In addition to tracking the Billboard charts of 1991, I decided to track the year 2001 for this nostalgic journey as well. A couple of reasons for this decision, besides being a reference point to my other retrospective, were that this was the year I graduated high school and I felt at this point I felt I already had a well-refined palate. Keep in mind this was the era nu-metal and post-grunge “I am incapable of expressing or understanding any emotion except anger and horniness”.
It didn’t take long to notice the vast difference a decade can make. The musical landscape felt more wide open than ever before in 2001. Growing up throughout the 90s, the ways I consumed music changed in myriad of ways. As a younger me, my only options seemed to be whatever was on the radio in the car, where I rarely (if ever) had a say of what we could listen to or by listening to my cassette walkman. I had few tapes in my collection, but I devoured them. By 2001, cassettes gave way to CDs that evolved technologically to be capable of being loaded by songs that were downloaded on your computer.
Purchasing an album solely for a single was quickly growing out of fashion as obtaining a digital copy of any song was done in a few clicks and only for a few bucks (free). With a semi-decent internet collection and a moderate amount of memory space, metaphorical record stores were there for your taking. Now with the joys of not being judged by the clerk behind the counter “I swear these TWIZTID albums are a gift!”
Unlike (literal) mixtapes reliant on a careful ear and steady finger hovering the record button ready to strike, you could drag and drop your songs to any configuration. This was leagues beyond dubbing your cassettes on a dual deck. A CD packed with 80 or so minutes could be made in minutes and the freedom and customization within entertained me to no end. I would make my own “Greatest Hits” collections of my favorite artists and I even learned how to design and print out custom album art. A former girlfriend from that time couldn’t be reached for an interview to confirm this story as none existed at this time.
I hate the term “guilty pleasure” because of the implications of shame. Thanks to the customization of making my own mixes I could enjoy some songs without anyone knowing. I would “ironically” listen to tracks such like Pink’s “Most Girls”[19] and “So In Love With Two” by Mikaila [34] on my DiscMan in peace, the latter of which never got much love in the years moving forward.
Going back to these songs felt like going back to high school. The fun memorable parts were quickly overshadowed by not great it all was. Much like loading a bunch of junk food into your shopping cart, most of these singles lost their nostalgic luster after a bite or two. No song better represents this feeling for me than “Pinch Me” from Barenaked Ladies [28]. There is so much I really enjoy about this song. It melancholic nature collides with a wonderfully sounding pre-chorus which is in my wheelhouse of what I love. However, the song gets away from the listener by the second verse lyrically and becomes this overly saccharine exercise. I would discuss how the “I just made you say underwear” like makes my skin crawl, but you can listen to it for yourself.
One song I had forgotten about, but thanks to this project and the lovely darkly comedic 2025 film, Twinless I was reacquainted with Evan & Jaron’s “Crazy For This Girl”[18]. This song’s great. Twinless is great. Everything’s great.
As for albums this month, The Beatles’ Greatest Hits collection 1 dominated the charts and ushered in a new generation of listeners. In fact, most of the albums on the charts this month were either from soundtracks (Charlies Angels, Save The Last Dance, and What Women Want (?!?)), greatest hits (Tim McGraw and Lenny Kravitz charted quite high this month), or were a collection of tracks repackaged as an all-in-one listening experience. Hip Hop publication The Source had it’s Volume 4 compilation chart as well as evergreen entries Totally Hits and the Now! That’s What I Call Music series.
Boy, someone with a lot of time and a lot of ADHD should tackle the Now! Series (insert bulging eyeballs emoji).
Notable Albums That Did Not Chart
Low – Things We Lost In The Fire
Low are one of those bands that I need to be in the mood for because they have this incredible power to move me in ways not many artists can and I need to be locked in for it. Dark and Dreamy, this album is hauntingly beautiful listen. Pairs wonderfully with a walk along the beach on a gloomy gray day.
The Donnas – The Donnas Turn 21
Rock music at this time was either becoming more palatable and poppier and to garner more market share in the space, or it was devolving into something more antisocial. Very few bands were doing what The Donnas were doing and certainly none were doing it as well as The Donnas. Flag bearers for the garage-rock explosion that would happen later this year, The Donnas Turn 21 is a blast to listen to, there’s even a great cover of Judas Priest’s “Living After Midnight”. It’s a shame that the band only lasted a few years, but we were blessed with a fun discography.
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