1990 Modern Rock 500

WOXY

The most important songs in Modern Rock, as determined by WOXY staff in 1990.

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1 Smiths - How Soon is Now
2 New Order - Blue Monday
3 REM - Radio Free Europe
4 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
5 Elvis Costello - Alison
6 Depeche Mode - People are People
7 Cure - Lets Go to Bed
8 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
9 Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
10 U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
11 B52s - Rock Lobster
12 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosis Dead
13 Clash - Train in Vain
14 Police - Roxanne
15 Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
16 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cities in Dust
17 Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
18 Love and Rockets - Ball of Confusion
19 Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
20 Ministry - Everyday is Halloween
21 Romeo Void - Never Say Never
22 XTC - Making Plans for Nigel
23 Elvis Costello - Pump It Up
24 B52s - Love Shack
25 Modern English - I Melt With You
26 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
27 Cure - Lovecats
28 Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours
29 Echo and The Bunnymen - Bring on the Dancing Horses
30 REM - Its the End of the World
31 English Beat - Save it for Later
32 Time Zone - World Destruction
33 Love and Rockets - Kundalini Express
34 Yaz - Situation
35 XTC - Senses Working Overtime
36 Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela
37 Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes
38 Clash - London Calling
39 New Order - Confusion
40 Public Image Limited - Rise
41 REM - Dont Go Back to Rockville
42 Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women
43 The - Uncertain Smile
44 Dead Milkmen - Bitchin Camaro
45 Cure - In Between Days
46 Godfathers - Birth School Work Death
47 Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling
48 INXS - One Thing
49 Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With
50 David Bowie - Fashion
51 XTC - Dear God
52 Roxy Music - Love is the Drug
53 Replacements - I Will Dare
54 Royal Crescent Mob - Get on the Bus
55 Police - Cant Stand Losing You
56 New Order - Love Vigilantes
57 Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane
58 Devo - Whip It
59 Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
60 Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion
61 Cure - Boys Dont Cry
62 REM - Cant Get There from Here
63 Depeche Mode - Route 66
64 U2 - I Will Follow
65 Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
66 Smithereens - Blood and Roses
67 Bob Marley - Jamming
68 Clash - Rock the Casbah
69 Roxy Music - More Than This
70 Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream
71 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
72 Sinead OConnor - Mandinka
73 Shriekback - Nemesis
74 Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
75 Replacements - Ill Be You
76 Cure - Just Like Heaven
77 Echo and The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar
78 Sugarcubes - Birthday
79 Killing Joke - Eighties
80 Depeche Mode - People are People
81 Midnight Oil - Beds are Burning
82 10000 Maniacs - Whats the Matter Here
83 REM - Fall on Me
84 Oingo Boingo - Dead Mans Party
85 Aztec Camera - Oblivious
86 Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home
87 Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll
88 General Public - Tenderness
89 Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show
90 Cure - Close to Me
91 Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
92 Pretenders - Message of Love
93 Church - Reptile
94 UB40 - If It Happens Again
95 Blondie - Rapture
96 Berlin - Sex Im a
97 Love and Rockets - So Alive
98 Violent Femmes - Prove My Love
99 Cult - Love Removal Machine
100 Squeeze - Tempted
101 Clash - Clampdown
102 Morrissey - Suedehead
103 Talking Heads - And She Was
104 Jam - Town Called Malice
105 Talk Talk - Talk Talk
106 Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
107 Cure - Fascination Street
108 Replacements - Alex Chilton
109 Camper Van Beethoven - Good Guys and Bad Guys
110 B52s - Private Idaho
111 Guadalcanal Diary - Watusi Rodeo
112 Adrian Belew - Big Electric Cat
113 Depeche Mode - Just Cant Get Enough
114 David Bowie - Heroes
115 Simple Minds - Promised You a Miracle
116 Jerry Harrison - Man With a Gun
117 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink
118 Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
119 U2 - Gloria
120 Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
121 Love and Rockets - No New Tale to Tell
122 Gene Love Gezebel - Twenty Killer Hurts
123 REM - Superman
124 Joy Division - Shes Lost Control
125 Robyn Hitchcock - Balloon Man
