Tag: 1987

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1980s Blogging Music Radio

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, 25, 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 August 30TH 1987:

  1. “What Have I Done To Deserve This ?” – Pet Shop Boys With Dusty Springfield
  2. “Call Me” – Spagna
  3. “Toy Boy” – Sinitta
  4. “True Faith” – New Order
  5. “U Got The Look” – Prince With Sheena Easton

“It’s A Sin” (Pet Shop Boys) was a great track during the greatest summer ever – the British Summer of 1987. I still love to hear it today. But then Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released a track that was even greater than that – a collaboration with Dusty Springfield titled “What Have I Done To Deserve This ?”. I consider it to be one of the greatest songs ever made. On this weekend 35 years ago it hit # 1 on my weekly Top 50 chart at the time. It did so in its 3RD week. The previous week it was at # 2, and the week before that – # 44. (It surged 42 notches in its 2ND week.)

But it had trouble reaching # 1 in most places around the world. In the U.K. it spent 2 weeks at # 2, as it was held back for both weeks by Rick Astley’s debut smash “Never Gonna Give You Up”. 6 months later in the U.S. it also spent 2 weeks at # 2, as it was held back by Expose’s “Seasons Change” and George Michael’s “Father Figure”. (Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” actually replaced it at # 2.)

“What Have I Done To Deserve This ?” also peaked at # 2 in Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, and Sweden. But in one nation it was a # 1 smash – Ireland !

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of September 2007. It’s when a young pop-punk trio from upstate South Carolina took their “Galactic Conquest” to # 1 with God’s love.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
1980s Blogging Music Radio

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, 25, 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 July 26TH 1987:

  1. “A Little Boogie Woogie” – Shakin’ Stevens
  2. “La Bamba” – Los Lobos
  3. “Misfit” – Curiosity Killed The Cat
  4. “My Pretty One” – Cliff Richard
  5. “F.L.M.” – Mel & Kim

Some would say that the legendary Shakin’ Stevens jumped the shark with his Summer of 1987 hit – “A Little Boogie Woogie” – a cover of Gary Glitter’s wild track from a decade earlier, but it was one of the anthems of the greatest summer of my life – living and working in Gloucestershire England as a 20-year-old.

#Shaky kicked-off a special LIVE edition of “Top Of The Pops” on the BBC on Thursday July 09TH 1987, and the young 39-year-old got the nation dancing in unison via an over-the-top performance complete with back-up dancers. He did not do a “dad-dance”, but rather a very hip and frenetic dance that was quite worthy of the London nightclubs of the era. His performance of the 133 BPM track made an impact. The very next week it soared to # 1 on my chart, and it moved up 13 notches from # 26 to # 13 nationwide (BBC-Gallup). 2 weeks later Shaky did it again on “The Roxy” on ITV on Tuesday July 21ST 1987. 2 days after that he did it for the 2ND time (a rarity) on “Top Of The Pops” on Thursday July 23RD 1987. It peaked at # 12 nationwide the following week, and that’s as high as it got on the charts. Promotion for it ended after that.

It’s 35 years later, and I still love that song !

Every “Top Of The Pops” episode ended with a music video, so I’ll do the same here with “F.L.M.” – # 5 – 35 years ago:

Mel Appleby (1966-1990)

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 45 years ago to the end of July 1977. I’ll share which songs on “American Top 40” that Sunday July 31ST 1977 that I still hear almost every day via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I’ll also reveal which songs from that chart that I plan to buy immediately on iTunes.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
1980s Blogging Music Radio

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, 25, 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 June 28TH 1987:

  1. “Star Trekkin'” – The Firm
  2. “Let’s Dance” – Chris Rea
  3. “Don’t Dream It’s Over” – Crowded House
  4. “When Smokey Sings” – ABC
  5. “It’s A Sin” – Pet Shop Boys

Has it really been 35 years since this 20-year-old teenybopper danced like a maniac in his dorm room to “Star Trekkin'” (across the universe – on the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk !)

What a corny song that was, but it was a # 1 smash on my chart – # 1 nationwide in the United Kingdom, and it was also huge at the record stores on the European continent and also in Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Demento made it a cult favorite here stateside as well.

But allow me to share more on my # 2 hit exactly 35 years ago. It’s Chris Rea. You may remember him for his Summer of 1978 radio hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. It was his biggest hit here stateside. But it wasn’t his biggest hit worldwide. That would be “Let’s Dance”. I took an instant liking to “Let’s Dance” as soon as I heard it for the first time in late-May 1987. The very fast-paced song (175 BPM) spent 11 weeks on my chart – peaking at # 2 for 3 weeks in a row. To this day I still hear this song almost daily via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I consider it to be one of the greatest pop songs ever made, and it’s part of the amazing soundtrack of the greatest summer that I’ve ever seen – the Summer of 1987 – living and working in Gloucestershire England.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of July 2007. It’s the week that a hard rock band was in my Top 5, and they showed me how I can my rock face off to my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

Categories
1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

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, 25, 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 May 31ST 1987:

  1. “It’s Not Unusual” – Tom Jones
  2. “Under The Boardwalk” – Bruce Willis
  3. “Victim Of Love” – Erasure
  4. “Serious” – Donna Allen
  5. “Hot Shot Tottenham !” – Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup Squad With Chas & Dave

The Summer Of 1987: What a great summer that was. It was a great summer of British pop music. It was a great summer of fun with friends. It was perhaps the greatest summer of my life as a 20-year-old living in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Tom Jones enjoyed a career resurgence that began during that era. He followed-up a # 2 smash on the U.K. pop charts that received very little radio airplay (“A Boy From Nowhere”) with the reissue of his biggest smash ever – “It’s Not Unusual”. 22 years after its 1965 release it was on the charts again, and it hit # 1 on my Top 50 chart at the time. (That’s right – I did a Top 50 every week back then.)

Tom Jones and I share a birthday week. I was born on June 05TH. He was born on June 07TH. He’ll be 82 soon, and a few days later he embarks on a 4-month worldwide tour of Ireland, The U.K., Spain, Denmark, Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, Luxembourg, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, The U.S.A., and Canada. The man’s got a lot of energy. No Florida date though. I would definitely see him in concert, for he is a legend !

Another one of Tom Jones’ hits – in fact his biggest hit here stateside – “She’s A Lady” – is and has been for several years – in heavy rotation on my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I hear it almost every day, and I sing along to it.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of June 2007. It’s the week that I discovered Dustin Ruth and his band and their music.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp