Best Song of 1990
Pop music in 1990 was a wild experience. New queens of pop like Paula Abdul, Taylor Dayne, and Mariah Carey stood shoulder pad to bustier with 80s ladies Madonna and Janet Jackson. Hip-hop broke into the mainstream in a big way with M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice. The last gasps of hair metal still clung to the airwaves like so much AquaNet residue. Club music somehow how found its way onto Top 40 radio stations. And the totally unsubtle vocal stylings of Michael Bolton, Wilson Phillips, and others gave sad white people the confidence they needed to rock high-waisted jeans and pleated khakis. What a time to be alive! So join us as the Great Pop Culture Debate goes back to the beginning of the end of the 20th Century as we name the Best Song of 1990.
Songs discussed: “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice; “There She Goes” by The La’s; “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode; “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles; “Groove is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite; “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston; “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel; “Vogue” by Madonna; “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer; “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe; “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor; “Freedom ‘90” by George Michael; “Love Shack” by The B-52s; “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson; “Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic; “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips
Join host Eric Rezsnyak, Derek Mekita, Jim Czadzeck, and Jonny Minogue as they discuss and debate 16 of the most iconic songs from the year of the final decade of the 20th Century.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice (1) vs. “There She Goes” by The La’s (4)
Match-Up 2: “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode (3) vs. “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles (2)
Match-Up 3: “Groove Is In the Heart” by Deee-Lite (1) vs. “I’m Your Baby Tonight” by Whitney Houston (4)
Match-Up 4: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel (3) vs. “Vogue” by Madonna (2)
Match-Up 5: “U Can’t Touch This” by M.C. Hammer (1) vs. “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe (4)
Match-Up 6: “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor (3) vs. “Freedom ‘90” by George Michael (2)
Match-Up 7: “Love Shack” by The B-52s (1) vs. “Rhythm Nation” by Janet Jackson (4)
Match-Up 8: “Pump Up the Jam” by Technotronic (3) vs. “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips (2)
Want a playlist with all 16 discussed songs, plus additional picks from our panelists? Here it is for you:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panelists: Derek Mekita, Jim Czadzeck, Jonny Minogue
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
