Category Archives: 1988

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 This Week – Week Ending November 5, 1988: Songs 10-1

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Welcome back, as we wrap up this week’s Top 40 Countdown! This brought back a lot of fond memories for me. And I do love how there was quite a few different genres represented throughout this whole countdown. So, let’s Return to the week ending November 5, 1988, and see what were the most popular songs in the country

10. “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)” by Information Society

Awesome song that has that eary-mid ’80s sound. And yes that’s Leonard Nimoy’s voice as Mr. Spock from the Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy”, which was the first time we saw the Klingons in the Star Trek universe.

 

9. “Red Red Wine” by UB40

Wow, my two least favorite ’80s songs are both on the same countdown! First there was “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”. And now there’s this Neil Diamond cover.

 

 

8. “Desire” by U2

Awesome rocker, which was U2’s first single off their Rattle and Hum album. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

 

7. “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS

If you noticed that the last three bands in this countdown have an abbreviation/acronym as a band name, welcome to my brain.

 

 

6. “One Moment In Time” by Whitney Houston

It is in the middle of Fall, and this 1988 Olympic theme song is still going strong.

 

 

 

5. “Bad Medicine” by Bon Jovi

After Slippery When Wet launched Bon Jovi in the stratosphere, they did not let up, as they followed up with the incredible New Jersey album, with “Bad Medicine” as the lead single.

 

4. “The Loco-Motion” by Kylie Minoque

Kylie Minogue was the third act to make this song a top 5 hit, starting with LIttle Eva in 1962 and Grand Funk Railroad in 1974. This song was a locomotion for Minogue, as it started as a hit in her home country of Australia. Then it made it’s way to Europe and Asia, then came to the U.S. and Canada.

 

3. “Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins

We have another cover here, as Phil Collins recorded this Mindbenders 1965/66 hit for the Buster movie soundtrack. Between this song, and “Two Hearts”, you would think the movie was going to be a blockbuster. However, I still haven’t seen it, and I don’t know anybody who ever has.

 

2. “Wild, Wild West” by The Escape Club

This song would go on to be a number one hit next week. The Escape Club the only British artist to have a No. 1 hit in the United States while never charting in the UK.

 

1. “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys

I think we can track the division in the country back to this song. I personally think it’s a fun song, although I did get very sick of it. But, a lot of people had this extreme hatred of this song. And seeing John Stamos on drums really sent them over the edge! This song would be their last hit on the Hot 100.

Well that wraps up the Top 40 this week. I hope you enjoyed it! The next time, we will hop back across the pond to the U.K. In the meantime, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 This Week – Week Ending November 5, 1988: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back to this week’s countdown! I hope you are all enjoying it so far. Here are some famous quotes from 1988. Can you guess who made them:

“Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy”

“Read my lips: no new taxes”

“Just do it”

“It’s everywhere you want to be”

“I’m not bad- I’m just drawn that way”

Now let’s Return to the week ending November 5, 1988 and continue the countdown. Don’t forget, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, on with the countdown!

20. “I Don’t Want Your Love” by Duran Duran

Were the remaining 3 members of Duran Duran singing this to their former guitarist, Andy Taylor? I don’t know, but it’s a pretty cool tune.

 

 

19. “Don’t Be Cruel” by Bobby Brown

This is the second “Don’t Be Cruel” of the countdown. But, this one is a Bobby Brown original, when he was at the top of his game.

 

 

18. “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” by Cinderella

Only in the ’80s could you go from a great new jack swing song to an awesome glam metal power ballad in the same countdown! Yes ’80s, we didn’t know what we had till you were gone.

 

17. “Look Away” by Chicago

Chicago is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I could not get enough of this song. This power ballad, written by Diane Warren, is Chicago’s largest selling single. It topped the charts for two weeks, matching the chart success of the group’s “If You Leave Me Now” (1976) and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (1982).

 

16. “Another Lover” by Giant Steps

Giant Steps was a pop duo from England. This was their only top 40 hit. It came off of their lone album, The Book of Pride.

