# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 2001 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078 "2014-11-19T15:37:29Z")\ **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 19, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/1 "2014-11-19T15:37:29Z")
The year is now 2001. With Destiny’s Child carrying over, we have 15 songs at #1 to choose from. We’re beginning to approach an era I refer to as “the Age of Crunk” - Billboard didn’t track digital sales until 2005, but they’re already beginning to become more significant than physical sales, and although airplay at this point accounts for close to 75% of a song’s chart position, the charts begin to reflect that dance singles are the biggest form of physical single still selling (the 12" vinyl single never really went out of fashion with DJs). 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) [2000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741047) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/2 "2014-11-19T15:45:52Z")
Had to go with Alicia Keys. OutKast is tempting, but “Ms. Jackson” was never one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Abracadebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f04885/32.png) [@Abracadebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abracadebra)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/3 "2014-11-19T16:38:28Z")
I went with Mary J. Blige. No hateration, holleration in this dancery. Let’s get crunk 'cause Mary’s back! ---
**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 19, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/4 "2014-11-19T16:40:50Z")
“Forever, forever, ever, forever, ever?” ---
**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 19, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/5 "2014-11-19T16:41:45Z")
OutKast gets my vote here. Some decent songs on this list if you get away from the rock crap. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/6 "2014-11-19T17:08:19Z")
Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule. For first time in eleven years Mariah Carey does not appear at #1. ---
**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 19, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/7 "2014-11-19T17:15:50Z")
**Alicia Keys** - \*Fallin’ \* A nice little slow number. And her voice made me feel all weird (in a very good way). Too bad her career did quite take off as expected. Well, she has career and a nice one at that but the predictions of megastardom never panned out. I could also have voted for _Bootylicious_. That was one groovy song. Or _It Wasn’t Me_ for the sheer silliness of it. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/8 "2014-11-19T17:49:50Z")
Worst song here is “Butterfly” by Crazy Town, terrible though I’ll wait to see how Ponche8 rates it. Janet’s song is good but she gets little love from Dopers. The four way duet on “Lady Marmalade” Is Christina’s fourth #1, where as Britney at this time had only #1 single, despite being considered the bigger star of the two. Nickelback is the odd man out for this 9/11 era chart. ---
**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 19, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/9 "2014-11-19T17:50:54Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Worst song here is “Butterfly” by Crazy Town. I agree. That song makes me irrationally angry. ---
**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 19, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/10 "2014-11-19T17:56:32Z")
Oh yes. Absolutely terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/11 "2014-11-19T18:00:28Z")
Mary J. for me. A pretty good year, that. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/12 "2014-11-19T18:53:34Z")
Butterfly has a strange video. It’s a bunch of guys trying to look harcore with tats, no shirts, and all of that, but they’re dancing in the middle of a garden or jungle of something with butterflies flying around. ---
**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 19, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/13 "2014-11-19T19:19:18Z")
I’ll have to do another brief YouTube listening session tonight before I vote, but I’m already pretty certain what my top two choices are (it’ll be a tough pick). Overall this is a stronger year than the previous couple. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/14 "2014-11-19T19:20:31Z")
Outkast walks away with it, for me. ---
**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 19, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/15 "2014-11-19T19:35:30Z")
I can’t decide which of these songs I hate the least, but I can’t let “Lady Marmalade” go by without linking to [“Lady MadTV.”](http://youtu.be/eKUsKChKa9g) Man, I miss that show. ---
**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 19, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/16 "2014-11-19T19:52:19Z")
My vote went to Lady Marmalade - I never cared for the original, but this version of it just plain _rocks_. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/17 "2014-11-19T20:16:31Z")
This one is hard. Do I go with the song that was #1 when my daughter was born? Do I go with the song that I remember the most? Or do I go with the song that had the video with all the nodding dogs? Sorry OutKast and Nickleback, gotta go with Alicia Keys on this one (#1 when my kid was born) ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/18 "2014-11-19T22:15:44Z")
Well, I like Butterfly… but I also liked a lot in this late, which is my HS graduation year. So I’m happy with anyone that gets the most votes… Except perhaps J.Lo with Ja Rule… ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/19 "2014-11-19T22:38:34Z")
Butterfly has a sick beat. Y’all trippin. ---
**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 19, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078/20 "2014-11-19T22:42:41Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Had to go with Alicia Keys. OutKast is tempting, but “Ms. Jackson” was never one of my favorites. Agreed on both points. Shaggy would have been my second choice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-2001/705078.md?page=2)