Top 100 Songs From 1990 -

The anti-Hammer. Where Hammer was noise, Sinéad was silence. Her shaved head, the single tear rolling down her cheek in the video, and Prince’s haunting lyrics turned this into a requiem for heartbreak. It is flawless, sad, and utterly timeless.

Was it Mariah’s high note, Hammer’s pants, or Sinéad’s tear? Let us know in the comments below. top 100 songs from 1990

Madonna was already a star, but "Vogue" made her a living art exhibit. Inspired by the underground ballroom scene of Harlem, she took gay club culture and put it in the center of the mall. The video is black-and-white perfection. Strike a pose. The anti-Hammer

For the goths and the art kids. In a year of bombast, Depeche Mode offered quiet minimalism. The thump-thump-thump of the drum machine and Dave Gahan’s baritone created a mood that has never gone out of style. It is flawless, sad, and utterly timeless

A tribute to Elvis Presley wrapped in a blues-rock shuffle. This song felt old the minute it came out, which is why it aged so well. It’s smoky, sensual, and feels like a Louisiana bayou at 2 AM.

If you play these 100 songs in a row, you don't just hear music. You hear a world getting ready for the internet, for grunge, for the end of the Cold War. You hear the sound of teenagers borrowing their parents' cars, driving to the mall, and turning up the radio.