40 45 PAMELA –•– Toto – 6 (40)
Toto's final top 40 entry was about then-member Joseph Williams' girlfriend at the time and one of the last great examples of yacht rock, a subgenre that Toto and similar acts dominated for much of the 70's and early 80's. 8/10
39 29 HUNGRY EYES –•– Eric Carmen – 21 (4)
Final week in the top 40 for the second "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack single. Man, cheesy or not, all three of those top 40 "Dirty Dancing" singles were straight up bangers, and this one gets the slight nod as my favorite of them.
38 44 FISHNET –•– Morris Day – 6 (38)
The former Time frontman with that trademark Minneapolis funk that artists like he and Prince perfected. And of course, what's hotter than a chick in fishnet pantyhose and a short skirt?
37 27 PUMP UP THE VOLUME –•– M|A|R|R|S – 18 (13)
One of the earliest great house hits to get dancefloors moving and grooving, as well as a mighty fine "Jock Jams" hit for sporting events. Good/Very good
36 25 LOVE OVERBOARD –•– Gladys Knight & The Pips – 12 (13)
Gladys' last top 40 was danceable synth R&B. "Midnight Train to Georgia" this certainly was not, but still very good.
35 42 GOING BACK TO CALI –•– L.L. Cool J – 6 (35)
LL's second top 40 hit and one with a good booty shaking rhythm. Fun party music, I guess.
34 50 ANYTHING FOR YOU –•– Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – 3 (34)
Gloria's first chart-topper on its way up to #1 and a damn classic pop ballad.
33 38 WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD –•– Louis Armstrong – 6 (33)
You can thank the "Good Morning Vietnam" soundtrack for making this 60's Satchmo classic a top 40 hit which originally only charted in the UK when it was first released. Still sounds like a classic today.
32 22 CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU –•– Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – 19 (6)
Second top 40 single from Gloria in this weeks countdown, and the third top 40 hit from "Let It Loose" heading down the chart after peaking just short of top 5. Very good "unrequited love" ballad.
31 35 ELECTRIC BLUE –•– Icehouse – 7 (31)
Second most recognizable hit from these Aussies behind "Crazy", which is also a great new wave tune.
30 33 YOU DON’T KNOW –•– Scarlett & Black – 9 (30)
One hit wonders Robin Hild and Sue West with their only Hot 100 entry before disappearing. I love this one.
29 31 NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS –•– Alexander O’Neal Featuring Cherrelle – 10 (29)
Cherrelle and Alex's second top 40 duet after their awesome hit "Saturday Love". I honestly can't think of a bad Alexander O'Neal/Cherrelle duet, actually. They just sound so good together.
28 34 ONE STEP UP –•– Bruce Springsteen – 5 (28)
The Boss chronicles his then-crumbling marriage over the course of the "Tunnel of Love" album, and here's the third single from that. Decent acoustic number.
27 36 PINK CADILLAC –•– Natalie Cole – 4 (27)
Speaking of Springsteen, he recorded this one first before Natalie Cole took it over to the Hot 100 and made it the third top 40 hit from her "Everlasting" album. Not bad at all for an R&B hit.
26 17 I FOUND SOMEONE –•– Cher – 19 (10)
Penned by Michael Bolton who made it a single for Laura Branigan before Cher made it the first hit of her late 80's comeback. A solid 9/10 pop rock tune.
25 32 PROVE YOUR LOVE –•– Taylor Dayne – 6 (25)
Second hit from "Tell It to My Heart" and a worthy dance pop hit like most everything else she's done.
24 26 ROCK OF LIFE –•– Rick Springfield – 8 (24)
Rick Springfield with the third instance of an artist's final top 40 hit. This one sounds like adult contemporary soft rock a'la-Richard Marx, but it works.
23 24 WHEN WE WAS FAB –•– George Harrison – 8 (23)
And the fourth occurance of an artist's final top 40 hit as "Quiet Beatle" George gets nostalgic about Beatlemania with a little help lyrically from his good friend and Traveling Willburys bandmate Jeff Lynne. Very typical Harrison/Beatles-esque song. 7/10
22 15 BE STILL MY BEATING HEART –•– Sting – 11 (15)
Second hit from "...Nothing Like the Sun". Sting has always had great solo hits, and this one is no exception.
