Yup. There are lots of examples. I always associate "Perfect Day" with Trainspotting.

I didn't know that Livin' La Vida Loca was about drugs but that makes total sense. Wow! You learn something new everyday.

I listen to that Billie Myers song very regularly too! I think if a better known artist had released it, it would have been remembered much more.

Just to be difficult, 1998 was my least fave year for music during the 1997-2002 period. However, a few songs I liked then include

Roachford:- How Could I?
Kula Shaker:- The Sound of Drums
Bluetones:- If
Beastie Boys:- Intergalactic
Savage Garden:- To the Moon and Back
Manics:- If You Tolerate This
All Saints:- Bootie Call
Alda:- Real Good Time
Jennifer Paige:- Crush
Natalie Imbruglia:- Smoke

I went to more gigs in 1997 & 1998 than every other gigging year in my life put together! I was living in Bristol and there were so many bands coming to play there at the time, at venues like the Thekla, Louisiana, Anson Rooms and my regular fave the Fleece, which practically became my second home at one point, lol. Rather than thinking of specific songs from that time it's easier for me to remember just some of the gigs I went to in 97/98. They included: Super Furry Animals, The Manics, Travis, Idlewild, Feeder, theaudience, Stereophonics, Catatonia, Asian Dub Foundation, The Supernaturals, A, Straw, Strangelove, Ether, Cay, Paul Weller, Ash, Midget, Embrace, The Divine Comedy, Mansun, 60 Foot Dolls, Radiohead, Glenn Tilbrook, 3 Colours Red and dozens more that I know I'm forgetting right now! It was an exciting time for me, music-wise. I did like some poppy stuff too, like the Spice Girls and Steps and I still loved my old faves like Kylie, Mariah and Madonna.

Madonna's Ray of light album comes to mind

These are all really good choices.

Beastie Boys were helped massively by the video spoof of 1970s cop shows. Funny as hell.

'Solomon Bites The Worm' from Bluetones as well.

Can't believe there been no mention of the final #1 song of this year. Only some of Isaac Hayes finest work....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w24Xd8fVlTU

I recall 1998 having a lot of one hit wonders.

Mouse T- Horny
Jennifer Paige- Crush
I also remember this African artist called Wes.


We also had Desree and single 'Life' which featured one of the worst lyrics in pop music history:

' don't want to see a ghost
It's the sight that I fear most
I'd rather have a piece of toast
Watch the evening news,'

98 was a weak year for me, especially as 94-97 was so vibrant in nearly every genre of music.

The similar name reminded me of another song 1998. It was Pras featuring Mya and their hit Ghetto Superstar.

Found another from 1998.

Lene Marlin - Unforgivable Sinner , loved this tune back in the day it actually came up on my shuffle playlist last night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g47HSVt_ykc&feature=kp

I was only 10 at the tie so i'm struggling to remember what was out that year without looking through a list of number 1s at the time
Catatonia - Road Rage (Actually all of "International Velvet")
Oasis - All Around The World
Run DMC vs Jason Nevins - It's Like That
Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Robbie Williams - Millennium
Massive Attack - Teardrop
The Corrs - What Can I Do
LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live

Wow i have all these in my collection , Road Rage is such a tune i also liked Mulder and Scully too.

Will post ore later, but I was just listening to this song:

Ladidi Ladida by S.O.A.P.

loved that song at the time.

All Saints All Saints All Saints... Dominated the charts by a girl group, Never Ever, Under the Bridge/Lady Marmalade, Bottie Call and War of Nervesthe Brits.
Cher - Believe
Honeyz - Finally Found
Spice Girls - Goodbye for Geri halliwell
Mel b - I want you back
Robbie Williams - Millennium
Cleopatra - Cleopatra Theme
Five - If you got the feelin
Fat Les Vinda loo hahaha
Destiny Child - No No No
Another Level - Freak Me
Boyzone - No Matter What
Madonna - Frozen

I was 13-14 at the time, and after having a magical time discovering music during Britpop i was on the right track. I'd started listening to The Evening Session and John Peel a lot during the previous year and was now getting deeper into the indie stuff. And like Spaceygal, I was also at The Fleece when The Supernaturals played there. I enjoyed the late 90s just as much as the mid 90s in some ways, and if you go HERE you can listen to a great compilation based on my mixtapes from back then!

a very good year in hindsight, I was 8 back then but in the 00's i have bought quite a lot still that harks back to 1998.

It is where I got Madonna first (ROL) being the first album release I remember from her though i did not buy the album until a couple of years ago.
I was into All Saints and still love what they did with Lady Marmalade (prefer their version a 1000 times above the 2001 Pink etc version).
Did like 5ive but not really for their music

Further things not yet mentioned here:
Ultra Nate-Found a cure
Jamiroquai-Deeper underground
Jennifer paige-Crush-->still love that, timeless pop song

All Saints having 3 number 1s, winning 2 Brit Awards for Never Ever.
Madonna comback with Frozen.
Another Level landed with number 1 song Freak Me
England Songs with 3 Lions and Vindaloo lol
Cher with Believe massive tune

It's not a brilliant year. It falls a little awkwardly between 1997, which had Sash, Radiohead, The Verve and some epic dance tracks absolutely kicking ass (Bellissima, Freed From Desire and the best version of 'You Got The Love' ever made), and the pop-trance heaven of 1999, easily my favourite ever musical year.

But it had 'One for Sorrow', 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next', 'The Rockafeller Skank', 'Cafe Del Mar', 'Music Sounds Better With You' and 'Believe', all extremely different but all classics of their respective genres, and probably the best track the Spice Girls ever released in the shape of Viva Forever, which depending on my mood beats even 2 Become 1. Artist of the year is most definitely Fatboy Slim, everything he touched at this time (Renegade Master 98, Brimful of Asha, Body Moving, Rockafeller Skank and Gangster Trippin') is all kinds of wow.

My vote for 1998's biggest underrated gem, though, goes to the heart-racing, mind-pounding hard house awesomeness of Perpetual Motion's 'Keep On Dancing', which to most is just that weird leftfield track in the middle of Disc 2 of Now 40 but I adore it. Amazingly got as high as #12 that summer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXYZ4XdBBOc

1998 for me was the best year for music diversity and for club/dance anthems.

Some random tunes

Camirsa - let me show you
Jungle brothers - i'll house you (hitman remix)
Cevin fisher - freaks come out (sharpe remix)
Perpetual motion - keep on dancing
Klubheads - kickinhard
Alison limerick - were love lives (remix)
Stardust vs madonna - music on holiday (white label)
Dave morales - needin u
PvD - for an angel
Energy 52 - cafe del mar

Another level - freak me
Will smith - gettin jiggy with it
Madonna - frozen

So many i coukd name but i would be here all day.

Nice list but some of these are re-releases..
Jungle brothers - i'll house you (1988)
Alison Limerick - were love lives (1990)
Energy 52 - Cafe del mar (1993)

Another level freak me is a cover of a song by R&B group silk that also originally came out in 1993 was number one in the US.

Natalie Imbrulia - Big Mistake
Jimmy Ray - Are you jimmy Ray

One of the greatest albums ever came out in 1998, this being "This Is Hardcore" by Pulp. Such an underrated album, it's incredible from start to finish.

Awesome year musically - Gems all sides of the musical spectrum and a very diverse and varied year. Compare it to 2015, a load of crap.

Title track is some brilliant trip hop which there's been precious little of in this thread. Portishead's Only You and Massive Attacks's Teardrop were both released this year!