by Amy Gold
The number one songs of the 1990s, which total 143, are listed in the table below in descending order by the total number of weeks they stayed on the Billboard Pop/Rock charts. At the bottom of the list is "Praying For Time" by George Michael which was on the charts for only 14 weeks. "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" by Los Del Rio tops the list at a whopping 60 weeks.
For better or worse, "Macarena" can be regarded as the quintessential song of the 1990s. It inspired a nationwide dance craze, and everyone from Al Gore to your next door neighbor was dancing to this tune. "Macarena" later recharted as "Macarena (Non Stop)" (Spanish version) and "Macarena Christmas," and with these two remakes, "Macarena" continued to dominate the airwaves for a total of another 25 weeks. The "Bayside Boys Mix," which is sung in English, is the best known and longest charting version of this song. This song (in all its versions) was Los Del Rio's only chart hit. Los Del Rio was ranked at #1 in VH1's 2002 documentary, "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders." "Macarena" was played at the 1996 Democratic National Convention and everyone was encouraged to get up and dance.
By far, the artist with the most #1 hits from the 1990s is R&B-pop singer Mariah Carey. The long list of top charting songs by Mariah Carey include her 1992 remake of the Jackson 5's 1970 #1 hit, "I'll Be There." Other top bands and artists from the 1990s include Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Color Me Badd, Destiny's Child, Puff Daddy, Roxette, Savage Garden, TLC, Toni Braxton, Will Smith, and Wilson Phillips. Top bands and artists from the 1980s who continued to top the charts throughout the 1990s include Whitney Houston, Madonna, Michael Jackson, George Michael, and Paula Abdul.
The number one songs of the 1990s also include some entries from several oldies bands and artists that include Aerosmith, Cher, Santana, and Meatloaf. The 1990s will also be remembered for the untimely death of Princess Diana and Elton John's tribute to her in his chart topping "Candle In The Wind 1997."
Back to: Top Songs By Decade
Notes: C#1 = COUNTRY #1; AC#1 = ADULT CONTEMPORARY #1
| SONG | ARTIST | CHART DEBUT DATE | R&B #1 | C #1 | AC #1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) | Los Del Rio | 5/11/1996 | |||
| Smooth | Santana Feat. Rob Thomas | 7/31/1999 | |||
| Too Close | Next | 2/14/1998 | |||
| Truly Madly Deeply | Savage Garden | 12/6/1997 | |||
| Together Again | Janet Jackson | 12/20/1997 | |||
| Un-Break My Heart | Toni Braxton | 10/26/1996 | |||
| Candle In The Wind 1997 | Elton John | 10/11/1997 | |||
| The Sign | Ace Of Base | 1/1/1994 | |||
| You're Makin' Me High | Toni Braxton | 6/8/1996 | |||
| Gangsta's Paradise | Coolio Featuring L.V. | 8/19/1995 | |||
| Kiss From A Rose | Seal | 6/24/1995 | |||
| All My Life | K-Ci And JoJo | 3/28/1998 | |||
| Amazed | Lonestar | 12/25/1999 | |||
| Waterfalls | TLC | 6/10/1995 | |||
| The Power Of Love | Celine Dion | 11/27/1993 | |||
| I'll Make Love To You | Boyz II Men | 8/13/1994 | |||
| Because You Loved Me | Celine Dion | 3/9/1996 | |||
| I'll Be Missing You | Puff Daddy And Faith Evans (Featuring 112) | 6/14/1997 | |||
| I Knew I Loved You | Savage Garden | 10/23/1999 | |||
| End Of The Road | Boyz II Men | 7/18/1992 | |||
| Creep | TLC | 11/12/1994 | |||
| Always Be My Baby | Mariah Carey | 4/6/1996 | |||
