Where were you for the summer of 2007? It marked a new age for music after Steve Jobs released the iPhone—the first all-in-one phone, MP3 player, and browser. Sure that Razr was slick looking at the time, but this summer’s hits sounded way better on this new total-entertainment device.
We’ll breakdown 2007, but you can relive all your summer anthems year by year: 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013
Related
To save you time, we chose the five most memorable No.1s from Billboard’s complete 2007 pop song archive. So here we go …
1.”Umbrella” – Rihanna feat. Jay-Z
A good bridge goes a long way. “Umbrella” was where it all changed for Rihanna. The lead single for her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, was a result of her newfound creative control—and, as creative controls go, it was very scantily clad. In the music video, she can be seen in a variety of booty shorts, splashing around suggestively. Well… the shorter the shorts, the faster the drying time, right?
2.”Big Girls Don’t Cry” – Fergie
2007 was Fergilicious. We saw Fergie’s softer side in this classic, heartache-filled ballad, a detour from her usual hip hop sound. For the music video, she recruited pre-This Is Us Milo Ventiligia—who was then best known for Gilmore Girls—to tell a story about a love gone wrong because of a nasty drug habit. What better way to convince kids that drugs are bad than insinuating it will cost them a Fergie or a Milo?
3. “Hey There Delilah” – Plain White T’s
This is Plain White T’s first and, thus far, only number one single, but it had a long-lasting reign. The track was actually released in 2006; it wasn’t until 2007 that it hit the top of the Billboard charts. It was also played on the radio near-constantly, perfect for any tween to daydream about their own (imaginary) long-distance significant other.
4. “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” – T-Pain feat. Yung Joc
“Imma buy you drank” was infectious even for those us of who could only sip on the juice without the gin. That’s probably why this song lives on through memes, a decade later. T-Pain’s bad influence didn’t end with the lyrics. In the music video, he throws around dollar bills and smokes cigars while wearing his sunglasses inside—irresponsible with money, and risky to the health of both lungs and eyes. Fun fact: The rap was the most-purchased ringtone in 2007 with over 2 million sold.
5. “Party Like a Rockstar” – Shop Boyz
Even though the Shop Boyz were an Atlanta-based rap trio, they knew how to party like they’d been rock royalty since birth. The trio portrayed every rebel’s fantasy in their music video—lighting stuff on fire, joyriding, crowd surfing, and trashing a hotel room. It also showcased a time when tongue rings were considered punk rock.
Little did we know…
Donald Trump wasn’t the first TV star to run for president. Stephen Colbert tried to run as a democratic candidate in 2007. He paid the $2,500 fee to be included on the South Caroline ballot, but the state’s executive council denied his bid and he dropped out on Nov. 5. Just to reiterate: Colbert was rejected and Trump was approved.