1991 rock radio charts
Every number one and the biggest songs on our Alternative and Mainstream rock charts in 1991: 12 number ones on the Alternative chart and 10 number ones on the Mainstream chart. Our archive starts with the week of Apr 15, 1991.
Alternative rock, 1991
Number ones
| Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 | First week at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | 4 | Apr 15, 1991 |
| There She Goes | The La's | 6 | May 13, 1991 |
| Obvious Song | Joe Jackson | 1 | May 27, 1991 |
| Get The Message | Electronic | 2 | Jul 1, 1991 |
| Shiny Happy People | R.E.M. | 1 | Jul 15, 1991 |
| Crazy | Seal | 1 | Jul 22, 1991 |
| Kiss Them For Me | Siouxsie & The Banshees | 3 | Jul 29, 1991 |
| Satisfied | Squeeze | 5 | Aug 19, 1991 |
| So You Think You're In Love | Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | 5 | Sep 23, 1991 |
| Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | 8 | Oct 28, 1991 |
| Give It Away | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1 | Nov 4, 1991 |
| The Fly | U2 | 1 | Nov 18, 1991 |
Biggest songs of 1991
Ranked by points across the year’s charts: 25 points for a week at #1, down to 1 point for #25.
| # | Song | Artist | Peak | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | Nirvana | #1 | 15 |
| 2 | Give It Away | Red Hot Chili Peppers | #1 | 15 |
| 3 | There She Goes | The La's | #1 | 13 |
| 4 | There's No Other Way | Blur | #4 | 16 |
| 5 | Rush | Big Audio | #2 | 15 |
| 6 | Until She Comes | The Psychedelic Furs | #2 | 13 |
| 7 | Kiss Them For Me | Siouxsie & The Banshees | #1 | 13 |
| 8 | Satisfied | Squeeze | #1 | 11 |
| 9 | So You Think You're In Love | Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | #1 | 11 |
| 10 | Get The Message | Electronic | #1 | 13 |
| 11 | Crazy | Seal | #1 | 13 |
| 12 | Movin' On Up | Primal Scream | #4 | 12 |
| 13 | Shiny Happy People | R.E.M. | #1 | 12 |
| 14 | The Fly | U2 | #1 | 10 |
| 15 | Obvious Song | Joe Jackson | #1 | 10 |
| 16 | See The Lights | Simple Minds | #2 | 10 |
| 17 | The Other Side Of Summer | Elvis Costello | #2 | 10 |
| 18 | American Music | Violent Femmes | #3 | 13 |
| 19 | Walking Down Madison | Kirsty MacColl | #4 | 11 |
| 20 | Shining Star | INXS | #3 | 8 |
| 21 | Chocolate Cake | Crowded House | #4 | 11 |
| 22 | Miss Freelove 69 | Hoodoo Gurus | #4 | 8 |
| 23 | One Shot | Tin Machine | #3 | 9 |
| 24 | Move Any Mountain | The Shamen | #5 | 10 |
| 25 | Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | #1 | 6 |
Mainstream rock, 1991
Number ones
| Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 | First week at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | 3 | Apr 15, 1991 |
| Lift Me Up | Yes | 7 | May 6, 1991 |
| Smokestack Lightning | Lynyrd Skynyrd | 2 | Jun 24, 1991 |
| Learning To Fly | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | 5 | Jul 1, 1991 |
| End Of The Line | The Allman Brothers Band | 3 | Aug 12, 1991 |
| Out In The Cold | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | 3 | Sep 2, 1991 |
| Dreamline | Rush | 4 | Sep 23, 1991 |
| Get A Leg Up | John Mellencamp | 7 | Oct 21, 1991 |
| Heavy Fuel | Dire Straits | 2 | Dec 9, 1991 |
| Mysterious Ways | U2 | 2 | Dec 23, 1991 |
Biggest songs of 1991
Ranked by points across the year’s charts: 25 points for a week at #1, down to 1 point for #25.
| # | Song | Artist | Peak | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dreamline | Rush | #1 | 17 |
| 2 | Get A Leg Up | John Mellencamp | #1 | 13 |
| 3 | Lift Me Up | Yes | #1 | 13 |
| 4 | Top Of The World | Van Halen | #2 | 14 |
| 5 | Out In The Cold | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | #1 | 17 |
| 6 | Heavy Fuel | Dire Straits | #1 | 13 |
| 7 | Learning To Fly | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | #1 | 11 |
| 8 | End Of The Line | The Allman Brothers Band | #1 | 13 |
| 9 | Smokestack Lightning | Lynyrd Skynyrd | #1 | 11 |
| 10 | Ordinary Average Guy | Joe Walsh | #2 | 12 |
| 11 | Runaround | Van Halen | #2 | 14 |
| 12 | Hole Hearted | Extreme | #3 | 14 |
| 13 | Wind Of Change | Scorpions | #3 | 16 |
| 14 | Losing My Religion | R.E.M. | #1 | 10 |
| 15 | Don't Cry | Guns N' Roses | #2 | 14 |
| 16 | The Sound Of Your Voice | .38 Special | #2 | 11 |
| 17 | Into The Great Wide Open | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | #5 | 13 |
| 18 | No Son Of Mine | Genesis | #2 | 9 |
| 19 | Jet City Woman | Queensryche | #6 | 14 |
| 20 | You Could Be Mine | Guns N' Roses | #2 | 10 |
| 21 | Laying Down The Law | The Law | #2 | 10 |
| 22 | Texarkana | R.E.M. | #5 | 12 |
| 23 | Enter Sandman | Metallica | #8 | 16 |
| 24 | Dangerous | The Doobie Brothers | #3 | 10 |
| 25 | Poundcake | Van Halen | #3 | 8 |
Week by week
Each week’s #1 song. Click one to open that week’s full top 25.
| Week | Alternative #1 | Mainstream #1 |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 1991 | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. |
| Apr 22, 1991 | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. |
| Apr 29, 1991 | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. |
| May 6, 1991 | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. | Lift Me UpYes |
| May 13, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Lift Me UpYes |
| May 20, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Lift Me UpYes |
| May 27, 1991 | Obvious SongJoe Jackson | Lift Me UpYes |
| Jun 3, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Lift Me UpYes |
| Jun 10, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Lift Me UpYes |
| Jun 17, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Lift Me UpYes |
| Jun 24, 1991 | There She GoesThe La's | Smokestack LightningLynyrd Skynyrd |
| Jul 1, 1991 | Get The MessageElectronic | Learning To FlyTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Jul 8, 1991 | Get The MessageElectronic | Learning To FlyTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Jul 15, 1991 | Shiny Happy PeopleR.E.M. | Learning To FlyTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Jul 22, 1991 | CrazySeal | Smokestack LightningLynyrd Skynyrd |
| Jul 29, 1991 | Kiss Them For MeSiouxsie & The Banshees | Learning To FlyTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Aug 5, 1991 | Kiss Them For MeSiouxsie & The Banshees | Learning To FlyTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Aug 12, 1991 | Kiss Them For MeSiouxsie & The Banshees | End Of The LineThe Allman Brothers Band |
| Aug 19, 1991 | SatisfiedSqueeze | End Of The LineThe Allman Brothers Band |
| Aug 26, 1991 | SatisfiedSqueeze | End Of The LineThe Allman Brothers Band |
| Sep 2, 1991 | SatisfiedSqueeze | Out In The ColdTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Sep 9, 1991 | SatisfiedSqueeze | Out In The ColdTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Sep 16, 1991 | SatisfiedSqueeze | Out In The ColdTom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| Sep 23, 1991 | So You Think You're In LoveRobyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | DreamlineRush |
| Sep 30, 1991 | So You Think You're In LoveRobyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | DreamlineRush |
| Oct 7, 1991 | So You Think You're In LoveRobyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | DreamlineRush |
| Oct 14, 1991 | So You Think You're In LoveRobyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | DreamlineRush |
| Oct 21, 1991 | So You Think You're In LoveRobyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Oct 28, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Nov 4, 1991 | Give It AwayRed Hot Chili Peppers | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Nov 11, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Nov 18, 1991 | The FlyU2 | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Nov 25, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Dec 2, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Get A Leg UpJohn Mellencamp |
| Dec 9, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Heavy FuelDire Straits |
| Dec 16, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Heavy FuelDire Straits |
| Dec 23, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Mysterious WaysU2 |
| Dec 30, 1991 | Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana | Mysterious WaysU2 |