Music of the Class of ’99

My ten year high school reunion is approaching this year, and I was trying to remember what songs were popular around my final days at Central High in Lunenburg County, VA. Naturally, all the music of my younger days has started blending together, so I turned to Wikipedia for help.

Now I’m counting music over a rough one year period that starts right after my junior year (when I became a rising senior) and ends around the time I graduated (when I was no longer a high school senior). I think music from that last summer before college is associated with its own set of memories and transitional nostalgia.

So, for better or for worse, here’s everything that hit number 1 at least once on Billboard’s Modern Rock and Pop Charts between the second half of June, 1998, and the first half of June, 1999. I’ve linked, where possible, to YouTube videos of the songs, so there’s always the risk that some might disappear over time.

Modern Rock:
Semisonic – “Closing Time
Goo Goo Dolls – “Iris
Eve 6 – “Inside Out
Barenaked Ladies – “One Week
Hole – “Celebrity Skin
Goo Goo Dolls – “Slide
Lenny Kravitz – “Fly Away
Cake – “Never There
Everlast – “What It’s Like
Sugar Ray – “Every Morning
Lit – “My Own Worst Enemy

Hot 100 (for all intents and purposes, this was the Pop chart until February 2005):
Brandy and Monica – “The Boy Is Mine
Aerosmith – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
Monica – “The First Night
Barenaked Ladies – “One Week” (yeah, this was on both charts)
Lauryn Hill – “Doo Wop (That Thing)
Divine – “Lately
R. Kelly and Céline Dion – “I’m Your Angel
Brandy – “Have You Ever?”
Britney Spears – “…Baby One More Time
Monica – “Angel of Mine
Cher – “Believe
TLC – “No Scrubs
Ricky Martin – “Livin’ la Vida Loca
Jennifer Lopez – “If You Had My Love

It appears that the pop charts had a lot more variety, but consider that they covered pretty much every genre at the time (hence Barenaked Ladies appearance on both the Modern Rock and Hot 100 lists above).

6 thoughts on “Music of the Class of ’99

  1. Interesting usability note that has nothing to do with your topic–I think it would be better if you put the artist link on every occurrence of the artist name, even if it isn’t the first mention, at least in a list like this. If a person is reading your list and wants more information on an artist mentioned multiple times, they should not have to find the first mention in the list. They should be able to click right there.

  2. Remember how we couldn’t stop singing Weezer’s “In the Garage” at the NCSSSMST conference in TX? Or was that just me?

  3. @Jen: Yeah, I totally remember that. I can’t believe you remember the name (or at least acronym) for that thing. I remember going, but I don’t remember what it’s called.

  4. National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Math, Science and Technology! One of my best friends was also at the conference. We realized it after being friends for years after she was looking through a photo album of mine. I need to scanned those photos and send them to you. Hilarious! I can’t believe I dressed the way I did. Also, why didn’t anyone tell me that black was a horrible hair color for me?!?

  5. @Jen: Wow, impressive remembering the whole name. That’s a mouthful of a conference title.Yeah, I’m sure those pictures would bring back a rush of memories. As for your clothes and hair, hey, it was high school. No harm there 🙂

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