'Shattered Dreams' is a good song, although not one of my favourites from 1987.

 

'Incommunicado' is great, brilliant stadium rock sound. Better than 'Kayleigh' imo.

oh was a big big fan of Johnny Hates Jazz and Shattered Dreams is a fab single one of the best sogns of the year <3

was also huge in the US, a #2 if I recall it well

 

why sophisticated pop died?? was such a fantastic genre, I was a kid but loved all those sophistipop bands like Sade, Swing Out Sister, Johnny Hates Jazz...

 

also love I Wanna Dance, what a fresh breath of air Whitney was when she returned in 87! Thats hoe you make a countdown...

 

always hated Fish/Marillion and Incommunicado i never got :/

Love love Shattered Dreams and I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Classics!

Great new entries as 1987 lifts up a gear with Whitney, Johnny Hates Jazz and Marrillion!

 

Always find music by 1987 was too perfect or pop there was t enough fresh sounding indie or pop like in the early decade like Tears For Fears or The Human League!

30TH MAY

 

 

It’s not an enormously interesting chart week however last week’s machinations have set up the charts to be very interesting next week. Starship hold the No 1 spot for a fourth week and they continue to improve at retail to a mighty 116,144 making it now the third biggest selling single of the year behind Mel & Kim and Ben E King, and is also now the longest running chart topper of the year so far, the trouble on the horizon comes in the form of Whitney Houston. She jetted in from the US this week to do her first TOTP and sees “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” rocket 10-2 (84,490) a 372% increase week on week bringing it to within striking distance of Starship if trajectories continue in that manner.

 

 

 

Just to spice things up even further Johnny Logan’s Eurovision winning track “Hold Me Now” which romped home to an easy victory back on May 9th in Brussels and should earn more money as he wrote it. Made available the following Monday the song entered the charts at No 25 last week and now accelerates to No 3 (61,761), it is of course the track that put Logan in the record books as the first act to win Eurovision twice following his 1980 victory with “What’s Another Year”. That song topped the charts for Logan and remained his sole hit in the UK until his recent victory, will it topple Starship next week?

 

 

 

 

 

Nigel Wright is a producer most noted for his work with Shakatak, but he’s also adapt at making a medley, he demonstrated this back in 1981 when he capitalised on the fashion for medley’s in that year using the moniker Enigma scoring a No 11 hit with “Ain’t No Stopping”. Fast forward 6 years and he’s once again cashing in on a fade this time under a new name of Mirage and using the recent explosion in dance/ jack music to launch his “Jack Mix”’s, the first of which gained some success in clubs though not the charts, now “Jack Mix II/III” returns him to the charts as popstar as it sprints 21-7 (30,906). It fuses together hits such as “Jack Your Body” “Showin Out” and “Axel F” and proves popular at radio as well. Albums are promised.

 

 

 

With their origins dating Back to their school days in 1982 Glasgow’s Wet Wet Wet finally strike it big with their debut release “Wishing I Was Lucky” a song which essentially tells the story of the group’s beginning and the struggle for work in Scotland. The track has certainly taken it’s time to climb moving 75-51-50-39-29-21-14 so far but it now makes the move to No 10 (22,270) though it may be running out of steam now.

 

 

Tom Jones relaxes 2-4 (37,009) nestling above the static Johnny Hates Jazz at No 5 (36,295) and Marillion at No 6 (33,983), Whilst Johnny didn’t have TOTP to support them, Marillion certainly did and would have expected more for “Incommunicado” which may be in danger now of getting no higher. Two dippers to take care of, Judy Boucher falls 3-8 (30,464) and Libi Siffre dips 4-9 (27,999) in what must be their last week.

 

 

1- NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US- Starship (116,144)

2- I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)- Whitney Houston (84,490)

3- HOLD ME NOW- Johnny Logan (61,761)

4- A BOY FROM NOWHERE- Tom Jones (37,009)

5- SHATTERED DREAMS- Johnny Hates Jazz (36,295)

6- INCOMMUNICADO- Marillion (33,983)

7- JACK MIX II/III- Mirage (30,906)

8- CAN’T BE WITH YOU TONIGHT- Judy Boucher (30,464)

9- (SOMETHING INSIDE) SO STRONG- Labi Siffre (27,999)

10- WISHING I WAS LUCKY- Wet, wet, wet (22,270)

 

Just as we were talking about sophistipop, 'Wishing I was Lucky' is a brilliant sophistipop debut, such a unique pop song, Wet Wet Wet never came close in quality again, in my opinion.

