The Best Of 1990 - part 4

JUMP TO: 100-76 II 75-51 II 50-26 II 25-1

Just a few years earlier, my end of year chart had a significant overlap with the list of highest-selling singles in Australia - but in 1990, my top 100 and the annual ARIA chart were quite different.

Paula Abdul's feline friend helped her land her biggest hit in 1990

Big hits by Sinead O'Connor, Alannah Myles, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Concrete Blonde, Peter Blakeley, Heart and, er, Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2 are nowhere to be seen on my chart of top songs for the year.

On the flipside, half of my top 25 songs from 1990 didn't even crack the weekly ARIA chart locally. The majority were hits in the UK, while a couple... well, you'll see...


Number 25 "Killer" by Adamski
We start off this batch of songs with a UK number 1 which failed to make the Australian top 100 at all. But, it's a song plenty of Australians will be familiar with since the featured (but not credited) vocalist was Seal, who recorded his own version of the track for his debut solo album. While Seal sold well here, the singer's new version of "Killer" only just managed to slip into the chart - it peaked at number 95. Producer Adamski (real name: Adam Tinley) looked like he'd have a promising career, with "Killer" the middle of three UK chart hits, but just as Seal took off as an artist in his own right, Adamski's time in the spotlight came to an end. The dance classic was also covered by George Michael (on his Five Live EP) and German dance act ATB as "Killer 2000", both of which made the Australian top 40.

Number 24 "Got To Have Your Love" by Mantronix featuring Wondress
Another song that missed the Australian top 100 altogether but charted in a cover version years later (Liberty X's remake made number 75 in 2002), this was a big UK top 5 hit early in 1990. Led by Kurtis Mantronik (who would finally score an Aussie top 40 hit in 2003 with "How Did You Know"), Mantronix went through quite the transformation in 1990 following the departure of rapper MC Tee, with their sound moving further away from hip-hop and more towards club music. Singer Wondress (her real name!) would return for follow-up "Take Your Time" (number 126 on this list).

Number 23 "Hang Onto Your Love" by Jason Donovan
After a pretty impressive 1989 - he had the highest-selling album in the UK and a string of hits both there and in Australia - Jason struggled in 1990. By "only" reaching number 8 in the UK, this second single from Between The Lines was his least successful to date. I don't even know if it or his next single, "Another Night" (number 45 on this list), were released in Australia. If "Hang Onto You Love" did come out here, it missed the top 100, despite having a video which looked like a commercial for Cottee's cordial; if it didn't, it was probably a good move since local interest in Jason had dropped right off. Personally, while I was more than happy to defiantly declare my love for Kylie Minogue's music at high school, I doubt I would have 'fessed up too loudly to also being a fan of Jason's songs.

Number 22 "Fascinaing Rhythm" by Bass-o-matic
This is getting a bit predictable... big UK hit (number 9), total flop in Australia, classic dance track with a link to a performer who would eventually have local success - in this case, William Orbit. Years before he twiddled the knobs for Madonna and All Saints, and helped turn Barber's "Adagio For Strings" into a trance anthem, the producer/performer formed this dance group. This was their most successful single, but I also liked "Funky Love Vibrations" from their second and final album, Science And Melody.

Number 21 "Enjoy The Silence" by Depeche Mode
1990 was a big year for this long-running synthpop group turned stadium-filling mega-band - just not in Australia. The second single from Violator returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time since 1984 and gave them their first and, to date, only US top 10 hit.
I came across this song on the double cassette of Now That's What I Call Music 17, which my sister brought back for me from the UK. I had forgotten all about Depeche Mode since liking early '80s tracks like "Just Can't Get Enough" and "People Are People", and this reignited my interest in them.
I got right into the Violator album - which also included "World In My Eyes" (number 35 on this list) and "Policy Of Truth" (number 44) - and snapped up Songs Of Faith And Devotion when it came out a few years later. I then reversed through the group's back catalogue, picking up all the albums I'd missed along the way - and Depeche Mode now rank as one of my favourite groups of all time.
They have a new album, Delta Machine, out in a couple of months' time - and I hoping it's as good as 2005's Playing The Angel and a lot better than their last offering, the disappointing Sounds Of The Universe.

