1991 in music
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List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1991.
Contents
1 Specific locations
2 Specific genres
3 Events
3.1 Summary
3.2 January–March
3.3 April–June
3.4 July–September
3.5 October–December
3.6 Also in 1991
4 Bands formed
5 Bands disbanded
6 Bands reformed
7 Albums released
7.1 January–March
7.2 April–June
7.3 July–September
7.4 October–December
8 Release date unknown
9 Biggest hit singles
10 Top hits
11 Top best albums of the year
12 Published popular music
13 Classical music
14 Opera
15 Jazz
16 Musical theater
17 Musical films
18 Births
19 Deaths
20 Awards
21 See also
22 References
Specific locations
- 1991 in British music
- 1991 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
- 1991 in country music
- 1991 in heavy metal music
- 1991 in hip hop music
- 1991 in Latin music
- 1991 in jazz
Events
Summary
The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough.[1]Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year. Followed immediately by other grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, in 1992 by Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, grunge dominates the U.S. charts for the next few years. Its success effectively ended the reign of the glam metal and other hard rock groups that enjoyed massive success in the 1980s like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, and Ratt whose sales and critical viability were beginning to decline for about two years previously. Even so, the rock band Guns N' Roses's popularity flourishes with the release of their albums Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II, both selling over 15 million copies each. Def Leppard's next album Adrenalize, released in March 1992, would go on to reach multi-platinum status and prove to be the last major commercial success for 1980s hair metal. A Tribe Called Quest's Low End Theory is released this year; it would go on to be considered one of the best hip hop albums of the 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest, along with De La Soul, Dream Warriors, Gang Starr and the Poor Righteous Teachers, help define what comes to be known as alternative rap with important releases this year.
On 24 November, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died. Mercury was at home in London on 24 November, due to AIDS complications. Rumors had been circulating that Mercury had AIDS and he confirmed it to the press a day before his death,[2] but the death comes as a shock to millions of fans and the music industry. The remaining members of Queen form the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the following year, a tribute concert is staged in Wembley Stadium. A sell-out crowd in attendance witness the three surviving members reuniting to play along with performances by the likes of David Bowie, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Metallica, Annie Lennox, and George Michael.
Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" goes to number one for the second time in the U.K., which is one of the few times a single has gone to number one in the same version more than once (another example is Chubby Checkers' "The Twist," which was No. 1 in 1960 & 1962). It is also the only time a single has gone to number one more than once on the UK Christmas charts. It has now spent a total of 14 weeks on top of the UK charts.
During the year, Billboard Magazine started using Nielsen Soundscan for its sales source for the music charts. Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Nielsen on March 1, 1991. The May 25 issue of Billboard published Billboard 200 and Country Album charts based on SoundScan "piece count data," and the first Hot 100 chart to debut with the system was released on November 30, 1991. Previously, Billboard tracked sales by calling stores across the U.S. and asking about sales – a method that was inherently error-prone and open to outright fraud. Indeed, while transitioning from the calling to tracking methods, the airplay and sales charts (already monitored by Nielsen) and the Hot 100 (then still using the calling system) often did not match (for instance Paula Abdul's "Promise of a New Day" and Roxette's "Fading Like a Flower" reached much higher Hot 100 peaks than their actual sales and airplay would have allowed them to). Although most record company executives conceded that the new method was far more accurate than the old, the chart's volatility and its geographical balance initially caused deep concern, before the change and the market shifts it brought about were accepted across the industry. Tower Records, the country's second-largest retail chain, was originally not included in the sample because its stores are equipped with different technology to measure sales. At first, some industry executives complained that the new system — which relied on high-tech sales measurement rather than store employee estimates — was based on an inadequate sample, one that favored established and mainstream acts over newcomers.
1991 is also the year CCM, or contemporary Christian music, reaches a new peak. Amy Grant, who had already crossed back and forth between CCM and Contemporary Pop in the mid-80s, achieves her first solo No. 1 hit on the pop charts with the hit single "Baby Baby," becoming the first single by a CCM artist to reach No. 1 (despite the fact the song was a pop song and was void of any Christian references). Another single, "That's What Love Is For," would also top the charts, this time in the Adult Contemporary field. Meanwhile, Grant's album Heart In Motion reaches No. 11 on the pop chart and No. 1 on the Christian chart despite its non-religious objective, and quickly becomes a best-seller. Another CCM crossover artist in 1991 is Michael W. Smith, who achieves a Top Ten pop hit with his single "Place In This World." The subsequent album, Go West Young Man, is also a hit. Jon Gibson's hit "Jesus Loves Ya" still holds the record as the longest playing hit single in Christian music history. The track spent eleven weeks at No. 1 and became the top selling CCM single of 1991.[3] Only three artists received more airplay on Christian radio stations in that year other than Gibson; Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and BeBe & CeCe Winans.
The massive success of Garth Brooks in this year sets the stage for the mid-1990s influx of pop-oriented country musicians. In addition, several soon-to-be pivotal bands form or release debuts, including Dave Matthews Band, Live, Phish, Spin Doctors and stoner metal (Kyuss, Sleep, The Obsessed). Massive Attack's Blue Lines, while unique at the time, pioneers the sound that would eventually become known as trip hop. Entombed's Clandestine and Dismember's Like an Ever Flowing Stream are early releases from the Scandinavian metal scene. On the other side of the Atlantic, New York death metal band Suffocation release their debut full-length Effigy of the Forgotten, often considered one of the most influential extreme metal albums ever recorded. Trance music rises to prominence in the underground dance scene of Frankfurt, Germany, pioneered by such producers as Dance 2 Trance and Resistance D. U2 release their seventh album Achtung Baby, considered by many of their fans to be their best album. Metallica also release their most commercially successful self-titled album, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers break through to the mainstream with their critically and commercially acclaimed Blood Sugar Sex Magik. R.E.M. release their massive commercial breakthrough album Out of Time. 1991 also brought us the revolutionary Sailing the Seas of Cheese, the first release of a Primus album on a major label. When it came to music, 1991 was one of the most successful years of the 1990s.
January–March
15 January – A new all-star rendition of the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance" is released, featuring Yoko Ono, Lenny Kravitz, Peter Gabriel, Alannah Myles, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt and many more, billed as "The Peace Choir". The single has been rushed to market in response to the imminent Gulf War.
16 January – The sixth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is held in New York. The event goes forward despite a tense atmosphere due to the President's announcement of the Gulf War the same evening. The inductees are Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, LaVern Baker, The Byrds, The Impressions, Wilson Pickett and Howlin' Wolf.
18 January – Three people are crushed to death during an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City, Utah, when audience members rush the stage.- 18–27 January – The massive nine-day festival Rock in Rio II is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The headliners are a-ha, Prince, INXS, Guns N' Roses, New Kids on the Block, George Michael and Happy Mondays.
19 January – Janet Jackson with seventh single from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", making her the only artist to have seven singles from the same album chart in the top five.
27 January – Whitney Houston sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. The recording is then released and becomes a hit single.
31 January – DJ Magazine is founded.
27 February – James Brown is granted an early parole and released from jail, following his arrest after a high-speed car chase through two states in 1989. Pop Will Eat Itself documented the affair with their song, "Not Now James, We're Busy".
28 February – Hollywood's Record Plant Studios recording studio closes down. Among the albums recorded at the Record Plant were The Eagles' Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life.
11 March – Janet Jackson signs a US$30 million contract with Virgin Records, making her the highest paid female recording artist ever.
12 March – R.E.M. release their seventh studio album, Out of Time. The album would serve as the band's breakthrough, catapulting the Georgia alternative rock band from cult status to a massive international act.
16 March – Seven members of country music singer Reba McEntire's band and her road manager are killed when their private plane crashes in California, near the U.S.-Mexico border. McEntire travels on a separate plane.
20 March
Michael Jackson signs a contract with Sony for 1 billion dollars.[4]
Eric Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, dies after falling 49 stories from a New York City apartment window, which would inspire Clapton to write the hit single "Tears in Heaven".
24 March – The Black Crowes are dropped as the opening act of ZZ Top's tour for repeatedly insulting the tour's sponsor, Miller Beer.
27 March – New Kids on the Block star Donnie Wahlberg is arrested in Louisville, Kentucky for allegedly setting his hotel room on fire.
28 March – George Harrison, Phil Collins and others attend funeral services for Eric Clapton's late son, Conor.
April–June
28 April – Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York.
4 May – The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 is held in Rome, Italy and, after a highly controversial voting segment, Sweden's Fångad av en stormvind by Carola is declared the winner.
