the summer of
What it was like to be 15 in 1998 in America
To be fifteen in America in 1998 was to have “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls everywhere, Saving Private Ryan on every screen, and Friends on after school. That year, gas cost $1.06 and the Apple iMac G3 was the new thing. Born in 1983? You turned 15 in 1998 — a teenager from 1996 to 2002, right in the window a soundtrack bonds to you for life.
Compiled by the Original Lore archive from period charts, box-office and price records. How we build these · sources noted throughout.
▶ Play your 1998 reel with sounda 30-second video of your year — the song, the screen, the turn.
the mixtape of 1998
Iris — Goo Goo Dolls
- Iris — Goo Goo DollsThat opening chime meant the last dance, cheek to cheek, wishing the night would never end.
- Doo Wop (That Thing) — Lauryn HillLauryn's warm wisdom felt like an older sister telling you the truth, and you believed her.
- ...Baby One More Time — Britney SpearsBritney's schoolgirl hook detonated across every sleepover, the exact sound of the century turning over.
- One Week — Barenaked LadiesThe tongue-twister rap you raced to memorize, showing off in the cafeteria all week long.
- My Name Is — EminemSlim Shady's warped grin was the forbidden tape you played low so your parents wouldn't hear.
why this one mattered
Born from the City of Angels soundtrack, 'Iris' spent the back half of 1998 as the inescapable slow-dance and yearbook song — the swelling, open-tuned ballad that scored every 15-year-old's longing that year. 'I just want you to know who I am' was the whole adolescent ache in one line, and it remains a guaranteed nostalgia detonator.
the year-end #1 was Too Close — Next.
the movies you are watching in 1998
- Saving Private Ryan
- Armageddon
- There's Something About Mary
- The Truman Show
- Rush Hour
the tv shows you are binging in 1998
- Friends
- Seinfeld
- ER
- The Simpsons
- Frasier
the games you are playing in 1998
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Pokémon Red and Blue
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
- Spyro the Dragon
- Half-Life
what things cost in 1998
| a gallon of gas | $1.06 |
|---|---|
| a movie ticket | $4.69 |
| a gallon of milk | $2.70 |
| minimum wage | $5.15/hr |
| a first-class stamp | $0.32 |
| the average income | $38,885 |
trending this year
the gadgets you just got
what everyone is snacking on
what everyone is drinking
what made the news in 1998
- President Clinton denies the Lewinsky affair on national TV, igniting a scandal that ends in his December impeachment
- Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase Roger Maris, with McGwire shattering the single-season home-run record at 70
- Two boys ambush and kill students and a teacher in the Jonesboro, Arkansas schoolyard shooting
- Al-Qaeda truck bombs hit the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 200 people
what everyone is saying
top-performing stocks in 1998
| Company | Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com | AMZN | $54 | +966% |
| Yahoo! | YHOO | $118 | +584% |
| America Online | AOL | $80 | +586% |
| eBay | EBAY | $80 | +344% |
| Dell Computer | DELL | $73 | +248% |
worst-performing stocks in 1998
| Company | Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Health Plans | OXHP | $15 | -71% |
| Cendant | CD | $19 | -44% |
| Boeing | BA | $33 | -32% |
| Kmart | KM | $15 | -12% |
| Venator Group (Woolworth/Foot Locker) | Z | $8 | -58% |
the summer of 1998.
you think you've got all the time in the world.