Number 20 "I Wanna Make Love" by Colours
Just for something different - a song that went nowhere anywhere, failing to make the Australian top 100 or the UK top 75. I came across the track when it got a random play on a Saturday morning music show and snapped up the 7" single, which I still have. I don't know anything about the group, except that they had an album called Rules Of Attraction, which I also ended up tracking down on CD years later so I could have the song on CD, only to find the album version was longer - and if there's one thing I like more than anything else when it comes to music, it's 7" versions or radio edits. I regularly check eBay for a copy of the CD single...

Number 19 "If I Have To Stand Alone" by Lonnie Gordon
1990 was not a good year for producers Stock Aitken Waterman - or their latest artist. Although things started off swimmingly, with Lonnie's "Happenin' All Over Again" reaching number 4 in the UK (and number 33 in Australia), by November, when this track came out, it could only manage a single week at number 68. Needless to say, it completely stiffed in Australia. As far as SAW were concerned, it was one of many disasters for them that year - some tracks were deserved flops, but this song and Lonnie's other single from 1990, "Beyond Your Wildest Dreams", were just as worthy as "Happenin'..." (which is still to come) of becoming hits.

Number 18 "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson
Mentioned below

Number 17 "Only Your Love" by Bananarama
From an act new to SAW to one who was (kind of) leaving them behind, Bananarama branched out musically with this first single from their Pop Life album. That album did feature two SAW productions, but neither of them were singles. Instead, they worked with in-demand producer Youth (who was behind credible dance act Blue Pearl and had, coincidentally, been a member of SAW-produced group Brilliant back in the mid-'80s) and, on this track, sampled The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. It wasn't as big a musical shift as it sounds, with the girls' pop sensibility firmly in place - but it probably was too cool for the kids and not cool enough for the indie crowd, resulting in a much lower chart position than Bananarama had recently become accustomed to. In Australia, it narrowly missed the top 50, peaking at number 51.

Number 16 "Blue Savannah" by Erasure
Unlike Bananarama, fellow '80s survivors Erasure were still very much in favour and landed their highest charting single from Wild! in the UK with this, the album's third single. Vince and Andy were really on a roll at this point in their career, with another four years of big UK hits still to come, including "Star" (number 97 on this list). But, yep, you guessed it, in Australia, "Blue Savannah" didn't chart inside the top 100.

Number 15 "World In Motion..." by England New Order
Finally, a song that people in Australia actually bought! (In fairness, Janet's entry back at number 18 also did well, but we'll talk about that later) Why Australians bought a British soccer anthem, however, is another matter. "World In Motion" was the latest in a long line of UK "football songs", released in support of a team's sporting efforts - in this case, the national team, which was competing in that year's World Cup. In Australia, enough people either supported the British team or liked New Order (or both) to send the song to number 21 on the chart.  

Number 14 "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
This was already a great album track crying out for a single release, but throw in a rap from a cartoon cat, who also dances with the singer, and the result was amazing - and a number 1 smash around the world, including in Australia (for two weeks). MC Skat Kat (the Ks made him extra kool) only performed the two raps in the song, with the male part of the back-and-forth vocal supplied by The Wild Pair (Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn). "Opposites Attract" would be Paula's only chart-topper in Australia ("Rush Rush" spent three weeks at number 2 in 1991), but in the US, it was her fourth of six number 1s.

Number 13 "So Hard" by Pet Shop Boys
Previously featured here

Number 12 "One Thing Leads To Another" by Yell!
Remember back at number 19 when I said 1990 was a bad year for Stock Aitken Waterman? Well, here's another song they produced which failed miserably. And, unlike songs they worked on for the likes of Kakko, Delage and Romi & Jazz, "One Thing Leads To Another" had the advantage of being the follow-up to a UK top 10 hit. At the start of the year, the duo comprised of Paul Varney and Daniel James had taken a pretty ordinary cover version of Dan Hartman's "Instant Replay" to number 10, so it's even more surprising this SAW original completely bombed. Paul would go on to record a couple of solo flops with SAW - one of which will pop up quite high in my 1991 chart.

Number 11 "Insect" by Boxcar
So far, all the songs we've seen which didn't work in Australia have been by UK artists (or, in the case of Jason Donovan, a local artist based in the UK), but here's an Australian band who couldn't land a hit in their home country. The reason might have been because Boxcar sounded like they were a UK synthpop band and, clearly, that was not a popular genre in this country at the time. Routinely compared to New Order - and there were obvious similarities - Boxcar had a number of awesome songs, including this track and their sole ARIA top 100 entry, "Gas Stop (Who Do You Think You Are)" (number 41 on this list). Despite the lack of success for the singles and debut album Vertigo, the band returned in 1994 with a second studio album - and more underappreciated songs.

