Top songs of 1989

What was the number one song of 1989?

The number one song of 1989 was “Look Away” by Chicago, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1989. It spent 2 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated December 10, 1988.

“Miss You Much” by Janet Jackson was number one for the most weeks of 1989: 4 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated October 7, 1989.

Born in 1989? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1989, year-end Hot 100 of 1989).

How many songs reached number one in 1989?

32 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1989. Counting “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, which was already at number one when the year began, 33 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1989, “Miss You Much” by Janet Jackson stayed there longest: 4 weeks in total, from the chart dated October 7, 1989.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1989. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1989?

7 acts had more than one number one in 1989, counting lead and featured credits. Milli Vanilli and Paula Abdul had the most, with 3 each.

• Milli Vanilli: “Baby Don't Forget My Number”, “Girl I'm Gonna Miss You” and “Blame It on the Rain”
• Paula Abdul: “Straight Up”, “Forever Your Girl” and “Cold Hearted”
• Fine Young Cannibals: “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing”
• New Kids on the Block: “I'll Be Loving You (Forever)” and “Hangin' Tough”
• Phil Collins: “Two Hearts” and “Another Day in Paradise”
• Richard Marx: “Satisfied” and “Right Here Waiting”
• Roxette: “The Look” and “Listen to Your Heart”

What were the biggest songs of 1989?

The five biggest songs of 1989 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Look Away” by Chicago, “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison, “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul and “Miss You Much” by Janet Jackson.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “The Living Years” Mike + The Mechanics
32. “Eternal Flame” The Bangles
33. “Wild Thing” Tone Loc
34. “When I See You Smile” Bad English
35. “If I Could Turn Back Time” Cher
36. “Buffalo Stance” Neneh Cherry
37. “When I'm with You” Sheriff
38. “Don't Rush Me” Taylor Dayne
39. “Born to Be My Baby” Bon Jovi
40. “Good Thing” Fine Young Cannibals
41. “The Lover in Me” Sheena Easton
42. “Bust a Move” Young MC
43. “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” Great White
44. “Batdance” Prince
45. “Rock On” Michael Damian
46. “Real Love” Jody Watley
47. “Love Shack” The B-52's
48. “Every Little Step” Bobby Brown
49. “Hangin' Tough” New Kids on the Block
50. “My Heart Can't Tell You No” Rod Stewart
51. “So Alive” Love and Rockets
52. “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” New Kids on the Block
53. “Armageddon It” Def Leppard
54. “Satisfied” Richard Marx
55. “Express Yourself” Madonna
56. “I Like It” Dino
57. “Soldier of Love” Donny Osmond
58. “Sowing the Seeds of Love” Tears for Fears
59. “Cherish” Madonna
60. “When the Children Cry” White Lion
61. “18 and Life” Skid Row
62. “I Don't Want Your Love” Duran Duran
63. “Second Chance” .38 Special
64. “The Way You Love Me” Karyn White
65. “Funky Cold Medina” Tone Loc
66. “In Your Room” The Bangles
67. “Miss You Like Crazy” Natalie Cole
68. “Lovesong” The Cure
69. “Secret Rendezvous” Karyn White
70. “Angel Eyes” The Jeff Healey Band
71. “Patience” Guns N' Roses
72. “Walk on Water” Eddie Money
73. “Cover Girl” New Kids on the Block
74. “Welcome to the Jungle” Guns N' Roses
75. “Shower Me With Your Love” Surface
76. “Stand” R.E.M.
77. “Close My Eyes Forever” Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne
78. “All This Time” Tiffany
79. “After All” Cher and Peter Cetera
80. “Roni” Bobby Brown
81. “Love in an Elevator” Aerosmith
82. “Lay Your Hands on Me” Bon Jovi
83. “The Promise” When in Rome
84. “What I Am” Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
85. “I Remember Holding You” Boys Club
86. “Paradise City” Guns N' Roses
87. “I Wanna Have Some Fun” Samantha Fox
88. “She Wants to Dance with Me” Rick Astley
89. “Dreamin'” Vanessa Williams
90. “It's No Crime” Babyface
91. “Poison” Alice Cooper
92. “This Time I Know It's for Real” Donna Summer
93. “Smooth Criminal” Michael Jackson
94. “Heaven Help Me” Deon Estus
95. “Rock Wit'cha” Bobby Brown
96. “Thinking of You” Sa-Fire
97. “What You Don't Know” Exposé
98. “Surrender to Me” Ann Wilson and Robin Zander
99. “The End of the Innocence” Don Henley
100. “Keep on Movin'” Soul II Soul

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1989, year-end Hot 100 of 1989).

What songs should go on a 1989 mix CD?

A 1989 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 19 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison and closing with “Miss You Much” by Janet Jackson, for 78:16 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1989, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 78:54, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1989 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1989 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1980s?

Popular music in the 1980s was led by pop stars built for music video, with synth-pop, arena rock, dance-pop and big ballads sharing the top of the chart. MTV launched in August 1981, and acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston became the decade's biggest names.

From 1980 to 1989, 231 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 231, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Michael Jackson had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 4:13 (the median of the 202 with a known length).