Heartbreaker (Mariah Carey song)

“Heartbreaker” is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 21, 1999 by Columbia Records as the lead single from Carey’s seventh studio album, Rainbow (1999). The song was written by Carey and Jay-Z and produced by the former and DJ Clue. Additional writers are credited, since the song’s hook is built around a sample from “Attack of the Name Game” by Stacy Lattisaw. “Heartbreaker” pushed Carey even further into the R&B and hip-hop market, becoming her first commercial single to feature a hip-hop artist. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship from the female perspective, and how the protagonist incessantly returns to her lover, even though he continuously cheats on her and breaks her heart.

The song received mixed reviews from music critics, many of which felt it was not original or innovative in terms of a creative step forward. Additionally, it was compared heavily to Carey’s previous song “Fantasy” (1995), which also built its hook from a sampled beat. “Heartbreaker” topped the charts in Canada and US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Carey’s 14th chart topper there. Across Europe and Australia, the song topped the charts in New Zealand, and was a top five single in France and the United Kingdom.

Carey performed “Heartbreaker” live on several television and award show appearances around the world, as well as on her concert tours. The song’s music video, directed by Brett Ratner, is one of the most expensive ever made, costing over $2.5 million. The video features Carey and her friends visiting a film theater and catching her boyfriend (played by Jerry O’Connell) on a date with another woman. Carey played herself and a brunette villainess named Bianca, during a physical altercation scene in between the two women. Due to contractual agreements at the time of its filming, Jay-Z was unable to make an appearance in the video, instead being portrayed as an animated cartoon. The video was inspired by several films including Grease and Enter the Dragon.


“Unpretty” is a song by American recording group TLC. It was produced by Dallas Austin and co-written by Austin and TLC member Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins in August 1998 for the band’s third studio album, FanMail (1999). Long time contributor Dallas Austin helped Watkins adapt the poem into an empowering song for their female fan base to overcome feelings of physical inadequacy.

“Unpretty” was the second single released from FanMail. It became the group’s fourth US number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, spending three weeks atop the chart, and the second consecutive number one single in from the album, following “No Scrubs”. A critical success, the song was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards. A remixed version of the song, sampling Dennis Edwards & Siedah Garrett’s “Don’t Look Any Further”, was produced by JayDee of 1208Ent. and “Mad” Mike Lewin. Two versions of the remix were made, one containing a rap verse by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and one without the rap.


“Bailamos” (English: “We Dance” or “Let’s Dance”) is a Latin pop song from Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias, sung in Spanglish. It was the debut single of Iglesias in the English-language market, and attained immense success, reaching the number-one spot in the Billboard Hot 100. In 1999 the song sold 5 million copies worldwide.

“Bailamos” was written by Paul Barry and Mark Taylor and produced by Barry and Brian Rawling, the same team which wrote and produced Cher’s hit “Believe”. The track first appeared on a limited edition of his Spanish studio album Cosas del Amor and was released as a single in parts of Latin America and Europe. After attending one of Enrique’s concerts in March 1999, Will Smith asked Enrique to contribute to the soundtrack of his upcoming movie Wild Wild West and “Bailamos” was chosen to appear.[1] The song quickly became most requested on pop radio in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Due to the song’s popularity, it was released as a single throughout the world. In English, “Bailamos” means “We Dance” (We Are Dancing), or in this case, “Let’s Dance”. In the United States, the song was seen as part of a wave of crossover music from Latin American singers and a general increase in interest in Latin music, which was started by Ricky Martin’s release “Livin’ la Vida Loca”. The single reached number one on the US pop charts, making it Iglesias’ first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. The Latin song “Smooth” by Carlos Santana released at the end of the year was one of the most successful songs in chart history. Its immense success could, to some extent, be credited to “Bailamos”‘ and other Latin pop songs during the era. The success of “Bailamos” was a breakthrough for Iglesias, which enabled him to sign a multi-album deal with Interscope Records. The song would go on to appear on his debut English album Enrique, though slightly altered to fit with the sound of the album. The soundtrack version has a different arrangement in mix from the version of the album.

Genie in a Bottle

“Genie in a Bottle” is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut album released in 1999. It was written and produced by Steve Kipner and David Frank, with additional writing from Pamela Sheyne. The song was released on June 22, 1999 by RCA Records as the album’s lead single. “Genie in a Bottle” uses sexual references to rubbing a teenage girl in order to talk about the theme of self-respect.

“Genie in a Bottle” received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics, most of whom praised the song’s lyrics and Aguilera’s vocals on the track. The single achieved commercial success, peaking atop the record charts of 21 countries.[2] In the United States, the song peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold more than 1.4 million copies in the country.

