundtrack given how it's a cover of the Weather girls classic that recaptures the camp nature of the original. This was the last hit to come from any member of the Spice girls as none of their other material would touch the charts once this fell off.
I guess Duets was a box office hit here in Australia, either that or we Aussies really wanted to allow Gwyneth Paltrow to have a singing career as her cover of the Jackie DeShannon classic (which was used to showcase how weak of a vocalist she was in the film) became a huge hit this year here and nowhere else in the world. This was the only other hit she had as none of her other singles charted down under.
Again, I promised myself I was going to be nice with each and every entry on this site, so I'll have to put aside my very negative feelings towards this "parody" of the Lou Bega hit from two years prior and instead talk about how this got Bob the Builder out of the one hit wonder bin that his theme song threatened to trap him in. I guess this was a success due to it being less problematic than the song it's obviously ripping off.
This is another song that was way bigger here in Australia than its placement on this list otherwise suggests, this time it's the victory single from the second and final band to win Popstars Australia before the series switched to having solo contestants on the show rather than groups like its first two seasons.
Well, I did mention when I talked about the original version of this track that this version was a much bigger hit here in Australia a mere three years later, so here we are with this version which was the only other hit that Blue was able to achieve here likely due to our familiarity with the original. I feel they were the 00's equivalent of MN8 as they too combined harsher RNB elements with the boy band sound.
Although the Backstreet boys had been crowned the winner of the boy bands late 90's edition by this point, Human nature still managed to make a case that they should've taken the crown (at least here in Australia) with this lead single to their third album which was a massive success for them going into the 21st century. Nowadays it's lost its popularity due to it being seen as a "nice guy" anthem even though it avoids many of that type of songs pitfalls.
Given how his British counterpart Craig David was scoring massive worldwide success with his debut album this year, it only seems fitting that Usher would follow suit in his success when he released his own album this year which kicked off the cycle with this ballad about how the person he's singing to reminds him of an ex he used to go out with. I think we've all been in the situation he describes in the song which explains its success.
You may recall if you're a fan of Eminem that he was originally part of a posse group known as D12, well here they are with the first of three big hits they had this decade with a song that more or less glorifies drugs as that's what the title of the song means in drug culture. Naturally it wasn't played much on the radio, however that didn't prevent this from being a massive success here and in the UK.
I told you that British artists weren't that successful here in Australia, I'm willing to be the only reason why this track from Westlife was a hit here was due to it being a cover of one of Billy Joel's most recognisable songs in his catalogue and we Aussies were having nostalgia for the original when this came out. If finally got the Irish band out of the one hit wonder bin here despite how inescapable they were worldwide.
I think this was meant to be the debut single for Bow wow (then known as Lil bow wow) if it was then it was a massive flop in his native America as "Bounce with me" was the hit that introduced him to his fellow Americans. This was a surprise hit throughout Europe for him which likely explains why it was a hit here in Australia, although it was his only hit as a kid as he wouldn't have another until he became an adult.
This was the second single to come from Nelly Furtado's debut album, it was a big hit everywhere in the world except her native Canada where it wasn't even released as a single. I'm guessing because they weren't interested in her paying homage to her Portuguese heritage like the rest of the world was, in fact this was her big hit off her debut album in NZ and on Billboard because of this appeal.
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to have massive success throughout the decade worldwide, although curiously it was only a hit here in Australia as this flopped in their native America for some reason. I guess the song is on the shorter side which led people to believe it was over before it even began, a sentiment that wasn't felt here in Australia as it was a huge success here.
This was originally a flop for Nelly here in Australia due to his album not making many waves in our music scene despite its international success, however it got a second chance when it was featured in the film Scary movie 2 due to it being made by the Wayan brothers who were known for using drugs in their films and this song having a ton of drug references throughout its runtime (which were all censored on the radio of course.)
Uncle Kracker got his start as the turntablist for Kid Rock who was (at the time) a rap rock artist making songs such as "Bawitdaba" and "Daddy cool" from the Osmosis Jones soundtrack, so to see him with the first of only two hits he had as an adult contemporary artist is a bit of a surprise to say the least. I remember this receiving tons of airplay back in the day, so perhaps it was pulled from shelves to promote his album which sadly didn't work.
This served as not only the lead single to J-Lo's second album, but also as the theme for her film the Wedding planner which co-stars Matthew McConaughey as her love interest. It was panned by critics mainly for the writing as not even the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman could make the story of the film work, indeed it's best that this song remains the lead single to an album and nothing more.
