Number Ones |
| Week Ending | ACT + Links | TITLE | Weeks | TALLY | COMMENT |
| 13 Jan 1990 | New Kids On The Block | Hangin' Tough | 2 | 2nd & last No 1 | They had a further 7 Top 10s by the end of 1991. They broke up after that, but set the scene for numerous boy bands throughout the 90s. |
| 27 Jan 1990 | Kylie Minogue | Tears On My Pillow | 1 | 4th No 1 | From her film "The Delinquents". It was SAW's 13th & final No 1. She continued making hits through the 1990s, and was back at No 1 in 2000. |
| 3 Feb 1990 | Sinead O'Connor | Nothing Compares To You | 4 | Only No 1 | Talented but controversial and politically-motivated Irish singer. Her only No 1 was written by Prince. |
| 3 Mar 1990 | Beats International | Dub Be Good To Me | 4 | Only No 1 (1st for Norman Cook) | Formed by ex-Housemartins Norman Cook, known as Fat Boy Slim at end of the 90s (No 1 in 1999). Song based on the SOS Band's 1984 hit "Just Be Good To Me". |
| 31 Mar 1990 | Snap | The Power | 2 | 1st No 1 | German and Italian production team who had a very successful run of dance hits featuring mostly US vocalists. |
| 14 Apr 1990 | Madonna | Vogue | 4 | 7th No 1 | Supported by an award-winning video, the song celebrated the style-conscious New Yorkers. |
| 12 May 1990 | Adamski | Killer | 4 | Only No 1 | UK producer Adam Tinley with vocals by Seal, who remade the song under his own name, reaching the Top 10, the following year. |
| 9 Jun 1990 | EnglandNewOrder | World In Motion | 2 | 2nd & last No 1 (for England Football Team) | England's song for the World Cup 1990, following their No 1 in 1970. In the game they were knocked out by Germany on both occasions. |
| 23 Jun 1990 | Elton John | Sacrifice / Healing Hands | 5 | 2nd No 1 | After 51 hits since 1971 and 6 chart toppers in the US, he finally got a solo No 1 in the UK. |
| 28 Jul 1990 | Partners In Kryme | Turtle Power | 4 | Only No 1 | US rap duo celebrating the kids' tv fad, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". One-hit Wonders. |
| 25 Aug 1990 | Bombalurina | Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polker Dot Bikini | 3 | Only No 1 | Kids' tv presenter Timmy Mallett with a remake of Brian Hyland's 1960 hit. |
| 15 Sep 1990 | Steve Miller Band | The Joker | 2 | Only No 1 | US rock band with an archive recording (1973), reactivated after use in a jeans tv ad. |
| 29 Sep 1990 | Maria McKee | Show Me Heaven | 4 | Only No 1 | Californian rock singer with a song from the sound track of the Tom Cruise film "Days of Thunder". |
| 27 Oct 1990 | Beautiful South | A Little Time | 1 | Only No 1 | Formed by ex-Housemartins Paul Heaton and Dave Hemmingway. Female vocals were by Briana Corrigan at the time of the hit, replaced by Jacqui Abbot for Top 10 hits 1996-98. |
| 3 Nov 1990 | Righteous Brothers | Unchained Melody | 4 | Only No 1 | Originally a hit for the act in 1965, it shot to the top after use in the Patrick Swayze film "Ghost". The song was a No 1 in 1955 and again in 1995. |
| 1 Dec 1990 | Vanilla Ice | Ice Ice Baby | 3 | Only No 1 | Short-careered white US rapper. The introduction sampled the intro to the Queen/Bowie No 1 "Under Pressure". |
| 22 Dec 1990 Xmas No 1 |
Cliff Richard | Saviour's Day | 2 | 13th No 1 | He had been part of Band Aid II which made No 1 at Xmas 1989, so he could claim three Xmas chart toppers in a row. |
| 5 Jan 1991 | Iron Maiden | Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter | 2 | Only No 1 | Famed UK heavy metal band who had 29 hits including 11 Top 10s from 1980 to 1999. |
| 19 Jan 1991 | Enigma | Sadness Part 1 | 1 | Only No 1 | Enigma were German Michael Creut and his wife Sandra. This ethereal recording was based on Gregorian chants. |
| 26 Jan 1991 | Queen | Innuendo | 1 | 3rd No 1 | Their first chart topper for 10 years, and taken from their album "Innuendo". |
