"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986 in which two then-unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, Automatic for the People (1992), and released as a single in April 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. It peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but fared much better on the US Cash Box Top 100, where it peaked at number 18. The song also reached the top 10 on the charts of Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed by Jake Scott and filmed in San Antonio, Texas. In 2003, Q ranked "Everybody Hurts" at number 31 on their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever", and in 2005, Blender ranked the song at number 238 on their list of "Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".
"Crush with Eyeliner" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records as the third single from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore provides background vocals. Michael Stipe claims the song was inspired by the band New York Dolls, who, in his opinion, "knew how to exaggerate a song, to make it sound really sleazy and over the top." This was also one of the first songs that surfaced from Stipe after the writer's block that hounded him after the death of his friend, actor River Phoenix.
"Imitation of Life" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was written by band members Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe and produced by the band with Pat McCarthy for their 12th studio album, Reveal (2001). The track's title comes from Douglas Sirk's 1959 film of the same name and is used as a metaphor for adolescence and adulthood. One of R.E.M.'s most pop-influenced tracks, "Imitation of Life" has been described lyrically as "see[ing] through the puffed-up performance of a hopeful entertainer", as well as the enjoyment of love.
"Too Much Love Will Kill You" is a song written by British guitarist Brian May of Queen, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The song reflected the breakdown of May's first marriage and attraction to his future wife, Anita Dobson. It was first recorded by Queen around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on the band's The Miracle album in 1989, but did not make the cut due to legal disputes following the band's decision that all songs on the album would be written by the group as opposed to individuals.
"This Kiss" is a song by American country music singer Faith Hill from her third studio album Faith. It was written by Beth Nielsen Chapman, Robin Lerner and Annie Roboff, and produced by Hill and Byron Gallimore. It was released on February 23, 1998, as the album's first single.
"Sacrifice" is a song by British musician Elton John, written by John and Bernie Taupin, from John's 22nd studio album, Sleeping with the Past (1989). It was first released in October 1989 as the second single from the album. It achieved success in 1990, particularly in France and the United Kingdom, becoming John's first solo chart-topper in both nations. The song describes how hard it is to stay faithful and devoted in a marriage, challenging the mantra that a successful union requires sacrifice. Due to the song's success, John has played this song in various locations in the years since it was released.
"I Owe You Nothing" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins and produced by Graham, the song was originally released as their debut single in 1987 but failed to chart. In 1988, it was remixed and re-released by CBS following the success of their breakthrough single "When Will I Be Famous?". The original version of the song can be found on the band's 1988 debut album, Push.
"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is the debut single of English pop singer Sonia. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was included on Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows (1990). The single became Sonia's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
"Baby I Don't Care" is a song by English pop rock band Transvision Vamp and the first single taken from their second album, Velveteen (1989). It was released in 1989 and remains their highest-charting single, peaking at number three in both the United Kingdom and Australia. It was ranked at number 25 on the Australian end-of-year chart for 1989. The song was later featured as the title track on the band's 2002 compilation album, Baby I Don't Care.
"The Sensual World" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was the title track and first single from her album of the same name, released in September 1989. The single entered and peaked at No. 12 on the UK Single Chart.
"Leave a Light On" is a song written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, produced by Nowels for American rock singer Belinda Carlisle's third solo studio album, Runaway Horses (1989). It was released as the album's lead single in September 1989; in Japan, "(We Want) The Same Thing" was issued as the lead single concurrently with "Leave a Light On" the following month. The single narrowly missed the top 10 in the United States, peaking at number 11. It fared better elsewhere, reaching the top five in several countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song's music video was directed by Peter Care.
"When Will I Be Famous?" is a song by British boy band Bros. Written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, "When Will I Be Famous?" was released as a single in November 1987. The following year, it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, topped the Irish Singles Chart, and entered the top five in several other countries. "When Will I Be Famous?" would later appear on Bros' 1988 album, Push.
"Kingston Town" is a 1970 song by Lord Creator about Kingston, Jamaica, released as a single on producer Clancy Eccles' Clandisc label. It was also recorded in 1989 by reggae group UB40 and was released as the second single from their album Labour of Love II, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart and number one in France and the Netherlands.
"Sowing the Seeds of Love" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. It was released in August 1989 as the first single from their third studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989).
"You're History" is a song by British-based pop act Shakespears Sister, released in July 1989 as the second single from their debut album, Sacred Heart (1989). The song was the first release to present the act as a duo and their first chart hit, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom. Outside the UK, "You're History" reached number five in Finland and entered the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
"Kisses on the Wind" is the third single released from Swedish singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry's debut album, Raw Like Sushi (1989). Like many songs on the album, "Kisses on the Wind" refers to Cherry's schooldays; the song is about a girl who matures before the other girls do, and as a result, she is the first to draw boys' attentions. It peaked within the top 10 in Finland, New Zealand, and Switzerland and just reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 20. In the United States, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Listen to Your Heart" is a song written, arranged and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) for Sonia's debut studio album, Everybody Knows (1990). Released in November 1989 as the album's third single, it reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart and number 22 in Ireland. The B-side was Sonia's version of "Better Than Ever" which was originally recorded by Lisa Fabien and was not included on the original release of her debut album.
"Cleopatra's Theme" is a song by British R&B girl group Cleopatra from their first album, Comin' Atcha! (1998). Released by WEA as the group's debut single, it reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was their only song to reach the top 40 in the United States, where Cleopatra promoted the song by appearing on several children's programming blocks.
"Drop the Boy" is a song by British boy band Bros. It was written by Nicky Graham and Tom Watkins, and released in March 1988 as the follow-up single to "When Will I Be Famous?". The single reached number-one in Ireland and number two in the UK, and was certified silver in the UK. Additionally, it peaked within the top 10 also in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and West Germany.
