Rick Astley (pictured in 2009) had the best-selling single of 1987 with his debut record "Never Gonna Give You Up", which spent five weeks at number-one. Astley achieved two more top 10 entries during the year.Whitney Houston (pictured in 1991) had two top singles in the UK this year, including "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", which topped the chart for two weeks and became the third best selling single of the year.Ben E. King (pictured in 2007) reached number-one in the UK in February 1987 with the reissue of his signature song "Stand by Me". The song's renewed success was due to its use as the theme song from the movie of the same name and also in an advertisement for Levi's Jeans. Upon its original release in 1961, "Stand by Me" peaked at number 27 in the UK.
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom.[1] Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical singles.[2][3] This list shows singles that peaked in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart during 1987, as well as singles which peaked in 1986 and 1988 but were in the top 10 in 1987. The entry date is when the single appeared in the top 10 for the first time (week ending, as published by the Official Charts Company, which is six days after the chart is announced).
One-hundred and fifty-three singles charted in the top 10 in 1987, with one-hundred and forty-three singles reaching their peak this year. Two songs were recorded by several artists with each version reaching the top 10:
The following table (collapsed on desktop site) does not include acts who had previously charted as part of a group and secured their first top 10 solo single.
A number of songs recorded for charity reached the top 10 in the charts in 1987. A group of popular artists united to raise money towards victims of the Zeebrugge Disaster. They released a version of "Let It Be" – originally by The Beatles – under the name Ferry Aid, reaching number-one for 3 weeks from 4 April 1987.
The Pet Shop Boys (pictured in 2006) were one of the most successful acts of this year, achieving four UK top 10 singles, including the number-ones "It's a Sin" and "Always on My Mind".George Michael proved to be another of 1987's biggest music acts, scoring three UK top 10 entries, all of them making the top three. The highest-charting of these was his collaboration with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", which reached number-one in February.Culture Club's lead singer Boy George had his biggest hit as a solo artist this year with his cover version of "Everything I Own", which spent two weeks at number-one in March.
The following table shows artists who achieved two or more top 10 entries in 1987, including singles that reached their peak in 1986. The figures include both main artists and featured artists, while appearances on ensemble charity records are also counted for each artist.
a "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" reached its peak of number-one on 16 January 1988 (week ending).
b "Reet Petite" reached number-one in 1986 after being reissued, 29 years after its initial release and two years after Jackie Wilson's death. It originally peaked at number 6 in 1957. This was the longest gap between a song's release and it rising to the top of the charts until Tony Christie's "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" in 2005.
c "Stand by Me" originally peaked outside the top 10 at number 27 upon its initial release in 1961. It was re-released in 1987 after being used in a television advertising campaign for Levi's jeans.
d "When a Man Loves a Woman" originally peaked at number 4 upon its initial release in 1966. It was re-released in 1987 after being used in a television advertising campaign for Levi's jeans.
e "I Get the Sweetest Feeling" originally peaked at number 9 on its initial release in 1972.
f "Let It Be" was recorded to support relief efforts following the Zeebrugge Disaster.
g Ferry Aid was a collective who recorded a cover version of The Beatles song "Let It Be" to benefit survivors and victims families affected by the Zeebrugge Disaster.
h "Let It Be" had vocal contributions from more than 70 artists, but only those on lead vocals have this as a separate credit in the "Entries by artist" table. This includes Boy George, Keren Woodward (of Bananarama), Paul McCartney, Pepsi & Shirley and Taffy.
k "My Baby Just Cares for Me" was used in a television advert for Chanel No. 5 in 1987. It was re-released as a single to capitalise on its popularity, having originally peaked at number 82 two years earlier, becoming Nina Simone's first top 10 hit in 18 years.
l "Always on My Mind" was released after Pet Shop Boys covered the song on Love Me Tender, a programme marking ten years since the death of Elvis Presley.
n Comedian Mel Smith and singer Kim Wilde parodied their namesakes, the duo Mel and Kim, for the Comic Relief cover of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". The song was recorded under the identical name, Mel & Kim.
o "When I Fall in Love" (Nat King Cole version) originally peaked at number 2 on its initial release in 1957.
Bananarama are an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 32 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.
Stock Aitken Waterman are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through to the early-1990s. SAW is considered one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time by the Guinness World Records, scoring more than 100 UK Top 40 hits and earning an estimated £60 million in royalties. The trio had 13 UK No. 1 singles including three consecutive UK No. 1's and three US No. 1 singles. They also had at least one record in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart every week between March 1986 and October 1990.
Mel and Kim were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23.
"Love in the First Degree" is a song by English girl group Bananarama from their fourth studio album, Wow! (1987). It was released on 21 September 1987 as the album's second single, except in the United States, where it was released in 1988 as the third single. The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. It achieved major success in the UK and Australia, and also peaked within the top 20 in many European countries, but, unlike "I Heard a Rumour", it reached only the lower end of the top 50 in the US.
This is a summary of 1987 in music in the United Kingdom, including the official charts from that year.
The discography of English singer and songwriter Rick Astley consists of nine studio albums, five compilation albums, two remix albums, and twenty-four singles.
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