40 44 MARY’S PRAYER –•– Danny Wilson – 9 (40)
Great sophisti-pop group from Dundee, Scotland, and their only Hot 100 entry. I still listen to this one quite a bit. "What I wouldn't give to be..."
39 46 WHEN SMOKEY SINGS –•– ABC – 5 (39)
Post-"Lexicon..." ABC deliver a perfect slice of new wave sophisti-pop for their final top 40 (and highest charting) single in which Martin Fry pays tribute to Smokey Robinson, who ironically had a pair of top ten hits of his own around that time ("Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat"). A 10/10 tribute that made Smokey himself proud.
38 31 HEAD TO TOE –•– Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – 17 (1)
Lisa Velez and Co.'s first #1 single in its final week in the top 40. Freestyle dancefloor pop at its finest.
37 36 HYPNOTIZE ME –•– Wang Chung – 9 (36)
You know, that's a good question, Mr. Freeze. I agree this one should have been bigger because it sounds great. Only two of weeks in the top 40, and here it is in its second and final of those two weeks before dropping out. One more single in '89 ("Praying to a New God") fell well short of top 40, and then nobody was Wang Chunging tonight on the Hot 100 chart anymore, sadly.Mister Freeze wrote: ↑Wed Mar 12, 2025 8:27 pm But how..."Hypnotize Me" (which sounds way more like a single and was tied to a big summer movie) only brushed the top-40 is beyond me.
36 39 SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE –•– The Outfield – 8 (36)
Rockin' AOR from Tony Lewis and his band of Brits. Good, but it's no "Your Love".
35 45 DOING IT ALL FOR MY BABY –•– Huey Lewis & The News – 3 (35)
Huey and his News' final single from "Fore!" is just cheesy sappy fun right down to the video. Watch all the comedy for yourself here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpdZvewjwJs) if you need a good laugh (because one gif just won't do for this one)! 9/10
34 41 GIVE TO LIVE –•– Sammy Hagar – 7 (34)
"You gotta give to live!" Sound advice from Sammy, who still had one more album on his Geffen contract after joining VH. The lead single here is pure cheese, but still fun in a special kind of way.
33 34 CAN’T WE TRY –•– Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard – 9 (33)
The 80's had plenty of great pop duets, and here's a very nice one with Dan Hill scoring his second biggest hit after "Sometimes When We Touch" and duetting with Vonda Shepard, who apparently appeared on "Ally McBeal" in the late 90's.
32 35 LIVING IN A BOX –•– Living In A Box – 7 (32)
"Am I living in a box? Am I living in a cardboard box?" Yes and yes. 10/10 sophisti-pop classic from these one-hit wonders who, like ABC, The Human League, The Leps, and the Thompson Twins, hailed from Sheffield.
31 40 LOVE POWER –•– Dionne Warwick & Jeffrey Osborne – 4 (31)
Second duet of the countdown, and an R&B one featuring Jeffrey "Woo Woo Woo"/"On the Wings of Love" Osborne pairing with the legendary Dionne Warwick for both artists' final top 40 appearance. Very solid stuff.
30 19 SONGBIRD –•– Kenny G – 18 (4)
Kenny G strolling along the beach, playing his soprano sax, and sounding smoother than smooth. It's smooth jazz, easy listening, background muzak, and yacht rock all rolled into one, and fuck you, it's friggin' awesome!
29 25 MOONLIGHTING –•– Al Jarreau – 10 (23)
Speaking of yacht rock that's smoother than smooth, here's Al Jarreau's final top 40 hit, the theme song for the TV show that gave Bruce Willis his biggest pre-"Die Hard" break. Jarreau's gone, and hopefully Bruce isn't next. 8/10
28 29 HEARTS ON FIRE –•– Bryan Adams – 8 (28)
Second "Into the Fire" single and not nearly as successful as its previous single "Heat of the Night" or his biggest hits before and after '87. Still solid enough, though.
27 32 IT’S NOT OVER (‘TIL IT’S OVER) –•– Starship – 6 (27)
Their final top 40 single with Grace Slick before she got sick of this lite-AOR crap and left to rejoin Paul Kantner and sing about planes ("Jet aircraft!"). Very good/Excellent.
26 27 SEVEN WONDERS –•– Fleetwood Mac – 7 (26)
Stevie's main Mac single from "Tango in the Night" is quite good, with Lindsey and Christine supplying the album's other three top 40 hits. Are the reunion rumors true? Only time will tell...
25 20 HAPPY –•– Surface – 11 (20)
First top 40 hit from this vocal group whose two biggest hits ("Shower Me With Your Love" and "The First Time") were still a few years away. Not exactly as ballad-ish as those two, but still decent R&B.
24 30 LA BAMBA –•– Los Lobos – 6 (24)
Los Lobos' cover of the classic Richie Valens hit ends up becoming a huge hit in its own right as the title theme to the Valens biopic starring Lou Diamond Phillips. 8/10, IMO.
