Consuming music at home, at work, on a run, or in the car, the marriage is clearly between our ears and a streaming service. For better or worse, our phones have become our pseudo-record collections. Call it the advancement of technology or the necessity of convenience, we’ve pretty much mastered the art of playlists. With that said, it’s hard to believe there’s still some weird need for compilation albums. Namely, NOW That’s What I Call Music!
I don’t want to get into the history of NOW That’s What I Call Music (that’s probably sitting on its 150th installment by now). I just wanna take a look at the first one.
NOW That’s What I Call Music was released in the US in October 1998. I remember vividly because my younger sister bought it and listened to it continuously every time my older brother chauffeured us around. Being the pretentious little 15-year-old snot I was, I already decided I was too cool to listen to Top 40. But at least of all my sister’s music, NOW had a little variety. Let’s take a look back at the tracklisting.
Janet Jackson – “Together Again”
Let me go on record in saying I absolutely adore Janet Jackson. I can’t think of any other pop artist who has had a consistent string of non-stop bangers like Janet (or as I like to call her, Miss Jackson. Because, you know, I’m nasty.) But sadly, even queens can have an off day.
“Together Again” isn’t exactly a bad song but it’s just dull and generic. It feels as if it was written and recorded as a ballad but changed to some kind of under-cooked dance track at the eleventh hour. It’s also worth noting that the hook is suspiciously close to the Full House theme song. Yes, now you can’t unhear it. Sorry.
Backstreet Boys – “As Long As You Love Me”
I feel like we’ve somewhat matured over the years, right? Society I mean. Well maybe not but I do remember a time when boy bands and the like were the ire of every free thinker who listened to music. I distinctly remember metalheads laughing hysterically about physically assaulting members of 98 Degrees and/or Nsync. These days we can talk about the music being terrible but the general consensus is usually “Ayo my dude, get that money!”. Get that money indeed.
As far as I can tell, “As Long As You Love Me” was the breakout hit for The Backstreet Boys. Good for them, I guess? I don’t know, it’s hot wet garbage like you’d expect. But come to think of it, the hook is kinda weird.
“I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, what you did, as long as you love me.”
Okay, that’s precious and all but what DID she do? Is he professing his love to a convicted serial killer?
Fastball – “The Way”
Speaking of dark stories, Fastball’s retro-flavored power pop anthem sounds like the musical equivalent to sideburns or an ode to the reckless abandon of summer. But in reality, it’s about a missing elderly couple who were mysteriously found dead 500 miles from their home. Despite the band, fans, and even children of the couple finding the song a loving tribute to the tragedy, it always bummed me out knowing the story behind it.
Harvey Danger – “Flagpole Sitta”
If there were a single song, to sum up not only 1998, but the death of the 90s “alternative rock” movement, it would be “Flagpole Sitta”. And not because it was the most overexposed and overplayed song of the year but because of what it is by design. Harvey Danger utilized the same visual motif grunge used to conquer hair metal: they weren’t handsome. “Flagpole Sitta” utilized the same motif used by “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: It was a song about sarcastically contradicting itself. That was the 90s in a nutshell.
As a 15-year-old (and the target audience), I always hated how self-deprecating it was. How can you crap on something that’s already crapping on itself? To me, that wasn’t fair and it made me hate it even more. As a cranky old man, I kind of appreciate it a little more these days. The bass guitar is rad and the sardonic attitude would be fun if it weren’t so wordy. I may go as far as saying, it’s not really that bad. But I’ve heard well beyond my share the year of its release and it can stay there.
Spice Girls – “Say You Will Be There”
In addition to bubble gum pop, the Spice Girls brand of GULL POWWA was meant to encourage girls to fight back against standard conventions and be themselves. But how could they do that when their whole shlock was selling themselves as cookie-cutter tropes? To the girls who like sports, there’s Sporty Spice! For those who like a class, there’s Posh Spice! Are you intense? Well here’s Scary Spice! Nothing says defiant independence like defining yourself as one of the five Spice Girls flavors!
