1991 Modern Rock 500

WOXY

The most important songs in Modern Rock, as determined by WOXY staff in 1991.

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1 New Order - Love Vigilantes
2 Depeche Mode - Route 66
3 Elvis Costello - Alison
4 Smiths - How Soon is Now
5 REM - Radio Free Europe
6 Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
7 Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
8 U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
9 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cities in Dust
10 Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
11 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosis Dead
12 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
13 Cure - Lets Go to Bed
14 Police - Roxanne
15 Modern English - I Melt With You
16 B52s - Rock Lobster
17 Ministry - Everyday is Halloween
18 Clash - Train in Vain
19 Love and Rockets - Ball of Confusion
20 Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
21 Elvis Costello - Whats So Funny Bout
22 New Order - Blue Monday
23 Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours
24 Cure - Lovecats
25 Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
26 REM - Its the End of the World
27 Janes Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
28 Time Zone - World Destruction
29 B52s - Love Shack
30 Yaz - Situation
31 Special AKA - Free Nelson Mandela
32 Clash - London Calling
33 Velvet Underground - Pale Blue Eyes
34 English Beat - Save it for Later
35 Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women
36 Romeo Void - Never Say Never
37 REM - Dont Go Back to Rockville
38 Echo and The Bunnymen - Bring on the Dancing Horses
39 Godfathers - Birth School Work Death
40 XTC - Dear God
41 Joe Jackson - Is She Really Going Out With
42 Cure - In Between Days
43 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
44 Public Image Limited - Rise
45 Love and Rockets - Kundalini Express
46 David Bowie - Fashion
47 Roxy Music - Love is the Drug
48 Sinead OConnor - Emperors New Clothes
49 Police - Cant Stand Losing You
50 Replacements - I Will Dare
51 Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane
52 XTC - Senses Working Overtime
53 Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion
54 Smithereens - Blood and Roses
55 Squeeze - Black Coffee in Bed
56 Royal Crescent Mob - Get on the Bus
57 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
58 The - Uncertain Smile
59 Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream
60 Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
61 Killing Joke - Eighties
62 INXS - One Thing
63 Blondie - Rapture
64 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink
65 Devo - Whip It
66 Clash - Rock the Casbah
67 Midnight Oil - Beds are Burning
68 XTC - Making Plans for Nigel
69 Depeche Mode - People are People
70 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax
71 Cure - Boys Dont Cry
72 Shriekback - Nemesis
73 U2 - I Will Follow
74 Sugarcubes - Birthday
75 REM - Cant Get There from Here
76 10000 Maniacs - Whats the Matter Here
77 Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
78 Replacements - Ill Be You
79 Roxy Music - More Than This
80 Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
81 Bob Marley - Jamming
82 Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll
83 Echo and The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar
84 Oingo Boingo - Dead Mans Party
85 Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
86 Midnight Oil - Blue Sky Mine
87 Sinead OConnor - Mandinka
88 Cure - Just Like Heaven
89 Love and Rockets - So Alive
90 Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth
91 Squeeze - Tempted
92 Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show
93 Berlin - Sex Im a
94 Dead Milkmen - Bitchin Camaro
95 Pretenders - Message of Love
96 Cult - Love Removal Machine
97 Sinead OConnor - Nothing Compares 2 U
98 Talk Talk - Talk Talk
99 Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion
100 Urban Dance Squad - Deeper Shade of Soul
101 Replacements - Alex Chilton
102 B52s - Private Idaho
103 Cure - Just Like Heaven
104 Depeche Mode - Just Cant Get Enough
105 Simple Minds - Promised You a Miracle
106 Violent Femmes - Prove My Love
107 Clash - Clampdown
108 Jam - Town Called Malice
109 UB40 - If It Happens Again
110 INXS - Suicide Blonde
111 Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
112 David Bowie - Heroes
113 Fine Young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home
114 Cure - Fascination Street
115 Aztec Camera - Oblivious
116 Talking Heads - And She Was
117 Love and Rockets - No New Tale to Tell
118 Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole
119 Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child Wild One
