1989 in music
| Years in music: | 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s |
| Years: | 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 |
See also: 1988 in music, other events of 1989, 1990 in music, 1980s in music and the list of 'years in music'
Events
- January 5 - Madonna files for divorce from Sean Penn after three-and-a-half years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
- January 7 - Genesis '88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London
- January 14 - Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in Russia. Bootleg copies sell for as much as $1,000 in the United States
- January 14 - Genesis '88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London
- January 23 - James Brown is sentenced in Georgia to 6 years in jail in connection with a police chase through two different states
- January - Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill form the "Keaggy/Stonehill Band" for a one time tour that pays tribute to 1960s artists like The Beatles. Tim Chandler plays bass for the band and David Raven plays drums.
- January 28 - Genesis '88 stage large-scale illegal Acid House (from strength to strength) party in London
- February 6 - King Tubby Jamaican dub music master, was shot and killed by unknown persons outside his home in Duhaney Park, upon returning from a session at his Waterhouse studio, probably in a robbery attempt.
- February 12 - Tiny Tim launches an unsuccessful campaign to be the mayor of New York City.
- February - Roy Orbison joins Elvis Presley as the only singers to ever simultaneously have two Top 5 albums on the Billboard Charts
- February 17 - Whitesnake's David Coverdale marries Tawny Kitaen
- Alice Cooper completes his return with the album Trash. It becomes one of the best selling albums of the year.
- March 6 - Smokey Robinson's autobiography Inside My Life is published
- March 21 - Madonna's Like a Prayer music video attracts criticism for its use of Catholic iconography and for the use of cross burning imagery, but also garnered praise for its interpretation of discrimination, rape, and faith. Pepsi drops Madonna as a spokesperson out of fear the video will cause religious groups to boycott the company.
- April - Three young men attempt to mug record producer and author Reed Arvin. Reed, being a rather large man, was able to go home with his money. The three young men were forced to return to their homes empty handed and nursing a few bruises.
- April 9 - The Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman announces that he's getting married to 19 year old Mandy Smith, whom he has dated for 6 years
- April 28 - Jon Bon Jovi marries his high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada
- May 1 - California jewelry store employees call the police reporting a suspicious person hanging around their store. The person turned out to be Michael Jackson shopping in disguise
- May - The first issue of Ptolemaic Terrascope is published
- June 13 British-born singer Sonia Evans made her debut Disco hit "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" went straight #1 in her native home country in the UK charts after She was sign PWL Records and team up with Stock Aitken Waterman.
- July 9 - All four original members of the Monkees reunite in Los Angeles for a concert performance at the Universal Amphitheater. The following day the quartet attend an induction ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where they receive a star.
- August 11 - 12 - Moscow Music Peace Festival held in the Soviet Union. The event was put together by Doc McGhee and the Make a Wish Foundation to expose the Russian people to western culture, promote international cooperation in fighting the drug war, and promote peace. The event came to epitomize the fall of the Soviet Union and the height of pop metal. Headlined by Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Cinderella, and the Scorpions.
- September 19 - Madonna and Sean Penn's divorce is granted.
- December 12 - Genesis '88 stage large-scale illegal Acid House (the fight goes on) party in London
- December 17 - Gloria Mills "Millie" Chapman is born as the second child of Amy Grant and Gary Chapman. Amy's 1991 hit "Baby Baby" was dedicated to her.
- December 24 - Genesis '88 and Biology parties stage illegal Acid House party in Slough UK
- December 31 - Genesis '88 and Biology parties stage biggest Acid House (FREE) party (Future Power People) of the night in Slough Panasonic building (15,000 people), which was later joined by Sunrise/Back to the Future after their event was stopped by police.
- July onwards, UK - sampling/mix group Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers are the year's biggest chart phenomenon. Their montages of classic rock and roll records make them only the third act to top the charts with all of their first three singles.
- Summer - L7 sign a contract with Sub Pop Records
- LL Cool J is booed offstage at the Apollo Theater
- Garth Brooks debut album released, it will reach the top of the Country charts and make top 20 in the American pop charts.