7 May – In Macon, Georgia, a judge dismisses a wrongful death lawsuit against Ozzy Osbourne. The suit was filed by a local couple that believed their son was inspired to attempt suicide by Osbourne's music.
10 May – Truth or Dare, a documentary chronicling singer Madonna's 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, is released to theatres.
24 May – Guns N' Roses kick off their 26 months world Use Your Illusion Tour in Alpine Valley in East Troy.
25 May – The Billboard 200 album chart starts incorporating electronically monitored sales data provided by Nielsen SoundScan, thus beginning what chart aficionados tag as the "SoundScan era".
28 May – The Smashing Pumpkins releases their debut album Gish, establishing the band as one of the most important of the alternative scene.
7 June – ABC revives the late-night rock performance series In Concert.
21 June – The Mérida State Symphony Orchestra is founded in Venezuela.
28 June – Paul McCartney's classical composition, the Liverpool Oratorio, receives its première at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
July–September
2 July
- Launch of the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
- During the Use Your Illusion Tour, Axl Rose assaults a member of the audience watching the show on camera, after security fails to respond to the singer's orders to confiscate the camera. After the attack, Rose angrily stomps off stage saying, "Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm goin' home!"[5]
9 July – American rock singer-songwriter Jimi Jamison (Survivor) released his debut solo album When Love Comes Down.
13 July – Pianist Keith Jarrett records his Vienna Concert at the Vienna Staatsoper.
18 July – Perry Farrell launches the first Lollapalooza tour as a farewell for his just-dissolved band, Jane's Addiction. Other acts appearing on the tour include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, Rollins Band, Fishbone and Rage Against The Machine.
12 August – Metallica releases their most successful album, Metallica (also called "The Black Album"). Something of a departure from the thrash metal sound they helped pioneer, it becomes one of the best-selling albums of all time[6]
13 August – Jermaine Jackson's Word To The Badd!! Reached #78 On The Billboard Hot 100
15 August – Paul Simon's Concert in the Park takes place in Central Park. The free concert is broadcast live on HBO.
20 August – The six-day International Pop Underground Convention opens in Olympia, Washington.
27 August
Pearl Jam releases their debut album, Ten. While initially slow to sell, it became No. 2 on the Billboard charts within a year and has since become certified thirteen times Platinum in the United States.[7]
Dr. Dre pleads no contest to charges that he beat up a woman at a West Hollywood nightclub. Dr. Dre is sentenced to 24 months probation.
3 September – Primal Scream releases Screamadelica.
17 September – Rock band Guns N' Roses release their first full length follow up to their debut album Appetite for Destruction in the form of the double album Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II. Both go on to sell a combined excess of 1.3 million on their first week of sale in the USA alone.
23 September
- The TV Series Baywatch begins the second season with a new theme song performed and co-written by former Survivor, Jimi Jamison, I'm Always Here.
Bryan Adams releases his sixth album Waking up the Neighbours produced by Mutt Lange, achieving diamond status in his native Canada for the second time.
24 September – Seattle-based band Nirvana releases their second album Nevermind, that in the beginning of 1992 replaces Michael Jackson's album Dangerous at number one on the Billboard charts. Nevermind would then make the Grunge movement explode and become one of the most famous rock albums of all time. It is considered the emblem of the Generation X. Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, was also released on this date. The hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest also released their second album, The Low End Theory, on this day.
October–December
3 November – A free tribute concert is held at Golden Gate Park in memory of concert promoter Bill Graham, killed in a helicopter crash three weeks earlier at the age of 60. Performers include Santana, Grateful Dead, Journey and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
7 November
Bryan Adams's 16-week stay at the top of the UK Singles Chart with "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" is finally ended by U2 single "The Fly", having already set a new record for the longest consecutive stay at the top of the UK Singles Chart.
Izzy Stradlin quits Guns N' Roses.
Frank Zappa's children, Dweezil and Moon, announce to an audience in New York that their father is unable to attend the tribute concert to his music because he is seriously ill with prostate cancer.
14 November – The new Michael Jackson music video "Black or White" premieres simultaneously in 27 different countries to an audience of 500 million people. Controversy is immediately generated by the video's last four minutes in which Jackson smashes windows, vandalizes a car and causes a building to explode, as well as suggestively grabs his crotch repeatedly while dancing.
19 November
U2 releases album Achtung Baby.
Luis Miguel releases Romance which revitalized the popularity of boleros in the 1990s.[8]
24 November – Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, dies from AIDS-related complications at the age of 45. The same day, Eric Carr, formerly of KISS, also dies from complications of heart cancer.
26 November – Michael Jackson releases his worldwide hit album Dangerous.
30 November – Following in the steps of the Billboard 200, the Billboard Hot 100 also begins a new era by incorporating and merging electronically measured sales and airplay data from SoundScan and BDS respectively.
1 December
A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert, featuring Kathleen Battle and Frederica von Stade, a jazz band led by Wynton Marsalis, and orchestra and chorus conducted by André Previn, is recorded for television.
George Harrison plays Yokohama, Japan. The brief Japanese tour with Eric Clapton marks his first set of formal concert performances since 1974.
4 December – The Judds give their final concert performance as a duo.
31 December – The twentieth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Boyz II Men, Simply Red, Vanessa L. Williams, Another Bad Creation, Restless Heart, Michael Bivins and Barry Manilow.
Also in 1991
Aerosmith signs a new deal with Sony Music worth an estimated $30 million.
The Rolling Stones sign a new contract with Virgin Records.- Country music legend Kenny Rogers starts his restaurant chain, "Kenny Rogers Roasters".
Tupac Shakur's solo career begins with his first album, 2Pacalypse Now. Six-year-old Qa'id Walker-Teal is shot dead by a stray bullet during a confrontation between Tupac's entourage and a rival group.- Approximate date – Mangue Bit is originated in Recife, Brazil.
Bands formed
- See Musical groups established in 1991
Bands disbanded
- See Musical groups disestablished in 1991
Bands reformed
- The Knack
- Procol Harum
Albums released
January–March
Date | Album | Artist | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
J A N U A R Y | 1 | This Year's Girl | Pizzicato Five | - |
8 | Fly Me Courageous | Drivin N Cryin | - | |
9 | The Singles Collection | The Specials | Compilation | |
15 | Eight Track Stomp | Chickasaw Mudd Puppies | - | |
Quik Is the Name | DJ Quik | Debut | ||
Step In the Arena | Gang Starr | - | ||
16 | 2nd Wind | Todd Rundgren | - | |
Native Son | Judybats | - | ||
21 | 1916 | Motörhead | - | |
22 | The Soul Cages | Sting | - | |
24 | Tyranny (For You) | Front 242 | US | |
29 | Candy Carol | Book of Love | - | |
Divinyls | Divinyls | - | ||
Doubt | Jesus Jones | - | ||
Glad 'N Greasy | Beat Farmers | - | ||
Mo' Ritmo | Gerardo | Debut | ||
Party Mix!/Mesopotamia | The B-52's | Re-issue with remixes | ||
When You're a Boy | Susanna Hoffs | - | ||
Uncle Anesthesia | Screaming Trees | - | ||
? | Into the Light | Gloria Estefan | - | |
A Little Ain't Enough | David Lee Roth | - | ||
F E B R U A R Y | 4 | Solid Ball of Rock | Saxon | - |
5 | Innuendo | Queen | - | |
International Pop Overthrow | Material Issue | - | ||
9 | Fellow Hoodlums | Deacon Blue | - | |
10 | Recurring | Spacemen 3 | US | |
