Criteria: - Songs listed are from Rock Music & related sub-genres. These songs are ranked based upon their initial and lasting popularity, as well as their influence and impact on the evolution of Rock and Roll and its sub-genres.

Editor: Brian

1991


1. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
2. Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
3. One – U2
4. Jeremy – Pearl Jam
5. Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Enter Sandman – Metallica
7. Come as You Are – Nirvana
8. Alive – Pearl Jam
9. November Rain – Guns N' Roses
10. O.P.P. – Naughty by Nature
11. Black or White – Michael Jackson
12. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
13. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
14. Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers
15. Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
16. Two Princes – Spin Doctors
17. Black – Pearl Jam
18. Lithium – Nirvana
19. Tennessee – Arrested Development
20. Mysterious Ways – U2
21. Set Adrift on Memory Bliss – PM Dawn
22. Don’t Cry – Guns n’ Roses
23. Something to Talk About – Bonnie Raitt
24. Even Flow – Pearl Jam
25. Mind Playing Tricks on Me – Geto Boys
26. In Bloom – Nirvana
27. Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
28. Cream – Prince
29. I Wanna Sex You Up – Color Me Badd
30. Can’t Truss It – Public Enemy
31. Gett Off – Prince
32. The Show Must Go On – Queen
33. I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt
34. Summertime – D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
35. The Unforgiven – Metallica
36. Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.
37. Remember the Time – Michael Jackson
38. Safe from Harm – Massive Attack
39. I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred
40. Finally – Ce Ce Peniston
41. Scenario – A Tribe Called Quest
42. To Be With You – Mr. Big
43. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Guns n’ Roses
44. Gypsy Woman – Crystal Waters
45. How I Could Just Kill a Man – Cypress Hill
46. I Can’t Dance – Genesis
47. Check the Rhime – A Tribe Called Quest
48. Save the Best for Last – Vanessa Williams
49. I Love Your Smile – Shanice
50. It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz
51. There’s No Other Way – Blur
52. Motownphilly – Boyz II Men
53. Only Shallow – My Bloody Valentine
54. Innuendo – Queen
55. Go – Moby
56. No More Tears – Ozzy Osbourne
57. Jesus Christ Pose – Soundgarden
58. Heal the World – Michael Jackson
59. Emotions – Mariah Carey
60. Learning to Fly – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
61. Joyride – Roxette
62. Rush, Rush – Paula Abdul
63. Sad but True – Metallica
64. Weather With You – Crowded House
65. Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn
66. Summer Babe – Pavement
67. Buggin’ Out – A Tribe Called Quest
68. You Could Be Mine – Guns n’ Roses
69. Even Better Than the Real Thing – U2
70. Diamonds and Pearls – Prince
71. Right Now – Van Halen
72. Now That We Found Love – Heavy D & the Boyz
73. Life Is a Highway – Tom Cochrane
74. 3 A.M. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.) – The KLF
75. Polly – Nirvana
76. Suck My Kiss – Red Hot Chili Peppers
77. Stars – Simply Red
78. Higher Than the Sun – Primal Scream
79. The Choice Is Yours – Black Sheep
80. It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday – Boyz II Men
81. Fading Like a Flower – Roxette
82. Jazz (We’ve Got) – A Tribe Called Quest
83. Stay – Shakespear’s Sister
84. Good Vibrations – Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
85. Brenda’s Got a Baby – 2pac
86. All I Want – Toad the Wet Sprocket
87. Come & Talk to Me – Jodeci
88. Papua New Guinea – Future Sound of London
89. Unforgettable – Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole
90. Justified and Ancient – The KLF
91. Hand on the Pump – Cypress Hill
92. Breaking the Girl – Red Hot Chili Peppers
93. No Son of Mine – Genesis
94. Get Ready for This – 2 Unlimited
95. Outshined – Soundgarden
96. Charly – The Prodigy
97. A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays” – De La Soul
98. Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong – Spin Doctors
99. Forever My Lady – Jodeci
100. Rhinoceros – Smashing Pumpkins

20 more worth mentioning
101. The Fly – U2
102. When a Man Loves a Woman – Michael Bolton
103. Will You Be There – Michael Jackson
104. Jerry Was a Race Car Driver – Primus
105. Wherever I May Roam – Metallica
106. Civil War – Guns n’ Roses
107. The Star Spangled Banner – Whitney Houston
108. Breakin’ My Heart – Mint Condition
109. All This Time – Sting
110. Ring Ring Ring – De La Soul
111. Baby Baby – Amy Grant
112. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started – Bryan Adams
113. Power of Love/Love Power – Luther Vandross
114. Romantic – Karyn White
115. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me – George Michael and Elton John
116. Steady Mobbin’ – Ice Cube
117. All 4 Love – Color Me Badd
118. Jesus Built My Hot Rod – Ministry
119. 2 Legit 2 Quit – M.C. Hammer
120. Hazard – Richard Marx

Brian's choice - An unheralded great record from 1991:
Waiting - The Feelies

reserved

reserved

reserved

Above is my current draft of Greatest Songs of 1991. If you spot any errors in spelling or song or artist names or any songs that aren’t from 1991, I’m interested in knowing. Eligibility is determined by year of initial commercial release, whether that initial release was on an album or a single, and regardless of what country it occurred in. Any other input is also welcome. Of the songs that aren’t included above, the following are ones that occurred to me that I thought were very close, but couldn’t quite make room for. In some cases, part of the reason the song didn’t make it was that I thought the artist had enough songs already.

