And so we take our first trip to 1988. What took so long? Well, the syndication package only plays AT40s that Casey hosted, and he left the show in the middle of '88. So obviously, there's no 1989 shows either. But anyway, here we are. The Calgary Winter Olympics were a week away, and while the world geared up for that, the following sounds came blaring out of America's radios.
40 - "Rhythm of Love," Yes
39 - "Out of the Blue," Debbie Gibson
38 - "I Want Her," Keith Sweat
37 - "Faith," George Michael
36 - "There's the Girl," Heart
35 - "Because of You," The Cover Girls
34 - "Be Still My Beating Heart," Sting
33 - "853-5937," Squeeze
32 - "Endless Summer Nights," Richard Marx
31 - "Love Overboard," Gladys Knight and the Pips
We'll begin with the rock bands. Yes had their last Top 40 hit with this song that seems to counsel someone with a poor outlook on love to buck up. I think that's it. But it's okay, and the harmonies at the beginning are pretty sweet. Heart return from last time with perhaps the most mediocre of their awful late-80s/early 90s hits. It's just there. And Squeeze had their second and last major U.S. pop hit with this this old-school-R&B-flavored about calling a woman named Angela but always getting her answering machine. This causes suspicion, especially when the protagonist calls a male friend of his and gets his machine. Hmmmmmm...
Next we go to female-fronted dance-pop. Debbie Gibson had her third hit with this song about love finding you when you least expected. A nice, sunny confection. Sometimes that's exactly what's required. And New York's Cover Girls had their first hit with this latin-tinged hit about a guy who has them "jumping up and down, spinning round and round." I guess that's a good thing. Oh, and one of the ladies in the group was once married to one of the "C"s in C+C Music factory. That's something.
A couple of R%B hits here. Keith Sweat (yes, he was apparently born with that name) had his first hit with this funky cry of lust that is a prime example of the genre offshoot known as "new jack swing." And swing it does. Good stuff. And Gladys Knight and the Pips had their first pop hit in thirteen years with this state-of-the-charts hit that compares falling in love to drowning. I suppose it can feel like that at times. It may not quite measure up to some of their classics, but damn if Gladys doesn't sell me on it. She's that good.
We finish with three solo men. George Michael returns one more time with his ode to belief and not being tied down to "the loverboy rule," whatever that is. Did one of his past lovers force him to only listen to "Hot Girls in Love" and "Working for the Weekend"? That would not have been pleasant. Sting had his sixth solo hit with this ballad about being hesitant to fall in love again after past heartbreaks. It's evocative, put not pretentious. One of his better efforts on his own. And Richard Marx had his third hit with this midtempo ballad about a summertime romance that ends with the season. It's well-worn lyrical territory, and it doesn't add anything new or interesting. This is when it started to become clear that Marx was going to be primarily a sapmeister.
30 - "So Emotional," Whitney Houston
29 - "Just Like Paradise," David Lee Roth
28 - "Honestly," Stryper
27 - "I Get Weak," Belinda Carlisle
26 - "I Found Someone," Cher
25 - "Push It," Salt-N-Pepa
24 - "Crazy," Icehouse
23 - "Can't Stay Away From You," Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
22 - "Candle in the Wind (Live)," Elton John
21 - "Pop Goes the World," Men Without Hats
This section kicks off with solo women. Whitney is back one more time singing about how she gets when she thinks of her man. Still pretty good. Belinda Carlisle had another of the highlights of her solo run with this catchy tune about a strength-sapping infatuation. Yeah, I like the Go-Gos better, but I don't deny that Belinda could do good stuff on her own. And Cher returned to the charts after nearly nine years with this Michael Bolton-cowritten power ballad about...well, the title makes it pretty obvious. You know what? Cher makes Michael Bolton sound good. It works.
There are solo men here, but only two of 'em, only two. David Lee Roth had his second and last Top Ten on his own with this pleasant pop-rocker about being out and about with a good woman by his side. It hasn't held up well. And now he's back with Van Halen. I understand they have a new album coming out. We'll see how that goes. And Elton John is back from last time, singing about Marilyn. Apparently, there will be a lot of that going on in that heavily-hyped new TV show Smash I haven't decided whether or not I'll watch that.
We close the first half with groups. Metalheads-for-Jesus Stryper are back from last time with a power ballad that skimps on the power. But at least their yellow-and-black outfits were cool, right? Right? Salt-N-Pepa also come back from last time. I'm not sure what "pushing it" entails, but apparently it's not a dance for everybody, only the sexy people. So it's definitely for me. Icehouse are also making a return engagement, telling a lover that their something wrong with her given her choice of romantic companions. Yeah, good strategy. Gloria E. and co. continued their climb to stardom with this bland love song about always needing to be close to someone. If it wasn't Gloria, I'd recommend a restraining order. And Men Without Hats...also return from last time with this fun bit of silliness that may be better than "The Safety Dance." Yeah, I know, perish the thought. But I think it might be true.
Tomorrow: House storms the American pop charts, a future practical joke, and another actor tries singing.
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