2 hours ago, Gezza said:

I agree i prefer other SAW Rick singles from later on, almost all of them but I'd probably still put this above Michael Jackson.

I think our Michael Jackson taste is a bit different!

It's a good song, I think at this point I'm just over hearing it.

(I'll probably apply that to another one coming up I can think of)

Great song from Rick - another one I would rate higher. Let them come!!!

I’ve not got a lot to say about ‘Never Gonna…’ that hasn’t already been said. It was inescapable in ‘87 and amazingly, for a very average SAW song, is still popular now! Rick himself has always seemed a genuinely nice guy (and he’s from my hometown) so it’s hard to hate on this. I’d probably go for 5/10.

After all it’s not his fault he stopped the greatest ever pop song from reaching number one!

Edited April 5Apr 5 by Jaz13music

I prefer Who's That Girl to La Isla Bonita but both are very good.

Interesting read as I've just been catching up on this. 1987 was something of a pivotal year for me. I was 15 and becoming increasingly disillusioned with the contet of the charts and it was therefore the year I went full tilt into looking for alternatives in the Indie charts. Naturally I subsequently hated almost all of the songs that hit number 1. I was, at the time, full on Goth/Punk/Metal and very closed minded about almost anything else. However, has time mellowed those opinions?

Ferry Aid - Didn't care much for The Beatles (old people music) but respected them. Didn't care for this version. Still don't

Boy George - Never haved liked Culture Club and hated this at the time. Ambivalent about it now but grateful it lead me to Ken Boothe's take.

Steve 'Silk' Hurley - Loathed this with a passion that is hard to describe. and House was very much the enemy in our circles. Re-appraisal came when educating my daughter on the history of music. It's an absolute landmark release in Dance music. I no longer hate it and although I don't really like it much, I can't deny it's vision and importance

The Firm - It was mildly entertaining, immediately annoying, daft rubbish back then. It still is but I just roll my eyes at it now.

Jackie Wilson - One I actually bought. A great song and a brilliantly made video.

Madonna - I'd begun to find Madonna annoying by 1986 and this continued a run of singles I really didn't like having to hear. Often forget this exists.

Los Lobos - Didn't mind this. It's a good cover of a fun oldie. Wouldn't get anywhere near my personal #1s that year but was ok.

M/A/R/R/S - Detested this as much as Jack Your Body and I even quite liked AR Kane which made it feel worse. This was everywhere and infuriated me every time I heard or saw it. Nowadays I've long since came to realise it's brilliance and what a game changer it was back then.

Rick Astley - S/A/W were just setting off on a monster run of conveyer belt lightweight Pop songs with a terrible production style (to my ears) and this really did grate on me. It's actually a really soild song with a good vocalist under it all and I was always smile when i get Rickrolled. Plus he's a lovely fella isn't he?

This is a great read so far Jester. Always like to get a take on what others thought of years gone by.

Rick finding 20th century success has been delightful, as I'd written him off as a great voice in search of great material even while he was having hits. That voice really didnt go with the looks, and Never Gonna Give You Up remains an 80's iconic moment that had allowed him to make quite a few rather good more adult tracks over the last decade, and as evetbody says he's just so nice it's hard not to like him. That said, blocking Dusty and Pet Shop Boys from the top spot is another thing altogether! If not the best track of 1987, it's very close to it. Thats what topped my charts for weeks, Rick peaked at 4, so would feature quite highly but behind MARRS and some still to come.

We're at the start of '99 Latin fever during the TOTP repeats at the moment, with Ricky Martin reigning supreme, now I see this year is flirting with the Spanish language too. There was a 'rank Madonna's #1s' thread on here recently and I put 'Who's That Girl' in 11th, above 'True Blue' and 'American Pie'. So hardly a glowing endorsement but not her worst. It's alright if a bit light-weight. 'La Isla Bonita' is much preferable and has really endured.

On the subject of 'American Pie'... I unsurprisingly knew the Los Lobos cover of 'La Bamba' before the pioneering Ritchie Valens version. That has since changed but I still have a soft spot for this cover, which remains uplifting.

