Top Songs — 1998
▶ Spotify PlaylistWhen my daughter Romy was in second grade, she discovered a book about Anne Frank in her elementary school library. Something about Anne's story captivated her. Romy devoured the book and went back for more, eventually reading every single title about Anne Frank the library had to offer. Her curiosity and admiration never waned. Soon after, she read The Diary of Anne Frank, a book that remains one of her favorites to this day.
For me, Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" has always been profoundly meaningful. I've long considered it the greatest album of all time. Jeff Mangum's haunting passion for the story of Anne Frank courses through the album, especially in its best track, "Holland, 1945." When I shared this song with Romy, it became a bridge between our worlds — a way for us to connect over Anne's story and the art she inspired. Eventually, I got her a t-shirt with artwork inspired by the song, which she still has today.
This past summer, we had the opportunity to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life, but even more so for Romy. She wore her t-shirt that day. After we walked through those rooms and absorbed the weight of Anne's story, we sat on a bench outside. There, with a shared sense of reverence, we listened to "Holland, 1945" together. In that moment, everything came full circle.
1.⭐ Neutral Milk Hotel — Holland, 1945
2.⭐ Neutral Milk Hotel — Two-Headed Boy
3.⭐ Eels — Last Stop: This Town
4.⭐ Idlewild — I'm a Message
5.⭐ Bare Jr. — Naked Albino
6.⭐ Mojave 3 — Some Kinda Angel
7.⭐ Pulp — A Little Soul
8.⭐ R.E.M. — At My Most Beautiful
9.⭐ Gerbils — Crayon Box
10.⭐ Neutral Milk Hotel — In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
11.⭐ Neutral Milk Hotel — King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1
12.⭐ Idlewild — When I Argue I See Shapes
13.⭐ Eels — P.S. You Rock My World
14.⭐ Mojave 3 — To Whom Should I Write
15.⭐ Eels — Climbing To The Moon
16.⭐ Silver Jews — Random Rules
17.⭐ Mercury Rev — Opus 40
18.⭐ Harvey Danger — Flagpole Sitta
19.⭐ The Offspring — Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)
20.⭐ Hole — Boys On The Radio
21.Neutral Milk Hotel — Ghost
22.Elliott Smith — Baby Britain
23.Pearl Jam — Given to Fly
24.Madonna — Ray of Light
25.Archers Of Loaf — White Trash Heroes
26.Massive Attack;Elizabeth Fraser — Teardrop
27.Embrace — Come Back To What You Know
28.Fatboy Slim — The Rockafeller Skank
29.Hole — Celebrity Skin
30.Eels — 3 Speed
31.Britney Spears — ...Baby One More Time
32.Fatboy Slim — Right Here, Right Now
33.Semisonic — Closing Time
34.R.E.M. — Daysleeper
35.The Offspring — The Kids Aren't Alright
36.Manic Street Preachers — If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
37.Garbage — Special
38.Super Furry Animals — Ice Hockey Hair
39.Neutral Milk Hotel — Communist Daughter
40.Sparklehorse — Sick Of Goodbyes
41.Air — Sexy Boy
42.Hole — Malibu
43.Billy Bragg;Wilco — California Stars
44.Ash — Wild Surf
45.Fatboy Slim — Praise You
46.Refused — New Noise
47.Mercury Rev — Goddess on a Hiway
48.New Radicals — You Get What You Give
49.Sparklehorse — Pig
50.Mojave 3 — Give What You Take
51.Dido — Thank You
52.Idlewild — Satan Polaroid
53.Elliott Smith — Bled White
54.Eels — My Descent Into Madness
55.Mojave 3 — Who Do You Love
56.The Offspring — Why Don't You Get a Job?
57.Belle and Sebastian — The Boy With The Arab Strap
58.Catatonia — Road Rage
59.Bad Religion — Shades Of Truth
60.Idlewild — I'm Happy to Be Here Tonight
61.Manic Street Preachers — You Stole The Sun From My Heart
62.Bare Jr. — Nothin' Better to Do
63.Marvelous 3 — Freak of the Week
64.Outkast — Rosa Parks
65.The Goo Goo Dolls — Iris
66.The Beta Band — Dry the Rain
67.CAKE — Never There
68.Pulp — The Fear
69.Bad Religion — Hear It
70.Beastie Boys — Intergalactic