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“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like… Books, records, films — these things matter.”
— High Fidelity

Etcetera

Best Songs of 1990

I had a relatively easy time last year putting together my Best of 1989, but for some reason, compiling 100 tracks for just one year later has proven quite difficult. Some of that had to do with pesky, incorrect metadata (forcing me to go back to the drawing board on a handful of tracks at the 11th hour), but mostly it had to do with that strange period of adolescence between listening to whatever is on the radio (and what everyone else is listening to) and finding your own music.

Eleven years old for most of 1990, I was just on the cusp of my lifelong music obsession, and as such, a large chunk of these 100 songs were new to me (or at least new to my library) in the past handful of years. For whatever reason, it wasn't quite as easy to put together as my list for 1985, and only slightly less painful than that for 1980. I’d blame all turn-of-the-decade years for being terrible, but 1970 and 2000 were pretty fantastic, so it must simply be a coincidence.

In any event, as it is every time I undertake this project, I have discovered new artists and new songs in the decades since, and am very happy for that opportunity. I’m also especially glad to see my 11-year-old self butt up against my current self, for there is so much of that push-pull between the past and present on this track list. As such, it is a great summation of all the kinds of music I’ve loved over the past 25 years.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify and my preferred outlet. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available (the ever-iconoclastic Prince and Neil Young strike again), but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

  1. Yo Home to Bel-Air

    Yo Home to Bel-Air

    DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

    Yo Home to Bel-Air 7"

    Jive

    Theme song to the TV show. Officially released in 1992.

  2. To the Extreme

    Ice Ice Baby

    Vanilla Ice

    To the Extreme

    Capitol

    Notes

  3. The Geto Boys

    Scarface

    Geto Boys

    The Geto Boys

    Rap-a-Lot

    Notes

  4. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

    AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

    Ice Cube

    AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

    Priority

    Notes

  5. Poison

    Poison

    Bell Biv DeVoe

    Poison

    MCA

    Notes

  6. Johnny Gill

    Rub You the Right Way

    Johnny Gill

    Johnny Gill

    Motown

    Notes

  7. Father's Day

    I’ll Do 4 U

    Father MC

    Father’s Day

    Uptown

    Notes

  8. World Clique

    Groove Is in the Heart

    Deee-Lite

    World Clique

    Elektra

    Notes

  9. Supernatural

    Elevate My Mind

    Stereo MCs

    Supernatural

    Island

    Notes

  10. Blacks' Magic

    Do You Want Me

    Salt-N-Pepa

    Blacks’ Magic

    Next Plateau

    Notes

  11. The Revival

    Feels Good

    Tony! Toni! Tone!

    The Revival

    Mercury

    Notes

  12. Sex Packets

    The Humpty Dance

    Digital Underground

    Sex Packets

    Tommy Boy

    Notes

  13. Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em

    Pray

    MC Hammer

    Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em

    Capitol

    Notes

  14. Be

    Mama Said Knock You Out

    LL Cool J

    Mama Said Knock You Out

    Def Jam

    Notes

  15. Late Registration

    The Power

    Snap!

    World Power

    Arista

    Notes

  16. Gonna Make You Sweat

    Here We Go, Let’s Rock & Roll

    C+C Music Factory

    Gonna Make You Sweat

    Columbia

    Notes

  17. Dreamland

    Everybody Everybody

    Black Box

    Dreamland

    Sony

    Notes

  18. In the Blood

    I’ve Been Thinking About You

    Londonbeat

    In the Blood

    Radioactive

    Notes

  19. Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1

    Freedom 90

    George Michael

    Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1

    Columbia

    Notes

  20. I'm Breathless

    Vogue

    Madonna

    I’m Breathless

    Sire

    Notes

  21. Bonafide

    Close to You

    Maxi Priest

    Bonafide

    Charisma

    Notes

  22. Graffiti Bridge

    Thieves in the Temple

    Prince

    Graffiti Bridge

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  23. Hindu Love Gods

    Raspberry Beret

    Hindu Love Gods

    Hindu Love Gods

    Giant

    Notes

  24. Dear 23

    Golden Blunders

    The Posies

    Dear 23

    Geffen

    Notes

  25. Swagger

    Love Come Round

    The Blue Aeroplanes

    Swagger

    Ensign

    Notes

  26. All Shook Down

    Merry Go Round

    The Replacements

    All Shook Down

    Reprise

    Notes

  27. Birdbrain

    Birdbrain

    Buffalo Tom

    Birdbrain

    Beggars Banquet

    Notes

  28. Social Distortion

    Ball and Chain

    Social Distortion

    Social Distortion

    Epic

    Notes

  29. Brick By Brick

    Candy

    Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson

    Brick By Brick

    Virgin

    Notes

  30. Charmed Life

    Cradle of Love

    Billy Idol

    Charmed Life

    Chrysalis

    Notes

  31. Repeater

    Repeater

    Fugazi

    Repeater

    Dischord

    Notes

  32. Vertigogo

    Vertigogo

    Erectus Monotone

    Vertigogo 7"

