A terrific five songs there, 'No Scrubs' a R&B classic from TLC this was. Eiffel 65 with Blue well I've never tired of it it's a guilty pleasure of mine. 'Canned Heat' that's one I haven't heard in a while, sounds great 'A Little Bit of Luck' the best from the garage scene from that year Get Get Down that is catchy as anything.

 

 

A terrific five songs there, 'No Scrubs' a R&B classic from TLC this was. Eiffel 65 with Blue well I've never tired of it it's a guilty pleasure of mine. 'Canned Heat' that's one I haven't heard in a while, sounds great 'A Little Bit of Luck' the best from the garage scene from that year Get Get Down that is catchy as anything.

Pleased to see such glowing praise for this section, Mack! I feel like I don't hear 'Canned Heat' much either, so making the accompanying playlist for this countdown shall ensure that it won't be the case anymore. Also, yes, 'Blue (Da Ba Dee)' shall never get old *.*

 

thank you for commenting <3

25. Terrorvision - Tequila (Mint Royale Shot)
(chart-run: 2-6-11-18-27-39-54-71-67-68)

24. Geri Halliwell - Mi Chico Latino
(chart-run: 1-3-7-11-16-23-30-38-49-66-56-61-71)

23. Cuban Boys - Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia
(chart-run: 4-7-9-13-28-42-66-64R(2)-58)

22. Artful Dodger - Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta) (feat. Craig David)
(chart-run: 2-2-6-5-3-2-3-7-11-17-21-29-34-52-60-62-64)

21. Basement Jaxx - Rendez-Vu
(chart-run: 4-8-15-26-34-44-58-71)



Kicking off this section of top 20 near-misses is Terrorvision! They are behind one of many dance songs in this portion. However, 'Tequila' wasn't a dance song in its original form as Terrorvision are a rock band. Instead, it was transformed into one by DJ Mint Royale who remixed it. This version would prove to be a hit after being championed by Zoë Ball on Radio 1. It went down so well that their original single choice of 'Day After Day' was scrapped in favour of this. A wise move as 'Tequila' charted as high as #2. Mint Royale would have to wait another 9 years for that elusive #1 hit! Sadly Terrorvision never quite got there. Anyway, I feel like the genre blending of rock and dance feels quite rare so it is always refreshing to hear 'Tequila' all these years later. The Mint Royale treatment really gives the original record that extra oomph. It's a feel-good song for sure that I can happily sing along to despite never experiencing a drop of tequila in my life. The video is suitably chaotic as well with dodgy dancing and maracas for good measure. It's funny that this song should come up in my countdown now - as just the other day a poll on this very forum was created related to it. This is 'which 'Tequila' is better?' - aka Terrorvision or the new Europa single featuring RAYE. Of course it had to be the Terrorvision song, my 25th favourite hit single of 1999. Next up we take a quick breather from dance music and instead move over to the pop world! It's been a little while since we heard from the Spice Girls in this countdown, but that stops now with a solo Spice smash. This is my favourite Geri Halliwell song 'Mi Chico Latino'! Geri's debut hit 'Look At Me' infamously peaked at #2. Many ideas for the follow-up single were thrown around to get that elusive #1 - 'Lift Me Up' and 'Bag It Up' for instance. Geri suggested 'Mi Chico Latino' however as she felt it would appeal to her fans more, following the slightly left-field direction of 'Look At Me'. She chose well as it did shoot to number one and the other songs in contention would become chart-toppers too. What a lovely position to be in eh! Geri had written 'Mi Chico Latino' back in 1998 but it hadn't quite seen the light of day yet. Keeping hold of it was a great move though as the Latin-pop craze would explode the following year, so she could impeccably time the release of this to coincide with that! As previously touched upon, 'Viva Forever' was my #1 song of 1998, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that a fellow Latin-pop Spice release appeals to me too. Of course it doesn't quite touch that masterpiece, but I'm here for this breezy Spanglish release from Geri nevertheless. The melody gives me serious 'La Isla Bonita' vibes and I love the Latin flavours to the production too - from flamenco guitar to castanets. Such a summery song, a feeling only amplified by the video, filmed in the lovely looking island of Sardinia. Great little pop tune. Right, now the rest of this section is dedicated to dance music! So, the year is 2003 or so and a very young me is fascinated when my dad shows me the 'Hamster Dance' website for the first time. I was currently in a massive Hamtaro phase so that probably explains why that happened. This was quite possibly the first meme I was ever introduced to? A strong start. Anyway, this website contained rows of animated hamster GIFs and a song would play in the background - a sped-up sample of Roger Miller's 'Whistle Stop'. Aka the inspiration behind #23 song 'Cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia'! As this featured an unofficial soundalike sampled loop of that song also. So this actual #4 hit single, with its silly looped yodelling chipmunk vocals, will always remind me of the Hamster dance meme - as I'm sure it does for many others. Even the official video features a live-action hamster singing along. I love that this actually made a huge splash on the chart! It was supported by John Peel and Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 1. The release of it was timed with the Christmas #1 race of 1999 but sadly that honour would go to Westlife that year instead. Boo! What can I say, this is even more of a nonsensical guilty pleasure than the Eiffel 65 song earlier and has more of a nostalgia element for me. TUNE.

