Top songs of 1987

What was the number one song of 1987?

The number one song of 1987 was “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles, the top song on Billboard's year-end Hot 100 for 1987. It spent 4 weeks at number one on the weekly chart, starting with the chart dated December 20, 1986.

“Livin' on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi was number one for the most weeks of 1987: 4 of the year's 52 weekly charts, starting with the chart dated February 14, 1987.

Born in 1987? The birthday number one finder shows the song at number one in the exact week of your birthday, and the number one on every birthday since.

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1987, year-end Hot 100 of 1987).

How many songs reached number one in 1987?

29 songs reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 1987. Counting “Walk Like an Egyptian”, which was already at number one when the year began, 30 songs held the top spot across the year's 52 weekly charts.

Of the songs that first reached number one in 1987, “Livin' on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi stayed there longest: 4 weeks in total, from the chart dated February 14, 1987.

Weeks at No. 1 counts every week the song spent at the top, including weeks in other years; the number in brackets is the weeks on charts dated 1987. Dates are chart issue dates.

Which artists had more than one number one in 1987?

6 acts had more than one number one in 1987, counting lead and featured credits. George Michael, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Madonna, Michael Jackson, U2 and Whitney Houston had 2 each.

• George Michael: “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” and “Faith”
• Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam: “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion”
• Madonna: “Open Your Heart” and “Who's That Girl”
• Michael Jackson: “I Just Can't Stop Loving You” and “Bad”
• U2: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”
• Whitney Houston: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and “Didn't We Almost Have It All”

What were the biggest songs of 1987?

The five biggest songs of 1987 on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 were “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles, “Alone” by Heart, “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston and “Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship.

The year-end chart ranks songs by how they performed on the weekly Hot 100 across Billboard’s chart year, so a song that peaked late in the year can rank lower than its weekly peak suggests, or count toward the next year’s list. The top 30 below show each song’s length where we could match the recording.

Numbers 31 to 100

31. “Lost in Emotion” Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
32. “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” Cutting Crew
33. “Heart and Soul” T'Pau
34. “You Keep Me Hangin' On” Kim Wilde
35. “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” Georgia Satellites
36. “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” Aretha Franklin and George Michael
37. “Control” Janet Jackson
38. “U Got the Look” Prince
39. “Somewhere Out There” Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram
40. “Land of Confusion” Genesis
41. “Jacob's Ladder” Huey Lewis and the News
42. “Who's That Girl” Madonna
43. “You Got It All” The Jets
44. “Touch Me (I Want Your Body)” Samantha Fox
45. “I Just Can't Stop Loving You” Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett
46. “Causing a Commotion” Madonna
47. “In Too Deep” Genesis
48. “Let's Wait Awhile” Janet Jackson
49. “Hip to Be Square” Huey Lewis and the News
50. “Will You Still Love Me?” Chicago
51. “Little Lies” Fleetwood Mac
52. “Luka” Suzanne Vega
53. “I Heard A Rumour” Bananarama
54. “Don't Mean Nothing” Richard Marx
55. “Songbird” Kenny G
56. “Carrie” Europe
57. “Don't Disturb This Groove” The System
58. “La Isla Bonita” Madonna
59. “Bad” Michael Jackson
60. “Sign o' the Times” Prince
61. “Change of Heart” Cyndi Lauper
62. “Come Go with Me” Exposé
63. “Can't We Try” Dan Hill featuring Vonda Shepard
64. “To Be a Lover” Billy Idol
65. “Mandolin Rain” Bruce Hornsby and the Range
66. “Breakout” Swing Out Sister
67. “Stand by Me” Ben E. King
68. “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” Genesis
69. “Someday” Glass Tiger
70. “When Smokey Sings” ABC
71. “Casanova” LeVert
72. “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
73. “Rock Steady” The Whispers
74. “Wanted Dead or Alive” Bon Jovi
75. “Big Time” Peter Gabriel
76. “The Finer Things” Steve Winwood
77. “Let Me Be the One” Exposé
78. “Is This Love” Survivor
79. “Diamonds” Herb Alpert
80. “Point of No Return” Exposé
81. “Big Love” Fleetwood Mac
82. “Midnight Blue” Lou Gramm
83. “Something So Strong” Crowded House
84. “Heat of the Night” Bryan Adams
85. “Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You” Glenn Medeiros
86. “Brilliant Disguise” Bruce Springsteen
87. “Just to See Her” Smokey Robinson
88. “Who Will You Run To” Heart
89. “Respect Yourself” Bruce Willis
90. “Cross My Broken Heart” The Jets
91. “Victory” Kool & the Gang
92. “Don't Get Me Wrong” The Pretenders
93. “Doing It All for My Baby” Huey Lewis and the News
94. “Right on Track” Breakfast Club
95. “Ballerina Girl” Lionel Richie
96. “Meet Me Half Way” Kenny Loggins
97. “I've Been in Love Before” Cutting Crew
98. “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)” Beastie Boys
99. “Funkytown” Pseudo Echo
100. “Love You Down” Ready for the World

Chart data: Billboard Hot 100, as compiled on Wikipedia (number ones of 1987, year-end Hot 100 of 1987).

What songs should go on a 1987 mix CD?

A 1987 mix that fits one 80-minute CD holds 18 of the year's biggest songs, opening with “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott and closing with “Mony Mony” by Billy Idol, for 76:30 of music.

We built it from the year-end top 30 and every number one of 1987, taking songs in year-end order until the disc was full, then sequenced it to follow the year: the number ones in the order they reached the top, with the year’s other big hits placed between them. With a 2-second gap before each track it runs 77:06, under the 79 minutes we fill a CD to.

Lengths are the recordings matched in Deezer’s catalog. Single edits, album versions and remasters can run a little longer or shorter, so check your own playlist before you burn it.

Turn 1987 into a CD. Send us this list, or your own 1987 songs, and we burn it to a real audio CD, test-play it and post it. It makes a good gift for a birth year, a graduation year or a wedding year.

To change the songs, paste the list into the playlist length calculator to keep it under 80 minutes, then print an insert with the CD case template. Our guide to making a mixtape covers sequencing, and nostalgic gift ideas has more ways to give a year as a present.

What was popular music like in the 1980s?

Popular music in the 1980s was led by pop stars built for music video, with synth-pop, arena rock, dance-pop and big ballads sharing the top of the chart. MTV launched in August 1981, and acts such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Whitney Houston became the decade's biggest names.

From 1980 to 1989, 231 songs reached number one on the Hot 100, and 1 song stayed there for 10 weeks or more. Of those 231, “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John spent the most weeks at number one: 10 in total. Michael Jackson had the most number ones that reached the top in these years, with 9. The typical number one of these years ran 4:13 (the median of the 202 with a known length).