Don’s Top 10 For August 11, 1988

(#10 last week) Even though this was the band's first commercial success in more than a few years, they reportedly did not like it, but felt pressured to release it by the label. Label knew best.

(#9 last week) If this sounded vaguely familiar, well........Publishing rights organization BMI later had Motown songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland credited with co-writing the song (officially by Winwood & Will Jennings) due to its resemblance to the 1966 Junior Walker & The All-Stars hit "(I'm A) Roadrunner".

(#3 last week) Their biggest single. This video remained at #1 on the request show Dial MTV for 85 days, tying the longest run ever on Dial MTV.

(#8 last week) How to describe this Brit group? Their sound was a combination of light jazz with some pop and soul.

(#7 last week) Peaked at #43 nationally, but a much bigger hit around here. Stevie B (real name: Steven Bernard Hill) is still popular in Brazil, of all places, where his style of music never went away.

(#6 last week) For a song that was #5 locally in 1988, I feel sorry for Lopez. You can't find this song on any music service other than youtube (perhaps the reason is the single was on a small label, Vendetta, & only peaked at 31 nationally). Only thing I know about her is that she's from Queens.

(#1 last week) This only peaked at #12 nationwide, but got to #1 here just last week, one of the biggest differences between national & local in terms of #1.

(#4 last week) Marx sure flamed brightly for a couple of years, then...poof! Gone. Marx placed himself in the record books by being the first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4).

(#5 last week) Co-written by Gloria & band member Kiki Garcia. But by the time this hit the charts, Garcia had acrimoniously departed Miami Sound Machine. Garcia was quoted describing the situation in the band: "There is no Miami Sound Machine. There is Gloria and Emilio telling a bunch of hired musicians what to do." I'm sure the continued royalty checks are a salve to his wound....

(#2 last week) "The Twist" by Chubby Checker was the only song nationally ever to go to #1 twice in two separate chart runs. It also happened locally. But then it happened locally AGAIN, with this smash, & neither time did it make #1 nationwide! It first hit #1 here in October, 1962, while peaking at #2 nationally, & then, surprisingly, it goes back to the top a whopping 26 years later, due to its inclusion in the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack (this time, it only peaked at #11 nationwide--see #4 above for more on the differences between national & local peak). The Contours were one-hit wonders...twice (although they DID have another top 20 hit in Philadelphia in 1965, "First I Look At The Purse").