Every song that charted in 1988

Combined ranking of all 290 songs from the alternative rock year-end countdowns of 1988. ← Top 100 of 1988

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s
1	Suedehead Morrissey	486	6	#4	–
2	Desire U2	468	5	#2	–
3	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	436	5	#3	–
4	Route 66 Depeche Mode	392	4	#1	2
5	Peek-A-Boo Siouxsie and the Banshees	387	4	#1	1
6	Chains of Love Erasure	364	4	#7	–
7	Everyday Is Like Sunday Morrissey	325	4	#5	–
8	Crash The Primitives	322	5	#12	–
9	Mandinka Sinéad O'Connor	306	4	#5	–
10	Orange Crush R.E.M.	304	4	#6	–
11	Wild Wild West Escape Club	299	4	#16	–
12	What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) Information Society	287	4	#4	–
13	(Nothing But) Flowers Talking Heads	280	4	#20	–
14	Tears Run Rings Marc Almond	279	4	#13	–
15	The Dead Heart Midnight Oil	262	4	#20	–
16	Fast Car Tracy Chapman	261	3	#1	1
17	Wild World Maxi Priest	247	4	#11	–
18	The Killing Jar Siouxsie and the Banshees	236	3	#20	–
19	What I Am Edie Brickell And New Bohemians	233	3	#9	–
20	Tomorrow People Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers	233	4	#23	–
21	Just Play Music Big Audio Dynamite	231	3	#8	–
22	Under the Milky Way The Church	230	3	#3	–
23	A Little Respect Erasure	220	3	#4	–
24	Doctorin' the Tardis The Timelords	217	4	#19	–
25	I Don't Want Your Love Duran Duran	210	4	#24	–
26	Like the Weather 10,000 Maniacs	207	3	#15	–
27	What's The Matter Here 10,000 Maniacs	203	3	#21	–
28	Touched by the Hand of God New Order	195	3	#8	–
29	All That Money Wants The Psychedelic Furs	195	4	#23	–
30	Dreaming Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark	190	4	#26	–
31	Angel of Harlem U2	189	3	#11	–
32	Motorcrash The Sugarcubes	187	4	#36	–
33	Harley David (Son of a Bitch) Bollock Brothers	185	2	#2	–
34	Christine The House of Love	184	3	#9	–
35	Carolyn's Fingers Cocteau Twins	180	5	#26	–
36	Always on My Mind Pet Shop Boys	178	2	#7	–
37	Wild Thing Tone Loc	177	2	#9	–
38	Where Did I Go Wrong? UB40	176	2	#8	–
39	The Great Commandment Camouflage	170	2	#10	–
40	Reach Martini Ranch	167	2	#16	–
41	Breakfast in Bed UB40	165	3	#26	–
42	Balloon Man Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians	164	4	#23	–
43	Only A Memory The Smithereens	160	2	#13	–
44	Ye Ke Ye Ke Mory Kante	153	2	#5	–
45	Soviet Snow Shona Laing	152	3	#25	–
46	Birthday The Sugarcubes	149	2	#7	–
47	Inside Out Mighty Lemon Drops	149	3	#29	–
48	I Want Your Hands On Me Sinéad O'Connor	148	3	#29	–
49	This Corrosion Sisters of Mercy	148	3	#45	–
50	God Part II U2	147	2	#17	–
51	Stand R.E.M.	146	2	#28	–
52	Charlotte Anne Julian Cope	143	4	#46	–
53	Never Tear Us Apart INXS	139	3	#19	–
54	Bedbugs and Ballyhoo Echo and the Bunnymen	137	3	#25	–
55	Situations Cetu Javu	137	3	#22	–
56	Reptile The Church	134	2	#13	–
57	Cinderella Undercover Oingo Boingo	129	2	#24	–
58	Im Nin'Alu ofra Haza	128	2	#36	–
59	Tower of Strength Mission U.K.	127	2	#32	–
60	Jane Says Jane's Addiction	126	3	#40	–
61	Kick INXS	125	2	#10	–
62	The Different Story Peter Schilling	122	2	#33	–
63	There is No Love Between Us Anymore Pop Will Eat Itself	116	3	#29	–
64	All Night Long Peter Murphy	111	3	#55	–
65	Ship of Fools Erasure	110	2	#46	–
66	So Important Sparks	106	2	#47	–
67	Def.Con.One Pop Will Eat Itself	106	3	#25	–
68	Gigantic The Pixies	106	2	#7	–
69	Fine Time New Order	106	2	#9	–
