1998 Billboard Number One Hits

1998’s Billboard number one hits reflected the late-1990s pop radio handoff. Big movie ballads were still huge, R&B was dominating the Hot 100, adult contemporary was strong, and playful pop-rap was crossing over in a major way. The year felt polished, romantic, dramatic, and very radio-friendly.

The year began with Elton John’s Candle in the Wind 1997 still holding the top spot after its massive 1997 run as a tribute to Princess Diana. From there, 1998 moved through romantic pop, dance-pop, smooth R&B, soundtrack power ballads, and crossover pop hits that became major parts of late-1990s memory.

R&B had an especially strong year. Usher, K-Ci & JoJo, Next, Brandy, Monica, Lauryn Hill, Divine, and R. Kelly all reached No. 1 during the year, while Mariah Carey and Céline Dion continued their 1990s chart power. The Boy Is Mine by Brandy & Monica became the year’s longest-running No. 1, holding the top spot for 13 weeks.

Movie music also played a major role in 1998. Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On was tied forever to Titanic, while Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing became the centerpiece ballad from Armageddon. These were not just hits; they were soundtrack events. You could not escape them, and honestly, most people did not try very hard.

Data is compiled from various charts, including Billboard’s pop, rock, airplay, R&B/dance, and singles charts. The Hot 100 is the primary chart used for this list.

1998 Billboard Number One Songs

• October 11, 1997 – January 16, 1998: Candle in the Wind 1997 – Elton John
• January 17 – January 30: Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
• January 31 – February 13: Together Again – Janet Jackson
• February 14 – February 27: Nice & Slow – Usher
• February 28 – March 13: My Heart Will Go On – Céline Dion
• March 14 – April 3: Gettin’ Jiggy wit It – Will Smith
• April 4 – April 24: All My Life – K-Ci & JoJo
• April 25 – May 22: Too Close – Next
• May 23 – June 5: My All – Mariah Carey
• June 6 – September 4: The Boy Is Mine – Brandy & Monica
• September 5 – October 2: I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
• October 3 – October 16: The First Night – Monica
• October 17 – November 13: One Week – Barenaked Ladies
• November 14 – November 27: Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
• November 28 – December 4: Lately – Divine
• December 5, 1998 – January 14, 1999: I’m Your Angel – R. Kelly & Céline Dion

Why 1998 Music Mattered

1998 sat right before the teen-pop explosion fully took over American pop culture. Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC were already close to changing the sound of the charts, but 1998 still belonged heavily to R&B, adult pop, movie ballads, and polished crossover hits.

The year also showed how powerful soundtracks had become. Titanic and Armageddon helped push two of the biggest ballads of the late 1990s into pop history. A movie hit could still dominate radio, MTV, award shows, and school dances all at once.

Will Smith’s Gettin’ Jiggy wit It brought clean, party-ready pop-rap to No. 1, continuing his transition from rapper and TV star into one of the biggest movie stars of the era. Barenaked Ladies’ One Week gave alternative pop a goofy, fast-talking chart-topper, which was very 1998 in the best possible way.

1998 Number One Hits by Style

• Pop and Adult Contemporary: Truly Madly Deeply, My Heart Will Go On, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, I’m Your Angel
• R&B and Soul-Pop: Nice & Slow, All My Life, Too Close, The Boy Is Mine, The First Night, Lately
• Pop-Rap and Hip-Hop Crossover: Gettin’ Jiggy wit It, Doo Wop (That Thing)
• Dance-Pop and Pop-Rock: Together Again, One Week
• Tribute and Event Songs: Candle in the Wind 1997

1998 Number One Hits Trivia

• The Boy Is Mine by Brandy & Monica was the year’s longest-running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, holding the top spot for 13 weeks.
• Too Close by Next was Billboard’s No. 1 song of 1998 on the year-end Hot 100 chart.
• My Heart Will Go On became inseparable from Titanic, turning Céline Dion’s ballad into one of the most recognizable movie songs of the decade.
• I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing gave Aerosmith their first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, helped by its major soundtrack connection to Armageddon.
• Doo Wop (That Thing) made Lauryn Hill the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with a first solo single after previously being known as part of a group.
• Together Again gave Janet Jackson one of her defining late-1990s hits, blending dance-pop energy with a warm emotional core.
• One Week by Barenaked Ladies brought rapid-fire alt-pop wordplay to the top of the chart, proving that 1998 radio had room for both dramatic ballads and lyrical obstacle courses.
• Gettin’ Jiggy wit It helped make Will Smith one of the most successful crossover entertainers of the late 1990s, right as his film career was exploding.

1998 Pop Culture Music Snapshot

1998 music was dominated by smooth R&B, glossy ballads, soundtrack power, and clean crossover pop. It was a year when radio could move from Usher to Céline Dion to Will Smith to Brandy & Monica without sounding confused. That variety is part of why 1998 still feels like a strong late-1990s transition year.

It was also one of the final years before teen pop fully reshaped the mainstream chart. By 1999, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Ricky Martin would push pop into a brighter, louder, more TRL-driven era. In that sense, 1998 was the calm before the choreographed storm.