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This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1991.
Although the year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough, heavy metal was still the dominant form of rock music for the year. [1] Therefore, Nirvana's Nevermind , led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", was not the most popular U.S. album of the year. The most popular album was Metallica's self-titled "black album". Nirvana's success was eventually followed by other grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots, as grunge climbed the U.S. charts for the next few years. Its success eventually ended the reign of the glam metal and other hard rock groups that enjoyed massive success in the 1980s like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, and Ratt, whose sales were still going strong by 1991. Also during the year, the rock band Guns N' Roses's popularity flourished with the release of their albums Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II , both selling over 15 million copies total. Def Leppard's next album Adrenalize , released in March 1992, would go on to reach multi-platinum status and prove to be the last major commercial success for 1980s hair metal. A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory is released this year; it would go on to be considered one of the best hip hop albums of the 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest, along with De La Soul, Dream Warriors, Gang Starr and the Poor Righteous Teachers, help define what comes to be known as alternative rap with important releases this year.
On November 24, the death of Freddie Mercury, who had confirmed to the press that he had AIDS only a day before his death, [2] came as a shock to millions of fans and the music industry. The remaining members of Queen formed the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the following year, a tribute concert would be staged in Wembley Stadium, in front of a sell-out crowd. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (released as a double A-side with "These Are the Days of Our Lives") went to number one for the second time in the U.K.. It is also the only time a single has gone to number one more than once on the UK Christmas charts.
During the year, Billboard started using Nielsen SoundScan for its sales source for the music charts. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Nielsen on 1 March 1991. The 25 May issue of Billboard published Billboard 200 and Country Album charts based on SoundScan "piece count data," and the first Hot 100 chart to debut with the system was released on 30 November 1991. Previously, Billboard tracked sales by calling stores across the U.S. and asking about sales – a method that was inherently error-prone and open to outright fraud. Indeed, while transitioning from the calling to tracking methods, the airplay and sales charts (already monitored by Nielsen) and the Hot 100 (then still using the calling system) often did not match (for instance Paula Abdul's "Promise of a New Day" and Roxette's "Fading Like a Flower" reached much higher Hot 100 peaks than their actual sales and airplay would have allowed them to). Although most record company executives conceded that the new method was far more accurate than the old, the chart's volatility and its geographical balance initially caused deep concern, before the change and the market shifts it brought about were accepted across the industry. Tower Records, the country's second-largest retail chain, was originally not included in the sample because its stores are equipped with different technology to measure sales. At first, some industry executives complained that the new system – which relied on high-tech sales measurement rather than store employee estimates – was based on an inadequate sample, one that favored established and mainstream acts over newcomers.
1991 was also the year CCM, or contemporary Christian music, reached a new peak. Amy Grant, who had already crossed back and forth between CCM and Contemporary Pop in the mid-80s, achieved her first solo No. 1 hit on the pop charts with the hit single "Baby Baby," becoming the first single by a CCM artist to reach No. 1 (despite the fact the song was a pop song and was void of any Christian references). Another single, "That's What Love Is For," would also top the charts, this time in the Adult Contemporary field. Meanwhile, Grant's album Heart In Motion reaches No. 11 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the Christian chart despite its non-religious objective, and quickly becomes a best-seller. Another CCM crossover artist in 1991 is Michael W. Smith, who achieves a Top Ten pop hit with his single "Place In This World." The subsequent album, Go West Young Man , is also a hit. Jon Gibson's hit "Jesus Loves Ya" still holds the record as the longest playing hit single in Christian music history. The track spent eleven weeks at No. 1 and became the top selling CCM single of 1991. [3] Only three artists received more airplay on Christian radio stations in that year other than Gibson; Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and BeBe & CeCe Winans.
The massive success of Garth Brooks in this year set the stage for the mid-1990s influx of pop-oriented country musicians. Several soon-to-be pivotal bands formed or released debut recordings, including Dave Matthews Band, Live, Phish, Spin Doctors and stoner metal (Kyuss, Sleep, The Obsessed). Massive Attack's Blue Lines , pioneered the sound that would eventually become known as trip hop. Entombed's Clandestine and Dismember's Like an Ever Flowing Stream were early releases from the Scandinavian metal scene. In the US, New York death metal band Suffocation released their debut full-length Effigy of the Forgotten , often considered one of the most influential of extreme metal albums. Trance music rose to prominence in the underground dance scene of Frankfurt, Germany, pioneered by such producers as Dance 2 Trance and Resistance D. U2 released their seventh album Achtung Baby , considered by many of their fans to be their best. Metallica's self-titled album was their most commercially successful, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers broke through to the mainstream with Blood Sugar Sex Magik . R.E.M. released their massive commercial breakthrough album Out of Time .
