Another season, another teen-pop milestone. As 98 Degrees' Revelation awaits its Sept. 26 release date, the group has already dropped "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" on their apparently very suspecting fans. The single became the most added single last week on mainstream radio, breaking Britney Spears' not-so-venerable three-and-a-half-month record for "Oops!...I Did It Again."

Spears set the mark on April 17 when the title track from her then-unreleased album was added to 155 radio stations, topping 'N Sync's previous mark (for "Bye Bye Bye") by one station. Her album went on to debut with 1.2 million copies sold in its first week, formerly a record for a solo artist, though less than half of 'N Sync's debut week tally. But 98 Degrees more than squeaked by Ms. Spears. The Ohio quartet found their new single added to 170 (out of 172) stations that report to trade publication Radio and Records.

Is the adds record an indication of where the 98 Degrees kids will debut with their album next month? The group's official Web site urges fans to request the song for TV and radio, and offers a link for listeners to vote for "Una Noche" on MTV's Total Request Live. "We can't do it without you," the site says. "The guys always say that they have the most devoted, enthusiastic fans around -- let's prove them right!"

By placing 98 Degrees' sales history against that of 'N Sync and Britney, it seems they'll have their work cut out for them should they wish to transfer this week's radio success into album sales victories. Their previous album, 98 Degrees and Rising, has currently gone five-times platinum, compared to ten-times platinum for 'N Sync and Britney's Baby...One More Time.

ANDREW DANSBY
(August 4, 2000)