But if I’m being sincere, “Say You Will Be There” was a banger of a pop song and it still is. While not something I’d seek out and listen to willingly, that big beat paired with Neo-Disco is pretty slick and satisfying. I’m willing to bet that if you dropped the vocals and slowed the bpm down, there’s probably a killer Sneaker Pimps track in there somewhere. Winner Winner Brit Pop Dinner.
K-Ci & JoJo – “All My Life”
I love me some R&B. If you’ve ever listened to Crushed Monocle Podcast you’d know I’ve repped more Soul and R&B than just about any other genre. But that doesn’t mean I automatically love all these ‘classics’. Especially this one. “All My Life” was boring then, boring now, and will be boring forever. I don’t even feel like writing anymore about it. So there.
All Saints – “Never Ever”
I remember when this song was a hit and I kinda liked it for its retro vibes. All Saints was a pretty cool alternative to the girl group shlock of say the Spice Girls. Instead of each member leaning into a particular trope, All Saints felt like real people. And boy, was I in love with each and every one of them!
These days “Never Ever” is far more cornier than I remember. The Shangra Las-esque spoken opening goes on for way too long and the rest of the track is marred by plastic 90s over-production. Had this track been recorded with a single bass, guitar, piano, and live kit, it would’ve been a forever pop bop! As it stands now, it’s as cringe as the music video.
Tonic – “If You Could Only See”
Remember ‘alternative rock ballads’? There was a time when just about every band made up of angsty white dudes scored some sort of brooding love song like “If You Could Only See”. It’s not authentically passionate, sweet, or interesting at all. Just 5 minutes of distorted meandering by that band you can’t remember. Is this Live? Dishwalla? The Verve Pipe? Who cares?
Hanson – “MMMBop”
It’s been over 25 years, do I really have to listen to Hanson with any significant reflection? This is just a stupid pop song by a bunch of kids. Equal parts Jackson 5 and The Brady Bunch, “MMMBop” is bright, cheerful, and has all the makings of a standard summer earworm. You don’t look as cool as you think for dunking on it and you look pretty silly defending it. The Hanson kids did their thing, made some bank, and kinda got out of our hair. I respect it. Good for them. For what it’s worth, “Where’s The Love” was a much better song to showcase what these kids were good at. Too bad that wasn’t the hit.
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – “Zoot Suit Riot”
Man, 1998 was a weird year. It’s almost like a little decade in itself. And just like every decade, the music industry tried to make anything and everything a thing. If you thought Ska was bad, wait until you feast your poor unsuspecting ears on the Swing revival of the late 90s. Picture yourself as a teenager in 1998. One minute you’re vibing out to some distorted guitars and the next thing you know, you’re being mentally attacked by a Squirrel Nut Zipper or Brian Setzer creeping back into the mainstream like a …well..uh, stray cat.
But here we have checks notes The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and their astonishing hit “Zoot Suit Riot”. Is this Ska-adjacent Swing trash a political look at the actual Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940s (look it up, kids)? No. That would be far more interesting. This is just Ska-adjacent Swing trash of the garbage variety. If Ska is the musical equivalent of clown shoes, this track stepped in excrement. There isn’t much you can do to make Ska listenable but whatever you do, please don’t do this.
Imajin – “Shorty (You Keep Playin’ With My Mind)”
I don’t want to sound like a hipster of any sort, but I would be lying if I told you I remember Imajin. For the sake of this article, I tracked this song down to listen and it’s kind of not bad. Dated by today’s standards for sure but not bad bad. Actually, it was kinda dated by 1998’s standards too. Turns out, Imajin was another brick in the wall of late 90s bands made up of prepubescent pretty boys. But “Shorty” sounds more like the short-lived New Jack Swing movement than anything Backstreet Boys or Nsync. Forgettable but not as bad as it could’ve been. If it weren’t for NOW That’s What I Call Music, I wouldn’t even have known this existed.
Brian McKnight – “Anytime”
The only thing I remember about this song was the music video. Not because I was a fan but because I always changed the channel when it came on MTV. Giving it a fair listen now hasn’t yielded a different result. Just a generic smooth R&B jam that would’ve been much better had it been performed by Toni Braxton or Mary J. Blige.
