1998…a year that would be headlined by the US President of the time having an affair with a White House intern which he would subsequently impeached for while India and Pakistan tested ballistic AND nuclear missiles and Australia re-elected John Howard as Prime Minister. In the sporting world. there were premierships for Adelaide Crows in the AFL and the Brisbane Broncos in the newly formed NRL following the Super League split of 1997 while Michael Doohan would take out the World 500cc Motorcycle Championship.
However I’m not really going to go into any more of the
political and other nonsense that went on because not much of it informed the
popular music of that year and 1998 was generally a much better year for the
charts than the mediocre 1997 with some truly excellent songs across all genres
that hit the charts, the year was mostly dominated by pop but hip hop and r’n’b
saw some success while rock and country notched decent quality hits as well,
now that’s not to say there weren’t some bad songs that were huge…there was but
most of the awful is pretty laughable unlike 1997 when No Mercy released “When
I Die” (a song that made me WANT to die)
Anyway, lets rip into a good year on the charts with a song
that could aptly be the song that both Hillary Clinton and Monica Lewinsky sang
in 1998…
10. “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy and Monica.
This was one of the best R’n’B songs from 1998, “The Boy is
Mine” opens with a harp and some pretty wild interplay from both Brandy and
Monica arguing over a man…now this song could have been downright catty and
nasty but the song is written with both Brandy and Monica in mind as a
conversation over this guy who apparently seeing the both of them at the same
time and both have realized it, both lay the facts out to each other explaining
why she is the best for him without diving into the catty nonsense that could
have potentially made this song insufferable. Also that production for the time
is still sounding so god damn good in 2020 with the harp and guitar, it sounds
so organic. Songs of the future that go down this lane need to learn and follow
the lead of “The Boy is Mine”.
When I made my 1996 best list, I did acknowledge that this
group could be seen as obnoxious, in your face and annoying, even as somebody
who liked the group, I can understand why they annoyed so many people but then
they recorded this song for their second album that became a single after the
highly publicised exit of one of the members of the group and well…
9. “Viva Forever” by Spice Girls
This would have been the perfect way to finish the Spice
Girls as a group rather than record that pretty awful third album without Geri
Halliwell, “Viva Forever” combines both at the time modern pop and classical
elements in the production for a song where the girls are actually on point
with the harmonies not just in the chorus but in the verses as well with Mel C,
Mel B and Emma given most of the work which makes sense, give the best singers in
the group the most to do on the song and really “Viva Forever” is a gorgeous
song
For one thing, the lyrics play into the group wistfully
remembering bygone relationships (which has a spooky turn given what had
happened within the group at the time this song was released with Geri leaving
the group to start her own solo music career which would have limited success)
and this song is evidence that the Spice Girls were worth something after all.
Now we cross to Canada for a song that I am surprised has not
gotten the Tik Tok or meme treatment yet.
8. “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies
It has taken me awhile to appreciate what a true classic 90s
gem this song is but it occurred me while quoting the songs lyrics and I
realized that “One Week” is more memorable than what I gave it credit for. “One
Week” is a song where this man and woman are having a fight and the man
realizes he is wrong (he clearly had never learned the wise words “Happy wife,
happy life” so is now desperately trying to save face and get back in the good
graces of this women and here’s the thing this song works literally just for
the many quotable lines that are wedged into every damn corner of the song eg:
“Hot like wasabi when I bust rhymes/ Big like LeAnn Rimes” and “Chickity China
the Chinese Chicken. You have a drumstick and your brain stops lickin’”
“One Week” is the “Old Town Road” of 1998 and I am glad we
got. Shame that Barenaked Ladies could not follow up their success with this
song though so feels like they are a bit of a one hit wonder.
Staying in Canada, I deliberated whether I could put this
song on the list as during my research I discovered that one of the artists on
the song is one hell of an awful human being however I tried to put aside
everything I was aware of about the guy and yeah…this song still slaps…
7. “When You’re Gone” by Bryan Adams and Mel C.
Regardless of Bryan Adams as a human being, I have always
loved this song and I have to be honest because yeah “When You’re Gone” is
stunning from the vocal harmonies to even the sweet guitar that opens the song
and honestly even Mel C is the right fit for this song, she has the vocal range
to match Adams without over powering him…better than the initial choice of
Sheryl Crow which kind of blows me away a bit, I can’t imagine Sheryl on this
song.
