October 3, 1992 Sinéad O'Connor, famous for her hit song "Nothing Compares 2 U," goes way off script during her Saturday Night Live appearance, declaring "Fight the real enemy" and tearing up a picture of the Pope.More
September 8, 1992 Tom Waits' album Bone Machine drops a sonic avalanche of apocalyptic percussion sounds, snarls, and deathly wails - and fans love him for it.More
September 5, 1992 Following in the tradition of Billy Joel and David Bowie, John Mellencamp marries a supermodel: Elaine Irwin.More
August 20, 1992 Embroiled in controversy over his song "Cop Killer," Ice-T doubles down by appearing in a police uniform on the cover of Rolling Stone.More
February 25, 1992 Tori Amos releases her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes, in the US. The piano-based collection allows the singer-songwriter to truly express herself for the first time on confessional tracks like "Me And A Gun" and "Silent All These Years."More
February 22, 1992 When the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform "Under The Bridge" on Saturday Night Live, their guitarist John Frusciante sabotages the song, playing unevenly and screaming into the microphone during his background part. His frustrations lead him to quit the band in May.More
January 26, 1992 Presidential candidate Bill Clinton appears on the news program 60 Minutes with his wife, Hillary, who in response to a discussion about her husband's infidelity, says, "I'm not sitting here – some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette."More
November 11, 1991 Per Michael Jackson's wishes, one week before his controversial "Black Or White" music video airs, a memo circulates at MTV instructing the network's on-air personnel to refer to Jackson as the King of Pop at least twice a week during the next two weeks.More
October 12, 1991 The Day on the Green Festival takes place at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. Headlined by Metallica, the lineup also includes Queensrÿche, Faith No More and Soundgarden.
October 4, 1991 R&B singer J. Frank Wilson dies at age 49, after years of alcohol abuse takes its toll.
September 28, 1991 Thanks to a proliferation of "New Country" radio stations and more accurate reporting, country music goes mainstream as Garth Brooks' Ropin' the Wind becomes the first country album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.More
September 10, 1991 Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is released as a single, forever changing the musical meaning of the word "Alternative."More
September 5, 1991 Guitarist C.C. DeVille is kicked out of Poison after he sabotages their performance at the MTV Video Music Awards by playing "Talk Dirty To Me" instead of "Unskinny Bop" as planned. DeVille rejoins the band five years later.More
August 27, 1991 Pearl Jam release their debut album, Ten, which launches them to stardom and puts them in the forefront of the Seattle grunge movement.More
August 20, 1991 Spin Doctors release their debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite. It sells over 5 million copies thanks to the hits "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes."More
August 17, 1991 Nirvana shoot their video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It is set to look like a deranged pep rally at "Anarchy High School," and features fans recruited at a concert two days earlier. The video is a huge hit on MTV and helps propel Nirvana into the mainstream.More
July 2, 1991 At a Guns N' Roses show in St. Louis, Axl Rose grows irate when he sees someone in the crowd taking pictures, and he leaves the stage, announcing, "Thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home." A riot follows, and the band's equipment is destroyed.More
July 2, 1991 In his first acting role, Ice Cube stars alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the acclaimed drama Boyz N the Hood. Writer/director John Singleton wrote the role of troubled gangster Darrin "Doughboy" Baker specifically for the ex-N.W.A rapper.More
June 11, 1991 Lynyrd Skynyrd return to recording with Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991. It's their sixth album, following Street Surviors, but is their first since the plane wreak take took three band-members lives in 1977. The new lineup initially uses the name "Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991," but eventually has to drop this name after the media and fans essentially ignore it and continue to call them Lynyrd Skynyrd.
May 1, 1991 For the first time, MTV Unplugged features rap acts, with De La Soul, MC Lyte, A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J performing. LL steals the show with a shirtless rendition of "Mama Said Knock You Out."More
February 20, 1991 Alison Krauss wins her first Grammy Award when I've Got That Old Feeling takes Best Bluegrass Recording. By 2016, Krauss wins 26 more statuettes, surpassing Aretha Franklin as the most-awarded female artist in Grammy history and tying for second place with Quincy Jones as the most-awarded living recipient.
February 20, 1991 While two Garth Brooks hits ("The Dance," "Friends In Low Places") are among the nominees for Best Country Song at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards, Kathy Mattea's "Where've You Been" takes the prize. The tender ballad was written by Mattea's husband, Jon Vezner, and Nashville songwriter Don Henry. The tune also earns Mattea the trophy for Best Female Vocal Country Performance.
February 20, 1991 Public Enemy and Sinead O'Connor are nominated for Grammy Awards, but skip the ceremony: PE has beef because the rap award isn't televised; Sinead says they "respect mostly material gain." She wins anyway, taking the trophy for Best Alternative Music Performance for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.More
January 26, 1991 At the second Rock in Rio festival, Norwegian pop trio a-ha draw a crowd of 198,000, breaking the world record for paid attendance at a rock concert - and is snubbed by the press.More
January 15, 1991 On the United Nations deadline for Iraq to remove troops from Kuwait, a new version of "Give Peace A Chance" is released, with contributions from Iggy Pop, Tom Petty, LL Cool J and dozens of others.More
December 3, 1990 Madonna appears on the news program Nightline, where she debuts her video for "Justify My Love," which MTV has refused to play. As the lascivious clip plays, Madonna provides commentary, answering questions from host Forrest Sawyer.More
September 10, 1990 Starring a young rapper named Will Smith, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air debuts on NBC. Smith hones his acting skills during his six seasons on the show, which features guest appearances by his musical partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff.More
August 21, 1990 Jane's Addiction release the alternative rock touchstone Ritual de lo Habitual, which frontman Perry Farrell describes as filled with "sex and violence and joy and happiness."More
July 21, 1990 With a bevy of special guests, Roger Waters performs The Wall at the former site of the Berlin Wall, which came down eight months earlier.More
June 26, 1990 Nelson release their debut album After the Rain, which sells over 2 million copies thanks to the #1 single "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection." Nelson is the duo of Gunnar and Matthew, the twin sons of Rick Nelson.More
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC