17th February 1987

 

It's 3 weeks on top for Aretha & George as The Blow Monkeys reach number 2 again, copying Digging Your Scene - always the Bridesmaids! - and then there are 2 classic 60's soul oldies from an advert (Percy Sledge) & a film of the same name (Ben E. King). When A man Loves A Woman had long been popular on Radio One Top 100 Singles lists, and Stand By Me had already topped my charts in 1975 for the cover by John Lennon which was almost as great as Ben's version.

 

Mental As Anything finally make the top 20 months after first charting, Duran Duran get a big climb for their relatively floppy single, and the camp Male Stripper exposes itself at 36, a good 20 years ahead of me getting grabbed by the first of three strippers on different occasions. I think it's my grinning not leering that makes me a target, oops! Simply Red are back and well into a long run of future success, clearly onto the Right Thing, Level 42 also return, and World Party pop back with possibly their best record, Ship Of Fools, in at 68.

 

It's a rap! The Beastie Boys fighting debut was bad news for Volkswagen owners across the country, including my mate who got fed up with his car badge getting nicked, and white rappers became the new thing - if one discounts Debbie Harry, Adam Ant, Billie Davies in the 60's, and any number of other music acts who'd already dabbled as opposed to making a career out of 80's urban rap. Talking of Debbie harry - she's back at 75, Iggy Pop has a second current chart entry at 73, and View From A Hill get a follow-up entry.

 

 

1 ( 1 ) I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael

2 ( 7 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY The Blow Monkeys

3 ( NEW ) STAND BY ME Ben E. King

4 ( NEW ) WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Percy Sledge

5 ( 5 ) FORGOTTEN TOWN The Christians

6 ( 3 ) COMING AROUND AGAIN Carly Simon

7 ( 2 ) YOU SEXY THING (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Hot Chocolate

8 ( 6 ) YOU DON’T KNOW Berlin

9 ( 10 ) BEST KEPT SECRET China Crisis

10 ( 8 ) ALMAZ Randy Crawford

 

11 ( 14 ) ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY Vesta Williams

12 ( 4 ) SOMETHING IN MY HOUSE Dead Or Alive

13 ( 11 ) C’EST LA VIE Robbie Nevil

14 ( 9 ) NO MORE THE FOOL Elkie Brooks

15 ( 19 ) DOWN TO EARTH Curiosity Killed The Cat

16 ( 13 ) BEHIND THE MASK Eric Clapton

17 ( 18 ) HEARTACHE Pepsi & Shirlie

18 ( 33 ) LIVE IT UP Mental As Anything

19 ( 12 ) THE EP (HOW CAN I BE SURE/ I’M A CLOWN/ COULD IT BE FOREVER) David Cassidy

20 ( 25 ) MAGIC SMILE Rosie Vela

 

21 ( 16 ) I LOVE MY RADIO Taffy

22 ( 29 ) THE KING’S CALL Philip Lynott

23 ( 54 ) SKIN TRADE Duran Duran

24 ( 26 ) SOUL MAN Lou Reed and Sam Moore

25 ( 35 ) FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT (GOTTA WEAR SHADES) Timbuk 3

26 ( 30 ) MISSIONARY MAN Eurythmics

27 ( 27 ) JACK THE GROOVE Raze

28 ( 39 ) CRUSH ON YOU The Jets

29 ( 20 ) REAL WILD CHILD (WILD ONE) Iggy Pop

30 ( 17 ) WHEELS ON FIRE Siouxsie & The Banshees

 

31 ( 15 ) WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES The Doobie Brothers

32 ( 24 ) OPEN YOUR HEART Madonna

33 ( 21 ) RAT IN MI KITCHON UB40

34 ( 22 ) HYMN TO HER The Pretenders

35 ( 51 ) ROCK THE NIGHT Europe

36 ( NEW ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

37 ( 57 ) GIGOLO The Damned

38 ( 23 ) WASTELAND The Mission

39 ( 61 ) STAY OUT OF MY LIFE Five Star

40 ( 28 ) JACK YOUR BODY Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley

 

41 ( 31 ) REET PETITE Jackie Wilson

42 ( 34 ) SOMEBODY’S COMING Little Richard

43 ( 48 ) LOVE LIKE A ROCKET Bob Geldof

44 ( 38 ) IS THIS LOVE Alison Moyet

45 ( 59 ) SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE The Smiths

46 ( 42 ) CANDY Cameo

47 ( 63 ) SONIC BOOM BOY Westworld

48 ( 40 ) THE BOY IN THE BUBBLE Paul Simon

49 ( 47 ) HUMAN Human League

50 ( NEW ) THE RIGHT THING Simply Red

 

51 ( 37 ) CROSS THAT BRIDGE The Ward Brothers

52 ( 46 ) SOMETIMES Erasure

53 ( 50 ) TAKE MY BREATH AWAY Berlin

54 ( 32 ) IOU (REMIX) Freeez

55 ( 56 ) A DIFFERENT CORNER George Michael

56 ( NEW ) RUNNING IN THE FAMILY Level 42

57 ( 44 ) CRY WOLF a-ha

58 ( 58 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross

59 ( 70 ) HOW MANY LIES Spandau Ballet

60 ( 60 ) TRUE BLUE Madonna

 

