Christina Aguilera hits all the hard notes. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at Christina Aguilera songs that show us why she’s one of the greatest vocalists of her generation… and we aren’t.
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00:00 [Music]
00:06 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at Christina Aguilera songs that show us why she is one of the greatest vocalists of her generation.
00:15 And we aren't.
00:16 [Music]
00:21 Number 10, Lady Marmalade, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Maya, and Pink.
00:27 [Music]
00:34 Christina gets a little help on this track from a few other talented singers.
00:38 And while trying to keep up with Maya and Pink isn't easy either, Aguilera makes her entrance following Lil' Kim's rap verse and goes hard right from the start.
00:45 [Music]
00:53 She gets warmed up with a few high notes that will scare off half the people trying to match her.
00:57 And then kicks it into overdrive with her verse that brings her power and attitude to the forefront.
01:02 If someone ever asks you "Voulez-vous sing Lady Marmalade avec moi ce soir?"
01:06 It's probably best to just say "No merci."
01:09 [Music]
01:15 Number 9, Ain't No Other Man.
01:17 [Music]
01:24 Aguilera won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Performance for the song.
01:27 And it ain't hard to see or shall we say hear why.
01:31 Again she comes in hot, kicking off the song with a vocal run that hits notes most of us could only dream of reaching.
01:37 Then once the song gets going, not only does she reach some rather impressive notes, but she does it with a little speed.
01:43 [Music]
01:49 The song as they put it in Entertainment Weekly at the time,
01:52 "Whizzes past at such a furious pace."
01:55 Your breath work has got to be on point just to get through this one.
01:58 [Music]
02:02 Number 8, Fall In Line.
02:04 Christina Aguilera featuring Demi Lovato.
02:06 [Music]
02:11 This 2018 feminist anthem features Aguilera and fellow Disney Channel alum Demi Lovato.
02:17 And while Lovato has a very good voice as well, her part seems almost attainable after hearing Aguilera's opening verses.
02:23 [Music]
02:30 Xtina goes from beautiful soft sounds to an attitude-fueled declaration that she has a mind to show my strength.
02:36 And I got a right to speak my mind.
02:38 Then there's the final third of the song that has them dueting high notes and vocal runs.
02:43 If you hadn't already decided this one was too much for you, you will at that point.
02:47 [Music]
02:53 Number 7, You Lost Me.
02:55 [Music]
03:02 You Lost Me is a slow-paced ballad about an unfaithful man.
03:06 And given the emotion of the topic, one has to bring those feelings to the vocals.
03:10 While that isn't easy for everyone to do, Aguilera manages it beautifully.
03:15 [Music]
03:19 One reviewer used words like painful and catharsis to describe her vocals.
03:23 And the review in the New York Times said she was on the verge of crying.
03:27 Can you emote like that while also hitting some crazy high notes and doing it with a minimal instrumental backing?
03:34 Giving your voice nowhere to hide.
03:36 [Music]
03:43 Number 6, Reflection.
03:45 [Music]
03:52 Whether you're thinking about the 1998 version from the original animated Mulan movie,
03:56 or the 2020 version from the live-action remake,
03:59 it doesn't make a difference because they are both equally hard to sing.
04:02 [Music]
04:07 As with all classic Disney ballads, this one is slow and emotional,
04:11 and puts the singer's vocals front and center.
04:13 And yes, it's true that in the movie it isn't Aguilera singing the song.
04:17 But in the 1998 version, the voice behind the song is Lea Salonga,
04:21 an internationally renowned musical actress.
04:24 So just because she can do it sure does not mean any of us can also.
04:28 [Music]
04:37 Number 5, Fighter.
04:39 If you thought rock and roll Christina Aguilera would be easier to handle, think again.
04:43 [Music]
04:48 First off, do you have enough attitude to pull this one off?
04:51 Okay, let's assume you do.
