1987 in British music

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This is a summary of 1987 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.

Summary

The start of the year saw an important milestone in electronic dance music, when Steve "Silk" Hurley's song "Jack Your Body" became the first house music track to reach number 1 in the UK charts. This was despite Hurley refusing to promote the song, and the 12-inch single technically breaking chart rules as it was longer than the allowed 25-minute play time. House music had been steadily growing in popularity since it started underground in the early 1980s, and another number 1 would follow in September, the huge selling "Pump Up The Volume" by British act M|A|R|R|S which was one of the top ten biggest selling songs of the year.

For most of the 1980s, the main musical format in the charts was the gramophone record, with songs being released on both 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl singles. However, in 1987 two new formats started to appear. The first was the digital CD single, where songs are put on a Compact Disc. These were first made eligible for the UK Singles Chart this year, and the first number 1 to be released as a CD single was Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" released in May. The second was the cassette single where the song is released on an audio tape - the BPI began recording their sales this year, but they would not become eligible until 1989. Both formats would dominate the chart throughout the 1990s.

Synthpop bands Pet Shop Boys and Erasure continued their success from their breakthrough year in 1986, with the Pet Shop Boys achieving their second number 1 single ("It's a Sin") in the summer, and two more top ten singles with "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", a collaboration with Dusty Springfield, which peaked at number 2, and "Rent", which peaked at number 8. Their album "Actually" also sold well and peaked at number 2. Erasure's album The Circus was their first charting album and peaked at number 6, and had two top 10 hits this year with the eponymous title track and "Victim of Love", as well as the number 12 charting "It Doesn't Have to Be" and their big hit from the previous year, "Sometimes". Both bands would continue to have huge success into the early 1990s.

The sound of producers Stock Aitken Waterman continued to grow in popularity, as they moved from their previous Hi-NRG sound to one more pop-based. It gave them big hits with girl group Bananarama, with their song "Love in the First Degree" becoming their biggest hit ever when it peaked at number 3, and American singer Sinitta with "Toy Boy", the successful No.4 followup to the big selling song "So Macho" from 1986. They also achieved two number one's, one being girl duo Mel and Kim's "Respectable", and created a huge star with the baritone-voiced singer Rick Astley. In 1987 he had a number one album with "Whenever You Need Somebody", and several high charting singles including the title track and the biggest selling single of the year, his number 1 breakthrough song "Never Gonna Give You Up".

Madonna continued her long run of Top Ten hits throughout the year, scoring two number one's, "La Isla Bonita" in April and "Who's That Girl" in July; the former was her third number one single from the multi-million selling album True Blue and the latter was taken from the film of the same name in which Madonna herself starred. Although the film was critically panned, the soundtrack album hit a respectable No.4 and generated two more Top 10 hits for Madonna; "Causing a Commotion" (No.4, September) and "The Look of Love" (No.9, December).

Soul singer Ben E. King got a surprise number 1 with a re-release of 1961's "Stand by Me", which was used in an advert for Levi Jeans. Long running band The Bee Gees also got their first number 1 of the decade with "You Win Again", their fifth overall in a 20-year career, and Michael Jackson released the multi-million selling "Bad" one of the highest selling albums in UK chart history. It spawned the number 1 single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (a duet with Siedah Garrett), the number 3 title track and the number 3 "The Way You Make Me Feel". The year also saw George Michael launch his solo career post-Wham! with the album "Faith" and its title track, which reached number 2.

The race for the Christmas number one single had many contenders this year. Rick Astley released a cover of "When I Fall In Love", and the 1956 Nat King Cole version was re-released at the same time, while 'Mel & Kim' released a cover of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - however, this referred to comedian Mel Smith and singer Kim Wilde rather than the girl group of the same name; proceeds went to the charity Comic Relief. A very popular Christmas song released this year was a collaboration with Irish band The Pogues and singer Kirsty MacColl, with the song "Fairytale of New York". With its bitter tale about the breakup of two lovers, it was very different from other Christmas songs around.

In the end, it was the Pet Shop Boys who had the Christmas number one of 1987, with their cover of Elvis Presley's "Always on My Mind". The Pogues peaked at number 2 and has been re-issued several times since, reaching the top 10 in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

In the world of classical music Nicholas Maw's new work Odyssey made an impact, and veteran composer Malcolm Arnold produced his Salute to Thomas Merritt, Op. 98, whilst Michael Nyman and Judith Weir both brought new operas to the stage. The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition was won by Italian soprano Valeria Esposito, and the Lieder prize was introduced into the competition for the first time.

