The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1991

 

The Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 1991

Hey guys, it’s Fire here and yup—it’s time to count down the top 10 best hit songs of 1991!!

So in my worst list, I made it no secret that 1991 was one of the worst years for pop music I’ve ever looked at. But that begs the question: was there ANYTHING that redeemed it?

Well, New Jack Swing may have curdled a bit, but we still had great dance-pop hits that were influenced by the New Jack Swing sound. 1991 also saw the breakthroughs of now established mainstream icons and critical darlings—hi Mariah and R.E.M.. Additionally, Paula Abdul was notably huge in the early 90s, inspiring a shit load of ripoffs who generally ranged from good if not spectacular to tolerably forgettable, and I had to imagine that this pushed Paula Abdul herself to remind people of why she was so big in the first place. But honestly looking at the list I managed to compile here, I’m struggling to nail down any particular pattern in my favorite hits of 1991. I mean, there are great songs, but this list kinda feels weird. I guess if there’s any pattern I could highlight, it’s that the pop music of 1991 had me looking for greatness in every possible corner, leading me to find quality in a bunch of nooks and crannies of genres. I mean, the amount of dance-pop and synthpop on this list isn’t surprising—I like both those genres a lot. But the rest feels like a grab bag of alt-rock, hip hop, and random one-offs where I don’t think they neatly fall into one genre distinction. That all means that 1991 was a really rough year for the charts.

Now to get started with this list!! As per usual, the songs eligible for this list must have met at least one of these rules:

• They had to debut on the 1991 Hot 100 YE

• Repeating songs are eligible if they beat or matched their previous standings on this YE

• Any songs in the YE Top 20 are eligible regardless of the first two rules

So let’s pull out the gems from this rough year starting with our honorable mentions!!

HM #1: Seal - Crazy (YE: #75, PEAK: #7)

Seal is definitely most remembered for “Kiss From A Rose”, which is absolutely great, don’t get that twisted. But in the meantime, “Crazy” is so underrated. The song makes great use of the space in the mix and Seal rides the tight trance production smoothly. He cultivates one hell of an atmosphere. Really effective track!!

HM #2: Roxette - Joyride (YE: #23, PEAK: #1)

So given how much I’ve openly said I don’t like glam rock, I think it’s only fair I highlight a glam rock-ish song that I actually really like. “Joyride” is probably more straightforward pop rock than glam rock, but it shows what could make me like more of the genre. It’s tight synthpop-inflected pop rock with a strong groove and killer guitars. They even make the “Roxette!” vocal sneer work! Hell, this honestly might slot closer to ABBA’s 1978 hit “Take A Chance On Me”, which was my favorite hit song of that year! The one complaint I’d have to say about this song is that it doesn’t quite explode like a true joyride. But fuck it, it still goes hard. Yeah, if more glam rock bothered to have grooves as strong as this, I’d definitely like it more.

HM #3: Amy Grant - Every Heartbeat (YE: #28, PEAK: #2)

So as I said in my worst list, CCM crossing over to the pop charts has historically been a bad sign for the state of mainstream music. But Amy Grant is proof that CCM artists can still make great music! Granted, Grant may have started out CCM, but she swerved away from that in the 90s for two synthpop hits. And “Every Heartbeat” is just a great pop song with its strong bassline and a very sunshine-y hook. This is just a kickass song and I imagine the listener’s heartbeat is to this song.

HM #4: Paula Abdul - Rush Rush (YE: #4, PEAK: #1)

For as big as Paula Abdul was in the early 90s, she only had two hits in 1991. We’ll get back to the other one in just a bit, but in the meantime, “Rush Rush” is pretty great for what it is. For someone more known for New Jack Swing and dance-pop, this sees Abdul pivot into more R&B territory. The production sounds dreamy and Abdul sells her lovestruckness so well. In other words, it’s one of the few AC ballads from this era that actually holds up well.

