3rd October 1987 for two weeks

I can imagine there was a lot of hype around this song back in 1987. It sounds like nothing else that has ever been at Number 1 before. It is made up of lots of samples from lots of different songs.

Hearing it in 2023 it just sounds like a confused mess. There is nothing appealing about this song.

1/10

29th August 1987 for five weeks

We arrive at one of the most well known songs in the world (probably).

Rick Astley stormed on to the scene with Never Gonna Give You Up in 1987. It was an absolute smash hit. I can remember it as a child, although I don’t have huge memories of the man himself.

Never Gonna Give You Up is a true classic – a song that everyone knows and everyone loves. The song still has appeal in 2023 and people still enjoy it. It is often used in memes and this gives the song a sort of cheesy but cool quality. 36 years later, it still sounds great. Rick Astley has an amazing voice.

Back in 1987, Nevery Gonna Give You Up was the first song to spend five weeks at the top since Jennifer Rush’s The Power Of Love in 1985. It was, therefore, one of the biggest hits of the Eighties.

He went on to sell lots more songs, but NGGYU is by a mile the biggest of this, eventually edging over the  million copies milestone in 2015.

In 2008 the song became an internet sensation after ‘Rickrolling‘ became a popular practical joke. People began sending people links which redirected them to the video of Never Gonna Give You Up on YouTube instead.

10/10

15th August 1987 for two weeks

I Just Can’t Stop Loving You is a good Michael Jackson song and a rare duet.

It is not, perhaps, one of his better known songs, but it is definitely enjoyable. I love it when the chorus kicks in!

This is his second Number One single on the blog and there are more to come.

I didn’t think I’d heard much from Siedah Garrett (apart from vocals on a Freemasons dance track in the 2010s) but actually we have unknowingly already heard from her on this blog – she provided backing vocals on many tracks, including, most recently, La Isla Bonita. She also co-wrote Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson.

7/10

1st August 1987 for two weeks

I have a very clear memory of this song, but it was definitely in 1988. In 1988 we went away somewhere and stayed in a guest house and can remember sitting with the family we were staying with and watching the movie La Bamba on video. I can remember hearing this song and loving it.

I can also remember seeing this song on Saved By The Bell: The College Years in a scene which makes me laugh.

(This is the scene, however the video appears to have no sound. If you can get it to work, then enjoy it!)

La Bamba is a great song and you simply must play air guitar whilst listening.

It’s not one you hear much at all these days, but if you do it is great!

7/10

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