Why 1987? That’s when the Bathroom Reader was born. Rad!
Billboard’s top 5 singles of the year:
“Walk like an Egyptian” (The Bangles)- “Alone” (Heart)
- “Shake You Down” (Gregory Abbott)
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston)
- “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:
- Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi)
- Graceland (Paul Simon)
- 3. Licensed to Ill (Beastie Boys)
- The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby)
- 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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