This week we travel back to 1988. The day after this countdown originally aired, the Soviet Union began withdrawing from Afghanistan after eight years. And while that happened, this is what America was listening to:
40 - "Dirty Diana," Michael Jackson
39 - "Da Butt," E.U.
38 - "Nite and Day," Al B. Sure!
37 - "Nighttime," Pretty Poison
36 - "I Wish I Had a Girl," Henry Lee Summer
35 - "Kiss Me Deadly," Lita Ford
34 - "Say it Again," Jermaine Stewart
33 - "Alphabet St.," Prince
32 - "The Valley Road," Bruce Hornsby and the Range
31 - "I'm Still Searching," Glass Tiger
We'll begin with two of the decade's giants. Michael Jackson is here with what would be the fifth #1 single from Bad, a hard rock tale of an aggressive groupie. Kind of a prequel to "Billie Jean," and arguably an even more convincing turn at heavy rock than "Beat It." And no, the Diana in the title apparently isn't either Miss Ross or a certain, British royal. And Prince picked up his last non-Batman-associated hit of this decade with a spare-yet-grooving jam about seduction and driving and voyeurism. And the alphabet, I suppose. But whatever, it's short, sweet, and makes me smile.
There's a big chunk of soul and dance in this section. Washington, D.C.'s Experience Unlimited, purveyors of a funk offshoot known as "go-go," had their only Top 40 hit with this attempt to start a rump-centric dance craze. Not an important song at all, but certainly fun. Ain't nothing wrong. Singer Albert Jason Brown changed his name to a pun, added an exclamation point, and found himself on the road to a successful R&B career. His first single, and only pop Top 40, was this smooth loverman ballad in which he declares that "making love in the rain is fine." Okay, I guess that's good to know. Pretty Poison followed up their Top Ten smash "Catch Me (I'm Falling)," with an even more insipid dance number. I am pleased to report that they were never heard from again after this. And Jermaine Stewart, who'd scored a Top Ten two years earlier with "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," had his second and final American hit with this breezy, reggae-inflected number about being in love. It's better than I would have thought.
Two solo rock singers are in the middle of this bunch. On the first of his two Top 40 hits, Henry Lee Summer trades in a less thoughtful version of the rootsy rock that fellow Indianan John Mellencamp made his name on. This is just a by-the-numbers tune about longing for a girl who walks in a certain attractive manner that causes him to announce that he'd like to "take her home and walk her all night long." Yeah, Henry, "walk her." I know your true intentions, and so does this "Leroy" you're talking to. And Lita Ford cemented herself as the second-most successful ex-Runaway with this catchy pop-metal earworm with lyrics about parties that end with fights and wihout sex, problems at home and work, and having trouble making ends meet. But "it ain't no big thing," because Lita likes dancing with you. That's good. Seriously, I like this song so much that it might sneak onto my Top 100 of the decade, should I ever compile such a list.
This group is closed out by bands. Bruce Hornsby and company notched their third and final Top Ten single with a song that tells the tale of a rich girl getting involved with a poor boy, then being forced by her family to break up with him and being sent "to her sister's" for a while (this being code for her having gotten pregnant and going somewhere discreet to have the child and give it up for adoption). Kind of heavy drama for pop, but the Range made it go down smooth while retaining the seriousness of the story. And Glass Tiger hit the American charts for the last time with what I consider their best single by far, a catchy pop-rocker about the eternal quest for happiness. They'd have a few more hits back home in Canada after this, but I can assure the rest of the world that they didn't miss anything.
30 - "I Still Believe," Brenda K. Starr
29 - "Foolish Beat," Debbie Gibson
28 - "One Good Reason," Paul Carrack
27 - "We All Sleep Alone," Cher
26 - "Girlfriend," Pebbles
25 - "Make it Real," The Jets
24 - "Devil Inside," INXS
23 - "Strange but True," Times Two
22 - "Pamela," Toto
21 - "Circle in the Sand," Belinda Carlisle
A whopping five female solo singers in this bunch. Brenda Kaplan altered her name by borrowing from a comic strip character, and her career spawned two pop hits, the biggest of which being this ballad about being convinced that she and a former lover will eventually reunite. Not bad, but Mariah Carey would have a bigger hit with it eleven years later. Debbie Gibson topped the charts for the first time with this ballad about the devestating aftermath of a breakup. She sounded so beyond her tender years on this one that she clearly separated herself from "rival" Tiffany in the artistic department. Cher continued her power ballad-fuelled comeback with this song about how everyone at some point in their lives has to deal with loneliness. Jon Bon Jovi and bandmate Richie Sambora co-wrote this with pro songsmith Desmond Child. I have to say, everyone involved is capable of better. Pebbles returns from last time with her danceable bit of relationship advice. And Belinda Carlisle scored her final Top Ten hit with this evocative ballad about finding a deep, meaningful love. "I begin, baby, where you end." Sounds like a good thing to me.
We finish the first half with the rest, which consists of one solo man and four groups. Paul Carrack followed up his biggest solo hit, "Don't Shed a Tear," with this uptempo pop song about a relationship that works in ways that he can't quite understand. There's no good reason to remember this one. Minnesota's Jets had what would be their last major hit with this ballad about wanting another chance to make a relationship work. It might be the best thing the Wolfgramms ever did, but that isn't saying much. INXS return from last time with their slinky ode to the demon within us all. And yes, I do sometimes wonder how the other half die. California duo Times Two had their only hit with this meh pop song about admitting you have a crush on someone. This song isn't at all strange, and it doesn't ring very true. Double fail, as the kids say. And Toto had their last Top 40 hit with this typical pop-rocker about a woman. About as uninspired as the title of the album it came from, The Seventh One. They were coasting on their name.
Tomorrow: dreams, desires, and cars. Plus a guy who can't stand Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.
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