 

The Jack Mix is great fun, I like how they put Man2Man 'Male Stripper' in the mix as it may be Hi-NRG, not house but its definitely dance by today's standards! Also 'Axel F' in the mix too.

 

'Hold Me Now' is OK, if a bit boring.

Edited January 25, 20241 yr by TheSnake

Love Shattered Dreams.

I'm not the biggest Wet Wet Wet fan, I do like some, but hate some too

but Wishing is a great song, really like it

 

the Johnny Logan one.... not so much...

6TH JUNE

 

 

Conventional wisdom would have decreed that either Starship or Johnny Logan would be sitting at No 1 given that both had TOTP exposure but instead it’s the only song in last week’s top 3 that wasn’t on the show that triumphs and indeed was out in front from the start. Whitney Houston celebrates her second No 1 single this week as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” ascends 2-1 after selling 96,254 copies and bringing the tracks total to 198,883 after three weeks. Starship fall a slot 1-2 (86,071) and Jonny Logan can only hold at No 3 (82,824), for Starship the fall from the top is softened by their move 3-1 on the YTD list with 540,668 copies sold to date, at its current rate 700,000 shouldn’t be a stretch for the track. Congratulations to Michael Narada Walden as well who replaces himself at No 1 in the production credits.

 

 

 

Erasure’s second album “The Circus” continues to generate hits, it peaked at No 6 on release back in April and contains their breakthrough hit “Sometimes” (No 2) and “It Doesn’t Have To Be” (No 12) and now “Victim Of Love” joins the hits as it jumps 23-7 (20,927) in just its second week thanks in part to the group currently being on tour to promote the single. The album revives slightly 20-18 in its wake.

 

 

 

Formerly a backing singer with Gloria Estefan, Donna Allen emerges from the shadows to score herself a UK hit with “Serious”. The song has already been a hit on the US dance scene but has certainly dragged its heels over here as it moves 15-8 (20,383) in its 8th week on the survey.

 

 

 

Second release and second top 10 single, things are going great For Pepsi & Shirlie as “Goodbye Stranger” shoots 27-10 (19,703) pushes those doubters aside who thought they would be one hit wonders. It’s produced by the studio of Stock Aitken & Waterman though not by the men themselves, the girls are in the studio at present working on their debut album due in the Autumn.

 

 

Mirage climb 7-4 (42,160) slipping past a static Johnny Hates Jazz at No 5 (36,567), which is something Wet Wet Wet can’t do but they can’t complain though they are improving 10-6 (22,644), Tom Jones rounds us off falling 4-9 (19,907). Next week sees the most controversial George Michael record arrive, expect a top 10 entry and a whole load of hullabaloo.

 

 

1- I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)- Whitney Houston (96,254)

2- NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW- Starship (86,071)

3- HOLD ME NOW- Johnny Logan (82,824)

4- JACK MIX II/III- Mirage (42,160)

5- SHATTERED DREAMS- Johnny Hates Jazz (36,567)

6- WISHING I WAS LUCKY- Wet, wet, wet (22,644)

7- VICTIM OF LOVE- Erasure (20,927)

8- SERIOUS- Donna Allen (20,383)

9- A BOY FROM NOWHERE- Tom Jones (19,907)

10- GOODBYE STRANGER- Pepsi & Shirlie (19,703)

 

'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' is another very good #1 although it the production is a bit cheesy.

 

'Serious' is good, another early new jack swing hit. And that iconic part that was sampled by Strike!

 

The Erasure song is good although they have better songs in my opinion. I am sure few in 1987 could have guessed Erasure and Wet Wet Wet's chart career longevity!

 

I wasn't that familiar with the Pepsi and Shirley song, it is very good actually, like Five Star but not as cheesy and with a better chorus!

Edited January 27, 20241 yr by TheSnake

My favourite number 1 of the 80s! :wub:

I don't think I would have ever guessed that would be your favourite 80s #1 single Jester. I mean it's a good pop song and all but I just hadn't associated it with your typical taste in music.

I don't think I would have ever guessed that would be your favourite 80s #1 single Jester. I mean it's a good pop song and all but I just hadn't associated it with your typical taste in music.

