Putting a bow on 1998.
20 - "...Baby One More Time," Britney Spears
19 - "Because of You," 98 Degrees
18 - "I'll Be," Edwin McCain
17 - "Real World," Matchbox 20
16 - "Lullaby," Shawn Mullins
The second half begins with the song that truly introduced the world to a young Louisianan named Britney Jean Spears. We've all had this Max Martin dance-pop confection burned into our brains by now, haven't we? And surely we've all seen the video with the schoolgirl outfit that probably helped sell this song even more. All I can say about this song now is, it's the very definition of an earworm. The snakes, the head-shaving, the Federline, all of that we'll probably get to talk about later.
98 Degrees are here with one of their biggest hits. It's about being in love and stuff, and it's lightweight dance-pop produced by non-Max Martin Swedes. A typical example of disposable boy-band product.
Next is Edwin McCain, who just as his buddies in Hootie and the Blowfish were waning in popularity was having his greatest success with this overwrought ballad on which he declares that he will be both "love's suicide" and "the greatest fan of your life." Somehow those two concepts don't seem compatible. Anyway, this would go on to be a go-to song for American Idol contestants, and for all I know, it still is. I don't watch it anymore. It's run its course, and no amount of Nicky Minaj/Mariah Carey catfights will bring me back
Then it's my very good friends Matchbox 20 with more of their terrible soft-rockin' nonsense. Rob Thomas wonders what it's like to be a superhero. To me, however, he's an archvillain, the Lex Luthor of music. The man can do no right.
This section closes with the only major hit by Atlanta singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins. It's an acoustic pop song with spoken-word verses about a girl whose unsatisfied with her seemingly charmed Hollywood-kid life, and choruses on which Mullins assures her that "Everything's gonna be alright." It's a song that for me started out in the "I kinda like it, but..." column, and has remained there ever since.
15 - "Hands," Jewel
14 - "Hooch," Everything
13 - "Save Tonight," Eagle-Eye Cherry
12 - "This Kiss," Faith Hill
11 - "Tearin' Up My Heart," 'N Sync
This quintet is led off by the first single from Jewel's sophophomore album, Spirit. It's gentle folk-pop about staying strong and human even in the face of overwhelming adversity. Way better than all the non-"Who Will Save Your Soul" stuff on Pieces of You, and likely her second-best song overall.
Virginia band Everything follow with their only hit, a jammy acoustic-rocker set to a hip-hop beat that doesn't seem to be about moonshine. But I'm not sure what it is about. "Who got the freshy freshy?" Don't ask me. But it was interesting to hear a hit with a sax solo in 1998. Saxophone was all over the radio in the 80s, but in this decade it was quite rare.
Next is Swedish-born Eagle-Eye Cherry, who's half-sister Neneh is best remembered for her 1989 hit "Buffalo Stance." Eagle-Eye (his real given name)'s only American hit is this okay rocker in the "I'm leaving tomorrow, so let's do it tonight" vein. Later, because of its title, it became a frequently used walking-out-to-the-mound song for baseball relief pitchers. I'm sure that's exactly what he intended.
Then it's Mississippi's Faith Hill, who had already scored three #1 country hits when she finally made her crossover breakthrough with this jaunty tune about the giddiness caused by loving lip locks. No, it isn't country at all, but it's just so poppily joyous that I can't help but enjoy it.
Anchoring this set are 'N Sync, who despite forming later than the Backstreet Boys battled their Orlando rivals for the top of the boy-band mountain during this period. This Max Martin co-write is okay fluff-pop, but nothing special. And who knew that out of all of the guys in both groups, the last man standing in terms of relevance would be Timberlake?
They say the Top Ten is a bad mutha...shut your mouth!
10 - "My Favorite Mistake," Sheryl Crow
Crow kept her run of hits going with this bluesy burner about a cheating ex. Speculation is that the song's subject could be either Eric Clapton or Jakob Dylan. Not that it matters. Another solid hit in her catalogue.
9 - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith
The raunch-rockers had their only #1 with this drippy Diane Warren ballad from the soundtrack of the killer-asteroid movie Armageddon, which included Steven Tyler's daughter Liv in its cast. Maudlin, bombastic, and oversung, but still incredibly popular. That's the way it goes sometimes.
8 - "Jumper," Third Eye Blind
The San Fransicans' third Top Ten was this song that Stephan Jenkins wrote about a high school friend of the band's manager who committed suicide because he was gay. Unfortunately, this sort of thing still happens. A serious song, but not one that comes off as preachy or put on.
7 - "Are You That Somebody," Aaliyah
This Brooklyn R&B star, who would be tragically killed in a plane crash in 2001, had one of her best remembered hits with this fantastic groover. Her voice, the beats, the rap contributions from Mad Skillz, those baby noises, somehow combine into something special. Certainly the best thing associated with that Eddie Murphy version of Dr. Dolittle.
6 - "Never Ever," All Saints
In the wake of the Spice Girls came this British girl-group, who had their biggest American hit with this midtempo ballad about love gone wrong. This is better than anything their more famous counterparts ever put out, and they're better singers, too.
5 - "Iris," Goo Goo Dolls
The Goos had their biggest hit with this ballad that kind of fits in with the movie it first appeared in, City of Angels, in which angel Nicolas Cage falls for mortal Meg Ryan. The song is better than the movie, and the song isn't that great.
4 - "I'll Never Break Your Heart," Backstreet Boys
Backstreet's back (alright!) with this cheeseball ballad. This is the sound of everything that's wrong with boy-bands: mediocre harmonies, sappy lyrics, and all-around artifice.
3 - "Crush," Jennifer Paige
Georgian Paige had her only real hit with this sultry dance pop denial of being in love. I like it better now than I did then. The sensuality of her voice comes through more now.
2 - "Thank U," Alanis Morissette
The first single from Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Morissette's follow-up to the massive Jagged Little Pill CD, opens with a somewhat jarring piano line, and then the lyric "How 'bout getting off of these antibiotics." Then she thanks India and disillusionment in the chorus. Yes, the songs that made her famous also had enigmatic lyrics, but they were all accessible. This song almost tries not to be, but it still has it's charms. Still, it was a sign that the direction she was moving in was certainly less commercial than before, and the sales figures bore that out. But she made the music she wanted to make, and I can't fault her for that.
And at #1 this week, we find...
1 - "One Week," Barenaked Ladies
Formed in Scarborough, Ontario, these five fully-clothed men first broke through in their native Canada when their self-released five-song cassette sold over 100,000 copies. But they didn't break through in the United States until this bit of schizophrenic pop-rock made it all the way to the top of the charts. The choruses feature Steven Page singing about an argument with his girlfriend, while on the verses, Ed Robertson raps about sushi, LeAnn Rimes, The X-Files, golf clubs, and several other subject. I don't think it's my favorite song of theirs, but it's arguably the most representative of what they are. And it's the winner of this week's Uneasy Rider.
There were three Long Distance Dedications (they could be called that again). In the first, a woman dedicated Elton John's "Blessed" to her husband to help him get over her miscarriage. Then, a man dedicated Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," to the girl he loved but drove away. Finally, a teenage girl dedicated Mariah Carey's "Forever" to the dock boy she fell in love with while on summer vacation.
The highlight of the commercials was hearing the ads for a new company called "eBay" ("Yes, it's on the Internet!")
Join me next time, when we're gonna party like it's...a party or something.
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