As go-to pop songwriter Bonnie McKee (Katy Perry, Britney Spears) aims to break out as a solo artist — her debut single, “American Girl,” inches up to #97 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 — her heroes might be Boy Meets Girl, husband-and-wife hitmakers who charted a smash of their own 25 years ago.

While McKee counts a total of six chart toppers to her credit (five with Katy Perry, including her newest #1, “Roar”), when Boy Meets Girl released “Waiting For A Star To Fall” in 1988, George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam were best known for having penned a pair of massive number-ones for Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

Inspired by a falling star that Rubicam spotted while watching Whitney perform at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, she and Merrill wrote “Waiting For A Star To Fall” with the superstar’s next album in mind. After Arista label boss Clive Davis turned the song down, Belinda Carlisle recorded a demo for her 1987 album, Heaven On Earth, only to ultimately pass. Undaunted, Merrill and Rubicam produced a more polished version of “Waiting For A Star To Fall” for their second album as Boy Meets Girl, Reel Life.

Released in the summer of 1988, Boy Meet Girl’s “Waiting For A Star To Fall” initially impacted the Hot 100 25 years ago this week, debuting at #83. Climbing steadily upward, the single became the hit the duo knew they’d written. By mid-December, Boy Meets Girl had reached #5, where “Waiting For A Star To Fall” shone brightly for three weeks straight.

While “Waiting For A Star To Fall” is Boy Meets Girl’s biggest hit, it wasn’t the duo’s first top 40 entry. That honor goes to 1985’s “Oh Girl,” which peaked at #39.

“Waiting For A Star To Fall” enjoyed an unexpected resurgence in 2005, with Boy Meets Girl’s hit sampled by Cabin Crew (“Star To Fall”), Sunset Strippers (“Falling Stars”), and Mylo (“In My Arms”).

Purchase Boy Meets Girl – “Waiting For A Star To Fall” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.