# Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1990 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367 "2015-03-06T16:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/1 "2015-03-06T16:57:48Z")
Welcome to the '90s! The age of grunge, the hip-hop boom, and the point where ‘alternative’ rock ended the Age of Hair… eventually. Right now we’re still looking at the last remnants of the '80s in this batch of 25, which I went to #49 to compile. What’s your favorite? Previous polls: [1956](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744629) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744819) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744978) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745151) [1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745331) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745525) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745733) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745956) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746118) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746342) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746498) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746735) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=746932) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747152) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747345) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747517) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747737) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747976) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=748145) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=748360) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=748527) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=748653) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=748866) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749060) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749217) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749398) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749610) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749795) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749949) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750154) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750299) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750488) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750641) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=750845) Best #1 single polls: [1955-56](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731649) [1957](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=731871) [1958](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732021) [1959](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732199)[1960](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732526) [1961](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732691) [1962](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732872) [1963](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733112) [1964](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733297) [1965](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733526) [1966](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733750) [1967](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733958) [1968](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734168) [1969](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734331) [1970](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734535) [1971](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=734741) [1972](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735107) [1973](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735304) [1974](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735502) [1975](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735659) [1976](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=735871) [1977](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736076) [1978](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736316) [1979](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736501) [1980](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736705) [1981](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=736957) [1982](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737099) [1983](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737315) [1984](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737488) [1985](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737732) [1986](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737957) [1987](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738178) [1988](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738403) [1989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738639) [1990](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=738829) [1991](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739067) [1992](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739360) [1993](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739525) [1994](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=739880) [1995](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740122) [1996](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740302) [1997](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740497) [1998](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740709) [1999](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=740859) [2000](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741047) [2001](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741267) [2002](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741450) [2003](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741604) [2004](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741730) [2005](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=741915) [2006](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742069) [2007](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742147) [2008](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742282) [2009](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742467) [2010](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742676) [2011](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=742846) [2012](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=675664) [2013](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=710843) [2014](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743899) [1950s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743046) [1960s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743240) [1970s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743399) [1980s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743597) [1990s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743803) [2000s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=743981) [2010s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744176) [All-time](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=744358) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/2 "2015-03-06T17:04:53Z")
Truly a craptacular year. I went with Poison. ETA: The song, not the band. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/3 "2015-03-06T17:15:19Z")
Agree on the craptacular, but went with the B-52s just because. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/4 "2015-03-06T17:23:21Z")
Lisa Stansfield got my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/5 "2015-03-06T17:27:27Z")
I love the B-52s song. Everything else is crap. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/6 "2015-03-06T17:40:53Z")
One of the weakest years so far - even less appealing than 1989. Actually, 1989 and 1990 were very good years for me. I was at last out of my awkward teenager phase and met my first girlfriend. But musically, both were dreck. OK, **Billy Idol** - _Cradle of Love_. Not because it’s a great song - it isn’t - but because it’s the one that reminds me of those fun times. The only other possibility I considered was **Lisa Stansfield** but it didn’t really have the same nostalgia factor. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/7 "2015-03-06T17:51:15Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Lisa Stansfield got my vote. Same here, but I came close to abstaining altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/8 "2015-03-06T17:51:24Z")
Wonder how “Groove is the Heart” by Deee-lite charted and it’s position on the year end charts? ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/9 "2015-03-06T18:00:43Z")
No contest for me. Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life.” ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/10 "2015-03-06T18:27:54Z")
I loved “Roam”, but I gave my vote to the B-52’s last poll. Anyway, I _also_ loved “I Want To Be Rich”. There was a local radio station that used it as their money giveaway contest song, and I never got tired of hearing it…such a happy song, and I _do_ want to be rich! (La la la la la la la) Also we did win $100 from the radio station one time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/11 "2015-03-06T19:10:37Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Wonder how “Groove is the Heart” by Deee-lite charted and it’s position on the year end charts? #91. (In the weekly charts it peaked at #4.) 1990 is kind of a black hole for me musically - when I was little, my parents listened exclusively to classic rock, and therefore so did I. Today, music from this era almost never gets airplay, so the overwhelming majority of these songs are completely unfamiliar to me. I went with the Wilson sisters on this one, because it’s pretty much the _only_ song on this list I know and enjoy, despite having some of the silliest euphemisms for boning ever dreamed of by mankind (“I am the flower, you are the seed, we walked in the garden, we planted a tree?” Gag me. Botany is _not_ sexy no matter who’s singing about it.). It’s a great story song and Ann’s vocals are great here, and also I used to date a woman who got really turned on by the lyrics (the “meeting a hot stranger and having awesome sex”, not so much the “getting pregnant on a one-night-stand”.) Fun side fact - it’s technically a cover of [a Dobie Gray song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_9qZYyytxM), although most of the lyrics are original to Heart’s version. Stay with us, folks - I promise you the next few lists are better. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/12 "2015-03-06T19:16:14Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Wonder how “Groove is the Heart” by Deee-lite charted and it’s position on the year end charts? It didn’t make the 1990 year-end chart. It did make the 1991 chart, but only reached #91, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing it on the next poll. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/13 "2015-03-06T19:19:07Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > No contest for me. Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life.” By some distance too, for me. ---
**Author:** ![TheInimitableMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TheInimitableMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInimitableMaven)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/14 "2015-03-06T19:25:10Z")
Well, since I didn’t lend the B-52’s my vote last poll, I did it here. Come to think of it, the older I’ve gotten, the more “Roam” has become more-so my B-52’s fave than “Love Shack” (although I couldn’t get enough of ‘Shack’ as a somewhat wee one). ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/15 "2015-03-06T19:45:40Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I went with the Wilson sisters on this one, because it’s pretty much the _only_ song on this list I know and enjoy, despite having some of the silliest euphemisms for boning ever dreamed of by mankind (“I am the flower, you are the seed, we walked in the garden, we planted a tree?” I remember this song coming up at a party once, and one guy didn’t think it was about getting knocked up. Major drunken argument ensued. “Come on, dude…THEY PLANTED A TREE!” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/16 "2015-03-06T20:02:56Z")
Get your booty on the floor tonight. Make my day. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/17 "2015-03-06T20:57:47Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Truly a craptacular year. > > I went with Poison. > > ETA: The song, not the band. I agree almost completely…except I went with the band, not the song. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/18 "2015-03-06T21:15:54Z")
I had clicked on “Pump up the Jam” until I saw “Back to Life” on the list. Then it was a no-brainer. That is a totally underrated song. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/19 "2015-03-06T21:31:25Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Truly a craptacular year. > > I went with Poison. > > ETA: The song, not the band. For this year, I’d pick the drink, not the song or the band. I went with Linda and Aaron’s duet. ---
**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:** [March 6, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367/20 "2015-03-06T21:43:42Z")
I’ve been much more positive about the previous years than most of the Dopers, it seems, but this is where it really turns to shit for me. I’m going to have to go with one of the Janet Jackson numbers, and I’ll go with “Alright.” (The _Rhythm Nation_ album was quite good, and the dance choreography in the videos was exceptional.) “Roam” was alright, too, and Technotronic was really such a product of its time, that I almost went for it, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-of-the-rest-of-the-top-40-1990/714367.md?page=2)