I think that Everybody (Backstreet's Back) has to be my pick for favourite Backstreet Boys track as it's just too much fun not to pick it, but this one is okay enough as well.

6. Steps - Heartbeat/Tragedy

Rank: 9/10

Reason: Released in November 1998 as Steps' fourth single, this double a-side combined the wintery ballad Heartbeat and the Bee Gees cover Tragedy. It was the first double a-side Steps released although many more would come in the future, and initially it didn't look like the gamble had hugely paid off - the single debuted at No.2 behind Cher's mammoth hit Believe but its first week sales were around half those achieved by prior single (and also a No.2 hit), One For Sorrow.

Being winter (and 1998 - officially the winter of the slushy ballad), the single was led by Heartbeat, and this track, which was on the album Step One, also received a lot of the advance promotion prior to the single's release, with the video (and all of its naff/charming green screen effects) all over the music channels. It has since become a fixture of music channels in December despite not officially being a Christmas song.

As the first proper Steps ballad (One For Sorrow is kind of a dance ballad I guess), it gave Claire and Faye good chance to show off their vocals, while Lisa delivers a very nice middle eight and the guys shout 'baby' here and there. Heartbeat is, in my opinon, vastly underrated - clearly not the lead draw of this single for most buyers, but a really lovely ballad, well written and well sung and brings back good memories of Now 41 and Hits '99, both of which it featured on.

Almost by stealth, the single went gold in its first few weeks before hitting the top, hanging around all the way to Christmas and racking up high weekly sales as it moved 2-5-5-8-8-6-4, proving consistent even by Steps' very strong standards (5,6,7,8 and Last Thing On My Mind both had long-running top 20 and top 10 runs despite not reaching the top 10 or top five respectively). By this point the buzz was building for the other side, Tragedy, which was gaining popularity as the festive and New Year party season approached and almost certainly powering the recovery of the single. On its eighth week, after Spice Girls and Chef had completed their Christmas chart battle and then reversal the week after, Steps finally pounced and jumped from No.4 to No.1. As a relatively young chart watcher who was used to seeing songs debut then fall, seeing a song fall as low as No.8 to then rebound and repeak was very exciting.

And for Steps it must have been even more exciting, living up to their promised potential and topping the chart in January 1999 as Tragedy became the soundtrack of the post Christmas rush (but before the new music year got going properly). Recorded for a Bee Gees tribute album popular in late 1998 but unavailable on a Steps studio album until Steptacular was released in late 1999, the production of their cover of Tragedy owed more than a little to The Tamperer's Feel It. It has grown on me a lot over the years; it's a well produced cover in keeping with the dance trends of the time, and with strong lead vocals from Faye (who opens the track) and then Claire, who also closes the track with a great money note at the end.

One of the big selling points, of course, is the dance routine, one of the most iconic of all-time in British pop music and elevating the song from just another Bee Gees cover – Tragedy was hardly unknown being a No.1 hit itself in 1979 – to something that felt even bigger somehow. Steps already had a great dance routine for One For Sorrow but for Tragedy they upped the ante even more with the famous hands to the head and arms out to the side move. Meanwhile, the wedding themed music video features cameos by the female band members' fathers.

The single eventually sold over a million copies and spent 15 weeks in the top 10, a gigantic run in the late 90s, and it hung around so long that follow-up single Better Best Forgotten didn't show up until March. It also became Steps' biggest selling hit by pure sales, although 5,6,7,8 is more popular on streaming these days, and Tragedy is usually chosen as the final song in their concerts, both in their heyday and since they reformed, so is certainly considered their signature hit. Back in the days when it was actually difficult to finish in two consecutive end of year top 20s, Heartbeat/Tragedy finished at No.12 in 1998 and No.19 in 1999. The single also got to No.1 in New Zealand, No.2 in Ireland, and top 10 in Sweden, Belgium and Australia.

Great write up Rich and I'm so happy to see this finish as high as 6. I did think it might've missed your top 10. I really enjoyed Heartbeat at the time and I think it's where my crush on Lisa started to really take off too! I don't go back to Heartbeat as much anymore but I still do like it.

