When I first started doing The Story of Pop posts on this here blog four years ago, save for a hiatus in 2021, I could never have imagined them being so popular as they became. It was also a good way to keep my own personal blog going as my career outside of it all started taking off in a big way.
However, all good things, like years of pop music, come to an end. And so, in the words of Tina Barrett from S Club c. April 2003, tonight I’ve got some good news, and a little bit of bad news. When I planned this series a year ago, I decided that 1998 would also be the last year for The Story of Pop series I was gonna do on my blog.
I always knew I had one more of these in my armoury, and now feels like the right time to bring these to a close. I’m grateful I got to finish it off with 1998. Truly what a brilliant year it’s been to revisit. If you’ve ever read, shared or commented on these or the 1999, 2000 or 2002 series with any modicum of interest, then thank you. These four years in particular helped inform so much of my early musical taste and ultimately ignited my passion for writing about pop music. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.
However, now for the good news – firstly, as is custom at the end of one of these series, we bring you our Bonus Tracks, with a specially curated Spotify playlist and videos of 12 other huge hits from 1998 that we didn’t have time to cover on the main series.
And there’s more good news, because I can tell you that the retro pop blogs are still continuing when we come back in January – with the return of Pop Essays! If you remember, this was the series I started about three years ago, where I revisited the what-I-call “hidden gems” that time may have forgotten, but which I haven’t.
We got up to about 28 of them last time, so I’m really excited to get these going again (and there will be many). Hey – once you’ve read this post, why not read or revisit what we’ve covered so far to whet your appetite until then? There’s some good ‘uns, I promise. Toodle-oo until 2024…
- JANUARY: Bamboo – Bamboogie (Highest UK Chart Position: #2)
Originally featured on a TV advert for Bud Ice, Andrew Livingstone and Dave Lee (who also later charted a handful of singles as Joey Negro and Jakatta), were collectively known as Bamboo, and sampled KC and the Sunshine Band’s 1976 disco classic “Get Down Tonight” on this slice of handbag house, just missing out on the top spot by a small matter of 500 or so copies to All Saints‘ “Never Ever”. Their follow up single, “The Strut”, however, was less successful, bombing out at #36 in July.
- FEBRUARY: Shania Twain – You’re Still The One (Highest UK Chart Position: #10)
Even though, as those who’ve read The Story of Pop: 1999 will tell you, the true beginning of Shania-mania was still 18 months away at this point, this is where Canada’s biggest country artist of all time made her UK chart debut with the first single off her multimillion selling album Come On Over – and it is still a radio favourite to this day.
- MARCH: Robyn – Show Me Love (Highest UK Chart Position: #8)
Nine years before she pulled off one of the most brilliant and unlikely chart comebacks of the 21st century with her 2007 number one smash “With Every Heartbeat”, Robyn was the young protegee of one Max Martin, making a big impression and scoring her first UK top 10 hit with this, her second single, following the top 20 success of “Do You Know (What It Takes)” in August 1997 and “Do You Really Want Me” in May of this year.
- APRIL: Ultra – Say You Do (Highest UK Chart Position: #11)
On a mission to become “Wham! for the 90s” with their self penned and performed breezy pop anthems, James, Nick, Michael and Jon – collectively known as Ultra – scored their first of four UK top 30 singles in the spring with “Say You Do”, following support spots with Louise and Boyzone on their respective tours.
- MAY: Massive Attack – Teardrop (Highest UK Chart Position: #10)
Bristol based pioneers of trip hop and electronica music, Massive Attack released their third studio album Mezzanine in April which became their first ever number one album. This brooding and atmospheric second single also gave them their only top 10 hit of their career, featuring guest vocals from the Cocteau Twins‘ Elizabeth Fraser.
- JUNE: Brandy and Monica – The Boy Is Mine (Highest UK Chart Position: #2)
The biggest selling single of the year across the pond in the United States (2.6 million copies sold and thirteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100), this immaculate duet inspired by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s 1982 single “The Girl Is Mine”, between two of R&B’s brightest young starlets was equally massive here in Blighty, soaring up the charts as the summer arrived and sticking around in the top 20 for three whole months.
- JULY: Karen Ramirez – Looking For Love (Highest UK Chart Position: #8)
After missing the top 40 with her first single, “Troubled Girl”, in March of this year, North London dance vocalist Karen Ramirez (who had also spent time in Trindad and Tobago from the age of six) scored a big summer top 10 hit with this cover of a song originally recorded by Everything But The Girl five years previously.
- AUGUST: Ace of Base – Life Is A Flower (Highest UK Chart Position: #5)
After a decidedly muted response to their second album, 1995’s The Bridge, Sweden’s second biggest musical export after ABBA returned with this, the sunny sounding lead single from their third album Flowers, which gave them their biggest hit since “All That She Wants” topped the chart in 1993. A cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” landed at #8 in October, followed by a top 20 in December for the Motown aping “Always Have, Always Will”.
- SEPTEMBER: Honeyz – Finally Found (Highest UK Chart Position: #4)
Taking their name from a chat up line made by some gentlemen admirers to them outside the West London club Subterania, Celena Cherry, Naima Belkhiati and Heavenli Denton, aka the Honeyz, flew the flag for UK R&B and made a big impact with their soulful sounding debut single easing into the top 5, quickly followed by the genuinely brilliant “End Of The Line” (#5 in December) from their gold selling debut album Wonder No. 8.
- OCTOBER: Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (That Thing) (Highest UK Chart Position: #3)
After solo success for Wyclef Jean (“Gone Till November”, #3 in May) and Pras Michel (“Ghetto Supastar” with Mya and O.D.B, #2 in July), Lauryn Hill became the third and final member of The Fugees to launch her solo career with her critically acclaimed and 20 million selling debut album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, which went onto win her five Grammy Awards, as well as produce three hit singles in the shape of this top 3 debut, “Ex-Factor” (#4 in February 1999) and “Everything Is Everything” (#19 in June 1999).
- NOVEMBER: Alanis Morissette – Thank U (Highest UK Chart Position: #5)
Speaking of massive selling albums from the 90s, in November of this year Canadian rock queen Alanis Morissette released the highly anticipated follow up to her globally successful album from 1995, Jagged Little Pill, which had sold 33 million copies. And whilst Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie sold 8 million in comparison, it did still provide her with one of her signature songs in the form of this, her biggest UK hit to date.
- DECEMBER: Emilia – Big Big World (Highest UK Chart Position: #5)
The dictionary definition of a one hit wonder for 1998, but a brilliant one nonetheless from Swedish singer and songwriter Emilia Rydberg, who hit the top spot in eight European countries and landed herself a UK top 5 smash, with the wistful sounding heartbreak ballad “Big Big World” spending an impressive 11 weeks inside the top 40.
The Niche Reference 