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Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · six countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 1990

Six radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1990: KROQ, 91X, Live 105, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, John Peel (BBC Radio 1) and Studio Brussel. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1990 is “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O'Connor, which appeared on five of the six countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Six different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O'Connor, “Been Caught Stealing” by Jane's Addiction, “I'm Free” by Soup Dragons, “Fools Gold” by The Stone Roses and “Bill Is Dead” by Fall and others. Depeche Mode was the year’s most-charted artist, with six different songs placing 16 times across the countdowns.

6countdowns
272songs charted
6different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1990

All 272 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1990 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Nothing Compares 2 U Sinéad O'Connor
472		 5 #1 1
2 The Only One I Know The Charlatans
451		 6 #6 –
3 Blue Sky Mine Midnight Oil
403		 5 #9 –
4 Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode
389		 4 #2 –
5 Here's Where The Story Ends The Sundays
378		 5 #3 –
6 The Emperor's New Clothes Sinéad O'Connor
357		 5 #12 –
7 Candy Iggy Pop
356		 5 #3 –
8 Suicide Blonde INXS
350		 4 #8 –
9 World In My Eyes Depeche Mode
340		 4 #5 –
10 Wicked Game Chris Isaak
330		 4 #7 –
11 I'm Free The Soup Dragons
328		 4 #1 1
12 Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction
326		 4 #1 1
13 Policy of Truth Depeche Mode
326		 4 #2 –
14 Joey Concrete Blonde
321		 4 #15 –
15 Cuts You Up Peter Murphy
314		 4 #12 –
16 Never Enough The Cure
301		 4 #2 –
17 Pictures of You The Cure
301		 5 #4 –
18 Stop! Jane's Addiction
291		 4 #6 –
19 Hippychick Soho
278		 4 #5 –
20 November Spawned a Monster Morrissey
274		 5 #16 –
21 Fools Gold The Stone Roses
261		 3 #1 1
22 Step On Happy Mondays
261		 5 #8 –
23 Night and Day U2
243		 3 #14 –
24 Head Like a Hole Nine Inch Nails
240		 4 #18 –
25 Ball and Chain Social Distortion
237		 3 #8 –
26 Jealous Gene Loves Jezebel
235		 3 #13 –
27 Don't Ask Me Public Image Ltd.
230		 3 #6 –
28 Cradle of Love Billy Idol
228		 3 #19 –
29 Tom's Diner DNA (Featuring Suzanne Vega)
225		 3 #14 –
30 Pure The Lightning Seeds
223		 3 #13 –
31 Kool Thing Sonic Youth
223		 5 #30 –
32 Getting Away With It Electronic
212		 4 #21 –
33 The Way You Do The Things You Do UB40
211		 3 #20 –
34 Only Tongue Can Tell The Trash Can Sinatras
200		 3 #7 –
35 Head On The Jesus and Mary Chain
195		 4 #21 –
36 Epic (What Is It) Faith No More
180		 2 #6 –
37 More Sisters of Mercy
178		 4 #23 –
38 So Hard Pet Shop Boys
169		 4 #16 –
39 Strawberry Fields Forever Candy Flip
167		 4 #39 –
40 Groove Is In The Heart Dee-Lite
166		 3 #4 –
41 Room at the Top Adam Ant
164		 3 #44 –
42 World in Motion New Order
162		 4 #21 –
43 Here I Am (Come and Take Me) UB40
160		 3 #18 –
44 Way Down Now World Party
156		 4 #40 –
45 Personal Jesus Depeche Mode
156		 2 #20 –
46 Hello I Love You The Cure
154		 3 #35 –
47 Type Living Colour
153		 2 #16 –
48 Velouria The Pixies
151		 3 #5 –
49 King of the Mountain Midnight Oil
147		 2 #25 –
50 Loaded Primal Scream
145		 2 #26 –
51 God Tonight Real Life
139		 3 #29 –
52 Crystal Clear The Darling Buds
138		 3 #41 –
53 Metropolis The Church
138		 3 #33 –
54 Roam The B-52's
133		 3 #23 –
55 Ouija Board, Ouija Board Morrissey
127		 2 #33 –
56 One Love The Stone Roses
126		 3 #38 –
57 No Myth Michael Penn
124		 3 #23 –
58 Istanbul (Not Constantinople) They Might Be Giants
122		 2 #24 –
59 Iceblink Luck Cocteau Twins
119		 3 #22 –
60 Good Morning Britain Aztec Camera
116		 2 #22 –
61 Forgotten Years Midnight Oil
110		 2 #38 –
62 Cubic 808 State
108		 2 #15 –
63 I'll Be Your Chauffeur David J.
107		 2 #17 –
64 What is Love Dee-Lite
106		 2 #29 –
65 Never Do That The Pretenders
105		 2 #42 –
66 That's A Lie! Too Much Joy
105		 3 #51 –
67 Fury Eyes The Creatures
103		 3 #32 –
68 I Don't Know Why I Love You The House of Love
101		 4 #32 –
69 Show Me Your Soul Red Hot Chili Peppers
101		 2 #40 –
70 Bill Is Dead The Fall
100		 1 #1 1
71 Hard Times The Scabs
100		 1 #1 1
72 Soon My Bloody Valentine
98		 1 #2 –
73 Ik Wil Je De Kreuners
97		 1 #2 –
74 Onion Skin Boom Crash Opera
97		 2 #36 –
75 Dreams Burn Down Ride
96		 1 #3 –
76 Like A Daydream Ride
94		 1 #4 –
77 Can't Be Sure The Sundays
93		 2 #18 –
78 Tunic (Song For Karen) Sonic Youth
92		 1 #5 –
79 This Is How It Feels Inspiral Carpets
92		 2 #51 –
80 Birdhouse In Your Soul They Might Be Giants
92		 2 #35 –
81 Post Post Modern Man Devo
91		 2 #49 –
82 Prodigal Blues Billy Idol
90		 2 #43 –
83 Parachute Something Happens
90		 1 #4 –
84 All On You (Perfume) Paris Angels
90		 1 #6 –
85 Falling to Pieces Faith No More
89		 2 #40 –
86 Epic Faith No More
89		 1 #11 –
87 Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me) Wedding Present
88		 1 #7 –
88 Hello The Beloved
86		 3 #66 –
89 Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice
84		 1 #15 –
90 The Obvious Child Paul Simon
84		 2 #49 –
91 Corduroy Wedding Present
84		 1 #9 –
92 Blauw The Scene
83		 1 #6 –
93 Shall We Take a Trip Northside
83		 1 #19 –
94 Loving You The Orb
82		 1 #10 –
95 Falling Julee Cruise
82		 2 #50 –
96 Gimme Hope Jo'anna Eddy Grant
81		 2 #46 –
97 Ship Song Nick Cave
80		 1 #7 –
98 Everything Flows Teenage Fanclub
80		 1 #11 –
99 Disappear INXS
80		 2 #27 –
100 Justify My Love Madonna
78		 2 #53 –

Every station’s number one of 1990

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Nothing Compares 2 U Sinéad O'Connor KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990
91X Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990
Live 105 I'm Free Soup Dragons Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Fools Gold The Stone Roses CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Bill Is Dead Fall John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1990
Studio Brussel Hard Times The Scabs Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1990

All 1990 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1990 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 1990 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all six qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.