20 years on: April 6, 1991

As modern rock enters its (gulp) third decade, we're taking a look back at the charts of two decades ago.

This week in 1991:  The #1 song was, again, REM's "Losing My Religion." Jesus Jones finally dropped out of the top 10, and Sting returned to it with the fourth and final single off his Soul Cages album.

1. REM, "Losing My Religion"
2. Morrissey, "Our Frank"

3. Material Issue, "Valerie Loves Me"
4. Divinyls, "I Touch Myself"
5. Simple Minds, "See the Lights"
6. EMF, "Unbelievable"
7. The Godfathers, "Unreal World"
8. Havana 3 a.m., "Reach the Rock"
9. Sting, "The Soul Cages"

Few remember this now, because of the last 20 years of his career, but Sting dominated the early modern rock charts, due in no small part to his association with the Police (the early modern-rock stations loved the Police and the Clash... see also Havana 3 a.m.). This is his last Top 10 modern-rock hit, though, and he only appeared on the modern rock charts one more time, with "It's Probably Me" off the Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack in 1992.

10. The Judybats, "Native Son"
The Judybats were a band of kids from the University of Tennessee who played the type of folky college-rock that dominated the modern rock charts pre-Nevermind. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers won't let me embed the video, but it's a decent song. This is their first hit, and they managed to put out four albums in total for Sire before breaking up in 1994.

20 years on: March 30, 1991

As modern rock enters its (gulp) third decade, we're taking a look back at the charts of two decades ago.

This week in 1991: The #1 song in modern rock for the 3rd straight week was R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." The charts for March are interesting to me because they contain four songs that are destined to turn up on pretty much any "best of the '90s" boxset in the future: "Losing My Religion," "I Touch Myself," "Unbelievable," and "Right Here, Right Now." But arguably, none of those songs reflect the direction modern rock radio would take in less than a year.

The top 10:

1. REM, "Losing My Religion"
2. Divinyls, "I Touch Myself"
3. EMF, "Unbelievable"
4. Material Issue, "Valerie Loves Me"

5. Morrissey, "Our Frank"
6. Havana 3 a.m., "Reach the Rock"
7. Daniel Ash, "This Love"
8. Simple Minds, "See the Lights"
Bet you didn't realize Simple Minds had a career beyond the Breakfast Club soundtrack, did you?
9. Jesus Jones, "Right Here, Right Now"
10. The Godfathers, "Unreal World"
Here's another band I'd never heard of. A British group whose sound was somewhat of a bridge between U2 and INXS and the later Britpop groups, this was the third (and final) charting single of their careers. They broke up not long after, though various members would use the Godfathers name to record throughout the '90s, with little success.


Don't you love the John Lennon sunglasses and mullet look that drummer's rocking?

20 years on: March 23, 1991

As modern rock enters its (gulp) third decade, we're going to be taking a look back at the charts of two decades ago.

This week in 1991: The #1 song in modern rock for the 2nd straight week was R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion."

The top 10:

1. REM, "Losing My Religion"
2. Divinyls, "I Touch Myself"
3. EMF, "Unbelievable"
4. Jesus Jones, "Right Here, Right Now"
5. Daniel Ash, "This Love"
Allmusic says this is the Love and Rockets lead singer's only solo hit. In retrospect, it seems evident that this song rode so high on the modern rock charts because of who sang it, because it's a little generic.


6. Material Issue, "Valerie Loves Me"
7. The Replacements, "When it Began"
8. Havana 3 a.m., "Reach the Rock"
9. Morrissey, "Our Frank"
The lead single from Morrissey''s second solo album creeps into the top 10.
10. Enigma, "Sadeness Pt. 1"