A music video for “Genie in a Bottle” was directed by Diane Martel and shot in Malibu, California. The video was well received by media outlets and gained many plays on music channels including VH1, BET and Total Request Live. “Genie in a Bottle” has been widely recognized as one of Aguilera’s signature songs, and was credited with establishing her name in the music industry. Aguilera recorded two remakes of “Genie in a Bottle” and included them on her albums: a Spanish version entitled “Genio Atrapado” was included on Mi Reflejo (2000), and an electropop-oriented version entitled “Genie 2.0” was included on Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits (2008).

Wild Wild West (Will Smith song)

“Wild Wild West” is the title of a hip hop song co-written by Will Smith as the theme song for Smith’s film of the same name. The song also appears on Smith’s 1999 album, Willennium. Will Smith’s 1999 release was recorded specifically for Smith’s planned summer blockbuster movie, Wild Wild West.

The song became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and its extended music video, directed by Paul Hunter, was a hit on MTV. Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” single samples Stevie Wonder’s 1976 hit song “I Wish”, with parts of the chorus from Kool Moe Dee’s song of the same name as well. Kool Moe Dee re-performs that chorus for the song, with additional guest vocals from the group Dru Hill. The album version of the song also features, as an introduction, a brief spoken word conversation between Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith in which Will asks his son what song he should perform next, and Jaden suggests this one[citation needed]. The song won Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. This song appeared in the video game Just Dance 4.

Bills, Bills, Bills

“Bills, Bills, Bills” is a song by American girl group Destiny’s Child. It was written by band members Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, and Kelly Rowland along with Kandi Burruss of Xscape and Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs for their second album The Writing’s on the Wall (1999), featuring production by the latter.

Released as the album’s lead single in June 1999, the song provided the quartet with their first chart-topper on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian RPM singles chart. A worldwide success, the track reached the top ten in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom and entered the top forty on the majority of the charts in appeared on. Critically acclaimed, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 42nd awards ceremony. The accompanying music video for “Bills, Bills, Bills”, directed by Darren Grant, was shot in a beauty salon as a tribute to Knowles’ mother Tina.

If You Had My Love

“If You Had My Love” is the debut single by American singer Jennifer Lopez.

The song was serviced to radio in the United States on May 4, 1999[2][3] as the lead single from her debut studio album On the 6 (1999). The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins; the latter is also the producer. “If You Had My Love” is a mid-tempo song, that features the use of a piano and guitar. Lyrically, the song is about Lopez confronting her admirer with a number of ground rules before they begin their relationship.

Upon release, “If You Had My Love” was met with positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production and catchiness. Controversy followed the song’s composition, as Darkchild had previously written a similar song entitled “If I Gave Love” for Chanté Moore’s 1999 album This Moment Is Mine. Commercially, “If You Had My Love” was a success, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; in doing so, it made Lopez the first artist to top that chart with their debut single since Britney Spears released “…Baby One More Time” in 1998. The song was also successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Netherlands and Finland.

The song is well known for its music video, and is one of many Lopez’s signature hits.[4]

Livin’ la Vida Loca

“Livin’ la Vida Loca” is a number-one hit song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin’s self-titled debut English album (he had previously released several albums in Spanish). The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999. La vida loca is Spanish for “the crazy life.”

“Livin’ la Vida Loca” is generally seen as the song that began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition of other Spanish-speaking artists (first Enrique Iglesias, then later Shakira, Thalía, and Paulina Rubio) into the English-speaking market easier. Before this time, most non-Latino Americans had never heard of Martin until what CNN reported was a show-stopping performance of “La Copa de la Vida” at the 41st Grammy Awards show, which became a catalyst in bringing Latin pop to the forefront of the U.S. music scene.[1] “Livin’ la Vida Loca” sold over 8 million copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.

The song received various Grammy Awards nominations and Ricky Martin obtain enormous success inside the United States and worldwide. In 2007, the song was ranked at number 28 on the list of 100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s by VH1.[2] It is Martin’s signature song and still maintains a cult following.

Martin performed the song on second series of The Voice Australia with fellow judges Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden and Seal.

No Scrubs

“No Scrubs” is a song recorded by American girl group TLC for their third studio album FanMail (1999). It was released as the album’s first single on January 23, 1999. The song was written by Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs alongside former Xscape members, Kandi Burruss and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle. The single version containing self-written rap by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was not included on the album FanMail, and later appeared in a slightly shorter edit on Now and Forever: The Hits and 20. “No Scrubs” was the first time for Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas taking the sole lead vocals on any TLC single.

“No Scrubs” was met with international success. It became TLC’s third number-one single and eighth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned them their second Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. “No Scrubs” is one of TLC’s signature songs and was the second-biggest Hot 100 single of 1999 in the U.S., only behind Cher’s “Believe”, according to Billboard’s Year-End Charts. The single was certified 5x Platinum in the US, and 2x Platinum in the UK and New Zealand.

Believe (Cher song)

“Believe” is a song recorded by American singer-actress Cher. It is the title track from her twenty-second studio album of the same name (1998), and was released as the lead single from the album on October 19, 1998 by Warner Bros. Records. It was written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, Timothy Powell, Jeff Lynne, and Cher and produced by Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling. A considerable departure from Cher’s work at the time, “Believe” abandoned the singer’s then pop rock-based repertoire in favor being more club-friendly, in order to engage a younger audience.