The penultimate song for this section is a UK garage classic! In fact, it was so influential that it inspired the name of a certain popular TV show. This is of course 'Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta)'! Both dance group Artful Dodger and R&B singer Craig David would experience huge chart success with this song, as it hit the #2 spot. The phrase 'Bo selecta' means either "good song" or "good DJ", so this is an ode to all those top notch DJs out there. The video is very literal as there are DJs and actions that rewind. This is such a euphoric garage hit! It's hard not to feel hyped as a result of Craig David's parts. The production sounds massive also. I'm a sucker for all the typical garage elements. I was lucky enough to hear this live when I saw Craig David back in 2017 in Birmingham and it was every bit as iconic as hoped. Finally, we round off this section with quite possibly my favourite dance act of all-time, the wonderful Basement Jaxx! I already had the opportunity to write about this song back in the Autumn months, as part of my Basement Jaxx - The Singles rate in the dance forum, but why not do it again. Quirky house tune 'Rendez-Vu' just misses out on a position in the top 20 here. It's a little idiosyncratic amongst Basement Jaxx's discography, as it contains the unusual features of vocals edited to an unrecognisable extent and also a guitar being a prominent feature of the production. Both elements that I can appreciate, particularly the guitar when it goes wild during its solo! I find this song to be so much fun and one of many sing-a-long moments in their discography, as the lyrics are simple and standout. I also find that there's a dark edge to the production, which makes it all the more interesting and fitting for its action packed music video. The concept is up there with the hamster music video from earlier though in the weird stakes - as this video turns out to be the dream of a dog! Why not. 'Rendez-Vu' is Basement Jaxx's biggest hit in terms of peak as it charted at #4. However, it does not feel like one of their signature songs despite this. One of their hits that I would consider one of those may just be on the way later in this 1999 countdown...

It was iconic finding out for the first time that the hamster dance song was an actual hit single *.* good stuff there from Basement Jaxx and Artful Dodger too (and the trio of dance classiques from Paul Johnson, DJ Luck & MC Neat and Eiffel 65 as well).

It was iconic finding out for the first time that the hamster dance song was an actual hit single *.* good stuff there from Basement Jaxx and Artful Dodger too (and the trio of dance classiques from Paul Johnson, DJ Luck & MC Neat and Eiffel 65 as well).

Yesss what a revelation that was *.* glad that you're enjoying all of those dance hits so far! Plenty more to come.

 

thank you for commenting <3

Rendez Vu isn't sounding familiar, surprised as I thought I knew most Basement Jaxx songs! Sounding pretty decent anyway.

 

I also had no idea that the Hampsterdance Song was a sample :o The Cuban Boys version is sounding nice too!