04:53 Now you have to pull off the attitude and do it while maintaining enough control of your breathing and voice
04:58 to hit the high notes that Aguilera can hit in her sleep.
05:01 [Music]
05:07 We appreciate the fighting anthem and the never-give-up attitude.
05:10 But when it comes to singing this song,
05:12 there's no shame in recognizing one's vocal limitations and throwing in the towel, so to speak.
05:17 [Music]
05:22 Number 4, I Turn To You.
05:24 [Music]
05:30 Originally recorded by the 90s boy band All For One,
05:33 I Turn To You didn't become a big hit until Christina Aguilera decided to cover it on her debut album.
05:38 Aguilera's version would reach as high as number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
05:42 And while the quality of the song is debatable,
05:44 there's no debating how hard it is to sing it the way Aguilera does.
05:48 [Music]
05:55 It starts off pretty simple, as many 90s pop ballads did.
05:58 But it grows from there.
06:00 And by the end, Christina is belting out some massive high notes and vocal runs that put so many others to shame,
06:06 including us.
06:07 [Music]
06:13 Number 3, The Voice Within.
06:15 [Music]
06:22 If only it was The Voice Within us that could sing these songs,
06:25 then maybe we'd have a chance at doing them justice.
06:28 But instead, it's The Voice outside of us, the one everyone can hear that has that job.
06:32 And that's the problem on all these tracks, including 2003's The Voice Within.
06:37 [Music]
06:43 What we have here is another ballad that starts off slow and calm,
06:46 and builds to a powerful emotional crescendo.
06:49 And while the beginnings might feel more doable,
06:51 notice how Aguilera only has piano backing her, putting The Voice front and center.
06:56 Not a problem for Aguilera, but for many of us, it might be.
07:00 [Music]
07:06 Number 2, Beautiful.
07:08 [Music]
07:13 Beautiful is a powerful song about self-love and inner beauty.
07:17 And we here at Ms. Mojo love the song and its message of empowerment and acceptance.
07:21 However, we also have to accept that being able to sing this song like Aguilera is probably not in the cards for most of us.
07:28 [Music]
07:37 Just sticking to the basic melody is a challenge, but to give this song the emotional resonance it deserves,
07:42 Aguilera shows off her vocal skills with runs and notes that can be quite intimidating.
07:47 But just remember that you're beautiful in every single way,
07:50 even if your vocal talents aren't up for this one.
07:52 [Music]
07:59 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
08:03 Save Me From Myself.
08:05 She doesn't even have to go hard to sound amazing.
08:07 [Music]
08:13 Something's Gotta Hold On Me.
08:15 Sometimes we get a feeling we can't sing this song.
08:18 [Music]
08:25 But I Am A Good Girl.
08:27 She might be a good girl, but she's an amazing singer.
08:30 [Music]
08:37 Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti.
08:39 Even in Spanish, she blows us away.
08:41 [Music]
08:50 Candyman.
08:51 That long note at the end is reason enough to list it here.
08:54 [Music]
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09:15 [Music]
09:17 Number 1. Hurt.
09:18 Billboard magazine wrote that the song Hurt put front and center, quote,
09:22 "Aguilera's stupefying gifts as an emotive, mature powerhouse singer."
09:26 Do you have stupefying gifts as a singer?
09:29 Don't worry, neither do we.
09:30 [Music]
09:38 Unlike some of her other songs on the list, Hurt doesn't take much time getting to the hard stuff.
09:42 With the second verse, Aguilera goes hard, showing off her range and emotive powers.
09:47 [Music]
09:54 From that point on, she hits numerous high notes throughout the song and masterfully rocks a number of vocal runs,
10:00 some quite complicated.
10:02 This one will take some work and practice to even try and do it justice.
10:06 [Music]
10:15 Which Xtina track do you wish you could sing as well as she does?
10:18 Let us know in the comments.
10:19 [Music]
10:24 Do you agree with our picks?
10:25 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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10:32 [Music]