This was the third hit that Shaggy achieved on his comeback album hot stuff here in Australia, this time he recruits Samantha Cole to provide the chorus for him as he gushes about the love of his life and how fortunate he is to have her as his partner. Apparently, this was originally recorded with Janet Jackson for a soundtrack a movie no one has ever heard of from 1998, that would explain why he rerecorded that track for this album.
Well, this was the complete opposite of what "Friends forever" is, OK maybe not, as that would imply this sex jam has anything to do with graduation from high school and being friends forever with the people you met along the way. Evidently that song was pulled from shelves in order for this to thrive in Australia, it paid off as the song was a massive hit at the expense of the album which flopped.
This is one of those breakup anthems that's impossible to take seriously, I mean she goes about getting over this guy in the most over the top way that I don't anyone would even care that she's essentially getting even on him cheating on her by robbing him blind and leaving him homeless. Audiences obviously got the humour of this track worldwide as it was a massive hit for the American RNB singer.
This was another popular EDM track to come from a French producer during the first stretch of the decade, here we have the one and only hit from Supermen lovers who is a sole DJ despite their stage name implying they were a group like Modjo or Daft Punk. I think this song made it big due to the video which depicted Claymation, we haven't seen one of these videos since the 80's on this site.
This is the closest that Stevie Nick's "Edge of seventeen" managed to become a hit here in Australia, Stevie of course gave her blessing to Destiny's child and even appears in the music video to prove that the trio didn't steal the track from her without her consent. Here we have them inventing a new term for sexy, which of course has since been legitimised as a word in the Oxford dictionary.
This was the only hit that Mary J Blige had here in Australia, although had the digital charts been incorporated into the main charts sooner than they were, she would've also had a hit later in the decade with her cover of "One" with U2. I'm not sure why it took her nine years to find success here in Australia as it's not like her brand of RNB was that different from the tracks that made it big here in the 90's.
This may seem a little low to my Australian readers given how inescapable this was on the radio and even to this day how often it appears in commercials, however it wasn't as big a hit as you might think likely due to some of its success being eaten up by illegal downloads as well as it being the lead single to a highly successful album from him. It was a much bigger hit in NZ where it didn't have these hinderances.
This song was reportedly inspired by the reality series of the same name, in fact Beyonce was supposedly watching the show when she decided to theme a breakup anthem around the show which resulted in the song's creation for the album of the same name. It was a massive hit for the trio upon its initial release, in fact I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger hit here in Australia given its status as a feminist anthem.
This was the last hit that Bardot were able to achieve in their short time together, mainly because the main star of the group Sophie Monk wanted to embark on a solo career following the departure of one of their other members during the production of their second album. While Sophie did achieve moderate success on her own with her solo album, it didn't reach the success she had with her group.
Given how this was coming from not one but two of the biggest albums of the decade, you'd think that this collaboration would've been more inescapable back in the day given how it was a song about protecting the children of the world from two former teen idols. I can't even say if this song's success came from Kylie's fans or Robbie's as neither fanbase seems to be that fond of the collaboration.
This is the final hit that Janet Jackson scored in her career worldwide, mainly because she would find herself getting cancelled at the 2004 Superbowl for her wardrobe malfunction despite the fact that Justin Timberlake was the reason for why the world got a peak at her breasts that night. She hasn't made any comment about how she feels about that night, although I doubt she has positive feelings towards the N sync member.
This was a hip hop track that came out of nowhere here in Australia given how it wasn't a success for him anywhere else in the world including his native America, not even the kiwis gravitated towards this track which is really odd because they were the ones who discovered these hidden gems throughout the 90's.
This was another two for one deal to make it big in Australia, this time it's the fourth and fifth singles from Vanessa Amorosi's debut album which were likely bundled together in order to give her a fourth consecutive hit from the album. The two songs are totally different from each other as "The power" is an upbeat track about living her life to the fullest whilst "Everytime I close my eyes" is a downtempo love song.
This was the second hit that Daft punk had here in Australia, it was also their final hit for over a decade as none of their other songs from the 00's managed to crossover here (not even "Harder better faster stronger" which was the song Kanye West sampled for his worldwide smash "Stronger" in 2007.) The song's popularity likely comes from the video which showcases an anime style band playing along to the track.
Baby Spice was always my favourite from the Spice Girls, so it brings me great pleasure in presenting her one and only hit she had in her career away from her friends which sadly wasn't as big here as it was in NZ and throughout Europe. She was the member of the group most affiliated with adult contemporary, which is perhaps why she didn't find as much success as the likes of Ginger and Sporty.
