Christina Aguilera Celebrates 20th Anniversary of ‘Genie in a Bottle': ‘My Fighters, I Love You!’
Christina Aguilera is reflecting on the success of her smash debut single “Genie in a Bottle” on its 20th anniversary.
Twenty years to the day (June 22, 1999), an 18-year-old Aguilera would pave a lane completely her own with a breakout pop anthem from her self-titled debut LP that would resonate stir the sex drives of teenagers coming of age on the cusp of the new millennium. What first comes to mind, if not the oh-so-bubbly ‘90s beat, is the singer's call for “someone to release me” after being left to nurse her needs all on her own.
Then comes the command of Aguilera’s culminating chorus: "If you wanna be with me/ Baby there's a price to pay/ I'm a genie in a bottle/ You gotta rub me the right way.” What do you get when you layer sex-appealing lyrics over a fresh dance-pop beat? A bop capable of going platinum, topping charts in 21 countries and selling over 1.4 million units in the States alone.
Even after all these years, “Genie in a Bottle” has proven it can withstand the test of time — and Xtina had no one but her beloved Fighters to thank for the song's success when celebrating its 20-year anniversary on Twitter Saturday (June 22).
"Today marks 20 years since #GenieInABottle was released… got me feeling all types of emotional! At just 18 years old, I remember coming home from Japan & seeing that it had reached #1 on the Billboard charts and feeling so grateful and happy that you guys it as much as I did," she tweeted. "Thank you for riding with me all these years. My fighters, I love you!"