Best Song: Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank
When I first heard this record, I liked it. Then I started to hate it from hearing it all the time but started to like it again when the hype around Fatboy Slim started to die down. It was his 2nd Top 40 hit but the first that really made people notice, I remember his debut "Everybody Needs A 303" but that was only really big amongst the dance music fans.
Worst Song: Leann Rimes - How Do I Live
As far back as I can remember, country music has been big in America but widely hated in the UK. Aside from "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus which seemed more of a piss take, there was very little in the way of big country hits in the late 80s/early 90s. Then along came country pop which is basically generic bland pop music done country style. This is a great example of country pop, it's fuckin awful.
Top 40 Review
In 1998 I opened myself up to music that wasn't rave, though this happened a little later in the year than the Top 40 I'm looking at. Around a decade later a work colleague of mine won a CD in a raffle and wasn't happy with the prize because it was from 1998. I on the other hand saw that as a good think so I saved it from being thrown in the bin. I happened to like the CD, helped by the fact it was a dance music one. But was 1998 a golden year chart wise?
If we begin with dance music, just under a third of this Top 40 then the next best thing to my best song choice is the 98 remix of "Naked In The Rain" by Blue Pearl. There is also "Dreams", the Top 40 debut for The Corrs that's been remixed by Todd Terry. Getting half marks purely because I quite like the main riff is "Feel It" by The Tamperer ft Maya, but the rest are all crap. They include the likes of "Looking For Love" by Karen Ramirez and "Horny" by Mousse T Vs Hot 'N' Juicy, basically dance music that many dance music fans would hate.
Approximately a third of it is simply pop music. From this we have "Got The Feelin'" by Five which is pretty dreadful but also a guilty pleasure of mine. There's "Lost In Space" by the Lighthouse Family which is OK, but the rest are crap. Other contenders for worst song in there included "C'est La Vie" by B*Witched and "Last Thing On My Mind" by Steps, truly dreadful stuff.
R&B wise there's "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, a song I liked enough to buy both artists albums only to realise that was the only decent song on both albums. Public Announcement, long after R Kelly left had their only Top 40 hit with "Body Bumpin' (Yippie-Yi-Yo)" which is OK.
Rap wise there's "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" by Pras Michel ft ODB And Mya, a record I heard on the radio one morning at the time and thought this is good. The other rap record is "Intergalactic" by Beastie Boys which is OK.
There are 3 records there courtesy of the World Cup which are "Three Lions '98" by Baddiel, Skinner & the Lightning Seeds, "Vindaloo" by Fat Les and "World Cup '98 - Pavane By Faure" by Wimbledon Choral Society, the latter of which gets half marks but the others get zero.
The remaining records not to get zero are "Begin Again" by Space and "Circus" by Eric Clapton which both get half marks.
When I did open myself up to non-rave music I predominantly started listening to older music in the beginning. Looking at this Top 40, I can see why. Just 6 records with full marks which include a remix, a remix of a cover and a guilty pleasure.
The fact I've also mentioned all those with half marks means the overall score is pretty poor.
Score: 9.5
Table
Keep scrolling, 1998 is level with 1960 and only 1961 and 1962 are below it:
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