| 2 Feb 1991 | KLF | 3 AM Eternal | 2 | 1st No 1 | Scottish duo Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty hit No 1 in 1988 as the Timelords. As KLF they had 5 Top 10s in 2 years, including a No 2 with Tammy Wynette. |
| 16 Feb 1991 | Simpsons | Do The Bartman | 3 | Only No 1 | US cartoon family, very popular in the UK as well. First cartoon characters to make No 1 since the Archies in 1969. |
| 9 Mar 1991 | Clash | Should I Go Or Should I Stay | 2 | Only No 1 | UK punk band, at their peak late 70s/early 80s. This was re-issued after use in a jeans tv ad. |
| 23 Mar 1991 | Hale & Pace | The Stonk | 1 | Only No 1 | "Comic Relief" charity single by the two stand-up comedians. |
| 30 Mar 1991 | Chesney Hawkes | The One And Only | 5 | Only No 1 | Taken from his debut movie, "Buddy's Song", which co-starred Roger Daltrey. It was his "one and only" top twenty hit. The song was written by 80s hit maker Nik Kershaw. |
| 4 May 1991 | Cher | Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) | 5 | 2nd No 1 (1st was with Sonny) | After a quiet decade, she returned big-time in the late 1980s, with a series of films and hit recordings. This was from her film "Mermaids". |
| 8 Jun 1991 | Color Me Badd | I Wanna Sex You Up | 3 | Only No 1 | 4-piece vocal band from Oklahoma who were very successful in the US, but failed to consolidate their debut No 1 in the UK. |
| 29 Jun 1991 | Jason Donovan | Any Dream Will Do | 2 | 4th & last No 1 | He had broken away from SAW and taken the lead in a new London production of "Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat". This was from the show. |
| 13 Jul 1991 | Bryan Adams | (Everything I Do) I Do It For You | 16 | 1st No 1 | With this, the Canadian rocker broke the record (held since 1955) for the most consecutive weeks at No 1. This was the theme from the Kevin Costner film "Robin, Prince of Thieves". |
| 2 Nov 1991 | U2 | The Fly | 1 | 2nd No 1 | From their album "Achtung Baby". Predominently an album band, their next No 1 single was six years away. |
| 9 Nov 1991 | Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff | Dizzy | 2 | Only No 1 | The off-beat comedian teamed up with the band from the West Midlands, to take Tommy Roe's 1969 No 1 back to the top. |
| 23 Nov 1991 | Michael Jackson | Black Or White | 2 | 4th No 1 | The first single from his album "Dangerous". The big-budget video included some incredible "morfing" sequences at the end. |
| 7 Dec 1991 | George Michael & Elton John | Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me | 2 | 4th No 1 (George) 3rd No 1 (Elton) |
This live recording and radio station favourite was a hit for Elton in 1974. |
| 21 Dec 1991 Xmas No 1 |
Queen | Bohemian Rhapsody | 5 | 4th No 1 | Following the death of Freddie Mercury, this classic, which was at No 1 in 1975, was re-issued and returned to the top. This was the first instance of a recording reaching No 1 on two separate occasions. |
| 25 Jan 1992 | Wet Wet Wet | Goodnight Girl | 4 | 2nd No 1 | They were moving away from their teeny-bopper image to a broader, older audience with this love ballad. |
| 22 Feb 1992 | Shakespears Sister | Stay | 8 | Only No 1 | Siobhan Fahey (former Bananarama vocalist) and Marcella Detroit had a successful partnership for a couple of years. |
| 18 Apr 1992 | Right Said Fred | Deeply Dippy | 3 | Only No 1 | Led by former male model and body builder, Richard Fairbrass. They enjoyed 4 Top 10s and much popularity for a couple of years. |
| 9 May 1992 | KWS | Please Don't Go | 5 | Only No 1 | Short-lived UK band with a cover of KC & The Sunshine Band's No 3 from 1979. |
| 13 Jun 1992 | Erasure | Abba-esque EP | 5 | Only No 1 | Vince Clark & Andy Bell had 15 Top 10 hits 1986 to 1994. Four covers of Abba hits were on this EP - Vince and Andy dressed up as the two Abba girls for the videos. |
| 18 Jul 1992 | Jimmy Nail | Ain't No Doubt | 3 | Only No 1 | Gritty tv actor from Newcastle who turned to singing for short periods. He later combined the two careers in the tv series "Crocodile Shoes". |
| 8 Aug 1992 | Snap | Rhythm Is A Dancer | 6 | 2nd & last No 1 | Unusually for dance music production teams, a second chart topper was achieved. They scored 9 Top 10 hits 1990 to 1994. |
| 19 Sep 1992 | Shamen | Ebeneezer Goode | 4 | Only No 1 | Named after South American Indian tribesmen, they achieved some notoriety with this thinly-disguised drugs promotion song. |
| 17 Oct 1992 | Tasmin Archer | Sleeping Satellite | 2 | Only No 1 | The British girl co-wrote the song, but had no more Top 20 hits, and soon faded. |
| 31 Oct 1992 | Boyz II Men | End Of The Road | 3 | Only No 1 | Vocal harmony quartet from Philadelphia, and Motown's biggest act of the 1990s, with 5 US No 1s. |
| 21 Nov 1992 | Charles & Eddie | Would I Lie To You | 2 | Only No 1 | Legend has it that this pair met on a New York subway train and formed their act there and then! Their debut No 1 did not lead them to a lasting career. |
| 5 Dec 1992 Xmas No 1 |
Whitney Houston | I Will Always Love You | 10 | 4th & last No 1 | From her hit film "The Bodyguard", co-staring Kevin Costner. The 10 weeks at the top is the longest ever for a female artist. By the late 90s she had moved from power ballads into more soulful music. |
| 13 Feb 1993 | 2 Unlimited | No Limit | 5 | Only No 1 | Fronted by Dutch pair Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, they were one of the most successful Euro dance acts of the 90s, with 11 successive Top 20 hits. |
| 20 Mar 1993 | Shaggy | Oh Carolina | 2 | 1st No 1 | Jamaican reggae singer who moved to New York in 1986, and was part of the Ragga boom of the mid 1990s. |
| 3 Apr 1993 | Bluebells | Young At Heart | 4 | Only No 1 | Scottish band whose only previous Top 10 hit was this recording (No 8, 1984). It shot to the top after use in a Volkswagen tv ad. |
| 1 May 1993 | George Michael
& Queen with Lisa Stansfield |
Five Live EP (Main Track: Somebody To Love). Queen appear on tracks 1 & 2 only; Lisa on track 2 (These Are The Days Of Our Lives) only. | 3 | 5th No 1 (George); 5th No 1 (Queen); 2nd/last No 1 (Lisa) | Recorded live at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert of 1993. George performs on all tracks, two of which are Queen songs. |
| 22 May 1993 | Ace Of Base | All That She Wants | 3 | Only No 1 | One blonde, one brunette, two guys, from Sweden, but not Abba. Three of them were siblings, and their music was reggae flavoured. They had a further 9 Top 20 hits until 1998. |
| 12 Jun 1993 | UB 40 | (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You | 2 | 3rd & last No 1 | They were named after an Unemployment Benefit form, but remained fully employed for 20 years, with 46 hits (17 Top 10s), from 1980 to 1999. The hit was an Elvis Presley No 1 from 1962. |
| 26 Jun 1993 | Gabrielle | Dreams | 3 | 1st No 1 | Soul-voiced Londoner who hit the top with her debut single. She had Top 10 hits through the 90s, and made No 1 again in 2000. |
| 17 Jul 1993 | Take That | Pray | 4 | 1st No 1 (of 8) |
Most successful British boy band of the 1990s, which included Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams. |
| 1 Aug 1993 | Freddie Mercury | Living On My Own | 2 | Only solo No 1 | The lead singer of Queen had solo hits from 1984. This minor hit from 1985 was remixed and reissued, and shot to the top in the wake of his death (1991). |
| 28 Aug 1993 | Culture Beat | Mr Vain | 4 | Only No 1 | German-based multi-national dance music act with lead vocals from Tania Evans. Success was brief. |
| 25 Sep 1993 | Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) |
Boom! Shake The Room | 2 | Only No 1 (Jeff); 1st No 1 (Smith) | Will Smith was a rapper and tv actor, starring in "The Fresh Prince of Belle Aire" in 1993. By the time of his next No 1 in 1997 he was a major movie star. |
