List of UK top-ten singles in 1998
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles. This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1998, as well as singles which peaked in 1997 and 1999 but were in the top 10 in 1998. The entry date is when the song appeared in the top 10 for the first time.
One-hundred and ninety-four singles were in the top ten in 1998. Eight singles from 1997 remained in the top 10 for several weeks at the beginning of the year, while "Chocolate Salty Balls " by Chef and Heartbeat"/"Tragedy" by Steps were both released in 1998 but did not reach their peak until 1999. "Angels" by Robbie Williams and "Never Ever" by All Saints were the singles from 1997 to reach their peak in 1998. Forty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1998. Steps, B*Witched, Usher, Destiny's Child, Fatboy Slim, The Corrs, Shania Twain, Missy Elliott and Stereophonics were among the many artists who achieved their first UK charting top 10 single in 1998.
The 1997 Christmas number-one, "Too Much" by Spice Girls, remained at number-one for the first week of 1998. Charity single "Perfect Day" by Various Artists returned to the top spot for an additional week. The first new number-one single of the year was "Never Ever" by All Saints. Overall, thirty-two different singles peaked at number-one in 1998, with All Saints, B*Witched, Boyzone and Melanie B having the joint most singles hit that position.
Background
Multiple entries
One-hundred and ninety-four singles charted in the top 10 in 1998, with one-hundred and eighty-seven singles reaching their peak this year.Forty-eight artists scored multiple entries in the top 10 in 1998. Two members of Spice Girls - Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown and Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm shared the record for the most top ten singles in 1998 with six entries. Five of these singles were with the band, but they also had individual collaborations outside of the band. Melanie B reached number one in September with "I Want You Back", which featured American rapper Missy "Missdemeanor" Elliott. Melanie C collaborated with Canadian rock artist Bryan Adams on "When You're Gone", the song peaking at number 3 in December. Three of Spice Girls top ten entries reached number-one: "Too Much" in December 1997, "Viva Forever" in July and "Goodbye" in December 1998. "Stop" peaked at number 2 in March, and they also featured on the England United collective single " On Top of the World?" for the FIFA World Cup, which reached number 9.
Seven acts had four singles in the top 10: All Saints, Aqua, Boyzone, Five, Madonna, Robbie Williams and Steps.
Billie was one of a number of artists with three top 10 entries, including the number-one single "Because We Want To". Another Level, Celine Dion, Natalie Imbruglia, Sash! and Will Smith were among the other artists who had multiple top 10 entries in 1998.
Chart debuts
Eighty-two artists achieved their first top 10 single in 1998, either as a lead or featured artist. Of these, eleven went on to record another hit single that year: Brandy, Catatonia, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Fatboy Slim, Honeyz, Monica, Mýa, Savage Garden, Shania Twain, The Tamperer featuring Maya and Wyclef Jean. Another Level, B*Witched, Cerys Matthews, Cleopatra, The Corrs, Pras Michel and Steps all had two other entries in their breakthrough year.The following table does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
| Artist | Number of top 10s | First entry | Chart position | Other entries |
| Bamboo | 1 | "Bamboogie" | 2 | — |
| Wildchild | 1 | "Renegade Master '98" | 3 | — |
