25th July 1987 for one week

Another great pop song from Madonna. I think that the Eighties was probably her best period for pop music.

Who’s That Girl is a great pop song and it’s easy to see why she was one of the biggest stars in the world at that time.

I’m not sure that I hear this song much any more, but it’s a good one.

7/10

4th July 1987 for three weeks

A genuine classic. The Pet Shop Boys released some amazing songs and It’s A Sin is up there with the best.

I don’t remember much about this when I was younger, probably rediscovering the song as an adult. It was only when I head the Years & Years version in 2021 which was used as the theme song from the Channel 4 show called It’s A Sin that I realised what the lyrics were really about.

Back in the Eighties when being gay was kept hidden and not talked about, there were probably quite a few people that didn’t like this record. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when this sort of thing happened.

It’s A Sin is great and still sounds brilliant!

7/10

20th June 1987 for two weeks

Unfortunately, two classic Number 1s were followed by this novelty song.

I can remember loving this when I was eight-years-old. I didn’t really know what Star Trek was at the time. I have still not really made progress with that. Apart from the newer movies, I’ve never really understood Star Trek’s appeal. I am a Star Wars fan, but not Star Trek.

I can remember thinking this was a great song but it’s really not lasted well and now just sounds dreadful.

I don’t really think Star Trek was a thing in the Eighties, was it? Most novelty hits that would come later (Teletubbies, Bob The Builder) were based on a big cultural, popular show. I don’t remember Star Trek being that sort of programme when I was eight. I could be wrong.

1/10

6th June 1987 for two weeks

I don’t think there’s a Whitney Houston song that does her incredible vocals more justice than this. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (I’ll leave out the unnecessary words in brackets at the end of the title, as no one ever says them) is simply pop perfection!

The song still sounds phenomenal 36 years later and anyone who likes pop music cannot help but admire it.

I am always surprised by how few of Whitney’s records reached Number 1. This was only her second, but it is, without a doubt, her best.

I have a really clear memory of playing pool with my brothers in the arcades at Barmouth in the summer of 1987 and hearing this song. I have loved the song ever since. Its a dance floor filler, for sure, even all these years later.

10/10

9th May 1987 for four weeks

We arrive at one of the biggest Eighties hits.

The summer of 1987 must have been a huge time for pop music. We had just enjoyed La Isla Bonita and then Starship popped up with a smash. The next Number One was an even bigger smash!

Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now was the lead song from the movie, Mannequin. This was a film that I think I saw at some point as a child. It was on TV, not at the cinema or on VHS, so this means it was probably around four years after the movie was originally released.

I can remember hearing NGSUN on the radio and loving it and I have loved it ever since. It is such a powerful song. The lyrics are meaningful and the way the singer belts them out, you cannot help but enjoy every word. What a song!

It still sounds amazing, 36 years after its release.

10/10

25th April 1987 for two weeks

The Queen Of Pop is back! La Isla Bonita was her first hit since July of the previous year, and the first Number One that she’d have in 1987.

And it’s another great song! La Isla Bonita manages to tell a story whilst being being fun and making you think of summer. It’s a clever song and is rightly a classic.

7/10

4th April 1987 for three weeks

I remember the Zeebrugge ferry disaster – the Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in March 1987, killing many passengers and crew. It was awful. There were many tragedies in the Eighties that would have passed me by due to my age. But the Bradford Fire Disaster and the Zeebrugge Free Disaster were two that I can remember vividly. There was another significant one to come.

The Bradford and Zeebrugge disasters were followed by the release of awful charity songs in which celebrities came together to sing a song together to raise money for the victims. I can remember thinking that this was a good idea. As an adult I know that if you want to raise money for a charity you give money directly – not buy an awful record. It frustrates me that celebrities could raise the same amount of money that the record makes from sales just by putting their hand into their own pocket. 

Let It Be included Paul McCartney, Boy George, Mark Knopfler and Kate Bush. And it’s rubbish.

1/10

28th March 1987 for one week

Respectable is a fun pop song that rightly reached Number 1. I have no specific memories of the song, but can definitely recall hearing it when I was a child. I would have been eight years old and thought it was good.

Although we won’t meet Mel & Kim again after Respectable, Kim Appleby went on to enjoy further success on the charts. Poor Mel, however, tragically passed away three years after Respectable was released. Sadly she had cancer and then died due to pneumonia due to a weakened immune system. I can remember being really shocked when I heard about Mel’s death.

Reading about this on Wikipedia, it seems that Mel’s health condition was kept a secret as much as possible and hidden from the public. This just feels so odd, nowadays. Health conditions are talked about so openly now. Poor Tom Parker’s (from The Wanted) battle with cancer was made very public in 2020 and the public reaction to his battle and sad death was incredible. It raised awareness and reduced the stigma around health for men, particularly. Sharing people’s medical information is not necessarily what people would want. But it is so positive to see the change in attitude towards this over the last three decades.

6/10

14th March 1987 for two weeks

I have a vague recollection of this song when I was younger. I remember hearing something about Boy George going solo, but didn’t know what this meant at the time. I guess I didn’t know that he was in a band before.

This is a nice song. It’s not exciting. It’s just ok. That’s all I can say. The Wikipedia page for Everything I Own shows that it’s been covered quite a few times. I don’t know what the appeal is that draws artists to it.

4/10

21st February 1987 for three weeks

I was completely unaware of the film Stand By Me until I was in high school. I am not sure which year I was in, but I remember watching the film in English lessons. I remember thinking it was cool because it had swearing and dead bodies and they were actually showing this to us in school! But I loved the film and still do. It is a great film about bonding and friendship.

The song, Stand By Me, had originally come out in 1961 but was re-released to coincide with the release of the film.

The song is wonderful and has meaningful lyrics which I also love. It is truly a great song. 62 years later and Stand By Me still sounds fabulous.

10/10