Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth. In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.
We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1988, the year I graduated from junior high, first really became interested in pop music, and moved on to high school. Z95 and B96 were the hit stations in Chicago at the time and would provide the soundtrack of that year. At 62 songs, over 60% of the Hot 100 remain familiar to me now, with 29 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.
#99: White Lion – Wait
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Released in June of 1987, it didn’t crack the charts until February of 1988 before eventually cracking the top ten and peaking at #8 in May.
#98: Poison – Nothin’ but a Good Time
iTunes stats: 28 plays
The lead single from the band’s second album, it reached #6 on the Hot 100.
#89: Whitney Houston – One Moment in Time
iTunes stats: N/A
Hitting #5, the song was produced for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea.
#85: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Hate Myself for Loving You
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Jett’s third and final top ten single, it peaked at #8 and spent 26 weeks on the chart.
#82: Van Halen – When It’s Love
iTunes stats: 9 plays
The group’s third and final top ten single, it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100 and reached the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.
#79: Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: N/A
Topping the R&B chart for two weeks, the single from Brown’s second solo album hit #8 in October.
#76: Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
iTunes stats: 3 plays
Nominated for three Grammys and winning one, Chapman’s biggest pop hit peaked at #6.
#75: Natalie Cole – Pink Cadillac
iTunes stats: N/A
This cover of a Bruce Springsteen song reached #5 on the Hot 100, giving Cole her first top ten hit since 1978.
#71: Elton John – Candle in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A
Originally written in honor of Marilyn Monroe in 1973, this live version hit #6.
#70: Cheap Trick – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: 31 plays
The Rockford band spent two weeks at #4 In October of 1988 with this cover of the old Elvis hit.
#66: Pretty Poison – Catch Me (I’m Falling)
iTunes stats: N/A
The lone hit from the group, it reached #8 late in 1987.
#65: INXS – New Sensation
iTunes stats: 18 plays
Peaking at #3, this was the third single from the Australian group’s sixth studio album.
#63: Pebbles – Mercedes Boy
iTunes stats: 17 plays
The second, and biggest, single from her debut album, the track went all the way to #2 on the Hot 100.
#62: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – 1-2-3
iTunes stats: N/A
The seventh and final top ten hit for the group, it reached #3 in July of 1988.
#61: Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
iTunes stats: N/A
Jackson returned to the top of the charts with the fifth single from his Bad album.
#57: Belinda Carlisle – I Get Weak
iTunes stats: N/A
Carlisle hit #2 with this second single from her second solo album, written by Diane Warren.
#56: U2 – Desire
iTunes stats: N/A
The first single from the band’s Rattle and Hum album, it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 while winning a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
#54: Debbie Gibson – Out of the Blue
iTunes stats: N/A
The title track from Gibson’s debut album, it reached #3, becoming Gibson’s highest charting single at the time.
#53: Taylor Dayne – Tell It to My Heart
iTunes stats: N/A
Taylor’s debut single, the song spent 25 weeks in the Hot 100, peaking at #7, and earned Dayne a Grammy nomination.
#52: Information Society – What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)
iTunes stats: 15 plays
Featuring vocal samples of Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley from episodes of Star Trek, the group’s sole hit reached #3 in October of 1988.
#49: Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion
iTunes stats: 22 plays
The debut single from Minogue, a cover of the Little Eva hit from the 60s, spent two weeks at #3 and remains her highest-charting US single.
#46: INXS – Devil Inside
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Stalling out at #2 on the Hot 100, it was the second single from the group’s sixth studio album.
#45: George Michael – Monkey
iTunes stats: N/A
The fourth single from the Faith album to reach #1, it spent two weeks atop the charts in August and September.
#44: Rick Astley – Together Forever
iTunes stats: 15 plays
Astley’s second, and final, chart topper in the US.
#42: Beach Boys – Kokomo
iTunes stats: N/A
Featured in the Tom Cruise film Cocktail, it gave the group their first #1 hit in 22 years.
#41: Bon Jovi – Bad Medicine
iTunes stats: 16 plays
The lead single from the band’s fourth album, it became their third hit to reach the top of the Hot 100.
#40: Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser – She’s Like the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A
Featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, it peaked at #3.
#39: UB40 – Red Red Wine
iTunes stats: 24 plays
A minor hit in 1984, this Neil Diamond cover had a second life after UB40 performed it at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert and it went to #1 in October.
#37: Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry, Be Happy
iTunes stats: 19 plays
Reaching #1 for two weeks in September, it became the first a capella song to top the Hot 100
#36: Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me Feel
iTunes stats: N/A
Became the third consecutive single from Jackson’s Bad album to top the charts.
#35: The Bangles – A Hazy Shade of Winter
iTunes stats: 21 plays
This cover of a Simon & Garfunkel hit, recorded for the Less Than Zero soundtrack, peaked at #2.
