Billboard's top 10 songs from the week ending Jan. 9, 1988

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Poll question: Billboard's top 10 songs from the week ending Jan. 9, 1988

Rating the Pop Hits of '88
How do 20-year-old tunes by Debbie Gibson, George Michael, and INXS hold up today? Whitney Pastorek gives 'em another listen

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20169087,00.html



Oh, hi. Look, Flashbackers: I totally deserve your scorn. I haven't written one of these since June (my God, June? really??), and what's more, I haven't even tried. I should have at least been up nights, fretting about how I've forsaken you, and you are unlikely to ever forgive me...but I haven't been. I mean, I've been up nights, but for other reasons. The other reasons being the things that kept me too busy to write this column. Right. So many excuses.

But so here's my theory: Maybe the pressure to do this once a week was too much. Maybe I pushed myself too hard. Maybe I burned out. Which, as we all know, is better to do than fade away. Wait, or is it ''flame out''? Shoot. Whatever. The point is, from now on, what if every two weeks or thereabouts, I write you a little Chart Flashback, and we just see how long I can sustain that pace, and go from there? Yes. That sounds nice. I shall try that.

(I know what you're saying: ''But Dalton Ross writes us a new Glutton every week!'' That is true. But I think both Dalton and I would agree that he has less existential pain than I do, and, thus, more free time.)

Now. This week we're emerging from our holiday season cocoons, and on top of feeling fat from all the eating/boozing, I decided to make us feel old. (This is a fixation of mine lately, if you've not noticed.) So the following songs are all a nice round 20 years of age, which means it's been two decades since shoulder pads and neon accessories and big hair and all that innocence we used to know before grunge came and took all the fun away. Two decades. That's two decades of time you're not getting back, by the way. So here's my 2008 wish for you, Flashbackers: Make the most of it. 'Cause when it's gone, it's gone. Like shoulder pads. One hopes.

Let the reminiscing begin! Billboard's top 10 songs from the week ending Jan. 9, 1988...