'Keep On Movin' is one of the best boyband songs ever <3 deservingly top 10 for you!

8. Blondie - Maria

Rank: 9/10

Reason: Of all the acts to score a No.1 single in 1999, perhaps the most unexpected was Blondie. Formed in New York in the mid 1970s, Debbie Harry and her band peaked in the UK in 1979 and 1980 when they scored five chart toppers, all classics - Heart Of Glass, Sunday Girl, Atomic, Call Me and The Tide Is High. Rapture was their final top five hit of that imperial phase, in 1981, and then iconic frontwoman Debbie Harry went solo, scoring several hits under that name, as well as under the more formal Deborah Harry. I Want That Man was my favourite from her solo career, one of the best songs of 1989 and a strong top 15 hit right at the end of the decade.

Come the end of the 90s and Blondie reformed after a 15 year break, with the first new material being the 1999 album No Exit. Maria was the lead single from that album and retained some of their early new wave sound but was also more of a power pop/rock single in the Belinda Carlisle mould, or similar to When You're Gone by Bryan Adams and Melanie C, which was still hanging around when Maria was released.

Debbie Harry was 53 - a year older than Cher was when she topped the chart with Believe a few months earlier - but had lost none of her star power or charisma and it was a genuine joy to have them back, especially with such a powerful song, with brooding verses and a massive chorus, while the rest of the band had also clearly lost none of their talent, with great songwriting, production and instrumentation (and even bells, so you could add it to your Christmas playlist if you wish).

Amidst a run of slightly unexpected No.1 singles at the start of the year, Maria went straight to No.1, Blondie's first since 1980 and sixth overall, although it would be their last as follow up single Nothing Is Real But The Girl only made the top 30. But this was a great No.1 to add to their tally, a famous return to the top of the charts after a long absence, and on the radio all the time in 1999. It was also a global hit, reaching the top in Spain, Greece and Poland, and top three in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland, but only reached No.59 in Australia and No.82 in the US.

Peaking at #59 in Australia explains why I'd probably never heard it. I'm familiar with the classics like Call Me, One Way Or Another, The Tide Is High and Heart Of Glass and on first listen whilst Maria isn't as good as those four I mentioned it certainly is a strong song. I quite enjoyed it.

My second favourite UK # 1

3 weeks at # 1

9th place in Year-End chart

Edited December 24, 2025Dec 24 by Last Dreamer

What an incredibly strong top 7 songs you have left @gooddelta! Genuinely can't call which way you'll go, though I do have my preferences.

I agree with those saying 'Keep On Movin' is one of the best boyband songs, so I'm happy it's in your top 10! It was great to hear it again at the weekend as part of 5ive's medley performance during the Strictly Come Dancing final. I first came across the song as a kid when I had to do a cheerleading routine to it as part of an assembly! This was the same 'Going for Goals' one that also featured 'That's My Goal' and 'Three Lions '98'. I'm pretty sure that is on video somewhere good memories and such an uplifting, infectious pop song.

Blondie are one of my favourite bands ❤️ I'd say the majority of my love is for their first four albums but 'Maria' was a strong comeback song and the added #1 status is a great chart story. Love that they managed chart toppers in the '70s, '80s and '90s <3 it's interesting that they just about snuck into two of those decades, in 1979 and 1999, meanwhile quickly ticking off the eighties during 1980

"Maria" is great. I have ranked it slightly higher. What a comeback from Blondie.

Here are my places 10 to 8, which were all already introduced:

10 Lou Bega - Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of ...) 8.5/10

09 Shanks & Bigfoot - Sweet Like Chocolate 8.5/10

08 Robbie Williams - She's The One 9/10

From my Top 7, 4 are in common with Gooddelta 😉

Edited December 24, 2025Dec 24 by DaTilt

'Maria' ❤️ what a comeback from Blondie. Would be in my top 5 I'd say!

I like all 3 records in your Top 10 so far. Armand Van Helden is possibly my favourite of the year. I did find the superstar DJ thing a bit cringe but it was undeniably good music.

Remember hearing the Five record for the first time on the radio in my car. Whilst other songs of theirs is more students union guilty pleasure material this is a genuinely good song.

Blondie were quite unusual in having a comeback record that's up there with the records they did in their prime. Very few musicians manage to do that.

'Maria' is such a special #1, it still holds up today

Westlife n b*witched tracks are ok but Praise You is a big step up in quality- not quite right here right now level but up thereand a welcome number one.

Lou Bega was a bit of fun in small doses, livin la vida loca remains a party anthem and i would rate it higher up. Sweet like chocolate is ok but was never a huge fave. It just didnt click despute the melodic bits

Vengaboys, well I was in my 40's and they just came over as cheesy holiday singalong kiddie pop, not for me, I'm afraid - but then grown-ups never got my love of The Archies at 11 12 13, and beyond, and that's a hill I will still die on too 😄Pretty Fly For A White Guy though was fabulous, a fun chart-topper for me too, and it had something to say about popular culture and teen boys in an amusing and catchy fashion.