HM #5: Londonbeat - I've Been Thinking About You (YE: #31, PEAK: #1)

Oh what a shock, a eurodance song is making Fire’s best list!! While “I’ve Been Thinking About You” isn’t a song that arrives with a bang, it’s one that really sneaks up on you. The production is surprisingly fun despite its relatively understated vibe. The vocalist keeps a strong presence while not overpowering the production, which is really what makes this work. I’ll be thinking about this song for the next few weeks now! And then I’ll be thinking of that awful fucking pun I made just there for the next few hours.

HM #6: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Summertime (YE: #38, PEAK: #4)

Hey, remember when Will Smith was actually good? But seriously, if you compare the chill vibes of this to that trash “Pretty Girls” from last year, the fall-off is fucking staggering. And yeah, I did mention that I found a lot of the hip hop in 1991 to be good while not being great, but this was the big exception. What really works with this is that Will Smith doesn’t try to hide the song’s corniness and instead embraces it for a song purely about the joys of summer, like school being out or putting your car in cruise and sitting back and unwinding. Will keeps his delivery charming enough to make the vibe really click. And as I’m writing this, with only one month left before the summertime, I think I’ll be bumping this.

HM #7: Amy Grant - Baby, Baby (YE: #10, PEAK: #1)

I swear, I’ve heard this song in some stupid Christmas ad or something. But “Baby, Baby” is a great song—the europop-leaning production feels like a slow burn and Grant’s vocals are so exuberant that even putting this in an ad can’t ruin it!! And if you can do that, you probably can crack time travel or something because that’s a monumental feat.

HM #8: Paula Abdul - The Promise of A New Day (YE: #41, PEAK: #1)

Yeah, as great as “Rush Rush” is, this dance-pop style has always made my brain light up. And Paula Abdul absolutely nails her performance. The production isn’t loudly maximalist but still lively, and Abdul matches that vibe perfectly. Fun track!!

HM #9: R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (YE: #33, PEAK: #4)

And here we get one of the most RYM-coded entries this list could possibly have. But for real, “Losing My Religion” is just a great track. With its jangle pop/acoustic rock instrumentation, the indie rock band voice, and the waves of poetry in the lyrics, it feels like a coffee shop singer-songwriter performance in a really endearing way. It’s not my favorite R.E.M. hit this year, but this still goes hard. But you know what, on that note...

HM #10: R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People (YE: #100, PEAK: #10)

Barely a hit, but no less deserving of an entry on this list. The instrumentation just sounds...shiny and happy, with the jangle pop production as tight as ever. I just like the guitars here a lot. Yeah, not much else to say, this is just a great song that I like the vibe of a lot.

Alright, now for the list proper!!

10…So a very specific subgenre of dance-pop is freestyle. Originating from Latino communities from New York and Miami in the 80s, it characterized a sort of electronic-inspired breakbeat sound. I think listening to the 1991 YE helped me realize that I tend to have a soft spot for Freestyle music. And why wouldn’t I? It’s in a very similar vein to Hi-NRG, which I love. So what I’m trying to say is that...it’s a temptation to include a Freestyle song on this list. And I’m gonna give into that god damn temptation because holy fuck this slaps. You see? It’s my *temptation* because the song is-okay you all know what the setup is here already....

10. Corina - Temptation (YE: #58, PEAK: #6)

It’s rather simple for me to explain why this song made the list—tight groove, smooth and ethereal vocals that seamlessly fit against the production, and great use of panning to enhance the quality of the mix. I also just like the way the synths fade in and out throughout the song, giving the song a weirdly magical feeling. Yeah, this is a temptation that I can’t resist, great song!

9...How about another obvious Fire best list pick?...

9. Cathy Dennis - Just Another Dream (YE: #87, PEAK: #9)

I really don’t have much to say about “Just Another Dream” other than that it’s a fun lowkey house cut that Cathy Dennis does a great job of slotting into. The backup vocals feel like they’re accentuating Dennis’s delivery rather than clashing with it. Yeah, great track, but not Dennis’s best hit this year.

8...Well, I mean, we’re already here, might as well...