 

 

15. Kissing a Fool” by George Michael

This jazzy song was the seventh and final single to be released from the Faith album. It was also the least successful single of the album, only peaking at #5. Slacker.

 

 

14. “Chains of Love” by Erasure

The synthpop duo, Erasure, finally broke through in the U.S. with this song,as it peaked at #12. This was Erasure’s sixth consecutive U.K. Top 20 hit.

 

 

13. “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird” by Will to Power

This mashup of Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” will soon top the charts (December 3, 1988). Kudos for taking two overplayed classic rock songs, and making them fresh again. Only to become overplayed itself. I’m liking it again, 30 years later.

 

12. “How Can I Fall?” by Breathe

Great ballad by the British pop group, Breathe. It would go on to peak at #3 on the Hot 100, and top the Billboard adult contemporary chart, Breathe’s only single to accomplish this feat.

 

 

11. “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do?” by Steve Winwood

What is it with all the questions? This song is OK. But, I had gotten sick of it before it was officially released. It was used in a national TV commercial for Michelob.

 

This is shaping up to be a damn good countdown! We will wrap this up on Friday. See you then!

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 This Week – Week Ending November 5, 1988: Songs 30-21

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Hi Everybody! Welcome back as we continue the countdown! I understand that as we get into the late 80s, we are starting to lose that classic 80s sound. So, this can be depressing for some. But for me, this was a great time. I had just graduated high school. And because I was working a part time job, I was starting to get my own money. So of course I spent a lot of it on music. The late 80s were good to me as I was coming into my own.
Now, let’s Return back to the week ending November 5, 1988, and continue the countdown!

30. “Edge of a Broken Heart” by Vixen

Great way to start the countdown today! I loved Vixen from the time they first came out and released this song. I actually had this on a 45. If you like this song, you should check out Vixen’s entire self-titled album. Every song is great, and the album would be one of my top “desert island” choices. It should also be noted that Richard Marx was one of the writers of this song.

 

29. “Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin

I’ll be happy when this annoying song is over.

 

 

 

28. “Don’t Be Cruel” by Cheap Trick

OK, I’m happy now. This is a pretty cool cover of Elvis’ hit. This is a good follow-up to Cheap Trick’s comeback #1 smash hit, “The Flame”.

 

 

27. “The Promise” by When in Rome

This awesome song by the British band When in Rome, reached up to #11. It had a bit of a resurgence in recent years, as it was featured in the cult movie Napoleon Dynamite in 2004.

 

 

26. “Walk On Water” by Eddie Money

The hits keep on coming! I guess I was on a 45 kick in 1988, as I also owned this one. This song was written by one-time Sammy Hagar keyboardist Jesse Harms.

 

 

25. “Forever Young” by Rod Stewart

This was the second single released from Rod Stewart’s awesome Out of Order album. I had lost hope in Stewart staying “forever young” as he was only focusing on big band music in recent years. However, he just released a new pop album, Blood Red Roses on September 28, 2018.

 

24. “A Word in Spanish” by Elton John

I had totally forgotten about this song. This was the other song released from Elton John’s Reg Strikes Back album, after “I Don’t Wanna Go On with You Like That”. With the exception of a few songs, I still much prefer his 70s music.

 

23. “Waiting for a Star to Fall” by Boy Meets Girl

This song was inspired for the Girl, Shannon Rubicam, when she saw an actual falling star at one of Whitney Houston’s concerts at the Greek Theatre. The folowing is from Wikipedia: “Initially, the duo did not consider recording it, and instead submitted the song to Clive Davis hoping he would decide to use it on Houston’s next album. He rejected it, suggesting that it did not suit her. The song was then offered to and recorded by Belinda Carlisle for her 1987 release Heaven on Earth, at the insistence of her label, but Carlisle disliked it and refused to include it on the album.”

Well that worked out for Boy Meets Girl, as it became their signature hit.

22. “Giving You the Best That I Got” by Anita Baker

This was Anita Baker’s biggest hit on the Hot 100 as it would go on to peak at #3. It also topped the Billboard R&B chart for 2 weeks. It also won Grammys for Best Female R&B Vocal performance and Best R&B Song.