Number 10 "Make It Easy On Me" by Sybil
Previously featured here

Number 9 "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite
Certainly the most unique new act of 1990, Deee-Lite hit it out of the park with this debut single, hitting number 1 in Australia and famously being denied the top spot in the UK due to a re-release of "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band selling an almost identical amount of copies. Although they're considered a one-hit wonder, Deee-Lite did slip into the bottom of most major charts with follow-up "Power Of Love" (number 87 on this list) - and I also liked 1991's "Good Beat".

Number 8 "Vogue" by Madonna
With the singles from Like A Prayer starting to bring back ever-diminishing returns, Madonna returned to the studio and came up with "Vogue", inspired by a dance style that actually been around for some time without most people noticing. In Australia and Europe, "Vogue" was released as a double A-side with "Keep It Together", and duly became the latest in a long line of number 1 singles. In the US, "Keep It Together" had already charted and so "Vogue" hit the top spot there in its own right.

Number 7 "Step Back In Time" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here

Number 6 "Handful Of Promises" by Big Fun
Previously featured here

Number 5 "Escapade" Janet Jackson
Like Madonna and Paula Abdul, as well as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, who we saw back in Part 3, Janet was a regular visitor to the number 1 spot in the US. 1990 was a time when albums were mined for singles, with "Escapade" becoming the third of seven releases from Rhythm Nation 1814 - and the second of four that reached the top spot. It's my favourite Janet single of all time, a feeling not shared by much of Australia, since the song only reached number 25 here. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" (number 18 on this list) was another US chart-topper and did quite well here, reaching number 14 - and also featured a video in which Janet ditched the military wear and long jackets for a sexy new look. We'd be seeing a lot more of that body in the following years...

Number 4 "Don't Worry" by Kim Appleby
Making a triumphant return to the UK music scene, Kim was one half of '80s pop duo Mel & Kim and had tragically lost sister Mel to cancer at the very start of the year. "Don't Worry" was always going to be successful as a show of support for Kim by the British public - but it was a great song as well, the first of a number of poppy solo singles she recorded without help from previous producers SAW. Some of the tunes on her self-titled album were co-writtern with Mel, and had been intended for the second Mel & Kim album. Unfortunately, Kim's return to the charts never translated to Australia.

Number 3 "Better The Devil You Know" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here

Number 2 "Happenin' All Over Again" by Lonnie Gordon
Mentioned above and previously featured here

Number 1 "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Jimmy Somerville
In a year with such classic singles from some of pop's leading ladies, it sometimes surprises me that this is my top song for 1990, but at the time, I loved this remake of the Sylvester disco track and bought the 12" single on import - something I rarely did, since the purchase set me back close to $20, a fortune at the time. Jimmy had moved on from Communards by this stage, but maintained his habit of turning old songs into hits all over again - at least in the UK, where this went to number 5. In Australia, it struggled to a high of number 76.

My top 200 singles for 1990 in full:

1        YOU MAKE ME FEEL (MIGHTY REAL) Jimmy Somerville

2        HAPPENIN' ALL OVER AGAIN Lonnie Gordon

3        BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue

4        DON'T WORRY Kim Appleby

5        ESCAPADE Janet Jackson

6        HANDFUL OF PROMISES Big Fun

7        STEP BACK IN TIME Kylie Minogue

8        VOGUE Madonna

9        GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite

10      MAKE IT EASY ON ME Sybil

11      INSECT Boxcar

12      ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER Yell!

