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3 Pop Songs From 1990 That Should Have Been No. 1 Hits
An American Songwriter feature revisits three pop songs from 1990 that the author argues deserved to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 but fell short. The piece is a nostalgic, opinion-led retrospective rather than hard news, highlighting tracks that achieved success in other ways—chart-topping abroad, critical acclaim or awards—despite missing the top spot domestically.
The three songs featured are MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" (peaked at No. 8 in the US but topped charts elsewhere and won two Grammy Awards), Billy Idol's "Cradle Of Love" (reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 despite going No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, with a music video shaped around Idol's crutches after a car accident), and Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" (peaked at No. 8, with songwriter Martin Gore recalling in an interview how the track evolved from a slow demo into what the band recognised as a hit).
In short
- Three 1990 pop songs the author feels deserved No. 1 status
- MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" hit No. 8, won two Grammys
- Idol's "Cradle Of Love" and Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" both peaked at No. 2/No. 8
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
These three songs deserved to be number one because they achieved significant recognition through major Grammy Awards, topped international charts, and left lasting cultural impact. The Billboard Hot 100 captures only a snapshot of American commercial performance, whereas their sustained acclaim and global success demonstrate a more meaningful measure of artistic excellence and resonance.
The case against
The Billboard Hot 100 reflects what millions of actual listeners chose to hear and buy at the time—the most direct and democratic measure of commercial success available. Claiming a song 'should have been' number one based on awards or international charts imposes retrospective critical judgment over what the American market demonstrably decided. The chart position is the definitive record of how the public responded.
Explained simply
American Songwriter magazine has published a retrospective examining three pop songs from 1990 that failed to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart despite their considerable popularity. The feature reflects on how these songs achieved commercial and critical success in different ways without hitting the top spot domestically.
The three songs are MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This", Billy Idol's "Cradle Of Love" and Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence". MC Hammer's track topped international charts and won Grammy Awards despite peaking at number eight, Billy Idol's song reached number two on the Hot 100 and topped rock radio charts, and Depeche Mode's track achieved critical success. The retrospective explores these songs' lasting impact despite their chart positions in the United States.