1990 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1990.

This year was the peak of cassette sales in the United States, with sales declining year on year since then.

Specific locations

 * 1990 in British music
 * 1990 in Norwegian music
 * 1990 in South Korean music

Specific genres

 * 1990 in country music
 * 1990 in heavy metal music
 * 1990 in hip hop music
 * 1990 in Latin music
 * 1990 in jazz

January–March

 * January 8 – Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor released her famous single "Nothing Compares 2 U" (originally written, composed and performed by Prince) which was a worldwide success, becoming one of the best selling singles in the world in 1990 and topped the charts in many countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.
 * January 18 – Eric Clapton plays the first of eighteen shows in a three-week span at London's Royal Albert Hall.
 * January 21 – MTV's Unplugged is broadcast for the first time, on cable television, with British band Squeeze.
 * February 6
 * Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. Idol had been scheduled to have a major role in Oliver Stone's film The Doors, but due to his injuries, the role was reduced almost to a bit part. The role of the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, originally intended for Idol, was recast entirely as a result of the accident.
 * Bob Marley's birthday is a national holiday in Jamaica for the first time.
 * February 14 – 50,000 fans watch The Rolling Stones play the first of 10 concerts at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, the beginning of the Stones' first ever tour of Japan. The group was originally scheduled to perform there in 1973 but a drug conviction prevented Mick Jagger from obtaining a visa at the time.
 * February 16 – Ike Turner is sentenced to four years in prison for possession of cocaine.
 * February 21 – The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Garry Shandling. Bonnie Raitt's Nick of Time wins Album of the Year, while Bette Midler's cover of "Wind Beneath My Wings" wins both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Milli Vanilli win Best New Artist.
 * February 24 – The Byrds (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and David Crosby) reunite, for the first time in 25 years, to perform at a Los Angeles tribute to Roy Orbison. The three are joined unexpectedly on stage by Bob Dylan, who sings "Mr. Tambourine Man" with the band.
 * March 15 – MCA Inc. purchases Geffen Records for over $550 million in stock. Under the agreement, David Geffen will continue to run the record company through an employment contract.
 * March 16 – Flea and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers are arrested and charged for an incident two days earlier at a performance in Daytona Beach during MTV's spring break coverage, in which they allegedly sexually assaulted and verbally abused a female audience member after jumping from the stage. They are released on $2,000 bail.
 * March 20
 * Gloria Estefan's tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken bones in her back.
 * A riot almost breaks out in downtown Los Angeles when Depeche Mode draw a crowd of 20,000 during an in-store appearance at Wherehouse Entertainment to sign copies of their new album Violator.
 * March 25 – Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his buttocks during a performance in Augusta, Georgia.
 * March 28 – The Go-Go's reunite to play a benefit concert for the California Environmental Protection Act. They play several more reunion shows later in the year.

April–June

 * April 4 – Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery following the March 20 accident.
 * April 5 – Michael Jackson is awarded 'Artist of the Decade' by George H. W. Bush at the White House.
 * April 6 – Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee suffers a mild concussion after falling off of scaffolding above his elevated drum kit during a performance in New Haven, Connecticut.
 * April 7 – Neil Young, Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Guns N' Roses and Jackson Browne perform at Farm Aid IV in Indiana. John dedicates "Candle in the Wind" to AIDS patient Ryan White during his performance. White dies the following day.
 * April 13 – Madonna starts her controversial Blond Ambition Tour in Tokyo, Japan.
 * April 16 – A massive tribute concert is held at Wembley Stadium for recently freed anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, who appears in a pre-taped 45-minute speech at the event. Performers include Anita Baker, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, The Neville Brothers and Neil Young. The event is broadcast to 61 countries around the world.
 * April 24 – Janet Jackson is honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
 * April 25 – Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster, on which he performed his famous version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, is auctioned off in London for $295,000.
 * April 27 – Axl Rose marries model Erin Everly, daughter of singer Don Everly, in a Las Vegas ceremony. Divorce papers are filed on May 24, then withdrawn, then filed again in October.
 * May 5 – The 35th Eurovision Song Contest, held in Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, is won by Italian singer Toto Cutugno for the song "Insieme: 1992", Italy's first victory in the contest since 1964. At 46 years old, Cutugno becomes the oldest winner of the contest to date, a record he holds until 2001.
 * May 6 – Valery Leontiev show "It seems to me that I have not lived" in the Olympic Stadium.
 * May 12 – First Prague Spring International Music Festival following the Velvet Revolution: Rafael Kubelík conducts the Czech Philharmonic orchestra in Smetana's Má vlast.
 * May 18 – The Rolling Stones open their Urban Jungle European tour in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
 * May 29
 * In Canada, Toronto police threaten to arrest Madonna if she performs her simulated masturbation scene during her performance of "Like a Virgin" on her Blond Ambition Tour. Madonna refuses to change her show, and the police decide not to press charges, later denying that they had ever threatened to do so (a claim refuted by footage captured during the filming of Madonna's 1991 documentary Truth or Dare).
 * At the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition 1990 finals, held at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria, pianist Nick van Oosterum of the Netherlands takes first place.
 * June 10 – Members of rap group 2 Live Crew are arrested and charged with obscenity after a performance in a Hollywood, Florida nightclub..
 * June 12 – Mariah Carey releases her debut album, which would go on to top the Billboard chart for 11 consecutive weeks.
 * June 30 – Knebworth 1990, a one-off festival at Knebworth Park, England in support of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy. Participating musicians have all been winners of the Silver Clef Award. The acts include headliners Pink Floyd, Genesis, Robert Plant, Elton John, Dire Straits, Status Quo, Eric Clapton and others.

