17 Songs Turning 10 Years Old in 2017

You know them. You love them, hate them, or you’re only interested in them when you’re in the mood. The songs of 2007 have remained in our hearts since we were wallflowers at our junior high dances. We put them on our Myspace pages and dedicated them to our friends and our first significant others. We tried to copy the dances from the music videos and wished our parents understood how deep we were for listening to them. Here are 17 songs turning ten years old in 2017!

• “Teardrops on My Guitar”—Taylor Swift
  • Country fans and pop fans came together once again after the release of this song. As Taylor’s second single from her debut album Taylor Swift, it became her first country-pop crossover and, in a way, helped Taylor dip her toes in the pop music genre.
  • Where is she now? Taylor Swift has dominated the music charts for years since her first album was released. Despite being constantly questioned about her many brief and long relationships, she does quite well by herself. She also collaborated with Zayn Malik on “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” for Fifty Shades Darker just months ago.  
• “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows”—Justin Timberlake
  • This Grammy winner had us wishing we could dance like Justin. Considered the breakthrough moment for Justin, “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows” includes quite suggestive lyrics, even if we didn’t realize it at the time of its release, but also has a rad beat to groove to and includes a fascinating interlude that takes us from jamming on the dance floor to a place where there is calm and Justin’s voice echoes in our ears.
  • Where is he now? Outside of the studio, he’s hosted Saturday Night Live several times, played a role in Shrek The Third, and is constantly performing around the U.S., and will appear in the upcoming Woody Allen film Wonder Wheel. Justin recently provided music and his voice to the animated movie Trolls and will revisit his role again for the 2020 sequel. He has an appearance scheduled for the United States Grand Prix and is currently working on his fifth studio album.  
• “Cyclone”—Baby Bash ft. T-Pain and Mickaël
  • This was the song we were all afraid to dance to unless we knew how to move. At our age, however, there was no way we were getting away with dancing similarly to those girls in the music video at our middle school dances. This was the era in which it seemed T-Pain was featured on every song, and after “Cyclone,” most of us haven’t heard from Baby Bash or Mickaël since.
  • Where are they now? As you may not entirely know, Mickaël’s voice is heard during the intro and chorus of “Cyclone.” It’s hard to say what he is up to these days because his presence online is mysteriously outdated. However, you can hear T-Pain during the last verse of “Cyclone.” T-Pain has, of course, released his own successful singles including “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” and “I’m Sprung.” You may have seen him on an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History as Stevie Wonder, or watched him on Twitch.tv where he regularly streams. He has also cut his signature dreadlock off since the release of “Cyclone” and announced his fifth album in 2013 which has still not been fully released. As for Baby Bash, he has continuously released music and full studio albums, collaborating with artists Too Short, Miguel, Paul Wall, and E-40 along the way.  
• “Over You”—Daughtry
  • Need a tissue for your first breakup? How about this single that cemented the fact that you and your ex were OVER. That preteen dude or chick wasn’t worth it anyway. Chris Daughtry, lead singer of Daughtry, is the rocker who won our rebellious hearts on the fifth season of American Idol. “Over You,” voted by fans on the Daughtry website to be the second single from Daughtry, continues to be voted by fans as their favorite song from the album.
  • Where are they now? In April 2016, Chris Daughtry took to Instagram to show off his guitar skills and posted photos of himself in the studio. At a concert in May, he announced to the audience that while the band didn’t have a lot of new material to play, there would be a very rock-focused fifth album coming soon.  
• “Girlfriend”—Avril Lavigne
  • You might have told your preteen self that you were edgy for listening to such a punk voice back then. The Best Damn Thing had just come out and you were dreaming about dying your hair like Avril’s. You thought you were the coolest, and everyone was crazy for not seeing it! The core of “Girlfriend” is this: I’m better than that chick you’re with, so why aren’t we dating? No doubt you jammed out to this on your old MP3 player or in your bedroom when your parents finally left. You obviously identified more with the unique and silly black-haired character played by Avril Lavigne instead of the lame and clumsy red-haired character also played by Avril Lavigne.
