The musical landscape of 1990
Pop, contemporary R&B, hip-hop, country, dance music and alternative rock all found substantial audiences. The chart landscape became less centred on one dominant sound.
The Top 20 is spread across 20 different credited artists, giving the year an unusually broad cast of performers.
What to listen for
Compare the polished rhythmic production of pop and R&B with the rougher textures that entered mainstream rock.
This list contains 20 different credited artists. The number gives a quick indication of whether the year was concentrated among repeat hitmakers or spread across a wider field.
Billboard Year-End Top 20 songs of 1990
| Rank | Song | Artist | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hold On | Wilson Phillips | Spotify ↗ |
| 2 | It Must Have Been Love | Roxette | Spotify ↗ |
| 3 | Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinead OConnor | Spotify ↗ |
| 4 | Poison | Bell Biv DeVoe | Spotify ↗ |
| 5 | Vogue | Madonna | Spotify ↗ |
| 6 | Vision of Love | Mariah Carey | Spotify ↗ |
| 7 | Another Day in Paradise | Phil Collins | Spotify ↗ |
| 8 | Blaze of Glory | Jon Bon Jovi | Spotify ↗ |
| 9 | Ice Ice Baby | Vanilla Ice | Spotify ↗ |
| 10 | We Didnt Start the Fire | Billy Joel | Spotify ↗ |
| 11 | Escapade | Janet Jackson | Spotify ↗ |
| 12 | Black Velvet | Alannah Myles | Spotify ↗ |
| 13 | U Cant Touch This | MC Hammer | Spotify ↗ |
| 14 | How Am I Supposed to Live Without You | Michael Bolton | Spotify ↗ |
| 15 | Cradle of Love | Billy Idol | Spotify ↗ |
| 16 | Love Will Lead You Back | Taylor Dayne | Spotify ↗ |
| 17 | Because I Love You | Stevie B | Spotify ↗ |
| 18 | Dont Know Much | Linda Ronstadt | Spotify ↗ |
| 19 | All Around the World | Lisa Stansfield | Spotify ↗ |
| 20 | I Wanna Be Rich | Calloway | Spotify ↗ |
Build a 1990 playlist
Start with “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips, then alternate familiar high-ranking records with contrasting selections from the lower half of the list.
How this page should be used
Year-End charts summarize performance across an extended chart year. They are not simply a list of songs that reached number one, and historical methodology has changed. Treat this page as a guided listening resource and compact chart-history reference rather than a mathematical comparison with other eras.