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The Next TOP SONG of 1988 - 1. Heartbreak Beat - Psychedelic Furs   (1 Viewer)

16.  Working on It - Chris Rea

You might remember Rea from THIS tune which is a great 70s ballad so the 80s pounding rocker from Rea was a pleasant surprise.

Upon release, Billboard listed the song as a recommended pop single and commented: "Top-five hit at album rock shows Rea's new label affiliation to be a smart career move. Straight-ahead, four-on-the-floor power rock could find a home at pop outlets as well."  The Philadelphia Inquirer commented that the song "deserve hit status".[

 
15.  Just Like Heaven - The Cure 

Frontman Robert Smith drew inspiration from a trip to the seashore with his future wife

According to Smith, "The song is about hyperventilating—kissing and fainting to the floor." The lyrics were inspired by a trip with his then-girlfriend (and later wife) Mary Poole to Beachy Head in southern England. Smith said the opening line of the song ("Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick") refers to his childhood memories of mastering magic tricks, but added "on another [level], it's about a seduction trick, from much later in my life".

 
Bracie Smathers said:
15.  Just Like Heaven - The Cure 

Frontman Robert Smith drew inspiration from a trip to the seashore with his future wife

According to Smith, "The song is about hyperventilating—kissing and fainting to the floor." The lyrics were inspired by a trip with his then-girlfriend (and later wife) Mary Poole to Beachy Head in southern England. Smith said the opening line of the song ("Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick") refers to his childhood memories of mastering magic tricks, but added "on another [level], it's about a seduction trick, from much later in my life".
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14 spots too low. One of the best songs ever made

 
Bracie Smathers said:
15.  Just Like Heaven - The Cure 

Frontman Robert Smith drew inspiration from a trip to the seashore with his future wife

According to Smith, "The song is about hyperventilating—kissing and fainting to the floor." The lyrics were inspired by a trip with his then-girlfriend (and later wife) Mary Poole to Beachy Head in southern England. Smith said the opening line of the song ("Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick") refers to his childhood memories of mastering magic tricks, but added "on another [level], it's about a seduction trick, from much later in my life".
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One of my least favorite songs on the album  :scared:

 
Bracie Smathers said:
15.  Just Like Heaven - The Cure 

Frontman Robert Smith drew inspiration from a trip to the seashore with his future wife

According to Smith, "The song is about hyperventilating—kissing and fainting to the floor." The lyrics were inspired by a trip with his then-girlfriend (and later wife) Mary Poole to Beachy Head in southern England. Smith said the opening line of the song ("Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick") refers to his childhood memories of mastering magic tricks, but added "on another [level], it's about a seduction trick, from much later in my life".
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The intro of New Years Day was mentioned in another thread.  Just Like Heaven also has one I've always liked, with each instrument leading into the next, from bass to synth.

 
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13.  New Sensation - INXS

When I moved to Colorado early in the 1980s my manager at the ski area who was moonlighting as a DJ at KFMU asked me about two groups that he just heard from Australia, Men At Work who were putting out Business As Usual and INXS who put out Shabooh Shoobah.  I thought INXS were better.  My manager said he had the numbers (Arbitron) that showed Men At Work were going to be big. 

I said I think INXS will turn out better.  I remember he stopped and listened more intently and said, maybe and he just nodded at me like, hmmn.  I was only 19 but I remember there was something about INXS who were not big at the time.

When Kick came out, I felt vindicated because I had been waiting a long time for them to break out.

 
12.  Pop Song 89 - R.E.M.

I was unaware of this little tidbit since I was in college when the video came out and didn't watch TV for years unless I went to a sports bar to catch a game.

I still have not seen the video FWIW.

-----------------------------------------------

"Pop Song 89" is the opening track and third single released from R.E.M.'s sixth studio album Green. 

The video was directed by band frontman Michael Stipe and features him and three women, all of them topless, dancing to the song. When MTV asked Stipe to put censor bars on the three women in the video, he superimposed black bars on the chests of all four dancers, himself included, later stating, "a nipple is a nipple." The uncensored video would ultimately be made available through the band's YouTube channel in 2011, albeit with an age restriction attached.

Here is the LINK for the NSFW video version.

 
11.  I'm Sorry - Hothouse Flowers 

They began in Dublin and before they signed a record deal Rolling Stone magazine called them "the best-unsigned band in Europe".

