3 Legendary Female Pop Stars Who Hit No. 1 in 1990

Let’s get a little secret out of the way. The 1990s were the greatest decade for pop music. While the genre was rising in major ways in the 1980s thanks to artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna, that big ol’ wave crested in the early 90s. By then, the pop scene still included MJ and Madonna, but more artists had popped up alongside them.

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Just looking at the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1990 and you can see the huge influence of pop on the landscape. That’s just what we wanted to explore here. We wanted to look at the year 1990 and highlight three big-name female pop stars from that year that were bigger than big—and remain so even now. Indeed, these are three marquee female artists who hit No. 1 in 1990.

“Vogue” by Madonna from ‘I’m Breathless’ (1990)

After a scorching hot decade in the 1980s with pop hits galore, Madonna wanted to try her hand in another arena, so she started acting. In 1990, that meant co-starring in the Dick Tracy movie. For that, Madonna also performed songs and included those on her 1990 LP, I’m Breathless: Music from and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy. The album included “Vogue”, which is one of the pop star’s biggest hits and one of her dozen No. 1s.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor from ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ (1990)

We move from someone with 12 No. 1s to someone with only one. But that doesn’t mean Sinéad O’Connor was any less iconic in 1990 and beyond. She packed her entire being into her hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which was written by the rocker Prince. Hearing her sing the song offers such a close, intimate connection. It’s like we’re O’Connor’s best friend or lover as we hear her share her soul. It’s supremely impressive.

“Vision Of Love” by Mariah Carey from ‘Mariah Carey’ (1990)

There is no single performer with more No. 1 songs than Mariah Carey. Only The Beatles (20) boast more No. 1’s than her (19). And Carey kicked her incredible career off in the 90s with songs like “Vision of Love”. In fact, the tune was one of two No. 1s she garnered in 1990. The other was “Love Takes Time”. Of course, when you amass so many, you need them in bunches. And 1990 was that kind of year for Carey, the big-voiced, amorous artist.

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