Glam Metal arrives on the Pop charts after Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album hits #1! But the Gen-X genres that defined the ’90s like Alt Rock and Hip-Hop are pushing at the ramparts, and MTV’s 120 Minutes, Yo! MTV Raps and Headbanger’s Ball are bringing niche sounds to America’s TV screens like never before.

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all Hot100 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs during the calendar year

1. Madonna
2. Expose
3. U2

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most Hot100 charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• 3-WAY TIE: Madonna/Europe/Kool & The Gang (4)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 Hot100 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 29.4 years

#1 Songs   List of Hot100 #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. Gregory Abbott – Shake You Down (January, 1 wk)
2. Billy Vera & The Beaters – At This Moment (January, 2 wks)
3. Madonna – Open Your Heart (February, 1 wk)
4. Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer (February, 4 wks)
5. Huey Lewis & The News – Jacob’s Ladder (March, 1 wk)
6. Club Nouveau – Lean on Me (March, 2 wks)
7. Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now (April, 2 wks)
8. Aretha Franklin & George Michael – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (April, 2 wks)
9. Cutting Crew – (I Just) Died in Your Arms (May, 2 wks)
10. U2 – With or Without You (May, 3 wks)
11. Kim Wilde – You Keep Me Hangin’ On (June, 1 wk)
12. Atlantic Starr – Always (June, 1 wk)
13. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – Head to Toe (June, 1 wk)
14. Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) (June, 2 wks)
15. Heart – Alone (July, 3 wks)
16. Bob Seger – Shakedown (August, 1 wk)
17. U2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (August, 2 wks)
18. Madonna – Who’s That Girl (August, 1 wk)
19. Los Lobos – La Bamba (August, 3 wks)
20. Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett – I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (September, 1 wk)
21. Whitney Houston – Didn’t We Almost Have It All (September, 2 wks)
22. Whitesnake – Here I Go Again (October, 1 wk)
23. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – Lost in Emotion (October, 1 wk)
24. Michael Jackson – Bad (October, 2 wks)
25. Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now (November, 2 wks)
26. Billy Idol – Mony Mony “Live” (November, 1 wk)
27. Bill Medley with Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (November, 1 wk)
28. Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth (December, 1 wk)
29. George Michael – Faith (December, 4 wks)
30. Whitney Houston – So Emotional (January ’88, 1 wk)