"Sadeness (Part I)" is a song by German musical project Enigma, released in October 1990 by Virgin Records as the lead single from their first album, MCMXC a.D. (1990). It became an international hit, reaching number one in 14 countries. In the United States, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on both the Dance Club Play and 12-inch Singles Sales charts. Its music video was directed by Michel Guimbard. A sequel to the song, "Sadeness (Part II)" featuring Anggun, was released on Enigma's eighth studio album, The Fall of a Rebel Angel (2016).
"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 served as his first number-one hit since "Kiss" in 1986.
"Opposites Attract" is a song by American singer Paula Abdul from her debut album, Forever Your Girl (1988). It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, also known as the Wild Pair. "Opposites Attract" was the sixth and final single from the album in November 1989 and achieved success in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it was a number-one hit. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who love each other despite being different in almost every way possible.
"Suicide Blonde" is the lead single from Australian rock band INXS's seventh studio album, X (1990). It was released on 22 August 1990 in the United States and on 3 September 1990 in the United Kingdom. The song reached number two in Australia, number nine in the United States, and number 11 in the United Kingdom. In Canada and New Zealand, the single peaked at number one for two and three weeks, respectively. At the APRA Music Awards of 1991, "Suicide Blonde" won the award Most Performed Australian Work Overseas.
"Return of the Mack" is a song written and recorded by British R&B singer Mark Morrison, released by WEA and Atlantic as the third single from his debut album by the same name (1996). The song topped the UK Singles Chart a month after its release, then became a European and Australian hit. In the United States, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. The music video for the song, directed by Jake Nava, was released in the United Kingdom in March 1996 and in the United States in February 1997. Billboard magazine featured "Return of the Mack" in their lists of "Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019 and "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time" in 2023.
"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 by Virgin. "Back to Life" is one of two songs on the album featuring British 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. Its music video, directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, of Big TV!, sees the group performing in a forest. Soul II Soul won their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with the song in 1990. It was later included on a tenth-anniversary edition of the album.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"Wild Thing" is a single by American rapper Tone Lōc from his 1989 album Lōc-ed After Dark. The title is a reference to the phrase "doin' the wild thing," a euphemism for sex. According to producer Mario Caldato Jr., who engineered and mixed the song, producer Michael Ross was inspired by an utterance of Fab 5 Freddy “Come on baby let’s do the wild thing" in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It, and asked Young MC to write the lyrics.
"Good Thing" is a song by British band Fine Young Cannibals, released as the second single from their second and last album, The Raw & the Cooked (1989). The song was their second and final US number-one, topping the Billboard Hot 100 on 8 July 1989. It also peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart. The song made its first appearance in Tin Men (1987). Fine Young Cannibals portrayed a nightclub band in the movie, performing this song and three others. The film is set in Baltimore in 1963, and the song's retro soul style is consistent with that setting. Jools Holland played piano on the track, noting that it was "one of the biggest selling records I've ever played on".
"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".
"Poison" is a song by American musician Alice Cooper. Written by Cooper, producer Desmond Child and guitarist John McCurry, the song was released as a single in July 1989 from Cooper's eighteenth album, Trash. It became one of Cooper's biggest hit singles in the United States, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The power ballad performed even better in the UK by peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart.
"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.
"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 a song released in August 1990 by Capitol as the third single from American rapper and dancer MC Hammer's third album, Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (1990). Produced by 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.
"Scorpio" is a song by Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band. It charted at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
