In honor of the return of the smash hit Glee (of which I am SO excited!! 
), I decided to dedicate this post to a huge voice of the 90s: Christina Aguilera.
Get ready, because this post is video heavy. It was so hard choosing which music videos to include because Christina is so dynamic that she sounds amazing in whatever she sings. One video I have to include is her debut single, “Genie in a Bottle.”
Just as I remember the first time I heard Britney’s “Baby One More Time,” I remember that it was summer when I first heard “Genie in a Bottle.” I was outside listening to the radio, and when the song came on I was taken aback by this strange girl’s strong and powerful voice. Over the course of her career, Christina has taken a lot of criticism for many different things, mostly her appearance, but if there’s one thing about her that you can’t deny, it’s that she has amazing vocal ability. The girl can most definitely sing!
Her Voice
Now, I decided not to go down the path of Britney vs. Christina because I think everyone already knows the answer. Christina obviously has a better voice. I am a loyal fan of Britney, and she will forever be #1 in my heart; however, I would definitely define her as an entertainer whereas I would define Christina as a very talented vocalist. Britney has the moves, the stage presence and bigger popularity, but Christina has the four-octave vocal range, which she clearly shows in her version of “Reflection” from the Disney movie Mulan.
Having been on Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears and Nsync’s Justin Timberlake, Christina wanted to make a name for herself. After proving to Disney executives that she could sing a high E in full voice, they selected her to record “Reflection.” Just listen to her pipes in this song! She starts out low and then goes high, way high. There are definitely not that many singers who can pull that off and with such vocal power. At this point Christina was relatively unknown, but she managed to earn a contract with RCA Records right after she recorded this song.
“Run To You,” originally sung by Whitney Houston, is the song Christina sang to prove to Disney that she had pipes. I wanted to include this snippet to show how Christina’s voice is authentic and how she has perfected it to an art. Christina acapella sounds exactly like Christina on the record.
“I Turn to You” is one of my most favorite songs of all time. Besides Christina’s voice, I love the message. She really shows her vocal ability from 2:40 to the end.
Her Lyrics
I know that Christina did not write all of her lyrics all by herself. While the songs on her first album Christina Aguilera were probably written for her, she co-wrote almost all of her songs on her next two albums Stripped and Back to Basics. Whether or not she wrote them, the way she delivered them spoke to people. One of her most celebrated and controversial music videos is “Beautiful.” While she did not write this song, Christina’s representation of the lyrics was definitely memorable.
The message of this song is of course an important one: you are beautiful just the way you are, and you don’t have to change yourself to be what other people want you to be. As shown through the anorexic girl looking at her body in the mirror, the girl getting beat up by other girls and the multicultural girl throwing magazines into a fire, it is no secret that girls are under pressure to look a certain way. What caused controversy were the depictions of a transvestite and two homosexual men kissing in public. While some people may have not liked these displays, the video garnered a lot of attention, especially in the gay community. It earned Christina a nomination for Song of the Year and a win for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. These lyrics are positive and uplifting. Whenever I’m feeling down, this is definitely one of the songs that I still listen to today.
From the album Stripped, ”Walk Away” is one of my most favorite Christina songs. Before working on this album, Christina had kept a journal of her deepest, most inner thoughts and feelings. She used this journal when it came time to writing songs. She wanted this album to be real. She wanted it to reflect her personality with no superficial cover. This album turned Christina into an artist, and is by far my favorite album of hers.
Every time I listen to this song, I am amazed by Christina’s ability to manipulate words and write lyrics that just flow. Her words are not meaningless and followed by “baby” after every verse. Instead, they are complicated and actually tell a story as if she were talking to you.
In her third album Back to Basics, Christina becomes even more personal as she opens up even more about her past. She talks about the strength of her mother, living in an abusive relationship, in the song Oh, Mother. Click here to view Christina singing this song live for the first time on MTV. Another personal song on this album is Hurt (below).
