The last roar of 80s rock. Directed by David Fincher (yes, Fight Club ). The video of a teenage girl seducing a stuffy businessman remains iconic. It was the perfect swan song for hair metal’s excess.
(Actually released in 1992 – but its precursor, “Don’t Tell My Heart,” was written in 1990. I’ll substitute: "Friends in Low Places" – Garth Brooks (The 1990 country anthem that crossed over to pop radio via line dancing.) 92. "Love Without Anger" – Depeche Mode (B-side, but essential for fans.) 93. "Blue Savannah" – Erasure (The synth-pop duo’s happiest tragedy. A song about running away.) 94. "Policy of Truth" (Remix) – Depeche Mode (The single that ruled alternative clubs.) 95. "The Grease Megamix" – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (Yes, a 1990 remix of 1978 songs went Top 10. The nostalgia industry was born.) 96. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" – Whitney Houston (Her shift from adult contemporary to new jack swing. Underrated banger.) 97. "Higher Ground" – Stevie Wonder (Re-released as a double A-side with “Too High” after a car commercial.) 98. "All That She Wants" – Ace of Base (No – that’s 1992. "Unfinished Sympathy" – Massive Attack (The birth of trip-hop. 1990 in the UK. Changed production forever.) 99. "Personal Jesus" – Depeche Mode (Technically released late 1989, but it owned 1990 radio. The blues riff on a synth.) 100. "Sadeness (Part I)" – Enigma (Gregorian chants + erotic French whispers + dance beat. The weirdest #1 of the year. It closed out 1990 and opened the door for “new age” electronic music.)
The ballroom anthem. Madonna took the underground gay club culture of Harlem and put it in a corset. The spoken-word bridge listing Golden Age Hollywood stars is one of pop’s greatest moments.
The saddest song ever written by Prince. The video—Sinéad’s face, tears streaming, shaved head—is pure art. It went #1 globally and proved that vulnerability could be punk rock. top 100 songs of 1990
1990 was the year officially arrived. Her debut single, Vision of Love, didn't just top the charts; it introduced a level of vocal acrobatics (melisma) that would influence a generation of singers. Meanwhile, Wilson Phillips proved that vocal harmony still had a massive place in pop, as their anthem Hold On took the #1 spot for the entire year.
(The pre-game anthem for New Edition fans.) 52. "Feels Good" – Tony! Toni! Toné! (The smoothest groove of the year. Neo-soul’s godfathers.) 53. "I'll Be Your Everything" – Tommy Page (Written by Jordan Knight of NKOTB. Pure bubblegum.) 54. "Real Love" – Skyy (The classic house anthem that filled clubs.) 55. "Whip Appeal" – Babyface (The king of R&B slow jams warming up his throne.) 56. "Come Back to Me" – Janet Jackson (The jazz-tinged closer to Rhythm Nation .) 57. "Round and Round" – Tevin Campbell (Produced by Prince. A 13-year-old sounding like a 30-year-old soul veteran.) 58. "I Don't Have the Heart" – James Ingram (The adult contemporary king’s last #1.) 59. "The Bohemian Rhapsody of the 90s" – No. "Here and Now" – Luther Vandross (The wedding song that replaced “Eternal Flame.”) 60. "My, My, My" – Johnny Gill (The ultimate slow grind at the roller rink.) 61. "Do Me!" – Bell Biv DeVoe (The raunchier cousin of “Poison.”) 62. "Justify My Love" – Madonna (Released Dec. 1990 – technically a 1991 chart hit, but recorded in 1990. The video was banned by MTV. Her most experimental track.) 63. "It's a Shame (My Sister)" – Monie Love (Female British hip-hop with a message.) 64. "Funky Cold Medina" – Tone Lōc (Released late 1989, but dominated early 1990.) 65. "Wild Thing" – Tone Lōc (See above. The one-two punch of novelty rap.) 66. "All Around the World" – Lisa Stansfield (The British soul singer’s masterpiece. A song about searching for love across the globe.) 67. "This Old Heart of Mine" – Rod Stewart (His cover of the Isley Brothers. Not great, but ubiquitous.) 68. "Soul Kitchen" – No. "The Deeper Love" – Aretha Franklin (The Queen of Soul goes house music. A lost classic.) 69. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" – Phil Collins ft. Eric Clapton (A blue-eyed soul ballad with a Clapton solo that weeps.) 70. "Freedom '90" – George Michael (The video with the supermodels (Naomi, Cindy, Christy, Linda). His reborn statement against the music industry.)
