17 Xtina Songs That Should've Been Singles

Ever since she burst on to the music scene equipped with a set of ridiculously capable vocal chords, Christina Aguilera has consistently released great music. Her work speaks for itself, but there still are plenty of amazing Aguilera songs that weren't released as singles for whatever strange reason that remains incomprehensible to my brain. Anyway, of the seven albums she’s released to date, I agreed with most of the songs that were chosen as singles. But I have to say that my heart still experiences a faint ache when I think of all the tracks that had huge hit potential, but never attained single release status.

It’s still difficult to come to grips with the fact that some of Xtina’s best songs will never be played a million times in a row on radio stations around the country. It hurts to know that too many of the songs from her Stripped album (which happens to be my absolute fave) weren’t deemed worthy enough for the singles treatment. Seriously, life is not fair.

But what balances the scales is that, for a brief moment in time, I’ve been allowed to play virtual music executive and compile a list of Xtina songs that should’ve been released as singles. Will a huge record company hit me up after this and hire me as VP of Singles Selection? Probably not. But will Xtina fans have one hell of a singles-worthy playlist? Abso-freakin-lutely.

1. "When You Put Your Hands On Me"

From her debut album Christina Aguilera, this song emerged when auto-tune and pop stars were still deciding if they liked one another. Luckily, the vocal manipulation does a great job at spicing up Xtina's voice without covering up how amazing it is. (Sidebar: Robin Thicke wrote this?)

2. "Get Mine, Get Yours"

This is one of those album tracks I loved so much at the time that I didn't want it to be released as a single. I wanted to keep it for myself (as if I was the sole purchaser of Stripped. Ha!). But, in hindsight, I know it would've made for a great single, and the video would've been oh so sexy.

3. "Soar"

"Don't be scared to fly alone, find a path that is your own." YAS, Aguilera. Because we can't get enough inspirational anthems that encourage us to push through and keep flying.

4. "Love For All Seasons"

This mid-tempo jam about a brand new love was totally worthy of being a single.

5. "Walk Away"

I tried to talk myself out of including this song because it's kind of long for a single. But discovering that "Walk Away" charted in Denmark was all the confirmation I needed to include it. Plus, there's the absolute awesomeness that happens between the 3:05-3:30 marks. You're welcome in advance.

6. "Underappreciated"

Aguilera's vocals on this song should feel underappreciated, because they deserved to be given the single treatment.

7. "Impossible"

Record a song with Alicia Keys back when she was fresh on the scene (and at her musical best, in my humble opinion) and not release it as a single? Madness.

8. "Without You"

What kind of world wouldn't appreciate Xtina's beautiful, ethereal vocals on "Without You?" A place I don't want to live in, that's for sure.

9. "Christmas Time"

Did I just throw a Christmas song on this list two months early? You bet your boots, because Aguilera's My Kind of Christmas was and still is my year-round jam. Deal with it.

10. "Here to Stay"

In the vein of Xtina's lyric, "A woman who voices her opinion, whether I'm right or wrong," I'm declaring this anti-haters anthem should've been a single.

11. "Save Me From Myself"

So sweet. Such single power gone to waste. Sigh.

12. "I Am"

This song off Bionic just kind of lures you right in. If only it were a single...

13. "Circles"

Single or not, this middle-finger anthem rocks all the way. I guess I can forgive the fact that it remained strictly an album cut, because it wouldn't pack as strong a punch without all the F-bombs, which are so essential to this song.

14. "Army Of Me"

Because Aguilera's revolutionary song wasn't pushed to single status, another one of my fantastic video treatments died a pitiful death.

15. "Blank Page"

When I first heard this song, I felt like a blank page, waiting for Xtina to release this Sia Furler-assisted track as a single, but, sadly, it never happened.

16. "Red Hot Kinda Love"

Seriously, why wasn't "Red Hot Kinda Love" the summer anthem of 2012?

17. "Cease Fire"

C'mon, music people who advise Aguilera. I beg you to cease fire, make it stop and realize that fans are on your side, so please start releasing amazing songs like this as singles.

Now, excuse me while I make a playlist out of all of these songs and listen to them on repeat.