120 Jerry Harrison - Man With a Gun
121 Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen
122 REM - Superman
123 Smithereens - A Girl Like You
124 Church - Reptile
125 Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
126 Camper Van Beethoven - Take the Skinheads Bowling
127 Eurythmics - Love Is a Stranger
128 Ministry - Work For Love
129 Morrissey - November Spawned a Monster
130 Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense At All
131 They Might Be Giants - Dont Lets Start
132 Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection
133 General Public - Tenderness
134 Mighty Lemon Drops - Inside Out
135 Peter Murphy - Cuts You Up
136 Charlatans UK - Only One I Know
137 U2 - Pride In the Name of Love
138 Big Audio Dynamite - James Brown
139 Cure - Never Enough
140 Sinead OConnor - I Want Your Hands on Me
141 Joy Division - Shes Lost Control
142 Robyn Hitchcock - Balloon Man
143 U2 - Gloria
144 Waterboys - Whole of the Moon
145 Morrissey - Suedehead
146 Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
147 REM - Pretty Persuasion
148 INXS - Original Sin
149 They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in Your Soul
150 Simple Minds - Dont You Forget About Me
151 Psychedelic Furs - Heaven
152 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Peek a Boo
153 Replacements - Bastards of Young
154 Guadalcanal Diary - Litany Life Goes On
155 Housemartins - Happy Hour
156 Public Image Limited - Public Image
157 Smiths - Girlfriend in a Coma
158 Clash - Police and Thieves
159 U2 - Desire
160 REM - Fall on Me
161 General Public - Hot Youre Cool
162 B52s - Summer of Love
163 Soup Dragons - Im Free
164 Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
165 New Order - Fine Time
166 Pretenders - Wait
167 Gene Love Gezebel - Twenty Killer Hurts
168 Adrian Belew - Pretty Pink Rose
169 Adam Ant - Desperate But Not Serious
170 Mission UK - Tower of Strength
171 Squeeze - Pulling Mussels from the Shell
172 Elvis Costello - Pump It Up
173 Pretenders - Adultress
174 Guadalcanal Diary - Watusi Rodeo
175 Psychedelic Furs - Ghost in You
176 Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Elvis is Everywhere
177 Cure - Why Cant I Be You
178 Concrete Blonde - Joey
179 Erasure - Chains of Love
180 Suzanne Vega - Toms Diner DNA mix
181 Smiths - Queen Is Dead
182 English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom
183 Talking Heads - Burning Down the House
184 Joe Jackson - Im the Man
185 Patti Smith - Gloria
186 Church - Metropolis
187 Big Audio Dynamite - Cmon Every Beatbox
188 Echo and The Bunnymen - Killing Moon
189 Duran Duran - Girls on Film
190 Cure - Hot Hot Hot
191 New Order - Perfect Kiss
192 XTC - Generals and Majors
193 10000 Maniacs - Like the Weather
194 Human League - Dont You Want Me
195 Elvis Costello - Accidents Will Happen
196 Alarm - 68 Guns
197 Smiths - There Is a Light That Never
198 Don Dixon - Praying Mantis
199 INXS - I Send a Message
200 Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
201 Midnight Oil - Forgotten Years
202 Adrian Belew - Big Electric Cat
203 UB40 - Red Red Wine
204 Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking
205 Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away
206 Tears For Fears - Change
207 Devo - Through Being Cool
208 Joe Jackson - Got the Time
209 Sinead OConnor - Troy
210 Smithereens - Only a Memory
211 Social Distortion - Ball and Chain
212 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground
213 Police - So Lonely
214 Shriekback - Intoxication
215 Royal Crescent Mob - Happy at Home
216 Smiths - Ask
217 Iggy Pop - Candy
218 Blondie - Rip Her to Shreds
219 Elvis Costello - Watching the Detectives
220 Bob Mould - See a Little Light
221 They Might Be Giants - Ana Ng
222 B52s - Quiche Lorraine
223 Violent Femmes - Faith
224 Talking Heads - Swamp
225 Devo - I Cant Get No Satisfaction
226 Waterboys - Church Not Made With Hands
227 Depeche Mode - Behind the Wheel
228 Pretenders - Precious
229 Camper Van Beethoven - Good Guys and Bad Guys
230 Pretenders - Mystery Achievement
231 Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love
232 Sisters of Mercy - More
233 Police - Next to You
234 Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule The
235 Smiths - Bigmouth Strikes Again
236 Big Audio Dynamite - Champagne
237 Erasure - Oh Lamour
238 INXS - What You Need
239 Echo and The Bunnymen - Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
240 New Order - Subculture
241 REM - Losing My Religion
242 Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
243 Talking Heads - Stay Up Late
244 Public Image Limited - Seattle
245 Camper Van Beethoven - Eye of Fatima
246 Love and Rockets - Mirror People
247 English Beat - I Confess
248 Trip Shakespeare - Slacks
249 Pretenders - My City Was Gone