Something Got Me Started – Simply Red
Once – Pearl Jam
Who Is It – Michael Jackson
Sometimes – My Bloody Valentine
Rusty Cage – Soundgarden
Movin’ on Up – Primal Scream
Until the End of the World – U2
Jesus Built My Hot Rod – Ministry
Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Say Hello 2 Heaven – Temple of the Dog
Pop Goes the Weasel – 3rd Bass
Alwayz Into Somethin’ – N.W.A.
I’m Going Slightly Mad – Queen
Tonite – DJ Quik
Shut ‘Em Down – Public Enemy
Love to Hate You – Erasure
Rhythm of My Heart – Rod Stewart
Keepin’ the Faith – De La Soul
Always on the Run – Lenny Kravitz
You Love Us – Manic Street Preachers
Masterpiece – Atlantic Starr
Killer – Seal

I’ll add my choice for unheralded great record from ’91 fairly soon.

I am also working on lists for ’92, ’93 and ’94. I’ll add those to this thread and change the name of the thread as they become available. Lew will be doing the ’90 list. I plan to wait awhile to send this to the main site, probably until after I’ve posted the ’92 list here.

Some other recommendations for songs:

The KLF - 3 AM Eternal *
Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (his most popular and acclaimed solo song)
Del the Funkee Homosapien - Mistadobalina
Teenage Fanclub - The Concept
Slint - Good Morning, Captain
Violent Femmes - American Music
Talk Talk - Ascension Day
Big Audio Dynamite II - Rush

* The version released in 1989 is very, very different from the 1991 version (released as a single and on their 1991 record The White Room) to the point where they're basically different songs. Despite the subtitle (Live at the SSL) on the 1991 recording, it is actually a studio recording and not a live one.

I agree with adding "3 AM Eternal."

Also, I'd probably have 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready for This" in the Top 100. It was a massive success and one of the definitive singles of the '90s eurodance craze.

Maybe Ministry's "Jesus Built My Hotrod" is worthy of the Top 100 as well. It was one of their biggest sellers and helped to somewhat popularize industrial metal.

A good list overall, Brian. Can't much argue with the Top 10.

As Piper seemed to know, the 1989 release was why I didn't include "3 AM Eternal". However, since reading his post, I read the Wikipedia article about the song, and apparently there is a new vocal on the '91 version (a rap by Ricardo da Force), so I think that's enough to justify considering the '91 to be an initial release. So if it's eligible for this list, as I now think it should be, I definitely think it should make it. In fact, it should probably be ahead of "Justified and Ancient".

So the question is what to drop to make room for it. I've started researching the '92 list, and I now think "Everybody in the Place" by the Prodigy is most likely the least essential song on the list. "Charly" was their British breakthrough hit, so given they had several songs later that I think have endured more than EitP, "Charly" is probably enough Prodigy for this list. I'd say "Kiss Them for Me" is probably the next least essential, and should probably drop to #120 if it stays. I'm not sure yet about adding "Jesus Bulit My Hot Rod". If it's added, then 2 songs have to come off, and these look to me like the 2 best candidates.

And yes, maybe "Get Ready for This" should be in the Top 100. One song has to drop into the 101-120 range to make room for "3 AM", and a 2nd would have to if GRfT is raised. Right now, I'm inclined to just lower what's at 100 (Jodeci), and lower what's at 99 (Spin Doctors) if GRfT is moved up.

I think, in addition to 3AM Eternal, that all of these are deserving of a place as well.

Bring on the Bruce poll.

I don't see how any of these are as deserving as what's on the list. In the case of Thompson, it probably is his most popular and acclaimed solo song, but he has never been very popular, his work with Linda is more acclaimed than his solo work, and his albums more acclaimed than his songs.

EDIT: Making one comparison with one of these and a borderline song, I mentioned the possibility of dropping "Kiss Them for Me" by Siouxsie and the Banshees to make room for "Jesus Built My Hot Rod", but "Kiss Them" beats "Rush" in almost every indicator that I've looked at. "Kiss Them" was a slightly bigger US hit, and it was a top 40 hit in the UK, where "Rush" didn't chart (might not have been a single). "Kiss Them" also has more listens at lastfm, and does better on the alternative radio surveys that I've compiled.

Good list, Brian. 1991 was a great year. One of my favorites.

I'm just miss some songs:

Scorpions - Send Me An Angel
Scorpions - Wind Of Change
Extreme - More Than Words
Charles & Eddi Would I Lie To You
Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
Rick Astley - Cry For Help

By the way, do you know about the lists of 1988/89 of DDD's site?

Thanks, Bruno.

Both Scorpions songs and "More Than Words" are 1990 releases. The latter will definitely make the '90 list, and the others might also. "Wicked Game" is an '89 release if not earlier (but I think it's '89), and I would think it would make its appropriate list. I thought "Would I Lie to You" was a 1992 release. Do you have evidence to the contrary? It should make the list for whatever year it was released.

JB Trance is doing the lists for 1988 & 1989, but I don't know when they'll be ready.

You're right, Brian, about the years.
You have a plan to make the 95' list too?

I haven't decided yet on that.