Since our summer reading theme is Read to the Rhythm, I thought it would be cool to do a bunch of posts in the next couple months looking back at popular songs of summers past. Let's rewind back to the summer of 1998. Brandy and Monica's duet, "The Boy is Mine," topped Billboard's Hot 100 Singles during the week of June 6, and was probably stuck in your head for the rest of that summer. For the most part, R&B artists dominated the rest of the top 20... including the original line-up of Destiny's Child! Plus, Will Smith continued to juggle his acting and rapping careers, and showed off his dance moves in the video for "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (triple threat!).
Several songs in the lineup were definitely inescapable during 1998, from "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain to "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden to "All My Life" by K-Ci and JoJo, which was recently used in one of the final episodes of Parks and Recreation. The inclusion of both "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" from the Backstreet Boys and "I Want You Back" from 'N Sync on the charts was just the start of the battle for best boy band, which would play out on MTV's TRL throughout the late '90s and early '00s; you liked one or the other, not both ('N Sync for me).
Click on the album title to place a hold or click on the song links to download the songs from Freegal (you may download 3 songs per week with your FRVPLD library card):
1. "The Boy is Mine" - Brandy & Monica
Never S-A-Y Never by Brandy & The Boy is Mine by Monica
2. "Too Close" - Next
Rated Next
3. "You're Still the One" - Shania Twain
Greatest Hits
4. "My All" - Mariah Carey
The Essential Mariah Carey
5. "I Get Lonely" - Janet Jackson featuring Blackstreet
The Velvet Rope
6. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" - Backstreet Boys
The Hits: Chapter One
7. "The Arms of the One Who Loves You" - Xscape
Traces of My Lipstick
8. "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo
All My Life: Their Greatest Hits
9. "Truly Madly Deeply" - Savage Garden
Savage Garden
10. "It's All About Me" - Mya & Sisqo
Mya
11. "Sex and Candy" - Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground
12. "Body Bumpin' Yippie-Yi-Yo" - Public Announcement
All Work, No Play
13. "Let's Ride" - Montell Jordan featuring Master P & Silkk the Shocker
Let's Ride
14. "Adia" - Sarah McLachlan
Mirrorball
15. "I Want You Back" - 'N Sync
'N Sync
16. "Frozen" - Madonna
Ray of Light
17. "Turn it Up (Remix)/Fire it Up" - Busta Rhymes
Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes
18. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" - Will Smith
Big Willie Style
19. "No, No, No" - Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
20. "I Got the Hook Up!" - Master P featuring Sons of Funk
I Got the Hook Up Soundtrack
Source: Billboard Magazine Archive
