Nickelback, Ashanti, And Nelly Had The Biggest Hits Of 2002

In 2002, the world was still dealing with the fallout from September 11, 2001. President Bush’s approval rating hit an all-time high, but that wouldn’t last long. In terms of the music world, pop and rock went into remission while hip hop absolutely ruled. Eminem left “superstar” status and became a megastar who also had a hit movie, 8 Mile.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest hits of 2002 as compiled by Billboard and reported on by Music Outfitters.

5. The Calling, “Wherever You Will Go”

“Wherever You Will Go” peaked at No. 5 in early 2002. However, it enjoyed months in the top 40 and had enough points to beat many other hits that had a higher chart peak. The song is the first release from their album Camino Palmer.

The September 11 attacks helped give new life to “Wherever You Will Go.” According to Songfacts, songwriter Aaron Kamin said that the hit song’s lyrics were inspired by the passing away of his grandmother’s best friend. Kamin thought what it would be like to be him, having your whole life change so instantly in a matter of moments.

4. Nelly (featuring Kelly Rowland), “Dilemma”

The year 2002 was a great year for Nelly, who has two top-selling hits that made this list. The first hit, a duet with Kelly Rowland, spent 10 weeks at No. 1. It was taken from his album Nellyville. The song “Dilemma,” if released a little earlier, would have certainly ended up higher on the list as it peaked during Billboard‘s cut off for the chart year.

According to Songfacts, the hit “Dilemma” is about a girl who thinks about another guy, even when she’s with her current boyfriend. The song was the first huge hit for Rowland outside of Destiny’s Child.

3. Nelly, “Hot In Herre”

Nelly caused a lot of controversy with the language police for his purposely botched pronunciation and spelling of the word “here,” but that didn’t seem to matter with music listeners. “Hot In Herre,” also taken from the album Nellyville, was the biggest hit of the summer of 2002, spending seven weeks at No. 1.

Ironically, Time just reported that Nelly fans have united to stream Nelly’s biggest 2002 hit in order to help him get out of debt. Nelly is allegedly in hot water with the IRS, but he would need almost half a billion streams in order to significantly reduce the money he owes.

2. Ashanti, “Foolish”

Ashanti’s “Foolish” was her debut single from her self-titled debut album and spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in the spring of 2002. The mega-hit song uses a sample of DeBarge’s “Stay with Me.”

As Songfacts notes, Ashanti also had two other hits in the top 10 at the same time. She became the first artist since the Beatles to have their first three singles all in the top 10 simultaneously. “Foolish,” according to the same article, is about making mistakes when being in love.

1. Nickelback, “How You Remind Me”

“How You Remind Me” spent two weeks at No. 1 in January of 2002. It was the first single from their third studio album, Silver Side Up, which was released in 2001. It was one of many songs that made Nickelback one of the most loved and hated bands of the 2000s.

According to Songfacts, lead singer Chad Kroeger told MTV that “How You Remind Me” was written about his former girlfriend, Jodi, who he had a very dysfunctional relationship with. He wanted to keep the song ambiguous so everybody could identify with it. Judging by the success of “How Your Remind Me,” Nickelback certainly succeeded.

Do you think this song deserves to be the top hit of 2002? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

[Featured Image by Mike Windle/Getty Images]