In late 1998 I met a woman who would become my girlfriend of over four years. It was at a bar in London called GT’s. She moved in with me relatively quickly, because circumstances (on her end) expedited things. We moved quickly in a lot of ways, but slowly in others, not the least of which was emotional attachment. No need to get into that, but she was a big part of my 1999. I got a dog in January, a husky I named Sable. We got the dog, actually. I paid for her, but after our breakup in 2003 I let my (ex) girlfriend have the dog for reasons I may explain in the 2003 segment if I feel it’s relevant to my life in music for that year.
So in ’99 I have a serious girlfriend. And a dog. And a cat (oh beloved Soldier, what a great cat – Maine Coone – highly recommend this breed!). I had a good friend move into the house I was in. I was 25 years old, enjoying the party lifestyle and still hitting the bars at least weekly. I’m a retail manager and hating the job, barely making enough to live but not enough to start paying down student loans. It was a time of friends, and drinking. Lots of Simpsons bingeing, video games. And I even tried my hand at guitar for a year or two, since my neighbors were crazy about playing.
In the retail store, the local rock station was playing and I was well into all the latest in Alternative Rock. I also got my music from whatever was playing at the bars.
Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, certain songs kick more ass than other songs – yet other days they do not. It all depends on mood and situation. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:
Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.
14 Great Songs from 1999
Steal My Kisses – Ben Harper
Enemy – Days Of the New
Steal My Sunshine – Len
Around The World – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Last Kiss – Pearl Jam
One Man Army – Our Lady Peace
Is Anybody Home? – Our Lady Peace
Breathe – Moist
Goodbye Earl – Dixie Chicks
With Arms Wide Open – Creed
Heavy – Collective Soul
Thief – Our Lady Peace
The Dolphin’s Cry – Live
Praise You – Fatboy Slim
Lit Up – Buckcherry
9 Truly Awesome Songs from 1999
All The Small Things – blink-182
What’s My Age Again? – blink-182
Take A Picture – Filter
Call And Answer – Barenaked Ladies
The Bad Touch – Bloodhound Gang
I have no idea why I like this song. All I know is that I turn it up and sing along every time.
She Said – Collective Soul
I love both versions of this song. Here is the one from Dosage…
Breakout – Foo Fighters
Why Don’t You Get A Job? – The Offspring
Run – Collective Soul
This one brings me back to London, where I saw them in concert (birthday present from my girlfriend)
I put the above songs on a YouTube playlist that you can find here.
Here is the complete list:
| Awesome – 1 | All The Small Things | – | blink-182 |
| Awesome – 1 | What’s My Age Again? | – | blink-182 |
| Awesome – 1 | Take A Picture | – | Filter |
| Awesome – 1 | Run | – | Collective Soul |
| Awesome – 5 | Call and Answer | – | Barenaked Ladies |
| Awesome – 5 | The Bad Touch | – | Bloodhound Gang |
| Awesome – 5 | She Said | – | Collective Soul |
| Awesome – 5 | Breakout | – | Foo Fighters |
| Awesome – 5 | Why Don’t You Get a Job? | – | The Offspring |
| Great – 10 | Lit Up | – | Buckcherry |
| Great – 10 | Praise You | – | Fatboy Slim |
| Great – 10 | The Dolphin’s Cry | – | Live |
| Great – 10 | Thief | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Great – 14 | Heavy | – | Collective Soul |
| Great – 14 | With Arms Wide Open | – | Creed |
| Great – 14 | Goodbye Earl | – | Dixie Chicks |
| Great – 14 | Breathe | – | Moist |
| Great – 14 | Is Anybody Home? | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Great – 14 | One Man Army | – | Our Lady Peace |
| Great – 14 | Last Kiss | – | Pearl Jam |
| Great – 14 | Around The World | – | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Great – 14 | Enemy | – | Days of the New |
| Great – 14 | Steal My Sunshine | – | Len |
| Great – 14 | Steal My Kisses | – | Ben Harper |
| Solid – 24 | Whiskey In The Jar | – | Metallica |
| Solid – 24 | Anthem For The Year 2000 | – | Silverchair |
| Solid – 24 | Someday | – | Sugar Ray |