Tragedy on the other hand is one I really do love, from the iconic dance moves to the music video and the song itself. I can remember it being all over tv here in early 1999. I'm glad I'm not the only one who picked up on the similarities to Feel It, I've often mistaken it for Tragedy on the radio numerous times.

I like 'Heartbeat' and think it's one Steps better efforts. 'Tragedy' less keen on though.

My nan was quite a big Backstreet Boys fan (this is the same set of grandparents who bought the Britney 'Sometimes' single) and she told me that I used to sing 'I Want It That Way' phonetically all the time when I stayed 'round theirs as a toddler/very small child, aww memories related to this song continued as I grew up, as a friend introduced me to the Weird Al parody of the song called 'eBay', which I can still remember every word of I feel similar to Dandy in preferring 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)', plus 'Larger Than Life', but I can see why it's become a boyband classic.

I don't really seek out either of those Steps songs but 'Tragedy' was absolutely a school disco classic with that dance routine *.*

The backstreet boys are one of the greatest boy band groups of all time. "I Want It That Way" is great, but due to the big number of great #1's in 1999 I could rank it only at #21.

A strong 6-10 section, none of which I would have much lower. 'You Don't Know Me' has a lyrical resonance I didn't appreciate at the time, even if the production peaks in the intro for me. 'Keep On Movin' and 'I Want It That Way' are great pop songs that transcend the boyband label - I hadn't thought about the lyrical shortcomings of the latter, but as with the Meat Loaf song I think the "That" in the title is explained elsewhere and it all kind of makes sense, either as a positive or a double negative. The Steps double A-side was a defining moment for them, and while I'm not huge on 'Heartbeat', it did its job while 'Tragedy' slowly emerged as their infectious secret weapon and was deservedly huge across the two years. 'Maria' is my favourite of these songs and a fine addition to what was already one of the strongest collections of #1s for any group in history, with their new wave energy and a big radio friendly chorus.

I think the top 5 contains my three favourite #1s of the year, another that's hard to compare but very special and unique, and another very good pop song which I can't deny being up there too.

I must be in the minority, I'm not a huge fan of Larger Than Life, it's decent but of their 90's singles I'd have it below Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Everybody (Backstreets Back), As Long As You Love Me, All I Have To Give, I Want It That Way and Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely. Plus Shape Of My Heart and The Call from their 00's singles.

Wow, I didn't realise how many of their singles I liked.

Think I’ll always love Heartbeat

I can relate to the excitement of the chart run.

Tragedy I’ve grown to like over the years

10 hours ago, Paddington James said:

I must be in the minority, I'm not a huge fan of Larger Than Life, it's decent but of their 90's singles I'd have it below Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Everybody (Backstreets Back), As Long As You Love Me, All I Have To Give, I Want It That Way and Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely. Plus Shape Of My Heart and The Call from their 00's singles.

Wow, I didn't realise how many of their singles I liked.

I read the other day that the label wanted to lead the era with Larger Than Life (an uptempo like their other lead singles) but that the band preferred a more mature mid-tempo single on this occasion. They made the right call. I like Larger Than Life when I listen to it (I don't often seek it out) but it got a bit overlooked here, with only two weeks in the top 10.

5. Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle

Rank: 9.5/10

Reason: Every great teen popstar apparently needs a rival, and for Britney Spears it was fellow young American singer Christina Aguilera. With a memorable surname that the media were stumbling over in the early days, and a huge voice, Christina – like Britney – had started in the Mickey Mouse club in the early to mid 90s before progressing to becoming a professional recording artist. Among other early material, in 1998 she recorded the beautiful song Reflection for Disney's Mulan film and this song later made it onto her self-titled debut album.

But for her international debut proper, Christina adopted a far more mature approach with the fantastic Genie In A Bottle. 18 years old at the time of release, the song focused on teenage desire, abstinence and self-respect, and the conflicted feelings of only being half ready for something more. It caused some controversy at the time (from Debbie Gibson apparently) that an 18-year-old was singing such a track but then 1999 was still around the more innocent bubblegum pop era and I doubt it would raise much concern if released today.

