“No Tengo Dinero” (“I Have No Money”) is the debut single of Danish musical group Los Umbrellos, considered to be their signature song. It was released in May 1997. Based on the theme of 1960 film Never on A Sunday by Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis, the lyrics were written by Jay and Richie Balmorian and group member Al Agami. The song became a top-five hit in Denmark, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland. In Austria, the song reached number one for ten weeks, received a Platinum certification from IFPI, and was the highest-selling single of 1998. The song also peaked at number 31 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart and number 42 on the US Billboard; it stayed on the latter chart for 27 weeks without entering the top 40. The song also reached number 33 in the UK. Unlike the band’s following releases, “No Tengo Dinero” enjoyed chart success, thus Los Umbrellos were named a one hit wonder.
“La Primavera” is a song by the German DJ/production team Sash! featuring Patrizia Salvatore. It was released in March 1998 as the lead single from their second album, Life Goes On (1998). “La Primavera” reached number two in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Scotland. It entered the top 10 in Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, and Italy as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number four. In the UK, it peaked at number three during its first week on the chart, at the end of March 1998, spending two weeks at that position. A music video was made for “La Primavera”, directed by Oliver Sommer.
“Diva” is the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Hebrew by Israeli singer Dana International representing Israel. The music was composed by Syika Pick, with lyrics written by Yoav Ginai. The song was produced by Offer Nissim with music arrangements by Alon Levin and included on her fifth album, Free (1999). It was Israel’s third winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest, following the consecutive victories of 1978 and 1979. Dana International’s win is considered one of the most groundbreaking moments in Eurovision history. The song became the last entry entirely in a language other than English to win the contest until 2007. The selection of Dana International’s song caused so much controversy amongst conservative groups in Israel that on her arrival in Britain, police escorts and security were required continuously. The performance consisted of Dana International wearing a silver dress, backed by four other female singers wearing black. It involved no dancing. The song reached No. 11 in the Uk chart.
“La Copa de la Vida” (“The Cup of Life”) is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fourth studio album, Vuelve (1998). Martin created the song after FIFA requested of him an anthem. The song was written by Luis Gómez Escolar, Desmond Child, and Draco Rosa, while the production was handled by the latter two. It was released by Columbia Records in March 1998, as the second single from the album, and became the official song of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. A primarily Spanish language samba-rooted Latin pop song, it carries a soccer-heavy message with fully positive lyrics. Internationally, the track hit the charts in more than 60 countries, and topped the charts of 30, making it one of the most successful World Cup songs. The song peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom.
“Bailamos” (“We Dance”) is a single by Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias sung in Spanglish. The song was released in 1999 as part of the soundtrack to the film Wild Wild West (1999) and later as the lead single from Iglesias’s fourth and debut English-language album, Enrique (1999). “Bailamos” reached number one on the Spanish Singles Chart and on the US Billboard, and it became a top-three hit in Canada, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden. In both New Zealand and Spain, it was the second-most-successful single of 1999. It reached No. 4 in the UK.