| Gettin' Jiggy Wit It | Will Smith | 2/28/1998 | |||
| ...Baby One More Time | Britney Spears | 11/21/1998 | |||
| Unpretty | TLC | 6/26/1999 | |||
| Say My Name | Destiny's Child | 12/25/1999 | |||
| No Diggity | BLACKstreet (Featuring Dr. Dre) | 10/12/1996 | |||
| Believe | Cher | 12/19/1998 | |||
| Close To You | Maxi Priest | 6/30/1990 | |||
| Hero | Mariah Carey | 10/23/1993 | |||
| I Swear | All-4-One | 4/23/1994 | |||
| Stay (I Missed You) | Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories | 5/7/1994 | |||
| Here Comes The Hotstepper | Ini Kamoze | 9/17/1994 | |||
| Take A Bow | Madonna | 12/17/1994 | |||
| Mo Money, Mo Problems | The Notorious B.I.G. Featuring Puff Daddy And Mase | 8/2/1997 | |||
| Angel Of Mine | Monica | 12/5/1998 | |||
| Can't Help Falling In Love | UB40 | 5/15/1993 | |||
| Dreamlover | Mariah Carey | 8/7/1993 | |||
| This Is How We Do It | Montell Jordan | 2/25/1995 | |||
| All 4 Love | Color Me Badd | 11/9/1991 | |||
| Baby Got Back | Sir Mix-A-Lot | 4/11/1992 | |||
| Can't Nobody Hold Me Down | Puff Daddy Featuring Mase | 1/25/1997 | |||
| No Scrubs | TLC | 2/20/1999 | |||
| Save The Best For Last | Vanessa Williams | 2/1/1992 | |||
| On Bended Knee | Boyz II Men | 11/19/1994 | |||
| One Sweet Day | Mariah Carey And Boyz II Men | 12/2/1995 | |||
| The Boy Is Mine | Brandy And Monica | 5/30/1998 | |||
| Lately | Divine | 9/12/1998 | |||
| I Don't Have The Heart | James Ingram | 8/4/1990 | |||
| Love Takes Time | Mariah Carey | 9/15/1990 | |||
| I Will Always Love You | Whitney Houston | 11/14/1992 | |||
| Weak | SWV (Sisters With Voices) | 4/24/1993 | |||
| Hold On | Wilson Phillips | 3/17/1990 | |||
| It Must Have Been Love | Roxette | 4/7/1990 | |||
| (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection | Nelson | 7/7/1990 | |||
| The First Time | Surface | 11/3/1990 | |||
| Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) | C And C Music Factory Featuring Freedom Williams | 11/17/1990 | |||
| One More Try | Timmy -T- | 12/22/1990 | |||
| Informer | Snow | 1/9/1993 | |||
| Bump N' Grind | R. Kelly | 2/5/1994 | |||
| Fantasy | Mariah Carey | 9/30/1995 | |||
| If You Had My Love | Jennifer Lopez | 5/15/1999 | |||
| Genie In A Bottle | Christina Aguilera | 7/3/1999 | |||
| Black Velvet | Alannah Myles | 1/6/1990 | |||
| Vogue | Madonna | 4/14/1990 | |||
| More Than Words | Extreme | 3/23/1991 | |||
| To Be With You | Mr. Big | 12/21/1991 | |||
| Freak Me | Silk | 2/20/1993 | |||
| Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman? | Bryan Adams | 4/15/1995 | |||
| How Do U Want It | 2 Pac (Featuring KC And JoJo) | 6/15/1996 | |||
| What A Girl Wants | Christina Aguilera | 11/27/1999 | |||
| Because I Love You (The Postman Song) | Stevie B | 10/6/1990 | |||
| All The Man That I Need | Whitney Houston | 12/22/1990 | |||
| I Like The Way (The Kissing Game) | Hi-Five | 2/23/1991 | |||
| Unbelievable | EMF | 4/13/1991 | |||
| A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme) | Peabo Bryson And Regina Belle | 12/19/1992 | |||
| That's The Way Love Goes | Janet Jackson | 5/1/1993 | |||
| Again | Janet Jackson | 10/23/1993 | |||
| Wannabe | Spice Girls | 1/25/1997 | |||
| Nice And Slow | Usher | 1/24/1998 | |||
| The First Night | Monica | 8/15/1998 | |||
| Vision Of Love | Mariah Carey | 6/2/1990 | |||
| Release Me | Wilson Phillips | 6/30/1990 | |||
| Love Will Never Do (Without You) | Janet Jackson | 11/17/1990 | |||
| (Everything I Do) I Do It For You | Bryan Adams | 6/29/1991 | |||
