R&B-pop singer Aaliyah Haughton tragically died at the relatively young age of 22, and even though she only released three albums during her lifetime, she was easily one of the most succesful artists of her generation. One of the reasons why is the long string of radio-friendly hit singles she put out from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, starting when she was just 14 years old. Nearly a dozen of her songs reached the top 10 on the R&B charts; here's a look at some of her very best material.
1. If Your Girl Only Knew, 1996
About the Song: Out of all her material, this track is the one that's probaby the most cooly sophisticated, but still has plenty of youthful attitude. It reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Songs chart in the fall of 2006, and also managed to spend time in the top 20 on the pop chart, thanks to the ice cold and futuristic beat.
Written By: Missy Elliott and Timbaland. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: One in a Million.
2. We Need a Resolution, 2001
About the Song: Most of the credit for this song's success actually belongs to producer-rapper Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, who was at the top of his game here. The song, which is about a bickering couple, features Aaliyah airing a list of gripes about her man. After all is said, the song doesn't live up to it's title; it ends on a cliffhanger, with nothing settled.
Written By: Timbaland, Steve Garrett. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: Aaliyah.
3. At Your Best (You Are Love), 1994
About the Song: "At Your Best," which was the second single of Aaliyah's career, was originally recorded by The Isley Bros. back in 1976 and was revived by R. Kelly for Aaliyah's debut album. It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's album chart and No. 6 on the pop chart. There are two equally famous versions of the song; her original and a remix, which features R. Kelly ad-libbing "baby let me know what's uuupp" over the top of the track.
Written By: The Isley Bros. and Chris Jasper. Produced By: R. Kelly.
From the Album: Age Ain't Nothing But a Number.
4. Are You That Somebody?, 1998
About the Song: Aaliyah sounds as smooth as butter here, but the cooing baby on this song absolutely steals the show. "Are You That Somebody?," which helped bring the term "Dirty South" to the mainstream, was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 Eddie Murphy film "Dr. Doolittle." It became one of Baby Girl's biggest hits, reaching No. 6 on Billboard's pop songs chart.
Written By: Static Major, Timbaland. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: Dr. Doolittle (soundtrack).
5. Hot Like Fire, 1997
About the Song: This was the fourth single off of Aaliyah's sophomore album. It's one of the more urban/hip-hop songs of her career, and her honey-dipped vocals are surprisingly effective over the gritty, percussion-heavy beat. Although it didn't break onto the charts in the U.S., it's still easily of her best tracks, mainly due to it's sexy edginess.
Written By: Missy Elliott & Timbaland. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: One in a Million.
6. Rock the Boat, 2001
About the Song: This highly sexual song is especially notable for two reasons: one, it's one of her few hit singles that wasn't produced by R. Kelly or Timbaland. Second, it was after filming the video for this song that Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas on Aug. 25, 2001.
Written By: Stephen "Static Major" Garrett, Eric Seats and Rapture Stewart. Produced By: Keybeats.
From the Album: Aaliyah.
7. Back & Forth, 1994
About the Song: This upbeat party song was the very first hit from her very first album. It was recorded while she was still a high school student in her mid-teens. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard pop songs chart and sold over half a million copies.
Written By: R. Kelly. Produced By: R. Kelly
From the Album: Age Ain't Nothing But a Number
8. One in a Million, 1996
About the Song: Although this sexy ballad wasn't a big hit in the U.S., it did spend six weeks atop Billboard's R&B Rhyhmic Airplay chart due to being in heavy rotation on many of the urban music stations in major cities across the country during 1996.
Written By: Missy Elliott and Timbaland. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: One in a Million.
9. More Than a Woman, 2001
About the Song: This upbeat, heavily synthesized tune was the third single from Aaliyah's self-titled third album and was released less than two months after her tragic death. It reached the top 10 on Billboard's R&B songs chart and the top 20 of the pop chart.
Written By: Timbaland, Static Major. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: Aaliyah.
10. Miss You, 2001
About the Song: Probably the saddest of her songs, "Miss You," is about a girl who misses her man after he goes off to college. The track, which was recorded weeks before her death, didn't make it to one of her three studio albums; it was on the posthumous compilation album.
Written By: Ginuwine, Teddy Bishop. Produced By: Teddy Bishop.
From the Album: I Care 4 U.
11. Try Again, 2000
About the Song: The Grammy-nominated "Try Again" was one of Aaliyah's biggest hits. The song was her only one to reach No. 1 on Billboard's pop chart. It was first single from the 2000 film "Romeo Must Die," which she starred in with martial artist and actor Jet Li.
Written By: Static Major, Timbaland. Produced By:Timbaland.
From the Album: Romeo Must Die (soundtrack).
12. I Care 4 U, 2002
About the Song: This track, which is a ballad about being in a strong relationship, was the fourth and last single to be released from Aaliyah's self-titled third album. Although it was released as a single in August 2002, Aaliyah said in interviews before her death that the song was actually recorded in 1996, and had been sitting on the shelf for five years, waiting for the right time to be released.
Written By: Timbaland, Missy Elliott. Produced By: Timbaland.
From the Album: Aaliyah.