1990s in music in the UK | |
Number-one singles | |
Number-one albums | |
Best-selling singles | |
Best-selling albums | |
Summaries and charts 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
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←1989 | 2000→ |
Top 10 singles 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 |
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←1989 | 2000→ |
This is a summary of 1991 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
Like 1990, this year saw 17 songs at number 1. The first number 1 of the year surprisingly came from heavy metal band Iron Maiden, scoring their first and only number one "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" which stayed at the top for 2 weeks. The next number one was a track right at the opposite end of the musical spectrum – Enigma, with the calm and hypnotic "Sadness Part 1". Known as "Sadeness Part 1" almost everywhere else with its strong references to Marquis De Sade, Enigma redefined the new age, chill out genre. Romanian-German producer Michael Cretu mixed repeated trance-like dance beats with gregorian chants and whispered, erotic vocals provided by his wife, Sandra, who was also a popular artist in her own right at the same time throughout most of Europe, but never managed to crack the UK market. Enigma's debut concept album MCMXC ad also went straight to the top of the UK Album Chart in January.
In the album charts Simply Red entered with Stars which would prove to be the second best selling album of the 90's and the best of 91 and 92. Although non-of its single reached no.1, title track stars did make the top ten.
February saw The Simpsons (specifically Bart) reach No. 1 with "Do the Bartman", from the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues which reached #6. The show had premiered on UK screens on the satellite channel Sky One in 1990, though it wouldn't premiere on terrestrial TV until 1996, on BBC One. The family became the first cartoon characters to hit No. 1 since The Archies did so in 1969, with "Sugar Sugar", and the follow-up ("Deep, Deep Trouble") also did well, peaking at No. 7 in April.