It wasn't until Bono saw them in 86 and gave them support before they got a deal issuing a few singles.  In 1988 they released the album People which became the most successful debut album in Irish history. It reached the #1 slot in Ireland within a week and eventually reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart.

This was one of my favorite tunes of 1988.

 
NEXT TOP TEN SONGS OF 1988

10.  I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

Many critics and publications have ranked "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" among the greatest tracks in music history, including Rolling Stone which ranked the song at number 93 of its 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

The song hits a theme of the album with spiritual overtones.

 Bono was interested in the theme of spiritual doubt.  The Rocket noted that Bono's lyrics about needing personal spirituality resulted in a "unique marriage of American gospel and Gaelic soul" ...  Several publications, including The Bergen Record and The Boston Globe, called the track "hypnotic" and interpreted it as depicting the band on a spiritual quest.

 
9.  Need You Tonight - INXS

The only INXS single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

In INXS's official autobiography, INXS: Story to Story, Andrew Farriss said that the famous riff to the song appeared suddenly in his head while waiting for a cab to go to the airport to fly to Hong Kong. He asked the cab driver to wait a couple of minutes while he grabbed something from his motel room. In fact, he went up to record the riff and came back down an hour later with a tape to a very annoyed driver.

The song is a much more electronic track than most of the band's material before or after, combining sequencers with regular drum tracks and a number of tracks of layered guitars. To approximate the sound on the recorded track, the band often utilizes click tracks for a frequent synthesizer chord as well as rim shots heard throughout the song.

 
8.  Crazy - Icehouse

I love this song.  I played this a ton, and it reminds me of a girl.  

Back in 1988 there was no, email, Internet, or cell phones.  I got accepted into CU and so did this girl.  We planned to move in together but could not get ahold of her for some reason and ended up living in the dorms wondering what happened to her.  

I got a letter a few months later.  She had broken her leg and had no insurance and had to drop out and didn't have my new phone or address.  

Whenever I hear this song, I remember her. 

I forgot how much I like this song.  

 
Bracie Smathers said:
8.  Crazy - Icehouse

I love this song.  I played this a ton, and it reminds me of a girl.  

Back in 1988 there was no, email, Internet, or cell phones.  I got accepted into CU and so did this girl.  We planned to move in together but could not get ahold of her for some reason and ended up living in the dorms wondering what happened to her.  

I got a letter a few months later.  She had broken her leg and had no insurance and had to drop out and didn't have my new phone or address.  

Whenever I hear this song, I remember her. 

I forgot how much I like this song.  
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Icehouse started life as the Flowers. Their first two albums Flowers-Icehouse and Icehoue-Primitive Man are iconic Australian releases. Half both albums were hits. Great Southern Land, Can’t Help Myself, Walls, Sister, Hey Little Girl, We Can Get Together, Street Cafe and the song Icehouse

The next two albums Sidewalk and Measure for Measure weren’t as well received, but did OK. They lost most of their international audience though. Lead singer and songwriter Iva Davies realized he needed to do something for the next release, of all people he turned to John Oates of Hall and Oates fame for some help. Oates is listed as cowriter on Electric Blue, the other hit from Man of Colours. 

After that the material and future releases wasn’t as successful. Icehouse may be the only Australian band who managed to walk the tightrope or Synth/New Wave music and the Pub rock scene. INXS always attracted a different audience, but initially had the Pub Rock issues. Icehouse remain one of my favorite bands and probably the only Australian band who crack my top 10. 

 
John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Lead singer and songwriter Iva Davies realized he needed to do something for the next release, of all people he turned to John Oates of Hall and Oates fame for some help. Oates is listed as cowriter on Electric Blue, the other hit from Man of Colours. 
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In my radio market Electric Blue was their only song to get any airplay. I still hear it on the radio to this day.

 
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7.  Its the end of the world by R.E.M -  R.E.M

Back in the day there was no Internet so the only way to learn the lyrics of a song was memorization.  Our Program Director knew every line within minutes.  I still don't know all the words, lol.  

Explaining this song to Q magazine in 1992, lead singer Michael Stipe said: "The words come from everywhere. I'm extremely aware of everything around me, whether I am in a sleeping state, awake, dream-state or just in day to day life. There's a part in 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It' that came from a dream where I was at Lester Bangs' birthday party and I was the only person there whose initials weren't L.B. So there was Lenny Bruce, Leonid Brezhnev, Leonard Bernstein... So that ended up in the song along with a lot of stuff I'd seen when I was flipping TV channels. It's a collection of streams of consciousness."