July–September

 * July 7 – The Three Tenors give their first concert, at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
 * July 14 – Jean Michel Jarre's concert Paris la Defense attracts 2.5 million spectators.
 * July 21 – Roger Waters and numerous guest stars stage a performance of Pink Floyd's The Wall in Berlin, Germany to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier. Scorpions, Cyndi Lauper, Thomas Dolby, Sinéad O'Connor, The Band and Bryan Adams are among the performers.
 * August 5 – Madonna ends her controversial Blond Ambition Tour in Nice, France. The last date was aired live and broadcast on HBO in United States, and later released as Laser Disc only.
 * August 13 – Curtis Mayfield is paralyzed from the neck down in an accident at an outdoor concert in Flatbush, Brooklyn, after stage lighting equipment collapses on top of him.
 * August 19 – Leonard Bernstein conducts his final performance at Tanglewood; he suffers a coughing fit in the middle of one piece which almost brings the concert to a premature end.
 * August 22 – James MacMillan's symphonic piece The Confession of Isobel Gowdie premieres at The Proms in London.
 * August 24
 * A judge rules that heavy metal band Judas Priest is not responsible for the actions of two Nevada youths who shot themselves, one fatally, after listening to the band's music in December 1985.
 * Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor sparks controversy when she refuses to play a concert at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey unless the venue refrains from its tradition of playing a recording of the American national anthem before the performance. O'Connor is heavily criticized and her music is dropped from a number of radio stations as a result.
 * August 27 – Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan is killed in a helicopter crash following a concert at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. He was 35.
 * September 4 – Walter Yetnikoff steps down after fifteen years as President of CBS Records.
 * September 11 – After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, Céline Dion makes her formal English-language debut in the United States with the release of her album Unison.
 * September 26 – The poorly received Cop Rock premieres on US television; it was TV's only musical police drama.

October–December

 * October 9 – Leonard Bernstein announces his retirement from the conducting podium; he dies five days later.
 * October 20 – A Florida jury acquits 2 Live Crew of the obscenity charges stemming from a June 10 performance of their act known for its sexually explicit lyrics.
 * October 22 – Pearl Jam, then named "Mookie Blaylock", play their first show as a band at the Off Ramp club in Seattle, Washington.
 * October 27 – Janet Jackson's "Black Cat" reaches number one. It was also the first song to simultaneously peak atop the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock chart.
 * November 6 – Madonna releases her new single, "Justify My Love". The accompanying music video is banned by MTV amid international controversy over its sexually explicit content.
 * November 21 – The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger finally marries longtime girlfriend Jerry Hall in a traditional Hindu ceremony on the island of Bali, although the wedding's legality is questionable.
 * November 27 – Amid growing public skepticism towards the artistic integrity of dance-pop duo Milli Vanilli as well as creative differences with frontmen Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, music producer Frank Farian admits that Morvan and Pilatus had been lip-synching all of their songs, including hits such as "Girl You Know It's True." In actuality, the tracks were composed and recorded by an ensemble of much older artists. Milli Vanilli's Grammy award for Best New Artist is voided in the ensuing fallout; accounts vary as to whether it was revoked or if Morvan and Pilatus returned it themselves.
 * December 1 – ABC airs a television special accompanying the Red Hot + Blue benefit album in which contemporary pop performers reinterpret the songs of Cole Porter. The special includes video clips portraying the societal effects of AIDS.
 * December 3 – Following the banning of her "Justify My Love" music video by MTV, singer Madonna appears on Nightline to defend the video.
 * December 15 – Rod Stewart marries model Rachel Hunter.
 * December 31 – The nineteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by The Beach Boys, Bell Biv DeVoe, The Kentucky Headhunters, Nelson, The O'Jays and Sweet Sensation.

Also in 1990

 * Fall – For the first time, Amy Grant and Gary Chapman hold a night of music at their Franklin, Tennessee Riverstone Farm, for local teenagers. Performers included Rich Mullins, Rick Elias, Charlie Peacock, Wes King and Michael W. Smith. The event becomes known as "The Loft".
 * Guitarists: Dan Nilsson & Micke Bargstörm, Bassist: Martin Persson & Drummer: Rille Even, all quit Opeth who were the original members of the band. David Isberg, the only remaining original member hires Guitarists: Mikael Åkerfeldt (who applied for a bassist position even when the band already had bassist causing friction but ended up as a guitarist) Andreas Dimeo, Bassist: Nick Döring & Drummer: Anders Nordin.
 * Studio Fredman is built.
 * Sons of Kyuss change their name to Kyuss and add new members, except for guitarist Josh Homme.
 * After a hiatus of 7 years, rock group Styx reform to record a new album and tour without long-time guitarist Tommy Shaw, who was committed to Damn Yankees at the time.
 * Tapes of the original William Walton score for the 1969 film Battle of Britain are rediscovered, having been lost since the score was abandoned in favour of one by Ron Goodwin.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1990

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1990

Release date unknown

 * 1234 – Propaganda
 * 1888 – Death in June/Current 93
 * 1990 – Daniel Johnston
 * 2nd Avenue – Idle Cure
 * Anam – Clannad
 * Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room – Swans
 * Anonymous Confessions of a Lunatic Friend - Bryan Duncan
 * The Apprentice – John Martyn
 * Are You Okay? – Was (Not Was)
 * As I Came of Age – Sarah Brightman
 * Bang! – Corey Hart
 * Banking, Violence and the Inner Life Today – McCarthy
 * Because It's Christmas – Barry Manilow
 * Beers, Steers, and Queers – Revolting Cocks
 * Best of the West Rides Again – Riders in the Sky
 * Beyond Thee Infinite Beat – Psychic TV
 * Blood Guts & Pussy – The Dwarves
 * Blue Pacific – Michael Franks
 * The Blues Brothers Band Live in Montreux – The Blues Brothers (live)
 * Bluesiana Triangle - Dr. John
 * Bonafide – Maxi Priest
 * Brand New Heavies – Brand New Heavies
 * Career of Evil: The Metal Years – Blue Öyster Cult
 * Chain Reaction – John Farnham
 * Christmas, Like a Lullaby – John Denver (12/90)
 * Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection – Various Artists
 * The Collection – Kenny G
 * Concrete Jungle – Sway & King Tech
 * Dare to Be Different – Tommy Emmanuel
 * Debacle: The First Decade – Violent Femmes
 * Erpland – Ozric Tentacles
 * Everybody Wants to Shag... The Teardrop Explodes – The Teardrop Explodes
 * Evergreen Everblue – Raffi
 * Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions – Killing Joke
 * Fakebook – Yo La Tengo
 * Fist Sized Chunks – Skin Yard
 * The Flower That Shattered the Stone – John Denver (9/90)
 * From a Scream to a Whisper – Lowlife
 * Garista (re-release) – zoviet*france:
 * Ghost – Ghost
 * Gloryline – Dreams So Real
 * Greatest Hits 1977–1990 – The Stranglers
 * Groovy, Laidback and Nasty – Cabaret Voltaire
 * Heartbeats Accelerating – Kate and Anna McGarrigle
 * Hell with the Lid Off – MC 900 Ft. Jesus
 * Here Comes Trouble – Scatterbrain
 * High Wire – Ernie Isley
 * Hispanic Causing Panic – Kid Frost (7/10/90)
 * Holy Soldier – Holy Soldier
 * Home – Hothouse Flowers
 * Horse Opera – Riders in the Sky
 * The House of Love – The House of Love
 * Hot Chocolate Massage – Tiny Lights
 * Iced Earth – Iced Earth (debut) – Released in Europe only (11/90)
 * In Scarlet Storm – David Zaffiro
 * I've Got That Old Feeling – Alison Krauss
 * Knock, Breath, Shine – Jacob's Trouble
 * The Last Temptation of Reid – Lard
 * Live at the China Club – Dramarama
 * Live at the Roxy Club – Sham 69


 * Lofcaudio – Mastedon
 * Lost Souls – The Raindogs
 * Love Is Strange – Kenny Rogers
 * Lovers Who Wander – The Del-Lords
 * The Lyrical Strength of One Street Poet – D-Boy Rodriguez
 * The Massacre – The Exploited
 * Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2 – Craig McLachlan & Check 1–2
 * Meet Julie Miller – Julie Miller
 * Mek We Dweet - Burning Spear
 * Merci – Florent Pagny
 * Midnight Radio – Big Head Todd and the Monsters
 * Motive – Red Box
 * Neighbourhood Threat – Johnny Crash (debut)
 * A Night on the Town – Bruce Hornsby and the Range
 * Nineteen 90 – Regine Velasquez
 * Once Dead – Vengeance Rising
 * Other Voices – Paul Young (6/4/90)
 * Oh Suzi Q. – Suzi Quatro
 * Paintings in My Mind – Tommy Page
 * Party of One – Nick Lowe
 * Pentagram – Mezarkabul
 * Plus Signs – Burton Cummings
 * Powerhouse – White Heart
 * Reflections – The Shadows (final studio album)
 * Return to Samoa – Angry Samoans
 * Rick Elias and the Confessions – Rick Elias
 * Round the Outside, Round the Outside – Malcolm McLaren
 * Sack Full of Silver – Thin White Rope
 * Seasons of Love – Mad at the World
 * Set the Booty Up Right (EP) – Fishbone
 * Shadow in Dreams – Dennis Rea
 * Shake Your Soul – Baton Rouge
 * She Hangs Brightly – Mazzy Star (5/21/90)
 * Skellington – Julian Cope
 * Skywriting – The Field Mice
 * Slap! – Chumbawamba
 * Slappy – Green Day
 * Sons of Kyuss – Kyuss (debut)
 * Space Bandits – Hawkwind (9/24/90)
 * A Spy in the House of Love – The House of Love
 * Sticks and Stones – The 77s
 * Stiletto – Lita Ford
 * Strap It On – Helmet
 * Sylentiger – Trytan
 * Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To – Spacemen 3
 * Talisman – Talisman
 * Ten Commandments – Ozzy Osbourne Compilation
 * Toy Matinee – Toy Matinee
 * Turned On – Rollins Band
 * Unfun – Jawbreaker
 * Unnatural History – Coil
 * Untitled album by :$OVIET:FRANCE: – $OVIET:FRANCE: (re-release)
 * The Vegetarians of Love – Bob Geldof
 * Volume 2 – Reagan Youth
 * Waiting for Cousteau – Jean Michel Jarre
 * Walkin' in Faith – Angelica
 * Weapons of our Warfare – Deliverance
 * Women in the Room – Zachary Richard
 * The Wonder – Tom Verlaine
 * World Power – Snap!
 * The Youth Are Getting Restless (live) – Bad Brains

Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest positions in the charts of 1990.