Events

• 5 January – Elton John undergoes throat surgery in Australia, ultimately resulting in his voice becoming permanently deeper. ^[1]
• 13 January – The first performance of Symphony with Chaconne by Alexander Goehr takes places at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall with Edward Downes and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
• 9 March – The career that would end in an infamous appearance at the Brit Awards and the burning of a million pounds began with the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu releasing their debut single, "All You Need Is Love".
• 27 March – The Violin Concerto by Peter Dickinson is performed and broadcast for the first time by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, soloist Ernst Kovacic, conducted by Bryden Thomson.
• 24 April – Inquietus Op. 66 for orchestra by Robin Holloway is performed for the first time at Friends House, London.
• 24 April – The Tube is axed after five series and four and a half years.
• 9 May – Ireland's Johnny Logan wins the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Brussels, Belgium, with the song "Hold Me Now", making him the first artist to win the contest twice. The UK's entry, "Only the Light" by Rikki, finishes in 13th place.
• 19 May – An 80th birthday tribute concert for Miklós Rózsa is held at the Royal Festival Hall with fellow film composers Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith. Ill-health prevented Rózsa from attending.
• 1 June – George Michael's single "I Want Your Sex" is banned by the BBC, except for post-watershed hours, and the video is also banned.
• June – Johnny Marr leaves the Smiths, and shortly after, the band splits up, just prior to the release of their final album Strangeways, Here We Come .
• 1 August – Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama are married in Normandy, France.
• 22 August – The String Quartet No 3 by Sofia Gubaidulina is performed for the first time, in Queen's Hall, Edinburgh.
• 24 August – The first performance of Richard Rodney Bennett's Symphony No 3, his final (and favourite) symphony, takes place at Worcester Cathedral during the Three Choirs Festival (for which it was commissioned by the Elgar Foundation). ^[2] It has been described as "a journey towards tonality". The composer's previous two symphonies were serial pieces.
• December – The Old Grey Whistle Test is axed and its last episode is aired on 1 January 1988.
• 23 December – Roger Waters officially leaves Pink Floyd, after a two-year legal dispute. ^[3]

Charts

Number one singles

^[4]

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Weeks
3 January	"Reet Petite"	Jackie Wilson	3
10 January
17 January
24 January	"Jack Your Body"	Steve "Silk" Hurley	2
31 January
7 February	"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"	Aretha Franklin and George Michael	2
14 February
21 February	"Stand by Me"	Ben E. King	3
28 February
7 March
14 March	"Everything I Own"	Boy George	2
21 March
28 March	"Respectable"	Mel and Kim	1
4 April	"Let It Be"	Ferry Aid	3
11 April
18 April
25 April	"La Isla Bonita"	Madonna	2
2 May
9 May	"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"	Starship	4
16 May
23 May
30 May
6 June	"I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)"	Whitney Houston	2
13 June
20 June	"Star Trekkin'"	The Firm	2
27 June
4 July	"It's a Sin"	Pet Shop Boys	3
11 July
18 July
25 July	"Who's That Girl"	Madonna	1
1 August	"La Bamba"	Los Lobos	2
8 August
15 August	"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"	Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett	2
22 August
29 August	"Never Gonna Give You Up"	Rick Astley	5
5 September
12 September
19 September
26 September
3 October	"Pump Up the Volume"/"Anitiиa (The First Time I See She Dance)"	M|A|R|R|S	2
10 October
17 October	"You Win Again"	Bee Gees	4
24 October
31 October
7 November
14 November	"China in Your Hand"	T'Pau	5
21 November
28 November
5 December
12 December
19 December	"Always on My Mind"	Pet Shop Boys	2
26 December

Number one albums

^[5]

