# Triple J Hottest 100, 1990

The 1990 Triple J Hottest 100 was announced on 20 May 1990. It was the second annual poll of the most popular songs, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. From 1989 to 1991, listeners could vote for songs released in any year.

## Full list

* Note: Australian artists
| # | Song | Artist | Country of Origin | Year of release | Previous Hottest 100 of all time positions |
| 1 | Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division | United Kingdom | 1980 | 1 (1989) |
| 2 | Throw Your Arms Around Me | Hunters & Collectors | Australia | 1985 | 2 (1989) |
| 3 | How Soon Is Now? | The Smiths | United Kingdom | 1984 | 7 (1989) |
| 4 | Uncertain Smile | The The | United Kingdom | 1983 | 3 (1989) |
| 5 | Blue Monday | New Order | United Kingdom | 1983 | 5 (1989) |
| 6 | Fools Gold | The Stone Roses | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 7 | This Charming Man | The Smiths | United Kingdom | 1983 | 13 (1989) |
| 8 | Rock Lobster | The B-52's | United States | 1978 | 14 (1989) |
| 9 | It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) | R.E.M. | United States | 1987 | 22 (1989) |
| 10 | That's Entertainment | The Jam | United Kingdom | 1980 | 4 (1989) |
| 11 | A Forest | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1980 | 10 (1989) |
| 12 | Holiday in Cambodia | Dead Kennedys | United States | 1980 | 6 (1989) |
| 13 | Troy | Sinéad O'Connor | Ireland | 1987 | 41 (1989) |
| 14 | Under the Milky Way | The Church | Australia | 1988 | |
| 15 | Shivers | The Boys Next Door | Australia | 1978 | 12 (1989) |
| 16 | Birthday | The Sugarcubes | Iceland | 1987 | 9 (1989) |
| 17 | Wuthering Heights | Kate Bush | United Kingdom | 1978 | 43 (1989) |
| 18 | Debaser | Pixies | United States | 1988 | |
| 19 | Primary | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1981 | 19 (1989) |
| 20 | Anarchy in the U.K. | Sex Pistols | United Kingdom | 1976 | 17 (1989) |
| 21 | Bizarre Love Triangle | New Order | United Kingdom | 1986 | 67 (1989) |
| 22 | She Sells Sanctuary | The Cult | United Kingdom | 1985 | 35 (1989) |
| 23 | Boys Don't Cry | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1980 | 29 (1989) |
| 24 | Ride On Time | Black Box | Italy | 1989 | |
| 25 | Just Like Heaven | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1987 | |
| 26 | Betty's Worry or the Slab | Hunters & Collectors | Australia | 1984 | 83 (1989) |
| 27 | Cattle and Cane | The Go-Betweens | Australia | 1983 | 11 (1989) |
| 28 | London Calling | The Clash | United Kingdom | 1979 | 18 (1989) |
| 29 | Fight the Power | Public Enemy | United States | 1989 | |
| 30 | Another Girl, Another Planet | The Only Ones | United Kingdom | 1978 | 26 (1989) |
| 31 | Song to the Siren | This Mortal Coil | United Kingdom | 1983 | 15 (1989) |
| 32 | Talking to a Stranger | Hunters & Collectors | Australia | 1982 | 8 (1989) |
| 33 | Fuck tha Police | N.W.A | United States | 1988 | |
| 34 | Monkey Gone to Heaven | Pixies | United States | 1989 | |
| 35 | Wish You Were Here | Pink Floyd | United Kingdom | 1975 | 33 (1989) |
| 36 | Buffalo Stance | Neneh Cherry | Sweden | 1988 | 61 (1989) |
| 37 | Sign “☮” the Times | Prince | United States | 1987 | 37 (1989) |
| 38 | Tainted Love | Soft Cell | United Kingdom | 1981 | |
| 39 | Kiss | Prince | United States | 1986 | 24 (1989) |
| 40 | Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) | Soul II Soul | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 41 | Blister in the Sun | Violent Femmes | United States | 1983 | 46 (1989) |
| 42 | Respect | Aretha Franklin | United States | 1965 | 21 (1989) |
| 43 | Lullaby | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 44 | There Is a Light That Never Goes Out | The Smiths | United Kingdom | 1985 | 64 (1989) |
| 45 | Info Freako | Jesus Jones | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 46 | The One I Love | R.E.M. | United States | 1987 | 45 (1989) |
| 47 | Everybody Moves | Died Pretty | Australia | 1989 | |
| 48 | Dancing Queen | ABBA | Sweden | 1975 | |
| 49 | Wide Open Road | The Triffids | Australia | 1986 | 68 (1989) |
| 50 | "Heroes" | David Bowie | United Kingdom | 1977 | 39 (1989) |
| 51 | She Bangs the Drums | The Stone Roses | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 52 | The End | The Doors | United States | 1967 | 50 (1989) |
| 53 | Bigmouth Strikes Again | The Smiths | United Kingdom | 1986 | 27 (1989) |
| 54 | Aloha Steve and Danno | Radio Birdman | Australia | 1978 | 23 (1989) |
| 55 | Here Comes Your Man | Pixies | United States | 1989 | |
| 56 | Can't Be Sure | The Sundays | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 57 | The Unguarded Moment | The Church | Australia | 1981 | 42 (1989) |
| 58 | Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards | Billy Bragg | United Kingdom | 1988 | 20 (1989) |
| 59 | Greetings to the New Brunette | Billy Bragg | United Kingdom | 1986 | 38 (1989) |
| 60 | Deanna | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Australia | 1988 | 70 (1989) |
| 61 | Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin | United Kingdom | 1971 | 30 (1989) |
| 62 | L.A. Woman | The Doors | United States | 1971 | 40 (1989) |
| 63 | Alison | Elvis Costello | United Kingdom | 1977 | 16 (1989) |
| 64 | Love Song | Simple Minds | United Kingdom | 1981 | 36 (1989) |
| 65 | Temptation | New Order | United Kingdom | 1982 | |
| 66 | Imagine | John Lennon | United Kingdom | 1971 | 31 (1989) |
| 67 | The Love Cats | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1983 | |
| 68 | True Faith | New Order | United Kingdom | 1987 | |
| 69 | Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinéad O'Connor | Ireland | 1990 | |
| 70 | Wise Up! Sucker | Pop Will Eat Itself | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 71 | Say Goodbye | Hunters & Collectors | Australia | 1986 | 97 (1989) |
| 72 | In Between Days | The Cure | United Kingdom | 1985 | |
| 73 | I Want You | Elvis Costello | United Kingdom | 1986 | 58 (1989) |
| 74 | Freak Scene | Dinosaur Jr. | United States | 1988 | |
| 75 | Forbidden Colours | Sylvian and Sakamoto | United Kingdom/Japan | 1983 | 60 (1989) |
| 76 | God Is a Bullet | Concrete Blonde | United States | 1989 | |
| 77 | Sympathy for the Devil | The Rolling Stones | United Kingdom | 1968 | 63 (1989) |
| 78 | Fall on Me | R.E.M. | United States | 1986 | |
| 79 | Once in a Lifetime | Talking Heads | United States | 1981 | |
| 80 | Into the Groove | Madonna | United States | 1985 | |
| 81 | Street Tuff (Scar Mix) | Double Trouble and Rebel MC | United Kingdom | 1989 | |
| 82 | Levi Stubbs' Tears | Billy Bragg | United Kingdom | 1986 | |
| 83 | All Along the Watchtower | Jimi Hendrix | United States | 1968 | 49 (1989) |
| 84 | Atmosphere | Joy Division | United Kingdom | 1980 | |
| 85 | Bye Bye Pride | The Go-Betweens | Australia | 1987 | 89 (1989) |
| 86 | Eternally Yours | Laughing Clowns | Australia | 1984 | |
| 87 | Add It Up | Violent Femmes | United States | 1983 | |
| 88 | Love Shack | The B-52's | United States | 1989 | |
| 89 | Teen Age Riot | Sonic Youth | United States | 1988 | |
| 90 | Sexual Healing | Marvin Gaye | United States | 1982 | 62 (1989) |
| 91 | Say No Go | De La Soul | United States | 1988 | |
| 92 | Reptile | The Church | Australia | 1988 | |
| 93 | Trust | Tall Tales and True | Australia | 1989 | |
| 94 | This Is the Day | The The | United Kingdom | 1983 | |
| 95 | Comfortably Numb | Pink Floyd | United Kingdom | 1979 | |
| 96 | Happy Birthday | Concrete Blonde | United States | 1989 | |
| 97 | Roam | The B-52's | United States | 1989 | |
| 98 | Walk On The Wild Side | Lou Reed | United States | 1972 | 77 (1989) |
| 99 | Orange Crush | R.E.M. | United States | 1988 | |
| 100 | Just Can't Get Enough | Depeche Mode | United Kingdom | 1981 | |

