It's finally here! After two weeks of voting and 21 ballots, we're ready to find out which bubblegum B-lister will graduate to all-star status. The results were tight to the very end, with songs jumping up and down the countdown throughout balloting and the winner switching on the final vote. (Just for your information, scores have been rounded to two decimal places.) I know you're all itching to get started like Vitamin C, so let's get to it!
“Santa Baby (Gimme Gimme Gimme)” (2001) MTV: TRL Christmas
Hot 100: —
Days on TRL: —
Overall score: 4.88 High score:10 (KillingYourCareer) Low score:1 (MP2K, MWB, Taste of Honey, Sazare)
Though mainstream success mostly eluded her, Willa Ford was an MTV favorite, and the network kept her employed long after the buzz had faded on her debut. This cheeky track served as the lead single for the TRL Christmas soundtrack, leading the album all the way to #169 on the Billboard 200. Voters were just as enthused; "Santa Baby (Gimme Gimme Gimme)" is the only song in the rate not to break a 5 average.
Best bit: "I wanna live on the beach with my five hot boyfriends in speedos"—a Christmas wish any ATRLer could get behind
The music video... is fantasy fulfillment for that girl who used to give the mall Santa a little lap dance.
Am I the only one who LOVES the ridiculously clichéd lyrics and imagery of Play's I Must Not Chase the Boys? Everything about the blatantly manufactured transition from teeny boppers to ~mature women~ kind of slays!
Leslie Carter's first and only single is THE underappreciated masterpiece of the bubblegum era. Also featured on the Shrek soundtrack, "Like Wow!" reached an impressive #99 on the Billboard Hot 100, which technically makes it one of the bigger hits in this rate. While it may have been inevitable that Leslie would following her older brothers, Nick and Aaron, into the music industry, it was not a welcoming place for her, and she tragically took her own life in 2012.
Best bit: That magical chorus, which captures the transcendent euphoria of young love like few songs have ever done, despite having almost no real lyrics.