| I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) | Meat Loaf | 9/18/1993 | |||
| All For Love | Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting | 11/27/1993 | |||
| MMMbop | Hanson | 5/3/1997 | |||
| Have You Ever? | Brandy | 12/5/1998 | |||
| Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinead O'Connor | 3/17/1990 | |||
| Blaze Of Glory | Bon Jovi | 7/21/1990 | |||
| Ice Ice Baby | Vanilla Ice | 9/8/1990 | |||
| Baby Baby | Amy Grant | 2/23/1991 | |||
| I'm Too Sexy | R*S*F (Right Said Fred) | 12/21/1991 | |||
| Jump | Kris Kross | 4/4/1992 | |||
| Exhale (Shoop Shoop) | Whitney Houston | 11/25/1995 | |||
| Doo Wop (That Thing) | Lauryn Hill | 11/14/1998 | |||
| Love Will Lead You Back | Taylor Dayne | 1/27/1990 | |||
| If Wishes Came True | Sweet Sensation | 6/16/1990 | |||
| Good Vibrations | Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch Featuring Loleatta Holloway | 7/20/1991 | |||
| I Adore Mi Amor | Color Me Badd | 7/27/1991 | |||
| Romantic | Karyn White | 8/17/1991 | |||
| Emotions | Mariah Carey | 8/31/1991 | |||
| Cream | Prince | 9/28/1991 | |||
| When A Man Loves A Woman | Michael Bolton | 10/12/1991 | |||
| Set Adrift On Memory Bliss | PM Dawn | 10/19/1991 | |||
| Black Or White | Michael Jackson | 11/23/1991 | |||
| Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me | George Michael/Elton John | 12/7/1991 | |||
| I'll Be There | Mariah Carey | 5/30/1992 | |||
| This Used To Be My Playground | Madonna | 7/4/1992 | |||
| How Do You Talk To An Angel | The Heights | 10/3/1992 | |||
| You Are Not Alone | Michael Jackson | 9/2/1995 | |||
| Tha Crossroads | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 5/11/1996 | |||
| Hypnotize | The Notorious B.I.G. | 4/26/1997 | |||
| Honey | Mariah Carey | 9/13/1997 | |||
| 4 Seasons Of Loneliness | Boyz II Men | 9/27/1997 | |||
| My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From 'Titanic') | Celine Dion | 2/28/1998 | |||
| My All | Mariah Carey (Featuring Krayzie Bone And Wish Bone) | 5/9/1998 | |||
| I Don't Want To Miss A Thing | Aerosmith | 9/5/1998 | |||
| One Week | Barenaked Ladies | 10/3/1998 | |||
| Livin' La Vida Loca | Ricky Martin | 4/17/1999 | |||
| Bills, Bills, Bills | Destiny's Child | 6/19/1999 | |||
| Bailamos | Enrique Iglesias | 7/10/1999 | |||
| Heartbreaker | Mariah Carey (Featuring Jay-Z0 | 9/4/1999 | |||
| Thank God I Found You | Mariah With Joe And 98 | 12/11/1999 | |||
| I'm Your Baby Tonight | Whitney Houston | 10/20/1990 | |||
| Someday | Mariah Carey | 1/19/1991 | |||
| Coming Out Of The Dark | Gloria Estefan | 1/26/1991 | |||
| I've Been Thinking About You | Londonbeat | 2/9/1991 | |||
| You're In Love | Wilson Phillips | 2/9/1991 | |||
| Joyride | Roxette | 3/2/1991 | |||
| I Don't Wanna Cry | Mariah Carey | 4/6/1991 | |||
| Rush, Rush | Paula Abdul | 5/11/1991 | |||
| I'll Be Your Everything | Tommy Page | 2/17/1990 | |||
| She Ain't Worth It | Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown | 5/19/1990 | |||
| I'm Your Angel | R. Kelly And Celine Dion | 12/5/1998 | |||
| Escapade | Janet Jackson | 1/20/1990 | |||
| Wild Wild West | Will Smith Featuring Dru Hill And Kool Mo Dee | 5/22/1999 | |||
| Black Cat | Janet Jackson | 9/15/1990 | |||
| Justify My Love | Madonna | 11/17/1990 | |||
| The Promise Of A New Day | Paula Abdul | 7/20/1991 | |||
| Step By Step | New Kids On The Block | 5/26/1990 | |||
| Praying For Time | George Michael | 9/1/1990 |