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1991.
# | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bryan Adams | (Everything I Do) I Do it For You | 1991 | ![]() | UK 1 - Jun 1991 (25 weeks), US Billboard 1 - Jun 1991 (22 weeks), US BB 1 of 1991, US CashBox 1 of 1991, ARC 1 of 1991 (peak 1 17 weeks), US Radio 1 of 1991 (peak 1 12 weeks), Holland 1 - Jul 1991 (21 weeks), Sweden 1 - Aug 1991 (15 weeks), Finland 1 for 1 week - Aug 1991, Austria 1 - Aug 1991 (8 months), Brazil 1 of 1991, Switzerland 1 - Jul 1991 (34 weeks), Norway 1 - Jul 1991 (21 weeks), Poland 1 - Jul 1991 (44 weeks), Belgium 1 - Jul 1991 (20 weeks), Germany 1 - Jan 1992 (7 months), ODK Germany 1 - Jul 1991 (34 weeks) (5 weeks at number 1) (23 weeks in top 10), Eire 1 for 11 weeks - Jul 1991, Canada RPM 1 for 9 weeks - Aug 1991, Canada 1 of 1991, New Zealand 1 for 8 weeks - Aug 1991, Australia 1 for 11 weeks - Jul 1991, Europe 1 for 18 weeks - Jul 1991, Germany 1 for 5 weeks - Oct 1991, Spain 1 for 1 week - Oct 1991, Top Song of 1991 of the Billboard 50th list, US 3 X Platinum (certified by RIAA in Sep 1991), UK 2 x Platinum (certified by BPI in Sep 1991), Japan (Tokyo) 2 - Jul 1991 (30 weeks), Oscar in 1991 (film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves') (Nominated), Grammy in 1991 (Nominated), Golden Globe in 1991 (film 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves') (Nominated), Germany Platinum (certified by BMieV in 1991), Switzerland 3 of 1991, Australia 3 of 1991, POP 3 of 1991, Europe 5 of the 1990s (1991), TOTP 6, UK sales 7 of the 1990s (1,520 k in 1991), Japan (Osaku) 9 of 1991 (peak 1 21 weeks), Italy 9 of 1991, Germany 9 of the 1990s (peak 1 25 weeks), UKMIX 10, Billboard 50th song 16, 55th Billboard 100 18 (1991), Billboard100 19, Scrobulate 30 of ballad, France (InfoDisc) 46 of the 1990s (peak 1, 30 weeks, 508k sales estimated, 1991), nuTsie 55 of 1990s, Virgin 60, DMDB 78 (1991), Poland 96 of all time, Holland free40 99 of 1991, OzNet 121, Belgium 150 of all time, RYM 73 of 1991, Global 7 (10 M sold) - 1991, Party 70 of 2007 |
2 | Michael Jackson | Black or White | 1991 | ![]() | UK 1 - Nov 1991 (21 weeks), US Billboard 1 - Nov 1991 (19 weeks), Japan (Tokyo) 1 - Nov 1991 (20 weeks), Finland 1 for 1 week - Nov 1991, Switzerland 1 - Nov 1991 (30 weeks), Norway 1 - Nov 1991 (17 weeks), Poland 1 - Nov 1991 (20 weeks), Belgium 1 - Nov 1991 (14 weeks), Italy 1 for 8 weeks - Nov 1991, Eire 1 for 1 week - Nov 1991, Canada RPM 1 for 2 weeks - Dec 1991, New Zealand 1 for 5 weeks - Nov 1991, Australia 1 for 5 weeks - Nov 1991, Europe 1 for 10 weeks - Nov 1991, Spain 1 for 1 week - Jan 1992, ARC 2 of 1991 (peak 1 13 weeks), Austria 2 - Nov 1991 (5 months), Germany 2 - Jan 1992 (5 months), ODK Germany 2 - Nov 1991 (34 weeks) (13 weeks in top 10), US Platinum (certified by RIAA in Jan 1992), Holland 3 - Nov 1991 (10 weeks), Italy 3 of 1991, Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 1992), Sweden 11 - Jul 2009 (5 weeks), US BB 14 of 1992, Japan (Osaku) 14 of 1992 (peak 1 21 weeks), Switzerland 14 of 1992, Brazil 16 of 1992, POP 19 of 1991, Australia 24 of 1992, US CashBox 29 of 1992, US Radio 36 of 1991 (peak 1 8 weeks), Canada 37 of 1992, nuTsie 60 of 1990s, Germany 115 of the 1990s (peak 2 15 weeks), UK Silver (certified by BPI in Dec 1991), RYM 96 of 1991 |