“When You’re Goe” is that song about missing a lover who is
yet to return home, Adams and Mel C are lonely and at the point of begging that
partner to come home because they are driving themselves crazy, it’s the sort
of song that works even with some flaws like the fact Mel C and Adams don’t
really harmonise all that well but I can’t deny that it’s a great driving song
and genuinely a song that connects when I am alone.
We’re on a bit of a global trip because we’re headed to New
Zealand for this next artist who like the Barenaked Ladies wouldn’t have
another ARIA Chart hit but with this one, I am glad she got that brief moment
of success.
6. “Sway” by Bic Runga
I never really gave this song much
attention…heck, in 1998 I was an eleven year old kid who cared more about what
the Spice Girls and Hanson were releasing at the time more so than what this
New Zealand based artist was releasing however by 2010, I realized that I truly
loved this simple little love song with just Bic Runga’s voice and her guitar,
it’s a quiet unassuming song that just hits all the right buttons with the
protagonist being love with this person and hoping that the other person
notices and feels the same.
Yeah, it is cloying and sweet to
the point of needing a denist to some in and get rid of the cavities but Runga
nails that sentiment of being in love so perfectly that yeah…I just sigh
happily whenever I hear it.
Rock hasn’t featured too heavily
on the list so far but we are stepping into rock territory now with the next
two picks, this song came from the City of Angels soundtrack and it’s a song
that still holds up to this day.
5. “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls
So I will contend that “Slide” is
by far the better Goo Goo Dolls song that somehow wasn’t the huge hit that
“Iris” was however if you are looking
for a slice of rock music that still slaps to this day than “Iris” is probably
it…yeah, it’s overwrought but can’t lie Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik whose
gravelly vocals sell “Iris” regardless and that instrumentation that comes in
at just the right moment to sweep everyone and everything off their
feet…yeah…this song was made for the movies.
The song is about a guy who is
willing to give up his own immortality just to have a very real and very human
experiences like reaching out to touch the person he loves, it’s a sentiment
that in 2020 probably throws this song higher up on the list because of what we
are going through right now with the coronavirus pandemic.
“Iris” still hits in all the right
places even in 2020, the Goo Goo Dolls made a classic with this one.
Speaking of still hitting in all
the right places in 2020…
4. “Second Solution” by The Living
End
The mid to late 90s were a break
through for Aussie punk rock act The Living End especially as “Prisoner of
Society” was EVERYWHERE in 1997 and with “Second Solution” being the follow up,
they were having a wild ride of success and well deserved too. “Second
Solution” is one of the more bratty punk rock tracks with Chris Cheney’s
attitude really making the song work so well as he puts himself in the shoes of
somebody facing the ultimate punishment in prison…death and the impact it has
on the person who has been found guilty of a heinous enough crime to warrant
being given a lethal injection or hung and is seeking an alternative to death
by lethal injection or hanging.
It deserves its place here and The
Living End deserved more hits beyond “Prisoner of Society” and “Second Solution”.
So going away from loud
politically motivated punk rock, we go to a Danish pop band that had been known
for their garish pop songs but got attention for a ballad in 1998 for good
reason…it’s excellent.
3. “Turn Back Time” by Aqua
After “Barbie Girl” became one of
the biggest and most annoying pop songs of 1997 and possibly all time, Aqua
followed it up with the relatively innocuous “Doctor Jones” in 1998 before they
dropped this simply gorgeous ballad as their sixth single from the album
Aquarium. Lene’s vocals suit this song perfectly, there’s no stupid overacting
on this song like there is with “Barbie Girl or even on “Doctor Jones” where
Lene sings about making choices and dealing with the consequences of those
choices, knowing that she’s regretting the choices she’s made and wishing she
could turn back the clock to rectify the things she has done but she can’t, she
has to confront what she has done, it’s got this wistful and regretful tone
that resonates at just the right level,
The production on this song is
also good too with the piano and saxophone providing a gentle groove and a
massive difference to the songs that Aqua had released previously. It’s the
best song that Aqua released in their pop career, they would fade into relative
obscurity down the track but it’s lovely to know that they were good for this
beautiful ballad after all.