Other chart hit singles
• "The Age of Love" - Age of Love

• "Algo de mí en tu corazón" – Alejandro Lerner (ARG)

• "Baila Esta Cumbia" – Selena y Los Dinos (MEX)

• "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" – Stevie B (#1 US, #2 CAN, #3 NLD)

• "Been Caught Stealing" – Jane's Addiction

• "Being Boring" – Pet Shop Boys (#3 FR, #4 Japan, #5 FIN)

• "Better the Devil You Know" – Kylie Minogue (#1 (ISR), #2 (UK), #4 (Australia)

• "Birdhouse In Your Soul" – They Might Be Giants (#6 UK)

• "Bird on the Wire" - The Neville Brothers

• "Blue Sky Mine" – Midnight Oil (#7 CAN, #8 Australia)

• "Bo le lavabo" – Lagaf' (#1 (FR))

• "Burbujas de Amor" - Juan Luis Guerra

• "C'est toi qui m'as fait" - François Feldman (#2 FR)

• "Chain Reaction" – John Farnham (#3 Australia)

• "De mí" – Charly García (ARG)

• "De Música Ligera" – Soda Stereo (#1 ARG)

• "Ding Dong" – Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung

• "Do Me!" – Bell Biv DeVoe (#3 US)

• "El Cariño Es Como Una Flor" – Rudy La Scala (#1 US Latin)

• "Epic" – Faith No More (#1 Australia, #2 NZ)

• "Escapade" – Janet Jackson (#1 US, CAN)

• "Fais-moi une place" – Julien Clerc (#8 FR)

• "Falling" – Julee Cruise (#1 AUS, #2 SWE, #3 NOR)

• "Fantasy" – Black Box (#3 AUS, IRL, #4 AUT, #5 UK)

• "Forever" – Kiss (#8 US)

• "Freedom! '90" – George Michael (#1 (SP), #2 (UK), #6 (Australia, IRL))

• "Friends In Low Places" – Garth Brooks (#3 IRL)

• "Frente a Frente" – Chico & Roberta (#5 FR)

• "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)" – Technotronic (#1 BE, CAN, SP)

• "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" – C+C Music Factory (#1 AUT, NLD, SWI, US)

• "Groove Is In The Heart" – Deee-Lite (#1 AUS, #2 UK, NZ #4 US)

• "Hacelo por mí" – Attaque 77 (#1 (ARG))

• "Hanky Panky" – Madonna (#1 FIN, #2 UK, #3 IRE, #5 ITA, #6 AUS, #10 US)

• "Happenin' All Over Again" – Lonnie Gordon

• "Have You Seen Her" – MC Hammer (#4 (US), #6 (FIN), #8 (UK))

• "Healing Hands" - Elton John

• "Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)" – Chad Jackson (#3 UK, #5 NLD)

• "Heart of Stone" – Taylor Dayne

• "Hello Afrika" – Dr. Alban (#1 AUT, #2 GER, #3 SWI)

• "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" – UB40 (#3 AUS, #6 NZ, #9 NLD)

• "Here We Are" – Gloria Estefan

• "High Enough" – Damn Yankees (#4 (POL))

• "Hijo de la Luna" – Mecano #3 (NLD))

• "Hiroshima" -Sandra (#4 GER, SWI)

• "Hold On" – En Vogue (#2 US, #5 UK)

• "Hold On" – Wilson Phillips (#1 US, #2 AUS, #3 CAN)

• "Holy Smoke" – Iron Maiden (#3 UK, #4 IRL)

• "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" – Michael Bolton (#1 US, BE, #2 AUS)

• "How Can We Be Lovers?" - Michael Bolton

• "The Humpty Dance" – Digital Underground (#11 US)

• "I Can't Stand It!" – Twenty 4 Seven (#2 AUT, IT, SWI)

• "I Don't Have the Heart" – James Ingram

• "I Don't Know Anybody Else" – Black Box (#2 IRL, #3 SWI, #4 NOR, UK)

• "I Go to Extremes" – Billy Joel (#1 JAP, #3 CAN)

• "I Promised Myself" – Nick Kamen (#1 AUT, SWE, #3 SWI)

• "I Saw Red" – Warrant

• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" – The Chimes (#2 NOR, #6 UK, IRL, NZ)

• "I Wanna Be Rich" – Calloway (#2 US)

• "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" – Nomad & MC Mikee Freedom (#2 UK)

• "I Wish It Would Rain Down" – Phil Collins (#1 CAN, POL, #2 ZIM)

• "Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice

• "Ich hab' geträumt von dir" - Matthias Reim

• "If Wishes Came True" – Sweet Sensation (#1 US)

• "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" – Robert Palmer & UB40 (#1 NZ, #4 AUS, #5 AUT, NLD, SWI)

• "I'll Be Your Everything" – Tommy Page (#1 US)

• "I'll Be Your Shelter" – Taylor Dayne (#1 CAN, #4 US, AUS)

• "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" – Deacon Blue (#2 UK, #2 IRL)