 

21. “Love Bites” by Def Leppard

This was never one of my favorite Def Leppard songs. However, it was their only #1 hit. I have warmed up to it over the years, and love it now. Part of the reason is the nostalgia factor, and part of it is that it is a great song!

 

That wraps up today’s list of songs. And what a great list it was! What do you think? What were some of your favorites? What were you doing this week in 1988. I’d love to hear from you. In the meantime, please come back tomorrow as we continue the countdown.

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 This Week – Week Ending November 5, 1988: Songs 40-31

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Time for another Top 40 countdown! With Election Day tomorrow, I decided to go with the week of an Election Day from the 80s. I had already done 1984 for this week. So, we will go towards the end of the Reagan era. This Presidential race was George H. W. Bush against Michael Dukakis. This was the first election I voted in.

I had graduated earlier in the year, and was now attending Community College. Well actually, I was registered at the Community College of Rhode Island. However, I attended DG’s Arcade instead of actual college classes. 3 months later I was heading to Great Lakes, in the dead of winter, for Navy boot camp.

Now, let’s Return to the week ending November 5, 1988, and see what songs may have come on the radio in my 1981 Chevy Citation, on the way to the arcade.

As usual, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover to check out this song on Amazon.

40. “Spy in the House of Love” by Was (Not Was)

This is a pretty good song with a funky beat. But, I spend the entire song waiting for them to burst out singing about walking a dinosaur.

 

 

39. “I’ll Always Love You” by Taylor Dayne

Taylor Dayne burst on to the scene in 1987 with her debut album, Tell It to My Heart. She was one of the hottest acts around in the late ’80s/early ’90s. This was the 3rd song released from her debut album, and first ballad. It got Taylor Dayne nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal, was also nominated for Best R&B Song.

38. “Time and Tide” by Basia

This song from Basia’s debut album of the same name, is her biggest hit.

 

 

 

37. “Small World” by Huey Lewis and the News

This is the title track of Huey Lewis and the News’ last album released release on Chrysalis. The album did not sell as well as the band’s previous albums, Sports and Fore!.

 

36. “True Love” by Glenn Frey

This forgotten gem (well, I had forgotten about it anyway), was released off the late great Glenn Frey’s third studio solo album Soul Searchin’.

 

35. “Finish What Ya Started” by Van Halen

According to the book, Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga, Van Halen’s OU812 album was complete (or so they thought), Eddie came up with the riff at 2 in the morning and went down to his then-neighbor Sammy Hagar to show it. Hagar let Eddie in, and the two played guitars in his balcony until they had a completed song.

34. “Dance Little Sister” by Terence Trent D’Arby

This is a pretty cool, funky song. I would have never listened to it back when it was originally released. That may explain why I don’t remember this song at all.

 

 

33. “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses

This is probably one of the most iconic hard rock songs of the ’80s.

 

 

 

32. “Domino Dancing” by Pet Shop Boys

This seems like a little different sound for the Pet Shop Boys. The music is a freestyle dance style. Before the vocals come in, this sounds like it could be a song by Exposé, Sweet Sensation, or the Cover Girls.

 

31. “Downtown Life” by Daryl Hall & John Oates

Hall and Oates seem to have a different perspective of the city than Guns N’ Roses! Even though Hall & Oates had their best years behind them as far as climbing the charts is concerned, this is a pretty good tune. If it was released in 1982, it may have been a bigger hit.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. Not a bad start. Come back tomorrow to check out songs 30-21.

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 21, 1988: Songs 10-1

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Hi Everybody! Welcome back as we conclude this week’s countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31, 30-21, and songs 20-11. This is an interesting top 10, as there is quite the variety of music. Now, let’s Return to the week ending May 21, 1988, and wrap up the countdown.

10. “Two Occasions” by The Deele

We kick off the top 10 with an R&B ballad. I had never heard of The Deele until recently. There were a couple of music moguls as part of this group – Babyface and L.A. Reid. I remembered this song when I heard it. I like it.

