#2000smusic — Public Fediverse posts

Prince Plays “Musicology”

Listen to this track by immortal Minneapolitan true funk soldier Prince. It’s “Musicology” the title track to his 2004 album, his twenty-eighth release. After he spent the intervening years putting out more ambient and jazz-oriented albums independently and distributing them digitally through his own NPG music club, Musicology was his first major label release after 1999’s Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The new record went to fans who caught Prince’s tour starting in March 2004. By the next month, the album became available to the general public as well, representing a return to his signature sound.

Critics and fans met Musicology fondly as a joyful return to the global spotlight and to his roots. This title track expresses those roots in the clearest and most enthusiastic terms, winning him a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B vocal performance in 2005. It finds him namechecking artists who inspired Prince’s own music. James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, and Sly Stone are among them. Even contemporaries like Chuck D and Jam Master Jay get a look-in on a song that is a celebration of music itself.

“Musicology” is about the vitality and essentialness of music as a binding force. That passion and enthusiasm is the clear throughline that made the song sound so fresh. It felt like the kick-off to a new era for the man who wrote it and recorded it. The song represented a kind of factory reset to his own unique sound while also conjuring music of the past that helped to make that sound what it is. It’s a playful track full of humour as much as it is one about how music has the power to bring people of all backgrounds together. The video that features him and his band plus luminaries like Maceo Parker who toured with Prince and plays on Musicology only reinforces that point.

Along with the celebratory lyrics, Prince communicates the meaning of the song using recognizable musical and textural references. The guitar line and interlocked groove between bass and drums is pure James Brown. He even quotes himself on this cut to reference his past. The wheezy 1980s-style synth interjections are distinctly Revolutionary in their tone and timbre. On this track, Prince brings it all together and puts it all forward as a pocket-sized personal history of his own musical education and development. For generations of fans by 2004, this was kind of a big deal.

Even from his debut in the late Seventies, he consistently wore Prince like an elaborate costume. He was always stage-ready when it came to wardrobe and full hair-and-makeup finery even when not making public appearances. He maintained a feline persona in interviews, never giving away anything he didn’t want to give away, responding to questions with a knowing smirk. Prince was, very purposefully, an enigma. He wore rock star mystique like a suit of clothes—or possibly of armour.

In this respect, one of the most surprising and wonderful things about “Musicology” was its acknowledgement that Prince wasn’t in fact lowered down from heaven fully formed as his image had always suggested. This song reveals that he came from somewhere very real and earthbound as a kid in Minneapolis who loved buying and listening to records because of the way they made him feel. Prince was affected by the music he heard as a young person in the same way we were—and still are. In “Musicology”, Prince gives himself away in a way he hadn’t before. He’s not the aloof and unaffected rock god here on this song. He’s a music fan—again, just like we are.

As we listen, he’s conjuring the idea of reaching back to a time when music hit us differently as young people. This was a period when music was an essential part of our own education, helping us form our identities and shaping the ways we looked at the world. As we listen, this song encourages us to follow its advice to reconnect to what it felt like to hear our favourite music for the very first time. How did it so often bypass the intellect and go straight to the emotional, visceral, and the primal so easily? Why did it make us feel like moving— to get up and dance, or fight, or make our own music as inspired by it? How did it help us form our friend groups, as different as those friends may have first appeared to us? It’s all a wonderful mystery.

That’s another element in “Musicology”. Prince is telling us that when it comes to deep mystique and the enigmatic, nothing is more mysterious and powerful than music itself. Not even Prince was unaffected by it. In fact, it’s what drove him to become the person and the musician and performer he was and for the benefit of us all. That’s the underlying point he’s making in this song; that music, especially that which we first loved as kids, provides us with a kind of rare magic that can’t be denied.

If we cast our memories back far enough, we realize that our favourite music helped us to become who we are, too. No matter how old we get and no matter how many times the grown-up world messes with our joy, the core beauty of the music that entranced us as wide-eyed young music fans full of hope and hormones remains. We just have to remember it and seek it out from time to time. When we do, we often rediscover valuable and treasured parts of ourselves that we didn’t know we were missing.

Prince recorded a lot of music throughout his career that was never officially released. Since his passing in 2016, some of his demos and other unreleased material have become available. There has been a lot of speculation as to the full inventory of recordings stored in his (at one time, literal!) vault. For more on that, check out this 2024 article about Prince on Ultimate Guitar.