11 | Coolin' at the Playground Ya Know! | Another Bad Creation | Debut | |
12 | The Hollow Men | The Hollow Men | US | |
Marc Cohn | Marc Cohn | - | ||
Saigon Kick | Saigon Kick | - | ||
14 | Cooleyhighharmony | Boyz II Men | Debut | |
18 | Heaven's Open | Mike Oldfield | - | |
19 | Green Mind | Dinosaur Jr. | - | |
Ink | The Fixx | - | ||
Night Ride Home | Joni Mitchell | - | ||
The Name Above the Title | John Wesley Harding | - | ||
Road Apples | The Tragically Hip | US | ||
20 | The Last Days of Pompeii | Nova Mob | - | |
Piouhgd | Butthole Surfers | - | ||
26 | Hooked | Great White | - | |
? | Different World | Uriah Heep | - | |
M A R C H | 4 | Peggy Suicide | Julian Cope | UK; 7 May in US; Double Album |
The White Room | The KLF | - | ||
Ex:el | 808 State | - | ||
5 | Dollars & Sex | The Escape Club | - | |
New Jack City | Various Artists | Soundtrack | ||
Heart in Motion | Amy Grant | - | ||
Kill Uncle | Morrissey | - | ||
Time for a Witness | The Feelies | - | ||
Truly Blessed | Teddy Pendergrass | - | ||
6 | Extremely Live | Vanilla Ice | Live | |
12 | Cereal Killers | Too Much Joy | - | |
Live Hardcore Worldwide | Boogie Down Productions | Live | ||
Everybody's Angel | Tanita Tikaram | - | ||
Free | Rick Astley | - | ||
Mind Funk | Mind Funk | - | ||
Out of Time | R.E.M. | - | ||
Outland | Gary Numan | US | ||
The Real Ramona | Throwing Muses | - | ||
Freakshow | BulletBoys | - | ||
Unreal World | The Godfathers | US | ||
18 | Capitol Collectors Series | Jo Stafford | - | |
Greatest Hits | Eurythmics | US | ||
19 | Chill of an Early Fall | George Strait | - | |
Make Way for the Motherlode | Yo-Yo | - | ||
Prince of the Deep Water | The Blessing | - | ||
Bag-a-Trix | Whodini | - | ||
21 | Checkin' Out the Ghosts | Kim Carnes | Japan | |
26 | Black and White | The BoDeans | - | |
The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 | Bob Dylan | Box Set | ||
The Human Factor | Metal Church | - | ||
Lean Into It | Mr. Big | - | ||
No Warning | Dave Wakeling | US | ||
Places I Have Never Been | Willie Nile | - | ||
Ribbed | NOFX | - | ||
Strength | Enuff Z'nuff | - | ||
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II The Secret of the Ooze: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various Artists | Soundtrack | ||
Vagabond Heart | Rod Stewart | - | ||
27 | Good-bye My Loneliness | Zard | - | |
Spiderland | Slint | - | ||
28 | Joyride | Roxette | - | |
? | Outland | Gary Numan | - |
April–June
Date | Album | Artist | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
A P R I L | 1 | School of Fish | School of Fish | - |
2 | Arise | Sepultura | - | |
Mama Said | Lenny Kravitz | - | ||
Mane Attraction | White Lion | - | ||
Word of Mouth | Mike + The Mechanics | - | ||
6 | Alanis | Alanis Morissette | Debut | |
Now! That's What I Call Music 19 | Various Artists | Compilation | ||
8 | Flashpoint | The Rolling Stones | Live +2 new studio tracks | |
Real Life | Simple Minds | - | ||
9 | The Ghosts That Haunt Me | Crash Test Dummies | - | |
L'Autre... | Mylène Farmer | - | ||
15 | Brotherhood | The Doobie Brothers | - | |
One from the Vault | Grateful Dead | Live | ||
The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld | The Orb | - | ||
16 | Auberge | Chris Rea | - | |
The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life | Frank Zappa | 2 discs; Live | ||
Ripe | Banderas | US | ||
Temple of the Dog | Temple of the Dog | - | ||
The Way to Salvation | King Missile | - | ||
22 | Hoodoo | Alison Moyet | - | |
Shift-Work | The Fall | - | ||
23 | 13 Engines | 13 Engines | US | |
And Now the Legacy Begins | Dream Warriors | US | ||
Flyin' the Flannel | Firehose | - | ||
Kinky | Hoodoo Gurus | US | ||
Ordinary Average Guy | Joe Walsh | - | ||
The Reality of My Surroundings | Fishbone | - | ||
Time, Love & Tenderness | Michael Bolton | - | ||
26 | Power of Love | Luther Vandross | - | |
27 | True Love | Pat Benatar | - | |
30 | Birdland | Birdland | US | |
Laughter & Lust | Joe Jackson | - | ||
Fred Schneider | Fred Schneider | Re-issue | ||
Spartacus | The Farm | Debut | ||
Union | Yes | - | ||
Why Do Birds Sing? | Violent Femmes | - | ||
M A Y | 2 | Blessed Are the Sick | Morbid Angel | - |
5 | Sugar Tax | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | - | |
7 | 5,000,000 | Dread Zeppelin | - | |
Terminator X & The Valley of the Jeep Beets | Terminator X | - | ||
The Best of The Waterboys 81–90 | The Waterboys | US | ||
Hard at Play | Huey Lewis and the News | - | ||
Peggy Suicide | Julian Cope | US | ||
Star Time | James Brown | Box Set | ||
9 | Ex:el | 808 State | - | |
13 | De La Soul Is Dead | De La Soul | - | |
Pop Life | Bananarama | UK | ||
Positively Phranc | Phranc | - | ||
14 | Don't Rock the Jukebox | Alan Jackson | - | |
God Fodder | Ned's Atomic Dustbin | - | ||
Mighty Like a Rose | Elvis Costello | - | ||
O.G. Original Gangster | Ice-T | - | ||
Sailing the Seas of Cheese | Primus | - | ||
Schubert Dip | EMF | - | ||
Spellbound | Paula Abdul | - | ||
What Comes Around Goes Around | Tuff | - | ||
Yerself Is Steam | Mercury Rev | - | ||
17 | Whispers | Thomas Anders | - | |
20 | Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) | Paul McCartney | Live acoustic | |
21 | Pink Bubbles Go Ape | Helloween | - | |
Slinky | Milltown Brothers | US | ||
25 | Virtual Rabbit | Susumu Hirasawa | - | |
28 | Electronic | Electronic | - | |
Forever My Lady | Jodeci | Debut | ||
Gish | The Smashing Pumpkins | Debut | ||
Jungle Fever | Stevie Wonder | Soundtrack | ||
Like an Ever Flowing Stream | Dismember | - | ||
Never Loved Elvis | The Wonder Stuff | - | ||
Niggaz4Life | N.W.A | - | ||
? | Grippe | Jawbox | - | |
J U N E | 1 | The Tea Party | The Tea Party | Debut |
3 | Love and Kisses | Dannii Minogue | UK | |
4 | Back on the Bus, Y'all | Indigo Girls | - | |
Funke, Funke Wisdom | Kool Moe Dee | - | ||
Make a Jazz Noise Here | Frank Zappa | - | ||
7 | Seal | Seal | Debut | |
Dance to the Holy Man | The Silencers | US | ||
The Forest | David Byrne | - | ||
Love Hurts | Cher | - | ||
Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 | Lynyrd Skynyrd | - | ||
Prime of My Life | Phyllis Hyman | - | ||
Superstition | Siouxsie and the Banshees | - | ||
Space I'm In | The Candyskins | US | ||
Sugar Tax | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark | US | ||
Unforgettable... with Love | Natalie Cole | - | ||
Warm Your Heart | Aaron Neville | - | ||
11 | The Mix | Kraftwerk | - | |
Slave to the Grind | Skid Row | - | ||
14 | Slow, Deep and Hard | Type O Negative | - | |
Unusual Heat | Foreigner | - | ||
You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 4 | Frank Zappa | 2 discs; Live | ||
16 | The Globe | Big Audio Dynamite II | - | |
18 | Derelicts of Dialect | 3rd Bass | - | |
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge | Van Halen | - | ||
Turtle Soup | The Mock Turtles | US | ||
24 | Baby | Yello | - | |
Holidays in Eden | Marillion | - | ||
25 | All Souled Out | Pete Rock & CL Smooth | EP | |
Attack of the Killer B's | Anthrax | Rarities album | ||
Electric Landlady | Kirsty MacColl | - | ||
Fireball Zone | Ric Ocasek | - | ||
Hollywood Vampires | L.A. Guns | - | ||
Luck of the Draw | Bonnie Raitt | - | ||
Surprise | Crystal Waters | - |
July–September
Date | Album | Artist | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
J U L Y | 1 | 13-Point Program to Destroy America | The Nation of Ulysses | - |
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours | Green Day | Compilation | ||
Butchered at Birth | Cannibal Corpse | - | ||
This Is an EP Release | Digital Underground | EP | ||
Pure Poverty | Poor Righteous Teachers | - | ||
Victory Gardens | John & Mary | US | ||
2 | Different Lifestyles | BeBe & CeCe Winans | - | |
Hey Stoopid | Alice Cooper | - | ||
Into the Great Wide Open | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | - | ||
Peaceful Journey | Heavy D & the Boyz | - | ||
The Ruler's Back | Slick Rick | - | ||
Shades of Two Worlds | The Allman Brothers Band | - | ||
Trisha Yearwood | Trisha Yearwood | - | ||
We Can't Be Stopped | Geto Boys | - | ||
Woodface | Crowded House | - | ||
3 | Am I Cool or What? | Various Artists | Soundtrack | |
9 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey: Music from the Motion Picture | Various Artists | Soundtrack | |
Boyz n the Hood | Various Artists | Soundtrack | ||
When Love Comes Down | Jimi Jamison | Debut | ||
James | James | US | ||
15 | Babyteeth | Therapy? | - | |
16 | Vocally Pimpin' | Above the Law | - | |
Biscuits | Living Colour | EP | ||
Straight Checkn 'Em | Compton's Most Wanted | - | ||
22 | Frequencies | LFO | Debut | |
23 | Breaking Atoms | Main Source | - | |
Circa | Mary's Danish | - | ||
Emotional Hooligan | Gary Clail | US | ||
Homebase | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince | - | ||
João | João Gilberto | - | ||
Music for the People | Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch | - | ||
Play | Squeeze | - | ||
30 | A Future Without a Past... | Leaders of the New School | - | |
Day 1 | Robbie Nevil | - | ||
I Need a Haircut | Biz Markie | - | ||
Widespread Panic | Widespread Panic | - | ||
World Outside | The Psychedelic Furs | - | ||
? | Steady Diet of Nothing | Fugazi | - | |
A U G U S T | 3 | To Mother | Babes in Toyland | EP |
5 | Brainstorm | Young MC | - | |
6 | Ask the Ages | Sonny Sharrock | - | |
1000 Smiling Knuckles | Skin Yard | - | ||
Blue Lines | Massive Attack | - | ||
Harem Scarem | Harem Scarem | - | ||
Madra | Miranda Sex Garden | - | ||
Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience | P.M. Dawn | - | ||
Perspex Island | Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians | - | ||
12 | Metallica | Metallica | - | |
13 | Brand New Man | Brooks & Dunn | Debut | |
Cypress Hill | Cypress Hill | Debut | ||
Mr. Bungle | Mr. Bungle | Debut | ||
16 | III | Sebadoh | - | |
20 | The Comfort Zone | Vanessa L. Williams | - | |
Help Yourself | Julian Lennon | US | ||
Honey Lingers | Voice of the Beehive | US | ||
Little Magnets Versus the Bubble of Babble | Transvision Vamp | - | ||
Notorious | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts | - | ||
Pocket Full of Kryptonite | Spin Doctors | - | ||
26 | Leisure | Blur | Debut | |
27 | Altered State | Altered State | Debut | |
Backlash | Bad English | - | ||
Big Shot in the Dark | Timbuk3 | - | ||
fear | Toad the Wet Sprocket | - | ||
The Fire Inside | Bob Seger | - | ||
Abort | Tribe | - | ||
The Prodigal Stranger | Procol Harum | - | ||
Ten | Pearl Jam | Debut | ||
S E P T E M B E R | 2 | Guaranteed | Level 42 | - |
Just for a Day | Slowdive | - | ||
Tin Machine II | Tin Machine | - | ||
3 | Horrorscope | Overkill | - | |
Mistaken Identity | Donna Summer | - | ||
Nature of a Sista | Queen Latifah | - | ||
Naughty by Nature | Naughty by Nature | - | ||
Ratt & Roll 81–91 | Ratt | Greatest Hits | ||
Roll the Bones | Rush | - | ||
Travelers and Thieves | Blues Traveler | - | ||
10 | Blow Up | The Smithereens | - | |
Catfish Rising | Jethro Tull | - | ||
On Every Street | Dire Straits | - | ||
Psychotic Supper | Tesla | - | ||
Ropin' the Wind | Garth Brooks | - | ||
Showstoppers | Barry Manilow | - | ||
Solace | Sarah McLachlan | - | ||
16 | Foxbase Alpha | Saint Etienne | [9] | |
Laughing Stock | Talk Talk | - | ||
17 | Act Like You Know | MC Lyte | - | |
Best O' Boingo | Oingo Boingo | - | ||
Don't Try This at Home | Billy Bragg | - | ||
Emotions | Mariah Carey | - | ||
No More Tears | Ozzy Osbourne | - | ||
Pretty on the Inside | Hole | - | ||
Still Feel Gone | Uncle Tupelo | - | ||
Use Your Illusion I | Guns N' Roses | - | ||
Use Your Illusion II | Guns N' Roses | - | ||
18 | C.M.B. | Color Me Badd | - | |
19 | Live Train to Heartbreak Station | Cinderella | Live | |
Mad Mad World | Tom Cochrane | Canada; released in US in Feb '92 | ||
20 | The Pod | Ween | - | |
23 | ||||
Screamadelica | Primal Scream | - | ||
Shake Me Up | Little Feat | - | ||
Sigh No More | Gamma Ray | - | ||
Trompe le Monde | Pixies | - | ||
Waking Up the Neighbours | Bryan Adams | Canada; released 24 Sep in US | ||
Wretch | Kyuss | - | ||
24 | Badmotorfinger | Soundgarden | - | |
Blood Sugar Sex Magik | Red Hot Chili Peppers | - | ||
Ceremony | The Cult | - | ||
Face the Nation | Kid 'n Play | - | ||
Hymns to the Silence | Van Morrison | - | ||
The Low End Theory | A Tribe Called Quest | - | ||
Nevermind | Nirvana | - | ||
Prove You Wrong | Prong | - | ||
Rock the House Live! | Heart | Live | ||
Rock 'til You Drop | Status Quo | - | ||
Queer | Thompson Twins | - | ||
30 | Ebbhead | Nitzer Ebb | - | |
Orbital | Orbital | Debut[9] | ||
Raise | Swervedriver | - | ||
Stars | Simply Red | - | ||
Storyville | Robbie Robertson | - |
October–December
Date | Album | Artist | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
O C T O B E R | 1 | Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black | Public Enemy | - |
Diamonds and Pearls | Prince & The New Power Generation | - | ||
For My Broken Heart | Reba McEntire | - | ||
The Greatest Hits | Cheap Trick | Greatest Hits | ||
Scamboogery | Scatterbrain | - | ||
3 | Mr. Scarface Is Back | Scarface | Solo Debut | |
Everclear | American Music Club | - | ||
4 | Miscellaneous T | They Might Be Giants | B-Sides & Remixes | |
Streets: A Rock Opera | Savatage | - | ||
8 | Cool as Ice | Vanilla Ice | Soundtrack | |
Whenever We Wanted | John Mellencamp | - | ||
9 | The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves | Infectious Grooves | - | |
11 | Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio | Paul McCartney | - | |
14 | Let's Get to It | Kylie Minogue | - | |
Live Your Life Be Free | Belinda Carlisle | - | ||
15 | As Ugly as They Wanna Be | Ugly Kid Joe | - | |
Chorus | Erasure | - | ||
Mr. Bad Example | Warren Zevon | - | ||
Private Line | Gerald LeVert | - | ||
Vinyl | Dramarama | - | ||
17 | The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth | Skyclad | - | |
19 | Decade of Decadence | Mötley Crüe | Compilation | |
22 | Effigy of the Forgotten | Suffocation | - | |
Girlfriend | Matthew Sweet | - | ||
Human | Death | - | ||
I Wish My Brother George Was Here | Del tha Funkee Homosapien | Debut | ||
Mississippi Lad | Teddy Edwards | - | ||
Pennywise | Pennywise | - | ||
Second Coming | Shotgun Messiah | - | ||
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | Various Artists | Tribute album | ||
Weld | Neil Young | Live; initially packaged with Arc CD | ||
A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing | Black Sheep | Debut | ||
28 | Greatest Hits II | Queen | Compilation | |
Rush Street | Richard Marx | - | ||
29 | Death Certificate | Ice Cube | - | |
Organized Konfusion | Organized Konfusion | Debut | ||
Prince of Darkness | Big Daddy Kane | - | ||
Too Legit to Quit | Hammer | - | ||
30 | Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious | Carcass | - | |
No Pocky for Kitty | Superchunk | - | ||
? | For Keeps | The Field Mice | - | |
N O V E M B E R | 1 | Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Various Artists | - |
Infrared Roses | Grateful Dead | Live Compilation | ||
Night of the Stormrider | Iced Earth | UK | ||
4 | Bandwagonesque | Teenage Fanclub | - | |
Loveless | My Bloody Valentine | - | ||
Shepherd Moons | Enya | - | ||
5 | Paul Simon's Concert in the Park | Paul Simon | Live | |
6 | The Sky Is Crying | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Recorded 1984–'89 | |
6 | Ricky Martin | Ricky Martin | - | |
10 | Sadisfaction | Gregorian | - | |
11 | Bitterblue | Bonnie Tyler | - | |
Essential | Divinyls | Greatest Hits | ||
Live Baby Live | INXS | Live | ||
Wall of Hits | Slade | Compilation | ||
We Can't Dance | Genesis | - | ||
12 | 80–85 | Bad Religion | Compilation | |
Clandestine | Entombed | - | ||
For the Boys | Bette Midler | Soundtrack | ||
In Celebration of Life | Yanni | - | ||
Real Love | Lisa Stansfield | - | ||
Swallow This Live | Poison | 2 discs; Live | ||
2Pacalypse Now | 2Pac | Debut | ||
18 | Now That's What I Call Music! 20 | Various Artists | Compilation | |
19 | Achtung Baby | U2 | - | |
Beckology | Jeff Beck | Box Set | ||
Cool Hand Lōc | Tone Lōc | - | ||
Inner Child | Shanice | - | ||
Pandora's Box | Aerosmith | Box Set | ||
Romance | Luis Miguel | - | ||
T.E.V.I.N. | Tevin Campbell | Debut | ||
26 | Dangerous | Michael Jackson | - | |
Hook: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | John Williams | - | ||
Keep It Comin' | Keith Sweat | - | ||
? | No Jive | Nazareth | - | |
D E C E M B E R | 3 | Affairs of the Heart | Jody Watley | - |
6 | Forest of Equilibrium | Cathedral | - | |
10 | Until the End of the World | Various Artists | - | |
15 | V | Legião Urbana | - | |
25 | Mō Sagasanai | Zard | - | |
31 | Juice | Various Artists | Soundtrack | |
Mental Jewelry | Live | Debut | ||
? | Spine of God | Monster Magnet | - |
Release date unknown
|
|
Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions
in the charts of 1991.
