Tuesday, May 15, 2012

1991


The Top 150 Hits of… 1991

This was the last year before Billboard switched to new methods of formulating sales and airplay for the Hot 100. Instead of using playlists from radio stations and best seller lists from stores, Billboard would now use actual monitored airplay supplied by Broadcast Data Systems and at-the-register sales data from UPC scans. The first official week for the new chart was Nov. 30, 1991. But on that chart, in the spaces where rankings for the previous two weeks were shown, the rankings of songs from the previous two weeks of the test charts Billboard made before the switch were listed, not their positions on the published chart using the old. So chart geeks like me could compare the published versions of Nov. 16 & 23 vs. what they would have been under the new system. Comparing the new and old charts, there were some sizeable differences. In the official published chart for the week of Nov. 23, “Get a Leg Up” by John Mellencamp was #14. If the new chart had been in place, it would have been #42!

This made compiling my own list a little challenging in regards to songs that bridged the ’91 and ’92 chart years. In general, it was harder to get into the upper regions of the new chart, and chart life tended to be longer. So while “Get a Leg Up” wouldn’t have peaked as high, it likely would have had a few more weeks on the chart. So for these songs I did my best to construct what their remaining chart life would have been like under the old system. Given that I could easily be off by a bit, and two of these songs are at #149 and 150, I extended that chart two more places in the case the songs at 151 & 152 should really have been 149 & 150.

Billboard instituted a new rule in which if a song had been on the chart for 20 weeks and had dropped below the top 20 (quickly changed to the top 40, and later, top 50) it was removed from the chart and given recurrent status the following week. “Recurrent” is when a song is no longer on a station’s playlist per se, but it still gets played as an older tune amongst the more current songs. Thing was, if a song was very popular, and many stations were playing it as a recurrent, it could maintain sufficient airplay points to remain in the lower reaches of the chart until doomsday. Hence the new rule.

There are also three special cases on this chart. Two songs that were not available as singles, and therefore ineligible for the Hot 100, in which case I used points from the old airplay chart (#’s 92 & 137), and one whose single release was withheld until after its radio play had already peaked, in which case I used airplay chart points before its single release, and its Hot 100 points after (#95). All three cases were successful attempts to garner album sales. Had commercial singles been available, I'd be willing to bet these songs would have had much higher year-end positions.