It’s not my typical taste but I have had many happy times listening to it out over the years and it’s just so joyous.

 

My second favourite is coming up this year - more like my usual taste :D

great for Whitney <3 it was a bit meh that her first #1 was the borefest Saving All My Love instead of How Will I Know

 

oh love the new Pepsi & Shirlie too and bought it on 12" for some reason <3 two pure bubblegum pop singles from them

 

weird that Erasure's follow-up to Sometimes stalled at #12, one of their very best for me and that deserved top 10 status more than Victim of Love, which is not that special imo

13TH JUNE

 

 

Whitney Houston grabs the double this week with her second album “Whitney” smashing in at the top on the album charts and lead single “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” claiming a second week at No 1 on the singles chart. Far from being dented by the impact of the album the single still increased its sales to 102,408 copies in 7 days with major radio support (It was the most played song on the air last week) and to top it all it also goes into the record books as the first No 1 single to be issued on CD, or more accurately to have its CD sales included in its sales tally as the format is now chart eligible as of now.

 

 

Directly below Whitney Starship and Johnny Logan swap places with the former selling 51,935 as it moves ever closer to platinum, whilst Logan sold an impressive 61,455 copies as his appeal seems to have reached beyond the hardcore Eurovision fan.

 

 

So onto the first of two new hits in the top 10 and as predicted it comes from George Michael who has already run foul of the censor with his new single “I Want Your Sex” which features in the new Eddie Murphy film “Beverley Hills Cop II” which has an Autumn release here though already out in the US. The video features model Kathy Jeung Michael’’s current girlfriend and has already been refused a play before 9pm by the BBC, nevertheless it debuts at No 4 this week after selling 46,767 copies, over the next few weeks we’ll see if that ban impacts on the song though it all fairness Houston is so strong at present this will have to go some to become Michael’s fourth chart topper. If it does it will make him the first act in pop history to have his first 4 releases hit the top.

 

 

 

The other new track is just 2 places lower than Michael, and it’s from U2 who pluck a second hit from “The Joshua Tree”, the album celebrates its first 13 weeks of release during which time it has never left the top 10 and is currently the biggest selling album of the year by a long chalk, they also recently placed their last single “With Or Without You” at the top spot in America. Back here their new single “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” climbs 13-6 (36,924), the track was originally called “The Weather Girls” but then went under the name of “Desert Of Our Love” before it was finished and retitled, indeed the group’s original choice for the second single was “Red Hills Mining Town” U2 even filmed a video for it, but they were unhappy with it and decided to go with this song.

 

 

Pepsi & Shirlie inch 10-9 (26,112) this week despite a TOTP performance but they’re mired down by four fallers, Mirage 4-5 (37,955), Johnny Hates Jazz ebb 5-7 (27,081), Erasure falter 7-8 (27,064) with a sales increase, and Wet Wet Wet are unlucky to drop 6-10 (24,276) as they improve at retail over the past week.

 

 

1- I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME)- Whitney Houston (102,408)

2- HOLD ME NOW- Johnny Logan (61,455)

3- NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW- Starship (51,935)

4- I WANT YOUR SEX- George Michael (46,767)

5- JACK MIX II/III- Mirage (37,955)

6- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR- U2 (36,924)

7- SHATTERED DREAMS- Johnny Hates Jazz (27,081)

8- VICTIM OF LOVE- Erasure (27,064)

9- GOODBYE STRANGER- Pepsi & Shirlie (26,112)

10- WISHING I WAS LUCKY- Wet, wet, wet (24,276)

 

'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' :wub: what an opening trilogy of singles The Joshua Tree had (with one still to come). I didn't know 'Red Hill Mining Town' was almost the second single - I read somewhere that they've never played it live. Great to see Whitney with 6 figure sales too.

Red Hill is not half bad but not single material either

Running to Stand Still, In God's Country, Bullet the Blue Sky all could have been singles imo but not Red Hill Mining Town

 

hated the GM song :/ if you wanna play the controversial card, at least have. decent song behind it, but IWYS is crap :/

@Gezza, do you know how much did Whitney the album sell on week 1?

@Gezza, do you know how much did Whitney the album sell on week 1?

It was reported at the time to be 200k

Oh wow very good <3