| 9 Oct 1993 | Take That featuring Lulu | Relight My Fire | 2 | 2nd No 1 (Take That); Only No 1 (Lulu) | They revived this old 70s disco hit, and provided the veteran performer, Lulu, with her only No 1, nearly 30 years after her first hit (1964). |
| 23 Oct 1993 | Meat Loaf | I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) | 7 | Only No 1 | Major recording star who first charted in 1978. His classic 80s album "Bat Out of Hell" was on the chart for nearly 8 years! His 90s hits all had extravagant, big-budget videos. |
| 11 Dec 1993 Xmas No 1 |
Mr Blobby | Mr Blobby | 3 | Only No 1 | Noel Edmonds' appalling rubber invention with an Xmas novelty item. Returned to No 1 after Take That's visit to claim the Christmas No 1. |
| 18 Dec 1993 | Take That | Babe | 1 | 3rd No 1 | Now firmly established as a major act, each of their eight chart toppers entered at No 1. |
| 8 Jan 1994 700th No 1 |
Chaka Demus & Pliers | Twist & Shout | 2 | Only No 1 | Jamaican reggae/rap (ragga) duo who scored 3 Top 10 hits in 1993, but faded during 1994. |
| 22 Jan 1994 | D:Ream | Things Can Only Get Better | 4 | Only No 1 | British pop act, whose early minor hits made the Top 10 upon reissue in 1994. This hit was used by New Labour in their 1997 campaign, and hit the Top 20 again. |
| 19 Feb 1994 | Mariah Carey | Without You | 4 | 1st No 1 | Major US star with 16 Top 10s in the 1990s. In the US she had 14 No 1s! The song was No 1 for Nilsson in 1972. |
| 19 Mar 1994 | Doop | Doop | 3 | Only No 1 | Dutch instrumental duo, who revived the 1920s Charleston dance for this off-the-wall hit. One-hit Wonders. |
| 9 Apr 1994 | Take That | Everything Changes | 2 | 4th No 1 | Gary Barlow was now becoming a song writer of note, composing most of their major hits. |
| 23 Apr 1994 | Prince | The Most Beautiful Girl In The World | 2 | Only No 1 | US mega-star, who has written and produced for numerous other acts. From 1980 to 1999 he accumulated 50 UK hits. Confusing name changes left him being known as "The Artist" by 2000. |
| 7 May 1994 | Tony Di Bart | Real Thing | 1 | Only No 1 | British house music performer whose recordings were well known in the clubs before he burst on to the charts with this No 1. He had no other Top 20 hits. |
| 14 May 1994 | Stiltskin | Inside | 1 | Only No 1 | Scottish band, virtually unknown until Levi's chose this track for a new jeans tv ad. They had no further Top 30 hits and soon split. |
| 21 May 1994 | Manchester United 1994 Football Squad | Come On You Reds | 2 | Only No 1 | They were very much the top team of the 1990s, with one of the biggest fan clubs in the world. Incredibly, from 1976 to 1999, the players scored 8 chart hits, 4 of which made the Top 10. |
| 4 Jun 1994 | Wet Wet Wet | Love Is All Around | 15 | 3rd & last No 1 | From the film "Four Weddings & A Funeral". They successfully continued until the end of the decade, when they broke up. The song was written by Reg Presley of The Troggs (No 5, 1967). |
| 17 Sep 1994 | Whigfield | Saturday Night | 4 | Only No 1 | Former model from Denmark, with a Euro dance track written and produced in Italy. |
| 15 Oct 1994 | Take That | Sure | 2 | 5th No 1 | The start of a second run of 4 No 1s, after the relative failure of "Love Ain't Here Anymore" which peaked at No 3. |
| 29 Oct 1994 | Pato Banton (with Robin & Ali Campbell) | Baby Come Back | 4 | Only No 1 | UK reggae/rap performer with an Equals No 1 from 1968. For Ali and Robin Campbell of UB40, this was their third involvement in a chart topper that was a former No 1 song (see 1985 and 1993). |
| 26 Nov 1994 | Baby D | Let Me Be Your Fantasy | 2 | Only No 1 | UK dance music trio who scored two further Top 3 hits after this chart topper. |
| 10 Dec 1994 Xmas No 1 |
East 17 | Stay Another Day | 5 | Only No 1 | Boy band from east London, who had to live in the shadow of Take That. They did, however, score 12 Top 10s between 1992 and 1998. |
NOTES: