“Crazy in Love” is the debut single by R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles, featuring rapper and now-husband Jay-Z. Producer Rich Harrison, Knowles and Jay-Z wrote the song for Knowles’ debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. “Crazy in Love” is an R&B love song which incorporates elements of hip hop and 1970s-style funk as well as soul music. The track features a sample from The Chi-Lites’ 1970 song “Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)”, used as the song’s horn hook. The lyrics reference a romantic obsession that causes the protagonist to act out of character.
Category: 2000’s
Shakira – Whenever, Wherever
“Whenever, Wherever” is a Latin pop song written by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, Gloria Estefan, and Tim Mitchell for Shakira’s first English language album, Laundry Service. The track was produced by Shakira, and recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami as well as Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and was engineered by Terry Manning. “Suerte”, meaning “luck”, is a version of “Whenever, Wherever” recorded in Spanish. It is about how fortunate she is to have found a person like the man with whom she is in a relationship.
Sting – Stolen Car
Sacred Love is the seventh studio album by Sting. The album was released on 29 September 2003. The album featured smoother, R&B-style beats and experiments collaborating with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Some songs like “Inside” and “Dead Man’s Rope” were well received; and Sting had experimented with new sounds, in particular the more rock-influenced “This War”.
Mary J. Blige – Family Affair
“Family Affair” is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige, taken from her fifth album, No More Drama (2001). Produced by Dr. Dre, the music for the track was originally created in a jam session between Dre and musicians Mel-Man, Camara Kambon and Mike Elizondo. Later, Blige heard the song that her brother Bruce Miller, Asiah The Continent and Luchi Lodge created the lyrics and melody to and decided on recording her vocals.
Eminem – Stan (feat. Dido)
The song was produced by The 45 King, and uses a slightly modified break from Dido’s “Thank You” as its base sample. The track also samples the opening lines of “Thank You” as its chorus. Coincidentally, both songs were released as singles in late 2000. “Stan” has been called one of Eminem’s best songs and is considered one of his signature songs. Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Stan” at #296 in their list in The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was also listed at #15 on VH1’s list of the greatest hip hop songs of all-time.
The song was nominated for multiple awards like the Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Video of the Year, Best Rap Video, Best Direction, Best Cinematography at the MTV Video Music Awards. The only award it won was the Best International Artist Video at the MuchMusic Video Awards. In April 2011, Complex magazine put together a list of the 100 Greatest Eminem songs, ranking “Stan” at #2. The name of the character in the namesake song has given rise to a slang term online which refers to overzealous maniacal obsessed fans of a celebrity or personality.