70	New Sensation INXS	104	2	#6	–
71	Perfect Fairground Attraction	103	2	#27	–
72	In Your Room The Bangles	102	3	#44	–
73	I Beg Your Pardon Kon Kan	100	2	#13	–
74	This Party Sucks The Slickee Boys	100	1	#1	1
75	Destroy The Heart The House of Love	100	1	#1	1
76	Delicious Demon The Sugarcubes	99	2	#16	–
77	Nobody's Twisting Your Arm Wedding Present	98	1	#2	–
78	Teardrops Womack And Womack	97	1	#2	–
79	Indigo Eyes Peter Murphy	96	2	#31	–
80	Sidewalking The Jesus and Mary Chain	96	1	#3	–
81	Somewhere In My Heart Aztec Camera	95	2	#49	–
82	Take Me I'm Yours Wedding Present	94	1	#4	–
83	An Englishmen In New York Sting	93	1	#3	–
84	Winning Side Oingo Boingo	92	2	#31	–
85	Freak Scene Dinosaur Jr.	92	1	#5	–
86	That Smiling Face Camouflage	91	1	#10	–
87	Halfway Home The Scabs	90	1	#4	–
88	You Made Me Realise My Bloody Valentine	90	1	#6	–
89	Devil Inside INXS	90	2	#42	–
90	The Promise When in Rome	90	1	#12	–
91	Glad I'm Not a Kennedy Shona Laing	89	2	#35	–
92	Domino Dancing Pet Shop Boys	88	2	#47	–
93	Prison Bound Social Distortion	88	1	#14	–
94	Tell that Girl to Shut up Transvision Vamp	88	3	#56	–
95	Stop This Car The Woodentops	87	1	#15	–
96	Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? Wedding Present	86	1	#8	–
97	Deus The Sugarcubes	85	2	#20	–
98	Painkiller Westworld	85	1	#17	–
99	Ana Ng They Might Be Giants	85	2	#53	–
100	So Excited Ranking Roger	84	2	#63	–
101	Suspicion Gene Loves Jezebel	83	1	#19	–
102	Hairdresser on Fire Morrissey	83	3	#39	–
103	The Mercy Seat Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds	82	1	#10	–
104	Kiss and Tell Bryan Ferry	81	2	#61	–
105	Need You Tonight INXS	81	2	#21	–
106	She Won't Be Home Erasure	81	1	#20	–
107	Keep The Circle Around Inspiral Carpets	80	1	#11	–
108	Coldsweat The Sugarcubes	80	1	#21	–
109	Dreamworld Midnight Oil	80	3	#43	–
110	I Want You Now Depeche Mode	79	1	#22	–
111	Stop Sam Brown	77	1	#8	–
112	Magic Carpet Ride Grandmaster Flash	76	1	#27	–
113	Bitterness The Wild Swans	75	1	#27	–
114	Big Hollow Man Danielle Dax	75	2	#35	–
115	Don't Let's Start They Might Be Giants	74	2	#39	–
116	Cab It Up The Fall	74	1	#14	–
117	Sign Your Name Terence Trent D'Arby	73	1	#9	–
118	Trash City Joe Strummer	73	2	#60	–
119	I'm Not Always So Stupid Wedding Present	72	1	#15	–
120	Hey You!!! The Cure	72	1	#29	–
121	Heart Pet Shop Boys	70	1	#33	–
122	Better Be Home Soon Crowded House	70	1	#10	–
123	Bremen Nacht The Fall	70	1	#16	–
124	Stop This Crazy Thing Coldcut	70	1	#33	–
125	Disco Dancer Devo	70	2	#52	–
126	Heart of Stone Erasure	69	1	#34	–
127	Strangers Images In Vogue	69	1	#32	–
128	Call Me Blue A House	68	3	#62	–
129	Feed Me With Your Kiss My Bloody Valentine	68	1	#17	–
130	Fiesta The Pogues	68	2	#18	–
131	Simply Irresistible Robert Palmer	67	2	#42	–
132	Airhead Thomas Dolby	66	2	#49	–
133	Power to the People Patti Smith	66	1	#37	–
134	Love In A Car The House of Love	66	1	#18	–
135	Don't Worry Be Happy Bobby McFerrin	66	1	#35	–
136	Werewolves of London David Lindley	66	1	#32	–
137	I Don't Mind If You Forget Me Morrissey	65	1	#36	–
138	Walking Away Information Society	65	1	#33	–
139	America Killing Joke	64	1	#39	–
140	Teenage Riot Sonic Youth	64	1	#19	–
141	I Hate Myself for Loving You Joan Jett and the Blackhearts	64	1	#37	–
142	Rev It Up Jerry Harrison	64	1	#40	–
143	Yahoo! Erasure	63	1	#38	–