- Guttermouth forms
- Marilyn Manson forms
- The Chemical Brothers form
- Firehouse forms
- Fuel forms
- The Sweet Children change their name to Green Day, add drummer Al Sobrante and release the EP 1,000 Hours, their debut recording
- The Jerky Boys forms by John G. Brennan
- Leftover Salmon forms
- Monster Magnet forms
- Morphine forms
- The Plasmatics reunite
- Therapy? forms
- Toadies forms
- Orbital releases their first recording, "Chime", which had premiered on Jackin' Zone the previous year
- Café Tacuba forms
Albums Released
- Eat The heat - Accept
- Adeva! - Adeva
- Pump - Aerosmith
- After 7 - After 7 (debut)
- Two Highways - Alison Krauss & Union Station
- Allroy's Revenge - ALL
- Penikufesin EP - Anthrax
- Cosmic Thing - The B-52's
- Quickness - Bad Brains
- Badlands - Badlands (former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee & former Black Sabbath & then-future KISS drummer Eric Singer's new band's debut)
- No Control - Bad Religion
- Psycho Cafe - Bang Tango (debut)
- Different Light - The Bangles
- Paul's Boutique - The Beastie Boys
- Mr. Music Head - Adrian Belew
- Best Shots - Pat Benatar
- Surprise - Better Than Ezra (debut)
- Headless Cross - Black Sabbath
- Follow The Blind - Blind Guardian
- Blue Murder - Blue Murder (John Sykes & former King Kobra drummer Carmine Appice's group) (debut)
- Killin' Time - Clint Black
- Hats - The Blue Nile
- Realm Of Chaos - Slaves To Darkness - Bolt Thrower
- A Peacetime Boom - The Boom
- Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks
- Heart Shaped World - Jackson Browne
- Dig? - Bill Bruford
- The Sensual World - Kate Bush
- Go Off! - Cacophony
- Key Lime Pie - Camper Van Beethoven
- Runaway Horses - Belinda Carlisle
- Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
- Heart of Stone - Cher
- Raw Like Sushi - Neneh Cherry (debut)
- Journeyman - Eric Clapton
- Steady On - Shawn Colvin
- Trash - Alice Cooper
- Boomerang - The Creatures
- Oh Yes I Can - David Crosby
- Danger Danger - Danger Danger (debut)
- Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (debut)
- Waking Hours - Del Amitri
- Spike - Elvis Costello
- Christ: The Bootleg - Crass
- Recorded live in Nottingham in 1984
- Best Wishes - Cro-Mags
- Sonic Temple - The Cult
- Live ED - Étienne Daho
- Thrash Zone - D.R.I.
- Sumiran Karle (Bhajan) - Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta
- Leprosy - Death
- Yo Frankie - Dion DiMucci
- Just Like Heaven - Dinosaur Jr.
- Force Majeure - Doro (debut)
- 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul
- Stuck in Wonderamaland - Dramarama
- When Dream and Day Unite - Dream Theater
- Big Thing - Duran Duran
- Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan
- Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
- Cuts Both Ways - Gloria Estefan
- Wild ! - Erasure
- What You Don't Know - Exposé
- Extreme - Extreme (debut)
- The Raw and the Cooked (album) - Fine Young Cannibals
- Truth and Soul - Fishbone
- All That Jazz - Ella Fitzgerald
- Greatest Hits - Fleetwood Mac
- Through The Storm - Aretha Franklin
- Trouble Walkin' - Frehley's Comet
- Margin Walker - Fugazi
- 13 Songs - Fugazi
- Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ - Peter Gabriel
- This album is regarded as a landmark in the popularization of world music
- Kiss Of Life - Gene Loves Jezebel
- Like A Girl, I Want You To Keep Coming - various artists, see John Giorno
- Long Hard Look - Lou Gramm
- ...Twice Shy - Great White
- 1,000 Hours - Green Day
- Def, Dumb & Blonde - Deborah Harry
- Desert Wind - Ofra Haza
- Modern - Hijokaidan
- Magnum Cum Louder - Hoodoo Gurus
- Healer - John Lee Hooker
- Enter the Realm - Iced Earth (demo EP)
- The Iceberg/Freedom Of Speech...Just Watch What You Say - Ice T