250 Aztec Camera - Jump
251 Madness - One Step Beyond
252 Bob Marley and The Wailers - I Shot the Sheriff
253 Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe
254 Living Colour - Elvis is Dead
255 New Order - True Faith
256 Cure - Killing an Arab
257 Roxy Music - Avalon
258 Pogues - Dirty Old Town
259 Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire
260 Jesus and Mary Chain - Head On
261 Was Not Was - I Feel Better Than James Brown
262 Sting - Shadows in the Rain
263 Smiths - Boy With the Thorn in His Side
264 Graham Parker - Local Girls
265 INXS - Dont Change
266 Sugarcubes - Cold Sweat
267 Bodeans - Fade Away
268 Tones on Tail - Go Club Mix
269 Primitives - Crash
270 Iggy Pop - Cry For Love
271 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Show Me Your Soul
272 Midnight Oil - When the Generals Talk
273 Concrete Blonde - God is a Bullet
274 U2 - With or Without You
275 Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth
276 New Order - Temptation
277 Guadalcanal Diary - Always Saturday
278 Happy Mondays - Step On
279 Big Audio Dynamite - Rock NonStop
280 Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Brand New Friend
281 John Hiatt - Slow Turning
282 Sundays - Heres Where the Story Ends
283 Violent Femmes - No Killing
284 Hüsker Dü - Flip Your Wig
285 Peter Tosh - Get Up Stand Up
286 Erasure - A Little Respect
287 INXS - New Sensation
288 Stone Roses - Fools Goldedit
289 Smiths - Reel Around the Fountain
290 Jesus and Mary Chain - Sidewalkin
291 Devo - Jocko Homo
292 UB40 - Rat in the Kitchen
293 Sonic Youth - Kool Thing
294 Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
295 Dukes of Stratoshsphere - Vanishing Girl
296 General Public - Never You Done That
297 Clash - Lost in the Supermarket
298 Camper Van Beethoven - Seven Languages
299 Feelies - Away
300 Hüsker Dü - Dont Want to Know If You
301 Boomtown Rats - I Dont Like Mondays
302 REM - One I Love
303 Electronic - Getting Away With It
304 Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
305 Vapors - Turning Japanese
306 Squeeze - Take Me Im Yours
307 Kate Bush - Sensual World
308 Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write the Book
309 Talking Heads - Life During Wartime
310 XTC - Love on a Farmboys Wages
311 Cult - Rain
312 Bears - Aches and Pains
313 Talk Talk - Lifes What You Make it
314 John Astley - Janes Getting Serious
315 Madness - Our House
316 Toad the Wet Sprocket - Jam Too Long Too Late
317 Smiths - Panic
318 INXS - This Time
319 PIL - Dont Ask Me
320 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
321 Ministry - Stigmata
322 Nails - Things You Left Behind
323 Talking Heads - Take Me to the River
324 10000 Maniacs - Trouble Me
325 Church - Under the Milky Way
326 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Swimming Horses
327 Joe Jackson - Sunday Papers
328 Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
329 REM - Orange Crush
330 Smiths - Is It Really So Strange
331 Tears For Fears - Shout
332 Dead Milkmen - Youll Dance to Anything
333 Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
334 The - This is the Day
335 Eurythmics - Would I Lie to You
336 INXS - Calling All Nations
337 Timbuk 3 - Futures So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
338 Stranglers - Skin Deep
339 Beat Farmers - Happy Boy
340 World Party - Way Down Now
341 House of Love - I Dont Know Why I Love You
342 Pretenders - Middle of the Road
343 Enigma - Sadeness
344 U2 - Bad Live
345 Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
346 Bob Mould - Its Too Late
347 Smithereens - Blues Before and After
348 Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians - Freeze
349 Big Audio Dynamite - Bottom Line
350 Alarm - Strength
351 David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes
352 Pretenders - Stop Your Sobbing
353 Screaming Blue Messiahs - I Wanna Be a Flintstone
354 Trio - Da Da Da
355 Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side
356 XTC - Towers of London
357 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence
358 Flesh for Lulu - I Go Crazy
359 Sicilian Vespers - Baccala
360 U2 - Seconds
361 Big Country - In a Big Country
362 Squeeze - Annie Get Your Gun
363 REM - Stand
364 Echo and The Bunnymen - Do It Clean
365 Psychedelic Furs - Should God Forget
366 Smithereens - Behind the Wall of Sleep
367 Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now
368 Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark - Locomotion
369 Los Lobos - Will the Wolf Survive
370 Gang of Four - I Love a Man in a Uniform
371 Hoodoo Gurus - Bittersweet
372 Hothouse Flowers - Im Sorry
373 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
374 Public Image Limited - This is Not a Love Song
