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There were a lot of great songs in the 1998 Hottest 100 (and you can hear them for yourself when the countdown is replayed on Double J on January 28). But there were also some not-so-great songs (we’re looking at you Pretty Fly For A White Guy).
So what if some of those not-so-awesome tunes (umm, Adam Sandler?) made way for some bona fide classics? Here are seven songs that you won’t believe missed the 1998 Hottest 100.
Fastball - The Way
Marcy Playground, Harvey Danger, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Fuel… the 1998 countdown had its share of bands that we never heard from in a big way ever again. But what about poor old Fastball? Their hit single The Way from the wonderfully angstily titled album All The Pain Money Can Buy was all over triple j that year. With its bar room piano and hints of rockabilly guitar, The Way spent an impressive 26 weeks on the charts, peaking at #14. Maybe its tale of an old married couple ditching everything and heading off on an adventure didn’t resonate with the young Hottest 100 voters of the day, but they’ll get it eventually if they haven't already by now.
BONUS FACT: The lyrics are based on the true story of an elderly couple who decided to head to a festival despite one of them suffering Alzheimer’s and the other recovering from brain surgery. The story, sadly, doesn’t end well.
Air - All I Need
Pop quiz: which Air song didn’t make it into the 1998 Hottest 100?
All I Need
Kelly Watch The Stars
Sexy Boy
All of the above
Amazingly, the answer is d) all of the above. While the electronica in the countdown runs the gamut from the bangers (Josh Abrahams & Amiel Daemion's Addicted to Bass at #16) to bona fide masterpieces (Massive Attack’s Teardop at #26), there was apparently no room for anything from Moon Safari, the classic debut album from Air.
BONUS FACT: The French duo called upon US singer Beth Hirsch to sing on All I Need because she was living nearby in Montmartre. Nicolas Godin, one half of Air, said her vocals “made us sound like a space-age Carpenters”.
Gerling - Death To The Apple Gerls
Having garnered some triple j buzz for their 1996 EP A Day Of Research, the trio known as Gerling entered Charing Cross Studios in Sydney and threw together their compellingly eclectic debut album Children Of Telepathic Experiences. The record bounced from spacey electronic voyages to jagged guitar rockers, with a key example of the latter being their shouty single Death To The Apple Gerls. But despite a spirited performance in October ‘98 on Recovery (which also showcased their attempt to make backpacks a must-have fashion accessory), the song couldn’t crack the Hottest 100. It took until the following year for them to finally break into the poll with Enter, Space Capsule which reached #45 - the first of three Gerling tracks to make it into the Hottest 100.
BONUS FACT: Darren Cross from Gerling went on to work with Kylie Minogue, The Avalanches, and Jagwar Ma, while bandmate Burke Reid has produced everyone from DZ Deathrays and The Preatures to The Drones and Sarah Blasko. Rounding out the trio is Paul “Presser” Towner, who is now a visual artist known as Dead Galaxy.
Refused - New Noise
How does a great song miss out on making it into the Hottest 100? Typically it’s because we mere mortals haven’t realised the song’s true greatness until much too late. Such is the case with Refused and their rallying cry for innovation and creativity New Noise. These Swedish punks released their portentously titled album The Shape Of Punk To Come in 1998 but it bombed with the critics and record-buying public alike. Halfway through a poorly received US launch tour, Refused broke up. It seemed no one was ready for the adventurous places they were taking hardcore and heavy music, which involved electronica and even jazz. Yet The Shape Of Punk To Come became hugely influential, eventually becoming regarded as a classic.
BONUS FACT: The Shape Of Punk To Come reportedly sold just 1400 copies in 1998 in the US. By 2015 it had sold 179,000.
UNKLE feat. Thom Yorke - Rabbit In Your Headlights
Thom Yorke made two appearances in the 1998 Hottest 100 - at #82 guesting with Drugstore on El Presidente, and at #55 on his band Radiohead’s lullaby for a simple life No Surprises. But there was a third song involving the Yorkester (sorry, probably no one calls him that) that could have easily made that cut. His moody collaboration with UK electro act UNKLE wasn’t a huge hit, but it became fairly ubiquitous due to Jonathan Glazer’s mesmerising film clip. A Rage regular at the time (and to this day), the clip helped elevate the single to the highly respected place it holds today.
BONUS FACT: The man in the film clip getting hit by cars is French actor, Denis Lavant. He would late appear in a mini promo clip for the Radiohead song Identikit.
Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
In 1998, Lauryn Hill emerged from the ashes of The Fugees and a relationship with bandmate Wyclef Jean like a phoenix. With her debut (and still only) solo album The MisEducation of Lauryn Hill, the singer would start racking up the accolades, including a couple of Grammys and a place in history - Doo Wop (That Thing) became the first rap song by a female vocalist to reach #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. But Hill couldn’t manage a place in the 1998 Hottest 100, much like a lot of the great hip hop of the day.
BONUS FACT: Hill’s ex Wyclef Jean made the ‘98 Hottest 100 though thanks to the South Park Chef Aid track Bubblegoose. Sometimes there’s no justice in the world.
Gomez - Get Myself Arrested
When UK band Gomez took to Australian stages last year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Mercury Music Prize-winning debut Bring It On, this was the track that drew the biggest singalong. But that record failed to lodge a single song into the Hottest 100, despite boasting such great Gomez singles as 78 Stone Wobble, and Whippin’ Piccadilly. Either or both of those could have made this list, but for singalong value alone it has to be this bouncy mix of reggae upstrokes, burnt-out slide guitar, and reckless euphoria. It’s certainly the song the 30-something and 40-something punters seemed to choose on Gomez’s most-recent Aussie tour, the ageing crowd voting with their voices and then some.
BONUS FACT: Gomez made it into the Hottest 100 just four times over their 20-year-plus career.
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