13      SO HARD Pet Shop Boys

14      OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul (Duet with The Wild Pair)

15      WORLD IN MOTION... England New Order

16      BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure

17      ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama

18      LOVE WILL NEVER DO (WITHOUT YOU) Janet Jackson

19      IF I HAVE TO STAND ALONE Lonnie Gordon

20      I WANNA MAKE LOVE Colours

21      ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode

22      FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-o-matic

23      HANG ONTO YOUR LOVE Jason Donovan

24      GOT TO HAVE YOUR LOVE Mantronix featuring Wondress

25      KILLER Adamski

26      I CAN'T SAY GOODBYE Kim Wilde

27      I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE Black Box

28      KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West

29      TWO TO MAKE IT RIGHT Seduction

30      I NEED YOUR BODY Tina Arena

31      LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne

32      SUMMER RAIN Belinda Carlisle

33      HOLD ON Wilson Phillips            

34      THINK Information Society

35      WORLD IN MY EYES Depeche Mode

36      GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT Pebbles

37      THAT'S WHAT I CALL LOVE Kate Ceberano

38      I'M YOUR BABY TONIGHT / YVONNE TURNER MIX Whitney Houston

39      FANTASY Black Box

40      VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey

41      GAS STOP (WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?) Boxcar

42      MADLY IN LOVE Bros

43      HELLO The Beloved

44      POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode

45      ANOTHER NIGHT Jason Donovan

46      CAN'T STOP After 7

47      GET UP! (BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER) Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