61 ( 36 ) TRAMPOLINE Julian Cope

62 ( 41 ) BEAUTIFUL IMBALANCE Thrashing Doves

63 ( 43 ) ROCK YOUR BABY (REMIX) George McCrae

64 ( 64 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

65 ( 74 ) TEASER George Benson

66 ( 67 ) A TRICK OF THE NIGHT Bananarama

67 ( 68 ) E=MC2 Big Audio Dynamite

68 ( NEW ) SHIP OF FOOLS World Party

69 ( 65 ) LAND OF CONFUSION Genesis

70 ( 53 ) BIG FUN The Gap Band

 

71 ( NEW ) (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY The Beastie Boys

72 ( NEW ) I’M NO REBEL View From A Hill

73 ( NEW ) SHADES Iggy Pop

74 ( 49 ) SURRENDER Swing Out Sister

75 ( NEW ) FREE TO FALL Debbie Harry

 

Playlist oldies of the week

1 HOUND DOG Elvis Presley

2 SOMEBODY Brilliant

3 ODE TO BILLIE JOE Bobbie Gentry

36 ( NEW ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

37 ( 57 ) GIGOLO The Damned

 

:lol: at these sexualised song titles appearing together in your chart!

 

Male Stripper does remind me of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Love Missile F1-11 from the previous year, the production is quite similar in style and they are both fun tracks. As with Jack Your Body, its quite something that it reached the top 5 in the charts officially as it sounds very uncommercial and the lyrics aren't very radio friendly :lol: . Not sure I like the lyrics about stripping much but the production in the less poppy form of Hi-NRG is great.

 

The Purple Disco Machine remix of it which was quite big last year I really liked.

 

As for your #1 by George and Aretha it is very nice, and as a duet works well despite them having very different singing styles.

 

'Mental As Anything', you couldn't call a band that name now! Live It Up is a good pop song though.

Edited February 18, 20196 yr by The Snake

:lol: at these sexualised song titles appearing together in your chart!

 

Male Stripper does remind me of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Love Missile F1-11 from the previous year, the production is quite similar in style and they are both fun tracks. As with Jack Your Body, its quite something that it reached the top 5 in the charts officially as it sounds very uncommercial and the lyrics aren't very radio friendly :lol: . Not sure I like the lyrics about stripping much but the production in the less poppy form of Hi-NRG is great.

 

The Purple Disco Machine remix of it which was quite big last year I really liked.

 

As for your #1 by George and Aretha it is very nice, and as a duet works well despite them having very different singing styles.

 

'Mental As Anything', you couldn't call a band that name now! Live It Up is a good pop song though.

 

Hi Snakey :D

 

Yes oops at those naughty songs together, I may have realised, or may have not, I was very naive back then! :lol:

 

You're right about Mental as Anything, hadn't occurred to me that! George had a honey-smooth voice, but powerful, and Aretha, as John Peel once said before introducing the record, could make any old piece of rubbish sound good "and I think she just has". Or something to that effect, it's been 30 years, but I remember it cos I disagreed and loved the song and record :lol:

25th February 1987

 

It's a first week on top for Ben E. King 12 years since John Lennon took his version of Stand By Me to the top of my charts, and 26 years since it came out, making it the longest wait from release to topping my chart to date, and the second-oldest track to top my charts since 1959's Oh Carol reissue for Neil Sedaka topped in 1972, a mere 13 years old. Live It Up finally breaks into the top 10, The Jets Crush their way in too, Eurythmics tell us not to mess with the Missionary Man as they add another top 10 to their growing total, and Curiosity catwalk their way to 10, not for the last time.

 

Highest new entry is the fab You Are My World, one of The Communards best records that wasn't the big hit I hoped, at 11, with a-ha continuing their streak with the glorious Manhattan Skyline at 27, pure class, though I under-appreciated it a little for a time. Two great climbs for Westworld and World Party (THEME!) and The Smiths, Geldof, the Nana's and Simply Red all go top 40.

 

New entries lower down include Bruce Willis, fresh off the fabulous Moonlighting TV comedy-drama (still one of the greatest TV shows of all-time) taking a soul cover-version diversion of The Staple Singers' Respect Yourself, closely followed by 2 future UK chart-toppers, Mel & Kim's fab Respectable (THEME!), and Boy George's reggae cover of Ken Boothe's UK chart-topping reggae cover of Bread's original Everything I Own. It's not as good as either version, but pleasant enough. The Big Supreme get a second entry, Please Yourself said Frankie Howard, Gwen Guthrie makes it 3, Paul Simon makes it 3 off Graceland, and The Icicle Works are back after a short time out in the freezing cold.