8. Cathy Dennis - Touch Me (All Night Long) (YE: #30, PEAK: #2)

Like “Just Another Dream”, I really have little to say about “Touch Me (All Night Long)”. The reason I put this higher really comes down to the fact that the guitar rollick provides a stronger melody. Though I will note that it feels like Cathy Dennis is having more fun here. Her earnest requests to her partner to touch her and drive her crazy all night long make it clear that she’s here for a good time and her enjoying it makes it more fun! It’s the 90s version of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Juno”! This is music for after the club’s cleared out and you’re heading home with someone you’re hooking up with. And if you find yourself in that scenario, you’re probably bumping this song all night long. And you’re all the better for it!

7...So 1991 was the year when New Jack Swing really started getting very overexposed. I still have a fondness for its massive grooves, hooks, and artists’ huge vocal presence, but it’s hard not to get tired of it, even listening to the 1990 and 1991 YEs had me feeling a bit fatigued from the sheer volume of New Jack Swing and I wasn’t even alive back in 1990 or 91—I can’t imagine how overwhelming it was at the time! That said, even an overexposed trend can still notch greatness, especially when the song came from one of the biggest breakout acts of the entire 90s...

7. Boyz II Men - Motownphilly (YE: #11, PEAK: #3)

As I said, New Jack Swing was really starting to curdle into an overexposed mess in 1991. But “Motownphilly” still feels fresh thanks to the guys in Boyz II Men all being on their A-game with endless personality to ride the huge groove and the trumpets that add flair. A line like “and all the Philly steaks you can eat” just lands with so much class in a bit of an Anderson .Paak vein. It feels like an “I’m back bitch” single, but instead of for the artist, it’s for the genres of Motown and Philly themselves and it absolutely succeeds in that regard. Great track!!

6...Okay, after she utterly dominated my 1990 best list, is it really a surprise that she’s making it here?...

6. Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do (Without You) (YE: #19, PEAK: #1)

“Love Will Never Do (Without You)” feels like Janet channeling the spirit of her brother Michael—with the conviction in her vocals—into a massive Minneapolis Sound track. The synths sound huge and provide a very danceable foundation for Janet to seamlessly fit in with. It’s not her best song, but this is still pretty great.

5...Yeah, we’re reaching the point of the list where the artists are so established as chronicled legends in popular music that it seems cliche to even put them on this list. But they wouldn’t make it here if they didn’t belong here!...

5. Prince & The New Power Generation - Cream (YE: #66, PEAK: #1)

I mean, what can I say about an artist as legendary as Prince that hasn’t already been said a billion other times? He’s got a smooth as hell voice with tons of charisma and he rides the funky groove so well. The song feels really sexy in a very dominant way—Prince is asserting himself as a desirable figure and he’s promising a great time. He sells the song effortlessly. Great fucking track, in more ways than one!!

4...But speaking of chronicled legends in popular music, 1991 was arguably the breakout year for Mariah Carey. She had two hits the year prior, but they weren’t particular standout hits of 1990. But 1991 was when I’d argue she was ascending not just into an A-lister in the mainstream, but a massive critical darling. She managed to get 4 hits this year, this was the biggest of them, and what an impression she made!!...

4. Mariah Carey - Someday (YE: #13, PEAK: #1)

If you’ve read any of my articles, you probably know that I like Mariah Carey a lot. She’s got a tremendous voice that she uses to the fullest extent so effortlessly that she makes you believe that she genuinely loves singing. As I said, she had 4 hits this year—”I Don’t Wanna Cry” is decent and “Love Takes Time” is honestly kinda mediocre, but “Someday” really worked for me. She rides the dance-pop/New Jack Swing production that would come to characterize much of her material for the years to come amazingly. Not her best hit this year—stay tuned—but it’s still incredible.