    Merge

    Notes

  33. Just Like Heaven

    Just Like Heaven

    Dinosaur Jr.

    Just Like Heaven 7"

    SST

    Notes

  34. The Weight Is a Gift

    Kool Thing

    Sonic Youth

    Goo

    DGC

    Notes

  35. Nowhere

    Vapour Trail

    Ride

    Nowhere

    Sire

    Notes

  36. This Bird Has Flown

    Fourth of July

    Galaxie 500

    This Is Our Music

    Rough Trade

    Notes

  37. Tristessa

    La Dolly Vita

    Smashing Pumpkins

    Tristessa 7"

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  38. Apple

    Crown of Thorns

    Mother Love Bone

    Apple

    Polygram

    Notes

  39. Empire

    Silent Lucidity

    Queensrÿche

    Empire

    EMI

    Notes

  40. Sadeness - Part I

    Sadeness - Part I

    Enigma

    Sadeness - Part I 12"

    4AD

    Notes

  41. Tom's Diner

    Tom’s Diner

    DNA featuring Suzanne Vega

    Tom’s Diner 7"

    A&M

    Notes

  42. Goddess

    Hippychick

    Soho

    Goddess

    Savage

    Notes

  43. Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches

    Kinky Afro

    Happy Mondays

    Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches

    Factory

    Notes

  44. Lovegod

    I’m Free

    The Soup Dragons

    Lovegod

    Big Life

    Notes

  45. World in Motion

    World in Motion

    New Order

    World in Motion 7"

    Factory

    Notes

  46. Time's Up

    Solace of You

    Living Colour

    Time’s Up

    Epic

    Notes

  47. The Rhythm of the Saints

    The Obvious Child

    Paul Simon

    The Rhythm of the Saints

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  48. Shaking the Tree

    Shaking the Tree

    Peter Gabriel

    Shaking the Tree

    Universal

    Notes

  49. Goodbye Jumbo

    Put the Message in the Box

    World Party

    Goodbye Jumbo

    Papillion

    Notes

  50. The La's

    There She Goes

    The La’s

    The La’s

    Go

    Notes

  51. Submarine Bells

    Heavenly Pop Hit

    The Chills

    Submarine Bells

    Slash

    Notes

  52. The House of Love

    I Don’t Know Why I Love You

    The House of Love

    The House of Love

    Fontana

    Notes

  53. Enjoy the Silence

    Enjoy the Silence (Radio Edit)

    Depeche Mode

    Enjoy the Silence 7"

    Mute

    Full version appears on 1990 LP Violator.