Have to point out this fact or my buddy's wife would kill me since she went to Knox and never let us forget, lol.

In the last verse, the line, "The other night I tripped at Knox" refers to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where the band had a night of fun.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Not Great Southern Man?  I thought that was the big air-play tune.
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Great Southern Land off Primitive Man.

its another of those songs that has misconstrued lyrics. It gets trotted out on Australia Day and other patriotic events. Its essentially about the misuse of the land and the abuse of the indigenous population. Not proudly shouting that Australia is a great southern land,

Another high charter song by Australian band Goanna called Solid Rock, has similar misunderstandings. 

 
John Maddens Lunchbox said:
Great Southern Land off Primitive Man.

its another of those songs that has misconstrued lyrics. It gets trotted out on Australia Day and other patriotic events. Its essentially about the misuse of the land and the abuse of the indigenous population. Not proudly shouting that Australia is a great southern land,

Another high charter song by Australian band Goanna called Solid Rock, has similar misunderstandings. 
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I’m curious about another Australian band that I really loved in the ‘80s. I don’t think they will be in Bracie’s countdown, so I shouldn’t get flagged for spotlighting or spoilers. 
How big were the Hoodoo Gurus down under?

 
northern exposure said:
I’m curious about another Australian band that I really loved in the ‘80s. I don’t think they will be in Bracie’s countdown, so I shouldn’t get flagged for spotlighting or spoilers. 
How big were the Hoodoo Gurus down under?
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Hoodoo Gurus only had 1 1988 song, Generation Gap which was a rare Brad Shepherd vocal. Doubt its gonna be this high.

The Gurus were successful in Australia. Only one top 10 song....Whats my Scene and 4 top 10 albums. Lots of songs charted (My Girl, Like Wow Wipeout, Come Anytime, Miss Freelove 69, Bittersweet etc).

Some of their best stuff only reached the lower reaches...Tojo, I Want You Back, Poison Pen etc.

They really did well on the US college circuit with 4 number one albums and one #2..

They were a little bit too alternative and smart for the Australian scene, but well respected all round. They rocked enough to keep the pub rock scene happy and were musically and intellectually smart enough for the much smaller alternative crowd in Australia happy.

 
6.  No New Tale To Tell - Love and Rockets 

I don't recall the first time I heard this but know I loved it instantly on many levels.  I played the snot out of this song; I still love it.

The funny thing about this song/video is the lead vocalist David J. (David John Haskins) who is the doppelganger of one of my best friends from college.  Or more correctly maybe I should say my buddy is the doppelganger of David J.  In any event I loved the tune before I met my college buddy who had a Strat and played it brilliantly.  I mean he was really good. 

Years later in some sort of 80s nostalgia emails that a bunch of us were sending back-and-forth to each otherr, I shared this video and everyone agreed that our  buddy and David J. looked incredibly alike.  

Love this tune.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
6.  No New Tale To Tell  - 


Love


and Rockets 

I don't recall the first time I heard this but know I loved it instantly on many levels.  I played the snot out of this song; I still love it.

The funny thing about this song/video is the lead vocalist David J. (David


John



Haskins


) who is the doppelganger of one of my best friends from college.  Or more correctly maybe I should say my buddy is the doppelganger of David J.  In any event I loved the tune before I met my college buddy who had a Strat and played it brilliantly.  I mean he was really good. 

Years later in some sort of 80s nostalgia emails that a bunch of us were sending back-and-forth to each otherr, I shared this video and everyone agreed that our  buddy and David J. looked incredibly alike.  


Love


this tune.
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Coachella 2008. That dude's bangs still haven't grown out

 
Sideshow entertainment while we wait for #4...

I'm seeing a lot of bands here that used letters or numbers in their names - U2, INXS, REM, etc. I guess that seemed like a cool thing to do in the 80s. Can you guys think of others?

XTC comes to mind, but I got nothing else.

 
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4.  Push It - Salt-N-Pepa 

THIS is the one exception I have for my criteria since it wasn't in KFMU's or KBCO's rotation but was thee dance tune in every club we went to in 88.  Ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

I'm sorry Rockaction, you are not allowed to dance to this song.