| Solid – 24 | Higher | – | Creed |
| Solid – 24 | Learn to Fly | – | Foo Fighters |
| Solid – 24 | I Try | – | Macy Gray |
| Solid – 24 | No Leaf Clover | – | Metallica |
| Solid – 24 | South Side | – | Moby |
| Solid – 24 | Otherside | – | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Solid – 24 | Smooth | – | Santana |
| Solid – 24 | I Want It That Way | – | Backstreet Boys |
| Solid – 24 | Butterfly | – | Crazy Town |
| Solid – 24 | Thank You | – | Dido |
| Solid – 24 | Cowboy Take Me Away | – | Dixie Chicks |
| Solid – 24 | Porcelain | – | Moby |
| Solid – 24 | Scar Tissue | – | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Solid – 24 | Put Your Lights On | – | Santana |
| Solid – 24 | All Star | – | Smash Mouth |
| Solid – 24 | Heaven Coming Down | – | Tea Party |
| Solid – 24 | Promises | – | The Cranberries |
| Solid – 24 | Why I’m Here | – | Oleander |
| Solid – 24 | Bawitdaba | – | Kid Rock |
| Solid – 24 | Awful | – | Hole |
| Solid – 47 | Better Days | – | Citizen King |
| Solid – 47 | Every Morning | – | Sugar Ray |
| Solid – 47 | Say My Name | – | Destiny’s Child |
| Solid – 47 | Drive | – | Incubus |
| Solid – 47 | Mambo No 5 (A Little Bit Of) | – | Lou Bega |
| Solid – 47 | Sour Girl | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Solid – 47 | Better Get Used to It | – | Big Sugar |
| Solid – 47 | Maria | – | Blondie |
| Solid – 47 | Hanginaround | – | Counting Crows |
| Solid – 47 | Gone With The Sin | – | HIM |
| Solid – 47 | Nookie | – | Limp Bizkit |
| Solid – 47 | My Own Worst Enemy | – | Lit |
| Solid – 47 | The Great Beyond | – | R.E.M. |
| Solid – 47 | Then The Morning Comes | – | Smash Mouth |
| Solid – 47 | Everything You Want | – | Vertical Horizon |
| Solid – 47 | Down | – | Stone Temple Pilots |
| Not Bad – 63 | Let Forever Be | – | The Chemical Brothers |
| Not Bad – 63 | Ends | – | Everlast |
| Not Bad – 63 | Unsent | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 63 | It’s All Been Done | – | Barenaked Ladies |
| Not Bad – 63 | Adam’s Song | – | blink-182 |
| Not Bad – 63 | No More No Less | – | Collective Soul |
| Not Bad – 63 | Still D.R.E. | – | Dr. Dre |
| Not Bad – 63 | Consequence Free | – | Great Big Sea |
| Not Bad – 63 | Nice Guys Finish Last | – | Green Day |
| Not Bad – 63 | Amazed | – | Lonestar |
| Not Bad – 63 | Angel | – | Sarah McLachlan |
| Not Bad – 63 | Joining You | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 63 | Under a Violet Moon | – | Blackmore’s Night |
| Not Bad – 63 | Before You | – | Chantal Kreviazuk |
| Not Bad – 63 | Can’t Change Me | – | Chris Cornell |
| Not Bad – 63 | Keep a Lid on Things | – | Crash Test Dummies |
| Not Bad – 63 | My Name Is | – | Eminem |
| Not Bad – 63 | Breathe | – | Faith Hill |
| Not Bad – 63 | Maria Maria | – | Santana |
| Not Bad – 63 | Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) | – | Vertical Horizon |
| Not Bad – 83 | So Pure | – | Alanis Morissette |
| Not Bad – 83 | Get in Line | – | Barenaked Ladies |
| Not Bad – 83 | That’s The Way It Is | – | Celine Dion |
| Not Bad – 83 | Sandstorm | – | Darude |
| Not Bad – 83 | Blue (Da Ba Dee) | – | Eiffel 65 |
| Not Bad – 83 | Waiting For Tonight | – | Jennifer Lopez |
| Not Bad – 83 | Adams Rib | – | Melanie Doane |
| Not Bad – 83 | Got Your Money | – | Ol’ Dirty Bastard |
| Not Bad – 83 | You’ll Be In My Heart | – | Phil Collins |
| Not Bad – 83 | Guerrilla Radio | – | Rage Against the Machine |
| Not Bad – 83 | Livin’ La Vida Loca | – | Ricky Martin |
| Not Bad – 83 | The Cup Of Life | – | Ricky Martin |
| Not Bad – 83 | I Knew I Loved You | – | Savage Garden |
| Not Bad – 83 | Thong Song | – | Sisqó |
| Not Bad – 83 | She’s So High | – | Tal Bachman |
| Not Bad – 83 | Strong Enough | – | Tal Bachman |
| Not Bad – 83 | Animal Instinct | – | The Cranberries |
| Not Bad – 83 | No Scrubs | – | TLC |
| Not Bad – 83 | The Saga Begins | – | Weird Al Yankovic |
| Not Bad – 83 | The Chemicals Between Us | – | Bush |
| Not Bad – 83 | Genie In A Bottle | – | Christina Aguilera |
| Not Bad – 83 | You Wanted More | – | Tonic |
| Not Bad – 83 | New | – | No Doubt |
| Not Bad – 83 | Special | – | Garbage |
| Not Bad – 83 | Erase/Rewind | – | The Cardigans |
Leave a comment