1990 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1990 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1990, honoring the best music videos from June 2, 1989, to June 1, 1990. The show was hosted by Arsenio Hall at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
This year saw the elimination of yet another one of the show's original categories, Best Stage Performance in a Video. This would turn out to be the last time an award from 1984 would be permanently eliminated.
Janet Jackson was presented the Video Vanguard Award for her contributions and influence within music and popular culture. She also performed a controversial rendition of "Black Cat", considered "her first shocking public statement." For the second year in a row, Madonna was one of the night's biggest winners, taking home three technical awards, while Sinéad O'Connor was the other most rewarded artist of 1990, also winning three Moonmen including Video of the Year. Meanwhile, most other winners that night took home two awards, including Aerosmith, Don Henley, The B-52s, Tears for Fears, and MC Hammer.
Regarding nominations, Madonna also had the distinction of being the most nominated artist of the night, as her video for "Vogue" received nine nominations, making it also the most nominated video of 1990. Closely following in nominations came Aerosmith, whose video for "Janie's Got a Gun" earned eight nominations that night and took home two awards, including Viewer's Choice.
Nominations
Winners are in bold text.Video of the Year
Sinéad O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Don Henley – "The End of the Innocence"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
Best Male Video
- Billy Idol – "Cradle of Love"
- MC Hammer – "U Can't Touch This"
- Michael Penn – "No Myth"
Best Female Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
- Alannah Myles – "Black Velvet"
- Michelle Shocked – "On the Greener Side"
Best Group Video
- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Midnight Oil – "Blue Sky Mine"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Higher Ground"
- Tears for Fears – "Sowing the Seeds of Love"
Best New Artist in a Video
- Bell Biv DeVoe – "Poison"
- The Black Crowes – "Jealous Again"
- Jane Child – "Don't Wanna Fall in Love"
- Lenny Kravitz – "Let Love Rule"
- Alannah Myles – "Black Velvet"
- Lisa Stansfield – "All Around the World"
Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
- Faith No More – "Epic"
- Mötley Crüe – "Kickstart My Heart"
- Slaughter – "Up All Night"
Best Rap Video
- Digital Underground – "The Humpty Dance"
- Biz Markie – "Just a Friend"
- Young MC – "Principal's Office"
Best Dance Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Janet Jackson – "Rhythm Nation"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
Best Post-Modern Video
- Depeche Mode – "Personal Jesus"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Higher Ground"
- Tears for Fears – "Sowing the Seeds of Love"
Best Video from a Film
- Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"
- Prince – "Batdance"
- ZZ Top – "Doubleback"
Breakthrough Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Sinéad O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – "Higher Ground"
Best Direction in a Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Don Henley – "The End of the Innocence"
Best Choreography in a Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
- MC Hammer – "U Can't Touch This"
Best Special Effects in a Video
- Paula Abdul – "Opposites Attract"
- Billy Idol – "Cradle of Love"
- Billy Joel – "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Best Art Direction in a Video
- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Billy Joel – "We Didn't Start the Fire"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
Best Editing in a Video
- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Don Henley – "The End of the Innocence"
- MC Hammer – "U Can't Touch This"
Best Cinematography in a Video
- Aerosmith – "Janie's Got a Gun"
- Don Henley – "The End of the Innocence"
- Billy Joel – "We Didn't Start the Fire"
Viewer's Choice
- Don Henley – "The End of the Innocence"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
- Sinéad O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"
International Viewer's Choice Awards
[MTV Australia]
Midnight Oil – "Blue Sky Mine"- Boom Crash Opera – "Onion Skin"
- Max Q – "Sometimes"
- Kylie Minogue – "Better the Devil You Know"
[MTV Brasil]
- Djavan – "Oceano"
- Engenheiros do Hawaii – "Alívio Imediato"
- Os Paralamas do Sucesso – "Perplexo"
- Caetano Veloso – "Estrangeiro"
[MTV Europe]
- Laid Back – "Bakerman"
- Gary Moore – "Still Got the Blues "
- Sinéad O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"
MTV Internacional
- Franco De Vita – "Louis"
- Los Prisioneros – "Tren al Sur"
- Soda Stereo – "En la Ciudad de la Furia"
[MTV Japan]
- Yasuyuki Okamura – "Vegetable"
- Jun Togawa – "Virgin Blues"
- Mami Yamase – "Go!"
Video Vanguard Award
Performances
- Janet Jackson – "Black Cat"
- Mötley Crüe – "Don't Go Away Mad "
- MC Hammer – "Let's Get It Started"/"U Can't Touch This"
- INXS – "Suicide Blonde"
- Sinéad O'Connor – "Nothing Compares 2 U"
- New Edition – "Poison"/"Tap Into My Heart"/"Rub You the Right Way"/"Sensitivity"/"If It Isn't Love"/"Mr. Telephone Man"/"Can You Stand the Rain"
- Faith No More – "Epic"
- Phil Collins – "Sussudio"
- 2 Live Crew – "Banned in the U.S.A."
- World Party – "Put the Message in the Box"
- Aerosmith – "Love in an Elevator"
- Madonna – "Vogue"
Appearances
Main show
- Don Henley – presented Best Female Video
- Robert Downey, Jr. – presented Best Video from a Film
- Pauly Shore – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
- Living Colour – presented Best New Artist in a Video
- Martha Quinn – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Rachel Ward and Isiah Thomas – presented Best Choreography in a Video
- Downtown Julie Brown – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
- Oliver Stone – presented Best Direction in a Video
- Daisy Fuentes and Jordan Brady – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Kim Basinger – presented Best Dance Video
- Nia Peeples – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Billy Idol – presented Best Group Video
- Ken Ober – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette about Viewer's Choice voting procedures
- Sherilyn Fenn and Michael Ontkean – presented Breakthrough Video and Best Post-Modern Video
- Fab Five Freddy – briefly interviewed MC Hammer in a pre-commercial vignette and told viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Eric Bogosian – briefly spoke about censorship in the U.S. and introduced 2 Live Crew
- Christina Applegate and David Faustino – presented Best Metal/Hard Rock Video
- Riki Rachtman – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Curt Smith and Wilson Phillips – introduced the International Viewer's Choice Award winners
- VJs Richard Wilkins, Astrid Fontenelle, Maiken Wexø, Daisy Fuentes and Dionne Mitsuoka – announced their respective region's Viewer's Choice winner
- Susan Dey and David Cassidy – presented Viewer's Choice
- Ray Cokes – briefly introduced Brazilian Viewer's Choice winners Titãs before a commercial break and told viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Flavor Flav and Queen Latifah – presented Best Rap Video
- Magic Johnson – presented the Video Vanguard Award
- Ed Lover and Doctor Dré – appeared in a pre-commercial vignette telling viewers what was 'coming up' on the show
- Paula Abdul – presented Best Male Video
- Mike Patton – was interviewed briefly by Downtown Julie Brown before a commercial break
- Cher – presented Video of the Year
Post-show
- Kurt Loder – introduced the winners of the professional categories