What Were The Top Ten Selling Singles In 1999?
The Cold Open
Britain in 1999 braced itself for the new millennium with fireworks, paranoia, and boybands on every cover of Smash Hits. The Euro arrived on the continent while the Y2K bug threatened to end civilisation by crashing every computer at midnight. Blair’s New Labour basked in its early glow, The Matrix bent minds in multiplexes, and Big Brother loomed on the TV horizon. In the charts, Britney led the teen-pop invasion, Europe sent over neon dance, and Cliff tried to soundtrack the millennium with a hymn. The end of the decade was a sugar rush of novelty, Eurocheese, and bubblegum.
Here are the top ten selling singles in the UK in 1999.
1. …Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
Sales: 1,445,000 • Label: Jive • Catalogue: 0521692
The debut that launched an empire. Three weeks at No 1, school uniforms in the video, and the 90s pop landscape redrawn.
2. Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65
Sales: 1,070,000 • Label: Eternal • Catalogue: EW 226CD
Italian Eurodance turned novelty earworm. Two weeks at No 1 with vocoder hooks that still haunt nightclubs.
3. The Millennium Prayer – Cliff Richard
Sales: 990,000 • Label: Papillon • Catalogue: MILLENNIUM1
The Lord’s Prayer set to “Auld Lang Syne.” Two weeks at No 1 and possibly Cliff’s strangest chart-topping experiment.
4. Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…) – Lou Bega
Sales: 980,000 • Label: RCA • Catalogue: 74321 69011 2
Perez Prado’s old mambo refitted with a list of women’s names. Two weeks at No 1 and pure party kitsch.
5. 9PM (Till I Come) – ATB
Sales: 950,000 • Label: Ministry of Sound • Catalogue: MOSCD 134
The trance breakthrough. One week at No 1 but an entire summer of Ibiza distilled into a single riff.
6. Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
Sales: 930,000 • Label: Columbia • Catalogue: 667 633 2
Latin pop’s global explosion. Two weeks at No 1 and Britain finally learning to roll its r’s.
7. That Don’t Impress Me Much – Shania Twain
Sales: 900,000 • Label: Mercury • Catalogue: 870 803 2
Country-pop crossover at full strut. Only peaked at No 3 but outsold many chart-toppers.
8. Sweet Like Chocolate – Shanks & Bigfoot
Sales: 895,000 • Label: Pepper • Catalogue: CDPEPPER1
UK garage’s breakthrough into the mainstream. Two weeks at No 1 and the first garage track to top the chart.
9. Flat Beat – Mr Oizo
Sales: 870,000 • Label: F-Communications • Catalogue: FCD 199
A puppet named Flat Eric and a fuzzy bassline. Two weeks at No 1 thanks to a Levi’s ad campaign.
10. When The Going Gets Tough – Boyzone
Sales: 850,000 • Label: Polydor • Catalogue: 563 596 2
Billy Ocean’s 80s hit given a boyband gloss. Charity single for Comic Relief and two weeks at No 1.