144	I've Got a Feeling The Screaming Tribesmen	63	1	#41	–
145	My Girl and Me Gangway	62	1	#41	–
146	Happy When It Rains The Jesus and Mary Chain	60	1	#43	–
147	A groovy kind of love Phil Collins	60	1	#13	–
148	Something Nice Robert Lloyd & The New Four Seasons	60	1	#21	–
149	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	59	1	#44	–
150	Tubular Bells Book of Love	59	2	#52	–
151	Late Night Maudlin Street Morrissey	58	1	#22	–
152	Don't Turn Around Aswad	57	3	#68	–
153	Disappointed Morrissey	56	1	#23	–
154	My Brain is Like a Sieve Thomas Dolby	56	1	#48	–
155	All I Wanted In Tua Nua	55	1	#46	–
156	Take My Heart Away Johnny Clegg	54	1	#50	–
157	Big New Prinz The Fall	54	1	#24	–
158	As The Bottle Runs Dry The Wolf Banes	53	1	#15	–
159	I Need A Man Eurythmics	53	1	#51	–
160	One Day Fishbone	53	1	#48	–
161	I'm An Adult Now The Pursuit of Happiness	53	3	#73	–
162	Ma and Pa Fishbone	53	1	#51	–
163	All She Wants Is Duran Duran	53	1	#44	–
164	There's a Barbarian in the Back of My Car Voice of the Beehive	52	1	#52	–
165	Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Billy Bragg	52	1	#25	–
166	Orinoco Flow Enya	51	1	#50	–
167	Answers to Nothing Midge Ure	51	1	#53	–
168	Alphabet St. Prince	50	1	#16	–
169	Broken Heart Red Flag	50	2	#74	–
170	Another Kind of Love Hugh Cornwell	50	1	#55	–
171	Blue Monday New Order	49	1	#47	–
172	Sister I'm a Poet Morrissey	49	2	#60	–
173	Presence of Love The Alarm	49	1	#56	–
174	Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N Roses	48	1	#48	–
175	I Am Kurious Oranj The Fall	48	1	#27	–
176	Boom! There She Was Scritti Politti	48	1	#57	–
177	Gimme Hope Jo'anna Eddy Grant	47	1	#17	–
178	What For James	46	2	#33	–
179	Go Bang Shriekback	46	1	#58	–
180	14 Days In May Overlord X	46	1	#28	–
181	Liar Liar Deborah Harry	46	2	#63	–
182	Sorry Little Sarah Blue System	45	1	#59	–
183	Big Thing Duran Duran	45	1	#56	–
184	Silver Rocket Sonic Youth	44	1	#29	–
185	Electric Blue Icehouse	44	1	#61	–
186	Shame Eurythmics	43	1	#62	–
187	Where Is My Mind? The Pixies	42	1	#30	–
188	Talking About A Revolution Tracy Chapman	42	1	#54	–
189	I Say Nothing Voice of the Beehive	41	2	#69	–
190	You Placed a Chill in My Heart Eurythmics	41	1	#64	–
191	Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More Mudhoney	40	1	#31	–
192	Neighbors Camouflage	40	1	#65	–
193	People Have The Power Patti Smith	40	1	#56	–
194	When I Feel This Way APB	39	1	#62	–
195	Don't Talk 10,000 Maniacs	38	1	#57	–
196	I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones	38	1	#67	–
197	Jump In The River Sinéad O'Connor	38	2	#59	–
198	Road Pizza Spit	38	1	#32	–
199	Booby Trap The Dickies	38	1	#67	–
200	Underneath the Radar Underworld	37	2	#70	–
201	Been There, Done That Jon Astley	37	1	#68	–
202	Dominion Sisters of Mercy	37	1	#20	–
203	The Race Yello	36	1	#69	–
204	Eye of Fatima Camper Van Beethoven	35	1	#60	–
205	Dad I'm in Jail Was (Not Was)	35	1	#71	–
206	On Tape Pooh Sticks	34	1	#34	–
207	Jesus Christ U2	34	1	#67	–
208	Sharkwalk Shriekback	34	1	#71	–
209	Baby Doll Devo	33	1	#73	–
210	Charlton Heston Stump	32	1	#35	–
211	Full of Love Dr. Calculus	32	1	#69	–
212	Dirty Blvd. Lou Reed	31	1	#70	–
213	Mirror People Love and Rockets	31	1	#75	–
214	Sneakville Secession	30	1	#75	–
215	Hey Marlene Won Ton Ton	30	1	#22	–
216	Jerusalem The Fall	30	1	#36	–
217	Neighbours Camouflage	30	1	#71	–
