This was deemed the #1 song of the year. Notice anything wrong with this picture? . . . #828 (7th of 1998): "Too Close" by Next (#1 for 5 non-consecutive weeks - April 25-May 16 and May 30, 1998) Not the non-consecutive part; the total number of weeks logged at #1. Another song later in the year was at the top for more weeks than this. Must've been the number of weeks this concoction - which lifts liberally from a Kurtis Blow number, "Christmas Rappin' " - was on the charts altogether. And - surprise, surprise! - this didn't make the grade over at Radio & Records where it had to settle for #6. In the UK, it finished at a measly #24. The UK #1's in this stretch where this was #1 here included: "All That I Want" by Boyzone; "Under The Bridge" / "Lady Marmalade" by All Saints; and "Turn Back Time" by Aqua.
All My Life Oh boy it's just like Boyzzzzzzzzzzzzz II Men! Too Close These guys sure ain't The Spinners or The O'Jays.
“Too Close” - This is an absolutely fantastic song. It’s smooth, silky and sexy in the best ways. There’s nothing earth-shatteringly revolutionary about it – it's fairly standard issue 90’s soul I suppose, but it hits the right peaks for me. It’s the type of song that all the boy bands of the era wish they could have made.
Oh wow, a dull R&B by the numbers jam. Never heard anything like this before. More generic than Kmart underwear. Exactly. Also sounds crazy dated, like something from 1994. In fact it reminds me of Madonna's "Don't Stop" off of Bedtime Stories.
Next - Too Close This is, I think, is the first #1 I can't recall hearing? I don't need to hear it again. 2/5
Too Close - Next A fun, harmless R&B tune that really stood out in the clubs of '98. As much as I had moved away from Top 40 and into the post-grunge of the late '90's, there were still some fun #1's to enjoy. I still play this to this day. 4/5
I remember this from when it was a hit. Don't think I've hard it since it left the charts. It was OK - nothing great but nothing too terrible either. It stayed on the Hot 100 for 53 weeks, which is likely why it trumped the upcoming song on the year-end list. Chart longevity has always meant something. Having said that, when I picked up the year-end Billboard and saw it was No. 1 for the year, it was kind of surprised. There was no US 45 for this song - which I guess isn't much of a surprise being that we're now in the late '90s - but there still were a handful of No. 1s at this time that had 45 releases. If I remember I'll point out anything interesting about them when we get to them.
#1? This was...there, I heard it. Couldn't have sung it for you until I listened to the video. What an odd era...
"Too Close" was one of those "guess what this song is really about" hits that every generation needs. I think it's a fantastic record and it still makes me smirk every time I hear it. The female vocal part is a nice touch. This would've come off as vulgar from a more mature act, so I think that the youthful Boyz II Men style approach works in the song's favor. It's like they're discovering something for the first time at a school dance. Nice that it joins ONJ's "Physical" as a year end No. 1.
That's because radio played the edit that removed a member saying in the first few seconds, "I wonder if she can tell I'm ____ right now." Mystery gone! I don't think that made the cassingle but it definitely was on the album. BMG was working their magic in 98 on the Hot 100. Unlike most of the other majors, they would still put out almost all their major hits as singles and the lack of competition makes them look more dominant on the chart than they actually were.
I agree with most of you, Too Close is a pretty good song. Love how it grooves. The lyrics aren't exactly subtle though.
Peaking at #2 behind Next, at a spot it would hold for 9 straight weeks, was Shania Twain's "You're Still The One". This song will always be special to me because it actually happens to be arguably the very first popular song I remember hearing as a toddler many years ago. I love Shania's tone and the video is euphoric, she looks great in it, love the blue aesthetic to it. Even though that album never scored a #1 hit, and never got to #1 itself, the Come On Over album was an absolute behemoth of an era. 2x diamond selling in the States, and charted for years (was the #5 selling album on 1998 and #3 for 1999 Stateside). For a country record, it also did huge numbers internationally. It is still today, the biggest selling album by a woman in music history. Though Whitney's The Body Guard ST sold a couple million more WW, it was a collaboration album so I think Shania deserves this one. Very iconic album era, and I think Shania really set the tone for the modern country pop crossover superstar that Taylor Swift utilized years later. Shania sort of perfected Dolly's move and really did come to dominate both the pop and country charts. She also happens to have 3 diamond selling albums in the US. Whitney Houston is the only other woman who's accomplished that. Madonna, Mariah and Celine are all at 2 diamond albums a piece. I mentioned earlier how women were REALLY starting to run the game in the 90's, and the fact Shania, a country artist could do what she did really drives that point. In every genre, from the Spice Girls with Pop, to the big voiced Divas like Celine and Mariah to R&B songstresses like TLC and Toni, women were starting to really SELL albums. And we're on the heels of several pop teen Queens who would also go on to dominate their respective fields.
I had bought Shania Twain’s first album on release date, so I was invested in this one. Watching her go from a failed first album to a second album that was the biggest female country album of all time until…her next album, which launched her into the pop stratosphere. She had such an amazing run. I’m glad you took the time to write about her.
Now about the end of the "You're Still The One" video. Shania girl you really tried it because you could've moved out the way when he took that towel off. Too bad YouTube doesn't have the dislike feature anymore.
A song I definitely remember but I had no idea who sang it, I've never even heard of Next. It's not horrible but it's as generic as the group performing it.
Up! only went diamond because it was technically a double album- depending on the market you got pop & country discs or pop & Bollywood discs, each with the same songs and double albums count "double" towards sales certs. Even Come On Over was almost entirely remixed for its European release and some of those pop mixes were favored on US pop stations, too. The Bodyguard might've had other artists on it but 99.9% of the reason it sold was Whitney so she deserves the credit IMO.
This is true, but TBG was still collaborative. I get your point though, I Will Always Love You, I Have Nothing, I'm Every Woman etc. are what sold the album, as well as Whitney's involvement in the film of course.
Now this is a memorable hit. Not really my thing, but it's a hit and it actually sounds like a hit. Should have been the #1 instead of this generica. It also reminds me a lot of Amy Grant for some reason, and I wonder if her success was - to some degree - the crossover template Shania and Mutt Lange used? Another fine example of how the singles chart was becoming detached from commercial and cultural reality. Had we entered the era of specially-discounted singles yet, in an obvious label attempt to goose sales of some titles? Great observation and I agree. Yeah, she was the biggest thing to come out of country and onto the pop charts since the days of Dolly and Kenny Rogers. Don't forget Alanis dominating late, pop-facing grunge and adult alternative. Clearly a big cultural shift was underway.
I remember "You're Still the One" got to #2. I had no memory of what song blocked it from the top, and listening to "Too Close" now, I still have no memory of it!
Even I bought a copy of the album! Not because it was huge or had lots of hits on it, but because it was good! I happen to be one of the few here who like Robert John "Mutt" Lange's sound. The song was actually introduced to me by my then fiance back then because she had it on CD. I immediately liked it.
