My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday September 27TH 1987:

“Let’s Work” – Mick Jagger
“Toy Boy” – Sinitta
“What Have I Done To Deserve This ?” – Pet Shop Boys With Dusty Springfield
“Heart And Soul” – T’Pau
“Some People” – Cliff Richard

Rolling Stone Mick Jagger scored an unexpected # 1 smash on my chart exactly 35 years ago. “Let’s Work” was the lead single from his September 1987 solo album “Primitive Cool”. Written and produced by Mick and David A. Stewart (Eurythmics) – its expectations were quite high. But Mick’s fans didn’t care for it all that much – the single or the album. I liked the song a lot. It spent 4 weeks in a row atop my Top 50 chart.

Early in September 1987 the legendary “Top Of The Pops” on BBC-1 recorded an over-the-top (for the era) LIVE performance of the song featuring a cast of kids and Mick enjoying free reign of the entire studio – catwalk and all. Forget the fact that Mick is lip-synching. His frenetic performance is one for the books. It was vintage Mick dancing (strutting) and clapping the way that only he can do. When the song was struggling just outside the BBC-Gallup Top 40 at # 41 (and threatening to drop from there) #TOTP broke longtime policy and aired the LIVE performance even though it was not in the Top 40. (The following week it climbed 8 notches to # 33, and then it peaked the week after that at # 31.)

Thursday September 24TH 1987, BBC-1, London England

It’s a moment in #TOTP history that – for some reason – I still remember to this day.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 50 years ago to October 01ST 1972. It’s when the late great Mac Davis scored the biggest smash of his career – a song that I still hear almost every day at my desk at my workplace.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !