#20. Genie In A Bottle By Christina Aguilera
From the debut album Christina Aguilera, Genie in a Bottle was released in 1999. It has been recognized as one of Aguilera’s signature songs as well as the one to establish her name in the music industry.
Genie in a Bottle was one of the catchiest summer vibes songs. But with lyrics like “You gotta rub me the right way,” some controversy was sure to arise. We all know what that’s supposed to mean, right?
#19. Hey Ya! By OutKast
The American hip hop duo was formed in 1992. Outkast was composed of rappers André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, and though they helped popularize Southern hip-hop, they also delved into genres like funk, jazz, and techno.
Hey Ya!, possibly their most famous song ever, was released as one of the two lead singles from the duo’s fifth album in 2003. Maybe we were all too young to get the real meaning and the song was so catchy and fun that we didn’t notice the lyrics? I can’t believe I actually danced to “Don’t want to meet your mama, just wanna make you cumma“.
#18. My Humps By The Black Eyed Peas
The American group consists of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo. But in 2001, Fergie joined the hip hop group and worked on two albums with them before releasing her first debut solo album
The hip hop and dance song incorporated a sample of I Need a Freak by Lynn Tolliver and was the object of a copyright lawsuit. The song was truly a hit, and its music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video in 2006. But wait a minute… what’s “And mix your milk with my cocoa puffs” supposed to mean?
#17. Work It By Missy Elliot
The hip hop song was written by American rapper Missy Elliot and her producer. Heavily inspired by old school hip hop, Work It was released as the first single of the 2002 album Under Construction.
It’s been Missy Elliot’s most successful single so far. An elephant trumpeting is heard in the chorus to hide a sexual reference but there is no version of the song without it. So the real meaning is left to our imagination. Actually, the lyrics are pretty straightforward. “I need to shave my chocha” and “go downtown and eat it like a vulture” can only mean one thing in this world.
#16. It Wasn’t Me By Shaggy And Rikrok
It Wasn’t Me is the first single from Jamaican-American reggae artist Shaggy, and it appeared in his fifth album, Hot Shot. The song features vocals from Shaggy and Rikrok and it’s meant to be a conversation between two friends, where one asks the other for advice on what to do after his girlfriend caught him cheating.
The clean version replaces some phrases with the lyrics “kissing on the sofa” or “making love on the bathroom floor“. However, the original version wasn’t that innocent! “Butt naked, bangin’ on the bathroom floor” is as explicit as it can get.
#15. Pony By Ginuwine
The debut song of American singer Ginuwine, Pony, was released as a single in 1996 as part of his first LP, Ginuwine… The Bachelor. If you’ve never heard the song before… well, be prepared.
The song became popular again after being featured in the 2012 film Magic Mike and its 2015 sequel Magic Mike XXL. I guess we are all old enough to understand what the reference is now! “My saddle’s waiting, come and jump on it“… Now that’s what I call poetry!
#14. Promiscuous By Nelly Furtado And Timbaland
This song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado was the lead single from the album Loose in 2006. It was an international success and it became her first number-one single in the US. But what is it about?
She described the music video as a “verbal Ping-Pong game.” The lyrics are about the two sides of a relationship, and at one point, it gets pretty sexual. Unless there’s a non-sexual interpretation of “You expect me to just let you hit it“.
#13. Butterfly By Crazy Town
Butterfly is the third single from Crazy Town’s debut album The Gift of Game. The song gained popularity and reached number one in 15 countries. It is based on a sample of Pretty Little Ditty by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The blend of hip hop and rock made this song a mainstream hit. The band’s follow-up album was never successful and they contributed to their break-up in 2003. However, let’s go back to the song. It seemed that this man had a pretty intense romance going on, or else, how do you explain the phrase “You’re my pretty baby, I’ll make your legs shake“?
#12. Lollipop By Lil Wayne And Static Major
Lollipop is the first single from Lil Wayne’s sixth studio album Tha Carter III, which posthumously features Static Major. It was released on March 13, 2008, and it’s Lil Wayne’s and Static Major’s most successful single to the date.
Static Major died two weeks before the song was released, and it was the eighth song to hit number one after the death of a credited artist. But let’s go back to the explicit metaphors featured in the song. If you think about it, the lyrics are quite self-referential: “Wanna lick me like a lollipop, I let her lick the rapper“.
#11. Fergalicious By Fergie
Fergalicious was Fergie’s second single from her debut studio album Fergie. As you can see, the word is a blend of Fergie and delicious. Written by Fergie and will.i.am, it was released in 2006 and became a major hit.
