My Top Five Singles of 1998

Where did this year go? I kept waiting for that killer tune to creep up on me, and it didn't. I listened to the radio less than ever since I got a car CD-changer, and when I did tune in there was little to make me keep listening. So for my third annual list I've trimmed down to five choices. Those who've read my lists from the past couple of years, are used to my complaining. The rest of you get the picture I am sure. So from the slim pickings of '98, we have a few nifty delights (in no particular order, mind you):

• "Push It" - Garbage - Even more techo-inflected and refined than the impressive songs from version 1.0. Topped with a moving B-side cover of Big Star's "Thirteen".
• "Celebrity Skin" - Hole - Let me start off by saying I don't like Courtney Love the person (or persona, whatever) a whole lot. And until now the music hasn't done anything for me, either. Now I don't know if its Billy Corgan's influence or not, but this is a helluva catchy rock-fest. In any case, tip o' the hat to Ms. Love for choosing a single that had some bite to it. Definitely stood out against a backdrop of moribund Morrisette/Merchant/etc.
• "Closing Time" - Semisonic - Too bad it was overplayed to death, because this is a great song. And even more impressive is that their whole album Feeling Strangely Fine is full of tunes even better than this. Its basically power pop, but played at mainstream rock tempos (rather than the usual punky hyperspeed).
• "Intergalactic" - Beastie Boys - A decade ago no one could have predicted this crew would even be around today, let along hugely successful with as loopy a muse as they have followed. For once I am impressed with the mainstream audience. They've stuck with the BBoys even as they've left their free sex and beer vocabulary behind far behind to reach some impressive levels of creativity. Intergalactic, planetary, indeed.
• "Perfect" - The Smashing Pumpkins - The album "flopped" by industry standards, but that doesn't mean it was no good. Sure it was overblown in traditional SP fashion. Lots of filler in the 72 minutes of Adore's Cure-meets-electronica amalgam. But this excerpted single shows Corgan can still write brooding yet radio-ready anthems when he's inclined.