The 25 Best Aaliyah Songs, Ranked (2024)

Blackground Records

Published Jan 18, 2024

I am so glad that I got to experience the early 2000s as a kid. While I don't remember a whole lot as I was quite young, one of my few memories from that time period is being a huge fan of Aaliyah—something that continues to this day. Actually, the word fan is an understatement—Aaliyah was my role model. You see, growing up I was the completely opposite of a girly girl (which still holds true), and having a major celebrity like Aaliyah on red carpets and national television interviews literally dressed in a tracksuit, shades, Nikes, and bandanas was something that was so cool to see as a young child—against the grain so to speak. I, along with others, not only loved Aaliyah's music, but we were also fans of her style, and wore Tommy Hilfiger specifically because of her. While we can go on and on about her fashion sense, that's actually not the topic of discussion at hand. Today we're going to be taking look at the best Aaliyah songs ever.

Making her debut in 1994, Aaliyah belongs to a select group of talented teens that made their introduction to the world in the mid-to-late 1990s along with the likes of Usher, Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and more. An songstress with an angelic voice that could also tackle the worlds of pop with a little bit of electronic, Aaliyah's professional music career starts with 1994's Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, and goes until her third and final self-titled masterpiece, Aaliyah, which hit shelves a month before her untimely passing at the age of 22-years-old. Let's take a look at her best.

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• From:Romeo Must Die
• Release date: March 28, 2000

In the year 2000, Aaliyah starred alongside Jet Li in the action film Romeo Must Die. Obviously "Try Again" was the standout song from the movie, but in my opinion "Are You Feeling Me" should have gotten more attention (this is the track Aaliyah and Jet Li dance to in the club before the scene with DMX). Granted "Are You Feeling Me" didn’t have that "hit single" feel the way "Try Again" did, but it’s still a fun catchy song that deserves its props.

• From:Aaliyah
• Release date: July 7, 2001

When we say Aaliyah was really coming into her own as an artist with her self-titled record, that’s exemplified through tracks like "I Refuse," which highlights the depth and growth in her lyricism and vocals. Aaliyah’s vocal prowess is stunning in “I Refuse,” which tackles the subject of a young woman who’s reached her absolute limit in a toxic relationship—a subject a lot of people can relate to.

• From:Romeo Must Die
• Release date: March 28, 2000

We’re quickly back to Romeo Must Die with a collaboration between Aaliyah and her co-star DMX "Come Back in One Piece." The song is a stand out thanks to the Gotti and Rob-produced beat, DMX being, well, DMX, and Aaliyah’s soft vocals, releasing as a promotional single off the soundtrack on June 22, 2000. Shockingly, “Come Back in One Piece” failed to chart the Billboard Hot 100, which is a surprise as the video was successful on both MTV and BET. Definitely under-appreciated in our opinion.

• From:I Care 4 U
• Release date: December 10, 2002

"Don’t Know What to Tell Ya" had a bit of a journey as it was originally meant for the Aaliyah album, but failed to make the final tracklist. It would be almost a year-and-a-half before we would hear the record as it was released as the second single off of Aaliyah’s 2002 posthumous record I Care 4 U. Saving songs was something that was common of Aaliyah, which we’ll get into a little bit later.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: November 4, 1996

A cover of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit single, "Got to Give It Up" featuring Slick Rick was birthed from Aaliyah’s desire to have more fun party records in her sophom*ore album One in a Million. In addition to the track being a remake of Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” the song also features a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” which makes the record even funkier. Released in November 1996, “Got to Give It Up” experienced the bulk of its success in the United Kingdom.

• From:Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number
• Release date: December 6, 1994

True Aaliyah fans know that the music video for “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number” was one of Aaliyah’s favorites, which she told to Free and AJ on 106 & Park in her last television interview a few days before her passing. Why was that you ask? Well, it’s because the video was filmed in Aaliyah’s home city of Detroit. Many of her friends and associates were featured in the vid, making the shoot one big party. The song is also a very smooth listen that makes for great highway music.

• From:Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number
• Release date: N/A

"At Your Best (You are Love)" rightfully gets its due as one of Aaliyah’s best ballads, but the Steppers Remix is about as fire of remix an artist can make. This too had a super nice beat complimented by Aaliyah’s crisp vocals, and the video represents the classic laid back feel music videos had back in the 1990s with everybody having a good time. Also, Aaliyah’s brother Rashad is featured in a cameo as well.

