11 Songs That Were On Every High School Dance Playlist In The '90s
The very first time I ever slow-danced with a boy (with an arm-length space between us) was to "This I Promise You" by *NSYNC. His name was Michael, and he had choppy mocha-colored hair and really white teeth that popped on his olive skin. So what if he asked me to dance out of pity, and he ended up asking the cheerleader of our class to be his girlfriend the next day? At least for one, beautiful moment, I was asked to dance by the cute, popular guy.
If that doesn't sound like the quintessential scene from the late '90s and early 2000s movie, then I don't know what does. So, here are 11 classics songs from the late '90s and early 2000s that totally sum up your high school (or middle school) dances:
1. "This I Promise You" by *NSYNC
The lyric: "And I will take you in my arms, and hold you right where you belong 'til the day my life is through."
Why we loved it: Because you wrote "I <3 Jimmy" all over your notebook, and you knew you'd live in a mansion with 18 kids and a pet lizard named Charlie. MASH never lied about that stuff.
2. "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls
The lyric: "If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends."
Why we loved it: Because of all the girl power.
3. "Thong Song" by Sisqo
The lyric: "Let me see that thong."
Why we loved it: Because we all rapped the lyrics, melodramatically sang, "Thonnnnnnnnng!" at the top of our lungs and grinded up on whomever was standing behind us.
4. "Never Had A Dream Come True" by S Club 7
The lyric: "Never had a dream come true 'til the day that I found you."
Why we loved it: Because this song was the epitome of #RelationshipGoals.
5. "No Scrubs" by TLC
The lyric: "I don't want no scrub. A scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me."
Why we loved it: Because Jimmy asked out Heather, even though you were supposed to get married. (Cue buying a new notebook for English class.)
6. "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men
The lyrics: "Who, who, who, who?"
Why we loved it: No one actually knows.
7. "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera
The lyric: "It's about time that I came to start the party, sweat dripping over my body, dancing getting just a little naughty."
Why we loved it: Because nobody was going to stop up from letting our freak flags fly.
8. "I Wanna Be Bad" by Willa Ford
The lyrics: "I wanna be bad with you, baby."
Why we loved it: Because we were all a little bad back in 2001.
9. "All Star" by Smash Mouth
The lyric: "She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an 'L' on her forehead."
Why we loved it: Because we all made an "L" on our foreheads when this song came on.
10. "Why Can't I?" by Liz Phair
The lyric: "Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?"
Why we loved it: Because you two were totally in love if you slow-danced to this in the cafeteria.
11. "Hey Ya!" by OutKast
The lyric: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture."
Why we loved it: Because we all wanted to shake our stuff like a Polaroid picture. (Although, don't really do that. I hear it's not good for developing your photos.)
So, there you have it: the greatest 11 songs from the late '90s early and 2000s that were the ultimate playlist at your school dance. If you're wondering why there's no Britney on here, it's because every song of hers is bangin', and it's way too hard to choose.