21 28 I SAW HIM STANDING THERE –•– Tiffany – 5 (21)
From a Beatle a few songs earlier to Tiffany covering the Beatles, albeit in teen pop synth style. A good idea in theory, but it kinda misses the mark, unfortunately.
20 23 ANGEL –•– Aerosmith – 9 (20)
First Aero Supply ballad of the Sobersmith era. A bit corny, but still an Aero classic, IMO.
19 21 CHECK IT OUT –•– John Cougar Mellencamp – 8 (19)
Third single from "The Lonesome Jubilee" and very similar-sounding to the previous single "Cherry Bomb". I'd rank this one somewhere between average and pretty good.
18 18 SOME KIND OF LOVER –•– Jody Watley – 9 (18)
Very solid R&B hit from her first solo album, though "Looking For a New Love" was the main hit we all remember from that one.
17 20 WISHING WELL –•– Terence Trent D’Arby – 11 (17)
Whistle along with TTD's biggest hit, on its way up to #1. 10/10
16 19 WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO –•– Whitney Houston – 5 (16)
Standard pop ballad fare, but it gave Whitney her record seventh straight #1 hit, a record never broken in the pre-streaming era. I kind of enjoy this one, though it's probably my least favorite of her singles from that second album.
15 6 SHE’S LIKE THE WIND –•– Patrick Swayze Featuring Wendy Fraser – 15 (3)
As I said above, all three top 40 "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack singles are great, and here's the third with Swayze himself on lead vocals. Another fine example of an actor dabbling in singing, though I gotta wonder who this Wendy Fraser chick is and why we never heard of her before or after this?
14 8 JUST LIKE PARADISE –•– David Lee Roth – 11 (6)
A stone cold Diamond Dave solo classic, and the video rocks if for no other reason than Vai's rocking the triple neck heart guitar. Oh, and Dave's samurai sword. And Dave surfing over the crowd at the end.
13 14 GIRLFRIEND –•– Pebbles – 9 (13)
Her first of two top five hits and a great example of blending R&B with freestyle pop. Just perfect, this one.
12 16 DEVIL INSIDE –•– INXS – 7 (12)
Second "Kick" single and finally reaching their late 80's/early 90's period of megastardom. 8/10
11 13 (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY –•– Michael Bolton – 10 (11)
Bolton hadn't had his official breakout yet (that would come in the latter part of next year), but he showed what was to come for him with his take on an Otis Redding classic.
10 11 HYSTERIA –•– Def Leppard – 10 (10)
The Leps with the title track and second top 40 hit from "Hysteria". Another fine Sludge classic.
9 12 ROCKET 2 YOU –•– The Jets – 10 (9)
One of the all-time great family groups of the 80's along with the DeBarges. The Wolfgramms had their share of hits as well, and this one's got some fun lyrics to it.
8 3 FATHER FIGURE –•– George Michael – 11 (1)
Third hit from "Faith", second #1. George never sounded smoother or more metropolitan than on this one.
7 9 I WANT HER –•– Keith Sweat – 11 (7)
The hit that was arguably the first official example of new jack swing. Excellent song.
6 2 I GET WEAK –•– Belinda Carlisle – 11 (2)
Diane Warren strikes again, this time writing a song that was originally considered for Stevie Nicks before the producer suggested Belinda instead. Her second "Heaven on Earth" single, and a very solid one that fell just a spot short of #1 thanks to a certain ubiquitous Rick Astley hit.
5 10 GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR –•– Billy Ocean – 7 (5)
A very danceable combination of R&B, funk, and even a dash of yacht rock perhaps? And that sax solo? Doesn't get more 80's than that!
4 7 OUT OF THE BLUE –•– Debbie Gibson – 9 (4)
Prime Debbie Gibson teen pop with the title track from her debut. Good/Very good
3 1 NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP –•– Rick Astley – 15 (1)
Just watch the gif and let the Rick Rolling happen, Sludgers...
2 5 ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS –•– Richard Marx – 10 (2)
...and then listen as ol' Richard Marx delivers a superb slice of adult contemporary pop rock balladry complete with more 80's sax. A song that deservedly would have gone to #1 if it hadn't been kept off the top for two straight weeks by...
1 4 MAN IN THE MIRROR –•– Michael Jackson – 8 (1)
...Jacko and his equally iconic and worthy plea for personal reflection and change. Shamone! Make that change!