Rendez Vu isn't sounding familiar, surprised as I thought I knew most Basement Jaxx songs! Sounding pretty decent anyway.

 

I also had no idea that the Hampsterdance Song was a sample :o The Cuban Boys version is sounding nice too!

Ooh okay! I'm not all that surprised, as it's never a song of theirs that you really hear these days despite its impressive peak. The likes of 'Red Alert', 'Where's Your Head At?' and 'Romeo' seem to soak up the plays. I don't think I ever heard it until I listened through my mum's copy of their singles collection for the first time! Glad your impression of it was decent anyway. Also pleased that this could provide Hampsterdance trivia, an important area tbh :kink: hooray for that approval, what a tune!!

 

Thanks for commenting <3

Re-Rewind is a song that I now adore since I began to listen to Kisstory. It's a toss-up between that and Fill Me In for my favourite Craig David song but I would say FMI just about has the advantage.

Re-Rewind is a song that I now adore since I began to listen to Kisstory. It's a toss-up between that and Fill Me In for my favourite Craig David song but I would say FMI just about has the advantage.

Ooh yay! Kisstory has certainly boosted my love of some of the songs that have appeared so far. 'Fill Me In' is a fab choice of favourite, that and 'Re-Rewind' would be my top 2 as well I think, although I'm unsure of which order - will have to think about it more when I compile my 2000 list soon!