• From:Romeo Must Die
• Release date: March 28, 2000

Back to Romeo Must Die, there’s no way we could leave off "I Don’t Wanna," which talks about a young woman falling in love with the man she’s dating. "I Don’t Wanna"was all over the R&B stations at the time of its release, and still gets played on the radio to this day—a testament to the timelessness of the track. For those wondering, Aaliyah was responsible for the curation of the entire Romeo Must Die soundtrack, meaning she not only recorded songs for the record, but was responsible for getting other artists (like Destiny’s Child) to contribute to the project.

• From:Anastasia: Music from the Motion Picture
• Release date: October 28, 1997

I’ve said it before and I will say it again—soundtracks were Aaliyah’s bread and butter. All of her biggest hits came from soundtracks, and with the amount of movie projects Liyah had lined up, there’s no question that she would have been working on those soundtracks the way she did with Romeo Must Die. Anyway, getting back to "Journey to the Past," Aaliyah released this track in 1998 for the Anastasia soundtrack. What’s more, "Journey to the Past" was nominated for an Academy Award in the category for "Best Original Song." This prompted Aaliyah to perform at the 1998 Academy Awards, making her one of the youngest to do so. You can watch her performance here.

• From:I Care 4 U
• Release date: April 29, 2003

"Come Over" is the epitome of early 2000s R&B with its ringtone-like production, guest vocals from singer Tank, and an instantly catchy chorus. Another track that did not make the final cut for the Aaliyah record, "Come Over" was released posthumously on April 29, 2003, peaking at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: September 16, 1997

"Hot Like Fire." Two things here—one, the outfit Aaliyah wore in the music video is absolutely one of her finest fashion moments, and two—"Hot Like Fire" was released as the fifth and final single off One in a Million. A song that is much more appreciated now than at the time of its release, “Hot Like Fire” was a great uptempo track to close out a successful sophom*ore record and respective era.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: August 25, 1997

Considered an all-time Aaliyah ballad by critics and fans alike, "The One I Gave My Heart To" was a commercial success, grabbing the ninth spot on the Billboard Hot 100. As you all know, it wasn’t a true 1990s R&B video unless the artist went out into the rain to sing, and Aaliyah did indeed take this song into the rain. Unlike her male counterparts, however, Aaliyah's hair and makeup also got ruined in addition to her outfit being soaked, which makes hers top tier. Sorry fellas.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: April 8, 1997

Let’s keep it going with the One in a Million era. "4 Page Letter" wasn’t a song that I really appreciated until rather recently. I’d always loved the music video (which has great visuals and choreography), but I was more drawn to other tracks on the album. What changed my stance was Aaliyah’s ad-libs on this record, which have a case for being one of her best. The ad-libs really take “4 Page Letter” to the next level sonically, and I wish this had been one of my personal favorites from the beginning.

• From:I Care 4 U
• Release date: December 10, 2002

Admittedly, I was hesitant to put "Miss You" on here because it took on a different meaning after Aaliyah passed. It also doesn’t help that the song was released posthumously, and that the music video is a tribute in her honor. Leading that tribute is DMX, who we also lost too soon, which only adds another layer to the sadness. If you can get past all of that, "Miss You" is an all-time Aaliyah track. It also reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, making the song her second most successful on that particular chart.

• From:Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
• Release date: August 22, 1994

Aaliyah only being 15 when this came out speaks wonders to her talent. Covering an Isley Brothers track is no easy feat, but Aaliyah did it beautifully, which netted her a top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Depending on who you talk to (and which generation), some people automatically think of Aaliyah when you say “At Your Best,” which is funny considering hers was the cover version.

• From:Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
• Release date: April 8, 1994

"Back & Forth"—the song where the world met Aaliyah for the first time (unless you remembered her from her Star Search performance some years earlier). Another thing I’ve said before that I’ll say again—Aaliyah’s swag was next level—she was even “swaggier” than some of the swaggiest men on the planet at the time. No, take that back—she was swaggier than the swaggiest men on the planet at that time, and this video shows it from the minute she comes walking into the gym.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: July 15, 1996

Speaking of videos where Aaliyah out swagged the pimps and playas—"”If You’re Girl Only Knew," which was Aaliyah’s reintroduction back into the music world after a two year break from the industry. What did she do in those two years? Well, be a normal high school student—a high school student with a 4.0 GPA by the way. Her return also introduced Missy Elliot and Timbaland (both of whom will tell you she put them on the map by giving them a chance) to the music world, making Liyah, Timb, and Missy a rare trio that hadn’t ever been seen before in the industry.

