Top Songs of 1991

The musical landscape of 1991

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.

Amy Grant appears 2 times in the Top 20, making the artist one of the clearest recurring presences in this year’s list.

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 16 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 1991

Build a 1991 playlist

Start with “I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams, then alternate familiar high-ranking records with contrasting selections from the lower half of the list.

Open the playlist builder

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.