- Heart Shaped World - Chris Isaak
- Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson
- Nothing's Shocking - Jane's Addiction
- Jaya - Jaya
- Rock Island - Jethro Tull
- Sleeping with the Past - Elton John
- Bulletproof Heart - Grace Jones
- Mick Jones - Mick Jones
- Back on the Block - Quincy Jones
- West Textures - Robert Earl Keen
- City Streets - Carole King
- Hot In The Shade - KISS
- Night of Rage - Kraut
- Let Love Rule - Lenny Kravitz (debut)
- Cocked And Loaded - L.A. Guns
- A Night To Remember - Cyndi Lauper
- Western Shadows - Carole Laure
- Piretos tou erota - Vicky Leandros
- Flying Cowboys - Rickie Lee Jones
- The Death of a Dictionary - Live (debut)
- Godhead - Lowlife
- Powertrip - Ludichrist (final album)
- Drowning In Limbo - Lydia Lunch
- Kite - Kirsty MacColl
- The White Room - The KLF
- Like a Prayer - Madonna
- Trial by Fire / Live In Leningrad - Yngwie Malmsteen
- Rasta Souvenier - Manu Dibango
- Flowers in the Dirt - Paul McCartney
- No More Blues - Susannah McCorkle
- Touch - Sarah McLachlan
- Ozma - Melvins
- Girl You Know It's True - Milli Vanilli (US release)
- The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste - Ministry
- All Aboard the Mind Train - The Modern Art
- Altars Of Madness - Morbid Angel
- Face of Despair - Mortal Sin
- Shine - Mother Love Bone (debut EP)
- Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
- Mr. Big - Mr. Big (debut)
- Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.
- Helter Stupid - Negativland
- Yellow Moon - The Neville Brothers
- The Other Side Of The Mirror - Stevie Nicks
- Disintegration - The Cure
- Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails (debut)
- Bleach - Nirvana (debut)
- Once We Were Scum, Now We Are God - No (band)
- S&M Airlines - NOFX
- Wrong - NoMeansNo
- Get Yer Jujus Out - Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & His Inter-Reformers Band
- Self-Titled - The Offspring (debut)
- No Rest for the Wicked - Ozzy Osbourne (first album with Zakk Wylde)
- White Limozeen - Dolly Parton
- I Enjoy Being a Girl - Phranc
- Nick of Time - Bonnie Raitt
- New York - Lou Reed
- Something Inside So Strong Kenny Rogers
- Presto - Rush
- The Early Years - Roxy Music
- Mystery Girl - Roy Orbison
- A Black & White Night Live - Roy Orbison
- Word from the Wise - Pennywise (EP)
- Consuming Impulse - Pestilence
- Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty
- Doolittle - Pixies
- Record Collectors - Poison Idea
- Suck on This - Primus (live debut)
- Batman - Prince
- Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
- Fight The Power...Live! - Public Enemy (live, released on VHS)
- The Miracle - Queen
- All Hail the Queen - Queen Latifah (debut)
- The Good News And The Bad News - The Rainmakers
- Brain Drain - The Ramones
- Mother's Milk - Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Blow - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
- The Symphony Sessions - Red Rider
- Don't Tell a Soul - The Replacements
- Hard Volume - Rollins Band
- Workin' Overtime - Diana Ross
- Nearly Human - Todd Rundgren
- Samiam - Samiam (debut)
- Early Music - Santana
- Better Than a Stick in the Eye - SNFU
- Flying in a Blue Dream - Joe Satriani
- Best Of Rockers & Ballads - Scorpions
- Buzz Factory - Screaming Trees
- Nothing Matters Without Love - Seduction
- Beneath the Remains - Sepultura
- Century Flower - Shelleyan Orphan
- Bound by the Beauty - Jane Siberry
- Blood, Sweat & No Tears - Sick of it All
- Street Fighting Years - Simple Minds
- Skid Row - Skid Row (debut)
- Rabies - Skinny Puppy
- Tweez - Slint (debut)
- 11 - The Smithereens
- Club Classics Vol. I - Soul II Soul
- Nights Like This - Stacey Q.
- Love Among The Cannibals - Starship (final album)
- In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (final album)
- The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (debut)
- Surprise - Syd Straw
- Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! - Björk & The Sugarcubes
- Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu - Suicidal Tendencies
- Another Place & Time - Donna Summer
- Kaleidoscope World]] - Swing Out Sister
- The Seeds of Love - Tears for Fears
- Neither Fish Nor Flesh (A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction) - Terence Trent D'Arby
- The Great Radio Controversy - Tesla
- Practice What You Preach - Testament
- Up to Here - The Tragically Hip
- Lincoln - They Might Be Giants
- Foreign Affair - Tina Turner
- Life Is...Too Short - Too $hort
- As Nasty As They Wanna Be - 2 Live Crew
- Peace Thru Vandalism/When in Rome Do as the Vandals - The Vandals
- Dum Dum - The Vaselines
- 3 - Violent Femmes
- Liberation - Bunny Wailer
- Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich - Warrant (debut)
- The Headless Children - W.A.S.P.
- Prime 5 - Ween
- Big Game - White Lion
- Slip of the Tongue - Whitesnake
- Oranges And Lemons - XTC
- Niki Nana - Yanni
- Freedom - Neil Young
- Broadway the Hard Way - Frank Zappa
- You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 3 - Frank Zappa
Top hits
- "Im Nin'Alu" - Ofra Haza
- "All She Wants Is" - Duran Duran
- "Another Day in Paradise" - Phil Collins
- "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" - Soul II Soul
- "Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi
- "Bat Attack '89" - Crime Fighters Inc.
- "Batdance" - Prince
- "Beds Are Burning" - Midnight Oil
- "Blame It on the Rain" - Milli Vanilli
- "Buffalo Stance" - Neneh Cherry
- "Cartoon" - Soul Asylum
- "Chained to the Wheel" - Black Sorrows
- "Cherish" - Madonna
- "Compulsory Hero" - 1927
- "Cry in Shame" Johnny Disel & The Injectors
- "Do You Believe in Shame?" - Duran Duran
- "Don't Wanna Lose You" - Gloria Estefan
- "Dr. Feelgood" - Mötley Crüe
- "Drama!" - Erasure
- "Eternal Flame" - The Bangles
- "Every Beat of My Heart" - Taylor Dayne
- "Express Yourself" - Madonna
- "Eyes of a Stranger" - Queensrÿche
- "Hangin' Tough" - New Kids On The Block
- "Heavy Metal" - Judas Priest
- "I Drove All Night" - Cyndi Lauper
- "I Feel the Earth Move" - Martika
- "If I Could" - 1927
- "If I Could Turn Back Time" - Cher
- "If Tomorrow Never Comes" - Garth Brooks
- "Kickstart My Heart" - Mötley Crüe
- "Killin' Time" - Clint Black
- "Leave a Light On" - Belinda Carlisle
- "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
- "Listen to Your Heart" - Roxette
- "Lost in Your Eyes" - Debbie Gibson
- "Love Shack"- The B-52's
- "Make Me Smile" - Nick Barker & The Reptiles
- "Me, Myself and I" - De La Soul
- "Miss You Much" - Janet Jackson
- "Monsters of Rock" - Judas Priest
- "My Brave Face" - Paul McCartney
- "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" - Great White
- "Open Letter (To a Landlord)" - Living Colour
- "Orange Crush" R.E.M
- "Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode
- "Poison" - Alice cooper
- "Rendez-vous chaque soir" - Dalida (inédit)
- "Ride on Time" - Black Box
- "Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx
- "Ring My Bell" - Collette
- "Rock On" - Michael Damian
- "Rock 'N' Roll Music" - Mental As Anything
- "Say Goodbye" - Indecent Obssesion
- "She Drives Me Crazy" - Fine Young Cannibals
- "She Has to Be Loved" - Jenny Morris
- "Sometime to Return" - Soul Asylum
- "Soul Revival" - Johnny Disel & The Injectors
- "Stand" - R.E.M.
