My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Could've Been" by Tiffany (1988)

Tiffany Video

Hello, one and all.

So, after a week at the top spot, Tiffany (Darwish), a then-sixteen-year-old from Norwalk, CA, claimed the top spot with the sweet-tempered ballad, "Could've Been", a song that was produced by George E. Tobin, known for his work with Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes and Natalie Cole. It was the second chart-topper for the girl known for her mini-concert appearances at suburban malls. A teen pop music renaissance began to emerge in the late-1980s with acts like Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block becoming hot and heavy chart acts. The first number one for this artist was a cover of the 1967 Tommy James & the Shondells hit, "I Think We're Alone Now", a song that peaked at number one unlike its original counterpart.
It would be her last number one and it lasted two weeks at the top spot. After the 1990s, Tiffany had a hitless decade, although VH1 would do a "Behind The Music" episode about her brief life in the spotlight and her alleged rivalry with 80s pop teen icon Deborah (Debbie) Gibson.

Rounding out the Billboard Top Five: February 6, 1988:

Bangles Video

The all-female band from L.A., the Bangles, would peak at number two with "Hazy Shade of Winter". A cover of the 1966 Simon & Garfunkel hit and used in the opening of the 1987 Brat-Pack drama, "Less Than Zero", with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. A film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel about disaffected, drug-addled rich kids from L.A.

INXS Video

The Sydney, Australia band INXS had their Prince-like hit, "Need You Tonight" drop to number three. Their followup single, "Devil Inside" would debut a few weeks later.

Expose Video

Jeanette Jurado, Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno were the three-woman vocal trio, Exposé, based out of Miami, FL. Their genre consisted of Latin freestyle dance hits, but were about to score a future number one with their  ballad, "Seasons Change". Their hit was produced by DJ and songwriter Lewis Martineé who produced hits for Pet Shop Boys, Cover Girls, Company B and even Debbie Gibson to name a few.

Roger Video

The late, Ohio funk-meister, Roger Troutman, who would be known by one name only; Roger, would have his one and only hit, "I Want To Be Your Man"; a synth-heavy R&B ballad known for Roger's "speaker-box" vocals. His brother, Lester Troutman was one of the co-founders of the R&B-funk band, Zapp, out of Dayton, OH. In 1999, both he and Roger had died after a murder-suicide, that eventually led to the band's breakup.

The next number one? Find out in a couple of weeks!