'Pump Up The Volume' is great, a landmark moment for house music and opening the floodgates for similar sample-heavy sounds as you say.

'What Have I Done to Deserve This?' has become a slow burn favourite over the years so a shame that was blocked from the top indeed, even if 'Never Gonna Give You Up' is a pretty iconic song. I preferred the outcome of the next PSBs vs. Rick match this year but those thoughts can wait for now!

11. Ben E. King - Stand by Me (Score: 7.5/10)

Number 1 for 3 weeks

Kept off number 1: Percy Sledge – When A Man Loves A Woman

So at the start of this thread, I mentioned that there were a few 1987 number 1s that benefitted from either a feature in an advert or as part of a film soundtrack. Here we have Stand By Me, which benefitted from both.

It was in vogue at the time to use 1960s songs in adverts, particularly nostalgia driven jean adverts (see also Reet Petite/I Get The Sweetest Feeling by Jackie Wilson) and this song was used in a Levis 501 advert which helped generate interest in the song. It then benefitted from being the base of the 1986/87 film Stand By Me, based on Stephen King’s novel The Body, starring (among others) River Phoenix and Wesley Crusher off Star Trek – The Next Generation. This era defining coming of age story was a huge hit at the box office and this, coupled with the Levi’s promo, prompted the re-issue.

Stand By Me was originally a number 27 hit for Ben E. King in 1961. The song was based off a gospel hymn inspired by Psalm 46 of the same name and was originally intended for the Drifters (allegedly) but they rejected it so as King had some spare recording time after his sessions in 1960, he recorded it for himself. It was subsequently released and was a number 4 hit in the USA and a minor UK hit. The song actually has a version of the chord progression known as the 50s progression and is now also called the Stand By Me changes after this song.

Onto the 1987 re-release, a new video was made with Ben E. King himself, based in a sort of lecture room with River Pheonix and Wil Wheaton goofing around. A good film tie-in and a well needed update for the video age. The re-issue entered at number 19, then climbed to number 1 for 3 weeks, ironically keeping another 1960s re-issue, Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, off the top of the charts.

This re-issue, with its haunting percussion intro (and minimalist instrumentation that allowed a focus on the superb vocal), well deserved its 1980s success and really tapped into the nostalgia for the 60s at the time. I was a huge fan of the film once I saw it in the 90s and the whole sound evoked by the song really cemented it as an all time classic. Again, 1987 had such great number 1s that this would easily be top 10 in any other year.

So, here is what is in my top 10 in alphabetical order:

Aretha Franklin & George Michael - I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)

Bee Gees - You Win Again

Madonna - La Isla Bonita

Mel & Kim - Respectable

Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett - I Just Can't Stop Loving You

Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind

Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now

T'Pau - China In Your Hand

Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)

Where do you think I will place these?

Stand By Me - iconic.

The Percy Sledge track it kept off #1 has a similar backing track with the organ to Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale. The Percy song was released first!

Madonna's Who's That Girl is a good track and so is Rick Astley although the latter sounds more dated.

Stand By Me an all-time classic, and poor Percy kept off the top twice - in the 60's and by another 60's track. Those Levi ads were great at the time. It's extremely rare I get swayed by adverts to buy products - but I did get me some 501's for a few years. Still like 'em (not that one can buy them) and I also bought Stand By me and it topped my charts of the time and would rate just outside the top 5 for 1987 number ones.

I like every song in the top 10, except the Michael Jackson one which isn't exactly an essential for me.

3 hours ago, Jessie Where said:

I like every song in the top 10, except the Michael Jackson one which isn't exactly an essential for me.

Same for me - this would be close to the bottom for me. As said earlier I would also put Rick Astley, MARRS and Steve Silk Hurley in my top 10 and, therefore, I would exclude the songs from Aretha/George and Mel & Kim from my top 10, eventhough both are great. This is a very competetive list of number 1's.