#34: Aerosmith – Angel
iTunes stats: 14 plays
The third single from the group’s comeback album, it reached #3 and, at the time, was their highest-charting single.
#33: Whitney Houston – Where Do Broken Hearts Go
iTunes stats: N/A
This became Houston’s seventh consecutive #1 single, breaking the previous record she held along with The Beatles and The Bee Gees.
#32: Debbie Gibson – Foolish Beat
iTunes stats: N/A
Topping the Hot 100 in June, it gave the 17-year-old Gibson the record for the youngest person to write, produce, and perform a number-one single entirely on her own.
#30: Def Leppard – Love Bites
iTunes stats: 16 plays
Spending a single week atop the chart, it remains the band’s sole #1 hit.
#29: Phil Collins – A Groovy Kind of Love
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending 25 weeks on the charts and peaking at #1, Collins recorded this cover for the soundtrack to his movie Buster.
#28: Samantha Fox – Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)
iTunes stats: 17 plays
The former pin-up model peaked at #3 in June of 1988.
#27: George Michael – Father Figure
iTunes stats: N/A
The fourth single from Michael’s solo debut album, it spent two weeks at #1 in February and March.
#26: Johnny Hates Jazz – Shattered Dreams
iTunes stats: 20 plays
The group’s highest charting US single reached #2 on the Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for a week.
#25: Eric Carmen – Hungry Eyes
iTunes stats: N/A
Featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, it peaked at #4 and became Carmen’s second Top 40 hit of the decade.
#24: Richard Marx – Hold On to the Nights
iTunes stats: N/A
The final single from his debut album, it was the first to reach #1.
#23: Robert Palmer – Simply Irresistible
iTunes stats: N/A
Earning Palmer his second Grammy award, the song spent two weeks at #2.
#22: Debbie Gibson – Shake Your Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The second single from Gibson’s debut was her second top five hit, peaking at #4.
#21: Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending two weeks atop the Hot 100, it became Jackson’s tenth #1 single.
#19: Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
iTunes stats: 30
My first all-time favorite song, it peaked at #2 during the summer of 1988.
#18: The Escape Club – Wild, Wild West
iTunes stats: 23 plays
The single reached the top of the Hot 100 in November of 1988, making the group the only British artist to have a #1 hit in the US while never charting in the UK.
#17: Whitesnake – Is This Love
iTunes stats: N/A
The second-highest charting single in the band’s career, it reached #2 on the Hot 100.
#16: Exposé – Seasons Change
iTunes stats: N/A
The group’s biggest hit to date, it spent a week at #1 in February, making them one of just two female vocal groups to score a chart-topping hit in the 80s.
#15: Billy Ocean – Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car
iTunes stats: 12 plays
Featured in the comedy classic License to Drive, the song was the final single by Ocean to crack the top ten and his third and last #1 hit.
#14: Cheap Trick – The Flame
iTunes stats: 16 plays
After being asked to work with outside songwriters for their tenth studio album, the band notched their first, and only, #1 hit.
#13: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – Anything for You
iTunes stats: N/A
The first of three chart-topping hits for Estefan, the song spent two weeks at #1 in May.
#12: Terence Trent D’Arby – Wishing Well
iTunes stats: 17 plays
The single took 17 weeks to climb to the top of the Hot 100, the longest trek to the top since 1983.
#11: George Michael – One More Try
iTunes stats: N/A
The third consecutive #1 single from the Faith album, it spent three weeks atop the chart, tied for the longest run of the year.
#10: Steve Winwood – Roll with It
iTunes stats: N/A
At four weeks, it was the longest charting #1 hit of the year and was both the final #1 of Casey Kasem’s original tenure on American Top 40 and the first for new host Shadoe Stevens.
#8: Tiffany – Could’ve Been
iTunes stats: 23 plays
Spending two weeks at #1 in February, it was the second consecutive chart-topping hit for the teenager.
#7: Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth
iTunes stats: 22 plays
The lead single from Carlisle’s second solo album, it became her sole #1 hit.
#6: Whitney Houston – So Emotional
iTunes stats: N/A
The sixth consecutive #1 single for Houston.
#5: Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child o’ Mine
iTunes stats: 43 plays
The group’s only single to top the Hot 100, the song ranked as #37 on Guitar World‘s list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.
#4: Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
iTunes stats: N/A
The first song to become an internet meme, the first single from Astley’s debut album sat atop the Hot 100.
#3: George Harrison – Got My Mind Set on You
iTunes stats: 17 plays
Discovered by Harrison while visiting his sister in Illinois in 1963, the track is, to date, the last #1 hit by a former Beatle.
#2: INXS – Need You Tonight
iTunes stats: N/A
The Australian band’s sole #1 hit in the US.
#1: George Michael – Faith
iTunes stats: N/A
Spending four weeks atop the chart, the title track from Michael’s solo debut spent nine weeks in the top ten.