This is a summary of 1988 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
The growing popularity of house music was evident in the charts by the start of 1988, with many songs of this genre becoming big hits, such as "House Arrest" by Krush, "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass and "Rok da House" by The Beatmasters.[1] Acid house band S'Express had two Top 10 hits this year including a number 1 in April with the song "Theme from S'Express", but the biggest dance hit of the year came from London singer Yazz, who had first had a big hit with producers Coldcut on the song "Doctorin' The House".[2] Still with Coldcut, but now with her name billed as the lead artist, her song "The Only Way Is Up" topped the chart for five weeks, becoming the second biggest-selling single of the year, and paved the way for a successful solo career, including the follow-up "Stand Up For Your Love Rights" which hit No.2 in October.
One of the biggest successes of the year was 19-year-old Kylie Minogue, well known to the public from her role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours which had been airing on the BBC since 1986.[3] The popularity of "girl next door" Minogue and her on-screen character Charlene Mitchell ensured chart success. Signed to the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, her debut international song "I Should Be So Lucky" was number 1 for five weeks, and all of her other solo releases this year – "Got to Be Certain", "The Loco-Motion" and "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" – reached number 2. Her album Kylie was also number 1 for six weeks, the biggest-selling album of the year and the fifth best-selling album of the entire decade. All Kylie's hits were produced by Stock Aitken Waterman who continued to score hit after hit this year. The production powerhouse also scored Top 10s with Mel and Kim ("That's The Way It Is", No.10, February) Sinitta ("Cross My Broken Heart", No.6, March), Rick Astley ("Together Forever", No.2, March and "Take Me to Your Heart", No.8, November), Bananarama ("I Want You Back", No.5, April), Hazell Dean ("Who's Leaving Who", No.4, April), Brother Beyond ("The Harder I Try", No.2, August and "He Ain't No Competition", No.6, November). In September, another star from Neighbours – Minogue's co-star Jason Donovan – debuted with his Stock Aitken Waterman-produced hit "Nothing Can Divide Us" which reached number 5 and he would go on to outsell even Kylie the following year.
Popular teenage acts other than Minogue to emerge this year included the American singer Tiffany who scored three Top 10 hits including the No.1 "I Think We're Alone Now" while fellow American teenage star Debbie Gibson also crossed over to the British Charts and had four Top 20 hits. Gibson's biggest hit was the 1980s-compilation staple "Shake Your Love" which reached number 7 in January. Meanwhile, from Italy came Sabrina whose infamous appearances in skimpy swimsuits became tabloid-fodder throughout the year as her pan-European smash hit "Boys (Summertime Love)" hit number 3 in June and the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced follow-up "All of Me" peaked at number 25 three months later.[4]
New British boyband Bros took five singles into the Top 5 this year including "When Will I Be Famous?" and their only number 1 "I Owe You Nothing", a re-issue of their first single originally released in 1987. Wet Wet Wet scored the first number 1 of their long run of hits with a cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends" which held the top position for 3 weeks.
Also making her chart debut this year was nineteen-year-old Tanita Tikaram, who launched her career with the critically acclaimed album Ancient Heart, containing the Top 10 hit "Good Tradition" and the intriguing "Twist In My Sobriety" which peaked at number 22 in October.[5] Eddi Reader also rose to prominence during 1988 as the lead-singer of Fairground Attraction. The band made number 1 with the song "Perfect" and followed it up with another Top 10 hit, "Find My Love" and number 2 album The First of a Million Kisses.
Making chart comebacks after long-absences were Cher, re-launching her music career with "I Found Someone", a number 5 hit written and produced by Michael Bolton. Belinda Carlisle revived her career this year with three Top 10s including the number 1 "Heaven is a Place on Earth" while Kim Wilde scored a career-best three successive Top 10s with "You Came" (No.3), "Never Trust a Stranger (No.7) and "Four Letter Word" (No.6). Pop duo Dollar scored their ninth and final Top 20 hit with comeback hit "Oh L'amour", a cover of an early Erasure single, which made number 7 in April, and also making a chart comeback was the song "A Groovy Kind Of Love", originally a hit in 1965 for The Mindbenders, it hit number 1 in September for Phil Collins, taken from the film Buster in which Collins also starred.
