Every Friday, I’m publishing my top ten songs from a single year and this week it’s the turn of 1999.

For previous top ten tunes, please click on the year: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

In 1999, the Euro currency is released, unemployment in the UK is at its lowest for 20 years, Harold Shipman a former GP is accused of murdering at least 15 female patients, director Stanley Kubrick, singer Dusty Springfield, actor Oliver Reed, child entertainer Rod Hull and comedian Ernie Wise all die, nail bombs explode in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho killing 2 people (one of them is a pregnant woman) and injurs hundreds- a man is arrested and charged, TV presenter Jill Dando is murdered on her front door step, Prince Edward marries Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Solar Eclipse occurs across Europe, farmer Tony Martin is charged with murder after shooting dead an unarmed 16yr-old burglar on his property, the Ladbroke Grove rail crash kills 31 people, rock singer Gary Glitter is jailed for 4 months for downloading child pornography, Beatle George Harrison is stabbed 40 times in his own home by a man who is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, the Millennium Dome and the London Eye are opened, 20% of the UK population has internet access, Hurricane Floyd hits North Carolina in the US and 3 million people have to evacuate their homes, Helen Clark becomes the first female elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, Boris Yeltsin resigns as the President of Russia and is replaced by Vladimir Putin, the Queen opens the first Scottish parliament in 300 years, two boys aged 17 and 18 go on a rampage at Columbine High School in the US- shooting dead 13 people and injuring 21, the new US gun control bill is rejected, millennium celebrations take place across the world, the films The Matrix, Fight Club, The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Being John Malkovich and the Green Mile (what a year for film!) are released and I turn 23 years old.

So, not only do we come to the end of the nineties today, we come to the end of the millennium. I spent New Year/Century/Millennium’s Eve in London watching fireworks fail on the River Thames, then getting crushed in the crowd, losing my bag of booze and more importantly losing my best friend (we found her again, randomly on some other street of London). 1999 is pretty special for me. I was now living in Leeds. I had finally got round to going to university and it was this year that I met my poor unsuspecting future husband. We had bought tickets with some other friends to go and see Macy Gray and I remember saying to myself “By the time we go to see her, we will be a couple” and do know what Reader, we were. Lots of new artists this week as well as some favourites, but most importantly- our George is back!

1. Hey Boy Hey Girl by Chemical Brothers

2. No Scrubs by TLC

3. Everything is Everything by Lauryn Hill

4. As by George Michael & Mary J Blige

5. I Try by Macy Gray

6. Coffee & TV by Blur

7. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. At the River by Groove Armada

9. Back Together by Babybird

10. Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim

This week, it’s easily Groove Armada that’s my favourite. What about you?

See you next week for the start of the Noughties- 2000!