- "Stop" - Sam Brown
- "Straight Up" - Paula Abdul
- "Stuck on You" - Paul Norton
- "Talk It Over" - Grayson Hugh
- "Tell Me Why" - Exposé
- "The Crack-Up" - The Black Sorrows
- "The Dance" - Garth Brooks
- "The Look" - Roxette
- "The World Seems Difficult" - Mentals
- "Toy Soldiers" - Martika
- "Tucker's Daughter" - Ian Moss
- "Un soir qu'on oublie pas" - Dalida (inédit)
- "Veronica" - Elvis Costello
- "What I Am" - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
- "What You Don't Know" - Exposé
- "When I Looked At Him" - Exposé
- "When I See You Smile" - Bad English
- "Where Are You Now?" by Jimmy Harnen w/ Synch
- "We Didn't Start the Fire" - Billy Joel
- "Wild Thing" - Sam Kinson
- "Wild Thing" - Tone Loc
- "You Got It" - Roy Orbison
- "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" - New Kids on the Block
- "Young Years" - Dragon
- "You'll Never Know" - 1927
Published popular music
- "Kiss the Girl" m. Alan Menken, w. Howard Ashman, from The Little Mermaid
- "Part of Your World" m. Alan Menken, w. Howard Ashman, from The Little Mermaid
- "Under the Sea" m. Alan Menken, w. Howard Ashman, from The Little Mermaid
- "We Didn't Start The Fire" w.m. Billy Joel
- "You Got It" w.m. Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne & Tom Petty
Classical music
- Michael Chekahlin - Concerto Grosso No. 1
- John McCabe - String Quartet No. 5
- Einojuhani Rautavaara - Piano Concerto No. 2
- John Tavener - The Protecting Veil
- Nyoman Windha - Puspanjali
- Conrad Cummings - Photo-Op
- Anthony Davis - Under the Double Moon
- Alexander Vustin - Devil in Love (not performed)
- Aspects of Love (Andrew Lloyd Webber) - London production
- City of Angels Broadway production
- Grand Hotel Broadway production
- Gypsy (Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim) - Broadway revival
- Meet Me in St. Louis Broadway production
- Miss Saigon (Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil) - London production
- Pacific Overtures (Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman) - London production
- Welcome to the Club Broadway production
Births
- January 13 - Triinu Kivilaan
- February 22 - Anna Sundstrand
- March 25 - Alyson Michalka
- April 8 - Hitomi Takahashi
- May 5 - Chris Brown
- May 28 - Asuca Hayashi
- May 30 - Kevin Covais
- June 13 - Lisa Tucker
- June 14 - Lucy Hale
- June 18 - Renee Olstead
- July 13 - Sayumi Michishige
- August 15 - Belinda Peregrin
- August 19 - Lil' Romeo
- October 1 - Brie Larson
- November 2 - Juan Carlos Garcia Manzano, Singer, guitarist, composer, and poet.
- November 2 - Katelyn Tarver
- November 11 - Reina Tanaka
- November 27 - Patrick Paynter, US singer/bassist
Deaths
- January 20 - Beatrice Lillie, Canadian actress and singer
- February 5 - Joe Raposo, composer and lyricist, Bein' Green
- February 6 - Osbourne Ruddock aka King Tubby, Reggae producer, Engineer, Dub Organizer
- February 23 - Florencio Morales Ramos, singer and composer
- March 19 - Alan Civil, horn player
- March 20 - Archie Bleyer, US arranger and bandleader
- April 26 - Lucille Ball, US actress and singer
- May 10 - Woody Shaw
- June 24 - Hibari Misora, Japanese enka singer
- July 16 - Herbert von Karajan, conductor
- August 1 - John Ogdon, pianist
- August 2 - Luiz Gonzaga, Brazilian musician
- August 21 - Raul Seixas, singer and songwriter
- September 14 - Perez Prado, 72, Cuban bandleader and composer
- September 15 - Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
- September 30 - Virgil Thomson, composer
- October 17 - Morteza Hannaneh, composer
- October 22 - Ewan MacColl, folk singer
- November 5 - Vladimir Horowitz, pianist
- November 15 - Alejo Duran, composer of vallenatos
- November 16 - Rose Murphy, US singer and pianist
- December 6 - Sammy Fain, US composer
- December 21 - Brandon Vincent, Canadian Vocalist
- December 26 - Sir Lennox Berkeley, composer
Awards
- The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Dion, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations and Stevie Wonder
- Grammy Awards of 1989
- Country Music Association Awards
- Eurovision Song Contest 1989