375 Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed
376 B52s - Planet Claire
377 Sugarcubes - Regina
378 Elvis Costello - Angels Wanna Wear
379 U2 - Dancing Barefoot
380 Adrian Belew - Oh Daddy
381 Replacements - Here Comes a Regular
382 Joe Jackson - Look Sharp
383 Soho - Hippychick
384 David Bowie - Cat People
385 Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy
386 Peter Murphy - All Night Long
387 Specials - A Message to You Rudy
388 Go Gos - We Got the Beat
389 Lou Reed - I Love You Suzanne
390 X - Hungry Wolf
391 Call - Walls Came Down
392 Clash - I Fought the Law
393 Human League - Seconds
394 Ultravox - Reap the Wild Wind
395 Police - Message in a Bottle
396 Roxy Music - Oh Yeah
397 Divinyls - I Touch Myself
398 Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
399 Beloved - Hello
400 Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd
401 World Party - Ship of Fools
402 Lets Active - Every Word Means No
403 Creatures - Pluto Drive
404 Marshall Crenshaw - Cynical Girl
405 Lightning Seeds - Pure
406 Royal Crescent Mob - Love and Tunafish
407 Fetchin Bones - Stray
408 The - Infected
409 David Bowie - Scary Monsters
410 A Flock of Seagulls - Telecommunication
411 Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
412 Circle Jerks - American Heavy Metal Weekend
413 Stan Ridgway - Drive She Said
414 Talk Talk - Its My Life
415 Bob Marley and The Wailers - Lively Up Yourself
416 Depeche Mode - Strangelove
417 Clash - Police on my Back
418 Alarm - Rain in the Summertime
419 Shriekback - Gunnin For the Buddha
420 U2 - Trip Through Your Wires
421 Duran Duran - Hungry Like the Wolf
422 Eurythmics - Sex Crime1984
423 Gene Loves Jezebel - Heartache
424 Jam - Modern World
425 Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark - Enola Gay
426 Psychedelic Furs - President Gas
427 Joe Jackson - You Cant Get What You Want
428 Cure - Caterpillar
429 Bodeans - Dreams
430 Shona Laing - Soviet Snow
431 Patti Smith Group - Dancing Barefoot
432 B52s - Party Out of Bounds
433 Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
434 Feelies - Slipping Into Something
435 Jesus and Mary Chain - Happy When it Rains
436 Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement
437 Elvis Costello - Veronica
438 Stranglers - Always the Sun
439 Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods
440 Cure - Jumping Someone Elses Train
441 Echo and The Bunnymen - Cutter
442 Camper Van Beethoven - Pictures of Matchstick Men
443 Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker
444 Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever Youre On My Mind
445 Living Colour - Whats Your Favorite Color theme song Which Way to America
446 Lloyd Cole - Perfect Skin
447 Simple Minds - Waterfront
448 Stone Roses - I Wanna be Adored
449 Replacements - Talent Show
450 Morrissey - Interesting Drug
451 Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
452 EMF - Unbelievable
453 Specials - Ghost Town
454 Adam and The Ants - Antmusic
455 Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
456 Oingo Boingo - Who Do You Want to Be Today
457 Firehose - For the Singer of REM
458 Trio - Boom Boom
459 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
460 INXS - Guns in the Sky
461 Raisins - Fear Is Never Boring
462 Smithereens - House We Used to Live In
463 DBs - A Spy in the House of Love
464 Ultravox - Sleepwalk
465 Thompson Twins - Lies
466 Fetchin Bones - Love Crushing
467 Yaz - Dont Go
468 Squeeze - Cool for Cats
469 Concrete Blonde - Still in Hollywood
470 XTC - Mayor of Simpleton
471 Material Issue - Valerie Loves Me
472 John Hiatt - Thank You Girl
473 Pretenders - Never Do That
474 Jonathan Richman Modern Lovers - Dodge Veg O Matic
475 Replacements - Merry Go Round
476 Shriekback - Black Light Trap
477 Poi Dog Pondering - Spending the Day in the Shirt You Wore
478 X - See How We Are
479 Book of Love - I Touch Roses
480 Laurie Anderson - Oh Superman
481 Howard Jones - Pearl in the Shell
482 Hoodoo Gurus - I Want You Back
483 Lets Active - Blue Line
484 Laurie Anderson - Sharkeys Night
485 Beat Farmers - Hollywood Hills
486 Love Tractor - Satans New Wave Soul Losers
487 Talking Heads - Crosseyed and Painless
488 Guadalcanal Diary - Cattle Prod
489 Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive
490 Jam - Here Comes the Weekend
491 Cure - Shake Dog Shake
492 Circle Jerks - Golden Shower of Hits
493 Godfathers - I Want Everything
494 XTC - No Thugs in Our House
495 They Might Be Giants - Twisting
496 TBone Burnett - Strange Case of Frank Cash
497 Damned - Grimly Fiendish
498 Pogues - Pair of Long Brown Eyes
499 Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
500 Madness - Keep Moving
Other Modern Rock 500 countdowns by year

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).