8 of the 80s: 8/22/13 (1988)...

I'm ready for this week's 80s throwback, and this time I'm delivering up eight more nuggets from 1988, the year of the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot protesting a curfew...

Depeche Mode - "Never Let Me Down Again"
from the album Music For The Masses (1987)
Billboard  Hot 100 peak: #63
Songwriter: Martin L. Gore

Indeed. One of the best solo road trip songs ever. Erotic and mournful at the same time.

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Pepsi & Shirlie - "All Right Now"
from the album All Right Now (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #66
Songwriters: Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers

The girls behind Wham! take on the classic rock song from Free to make their American splash. Didn't happen.

Dokken - "Burning Like A Flame"
from the album Back For The Attack (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #72
Songwriters: Mick Brown, Don Dokken, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson

I never got why this melodic metal didn't make it where Def Leppard and Cinderella did, but hey, at least they got covered by Mouseketeers (but not this one)...

Teddy Pendergrass - "Joy"
from the album Joy (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #77
Songwriters: Reggie Calloway, Vincent Calloway, Joel Davis

The production team behind this #1 R&B hit would go on to score on their own with "I Wanna Be Rich"...

Sting - "Englishman In New York"
from the album Nothing Like The Sun (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #84
Songwriter: Sting

Only a musician as cultured as Sting could score a hit about eccentric writer Quentin Crisp and get him in the video to boot.

Transvision Vamp - "Tell That Girl To Shut Up"
from the album Pop Art (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #87
Songwriter: Holly Vincent

The British pop/rock band covered a track from Holly & The Italians manages to make catfighting cool...

The Smithereens - "Only A Memory"
from the album Green Thoughts (1988)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #92
Songwriter: Pat Dinizio

The Carteret, New Jersey retro-rockers had the chops to be as big as Springsteen, but middle Jersey always got the short shrift....

Natalie Cole - "When I Fall In Love"
from the album Everlasting (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #95
Songwriters: Edward Heyman, Victor Young

Before she went full-on nostaglia on Unforgettable, Natalie covered another of her dad's favorites on this 1987 album.