  54. X

    Suicide Blonde

    INXS

    X

    Atlantic

    Notes

  55. Ghost Nation

    When the River Runs Dry

    Hunters & Collectors

    Ghost Nation

    Atlantic

    Notes

  56. Vehicle

    Drawing to a Whole

    The Clean

    Vehicle

    Rough Trade

    Notes

  57. Sunburn

    I’ll Take Anything

    The Blake Babies

    Sunburn

    Mammoth

    Notes

  58. Fakebook

    Did I Tell You

    Yo La Tengo

    Fakebook

    Bar/None

    Notes

  59. The Good Son

    The Ship Song

    NIck Cave & The Bad Seeds

    The Good Son

    Mute

    Notes

  60. 1978 – 1990

    You Won’t Find It Again

    The Go-Betweens

    1978 – 1990

    Beggars Banquet

    Notes

  61. Eye

    Beautiful Girl

    Robyn Hitchcock

    Eye

    Twin/Tone

    Notes

  62. Room to Roam

    How Long Will I Love You

    The Waterboys

    Room to Roam

    Ensign

    Notes

  63. Flood

    Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

    They Might Be Giants

    Flood

    Elektra

    Notes

  64. Lawn Boy

    Bouncing Around the Room

    Phish

    Lawn Boy

    Elektra

    Notes

  65. Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

    Sunset Road

    Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

    Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  66. The Neighborhood

    Angel Dance

    Los Lobos

    The Neighborhood

    Slash

    Notes

  67. Vol. 3

    Where Were You Last Night

    The Traveling Wilburys

    Vol. 3

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  68. No Depression

    Factory Belt

    Uncle Tupelo

    No Depression

    Rockville

    Notes

  69. The Hard Way

    The Other Kind

    Steve Earle

    The Hard Way

    MCA

    Notes

  70. Corn River

    Time Takes Away

    Blood Oranges

    Corn River

    Hi-N-Dry

    Notes

  71. Blues Traveler

    Dropping Some NYC

    Blues Traveler

    Blues Traveler

    A&M

    Notes

  72. Shake Your Moneymaker

    She Talks to Angels

    The Black Crowes

    Shake Your Moneymaker

    American

    Notes

  73. Extreme II - Pornograffiti

    More Than Words

    Extreme

    Extreme II - Pornograffiti

    A&M

    Notes

  74. Bloodletting

    Joey

    Concrete Blonde

    Bloodletting

    Capitol

    Notes

  75. Nomads Indians Saints

    Watershed

    Indigo Girls

    Nomads Indians Saints

    Epic

    Notes

  76. Pale

    Corporal Brown

    Toad the Wet Sprocket

    Pale

    Columbia

    Notes

  77. She's So High

    She’s So High (Edit)

    Blur

    She’s So High 7"

    Food / SBK

    Alternate version appears on 1991 LP Leisure.

  78. Every Beat of the Heart

    Everybody

    The Railway Children

    Every Beat of the Heart

    Virgin

    Notes

  79. Up In It

    You My Flower

    The Afghan Whigs

    Up In It

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  80. The Winding Sheet

    Down in the Dark

    Mark Lanegan

    The Winding Sheet

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  81. Sliver

    Sliver

    Nirvana

    Sliver 7"

    DGC

    Notes

  82. Ragged Glory

    Fuckin’ Up

    Neil Young

    Ragged Glory

    Reprise

    Notes

  83. Facelift

    Man in the Box

    Alice in Chains

    Facelift

    Columbia

    Notes

  84. Plans

    At the Library

    Green Day

    39/Smooth

    Lookout!

    Notes

  85. Against the Grain

    21st Century (Digital Boy)

    Bad Religion

    Against the Grain

    Epitaph

    Notes

  86. Ritual de lo Habitual

    Been Caught Stealing

    Jane’s Addiction

    Ritual de lo Habitual

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  87. Mental Floss for the Globe

    Deeper Shade of Soul

    Urban Dance Squad

    Mental Floss for the Globe

    Arista

    Release in Europe in 1989.

  88. Brown & Proud

    On a Sunday Afternoon

    Lighter Shade of Brown

    Brown & Proud

    Pump

    Notes

  89. Ain't No Shame in My Game

    Knockin’ Boots

    Candyman

    Ain’t No Shame in My Game

    Epic

    Notes

  90. The Future

    Let’s Chill

    Guy

    The Future

    Geffen

    Notes

  91. Hi-Five

    I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)

    Hi-Five

    Hi-Five

    Jive

    Notes

  92. Mariah Carey

    Someday

    Mariah Carey

    Mariah Carey

    Columbia

    Notes

  93. Ralph Tresvant

    Sensitivity

    Ralph Tresvant

    Ralph Tresvant

    Universal

    Notes

  94. Down to Earth

    It’s a Shame (My Sister)

    Monie Love

    Down to Earth

    Warner Bros.

    Notes

  95. People's Instinctive Travels

    Bonita Applebaum

    A Tribe Called Quest

    People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

    Jive

    Notes

  96. Haughty Melodic

    Hold On

    En Vogue

    Born to Sing

    Atlantic

    Notes

  97. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

    Nothing Compares 2 U

    Sinead O’Connor

    I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

    Ensign

    Notes

  98. Reading, Writing & Arithmetic

    Here’s Where the Story Ends

    The Sundays

    Reading, Writing & Arithmetic

    Rough Trade

    Notes

  99. She Hangs Brightly

    Give You My Lovin

    Mazzy Star

    She Hangs Brightly

    Capitol

    Notes

  100. 1990

    Some Things Last a Long Time

    Daniel Johnston

    1990

    Shimmy Disc

    Notes