If you listen to this playlist in order, you will hear a schizophrenic decade fighting to be born. You hear the death rattle of 80s excess (Warrant, Poison) and the heartbeat of the 90s (Depeche Mode, Sinead O’Connor, Faith No More). The last roar of 80s rock
(From Young Guns II – Western rock) 12. "Thunderstruck" – AC/DC (The greatest stadium intro riff of all time. Angus Young’s pickup.) 13. "She Ain't Worth It" – Glenn Medeiros ft. Bobby Brown (New jack swing perfection) 14. "Pump Up the Jam" – Technotronic (The song that taught America how to house dance) 15. "Black Velvet" – Alannah Myles (A sultry ode to Elvis Presley and Southern grit) 16. "Escapade" – Janet Jackson (Janet’s shift from control to joy. The “Rhythm Nation” lighter side) 17. "The Power" – Snap! (The “I’ve got the power” chant is one of the most sampled vocals in history) 18. "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" – Heart (Controversial lyrics about a one-night stand with a hitchhiker) 19. "Love Will Lead You Back" – Taylor Dayne (Diane Warren’s power ballad machine at full throttle) **20. "Blind" – Lifehouse? No. "Blind" – Michael Bolton? No. "Epic" – Faith No More (The missing link between hair metal and grunge. The video with the fish flopping on the floor is burned into memory) 21. "Close to You" – Maxi Priest (Reggae’s smoothest crossover since Eddy Grant) 22. "Here We Go" – C+C Music Factory (The house music explosion. “Everybody dance now!”) 23. "Unskinny Bop" – Poison (The stupidest, most fun song of the year. Bubblegum metal at its peak) 24. "Roam" – The B-52's (The party band goes global. A travelogue set to a surf guitar) 25. "Opposites Attract" – Paula Abdul (w/ The Wild Pair) (MC Skat Kat – the cartoon cat rapper. Peak late-80s/early-90s weirdness) 26. "Janie's Got a Gun" – Aerosmith (Dark, disturbing, brilliant. A song about child abuse with a Steven Tyler scream that cuts glass) 27. "Release Me" – Wilson Phillips (The second massive hit from that album) 28. "King of Wishful Thinking" – Go West (From Pretty Woman . The ultimate “I’m fine after the breakup” lie set to a happy riff) 29. "Policy of Truth" – Depeche Mode (Darker than “Enjoy the Silence.” About the pain of brutal honesty) 30. "Dangerous" – Roxette (The hard-rocking B-side to “Listen to Your Heart”)
(The mullet anthem. So bad it’s good. So good it’s great.) 32. "Just a Friend" – Biz Markie (The greatest off-key rapping of all time. “Oh snap! Our story gets told.”) 33. "Alright" – Janet Jackson (Heavy jazz influence. Heavy Q-Tip influence from A Tribe Called Quest.) **34. "Barely Breathing" – No, that’s 1996. "Downtown" – Petula Clark? No. "Tic-Tac-Toe" – No. "Cuts You Up" – Peter Murphy (The godfather of goth goes folk-rock. A cult classic.) 35. "Love Song" – Tesla (The acoustic ballad that proved hair metal bands had soul) 36. "Hanky Panky" – Madonna (From Dick Tracy . A vaudeville kink-fest about spanking.) 37. "Spending My Time" – Roxette (The third massive hit. A torch song for the lonely.) 38. "The Humpty Dance" – Digital Underground (Shock G’s alter ego. The weirdest, funkiest rap of the year. “I’m Humpty, I’m number one.”) 39. "I Go to Extremes" – Billy Joel (Billy’s bipolar anthem. Piano man goes rock.) 40. "Swing the Mood" – Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers (The ultimate 50s/60s mashup. Swing dancing revival starter.) 41. "Mentirosa" – Mellow Man Ace (The first “Latin rap” hit. Samples Santana’s “Evil Ways.”) 42. "So Alive" – Love and Rockets (The former Bauhaus members made a sexy, fuzzy rock song about a blow-up doll. Seriously.) 43. "Unchained Melody" – The Righteous Brothers (Re-released in 1990 because of Ghost . The pottery scene made it a #1 again, 25 years later.) 44. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – Phil Collins (A funky, forgotten Collins track with a great horn section.) 45. "I Wanna Be Rich" – Calloway (The greed-is-good anthem just as the recession hit. Ironic timing.) 46. "Rhythm of the Night" – No, that’s 1985. "Groove Is in the Heart" – Deee-Lite (The most colorful, bizarre, brilliant video of 1990. Lady Miss Kier, Bootsy Collins, and a slide whistle.) 47. "Poison" – Bell Biv DeVoe (New jack swing’s meanest track. “Never trust a big butt and a smile.”) 48. "The Joker" – Steve Miller Band (Re-released after a jeans commercial. “Maurice” became a meme before memes.) 49. "Show Me Heaven" – Maria McKee (From Days of Thunder . The quietest, most beautiful love theme of the year.) 50. "Can't Stop Fallin' in Love" – Cheap Trick (A power pop comeback that deserved more love.)
The first hip-hop #1 on the Hot 100. Yes, the bass line is stolen from Queen/David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” Yes, the movie was terrible. But for better or worse, this opened the door for white suburban rap. It was the perfect swan song for hair metal’s excess
From the film Pretty Woman. A Christmas song rewritten as a breakup ballad. The orchestral swells and Marie Fredriksson’s husky voice made it the wedding standard (and divorce anthem) of the year.
The ultimate female harmony power ballad. Chynna Phillips (daughter of The Mamas & the Papas) and Carnie & Wendy Wilson (daughters of Brian Wilson) created a song about perseverance that still makes Gen X cry.
This comprehensive guide provides a snapshot of the music landscape in 1990, featuring a diverse range of artists, genres, and styles. Enjoy exploring the top 100 songs of 1990!