Bring It All Back would be way lower for me sorry! Not target audience and the hook just annoyed me, Way better to come from S Club. I did like the return of the teen pop TV show band, as a massive fan of The Monkees as a kid and ever since, the TV show and the records, but where I can see The Archies back catalogue isn't world class as an adult, The Monkees are a different kettle of fish, and S Club fall somewhere between the two, some quality stuff, some not so much.

And top 10 we are into top quality with You Dont Know Me, top House dance banger and a chart-topper for me, as was Five's Keep On Movin' a joyous classy pop anthem - I'd rate them the other way round, but both are pop classics for the year. Five were on Never Mind The Buzzcocks the other week, competing as a team, they were funny, engaging, and did an impromptu a capella which was flawless - Five can sing! Shock horror! They deserve more appreciation....

Blondie, fab they came back big, so happy for them - but good as it is, I never rated it as much as their 1978-80 period, but Debs was an icon still. Good Boys was the latter-day track that should have been a number one, among several.

7. Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

Rank: 9/10

Reason: Another one of those 'every pop band has one major classic' songs, although you could extend that with Backstreet Boys to Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and As Long As You Love Me too, I Want It That Way was another Max Martin gem from the late 90s, and the lead single from the US boyband's Millennium album (it was deep into 1999 and everyone was talking about the impending millennium by this point).

There are many elements that make I Want It That Way great, and one of the very best singles by the band; the melody is perfect pop, the verses slow and brooding enough to make the payoff bigger when the huge chorus comes, the great vocal performances throughout the track by all of the band members, but some notable standouts come from AJ and Kevin leading to Howie on the middle eight while Nick was the perfect choice to lead the chorus to give it that teen appeal too. It is a meticulously well crafted song with some powerful ad libs at the end too.

There are some slightly clunky lyrics and many critics have argued the chorus makes little sense lyrically in the context of the rest of the song, although the band have since explained they are open to the listener's interpretation, but 90s pop was usually quickly forgiven for lyrical shortcomings and it doesn't affect my enjoyment of the song personally.

The iconic video with the group decked in angelic boyband white in front of the plane also became a popular culture talking point forever more (and was quickly parodied by Blink-182 in All The Small Things). The single could hardly miss and set up the parent album to be one of the biggest of all-time in the US while the song remains eternally popular, closing in on two billion streams on Spotify.

After scoring hits since 1995 in the UK, four years in this finally became the first UK No.1 for Backstreet Boys and while it only just crept into the end of year top 40 here in 1999, it has built a far more substantial legacy over time and is certified 4x platinum now for 'sales' of over 2.4 million. The track also topped the charts in many other countries, particularly around Europe, and got to No.2 in Australia but only No.6 in the US, mainly because it wasn't released there commercially – a common tactic for pop acts at the time to push sales towards the album instead, which clearly worked in their case – but it was a mega airplay smash.

I liked the 1998 output from the Backstreet Boys and but it took me a little bit of time to get on board with this one and most of the rest of their output. Now though? It's one of my favourites by them. Just a classic boyband pop song.

Interesting you mentioned the lyrics not making much sense, as they did release this alternative version earlier this year.

Also I can't hear I Want It That Way without this gem from Brooklyn Nine Nine popping into my head.

I Want It That Way is a stone cold pop classic, by far their best.

Oddly I never enjoyed I Want It That Way that much, personally I find from the same album that Show Me The Meaning is a far better song, but I digress.

Thought Mi Chico Latino would be much higher here too

As for the 9PM vs On The Beach battle, I think I prefer OTB (although its the CRW remix everyone is talking about, not the original York version).

That german chart reminded me of Andru Donald's cover of "All Out Of Love", easily my favorite version of that song and should've been released in the UK - I recon it would've been a hit there too

Always enjoy giving Shanks, Vengaboys and Wamdue some spins, all are classics for sure.

Maria is just a phenomenal song, and I was so glad it topped the UK charts, its cemented itself in history, while if it had charted at #2 I think it would be forgotten in the history books

Edited December 26, 2025Dec 26 by Sempachorra

Love 'I Want It That Way' so much 💗

Feels somewhat crazy to think it's their only number one for an act that big, although i think quite a few of them were just a bit unlucky in their timing.

I Want It That Way is a great pop track, not quite up there with Everybody and Larger Than Life, but it's up there. Five and Armin still stay ahead for me, but it would be top 10.

'I Want It That Way' is superb. Definitely the best they did but they have several other good'uns too.