I’m not usually a meme man, but this one got me with its combination of nostalgia and tunage. Search this site (use the phrase “Top 100 hits from [year]”) for the top 100 songs from the year you graduated from high school, and then bold the ones that you like.
I was shocked, actually, at the utter dreck that was popular when I graduated in 1991. At the time, I was really into the music of the sixties and seventies, so I can’t even hum most of the songs in the top 20. I’ve marked “More Than Words” because we learned how to play the song. You know, to get girls.
1. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Bryan
Adams
2. I Wanna Sex You Up, Color Me Badd
3. Gonna Make You Sweat, C+C Music Factory
4. Rush Rush, Paula Abdul
5. One More Try, Timmy T
6. Unbelievable, EMF
7. More Than Words, Extreme
8. I Like The Way (The Kissing Game), Hi-Five
9. The First Time, Surface
10. Baby, Baby, Amy Grant
11. Motownphilly, Boyz II Men
12. Because I Love You (The Postman Song), Stevie B
13. Someday, Mariah Carey
14. High Enough, Damn Yankees
15. From A Distance, Liette Midler
16. All The Man That I Need, Whitney Houston
17. Right Here, Right Now, Jesus Jones
18. I Adore Mi Amor, Color Me Badd
19. Love Will Never Do (Without You), Janet Jackson
20. Good Vibrations, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch Featuring Loleatta
Holloway
21. Justify My Love, Madonna
22. Emotions, Mariah Carey
23. Joyride, Roxette
24. Romantic, Karyn White
25. I Don’t Wanna Cry, Mariah Carey
26. Hold You Tight, Tara Kemp
27. You’re In Love, Wilson Phillips
28. Every Heartbeat, Amy Grant
29. Sensitivity, Ralph Tresvant
30. Touch Me (All Night Long), Cathy Dennis
31. I’ve Been Thinking About You, Londonbeat
32. Do Anything, Natural Selection
33. Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
34. Coming Out Of The Dark. Gloria Estefan
35. Here We Go. C+C Music Factory
36. It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over, Lenny Kravitz
37. Where Does My Heart Beat Now, Celine Dion
38. Summertime, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
39. Wind Of Change, Scorpions
40. P.A.S.S.I.O.N., Rhythm Syndicate
41. The Promise Of A New Day, Paula Abdul
42. I’m Your Baby Tonight, Whitney Houston
43. Love Of A Lifetime, Firehouse
44. Fading Like A Flower (Every Time You Leave), Roxette
45. This House, Tracie Spencer
46. Hole Hearted, Extreme
47. Power Of Love-Love Power, Luther Vandross
48. Impulsive, Wilson Phillips
49. Love Is A Wonderful Thing, Michael Bolton
50. Rhythm Of My Heart, Rod Stewart
51. Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…, C+C Music Factory
52. I Touch Myself, Divinyls
53. Tom’s Diner, DMA
54. Iesha, Another Bad Creation
55. Something To Talk About, Bonnie Raitt
56. After The Rain, Nelson
57. Play That Funky Music, Vanilla Ice
58. Temptation, Corina
59. Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Bryan Adams
60. I Can’t Wait Another Minute, Hi-Five
61. 3 A.M. Eternal, The KLF
62. Time, Love and Tenderness, Michael Bolton
63. Saideness Part I, Enigrna
64. Around The Way Girl, LL Cool J
65. I’ll Be There, Escape Club
66. Cream, Prince and The N.P.G.
67. Now That We Found Love, Heavy D. and The Boyz
68. Show Me The Way, Styx
69. Love Takes Time, Mariah Carey
70. Cry For Help, Rick Astley
71. The Way You Do The Things You Do, UB40
72. Here I Am (Come and Take Me), UB40
73. Signs, Tesla
74. Too Many Walls, Cathy Dennis
75. Crazy, Seal
76. I’ll Give All My Love To You, Keith Sweat
77. Place In This World, Michael W. Smith
78. Something To Believe In, Poison
79. Wicked Game, Chris Issak
80. Get Here, Oleta Adams
81. Round and Round, Tevin Campbell
82. Silent Lucidity, Queensryche
83. I’m Not In Love, Will To Power
84. Piece Of My Heart, Tara Kemp
85. Real Real Real, Jesus Jones
87. Just Another Dream, Cathy Dennis
88. Everybody Plays The Fool, Aaron Neville
88. Strike It Up, Black Box
89. Rico Suave, Gerardo
90. Disappear, INXS
91. Groove Is In The Heart, Deee-Lite
92. All This Time, Sting
93. The One and Only, Chesney Hawkes
94. O.P.P., Naughty By Nature
95. Freedom 90, George Michael
96. I Saw Red, Warrent
97. Miles Away, Winger
98. Do You Want Me, Salt-N-Pepa
99. The Motown Song, Rod Stewart
100. Shiny Happy People, R.E.M.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I wonder how this list would be different if we were to compare the songs we liked then (being honest, of course) with the ones we like now.
