1988 Countdown: #75-51 Roundup

Back in 1988, I videotaped the MTV year-end top-100 countdown. Back in 2008, I unearthed the tapes and started watching them for the first time in two decades. For the past two years, I’ve been working my way through the broadcast, dissecting every single video, ad break, and Kevin Seal smirk. We’re now five hours into the countdown–halfway done.

If you want to catch up, this is your chance.

#75: Jody Watley, “Some Kind of Lover”

Commercial Break #11

#74: Steve Winwood, “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do?”

#73: Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”

#72: Kenny Loggins, “Nobody’s Fool”

Commercial Break #12

#71: Terence Trent D’Arby, “Sign Your Name”

#70: Debbie Gibson, “Out of the Blue”

#69: Midnight Oil, “Beds Are Burning”

Commercial Break #13

#68: Rod Stewart, “Forever Young”

#67: Prince, “Alphabet St.”

Commercial Break #14

#66: Richard Marx, “Endless Summer Nights”

#65: Europe, “Superstitious”

Commercial Break #15

#64: Belinda Carlisle, “I Get Weak”

#63: George Michael, “Monkey”

#62: John Cougar Mellencamp, “Check It Out”

Commercial Break #16

#61: Heart, “There’s the Girl”

#60: Michael Jackson, “Smooth Criminal”

#59: Huey Lewis and the News, “Perfect World”

Commercial Break #17

#58: Paul Carrack, “Don’t Shed a Tear”

#57: Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”

Commercial Break #18

#56: Poison, “Fallen Angel”

#55: Bruce Springsteen, “One Step Up”

Commercial Break #19

#54: Whitesnake, “Give Me All Your Love”

#53: Chicago, “Look Away”

#52: INXS, “Never Tear Us Apart”

Commercial Break #20

#51: Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”

And the first quarter (#100 through #76) of the countdown.

posted 26 August 2010 in 1988 and tagged . 4 comments

4 Comments on 1988 Countdown: #75-51 Roundup

  1. Gavin Says:

    I’ll be taking some time away from my computer; Rule Forty-Two’s regular programming will resume after Labor Day.

  2. Tom Nawrocki Says:

    Does this mean no Scrabble?

  3. azul120 Says:

    Awww, bummer. In the meantime, having located every last yearly top 100, I’ve engaged in the admittedly pointless hobby of weekly top 20 chart hunting. Related to both of these, I’ve found that Whitesnake’s “Gimme All Your Love” was once at #3, if not higher. Wow.

  4. Pop Music on In Media Res | TedFriedman.com Says:

    […] when I loaned him my copy of the Bob Dylan boxed set Biograph. His contribution is an extension of his ongoing project  to chronicle every minute of the 1988 MTV New Year’s Eve Top 100 Videos …, which I primarily remember for the innumerable commercials for the Kevin Kline flop The January […]

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