Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album

The Spice Girls (pictured in 2008) perform the opening song to the soundtrack, "Walk of Life".

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album was first announced by MTV on August 27, 1998.[3] The track list was revealed a few weeks later on September 15, 1998, the sequencing of which was slightly modified prior to its release.[4] Geffen Records A&R executive Craig Coburn was instrumental in the album's creation.[5] The album includes a number of songs that were previously unreleased, including a cover of "Abracadabra" by Sugar Ray, a remix of "Hey, Mr. DJ (Keep Playin' This Song)" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Soda Pop" by Britney Spears.[6][3] The opening track to the album is "Walk of Life" by the Spice Girls, which had previously only been available in Europe as the b-side to their 1997 single "Too Much"; Coburn said the label was "thrilled" to have the song on the soundtrack.[7][5] It also includes "Doctor Jones (Metro's 7" Edit)" by Aqua, which likewise had previously only been available in Europe.[5][8] Melissa Joan Hart's cover of "One Way or Another", which was used in the Season 2 episode "The Band Episode", is also included.[9]

The album was preceded by the release of the single "So I Fall Again" by Phantom Planet in September 1998; the band performed the song on the show in the Season 3 episode "And the Sabrina Goes to..." which aired that November.[5][9] The album was promoted through radio promotions and giveaways. One giveaway prize was a trip to see Phantom Planet perform at Universal Studios Hollywood with their performance being hosted by Hart.[5] Another promotion for the album was the "Sabrina Sing-A-Long Sweepstakes" in which the grand prize was a trip to Hollywood to have a song professionally recorded.[10] The sweepstakes was advertised in the Sabrina book series, the Archie comic books, and Sabrina CD-ROM games.[10][5] The album tied-in with the third season of the show in which the overarching plot was for Sabrina to collect clues to solve her "family secret"; the eighth clue was included on the CD.[11]

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic described the album as a "sugar-coated collection" and called the covers included on the album "interesting".[12] In a positive review, Rickey Wright from Amazon wrote that the album "holds together surprisingly well" and compared "Hey, Mr. DJ (Keep Playin' This Song)" by the Backstreet Boys and "Show Me Love" by Robyn to works of Michael Jackson. He described Matthew Sweet's cover of "Magnet & Steel" as "a remake that's been waiting to happen for years".[13] Richard Harrington from The Washington Post praised Sugar Ray's cover of "Abracadabra" and called the album "a mix of bright chirpy dance-pop and pop-rock".[14]

In a mixed review, Rob Brunner from Entertainment Weekly described Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album as "bubbly ephemera" and went on to note "all this wholesome cheer would be strictly taboo in even the most good-natured teen coven." He criticized Matthew Sweet's cover of "Magnet & Steel", calling it "less than enchanting".[15] In a retrospective review, Chuck Eddy from Spin included the album on a list of "essential teen-pop soundtracks", and described "Soda Pop" by Britney Spears as "possibly her most preadolescent ditty ever".[16]

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200 chart in the issue dated December 12, 1998, and spent 16 weeks on the chart.[17][18] In Canada, the album peaked at number 7 on the RPM Top 100 Albums chart in the issue dated February 1, 1999.[19] It remained in this position for two weeks and spent a total of 36 weeks on the chart.[20][21] The album appeared at number 50 on the RPM year-end charts in 1999.[22] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in the United States and double Platinum in Canada.[1][2]