For more about Musicology and where it sits in his catalogue, plus some of the highlights of his career by the time it came out, check out the album’s Prince Official Discography entry.

Otherwise, it might also be a good idea to visit prince.com for and assortment of other Princely goodies.

Enjoy!

Fergie's "London Bridge" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 19, 2006 and spent three weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #Fergie, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 18, 2001 and spent six non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #AliciaKeys, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Released today 21 years ago:

🇬🇧 Goldfrapp "Supernature" – 2005

Goldfrapp transforms their atmospheric electronic sound into something sleek, seductive and unmistakably dancefloor-oriented. Alison Goldfrapp’s sensual vocals helps the album to its distinctive character...

#goldfrapp #electronicmusic #electropop #synthpop #dance #electronica #artpop #2000smusic #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #nowspinningonvinyl #nowspinning #nowlistening

🇺🇸 Antony and the Johnsons "Another World" – 2008

A deeply intimate and haunting release built around Antony Hegarty’s extraordinary voice. It explores themes of nature, mortality, longing, and a world slipping away, with sparse arrangements that give the songs an almost weightless quality...

#antonyandthejohnsons #antonyhegarty #anotherworld #chamberpop #artpop #alternative #2000smusic #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #nowspinningonvinyl #nowspinning #nowlistening

🇬🇧 Goldfrapp "Felt Mountain" – 2000

A stunning debut that feels suspended somewhere between electronic music, cinematic pop, torch songs and psychedelia. Felt Mountain creates an almost dreamlike world of lush strings, analogue electronics, orchestration and Alison Goldfrapp’s haunting vocals...

#goldfrapp #electronicmusic #artpop #electronica #synthpop #2000smusic #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #nowspinningonvinyl #nowspinning #nowlistening

Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 4, 2001 and spent two weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #DestinysChild, #2000s, #2000sMusic

🇷🇺 t.A.T.u. "All the Things She Said Remixes" – 2002 - Promo

A compelling remix package built around one of the most explosive pop singles of the early 2000s. Produced by Trevor Horn, the original's dramatic melodies and emotional intensity remain intact while the remixes add harder beats, club grooves, and expansive electronic textures...

#tatu #trevorhorn #dancepop #electropop #trance #remix #2000smusic #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #nowspinningonvinyl #nowspinning

Outkast Play “Ms. Jackson”

Listen to this track by Dirty South progressive hip hop innovators Outkast. It’s “Ms. Jackson”, the second single from their landmark record Stankonia released in October of 2000. That record received rave critical reviews across the board. It also made an impact on the musical landscape as a whole from within hip hop as well as without. It certainly helped open up the possibilities for hip hop artists working in the south. By the turn of the century, the traditional east-west divide was no longer the only game in town. Outkast were on the vanguard of that movement.

“Ms. Jackson” received heavy radio play all over the world as a popular fixture on playlists alongside pop songs of all styles. Among other songs on the record, this hit tune is the product of a new creative approach between creative heads André 3000 and Big Boi. They pair acrobatic rapping, beats, and samples with varied instrumentation, a singable chorus, and more complex song structures. On the album as a whole, Outkast reference psychedelia, funk, and rock fused together with modern hip hop into something new. In doing so, they lean into classic styles of the past while also pushing the envelope into more experimental territory.

There’s even a heavy shot of the confessional singer-songwriter storytelling element in this song. “Ms. Jackson” offers clear narratives that outline characters and their motivations with a complex set of perspectives. To create that effect, André 3000 considered his own life experiences and worked alone with an acoustic guitar to work out his ideas at home. Big Boi worked primarily in their recently acquired Stankonia studio in Atlanta. In part because of that separation, this song and many of the other tracks on the album depart from the norm to what was happening in hip hop by the end of the Nineties and set a template for others in a new century.

“Ms. Jackson” tells a true story, or certainly a true set of sentiments between real people. From the mid-Nineties to the end of the decade, André 3000 was in a relationship with then up and coming R&B singer Erykah Badu who became the mother of their son. “Ms. Jackson” touches on that story, with the titular figure being Badu’s mother in André’s verses. The pleas for forgiveness in this tune are heartfelt on his part in the context of his break up with Badu. But this song is more nuanced than just being a straightforward confessional piece full of personal remorse, regret, and a trillion apologies. That is only one single perspective in a song that deals in wider themes beyond that one situation.