Some of the more unusual hits of the year included a remix of the theme tune from the popular television series Doctor Who, by "The Timelords", who would go on to have huge success in the early 1990s under the name The KLF. Their song "Doctorin' The TARDIS" (a play on Coldcut's "Doctorin' The House") was number 1 for a week in June. A television advertisement for Miller Lite beer used the 1969 song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies, which became a number 1 in September 19 years after its original release, and an advert for Coca-Cola gave Robin Beck a number 1 with the ballad "First Time". Film and Television actress Patsy Kensit, a teenager in 1988, also reached the Top 10 this year in the band Eighth Wonder. Their Pet Shop Boys–produced UK debut "I'm Not Scared" slowly climbed up the Top 40 and peaked at number 7 in May. The band were more popular in Italy and Japan where they scored several number 1 hits.
The race for Christmas number one was a battle between Cliff Richard, with a career stretching back to the 1950s and his seasonal song "Mistletoe and Wine", and new star Kylie Minogue with "Especially for You", a duet with her Neighbours co-star Jason Donovan released to coincide with their characters' on-screen wedding. Cliff won the battle with the biggest-selling song of the year, but "Especially for You" climbed to number 1 in the new year of 1989, eventually selling just short of 1 million copies.
1988 sees Radio 1 start to broadcast on FM on a full time basis across much of the UK when five major transmitters begin radiating Radio 1 on FM for the first time.[6] [7] Previously, Radio 1 had only been available on FM for approximately 25 hours per week, when it 'borrowed' BBC Radio 2's FM frequency at certain points of the day.
New classical works by British composers included oboe and trumpet concertos from Peter Maxwell Davies and Michael Finnissy's Red Earth for orchestra. Devotional works included Nicholas Jackson's Variations on ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty’ and John Tavener's The Akathist of Thanksgiving. Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin made his Proms debut during the 1988 season, whilst Sir Andrew Davis gave up his role as conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to become director of Glyndebourne.[8]
| Chart date (week ending) | Song | Artist(s) | Weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 January | "Always on My Mind" | 2 | ||
| 9 January | ||||
| 16 January | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | 2 | ||
| 23 January | ||||
| 30 January | "I Think We're Alone Now" | 3 | ||
| 6 February | ||||
| 13 February | ||||
| 20 February | "I Should Be So Lucky" | 5 | ||
| 27 February | ||||
| 5 March | ||||
| 12 March | ||||
| 19 March | ||||
| 26 March | "Don't Turn Around" | 2 | ||
| 2 April | ||||
| 9 April | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | 3 | |
| 16 April | ||||
| 23 April | ||||
| 30 April | "Theme from S-Express" | 2 | ||
| 7 May | ||||
| 14 May | "Perfect" | 1 | ||
| 21 May | "With a Little Help from My Friends" / "She's Leaving Home" | 4 | ||
| 28 May | ||||
| 4 June | ||||
| 11 June | ||||
| 18 June | "Doctorin' the Tardis" | 1 | ||
| 25 June | "I Owe You Nothing" | 2 | ||
| 2 July | ||||
| 9 July | "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" | 4 | ||
| 16 July | ||||
| 23 July | ||||
| 30 July | ||||
| 6 August | "The Only Way Is Up" | 5 | ||
| 13 August | ||||
| 20 August | ||||
| 27 August | ||||
| 3 September | ||||
| 10 September | "A Groovy Kind of Love" | 2 | ||
| 17 September | ||||
| 24 September | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" | 2 | ||
| 1 October | ||||
| 8 October | "Desire" | 1 | ||
| 15 October | "One Moment in Time" | 2 | ||
| 22 October | ||||
| 29 October | "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)" | 3 | ||
| 5 November | ||||
| 12 November | ||||
| 19 November | "First Time" | 3 | ||
| 26 November | ||||
| 3 December | ||||
| 10 December | "Mistletoe and Wine" | 4 | ||
| 17 December | ||||
| 24 December | ||||
| 31 December |
| Chart date (week ending) | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2 January | Now 10 | Various Artists |
| 9 January | ||
| 16 January | Popped In Souled Out | Wet Wet Wet |
| 23 January | Turn Back the Clock | Johnny Hates Jazz |
| 30 January | Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby | Terence Trent D'Arby |
| 6 February | ||
| 13 February | ||
| 20 February | ||
| 27 February | ||
| 5 March | ||
| 12 March | ||
| 19 March | ||
| 26 March | Viva Hate | Morrissey |
| 2 April | Now 11 | Various Artists |
| 9 April | ||
| 16 April | ||
| 23 April | Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | Iron Maiden |
| 30 April | The Innocents | Erasure |
| 7 May | Tango in the Night | Fleetwood Mac |
| 14 May | ||
| 21 May | Lovesexy | Prince |
| 28 May | Tango in the Night | Fleetwood Mac |
| 4 June | Flite Nite | Various Artists |
| 11 June | ||
| 18 June | ||
| 25 June | ||
| 2 July | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman |
| 9 July | ||
| 16 July | ||
| 23 July | Now 12 | Various Artists |
| 30 July | ||
| 6 August | ||
