They say you never know you’re in the good ol’ days until you’re already way past it. Looking back, 2009 was such a great time for music. It wasn’t mandatory for music videos to feature twerking girls and artists didn’t write about body parts as they explicitly do now. As kids and teenagers in 2009, we downloaded songs from Limewire and ‘burned’ them on discs to pass on to friends. And if one was rich enough, one owned an iPod Nano. The hits we loved back then are now categorized as throwbacks. If you feel old about it, don’t be! It was a privilege to be alive in 2009 jamming to these songs!

I Gotta Feeling and Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas

The easiest way to get pumped for a night out or to bring life to boring Christmas parties in 2009 is to blast these Black Eyed Peas hits. The music videos currently have 399 million and 336 million views respectively and if that doesn’t say how much everyone likes this song, feel free to read the comments section instead.

Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus

Miley was 16 years old when she released this song and she has come an awful long way since. In front of the entire world, she fell in love, got her heartbroken, wrote a song and did a weird music video, scared kids with her outfit choices, and finally fell back in love and eventually married Liam Hemsworth. She is now a sister-in-law to Thor and her life is everything we aspire to have and be.

You Belong With Me and Love Story – Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift dominated the charts in 2009 the same way she dominated charts with every single and album release for the past 10 years. Remember singing these songs and moaning why your crush didn’t like you back? T.S has always been relatable, and her songs will never age!

Poker Face and Bad Romance – Lady Gaga

Admit it, in 2009 you were either weirded out by Lady Gaga and her eccentricity, or you worshiped her as the artist who introduced pizzazz back to the music industry. Thanks to her over-the-top concert productions, every other artist stepped up their game and gave worthwhile live performances. Safe to say a decade later, Lady Gaga is as iconic as she was then, and her songs (and movies) are anticipated more than ever.

Fall For You and Your Call – Secondhand Serenade

Year 2009 was a golden age for emo boys and girls who like thick eyeliner, bangs, and monochrome clothing. But it was also the rise of Secondhand Serenade’s heart-wrenching songs that made us want to cry from broken hearts, even though we had no idea what a broken heart feels like. Fast forward to 10 years later—now we do.

Mad and Miss Independent – Neyo

Thanks to Ne-Yo, we now have a soundtrack for when couples fight. Although these songs were released in 2008, they climbed the charts in 2009 and became classics that you wouldn’t mind playing every year, over and over. Ne-Yo proved that you don’t need naked girls or twerking for your songs to become a hit.

Love Drunk and Two is Better Than One – Boys Like Girls

Hooky melodies, check. Sideswooped hair, check. Whiny vocals and harmonies, a huge check. You can’t escape these songs 10 years ago, and now they hold a special place in your heart. No need to explain; we all have our own guilty pleasures.

Empire State of Mind – Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

New Yoooooork! Everyone clearly loved Empire State of Mind so much that Jay-Z and Alicia Keys even produced Part 2, which unfortunately didn’t fly as high as the first one did. Whenever this song was on, we felt like we were in New York conquering the world. But hey, thanks for the chance to dream. And a lesson in grammar.

Do you remember other 2009 hits? Share your favorite songs with us in the comments!