3...Every so often you encounter a song that you feel “should not be a hit”, completely divorced from your opinion of the song. It may be very deserving of commercial success, but it just feels “too good” for the pop charts or so un-commercial that you’d think it’d take a miracle for them to see success. Some recent examples are “Something In The Orange” by Zach Bryan from 2022 or even “No One Noticed” by The Marias from 2025. And thus, 1991’s entry into that canon...

3. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (YE: #79, PEAK: #6)

I truly do not mince words when I say that this song feels so out of place on the 1991 YE. It feels like something that’d receive rapturous critical acclaim but would be consigned to a “What might have been” timeline. The song’s structure is almost entirely counter to the standard pop song structure—there’s only one verse and there are no hooks! And yet the vibe still clicks so well for me. I love Chris Isaak’s contemplative and weary vocals that perfectly sell the hesitance to fall in love with someone after being burned by love while still starving for connection. The production is also excellent—it’s smoky yet dreamy in all the right ways with that electric guitar smolder, giving this a vibe of a man looking over the horizon contemplating his past and current relationships. Okay, but if I have this much praise for this song, why isn’t this higher? Well, it’s just simply not that replayable. You have to be in a very specific mood to really sink into this song. Still, this song is absolutely incredible, so what two songs beat this?

2...This song is inarguably one of the most widely recognized classics in history. It’s not #1 on this list, but I mean, it’s hard to disagree...

2. DNA f/Suzanne Vega - Tom's Diner (YE: #53, PEAK: #5)

Well first, duh. “Tom’s Diner” is widely considered as a perfect trip hop song, and one that’s reliably still huge in the cultural memory today. Suzanne Vega’s rambling conversational cadence that almost sounds like she’s making up the melody on the spot somehow works thanks to the atmospheric production. The duh-duh-duh’s are instantly iconic and memorable. The soundscape is super lush. I could honestly keep listing off disconnected one-sentence remarks that convey just how beautiful this sounds, but really, I think you all know why this song is incredible. As for why this didn’t top the list, well, I’ll admit that while I absolutely love how this sounds, I don’t always return to it. It’s more of a song whose impact I respect more than a song that I love purely on its own merits. This might be an obvious best list entry, but it’s still an incredible song. So what could beat it?

1...What makes a song your favorite or “the best”? For those who don’t know, my all-time favorite song is a tie between “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves and “Ghost” by Justin Bieber. I have extremely personal reasons for why that is, but part of what I’d say makes “Ghost” such an important song to me is that the song feels extremely tied to my love of singing, and by proxy, my love of music at large. I love listening to music because I can sing along to it, where I can get lost in my own little world where I think I sound amazing regardless of what others may think. It doesn’t feel like work for me. I bring this up because my #1 pick on this list isn’t necessarily the song I love singing along with most, but it’s the one that best encapsulates why I love music. So all hail the queen of pop...

1. Mariah Carey - Emotions (YE: #22, PEAK: #1)

I mentioned with “Someday” that Mariah sings so effortlessly well that she makes you believe that she sings not just because it’s her job, but it’s something she genuinely adores doing. And “Emotions” is Exhibit A of that. It’s so exuberant and happy, with Mariah belting out those whistle notes against the bright and sunny dance-pop production—it radiates so much pure happiness that you can’t help but smile. Mariah isn’t belting these notes to try sounding impressive, she just feels like she sounds incredible and it makes her happy. And that’s why I love singing, I feel like I sound good and it’s something I can feel proud of myself for. I wouldn’t dare attempt to sing this song if only out of fear of everyone within a 10-mile radius of me killing themselves from their ears bleeding from hearing me attempt to hit those whistle notes, but “Emotions” by Mariah Carey captures the essence of why I love pop music, and it’s my best hit song of 1991!

Alright, that’s another year of the 90s done!! I won’t be putting out my 1992 lists next month though because I’ve got a discog dive I’m planning on doing next month, so stay tuned for that! The 1992 lists will probably come out in July. So until the next article, if you’ve got your own lists of the best hit songs of 1991, feel free to comment them down below! In the meantime, Spotify playlist with every song mentioned on this list is linked right here and remember to keep it Fire!!