Hello, and welcome to the countdown of my alternative number one singles of the 1990's. Some are the same, some are brand new. In order to do this, I looked at every Top 20 chart from the decade and merely selected my favourite track from each week to top the chart. There are a few rules:

 

1) No climbing back up to number one once a track has already been there

2) A number one might not necessarily be my favourite track that week, but for the interest of keeping the thread fresh, I removed it to make space for another track to reign

3) Only songs that charted in The Top 20 are eligible.

 

Enjoy!!

January 1990

#639: 13/01/1990 - New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough
2 Weeks @ #1
Real Peak: #1
Displaces: None. NKOTB were #1 on 7th January 1990.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/72/Hangin'_Tough_single.jpg/220px-Hangin'_Tough_single.jpg

Not the most auspicious start to the decade I grant you, but of all the songs in the Top 20 from the first fortnight of the 1990's this was the one that was most familiar to me, the only other one I really knew was Kylie's overly twee cover of "Tears On My Pillow" which is a record I've never really liked itself, let alone her cover. This isn't great, I don't even really like it all that much, but it was the best of a pretty poor bunch (for me anyway).

#640: 20/01/1990 - Mantronix - Got To Have Your Love
1 Week @ #1
Real Peak: #2
Displaces: None. #1 on 14/01/90 was New Kids On The Block

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/53/Mantronix_Got_to_Have_Your_Love.jpg/220px-Mantronix_Got_to_Have_Your_Love.jpg

'The Perks of Being a Millenial' - for years I just naturally assumed that this was a Liberty X original, but the original is just so much better than their version.

#641: 27/01/1990 - Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
2 Weeks @ #1
Real Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
Displaces: Kylie Minogue - Tears On My Pillow (27/01/90). Next week was O'Connor anyway

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e6/Nothingcompares2u.jpg/220px-Nothingcompares2u.jpg

Many refer to this track as the first classic track of the '90s and I'm very inclined to agree. Pretty much everyone knows of this tune, and to be honest, it's near universal acclaim always confused me when I was younger, probably naivety, but I can appreciate it's brilliance now. It's just so emotional and well-done.

#1 Of The Month

What else was it going to be?

Ooh I like this idea! 'Nothing Compares...' is so hauntingly beautiful.

NC2U just outshines everything released that January by a mile, the closest any other track comes to its brilliance is probably Lonnie Gordon's Happenin All Over Again.

10th February 1990: #642. Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/09/Dubbegoodtome.jpg/220px-Dubbegoodtome.jpg

 

1 week @ #1

Real Peak: #1

Instead of: Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

Actual Position This Week: 15

 

The second classic of the '90s and my favourite charting track thus far. I was inspired to look up this back in 2010 after Professor Green and Lily Allen sampled/covered it on 'Just Be Good to Green'. Obviously, OBVIOUSLY, the original is heads and shoulders above that and also seems to be one of the earliest hip-hop oriented number one singles. It only manages one week here, as opposed to four in reality, but that's all down to one of my all-time favourite tracks debuting next week. I like to imagine this stayed behind our next number one at #2 for quite some time.

 

Edited October 5, 201410 yr by James Silkstone

17th February 1990: #643. Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/DepecheModeEnjoyTheSilence.jpg/220px-DepecheModeEnjoyTheSilence.jpg

6 weeks @ #1
Real Peak: #6
Instead Of: Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (17/02 & 24/02), Beats International - Dub Be Good To Me (03/03, 10/03, 17/03, 24/03)
Actual Position(s): 17-6-6-6-12-20

Literally one of my ALL-TIME favourite tracks, this is definitely my Y/E #1 for 1990 and I'll be honest; we're already at the longest lasting number one of the decade and it's only February 1990! There's just such an epic and quite emotive feel to this tune, though it's only my 3rd favourite of the '90s, the other two do show up here but will not be spending quite as long as number one as neither were in the Top 20 all that long. If this had stayed in the Top 20 for more than six weeks, it would've been here for more than six weeks. Absolutely electric and brilliant song!

When I look at the number 1s, particularly of early 1990 it does make me weep a little when comparing it with the very same list for 2014. What the hell happened? I mean "Nothing Compares 2 U", "Dub Be Good To Me", "The Power", "Vogue", "Killer" and "World In Motion" is possibly one of the strongest consecutive run of UK #1s, of all-time. Granted, it goes rapidly downhill after that in 1990 however.

 

Anyway, "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a solid gold classic - Sinead has a very powerful voice, but unlike the Mariah Carey's of the world she uses restraint, and saves only the most dramatic of lyrics for her quite sensational vocal skills (unlike Carey who insists on showing off and blasting out like a bloody fog horn ending up ruining most of the songs she sings). Prince's original pales into comparison with Sinead's, which has a subtle string accompaniment highlighting the melancholic chord progressions throughout the song and a slow hip hop beat punctuated by loud drum snares. As a package it is a perfect pop single, no wonder it took off 30-3-{1} en route to #1.