| 13 August | ||
| 20 August | ||
| 27 August | Kylie | Kylie Minogue |
| 3 September | ||
| 10 September | ||
| 17 September | ||
| 24 September | Hot City Nights | Various Artists |
| 1 October | New Jersey | Bon Jovi |
| 8 October | ||
| 15 October | Flying Colours | Chris de Burgh |
| 22 October | Rattle and Hum | U2 |
| 29 October | Money for Nothing | Dire Straits |
| 5 November | ||
| 12 November | ||
| 19 November | Kylie | Kylie Minogue |
| 26 November | ||
| 3 December | Now 13 | Various Artists |
| 10 December | ||
| 17 December | ||
| 24 December | Cliff Richard | |
| 31 December |
| scope=col | scope=col | Title | scope=col | Artist | scope=col | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 1 | "Mistletoe and Wine" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 2 | "The Only Way Is Up" | Yazz and the Plastic Population | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 3 | "I Should Be So Lucky" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 4 | "Especially for You" | & Jason Donovan | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 5 | "I Think We're Alone Now" | Tiffany | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 6 | "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 7 | "A Groovy Kind of Love" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 8 | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" | The Hollies | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 9 | "With a Little Help from My Friends"/"She's Leaving Home" | Wet Wet Wet/Billy Bragg with Cara Tivey | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 10 | "Teardrops" | Womack & Womack | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 11 | "The Loco-Motion" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 12 | "First Time" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 13 | "Perfect" | Fairground Attraction | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 14 | "One Moment in Time" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 15 | "Push It"/"Tramp" | Salt-n-Pepa | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 16 | "Suddenly" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 17 | "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | 1 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 18 | "Orinoco Flow" | Enya | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 19 | "Theme From S-Express" | S-Express | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 20 | "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 21 | "Got to Be Certain" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 22 | "The Harder I Try" | Brother Beyond | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 23 | "Tell It to My Heart" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 24 | "Crackers International" (EP) | Erasure | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 25 | "I Owe You Nothing" | Bros | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 26 | "Heart" | Pet Shop Boys | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 27 | "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 28 | "Don't Turn Around" | Aswad | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 29 | "Nothing Can Divide Us" | 5 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 30 | "Beat Dis" | Bomb the Bass | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 31 | "Drop the Boy" | Bros | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 32 | "Sign Your Name" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 33 | "The Twist (Yo Twist)" | The Fat Boys & Chubby Checker | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 34 | "When Will I Be Famous?" | Bros | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 35 | "Boys (Summertime Love)" | Sabrina | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 36 | "House Arrest" | Krush | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 37 | "You Came" | 3 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 38 | "Lovely Day" (Sunshine Mix) | 4 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 39 | "I Need You" | B.V.S.M.P. | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 40 | "Girl You Know It's True" | Milli Vanilli | 3 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 41 | "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" | Yazz | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 42 | "Cat Among the Pigeons"/"Silent Night" | Bros | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 43 | "Don't Worry, Be Happy" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 44 | "Hands to Heaven" | Breathe | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 45 | "Desire" | U2 | 1 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 46 | "A Little Respect" | Erasure | 4 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 47 | "Big Fun" | Inner City | 8 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 48 | "Love Changes (Everything)" (remix) | Climie Fisher | 2 | |||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 49 | "Together Forever" | 2 | ||||
| scope=row style="text-align:center;" | 50 | "Missing You" | 3 |
Notes:
The 1988 BRIT Awards winners were: