Meaning of “2002” by Anne-Marie

“2002” is a love ballad by English singer and songwriter Anne-Marie that pays tribute to the year 2002. The song’s lyrics see Anne-Marie thinking about her childhood or rather adolescent romantic relationship that occurred in the year in question. In doing so, she recollects all the classic songs she loved listening to around that time.

During the song, Anne-Marie makes references to six of these classics that in one way or another accompanied her happy life. The following are the classics Anne-Marie references:

1. “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears
2. “Ride wit Me” by Nelly
3. “Oops!… I Did It Again” by Britney Spears
4. “99 Problems” by Jay-Z
5. “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC
6. “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre

All the aforementioned hits came out when Anne-Marie was growing up. With the exception of “99 Problems” by Jay-Z, all the songs were released between 1999 and 2000. “99 Problems” was released by Jay-Z in 2004. Anne-Marie could therefore have not listened to it in 2002.

However, according to Anne-Marie, the song is all about her experiences of that special year of 2002.

During a 2018 interview with The Guardian newspaper, Anne-Marie revealed more about this nostalgic song. According to her, the song is about remembering a time in your life when your world was devoid of so many cares.

Speaking with Genius, Anne-Marie stated that her wonderful childhood experiences were what inspired this song.

2002 a big Year for Anne-Marie

Actually 2002 was a really big year for Anne-Marie. She took part in the 2002 FSKA World Karate Championship in Las Vegas and won multiple gold medals in that competition.

Facts about “2002”

• Anne-Marie co-wrote this song with noted songwriters Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, Julia Michaels and Benny Blanco.
• Steve Mac solely produced “2002”.
• On April 20, this song was released globally by Asylum Records. The label released it as the sixth single from Anne-Marie’s debut studio album entitled Speak Your Mind. On this same album is the hit single “Friends”.
• In the music video of “2002”, Anne-Marie recreates the music videos of the famous songs she mentions in the lyrics. American music video director Hannah Lux Davis directed the clip.
• The song’s backing vocals are provided by Julia Michaels and Ed Sheeran. Yes, Ed Sheeran’s vocals are on this track!
• This was a very big hit in the United Kingdom and several other countries. For example, in 2018, it grabbed the number 3 spot on the UK Singles Chart. It also entered the top 10 in multiple countries, including Australia, Ireland and Scotland.
• When this track peaked at number 3 in the United Kingdom in 2018, it became the highest-charting song of Anne-Marie’s career (as lead artist).
• Interestingly enough, the song almost wasn’t released as a single had it not been for Ed Sheeran. Anne-Marie initially didn’t want the song to come out as a single. However, Sheeran relentlessly persuaded her until she finally gave in. As of 2018, Anne-Marie and Sheeran had been good friends for close to 10 years.

How old was Anne-Marie in 2002?

Since she was born in 1991, she was 11 years old then.

Where was the music video for “2002” filmed?

According to Anne-Marie, she and her team shot the video in London.