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Weeks
3 January	Now 8	Various Artists	2
10 January
17 January	The Whole Story	Kate Bush	2
24 January
31 January	Graceland	Paul Simon	3
7 February
14 February
21 February	The Phantom of the Opera	Original London Cast	3
28 February
7 March
14 March	The Very Best of Hot Chocolate	Hot Chocolate	1
21 March	The Joshua Tree	U2	2
28 March
4 April	Now 9	Various Artists	5
11 April
18 April
25 April
2 May
9 May	Keep Your Distance	Curiosity Killed the Cat	2
16 May
23 May	It's Better to Travel	Swing Out Sister	2
30 May
6 June	Live in the City of Light	Simple Minds	1
13 June	Whitney	Whitney Houston	6
20 June
27 June
4 July
11 July
18 July
25 July	Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby	Terence Trent D'Arby	1
1 August	Hits 6	Various Artists	4
8 August
15 August
22 August
29 August	Hysteria	Def Leppard	1
5 September	Hits 6	Various Artists	1
12 September	Bad	Michael Jackson	5
19 September
26 September
3 October
10 October
17 October	Tunnel of Love	Bruce Springsteen	1
24 October	...Nothing Like the Sun	Sting	1
31 October	Tango in the Night	Fleetwood Mac	2
7 November
14 November	Faith	George Michael	1
21 November	Bridge of Spies	T'Pau	1
28 November	Whenever You Need Somebody	Rick Astley	1
5 December	Now 10	Various Artists	4
12 December
19 December
26 December

Year-end charts

Best-selling singles

^[6]

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position	Estimated sales [7]
1	"Never Gonna Give You Up"	Rick Astley	1	810,000
2	"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"	Starship	1	740,000
3	"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"	Whitney Houston	1	640,000
4	"You Win Again"	Bee Gees	1	590,000
5	"China in Your Hand"	T'Pau	1	570,000
6	"Respectable"	Mel and Kim	1	570,000
7	"Stand by Me"	Ben E. King	1	530,000
8	"It's a Sin"	Pet Shop Boys	1	475,000
9	"Star Trekkin'"	The Firm	1	470,000
10	"Pump Up the Volume"/"Anitiиa (The First Time I See She Dance)"	M|A|R|R|S	1	450,000
11	"I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"	George Michael and Aretha Franklin	1
12	"Under the Boardwalk"	Bruce Willis	2
13	"Let It Be"	Ferry Aid	1
14	"Always on My Mind"	Pet Shop Boys	1	430,000
15	"Got My Mind Set on You"	George Harrison	2
16	"Can't Be with You Tonight"	Judy Boucher	2
17	"La Isla Bonita"	Madonna	1
18	"La Bamba"	Los Lobos	1
19	"Hold Me Now"	Johnny Logan	2
20	"Who's That Girl"	Madonna	1
21	"Everything I Own"	Boy George	1
22	"Down to Earth"	Curiosity Killed the Cat	3
23	"When a Man Loves a Woman"	Percy Sledge	2
24	"Heartache"	Pepsi & Shirlie	2
25	"Always"	Atlantic Starr	3
26	"Whenever You Need Somebody"	Rick Astley	3
27	"Toy Boy"	Sinitta	4
28	"I Get the Sweetest Feeling"	Jackie Wilson	3
29	"Faith"	George Michael	2
30	"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"	Michael Jackson featuring Siedah Garrett	1
31	"Live It Up"	Mental As Anything	3
32	"Love in the First Degree"	Bananarama	3
33	"Crockett's Theme	Jan Hammer	2
34	"Alone"	Heart	3
35	"Wipe Out"	The Fat Boys and The Beach Boys	2
36	"Call Me"	Spagna	2
37	"Let's Wait Awhile"	Janet Jackson	3
38	"Jack Your Body"	Steve 'Silk' Hurley	1
39	"The Great Pretender"	Freddie Mercury	4
40	"Male Stripper"	Man 2 Man meets Man Parrish	4
41	"Lean on Me"	Club Nouveau	3
42	"What Have I Done to Deserve This?"	Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield	2
43	"Some People"	Cliff Richard	3
44	"A Boy from Nowhere"	Tom Jones	2
45	"With or Without You"	U2	4
46	"Wishing Well"	Terence Trent D'Arby	4
47	"Heart and Soul"	T'Pau	4
48	"Fairytale of New York"	The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl	2
49	"Full Metal Jacket (I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor)"	Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding	2
50	"When I Fall in Love"/"My Arms Keep Missing You"	Rick Astley	2

Best-selling albums

^[8]

