The Top Songs of 1988, from Faith to Sweet Child o' Mine

What was the number one song of 1988?

"Faith" by George Michael was the number one song of 1988 on Billboard's year-end Hot 100, even though most of its weeks at number one came in December 1987. INXS's "Need You Tonight" was second and George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You" third. George Michael spent more weeks at number one in 1988 than anyone, with four different songs.

The top 20 songs of 1988

1. "Faith", George Michael: a rockabilly-flavored number one and the title track of his solo debut.
2. "Need You Tonight", INXS: the Australian band's slinky number one.
3. "Got My Mind Set on You", George Harrison: the former Beatle's last number one.
4. "Never Gonna Give You Up", Rick Astley: a dance-pop smash that became an internet legend.
5. "Sweet Child o' Mine", Guns N' Roses: the band's only number one.
6. "So Emotional", Whitney Houston
7. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", Belinda Carlisle
8. "Could've Been", Tiffany
9. "Hands to Heaven", Breathe
10. "Roll with It", Steve Winwood: the year's longest-running number one.
11. "One More Try", George Michael
12. "Wishing Well", Terence Trent D'Arby
13. "Anything for You", Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
14. "The Flame", Cheap Trick
15. "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", Billy Ocean
16. "Seasons Change", Exposé
17. "Is This Love", Whitesnake
18. "Wild, Wild West", the Escape Club
19. "Pour Some Sugar on Me", Def Leppard
20. "I'll Always Love You", Taylor Dayne

More top songs of 1988 (21 to 40)

21. "Man in the Mirror", Michael Jackson
22. "Shake Your Love", Debbie Gibson
23. "Simply Irresistible", Robert Palmer
24. "Hold On to the Nights", Richard Marx
25. "Hungry Eyes", Eric Carmen
26. "Shattered Dreams", Johnny Hates Jazz
27. "Father Figure", George Michael
28. "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)", Samantha Fox
29. "A Groovy Kind of Love", Phil Collins
30. "Love Bites", Def Leppard
31. "Endless Summer Nights", Richard Marx
32. "Foolish Beat", Debbie Gibson
33. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", Whitney Houston
34. "Angel", Aerosmith
35. "A Hazy Shade of Winter", the Bangles
36. "The Way You Make Me Feel", Michael Jackson
37. "Don't Worry, Be Happy", Bobby McFerrin
38. "Make Me Lose Control", Eric Carmen
39. "Red Red Wine", UB40
40. "She's Like the Wind", Patrick Swayze featuring Wendy Fraser

Every number one song of 1988

A remarkable 33 songs were number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during 1988, including "Faith", "Father Figure", "One More Try" and "Monkey" (George Michael), "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana" (Michael Jackson), "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Whitney Houston), "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Together Forever" (Rick Astley), "Need You Tonight" (INXS), "Roll with It" (Steve Winwood), "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses), "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (Bobby McFerrin), "Kokomo" (the Beach Boys), "Bad Medicine" (Bon Jovi) and, to close the year, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" (Poison).

George Michael, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston

Three superstars dominated 1988. George Michael's Faith produced four number ones and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" was the fifth number one from Bad, making it the first album to produce five Hot 100 number ones. And Whitney Houston's "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" gave her seven number ones in a row, breaking a record shared by the Beatles and the Bee Gees. For more, see our George Michael songs.

Hair metal at the top

1988 was the peak of hair metal. Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine", Def Leppard's "Love Bites", Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" and Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" all went to number one, Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" made the year-end top 20, and Whitesnake and Aerosmith scored big ballads. For more, see our Mötley Crüe songs and 80s songs.

Movie songs and surprises of 1988

The Dirty Dancing soundtrack kept producing hits, with "Hungry Eyes" and Patrick Swayze's own "She's Like the Wind". The Beach Boys returned to number one with "Kokomo" from the film Cocktail, more than 20 years after "Good Vibrations", and Phil Collins' "A Groovy Kind of Love" came from Buster. Bobby McFerrin's a cappella "Don't Worry, Be Happy" became the first a cappella number one and won the Grammy for Song of the Year, and teen stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson both reached the top.

Songs of 1988 for a party or an anniversary

For a throwback party, "Faith", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" and "Kokomo" bring back 1988. For a 1988 wedding anniversary, "Anything for You", "Hands to Heaven", "Could've Been" and "Endless Summer Nights" are lovely slow dances. For more, see our 80s wedding songs.

Top songs of other years

For more year-by-year hits, see our top songs of 1985, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2013.

A song as unforgettable as 1988

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