The Top Songs of 1999, from Believe to Smooth

What was the number one song of 1999?

"Believe" by Cher was the number one song of 1999 on Billboard's year-end Hot 100, giving her a first number one since 1974. TLC's "No Scrubs" was second and Monica's "Angel of Mine" third. The longest-running number one of the year was "Smooth" by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, which spent ten weeks at the top in 1999 and two more in 2000.

Every number one song of 1999

• "I'm Your Angel", R. Kelly and Céline Dion: finished a six-week run that began in 1998.
• "Have You Ever?", Brandy: a Diane Warren ballad.
• "...Baby One More Time", Britney Spears: the debut that launched the teen pop era.
• "Angel of Mine", Monica: four weeks at number one.
• "Believe", Cher: the dance-pop comeback with the famous vocal effect.
• "No Scrubs", TLC: a sharp, catchy number one from FanMail.
• "Livin' la Vida Loca", Ricky Martin: the song that led the Latin pop explosion.
• "If You Had My Love", Jennifer Lopez: her debut single.
• "Bills, Bills, Bills", Destiny's Child: the group's first number one.
• "Wild Wild West", Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee: the theme from his summer movie.
• "Genie in a Bottle", Christina Aguilera: a five-week number one debut.
• "Bailamos", Enrique Iglesias: his English-language breakthrough from Wild Wild West.
• "Unpretty", TLC: their second number one of the year.
• "Heartbreaker", Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z: a playful, sample-driven hit.
• "Smooth", Santana featuring Rob Thomas: the year's longest-running number one.

The top 20 songs of 1999

1. "Believe", Cher
2. "No Scrubs", TLC
3. "Angel of Mine", Monica
4. "Heartbreak Hotel", Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price
5. "...Baby One More Time", Britney Spears
6. "Kiss Me", Sixpence None the Richer
7. "Genie in a Bottle", Christina Aguilera
8. "Every Morning", Sugar Ray
9. "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here", Deborah Cox
10. "Livin' la Vida Loca", Ricky Martin
11. "Where My Girls At?", 702
12. "If You Had My Love", Jennifer Lopez
13. "Slide", Goo Goo Dolls
14. "Have You Ever?", Brandy
15. "I Want It That Way", Backstreet Boys
16. "I'm Your Angel", R. Kelly and Céline Dion
17. "All Star", Smash Mouth
18. "Angel", Sarah McLachlan
19. "Smooth", Santana featuring Rob Thomas
20. "Unpretty", TLC

More of the biggest hits of 1999 (21 to 40)

21. "Bills, Bills, Bills", Destiny's Child
22. "Save Tonight", Eagle-Eye Cherry
23. "Last Kiss", Pearl Jam
24. "Fortunate", Maxwell
25. "All I Have to Give", Backstreet Boys
26. "Bailamos", Enrique Iglesias
27. "What's It Gonna Be?!", Busta Rhymes featuring Janet
28. "What It's Like", Everlast
29. "Fly Away", Lenny Kravitz
30. "Someday", Sugar Ray
31. "Lately", Divine
32. "That Don't Impress Me Much", Shania Twain
33. "Wild Wild West", Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee
34. "Scar Tissue", Red Hot Chili Peppers
35. "Heartbreaker", Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z
36. "I Still Believe", Mariah Carey
37. "The Hardest Thing", 98 Degrees
38. "Summer Girls", LFO
39. "Can I Get A...", Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule
40. "Jumper", Third Eye Blind

The teen pop boom

1999 was the peak of teen pop. Britney Spears opened the year at number one with her debut, Christina Aguilera followed with "Genie in a Bottle", and the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" became one of the defining songs of the decade, with 98 Degrees and LFO close behind. MTV's Total Request Live turned the countdown into a daily event for fans.

The Latin pop explosion

After Ricky Martin's show-stopping performance of "The Cup of Life" at the Grammys in February 1999, "Livin' la Vida Loca" went to number one and opened the door for a wave of Latin stars in English-language pop. Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony all scored big hits that year, and Santana's "Smooth", with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, closed the year at number one. For more, see our Spanish love songs.

Believe and Smooth

Cher's "Believe" was the first huge hit to use Auto-Tune as an obvious vocal effect, a sound so new that producers nicknamed it the Cher effect. "Smooth" became one of the longest-running number ones of its era, and Santana's album Supernatural won eight Grammys in one night, including Album of the Year, while "Smooth" took Record and Song of the Year.

R&B, rock and the end of the decade

TLC's FanMail and Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" kept R&B at the top, "Heartbreaker" gave Mariah Carey a number one in every year of the 90s, and Whitney Houston returned with "Heartbreak Hotel". On the rock side, Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, Goo Goo Dolls and Third Eye Blind ruled radio, and Pearl Jam's cover of "Last Kiss", released to raise money for refugees from Kosovo, became their biggest single. For more, see our Pearl Jam songs and 90s female singers.

Movie and TV songs of 1999

Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me" became a hit after appearing in the teen film She's All That and on Dawson's Creek, Will Smith turned his summer blockbuster into a number one with "Wild Wild West", and Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" came from the same film's soundtrack. Sarah McLachlan's "Angel", from City of Angels, became one of the most played ballads of the year.

Napster and the end of an era

1999 was also the last great year of the CD. Napster launched that June, letting fans share songs online for free, and within a few years downloads and then streaming changed how hits were made and measured. For many listeners, the songs on this list are the last ones they bought on a shiny new disc.

Songs of 1999 for a party or an anniversary

For a throwback party, "...Baby One More Time", "I Want It That Way", "Livin' la Vida Loca", "No Scrubs", "All Star" and "Believe" are guaranteed singalongs. For a 1999 wedding anniversary, "Kiss Me", "I Want It That Way", "Angel of Mine" and "Smooth" bring back the year. For more, see our 90s wedding songs.

Top songs of other years

For more year-by-year hits, see our top songs of 1985, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2013.

A song as unforgettable as 1999

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