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The No. 1s of

1988

Pick a day for its No. 1 song, film, and book — or scan every reign of 1988 below.

January

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February

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March

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April

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May

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June

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July

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August

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September

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October

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November

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December

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No. 1 songs · Billboard Hot 100

  1. Faith
    George Michael
    Jan 2, 1988
    1 week
  2. So Emotional
    Whitney Houston
    Jan 9, 1988
    1 week
  3. Got My Mind Set On You
    George Harrison
    Jan 16, 1988
    1 week
  4. The Way You Make Me Feel
    Michael Jackson
    Jan 23, 1988
    1 week
  5. Need You Tonight
    INXS
    Jan 30, 1988
    1 week
  6. Could've Been
    Tiffany
    Feb 6, 1988
    2 weeks
  7. Seasons Change
    Expose
    Feb 20, 1988
    1 week
  8. Father Figure
    George Michael
    Feb 27, 1988
    2 weeks
  9. Never Gonna Give You Up
    Rick Astley
    Mar 12, 1988
    2 weeks
  10. Man In The Mirror
    Michael Jackson
    Mar 26, 1988
    2 weeks
  11. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
    Billy Ocean
    Apr 9, 1988
    2 weeks
  12. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
    Whitney Houston
    Apr 23, 1988
    2 weeks
  13. Wishing Well
    Terence Trent D'Arby
    May 7, 1988
    1 week
  14. Anything For You
    Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
    May 14, 1988
    2 weeks
  15. One More Try
    George Michael
    May 28, 1988
    3 weeks
  16. Together Forever
    Rick Astley
    Jun 18, 1988
    1 week
  17. Foolish Beat
    Debbie Gibson
    Jun 25, 1988
    1 week
  18. Dirty Diana
    Michael Jackson
    Jul 2, 1988
    1 week
  19. The Flame
    Cheap Trick
    Jul 9, 1988
    2 weeks
  20. Hold On To The Nights
    Richard Marx
    Jul 23, 1988
    1 week
  21. Roll With It
    Steve Winwood
    Jul 30, 1988
    4 weeks
  22. Monkey
    George Michael
    Aug 27, 1988
    2 weeks
  23. Sweet Child O' Mine
    Guns N' Roses
    Sep 10, 1988
    2 weeks
  24. Don't Worry, Be Happy (From "Cocktail")
    Bobby McFerrin
    Sep 24, 1988
    2 weeks
  25. Love Bites
    Def Leppard
    Oct 8, 1988
    1 week
  26. Red Red Wine
    UB40
    Oct 15, 1988
    1 week
  27. Groovy Kind Of Love
    Phil Collins
    Oct 22, 1988
    2 weeks
  28. Kokomo (From"Cocktail" )
    The Beach Boys
    Nov 5, 1988
    1 week
  29. Wild, Wild West
    The Escape Club
    Nov 12, 1988
    1 week
  30. Bad Medicine
    Bon Jovi
    Nov 19, 1988
    2 weeks
  31. Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley
    Will To Power
    Dec 3, 1988
    1 week
  32. Look Away
    Chicago
    Dec 10, 1988
    2 weeks
  33. Every Rose Has Its Thorn
    Poison
    Dec 24, 1988
    2 weeks

No. 1 films · U.S. weekend box office

  1. Three Men and a Baby
    Jan 3, 1988
    2 weekends
  2. Good Morning, Vietnam
    Jan 17, 1988
    9 weekends
  3. Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach
    Mar 20, 1988
    1 weekend
  4. Biloxi Blues
    Mar 27, 1988
    1 weekend
  5. Beetlejuice
    Apr 3, 1988
    4 weekends
  6. Colors
    May 1, 1988
    2 weekends
  7. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
    May 15, 1988
    1 weekend
  8. Willow
    May 22, 1988
    1 weekend
  9. Crocodile Dundee II
    May 30, 1988
    3 weekends
  10. Red Heat
    Jun 19, 1988
    2 weekends
  11. Coming to America
    Jul 4, 1988
    4 weekends
  12. Cocktail
    Jul 31, 1988
    2 weekends
  13. Young Guns
    Aug 14, 1988
    1 weekend
  14. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
    Aug 21, 1988
    3 weekends
  15. Moon over Parador
    Sep 11, 1988
    1 weekend
  16. A Fish Called Wanda
    Sep 18, 1988
    1 weekend
  17. Dead Ringers
    Sep 25, 1988
    1 weekend
  18. Gorillas in the Mist
    Oct 2, 1988
    1 weekend
  19. Alien Nation
    Oct 10, 1988
    1 weekend
  20. The Accused
    Oct 16, 1988
    1 weekend
  21. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
    Oct 23, 1988
    2 weekends
  22. They Live
    Nov 6, 1988
    1 weekend
  23. Child's Play
    Nov 13, 1988
    1 weekend
  24. The Land Before Time
    Nov 20, 1988
    1 weekend
  25. Scrooged
    Nov 27, 1988
    1 weekend
  26. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
    Dec 4, 1988
    1 weekend
  27. Twins
    Dec 11, 1988
    3 weekends
  28. Rain Man
    Jan 2, 1989
    1 weekend

No. 1 books · NYT fiction best sellers

  1. The Tommyknockers
    Stephen King
    Jan 3, 1988
    3 weeks
  2. The Bonfire of the Vanities
    Tom Wolfe
    Jan 24, 1988
    8 weeks
  3. The Icarus Agenda
    Robert Ludlum
    Mar 20, 1988
    8 weeks
  4. Zoya
    Danielle Steel
    May 15, 1988
    7 weeks
  5. Alaska
    James Michener
    Jul 3, 1988
    5 weeks
  6. The Cardinal of the Kremlin
    Tom Clancy
    Aug 7, 1988
    12 weeks
  7. The Queen of the Damned
    Anne Rice
    Oct 30, 1988
    3 weeks
  8. The Sands of Time
    Sidney Sheldon
    Nov 20, 1988
    6 weeks