“Believe” is an upbeat dance-pop song. The song is the first commercial recording to feature the audio processor software Auto-Tune as a vocal effect, used to produce the prominent altered effect on Cher’s vocals. This technique would eventually become known as the “Cher effect”. Lyrically, the song is about the personal empowerment and self-sufficiency after a painful break-up. Critically, “Believe” has been met with appreciation ever since its release; reviewers have praised its production, catchiness and club-friendly nature, and listed it as one of the singer’s career highlights. The song was also nominated for two Grammy Awards; for Record of the Year and Best Dance Recording, winning the latter.

Commercially, the song attained immense global success, reaching number one in almost every country it charted, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. It earned Cher a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest female solo artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became the highest-selling single by a solo female artist in the United Kingdom. “Believe” remains one of the best-selling singles of all time with sales of over 11 million copies worldwide.[1]

The music video for “Believe”, directed by Nigel Dick, showed Cher in a nightclub performing the song in two different sequences: one in which she is seen performing the song on stage and the other as a supernatural being locked in a cage. Cher has performed the song in a number of live appearances, including in three of her concert tours, most recently the Dressed to Kill Tour in 2014. It has been covered by a number of artists, and has been featured in several elements of popular culture. Scholars and academics noted the way in which Cher was able to re-invent herself and remain fresh and contemporary amidst the more teen pop-based music of the period. They also credited “Believe” as the song which restored the singer’s popularity and cemented her position as a pop culture icon.

Angel of Mine

“Angel of Mine” is an R&B ballad written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts (produced by Lawrence) for British R&B girl group Eternal’s Greatest Hits album in 1997. The song became the group’s fourteenth top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart peaking at #4 and spent a total of 13 weeks in the chart, helping their Greatest Hits album go three times platinum.[2] “Angel of Mine” was the group’s final single as a three-piece as after its release Kéllé Bryan left the group.

…Baby One More Time (song)

“…Baby One More Time” is the debut single by American singer Britney Spears. It was written and produced by Max Martin and Rami, and released in 1998, by JIVE Records for Spears’ debut studio album of the same name (1999). After recording and sending a demo tape with an unused song from Toni Braxton, Spears signed a multi-album deal with JIVE. “…Baby One More Time” is a teen pop and dance-pop song that refers to a girl’s feelings after a break-up with her boyfriend. The song received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its composition.

“…Baby One More Time” reached number one in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it earned double-platinum status and became the country’s best-selling song of 1999. It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with over 10 million copies sold. An accompanying music video, directed by Nigel Dick, portrays Spears as a student from a Catholic high school, who starts to daydream that she is singing and dancing around the school, while watching her love interest from afar. The music video was later referenced in the music video of “If U Seek Amy” (2008), where Spears’s fictional daughter is dressed with a similar schoolgirl outfit while wearing pink ribbons in her hair. In 2010, the music video for “…Baby One More Time” was voted the third most influential video in the history of pop music, in a poll held by Jam!. In 2011, “…Baby One More Time” was voted the best music video of the 1990s.[2] It has been featured on all of her greatest hits and other compilation albums.

Spears has performed “…Baby One More Time” in a number of live appearances and in all of her concert tours. It was the encore of the …Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and Dream Within a Dream Tour (2001); Spears also performed remixed versions of the song during the Oops!… I Did It Again World Tour (2000), The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), The M+M’s Tour (2007), The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011), and Britney: Piece of Me (2013). “…Baby One More Time” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and has been included in lists by Blender, Rolling Stone and VH1. It has been noted for redefining the sound of late 1990s music. Spears has named “…Baby One More Time” as one of her favorite songs from her career. It was also the final song to be played on the BBC’s music programme Top of the Pops in the 1990s.

Have You Ever?

“Have You Ever?” is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. The ballad was written by Diane Warren, with production handled by David Foster, and was recorded by Norwood for her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). It was released as the album’s third single during the fall of 1998 and became Norwood’s second song to reach the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 following the worldwide number-one success of “The Boy Is Mine”. The song also reached number one in New Zealand, peaked within the top ten in Australia, and managed to reach the top 20 in Canada and the United Kingdom, and top 30 in Ireland.

The song’s music video, directed by Kevin Bray, depicts Norwood looking after the empty house of her best friend, whom she is secretly in love with, waiting for his return while watching videos of the two of them. At the 1999 ceremony, the video was nominated an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video but eventually lost to Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)”.

I’m Your Angel

“I’m Your Angel” is a duet by Celine Dion and R. Kelly from Dion’s These Are Special Times album and Kelly’s R. album. It was released on December 1, 1998.[1] The song was written and produced by R. Kelly. The single was very successful, reaching number 1 in the United States and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[2][3] The single also reached the top 5 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[4][5]

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