23 11 FUNKYTOWN –•– Pseudo Echo – 12 (6)
Two covers in a row as this Aussie new wave group does their own danceable take on Lipps Inc.'s late '79/early '80 disco hit. Very good.
22 9 DON’T DISTURB THIS GROOVE –•– The System – 17 (4)
R&B/pop-hybrid slow jam from this duo, and their biggest hit. I love this one.
21 24 BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN –•– Steve Winwood – 10 (21)
The title track is the final top 40 single from Winwood's '86 album, with this one featuring James Taylor on backing vocals. Nice and laid back.
20 7 SOMETHING SO STRONG –•– Crowded House – 14 (7)
Second biggest hit after "Don't Dream It's Over" for the Aussie/New Zealander group. Fair/good.
19 18 I’D STILL SAY YES –•– Klymaxx – 14 (18)
The final hit for this all-girl R&B group is a slow jam love ballad, and solidly done.
18 10 POINT OF NO RETURN –•– Expose – 13 (5)
Mr. Freeze's favorite queens of Miami freestyle with their third top ten hit. Perfect production and vocals on this one. 10/10
17 23 ROCK STEADY –•– The Whispers – 9 (17)
They started in the 70's and had a couple of top 40 singles in the early 80's, but their biggest and best hit came in the new jack swing era and sounded very much like it. Crank this one right now and dance to the groove, Sludgers!
16 22 DON’T MEAN NOTHING –•– Richard Marx – 8 (16)
His first top 40 single and already sounding like the god of adult contemporary soft rock he was in the late 80's and early 90's. It truly don't mean nothin', people.
15 21 ONLY IN MY DREAMS –•– Debbie Gibson – 13 (15)
Debbie's few years of fame as a teen idol began with this single, which is pretty impressive for someone who was her age at the time writing her own songs. 7.5/10
14 17 THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE –•– Janet Jackson – 11 (14)
Final "Control" single at its peak position before moving back down the chart and on to even bigger success with "Rhythm Nation". A 10/10 Jackson family dancefloor hit.
13 12 GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS –•– Motley Crue – 10 (12)
Time to rev up those motorcycles and join the Crue on a tour of Tattletales, the Seventh Veil, and other classic stripclub landmarks! And yes, both gifs are Sludge-appropriate, per forum rules:
You know, because there's an uncensored version of the video...
12 13 KISS HIM GOODBYE –•– The Nylons – 12 (12)
Canadian a capella group covering Steam's 60's classic with just vocals and a percussion/drum machine/bass thingy, and it works. So it's technically not completely a capella (think Billy Joel's "The Longest Time"), but it's still quite good.
11 26 WHO’S THAT GIRL –•– Madonna – 4 (11)
Madge's sixth chart-topper and the title theme to her movie of the same title. The film flopped, but musically Madonna was still untouchable, and so is this song.
10 16 WOT’S IT TO YA –•– Robbie Nevil – 10 (10)
Third of three great top 40 hits from Nevil's '86 debut, and second to go top ten. Very good/excellent.
9 4 I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) –•– Whitney Houston – 12 (1)
Same, Whitney, same. A 10/10 ubiquitously iconic dance classic.
8 15 LUKA –•– Suzanne Vega – 9 (8)
Vega's take on child abuse became her biggest single. Decent socially conscious soft rock.
7 14 CROSS MY BROKEN HEART –•– The Jets – 9 (7)
Another dancefloor R&B single, something the Wolfgramm family here were quite adept at. I like it enough.
6 8 HEART AND SOUL –•– T’Pau – 14 (6)
Female-fronted Brit one-hit wonders with a banger of a soft rock hit! Spent a bunch of weeks in the top 40, too, and deservedly so.
5 6 RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU –•– Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – 10 (5)
Next up...wait-oh dear God, the rhythm got me! 10/10! Excellent/very excellent! Send help! Seriously, though, this one's a classic...
4 5 I WANT YOUR SEX –•– George Michael – 9 (4)
Like the "Girls, Girls, Girls" video, the video for this one was prime spank bank material back in the day if you liked lingerie-clad chicks. Unfortunately said lingerie-clad chick can't be posted without breaking forum rules (I don't think), so here's a safe alternative:
Of course, it's a good groove to dance to even without the naughty video and controversial lyrics...
3 1 ALONE –•– Heart – 12 (1)
Steinberg and Kelly supply the Wilson sisters with their second #1 of the 80's (originally recorded by Steinberg and Kelly's own band I-Ten). It's a damn good rockin' ballad and a further example of Heart's transition from slightly folky classic rock to AOR superstardom.
2 3 I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR –•– U2 – 8 (2)
Bono and friends' second chart-topper which firmly cemented them as international superstars. Love him or hate him, this is Bono at his best.
1 2 SHAKEDOWN –•– Bob Seger – 11 (1)
The "Beverly Hills Cop 2" soundtrack producers originally approached Glenn Frey to record this, but since he had just come down with a bad bout of laryngitis, Glenn passed it down to Bob, who wrote the lyrics and came up with his only #1. A very solid soundtrack tune.