  • Where is she now? Avril has worked in Japan on several projects. She is featured on a single for Japanese rock band One OK Rock, has contributed songs for One Piece Film: Z, performed at Summer Sonic in Tokyo, and her single “Hello Kitty” was filmed in Japan. She provides her voice for Snow White in the upcoming animated film Charming. In March, her switch to the BMG label became known and she declared that she would return to her old style of music for her next album. Her sixth album will be released at the end of the year.  
• “Bubbly”—Colbie Caillat
  • As Colbie Caillat’s biggest single, this peaceful, adorable song changed us from stressed out youngsters into chilled out preteens. We imagined ourselves lying on a beach far away from homework and your typical adolescent drama. “Bubbly” was written by Caillat about the feelings you get when you have a crush on someone, which is easy to realize from her silly yet soothing chorus.
  • Where is she now? After the release of “Bubbly,” Colbie went on to win a Grammy with Jason Mraz for their hit “Lucky.” She now has a total of six albums with her name on them, including a Christmas album called Christmas in the Sand. Her latest album, The Malibu Sessions, was released as recently as 2016. She has written for Hilary Duff and for The Walking Dead Soundtrack Vol. 2 – Songs of Survival. Colbie has worked with many different artists to date including Sara Bareilles, Brad Paisley, and Common.  
• “Famous In A Small Town”—Miranda Lambert
  • Everyone who grew up in a small town knows what it’s like to know everyone in town, what a big deal it is to be on TV or in the newspaper, and how killing time when you have nowhere to go is impossible. Everyone knows everything about everybody. Remember that gray-haired guy walking from the local gas station with a box of donuts? He knows about your grandma’s upcoming surgery, and you have no idea what his real name is except that everybody calls him “Turtle” or “Bird.” Released as the second single from Miranda Lambert’s second album, it did a pretty good job of keeping us small-town folks humble, and maybe a little bit proud of our close communities. It’s nice to relate to a country singer sometimes.
  • Where is she now? You might have heard about her marriage to and divorce from fellow country singer Blake Shelton. She’s since found a new man, R&B singer Anderson East. Last year, Miranda announced and released her sixth album The Weight of These Wings. As of this month, in fact, Miranda has won eight consecutive Academy of Country Music Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year.  
• “Same Girl”—R. Kelly and Usher
  • Ever brag to your best bud about the incredible new person you’ve been seeing? No? Apparently, R. Kelly and Usher have, and they were there to tell you all about it. On June 19, 2007, the music video for this song was shown on BET all day, every hour. If you’ve seen it, you now know to be extra careful with a new love before jumping to conclusions. Try asking if they have any identical siblings.
  • Where are they now? Usher acted as a coach on the fourth season of The Voice, but ultimately lost. When he returned for season six, his last act won this time. Usher co-owns Tidal along with many other artists. Usher is quite a philanthropist and often speaks about his support for underprivileged communities. In 2016, he played the role of a boxer in Hands of Stone and released his eighth album Hard II Love. R. Kelly released his twelfth album at the end of 2013, and his thirteenth album in 2015. He has written for and performed with various artists including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, and Mariah Carey. Christmas album 12 Nights of Christmas was originally scheduled to be released in 2014 but was later released in 2016. He also donated water for Flint Michigan in 2016.  
• “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)”—Fergie
  • As a very emotional song compared to her first few solo singles, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is about moving on after a painful divorce. Perhaps it wasn’t a relatable pop hit considering the message, but we enjoyed it as we went through our emotional stages brought on by adolescence. We were missing exes we didn’t even have because of this song. In a time of growing cliques and making and losing old friends, we needed it. Sure, we weren’t suffering from romantic life changes, but we were still going through a lot (for preteens, anyway).
  • Where is she now? Fergie and The Black Eyed Peas enjoyed success together again after releasing The E.N.D. in 2009 and The Beginning in 2010. She married actor Josh Duhamel in early 2009 and gave birth to a baby boy in August 2013. She came out to the public as bisexual in 2009 and was awarded for her work in the LGBT community from LOGO TV in April 2013. She has also released solo singles, “L.A. Love (La La),” “M.I.L.F. $,” and “Life Goes On.” Fergie has been scheduled to release her second solo studio album Double Dutchess in early 2017, but we’re still waiting.  
