In the late 1980s, a lot of great music hit the airwaves. Many of those songs climbed the charts, with some even hitting No. 1 on major Billboard charts. However, there are some really good (and once very successful) songs from 1988 that have been more or less forgotten by today’s listeners. I’d like to change that. Let’s take a quick look at just a few forgotten songs from 1988 that you should definitely remember.
“One Good Woman” by Peter Cetera
This hit from former Chicago frontman Peter Cetera was released in mid-1988, and it was quite the chart-topping tune. “One Good Woman” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as the Canadian charts. And yet, I don’t really hear this song much nowadays on the radio, even on classic rock stations. That’s a shame, because this was really a beloved song back in the day.
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“Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)” by Samantha Fox
“Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)” by Samantha Fox was one of the biggest freestyle songs of the late 1980s. Fans at the time were certainly into it. “Naughty Girls” peaked at No. 1 on the US 12-inch Singles Sales chart and hit the Top 40 on countless other charts. It also made it to No. 3 on the Hot 100, too.
Sadly, it’s not super surprising that this song doesn’t make it to the radio much nowadays. Critics kind of tore it apart back in the day. John Leland of Spin Magazine even said that it “is a great pop single, as temporary and tacky as you could want it to be.” Still, I think this tune deserves more love.
“Foolish Beat” by Debbie Gibson
This hit song from singer/songwriter Debbie Gibson is an unfortunate entry on our list of forgotten songs from 1988, because it’s just so good. “Foolish Beat” dropped in early 1988 and topped the Hot 100 that year. At the time, Gibson broke a record with this song. She was, at the time, the youngest person to write, perform, and produce a No. 1 single entirely by herself at the age of only 17 years old. Today, Gibson remains the youngest woman to hold that record.
I don’t hear “Foolish Beat” on the radio much anymore, and I wish that would change. This one is a well-aged gem.
Photo by Nick Spanos/Courtesy of Shore Fire Media
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