In case you hadn’t heard, Usher is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. That’s a pretty big deal, even for an artist of Usher’s size, as in the past we’ve seem massive acts such as Lady Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna and so many more making it their own in the past.
Anyways, now it’s time for Usher to take the floor, or pitch I suppose. It doesn’t matter, what matters is that he gives a good show. Spectators have been incredibly harsh on past performances before but we have faith in the pop star. Whilst the singer has had his fair share of controversies in the past, there’s no denying that the man makes some catchy tunes, so hopefully he performs some of these in February.
Yeah! (Confessions, 2004)
Without a doubt Usher’s most well-known song from his most well-known album. Confessions took the pop music scene by storm in the mid 2000s and in a way this song feels representative of the whole era, from that instantly recognizable synth hook to the Lil Jon and Ludacris features. But don’t be fooled, this song might have come out 20 years ago (which I try not to think about), but it’s still as fresh today as it was back then.
OMG (Raymond v Raymond, 2010)
If Yeah! Was the song of the mid 2000s then OMG was the song of the early 2010s. With a feature from Will.I.Am at the height of his Black Eyed Peas fame singing the chorus over some smooth synth chords this song is one of the best, if not the best, from the artist’s sixth studio album, selling over 4 millions copies — which was a big deal prior to streaming.
Burn (Confessions, 2004)
It’s more of a slow jam but that doesn’t mean this song can’t keep up with the rest of the ones on this list. An R&B classic that’s about going through the end of a relationship — “It’s been a long time coming, but we done been fell apart” — so it’s essential for those break-up playlists. Although you don’t have to be going through a break-up in order to enjoy this song.
DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love (Raymond v Raymond, 2010)
It’s weird to think a whole generation of people know this song purely because of the CaptainSparklez Minecraft parody. Maybe that’s a big part of the reason it’s still massively popular today; in 2010 nothing was more flattering to a musician’s music than a Minecraft version being made. Anyways, you can’t beat the original and besides, this version has Pitbull in it which instantly makes it better, or at least that’s what I tell myself.
You Make Me Wanna (My Way, 1997)
This was Usher’s breakthrough hit, and there’s a good reason for that. The acoustic guitar coupled with some deep but also kind of funny lyrics about being in the middle of a love triangle certainly struck a chord (see what I did there?) with listeners at the time. This is the single that put Usher on the map so of course it’s going to get a spot here.
Love In This Club (Here I Stand, 2008)
Arguably the best song off of his fifth studio album, which if you ask me, is slept on. There’s a lot of bangers on this album for sure, but this is the one most fans of the singer think of when they remember it. The song features more of those synths that were in a lot of songs around this musical era, but it’s a great song about love and sex and clubbing. The track features Young Jeezy as well, who has since changed his name to just ‘Jeezy,’ which makes sense because this song is 16 years old and he’s 46 now.
Think of You (Usher, 1994)
Featured on his debut album this song works as a great introduction to Usher as a musician. The singer’s soulful lyrics combined with the Jazz samples make it a stand out single, even if it wasn’t necessarily a hit at the time. In the decades since the track has undoubtedly made its way into the rankings as one of the artist’s greatest songs.
U Got It Bad (8701, 2001)
Making it to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is no small feat, and this was Usher’s third time doing so. So far we’ve had break-up ballads, club bangers and R&B classics, but this song is an ode to love. The music video even features Usher’s then girlfriend Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas; it doesn’t get much more romantic than that.
My Boo (Confessions, 2004)
Usher’s had so many hits that sometimes it’s easy to forget some of them. Not this one though. This song plays in my head 24/7; it’s actually a challenge to forget it. Alicia Keys also features on this track and her vocals coupled with Usher’s work so well. It’s one of those songs that seem specially made for couples to sing at Karaoke night.
Anyways, both artists were in the middle of an astronomical rise at the time so this song was obviously massively popular back in 2004. But even today, it is still used in TikToks, so obviously the younger generations are enjoying it too.
Confessions Part II (Confessions, 2004)
Yet again we’re going back to Confessions. What can I say? The album has won multiple awards and four of the songs featured were number one hits on the Hot 100 chart. This is the fourth of the album’s hits. It’s a solid R&B groove about the singer confessing to an affair in which he got the woman pregnant.
At the time many thought that it was autobiographical due to Usher’s break up with Chilli happening shortly before. However, the singer’s longtime collaborator, Jermaine Dupri, has revealed that he actually based the song on his personal experience. Regardless, it was enough to drum up curiosity and controversy and further engrained Usher’s name into people’s minds.
There are so many more great songs
Listening to Usher on shuffle whilst writing this has reminded me of just how many great songs he’s responsible for. If we wanted, we could go on all day and night listing off iconic tunes from the R&B artist, from U Remind Me to Climax, but listening to them is so much better than reading about them. That being said, we’ve got another list with more Usher songs for you to beef up your playlist with before you go.
