5 Flop Songs From The '00s We Can't Help But Love

The 2000s proved to be an interesting time in humanity's history. As it turns out, the millennium bug didn't bring down entire systems nor did it result in the end of the world, though it may have upset a few people who missed out on their recordings of "Law & Order." On the music side, it was an era of reinvention and experimentation for artists. It's tough to pinpoint what genre thrived in this decade, since a bit of everything popped up and did well.

Having said that, a number of our favorite groups produced singles that didn't exactly electrify the world. Unless you actually heard these tracks, you may struggle to believe they even existed. But hey, it happens — and it isn't always a reflection of quality. Sometimes, timing is everything, and the world may have been too preoccupied with making annoying sounds to imitate whatever the heck happens in Crazy Frog's "Axel F" cover.

So, how did we determine what a flop song is here? First off, we took into consideration where a track landed in the Billboard charts — if it even charted at all — because this was still the period before streaming took over and people actually bought music and listened to the radio. Second, we compared this to the artist's other songs around this time period to see how it fared and used that as a barometer. Got it? Good. Here are the flop songs from the '00s we can't help but love.

Around the turn of the millennium, you couldn't escape Limp Bizkit. Whether the band was rollin', rollin', rollin', or asking everyone to take a look around, it was Fred Durst and Co.'s world and we were just living in it. However, the energy around the group started to fade around 2003's "Results May Vary." In 2005, a greatest-hits compilation titled "Greatest Hitz" dropped, featuring the single "Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony," which is a mashup medley of the Mötley Crüe and the Verve songs of the same names.

At this point, though, Limp Bizkit was one of the most hated bands in music, and it showed in the reception toward the single. Unlike the band's other cover tracks such as "Faith" and "Behind Blue Eyes," "Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony" didn't appear on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart at all. Considering how big the original songs had been, as well as Limp Bizkit's popularity, one would have imagined a different outcome here.

Here's the thing, though: "Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony" actually works. The medley could have turned into a train wreck, but it displays the Bizkit's softer side that's often underrated among fans and critics. The song also crescendos into an epic heart-racer by the end, hitting all the feels and reminding everyone that beneath the childish bravado and crude presentation of Limp Bizkit, there's a talented band residing there.

Many people consider Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" to be the first bad album that the legendary band released. While the hype for the 2008 record might have superseded the overall end product, the album still features a fair number of good-to-great songs, such as "Shackler's Revenge."

GNR decided on a novel way to promote the song, debuting it in the musical video game "Rock Band 2." Considering the popularity of the series, one would have expected this to translate into more widespread appeal and demand for "Shackler's Revenge" to play on radio. This didn't happen, though, as the only tracks from "Chinese Democracy" to hit the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart were the title track and "Better."

When one looks back at "Shackler's Revenge," it's experimental compared to what anyone expects from GNR. Yes, it's a little bit more industrial rock than hard rock, but Axl Rose's wailing chorus of "I don't believe there's a reason" cuts through everything and serves as a reminder as to why he's one of the most iconic voices in music history. Does this song deserve to find its way onto any best-of GNR records, though? Actually, yes, it does. It's proof that even when shifting genres, GNR remains one of the best bands around.

The Offspring's 2000 album, "Conspiracy of One," turned into another successful record for the punk rock band, debuting on the Billboard 200 and spawning several singles. "Original Prankster" and "Want You Bad" charted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, but the third single off the record, "Million Miles Away," didn't.

It's surprising, though. From a songwriting perspective, "Million Miles Away" shares more in common with the likes "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "Gone Away" in terms of poignant subject matter. It's a powerful song about not losing sight of who you are even when you're a million miles away from home. It isn't the typical catchy Offspring song about sometimes mundane topics, such as dealing with posers or wanting someone in a vinyl suit; it holds a more pertinent meaning.

Ironically, a fan poll on the Offspring website saw it voted as the best track off "Conspiracy of One." Nowadays, when people look back on this era, "Original Prankster" and "Want You Bad" might be seen as the fun, party-centric tracks from the album, but there's no debate that "Million Miles Away" is the best song overall.

In 2007, Ozzy Osbourne's album "Black Rain" hit the No. 3 position on the Billboard 200 — it was the highest any of his solo albums had charted until that point, with two subsequent records achieving the same position years later. While the single "I Don't Wanna Stop" hit the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, "Not Going Away" only managed to peak at 14.

The title track off the album didn't fare any better, only peaking at No. 19. Considering the success of "I Don't Wanna Stop," maybe the expectation was higher than usual that another single might have charted in the top 10 as well.

"Black Rain" might not be an all-time classic, but it's one of the songs off the record that shares more in common with Ozzy's earlier albums. There's an ominous air to the song that aptly complements the name, as the atmosphere proves to be foreboding and eventually explodes into a storm of rock 'n' roll wizardry. Plus, how can anyone hate Zakk Wylde's guitar work here?! Sure, Ozzy and Randy Rhoads became synonymous with each other, but Wylde was just as important in cementing the Prince of Darkness' legacy as one of the most important solo acts in rock history.

Aerosmith might have been around for a few decades at this point, but the legendary band's 2001 album, "Just Push Play," did like other records before it and rock 'n' rolled its way to the upper echelon of the Billboard 200. The single "Jaded" proved to be insatiable too, dancing its way to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart for five weeks. Even the title track of the record reached the top 10 of the same chart, but where was the love for "Fly Away From Here"?

Maybe the world still had too close an attachment to "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" — which is a banger rock song made famous by the movie "Armageddon" — to the point in which everybody failed to recognize that "Fly Away From Here" was a supreme ballad in its own right. Really, this track contains it all. From the rich instrumental base to Steven Tyler's unmistakable voice belting out catchy lyrics, it's an absorbing Aerosmith song that's impossible to ignore when it plays.

Somehow, though, it was ignored upon release in the '00s, as it failed to chart on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Even so, it's still the type of track that makes us open our arms wide and dream about soaring to the heavens alongside that special someone.