• “Hero/Heroine”—Boys Like Girls
  • This song was actually re-released in 2007. Originally the first single from Boys Like Girls, it didn’t chart when it first hit radio stations. After “The Great Escape” became successful, the band decided to send this one out a second time and give it a new music video. The former included robbery scenes while the second featured lead singer Martin Johnson with his girlfriend (played by Autumn Holley) in Boston as well as the other band members in different scenes, ending with the band performing on stage.
  • Where are they now? Since this album’s release, only one member has departed (bassist Bryan Donahue). It was announced that Donahue was too wrapped up in his solo projects to continue progressing with Boys Like Girls. In 2012, the band released their third studio album, Crazy World, and welcomed new bassist Morgan Dorr. Their last and only music video from Crazy World was “Be Your Everything.” In August 2016, Boys Like Girls went on a tour, celebrating their self-titled debut album.  
• “Thnks fr th Mmrs”—Fall Out Boy
  • Finally, a Fall Out Boy song title that’s so short, they took letters out of it. As one of FOB’s most popular songs, we wannabe-scene kids couldn’t get enough of “Thnks fr the Mmrs.” However, maybe we weren’t quite sure what Pete Wentz meant in his lyrics (spoiler: it’s about ex-lovers who still sleep together). All we knew was that it was the hardest rock we could find on pop stations and we were super cool for knowing most of the words when it played.
  • Where are they now? Illinois band Fall Out Boy still prowls U.S. radio stations to this day. After their hiatus from 2010 to 2012, Save Rock and Roll was released although fans, critics, and the general populace were unaware the album was being worked on prior to release. Hit song “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)” became popular in 2013, and then came their sixth studio album American Beauty/American Psycho in November 2014. Fall Out Boy has covered Michael Jackson hit “Beat It,” their single “Immortal” was featured on Big Hero 6, and they’ve collaborated with numerous artists like Lupe Fiasco, Elton John, and Demi Lovato.
• “Your Guardian Angel”—The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
  • This one should also be in the running for “Saddest Songs from our Preteen Days,” but that’s for another day. The lyrics involve a message about being there for somebody important no matter the consequences. Maybe it was the first song you learned to play on your first acoustic guitar. Maybe this was the song that said everything you wanted to say to your first boy/girlfriend. Regardless, lead singer and writer Ronnie Winter dedicated the song to eight students who passed on due to a vicious tornado that destroyed an Enterprise, Alabama high school.
  • Where are they now? The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has experienced a few lineup changes including the addition of longtime fan Josh Burke as lead guitarist in 2011. They have released albums Lonely Road, Am I the Enemy, and 4, the last of which was released in 2014. They still tour together and are currently preparing for this year’s Don’t You Fake It 10th anniversary world tour which starts in May in Australia.  
• “Piece of Me”—Britney Spears
  • We could call this one the middle finger Britney sent to the paparazzi. We couldn’t imagine the drama Britney went through during this era. We all remember her breakdown but we also remember her first official comeback album Blackout which included other hits like “Radar” and “Gimme More.” We became very aware of the high expectations the media had for celebrities and realized that, maybe, we should try to avoid enabling the media to judge celebrities like Britney Spears and simply enjoy the work that celebrities do instead of body-shaming them.
  • Where is she now? Britney Spears has released four albums since Blackout which have doled out hits like “Womanizer” and “Hold It Against Me.” She will be embarking on her ninth concert tour this year with six confirmed dates in Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and the Philippines, and expected later dates for Paris, Spain, Rio de Janeiro, and London, though the latter set of locations have not been confirmed.  
• “Umbrella”—Rihanna ft. Jay-Z
  • Did we know what this song was about when we first heard it? Do we now? In the music video, we see Rihanna’s body covered in silver paint as well as beautiful shots of her dancing with an umbrella. This song (and tabloid The Sun) spawned a legend called “Rihanna’s Curse.” The story describes London’s high temperature the day before the release of “Umbrella.” After its release in April on Friday the 13th, severe weather warnings were scattered around the United Kingdom. Similar situations happened in New Zealand and Romania. As “Umbrella” began to close in to or stayed at number one, each country experienced terrible storms until the song began to lose popularity.