# | Artist | Title | Year | Country | Chart Entries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bryan Adams | (Everything I Do) I Do it For You | 1991 | UK 1 – Jun 1991, US BB 1 of 1991, US CashBox 1 of 1991, Holland 1 – Jul 1991, Sweden 1 – Aug 1991, Austria 1 – Aug 1991, Switzerland 1 – Jul 1991, Norway 1 – Jul 1991, Poland 1 – Jul 1991, Germany 1 – Jan 1992, Éire 1 – Jul 1991, New Zealand 1 for 8 weeks Aug 1991, Australia 1 for 11 weeks Oct 1991, US BB 3 of 1991, Australia 3 of 1991, POP 3 of 1991, Europe 5 of the 1990s, TOTP 6, Global 7 (10 M sold) – 1991, Italy 9 of 1991, Germany 9 of the 1990s, Scrobulate 30 of ballad, Virgin 60, Party 70 of 2007, RYM 73 of 1991, Poland 96 of all time, OzNet 121, Belgium 150 of all time | |
2 | Michael Jackson | Black or White | 1991 | UK 1 – Nov 1991, US BB 1 of 1991, Sweden 1 – Nov 1991, Switzerland 1 – Nov 1991, Norway 1 – Nov 1991, Poland 1 – Nov 1991, Éire 1 – Nov 1991, New Zealand 1 for 8 weeks Nov 1991, Australia 1 for 8 weeks Feb 1992, Austria 2 – Nov 1991, Germany 2 – Jan 1992, Holland 3 – Nov 1991, Italy 3 of 1991, US BB 19 of 1991, POP 19 of 1991, Australia 24 of 1992, US CashBox 29 of 1992, RYM 96 of 1991, Germany 115 of the 1990s | |
3 | Roxette | Joyride | 1991 | US BB 1 of 1991, Holland 1 – Mar 1991, Sweden 1 – Mar 1991, Austria 1 – Mar 1991, Switzerland 1 – Mar 1991, Norway 1 – Mar 1991, Germany 1 – Mar 1991, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Jul 1991, Poland 3 – Apr 1991, UK 4 – Mar 1991, France 7 – Apr 1991, Australia 13 of 1991, Italy 24 of 1991, Germany 24 of the 1990s, US CashBox 33 of 1991, US BB 35 of 1991, POP 37 of 1991 | |
4 | Scorpions | Wind of Change | 1991 | Holland 1 – Apr 1991, Sweden 1 – Mar 1991, Austria 1 – Jun 1991, Switzerland 1 – Feb 1991, Norway 1 – Apr 1991, Poland 1 – Mar 1991, Germany 1 of the 1990s, Germany 1 – Apr 1991, UK 2 – Sep 1991, US BB 4 of 1991, Scrobulate 9 of ballad, France 10 – Dec 1990, US BB 24 of 1991, Europe 26 of the 1990s, POP 26 of 1991, RYM 142 of 1990 | |
5 | R.E.M. | Losing My Religion | 1991 | Holland 1 – Mar 1991, Poland 1 – Apr 1991, Europe 1 of the 1990s, US BB 4 of 1991, Norway 4 – Jun 1991, Sweden 5 – Mar 1991, RYM 5 of 1991, Austria 7 – Aug 1991, Switzerland 11 – Oct 1991, Belgium 12 of all time, UK 19 – Mar 1991, US BB 28 of 1991, Virgin 30, US CashBox 39 of 1991, 39 in 2FM list, Poland 44 of all time, Acclaimed 44, POP 61 of 1991, Scrobulate 69 of rock, Italy 70 of 1991, OzNet 90, WXPN 106, RIAA 143, Rolling Stone 169 |
Top hits
- "3 a.m. Eternal" – The KLF (#1 FIN, UK, #3 GER)
- "À nos actes manqués" – Fredericks, Goldman, Jones (#8 FR)
- "Addams Groove" – MC Hammer (#4 IRL, UK)
- "Alive" – Pearl Jam (#9 AUS)
- "All the Man That I Need" – Whitney Houston (#1 US, CAN)
- "All This Time" – Sting (#1 CAN, #5 US, #7 NOR)
- "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" – Monty Python (#1 IRL, #2 AUS, #3 GER, UK)
- "Always There" – Incognito & Jocelyn Brown (#6 UK, #2 NLD. #8 SWI)
- "Any Dream Will Do" – Jason Donovan (#1 UK)
- "Baby Baby" – Amy Grant (#1 US, #2 CAN, NZ, UK)
- "Bacardi Feeling (Summer Dreamin')" – Kate Yanai (#1 AUT, GER, #2 SWI)
- "Baila Me" – Gipsy Kings (#5 NLD, #7 BE, #10 AUT)
- "Beauty and the Beast" – Celine Dion & Peabo Bryson (#2 CAN, #8 NZ, #9 US)
- "Buenos Amigos" – Alvaro Torres & Selena (#1 US Latin)
- "The Big L." – Roxette (#9 IRL, #10 SWE)
- "Black or White" – Michael Jackson
- "Bohemian Rhapsody" – Queen (#1 UK, IRL, NLD, #5 AUS)
- "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" – Iron Maiden (#1 UK, FIN, #5 IRL)
- "Calling Elvis" – Dire Straits (#1 POL, #2 BE, NOR, SWI)
- "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" – Bryan Adams (#1 CAN, #2 NLD, US)
- "Can't Let Go" – Mariah Carey (#2 US, #3 CAN)
- "Caribbean Blue" – Enya (#8 IRL)
- "Change" – Lisa Stansfield (#2 IT, #6 SP, #7 NLD)
- "Chorus" – Erasure (#1 ARG, SING, #3 UK)
- "Colour of Love" – Snap! (#3 IT, #4 AUT, SWI, #6 SWE)
- "Coming Out of the Dark" – Gloria Estefan (#1 US, CAN, SP, #4 JAP)
- "Crazy" – Seal (#1 BE, NLD, SWE, SWI)
- "Cream" – Prince (#1 US, #2 AUS, #3 NOR, SWI)
- "Crucified" – Army of Lovers (#1 BE, #2 NLD, #3 AUT)
- "Cry for Help" – Rick Astley (#4 CAN, #7 UK, US)
- "Danca Tago-Mago" – Kaoma
- "Deep, Deep Trouble" – The Simpsons (#1 IRL, #7 UK, #10 NZ)
- "Désenchantée" – Mylène Farmer (#1 FR, #9 CAN)
- "Dizzy" – Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff (#1 UK)
- "Do the Bartman" – The Simpsons (#1 AUS, IRL, NZ, NOR, UK)
- "Do You Remember?" – Phil Collins (#4 US)
- "Do Anything" – Natural Selection (#2 US)
- "Don't Cry" – Guns N' Roses (#1 FIN, IRL, #2 NZ, NOR)
- "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" – George Michael & Elton John (#1 CAN, FR, IT, NLD, NOR, SWI, UK, US)
- "Emotions" – Mariah Carey (#1 CAN, US, #3 NZ)
- "Enter Sandman" – Metallica (#1 FIN, #2 NOR, #4 POL, #5 UK)
- "Esperança do Natal" – Chico & Roberta (#3 FR)
- "Every Heartbeat" – Amy Grant (#2 US, #7 CAN)
- "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" – Rozalla (#2 BE, CAN, NLD, SP, #3 SWI, #6 GER, SWE, UK)
- "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – Bryan Adams
- "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)" – Roxette
- "Finally" – CeCe Peniston (#2 UK, #5 US, IRL, #6 NLD)
- "The Fly" – U2 (#1 AUS, IRL, NZ, NOR, SP, UK)
- "From a Distance" – Bette Midler (#6 UK, #8 AUS)
- "Future Love Paradise" – Seal (#6 NLD, #7 SWI, #8 IRL, #9 NOR)
- "Get Here" – Oleta Adams (#5 UK, US)
- "Get Ready for This" – 2 Unlimited (#2 AUS, SP, UK, #3 IRL)
- "Gett Off" – Prince (#4 UK, #8 AUS)
- "G.L.A.D" – Kim Appleby
- "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" – C+C Music Factory (#3 US)
- "Good Vibrations" – Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch (#1 US, #1 SWI, #2 NOR)
- "The Grease Megamix" – John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (#1 AUS, SP, #3 NLD, UK)
- "Give it Away" – Red Hot Chili Peppers (#9 UK)
- "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" – Crystal Waters (#1 NLD, IT, SP, SWI)
- "Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)" – C+C Music Factory (#3 US, #4 SP, #9 NZ)
- "Hold You Tight" – Tara Kemp (#3 US)
- "I Adore Mi Amor – Color Me Badd (#1 US, #8 CAN, NZ)
- "I Don't Wanna Cry" – Mariah Carey (#1 US, #2 CAN)
- "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" – Hi-Five (#1 US)
- "I Love Your Smile" – Shanice (#1 NLD, #2 CAN, US, UK)
