# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1989 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584 "2014-10-26T17:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/61 "2014-10-27T20:46:49Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I dunno if you’re being ironic or not, but it’s the only record of theirs I own. I think it’s their only good record, take it for what you will. > > To put a finer point on it: in a series of threads where people (including me) admit to liking the most reprehensible #1 hits, you’re going to deride my taste over _Bleach_? Eh, enjoy yourself. I think they best things they did after that were Meat Puppets and David Bowie covers. > > Just don’t challenge me over _Wrong_. That record even humiliates Sonic Youth’s best records. Musical, sensitive, completely brutal. Forgive me for the knee-jerk defensiveness - manifesting itself in sarcasm - of my original reply. I’m just so used to - and sick of - reading _what I perceived_ was the umpteenth hipper-than-thou internet comment that telegraphed how super cool the commenter was because they think the (comparatively) little-heard **Bleach** is oh-so-much-better than the mega-selling **Nevermind**. Reading your latest comments, I realize now that I was being a bit of a reactionary cock, and, like I said, I apologize for it. Because, hey, I like **Bleach** , too (and **In Utero** , and **Incesticide** ). A whole, whole lot. But I like **Nevermind** better. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/62 "2014-10-27T20:54:19Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > Forgive me for the knee-jerk defensiveness - manifesting itself in sarcasm - of my original reply. I’m just so used to - and sick of - reading _what I perceived_ was the umpteenth hipper-than-thou internet comment that telegraphed how super cool the commenter was because they think the (comparatively) little-heard **Bleach** is oh-so-much-better than the mega-selling **Nevermind**. > > Reading your latest comments, I realize now that I was being a bit of a reactionary cock, and, like I said, I apologize for it. Because, hey, I like **Bleach** , too (and **In Utero** , and **Incesticide** ). A whole, whole lot. But I like **Nevermind** better. I find In Utero the best of all, followed by Nevermind and Incesticide close behind, and Bleach a full step behind. I like the raw production of _Bleach_ compared with the polish of the albums to follow, but the songs aren’t quite as strong there, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/63 "2014-10-27T21:57:43Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > And the Billy Joel “List historical events in meaningless sequence” is almost as bad. I like him as a songwriter but he’s doing very little of that in this turd. I may be biased because I hate Billy Joel with the fire of a thousand suns, but that song is truly a piece of shit. It’s just Billy Joel rattling off nostalgic baby-boomer memories with no melody or point. But I will admit that my friends and I got a kick out of yelling along to the “JFK! Blown away! What else do I have to say!?” part. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/64 "2014-10-27T21:59:39Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I may be biased because I hate Billy Joel with the fire of a thousand suns, but that song is truly a piece of shit. It’s just Billy Joel rattling off nostalgic baby-boomer memories with no melody or point. I\* love \*Billy Joel, and I agree entirely. That song \*is \*truly a piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/65 "2014-10-27T23:46:51Z")
1989, the year George H W Bush replaces Ronald Reagan as President, Tiananmen Square massacre, end of Communism in eastern Europe, fall of Berlin Wall, a 7+ magnitude earthquake strikes San Francisco Bay Area, Exxon Valdez oil spill. I was two and my brother was born this year. Now to the music, the only real classic here is the Madonna song, most tend to be forgotten, whereas most previous years in the 1980’s had songs where even casual listeners would recognize. I know most, but that is because I used to have box set of Billboard Hits. I like many of them, some I don’t recognize. I always found Fine Young Cannibals endearing, from their name to the title of their album “The Raw and the Cooked”, to Roland Gift’s unique, peculiar voice. “Good Thing” is better than “She Drives Me Crazy”. It is eerily similar to Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love”. “Blame It On The Rain” is Vanilli’s best song, the Billy Joel song is okay, though not nearly his best. Richard Marx was good, the Phil Collins songs were overall good, first being from “Buster” sound track, the last being from Phil’s third solo album “But… Seriously”. I love the Mike and the Mechanics song, Madonna’s is a classic and overall okay. Over all okay in regards to the songs I know. I think Bad English’s singer is John Waite who did “Missing You” from 1984. A forgotten song. Except for one song, I did not care for Roxette, New Kids on the Block(I was a toddler). ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/66 "2014-10-27T23:48:44Z")
