Number 1 today in 2000: Britney Spears – Born To Make You Happy

Oh baby, baby, how were we supposed to know that the new millennium would belong to Britney Spears? Well, the clues were always there, really, what with her debut single …Baby One More Time being the bestselling song of 1999 and passing a million sales in just five weeks.

We didn’t have to wait too long for a second chart-topper from Britney, but the song that made it was a little bit of a surprise. Born To Make You Happy was the fourth single from Britney’s debut album, and didn’t even get a worldwide release – From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart was the single in other countries.

For every song that gets to Number 1, there has to be a song that gets the boot, and this week it was Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers who had to make way for Britney. The band had scored their second chart-topper with The Masses Against The Classes, but after just a week they were well and truly Speared and Britney took her place at the summit.

Born To Make You Happy is something of a forgotten Britney Number 1, overshadowed, perhaps by bigger singles that came after it, including chart-toppers Oops..! I Did It Again and Toxic. And while Born To Make You Happy stayed at the top for just a week before Gabrielle’s Rise came along, nobody can take that Number 1 status away from it.

Born To Make You Happy has sold over 335,000 copies in the UK, and was the second of six Number 1 singles for Britney. Her most recent was Scream & Shout with will.i.am.

Britney’s top selling single is, of course, …Baby One More Time, which shifted 1.4 million copies in 1999 alone.

> Britney's Top 10 Bestselling Singles

But what was happening in the rest of the Top 10 as Britney reigned supreme?

2: Donell Jones – U Know What’s Up

A first and only Top 10 hit for US R&B star Donell, who would go on to have two more Top 40 hits in 2000. U Know What’s Up has sold 290,000 copies.

3: Scanty Sandwich – Because Of You

Remember this one? Because Of You was a dance hit that sampled none other than the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. DJ Richard Scanty scored his one and only hit under this guise, peaking right here at Number 3. Selling 110,000 copies, the song was the subject of much bewilderment at the lyrics. Was it really “I had to go the cheese and fun because of you”? Probably not.

4: Manic Street Preachers – The Masses Against The Classes

The second of two chart-toppers for the Manics – their first was 1998’s If You Tolerate This Your Children Will be Next. The band has scored 34 Top 40 hits over 19 years. The Masses Against The Classes has sold over 140,000 copies in the UK.

5: Des Mitchell – Welcome To The Dance

A nice slice of turn-of-the-century trance for you here, and another one-hit-wonder, Welcome To The Dance peaked in this very position.

6: Hi-Gate – Pitchin’ In Every Direction

7: Artful Dodger FT Craig David – Re-Rewind The Crowd Say Bo Selecta

8: Nu Generation – In Your Arms (Rescue Me)

9: DJ Luck & MC Neat – A Little Bit Of Luck

10: Westlife – I Have A Dream/Seasons In The Sun

> See full top 40 from this week in 2000

This time last year

Pharrell was still sitting pretty at Number 1, while new entries included Elyar Fox and Shakira FT Rihanna. See the full Top 40 from this week in 2014.