1979 - 1980 was easy.  But what about 1989 - 1990?  It's a little more tricky I find, but I found a few ...


♦ In 1989, Canadian singer Alannah Myles released her self-titled debut album.  The first single 'Love Is' hit the Top 20 in June of 1989 and the follow-up single 'Black Velvet' reached the Top 10 in September.  In America, 'Black Velvet' was released first and 'Love Is' was the follow-up and both peaked in the US Top 40 in 1990.

♦ The popular 'Lambada' by Kaoma was a smash hit in Canada in 1990.  It had already been a hit internationally in 1989

♦ 'Just Between You and Me' by Lou Gramm was released in 1989, but peaked in the US and Canada chart in 1990

♦ Billy Joel's 1989 'Storm Front' album spanned into 1990.  The single 'I Go to Extremes' peaked in the US and Canadian Top 20 in 1990

♦ Poco's comeback album 'Legacy' spanned into 1990 with the single 'Nothin' to Hide'

♦ Almost all of the singles from Janet Jackson's 'Rhythm Nation' album were hits in 1990

Motley Crue "Dr. Feelgood", Aerosmith "Pump", Tom Petty "Full Moon Fever", and Depeche Mode "Violator" also had hits in 1990

Faith No More's "The Real Thing" was released in 1989, but many of the songs didn't chart or become popular until 1990.

signature banned as well

While I can carp endlessly about '79 into '80, I find myself becoming a little 'lost' a decade later!

However, here's one that spanned the great divide depending where you lived...

'Love Shack' - B52's...a big hit for our North American friends in the last year of the 80s, but didn't repeat the trick in Britain until 1990...for that reason, it's regarded by most Brits as  a 90s record!

(Two of Britain's biggest-sellers that year were from a earlier vintage...Steve Miller's 'The Joker' and Bobby Vinton's 'Blue Velvet' eventually became hits due to skilful ad campaigns...)

I always wondered whether free fallin' is a 1989 or 1990 song.

I always wondered whether free fallin' is a 1989 or 1990 song.

I put that one in '89 since it debuted on the U.S. charts in November/December of that year.



Here are some songs I definitely feel fall into this "cusp":

"Another Day In Paradise" by Phil Collins. It was a hit in the US in late 1989, reaching #1 by the end of the year...yet its popularity continued into early 1990, and won the 1990 Grammy Award for Record Of The Year (handed out in early '91).
"Janie's Got A Gun" by Aerosmith. Entered the charts in December 1989, peaked in 1990, and even won a Grammy Award for best rock song by a duo or group (I think).
"All Around The World" by Lisa Stansfield. I know there has been some debate about this one. In Stansfield's native homeland, the UK, it was a big hit in '89, as well as in Canada....but in the US, it didn't become a hit until early 1990.
"Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Once again, in 1989 it was a big hit in parts of the world besides the US...but when it finally got to the US, it peaked in 1990.


More to come later.

The #1 hits How Am I Supposed To Live Without You (Michael Bolton) and Opposites Attract were #1 hits that peaked in early 1990 that first charted in late 1989. The #2 hits Pump up the Jam (Technotronic), Two To Make It Right (Seduction), and Roxette's Dangerous also fit the same mold. For #3 hits, this also applies to the B-52's Roam and Rod Stewart's Downtown Train. In the #4 spot, this applies to Soul II Soul's Back To Life. Rounding out the top 5, we have Bad English's Price Of Love and Chicago's What Kind Of Man I Would Be?

These songs in particular are what I light to call "nighties" songs!

After a slow start in 1988, Paula Abdul finally hit the big time with songs like "Straight Up" and "Cold Hearted".  :)

Madonna and the controversial "Like a Prayer" music video, plus the great album of the same name.

Janet Jackson was back in the spotlight with "Rhythm Nation 1814".

Skid Row (whom I consider to be a relatively late entry in the hair metal scene) releases debut album in 1989.

My all-time favorite Clan of Xymox album was released.  "Twist of Shadows", January 1, 1989.

The #1 hits How Am I Supposed To Live Without You (Michael Bolton) and Opposites Attract were #1 hits that peaked in early 1990 that first charted in late 1989. The #2 hits Pump up the Jam (Technotronic), Two To Make It Right (Seduction), and Roxette's Dangerous also fit the same mold. For #3 hits, this also applies to the B-52's Roam and Rod Stewart's Downtown Train. In the #4 spot, this applies to Soul II Soul's Back To Life. Rounding out the top 5, we have Bad English's Price Of Love and Chicago's What Kind Of Man I Would Be?

These songs in particular are what I light to call "nighties" songs!

"Nighties"...that's clever. ;D Many of the ones you mentioned, however, I would be inclined to tilt towards 89.

There's also the soundtrack of The Little Mermaid, which was released in US theaters in November 1989. And I think it was sometime in mid-1990 or thereabouts when it came out on video.

♦ 'Just Between You and Me' by Lou Gramm was released in 1989, but peaked in the US and Canada chart in 1990



I love that song. 

I put that one in '89 since it debuted on the U.S. charts in November/December of that year.



Here are some songs I definitely feel fall into this "cusp":

"Another Day In Paradise" by Phil Collins. It was a hit in the US in late 1989, reaching #1 by the end of the year...yet its popularity continued into early 1990, and won the 1990 Grammy Award for Record Of The Year (handed out in early '91).
"Janie's Got A Gun" by Aerosmith. Entered the charts in December 1989, peaked in 1990, and even won a Grammy Award for best rock song by a duo or group (I think).
"All Around The World" by Lisa Stansfield. I know there has been some debate about this one. In Stansfield's native homeland, the UK, it was a big hit in '89, as well as in Canada....but in the US, it didn't become a hit until early 1990.
"Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Once again, in 1989 it was a big hit in parts of the world besides the US...but when it finally got to the US, it peaked in 1990.


More to come later.


At the time, that entire Depeche Mode album was very good.  Haven't listened to it recently though.

This was the peak of Madonna's career!  ::)

How about "Roam" by the B52's? I know it was a follow-up single to "Love Shack" (a late-1989 hit in the US), and both tracks appeared on the album Cosmic Thing. Even though "Roam" did most of its chart-climbing in early 1990 and peaked not too long after that, I like to tilt that one more towards '89.

How about "Roam" by the B52's? I know it was a follow-up single to "Love Shack" (a late-1989 hit in the US), and both tracks appeared on the album Cosmic Thing. Even though "Roam" did most of its chart-climbing in early 1990 and peaked not too long after that, I like to tilt that one more towards '89.


'Cosmic Thing' did come out in 1989, so yes 'Roam' and 'Love Shack' are very much '89 songs, but 'Roam' more for 1990 as it's peak was then.  'Roam' was a hit in 1990, but it was an album track in 1989 :)

^yeah... the olde debate on that one will probably never really be settled, lol.

Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album was also released in the second half of 1989, yet some of its tracks didn't become hits until 1990, such as "Escapade" (early 1990) and "Black Cat" (late 1990). Those two songs I tilt towards '90 because that's when they were hits.

Tears For Fears released Seeds of Love in 1989 but the single Advice For The Young At Heart didn't chart until 1990.