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'90s Survivor: 1990


TwistedElegance™

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As 1990 draws to a close I am going to profile our Top 10 finalists in celebration of their achievement.

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Writer(s): Prince

Producer(s): Sinéad O'Connor, Nellee Hooper

Label: Chrysalis

Narrowly edging out Whitney Houston for a place in our Top 10 was Sinéad O'Connor with the iconic 'Nothing Compares 2 U'. Written by Prince for The Family, a band made up of former members of The Time and signed to his Paisley Park record label, it rocketed to number one in 17 countries. In the US, it stayed in pole position for four weeks and went on to become the number one single of the entire year. Remembered fondly for its emotional impact, the video's director shot a lot of footage around Paris but decided instead to focus on O'Connor's face. Of the moment where a lone tear falls down her face, she said: "I didn't intend for that to happen, but when it did, I thought, I should let this happen." O'Connor claimed she hated the fame this song brought her, and struggled with the commercialization of her music. The song helped earn her a Grammy for Best Alternative Performance, however she refused to appear on the awards show in protest. Subsequently this was her last big hit, having turned fans and non-fans off with her political statements which included refusing to let the National Anthem be played before a concert in New Jersey and tearing up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live. MTV ranked it 34th on their list of 50 Greatest Videos Ever Made, and Rolling Stone listed it No. 165 in their countdown of the 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

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Writer(s): Lisa Stansfield, Ian Devaney, Andy Morris

Producer(s): Ian Devaney, Andy Morris

Label: Arista

Lisa Stansfield's inclusion in our Top 10 might be a surprise to some but it was a goal of mine to get her there and I think it's a well-deserved spot. Reaching No. 1 in a dozen countries and Top 10 in several more, Stansfield became the first white female from the UK to achieve a US R&B No. 1 hit. The spoken-word intro came about when Stansfield's boyfriend (co-writer and producer Ian Devaney) and bandmate Andy Morris were sitting around the piano. Andy played some chords and Lisa began talking in a low voice, similar to the style of Barry White. They liked the way it sounded and put it on the record. Interestingly, she re-recorded the song in 1992 as a duet with White.

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