48      LOVE CHILD Sweet Sensation

49      TIME Kim Wilde

50      RUB YOU THE RIGHT WAY Johnny Gill   

51      DON'T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child

52      BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL They Might Be Giants

53      YOUR LOVE TAKES ME HIGHER The Beloved

54      I'M NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP The Brat Pack

55      MILES AND MILES Noiseworks

56      DANCING IN THE STORM / MOUNTAIN OF STRENGTH Boom Crash Opera

57      ESCAPING Margaret Urlich

58      ROOM AT THE TOP Adam Ant

59      SHE AIN'T WORTH IT Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown

60      WORLD IN PERFECT HARMONY Kim Wilde

61      RUNAWAY HORSES Belinda Carlisle

62      THE ONLY ONE I KNOW The Charlatans

63      ROAM The B-52's

64      GOOD LOVE Klymaxx

65      THAT MAN (HE’S ALL MINE) Inner City

66      STEP BY STEP New Kids On The Block

67      ROMEO Dino

68      YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN The Brat Pack

69      NUMBER ONE (REMEMBER WHEN WE DANCED ALL NIGHT) Margaret Urlich

70      TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved

71      TENDER LOVER Babyface featuring Bobby Brown

72      I'M NOT GONNA STAND FOR THIS (NO MORE) Johnnie O

73      INFINITY (1990s… TIME FOR THE GURU) Guru Josh

74      CAN'T GET ENOUGH (OF YOUR LOVE) Kim Wilde

75      FEELS GOOD Tony Toni Tone

76      DUB BE GOOD TO ME Beats International featuring Lindy Layton

77      BEING BORING Pet Shop Boys

78      SHOW ME HEAVEN Maria McKee

79      EACH AND EVERY TIME Sweet Sensation

80      THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW Brother Beyond

81      I DON'T HAVE THE HEART James Ingram

82      NOTHING TO LOSE S'Express

83      24 HOURS Betty Boo

84      (YOU'RE MY ONE AND ONLY) TRUE LOVE Seduction

85      EVERYBODY EVERYBODY Black Box

86      HEARTBEAT Seduction

87      POWER OF LOVE Deee-Lite

88      IT'S HERE Kim Wilde

89      IF WISHES CAME TRUE Sweet Sensation

90      WHERE ARE YOU BABY? Betty Boo

91      ALL I'M MISSING IS YOU Glenn Medeiros

92      TALK ABOUT IT Boom Crash Opera

93      HOLD ON En Vogue

94      I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR The Chimes

95      ROCK THE BOAT Delage

96      DOIN' THE DO Betty Boo

97      STAR Erasure

98      PRAY MC Hammer

99      MY KINDA GIRL Babyface

100    FAIRWEATHER FRIEND Johnny Gill

101    STRONG AS STEEL Tina Arena

102    ROCKIN' OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

103    DON'T YOU LOVE ME 49ers

104    HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League

105    HOW LONG Information Society

106    REPUTATION Dusty Springfield

107    LOVE AND EMOTION Stevie B

108    READ MY LIPS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) Jimmy Somerville

109    WHOLE WIDE WORLD A’me Lorain

110    VIOLENCE OF SUMMER (LOVE'S TAKING OVER) Duran Duran

111    DON'T CHA THINK After 7

112    UNBELIEVEABLE E.M.F.

113    I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU Londonbeat

114    CRAZY The Boys

115    AFTER THE RAIN Titiyo

116    NOT THRU BEING WITH YOU Michael Jeffries with Karyn White

117    U CAN'T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer

118    POISON Bell Biv Devoe

119    SENSITIVITY Ralph Tresvant

120    HOW LONGER 49ers

121    HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton

122    SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins

123    I PROMISED MYSELF Nick Kamen

124    LIVIN’ IN THE LIGHT Caron Wheeler

125    FREEDOM '90 George Michael

126    TAKE YOUR TIME Mantronix featuring Wondress

127    FOLLOW MY HEARTBEAT A’me Lorain

128    DISAPPEAR INXS

129    EVERYTHING Jody Watley

130    LOVE TAKES TIME Mariah Carey

131    COME BACK TO ME Janet Jackson

132    WATER Martika

133    BREAKAWAY (REMIX) Donna Summer

134    BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS Lonnie Gordon

135    ONLY MY HEART CALLING Margaret Urlich

136    DANGEROUS Roxette

137    HEAVEN GIVE ME WORDS Propaganda

138    NEVER GONNA STOP Indecent Obsession

139    BAD OF THE HEART George Lammond

140    HIDE AND SEEK Pajama Party

141    SECOND CHANCE Tyler Collins

142    IMPULSIVE Wilson Phillips

143    GROOVY TRAIN The Farm

144    LET'S HANG ON Shooting Party

145    LITTLE BROTHER Blue Pearl

146    TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek

147    LIES En Vogue

148    DIRTY CASH The Adventures of Stevie V

149    NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl

150    INNOCENT The Whispers

151    I CALL YOUR NAME a-ha

152    I'M FREE Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid

153    CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest

154    WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International

155    YOU CAN'T DENY IT Lisa Stansfield

156    PEOPLE Soul II Soul

157    REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones

158    SITTIN IN THE LAP OF LUXURY Louie Louie

159    GHETTO HEAVEN Family Stand

160    WHAT TIME IS LOVE? The KLF

161    (WE WANT) THE SAME THING Belinda Carlisle

162    PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael

163    LOVE COMES TO MIND The Chimes

164    COULD HAVE TOLD YOU SO Halo James

165    RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW Jesus Jones

166    CRAZY FOR YOU Sybil featuring Salt 'n' Pepa

167    SAY A PRAYER Breathe

168    KEEP IT TOGETHER Madonna

169    LOVE MAKES THINGS HAPPEN Pebbles / Babyface

170    MISSING YOU Soul II Soul

171    LOVE SAW IT Karyn White / Babyface

172    TINGLES (EP) Ratcat

173    TONIGHT New Kids On The Block

174    THING CALLED LOVE The Boys

175    GIRLS NITE OUT Tyler Collins

176    SERIOUS Duran Duran

177    IT’S A SHAME (MY SISTER) Monie Love featuring True Image

178    HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED) Chad Jackson

179    SHINE ON House Of Love

180    THIS IS HOW IT FEELS Inspiral Carpets

181    WHIPAPPEAL Babyface

182    WHAT DID I DO TO YOU Lisa Stansfield

183    LET’S PUSH IT Innocence

184    MAKE YOU SWEAT Keith Sweat

185    ALL MY LIFE Linda Ronstadt / Aaron Neville

186    IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette

187    NATURAL THING Innocence

188    READY OR NOT After 7

189    FOUR BACHERACH AND DAVID SONGS (EP) Deacon Blue

190    THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince

191    DO ME Bell Biv Devoe

192    HEAT OF THE MOMENT After 7

193    NOBODY Tongue ‘n’ Cheek

194    SILENT VOICE Innocence

195    COUNTING EVERY MINUTE Sonia

196    THE MASTERPLAN Diana Brown & Barry K Sharpe

197    ELEVATE MY MIND Stereo MCs

198    DON'T MISS THE PARTY LINE Bizz Nizz

199    WAITING FOR THAT DAY George Michael

200    COULD THIS BE LOVE Seduction

On Thursday, we return to 1988 for my ARIA chart recap, and we'll be taking a look at the singles and albums chart from 25 years ago this week.

MY YEAR-END CHARTS

1979 II 1980 II 1981 II 1982 II 1983 II 1984 II 1985 II 1986 II 1987 II 1988 II 1989

1990 II 1991 II 1992 II 1993 II 1994 II 1995 II 1996 II 1997 II 1998 II 1999

2000 II 2001 II 2002 II 2003 II 2004 II 2005 II 2006 II 2007 II 2008 II 2009

2010 II 2011 II 2012 II 2013 II 2014 II 2015 II 2016 II 2017 II 2018 II 2019