JANUARY
Top hit
Justify My Love · Madonna
Top album
To The Extreme · Vanilla Ice
Enter the Year
Year
1991
Alternative Breaks Through
Grunge cracks the surface while hip-hop owns the conversation. The monoculture starts to splinter — but the hits still feel huge.
Voices of the year
Albums that mattered
The songs
Through the year
Tap a month to explore what people were playing.
FEBRUARY
Top hit
The First Time · Surface
Top album
To The Extreme · Vanilla Ice
MARCH
Top hit
All The Man That I Need · Whitney Houston
Top album
Mariah Carey · Mariah Carey
APRIL
Top hit
Coming Out Of The Dark · Gloria Estefan
Top album
Mariah Carey · Mariah Carey
MAY
Top hit
Baby Baby · Amy Grant
Top album
Mariah Carey · Mariah Carey
JUNE
Top hit
I Don't Wanna Cry · Mariah Carey
Top album
Spellbound · Paula Abdul
JULY
Top hit
Rush Rush · Paula Abdul
Top album
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge · Van Halen
AUGUST
Top hit
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You · Bryan Adams
Top album
Unforgettable: With Love · Natalie Cole
SEPTEMBER
Top hit
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You · Bryan Adams
Top album
Metallica · Metallica
OCTOBER
Top hit
Good Vibrations · Marky Mark
Top album
Use Your Illusion II · Guns N' Roses
NOVEMBER
Top hit
Romantic · Karyn White
Top album
Ropin' The Wind · Garth Brooks
DECEMBER
Top hit
Black Or White · Michael Jackson
Top album
Achtung Baby · U2