- "Innuendo" – Queen (#1 UK, #3 SWI, #4 NLD, IRL, IT)
- "I Touch Myself" – Divinyls (#1 AUS, #4 US, #8 IRL)
- "I Wanna Sex You Up" – Color Me Badd (#1 NZ, UK, #2 US)
- "I Wonder Why" – Curtis Stigers (#5 UK, #9 US)
- "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" – Lenny Kravitz (#2 CAN, US)
- "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" – Boyz II Men (#2 US)
- "I've Been Thinking About You" – Londonbeat (#1 AUS, AUT, BE, CAN, FIN, GER, IT, NLD, SP, SWE, SWI, US)
- "Joyride" – Roxette
- "Just A Groove" – Nomad (#6 NLD, #10 BE, SWI)
- "Just the Way It Is, Baby – The Rembrandts (#6 GER, #9 AUT, FR)
- "Kiss Them for Me" – T'Pau (#1 UK, #2 US)
- "Last Train to Trancentral" – The KLF
- "Learning to Fly" – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (#1 FIN, #2 UK, NLD, #4 GER, NOR)
- "Let's Talk About Sex" – Salt-n-Pepa (#1 AUS, AUT, BE, NLD, SWI)
- "Let There Be Love" – Simple Minds (#4 NLD, #5 IRL, #6 UK)
- "Losing My Religion" – R.E.M.
- "Love and Understanding" – Cher (#6 AUT, #7 IRL, #9 BE, NLD)
- "Love Is a Wonderful Thing" – Michael Bolton (#2 CAN, #4 US)
- "Love... Thy Will Be Done" – Martika (#1 AUS, #4 NZ, #7 CAN)
- "Love to Hate You" – Erasure (#4 FIN, SWE, UK, #5 IRL, #6 AUT)
- "Mea Culpa (Part II)" – Enigma (#4 FR, #7 GER, IT, SP)
- "Mega Mix" – Snap! (#5 NLD, SWI, #7 NZ, #10 SP)
- "More Than Words" – Extreme (#1 BE, CAN, NLD, NZ, US)
- "The Motown Song" – Rod Stewart (#1 CAN, #10 US)
- "Motownphilly" – Boyz II Men (#3 US)
- "Move Any Mountain" – The Shamen (#4 UK, SWI, #5 FIN, #8 BE)
- "Move That Body" – Technotronic (#3 IRL, #10 SWI)
- "Mysterious Ways" – U2 (#1 IRL, #3 AUS, NZ)
- "No Son of Mine" – Genesis (#1 CAN, #3 GER, #4 NOR)
- "Now That We Found Love" – Heavy D & the Boyz (#2 NL, SWE, UK, #4 GER, SWI)
- "O.P.P." – Naughty by Nature (#4 CAN, #6 SWI, US)
- "Obsession" – Army of Lovers (#2 SWE, #5 FIN, SWI, #7 GER)
- "The One and Only" – Chesney Hawkes (#1 UK, AUT, #2 SWE)
- "One More Try" – Timmy T (#1 US, #2 NLD, #5 SWE)
- "Qui a le droit... (live)" – Patrick Bruel (#1 FR)
- "Pandora's Box" – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (#7 AUT, SWE, UK)
- "Piece of My Heart" – Tara Kemp (#7 US)
- "Place In This World" – Michael W. Smith (#6 US)
- "Promise Me" – Beverley Craven (#2 BE, #3 UK, #6 FR)
- "Radio Song" – R.E.M. (#5 IRL)
- "Ride Like the Wind" – East Side Beat (#3 UK, #4 BE, IRL, #6 NLD)
- "Right Here, Right Now" – Jesus Jones (#2 US)
- "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" – De La Soul (#1 FIN, SWI, #2 NLD)
- "Rescue Me" – Madonna (#3 UK, IRL, #9 US)
- "Rhythm of My Heart" – Rod Stewart (#1 CAN, IRL, #2 AUT)
- "Romantic" – Karyn White (#1 US)
- "Rush" – Big Audio Dynamite II (#1 AUS, NZ)
- "Rush Rush" – Paula Abdul (#1 CAN, US, #2 AUS)
- "Saga Africa" – Yannick Noah (#2 FR)
- "Sailing on the Seven Seas" – OMD (#3 UK, #9 GER)
- "Saltwater" – Julian Lennon (#6 UK)
- "Secret Love" – Bee Gees (#2 AUT, GER, #5 BE, UK)
- "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" – P.M. Dawn (#1 NZ, US)
- "Senza una donna" – Zucchero & Paul Young (#1 BE, IT, NOR, SWE)
- "Send Me An Angel" – Scorpions (#3 POL, #4 NLD, SWE, #5 GER)
- "Shiny Happy People" – R.E.M. (#2 IRL, #5 CAN, #6 UK)
- "Shocked" – Kylie Minogue (#1 SLO, #2 IRL, #6 SA, UK)
- "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" – Cher (#1 AUT, IRL, NOR, UK)
- "Should I Stay or Should I Go" – The Clash (#1 UK, #2 IRL, NZ, #3 BE, NLD, NOR, POL)
- "The Show Must Go On" – Queen (#2 FR, #3 POL, #7 GER, NLD)
- "Sit Down" – James (#2 UK)
- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" – Nirvana (#1 BE, FR, NZ, SP, #2 GER, NOR)
- "Someday" – Mariah Carey (#1 CAN, US)
- "Something Got Me Started" – Simply Red (#5 AUT, NLD, IT, #6 SWI)
- "Spending My Time" – Roxette (#9 GER, IT)
- "Stars" – Simply Red (#8 UK)
- "Strike It Up" – Black Box (#4 NLD, #8 IRL, US)
- "Summertime" – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (#4 US, #5 NZ)
- "That's What Love Is For" – Amy Grant (#7 US)
- "The Promise of a New Day" – Paula Abdul (#1 US, CAN)
- "There's No Other Way" – Blur (#8 UK)
- "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" – Bryan Adams (#2 CAN)
- "These Are the Days of Our Lives" – Queen
- "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..." – C+C Music Factory (#2 NZ, #4 UK, US)
- "Too Legit to Quit" – MC Hammer (#4 NZ, #5 US, #6 UK)
- "Touch Me (All Night Long)" – Cathy Dennis (#2 US, #5 UK, #9 CAN)
- "Twist and Shout" – Deacon Blue (#10 UK)
- "Unbelievable" – EMF (#1 US, #3 SWI, UK)
- "Under the Bridge" – Red Hot Chili Peppers (#1 AUS, BE, NLD, #2 NZ)
- "Unfinished Sympathy" – Massive Attack (#1 NLD, #9 SWI)
- "Unforgettable – Natalie Cole & Nat King Cole (#2 AUS, #7 NZ, #10 IRL)
- "The Unforgiven" – Metallica (#2 GR, #9 POL)
- "Walking in Memphis" – Marc Cohn (#7 IRL)
- "We Should Be Together" – Cliff Richard (#9 IRL, #10 UK)
- "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" – John Farnham + Jimmy Barnes (#3 AUS, #6 NZ)
- "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" – Diana Ross (#1 IRL, #2 UK)
- "What Time Is Love?" – The KLF (#5 UK, #6 GER)
- "What Comes Naturally" – Sheena Easton (#3 AUS)
- "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" – Celine Dion (#4 NOR, US, #6 CAN)
- "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes off You)" – Pet Shop Boys (#2 FIN, IRL, SP, #3 SWI, #4 UK)
- "Wind of Change" – Scorpions
- "You" – Ten Sharp (#1 FR, NOR, SWE)
- "You Could Be Mine" – Guns N' Roses (#1 FIN, IRL, NZ, SP)
Top best albums of the year
All albums have been named albums of the year for their hits in the charts.[10]
Michael Jackson – Dangerous
Nirvana – Nevermind
Pearl Jam – Ten
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
U2 – Achtung Baby
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Metallica – Metallica
Primal Scream – Screamadelica
Slint – Spiderland
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
Massive Attack – Blue Lines
Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
Published popular music
- "Dreamland" w. Alan Bergman & Marilyn Bergman m. Dave Grusin
- "Look Around" w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Cy Coleman from the musical The Will Rogers Follies
Classical music
John Corigliano – Symphony No. 1
George Crumb – Easter Dawning for carillon
Mario Davidovsky – Simple Dances for flute, two percussion, piano, and cello
Joël-François Durand – un feu distinct for flute, clarinet, piano, violin and cello
