These are the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits of 1987. The longest running number-one singles of 1987 are "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and "Faith" by George Michael which each logged four weeks at number one. "Walk Like an Egyptian" was number one for the last two weeks of 1986 and the first two of 1987, and "Faith" attained three weeks at number one in 1987 and one week in 1988, giving both songs four weeks at the top.
That year, 16 acts earned their first number one song, such as Gregory Abbott, Billy Vera and the Beaters, Club Nouveau, Cutting Crew, U2, Kim Wilde, Atlantic Starr, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Bob Seger, Los Lobos, Siedah Garrett, Whitesnake, Tiffany, Billy Idol, Bill Medley (his first as a solo artist after recording with The Righteous Brothers), and Belinda Carlisle. Madonna, George Michael, U2, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Whitney Houston, and Michael Jackson were the only acts to hit number one more than once, with each of them hitting twice.
† | Indicates best-performing single of 1987 |
An asterisk (*) by a date indicates an unpublished, "frozen" week, due to the special double issues that Billboard published in print at the end of the year for their year-end charts.
Position | Artist | Weeks at No. 1 |
---|---|---|
1 | George Michael | 5 |
U2 | ||
3 | Bon Jovi | 4 |
Whitney Houston | ||
5 | Heart | 3 |
Los Lobos | ||
Michael Jackson | ||
8 | The Bangles | 2 |
Billy Vera and the Beaters | ||
Madonna | ||
Club Nouveau | ||
Starship | ||
Aretha Franklin | ||
Cutting Crew | ||
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam | ||
Tiffany | ||
17 | Gregory Abbott | 1 |
Huey Lewis and the News | ||
Kim Wilde | ||
Atlantic Starr | ||
Bob Seger | ||
Siedah Garrett | ||
Whitesnake | ||
Billy Idol | ||
Bill Medley | ||
Jennifer Warnes | ||
Belinda Carlisle |
Cross Road is the first official greatest hits album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on October 11, 1994, by Mercury Records. The album contains hits from all previously released albums from their debut, Bon Jovi (1984) to Keep the Faith (1992). The album also features two new tracks: the hit singles "Always" and "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night", as well as a new, updated rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer" entitled "Prayer '94" available only on the North American versions. "Runaway" was never recorded with the current band, though at that time there were plans to put a "Runaway '94" on the album but it was never recorded. The diner located on the cover of the album is the Roadside Diner in Wall Township, NJ, near the crossroads of Route 33 and Route 34.
"It's My Life" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was released on May 8, 2000, as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Crush (2000). It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin, and co-produced by Luke Ebbin. The song peaked at number one in Austria, Flanders, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland while charting within the top 10 across several other countries and peaking at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's most well-known post-1980s hit single and helped introduce the band to a new, younger fanbase.
"Livin' on a Prayer" is a song by the American rock band Bon Jovi from their third studio album, Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, performed strongly on both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band their first song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and their second consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit.
"Wanted Dead or Alive" is a power ballad by American band Bon Jovi. It is from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora and was released in 1987, as the album's third single. During a February 20, 2008 encore performance in Detroit, Jon Bon Jovi told the crowd about running into Bob Seger at a Pistons game. As he introduced his song "Wanted Dead or Alive", he said it was inspired by Seger's "Turn the Page" hit and called the song the band's anthem. The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making it the third single from the album to reach the Top 10 of the Hot 100. As a result, Slippery When Wet was the first glam metal album to have 3 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
American rock band Bon Jovi has released 16 studio albums, three live albums, five compilation albums, five EPs, 66 singles, 14 video albums, and 71 music videos. Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. As of 2018, the band has sold 21.8 million albums in the US Nielsen SoundScan era. Billboard ranked Bon Jovi as the 45th Greatest Artist of all time, achieving 6 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 & 4 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Bon Jovi has sold 34.5 million albums in the United States.
"Born to Be My Baby" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child. It was released on November 24, 1988 as the second single from their fourth studio album New Jersey. It peaked the following year at number 2 on the Cash Box Top 100, 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 22 in the UK, and number 30 in Australia.
"Have a Nice Day" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. Written, composed and produced by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and John Shanks, "Have a Nice Day" was the first single released from the band's 2005 album of the same name. The overall message of the song can be taken several ways, but reflects an overall theme of both tolerance and defiance, and its title has a discordant effect from its message. Musically, the song features a propulsive blast of power chords, drum beats, and sneering vocals, as well as choruses and hooks similar to Bon Jovi's previous material. It received a positive reception from critics, some of whom praised the song's arrangement and message; both favorable and unfavorable comparisons were made to the band's previous hit "It's My Life".
"Always" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. The power ballad was released in September 1994 by Mercury as a single from the band's first official greatest hits album, Cross Road (1994), and went on to become one of their best-selling singles, with a million copies sold in the US and more than three million worldwide. The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming their 11th and last top 10 hit. It was an international hit, peaking at number one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland and Switzerland, number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, and number four in Germany. The music video for the song was directed by Marty Callner. "Always" was bass player Alec John Such's final single with the band before he left in late 1994.
"Jacob's Ladder" is a 1986 song written by Bruce Hornsby and his brother John Hornsby and recorded by Huey Lewis and the News. The song spent one week at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1987, becoming the band's third and final number-one hit.
"We Weren't Born to Follow" is the first single released in August 2009 from Bon Jovi's eleventh studio album, The Circle. The single premiered on radio on August 17, 2009. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
"What Do You Got?" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It is one of four songs written for the band's Greatest Hits album, released in November 2010. The song is the first single from the compilation album. The song was released on the band's official website on August 27. It was also released to radio airplay on August 27. It was officially released on September 21, 2010 as a digital download, but the physical single was released in Germany on October 22, 2010.
"Because We Can" is the first single released from Bon Jovi's twelfth studio album, What About Now. The single premiered on radio on January 7, 2013. Richie Sambora characterized the new material as a compilation of "different elements"; yet reassured old fans that they will be just as pleased with the new work as they have been with the old for over 30 years.
"This House Is Not for Sale" is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi from their thirteenth studio album, This House Is Not for Sale. It was released as the album's lead single on August 12, 2016. The song was written by Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks, and Billy Falcon, and it was produced by Bon Jovi and Shanks. Bon Jovi has said of "This House Is Not for Sale": "this song is about integrity and what we were going through these last three years. We've become even closer and, as the song says, 'this heart, this soul, this house is not for sale.'" It is the first single to feature new guitarist Phil X, who was also a co-writer. The song also features the promotion of unofficial bassist Hugh McDonald to a full-time band member.