In 1998, one hit wonders were
relatively commonplace, there are a few on the year end list for the year but
none that hit the right tone for me except for this one…
2. “Crush” by Jennifer Paige
“Crush” is a song for all those
summer wind back playlists on streaming services these days but this is still a
terrific pop song from an artist who probably deserved to have more hits. Paige
is not chasing love over this guitar and piano driven pop song with the perfect
placement of the backing vocals, this is her recognising that what she is
feeling toward the guy is just a crush, nothing more, she isn’t going to turn
to water every time he touches her and she wants him to accept that she’s just
got a crush on him and that they aren’t meant to be together even if he might
want something more with her but she lets him know that she can’t commit to
that right now.
It is a great pop song and
honestly…Jennifer Paige as an artist deserved a lot better. Go check out her
2017 album which is full of the same pop sensibility as “Crush” is.
Before we get to our number one,
let’s go through our SEVEN honourable mentions beginning with two songs that
didn’t make the ARIA year end list somehow…
HM 1: “Closing Time” by Semisonic.
The fact that this song wasn’t
huge in Australia in 1998 makes me mad as this song had hit written all over it
and as much as I thought it was about last drinks at a bar before the bar
closes for the night, it turns out the song was about impending fatherhood and
about a baby being born much like a bouncer clearing out the bar of rowdy
patrons. This song would have made my top ten had it been a hit which would be
topical especially as lead singer Dan Wilson’s girlfriend at the time was
pregnant. Still a great song from a band who is releasing a new album this
year.
HM 2: “Show Me Love” by Robyn
Okay Australia, t don’t understand
how the hell you could ignore the most perfect of pop songs and not let this
become a hit because like “Closing Time”, “Show Me Love” would have made my
year end top ten and fairly high up the list as it shows Robyn swallowing her
pride and wanting this guy in her life to show her love and what its about…it’s
honestly one of the best pop songs of the 90s and by the look of it criminally
under rated in Australia.
HM 3: “Thinking of You” by Hanson
This is a guilty pleasure song
that I couldn’t justify putting on the list because it felt so short but
there’s something sweet and sincere about Taylor Hanson’s vocals and while the
production has become a little dated since, it is one of the best of the five
singles from “Middle Of Nowhere”
HM 4: “Rollercoaster” by B*Witched
Again, this is me indulging in my
love of cheeky Europop music with all its sexual innuendo attached and boy,
Irish girl group B*Witched weren’t shy about what they wanted to do…ride the
rollercoast of love but it’s just innocent enough that the meaning flies over
the heads of kids and induces grins from adults and all packaged into one pop
song!
HM 5: “Cry” by The Mavis’s
I debated whether I could put this
on the list mainly because it’s got just one element that doesn’t work…the
verses and the vocal delivery…seriously “But we gonna DOOOO/ You leave at half
past TWOOOOHHHH” sounds really whiny but honestly the song is still pretty good
even for the one element of the song that I find really annoying.
HM 6: “Fuel” by Metallica
This is a song that I have only
just recently come to appreciate. Mostly due to the fact that through “Charting
1996” I had become more familiar with Metallica’s work and this song
occasionally gets airplay on radio so yeah as a rock song, I really do enjoy
this and James Hetfield gives a performance to remember on “Fuel”
HM 7: “I Don’t Like It” by Pauline
Pantsdown
This only just missed the top ten
because I couldn’t justify putting this in the top ten ahead of “The Boy is
Mine” or Viva Foever” plus it’s not like the production hasn’t aged badly
because it has. Its still a good song though playing on the tropes of
politician Pauline Hanson back in 1998.
So now for the number one best hit
song of 1998, when I mentioned this group on the year end best hit songs list
for 1996, I said that this group would reach greater heights in 1998 and I
wasn’t joking, this song is truly one of the best things that they have ever
made.
1. “Cruel”
by Human Nature
This was the obvious pick for
number one for me, the moment where Human Nature put their harmonies and their
ability to sell genuine heartbreak at the forefront of the song also helped by
that production of guitar piano and hints of orchestra that come in around the
middle that just works, also having Michael take lead is an inspired choice
over the production.
“Cruel” is a song that seems about
love being so cruel but than finding that special person to spend the rest of
life with and there’s nothing the head can do to override the heart…sometimes
there’s no holding back feelings.
Then you have the harmonies by the
band…and damn, it’s just a gorgeous pop song that didn’t really get the
attention it deserved only reaching number 14 on the ARIA singles chart but it
was enough for it to make the year end list for the year and thank fucking god
it did.
“Cruel” by Human Nature the best
hit song of 1998.
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