March 13, 2026
Hottest hits, cold takes
Show HN: What was the world listening to? Music charts, 20 countries (1940–2025)
A world music time machine: fans cheer, nitpick, and ask ‘where’s Africa?’
TLDR: 88mph.fm lets you jump across decades of global music charts in a slick nostalgia jukebox. Fans cheer but gripe about five‑year jumps, top‑10 limits, UI overlap, and accuracy (especially Italy), ask for more African charts, and compare it to the older Radiooooo—making music history feel fresh and debated.
Grab your virtual DeLorean: 88mph.fm is a time‑travel jukebox zapping you to decades and countries to hear the hits that ruled the moment. Think India 1970, US 1990, South Africa 2020—20 countries, 230 charts, curated by creator @kantyellow. The crowd? Loud, loving, and ready with receipts.
First, the UI throwdown: rubenflamshep flagged that the audio control bar “blocks the footer,” sparking the classic web fight—player vs. page. Then came the time‑skip outrage: t23414321 loves the concept but grumbles you can only jump in 5‑year steps and only get the top 10. The vibe: “Great! Great! And fun!”—followed by “more countries (especially in Africa), please.” Italy chimed in with a spicy “Oh la la!” as Qc17 side‑eyed the chart accuracy for their home turf, opening the data purity debate: which charts, which sources, and how much nostalgia is actually correct?
And because the internet never forgets, dewey dropped the OG link to Radiooooo, the long‑running global music time capsule, teeing up a friendly showdown of retro radio apps. Some users just slammed the upvote and danced (thanks, liviux). Others asked about automating new charts—translation: can this time machine go autopilot? Verdict: a hit that’s stirring up UI battles, accuracy audits, and calls for broader representation—all set to a very catchy soundtrack.
Key Points
- •88mph.fm is a web app to explore historical music charts by country and year.
- •The site covers 20 countries and 230 charts spanning roughly 1940–2025.
- •Users can navigate via a time-travel-themed interface with options like “Random Era” and “Time Circuits.”
- •Example snapshots include India 1970, United States 1990, and South Africa 2020 with top three songs and links to full charts.
- •The project credits creator Matteo Cantiello and offers a “Suggest a chart” submission feature.