>9. “Everything Your Heart Desires” by Hall & Oates

As we were approaching the end of the decade, we were approaching the end of Hall & Oates’ great run of hits. This song would peak at #3, and become the duo’s 16th, and final, Top 10 hit.

8. “Wait” by White Lion

We are back with another rock song. I loved White Lion. The rocked, and had a little different sound than some bands at the time. Mike Tramp has an interesting voice, and Vito Bratta is an awesome guitarist. This song was White Lion’s big breakthrough hit.

7. “Electric Blue” by Icehouse

Icehouse, not to be confused by the early ’90s hair band Firehouse, was an Australian synthpop band. This is another song that I recognized as soon as I heard it. This song was written by Icehouse lead singer Iva Davies (who happens to turn 60 today) and John Oates. I really enjoy this song.

6. “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” by Foreigner

This rock ballad would also be Foreigner’s 16th, and final top 40 hit.

5. “Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)” by Samantha Fox

As I mentioned earlier in the week, even though I was more of a rock fan, I loved freestyle music too. So I was a huge fan of Samantha Fox. This was big hit for Samantha, peaking at #3.

4. “Always On My Mind” by The Pet Shop Boys

Earlier in the decade, Willie Nelson had a huge hit with this song. The Pet Shop Boys were successful with it as well, with their own synthpop take on it.

 

Now let’s take a look at what was topping some of the other charts this week:

Topping the Rock charts was “The Valley Road” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, which we saw at #25 on the Hot 100 this week.

The #1 R&B hit was “Mercedes Boy” by Pebbles

The biggest Country hit was “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” by Kathy Mattea

Topping the Dance charts was “Like a Child” by Noel

The biggest Album this week was Faith by George Michael

The #1 Adult Contemporary hit is also our #3 hit on the Hot 100 this week:

3. “Shattered Dreams” by Johnny Hates Jazz

This song was a worldwide hit for the English pop group. It was a #5 hit in England in 1987. A year later it would be even more successful in the U.S., hitting #2.

2. “One More Try” by George Michael


The ’80s were a good time for George Michael. He had some huge hits as a member of Wham!, and he had an even bigger solo career. This was a #1 hit off of his classic Faith album. This is one of those songs that I didn’t care for much back then, but love it now.

1. “Anything For You” by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine already had a handful of big hits in the U.S. by this point. But, this was their big breakthrough hit throughout the rest of the world. Just about every hit for Estefan this point forward was an adult contemporary song.

Well that wraps up this week’s countdown. Thanks so much for checking it out. I hope you enjoyed it. There will be more to come in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 21, 1988: Songs 20-11

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Hi Everybody! Welcome back to this week’s countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. In addition to more hits from this week in 1988, we have a Long Distance Dedication today! Now, let’s Return to the week ending May 21, 1988, and move on with the countdown.

 20. “My Girl” by Suave

This is a cover of The Temptation’s classic 1964 hit. This was Suave’s first and biggest hit. There’s a good reason why we haven’t heard much else from him. Suave, whose real name is Waymond Anderson, was sentenced to life in prison in 1993 for arson murder. He torched a crack house near the USC campus, which resulted in the death of a drug addict. He is still in prison. However, new information has been presented that he was in Jackson, Mississippi, visiting his sister the day of the murder. A minister in Jackson also said that he saw Suave in church that day. There were witnesses that implicated Suave, but they have since changed their stories saying that they were placed under duress by the police. This sounds like it could be a Dateline special.

19. “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” by Whitney Houston

This was the fourth single to be released from Whiteney’s second album, Whitney. Initially, Houston did not want to record the song. But, Arista Records CEO Clive Davis believed the song would go to number one if she recorded it, so she obliged. I suppose that Clive Davis did know what he was doing pre-American Idol.
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” did indeed become a number one hit – Houston’s seventh consecutive one in the U.S.