 

"Dub Beats Good To Me" was RUINED by Prof. Green (crap name for a rapper), the original is actually a re-recording of an old SOS Band single that got to #13 in 1984 entitled "Just Be Good To Me". Norman Cook's (aka Fatboy Slim) first number one was actually with the Housemartins 3 years earlier in early 1987 ("Caravan of Love") but THIS was what he preferred to do, mashing up beats. In this case it was the beat from The Clash's "Guns Of Brixton" and Lindy Layton's vocals, adding the american DJ patter 'Tank fly boss walk jam nitty gritty…' to give it that USP. Great track!

It is an incredible run of #1s - I heard almost all of them (knowingly) for the first time at the beginning of 2004 when VH1 spent the entire afternoon playing every #1 from some point in the 80s to present day, and was glued to the screen for about half an hour. Even back then, what I was hearing seemed so massively better than anything in the charts at the time and this was when I was fifteen.

 

'Enjoy the Silence' at #1 would have been bloody amazing though.

31st March 1990: #644. The B-52's - Love Shack

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f7/Loveshack.jpg/220px-Loveshack.jpg

1 week @ #1
Real Peak: #2
Instead Of: Snap! - The Power
Actual Position This Week: 2

A record I know that is fairly divisive, but I've always found this very enjoyable and fun, and I preferred it to Snap's "The Power" which has always annoyed me (though I do like some of their later stuff)

07th April 1990: #645. Madonna - Vogue

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/81/Madonna,_Vogue_cover.png/220px-Madonna,_Vogue_cover.png

3 weeks @ #1
Real Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
Instead Of: Snap - The Power! (07/04/90). 14/04/90 and 21/04/90 had Madonna at #1.
Actual Position(s): 04-01-01

Undeniably iconic, 'Vogue' in reality was one of two number ones for Madonna during the 1990's, though she manages a few more here - though they aren't really until the second half of the decade. She's always been an artist of two halves for me; I either find her terrible or brilliant. 'Vogue' probably doesn't even rank in my top ten favourite Madonna singles, but it's still an undeniable classic, and let's face it - a rundown of 90's song would feel kind of wrong without it.

You can have four today to make up for an unforseen but prolonged absence...

 

28th April 1990: #646. Alannah Myles - Black Velvet

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0c/Alannah_Myles_Black_Velvet_Cover.jpg/220px-Alannah_Myles_Black_Velvet_Cover.jpg

 

1 week @ #1

Real Peak: #2

Instead Of: Madonna - Vogue

Actual Position(s): #2

 

A song I've only recently discovered, I couldn't really deny this a week at number one it's absolutely fan-bloody-tastic.

 

05th May 1990: #647. Adamski & Seal - Killer

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/Adamskikiller.jpg/220px-Adamskikiller.jpg

 

1 week @ #1

Real Peak: #1 (4 weeks)

Instead Of: Madonna - Vogue

Actual Position: 4

 

Many have already said that the run of number ones between Sinead O'Connor and Englandneworder is one of the best in UK Chart History and though I've changed it up a little, I'm inclined to agree. This song in particular is bloody fantastic and about the only thing Seal has ever done that I've liked.

 

12th May 1990: #648. Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e3/Betterthedevilyouknow.jpg/220px-Betterthedevilyouknow.jpg

 

4 weeks @ #1

Real Peak: #2

Instead Of: Adamski - Killer (all 4 weeks)

Actual Position(s): 5-2-2-3

 

My all-time favourite Kylie single now, and her first number one of my alternative decade. In reality, she only managed one number one during the 90's and it was pretty substandard and one of her weakest singles; a real shame considering how much I enjoy a lot of her 90's stuff. She gets three other number ones on this thread - can you guess them?

 

09th June 1990: #649. Englandneworder - World In Motion

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7d/Neworderworldinmotion.jpg/220px-Neworderworldinmotion.jpg

2 weeks @ #1
Real Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
Instead Of: None.
Actual Position(s): 01-01

I normally don't like football anthems, but there's something about this one that I actually find quite emotional, and I even like John Barnes's rap.

Massive yes at Black Velvet! That's gotta be in my top ten of the 90s. Perfection.

My all-time favourite Kylie single now, and her first number one of my alternative decade. In reality, she only managed one number one during the 90's and it was pretty substandard and one of her weakest singles; a real shame considering how much I enjoy a lot of her 90's stuff. She gets three other number ones on this thread - can you guess them?

 

The next two and one that takes place in September 1994?

 

Loving all of these, 1990's #1s really were spot on.

23rd June 1990: #650. Wilson Phillips - Hold On

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/Wilson_Phillips_Hold_On_single_cover.jpg/220px-Wilson_Phillips_Hold_On_single_cover.jpg

 

3 weeks @ #1

Real Peak: #6

Instead Of: Elton John - Sacrifice (23/06, 30/06, 07/07)

Real Positions: 8-6-8

 

Cheesy? Yes. Cliched? Yes. Genuinely inspiring? Not particularly. Good pop single? Yes.