Aqua – “Barbie Girl”
Come on now. What’s the point of critiquing this? You’ve heard the song a million times and you’ve heard all the snarky comments about it even more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Radiohead – “Karma Police”
Look, as a white man born in the 80s, I don’t have to tell you that I love Radiohead. It’s a given right? While “Karma Police” is probably the closest thing to a mainstream hit this band has ever gotten outside of “Creep”, isn’t hilarious to have it on NOW That’s What I Call Music? You got Spice Girls, Aqua, and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies on the same disc featuring a track from OK Computer. What’s not to love?
Everclear – “I Will Buy You A New Life”
I didn’t listen to a lot of Everclear when I was a kid but I thought “Santa Monica” was fine. But I remember when their follow-up album and the singles “Father Of Mine” and “I Will Buy You A New Life” dropped. They had the same vibe but with sadder lyrics. I didn’t like either song so it was pretty easy for me to ignore it.
Now that I’m 25 years older and have experienced all the wonderful things like failed relationships, crippling insecurity, and immobilizing anxiety, I understand the desperation of “I Will Buy You A New Life”. I think it’s a well-written and performed song. Good? No, but growing up just sucks. I get it.
Lenny Kravitz – “Fly Away”
Is there any other artist as superficial as Lenny Kravitz? I mean, he looks cool with his big shades, 27 scarves, 1970s jeans, and all but is that it? What I remember most about this song was the music video. A room full of beautiful Bohemians making out and dry-humping air in what looks to be a Levi 501 Jeans commercial. But I guess that describes Kravitz, doesn’t it?
“Fly Way” is a 4-minute dirge of the same guitar chords over and over behind Thesaurus-ready lyrics. I’m willing to bet it takes longer to listen to the song from start to finish than it took to compose it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with simplicity, but good looks and accessories can only go so far.
Marcy Playground – “Sex and Candy”
Somewhere between the caucasian blandness of Matchbox 20 with the less-than-charming wit of The Barenaked Ladies was a whole slew of alternative rock nothing-bands like Marcy Playground. But instead of the brooding ballad like the aforementioned Tonic, “Sex and Candy” is closer to Harvey Danger. Well, in terms of hooks anyway. However, any song with the audacity to build a chorus around “I smell sex and candy here” knows exactly what it is.
It’s too much of a gimmick to be taken seriously but it’s not catchy enough to be an earworm. So we’re left with a meandering radio hit for Generation Xers too old to mosh but still hip enough to want a Dreamcast. Even the band themselves sound as if they know their place in the lexicon. It’s not their fault but the mainstream success of this song signified the well of alternative rock had been drank dry a long time ago. Was NOW That’s What I Call Music beating the dead horse or celebrating it?
In the 90s, compilation albums were nothing new. You could be watching Space Ghost at 10 o’clock on Cartoon Network and odds are, one of the commercial breaks would feature the availability of a mail-order album. Be it the abstract vibe of Pure Moods or the cringe-worthy cheese of Monster Ballads. But NOW That’s What I Call Music was a little different. It was fresh, relevant, and most importantly, convenient.
I think it’s also worth noting that NOW That’s What I Call Music was released at the beginning of the Napster era. Soon every car stereo, disc changer, or discman would be playing self-made compilations of what the listener felt were the best songs on the radio. So for the powers-that-be to get the jump on the market was quite impressive. Especially when marketed to the casual Top 40 demographic or the families who didn’t have PCs with CD burners.
As it stands, NOW That’s What I Call Music feels like a time capsule. A freeze frame in time when just about every fan of Pop music listened to the same songs every day.
There’s something melancholy about that, isn’t there? There’s nothing better than being able to listen to what you want when you want. And even though I’ve hated mainstream pop for most of my life, I do miss the communal aspect of the hive mind. Rock fans listened to rock radio. Country fans listened to country stations. But when you wanted to listen to something broad, simple, and clean, there was always NOW That’s What I Call Music.
For a longer discussion of the hit songs of 1998, please check out Episode 25 of Crushed Monocle Podcast.