1998 UK Number Ones Trivia Quiz

Answer: All Saints

'Never Ever', the second single from All Saints' self-titled debut, was the epitome of a slow burner. It originally went to Number Three in the UK Singles Chart in 1997 and stayed within the top six for seven weeks, making them a regular fixture on 'Top of the Pops', before finally climbing to the top spot in January 1998. It is one of the few All Saints songs to feature a prominent vocal from Nicole Appleton (she's the one doing the spoken word bit at the beginning).

All Saints filmed two videos for the song. The original features the band dressed in black and things exploding behind them, interspersed with shots of them playing by a pool (and a cute bulldog). The US video, meanwhile, was shot in a church and ends with clones of the group.

Answer: Boyzone

'No Matter What' was originally from the musical 'Whistle Down the Wind'. Boyzone had a reputation for cover versions, one of their earliest hits being a cover of the Osmonds' 'Love Me for a Reason', and they recorded this version to tie in with the first UK performance of 'Whistle Down the Wind'. Andrew Lloyd Webber altered the lyrics to the Boyzone version slightly. Originally, Stephen Gately - who died 11 years later - had asked Lloyd Webber for a song and been given 'No Matter What', and recorded a solo version, before the rest of the group joined in. The song was Number One for three weeks in August 1998, and was also Boyzone's biggest-selling single AND their only successful US single.

'No Matter What' was also the name of a 2025 documentary featuring the four surviving members of Boyzone, although Michael Graham had very little screentime compared to the other three.

Answer: Cher

Released in October 1998, Cher's 'Believe' was one of the longest-running Number Ones in the UK in 1998, along with Run DMC and Jason Nevins' 'It's Like That', which stayed at the top spot for six weeks. In Cher's case, 'Believe' did even better and topped the chart for SEVEN weeks, making it the biggest-selling single of 1998 in the UK. At the time, Cher was also the oldest female singer to have had a Number One in the UK, at the age of 52; the record would not be broken until 63-year-old Kate Bush's 'Running Up That Hill' re-entered the charts in 2022, thanks to its appearance in 'Stranger Things'.

'Believe' was also notable for heavy use of Autotune, which has since become commonplace for many singers. On 'Believe', it added a Vocoder-like effect to her vocal.

Answer: B*Witched

Boyzone's Shane wasn't the only member of the Lynch family to have a UK Number One hit in 1998; his younger twin sisters Keavy and Edele, who made up half of Irish girl group B*witched, went to Number One with 'Rollercoaster'. In fact, it was their second Number One single from the album that year, their debut 'C'est la Vie' having topped the UK charts in May 1998. 'Rollercoaster' was released in September 1998 and went to Number One for two weeks.

The follow-up, 'To You I Belong', also went to Number One in December, although not the Christmas Number One; that honour belonged to the Spice Girls.

Answer: Another Level

'Freak Me' was a cover of a song by American R'n'B group Silk, originally released in 1993. Another Level's version went to Number One in the UK in July 1998. The lyrics were changed slightly for a more radio-friendly version: 'let me play with your body' became 'let me stay with you', for example.

There were also two different versions of the video. Earlier that year, Another Level had released their debut single, 'Be Alone No More', which also featured an up-and-coming American rapper by the name of Jay-Z.

Answer: Aqua

Slightly less irritating than 'Barbie Girl', 'Doctor Jones' originally spent seven weeks at the top of the Australian charts in 1997, before being released in the UK the following year. It became their second UK Number One single in January 1998 and spent three weeks at the top.

The video is an 'Indiana Jones' parody, implying that Harrison Ford's archaeologist is the titular doctor. Of note, the follow-up single, 'Lollipop (Candyman)', was only released in Australia, the US and mainland Europe; we Brits got 'Turn Back Time' instead.

Answer: Madonna

Released in March 1998, 'Frozen' was the first single to be released from Madonna's 'Ray of Light', an album which received rave reviews and was produced by producer of the moment William Orbit. Surprisingly, it was her first UK Number One single. Chris Cunningham directed the video, featuring a gothy-looking black-haired Madonna in the Mojave Desert.

Canadian DJ Sickick posted a remix of 'Frozen' on TikTok in 2021, and Madonna subsequently released three different versions of the Sickick remix: the first one had vocals from Nigerian singer Fireboy DML, the second from rapper 070 Shake, and the third from Sickick himself. Madonna also filmed different videos for each remix.

Answer: Spice Girls

'Viva Forever' was the Spice Girls' seventh UK Number One - its predecessor, 'Stop', was kept off the top spot by Run DMC and Jason Nevins - and, as it later turned out, the last one to feature Geri Halliwell, who left the group in May 1998. It was written in the summer of 1997, after the filming of their movie 'Spice World' had ended. When the song got to Number One in July, the Spice Girls performed it on 'Top of the Pops' as a quartet. The video is also the only Spice Girls video that doesn't feature any of the Girls; it's a stop-motion animation with the group as fairies, including Geri, as the video had been made before her departure.

'Viva Forever' is also the name of a Spice Girls-themed jukebox musical written by Jennifer Saunders - who had played Geri in the Comic Relief version of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' - and released in 2012.

Answer: Robbie Williams

'Millennium' was the first single from former Take That member Robbie Williams' second album, 'I've Been Expecting You' (which I owned as a teen). It was released in September 1998 and was his first solo UK Number One - yes, even the ubiquitous 'Angels' didn't get that high! Williams co-wrote the song with Guy Chambers, formerly of World Party; the strings hook is sampled from Nancy Sinatra's 'You Only Live Twice'. Williams and his band wore dresses for their 'Top of the Pops' performance, with Williams sporting a spangled gold number.

Answer: Melanie B

Not to be confused with the Cleopatra cover of the Jackson Five song of the same name, 'I Want You Back' was the first solo single to be released by a Spice Girl, long before they all embarked on solo careers. It was released in September 1998 and featured Missy 'Misdemeanour' Elliott, although she took more of a back seat. The video also featured Mel B's then boyfriend, former Spice Girls dancer Jimmy Gulzar. Elliott had contacted Melanie while she was touring with the Spice Girls, saying she had a song for her, and after OK'ing it with the other Girls, Melanie recorded the song and video in a day.

When Melanie released her solo album 'Hot' two years later, intended as a companion piece to the Spice Girls' (rubbish) third album 'Forever', 'I Want You Back' was included. It also appeared on the soundtrack to 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love?'