18. “Circle in the Sand” by Belinda Carlisle

I love the Go-Go’s, and I love Belinda Carlisle’s solo work just the same. She has a unique voice. Fun fact: Thomas Dolby played the keyboard for this song.

17. “Make It Real” by The Jets

I enjoyed The Jets back in the day. This is a really good ballad. It would be the group’s fifth and final Top 10 hit.

16. “Dreaming” by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

OMD had that classic ’80s New Wave sound. This song was released as a single from their greatest hits album, and would be their last single before the band split up.

15. “Angel” by Aerosmith

As with all the other singles released from Aerosmith’s huge comeback album, this song was overplayed beyond belief. It is a good ballad that I would enjoy more if it wasn’t played so much.

14. “Together Forever” by Rick Astley

I feel like this is a continuation of “Never Gonna Give You Up“. The music sounds the same. And if he’s never gonna give, never gonna give, never gonna give you up [damn earworm!], then that means that you will be Together Forever. So, this all makes sense now – 27 years later! The songs ARE related!

13. “Pink Cadillac” by Natalie Cole

This is a Bruce Springsteen song that was originally released on the B-side of “Dancing in the Dark“. In 1988, Natalie Cole covered the song and ran away with it, making it a Top 10 single. I was never a big fan of this song. I also get confused between this song and Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love.”

Long Distance Dedication

We have now arrived at a staple of American Top 40 – The Long Distance Dedication. Most of us have had childhood friends that we have long lost touch with – either because they moved away, or we moved away. Robert sent in a letter that most of us can relate to. He says,

Dear Casey,

Good friends are important to all of us – and I have two of the best. In 1981 I moved to Frankfurt, Germany with my military family. I was nervous: no friends, a new school AND a new country. I clearly remember my first day of seventh grade. I slowly walked to the bus stop and stood away from everyone. There was not a soul I knew. As the bus pulled up I reluctantly boarded and took a seat by myself. I kept my eyes forward – scared to say anything – until I heard a voice ask me if it was alright to sit next to me. I looked up, said “Yes” and my life was changed forever. I was too nervous to notice that someone else was standing away from the group and not talking – and now he was sitting next to me. His name was LeRoyce and he had just moved to Germany as well. We continued our conversation all the way to school. As fate would have it, we had a few classes together and we got to know each other even better. We spent hours together and I met his younger brother Marvin. The three of us became inseparable. We helped each other through the hard times of growing up. We survived junior high and high school together – never letting each other down. Naturally, high school ended and we were forced to go our separate ways and create our own lives. Unfortunately, after graduation we lost touch. It was not until 12 years later that I made a good attempt to locate LeRoyce and Marvin. I was successful! I found that they were both living in Louisville, Kentucky. I got a hold of them, booked a flight and our reunion was set. I cannot describe the absolute joy of being back together with my best friends. We had a great time and vowed to not let so much time pass between our get togethers. We now meet every summer, rotating between Louisville and my home in Nebraska. In fact, they will be here in July. One bond we have always shared was music. We spent countless hours listening to our favorite songs. One of those songs never fails to remind me of them every time I hear it. Casey, would you please play When Doves Cry by Prince for LeRoyce and Marvin – it was one of our favorite songs and it always reminds me of those great times we spent together. We still listen to it every time we reunite now.

OK, Robert. Here is your long distance dedication:

http://www.mojvideo.com/video-prince-when-doves-cry/63806cee6342494500af

That was “When Doves Cry”, the 1984 classic by Prince from the Purple Rain soundtrack.

Now, on with the countdown.

12. “Wishing Well” by Terence Trent D’Arby

I was never much of a fan of this song. Despite that fact, MTV and radio constantly played it. I don’t hate it as much now, but I’m still not a fan. “Wishing Well” was a #1 hit. It did take a while though, as it was on the charts for 17 weeks before topping the charts.

11. “Piano In the Dark” by Brenda Russell Featuring Joe Esposito

Well, this song gets my vote for song of the day. I loved this song when it came out, and I still do. “Piano in the Dark” was in heavy rotation as I was sorting mail at the post office. This would be Brenda Russell’s biggest hit, peaking at number 6 on the Hot 100. It also earned Russell two Grammy Award nominations in 1989, including one for Song of the Year.

