Teen Pop in a Bottle: Christina Aguilera's singles and successes
It was a quarter-century ago next Wednesday when former Mickey Mouse Club star Christina Aguilera landed her first solo effort at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
The song, “Genie in a Bottle,” was notable for its suggestive lyrics. What’s more, Aguilera was only 18 years old at the time. But that didn’t matter to most folks. She was on her way to the big time.
Following in the Footsteps of Her Pal Britney Spears
In late 1998, Britney Spears, a former cast member of the “All New Mickey Mouse Club,” scored a huge hit with her first solo single, “... Baby One More Time.” The video featured the 16-year-old dancing in a school hallway wearing a schoolgirl outfit.
The All New Mickey Mouse Club in 1993 and 1994 included Justin Timberlake (top right) Christina Aguilera (middle right), Britney Spears (lower right) and Ryan Gosling (lower left).
The video for Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle.”
Less than a year later, 18-year-old Christina Aguilera would pull off the same trick with her own first solo single, dancing with a bunch of guys on the beach at Malibu and singing about how she’s a “Genie in a Bottle” who can “make your wish come true.” But there’s a catch: “You gotta rub me the right way.”
Aguilera and her backers were quick to point out that the song wasn’t just about sex. A deeper dive into the lyrics suggests the song is “about self-respect,” Aguilera said. “It’s about not giving in to temptation until you’re respected.”
“Genie in a Bottle” would become the second highest-selling single of 1999, with 1.36 million units sold. The video for the song would reach the top of MTV’s list of most-played videos.
In fact, Aguilera had recorded a single the year before “Genie in a Bottle”: “Reflection” which had appeared — with vocals by other artists — in the Walt Disney movie “Mulan.” The single peaked at No. 19 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart but didn’t appear in the Hot 100. But that was enough for RCA Records to pony up a higher budget for what would be her first album for that label.
One of the three writers credited for creating “Genie in a Bottle,” Steve Kipner, had written Olivia Newton-John’s 1981 hit single, “Physical”.
Aguilera’s self-titled debut album would contain two other songs that would become No. 1 hits, plus one that would peak at No. 2. The album itself would go on to sell 17 million copies worldwide and would earn Aguilera a Grammy for Best New Artist.
Christina Aguilera's Single Chart History
Her No.1 Hits