218	Rescue Me (Live) The Alarm	30	1	#65	–
219	Streets of Your Town The Go-Betweens	29	1	#76	–
220	Samora Machel Shalawambe	28	1	#37	–
221	Fragile Sting	27	1	#23	–
222	High on You Iggy Pop	26	1	#79	–
223	Cat House Danielle Dax	26	1	#80	–
224	Should The Bible Be Banned McCarthy	26	1	#38	–
225	Phantom Bride Erasure	26	1	#75	–
226	Hey Matthew Karel Fialka	25	1	#80	–
227	Kiss The Art of Noise/Tom Jones	25	1	#81	–
228	River Euphrates The Pixies	24	1	#39	–
229	King of Emotion Big Country	23	1	#71	–
230	Man with a Gun Jerry Harrison	22	1	#84	–
231	Guest Informant The Fall	22	1	#40	–
232	Johnny Belinda Voice Farm	22	1	#84	–
233	Bone Machine The Pixies	21	2	#45	–
234	When Love Comes To Town U2	21	1	#73	–
235	You Make Me Feel The Woodentops	21	1	#85	–
236	Glamour Boys Living Colour	21	1	#86	–
237	China in Your Hand T'Pau	20	1	#25	–
238	Collision Loop	20	1	#41	–
239	Orient Express CCCP	20	1	#86	–
240	Be Still My Beating Heart Sting	19	1	#82	–
241	Back to the Wall The Divinyls	19	1	#87	–
242	Shimmer Flatmates	18	1	#42	–
243	Used to Love Her Guns N Roses	18	1	#76	–
244	Left to My Own Devices Pet Shop Boys	17	1	#84	–
245	Wishing Well Hunters And Collectors	17	1	#89	–
246	The Way To Your Heart Soulsister	17	1	#26	–
247	Break Away Big Pig	16	1	#77	–
248	Miles Apart Mega City Four	16	1	#43	–
249	The Canary Song Crossfire Choir	16	1	#85	–
250	Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls Book of Love	15	1	#91	–
251	Blind Talking Heads	14	1	#79	–
252	Suspicion of Love Chris Isaak	14	1	#92	–
253	Kidney Bingos Wire	14	1	#93	–
254	Glam Slam Prince	13	1	#27	–
255	Cold Metal Iggy Pop	13	1	#80	–
256	Put Down That Weapon Midnight Oil	13	1	#88	–
257	Turquoise Jewelry Camper Van Beethoven	12	1	#95	–
258	Wild Thing Sim Kinison	12	1	#81	–
259	Put this Love to the Test Jon Astley	12	1	#89	–
260	Love Explosion The Three O'Clock	11	1	#95	–
261	Kill Eye Crowded House	11	1	#96	–
262	Different World INXS	11	1	#90	–
263	Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before The Smiths	10	1	#28	–
264	Beatnik Beach Beatnik Beach	9	1	#97	–
265	Crucify Me Moev	9	1	#92	–
266	Don't Go The Hothouse Flowers	9	1	#84	–
267	You Make My Head Explode The Groovy Little Numbers	8	1	#98	–
268	Shame On You The Darling Buds	8	1	#47	–
269	Ornaments of Gold Siouxsie and the Banshees	7	1	#100	–
270	Troy Sinéad O'Connor	7	1	#29	–
271	Across the Sky Colour Scream	7	1	#100	–
272	Wrote for Luck Happy Mondays	6	1	#48	–
273	Sixty-Five Thousand Erasure	6	1	#95	–
274	Only One Night The Hurricanes	6	1	#101	–
275	Surfin' USA Jesus and the Mary Chain	6	1	#102	–
276	House We Used to Live In The Smithereens	5	1	#87	–
277	Turn Around and Count to Ten Dead or Alive	5	1	#103	–
278	Sometimes Midnight Oil	4	1	#88	–
279	Don't Laugh Wedding Present	4	1	#49	–
280	Tumblin' Down Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers	4	2	#91	–
281	Come Out to Play UB40	4	1	#104	–
282	Dirty Diana Michael Jackson	3	1	#30	–
283	Birth, School, Work, Death The Godfathers	3	1	#89	–
284	Don't Fear Me Now In Tua Nua	3	1	#98	–
285	Motor Circus of Power	2	1	#90	–
286	Night Of The Living Baseheads Public Enemy	2	1	#50	–
287	Dumb Things Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls	2	1	#105	–
288	Bitin' My Nails Renegade Soundwave	1	1	#100	–
289	Leader of the Pack The Joan Collins Fan Club	1	1	#106	–
290	Mother's Day Boy John Frost	1	1	#107	–