Big Boi’s contribution is not specifically directed at Badu or the real Ms. Jackson at all even if his recriminatory tone was purportedly not entirely welcome when Badu heard the song. His verses (one and three) centre around how ugly break ups can get from a more general perspective. To be fair, the shift in perspective between Big Boi’s verses and André’s wasn’t immediately obvious to many on first listen. Yet his verses paint a starkly realistic and painful picture of how break ups so often play out between two people and their respective familial camps. The children in the middle of that conflict are often reduced to points of leverage used by one party over another and vice versa.

André’s story is the more introspective picture of a relationship breakdown. But it’s no less illustrative of the costly toll it takes on everyone involved. In his verses, he ponders how easy it is to lose ground as perspectives shift from the puppy love of youth to the complexities of love in adulthood. He examines the responsibilities, obligations, and changing perspectives that go beyond idealized views of relationships and romantic feelings. Further to that, André’s narrator suggests how disconnection from a lover’s family when love breaks down can be just as significant a loss as the break up itself. Speaking directly to his lover’s mother speaks volumes on that front.

This exchange between the two perspectives between André 3000 and Big Boi on “Ms. Jackson” creates a compelling contrast. Even if they come at the subject of marital and familial breakdowns from entirely different angles, the common denominator running through the whole song is plain old agony. Break ups always hurt—some more than others, but always with a certain amount of misery on both sides as a given. When love, acceptance, and inclusion so easily turn to acrimony, rejection, and separation, how could it not? “Ms. Jackson” demonstrates how complex these states of affairs can be, infused with anger, grief, remorse, disconnection, and utter loneliness.

As a song on the radio, “Ms. Jackson” was evidence of a maturity spike across the pop music spectrum as a whole by 2000. Like the movement of a lot of rock music during the Nineties and into the new century when compared to the widespread casual misogyny of the 1980s, things had changed in hip hop, too. Blurry edges and emotional grey areas that were more true to life replaced the simplistic divide between men and women and who might be to blame for relationship breakdowns.

In this, “Ms. Jackson” was innovative as one of the most emotionally complex songs of the era in any genre. It approaches the very well-traveled pop music subject of break ups in a new way, with everyone in the narrative as flawed as each other instead of either party being a hero or a villain. It’s a human drama, with anger, hurt, and feelings of guilt still present. But along with that, so are the realities of claiming ownership of one’s mistakes, taking responsibility for caring for innocent parties, and paying proper respect to those one has hurt, even if one’s own heart is also broken.

Because this song is based on real events and involving real people, a question that arose at the time and soon after this song achieved popularity was simply this: what did the real Ms. Jackson think of this big hit song bearing her name? Well, she loved it. It even resulted in purchasing a personalized licence plate, the wording of which is pretty easy to guess.

Outkast put out two more albums after Stankonia before breaking up in 2007 and then only briefly reuniting in 2014. They were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, recognized today as the most successful hip hop duo of all time.

Big Boi is an active solo artist, record producer, and actor today. Catch up to his more recent movements at bigboi.com.

André 3000 took a long hiatus from his music career with some of that time spent pursuing an acting career. In 2023, he put out his solo record New Blue Sun, his first recording in 17 years. That album is not a hip hop record, but rather one that finds him exploring instrumental new age flute music. Learn about that release right here.

Enjoy!

Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland's "Promiscuous" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 8, 2006 and spent six weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #NellyFurtado, #Timbaland, #2000s, #2000sMusic

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR!
Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
2018 Canada 2xLP reissue

As epic and breathtaking now as it was in 2000.

This masterpiece is not something I listen to that often. I can’t listen to it in pieces. It has to be heard and experienced from start to finish, all glorious 88 minutes of it. It’s exhaustive, but worth every second of the listener’s time.

Truly one of the landmark albums of the #2000s , and one of the greatest Canadian bands ever.
When talking about #postrock as a genre, and of its high artistic watermarks, this behemoth is one of the few standing at the top.

Just an exhilarating piece of art.

Perfect selection for last spin of the night.

