100 Greatest Songs From 1988

record cover art for Fast Car by Tracy Chapman and One by Metallica
Criteria: Songs listed are from Rock 'n' Roll and related sub-genres. Rankings are based on initial and lasting popularity and on acclaim received from critics and musicians.

Fast Car single cover One single cover She Drives Me Crazy single cover Straight Up single cover My Prerogative single cover It Takes Two single cover Every Rose Has Its Thorn single cover Wild Thing single cover
Note: Yearly song lists go by earliest 'release date' (Single, Album, or Country of first release).
Not necessarily the year a song peaked in the U.S. charts.
No.
Song
Artist
1 Fast Car Tracy Chapman
2 One Metallica
3 She Drives Me Crazy Fine Young Cannibals
4 Straight Up Paula Abdul
5 My Prerogative Bobby Brown
6 It Takes Two Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
7 Every Rose Has Its Thorn Poison
8 Wild Thing Tone-Loc
9 Parents Just Don't Understand DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
10 Fuck Tha Police N.W.A
11 Teen Age Riot Sonic Youth
12 Follow The Leader Eric B. & Rakim
13 Touch Me I'm Sick Mudhoney
14 Wind Beneath My Wings Bette Midler
15 The Living Years Mike + The Mechanics
16 Cult Of Personality Living Colour
17 Desire U2
18 Bad Medicine Bon Jovi
19 Patience Guns N' Roses
20 I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) Proclaimers
21 Where Is My Mind? Pixies
22 Don't Believe The Hype Public Enemy
23 Straight Outta Compton N.W.A
24 What I Am Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
25 Buffalo Stance Neneh Cherry
26 Opposites Attract Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
27 Nite And Day Al B. Sure!
28 Kokomo Beach Boys
29 Don't Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin
30 Giving You The Best That I Got Anita Baker
31 Eternal Flame Bangles
32 Don't Be Cruel Bobby Brown
33 Stand R.E.M.
34 Simply Irresistible Robert Palmer
35 There She Goes La's
36 Under The Milky Way Church
37 A Little Respect Erasure
38 Mother Danzig
39 What's On Your Mind? (Pure Energy) Information Society
40 Listen To Your Heart Roxette
41 The Mercy Seat Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
42 Angel Eyes Jeff Healey Band
43 I'll House You Jungle Brothers
44 Every Little Step Bobby Brown
45 Wild, Wild West Escape Club
46 Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley Will To Power
47 Angel Of Harlem U2
48 One Moment In Time Whitney Houston
49 Good Thing Fine Young Cannibals
50 Everybody Knows Leonard Cohen
51 Strictly Business EPMD
52 Freak Scene Dinosaur Jr.
53 Ain't No Half Steppin' Big Daddy Kane
54 Nothin' But A Good Time Poison
55 Cold Hearted Paula Abdul
56 Roll With It Steve Winwood
57 Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) Cinderella
58 I Hate Myself For Loving You Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
59 Superwoman Karyn White
60 When Love Comes To Town U2 with B.B. King
61 All I Want Is You U2
62 Handle With Care Traveling Wilburys
63 Everyday Is Like Sunday Morrissey
64 The Flame Cheap Trick
65 The Valley Road Bruce Hornsby & The Range
66 Orange Crush R.E.M.
67 Children's Story Slick Rick
68 This Woman's Work Kate Bush
69 My Philosophy Boogie Down Productions
70 Piano In The Dark Brenda Russell
71 Like The Way I Do Melissa Etheridge
72 Heaven Warrant
73 When It's Love Van Halen
74 Copperhead Road Steve Earle
75 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos Public Enemy
76 A Groovy Kind Of Love Phil Collins
77 I'll Be There For You Bon Jovi
78 Two Hearts Phil Collins
79 Twist In My Sobriety Tanita Tikarim
80 Any Love Luther Vandross
81 If It Isn't Love New Edition
82 Ana Ng They Might Be Giants
83 Tomorrow People Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
84 Can I Play With Madness? Iron Maiden
85 Bring Me Some Water Melissa Etheridge
86 Finish What Ya Started Van Halen
87 What Time Is Love? KLF
88 Crash Primitives
89 You Got It (The Right Stuff) New Kids On the Block
90 Orinoco Flow Enya
91 Express Yourself N.W.A
92 Colors Ice-T
93 Gigantic Pixies
94 Dreamin' Vanessa Williams
95 Theme From S-Express S-Express
96 Waiting Room Fugazi
97 You Made Me Realise My Bloody Valentine
98 Tall Cool One Robert Plant
99 Alphabet St. Prince
100 End Of The Line Traveling Wilburys
20 more worth mentioning.
101 Teardrops Womack & Womack
102 Stigmata Ministry
103 Suedehead Morrissey
104 Domino Dancing Pet Shop Boys
105 Toy Soldiers Martika
106 I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That Elton John
107 Roni Bobby Brown
108 Edge Of A Broken Heart Vixen
109 Can You Stand The Rain? New Edition
110 Headed For A Heartbreak Winger
111 Baby Can I Hold You? Tracy Chapman
112 Let The River Run Carly Simon
113 Little Walter Tony! Toni! Tone!
114 Dirty Blvd Lou Reed
115 Passionate Kisses Lucinda Williams
116 Punk Rock Girl Dead Milkmen
117 Fisherman's Blues Waterboys
118 Microphone Fiend Eric B. & Rakim
119 Close My Eyes Forever Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne
120 Girl You Know It's True Milli Vanilli
DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 1988
Jeff's Choice - Greatest Single Re-Entry
* He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (#1 UK 2 weeks) Hollies
Jeff's Choice - An unheralded great record from 1988
* Headhunter Front 242
Lew's Choice:
* Only A Memory Smithereens
Bruce's Choice:
* Da' Butt E.U.
Brett's Choice:
* Plug Tunin' De La Soul
Ryan's Choice:
* Chinese Bones Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians