With the return of Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart for 2020, we’re feeling a bit nostalgic for the warm-weather music of decades past. Every other week on Thursday, we’ll be revisiting a past decade to see which tunes ruled the chart.
Pop and R&B continued their reign on Billboard‘s Songs of the Summer chart as the new decade (and millennium) kicked off with the 2000s. Usher was the big winner, with two of his singles — “U Remind Me” and “Confessions Part II” — earning the Song of the Summer title in 2001 and 2004.
Jay-Z also found himself with that honor twice, though as a featured artist rather than lead artist. He managed the feat thanks to wife Beyonce and her upbeat hit “Crazy in Love,” and with protege Rihanna‘s earworm “Umbrella.”
The 2000s also introduced us to now megastar Katy Perry. After first debuting with a gospel album in 2001, she burst onto the popular music scene with sophomore effort One of the Boys‘ lead single, “I Kissed a Girl,” which became 2008’s Song of the Summer.
Below, see which other hits became Billboard‘s Songs of the Summer each year of the 2000s, then revisit them in the playlist. Vote in our poll after and let us know which Song of the Summer from the decade is your favorite.
- 2000: “Bent,” Matchbox 20
- 2001: “U Remind Me,” Usher
- 2002: “Hot in Herre,” Nelly
- 2003: “Crazy in Love,” Beyonce feat. Jay-Z
- 2004: “Confessions, Pt. 2,” Usher
- 2005: “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey
- 2006: “Promiscuous,” Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland
- 2007: “Umbrella,” Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
- 2008: “I Kissed a Girl,” Katy Perry
- 2009: “I Gotta Feeling,” Black Eyed Peas
Want more? See the top 10 tunes that ranked in our Songs of the Summer chart each year from 1958 to 2019 here.
Prior to 1992, Songs of the Summer were calculated from their Billboard Hot 100 chart performance during the summer months based on an inverse points system — with weeks at No. 1 earning the most value, and weeks at No. 100 raking in the least. After 1992, the songs are ranked based on each track’s performance on the Hot 100 chart during the summer.