Half Hour of Power is the debut extended play by Canadian rock band Sum 41. It was released on June 27, 2000 on Big Rig Records, a subsidiary of Island Records, and Aquarius Records (Canada). The cover features the band's then-drummer Steve Jocz aiming a Nerf gun up in the air and standing in front of an explosion in the background. Though officially an EP, Half Hour of Power may also be considered the band's debut studio album. Most of the songs featured on the EP were included as bonus tracks on Sum 41's actual debut studio album All Killer No Filler, which featured a re-recorded version of Half Hour of Power's sixth track "Summer". This is the second of three times that this song was featured on a Sum 41 album. It first appeared on their 1998 demo tape. The group originally planned to include different versions of the song on each of their albums as a joke, but scrapped the idea after All Killer No Filler, as they felt that it would annoy their fanbase.
"I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown in October 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on October 18, 1969, on Diana Ross's The Hollywood Palace and on their milestone performance on December 14, 1969, on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Psyence Fiction is the debut studio album by English electronic music act Unkle, released on 24 August 1998 by Mo' Wax. The album was produced by Unkle, at the time consisting of James Lavelle and DJ Shadow. The music on Psyence Fiction was primarily composed by DJ Shadow. Lavelle recruited numerous guest musicians to contribute to the album's recording.
"Wifey" is a song by American R&B trio Next. The song was written by Eddie Berkeley, Keir Gist, band member Robert "RL" Huggar, and singer Lil' Mo for the group's second studio album, Welcome II Nextasy (2000). The song was released as the album's lead single on May 8, 2000. "Wifey" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart while reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It also entered the top 20 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In 2001, the song won an AWARD Rhythm & Soul Award for in the Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs category.
"Nice & Slow" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, My Way (1997). Released on January 6, 1998 by LaFace and Arista, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1998. The song was written by Usher, Brian Casey of the R&B group Jagged Edge, Manuel Seal Jr. and Jermaine Dupri.
"Emotion" is a song written by Barry and Robin Gibb. It was first recorded by Australian singer Samantha Sang, whose version reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. The Bee Gees recorded their own version of the song in 1994 as part of an album called Love Songs, which was never released, but it was eventually included on their 2001 collection titled Their Greatest Hits: The Record. In 2001, "Emotion" was covered by the American R&B girl group Destiny's Child. Their version of the song was an international hit, reaching the top ten on the US Hot 100 chart and peaking in the top five on the UK Singles Chart. English singer Emma Bunton also covered the song on her 2019 album My Happy Place.
"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a song recorded by American musician Prince, under his unpronounceable stage name called the "Love Symbol". It was released as the only single from his twenty-third studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued on October 5, 1999, in several different formats, including a 12-inch single, CD single, and a maxi single. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while Mike Scott provided guitar strings for the track. Several music critics found the single reminiscent to the works on his previous studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991).
Destiny's Child is the debut studio album by American R&B group of the same name, released by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on February 17, 1998. It features the singles "No, No, No" and "With Me", both of which preceded the album. The album spent twenty six weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart and peaked at number sixty-seven. To date the album has sold a total of 831,000 copies in America. In the United Kingdom, it reached the top fifty, peaking at number forty-five. It was re-packaged and re-released in several countries after the success of the follow-up album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999). The album was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, including AllMusic and Rolling Stone, and won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year.
"The First Night" is a song by American singer Monica for her second studio album, The Boy Is Mine (1998). It was written by Tamara Savage and Jermaine Dupri, featuring production and additional vocals from the latter. Built around a sample of Diana Ross's 1976 recording "Love Hangover", penned by Marilyn McLeod and Pam Sawyer, who share co-writing credits, the song is about the protagonist's battle with sexual temptations on the night of her first date, despite her conflicting emotions and strong sexual desires.
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as the lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
Soul-Junk is an experimental genre-hopping Christian rock and hip hop group from San Diego, California.
"Sidewalk Talk" is a song by American record producer John "Jellybean" Benitez from his first extended play, Wotupski!?! (1984). It was released on October 21, 1984, by EMI Records as the first single from the EP. The song was written by Madonna and produced by Benitez. They had initially met in 1983 and Benitez worked as a producer on Madonna's self-titled debut album. When he started work on his debut EP, Wotupski!?!, Madonna wrote "Sidewalk Talk" for him. The song features bass and electric guitars, synthesizers, piano as well drums. Lead vocals are sung by Catherine Buchanan, and additional chorus vocals by Madonna.
"One of Those Days" is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, from her fifth studio album Just Whitney (2002). Written by Kevin Briggs, Dwight Renolds, Patrice Stewart, Ernest Isley, Marvin Isley, Christopher Jasper, Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, and Rudolph Isley, and produced by Briggs, the song was released as the second single from the album, following the lead single "Whatchulookinat", on October 29, 2002 through Arista Records. A mid-tempo R&B track, "One of Those Days" samples The Isley Brothers' song "Between the Sheets" (1983), and its lyrics speak about getting away from the stress of daily life.
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox, released as the lead single from her second studio album, One Wish (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song was released on the same day as the album, on September 15, 1998, by Arista Records. It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and spending a then-record 14 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.
"Lately" is a song by American R&B girl group Divine, released as the group's debut single on August 25, 1998, from their only studio album, Fairy Tales. Written by Christopher Kelly and Will Baker, the Hammond organ-driven R&B song is a pensive reflection on lost love produced by John Howcott and Donald Parks.
"Everything" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Blige's third album, Share My World (1997). The song contains samples from "You Are Everything" (1971) by American soul group The Stylistics and "The Payback" (1973) by American singer James Brown, also incorporating elements from "Sukiyaki" (1961) by Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto. Due to the inclusion of the samples, Brown, Hachidai Nakamura, Rokusuke Ei, Linda Creed, Thom Bell, John Starks, and Fred Wesley are also credited as songwriters.
"Be Happy" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Arlene DeValle, and Jean-Claude Olivier from duo Poke & Tone for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Olivier. "Be Happy" contains an instrumental sample of the song "You're So Good to Me" (1979) by musician Curtis Mayfield and a re-sung vocal portion of the record "I Want You" (1976) by Marvin Gaye.
"So Amazing" is a 1983 song by Dionne Warwick. It was written by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller and produced by the former for her studio album How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (1983). Three years later, Vandross himself covered the song for his fifth studio album Give Me the Reason (1986). Released as a single, it entered the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a Soul Train Music Award nomination in 1988.
"A Rose Is Still a Rose" is a song recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was written and produced by singer Lauryn Hill for Franklin's album of the same name (1998). The song focused on a motherly figure giving advice to a younger woman who keeps getting into bad relationships. Throughout "A Rose Is Still a Rose", Franklin advises that in spite of everything and despite the woman's "scorned roses and thorn crowns," the woman is "still a rose". Elements of the song "What I Am" by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians were sung throughout the song by Hill herself.
How I Do is the debut studio album by American singer Res. It was co-written by Santi White, produced by Martin "Doc" McKinney, and released by MCA Records on June 26, 2001. The album charted for nine weeks on the Billboard 200, with the singles "Golden Boys" and "They-Say Vision" also charting.