• "I'm Free" – The Soup Dragons & Junior Reid

• "I'm Not in Love" – Will to Power (#7 US, #8 NOR)

• "I'm Your Baby Tonight" – Whitney Houston (#1 IT, US, #2 BE, CAN, FIN, NLD)

• "Impulsive" – Wilson Phillips

• "Infinity" – Guru Josh (#1 SP, #2 BE, #3 NLD)

• "Jukebox in Siberia" - Skyhooks (#1 AUS)

• "Knockin' Boots" - Candyman

• "Lay Down Your Guns" – Jimmy Barnes (#4 AUS)

• "Le Jerk" – Thierry Hazard (#2 FR)

• "Les hommes qui passent" – Patricia Kaas (#7 FR)

• "Me siento mucho mejor" – Charly García

• "Maldòn (la musique dans la peau)" – Zouk Machine (#1 FR, #9 NLD)

• "Marie-Jeanne" – Michel Sardou (#2 FR)

• "Megamix" – Technotronic (#4 IRL, #6 UK, #7 SWI)

• "Mujer Amante" – Rata Blanca (ARG)

• "Nah Neh Nah" – Vaya Con Dios (#3 ISR, CZ, #4 NLD, SWI)

• "Obsesión" – Miguel Mateos (ARG)

• "Odoru Pompokolin" – B.B.Queens (#1 JPN)

• "On écrit sur les murs" – Demis Roussos (#4 FR)

• "Only on the Radio" – The Osborn Sisters

• "Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice)" – Gloria Estefan (#4 POL, #7 IRL, #9 NLD)

• "Petit Frank" – François Feldman (#1 FR)

• "Pourtant" – Roch Voisine (#3 FR)

• "Se bastasse una canzone" – Eros Ramazzotti (#2 BE, #4 NLD, #7 SWI)

• "Se Me Olvidó Otra Vez" – Maná (#5 US Latin)

• "Serious" – Duran Duran (# 3 ITA, #48 UK, #69 GER)

• "Taiyō no Komachi Angel" – B'z (#1 JPN)

• "Tengo Todo Excepto a Tí" – Luis Miguel (#1 US Latin)

• "That's Freedom" – John Farnham (#6 AUS)

• "Un'estate italiana" – Edoardo Bennato & Gianna Nannini (#1 IT, SWI, #2 GER)

• "Verdammt, ich lieb' dich" – Matthias Reim (#1 AUT, BE, CRO, GER, NLD, POL, SWI)

• "Vous êtes fous!" – Benny B (#3 FR)

• "What's a Woman?" – Vaya Con Dios (#1 BE, NLD, #5 FR)

• "White and Black Blues" – Joëlle Ursull (#2 FR)

• "Y dale alegría a mi corazón" – Fito Paez (ARG)

Other notable singles
• "Alimony" (re-recording) - The Hummingbirds

• "Allison" - Pixies

• "All Different Things" - Bark Psychosis

• "Caroline" - Concrete Blonde

• "Daydreaming" - Massive Attack

• "Looking for Atlantis" - Prefab Sprout

• "Planet" - The Sugarcubes

• "Story of My Life" - Social Distortion

• "True Fools Fall" - Died Pretty

Top singles of 1990

 * United States: List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1990 (U.S.)
 * Canada: RPM number-one hits of 1990, RPM number-one albums of 1990

Other significant singles

 * "Little Fluffy Clouds" – The Orb (Sampling led to legal action.)
 * Sampling copyright debate continues over the Soho single Hippychick, which uses a sample from How Soon Is Now? by The Smiths.

Published popular music

 * "Keep It Together" w.m. Stephen Bray & Madonna
 * "The Simpsons theme song" m. Danny Elfman

Top ten best albums of the year
All albums have been named albums of the year for their hits in the charts.


 * 1) Depeche Mode – Violator
 * 2) Pixies – Bossanova
 * 3) Megadeth – Rust in Peace
 * 4) Jane's Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
 * 5) Cocteau Twins – Heaven Or Las Vegas
 * 6) Ride – Nowhere
 * 7) Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
 * 8) Happy Mondays – Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
 * 9) Sonic Youth – Goo
 * 10) The La's – The La's

Classical music

 * Mario Davidovsky
 * Biblical Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
 * Concertante for string quartet and orchestra
 * Thomas Demenga – Solo per due, for cello and orchestra
 * Lorenzo Ferrero
 * Cadenza, for clarinet and marimba
 * Discanto sulla musica sull'acqua di Handel
 * Four Modern Dances, for small orchestra
 * Musica per un paesaggio, for small orchestra
 * Rock my Tango, for piano solo
 * Henryk Górecki
 * Good Night, Op. 63, for soprano, alto flute, piano and three tam-tams
 * Intermezzo, for piano
 * John Harbison – The Flight into Egypt (cantata)
 * Chris Harman – Iridescence, for 24 strings
 * Paul Lansky – Smalltalk
 * Alvin Lucier – Music for Piano with One or More Snare Drums
 * Witold Lutosławski – Chantefleurs et chantefables for Soprano and Orchestra
 * John McCabe – Flute Concerto
 * James MacMillan
 * The Confession of Isobel Gowdie
 * The Berserking
 * Meredith Monk – Book Of Days
 * John Pickard – The Flight of Icarus
 * Carl Vine – Piano Sonata No. 1
 * Takashi Yoshimatsu – Symphony No. 1 Kamui-Chikap
 * John Zorn – The Dead Man