 

 

1 ( 3 ) STAND BY ME Ben E. King

2 ( 1 ) I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael

3 ( 4 ) WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Percy Sledge

4 ( 5 ) FORGOTTEN TOWN The Christians

5 ( 2 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY The Blow Monkeys

6 ( 18 ) LIVE IT UP Mental As Anything

7 ( 6 ) COMING AROUND AGAIN Carly Simon

8 ( 28 ) CRUSH ON YOU The Jets

9 ( 26 ) MISSIONARY MAN Eurythmics

10 ( 15 ) DOWN TO EARTH Curiosity Killed The Cat

 

11 ( NEW ) YOU ARE MY WORLD The Communards

12 ( 7 ) YOU SEXY THING (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Hot Chocolate

13 ( 9 ) BEST KEPT SECRET China Crisis

14 ( 10 ) ALMAZ Randy Crawford

15 ( 23 ) SKIN TRADE Duran Duran

16 ( 25 ) FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT (GOTTA WEAR SHADES) Timbuk 3

17 ( 8 ) YOU DON’T KNOW Berlin

18 ( 24 ) SOUL MAN Lou Reed and Sam Moore

19 ( 11 ) ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY Vesta Williams

20 ( 13 ) C’EST LA VIE Robbie Nevil

 

21 ( 20 ) MAGIC SMILE Rosie Vela

22 ( 14 ) NO MORE THE FOOL Elkie Brooks

23 ( 47 ) SONIC BOOM BOY Westworld

24 ( 12 ) SOMETHING IN MY HOUSE Dead Or Alive

25 ( 16 ) BEHIND THE MASK Eric Clapton

26 ( 36 ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

27 ( NEW ) MANHATTAN SKYLINE a-ha

28 ( 19 ) THE EP (HOW CAN I BE SURE/ I’M A CLOWN/ COULD IT BE FOREVER) David Cassidy

29 ( 68 ) SHIP OF FOOLS World Party

30 ( 17 ) HEARTACHE Pepsi & Shirlie

 

31 ( 21 ) I LOVE MY RADIO Taffy

32 ( 50 ) THE RIGHT THING Simply Red

33 ( 29 ) REAL WILD CHILD (WILD ONE) Iggy Pop

34 ( 30 ) WHEELS ON FIRE Siouxsie & The Banshees

35 ( 35 ) ROCK THE NIGHT Europe

36 ( 66 ) A TRICK OF THE NIGHT Bananarama

37 ( 32 ) OPEN YOUR HEART Madonna

38 ( 43 ) LOVE LIKE A ROCKET Bob Geldof

39 ( 39 ) STAY OUT OF MY LIFE Five Star

40 ( 45 ) SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE The Smiths

 

41 ( 31 ) WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES The Doobie Brothers

42 ( 22 ) THE KING’S CALL Philip Lynott

43 ( 37 ) GIGOLO The Damned

44 ( 33 ) RAT IN MI KITCHON UB40

45 ( 27 ) JACK THE GROOVE Raze

46 ( 56 ) RUNNING IN THE FAMILY Level 42

47 ( 40 ) JACK YOUR BODY Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley

48 ( 46 ) CANDY Cameo

49 ( 49 ) HUMAN Human League

50 ( 75 ) FREE TO FALL Debbie Harry

 

51 ( 41 ) REET PETITE Jackie Wilson

52 ( 42 ) SOMEBODY’S COMING Little Richard

53 ( 59 ) HOW MANY LIES Spandau Ballet

54 ( NEW ) PLEASE YOURSELF The Big Supreme

55 ( 55 ) A DIFFERENT CORNER George Michael

56 ( 53 ) TAKE MY BREATH AWAY Berlin

57 ( RE ) STILL THE SAME Slade

58 ( 58 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross

59 ( 71 ) (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY The Beastie Boys

60 ( 34 ) HYMN TO HER The Pretenders

 

61 ( 44 ) IS THIS LOVE Alison Moyet

62 ( 72 ) I’M NO REBEL View From A Hill

63 ( 60 ) TRUE BLUE Madonna

64 ( NEW ) GOOD TO GO LOVER Gwen Guthrie

65 ( 73 ) SHADES Iggy Pop

66 ( 64 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

67 ( 48 ) THE BOY IN THE BUBBLE Paul Simon

68 ( 67 ) E=MC2 Big Audio Dynamite

69 ( NEW ) RESPECT YOURSELF Bruce Willis

70 ( NEW ) DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES Paul Simon

 

71 ( NEW ) HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEBODY Freddie Jackson

72 ( NEW ) WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING Paul Johnson

73 ( NEW ) RESPECTABLE Mel & Kim

74 ( NEW ) EVANGELINE The Icicle Works

75 ( NEW ) EVERYTHING I OWN Boy George

 

Oldies Playlist

1 EVE OF THE WAR Jeff Wayne

2 ADORATIONS Killing Joke

3 I’M GONNA BE STRONG Gene Pitney

Sad that Spandau became such flops post band Aid, one of the great new romantic break throughs of the decade.

 

Last year of Smiths hits as well :(

 

Interesting to see Slade with a RE there - the mini revival of 1981-84 had gone again a where they still getting hits/airplay?