  • Where are they now? Rihanna’s one of the most well-known women in music today. She’s collaborated with the legendary Paul McCartney and Kanye West, Eminem, Calvin Harris, Drake, and Shakira, to name a few. She has starred in movies Home and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, TV show Bates Motel, and is expected to act in Ocean’s Eight alongside other actresses for an all-female spin-off. Jay-Z married Beyoncé not long after “Umbrella” was released. They’ve since has one daughter and are expected to have twins. He has ties to several different companies and operates music-streaming service Tidal as the world’s first artist-owned streaming service.  
• “Alfie”—Lily Allen
  • Not exactly the first pick for your first co-ed birthday party, “Alfie” is a song written by Lily Allen about her younger brother, Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy from Game of Thrones), in which she criticizes his lazy behavior, including watching television and smoking weed all day. Alfie did find the song humorous. The puppet-filled music video has a censored, alternate version which replaces references to marijuana and certain language used by Lily.
  • Where is she now? Lily Allen released Sheezus in 2014. She’s had two daughters since “Alfie” was released. She currently raises her daughters and keeps her fans updated through Twitter. She’s outspoken on U.S. and European politics, especially about Brexit. She recently announced that her next album will cover topics such as substance abuse, politics, and her divorce.  
• “Misery Business”—Paramore
  • As the lead single from Riot, this one had us feeling sassy and super punk—for preteens, anyway. For us unpopular folk, this was the revenge song of the year that spoke from our stereotypical-popular-girl-despising hearts. The music video, featuring a promiscuous villainess who steals boyfriends, pushes cheerleaders, secretly chops off one girl’s braid, and shoves a handicapped boy, only fueled our hatred of egotistical, immoral women like these. In hindsight, we were probably being a little overdramatic. Hayley Williams herself claims the song was written about a male friend she considered to be manipulated by another girl and has since regretted her lyrics regarding how women can’t change.
  • Where are they now? You may have heard Paramore in Guitar Hero World Tour, the Rock Band series, Twilight, or Rocksmith 2014. In January 2016, Hayley announced that the band is currently working on their fifth studio album. Bassist Jeremy Davis departed late 2015, his second departure since forming Paramore with Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, Zac Farro, and later Jason Bynum. Although the Farro brothers left the band together in 2010, Zac Farro returned in February this year. The band has indeed experienced several line-up changes but has had a steady stream of success since even their first album, All We Know Is Falling.  
• “Famous Last Words”—My Chemical Romance
  • An interesting thing about this song is that its music video, which could be referred to as the sequel to the video for “Welcome to the Black Parade,” was directed before a title was confirmed for the song itself. Drummer Bob Bryar even suffered second and third degree burns because of the fire used to create this music video, while bassist Mikey Way injured his leg and foot and guitarist Ray Toro fractured his fingers. That’s dedication.
  • Where are they now? As most MCR fans know, this band called it quits in 2013 and the members have gone their separate ways. Before they gave their very shocking farewell statement on their website, they released Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and released ten singles through a compilation album called Conventional Weapons, which would be their last work in the studio as My Chemical Romance. Since their breakup, they have released a greatest hits album, May Death Never Stop You, and reissued The Black Parade for its tenth anniversary last year, called The Black Parade/Living with Ghosts. Lead singer Gerard Way still performs and writes a few different comic series. Guitarist Ray Toro also remains on the music scene, releasing songs through Soundcloud and an album in 2016. Bassist Mikey Way has worked with Good Charlotte, Waterparks, and Black Veil Brides front man Andy Biersack as well as having formed the band Electric Century in 2014. Guitarist and backup vocalist Frank Iero enjoys success as front man for his band Frank Iero & The Patience (formerly known as frnkiero andthe cellabration), having released the albums Stomachaches and Parachutes. As the drummer for “Famous Last Words,” Bob Bryar left My Chemical Romance in 2010 and left the music scene for a while, becoming a real estate agent, but was credited for songs on the Danger Days albums and for the singles from Conventional Weapons.

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