In this music video, Christina reveals her feelings about her father’s death. I still can’t watch this video without tearing up. Through her words, Christina is able to invoke in her fans the emotions that she feels. I really think it’s quite remarkable.
Her Rebellion
Yes, Christina unfortunately went from the bubbly, blue-eyed blonde on the left to the half-naked, zebra-haired woman on the right. Just like Britney, Christina wanted people to see her as an adult. She wanted desperately to express herself. While I think that expressing yourself is healthy, I think there is a line when it comes to trying to pull off a weave and dressing half-naked to award shows. I mean, look at that “skirt”! I really hope she didn’t try to bend over in that.
In 2001, Christina, along with Mya, Pink, Lil Kim and Missy Misdemeanor, remade singer Labelle’s 1975 hit “Lady Marmalade” for the movie Moulin Rouge.
Christina’s solo begins around 2: 20. Now of course the outfit she’s wearing was a costume for the video, but the hair she actually rocked in public. I don’t really have much to say on this matter because to this day I am still speechless. I really think it speaks for itself. Every time I watch this I thank god that she found enough common sense to get rid of it, and I pray that it never comes back again.
I also think this music video speaks for itself. Dirrty garnered lots of controversy. I even heard rumors that some stations banned it from airing. Everything about this video is risque: the clothes, the underground boxing, the dancing. While it was a huge hit in Europe, Americans were slower to pick it up. Christina has stated that the video is about power and control. She is not some half-naked girl dancing in the background of a rap video. Instead, she is in front and the one controlling the situation. While I most definitely see Christina’s point, I have to say that I was a little shocked when I first saw this video. It wasn’t so much the clothes that bothered me, but the dancing. I think that some moves went too far, even if they were included for “artistic purposes.”
“Can’t Hold Us Down,” from the Stripped album is another well-put together song. Because it showcases content that relates to Christina’s “rebellion stage,” I included it in this category; however, this music video also reflects her talent with words. For some reason, Christina decided that she really wanted to show her fans how bad-ass she could be. While I think the music video is more an act than a representation of who she really is, the lyrics really speak to women everywhere. The message that women should not let men hold them down is very empowering.
Her Happy Ending (or Beginning)
Christina did finally find her knight in shining armor in music marketing executive Jordan Bratman, and she did have her fairytale wedding. Many of the songs on her third album are about her husband, including “Save Me From Myself.”
The two had an adorable baby boy together, Max Liron Bratman. Their love and appreciation for each other really shows through Christina’s songs.
And come on, this is a sweet bedroom for a baby. I wish I had a bedroom like that. That giant moon is way cool!
Christina Aguilera’s vocal ability in the 90s was well beyond her years. I definitely think that despite all of her strange looks and outrageous wardrobe choices she is a true artist. 90s pop culture would not have been the same without her powerhouse voice. What do you guys think about Christina Aguilera?
*I thought I’d add Christina Aguilera’s most recent single called “Not Myself Tonight” from her new album Bionic set to be released in June. One of the things about Christina is that with every album she reinvents her sound. Christina Aguilera was more straight bubblegum pop, Stripped was very raw and more lyric and soul driven, and Back to Basics was a throwback to 20s, 30s and 40s style music with a modern twist. What I’ve heard from Bionic seems to capture more of an electronic element. What do you guys think of her new song?
You left out the “Come on Over” video! Those were some of the coolest most 90′s music video outfits! I definitely agree that Christina Aguilera has an amazing voice, I think it would be hard to find somebody who could deny that she has talent. I agree that her hair when she released Moulin Rouge was really ridiculous and I just remember thinking “Why would she do that to herself??” I think she’s a really versatile performer, one who was able to change her look several times (though not all of them worked) without it affected the quality of work she was able to put out. I’ve definitely got love for Christina!
Like I said, it was extremely hard trying to decide which music videos to include, but I did love that video. One of my favorite Christina songs for sure. Here’s a link to the video!