3 | R.E.M. | Losing My Religion | 1991 | ![]() | Holland 1 - Mar 1991 (13 weeks), Poland 1 - Apr 1991 (24 weeks), Belgium 1 - Apr 1991 (11 weeks), Europe 1 of the 1990s (1991), Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017 (1991), MTV Video of the year 1991, nuTsie 2 of 1990s, Grammy in 1991 (Nominated), US Billboard 4 - Apr 1991 (21 weeks), Norway 4 - Jun 1991 (11 weeks), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Sep 1991), US (Sup) Gold (certified by RIAA in Oct 2009), Sweden 5 - Mar 1991 (9 weeks), Holland free40 7 of 1991, Austria 7 - Aug 1991 (4 months), Switzerland 11 - Oct 1991 (9 weeks), Belgium 12 of all time, UK 19 - Mar 1991 (9 weeks), Japan (Osaku) 24 of 1991 (peak 8 20 weeks), Canada 28 of 1991, ARC 29 of 1991 (peak 3 14 weeks), Brazil 30 of 1991, Virgin 30, US BB 33 of 1991, US CashBox 39 of 1991, 39 in 2FM list, US Radio 44 of 1991 (peak 4 9 weeks), Poland 44 of all time, Acclaimed 44 (1991), Japan (Tokyo) 46 - Mar 1991 (9 weeks), POP 61 of 1991, Vinyl Surrender 66 (1991), Scrobulate 69 of rock, Italy 70 of 1991, OzNet 90, WXPN 106, RIAA 143, Rolling Stone 169, RYM 5 of 1991, WFUV 86, one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 |
4 | Roxette | Joyride | 1991 | ![]() | US Billboard 1 - Mar 1991 (19 weeks), Japan (Tokyo) 1 - Mar 1991 (18 weeks), Holland 1 - Mar 1991 (13 weeks), Sweden 1 - Mar 1991 (12 weeks), Austria 1 - Mar 1991 (5 months), Switzerland 1 - Mar 1991 (25 weeks), Norway 1 - Mar 1991 (16 weeks), Belgium 1 - Mar 1991 (13 weeks), Germany 1 - Mar 1991 (5 months), ODK Germany 1 - Mar 1991 (32 weeks) (8 weeks at number 1) (15 weeks in top 10), Canada RPM 1 for 3 weeks - May 1991, Australia 1 for 3 weeks - Apr 1991, Europe 1 for 10 weeks - Mar 1991, Germany 1 for 8 weeks - Apr 1991, Spain 1 for 1 week - May 1991, Switzerland 2 of 1991, Poland 3 - Apr 1991 (12 weeks), UK 4 - Mar 1991 (10 weeks), Germany Gold (certified by BMieV in 1991), Canada 6 of 1991, France 7 - Apr 1991 (2 weeks), Australia 13 of 1991, Japan (Osaku) 14 of 1991 (peak 1 19 weeks), US BB 23 of 1991, Italy 24 of 1991, Germany 24 of the 1990s (peak 1 20 weeks), US CashBox 33 of 1991, US Radio 37 of 1991 (peak 2 9 weeks), POP 37 of 1991, ARC 42 of 1991 (peak 1 13 weeks), Brazil 50 of 1991 |
5 | Enigma | Sadeness (Part I) | 1990 | ![]() | UK 1 - Dec 1990 (12 weeks), Holland 1 - Nov 1990 (13 weeks), France 1 - Dec 1990 (2 weeks), Austria 1 - Nov 1990 (5 months), Switzerland 1 - Nov 1990 (21 weeks), Norway 1 - Dec 1990 (14 weeks), Belgium 1 - Dec 1990 (12 weeks), Italy 1 for 5 weeks - Feb 1991, Germany 1 - Jan 1991 (5 months), ODK Germany 1 - Oct 1990 (27 weeks) (11 weeks at number 1) (16 weeks in top 10), Eire 1 for 1 week - Jan 1991, Europe 1 for 9 weeks - Jan 1991, Germany 1 for 11 weeks - Nov 1990, Spain 1 for 1 week - Feb 1991, Sweden 2 - Dec 1990 (5 weeks), Poland 2 - Dec 1990 (14 weeks), Germany Platinum (certified by BMieV in 1991), Japan (Tokyo) 4 - Mar 1991 (15 weeks), US Gold (certified by RIAA in Apr 1991), US Billboard 5 - Feb 1991 (18 weeks), Switzerland 6 of 1991, Italy 7 of 1991, Brazil 13 of 1991, Germany 21 of the 1990s (peak 1 18 weeks), POP 43 of 1991, US BB 63 of 1991, Canada 68 of 1991, US Radio 73 of 1991 (peak 7 7 weeks), France (InfoDisc) 88 of the 1990s (peak 1, 26 weeks, 385k sales estimated, 1990), Japan (Osaku) 92 of 1991 (peak 13 18 weeks), OzNet 226, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Jan 1991), RYM 47 of 1990 |
Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | US | UK | Highest chart position | Other Chart Performance(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"3 a.m. Eternal" | The KLF | January 1991 | 5 | 1 | 1 (Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
"À nos actes manqués" | Fredericks Goldman Jones | 1991 | n/a | n/a | 1 (Québec) | 1 (France Airplay Chart [AM & FM Stations]) – 2 (France) – 11 (Europe [European Airplay Top 50]) – 17 (Europe [Eurochart Hot 100]) |
"The Actor" | Michael Learns to Rock | November 1991 | n/a | n/a | 1 (Indonesia, Norway) | 4 (Denmark) – 7 (Sweden) – 32 (Switzerland) – 54 (Europe) |
"Addams Groove" | MC Hammer | December 1991 | 7 | 4 | 4 (Ireland, United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
"Alive" | Pearl Jam | July 1991 | n/a | 16 | 9 (Australia) | 13 (Ireland) – 13 (Netherlands [Dutch top 40]) – 16 (Belgium) – 15 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) – 18 (U.S. Billboard Alternative Airplay) – 19 (Netherlands [Single Top 100]) – 20 (New Zealand) – 44 (Germany) |
"All the Man That I Need" | Whitney Houston | January 1991 | 1 | 13 | 1 (Canada, Cuba, United States) | See chart performance entry |
"All This Time" | Sting | January 1991 | 5 | 22 | 1 (Canada) | See chart performance entry |
"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (reissue) | Monty Python | September 1991 | n/a | 3 | 1 (Ireland) | See chart performance entry |
"Always There" | Incognito & Jocelyn Brown | July 1991 | n/a | 6 | 2 (Luxembourg, Netherlands [Single Top 100]) | See chart performance entry |
"Angelina" | P.S.Y. | 1991 | n/a | n/a | 9 (France) | 13 (France [Airplay Chart – AM Stations]) – 49 (Europe) |
"Any Dream Will Do" | Jason Donovan | June 1991 | n/a | 1 | 1 (Ireland, United Kingdom) | See chart performance entry |
Song title | Artist(s) | Release date(s) | Other Chart Performance(s) |
---|---|---|---|
"Don't Go Now" | Ratcat | April 1991 | 1 (Australia) |
"Losing My Religion" | R.E.M. | February 1991 | See chart performance entry |
"Man in the Box" | Alice in Chains | January 1991 | 18 (U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock) |
"Planet of Sound" | Pixies | May 1991 | n/a |
"Safe from Harm" | Massive Attack | May 1991 | See chart performance entry |
"Sexuality" | Billy Bragg | September 1991 | 2 (U.S. Billboard Alternative Airplay) – 27 (UK Singles Chart) |
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" | Nirvana | September 1991 | See chart performance entry |
"To Here Knows When" | My Bloody Valentine | February 1991 | 29 (UK Singles Chart) |
"Treaty" | Yothu Yindi | June 1991 | See chart performance entry |
"Unfinished Sympathy" | Massive Attack | February 1991 | See chart performance entry |
"Vapour Trail" | Ride | April 1991 | n/a |
"When You Sleep" | My Bloody Valentine | November 1991 | n/a |
All albums have been named albums of the year for their hits in the charts. [15] '