There is just no other way to say it: 1990 was an awful, awful year for music.

The first #1 single of the year belonged to a certain no-talent ass clown. The first act to score two #1 singles that year was Wilson Phillips. Hammer. Jane Child. Vanilla Ice. Stevie B. Linear. Tommy Page. Fucking “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You.” You Mutt Lange apologists out there, start apologizing.

This ripple of suck did not confine itself to the pop charts, either. Modern rock floated aimlessly, as if unsure whether Depeche Mode or Faith No More led the way to the promised land. Hard rock, represented by Guns ‘n’ Roses and Metallica two years ago, now meant Alias and Nelson. The 1990 sassy UK female export was…Betty Boo. Sinead O’Connor released her best album that year, then proceeded to alienate the music-buying public by tearing up a picture of the Pope on national television. One of the biggest club hits involved Suzanne Vega and a Soul II Soul beat. Another involved sampling the Smiths. The rest featured Martha Wash (audio only, not video).

It sort of makes sense then, amidst all of this chaos, that someone would think a dance-oriented remake of “Strawberry Fields Forever” was a good idea. (more…)