'Stand By Me' is a classic, similarly 'Never Gonna Give You Up' is too. 'Pump Up The Volume' is a tune. 'Who's That Girl' is fine but inessential Madonna.

There's other songs I prefer by Jackie Wilson but 'Reet Petite's' also fun.

Like everything that's to come in the top 10 so intrigue on the order!

I love Stand By Me and was very pleased at it finally reaching a deserved #1 in ‘87. As you say a very simple arrangement allowing Ben’s vocals to shine, but I think it’s the gorgeous strings that seal it for me! I’d give an 8.

I’m very interested to see what order you put that top 10 in. I like all of them but think I’d try to find space for MARRS, Steve Silk Hurley and Ben E King. Starship and MJ would probably have to go

Edited Wednesday at 18:355 days by Jaz13music

Pump Up The Volume would definitely be in the top 10, I love the story behind it and it's such an important song in terms of what was to come for house music. I can't imagine how hard a song with that many samples was to get released in those days, really something special.

I have a soft spot for Never Gonna Give You Up, it's a charming song with nice strings even I can't think of anything other than the memes with it, Rick completely owning and embracing the meme these days is great to see.

Love Stand By Me, a total classic and stunning vocal performance. The film is being re-released this weekend as well!

Stand By Me is a corker. Liked it before 1987 and still like it

Oh 'Stand By Me' is incredible, so timeless. I remember having a moment with it one day when it came on the radio... melting away to those goose-bump inducing strings in the instrumental break, as gorgeous as the vocals are too. I've considered it a big favourite ever since.

I have a couple of family related memories associated with it. Firstly, it was my cousin's first dance song at her wedding, a lovely and romantic choice. However, it also reminds me of my dad requesting 'Stand By Me' at karaoke and them putting on Ben E. King when he meant Oasis

10. T'Pau - China in Your Hand (score: 8/10)

5 weeks at number 1

Kept off number 1: George Harrison – Got My Mind Set On You, Rick Astley – When I Fall In Love

Time for a power ballad now – 600th UK number 1 and according to ITV, the nations 11th favourite 80s number 1. Quite the pedigree!

T’Pau were named after a Vulcan in the original series of Star Trek, slightly more distinctive than their original name of Talking America. I think they should have been called Spock, it sounds cooler! The band formed in Shrewsbury in 1986 and comprised of singer Carol Decker with various members joining and leaving over the years and currently has Carol and Ronnie Rogers as the line up. One was called Tim Burgess, but it wasn’t that Tim Burgess off the Charlatans.

Their first single, Heart and Soul was a flop initially but hit the big time on the US chart after being the soundbed for a Pepe Jeans (remember them?) advert. It was re-issued in the UK and peaked at number 4 on both charts.

This success set them up perfectly for the follow up, China In Your Hand. The song is apparently in reference to Frankenstein and the author Mary Shelley, but the references are obscured in the edit of the single. Carol has since stated that is based on the effect of holding a china cup to the light and seeing your hand through it – so the transparent china in your hand. Something fragile yet transparent. I may have to try this, where do I keep my china again?!

The single was released in October 1987 and spent a whopping (at the time) 5 weeks at the top of the charts. Despite this, it was the lowest selling 5 week chart topper of the decade and, as an attractant to the number 5, was the 5th best seller of 1987.

It kept George Harrison’s Got My Mind Set On You at number 2 for 4 out of it’s 5 weeks, very unlucky for George, it’s a great song and it would have been nice for him to have another number 1 in his liefetime, but sadly this wasn’t to be although My Sweet Lord got there posthumously. I won’t say much about the awful Rick Astley cover – a slushy mess. It was peaking at 2 for the next number 1 as well, but more on that one much later.

I’ve always loved China In Your Hand, it sounds so epically 80s with it plucked strings and sax solo and Carol Decker sings it with much gusto (and a very wide mouth on TOTP!) and it is rightfully an 80s classic.

I can find no china here to emulate the transparent effect, I more have pottery in my palm which is defiantly not see through!