Interlude - How many of these Billboard #1s do you even recognize, much less like?
Lots of talk earlier about 1990 being a "lull" year in terms of good music. I hope this thread has dispensed with that a bit, but I also can't argue that, overall, it's not a particularly strong year either, especially when it comes to pop. Compared to other years in the 86-96 timeframe, 1990 will likely have the lowest percentage of Billboard #1s represented (29 percent, or just 8 out of 28). What's especially odd to me, as someone who up until the early 2000s was pretty aware of pop music, is the number of songs that I literally did not recognize - not just by title but even after I played the song. So with only a single #1 still to be revealed, I figured now was a good time to breakdown just how dire the situation was:
To refresh, the #1s we've seen so far are Blaze of Glory by JBJ; Someday by Mariah; Vogue by Madonna; Black Velvet by Allanah Myles; Love Will Never Do (Without You) by JJ; Hold On by Wilson Phillips; Praying for Time by George Michael; and one more to come.
Billboard #1s That I Considered But Ultimately Left Off (4)
Roxette - It Must Have Been Love: First 5 out. Worth watching the video just for Marie Fredrikkson
Maxi Priest - Close to You: Not my jam, but inoffensive.
Janet Jackson -
Escapade: Good, but lost out to Love Will Never Do.
Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight: Definitely not peak Whitney
Wait, What the Hell are These Songs? They Hit #1? (5)
Tommy Page - I’ll Be Your Everything
Glen Medeiros - She Ain’t Worth It
James Ingram - I Don’t Have the Heart: James Ingram isn't terrible or anything but this song really topped the charts?
Steve B - Because I Love You (The Postman Song)
Surface - The First Time
Romantic Schmaltz - Which of These Did You Slow Dance To in HS? (4)
Taylor Dayne - Love Will Lead You Back: I like early Taylor Dayne. Not this.
Sweet Sensation - If Wishes Came True: Proof (along with Expose) that even Latin Freestyle acts sold out to make terrible pop radio hits.
Mariah Carey -
Vision of Love and
Love Takes Time - not a Mariah ballads guy, though Vision... is way better than Love Takes TIme.
Flat Out Awful (5)
New Kids on the Block - Step by Step: Ugh. I give you
the Lemonheads cover.
Nelson - Love and Affection: already discussed. I know it's a guilty pleasure for some of you, and I'm not one to talk because...
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby: this has grown into a guilty pleasure for me, but I do recognize that it sucks.
C + C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat: Freedom Williams can't rap. Martha Wash got jobbed. Fun at first, but ultimately pretty bad.
Janet Jackson - Black Cat: Hairmetal wannabe crap.
Much Lesser Also-Rans to Previous #1s (2)
Wilson Phillips - Release Me: same song as Hold On, just the opposite sentiment and without the hook?
Madonna - Justify My Love: Maybe watch the video on mute?