While Christina and Britney were pitted against each other by the media (alongside Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore, but Britney or Christina was the main fan allegiance you had to pledge at the time as a pop fan), their music really wasn't all that alike. Britney's was Cheiron-led in the early days and had that Backstreet Boys/N'Sync/Robyn heavy piano and drum pattern kind of sound while Christina's had more of an R&B vibe and a lot more vocal acrobatics. I've actually always been team Christina more than Britney myself; Stripped is one of the all-time great pop albums and she has many more singles that I love. And Genie In A Bottle, written by David Frank, Pam Sheyne and Steve Kipner, was a fantastic introduction that I bought on the week of release.

With a memorable piano intro, the song soon becomes a slinky R&B/pop number with one of the biggest choruses of the year. Christina's voice wasn't stretched to its full potential on the track, until the ad libs towards the end, but it didn't need to be. It functions very well as a smooth but powerful pop track, with a beach-based video that of course has a dance routine although not sure it became very famous for that in particular. The verses and bridge of this track have such gorgeous production and melody while the chorus is such an earworm, and the song could hardly fail.

With lots of hype, the song charted on import in the top 75 for five weeks in the UK before its full release propelled it to No.1, where it stayed for a fortnight ahead of Ann Lee's Europop song 2 Times. The bigger casualty was Jesse Hold On by B*Witched, which had been fancied at the time for a chart battle with Christina but ended up at No.4. The track also reached No.1 in the US and several countries around Europe, and the top five more or less everywhere else it charted and right at the end of the century set Christina up for a much bigger career going into the new one.

4. Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Rank: 9.5/10

Reason: Now for one of the great curios to ever hit No.1, but such a special song to me although I appreciate it was probably a love/hate kind of concern for many. Australian film director Baz Luhrmann set a column by Mary Schmich to music, read by voice actor Lee Perry, and it went viral in as much of a way that songs could back then, via word of mouth, airplay, parodies and the rest.

When I first heard this track I was a bit confused; I hadn't really come across a spoken-word hit before, yet over time it has become one of my favourite genres (the amount of spoken word songs I've sent to song contests on this forum over the years backs this up). There is something about this genre that really makes you stop and listen properly to the words/lyrics and the meaning behind them. As a 12-year-old when Sunscreen was released, I didn't fully appreciate how much the lyrics of this song would hit me when I got older. I still can't go past 4pm on any idle Tuesday without this song smacking me round the head with nostalgia.

I do still keep up with current music, charts and trends but, as you can see by kicking off this No.1s rank series in the summer, I am also one to wallow in the past on many an occasion, and Sunscreen may be one of the most instantly nostalgic singles to ever be released. Almost every lyric in this song gets me, the older I get particularly. While the music, from a choral version of Rozalla's Everybody's Free (hence that part of the song title) is charming enough to back up the song really nicely. Back in the day the radio here used to play the longer original version, including a cover of the chorus from the Rozalla song, because I suppose some radio programmers couldn't justify playing a full spoken-word song. But I do prefer the five-minute version without any chorus.

Sunscreen did get to No.1 here but wasn't exactly a mega smash, ending up 31st in the end of year chart. But its cultural impact was far greater than that – many parody songs were made by radio stations, comedians and other aritsts. In Sussex where I lived at the time, there was a version played on our local radio station Southern FM comparing living in the sedate Eastbourne to the more cosmopolitan Brighton (a bit like how the song compares New York City to Northern California).

Nothing like this has ever hit No.1 since, so it truly was a unique moment in time, but I'm just waiting for another spoken-word song to take off. I really thought Self Esteem had a good shot a few years ago with I Do This All The Time, but while it was critically lauded it never charted although did boost her album and wider career to much bigger success.

The song also reached No.1 in Ireland but was a middling curio elsewhere, charting but not even reaching the top 40 in Germany, Australia and the US. So I'm not entirely sure why the UK took to it so much, but I'm glad we did. Unfortunately, it was removed from Spotify, iTunes and the rest last year; prior to that nearly every one-off radio play it ever received on Radio 1 or Radio 2 would propel it back into the top 40 on iTunes. Hopefully it will return before long, because it may be semi-forgotten, but many people still love it when they are reminded of it.