 

~~~

 

Don't worry guys I haven't slipped back into my old ways with this :kink: I've been trying to stick to Mondays for writing a new section, but was busy both this Monday and Tuesday so that's thrown me off a bit, will try and find the time to do a new one later in the week! If not then next Monday for sure.

20. Madonna - Beautiful Stranger
(chart-run: 2-4-8-10-10-14-18-21-21-21-25-33-40-48-59-72)

19. Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle
(chart-run: 1-1-2-3-9-16-19-19-27-34-40-38-28-30-35-43-61-68-72)

18. Groove Armada - At the River
(chart-run: 19-29-35-40-61)

17. Smash Mouth - All Star
(chart-run: 24-34-41-60-75)

16. DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone
(chart-run: 4-3-2-2-2-5-8-12-15-17-23-29-37-42-58-72)



Back now after that brief one week break! See, I'm a changed woman who is sticking to this for real. Kicking off the top 20 of 1999 is pop legend Madonna! Three hits in my 1998 countdown clearly wasn't enough, she had to sneak in one more fantastic single for the late 90s. This time it's the wonderful 'Beautiful Stranger' which was released as a single for the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It actually didn't get a full release in the U.S. but still cracked the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 nevertheless purely based on airplay! In the U.K. it was of course one of Madonna's many #2 hits. S Club 7 beat her in that chart battle with 'Bring It All Back'. I would've favoured S Club 7 in the past (and they did still make this top 40) mainly due to the fact that I wasn't massively familiar with 'Beautiful Stranger' compared to that for a while. But I slowly got to know this beauty more and more and it was actually the Madonna discography rate last year on BuzzJack that made it completely click with me. Now I'm totally on board! I've made my feelings clear on the 'Ray Of Light' era by now (easily my favourite Madonna album) and this song was essentially a continuation of that sound. Madge teamed up with William Orbit once again and he worked his magic some more. He provided the ambient but wobbly electronic beats, plus there's a lot of psychedelic sounding instrumentation woven in elsewhere. The flute is always the most notable aspect for me. I can't get over how Beatles-esque some of it sounds! 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' come to mind in terms of similar sounding instrumentation. It's like the 60s and 90s collide for this song and I'm totally here for it. Madonna sounds vocally strong here as she is still riding on that Evita vocal training. She sounds sweet and playful on this occasion as she reels off the lovestruck lyrics. She's equally playful in the video too! Mike Myers, in character as Austin Powers, is warned not to fall in love with Madge, but he can't help himself as she struts her stuff. Definitely a memorable video in her back catalogue despite her not doing a whole lot apart from dancing! It's a shame that 'Beautiful Stranger' doesn't feature on any of her studio albums but at least it's been selected on multiple compilations of hers, a gem that will still live on! Next up is the only #1 hit of this bunch. Christina Aguilera sang the lyrics "you gotta make a big impression" on this smash 'Genie In A Bottle' and that's exactly what she did! She'd been wanting to release her debut album for over 5 years at this point (with an ambition to do so by the time she completed high school) after she found fame on The New Mickey Mouse Club as a child star, however, she'd have to wait a bit longer than that. She had a bit of a break-through after being chosen to sing 'Reflection' for the Disney film Mulan. This put her in good stead to release her proper debut single. At just 18 years old, Xtina unleashed 'Genie In A Bottle' on the world and it proved very popular - as not only a U.K. #1, but also a 5-week chart topper in the U.S. Here she sings about self-respect in a package of genie-related metaphors. Much like 'Beautiful Stranger', I also find this to be a very playful song. It's a ludicrously catchy pop offering, with hooks galore, plus Christina sounds great. I find that she can over-sing at times but she has perfect control of her voice here. She ranges from talk-singing to saving a bit of belting towards the end. I can definitely see why this is one of her signature songs! I feel like she was still looking for her identity in the video but the dancing was fun and thematically on point. Time for something completely different next! As we move from pop to an entirely electronic single. This is 'At the River' by Groove Armada! I was introduced to this song through the M&S adverts that it featured in, so it'll always be synonymous with those for me. It would take me a few years to realise what the song exactly was though! I remember being shocked to find out that it was Groove Armada, as I was so used to their music being upbeat - thanks to tracks like 'Superstylin', 'Song 4 Mutya' and 'Get Down'. So that was a fun surprise. This was originally released in 1997 but didn't chart until 1999, after it was played by Radio 1. However, the playlist committee there actually believed that it was too slow for radio! It was thanks to producers and listeners that it forced its way to airplay. It charted at a respectable #19. 'At the River' is chill-out heaven for me! It's so easy to get lost in the dreamy lyrics of the song it samples (the vintage 'Old Cape Cod' by Patti Page - a song they discovered from a 1950s compilation album found in a bargain bin!) - plus the production provides the most amazing layers. The electronic elements are a treat to my ears, naturally, plus the trombone gives it more character. God bless you M&S advert!

So... you thought the meme songs would end with the Hamster Dance one? Well, think again! :o 'All Star' may be the lowest peaking song here (at #24) but its lasting impact transcends that. Plus it was a top 5 smash in the United States! I wrongly assumed that this song was released in the early 2000s for years, due to being so synonymous with the first Shrek movie (featuring Mike Myers of 'Beautiful Stranger' music video fame earlier, these connections oh my) - that came out in 2001. But nope, this traces back to 1999 and was featured in an entirely different movie first - Mystery Men. The music video for 'All Star' actually features cast members from that movie. If only it had a Shrek themed music video. I have a huge amount of nostalgia for 'All Star' as the first two Shrek movies were a big part of my childhood. It's an effective song for making you feel pumped for sure, especially thanks to the fast delivery of the bridge and the euphoric release of the chorus. The instantly recognisable SOMEBODY- opening lets us know that this anthem has landed with defiance. It's a song that gets lodged in my brain with ease and I am never mad when this happens. It shall forever trigger happy childhood feelings. Also memes. Rounding off this section is one of many classic dance songs from 1999! 'Better Off Alone' originally started out as an instrumental, but the "do you think you're better off alone?" hook was organically added in time, inspired by a break-up. Fuse these straightforward lyrics and the very melodic trance production together and you have one infectious song. The words are very repetitive, but they still pack an emotional punch nevertheless. There's something quite haunting about the main hook being a question to the audience that isn't explored much further. The production of course does the talking too and is a timeless essential for any dancefloor with taste! A total hands in the air moment. I was lucky enough to hear this live as part of a 'We Love The 90s' concert live last year and it was utterly blissful, everyone went wild for it. A very unifying song. It was a hit in various places around the world so its appeal knows no bounds. It charted as high as #2 here in the United Kingdom and was a top 30 hit in the States. We shall not speak of the David Guetta butchering of it. However, MC Smally, an iconic child rapper who samples it in a very amateur fashion for 'MC Smally That's My Name' can stay.

All ten all great songs in their own way. Sorry more in depth comment will follow, Jade.

All ten all great songs in their own way. Sorry more in depth comment will follow, Jade.

Ooh a clean sweep, fantastic! Looking forward to it ^_^

I used to hate At The River because it was long and slow and nothing like the rest of the album :P But I do quite enjoy it now, and I am indeed fond of sand dunes and salty air *.* Better Off Alone is decent and of course has been sampled in many a great tune, Genie In A Bottle has its merits as well (in fact my housemates have been singing it a lot recently which seems fairly random but sure!)

I used to hate At The River because it was long and slow and nothing like the rest of the album :P But I do quite enjoy it now, and I am indeed fond of sand dunes and salty air *.* Better Off Alone is decent and of course has been sampled in many a great tune, Genie In A Bottle has its merits as well (in fact my housemates have been singing it a lot recently which seems fairly random but sure!)

Oops :kink: I guess being surprised that 'At the River' was by Groove Armada is even more justified if it sounds nothing like the rest of the accompanying album then! I should really check it out at some point as I love their stuff in general. Glad the song grew on you over time anyway! Fabulous imagery alert right there *.* Apparently even Lindsay Lohan has sampled 'Better Off Alone', the impact! Ooh your housemates have taste, 'Genie In A Bottle' confirmed eternal sing-a-long classic x

 

thank you for commenting <3

15. Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me
(chart-run: 4-5-8-10-14-18-26-28-32-40-49-66)

14. ATB - 9 PM (Till I Come)
(chart-run: 1-1-2-3-5-6-12-14-21-31-38-42-51-59-75)

13. Five - Keep On Movin'
(chart-run: 1-3-6-8-13-16-21-24-20-19-19-24-31-41-54-60-63)

12. The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
(chart-run: 3-6-10-16-27-31-36-47-58-62)

11. Chicane - Saltwater (feat. Maire Brennan)
(chart-run: 6-9-13-18-23-37-40-47-69-75)



Kicking off the top 15 is 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None The Richer! A lot of dance music features in the rest of the top 15, but for now, here is one of the singles that breaks that up a bit. 'Kiss Me' is instead an irresistible pop-rock earworm. It's not quite as in-your-face as a lot of catchy songs are though. This is a very cute and delicate offering. But that chorus is oh so memorable! Even the melody of the production can get lodged in my brain - especially when the harmonica comes out. The innocence of 'Kiss Me' is very endearing to me. It's a simple, breezy song about love that is totally elevated by the beautiful imagery present in the lyrics. The chorus in particular is so dreamy! The verses do paint a picture effectively too though, very nice story-telling. The video is pretty simple but the outdoor setting in dark lighting really suits the song well. Finally, I must add that the vocalist has a really graceful delivery which further adds to the charm of 'Kiss Me'. I shall confess now that this is all I know of Sixpence None The Richer, but the band apparently had