Do You Know Where You Are? You're in 1988, Baby!

Fire up the flux capacitor, because this episode of Past Tens: The Top 10 Time Machine drops Dave and Milt straight into December 1988—a moment in pop history when power ballads were mandatory, New Jack Swing was kicking down the door, and Welcome to the Jungle somehow coexisted with Two Hearts on the same chart.

The guys break down the Billboard Top 10, taking respectful (and occasionally reckless) swings at songs from Guns N’ Roses, Bobby Brown, Phil Collins, Anita Baker, Poison, and more. Along the way: personal war stories from the era, cultural detours through VH1 lists and The Simpsons, and a spirited debate over which songs still slap—and which ones are just riding muscle memory.

Also on the docket:

• Milt returns from the Dominican Republic with vacation tales, sunburns, and karaoke decisions that may not age well
  
  
• A pop quiz involving songs with the word “heart” (because 1988 loved feelings almost as much as synthesizers)
  
  
• Diane Warren doing Diane Warren things
  
  
• Chicago… late-period Chicago… that Chicago
  
  
• And yes, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, because of course it’s here
  
  

It’s music analysis, nostalgia, gentle roasting, and genuine affection for a wildly eclectic Top 10—exactly the way December ’88 deserves.

Topics

00:00 – Welcome back to Past Tens
00:37 – Vacation tales, sunburns, and bad decisions abroad
03:04 – Karaoke: regrets may vary
04:32 – Strap in, time machine engaged
05:53 – Setting the scene: December 1988
12:43 – The Top 10 countdown begins
21:46 – Eddie Money goes full pop
29:37 – The Bangles flirt with psychedelic pop
35:34 – Guns N’ Roses kick in the door
40:39 – Welcome to the Jungle as an opening statement
41:35 – VH1’s “greatest hard rock song” debate
43:19 – The Simpsons enters the chat
45:48 – Phil Collins’ Two Hearts (and Buster)
48:27 – Phil Collins + Lamont Dozier = hit math
51:54 – Heart-themed song quiz (feelings everywhere)
01:05:03 – Boy Meets Girl: pure late-’80s yearning
01:10:25 – Anita Baker delivers, as always
01:14:56 – Late-era Chicago: brace yourself
01:16:11 – The “adult contemporary” era explained
01:17:03 – Diane Warren’s invisible fingerprints
01:21:03 – Bobby Brown and the New Jack Swing takeover
01:25:02 – Top 10 hits with spelling-bee energy
01:32:32 – Every Rose Has Its Thorn (yes, that one)
01:37:43 – Recaps, swaps, and second thoughts
01:40:07 – Final thoughts and the ride home