Lorenzo Ferrero
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Parodia, for chamber ensemble
Zaubermarsch, for small orchestra
Sofia Gubaidulina
Gerade und ungerade (Чет и нечет) for seven percussionists, including cymbalom
Silenzio for bayan, violin, and cello
Angelo Gilardino
Musica per l'Angelo della Melancholia, for guitar
Variazioni sulla Fortuna, for guitar
Karel Goeyvaerts
Opbouw (Construction), for orchestra
De Zang van Aquarius, version for symphony orchestra
Jan Klusák – Stesk po Mozartovi
Ulrich Leyendecker – Symphony No. 3
Witold Lutosławski – Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Pehr Henrik Nordgren
Going On for double bass and percussion, Op. 77
Odotus (Awaiting) for male choir, Op. 78
Cronaca for string orchestra, Op. 79
Streams for chamber orchestra, Op. 80
Kaija Saariaho – ...à la Fumée
John Serry Sr. –
A Savior Is Born, for organ and voice
Dreams Trilogy, for piano
La Culebra, for solo flute
Karlheinz Stockhausen –
Elufa, for flute and basset horn, with electronic music ad lib., 9. ex Nr. 64
Freia, for flute ex 9½ Nr. 64
Joan Tower – Concerto for Orchestra
Takashi Yoshimatsu
Sagittarius Ecologue for bassoon and harp- Symphony No. 2 "at Terra" for orchestra
Fuzzy Bird Sonata for saxophone and piano
3 White Landscapes for flute, bassoon, and harp
Wind Color Vector for Guitar
Opera
John Adams – The Death of Klinghoffer, first performance on 19 March at the Théatre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium
Harrison Birtwistle – Gawain, first performance on 30 May at the Royal Opera House, London
Daniel Catán – Rappaccini’s Daughter (La hija de Rappaccini)
John Corigliano – The Ghosts of Versailles
Meredith Monk – Atlas
Jazz
Musical theater
Miss Saigon (Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil) – Broadway production opened at the Broadway Theatre on 11 April and ran for 4097 performances
The Secret Garden – Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on 25 April and ran for 706 performances
Song of Singapore – off-Broadway production opened at the Irving Plaza on 7 May and ran for 459 performances
Will Rogers Follies – Broadway production opened at the Palace Theatre on 1 May and ran for 983 performances
Musical films
Beauty and the Beast (animated feature)- The Commitments
- The Five Heartbeats
- For the Boys
- Kilukkam
- Stepping Out
- Stones at the Max
- El Acompañamiento
- Thalapathi
Births
8 January – Asuka Hinoi Japanese singer
9 January – 3LAU, American DJ and producer
11 January – Hyolyn, South Korean singer and DJ
12 January – Pixie Lott, British singer, songwriter and actress
13 January – Goo Hara, Member of Kara, Korean singer
23 January – Torres (musician), American independent singer, songwriter, musician and artist
28 January – CJ Harris, American singer
1 February – Martha Heredia, Dominican singer
7 February – Gabbie Hanna, American rapper, singer, musician, comedienne and author
10 February
Ceng De Ping, Taiwanese singer
Emma Roberts, American actress and singer
11 February – Never Shout Never (Christofer Ingle), American musician
12 February – Casey Abrams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
17 February – Ed Sheeran, British singer-songwriter
24 February – Tyler Bryant, American rock musician (Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, Dead Cool Dropouts)
26 February – CL (singer), South Korean singer/songwriter/rapper
4 March – Diandra Newlin, American actress, singer, and model
6 March – Tyler, The Creator, American rapper and record producer
8 March – Devon Werkheiser, American actor and musician
11 March – Qian Lin, Chinese singer
16 March – Wolfgang Van Halen, American bassist
28 March – Amy Bruckner, American actress and singer
30 March – NF (rapper), American rapper
2 April – Quavo, American rapper (migos)
3 April – Hayley Kiyoko, American singer, songwriter, advocate and dancer
4 April – Jamie Lynn Spears, American country music singer, actress
7 April – Anne-Marie, British singer songwriter
8 April – Andrea Ross, American singer and actress
10 April – Amanda Michalka (AJ), American singer-songwriter, musician and actress
15 April – Daiki Arioka, Japanese singer (Hey! Say! JUMP)
18 April – Joey Gaydos, American actor and guitarist
17 May – Daniel Curtis Lee, American actor and rapper
19 May – Jordan Pruitt, American singer
20 May – Bastian Baker, Swiss singer, songwriter, and performer.
22 May – Brooke Simpson, American singer-songwriter
23 May – Lena Meyer-Landrut, German singer
24 May – Erika Umeda, Japanese singer
27 May – Channii, Dutch singer-songwriter
29 May
Kristen Alderson, American actress and singer
Matoma, Norwegian DJ and record producer.
31 May – Azealia Banks, American rapper, singer and songwriter
7 June – Fetty Wap American Rapper
12 June – Jessie Reyez, Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter
14 June – Jesy Nelson, English singer-songwriter, dancer and member of Little Mix
16 June – Joe McElderry, British singer
17 June – Shura, British singer-songwriter, musician and producer
23 June – Katie Armiger, American singer
28 June – Seohyun, member of South Korean pop girl group Girls' Generation
29 June – Naomi (singer-songwriter), British singer-songwriter
7 July – Alesso, Swedish producer and DJ
9 July
Mitchel Musso, American actor and musician
Clara Hagman, Former Ace of Base member and singer
10 July
María Chacón, Mexican actress and singer
Angel Haze, American rapper and singer-songwriter
12 July – Dexter Roberts, American singer
15 July – Yuki Kashiwagi, Japanese idol singing group member
17 July – Mann, American rapper
18 July – Karina Pasian, American Russian multi lingual classical musician and singer
29 July – Miki Ishikawa, American actress and singer
30 July – Diana Vickers, British singer
13 August – Dave Days, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
21 August – Tess Gaerthé, Dutch singer and actress
9 September – Hunter Hayes, American country singer
11 September – Kygo, Norwegian producer and DJ
16 September – Noname (rapper), American singer-songwriter, rapper, musician & poet
23 September – Key (singer) South Korean singer, actor
4 October –
Nicolai Kielstrup, Danish singer- Leigh-Anne Pinnock, English singer-songwriter, dancer and member of Little Mix
5 October – Betty Who, Australian singer-songwriter
10 October
Gabriella Cilmi, Australian singer-songwriter
Lali Espósito, Argentine actress, singer, dancer, model, and songwriter.