Sad that Spandau became such flops post band Aid, one of the great new romantic break throughs of the decade.

 

Last year of Smiths hits as well :(

 

Interesting to see Slade with a RE there - the mini revival of 1981-84 had gone again a where they still getting hits/airplay?

 

Hi Steve! :)

 

Yes Spandau had lost there way by this time, all self-introspective instead of energy, I think they were tired pre-break-up, while The Smiths had the energy still, but Morrissey isn't the easiest person to get along with creatively, he's always done things the way he wants when he can.

 

Slade indeed struggled to get airplay by this time - I think I usually heard them on video chart shows or something like that, and recorded the video for playback :D

 

Thanks for commenting!

cheers

John B-)

 

 

3rd March 1987

 

It's straight in on top for a remix of Children Of The Revolution as 1972 and 60's nostalgia takes a firm hold on me in the absence of any new mighty classics. I missed Marc Bolan terribly by this time, and the record had under-performed first-time round, so now they get a 6th chart-topper keeping off Jackie Wilson's 1972 big hit reissue of I Get The Sweetest Feeling as I got nostalgic for the music of my teens and childhood. Throw in The Beatles epic anniversary reissue of a previous chart-topper and that's 80% of my top 5 oldies. I'll be honest if Mental as Anything and The Jets were at 2 and 3 I would have been over-rating them, though Christians & a-ha have lost out as 4 and 5 would still have been too low..

 

Big Audio Dynamite rocket in at 27 as V13 is the highest new song, Cyndi covers Marvin Gaye quite nicely and is in at 35, and The Cult get a 3rd top 40. The Beastie Boys get a big climb into the 40, and the Rainmakers debut at 53 with a great song title (and song). Freddie Mercury goes solo again, as he put his heart on his sleeve with his choice of Platters cover - he really was telling the whole world what he had, but no-one realised. Erasure return quickly, and it's a hugely welcome return from the fab Labi Siffre, absent since 1972, although Madness had made a big hit of his gorgeous It Must Be Love in 1981, 10 years on. This time it's a South African political commentary, and powerful with it.

 

1 ( NEW ) CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION ’87 T.Rex

2 ( NEW ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson

3 ( 2 ) I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael

4 ( 1 ) STAND BY ME Ben E. King

5 ( NEW ) PENNY LANE/STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER The Beatles

6 ( 6 ) LIVE IT UP Mental As Anything

7 ( 3 ) WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Percy Sledge

8 ( 8 ) CRUSH ON YOU The Jets

9 ( 4 ) FORGOTTEN TOWN The Christians

10 ( 27 ) MANHATTAN SKYLINE a-ha

 

11 ( 7 ) COMING AROUND AGAIN Carly Simon

12 ( 5 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY The Blow Monkeys

13 ( 9 ) MISSIONARY MAN Eurythmics

14 ( 26 ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

15 ( 15 ) SKIN TRADE Duran Duran

16 ( 11 ) YOU ARE MY WORLD The Communards

17 ( 23 ) SONIC BOOM BOY Westworld

18 ( 18 ) SOUL MAN Lou Reed and Sam Moore

19 ( 10 ) DOWN TO EARTH Curiosity Killed The Cat

20 ( 13 ) BEST KEPT SECRET China Crisis

 

21 ( 12 ) YOU SEXY THING (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Hot Chocolate

22 ( 14 ) ALMAZ Randy Crawford

23 ( 32 ) THE RIGHT THING Simply Red

24 ( 29 ) SHIP OF FOOLS World Party

25 ( 16 ) FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT (GOTTA WEAR SHADES) Timbuk 3

26 ( 17 ) YOU DON’T KNOW Berlin

27 ( NEW ) V13 Big Audio Dynamite

28 ( 20 ) C’EST LA VIE Robbie Nevil

29 ( 19 ) ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY Vesta Williams

30 ( 22 ) NO MORE THE FOOL Elkie Brooks

 

31 ( 21 ) MAGIC SMILE Rosie Vela

32 ( 59 ) (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY The Beastie Boys

33 ( 36 ) A TRICK OF THE NIGHT Bananarama

34 ( 46 ) RUNNING IN THE FAMILY Level 42

35 ( NEW ) WHAT’S GOING ON Cyndi Lauper

36 ( 28 ) THE EP (HOW CAN I BE SURE/ I’M A CLOWN/ COULD IT BE FOREVER) David Cassidy

37 ( 24 ) SOMETHING IN MY HOUSE Dead Or Alive

38 ( NEW ) LOVE REMOVAL MACHINE The Cult

39 ( 54 ) PLEASE YOURSELF The Big Supreme

40 ( 53 ) HOW MANY LIES Spandau Ballet

 

41 ( 39 ) STAY OUT OF MY LIFE Five Star

42 ( 25 ) BEHIND THE MASK Eric Clapton

43 ( 50 ) FREE TO FALL Debbie Harry

44 ( 37 ) OPEN YOUR HEART Madonna

45 ( 73 ) RESPECTABLE Mel & Kim

46 ( 70 ) DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES Paul Simon

47 ( 69 ) RESPECT YOURSELF Bruce Willis

48 ( 33 ) REAL WILD CHILD (WILD ONE) Iggy Pop

49 ( 57 ) STILL THE SAME Slade

50 ( 75 ) EVERYTHING I OWN Boy George

 

51 ( 34 ) THIS WHEELS ON FIRE Siouxsie & The Banshees

52 ( 49 ) HUMAN Human League

53 ( NEW ) LET MY PEOPLE GOGO The Rainmakers

54 ( 31 ) I LOVE MY RADIO Taffy

55 ( 55 ) A DIFFERENT CORNER George Michael

56 ( 30 ) HEARTACHE Pepsi & Shirlie

57 ( 41 ) WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES The Doobie Brothers

58 ( 58 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross

59 ( 35 ) ROCK THE NIGHT Europe

60 ( 56 ) TAKE MY BREATH AWAY Berlin

 

61 ( 48 ) CANDY Cameo

62 ( 64 ) GOOD TO GO LOVER Gwen Guthrie

63 ( 52 ) SOMEBODY’S COMING Little Richard

64 ( 72 ) WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING Paul Johnson

65 ( 63 ) TRUE BLUE Madonna

66 ( 66 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

67 ( 71 ) HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEBODY Freddie Jackson

68 ( 68 ) E=MC2 Big Audio Dynamite

69 ( 38 ) LOVE LIKE A ROCKET Bob Geldof

70 ( 51 ) REET PETITE Jackie Wilson

 

71 ( NEW ) I GOT THE FEELING (IT’S OVER) Gregory Abbott

72 ( NEW ) THE GREAT PRETENDER Freddie Mercury

73 ( NEW ) (SOMETHING INSIDE) SO STRONG Labi Siffre

74 ( 40 ) SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD UNITE The Smiths

75 ( NEW ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE Erasure

 

 

 

PLAYIST OLDIES

 

1 CITY LIGHTS David Essex

2 THESE DREAMS Heart

3 OH PEOPLE Patti Labelle

Yep not a big lot of classic tunes at this stage in 1987, but by April of that year there are quite a few.

 

'Respectable' is good fun though, and you can certainly hear the House influence in it.

 

 

Yep not a big lot of classic tunes at this stage in 1987, but by April of that year there are quite a few.

 

'Respectable' is good fun though, and you can certainly hear the House influence in it.

 

Yes it picks up late in the year from what I recall I think Big albums Bad, PSB, Mac, U2, Bee Gees, MARRS, & Respectable is certainly a goodie. :)

10th March 1987

 

It's yet another oldie on top as they take turns, The Beatles replacing T.Rex with their 1967 classic double A that last topped my charts in 1976. Cyndi lauper joins the oldies vibe rocketing up to 10 with her Marvin Gaye cover, making only 3 of the top 10 actually being released on single in 1987 as new songs. Talking of oldies, Boy George shoots into the 20 with his Ken Boothe cover of his reggae cover of the Bread ballad. The Beastie Boys launch nicely into my top 20. Now I may be wrong, and stand to be corrected (if I spot one one day) but this was their one and only top 20 track I think, for me. Mel & Kim get a respectable leap into the 30, Prince enters at 26 with one of his very greatest tracks, Sign O' The Times - though the line about the rocketship exploding as if the Challenger disaster was in some way responsible for the world's ills still bugs me.

 

Bruce Willis also gets a respect-able top 40 climb, as his TV show theme enters at 38 for Al Jarreau - far and away the best hour-long US TV show of the time (hard to call it drama, except during that turgid 3rd season) - and The Rainmakers Let My People Go Go at 31. Alison Moyet enters at 34 with one she didn't bother doing when I saw her the other week, a goodie regardless, Iggy Pop shades himself lower down the chart, Nick Kamen jumps on the classic soul cover bandwagon (Four Tops), Berlin get a 3rd hit and a 3rd in the chart simultaneously. That won't last, mark my words! Frankie taper out watching wildlife, Billy Idol starts a good year for him with a good single 9 years on from Generation X, Tina Turner shoves out another album track single, and Genesis do the same.

 

1 ( 5 ) PENNY LANE/STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER The Beatles

2 ( 2 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson

3 ( 4 ) STAND BY ME Ben E. King

4 ( 3 ) I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael

5 ( 1 ) CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION ’87 T.Rex

6 ( 6 ) LIVE IT UP Mental As Anything

7 ( 7 ) WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Percy Sledge

8 ( 9 ) FORGOTTEN TOWN The Christians

9 ( 10 ) MANHATTAN SKYLINE a-ha

10 ( 35 ) WHAT’S GOING ON Cyndi Lauper

 

