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The 101 Top Songs of 1998

From rap to rock, these were the best songs of the year

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Blackground Records

1998 was truly a pivotal year in the musical landscape. If you're one of the lucky ones (we're not), than you were old enough to party along to these songs at Freanik, MTV's Spring Break, and the various different Summer Jams and block parties that used to be off the charts. Perhaps you were a teenager, and bumped around in your top-down convertibles with your friends to these tracks on the way to the mall.You may have even been of school age, and are very clearly able to remember putting these artists stickers on your lunch boxes and rushing home to see the music videos for these songs on MTV, VH1, and BET. Or perhaps you're like us—you were only a couple years into the game in 1998, but are still very much aware of these songs because they had an impact on your childhood some years later. Whatever category you fall into, we're putting you in a time machine and revisiting the top songs of 1998 to give you major nostalgic vibes.

Just like 2003 and 1983 are celebrating their 20th and 40th anniversaries respectively, 1998 is also celebrating its 25th. If that isn't enough to make you feel super old wait until we get to next year where it will be twenty-five-years since 1999. We'll spare you that depressing stat for now and get back to the year 1998. Let's jam!

RELATED: The 30 Best Songs of the 2000s, Ranked

1. Are You That Somebody

Aaliyah

2. C'est La Vie

B*Witched

3. Take Me There

Mya and Blackstreet

4. Baby One More Time

Britney Spears

5. Doo Wop (That Thing)

Lauryn Hill

6. Ray of Light

Madonna

7. The Boy Is Mine

Brandy and Monica

8. "Too Close"

Next

9. "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"

Will Smith

10. This Kiss

11. Fly Away

12. Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)

Pras featuring Mya and ODB

13. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Aerosmith

14. Iris

Goo Goo Dolls

15. Nobody's Supposed to Be Here

Deborah Cox

16. I Get Lonely

Janet Jackson

17. Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)

The Offspring

18. "Make It Hot"

Nicole Wray featuring Missy Elliot and Mocha

19. “Make 'Em Say Uhh!”

Master P featuring Fiend, Silkk The Shocker, Mia X, and Mystikal

20. Crush

Jennifer Paige

21. They Don't Know

Jon B

22. Cruel Summer

Ace of Base

23. "My Way"

24. Frozen

Madonna

25. Love Like This

Faith Evans

26. One Week

Barenaked Ladies

27. Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)

Jay-Z

28. Still Not a Player

Big Pun featuring Joe

29. "When You Believe"

Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston

30. Rosa Parks

Outkast

71 More Great Songs from 1998:

  • The Way - Fastball
  • La Copa de la Vida - Ricky Martin
  • Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
  • Music Sounds Better With You - Stardust
  • The Rockafeller Shank - Fatboy Slim

36. Money, Power, & Respect

The Lox featuring DMX and Lil Kim

  • Jumper - Third Eye Blind
  • Changes - Tupac
  • Hands - Jewel
  • Go Deep - Janet Jackson
  • Closing Time - Semisonic

42. Wide Open Spaces

The Chicks

  • Teardrop - Massive Attack
  • Never There - Cake
  • Let's Ride - Montell Jordan
  • When the Lights Go Out - Five
  • Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden

48. Suavemente

Elvis Crespo

  • My All - Mariah Carey
  • Adia - Sarah McLachlan
  • Body Bumpin (Yippie-Yi-Yo) - Public Announcement
  • Feel So Good - Mase
  • Looking Through Your Eyes - LeAnn Rhimes

54. Daydreamin'

Tatiana Ali featuring Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz

  • Too Much - Spice Girls
  • The Party Continues - Jermaine Dupri featuring Da Brat and Usher
  • I'll Be - Edwin McCain
  • I Do - Lisa Loeb
  • The Arms of the One Who Loves You

60. All I Have to Give

The Backstreet Boys

  • Dangerous - Busta Rhymes
  • Gone Till November - Wyclef Jean
  • Touch It - Monifah
  • Because of You - 98 Degrees
  • A Rose is Still a Rose - Aretha Franklin

66. The First Night

Monica

  • Come and Get With Me - Keith Sweat
  • Where Dem Dollars At - Gangsta Boo
  • Skew It on the Bar B - Outkast
  • Without You - Van Halen
  • Given to Fly - Pearl Jam

72. Got the Life

KoRn

  • 4 Seasons of Loneliness - Boy II Men
  • Raise the Roof - Luke
  • Dangerous - Busta Rhymes
  • Say It - Voices of Theory
  • All Cried Out - Allure featuring 112

78. Heartbreak Hotel

Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price

  • All 'Bout The Money - Meja
  • Never Ever - All Saints
  • The Sweetest Thing - U2
  • Deeper Underground - Jamiroquai
  • All Around the World - Oasis

84. Believe

Cher

  • 0.125 - Matchbox Twenty
  • How Deep Is Your Love - Dru Hill
  • Thank U - Alanis Morissette
  • Turn It Up, Fire It Up - Busta Rhymes
  • Everything's Gonna Be Alright - Sweetbox

90. No, No, No Part II

Destiny's Child featuring Wyclef Jean

  • From This Moment On - Shania Twain
  • Romeo and Juliet - Sylk-E. Fine featuring Chill
  • Top of the World - Brandy featuring Mase
  • All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo
  • You're Still the One - Shania Twain

96. It's All About Me

Mya featuring Sisqo

  • Swing My Way - K. P. & Enyvi
  • Have You Ever - Brandy
  • Lullaby - Shawn Mullins
  • Friend of Mine - Kelly Price
  • Ava Adore - Smashing Pumpkins

RELATED: 25 of the Best Albums of the 90s, Ranked

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