"Good Vibrations" is a song by American group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway. It was released in July 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, Music for the People (1991). The song became a number-one hit in the United States, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.
"U Can't Touch This" is a song co-written, produced, and performed by American rapper MC Hammer. It was released as the third single from his third album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990), and has been considered his signature song. Along with Hammer, Rick James shares songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller, as the song samples the prominent opening riff of James' 1981 single "Super Freak". The song has been used and referred to in many television shows, films, commercials, and other forms of media. It has also received multiple awards and recognition.
"Batdance" is a song by American musician Prince, from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Helped by the film's popularity, the song reached number one in the US, becoming Prince's fourth American number-one single and his first number-one hit since "Kiss" in 1986.
"You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is a 1988 single from New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg. The second single from the group's second album Hangin' Tough, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in early 1989, while topping the UK charts in November 1989. On the album, it was simply listed as "The Right Stuff"; the change to the single was probably to avoid confusion with Vanessa Williams' debut hit "The Right Stuff", which charted earlier that year. A Spanish version of the song was made ("Autentica") and peaked at number 11 in Spain.
"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul featuring the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an alternate version of a song that appears on their secondary debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989) (titled Keep On Movin' in the United States), and was released as its second single on 29 May 1989. "Back to Life" is one of two songs on the album featuring British R&B singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both North America and Europe, topping the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and peaking at number four in the United States. The group won their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with the song in 1990. The track was later included on a tenth-anniversary edition of the album.
"Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow. Mann was the first to record the song in 1980, gaining a minor chart hit in the US. The song was made famous when it was covered as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989. Their version was a worldwide success, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in several territories.
"I've Been Thinking About You" is a song by British-American band Londonbeat, released as the lead single from their second studio album, In the Blood (1990). The song was produced by Martyn Phillips, and written by band members Jimmy Chambers, George Chandler, Jimmy Helms, and William Henshall. It became a major worldwide hit, reaching the number-one spot in more than 10 countries—including Australia, Canada, Germany and the United States—and peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart.
"Unbelievable" is a song written and recorded by British band EMF, originally appearing on their debut album, Schubert Dip (1991). It was released as a single in the UK in October 1990, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart on 1 December 1990. It was the 32nd-best-selling single of 1990 in the UK, and a top 10 hit also in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. In the United States, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. The song was produced by Ralph Jezzard, and contains samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay and a Black Panther Party member shouting "What the fuck?"
"If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topping the US R&B chart and peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Close to You" is a song by English reggae singer Maxi Priest. It was released in 1990 as the lead single from his fifth album Bonafide (1990). "Close to You" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart.
"She Drives Me Crazy" is a song by English group Fine Young Cannibals, released in 1988 by London Records as the first single from their second and final album, The Raw & the Cooked (1989). Peaking at No. 5 on the British singles chart in January 1989, it is the band's highest charting single in their native UK. The single proved an even bigger hit in the US, topping the Billboard Hot 100 on 15 April 1989 for one week and becoming the first of two chart-topping singles for the band on that chart. "She Drives Me Crazy" also reached No.1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, as well as in countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, New Zealand and Spain. It reached the top 3 on several European charts including Belgium, West Germany, Iceland, Ireland and Switzerland.
"This Time I Know It's for Real" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on February 13, 1989, as the first single from her 14th studio album, Another Place and Time (1989), by Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records. Like the rest of the album, the song was written and produced by the British Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) team, though Summer also had a hand in writing this song.
"Pump Up the Jam" is the opening track on Belgian act Technotronic's first album, Pump Up the Jam: The Album (1989). It was released as a single on 18 August 1989 and was a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the United Kingdom in late 1989 and on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1990. It also peaked at number-one in Belgium, Finland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain. "Pump Up the Jam" has been described as a fusion of hip hop and deep house elements, as an early example of the hip house genre, and it has been considered the first house song to become a hit in the US.
"Swing the Mood" is a song by British novelty pop music act Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, released as the first single from their debut album, Jive Bunny: The Album (1989). Produced by the father and son DJ team of Andy and John Pickles, "Swing the Mood" is a cut and paste record which fused a number of early rock and roll records with liberal use of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood".
"Dub Be Good to Me" is a song by British dub group Beats International featuring singer Lindy Layton, released on 24 January 1990 as the first single from their debut album, Let Them Eat Bingo (1990). It was written by frontman Norman Cook and interprets the SOS Band's 1983 hit "Just Be Good to Me", which it is named after. It also samples the songs "The Guns of Brixton" by the Clash, the Once Upon a Time in the West theme by Ennio Morricone, and "Jam Hot" by Johnny Dynell.
"Every Little Step" is a 1989 single by American singer Bobby Brown, written by L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and released by MCA Records. Released as the fourth single on his second album Don't Be Cruel it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot Black Singles chart, and number six on the UK Singles Chart in 1989. The song also appears on Brown's remix album Dance!...Ya Know It!. The single garnered Brown's first career Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990.
"On Our Own" is a song by American singer Bobby Brown from the soundtrack of the 1989 Columbia motion picture Ghostbusters II. It was released as a single on May 30, 1989. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Black Singles chart for one week and at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. Outside the US, it reached number one in New Zealand for three weeks and became a top-five hit in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
"Baby Don't Forget My Number" is a song by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. The track was released in December 1988 as the second single from their debut album, All or Nothing (1988), as well as its American counterpart, Girl You Know It's True (1989). It became the first of their three number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1989, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in seven other countries and was certified gold in Australia, where it charted for 36 weeks.
"Two to Make It Right" is a song by the American girl group Seduction, released as a single in late 1989. It appears on the group's first album, Nothing Matters Without Love featuring April Harris and Michelle Visage on lead vocals. "Two to Make It Right" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was directed by Stu Sleppin and produced by Bob Teeman.
"Pray" is the third single released from MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em, in August 1990. Produced by MC Hammer, the song heavily samples Prince's 1984 song "When Doves Cry", the first of just a few times that Prince allowed samples of his compositions. The track also interpolates Faith No More's "We Care a Lot". The word "pray" is mentioned 147 times during the song, setting the record for the number of times a song title is repeated in an American Top 40 hit.