No.	Title	Artist	Peak position	Estimated sales [7]
1	Bad	Michael Jackson	1	1,650,000
2	The Joshua Tree	U2	1	1,450,000
3	Whitney	Whitney Houston	1	1,280,000
4	Now 10	Various Artists	1	1,075,000
5	Hits 6	Various Artists	1	1,050,000
6	Tango in the Night	Fleetwood Mac	1	920,000
7	Whenever You Need Somebody	Rick Astley	1	850,000
8	Bridge of Spies	T'Pau	1	780,000
9	The Phantom of the Opera	Original London Cast	1	735,000
10	Hits 7	Various Artists	2	695,000
11	Running in the Family	Level 42	2
12	Now 9	Various Artists	1
13	Raindancing	Alison Moyet	2
14	Graceland	Paul Simon	1
15	Actually	Pet Shop Boys	2
16	Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby	Terence Trent D'Arby	1
17	All the Best!	Paul McCartney	2
18	Invisible Touch	Genesis	2 [lower-alpha 1]
19	Men and Women	Simply Red	2
20	The Best of UB40 – Volume One	UB40	3
21	True Blue	Madonna	2 [lower-alpha 2]
22	Live in the City of Light	Simple Minds	1
23	The Singles	The Pretenders	6
24	Keep Your Distance	Curiosity Killed the Cat	1
25	Faith	George Michael	1
26	The Cream of Eric Clapton	Eric Clapton	3
27	Solitude Standing	Suzanne Vega	2
28	Always Guaranteed	Cliff Richard	5
29	The Very Best of Hot Chocolate	Hot Chocolate	1
30	Sixties Mix	Various Artists	3
31	The Circus	Erasure	6
32	Give Me the Reason	Luther Vandross	9 [lower-alpha 3]
33	Silk & Steel	Five Star	5 [lower-alpha 4]
34	Hysteria	Def Leppard	1
35	F.L.M.	Mel and Kim	3
36	Brothers in Arms	Dire Straits	11 [lower-alpha 5]
37	Popped In Souled Out	Wet Wet Wet	2 [lower-alpha 6]
38	So	Peter Gabriel	6 [lower-alpha 7]
39	Whitesnake 1987	Whitesnake	8
40	It's Better to Travel	Swing Out Sister	1
41	Who's That Girl	Original Soundtrack	4
42	Simply Shadows	The Shadows	7
43	You Can Dance	Madonna	5
44	Dancing with Strangers	Chris Rea	2
45	The Return of Bruno	Bruce Willis	4
46	Bad Animals	Heart	7
47	Hearsay	Alexander O'Neal	10 [lower-alpha 8]
48	Move Closer	Various Artists	4
49	Tunnel of Love	Bruce Springsteen	1
50	Licensed to Ill	Beastie Boys	7

Notes:

1. Reached number 1 in 1986
2. Reached number 1 in 1986
3. Reached number 3 in 1988
4. Reached number 1 in 1986
5. Reached number 1 in 1985
6. Reached number 1 in 1988
7. Reached number 1 in 1986
8. Reached number 4 in 1988

Classical music

• Richard Rodney Bennett – Symphony No. 3 ^[2]
• Robin Holloway – Brass Quintet: Divertimento No. 5, Op. 67
• Nicholas Maw – Odyssey (1973–87)

Opera

• Peter Maxwell Davies – Resurrection
• Nigel Osborne – The Electrification of the Soviet Union
• Judith Weir – A Night at the Chinese Opera . ^{[9] [10]}

Musical films

• Aria
• The Hunting of the Snark

Births

• 9 January – Paolo Nutini, singer, songwriter ^[11]
• 31 January – Marcus Mumford, singer-songwriter (Mumford & Sons) ^[12]
• 5 February – Richard Rawson, rapper and songwriter
• 9 February – Sam Coulson, guitarist (Asia)
• 11 March – Timothy Furse, musician (The Horrors)
• 2 April – Molly Smitten-Downes, singer-songwriter
• 11 April – Joss Stone, singer ^[13]
• 20 May – Fra Fee, singer and actor
• 4 June – Mollie King, singer (The Saturdays)
• 6 June – Kyle Falconer, musician (The View)
• 28 June – Bailey Tzuke, singer-songwriter
• 6 July – Kate Nash, singer, songwriter
• 19 July – Nicola Benedetti, violinist ^[14]
• 25 August – Amy Macdonald, singer-songwriter ^[15]
• 30 November – Dougie Poynter, musician (McFly)