Edited December 28, 2025Dec 28 by gooddelta

49 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

5. Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle

Rank: 9.5/10

Reason: Every great teen popstar apparently needs a rival, and for Britney Spears it was fellow young American singer Christina Aguilera. With a memorable surname that the media were stumbling over in the early days, and a huge voice, Christina – like Britney – had started in the Mickey Mouse club in the early to mid 90s before progressing to becoming a professional recording artist. Among other early material, in 1998 she recorded the beautiful song Reflection for Disney's Mulan film and this song later made it onto her self-titled debut album.

But for her international debut proper, Christina adopted a far more mature approach with the fantastic Genie In A Bottle. 18 years old at the time of release, the song focused on teenage desire, abstinence and self-respect, and the conflicted feelings of only being half ready for something more. It caused some controversy at the time (from Debbie Gibson apparently) that an 18-year-old was singing such a track but then 1999 was still around the more innocent bubblegum pop era and I doubt it would raise much concern if released today.

While Christina and Britney were pitted against each other by the media (alongside Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore, but Britney or Christina was the main fan allegiance you had to pledge at the time as a pop fan), their music really wasn't all that alike. Britney's was Cheiron-led in the early days and had that Backstreet Boys/N'Sync/Robyn heavy piano and drum pattern kind of sound while Christina's had more of an R&B vibe and a lot more vocal acrobatics. I've actually always been team Christina more than Britney myself; Stripped is one of the all-time great pop albums and she has many more singles that I love. And Genie In A Bottle, written by David Frank, Pam Sheyne and Steve Kipner, was a fantastic introduction that I bought on the week of release.

With a memorable piano intro, the song soon becomes a slinky R&B/pop number with one of the biggest choruses of the year. Christina's voice wasn't stretched to its full potential on the track, until the ad libs towards the end, but it didn't need to be. It functions very well as a smooth but powerful pop track, with a beach-based video that of course has a dance routine although not sure it became very famous for that in particular. The verses and bridge of this track have such gorgeous production and melody while the chorus is such an earworm, and the song could hardly fail.

With lots of hype, the song charted on import in the top 75 for five weeks in the UK before its full release propelled it to No.1, where it stayed for a fortnight ahead of Ann Lee's Europop song 2 Times. The bigger casualty was Jesse Hold On by B*Witched, which had been fancied at the time for a chart battle with Christina but ended up at No.4. The track also reached No.1 in the US and several countries around Europe, and the top five more or less everywhere else it charted and right at the end of the century set Christina up for a much bigger career going into the new one.

Such a stellar debut single. I remember liking this at the time without loving it. At the time I was way more Team Britney but I really did enjoy this and Come On Over Baby, What A Girl Wants was decent too.

I vaguely remember a bit of controversy about the lyrical content at the time, but nothing too bad. You are righ tthough Rich, it was so different to Britney and the Backstreet Boys/NSYNC. I think that's what helped make it stand out.

12 minutes ago, gooddelta said:

4. Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Rank: 9.5/10

Reason: Now for one of the great curios to ever hit No.1, but such a special song to me although I appreciate it was probably a love/hate kind of concern for many. Australian film director Baz Luhrmann set a column by Mary Schmich to music, read by voice actor Lee Perry, and it went viral in as much of a way that songs could back then, via word of mouth, airplay, parodies and the rest.

When I first heard this track I was a bit confused; I hadn't really come across a spoken-word hit before, yet over time it has become one of my favourite genres (the amount of spoken word songs I've sent to song contests on this forum over the years backs this up). There is something about this genre that really makes you stop and listen properly to the words/lyrics and the meaning behind them. As a 12-year-old when Sunscreen was released, I didn't fully appreciate how much the lyrics of this song would hit me when I got older. I still can't go past 4pm on any idle Tuesday without this song smacking me round the head with nostalgia.

I do still keep up with current music, charts and trends but, as you can see by kicking off this No.1s rank series in the summer, I am also one to wallow in the past on many an occasion, and Sunscreen may be one of the most instantly nostalgic singles to ever be released. Almost every lyric in this song gets me, the older I get particularly. While the music, from a choral version of Rozalla's Everybody's Free (hence that part of the song title) is charming enough to back up the song really nicely. Back in the day the radio here used to play the longer original version, including a cover of the chorus from the Rozalla song, because I suppose some radio programmers couldn't justify playing a full spoken-word song. But I do prefer the five-minute version without any chorus.

