| 1990 MTV Video Music Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | Thursday, September 6, 1990 |
| Location | Universal Amphitheatre,Universal City,California,United States |
| Country | United States |
| Hosted by | Arsenio Hall |
| Most awards | Madonna andSinéad O'Connor (3 each) |
| Most nominations | Madonna (9) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | MTV |
| Produced by | Doug Herzog Gregory Sills |
| Directed by | Bruce Gowers |
The1990MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 6, 1990, honoring the bestmusic videos from June 2, 1989, to June 1, 1990. The show was hosted byArsenio Hall at theUniversal 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 from1984 would be permanently eliminated (although Breakthrough Video was eliminated in 2006 and then brought back in 2009).
Janet Jackson was presented theVideo 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."[1] For the second year in a row,Madonna was one of the night's biggest winners, taking home three technical awards, whileSinéad 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, includingAerosmith,Don Henley,The B-52s,Tears for Fears, andMC 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 cameAerosmith, whose video for "Janie's Got a Gun" earned eight nominations that night and took home two awards, including Viewer's Choice.
MTV announced in late June that the 1990 Video Music Awards would be held on September 6 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, with Arsenio Hall returning as host.[2] Nominees were announced on July 10.[3] The ceremony marked the first time that MTV self-produced the awards show.[2] The ceremony was preceded by a 90-minute preshow.[4] Hosted byDowntown Julie Brown,Ed Lover,Doctor Dré,Ray Cokes, andKurt Loder, the broadcast featured red carpet interviews, pre-taped features on the nominees, and interviews withAxl Rose andJon Bon Jovi excerpted fromFamous Last Words with Kurt Loder.
| Artist(s) | Song(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Janet Jackson | "Black Cat" | |
| Mötley Crüe | "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" | |
| MC Hammer | "Let's Get It Started" "U Can't Touch This" | |
| INXS | "Suicide Blonde" | |
| Sinéad O'Connor | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | |
| New Edition Bell Biv DeVoe Bobby Brown Johnny Gill Ralph Tresvant | Medley "Poison"(Bell Biv DeVoe only) "Tap Into My Heart"(Bobby Brown only) "Rub You the Right Way"(Johnny Gill only) "Sensitivity"(Ralph Tresvant only) "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" |
Winners are inbold text.
| Wins | Artist |
|---|---|
| 3 | Madonna |
| Sinéad O'Connor | |
| 2 | Aerosmith |
| Janet Jackson | |
| MC Hammer | |
| The B-52s | |
| Tears for Fears |
| Nominations | Artist |
|---|---|
| 9 | Madonna |
| 8 | Aerosmith |
| 6 | Don Henley |
| Paula Abdul | |
| Sinéad O'Connor | |
| 5 | MC Hammer |
| 4 | Tears for Fears |
| 3 | Billy Idol |
| Billy Joel | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | |
| 2 | Alannah Myles |
| Janet Jackson | |
| Michael Penn | |
| Midnight Oil | |
| The B-52s |