the year 1989

I’m writing this before diving into the research for this post. My initial remembrance of the year in rock 1989 was one of hair metal and rock-based pop schlock dominating the charts. I seem to remember radio being a barren wasteland of power ballads (curse you Diane Warren) and New Jack Swing R&B (curse you Bobby Brown). I also seem to remember Milli Vanilli coming out of nowhere. So, without further adieu, let us dive into the year that was 1989.


Cher jumped on the hair metal/power ballad bandwagon with her latest album, “Heart Of Stone”, which was a platinum return-to-form for the singer. The album featured four Top 20 singles, among them the Diane Warren-penned “If I Could Turn Back Time” (most notable for the video showing Cher romping around on an aircraft carrier) and “Just Like Jesse James”.


After the frat-boy success that was “Licensed To Ill” three years prior, the Beastie Boys return with the innovative “Paul’s Boutique” after jumping ship from Columbia to join Capitol Records. While innovative for its use of sampling techniques courtesy of producers The Dust Brothers, the album was initially viewed as a complete commercial failure. The album’s sole single, “Hey Ladies” peaked at #36 on the Pop singles chart. (check out this mash-up of “Shake Your Rump/Back In Black”.]


The B-52’s attain their greatest commercial success with the inspired “Cosmic Thing”, which featured career-defining chart hits “Love Shack” and “Roam” (each of which peaked at #3 on the singles charts). Much of the success is attributable to heavy rotation of the group’s videos on MTV.


In July, Warrant’s debut album, “Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich” is released and becomes a platinum Top 10 hit. “Heaven” rockets into the Top 10, while the rocker “Down Boys” stumbles to #27. To regain their footing on the charts, another power ballad, “Sometimes She Cries”, is released and jettisons into the Top 20. [Check out this "lyrically-challenged" cover of Cheap Trick's "Baby Loves To Rock".]


Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fourth album, “Mothers Milk”, is the first to catapult the funk-rock band into the national spotlight. Their caffeinated cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” put them on MTV and, while neither the album nor single dented the Top 40, the band were no longer a fledgling underground act.

After two lackluster solo efforts following the success of “Let’s Dance”, David Bowie surfaces in May as singer in the band Tin Machine, featuring unknown guitarist Reeves Gabrels and Soupy Sales’ sons, Tony and Hunt. That a solo performer of Bowie’s status would choose to working within a band dynamic was seen as a conscious attempt to re-ignite his creativity and perhaps to remain relevant. The album peaked at #28 despite no obvious singles (although “Under The God” and “Heaven’s In Here” did garner sizeable Modern Rock airplay).


Phil Collins releases his fourth solo outing, entitled “…But Seriously”. The album hits #1 in the UK and US, as does the single “Another Day In Paradise”. Subsequent singles “Do You Remember” and “I Wish It Would Rain Down” also go Top 5.

2 Live Crew used controversy as a marketing tool with the release of the cheeky (literally) “As Nasty As They Wanna Be”. With songs such as “Me So Horny” and “The Fuck Shop”, the rap group soon found the album banned in Florida and the subject of a federal obscenity trial. Such events only fueled interest in the album, which ultimately sold over two million copies.


June brings the release of the Batman soundtrack by Prince. The film is one of the most-anticipated films of the year and an all-out box-office smash. Thus, Prince’s soundtrack is a gigantic commercial success as well, returning the Purple One to the #1 position after a three-album slide.


Tesla’s second album, The Great Radio Controversy, builds on the momentum of their debut and scales the charts, ultimately landing in the Top 20. Again, thanks to MTV’s constant airing of the video, “Love Song” rockets into the Top 10.


The Replacements issue “Don’t Tell A Soul” and make a somewhat intentional attempt to turn years of critical acclaim into commercial success. The slicker production, courtesy of Matt Wallace, does little to impede upon the solid songwriting throughout, but fans of their previous efforts accuse the band of selling out. MTV plays the crap out of the video for “I’ll Be You”, but the song peaks at #51 on the Pop singles chart. [Bonus track: a 1989 live version of "Achin' To Be" and "Talent Show".]

The Smithereens’ fourth album, “11”, marks their creative and commercial peak and featuring their first Top 40 single, “A Girl Like You”.