There was some controversy concerning song royalties from a sample of Supersonic that was included in the song. However, its lyrics also sparked some controversy, as some parents were not happy when they saw their children kept singing the words “And I keep on repeating how the boys wanna eat it“.
#10. This Love By Maroon 5
This Love is the second single from Maroon 5’s album Songs About Jane and it was released in 2004. The lyrics are inspired in Levine’s break-up with his ex-girlfriend. He said that he wrote it during an emotional time.
The music video was subject to some controversy because it included a scene with Levine and his girlfriend at the time. As to the lyrics, it seems that Levine really opened up and gave more details than what we asked for. “I tried my best to feed her appetite, keep her coming every night“… too much information, Adam!
#9. Get Low By Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz And The Ying Yang Twins
This song by American rapper Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz, featuring American hip hop duo Ying Yang Twins was released in 2003. Get Low first appeared on the album Kings of Crunk in 2002.
It is known as the breakthrough single for the crunk genre, a subgenre of hip hop that came out in the early 1990s. The lyrics are kind of shocking, to be honest. “Bend over to the front, touch toes back that ass up and down and get low“… very subtle, guys!
#8. Lady Marmalade By Christina Aguilera, Lil´Kim, Mya, And Pink
This version of Lady Marmalade was recorded for the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and rapper Lil´Kim. The song was written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nola and first became popular in 1974.
Turns out the chorus of “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)?” translates into English as “Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)?“. I can’t believe I’ve been singing those lyrics all my life without knowing what it meant!
#7. Candy Shop By 50 Cent And Olivia
This song is the second single from 50 Cent’s second commercial album, The Massacre. Written by 50 Cent himself, it features Olvia, star of the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York.
The rapper stated that he tried to be as sexual as possible without being vulgar or obscene. Well, he did a good job coming up with subtle metaphors, I’m pretty sure that many teens never realized the true meaning of “I’ll take you to the candy shop, I’ll let you lick the lollipop“.
#6. 2 Become 1 By Spice Girls
This song was written by the English girl group members together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard. They had a professional songwriting session for the group’s debut album Spice, in 1996.
The song is inspired in the special relationship that Geri Halliwell and Rowe started developing during the writing sessions. Out of all the songs on this list, this may be one of the more subtle ones. After all, “cause tonight is the night when two become one” is something that can be read as romantic rather than sexual.
#5. Rock Your Body By Justin Timberlake
This song was Timberlake’s third single from his debut studio album, Justified. He actually wanted it to be featured in Michael Jackson’s tenth studio album Invincible, but Jackson rejected the song!
There’s a beatboxing section of the song that is only in the live version of the music video. Now let’s take a look at its lyrics. “Hurry up ’cause you’re takin’ too long. Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song“. Well, someone was in a hurry!
#4. Goodies By Ciara And Petey Pablo
This song is the debut single by American singer Clara, featuring American rapper Petey Pablo, and it was written for her first album Goodies. Released as the album’s lead single, it was written by Ciara Sean Garrett, LeMarquis Jefferson, Craig Love, and Lil Jon.
The music video was the first time Ciara did her “Matrix” signature move. So if you didn’t get what she meant by “goodies” when you first heard the song, now you know!
#3. Sugar, We’re Going By Fall Out Boy
Sugar We’re Goin’ Down was released to radio on April 5, 2005. This song was the lead single from Fall Out Boy’s second album From Under the Cork Tree in 2005. It was Fall Out Boy’s first top 10 hit!
Stump admitted to Rolling Stone that he slurred the lyrics in the chorus to make it sound better because he wanted a kind of punk song. I don’t know about you, but the phrase “Wishing to be the friction in your jeans” makes me laugh more than it turns me on.
#2. Red Light Special By TLC
TLC’s original line-up consisted of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Ñeft Eye” Lopes, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. Lopes died in a car crash while doing charity work in Honduras in 2002 and the documentary she was filming at the time of her death was released on VH1.
This song was released in 1994 by the American vocal group TLC for their second studio album CrazySexyCool. But let’s take a look at the lyrics shown above. It’s pretty clear what they mean by “I’ll let you go further if you take the southern route“, right?
#1. All The Small Things By Blink-182
This song was the second single from the band’s third album Enema of the State, released in 1999. It was an ode to guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge’s girlfriend. The music video mocked boy bands and contemporary pop videos and it premiered on MTV´s Making the Video.
The band created this song intending to make it to the radio, because they felt the album needed a catchy tune. It includes some “na na na´s” as a tribute to The Ramones. “My little windmill“, what an unusual way of addressing your partner.