Now wait a minute, y'all

This dance ain't for everybody

Only the sexy people

 
Bracie Smathers said:
4.  Push It - Salt-N-Pepa 

THIS is the one exception I have for my criteria since it wasn't in KFMU's or KBCO's rotation but was thee dance tune in every club we went to in 88.  Ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

I'm sorry Rockaction, you are not allowed to dance to this song.

Now wait a minute, y'all

This dance ain't for everybody

Only the sexy people
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One of the consummate white-man’s-overbite songs back in the day at college mixers/bars.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
4.  Push It - Salt-N-Pepa 

THIS is the one exception I have for my criteria since it wasn't in KFMU's or KBCO's rotation but was thee dance tune in every club we went to in 88.  Ranked number 446 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

I'm sorry Rockaction, you are not allowed to dance to this song.

Now wait a minute, y'all

This dance ain't for everybody

Only the sexy people
Click to expand...


Lol to   :kicksrock: in the span of a DJ's voice. Why you gotta do me like that, Bracie? 😅

 
VandyMan said:
Sideshow entertainment while we wait for #4...

I'm seeing a lot of bands here that used letters or numbers in their names - U2, INXS, REM, etc. I guess that seemed like a cool thing to do in the 80s. Can you guys think of others?

XTC comes to mind, but I got nothing else.
Click to expand...


zamboni said:
ABC, T.S.O.L., S.O.D., HSAS, MSG
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You all forgot the best of the lot OMD 😤🤬

Doesnt U2 count?

 
Pip's Invitation said:
In the same general area there was MDC. The C stood for a bunch of different things depending on what the band felt like.
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That was like our made-up offshoot, BGF. Depending on what day it was, we altered our group name. Everyone seemed to settle on Belligerent Goyim Friends for some reason. 

Wow, why am I writing about this? Made-up bands in college that played about two songs together. Whoohooo. 

 
TOP THREE

3.  With Or Without You - U2

I spent 8 years in a Catholic parochial school so when I heard these lines:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side

I noted the connection to the crucifixion and thought that making a blatantly religious song took a lot of guts and was puzzled why it got embraced to become the top hit and breakout single off of U2's breakout album but Bono put the kibosh on that saying it was a purely-secular.

Bono said that the song is about his struggle to reconcile his responsibilities both as a married man and as a musician on road.  Basically, he couldn't let go of either of it or at the same time he cannot go on with it. 

Bono, a close friend of St John Paul II has crafted songs like the Sweetest Thing to his wife, but Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, Catholic-Irish that also wrote inimitable songs – including Yahweh, 40 and All Because of You – are rooted in the Bible so I see an undeniable religious metaphor.  

 
2.  Litany (Life Goes On) - Guadalcanal Diary 

Another 80s group, ala R.E.M. that is from Georgia.  As a matter of fact, Guadalcanal Diary opened for R.E.M. on tour and many claim that they sound alike.  

I knew a WWII marine Sergent veteran who fought in the Pacific theatre and became fascinated by the battle of Guadalcanal, read many books on that particular subject but that was years after hearing the band Guadalcanal Diary.

Produced by Don Dixon who did another one of favorite tunes of the 80s.

 
1.  Heartbreak Beat - Psychedelic Furs 

The Furs' frontman Richard Butler told Winner magazine in 1986: "It's my interpretation of being in a place. There's a song called 'Heartbreak Beat,' and it's about that feeling when you walk through Washington Square Park and you've got all the boxes going and it sounds like this huge phase-shifter. New York has definitely affected the feel of the songs. I very much pick up on what's around me, steal things, phrases, the feeling of being out at night in New York."
This was the biggest US hit for The Psychedelic Furs, and their only Top 40 entry in the US.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
1.  Heartbreak Beat - Psychedelic Furs 

The Furs' frontman Richard Butler told Winner magazine in 1986: "It's my interpretation of being in a place. There's a song called 'Heartbreak Beat,' and it's about that feeling when you walk through Washington Square Park and you've got all the boxes going and it sounds like this huge phase-shifter. New York has definitely affected the feel of the songs. I very much pick up on what's around me, steal things, phrases, the feeling of being out at night in New York."
This was the biggest US hit for The Psychedelic Furs, and their only Top 40 entry in the US.
Click to expand...


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