Today is the birthday of the late singer and actress Aaliyah, who sadly passed away at the young age of 22 in 2001. Though she had a short career of only seven years, Aaliyah was able to leave an impact on the industry and a void that no one has been able to fill since her untimely death.
Throughout her career Aaliyah released three multi-platinum studio albums and garnered eight top 20 hits. She also managed to star in two No. 1 box office hits and won countless awards for her music.
Since it is her birthday, let us celebrate it by remembering some of her best songs.
I Don’t Wanna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1ms8cdR1ew
“I Don’t Wanna” was a single from the Next Friday soundtrack. It peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100 and at No. 5 on the R&B/Hip-hop Charts.
If Your Girl Only Knew
“If Your Girl Only Knew” served as the lead single for her sophomore album, One In A Million. The song was a hit and peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-hop charts.
It’s Whatever
“It’s Whatever” is featured on her third album, Aaliyah and it quickly became a fan favorite. Though the song was not a single, the style and vibe of the song can be heard in most R&B music today.
The One I Gave My Heart To
“The One I Gave My Heart To”, penned by Diane Warren, was the final single from her sophomore album, One In A Million. The song was the albums biggest success, selling over 900k copies in the US and peaking at No. 9 on the Hot 100. It’s also one of the few songs that showcased Aaliyah’s belting ability.
4 Page Letter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2maiIc_LACs
One of her more underrated singles and a fan favorite, “4 Page Letter” was the fourth single from the album One In A Million. The song peaked in the top 20 of R&B/Hip-hop airplay charts.
At Your Best
One of her most popular singles. “At Your Best” was the second single from her first album, Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number, The single was a huge success peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and receiving a gold certification from the RIAA.
Street Thing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TjAPg77v2k
This album cut was one of the few songs that showed Aaliyah’s belting ability. “Street Thing” was featured on her first album Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number.
Are You That Somebody
“Are You That Somebody” was one of the biggest hits of Aaliyah’s career. The single taken off of the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack garnered Aaliyah her first Grammy nomination and was a hit with radio peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Radio Chart.
Try Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRcAvsZgjXA
“Try Again” was the lead single from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack. The song was so popular that it went No. 1 on the Hot 100 based off airplay alone. This made Aaliyah the first person to achieve this.
One In A Million
“One In A Million” was the third single off of her second album of the same name. The song proved to be a major game changer and has gone on to be one of her signature songs. The song was a success peaking at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-hop airplay charts.