# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 2000 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868 "2014-11-17T17:41:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/1 "2014-11-17T17:41:27Z")
The year is now 2000. Unemployment is low, gas is about $1 a gallon in most of the country, and America is beloved around the world. I have a feeling the next decade or so is gonna be just fine. 🙂 We begin the 21st century with 17 songs in our poll. Santana’s “Smooth” carried over from 1999, but in a rule I haven’t had to invoke since the early '60s, I’m excluding it from this poll because it won 1999 by a comfortable margin. You know the drill. What’s your favorite? Previous polls: [1955-56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731649) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731871) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732021) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732199)[1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732526) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732691) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732872) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733112) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733297) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733526) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733750) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733958) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734168) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734331) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734535) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734741) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735107) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735304) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735502) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735659) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735871) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736076) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736316) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736501) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736705) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736957) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737099) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737315) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737488) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737732) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737957) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738178) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738403) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738639) [1990](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738829) [1991](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739067) [1992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739360) [1993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739525) [1994](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739880) [1995](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740122) [1996](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740302) [1997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740497) [1998](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740709) [1999](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740859) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/2 "2014-11-17T17:46:09Z")
Maria Maria! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/3 "2014-11-17T17:54:51Z")
Skippin’ it. It all looks Greek to me. I’m told Aaliyah was a quality musical artist, but I can’t research the validity of this claim from my work office. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/4 "2014-11-17T18:22:41Z")
Easy for me: **Aaliyah** - _Try Again_ Clearly one of the finest hit singles of that decade. Just try to get the chorus out of your head. Weirdly fun electronic noodling in the background and even the rapping is tolerable. Yeah, I danced a lot to that one. And for those who know me, that’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/5 "2014-11-17T18:23:58Z")
“Maria, Maria” is the only song on this list I have any particular fondness for. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/6 "2014-11-17T18:36:33Z")
Aailyah, “Try Again.” It looks like we’re about to turn a corner to where pop music starts becoming interesting again (IMHO). There’s a number of good songs on this list. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/7 "2014-11-17T18:40:53Z")
I don’t recognize any of the songs from this year, and I doubt I could make it through giving the list a fair shake. On that count, I gotta bow out. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/8 "2014-11-17T18:51:43Z")
Clearly I am old. Or I have good taste. Or bad taste. Or something. I don’t recognise any of the songs on this list. although I do recognise most of the artists - although none of them mean much to me. Also bowing out. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/9 "2014-11-17T19:14:21Z")
Madonna, “Music”. One of my favorite songs from her. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/10 "2014-11-17T19:44:30Z")
This looks like the end of the line for me. The only song I recognize is Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open” and I can’t bring myself to vote for Creed. And I’ve peeked ahead and know I’m not going to recognize anything between here and 2013, so I can’t even say “these songs are crap,” because these songs are simply _terra incognita_ to me. But remembering the Creed song reminds me of the story about [Creed’s booty call](http://gainesville.livejournal.com/2009830.html), which is rather amusing, so not a total waste. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/11 "2014-11-17T21:30:21Z")
I’m voting for the dope beat to step to. Step to. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/12 "2014-11-17T22:48:45Z")
There are a bunch of songs I don’t know, so I’ll have to listen to them later tonight before I vote. I’m afraid to do so. I think this will be a recurring problem until the Golden Age of music arrives in a few years. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/13 "2014-11-17T22:56:07Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Clearly I am old. Or I have good taste. Or bad taste. Or something. > > I don’t recognise any of the songs on this list. although I do recognise most of the artists - although none of them mean much to me. Also bowing out. for the past couple of years we’ve had polls, I just don’ t know the songs. I guess I didn’t listen to music much. My kids were too young and I was too old. Or something. Worse then the years 1983 through 1988, when I don’t think I even owned a radio. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/14 "2014-11-17T22:57:36Z")
“Try Again.” I don’t remember liking it that much back in 2000, but I pulled it up again on youtube and damn it’s a good little earworm. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/15 "2014-11-17T23:26:27Z")
“Bent” came out in 2000? I could have sworn that was a 90’s song. Either way, that’s the one I like the best, closely followed by “Everything You Want.” Don’t judge me, I was twenty. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/16 "2014-11-17T23:26:52Z")
I have just noticed that I mistakenly attributed “Try Again” as “Try” in the poll options. My apologies. I also meant to note in the OP that “Try Again” was the first song to reach #1 on the Hot 100 entirely on the basis of airplay, as it had not been issued as a single in the US (there was, I believe, a single released in Europe.) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/17 "2014-11-17T23:28:41Z")
I voted for Creed’s _With Arms Wide Open_, as it’s the only song on the list that wouldn’t _ **necessarily** _ cause me to change the station if I came across it while flipping through the radio dial. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/18 "2014-11-17T23:32:46Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I voted for Creed’s _With Arms Wide Open_, as it’s the only song on the list that wouldn’t _ **necessarily** _ cause me to change the station if I came across it while flipping through the radio dial. Just remember, kids - _this is what the grunge revolution got you._ All your complaining in the '90s polls about how there wasn’t any Nirvana or Pearl Jam or Soundgarden to vote for. Well, here’s your #1 grunge song. **Are you not entertained?** ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/19 "2014-11-18T02:03:30Z")
In a shocking result, Enrique Iglesias’s “Be with You” wins my vote. This is the equivalent of an NFL team squeaking into the playoffs by winning its division with an 8-8 record. The only other song I even _considered_ was Christina Aguilera’s “Come on Over Baby.” Every other song here absolutely sucks. In dead-ass last place, I pick the following in a six-way tie: “What a Girl Wants;” “I Knew I Loved You;” “Thank God I Found You;” “It’s Gonna Be Me;” “With Arms Wide Open;” and “Independent Women Part 1.” You see, people of the 90s, when you keep putting the same Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men and Celine Dion crap in the #1 slot, you create a perfect breeding ground for the likes of Creed and Nickelback to succeed. The 90s and early to mid 00s are a near-total cesspool. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868/20 "2014-11-18T03:50:00Z")
Ooh, close one for 2000. I picked Creed. I hate grunge, but Creed was the first band to make it not suck. BTW, notice that Lonestar finally broke the country drought? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2000/704868.md?page=2)