11 ( 24 ) SHIP OF FOOLS World Party

12 ( 14 ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

13 ( 17 ) SONIC BOOM BOY Westworld

14 ( 50 ) EVERYTHING I OWN Boy George

15 ( 15 ) SKIN TRADE Duran Duran

16 ( 8 ) CRUSH ON YOU The Jets

17 ( 13 ) MISSIONARY MAN Eurythmics

18 ( 12 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY The Blow Monkeys

19 ( 27 ) V THIRTEEN Big Audio Dynamite

20 ( 32 ) (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY The Beastie Boys

 

21 ( 11 ) COMING AROUND AGAIN Carly Simon

22 ( 23 ) THE RIGHT THING Simply Red

23 ( 16 ) YOU ARE MY WORLD ’87 The Communards

24 ( 34 ) RUNNING IN THE FAMILY Level 42

25 ( 45 ) RESPECTABLE Mel & Kim

26 ( NEW ) SIGN O’ THE TIMES Prince

27 ( 47 ) RESPECT YOURSELF Bruce Willis

28 ( 38 ) LOVE REMOVAL MACHINE The Cult

29 ( 20 ) BEST KEPT SECRET China Crisis

30 ( 33 ) A TRICK OF THE NIGHT Bananarama

 

31 ( 53 ) LET MY PEOPLE GOGO The Rainmakers

32 ( 21 ) YOU SEXY THING (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Hot Chocolate

33 ( 18 ) SOUL MAN Lou Reed and Sam Moore

34 ( NEW ) WEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF BEAUTY Alison Moyet

35 ( 19 ) DOWN TO EARTH Curiosity Killed The Cat

36 ( 22 ) ALMAZ Randy Crawford

37 ( 39 ) PLEASE YOURSELF The Big Supreme

38 ( NEW ) MOONLIGHTING Al Jarreau

39 ( 46 ) DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES Paul Simon

40 ( 28 ) C’EST LA VIE Robbie Nevil

 

41 ( 25 ) FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT (GOTTA WEAR SHADES) Timbuk 3

42 ( 26 ) YOU DON’T KNOW Berlin

43 ( 43 ) FREE TO FALL Debbie Harry

44 ( 36 ) THE EP (HOW CAN I BE SURE/ I’M A CLOWN/ COULD IT BE FOREVER) David Cassidy

45 ( NEW ) SHADES Iggy Pop

46 ( 30 ) NO MORE THE FOOL Elkie Brooks

47 ( 72 ) THE GREAT PRETENDER Freddie Mercury

48 ( 44 ) OPEN YOUR HEART Madonna

49 ( 63 ) SOMEBODY’S COMING Little Richard

50 ( 31 ) MAGIC SMILE Rosie Vela

 

51 ( 29 ) ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY Vesta Williams

52 ( 75 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE Erasure

53 ( 55 ) A DIFFERENT CORNER George Michael

54 ( 52 ) HUMAN Human League

55 ( 37 ) SOMETHING IN MY HOUSE Dead Or Alive

56 ( 67 ) HAVE YOU EVER LOVED SOMEBODY Freddie Jackson

57 ( NEW ) LOVING YOU IS SWEETER THAN EVER Nick Kamen

58 ( 58 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross

59 ( 48 ) REAL WILD CHILD (WILD ONE) Iggy Pop

60 ( 64 ) WHEN LOVE COMES CALLING Paul Johnson

 

61 ( 40 ) HOW MANY LIES Spandau Ballet

62 ( 51 ) THIS WHEELS ON FIRE Siouxsie & The Banshees

63 ( 60 ) TAKE MY BREATH AWAY Berlin

64 ( 49 ) STILL THE SAME Slade

65 ( 71 ) I GOT THE FEELING (IT’S OVER) Gregory Abbott

66 ( 66 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

67 ( 65 ) TRUE BLUE Madonna

68 ( 68 ) E=MC2 Big Audio Dynamite

69 ( NEW ) LIKE FLAMES Berlin

70 ( NEW ) WATCHING THE WILDLIFE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

 

71 ( NEW ) DON’T NEED A GUN Billy Idol

72 ( 54 ) I LOVE MY RADIO Taffy

73 ( NEW ) WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE Tina Turner

74 ( 41 ) STAY OUT OF MY LIFE Five Star

75 ( NEW ) TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT Genesis

 

PLAYLISTED TRACKS OF THE WEEK

1 I’M INTO SOMETHING GOOD Herman’s Hermits

2 I’LL BE THERE The Jackson 5

3 HELL IN PARADISE Yoko Ono

Good to see this chart back Pop!

 

Duran Duran really did go down hill in terms of releases after Notorious! Their next decent song for me was Ordinary World in 1993!

Manhattan Skyline :wub:

Manhattan Skyline :wub:

 

Yes I SO under-rated it, it could quite easily top my chart these days given an excuse, like a film spot or advert.... :)

Good to see this chart back Pop!

 

Duran Duran really did go down hill in terms of releases after Notorious! Their next decent song for me was Ordinary World in 1993!