Sunscreen did get to No.1 here but wasn't exactly a mega smash, ending up 31st in the end of year chart. But its cultural impact was far greater than that – many parody songs were made by radio stations, comedians and other aritsts. In Sussex where I lived at the time, there was a version played on our local radio station Southern FM comparing living in the sedate Eastbourne to the more cosmopolitan Brighton (a bit like how the song compares New York City to Northern California).

Nothing like this has ever hit No.1 since, so it truly was a unique moment in time, but I'm just waiting for another spoken-word song to take off. I really though Self Esteem had a good shot a few years ago with I Do This All The Time, but while it was critically lauded it never charted although did boost her album and wider career to much bigger success.

The song also reached No.1 in Ireland but was a middling curio elsewhere, charting but not even reaching the top 40 in Germany, Australia and the US. So I'm not entirely sure why the UK took to it so much, but I'm glad we did. Unfortunately, it was removed from Spotify, iTunes and the rest last year; prior to that nearly every one-off radio play it ever received on Radio 1 or Radio 2 would propel it back into the top 40 on iTunes. Hopefully it will return before long, because it may be semi-forgotten, but many people still love it when they are reminded of it.

I'm much like you Rich, I absolutely love this song as it makes me so nostalgic. I don't really have much memory of this from around the time, which must mean it wasn't played a lot. I rediscovered it in 2008 and fell in love with it and have loved it ever since. It's such a shame it's not on streaming.

Speaking of parodies of Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) I remember this so clearly and even remember the music video too. It was played so much on our music channels. In fact I think I was far more familiar with this than the original in 1999.

Anyway here's the parody. It may not be everybody's cup of tea though.

What a back-to-back 🥰

'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)' is my favourite #1 of the year and I did wonder if it'd contend for you too, as you're the first poster I associate with spoken-word music. Pleased to see it so high nevertheless! What a unique chart topper. The advice dispensed has always brought me a lot of comfort, particularly the line about some of the most interesting 40-year-olds not knowing what to do with their lives. The downtempo production is a beautiful backing. I also miss when a single Radio 1 play would shoot this into the iTunes chart! The fake versions appearing after Scott Mills gave it a spin on Radio 2 didn't quite hit the same

'Genie In A Bottle' is my favourite Christina single nowadays! She's obviously very talented but I find her over-singing a bit off-putting at times, however her voice is perfectly controlled on this song. Love its playful feel and the plentiful hooks.

"Genie In A Bottle" is stellar - one of the best pop songs of all time and higher in my ranking. Not a big fan of "Sunscreen", which only made #23 in my ranking.

My places 7 to 4:

07 Armand van Helden - You Don't Know Me 9.5/10

Funky house banger!!!

06 Britney Spears - Baby One More Time 9.5/10

Nice kick-off for Britney's career, but I like Christina's debut even more.

05 Blondie - Marie 9.5/10

Perfect comeback single.

04 Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee) 9.5/10

Great Euro banger - it was everywhere in 1999.

My top 3 are all 10/10 with one tune in common with Gooddelta.

A few to catch up on!

Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) is just amazingly unique and it was quite a shock hit at the time. I do love it though and it invokes alot of nostagia with me.

Genie In A Bottle is one of the slickest debuts ever imo, so polished and it was like Christina had been making hits for years.

I love both Heartbeat and Tragedy - the former in a cosy lovely festive ballad way, the latter as a bit of a banger. The week it got to number 1 was the week I bought it from Woolies!

1 hour ago, Jester said:

I love both Heartbeat and Tragedy - the former in a cosy lovely festuve ballad way, the latter as a bit of a banger. The week it got to number 1 was the week I bought it from Woolies!

I remember buying it for my sister in WH Smith even later than that, when it was on its way out of the top 10 (possibly even its final week there), as she realised the dance routine to Tragedy was printed inside the inlay of the CD. A true slow burner hit.

I just came onto this thread and saw "Heartbeat/Tragedy" at the top of the most recent page whilst listening to "Tragedy". The fun I've had at primary school discos with the latter song.