1988 in British music

This is a summary of 1988 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

ummary

The growing popularity of house music was evident in the charts by the start of 1988, with many songs of this genre becoming big hits, such as "House Arrest" by Krush and "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass. The acid house band S'Express had a number 1 in April with the song "Theme from S'Express", but the biggest dance hit of the year came from London singer Yazz, who had first had a big hit with producers Coldcut on the song "Doctorin' The House". Still with Coldcut but now with her name billed as the lead artist, her song "The Only Way Is Up" topped the chart for four weeks and was one of the biggest selling singles of the year, and paved the way for a successful solo career.

One of the biggest successes of the year was 19 year old Kylie Minogue, well known to the public after being on the Australian soap opera "Neighbours". Signed to the producing trio Stock Aitken Waterman, her debut song "I Should Be So Lucky" was number 1 for five weeks, and all of her other solo releases that year - "Got to Be Certain", "The Locomotion" and "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" - reached number 2. Her album "Kylie" was also number 1 for six weeks, the biggest selling album of the year and the fifth best selling album of the entire decade. Minogue continues to have success in the UK charts as of 2008, over 20 years later.

Popular teenage acts other than Minogue included American singer Tiffany and new British boyband Bros, who had five singles in the top 5 this year including "When Will I Be Famous?" and their number 1 "I Owe You Nothing".

Some of the more unusual hits of the year included a remix of the theme tune from the popular television series Doctor Who, by "The Timelords", who would go on to have huge success in the early 1990s under the name The KLF. Their song "Doctorin' The TARDIS" (a play on Coldcut's "Doctorin' The House") was number 1 for a week in June. A television advertisment for Miller Lite beer used the 1969 song "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies, which became a number 1 in September 19 years after original release, and an advert for Coca-Cola gave Robin Beck a number 1 hit with the ballad "The First Time".

The race for Christmas number one was a battle between Cliff Richard, with a career stretching back to the 1950s and his seasonal song "Mistletoe and Wine", and new star Kylie Minogue with "Especially for You", a duet with her "Neighbours" co-star Jason Donovan, who's first hit "Nothing Can Divide Us" had reached number 5 that year. The winner was "Mistletoe and Wine", giving Cliff Richard the biggest selling song of the year, but "Especially for You" hung on at number 2 all month and climbed to number 1 in the new year of 1989, staying there for three weeks.

Charts

Number One Singles

Top 10 Albums of 1988

*Michael Jackson's album, Bad, reached number 1 in the album chart in September of the previous year (1987), where it remained for five weeks, but the album was still the third biggest selling of 1987.

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 1988 BRIT Awards winners were:

*Best British producer: Stock Aitken Waterman
*Best classical recording: Ralph Vaughan Williams - "Symphony No. 5"
*Best international solo artist: Michael Jackson
*Best Music Video: New Order - "True Faith"
*Best soundtrack: "The Phantom of the Opera"
*British album: Sting - "Nothing Like the Sun"
*British breakthrough act: Wet Wet Wet
*British female solo artist: Alison Moyet
*British group: Pet Shop Boys
*British male solo artist: George Michael
*British single: Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"
*International breakthrough act: Terence Trent D'Arby
*International group: U2
*Outstanding contribution: The Who

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/ BBC Radio 1's Chart Show]
* [http://www.theofficialcharts.com/ The Official United Kingdom Charts Company]