 

Thanks Steve! :)

 

Yes, I think Ordinary World was the huge chart-topping comeback for me for them and set up the 90's nicely :wub:

17th March 1987

 

It's another week, another oldie on top - this time Jackie Wilson makes it third time lucky after I get The Sweetest feeling peaked inside my top 10 in 1972 (4 years after it's US chart-run), then top 30 in 1975, and finally peaking with a spiffy new video (there were no performances or videos for the track at all for either run). Percy Sledge goes back up to a new peak of 2, but it's not all oldies, there's a mass influx of new tracks, including many fab ones, the highest of which is a belated entry for La Isla Bonita (I'd already loved it for months but couldn't chart it till it was released as a single, due to my daft chart rules), in at 4.

 

Mel & Kim get a second top 10, Prince an umpteenth with a big climb for his brilliant Sign O' The Times, and The Beastie Boys also bring some life to a previously stagnant oldies-dominated top 10. Herb Alpert is the first of 2 Jam & Lewis entries, as they make the veteran trumpeter go all 80's dance - not as unlikely as you might think if you bear in mind that he owned the label Janet Jackson was signed to, who also appears on Herb's album, and new in at 74 with a Jam & Lewis ballad. That's Herb's first chart entry in 7 years and a chart run of 19 years almost (he was high in my first chart in 1968 with This Guy's In Love).

 

Aretha's back with a solo, for 2 in the chart, Ruby Turner covers Chicken Shack aka Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac 18 years on for I'd Rather Go Blind, and there's a Magician popping up at 34 - from Scottish band Secession, a tune that sounds very familiar, the instrumental riff is SO Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, Ryuichi Sakamoto's fab movie theme. Gary Moore's back, still in rock mode (yawn) his much better Blues period coming in the 90's. John Farnham gets a debut solo biggie, You're The Voice on the way to being as big as his top 10 1979 Little River Band vocal for Lonesome Loser, which I bought on holiday in California with student friends after working most of the summer to pay for it.

 

U2 return with a classic..and I'm bizarrely under-whelmed. Think I was expecting another Pride, not a subdued starter. Club Nouveau enter with a danced-up cover of Bill Wither's brilliant 1972 chart-topper Lean On Me. To be honest it's not even as good as Mud's pretty good cover from 1976. The Pretenders return for an 8th year, Lionel Richie for a 13th year (or 6th year solo), Lone Justice pop in with another forgotten goodie, and Wet Wet Wet take bottom rung with a perfect pop record, all tuneful, bouncy and wistful at the same time. Nothing they did was ever as good, as they decided warbling dreary ballads was the way forward (or godawful covers of 60's songs), though when they showed restraint and a bit more class they could pull it off.

 

 

 

1 ( 2 ) I GET THE SWEETEST FEELING Jackie Wilson

2 ( 7 ) WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN Percy Sledge

3 ( 1 ) PENNY LANE/STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER The Beatles

4 ( NEW ) LA ISLA BONITA Madonna

5 ( 3 ) STAND BY ME Ben E. King

6 ( 10 ) WHAT’S GOING ON Cyndi Lauper

7 ( 25 ) RESPECTABLE Mel & Kim

8 ( 26 ) SIGN O’ THE TIMES Prince

9 ( 4 ) I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Aretha Franklin & George Michael

10 ( 20 ) (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY The Beastie Boys

 

11 ( 6 ) LIVE IT UP Mental As Anything

12 ( 13 ) SONIC BOOM BOY Westworld

13 ( 8 ) FORGOTTEN TOWN The Christians

14 ( 14 ) EVERYTHING I OWN Boy George

15 ( 27 ) RESPECT YOURSELF Bruce Willis

16 ( 9 ) MANHATTAN SKYLINE a-ha

17 ( 34 ) WEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF BEAUTY Alison Moyet

18 ( 5 ) CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION ’87 T.Rex

19 ( 37 ) PLEASE YOURSELF The Big Supreme

20 ( 11 ) SHIP OF FOOLS World Party

 

21 ( 12 ) MALE STRIPPER Man 2 Man Meet Parrish

22 ( 31 ) LET MY PEOPLE GOGO The Rainmakers

23 ( 17 ) MISSIONARY MAN Eurythmics

24 ( NEW ) KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME Herb Alpert

25 ( 39 ) DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES Paul Simon

26 ( 16 ) CRUSH ON YOU The Jets

27 ( 21 ) COMING AROUND AGAIN Carly Simon

28 ( 15 ) SKIN TRADE Duran Duran

29 ( 18 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY The Blow Monkeys

30 ( RE ) (SOMETHING INSIDE) SO STRONG Labi Siffre

 

31 ( 22 ) THE RIGHT THING Simply Red

32 ( 19 ) V THIRTEEN Big Audio Dynamite

33 ( 23 ) YOU ARE MY WORLD ’87 The Communards

34 ( NEW ) THE MAGICIAN Secession

35 ( 38 ) MOONLIGHTING Al Jarreau

36 ( 24 ) RUNNING IN THE FAMILY Level 42

37 ( 52 ) IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE Erasure

38 ( 57 ) LOVING YOU IS SWEETER THAN EVER Nick Kamen

39 ( 32 ) YOU SEXY THING (BEN LIEBRAND REMIX) Hot Chocolate

40 ( 47 ) THE GREAT PRETENDER Freddie Mercury

 

