Songwriter Diane Warren emerged as a major force in 1989. She penned five of the year end Top 40 hits, including the top single of the year by Cher. "If I Could Turn Back Time" took very little time to become a hit, reaching the top ten in only it's second week. It showed incredible staying power by logging a total of 26 weeks in the Top 40 making it the top single of 1989. Jeff Healey showed stamina himself with the summer's biggest hit, "Angel Eyes". The summer of 1989 featuring several AOR hits including top 40 hits for Saraya, The Cult and The Bulletboys among others. One of those acts reached number one in September. The Stage Dolls scored their only Top 40 hit to date with the number one "Love Cries", number 33 for the year. Madonna reclaimed top act of the year honors by scoring a pair of number one singles ("Like A Prayer" and "Express Yourself"). She nearly earned a third, but "Cherish" was kept from the top spot by Cher. Bon Jovi and Paula Abdul each made it to the top twice in 1989, earning honors for top group and top new act, respectively. Billy Joel ended the year with his first number one single in three years, "We Didn't Start The Fire".
TOP ACT OVERALL Madonna
TOP MALE ARTIST Richard Marx
TOP FEMALE ARTIST Madonna
TOP GROUP Bon Jovi
TOP NEW ACT Paula Abdul
21 songs reached #1 on UU-BRU in 1989