| Usher | 1 | "You Make Me Wanna..." | 1 | — |
| Catatonia | 2 | "Mulder and Scully" | 3 | "Road Rage" |
| Cerys Matthews | 3 | "Mulder and Scully" | 3 | "The Ballad of Tom Jones", "Road Rage" |
| Cleopatra | 3 | "Cleopatra's Theme" | 3 | "Life Ain't Easy", "I Want You Back" |
| Camisra | 1 | "Let Me Show You" | 5 | — |
| Cornershop | 1 | "Brimful of Asha" | 1 | — |
| Savage Garden | 2 | "Truly Madly Deeply" | 4 | "To the Moon and Back" |
| Will Mellor | 1 | "When I Need You" | 5 | — |
| Another Level | 3 | "Be Alone No More" | 6 | "Freak Me", "Guess I Was a Fool" |
| Shania Twain | 2 | "You're Still the One" | 10 | "From This Moment On" |
| LeAnn Rimes | 1 | "How Do I Live" | 7 | — |
| Robyn | 1 | "Show Me Love" | 8 | — |
| Beenie Man | 1 | "Who Am I" | 10 | — |
| Cast from Casualty | 1 | "Everlasting Love" | 5 | — |
| Jason Nevins | 1 | "It's Like That" | 1 | — |
| Wu-Tang Clan | 1 | "Say What You Want " | 4 | — |
| Alexia | 1 | "Uh La La La" | 10 | — |
| Destiny's Child | 1 | "No, No, No" | 5 | — |
| Tin Tin Out | 1 | "Here's Where the Story Ends" | 7 | — |
| Shelley Nelson | 1 | "Here's Where the Story Ends" | 7 | — |
| Patrizia Salvadore | 1 | "La Primavera" | 3 | — |
| Billie Myers | 1 | "Kiss the Rain" | 4 | — |
| Daniel O'Donnell | 1 | "Give a Little Love" | 7 | — |
| Ultra | 1 | "Found a Cure" | 6 | — |
| K-Ci & JoJo | 1 | "All My Life" | 8 | — |
| 2 | "Feel It" | 1 | "If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" | |
| 187 Lockdown | 1 | "Kung-Fu" | 9 | — |
| Steps | 3 | "Last Thing on My Mind" | 6 | "One for Sorrow", "Heartbeat"/"Tragedy" |
| 1 | "Dance the Night Away" | 4 | — | |
| Massive Attack | 1 | "Teardrop" | 10 | — |
| Wyclef Jean | 2 | "Gone till November" | 3 | "Another One Bites the Dust" |
| 3 | "Dreams" | 6 | "What Can I Do", "So Young" | |
| Arsenal F.C. | 1 | "Hot Stuff" | 9 | — |
| B*Witched | 3 | "C'est la Vie" | 1 | "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong" |
| Brandy | 2 | "The Boy Is Mine" | 2 | "Top of the World" |
| Monica | 2 | "The Boy Is Mine" | 2 | "The First Night" |
| Mousse T. | 1 | "Horny '98" | 2 | — |
| Hot 'n' Juicy | 1 | "Horny '98" | 2 | — |
| Bus Stop | 1 | "Kung Fu Fighting" | 8 | — |
| England United | 1 | " On Top of the World?" | 9 | — |
| Fat Les | 1 | "Vindaloo" | 2 | — |
| Fatboy Slim | 2 | "The Rockafeller Skank" | 6 | "Gangster Trippin" |
| Des'ree | 1 | "Life" | 8 | — |
| Pras Michel | 3 | "Ghetto Supastar " | 2 | "Blue Angels", "Another One Bites the Dust" |
| ODB | 1 | "Ghetto Supastar " | 2 | — |
| Mýa | 2 | "Ghetto Supastar " | 2 | "Take Me There" |
| Karen Ramirez | 1 | "" | 8 | — |
| Eagle-Eye Cherry | 2 | "Save Tonight" | 6 | "Falling in Love Again" |
| Billie | 1 | "Because We Want To" | 1 | "Girlfriend", "She Wants You" |
| Sparkle" | 1 | "Be Careful" | 7 | — |
| Echobeatz | 1 | "Mas que Nada" | 10 | — |
| Lucid | 1 | "I Can't Help Myself" | 7 | — |
| Tina Cousins | 1 | "Mysterious Times" | 2 | — |
| David Morales presents The Face | 1 | "Needin' U" | 8 | — |
| Stardust | 1 | "Music Sounds Better with You" | 2 | — |
| Sweetbox | 1 | "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" | 5 | — |
| Alda | 1 | "Real Good Time" | 7 | — |
| Honeyz | 2 | "Finally Found" | 4 | "End of the Line" |
| Jennifer Paige | 1 | "Crush" | 4 | — |
| T-Spoon | 1 | "Sex on the Beach" | 2 | — |
| Missy Elliott | 1 | "I Want You Back" | 1 | — |
| Lauryn Hill | 1 | "Doo Wop " | 3 | — |
| Spacedust | 1 | "Gym and Tonic" | 1 | — |
| Dru Hill | 1 | "How Deep Is Your Love" | 9 | — |
| Kele Le Roc | 1 | "Little Bit of Lovin'" | 8 | — |
| Touch and Go | 1 | "Would You...?" | 3 | — |
| Free | 1 | "Another One Bites the Dust" | 5 | - |
| Tatyana Ali | 1 | "Daydreamin'" | 6 | — |
| Stereophonics | 1 | "The Bartender and the Thief" | 3 | — |
| Vengaboys | 1 | "Up and Down" | 4 | — |
| Shannon | 1 | "Move Mania" | 8 | — |
| Ruff Driverz | 1 | "Dreaming" | 10 | — |
| Arrola | 1 | "Dreaming" | 10 | — |
| Vonda Shepard | 1 | "Searchin' My Soul" | 10 | — |
| Emila | 1 | "Big Big World" | 5 | — |
| Blinky Blink | 1 | "Take Me There" | 7 | — |
| Chef | 1 | "Chocolate Salty Balls " | 1 | — |
| Denise Van Outen | 1 | "Especially for You" | 3 | — |
| Johnny Vaughan | 1 | "Especially for You" | 3 | — |
| Jane McDonald | 1 | "Cruise Into Christmas" | 10 | — |
;Notes
Ian Brown of The Stone Roses launched a solo career in 1998, reaching number 5 in January with his debut single "My Star". Inaya Day was a featured vocalist on "Horny '98" by Mousse T. vs. Hot 'n' Juicy but is not credited on the Official Charts Company listing. She would have her first official entry in 2006 with "Nasty Girl", reaching number 9. Fat Les was made up of Blur bassist Alex James, artist Damien Hirst making his chart debut, and Keith Allen, also in the charts for the first time as a singer but he had written "New Order's 1990 single "World in Motion".
Fatboy Slim was responsible for the "Renegade Master '98" remix by Wildchild at the start of the year but he did not make his official top 10 debut until June with "The Rockafeller Skank". Under his real name Norman Cook, he was also part of the line-up of Freak Power, who debuted with 1995's reissue of "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out". Jimmy Page was a founding member of Led Zeppelin and in 1998 he collaborated with Puff Daddy on his song "Come with Me" which sampled the Zeppelin song "Kashmir". Melanie B of Spice Girls had her first solo single alongside "Missy Elliott, reaching the top of the charts with "I Want You Back". Bandmate Melanie C made number 3 with her feature on the Bryan Adams song "When You're Gone".
East 17 returned in 1998 after splitting up in 1997 under the name E-17, which they kept until the following year before breaking up again. Their only top 10 single under this name was the number 2 single "Each Time". Chef is a character from the television series South Park voiced by Isaac Hayes. He had recorded two top 10 singles under his own name - "Theme from Shaft" and "Disco Connection".
Songs from films
Original songs from various films entered the top 10 throughout the year. These included "My Heart Will Go On", "Truly Madly Deeply", "Turn Back Time", "Ghetto Supastar ", "Deeper Underground" and "Come with Me", "You're the One That I Want", "Kiss the Girl", "Lost in Space", "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", "How Deep Is Your Love", "Another One Bites the Dust", "Take Me There" and "When You Believe". "Antmusic" was recorded for the movie A Bug's Life but was not used in the finished film.Best-selling singles
had the best-selling single of the year with "Believe". The song spent twelve weeks in the top 10, sold over 1.519 million copies and was certified by the BPI. "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion came in second place, selling more than 1.302 million copies and losing out by around 217,000 sales. Run-D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevins' "It's Like That", "No Matter What" from Boyzone and "C'est la Vie" by B*Witched made up the top five. Singles by LeAnn Rimes, Chef, Spice Girls, Pras Michel featuring ODB & Mýa and Savage Garden were also in the top ten best-selling singles of the year."Believe" also ranked in the top 10 best-selling singles of the decade.
Top-ten singles
Entries by artist
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1998, including singles that reached their peak in 1997 or 1999. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist.| Entries | Artist | Country of origin | Weeks | Singles |
| 6 | Melanie B | 15 | "Goodbye", " On Top of the World", "I Want You Back", "Stop", "Too Much", "Viva Forever" | |
| 6 | Melanie C | 16 | "Goodbye", " On Top of the World", "Stop", "Too Much", "Viva Forever", "When You're Gone" | |
| 5 | Spice Girls | 13 | "Goodbye", " On Top of the World", "Stop", "Too Much", "Viva Forever", | |
| 4 | All Saints | 18 | "Bootie Call", "Never Ever", "Under the Bridge"/"Lady Marmalade", "War of Nerves" | |
| 4 | Aqua | 12 | "Barbie Girl", "Doctor Jones", "My Oh My", "Turn Back Time" | |
| 4 | Boyzone | 17 | "All That I Need", "No Matter What", "I Love the Way You Love Me", "Perfect Day" | |
| 4 | Five | 9 | "Everybody Get Up", "Got the Feelin'", "Until the Time Is Through", "When the Lights Go Out" | |
| 4 | Madonna | 8 | "Drowned World"/"Substitute for Love", "Frozen", "Ray of Light", "The Power of Good-Bye"/"Little Star" | |
| 4 | Robbie Williams | 18 | "Angels", "Let Me Entertain You", "Millennium", "No Regrets"/"Antmusic" | |
| 4 | Steps | 18 | "Especially for You", "Heartbeat"/"Tragedy", "Last Thing on My Mind", "One for Sorrow" | |
| 3 | 911 | 5 | "All I Want Is You", "How Do You Want Me to Love You?", "More Than a Woman" | |
| 3 | Another Level | 8 | "Be Alone No More", "Freak Me", "Guess I Was a Fool" | |
| 3 | B*Witched | 15 | "C'est la Vie", "Rollercoaster", "To You I Belong" | |
| 3 | Billie | 10 | "Because We Want To", "Girlfriend", "I Want You" | |
| 3 | Celine Dion | 14 | "Immortality", "I'm Your Angel", "My Heart Will Go On" | |
| 3 | Cerys Matthews | 6 | "The Ballad of Tom Jones", "Mulder and Scully", "Road Rage" | |
| 3 | Cleopatra | 6 | "Cleopatra's Theme", "I Want You Back", "Life Ain't Easy" | |
| 3 | 6 | "Dreams", "So Young", "What Can I Do" | ||
| 3 | Natalie Imbruglia | 6 | "Big Mistake", "Smoke", "Torn" | |
| 3 | Pras Michel | 13 | "Another One Bites the Dust", "Blue Angels", "Ghetto Supastar ", | |
| 3 | Sash! | 8 | "La Primavera", "Move Mania", "Mysterious Times" | |
| 3 | Space | 4 | "Avenging Angels", " On Top of the World", "The Ballad of Tom Jones" | |
| 3 | Will Smith | 8 | "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", "Just the Two of Us", "Miami" | |
| 2 | Ace of Base | 5 | "Cruel Summer", "Life Is a Flower" | |
| 2 | Bono | 7 | "Perfect Day", "Sweetest Thing" | |
| 2 | Brandy | 8 | "The Boy Is Mine", "Top of the World" | |
| 2 | Catatonia | 4 | "Mulder and Scully", "Road Rage" | |
| 2 | Eagle-Eye Cherry | 8 | "Falling in Love Again", "Save Tonight" | |
| 2 | Embrace | 2 | "Come Back to What You Know ", "My Weakness Is None of Your Business" | |
| 2 | Fatboy Slim | 3 | "Gangster Trippin", "The Rockafeller Skank" | |
| 2 | Garbage | / | 2 | "I Think I'm Paranoid", "Push It" |
| 2 | Heather Small | 5 | "Angel St", "Perfect Day" | |
| 2 | Honeyz | 7 | "End of the Line", "Finally Found" | |
| 2 | Ian Broudie | 8 | "Perfect Day", "Three Lions '98" | |
| 2 | Janet Jackson | 8 | "I Get Lonely", "Together Again" | |
| 2 | Lighthouse Family | 8 | "High", "Lost in Space" | |
| 2 | Lutricia McNeal | 5 | "Someone Loves You Honey", "Stranded" | |
| 2 | Mariah Carey | 2 | "My All", "When You Believe" | |
| 2 | Mase | 3 | "Take Me There", "Top of the World" | |
| 2 | Monica | 7 | "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night" | |
| 2 | Mýa | 11 | "Ghetto Supastar ", "Take Me There" | |
| 2 | Placebo | 2 | "Pure Morning", "You Don't Care About Us" | |
| 2 | R. Kelly | 3 | "Be Careful", "I'm Your Angel" | |
| 2 | Savage Garden | 17 | "To the Moon and Back", "Truly Madly Deeply" | |
| 2 | Shania Twain | 2 | "From This Moment On", "You're Still the One" | |
| 2 | Simply Red | 2 | "Say You Love Me", "The Air That I Breathe" | |
| 2 | The Tamperer featuring Maya | 11 | "Feel It", "If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" | |
| 2 | Wyclef Jean | 5 | "Another One Bites the Dust", "Gone till November" |