The Bobby Brown song, Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson singles are very point blank from that time period, tail end 1980’s and very early 1990’s. Very dated. Another example of this is the aforementioned Soul to Soul song “Back to Life”. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/67 "2014-10-28T00:12:46Z")
OK, OK, so this one has Milli Vanilli AND New Kinds On The Block. Look, like **Nema98** said, out in the real world the \*&^%$ Iron Courtain flew apart. We can take some stupid stuff in the pop chart. While at the same time, come on, look at it: \*Like A Prayer, The Living Years, Straight Up, \*two apiece from each of FYC and Roxette, there were worthy choices all along the year. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/68 "2014-10-28T00:56:23Z")
I was nine years old this year and **all about** some NKOTB along with all the girls in my Girl Scout troop. Fortunately I grew up and left both of those things behind. I was also all about Paula Abdul. In 1991 I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks where I got to watch MTV for the first time. Every night around 11 p.m. they would play the “Rush, Rush” video. I remember the time because that was when my IV would run out. To this day I can’t watch that video because it will make the back of my hands get all weird like there’s still a port there. Just writing about it is making it happen. Needless to say, I didn’t listen to Paula Abdul for about twenty years after that. I can listen to her songs now, but not very often. I also have secondhand memories of the Richard Marx songs: my Older Sister’s college boyfriend bought her a copy of the _Repeat Offender_ cassette. She must have liked it because she married him eight years later. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/69 "2014-10-28T01:38:14Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > Forgive me for the knee-jerk defensiveness - manifesting itself in sarcasm - of my original reply. I’m just so used to - and sick of - reading _what I perceived_ was the umpteenth hipper-than-thou internet comment that telegraphed how super cool the commenter was because they think the (comparatively) little-heard **Bleach** is oh-so-much-better than the mega-selling **Nevermind**. I wouldn’t apologize _too_ much. It’s easy to read quotes like… > [@scabpicker](#): > > Nirvana - _Bleach_ (ya know, the good record) …and… > [@scabpicker](#): > > Just don’t challenge me over _Wrong_. That record even humiliates Sonic Youth’s best records. Musical, sensitive, completely brutal. …as tries to out-cool the coolest. That’s how I initially read them, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/70 "2014-10-28T06:28:12Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I wouldn’t apologize _too_ much. It’s easy to read quotes like… > > …and… > > …as tries to out-cool the coolest. That’s how I initially read them, anyway. Like it or not, I actually hold the opinions I’ve expressed in this thread. If you think that they identify me as part of a class that’s not to be listened to, so be it, Mr. Cool. I doubt I could have prevented it from happening without being mute. I mean, I said I thought you were wrong on a matter of opinion. I didn’t claim it was evidence of some cancerous mutation of your taste. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/71 "2014-10-28T06:52:57Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > Forgive me for the knee-jerk defensiveness - manifesting itself in sarcasm - of my original reply. I’m just so used to - and sick of - reading _what I perceived_ was the umpteenth hipper-than-thou internet comment that telegraphed how super cool the commenter was because they think the (comparatively) little-heard **Bleach** is oh-so-much-better than the mega-selling **Nevermind**. > > Reading your latest comments, I realize now that I was being a bit of a reactionary cock, and, like I said, I apologize for it. Because, hey, I like **Bleach** , too (and **In Utero** , and **Incesticide** ). A whole, whole lot. But I like **Nevermind** better. > [@pulykamell](#): > > I find In Utero the best of all, followed by Nevermind and Incesticide close behind, and Bleach a full step behind. I like the raw production of _Bleach_ compared with the polish of the albums to follow, but the songs aren’t quite as strong there, IMHO. I entered college in 1989, and had a girlfriend who was cool enough to already own _Bleach_. I thought that album was great, and it ended up being the gateway drug to Mudhoney, Tad, etc. When _Nevermind_ came out, my friends and I were of the opinion that it was OK, but nothing great. In a lot of ways, it’s a poppier version of the earlier record - more hooks, less pounding. On the positive side of it’s release, for the first time in my life, being into Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath wasn’t a social liability. 🙂 _In Utero_ is a record of pain. In terms of art, it’s probably a better record than _Bleach_, but it’s still not the record of theirs I want to listen to straight through. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/72 "2014-10-28T08:35:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Though I ended up in the end not voting for it, I’m glad to see you (and at least two other posters) appreciate it perhaps as much as I do. Yeah, I could do without the lenghty bridge (“Do-do you love me?”) but apart from that, it’s pretty close to the perfect pop song IMHO. Unfortunately, picking _Straight Up_ means that I won’t get to vote for **The Bangles**. However, none of their two songs that made it to #1 are personal favourites so it’s fair I guess. I never really liked the **Fine Young Cannibals**. Over the years, I’ve come to really appreciate their debut single (_Johnny Come Home_) but that’s about it. On a personal note, I spent two months in Canada as an exchange student that year and some of these songs definitely remind me of what turned out to be a formative time in my life (I was 14). This, and the Communist regimes falling like dominos in eastern Europe make 1989 a very big year for me. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/73 "2014-10-28T12:51:45Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > Unfortunately, picking _Straight Up_ means that I won’t get to vote for **The Bangles**. However, none of their two songs that made it to #1 are personal favourites so it’s fair I guess. Yeah. “Eternal Flame” holds a special place in my heart for being the first song I slow-danced with a girl I had a crush on to, but as a Bangles song, it wasn’t really representative of their work. (I hear the song caused some friction in the band, along with the record company wanting to concentrate on Susanna Hoffs, and the Bangles split up a few months later–I think six months after the song hit #1.) Anyway, taking it on its own merits, it is a very pretty song, but it’s just “too pretty” for my tastes, if that makes any sense. > [@](#): > > I never really liked the **Fine Young Cannibals**. Over the years, I’ve come to really appreciate their debut single (_Johnny Come Home_) but that’s about it. Yeah, I could never get into FYC. I’m somewhat surprised their doing as well as they are here. I know they are pretty well regarded, but I didn’t think they were that popular. “She Drives Me Crazy” is one of those songs like “Got My Mind Set On You” that just annoys the hell out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/74 "2014-10-28T14:13:48Z")
I voted for Eternal Flame - I have a soft spot for it as I used to sing it (in falsetto) whenever a karaoke opportunity presented itself, and I associate it with a former crush at school as well as (more importantly) having at performed (in a choral version I arranged myself) at my wedding. OK, the vocals on the original aren’t the greatest (I actually quite like the Atomic Kitten cover version) but it’s a very well-crafted piece of music, more interesting musically than most pop in my view. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/75 "2014-10-28T14:54:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah. “Eternal Flame” holds a special place in my heart for being the first song I slow-danced with a girl I had a crush on to, but as a Bangles song, it wasn’t really representative of their work. Exactly. And from your personal anecdote, I take it that we must be about the same age (I’ll turn 40 in a couple of weeks). > [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I could never get into FYC. I’m somewhat surprised their doing as well as they are here. I know they are pretty well regarded, but I didn’t think they were that popular. “She Drives Me Crazy” is one of those songs like “Got My Mind Set On You” that just annoys the hell out of me. Same here, that’s funny. As a matter of fact, **FYC** , **Simply Red** and **UB40** are three successful bands from that era that I tend to lump together, and not in a good way. However, _Johnny Come Home_ is a very good song. Much darker than most pop hits actually. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/76 "2014-10-28T15:15:01Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > And from your personal anecdote, I take it that we must be about the same age (I’ll turn 40 in a couple of weeks) I’m turning 40 in about nine months, so yes. I share the same feelings about UB40, but I honestly can’t remember Simply Red. (Looks up songs on Youtube). Oh yeah, not my cup of tea either. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/77 "2014-10-28T19:15:55Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > In a lot of ways, it’s a poppier version of the earlier record - more hooks, less pounding. I don’t see this as a bad thing. But I like pop music. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/78 "2014-10-28T22:58:51Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > I don’t see this as a bad thing. But I like pop music. Hey, Kurt and the majority of the record buying public agrees with you, not me. So I’m not going to say you’re wrong, at all. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584/79 "2014-10-30T00:19:26Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Hey, Kurt and the majority of the record buying public agrees with you, not me. So I’m not going to say you’re wrong, at all. Different strokes… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1989/702584.md?page=3)