![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/The-five-happiest-songs-from-the-1980s-according-to-science-Far-Out-Magazine-1140x855.jpg\")
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(Credits: Far Out)<\/p>\n
Sun 1 March 2026 5:00, UK <\/p>\n
The 1980s<\/a> were only 20 years after The Beatles\u2019 world domination in the 1960s. <\/p>\n That might sound like I am simply writing historic facts on paper, but what I am instead trying to do is highlight just how short the windows between time actually are, because while both eras feel distinctly separate from one another, with the \u201880s feeling a lot closer culturally, and more futuristic aesthetically, it really doesn\u2019t mark a genuinely large shift in time.<\/p>\n To illustrate that, it\u2019s worth reminding you that we are 20 years on from Arctic Monkeys\u2019<\/a> debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That\u2019s What I\u2019m Not. While we scratch our heads trying to process just how quickly a period of supposedly long time has passed, I\u2019ll now allow you to re-evaluate my opening sentence that the 1980s were just 20 years after The Beatles\u2019 world domination.<\/p>\n So the music of the Fab Four would have felt even fresher than it does now, in 2026. The remnants of their influence would still have been soaking the charts, and so, it was not quite the time for a string of cover songs just yet. Just like it\u2019s not yet the time for a string of Arctic Monkeys covers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nevertheless, something stirred within the rather bizarre musical landscape of 1988. Just four years before, one of the decade\u2019s very worst number ones \u2018Do They Know It\u2019s Christmas\u2019<\/a> had just proven the power of a good charity single, and so in light of that, NME sought to capitalise, but this time, in the name of The Beatles. <\/p>\n In a bid to raise money for Childline, they released the Sgt Pepper Knew My Father compilation, which showcased Sonic Youth, The Fall, and Frank Sidebottom, all offering covers of the famous 1960s hitmakers. <\/p>\n While those names would have seemingly been worthy choices, for some reason, the double A-side single had Billy Bragg with \u2018She\u2019s Leaving Home\u2019, and Wet Wet Wet taking on the classic \u2018With a Little Help from My Friends\u2019, with the latter shooting to number one, proving that the world will still very much lap up the sound of The Fab Four, no matter what guise it is given to them in. <\/p>\n How long did it stay at number one?<\/p>\n The Wet Wet Wet version of the song ended up staying at the top for an entire four weeks, after its release on May 14th, 1988. While a quick glance through the list of releases that month shows that the competition was far from stiff, Wet Wet Wet still managed to beat some heavy hitters to the top.<\/p>\n