Why 1987? That’s when the Bathroom Reader was born. Rad! 

Billboard’s top 5 singles of the year:  

1. “Walk like an Egyptian” (The Bangles)
2. “Alone” (Heart)
3. “Shake You Down” (Gregory Abbott)
4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston)
5. “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (Starship)
   

Notable one-hit wonders:

• Cars bassist Benjamin Orr, “Stay the Night”
• Bruce Willis, “Respect Yourself”
• The Grateful Dead, “Touch of Grey” (a #9 hit)
• On average, in most years, there are nine #1 hits. In 1987 there were 30— a Billboard record.

The 5 bestselling albums:

1. Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi)
2. Graceland (Paul Simon)
3. 3. Licensed to Ill (Beastie Boys)
4. The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby)
5. Control (Janet Jackson)

Two covers of songs by the 1960s band Tommy James and the Shondells that went to #1 in 1987:

• Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”
• Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony”

Going solo for the first time:

• George Michael (Wham!)
• Belinda Carlisle (Go-Gos)
• Bobby Brown (without the rest of New Edition)
  

Grammy winners:

• Album of the Year: U2’s The Joshua Tree, which won over Whitney Houston’s Whitney, Prince’s Sign o’ the Times, and Michael Jackson’s Bad.
• Record of the Year: Paul Simon’s “Graceland.”

Oscar winner for Best Song:

“Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock

MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist:

Crowded House. They hit #7 with “Something So Strong” in 1987…and never again had a hit in the United States.
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