List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1987

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Al Jarreau topped the chart with "Moonlighting", the theme song from the TV show of the same name. Al Jarreau Molde.jpg
Al Jarreau topped the chart with "Moonlighting", the theme song from the TV show of the same name.

Adult Contemporary is a chart published by Billboard ranking the top-performing songs in the United States in the adult contemporary music (AC) market. In 1987, 22 songs topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Adult Contemporary, based on playlists submitted by radio stations. [1]

Contents

In the year's first issue of Billboard the number one song was "Love Is Forever" by Billy Ocean, which was in its third week at number one. [2] It held the top spot for a single week in 1987 before being replaced by "This Is the Time" by Billy Joel. The third chart-topper of the year, "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and the Beaters, had originally been released in 1981 but met with little success. [3] Several years later, however, it was used in the NBC sitcom Family Ties to soundtrack the romance between Alex P. Keaton and his girlfriend Ellen Reed, [4] [5] after which it was re-released and became a hit, topping both the AC chart and Billboard's all-genre listing, the Hot 100. [3] A second song to top the AC chart in 1987 based on exposure on television was "Moonlighting", the theme song from the comedy-drama of the same name which aired on ABC. [6] [7] Performed by Al Jarreau, the song topped the chart for a single week in July. Two songs featured in films also topped the chart in 1987: "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship from the soundtrack of Mannequin , [8] and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes from Dirty Dancing . [9]

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was one of three songs to tie for the longest unbroken run at number one during the year with four weeks in the top spot, along with "Ballerina Girl" by Lionel Richie and "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac. Only two acts achieved more than one AC number one in 1987. Whitney Houston topped the chart with "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" in July and "Didn't We Almost Have It All" in September, and Steve Winwood reached number one with "The Finer Things" in April and "Back in the High Life Again" in August. All four songs spent three weeks at number one, and Houston and Winwood tied for the highest total number of weeks at number one by an act in 1987 with six apiece. The final number one of the year was "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison. The song, which also topped the Hot 100, was the last Billboard number one achieved by any of the former members of the Beatles. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Chart history

British singer Steve Winwood (pictured in 1970) had two number ones in 1987. Stevie Winwood (1970).jpg
British singer Steve Winwood (pictured in 1970) had two number ones in 1987.
Jeffrey Osborne collaborated with Dionne Warwick on the chart-topper "Love Power". Jeffrey Osborne.jpg
Jeffrey Osborne collaborated with Dionne Warwick on the chart-topper "Love Power".
George Harrison ended the year at number one. George Harrison 1974 (cropped).jpg
George Harrison ended the year at number one.
Key
Billboard ranked "Can't We Try" by Dan Hill and Vonda Shepard as the best-performing AC song of 1987, though it never reached the top position. [14]
Issue dateTitleArtist(s)Ref.
January 3"Love Is Forever" Billy Ocean [2]
January 10"This Is the Time" Billy Joel [15]
January 17 [16]
January 24 [17]
January 31"At This Moment" Billy Vera and the Beaters [18]
February 7"Ballerina Girl" Lionel Richie [19]
February 14 [20]
February 21 [21]
February 28 [22]
March 7"You Got It All" The Jets [23]
March 14 [24]
March 21"Mandolin Rain" Bruce Hornsby and the Range [25]
March 28 [26]
April 4 [27]
April 11"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" Starship [28]
April 18 [29]
April 25" The Finer Things " Steve Winwood [30]
May 2 [31]
May 9 [32]
May 16"Just to See Her" Smokey Robinson [33]
May 23" La Isla Bonita " Madonna [34]
May 30"Always" Atlantic Starr [35]
June 6 [36]
June 13"In Too Deep" Genesis [37]
June 20 [38]
June 27 [39]
July 4"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Whitney Houston [40]
July 11 [41]
July 18 [42]
July 25"Moonlighting" Al Jarreau [43]
August 1"Back in the High Life Again" Steve Winwood [44]
August 8 [45]
August 15 [46]
August 22"Love Power" Dionne Warwick and Jeffrey Osborne [47]
August 29"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett [48]
September 5 [49]
September 12 [50]
September 19"Didn't We Almost Have It All" Whitney Houston [51]
September 26 [52]
October 3 [53]
October 10"Little Lies" Fleetwood Mac [54]
October 17 [55]
October 24 [56]
October 31 [57]
November 7"Breakout" Swing Out Sister [58]
November 14 [59]
November 21" (I've Had) The Time of My Life " Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes [60]
November 28 [61]
December 5 [62]
December 12 [63]
December 19"Got My Mind Set on You" George Harrison [64]
December 26 [65]