• From:Aaliyah
• Release date: July 7, 2001

Ladies and gentlemen—"Loose Rap." Don’t quote me on this, but I do think the possibility of "Loose Rap" being a single at some point was floated around, and I personally believe it could have been. Not a first or second single, but like a fourth or fifth single that would have dropped around the spring of 2002 to close out the era. It has that dope Static Major (rest in peace to him) production, and that new millennium sound that was popular at that time. Plus the song still sounds timeless and current to this day.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: N/A

Yes the "One in a Million" Remix deserves its own slot because it sounds absolutely nothing like the original—like it could be a totally different song altogether. I feel like the overall plot of remixes have been lost in recent years. A remix is supposed to sound totally different from the original, and the "One in a Million" is an example of how it’s done. Not only that, but they took it a step further and made a different music video too. That’s why the 90s and 2000s remain elite.

• From:Aaliyah
• Release date: May 15, 2001

"We Need a Resolution." The first single off the "Red Album" aka Aaliyah. The numbers don’t tell the true story behind "We Need a Resolution," ” as it wasn’t a major hit at the time of its release. Some say it’s because a different single should have been chosen as the first and "WNAR" should have come later. Others think it’s because the spring/early summer of 01 was super loaded with releases. Whatever the case may be, the appreciation for the song has only grown with time. The music video was stunning, and Aaliyah definitely went the daring route with all of those snakes crawling over her. She also brought a snake with her to TRL and freaked Carson Daly out as well.

• From:One in a Million
• Release date: November 12, 1996

"One in a Million" the original. Some have this song as their favorite Aaliyah track of all-time, and it’s a great number one with its sexy haunting beat and Liyah’s soft vocals. When people say Timbo and Aaliyah, “One in a Million” is one of the track’s they are referring to. Missy, Timb, and Aaliyah all did their things with this record, which was the finest to come out of the late 90s.

• From:Aaliyah
• Release date: August 21, 2001

"Rock the Boat" is another one that’s just…hard. The song was recorded long before a tracklist was finalized for the Aaliyah album, and apparently Aaliyah’s record label didn’t want the song on the album due to its sensual nature. Aaliyah fought for it to be on there as an artist should. Then, "Rock the Boat" wasn’t even supposed to be a single—the song started getting airplay on R&B stations and was being heavily requested. So a decision was made to release it in the late summer, as it should have been as it was becoming successful.

That meant a music video had to be filmed, and that video was how we lost Aaliyah. It’s a hard listen (and a harder video to watch), but it’s Aaliyah at her R&B best—a reflection of her growth as an artist. There’s a reason why she fought so hard for it, and that’s the one thing that hopefully gives us fans some solace—that she was proud of it.

• From:Aaliyah
• Release date: September 4, 2001

"More Than a Woman" is another song Aaliyah was proud of…the second single off the self-titled album. Fun fact here that might blow your mind: the music video for the song actually takes place inside of a motorcycle (that’s why the opening shot takes you into the bike). Some people (myself included) failed to realize this despite watching the video over and over again for years. It’s quite fascinating when you think about it.

• From:Dr. Dolittle
• Release date: May 26, 1998

We’re down to the battle of the soundtrack singles. In at No. 2 is "Are You That Somebody"—Aaliyah and Timbaland at their second best. To this day we have yet to hear another song quite like it, and we personally listed it as our top song of 1998. The beat, the baseline, the baby noise in the background showcasing Timbaland’s genius—magic. I feel confident in saying we aren’t getting anything quite like this ever again. Also, this was another of the music videos Aaliyah listed as one of her favorites on that final 106 & Park interview because of the “top to bottom dance,” which was choreographed by the legendary Fatima Robinson.

• From:Romeo Must Die
• Release date: March 21, 2000

And if at first you don’t succeed, try again. The lead single from her film Romeo Must Die, “Try Again” is regarded as Aaliyah’s most critically acclaimed single, earning her a Grammy nomination in 2001 for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.” “Try Again” is also Aaliyah’s most successful song, earning the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was equally acclaimed, nabbing Liyah two awards at the 2000 VMAs. Not that it matters, but I also made up a dance to this song with my uncle. Thank Aaliyah for delivering such a great song with a great message to never give up despite what you are pursuing or any obstacles you encounter along the way. Long live the L-I-Y-A-H.

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