Prince wrote it, but Sinéad owned it. With her shaved head, single tear, and haunting voice, she turned this into the most emotionally devastating #1 of the decade.
| Rank | Title | Artist(s) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | "Hold On" | Wilson Phillips | | 2 | "It Must Have Been Love" | Roxette | | 3 | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | Sinéad O'Connor | | 4 | "Poison" | Bell Biv DeVoe | | 5 | "Vogue" | Madonna | | 6 | "Vision of Love" | Mariah Carey | | 7 | "Another Day in Paradise" | Phil Collins | | 8 | "Hold On" | En Vogue | | 9 | "Cradle of Love" | Billy Idol | | 10 | "Blaze of Glory" | Jon Bon Jovi | | 11 | "Do Me!" | Bell Biv DeVoe | | 12 | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | Michael Bolton | | 13 | "Pump Up the Jam" | Technotronic | | 14 | "Opposites Attract" | Paula Abdul | | 15 | "Escapade" | Janet Jackson | | 16 | "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" | Heart | | 17 | "Close to You" | Maxi Priest | | 18 | "Black Velvet" | Alannah Myles | | 19 | "Release Me" | Wilson Phillips | | 20 | "Don't Know Much" | Linda Ronstadt | | 21 | "All Around the World" | Lisa Stansfield | | 22 | "I Wanna Be Rich" | Calloway | | 23 | "Rub You the Right Way" | Johnny Gill | | 24 | "She Ain't Worth It" | Glenn Medeiros | | 25 | "If Wishes Came True" | Sweet Sensation | | 26 | "The Power" | Snap! | | 27 | "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" | Nelson | | 28 | "Love Will Lead You Back" | Taylor Dayne | | 29 | "Don't Wanna Fall in Love" | Jane Child | | 30 | "Two to Make It Right" | Seduction | | 31 | "Sending All My Love" | Linear | | 32 | "Unskinny Bop" | Poison | | 33 | "Step by Step" | New Kids on the Block | | 34 | "Dangerous" | Roxette | | 35 | "We Didn't Start the Fire" | Billy Joel | | 36 | "I Don't Have the Heart" | James Ingram | | 37 | "Downtown Train" | Rod Stewart | | 38 | "Rhythm Nation" | Janet Jackson | | 39 | "I'll Be Your Everything" | Tommy Page | | 40 | "Roam" | The B-52's | | 41 | "Everything" | Jody Watley | | 42 | "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" | Soul II Soul | | 43 | "Here and Now" | Luther Vandross | | 44 | "Alright" | Janet Jackson | | 45 | "Ice Ice Baby" | Vanilla Ice | | 46 | "Blame It on the Rain" | Milli Vanilli | | 47 | "Have You Seen Her" | MC Hammer | | 48 | "With Every Beat of My Heart" | Taylor Dayne | | 49 | "Come Back to Me" | Janet Jackson | | 50 | "No More Lies" | Michel'le | | 51 | "Praying for Time" | George Michael | | 52 | "How Can We Be Lovers" | Michael Bolton | | 53 | "Do You Remember?" | Phil Collins | | 54 | "Ready or Not" | After 7 | | 55 | "U Can't Touch This" | MC Hammer | | 56 | "I Wish It Would Rain Down" | Phil Collins | | 57 | "Just Between You and Me" | Lou Gramm | | 58 | "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" | Phil Collins | | 59 | "Black Cat" | Janet Jackson | | 60 | "Can't Stop" | After 7 | | 61 | "Janie's Got a Gun" | Aerosmith | | 62 | "The Humpty Dance" | Digital Underground | | 63 | "I'll Be Your Shelter" | Taylor Dayne | | 64 | "Free Fallin'" | Tom Petty | | 65 | "Giving You the Benefit" | Pebbles | | 66 | "Enjoy the Silence" | Depeche Mode | | 67 | "Love Song" | Tesla | | 68 | "Price of Love" | Bad English | | 69 | "Girls Nite Out" | Tyler Collins | | 70 | "King of Wishful Thinking" | Go West | | 71 | "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" | Chicago | | 72 | "I Remember You" | Skid Row | | 73 | "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)" | Technotronic | | 74 | "Here We Are" | Gloria Estefan | | 75 | "Epic" | Faith No More | | 76 | "Love Takes Time" | Mariah Carey | | 77 | "Just Like Jesse James" | Cher | | 78 | "Love Shack" | The B-52's | | 79 | "All or Nothing" | Milli Vanilli | | 80 | "Romeo" | Dino | | 81 | "Everybody Everybody" | Black Box | | 82 | "I Go to Extremes" | Billy Joel | | 83 | "Whip Appeal" | Babyface | | 84 | "Oh Girl" | Paul Young | | 85 | "C'mon and Get My Love" | D Mob with Cathy Dennis | | 86 | "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me" | Paula Abdul | | 87 | "We Can't Go Wrong" | The Cover Girls | | 88 | "When I'm Back on My Feet Again" | Michael Bolton | | 89 | "Make You Sweat" | Keith Sweat | | 90 | "This One's for the Children" | New Kids on the Block | | 91 | "What It Takes" | Aerosmith | | 92 | "Forever" | Kiss | | 93 | "Jerk Out" | The Time | | 94 | "Just a Friend" | Biz Markie | | 95 | "Whole Wide World" | A'Me Lorain | | 96 | "Without You" | Mötley Crüe | | 97 | "Swing the Mood" | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers | | 98 | "Thieves in the Temple" | Prince | | 99 | "Mentirosa" | Mellow Man Ace | | 100 | "Tic-Tac-Toe" | Kyper |
To help narrow down your research on this legendary chart, please let me know: Share public link
This segment highlights the diversification of the charts, blending pop-rock, freestyle, dance music, and smooth R&B. top 100 songs in 1990 top
The song that launched a superstar, Mariah’s debut spent four weeks at No. 1, showcasing a five-octave range that redefined vocal performances.
(A blues-rock masterclass featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan shortly before his tragic passing)
Female-led groups and soloists ruled the power ballad scene. Wilson Phillips' "Hold On" was the #1 song of the year, while Roxette’s "It Must Have Been Love" (from the Pretty Woman soundtrack) became an instant classic. Prince wrote it, but Sinéad owned it
Searching for the reveals a split personality disorder in pop culture. Look at the contrast:
The year 1990 was a moment where you could turn on the radio and hear a new jack swing jam from Bell Biv DeVoe, followed immediately by a soaring power ballad from Mariah Carey or a groundbreaking hip-hop track from MC Hammer. While the list of #1 songs from 1990 includes 26 different singles, the Billboard Year-End Top 100 shows us the ones that truly defined the year. It was a rich, diverse, and unforgettable soundtrack to a year of change, and its influence can still be felt in pop music today.
The velvet rope let everyone in.
The sneer was back. With a stop-motion animated video featuring a seductive teenager, Idol proved punk rock could still be dirty and fun in the 90s.
1990 was more than just a year; it was a musical watershed moment. Standing at the threshold of a new decade, the charts were a fascinating blend of polished 80s pop, the rise of hip-hop into the mainstream, the dominance of power ballads, and the underground bubbling up to the surface. According to the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1990, this was a year where diverse genres collided to create an unforgettable soundtrack.
for 1990 reflects this evolution, featuring a mix of powerhouse ballads, the rise of "New Jack Swing," and the mainstream emergence of rap. The Top 10 Songs of 1990 According to the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 of 1990 | | 27 | "(Can't Live Without Your)
. This track introduced her signature whistle register and set a new standard for R&B-inflected pop vocals. Wilson Phillips : The trio's harmonic anthem