Related Research Articles

The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has gone under a series of name changes, being called Easy Listening(1961–1962; 1965–1979), Middle-Road Singles(1962–1964), Pop-Standard Singles(1964–1965), Hot Adult Contemporary(1984–1996) and Adult Contemporary(1979–1984, 1996–present) The current number-one song on the chart is "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher Love</span> 1986 single by Steve Winwood

"Higher Love" is a 1986 song by English singer Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life (1986). It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood. The background vocals were performed by Chaka Khan, who also appeared in the music video.

"Moonlighting" is the theme song to the ABC comedy-crime drama of the same name, which ran from 1985 to 1989 and starred Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. The theme song was performed by Al Jarreau, who wrote the song with Lee Holdridge. Jarreau recorded two complete recordings of the song, both of which were used for the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back in the High Life Again</span> 1987 single by Steve Winwood

"Back in the High Life Again" is a song with music by English artist Steve Winwood and lyrics by American songwriter Will Jennings. It was performed by Winwood, and included backing vocals by James Taylor and a prominent mandolin played by Winwood. The song was released in January 1987 as the fifth single from his fourth studio album Back in the High Life. The song was Winwood's second number-one single on the US Adult Contemporary chart, where it stayed for three weeks. It also reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1988.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Record Research Incorporated. p. vi. ISBN   9780898201697.
  2. 1 2 "Adult Contemporary chart for January 3, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Dahl, Bill. "Billy Vera Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ Chaney, Jen (June 9, 2011). "Michael J. Fox turns 50: We celebrate with an Alex P. Keaton fest". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ Weinman, Jaime (August 4, 2008). "Pluggin' a Pop Song". Maclean's . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ Schneider, Michael (November 30, 2017). "'Moonlighting' Creator Glenn Gordon Caron Has Big Ideas For A Reboot, But Isn't Sure That He Should — Turn It On Podcast". IndieWire . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  7. ↑ Saperstein, Pat (February 12, 2017). "Grammy-Winning Jazz Singer Al Jarreau Dies at 76". Variety . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ Greene, Andy (February 5, 2019). "Flashback: Starship Declare 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  9. ↑ Semigran, Aly (December 1, 2010). "'(I've Had) The Time of My Life': From 'Dirty Dancing' to 'Glee'". MTV. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  10. ↑ "George Harrison". Billboard . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  11. ↑ "John Lennon". Billboard . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Ringo Starr". Billboard . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Paul McCartney". Billboard . Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Billboard.com - Year End Charts - Year-end Singles - Adult Contemporary Songs". Billboard . Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 10, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 17, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 24, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for January 31, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 7, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 14, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 21, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for February 28, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 7, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 14, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 21, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for March 28, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 4, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 11, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 18, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for April 25, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 2, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 9, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  33. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 16, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 23, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for May 30, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 6, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  37. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 13, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 20, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  39. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for June 27, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 4, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 11, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 18, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 25, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 1, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 8, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 15, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 22, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 29, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 5, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 12, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 19, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 26, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  53. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 3, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  54. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 10, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  55. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 17, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  56. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 24, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  57. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 31, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  58. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 7, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  59. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 14, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  60. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 21, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  61. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 28, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  62. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 5, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  63. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 12, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  64. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 19, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  65. ↑ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 26, 1987". Billboard . Retrieved July 16, 2019.

See also

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