17 October – Brenda Asnicar, Argentine actress and singer
31 October – Jordan-Claire Green, American actress and musician
5 November – Flume (musician), Australian record producer, musician and DJ
11 November – Emma Blackery British singer-songwriter, musician, beauty blogger, and Youtuber
13 November – Matt Bennett, American actor and singer (Victorious, Ariana Grande)
22 November – Saki Shimizu, Japanese singer
25 November – Kevin Woo, American-South Korean singer and dancer (U-KISS and Xing)
2 December
Charlie Puth, American singer, musician, songwriter and record producer.
Ainsley Melham, Australian singer, dancer and actor
7 December – Dori Sakurada, Japanese actor and singer
9 December – PnB Rock, American hip hop recording artist
11 December – Anna Bergendahl Swedish Irish singer
13 December – Jay Greenberg, American cosinger
14 December
Offset (rapper), American rapper of the team (Migos)
Stefflon Don, British-Jamaican rapper, singer and songwriter.
15 December – Alana Mychal Haim, American guitarist, singer and keyboardist, member of sisterhood and band Haim (Haim, American pop rock band from Los Angeles)
19 December – Tom Walker (singer), Scottish singer-songwriter
19 December – Declan Galbraith, British singer
24 December – Louis Tomlinson, British singer in the band One Direction
27 December – Chloe Bridges, American actress, singer and pianist
30 December – Tyler Carter, American singer, rapper and songwriter (Issues, Woe Is Me)
Deaths
1 January – Buck Ram, American singer and songwriter (The Platters), 83
8 January – Steve Clark, guitarist of Def Leppard, 30 (overdose of codeine)
14 January – Chitragupta, film composer, 73
20 January – Stan Szelest American keyboard player (The Band), 47
6 February – Danny Thomas, singer and actor, 79
9 February – James Cleveland, gospel singer, 59
13 February – Flaviano Labò, operatic tenor, 64
17 February – Gitta Alpár, operatic soprano, 88
20 February – Isabelle Delorme, pianist, composer and music teacher, 90
21 February – Margot Fonteyn, ballerina, 71
26 February – Slim Gaillard, jazz musician, 75
2 March – Serge Gainsbourg, singer and songwriter, 62 (heart attack)
13 March – Jimmy McPartland, 83, jazz musician
14 March
- Jerome Doc Pomus, songwriter, 65
Howard Ashman, lyricist, 40 (AIDS-related)
15 March – Bud Freeman, jazz musician, 84
18 March – Dezider Kardoš, Slovak composer, 76
21 March – Leo Fender, inventor of the electric guitar, 81
25 March – Eileen Joyce, pianist, 83
1 April – Martha Graham, 96, American dancer and choreographer
4 April – Louis Guglielmi, 75, French composer
7 April
Henry Glover, American songwriter, producer and trumpet player, 69
Ruth Page, American dancer and choreographer, 92
8 April – Per Yngve Ohlin, aka 'Dead', vocalist of Mayhem, 22 (suicide)
13 April – Wilhelm Lanzky-Otto, horn virtuoso, 82
17 April – Jack Yellen, 98, American lyricist
18 April – Barry Rogers, 55, American jazz and salsa trombonist
20 April – Steve Marriott, singer, songwriter and guitarist (Small Faces and Humble Pie), 44 (killed in house fire)
21 April – Willi Boskovsky, conductor, 81
23 April – Johnny Thunders, rock guitarist and singer, 38 (drug-related)
26 April
Leo Arnaud, composer, 86
Carmine Coppola, flautist and composer, 80
28 April – Ken Curtis, American singer and actor, 74
29 April – Gonzaguinha, Brazilian singer and composer, 45 (car accident)
3 May – Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egyptian singer and composer (b. 1907)
8 May
Jean Langlais, composer, 84
Rudolf Serkin, pianist, 88
9 May? – Yanka Dyagileva, poet and singer, 24 (drowned)
19 May – Odia Coates, singer, 49 (breast cancer)
23 May – Wilhelm Kempff, pianist and composer, 95
24 May
- Dirk Schoufs, a member of Belgian Band Vaya Con Dios (AIDS-related)
Gene Clark, singer-songwriter (The Byrds), 46 (heart attack)
27 May – Leopold Nowak, musicologist, 86
1 June – David Ruffin, singer (The Temptations), 50 (overdose of cocaine)
4 June – MC Trouble, rapper, 20 (epileptic seizure)
6 June – Stan Getz, US saxophonist, 64
9 June – Claudio Arrau, pianist, 88
14 June – Joy Finzi, founder of the Finzi Trust, 84
5 July – Camarón de la Isla, flamenco singer, 41 (lung cancer)
6 July – Herminio Giménez, composer, 86
11 July – Honorata de la Rama, singer, 89
15 July – Bert Convy, American game show host, actor, and singer, 57 (brain tumor)
28 August – Vince Taylor, rock and roll singer, 52 (cancer)
4 September
Charlie Barnet, US bandleader, 77
Dottie West, American country singer, 58 (car accident)
8 September – Alex North, composer, 80
17 September
Zino Francescatti, violinist, 89
Rob Tyner, lead singer of MC5, 46 (heart attack)
20 September – Tom Anderson, Shetland fiddler
25 September – Sydney MacEwan, singer of traditional Scottish and Irish songs, 82
28 September
Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter and composer, 65 (stroke)
Eugène Bozza, composer, 86
6 October – Igor Talkov, Russian singer/songwriter, 34 (murdered)
9 October – Roy Black, 48, singer and actor (heart failure)
16 October – Ole Beich, guitarist and bassist, 36 (drowned)
17 October – Tennessee Ernie Ford, country musician, 72
25 October – Bill Graham, rock concert promoter, 60 (helicopter crash)
27 October – Sir Andrzej Panufnik, Polish composer, 75
31 October
Joseph Papp, Broadway producer, 70
Garvin Bushell, multi-instrumentalist
2 November – Mort Shuman, songwriter, 54 (complications following a liver operation)
3 November – Chris Bender, R&B singer, 19 (murdered)
8 November – Frances Faye, singer, 79
11 November – Morton Stevens, film composer, 62
15 November – Jacques Morali, disco composer, 44 (AIDS)
24 November
Freddie Mercury, singer, 45 (AIDS)
Eric Carr, drummer, 41 (cancer)
10 December – Headman Shabalala, member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, 46 (shot)
13 December – Stuart Challender, conductor, 44 (AIDS-related)
22 December – Édouard Woolley, tenor, actor, composer and music educator
Awards
Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees: Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees: LaVern Baker, The Byrds, John Lee Hooker, The Impressions, Wilson Pickett, Jimmy Reed and Ike and Tina Turner
- 1991 Grammy Awards
- 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
- Eurovision Song Contest 1991
Kumar Sanu – Filmfare Best Male Playback Award
- 33rd Japan Record Awards
See also
- 1991 in music (UK)
- Record labels established in 1991
References
^ CNN, By Mark Morgenstein,. "'Nevermind,' never again? – CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2018-06-10..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Myers, Paul (1991-11-25). "Queen star dies after Aids statement". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
^ Love Education, 1997-06-05, ASIN B000008P2A
^ Randall Rothenberg (21 March 1991). "Michael Jackson Gets Thriller of Deal To Stay With Sony" – via NYTimes.com.
^ Inc., Slacker,. "Slacker Radio Featured". Slacker Radio.
^ RIAA.com Diamond Certified Albums Archived 18 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Top Pop Catalog". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
^ Holston, Mark (September 1, 1995). "Ageless Romance with Bolero". Américas. Organization of American States. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
^ ab Richards, Sam (16 September 2016). "Was September 1991 the best month ever for albums?". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
^ "Best albums of 1991". besteveralbums. 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
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