126 Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child Wild One
127 Cure - Killing an Arab
128 Madness - One Step Beyond
129 Waterboys - This is the Sea
130 Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
131 Mission UK - Tower of Strength
132 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
133 Smiths - Girlfriend in a Coma
134 Ministry - Work For Love
135 Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection
136 Sinead OConnor - I Want Your Hands on Me
137 New Order - Fine Time
138 Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense At All
139 U2 - Pride In the Name of Love
140 Guadalcanal Diary - Litany Life Goes On
141 They Might Be Giants - Dont Lets Start
142 Mighty Lemon Drops - Inside Out
143 Psychedelic Furs - Heaven
144 B52s - Party Out of Bounds
145 General Public - Hot Youre Cool
146 Replacements - Bastards of Young
147 Pretenders - Wait
148 Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
149 Housemartins - Happy Hour
150 Cure - Hot Hot Hot
151 INXS - Original Sin
152 Big Audio Dynamite - James Brown
153 REM - Pretty Persuasion
154 Ultravox - Sleepwalk
155 Squeeze - Pulling Mussels from the Shell
156 Simple Minds - Dont You Forget About Me
157 Smiths - There Is a Light That Never
158 Adam Ant - Desperate But Not Serious
159 Public Image Limited - Public Image
160 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peek a Boo
161 Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
162 Smiths - Queen Is Dead
163 Clash - Police and Thieves
164 Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
165 U2 - Desire
166 New Order - Perfect Kiss
167 Devo - Through Being Cool
168 Human League - Dont You Want Me
169 Psychedelic Furs - Ghost in You
170 Joe Jackson - Im the Man
171 Shriekback - Gunnin For the Buddha
172 Cure - Why Cant I Be You
173 Patti Smith - Gloria
174 XTC - Generals and Majors
175 English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom
176 Violent Femmes - Faith
177 Peter Tosh - Get Up Stand Up
178 Camper Van Beethoven - Eye of Fatima
179 Smiths - Ask
180 Elvis Costello - Whats So Funny Bout
181 Big Audio Dynamite - Cmon Every Beatbox
182 Pogues - Dirty Old Town
183 UB40 - Red Red Wine
184 Don Dixon - Praying Mantis
185 Sinead OConnor - Troy
186 Jesus and Mary Chain - Sidewalkin
187 Echo and The Bunnymen - Killing Moon
188 INXS - I Send a Message
189 10000 Maniacs - Like the Weather
190 Bob Mould - See a Little Light
191 Duran Duran - Girls on Film
192 Alarm - 68 Guns
193 New Order - True Faith
194 Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking
195 Blondie - Rip Her to Shreds
196 Waterboys - Church Not Made With Hands
197 Tears For Fears - Change
198 Pretenders - Precious
199 Royal Crescent Mob - Happy at Home
200 Depeche Mode - Shake the Disease
201 Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
202 Talking Heads - Burning Down the House
203 Joe Jackson - Got the Time
204 Police - So Lonely
205 Clash - Death or Glory
206 Smithereens - Only a Memory
207 Mission UK - Wasteland
208 Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire
209 Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love
210 B52s - Quiche Lorraine
211 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground
212 Roxy Music - Avalon
213 Sugarcubes - Cold Sweat
214 Elvis Costello - Watching the Detectives
215 Pretenders - Mystery Achievement
216 Iggy Pop - Cry For Love
217 INXS - What You Need
218 They Might Be Giants - Ana Ng
219 Depeche Mode - Behind the Wheel
220 Dukes of Stratoshsphere - Vanishing Girl
221 Erasure - Chains of Love
222 Love and Rockets - Mirror People
223 Police - Next to You
224 Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe
225 Talking Heads - Swamp
226 Camper Van Beethoven - Seven Languages
227 Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
228 Robyn Hitchcock - My Wife and My Dead Wife
229 Smiths - Boy With the Thorn in His Side
230 U2 - With or Without You
231 Hüsker Dü - Dont Want to Know If You
232 Primitives - Crash
233 Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule The
234 Violent Femmes - No Killing
235 Devo - I Cant Get No Satisfaction
236 Bob Marley and The Wailers - I Shot the Sheriff
237 Public Image Limited - Annalisa
238 Big Audio Dynamite - Champagne
239 Elvis Costello - Accidents Will Happen
240 Guadalcanal Diary - Cattle Prod
241 Bears - Aches and Pains
242 Aztec Camera - Jump
243 Shriekback - Intoxication
244 Erasure - Oh Lamour
245 INXS - Dont Change
246 John Hiatt - Slow Turning
247 Smiths - Reel Around the Fountain
248 Echo and The Bunnymen - Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
249 Madness - Our House
250 Midnight Oil - When the Generals Talk
251 Ministry - Cold Life
252 Blondie - Hardest Part
253 Bodeans - Fade Away
254 New Order - Subculture
255 Smiths - Headmaster Ritual
256 Joe Jackson - Cha Cha Loco
