Genie In a Bottle

This was the song that broke Christina Aguilera into the big time. She spent two seasons on The Mickey Mouse Club (1993-1994), which turned out to be quite an incubator for talent: Her co-stars included Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears. Her acting and dancing didn't set her apart, but her singing did. She recorded a single in 1998 called "Reflection," which was from the Disney film Mulan, and she got a record deal with RCA a short time after. Spears was already tearing up the charts with her first album, ...Baby One More Time, which Aguilera recorded her debut, so RCA spared no expense, pairing her with top talent and giving her a huge promotional push. "Genie In A Bottle," which shows off her impressive vocal range, was the first single from the album. It rose to the top spot in the US in July 1999, six months after Spears topped the chart with the title track to her album. Aguilera's next single, "What a Girl Wants," also went to #1.

This song was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank. UK based and New Zealand-born songwriter Pam Sheyne is a former backing singer for The Pet Shop Boys and Celine Dion, who began writing songs in the mid-'90s. Steve Kipner wrote "Physical" for Olivia Newton-John and "Hard Habit To Break" for Chicago. David Frank wrote "You Are in My System" for Robert Palmer.

The genie in a bottle legend has it that if you find a mysterious bottle and rub it, a genie will appear to grant you three wishes. This song uses the tale as a sexually charged metaphor, implying that the girl will respond to the proper touch.