Opera

 * Gerald Barry – The Intelligence Park
 * Azio Corghi – Blimunda
 * Mark Lanz Weiser – Purgatory (chamber opera, based on a play by William Butler Yeats)

Musical theater

 * Aspects of Love (Andrew Lloyd Webber) – Broadway production opened at the Broadhurst Theatre and ran for 377 performances
 * Bran Nue Dae (Jimmy Chi)
 * A Change in the Heir – Broadway production opened at the Edison Theatre and closed after only two weeks
 * Five Guys Named Moe – London production
 * Into the Woods London production opened on September 25 and ran for 197 performances. Starring Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton.
 * Once on This Island – Broadway production opened at the Booth Theatre and ran for 469 performances
 * Shogun – Broadway production opened at the Marquis Theatre and ran for 72 performances
 * Sunday in the Park with George (Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine) – London production
 * Truly Blessed – Broadway production opened at the Longacre Theatre and ran for one month

Musical films

 * Alissa in Concert
 * Cry-Baby
 * Graffiti Bridge
 * His Highness Abdullah
 * Thazhvaram

Awards

 * Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee: Tennessee Ernie Ford
 * Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees: Hank Ballard, Bobby Darin, The Four Seasons, The Four Tops, The Kinks, The Platters, Simon & Garfunkel and The Who
 * 1990 Country Music Association Awards
 * Grammy Awards of 1990
 * Eurovision Song Contest 1990: Toto Cutugno
 * Luc Ferrari wins the International Koussevitzky Prize for Recordings for his composition Histoire du plaisir et de la désolation
 * Juno Awards: Best Composer: David Tyson/Christopher Ward
 * Dalida is posthumously awarded the International Diploma by the "International Star Registry" (USA), three years after her death.
 * Scottish composer Thomas Wilson is appointed a CBE.
 * Kumar Sanu wins the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
 * Anuradha Paudwal wins the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
 * 32nd Japan Record Awards

Glenn Gould Prize

 * Yehudi Menuhin (laureate)

Music festivals

 * In Australia, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is founded by Michael Easton and Len Vorster.