This one and only hit from ATC may be more appropriate than you realise given how the members were indeed from different parts of the world, those places being NZ, Australia, Italy and the UK despite the foursome being based in Germany. It was their only hit worldwide likely due to the novelty of them being from different parts of the world, although it could also be its fusion of teen pop and EDM.
Does anyone remember the "Wazza" meme from the early 00's? Nowadays it's best known for that scene in Scary movie which admittedly grinds the movie to a halt but is still hilarious to watch (I have a weird sense of humour) but it was originally concocted for the beer company Budwiesers which was so influential that it was turned into a dance remix by Shaft (credited as Da muttz) using the beat from Rick James' "Superfreak."
I didn't really have room to mention why "Who let the dogs out" was so low on my previous list, although it should be obvious by now as it was yet another song pulled from shelves in order to encourage album sales from the group. The second single from said album didn't suffer such a fate as it was free to become a massive hit here in Australia due to it a fun party jam that wasn't from a kid's movie.
Well, it was only a matter of time before we looked at a song from Limp Bizkit on this site, although it may surprise you to learn that these guys never had a hit in their native America and that their success worldwide more came from how well they did in the UK of all places where this was a chart topper for them. I guess the Brits really enjoyed the combination of rap and rock on this track more than their fellow Americans.
One of the more popular songs to come from the UK this year was this cover of an obscure reggae track from the early 70's, in fact I'm willing to bet more people are familiar with the Baha men version from the mid 90's than the original as that's seemed to have popped up in recent years for some reason. In any case we have this version from the British band Toploader crossing over here in Australia due to its funky beat.
This is the final hit that Five had in their career before they went their separate ways, although the boys already had signs of tension during their third album's production as ABS would leave soon after its release due to creative differences. At least this was a decent hit here in Australia given how the boy band wars had already come to an end by this point.
This was the penultimate hit that Brandy had here in Australia, it's a cover of the Phil Collins classic (which was his penultimate here funnily enough) that she turned into a duet by recruiting RNB singer Ray J. If the name Ray J sounds familiar to you, that's because he was the reason why Kim Kardashian became famous later in the decade after the pair starred in a sex tape together.
You'd think that the album cycle to J-Lo's second album would've been more successful for her given how she was one of the most successful celebrities at the turn of the new millennium, although I think in this case, it was due to a part where she goes "play my motherf**king song" which of course had to be censored in the radio and also led to rumours that she was little more than an entitled diva.
This was only a sleeper hit here in Australia for the Gorillaz, a British band that consists of an animated counterpart with art done by the same people who made the Tank girl comics in the 90's. Their debut single was a hip hop track named after the Hollywood actor (despite his name not appearing once in the lyrics) which was a surprise hit for the band considering how quirky and unconventional the song is.
This will be the final appearance from Mandy Moore on my site as the teen idol didn't have any hits as an adult later in the decade, it's a pity because her voice didn't deteriorate transitioning to adulthood and she shifted from teen pop to adult contemporary with her later material. Here she incorporates middle eastern production which was a surprisingly common troupe throughout the decade in western music.
This was another song that was a bit late to the party here in Australia given how it was an RNB jam, although it was a hit here even if it wasn't as big as it was in NZ and Kandi's native America. This is a cheating anthem that she justifies by having her cheat due to her partner cheating on her, it tends to divide people on whether it's an empowerment anthem or something akin to Rupert Holme's "Escape."
Britney was on a roll with this third single from her second album worldwide as it was one of many songs to proclaim that she came out of a relationship stronger than she was before entering it to become a success this decade, indeed this set the template for the likes of "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera and "Thank you" by Jamelia as positive songs about a woman coming out on top after a breakup.
It looked like Matchbox 20 going to just be an album band here in Australia given how "Bent" underperformed here despite it being a Billboard chart topper for them the previous year, however that wasn't the case as the second single from their sophomore album did become a genuine hit here in Australia albeit from the lower half of the charts which is why it isn't appearing any higher on this list.
One of the earliest viral hits to become as such at the turn of the millennium was Hampton the Hampster, specifically its theme song which was a minor top ten hit here in Australia (not enough to make this list but still.) Following the breakthrough success of his theme song, he released a cover of a John Denver track (a mere four years after his death mind you) which became a success here.
It's hard to think that this was the first hit that Nelly had here in Australia, admittedly his earlier entry on this list was released as the second single from his album after its title track, however it only became a hit due to its inclusion in the second Scary movie film. This on the other hand was a success upon its immediate release down under, meaning this was the song that won us over to Nelly's music.
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