  1. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams 347.5
  2. Because I Love You (The Postman Song) – Stevie B 301.5
  3. From a Distance – Bette Midler 300.5
  4. Gonna Make You Sweat – C&C Music Factory 298.5
  5. High Enough – Damn Yankees 295.5
  6. I Wanna Sex You Up – Color Me Badd 292.5
  7. Rush Rush – Paula Abdul 291.5
  8. One More Try – Timmy T 288
  9. The First Time – Surface 285.5
  10. More Than Words – Extreme 281
  11. Unbelievable – EMF 280.5
  12. I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) – Hi-Five 278.5
  13. Motownphilly – Boyz II Men 271.5
  14. Baby Baby – Amy Grant 259.5
  15. Right Here, Right Now – Jesus Jones 252
  16. Love Will Never Do (Without You) – Janet Jackson 250.5
  17. I’m Your Baby Tonight – Whitney Houston 248.5
  18. All the Man That I Need – Whitney Houston 248
  19. Someday – Mariah Carey 247
  20. Romantic – Karyn White 245.5
  21. Good Vibrations – Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch w/ Loleatta Holloway 240.5
  22. Do Anything – Natural Selection feat. Niki Haris 240
  23. I Adore Mi Amor – Color Me Badd 239.5
  24. Emotions – Mariah Carey 238.5
  25. Sensitivity – Ralph Tresvant 237.5
  26. Hold You Tight – Tara Kemp 234.5
  27. Cream – Prince & the N.P.G. 234
  28. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started – Bryan Adams 233.5
  29. Justify My Love – Madonna 233
  30. I Don’t Wanna Cry – Mariah Carey 228.5
  31. Joyride – Roxette 227
  32. Every Heartbeat – Amy Grant 226
  33. You’re in Love – Wilson Phillips 224.5
  34. Touch Me (All Night Long) – Cathy Dennis 224
  35. Where Does My Heart Beat Now – Celine Dion 223
  36. I’ve Been Thinking About You – Londonbeat 222
  37. Impulsive – Wilson Phillips 222
  38. Losing My Religion – R.E.M. 218.5
  39. Wind of Change – Scorpions 218.5
  40. Coming Out of the Dark – Gloria Estefan 215.5
  41. Tom’s Diner – DNA feat. Suzanne Vega 215.5
  42. Here We Go – C&C Music Factory 213
  43. It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz 212.5
  44. The Way You Do the Things You Do – UB40 209.5
  45. Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince 207.5
  46. Love of a Lifetime – Firehouse 205.5
  47. Hole Hearted – Extreme 202.5
  48. P.A.S.S.I.O.N. – Rythm Syndicate 198
  49. This House – Tracie Spencer 197.5
  50. Something to Talk About – Bonie Raitt 197
  51. Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave) – Roxette 196
  52. Promise of a New Day – Paula Abdul 192.5
  53. After the Rain – Nelson 192
  54. Rhythm of My Heart – Rod Stewart 191.5
  55. Power of Love/Love Power – Luther Vandross 190.5
  56. Love Is a Wonderful Thing – Michael Bolton 188.5
  57. Iesha – Another Bad Creation 188.5
  58. I Touch Myself – Divinyls 187.5
  59. Things That Make You Go Hmmmm… - C&C Music Factory 183.5
  60. I Can’t Wait Another Minute – Hi-Five 182.5
  61. Temptation – Corina 182
  62. Play That Funky Music – Vanilla Ice 180.5
  63. I’ll Be There – The Escape Club 178.5
  64. Around the Way Girl – LL Cool J 177.5
  65. O.P.P. – Naughty by Nature 177.5
  66. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) – UB40 177
  67. Show Me the Way – Styx 174
  68. 3A.M. Eternal – The KLF 173.5
  69. Cry for Help – Rick Astley 172.5
  70. Time, Love and Tenderness – Michael Bolton 171.5
  71. Set the Night to Music – Roberta Flack & Maxi Priest 171.5
  72. Sadeness Part 1 – Enigma 171
  73. Now That We Found Love – Heavy D & the Boyz 170.5
  74. Wicked Game – Chris Isaac 170
  75. Signs – Tesla 167.5
  76. I’ll Give All My Love to You – Keith Sweat 167.5
  77. Round and Round – Tevin Campbell 166.5
  78. Too Many Walls – Cathy Dennis 164.5
  79. Place in This World – Michael W. Smith 163.5
  80. Don’t Cry – Guns n’ Roses 162.5
  81. Get Here – Oleta Adams 160.5
  82. The One and Only – Chesney Hawkes 159
  83. Crazy – Seal 158.5
  84. Just Another Dream – Cathy Dennis 157.5
  85. Everybody Plays the Fool – Aaron Neville 156
  86. With You – Tony Terry 154.5
  87. I’m Not in Love – Will to Power 154
  88. Silent Lucidity – Queensryche 152.5
  89. Miles Away – Winger 152.5
  90. Real Real Real – Jesus Jones 151.5
  91. Freedom ’90 – George Michael 151.5
  92. State of the World – Janet Jackson 150
  93. I Wonder Why – Curtis Stigers 150
  94. Do You Want Me – Salt-n-Pepa 147
  95. Rescue Me – Madonna 146
  96. Piece of My Heart – Tara Kemp 146
  97. Disappear – INXS 145.5
  98. Strike It Up – Black Box 144.5
  99. Let’s Talk About Sex – Salt -n- Pepa 139.5
  100. Rico Suave – Gerardo 138
  101. All This Time – Sting 136.5
  102. I Saw Red – Warrant 136.5
  103. Don’t Want to Be a Fool – Luther Vandross 135
  104. Wiggle It – 2 in a Room 131.5
  105. Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn 130.5
  106. The Motown Song – Rod Stewart 130
  107. Enter Sandman – Metallica 128.5
  108. Playground – Another Bad Creation 127.5
  109. Shiny Happy People – R.E.M. 125
  110. Voices that Care – Voices that Care 125
  111. Written All Over Your Face – Rude Boys 123.5
  112. Miracle – Jon Bon Jovi 122.5
  113. Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) – Crystal Waters 119
  114. If You Needed Somebody – Bad Company 118.5
  115. Don’t Treat Me Bad – Firehouse 118.5
  116. I’ll Never Let You Go – Steelheart 116.5
  117. Unfogettable – Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole 114
  118. Street of Dreams – Nia Peeples 113.5
  119. How Can I Ease the Pain – Lisa Fischer 113
  120. Lily Was Here – David A. Stewart & Candy Dulfer 113
  121. Love Makes Things Happen – Pebbles with Babyface 112
  122. Love… Thy Will Be Done – Martika 111.5
  123. Hard to Handle – The Black Crowes 111
  124. Miracle – Whitney Houston 109.5
  125. Just the Way It Is, Baby – The Rembrandts 107.5
  126. You Don’t Have to Go Home Tonight – The Triplets 106.5
  127. The Dream Is Still Alive – Wilson Phillips 106
  128. Running Back to You – Vanessa Williams 105.5
  129. More Than Ever – Nelson 105.5
  130. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)/I Want You – Robert Palmer 105.5
  131. Couple Days Off – Huey Lewis & the News 103
  132. For You – The Outfield 102.5
  133. Waiting for Love – Alias 99.5
  134. I’ll Be By Your Side – Stevie B 95.5
  135. Love and Understanding – Cher 95.5
  136. Something in My Heart – Michel’le 95.5
  137. Do the Bartman – The Simpsons 95
  138. Mama Said Knock You Out – LL Cool J 93.5
  139. Never Gonna Let You Down – Surface 93.5
  140. One and Only Man – Steve Winwood 93.5
  141. Save Some Love – Keedy 93
  142. I’ll Do 4 U – Father M.C. 90.5
  143. What Comes Naturally – Sheena Easton 89
  144. Hey Donna – Rythm Syndicate 87.5
  145. On the Way Up – Elisa Fiorillo 87.5
  146. Heat of the Moment – After 7 86
  147. A Better Love – Londonbeat 83.5
  148. Deeper Shade of Soul – Urban Dance Squad 83
  149. Ring My Bell – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince 82.5
  150. Get a Leg Up – John Mellencamp 81.5
  151. Moneytalks – AC/DC 81.5
  152. You Could Be Mine – Guns n’ Roses 76.5
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