How many songs from 1991 do you remember?

[Ghost Econ]

Or, more specifically, how many of the year end Hot 100 do you remember from 1991? Or at least make you say, oh yeah, I kinda knew that existed.



For some reason these year end lists have been showing up in my YouTube algorithm, mainly mid 80s to mid 90s. So to celebrate that it's been 35 years since 1991, I figured I'd start with this one.

For the record, I feel confident that I kinds know 55 of these songs. I was 9 at the time.

I will admit I have no memory of #5 and #9. I asked my sisters about #5 as they are the right age for that type of music (13 and 15 in 1991) and they told me I was stupid for wondering how Timmy T had a number one song.

[Lathum]

I got 71 but I did it without the sounds so I suspect there are a couple more I would have known. Was 16 at the time. Great year for power ballads.

[Fidatelo]

I got 47, but I bet there were at least a handful that I might have recognized if they'd played more or different parts of the song.

Aside: did Billboard forget that rock music existed? Where is all the metal and grunge?

[GrantDawg]

I was 22, and it was a bit of a crazy year. I think there was probably 15-18 I hadn't heard or just didn't remember. The thing that really got me was the number of songs at the bottom of the list I would of thought would have been much higher. Also would have thought a couple of these songs were a few years older. Like "Shiny Happy People" and "Losing my Religion". I would have swore that was closer to 87-88 than 91.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Aside: did Billboard forget that rock music existed? Where is all the metal and grunge?

Not surprising at all. Grunge wasn’t even a thing then. Nevermind and Ten, the two albums that IMO kicked off the grunge scene were released in late 91. I suspect if you did 1992 it would have teen spirit and Jeremy somewhere in there. Metal was still pretty underground also. Metallica made it mainstream with the black album in 91 also, so again if it was a 1992 list I suspect enter sandman would be in there. They had some commercial success with …and justice for all and One hit that was a few years earlier.

1991 with regards to rock was really the last gasp for hair metal as evidence by the representation on the list. Poison, warrant, and such were huge in that era and by the end of 92 were an afterthought to the Seattle scene and Metallica.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Not surprising at all. Grunge wasn’t even a thing then. Nevermind and Ten, the two albums that IMO kicked off the grunge scene were released in late 91. I suspect if you did 1992 it would have teen spirit and Jeremy somewhere in there. Metal was still pretty underground also. Metallica made it mainstream with the black album in 91 also, so again if it was a 1992 list I suspect enter sandman would be in there. They had some commercial success with …and justice for all and One hit that was a few years earlier.

1991 with regards to rock was really the last gasp for hair metal as evidence by the representation on the list. Poison, warrant, and such were huge in that era and by the end of 92 were an afterthought to the Seattle scene and Metallica.

But according to Billboard's own website Teen Spirit had hit number 1 in Nov of '91. Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 came out in September as well and that was a MASSIVE release. Bryan Adam's Waking Up The Neighbors came out the same month and we saw at least one song from that album on the video so it would seem it was possible to get on there with a release in the back half of the year.


I don't know, I get what you are saying, that the shift may not have been realized in the charts until the following year to a degree. But the lack of Smells Like Teen Spirit in particular makes me wonder if that video is actually accurate.

[Ghost Econ]

Nirvana did not make the year end Hot 100 in 1991

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1991

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by Lathum

1991 with regards to rock was really the last gasp for hair metal as evidence by the representation on the list. Poison, warrant, and such were huge in that era and by the end of 92 were an afterthought to the Seattle scene and Metallica.

The amusing thing for me, outside of Scorpions and those shitty Extreme songs (which are barely technically hair metal) I didn't remember a single one of those hair metal songs.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Nirvana did not make the year end Hot 100 in 1991

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1991

Thanks for the link. That is bizarre, but I guess I don't understand how that list is compiled.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I got 71 but I did it without the sounds so I suspect there are a couple more I would have known. Was 16 at the time. Great year for power ballads.