Ah, yes. 1991. The reason grunge became popular!
I graduated in 1991 and I know that many of these songs came out in the summer or later in the year. I refuse responsibility for Everything I Do.
As I posted on my blog when I did this for 1986, I said:
“While I certainly remember all of these songs, they weren’t really what I was listening to back then. There would be a better chance that I would listen to them now, than there was 19 years ago. Although, that’s probably pretty common for most people, as it takes them back to a very specific period of their lives.”
Good post, though, Darren.
Mel did this on her blog, and since we graduated together I had a look at the list. The song I picked as my favourite (Scar Tissue, by RHCP) is also the only song on the list that I would ever choose to listen to. Not a big fan of pop music, I guess. I checked out some other years – 1969 was a good year. Three Beatles tracks, some Dylan, some Stones. Good times.
Hah! I once did a dance routine to “Unbelievable” by EMF.
No, I can’t dance worth shit. And no, I couldn’t then either.
sucked more than when i graduated in 1978?
1. Shadow Dancing, Andy Gibb
2. Night Fever, Bee Gees
3. You Light Up My Life, Debby Boone
4. Stayin’ Alive, Bee Gees
5. Kiss You All Over, Exile
6. How Deep Is Your Love, Bee Gees
7. Baby Come Back, Player
8. (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, Andy Gibb
9. Boogie Oogie Oogie, A Taste Of Honey
10. Three Times A Lady, Commodores
’91 was a BANNER music year compared to ’97 (my HS grad year).
http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1997.htm
Elton John’s funeral ‘eugoogoly’ for Princess Di is number one? I mean, come on.
Also, at #82 we have the Macarena. Top THAT! 🙂
I was thinking of doing this on my blog, but I don’t recognize most of the songs on the list. In any case, at my grad reunion two weeks ago, someone gave out a mixed CD of a bunch of these songs. I haven’t felt any wish to actually play the music. 1995 sucked.
fellow ’91 grad and I don’t know a lot of it, but I was about the Zep and Queen, maybe Smiths and Cure and stuff like that back then. I’m a Valley boy, we dig the classic rock there.
I learned that Extreme song for the chicks too. Hole Hearted was a cool song as well, and I forgot Queensryche had a hit single back then…
On a related topic, a couple of years ago Salon identified the best and worst weeks in rock according to the Billboard album charts. They were, respectively, the week of 20 Dec 1969 and the week of 2 Sep 1989:
’69:
“Abbey Road,” the Beatles
“Led Zeppelin II,” Led Zeppelin
“Tom Jones Live in Las Vegas,” Tom Jones
“Green River,” Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Let It Bleed,” the Rolling Stones
“Santana,” Santana
“Puzzle People,” the Temptations
“Blood Sweat & Tears,” Blood Sweat & Tears
“Crosby, Stills & Nash,” Crosby, Stills & Nash
“Easy Rider” soundtrack
’89:
“Repeat Offender,” Richard Marx
“Hangin’ Tough,” New Kids on the Block
“Batman” soundtrack
“Forever Your Girl,” Paula Abdul
“Girl You Know It’s True,” Milli Vanilli
“Full Moon Fever,” Tom Petty
“Skid Row” Skid Row
“The Raw and the Cooked,” Fine Young Cannibals
“Cuts Both Ways” Gloria Estefan
“End of the Innocence,” Don Henley
Case closed.
Wow… when I graduated in 1994, three songs out of the top 10 were from Ace of Base:
1. The Sign, Ace Of Base
2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I’ll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
4. The Power Of Love, Celine Dion
5. Hero, Mariah Carey
6. Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
7. Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
8. All For Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
9. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
10. Don’t Turn Around, Ace Of Base
The following year, it was all a Cruel Summer… 😉
Oh, come on, you know you wanted to highlight Marky Mark. 😉