That’s it for today. We will wrap up the countdown on Friday. As always, please let me know what you think of the countdown so far, and if you have any memories from 1988 that you’d like to share..

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 21, 1988: Songs 30-21

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Hi Everybody! Welcome back to this week’s countdown! If you missed the first 10 songs, you can go ahead and check them out. Today we have quite the variety of music we come to expect from the mid-to-late ’80s. Let’s just jump right into it today, and Return to the week ending May 21, 1988, and continue the countdown.

30. “Kiss Me Deadly” by Lita Ford

What a great way to kick things off! Lita Ford just flat out rocks! This would be Lita’s signature hit. Before this song, I was unaware of The Runaways, so I had no idea that she was such a pioneer for women in rock, along with Joan Jett. Lita’s still rockin’ it today. Her 2012 album, Living Like a Runaway is awesome.

 29. “Dirty Diana” by Michael Jackson

Being a rock fan, this is one of my favorite Michael Jackson songs. This was the fifth single released from the Bad album, and would go on to be a number 1 hit. Jackson scored Eddie Van Halen for “Beat It” from the Thriller album. This time, he got Billy Idol’s guitarist Steve Stevens to play on this song. So good!

28. “One Good Reason” by Paul Carrack

I love when Paul Carrack sings with Mike + The Mechanics and I love his solo hit, “Don’t Shed a Tear“. I didn’t remember this song until I heard the chorus. This is a pretty good one.

27. “Alphabet St.” by Prince


Wow, Prince’s handlers must be slacking off. Last year when I started these countdowns, it was almost impossible to find a Prince video. He’s still not on YouTube, but it is way easier to find his videos now.
I’m not really a post-Revolution Prince fan. I do like his music if I’m in the mood for it. Right now, I’m not in the mood for it.

26. “Prove Your Love” by Taylor Dayne


Taylor Dayne’s follow-up single to her hit “Tell It to My Heart” was a success. This is another high energy freestyle song, just like it’s predecessor. “Prove Your Love” would peak at #7 on the Hot 100.

25. “The Valley Road” by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

This is a typical Bruce Hornsby song. I do tolerate this one a little more than “The Way It Is” and “Mandolin Rain“. But, this is another song that I really need to be in the mood for in order to make it through the song. I made it to around a minute today.

24. “I Still Believe” by Brenda K. Starr

Some of the younger crowd may know this song pretty well. Mariah Carey made this song a big hit in 1998. But, this song was originally done 10 years earlier by Brenda K. Starr. Mariah Carey actually sang backup on this original version. It would be Brenda K. Starr’s only top 20 hit. Mariah Carey did her version as a tribute to Starr because Starr had helped jump-start Carey’s career by handing a demo tape to CBS Records executive Tommy Mottola, who then signed Carey to her first recording contract.

23. “We All Sleep Alone” by Cher

This song often gets overlooked by radio. This was a good song in the middle of one of Cher’s many comebacks. This song was produced by David Geffen and written by Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child and Richie Sambora

22. “Foolish Beat” by Debbie Gibson

As much as I was in love with Debbie Gibson back then, this was not one of my favorite songs. It’s not a bad ballad, but I kind of get bored by it.

21. “Strange But True” by Times Two

This song is from Times Two’s 1988 debut album,X2. It would be their only hit song. It peaked at #20 on the Hot 100. This same year, Times Two was Debbie Gibson’s opening act for her Out of the Blue tour.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. It was kind of a mixed bag for me today. I hope you enjoyed it. We will be back tomorrow with some awesome songs. As always, please let me know what you think of the countdown so far, and if you have any memories from 1988 that you’d like to share..