257 Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now
258 INXS - New Sensation
259 Pretenders - My City Was Gone
260 Erasure - A Little Respect
261 English Beat - I Confess
262 Camper Van Beethoven - Turquoise Jewelry
263 Devo - Jocko Homo
264 Sugarcubes - Motor Crash
265 Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
266 Talking Heads - Stay Up Late
267 Public Image Limited - Seattle
268 Sting - Shadows in the Rain
269 Jesus and Mary Chain - Happy When it Rains
270 Graham Parker - Local Girls
271 Tones on Tail - Go Club Mix
272 Adrian Belew - Momur
273 Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Brand New Friend
274 Hüsker Dü - Flip Your Wig
275 Joe Jackson - Jumpin Jive
276 Big Audio Dynamite - Rock NonStop
277 Iggy Pop - Five Foot One
278 Concrete Blonde - God is a Bullet
279 REM - Wind Out
280 John Astley - Janes Getting Serious
281 INXS - This Time
282 Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth
283 Smiths - Panic
284 New Order - Temptation
285 Bob Marley - Exodus
286 Depeche Mode - Somebody
287 UB40 - Rat in the Kitchen
288 Guadalcanal Diary - Always Saturday
289 Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
290 Gang of Four - I Love a Man in a Uniform
291 General Public - Never You Done That
292 Clash - Lost in the Supermarket
293 Cult - Rain
294 Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
295 Feelies - Away
296 Boomtown Rats - I Dont Like Mondays
297 Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write the Book
298 Timbuk 3 - Futures So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
299 Vapors - Turning Japanese
300 Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
301 X - Burning House of Love
302 Marshall Crenshaw - Cynical Girl
303 Squeeze - Take Me Im Yours
304 REM - One I Love
305 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
306 Talking Heads - Life During Wartime
307 Talk Talk - Lifes What You Make it
308 XTC - Love on a Farmboys Wages
309 Go Gos - We Got the Beat
310 Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
311 U2 - Bad Live
312 Damned - In Dulce Decorum
313 Pretenders - Middle of the Road
314 Eurythmics - Would I Lie to You
315 Ultravox - All Stood Still
316 Stranglers - Skin Deep
317 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
318 INXS - Calling All Nations
319 Nails - Things You Left Behind
320 Cure - Caterpillar
321 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
322 David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes
323 Big Audio Dynamite - Bottom Line
324 Lets Active - Every Word Means No
325 Jam - Modern World
326 Ministry - Stigmata
327 Talking Heads - Take Me to the River
328 B52s - Planet Claire
329 Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark - Locomotion
330 DBs - A Spy in the House of Love
331 Replacements - Left of the Dial
332 Alarm - Strength
333 Sicilian Vespers - Baccala
334 Screaming Blue Messiahs - I Wanna Be a Flintstone
335 Smiths - Is It Really So Strange
336 10000 Maniacs - Trouble Me
337 Hothouse Flowers - Im Sorry
338 Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing
339 Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet
340 Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed
341 Trio - Da Da Da
342 Police - Canary in a Coalmine
343 Human League - Lebanon
344 Flesh for Lulu - I Go Crazy
345 Big Country - In a Big Country
346 ABC - Look of Love
347 Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side
348 Public Image Limited - This is Not a Love Song
349 Los Lobos - Will the Wolf Survive
350 Joe Jackson - Sunday Papers
351 Church - Under the Milky Way
352 XTC - Towers of London
353 U2 - Seconds
354 Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy
355 Jam - Bitterest Pill
356 Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun
357 Minutemen - Cheerleaders
358 Echo and The Bunnymen - Do It Clean
359 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Swimming Horses
360 David Bowie - Cat People
361 Elvis Costello - Angels Wanna Wear
362 Squeeze - Annie Get Your Gun
363 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
364 Fall - Mr Pharmacist
365 Wire - Kidney Bingos
366 Shona Laing - Soviet Snow
367 Ultravox - Reap the Wild Wind
368 Adrian Belew - Oh Daddy
369 UB40 - Sing Our Own Song
370 X - Hungry Wolf
371 Replacements - Here Comes a Regular
372 Clash - I Fought the Law
373 Royal Crescent Mob - Love and Tunafish
374 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fight Like a Brave
375 Oingo Boingo - Who Do You Want to Be Today
376 Tears For Fears - Shout
377 Peter Murphy - All Night Long
378 Talking Heads - Pulled Up
379 The - This is the Day
380 Specials - A Message to You Rudy
381 Roxy Music - Oh Yeah
382 Raisins - Fear Is Never Boring
383 Lets Active - Fell
384 Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever Youre On My Mind
385 Smithereens - Behind the Wall of Sleep
386 Circle Jerks - Golden Shower of Hits
387 Lou Reed - I Love You Suzanne
388 Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
389 Call - Walls Came Down
390 Midnight Oil - Dead Heart
391 Bob Marley and The Wailers - Lively Up Yourself
392 Police - Message in a Bottle
393 Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark - Enola Gay
394 Human League - Seconds
395 Laurie Anderson - Sharkeys Night
396 Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods
397 World Party - Ship of Fools
398 Smiths - Stop Me If You Think Youve
399 XTC - No Thugs in Our House
400 Alarm - Rain in the Summertime
401 Bears - Figure it Out
402 Fetchin Bones - Stray
403 Dead Milkmen - Youll Dance to Anything
404 REM - Orange Crush
405 U2 - Trip Through Your Wires
406 David Bowie - Scary Monsters
407 Talk Talk - Its My Life
408 Eurythmics - Love Is a Stranger
409 Pogues - Pair of Long Brown Eyes
410 Gene Loves Jezebel - Heartache
411 Love Tractor - Satans New Wave Soul Losers
412 Beat Farmers - Happy Boy
413 Howard Jones - Pearl in the Shell
414 A Flock of Seagulls - Telecommunication
415 Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
416 Joe Jackson - You Cant Get What You Want
417 John Hiatt - Warming Up to the Ice Age
418 Damned - Grimly Fiendish
419 Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Elvis is Everywhere
420 Bodeans - Dreams
421 Elvis Costello - I Cant Stand Up Falling Down
422 Squeeze - Goodbye Girl
423 Stan Ridgway - Drive She Said
424 Psychedelic Furs - President Gas
425 Depeche Mode - Strangelove
426 Ultravox - Dancing With Tears in my Eyes
427 Patti Smith Group - Dancing Barefoot
428 Feelies - Slipping Into Something
429 Lloyd Cole - Perfect Skin
430 Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
431 Clash - Police on my Back
432 Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker
433 Replacements - Talent Show
434 Specials - Ghost Town
435 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
436 B52s - Legal Tender
437 Simple Minds - Waterfront
438 Smithereens - A Girl Like You
439 Circle Jerks - American Heavy Metal Weekend
440 Pretenders - Adultress
441 Stranglers - Always the Sun
442 Morrissey - Interesting Drug
443 Church - Unguarded Moment
444 Jonathan Richman Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
445 Talking Heads - Great Curve
446 Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement
447 Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
448 INXS - Guns in the Sky
449 Cure - Jumping Someone Elses Train
450 XTC - Mayor of Simpleton
451 Elvis Costello - Veronica
452 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
453 Echo and The Bunnymen - Cutter
454 Adam and The Ants - Antmusic
455 REM - Stand
456 Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
457 Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd
458 Lets Active - Blue Line
459 Peter Tosh - Legalize It
460 Stone Roses - I Wanna be Adored
461 Smiths - What Difference Does It Make
462 Thompson Twins - Lies
463 The - Infected
464 X - See How We Are
465 Fetchin Bones - Love Crushing
466 Squeeze - Cool for Cats
467 John Hiatt - Memphis in the Meantime
468 Hoodoo Gurus - I Want You Back
469 Fall - Cab It Up
470 Joe Jackson - Look Sharp
471 Marshall Crenshaw - Someday Someway
472 Camper Van Beethoven - Pictures of Matchstick Men
473 Jam - Here Comes the Weekend
474 Trio - Boom Boom
475 Midnight Oil - Kosclusko
476 Firehose - For the Singer of REM
477 TBone Burnett - Strange Case of Frank Cash
478 Concrete Blonde - Still in Hollywood
479 Living Colour - Whats Your Favorite Color theme song Which Way to America
480 Talking Heads - Crosseyed and Painless
481 DBs - Amplifier
482 Shriekback - Black Light Trap
483 Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive
484 Book of Love - I Touch Roses
485 Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark - So in Love
486 XTC - Snowman
487 Jimmy Cliff - Harder They Come
488 B52s - Summer of Love
489 Cure - Shake Dog Shake
490 Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
491 Godfathers - I Want Everything
492 Damned - Smash It Up
493 Yaz - Dont Go
494 Madness - Keep Moving
495 Laurie Anderson - Oh Superman
496 John Hiatt - Thank You Girl
497 Beat Farmers - Hollywood Hills
498 Jonathan Richman Modern Lovers - Dodge Veg O Matic
499 Heaven 17 - That Fascist Groove Thang
500 Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life
Other Modern Rock 500 countdowns by year
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Note the station did not broadcast a Modern Rock 500 in 2004.

Credit to WOXY listener Craig Froehle for providing the underlying source materials for these yearly lists.

Combinations

Here is one massive combined countdown with all songs from every year of the countdown, ranked by average position (1394 songs in all).

1989-2009 Combined Modern Rock 500