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #records #vintage #retro #physicalmedia #analog #cratedigging #vinylcollection #vinylfinds #rare #art #postrock #godspeedyoublackemperor #canada #Montreal #2000smusic

Usher's "U Remind Me" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 7, 2001 and spent four weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #Usher, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Song of the Moment: Backstreet Boys – “The Call”

"The Call" was released as the second single from Backstreet Boys' 2000 album, Black & Blue.

http://aeschtunes.com/2026/07/02/song-of-the-moment-backstreet-boys-the-call/

#Music, #BackstreetBoys, #2000s, #2000sMusic, #PopMusic, #AeschTunes

Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 17, 2006 and spent two weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #Shakira, #WyclefJean, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone's "Ridin'" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 3, 2006 and spent two weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #Chamillionaire, #KrayzieBone, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink's cover of "Lady Marmalade" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 2, 2001 and spent five weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #ChristinaAguilera, #LilKim, #Mya, #Pink, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Aku selalu bahagia saat hujan turun
Karena aku dapat mengenangmu
Untukku sendiri, oh~
Aku bisa tersenyum sepanjang hari
Karena hujan pernah menahanmu di sini
Untukku

Hujan (2007) - Utopia

#sofiaflorina #ソフィアフロリナ #utopia #hujan #song #songs #music #lagu #lyrics #indonesiansong #indonesiansongs #indonesianmusic #2000ssong #2000ssongs #2000smusic #indonesianpop #pop #popsong #popsongs #popmusic

Def Leppard released the Yeah! album on May 23, 2006. Happy 20th anniversary to Yeah!

#Music, #DefLeppard, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Pet Shop Boys released the Fundamental album on May 22, 2006. Happy 20th anniversary to Fundamental!

#Music, #PetShopBoys, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Am I the only one who doesn't like the current trend of pop music, like all so bland and boring to me, maybe cuz the 2000s and the 2010s influenced me so much that music rn sounds like boiled chicken breast
#music #popmusic #2010smusic #2020smusic #2000smusic #popculture #trend #popindustry

WEEN
White Pepper
2026 U.S. Ltd. Edition reissue
Green Pepper vinyl

The SECOND of the two Ween reissue purchases today.
This is NOT cut at #45rpm like Quebec is, but it sounds phenomenal.

I’ve owned a Plain Recordings reissue (yuck!) of this on white vinyl for a long time, and I was always disgusted by how it sounds.

THIS makes up for that time of agony.

Thank you, Rhino for finally delivering a great sounding press of this at a decent price.

“Exactly Where I’m At” has entered the chat about the greatest all-time album openers of all time.

And yes, once again…

All. Hail. Boognish.
Forever.

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #retro #vintage #art #music #analog #ween #whitepepper #boognish #2000s #2000smusic #deanween #geneween

WEEN
Quebec
2026 U.S. 2xLP reissue @ #45rpm
Magenta/Red (?) vinyl

Finally!
Picked up BOTH of the new Ween reissues today, but THIS is the one I’m most excited about.

2 LPs cut at 45rpm, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how my SECOND favorite Ween album sounds.

Puzzling that it was hyped as being red and magenta colored, when CLEARLY one of them is a cream/off-white color.
It doesn’t really matter.

I’ve wanted this magnum opus on vinyl for quite some time, and my copy sounds STELLAR on all four sides. I haven’t even sonic cleaned it yet!

Long live Boognish.
For eternity and long after that.

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #retro #vintage #art #music #analog #ween #quebec #boognish #2000s #2000smusic #brown #sobrown

R.E.M. released the Reveal album on May 14, 2001. Happy 25th anniversary to Reveal!

#Music, #REM, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Depeche Mode released the Exciter album on May 14, 2001. Happy 25th anniversary to Exciter!

#Music, #DepecheMode, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Rihanna's "SOS" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 13, 2006 and spent three weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #Rihanna, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Pearl Jam released its self-titled album on May 2, 2006. Happy 20th anniversary!

#Music, #PearlJam, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 8, 2006 and spent five weeks at the top of the chart.

#Music, #DanielPowter, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Erasure released the Union Street album on April 3, 2006. Happy 20th anniversary to Union Street!

#Music, #Erasure, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Roxette released the Room Service album on April 2, 2001. Happy 25th anniversary to Room Service!

#Music, #Roxette, #2000s, #2000sMusic

Sean Paul's "Temperature" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 1, 2006.

#Music, #SeanPaul, #2000s, #2000sMusic