one further top 20 hit with a cover of 'There She Goes' by La's! So their shelf life in the chart was very short as that was about it. But they did a great job of their 15 minutes of fame as they'll forever have this nostalgic top 5 hit to their name. Today I found out that this charted as high as #2 in the U.S. also, wow! That's good going. Next up is a song that my boss was surprised that I knew! Let's get into that story first. So, said boss received a text that was signed off with ATB and asked us what that meant. Soon someone replied that it stood for "all the best" and he replied that it just reminded him of "ATB who had that big hit in the 90s, what was it called?". Everyone else on my team was scratching their heads but, of course, I had to pipe up with the song title. My boss was very surprised that I had heard of this song. First he said "were you even born when it was released?" and yes, I was 2. But of course I was too young to recall it at the time. Welcome to the land of my music knowledge, colleagues. So... that happened. Boo that no-one else in close proximity could recall the title! I'll let them off because '9PM' isn't actually mentioned in the song at all. Instead, the part in brackets is repeated a lot by vocalist Yolanda Rivera. It's a standout line for sure, but what really made me fall for this song is the production! That wobbly trance instrumental hook is just glorious. It rightfully provided ATB with a debut mega hit - as '9 PM (Till I Come)' not only went to #1, but had import demand prior to that AND became the 5th best selling single of the year in the U.K. The German producer would score further hits but not quite to the scale of this groovy, hypnotic monster smash. The next song, another brief departure from dance music, is incredibly nostalgic for me! This is because in primary school (year 5 specifically!) my year were presenting an assembly that included the use of this song. All of the girls had to do a cheerleading routine to it! I remember the rehearsals for that being an absolute blast so I'll always associate 'Keep On Movin' with those happy memories. My parents actually have that routine recorded on an old video camera somewhere... 9-year-old Jade loving life with her blue pom poms forever immortalised. Anyway! The 1990s was home to many a boyband hit, but I think this one may just eclipse all the others that the decade had to offer! It's one of those songs that just instantly lifts my spirits in a heartbeat. Away from the childhood memories, it's such a joyful song with a really positive message. I can't help but feel motivated by the happy-go-lucky lyrics delivered in the form of a storming pop song. I dare you to not crack a smile to this. 'Keep On Movin' is a cheesy boyband hit done right I tell thee! The video feels very 90s with the boyband moves and colourful back-drop, although at least they weren't trying to be futuristic with it, so it hasn't aged that badly. This was Five's first #1 hit, what a great song to achieve that with!

Now it's time to round off with two very different electronic songs! At #12 it's The Chemical Brothers with one of their signature hits - 'Hey Boy Hey Girl'. I had the absolute pleasure of seeing these guys live in November of last year and wow, what a night that was. 'Hey Boy Hey Girl' was one of my highlights of the concert, especially as they spent a while building the song up, so when that first drop arrived, the atmosphere was truly insane! The studio version is a masterclass in building nevertheless. That trance-influenced big beat production is insanely good, it sounds massive and I love how it has this dark, foreboding feel to it. I suppose a skeleton themed video fit well with that in mind. The lyrics are incredibly repetitive as they continuously focus on a sample of 'The Roof Is on Fire' by Rock Master Scott & the Dynamic Three. But hey, I'm a sucker for loopy dance so of course I'm into this. It's bold and brimming with personality. Acts like The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy really stood out from the crowd when looking back at the 90s. Just missing out on a place in the top 10 is the stunning 'Saltwater' by Chicane! I have the BJSC 90s vs. 00s spin-off on this website to thank for really kicking my love of this up a notch. Once upon a time I presumed it was an Enya song, although I guess I was close enough as the vocalist is Enya's sister! Plus it incorporates a Clannad song, a band that both of the girls were part of. I eventually found out what the song truly was and never looked back. Here we have some spectacular trance goodness that fuses both relaxation and euphoria. I love when a song achieves that difficult balance! The video strikes a similar tone, as it flicks between surfing scenes and the madness of a nightclub. I find these transitions really satisfying mainly due to the colours - the blue/green sea turning into the blue/green lights in the club? Very aesthetically pleasing. As for the song itself, the ambient production mixed with echoey vocals is so chilling. Chicane truly created something magical here! This is thankfully included amongst his list of 4 top 10 hits.

Top 10 next week! :cheer:

I spy a coi fave *.*

I spy a coi fave *.*

:lol: ngl I did think of coi as I was about to dive into that 'Kiss Me' commentary. Passing comment on plug.dj impact!

I spy a coi fave *.*

Burn it. Fortunately some much better selections just above it, especially ATB's classic tune! :wub:

Burn it. Fortunately some much better selections just above it, especially ATB's classic tune! :wub:

:kink: glad I was redeemed elsewhere. As are you for loving the ATB song <3