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 21, 1988: Songs 40-31

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Hi Everybody! At long last, we have a new Top 40 Countdown!!! This week, we will Return to 1988. This week in 1988, I was getting ready to graduate high school. Graduation was in early June, so we were probably getting ready for final exams. Also at this time, I managed to score a temporary full-time job at the U.S Post Office. They would hire people for 89 days. At 90 days you would get Federal benefits, so they only hired you for 89 days. Then you could get hired back for another 89 days if you wanted to go back. After a week of orientation, we were placed into different jobs – mainly some kind of mail sorting. I was already going to be making a lot more money than I ever had. But, I found out that you would make even more if you worked the overnight shift. Works for me! I worked the overnight shift, sorting mail from 11:00pm to 7:00am. Most times, I would sort mail while listening to my Walkman. After 89 days I didn’t return to that job. I was starting college, so I didn’t have time to both work full time, and fall flat on my face at college. I only had time to fll flat on my face at college. A lot of the songs on this week’s countdown really brings me back to those Post Office days. So, let’s Return to the week ending May 21, 1988, and begin the Countdown.

40. “Promise Me” by The Cover Girls


We’ll begin the countdown this week with a really good freestyle ballad. I was mainly into rock, but I always had a soft spot for freestyle music. I don’t remember this song, though. This song was off of The Cover Girls’ 1986 debut album, Show Me.

39. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard


If you don’t know this song, I have no idea why you’re on this web site – not that I’m complaining! This is Def Leppard’s signature song, and reached all the way up to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was kept out of the #1 spot by Richard Marx’s “Hold On to the Nights“. As often as “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, I still love this song each time I hear it. This is one of the rare heavily played songs that does not get old with me. Now, Step inside, walk this way, you and me babe, Hey, hey!

38. “Beds Are Burning” by Midnight Oil

Two rock songs in a row! This one is by the Australian rock band, Midnight Oil. This was the signature hit in the U.S. I feel like I should like this song more than I actually do. I love how the song starts, but get bored about halfway through, even though it rocks.

37. “Nothin’ But a Good Time” by Poison


Three rock songs in a row!!! This is a fun one from Poison’s Open Up and Say… Ahh! album. At the beginning of the video, that is Poison performing the Kiss classic, “Rock and Roll All Nite“. The Poison version is on the Less Than Zero soundtrack.

36. “Nightime” by Pretty Poison

Back to some more freestyle! I had never heard this song before. I’m more familiar with Pretty Poison’s hit “Catch Me (I’m Falling)“. This isn’t bad, but I like Catch Me better.

35. “Da’Butt” by E.U.

Yeah, yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! I forgot about this one. Before Baby got back, we were doing Da’Butt. This was the biggest hit for Experience Unlimited (aka E.U.), peaking right here at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.

34. “Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car” by Billy Ocean

This was a huge hit for Billy Ocean, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Black Singles chart. Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful You’re Mine)” was the inspiration for this song, which has the line “You walked out of my dreams, into my car”. Billy Ocean also had a knack for scoring big hits with long titles: “Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run),” “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)“, and “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going“, along with this song.

33. “The Flame” by Cheap Trick

This was a huge comeback hit for Cheap Trick. I still love this ballad so much. Although Cheap Trick had been around since the ’70s, this was the first song I heard by them. This was a song that constantly came on when I was working at the Post Office.

32. “Nite and Day” by Al B.Sure!

I had forgotten about this song. I like Al B. Sure!, but I don’t own anything by him. I’ll B Sure rectify that.

31. “I’m Still Searching” by Glass Tiger

When Glass Tiger released “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)“, I hope they weren’t talking about this song, because I did forget it. Well, maybe they thought that “Someday“, some goofy blogger would play this on his web site. I actually do like this – even if it does sound like something that would have been from the mid-to-late ’90s.

Well, that wraps up today’s list of songs. We’ll be back to continue the countdown tomorrow. What do you think so far? What are your memories from 1988. Any other members of the greatest class ever out there – the Class of ’88, Baby!!!!

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – August 27, 1988: Songs 10-1

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Welcome back as we conclude this week’s countdown. If you missed the previous songs, can go back and take a listen to songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. Honestly, the songs this week have had their ups and downs with me. And today is no different. So, let’s Return to the week ending August 27, 1988, and wrap up the countdown.