Births
Unknown:
 * January 9 – Di Genius, Jamaican singer, producer, and DJ
 * January 10 – Nicolas Jaar, Chilean American composer and recording artist, works with FKA Twigs.
 * January 14 – Grant Gustin, American actor and singer (Glee)
 * January 22 – Logic (musician), American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.
 * January 25 – Thomas Berge, Dutch singer
 * January 28 – Ichiko Aoba, Japanese singer
 * January 29 - MacKenzie Porter, Canadian country singer, songwriter, and actress.
 * February 1 – Laura Marling, British folk-pop singer-songwriter
 * February 3 – Sean Kingston, American-Jamaican R&B artist
 * February 6 - Georgia (musician), English record producer, songwriter, singer, rapper and drummer.
 * February 10 – SooYoung, a member of nine-piece Korean pop girl group Girls' Generation
 * February 16 – The Weeknd, Canadian singer, songwriter, rapper, producer (Selena Gomez, Bella Hadid)
 * February 18 – Choi Sung-Bong, Korean singer
 * February 20 – Alemán, Mexican rapper
 * February 28 – Olivia Jean, American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. (She is known as the lead singer and guitarist of the all-female "garage goth" rock band, the Black Belles)
 * March 9 – YG, American rapper
 * March 13 – Klô Pelgag, Canadian singer from Quebec
 * March 15 – Siobhan Magnus, American singer
 * March 17
 * Hozier (musician), Irish singer-songwriter and musician
 * Kai (Canadian singer), Canadian singer-songwriter (Flume)
 * March 20 – Tessa Violet, American singer-songwriter, musician, activist and YouTuber
 * March 21 – Erika de Casier, Portuguese-born Danish singer
 * March 22
 * Claire Huangci, American pianist
 * Lisa Mitchell, English-born Australian singer-songwriter
 * March 24 - Cleo Sol, British singer-songwriter
 * March 26 – Xiumin, South Korean singer (EXO)
 * March 27 – Kimbra, New Zealand singer-songwriter/guitarist
 * April 2 – Roscoe Dash, American rapper
 * April 8 – Jonghyun, South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer and actor { Shinee } (D. 2017)
 * April 10 – Maren Morris, American country music singer, songwriter, activist and record producer
 * April 20 – Luhan, Chinese singer-songwriter
 * April 21 – Nadya Dorofeeva, Ukrainian singer
 * April 22 – Machine Gun Kelly (rapper), American rapper, singer, musician and actor (Megan Fox)
 * April 24 - Carly Pearce, American country music singer and songwriter
 * April 27 – Robin Bengtsson, Swedish singer
 * April 29 – Loick Essien, British singer
 * May 12
 * Etika, American YouTuber and Twitch streamer whose career started as a rapper (D. 2019)
 * Shungudzo, a Zimbabwean-American singer, songwriter, former gymnast, and reality television personality.
 * May 14 - Sasha Spielberg, American actress and singer known by her stage name of Buzzy Lee.
 * May 17
 * I_o (musician), American electronic dance music DJ and record producer. (D. 2020)
 * Kree Harrison, American singer
 * May 26 – Nadia Oh, English singer, producer rapper, songwriter and model
 * May 27 - Chris Colfer, American singer, author and actor
 * May 30
 * YoonA, South Korean singer and actress, member of Girls' Generation
 * Phillipa Soo, American actress and singer.
 * June 4 – Zac Farro, American musician, drummer, singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist (Hayley Williams, Paramore)
 * June 5 – DJ Mustard, American producer, DJ,
 * June 6
 * Raisa Andriana, Indonesian singer
 * Mike G, American rapper (Odd Future)
 * June 7 – Iggy Azalea, Australian rapper
 * June 14 – Starrah, American songwriter, singer and rapper
 * June 16 – John Newman (singer), English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer
 * June 18 – Raleigh Ritchie, English actor, singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer
 * June 19
 * Jason Dy, Filipino singer
 * Moses Sumney, American singer-songwriter, musician
 * June 20 – Iselin Solheim, Norwegian singer and songwriter
 * June 23 - Sasami, American singer-songwriter and musician.
 * June 25 – Makj, American dj
 * June 29 – Laura Macrì, Sicilian-Italian soprano singer (Mayan (band))
 * July 4 – Fredo Santana, American rapper (d.2018)
 * July 6 – Meg Mac, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
 * July 10 – Talay Riley, British singer-songwriter, producer
 * July 12 – Maverick Sabre, British singer-songwriter
 * July 15 – Olly Alexander, English singer-songwriter, musician, producer
 * July 16
 * James Maslow, American actor, singer (Big Time Rush)
 * Paula Rojo, Spanish singer and songwriter.
 * Wizkid, Nigerian singer
 * C. Tangana, Spanish rapper, singer and songwriter (worked with Rosalía)
 * July 19 – GFOTY, British EDM Pop singer with PC music
 * July 23 – Dagny (singer), Norwegian pop singer
 * July 24
 * Ben McKenzie, Australian Idol contestant, singer, actor
 * Jay McGuiness, British singer, songwriter and dancer, former member of The Wanted
 * July 28 – Soulja Boy, American rapper
 * July 29 - Kat Dahlia Cuban-American R&B Latin Pop rapper, singer-songwriter and recording artist.
 * August 13
 * Shila Amzah, Malaysian singer
 * Serrini - Hong Kong singer-songwriter
 * August 15
 * Jennifer Lawrence, American singer/actress
 * BloodPop – American musician, record producer, and songwriter (Worked with Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Madonna, Lady Gaga)
 * August 16 – Rina Sawayama, Japanese-British singer-songwriter and model.
 * August 18 - Tommy Genesis, Canadian rapper, model and artist
 * August 21 – Bo Burnham, American comedian and musician
 * August 23 – A.G. Cook, British singer-songwriter, music producer and head of record label PC Music. (Charli XCX)
 * August 24 – Hiroki Kamemoto, Japanese guitarist (Glim Spanky)
 * August 30 – Julia Jacklin, Australian singer-songwriter and musician
 * September 3 – IZA, Brazilian singer-songwriter
 * September 4 – James Bay (singer), English singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * September 6 - DPR Ian, Australian singer
 * September 9 - Haley Reinhart, American singer and songwriter
 * September 11 – Alex Cameron, Australian musician
 * September 18 – Sam Perry (looping artist), Australian singer-songwriter and looping artist
 * September 19 – Bjarki, Icelandic electronic music composer
 * September 20 – Phillip Phillips, American jazz singer-songwriter, guitarist and sometime actor
 * September 21 – Phoebe Ryan, American singer-songwriter
 * September 22 - Sorcha Richardson, Irish singer-songwriter
 * September 25 - Danny L Harle, British music producer and composer (PC Music)
 * September 27 – Mitski, Japanese-American singer-songwriter and musician
 * October 1 – Charlie McDonnell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Chameleon Circuit)
 * October 2 - Samantha Barks, A Manx singer and actress
 * October 4 – Saki, Japanese guitarist and songwriter (Mary's Blood)
 * October 5 - Taylour Paige, American singer and dancer
 * October 7 – Seinabo Sey, Swedish recording artist and songwriter
 * October 8 – Trent Harmon, American signer
 * October 11 – Behzod Abduraimov, Uzbek classical pianist
 * October 19 – Jessica Meuse, American singer
 * October 20 - Andrew Watt (record producer), American record producer, singer, musician, and songwriter (Miley Cyrus, Camilla Cabello, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Charlotte Lawrence)
 * October 23 – Stan Walker, Australian-New Zealand singer-songwriter, activist, actor and television personality
 * October 26 – Stu Mackenzie, Australian musician (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard)
 * October 29 – Eric Saade, Swedish singer-songwriter
 * October 31 – JID, American rapper and songwriter
 * November 2 – Kendall Schmidt, American actor, singer (Big Time Rush, Hilary Duff)
 * November 6 – Kris Wu, Canadian rapper
 * November 7 – Matt Corby, Australian singer-songwriter
 * November 8 – SZA (singer), American singer/songwriter
 * November 14 – DJ Suede the Remix God, American hip hop record producer and songwriter
 * November 18
 * Jackie Thomas, New Zealand singer
 * Myk Perez, Filipino singer
 * November 21 - Ricardo Andrés "Ricky" Reglero Rodríguez, member of Mau y Ricky, a Venezuelan Latin pop and reggaeton duo and sons of Argentine-Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner
 * November 26
 * Rita Ora, British singer
 * Chip, British rapper
 * tofubeats, Japanese singer, producer and DJ
 * November 27 – blackbear, American rapper, producer, singer
 * December 11 – Hyolyn, Korean singer and dancer
 * December 20
 * JoJo, American singer, songwriter, activist and actress
 * Bugzy Malone, English rapper
 * December 21
 * Holiday Sidewinder, Australian singer-songwriter, musician and record producer
 * Taylor Louderman, American actress, singer, and dancer
 * December 23 – Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, American singer and actress (Demi Lovato)
 * December 26
 * Jon Bellion, American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer
 * Illenium, American DJ and record producer
 * December 28 – David Archuleta, Season 7 American Idol runner-up
 * December 29 - Nightbirde, American singer-songwriter (d. 2022)


 * Virgen Maria, Spanish DJ and record producer.

Deaths

 * January 3 – Arthur Gold, American pianist, 72
 * January 7 – Jimmy Van Heusen, composer and songwriter, 77
 * January 18 – Melanie Appleby of British duo Mel and Kim, 23 (liver cancer)
 * January 19 – Semprini, pianist and broadcaster, 81
 * January 28 – Puma Jones, American singer, 36 (breast cancer)
 * January 23 – Allen Collins, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, 37 (complications from pneumonia)
 * February 1 – Peter Racine Fricker, composer, 69
 * February 2 – Mel Lewis, drummer and bandleader, 60 (cancer)
 * February 8 – Del Shannon, singer-songwriter, 55 (suicide by shotgun)
 * February 14 – Tony Holiday, German singer, 38 (AIDS-related illness)
 * February 15 – George Suranovich, drummer (Love, Eric Burdon, Chuck Berry), 45 (heart attack)
 * February 16 - Keith Haring, iconic graffiti artists and AIDS activist
 * February 24 – Johnnie Ray, singer, 63 (liver failure)
 * February 26 – Cornell Gunter, R&B singer, 53 (gunshot wound)
 * March 6 – Mala, singer, 50
 * March 11 – Muriel Dickson, operatic soprano, 86
 * March 16 – Andrew Wood, singer (Mother Love Bone), 24 (heroin overdose)
 * March 17 – Ric Grech, bassist (Family, Blind Faith), 43 (brain haemorrhage)
 * April 3 – Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer, 66 (lung cancer)
 * April 25 – Dexter Gordon, jazz saxophonist, 67
 * May 1 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor/actor, 64 (brain cancer)
 * May 8 – Luigi Nono, composer, 66
 * May 16 – Sammy Davis, Jr., American entertainer, 64
 * June 3 – Stiv Bators, punk musician, 40 (concussion)
 * June 5 – Richard Sohl, pianist (Patti Smith Group), 37 (heart failure)
 * June 6 – Joe Loss, English bandleader, 80
 * June 14 – Erna Berger, operatic soprano, 89
 * June 15 – Jim Hodder, Steely Dan drummer, 42 (drowning)
 * June 16 – Dame Eva Turner, operatic soprano, 98
 * June 21
 * June Christy, American singer, 64 (renal failure)
 * Elizabeth Harwood, operatic soprano, 52 (cancer)
 * June 22 – Kripp Johnson, American singer (The Del-Vikings), 54
 * June 25 – Peggy Glanville-Hicks, composer, 77
 * July 2 – Snooky Lanson, American singer, 76
 * July 7 – Cazuza, singer and composer, 32 (AIDS-related)
 * July 15 – Trouble T Roy, hip-hop dancer, 22 (fall from stage)
 * July 16 – Sidney Torch, pianist, cinema organist, conductor, orchestral arranger and composer
 * July 18 – Gerry Boulet, Canadian singer-songwriter (Offenbach), 44 (colon cancer)
 * July 26 – Brent Mydland, keyboardist (Grateful Dead), 37 (drug overdose)
 * August 3 – M. Ranga Rao, Indian film composer and music director
 * August 14 – Lafayette Leake, blues and jazz pianist, organist, vocalist and composer, 71
 * August 15 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian singer of Kino, 28 (car accident)
 * August 15 – Ingrid Lang-Fagerström, Swedish harpist, 92
 * August 17 – Pearl Bailey, singer, 72
 * August 27 – Stevie Ray Vaughan, American blues guitarist performer, 35 (helicopter crash)
 * September 2 – Sari Biro, pianist, 78
 * September 6 – Tom Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), 48 (AIDS-related)
 * September 13 – Phil Napoleon, jazz trumpeter, 89
 * October 3 – Eleanor Steber, operatic soprano, 76
 * October 4 – Ray Stephens, a onetime member of The Village People, 35
 * October 6
 * Asser Fagerström, pianist, composer and actor, 78
 * Danny Rodriguez, Christian rap artist, 22 (shot)
 * October 8 – B. J. Wilson, drummer of Procol Harum, 43 (pneumonia after three years in a coma)
 * October 14 – Leonard Bernstein, American composer and conductor, 72 (pneumonia and a pleural tumor)
 * October 16
 * Art Blakey, jazz drummer, 71
 * Jorge Bolet, pianist, 75
 * October 27 – Xavier Cugat, violinist, bandleader and arranger, 90
 * October 31 – M. L. Vasanthakumari, Carnatic musician and playback singer, 62
 * November 3 – Mary Martin, US singer and actress, 76
 * November 10 – Ronnie Dyson, soul singer and actor
 * December 2 – Aaron Copland, American composer
 * December 7 – Dee Clark, singer, 52 (heart attack)
 * December 18 – Paul Tortelier, cellist, 76