## Artists with multiple entries

| # | Artist | Tracks |
| 7 | The Cure | 11, 19, 23, 25, 43, 67, 72 |
| 6 | Peter Hook | 1, 5, 21, 65, 68, 84 |
| 6 | Stephen Morris | 1, 5, 21, 65, 68, 84 |
| 6 | Bernard Sumner | 1, 5, 21, 65, 68, 84 |
| 4 | Hunters & Collectors | 2, 26, 32, 71 |
| 4 | The Smiths | 3, 7, 44, 53 |
| 4 | New Order | 5, 21, 65, 68 |
| 4 | R.E.M. | 9, 46, 78, 99 |
| 3 | The B-52's | 8, 88, 97 |
| 3 | The Church | 14, 57, 92 |
| 3 | Pixies | 18, 34, 55 |
| 3 | Billy Bragg | 58, 59, 82 |
| 2 | Joy Division | 1, 84 |
| 2 | The The | 4, 95 |
| 2 | The Stone Roses | 6, 51 |
| 2 | Sinéad O'Connor | 13, 69 |
| 2 | The Go-Betweens | 27, 85 |
| 2 | Nick Cave | 15, 60 |
| 2 | Pink Floyd | 35, 95 |
| 2 | Prince | 37, 39 |
| 2 | Violent Femmes | 41, 87 |
| 2 | The Doors | 52, 62 |
| 2 | Elvis Costello | 63, 73 |
| 2 | Concrete Blonde | 76, 96 |

## Countries represented

| Country | # |
| United States | 48 |
| United Kingdom | 31 |
| Australia | 16 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| Japan | 1 |
| Iceland | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |

## Minor statistics

* The Cure's seven entries is a new record for most appearances in a single countdown.
* Billy Bragg is the first artist in Hottest 100 history to have back to back entries in a countdown. His songs "Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards" & "Greetings to the New Brunette" came in at #58 and #59 respectively.
* Five songs maintained their positions from the previous year's countdown.
* Black Box is the first Italian artist to ever make it into the Hottest 100.
* This was the final countdown to be referred to as a "Hot 100" as Triple J was later forced to change the poll's name to 'Hottest 100' to avoid legal action with 4ZZZ.

## Songs by Decade

| Decade | # |
| 1960s | 4 |
| 1970s | 16 |
| 1980s | 79 |
| 1990s | 1 |