# 4 Songs That High Schoolers in 1990 Knew Every Word To

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/4-songs-that-high-schoolers-in-1990-knew-every-word-to/
- Published: 2026-10-27T12:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T14:07:12+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/4-songs-that-high-schoolers-in-1990-knew-every-word-to/
- Topics: Entertainment, Geopolitics, Music, Politics

## Key points

- Four 1990 hits spanned dance, ballads and rap.
- Carey’s “Vision of Love” reached No. 1 and won two Grammys.
- MC Hammer’s single popularised “Stop! Hammer time!”

## Summary

Four songs are presented as likely favourites among teenagers in 1990: Madonna’s “Vogue”, Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”, Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” and MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”. Their appeal ranged from dance routines and singable ballad lyrics to catchy phrases, capturing different strands of popular music at the start of the decade.

The article notes that “Vogue” was inspired by dancers at New York’s Sound Factory and appeared on Madonna’s *I’m Breathless*, made for the film *Dick Tracy*. Prince first released “Nothing Compares 2 U” with The Family in 1985, while O’Connor’s version brought it broad success; Carey’s “Vision of Love” rose to No. 1 and earned her two Grammys. MC Hammer’s single, released in April 1990, popularised the phrases “You can’t touch this” and “Stop! Hammer time!”

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.