Bad English (a supergroup featuring ex-Babys John Waite and Ricky Phillips, Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, and drummer Deen Castronova) release their self-titled debut album, scoring a #1 hit with the Diane Warren composition “When I See You Smile”. The Waite/Cain-penned “Price Of Love” is also a Top 5 charting single.

In September, Motley Crue release the chart-topping “Dr. Feelgood” album. Considered their strongest album, it includes the top 10 singles “Without You” and the title track, as well as fan favorite “Kickstart My Heart”.


March brings the release of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”, an album that strived to continue her chart reign (which it did, hitting #1 its first week) and bring her artistic credibility. The title track would be shown as a world exclusive on MTV and repeated every ten minutes, it would seem. The video would gain further attention for its religious overtones, angering the Catholic Church. Hit singles include “Like a Prayer” (#1), “Cherish” (#2), “Express Yourself” (#2), “Keep It Together” (#8), and “Oh Father” (#20). The album also includes a duet with Prince, “Love Song”.

In April, The Cult release “Sonic Temple. Produced by Bob Rock, the album is a crystal clear bid for all-out chart success and further builds upon the hard-rock/metal leanings first employed on 1987’s “Electric”. The album was a Top 10 hit. {Check out this live version of "Sun King"

Queen’s thirteenth album, “The Miracle” continues the band’s declining chart success in the US (while the band remains a top-selling act throughout most of Europe). “I Want It All”, while a Top 5 hit across Europe, peaked at a lowly #50 in the States.

Capitalizing on the popularity of hair metal but, at the same time, brandishing a harder, grittier edge, Skid Row attain platinum success with their self-titled debut album. Videos for “18 And Life” (#4) and “I Remember You” (#6) showcase photogenic singer, Sebastian Bach, and remain in constant rotation on MTV.

Tears For Fears enjoyed a return to the Top 10 with the psychedelia-tinged album “The Seeds Of Love”, which featured the MTV-friendly single “Sowing The Seeds Of Love”, which reached #2 on the US Pop singles chart.


In April, Tom Petty releases his first solo album, “Full Moon Fever”. Initially told by his label that the album lacked any obvious singles, Petty resubmitted the album months later having made no changes. This time, MCA saw fit to release the album and enjoy tremendous chart success with the hit singles “Free Fallin’” (#7), “I Won’t Back Down” (#12), and “Runnin’ Down A Dream” (#23).


Released in October, Nine Inch Nails’ “Pretty Hate Machine” adds a commercial sheen to the template created by acts like Ministry and Front 242. The result is an album that becomes arguably the first industrial album to attain mainstream success, spawning such well-known tracks as “Head Like a Hole” and “Down In It”, both of which would garner sizeable MTV rotation.

Neil Young releases “Freedom” and makes a return to the Top 40. Highlighted by the acceptance of “Rockin’ In The Free World” as a modern bar-band classic, Young is embraced by a new audience; one that includes Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam. [Check out this acoustic version of "Rockin' In The Free World" by Pearl Jam.]

In the UK, the “Madchester” scene begins to gain momentum, led by the Stone Roses, whose debut album is the toast of the UK. While only a moderate success in the US, the band rode the crest of a huge wave in the UK, joined by Happy Mondays, Charlatans, and Inspiral Carpets. [Check out this live version of "I Wanna Be Adored" by ex-Stone Roses singer Ian Brown.]

Roy Orbison’s “Mystery Girl” album is posthumously released in February. Featuring the collaborative efforts of Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bono, The Edge, and one Diane Warren co-write (“Careless Heart”) thrown in for good measure, the album peaked at #5 and the single “You Got It” was also a Top 10 success.


Lenny Kravitz releases his debut album, “Let Love Rule” for Virgin Records. Having been rejected by every record label for one reason or another, Kravitz recorded the album on his own, then secured a deal with the relatively new US imprint of Virgin. The album’s lo-fi production meshed well with Kravitz’s retro leanings and was well received by critics, but only a moderate commercial success. [Check out this live version of "Mr. Cab Driver" and Hanson covering "Let Love Rule".]


Fine Young Cannibals release their second album, “The Raw And The Cooked” and enjoy unimaginable chart success in the UK and US. Singles such as “She Drives Me Crazy” (#1) and “Good Thing” (#1), and “Don’t Look Back (#11) go on to dominate MTV and radio playlists and the album would land at #1.