The sounds definitely helped me - I'd say 75-77 of them struck a "yeah, I've heard that before" tone though I wouldn't have necessarily been able to tell you what they were (or who they were by) just off of that -- nor could I have told you what they sounded like from the artist/title.

Cathy Dennis had a good year huh? (Also, damn -- forgot how thin Mariah was.)

Some good songs in there I hadn't thought of for a while though, may have to go through some of them.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

But according to Billboard's own website Teen Spirit had hit number 1 in Nov of '91. Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 came out in September as well and that was a MASSIVE release. Bryan Adam's Waking Up The Neighbors came out the same month and we saw at least one song from that album on the video so it would seem it was possible to get on there with a release in the back half of the year.


I don't know, I get what you are saying, that the shift may not have been realized in the charts until the following year to a degree. But the lack of Smells Like Teen Spirit in particular makes me wonder if that video is actually accurate.

Teen Spirit shows up as #32 for 1992.

If you dig into it, the song released in late Aug/early Sept 1991 but basically didn't do much of anything until college radio, and then commercial alternative stations picked up on it. Top 40 stations eventually played it but most restricted it to nights and overnights.

So combine those things with how late in the year it showed up, not really that surprising that it didn't crack the top 100 for 1991.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Cathy Dennis had a good year huh?

One of four people on the list that I honestly don't think I've ever heard their name before reading the list (Timmy T, Tara Kemp, and Karyn White being the others)

[Passacaglia]

Fun thread! I turned 14 in 1991, and this was the last year I listened to just Top 40 radio, before trying to define myself as grunge/alternative for the rest of high school.

Reading the list, I got 68, which surprised me, I thought I would do much better. I was patting myself for Cathy Dennis, The Motown Song by Rod Stewart, and I've been thinking about you, but still missed 32, including 3 of the Top 10 (I'll join the "i've never heard of Timmy T" club).

Watching the video, I lost count a little, but it was probably about the same -- added some songs that I remembered or kinda remembered from hearing them, and took away some, realizing I was either thinking of a different song, or just assumed I knew it.

Since we're talking Nirvana, here's some notes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100

Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November. This altered calendar allows for Billboard to calculate year-end charts and release them in time for its final print issue in the last week of December.

There's probably something to be said for a song being released in a timeframe that makes them seem worse on a year-end chart compared to a weekly chart. Maybe a song that's at its peak right when they calculate the year-end, so it's sales/listens are split between two years.

There's also this 30 Years Ago, The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Were Forever Changed By Broadcast Data Systems and SoundScan – Billboard Chart Rewind -- it discusses how Billboard changed their methodology in November 1991, I guess right after most of these songs charted.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

But according to Billboard's own website Teen Spirit had hit number 1 in Nov of '91.

Actually, the article says:

On Nov. 23, 1991 – two months after its Sept. 10, 1991 release – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” topped Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. The generation-defining song also peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100.

Number 1 on the Alternative Songs chart, peaked at #6 overall.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Not surprising at all. Grunge wasn’t even a thing then. Nevermind and Ten, the two albums that IMO kicked off the grunge scene were released in late 91. I suspect if you did 1992 it would have teen spirit and Jeremy somewhere in there. Metal was still pretty underground also. Metallica made it mainstream with the black album in 91 also, so again if it was a 1992 list I suspect enter sandman would be in there. They had some commercial success with …and justice for all and One hit that was a few years earlier.

1991 with regards to rock was really the last gasp for hair metal as evidence by the representation on the list. Poison, warrant, and such were huge in that era and by the end of 92 were an afterthought to the Seattle scene and Metallica.

Looks like 1992 has Teen Spirit at #32, Under the Bridge at #8. According to the wiki for Jeremy,

It did not originally chart on the regular Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since it was not released as a commercial single in the US at the time, but a re-release in July 1995 brought it up to number 79

[Lathum]

I’ll have to look up 1992 but I’m curious to see how many, if any, hair metal bands are in the 1992 list to see if my claim that 1991 was that genres last gasp.

[Ghost Econ]

There's some GnR and Def Leppard in 92, but otherwise no Winger or Poison or anyone like that.

Ive also learned from these videos that I know way more Michael Bolton music than I thought. Also Amy Grant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1992

Also, I can't make you love me was probably the best song of 1992 so for it to end up at #100 at the end of the year is a travesty.

One last edit: Friday I'm in Love being released as a single after Smells Like Teen Spirit feels like time somehow got mixed up.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

One last edit: Friday I'm in Love being released as a single after Smells Like Teen Spirit feels like time somehow got mixed up.

Yes, and I also felt that way about seeing Styx on the 1991 chart.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

There's some GnR and Def Leppard in 92, but otherwise no Winger or Poison or anyone like that.

Ive also learned from these videos that I know way more Michael Bolton music than I thought. Also Amy Grant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billbo...ingles_of_1992

Also, I can't make you love me was probably the best song of 1992 so for it to end up at #100 at the end of the year is a travesty.

One last edit: Friday I'm in Love being released as a single after Smells Like Teen Spirit feels like time somehow got mixed up.

Wife and I had a spirited discussion at her birthday lunch today as we read the list and what constitutes a "hair metal band"

It was prompted by Def Lepard and Ugly Kid Joe being on the list. We determined you have to have at least one power ballad. Mr. Big was also on the 1992 list, twice.

[Lathum]

Dola- Surprised Jeremy wasn't on there.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Dola- Surprised Jeremy wasn't on there.

I mentioned Jeremy earlier -- it was not released as a commercial single at the time, so it didn't chart.

[Swaggs]

I didn't get a chance to watch the whole thing, but this was peak sitting in the basement with friends and watching MTV/VH1 for hours at a time season for me and I recognized almost all of what I sped through at the beginning and easily all of the top 25. I didn't recognize #93 from Chesney Hawkes, but I remember that name for some reason. I also remember the WTF the first time seeing that Janet Jackson "Love Will Never Do' video.

[Fidatelo]

I did a quick glance at the 1992 list from Wikipedia that Ghost Econ posted a few up and I think I'll do _way_ better with that one. Not sure if what I liked became more mainstream or I moved into a more mainstream listening pattern. Maybe a bit of both.

[Passacaglia]

I couldn't find a playlist with this on Apple Music, but I asked ChatGPT to create one. It had to do it in 4 volumes since 25 is its limit. Some overlap caused there to be only 88 songs when I combined them, and as I scrolled through quickly, I think I saw some songs there that weren't on our list/video, but here it is:

‎Billboard Hot 100 Year-End 1991 by Aaron Gage - Apple Music

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

There's probably something to be said for a song being released in a timeframe that makes them seem worse on a year-end chart compared to a weekly chart. Maybe a song that's at its peak right when they calculate the year-end, so it's sales/listens are split between two years.

This. Happens every year to varying extent, pretty unavoidable.

I can't say that it's something the industry pays much attention to or even thinks about. Those year-ends are something for the publications to do when charts are frozen around the holidays, something for fans to talk about (most years or decades later).

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I couldn't find a playlist with this on Apple Music, but I asked ChatGPT to create one. It had to do it in 4 volumes since 25 is its limit. Some overlap caused there to be only 88 songs when I combined them, and as I scrolled through quickly, I think I saw some songs there that weren't on our list/video, but here it is:

‎Billboard Hot 100 Year-End 1991 by Aaron Gage - Apple Music

ChatGPT made some pretty bad mistakes on this once I looked at it more. So I just pasted the whole list in this time. It should be better:

https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/...lKKmuzd5V03?ls

[MIJB#19]

I tallied up to 35. I had to be somewhat loose on Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and the back to back UB40 songs, because they're clearly voices of 1991, but not every specific song was an "a ha!" moment. It looks like about half the songs and several artits in this top100 didn't set sail across the ocean. Browsing over the top100 of 1991 in the Netherlands, the overlap is only 21 songs. The #1 song is the same though.

[Kodos]

I was surprised at how many I didn't recognize. I fared especially bad in the R&B genre.