41 ( 49 ) SOMEBODY’S COMING Little Richard

42 ( NEW ) SEVERINA The Mission

43 ( 71 ) DON’T NEED A GUN Billy Idol

44 ( NEW ) JIMMY LEE Aretha Franklin

45 ( 69 ) LIKE FLAMES Berlin

46 ( NEW ) I’D RATHER GO BLIND Ruby Turner

47 ( 36 ) ALMAZ Randy Crawford

48 ( 40 ) C’EST LA VIE Robbie Nevil

49 ( 70 ) WATCHING THE WILDLIFE Frankie Goes To Hollywood

50 ( 73 ) WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE Tina Turner

 

51 ( 29 ) BEST KEPT SECRET China Crisis

52 ( 48 ) OPEN YOUR HEART Madonna

53 ( 44 ) THE EP (HOW CAN I BE SURE/ I’M A CLOWN/ COULD IT BE FOREVER) David Cassidy

54 ( 28 ) LOVE REMOVAL MACHINE The Cult

55 ( 53 ) A DIFFERENT CORNER George Michael

56 ( 54 ) HUMAN Human League

57 ( 75 ) TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT Genesis

58 ( 35 ) DOWN TO EARTH Curiosity Killed The Cat

59 ( 46 ) NO MORE THE FOOL Elkie Brooks

60 ( 58 ) AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH Diana Ross

 

61 ( 33 ) SOUL MAN Lou Reed and Sam Moore

62 ( NEW ) WILD FRONTIER Gary Moore

63 ( 30 ) A TRICK OF THE NIGHT Bananarama

64 ( NEW ) YOU’RE THE VOICE John Farnham

65 ( NEW ) WITH OR WITHOUT YOU U2

66 ( 45 ) SHADES Iggy Pop

67 ( 66 ) LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!

68 ( 68 ) E=MC2 Big Audio Dynamite

69 ( NEW ) LEAN ON ME Club Nouveau

70 ( 67 ) TRUE BLUE Madonna

 

71 ( NEW ) MY BABY The Pretenders

72 ( NEW ) SELA Lionel Richie

73 ( NEW ) I FOUND LOVE Lone Justice

74 ( NEW ) LET’S WAIT AWHILE Janet Jackson

75 ( NEW ) WISHING I WAS LUCKY Wet Wet Wet

 

 

 

Playlist oldies of the week

1 NO FEAR NO HATE NO PAIN Eurythmics

2 HOUND DOG Elvis Presley

3 KITES Simon Dupree & The Big Sound

 

50's 60's 80's this week. I always did like oldies, even ones older than me :lol:

Yes I SO under-rated it, it could quite easily top my chart these days given an excuse, like a film spot or advert.... :)

It's definitely one of a-ha's best tracks, even if it is almost universally forgotten these days. Scoundrel Days has always been my favourite a-ha album from that era too... although I think they improved with their albums when they later returned. Major Earth Minor Sky in particular.

Good chart there Pop!

 

I love how Last Christmas was ever present in your chart until well into the first half of the year. Disappointing to see the epic 'With or Without You' entering so low - one of my favourite U2 tracks. Hope it rises!!

 

Great to see Beastie Boys entering the top 10, was their style quite radical for 1987 or had rap been making headway over a few years?

'You're the Voice' is great, perhaps influenced by fellow rock ballad Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is two years earlier with the epic sound and the choir coming in at the end and everything, but I think I prefer 'You're The Voice'. Such an anthem!

It's definitely one of a-ha's best tracks, even if it is almost universally forgotten these days. Scoundrel Days has always been my favourite a-ha album from that era too... although I think they improved with their albums when they later returned. Major Earth Minor Sky in particular.

 

I have to say I only know the early stuff, albums-wise, though I have seen them in concert twice in the 21st century so I've at least heard some of the later albums tracks. I don't think I've ever heard a bad track from them. :)

Good chart there Pop!

 

I love how Last Christmas was ever present in your chart until well into the first half of the year. Disappointing to see the epic 'With or Without You' entering so low - one of my favourite U2 tracks. Hope it rises!!

 

Great to see Beastie Boys entering the top 10, was their style quite radical for 1987 or had rap been making headway over a few years?

 

Hi Steve, :)

yes it's bizarre how Last Christmas is still in - it was still fresh in those days and I still loved it. These days I don't even bother to chart it cos it's just saturation everywhere every xmas! A good rise for U2 coming up, though shockingly Wet Wet Wet drop out after one week - though they'll be back, I must have been early on it before it started charting :lol:

 

White aggressive rap was a novelty, prior to that rap broke through proper in 1979 with the Sugarhill Gang, and Kurtis Blow, then everyone had a go :lol: Blondie and Adam Ant both had fab rap-based tracks, and synth-urban rap became hoooge with Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel and others. Beastie Boys were the first sort-of pop-rap band to breakthrough, though they got more hardcore as they went on, and much less poppy.