Deaths

• 3 January – Alex Campbell, folk singer, 61 ^[16]
• 10 January – Marion Hutton, singer and actress, 67
• 18 January – George Thalben-Ball, Australian-born organist and composer, 90
• 2 February – Spike Hughes, jazz musician, 78
• 7 March – Evelyn Dove, singer, 85
• 9 March – Arthur Tolcher, harmonica player, 64
• 13 March – Gerald Moore, pianist, 87
• 18 March – Elizabeth Poston, composer, 81
• 29 March – Florence Margaret Spencer Palmer, composer, 86
• 13 May – Forbes Robinson, operatic bass, 60
• 24 May – Hermione Gingold, actress and singer, 89
• 29 May – Phyllis Tate, composer, 76
• 1 July – Snakefinger, musician, singer and songwriter, 38 (heart attack)
• 15 July – Pete King, rock drummer, 28 (cancer)
• 22 July – Roger Fiske, musicologist, 76
• 9 August – Terrence Michael Walsh, singer-songwriter, 33 (overdose)
• 16 August – Peter Schidlof, Austrian-born violinist, 65
• 24 August – Douglas Byng, comic singer and songwriter, 94
• 8 September – Robert Sharples, conductor, 74
• 23 September – Louis Kentner, Austrian-born pianist, 82
• 3 October – Hans Gál, Austrian-born composer, 97
• 19 October – Jacqueline du Pré, cellist, 42 (multiple sclerosis)
• 3 November – Albert McCarthy, musicologist, 67
• 23 November – Eddie Freeman, jazz musician, 78
• 3 December – Marjorie Eyre, operatic soprano, 90 ^[17]
• 24 December – Manoug Parikian, violinist, 67 ^[18]
• 29 December – Frank Llewellyn Harrison, musicologist, 82

Music awards

BRIT Awards

The 1987 BRIT Awards winners were:

• Best British Producer: Dave Stewart
• Best Classical Recording: Julian Lloyd Webber/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra "Elgar Cello Concerto"
• Best International Solo Artist: Paul Simon
• Best Soundtrack: Top Gun
• British Album: Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
• British Breakthrough Act: The Housemartins
• British Female Solo Artist: Kate Bush
• British Group: Five Star
• British Male Solo Artist: Peter Gabriel
• British Single: Pet Shop Boys – "West End Girls"
• British Video: Peter Gabriel – "Sledgehammer"
• International Group: The Bangles
• Outstanding Contribution: Eric Clapton

Ivor Novello Awards

• Best International Hit: Pet Shop Boys – "West End Girls"
• Outstanding Contribution to British Music: Queen
• Outstanding Services to British Music: Yehudi Menuhin ^[19]
• Songwriter of the Year: Stock Aitken Waterman ^[20]

See also

• 1987 in British radio
• 1987 in British television
• 1987 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 1987

References

1. Jeff Giles (5 January 2017). "That time Elton John underwent voice-altering throat surgery". Ultimate Classic Rock.
2. "Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No. 3". Sheet Music Plus. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
3. Giles, Jeff (December 23, 2015). "How Roger Waters' Split From Pink Floyd Was Eventually Finalized". Ultimate Classic Rock.
4. "1987 The Number One Singles". Official Charts Company.
5. "1987 The Number One Albums". Official Charts Company.
6. "Gallup Year End Charts 1987: Singles". Record Mirror . London, England: Spotlight Publications. 23 January 1988. p. 36.
7. Jones, Alan (9 January 1988). "Chart File". Record Mirror. p. 28.
8. "Gallup Year End Charts 1987: Albums". Record Mirror. 23 January 1988. p. 37.
9. Judith Weir, "A Note on a Chinese Opera". The Musical Times, 128(1733), 373-375 (1987).
10. David Wright , "Weir to Now?". The Musical Times, 134(1806), 432-437 (1993).
11. Philby, Charlotte (18 July 2009). "My Secret Life: Paolo Nutini, singer-songwriter, 22". The Independent . Retrieved 5 March 2011.
12. "Songwriter/Composer: Mumford Marcus Oliver Johnstone". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
13. "Dover's Soul Sensation Joss Stone". Devon Soul. 16 October 2004. Archived from the original on 31 July 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
14. Georg Predota (20 July 2022). "On This Day 20 July: Nicola Benedetti Was Born". Interlude. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
15. "Amy Macdonald". Deezer. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
16. Mick Houghton (2015). I've Always Kept a Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny. Faber & Faber. p. 1957. ISBN   9780571278923.
17. David Stone. "Marjorie Eyre". Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
18. Anon (1987-12-25). "Obituaries : PASSINGS : Manoug Parikian; Violinist". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2011-12-05.
19. Royal Academy of Music: Museum & Collections - Ivor Novello Award
20. Billboard, 1 June 1996, p 50. Accessed 16 April 2013

External links

• BBC Radio 1's Chart Show
• The Official Charts Company