10. “1-2-3” by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

Not a bad way to start of the top 10. This is a noice, upbeat song. I kind of like the guitar solo in it too.

9. “Love Will Save the Day” by Whitney Houston

This is the song that ended Whitney’s string of #1 hits, ending it at 7. It still cracked the top 10 anyway – and that’s without a music video.

8. “Perfect World” by Huey Lewis & The News

Not a perfect song, but not bad either. This was the first single released off of their Small World album.

7. “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood

This Steve Winwood smash hit rolled into the #1 spot on the charts for four straight weeks.

6. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

This was Tracy Chapman’s breakthrough hit. It doesn’t have that classic ’80s sound, but I still like it. It was the beginning of the female singer/songriter sound of the ’90s.

5. “Simply Irresistible” by Robert Palmer

Robert Palmer and the ladies are back in the top 10. I like this song better than most of his others. But, do you think his songs would have been as popular if it wasn’t for the videos?

4. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses

And Rock is still alive in this countdown! I did get sick of this song not long after it was released. But, I like more now than I did then.

3. “I Don’t Wanna Live Without Your Love” by Chicago

With their Chicago 18 album, Chicago proved that they could still be successful without Peter Cetera. Their follow-up, Chicago 19, was even better. This was the first single released from that album.

2. “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” by Elton John

There are quite a few Elton John songs from the ’80s that I don’t like. But, this isn’t one of them. It’s not my favorite, but I like it a lot. This was Elton John’s biggest hit of the ’80s peaking right here at #2.

1. “I Don’t Wanna…I’m sorry, we had a trend going with songs with long titles beginning with I Don’t Wanna Monkey” by George Michael

George Michael was riding sky high at this point. This was his eighth #1 song in the U.S., and it was his fourth straight #1 from his awesome Faith album.

Well that wraps up this week’s countdown. We had some good times, didn’t we? We’ll be back with a new week and year next week. Until then Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – August 27, 1988: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back to this week’s countdown. If you missed the previous songs, you can check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. Let’s just jump right into it, and Return to the week ending August 27, 1988, and continue the countdown.

20. “It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” by Rick Astley

I didn’t remember this song. This is from the same album (Whenever You Need Somebody) as “Never Gonna Give You Up” and “Together Forever”.

“It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” was actually a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

19. “All Fired Up” by Pat Benatar

This is a great rocker by Pat Benatar. This was originally performed by the Australian band, Rattling Sabres in 1987. But, Benatar’s version that became a smashing success.

18. “Nobody’s Fool” by Kenny Loggins

This is my favorite Kenny Loggins tune, and it was the best thing about the movie Caddyshack II.

17. “Another Part of Me” by Michael Jackson

This was the sixth single released from Michael Jackson’s Bad album. It was also featured in the 3D movie, Captain EO in the Disney parks.

16. “I’ll Always Love You” by Taylor Dayne

Time for a slow dance! This is a nice ballad from Taylor Dayne’s debut album, Tell It to My Heart.

15. “If It Isn’t Love” by New Edition

This is one of those songs that I had forgotten about, but remembered when it got to the chorus. This was the post-Bobby Brown New Edition. Ironically, this song was kept out of the #1 spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts by Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel.”

14. “Sign Your Name” by Terence Trent D’Arby

This was a song that I didn’t like when it was first released, but I like it a little more now.

13. “When It’s Love” by Van Halen

This is a good ballad from Van Halen’s OU812 album, which was a follow-up of 5150. This was probably the most successful song from the album.

12. “Hands to Heaven” by Breathe

I love this song. This was Breathe’s breakthrough hit in the U.S. and U.K.

11. “Make Me Lose Control” by Eric Carmen

I had been sick of Eric Carmen by now after “Hungry Eyes,” from Dirty Dancing, got played to death. But, he won me back over with this song. I still like this one.

Well, that wraps up the countdown for today. Are you liking this countdown so far? What are your favorite and least favorites so far? We will finish the countdown on Friday.