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1987 Music Hits: Rock Anthems, Dance-Pop, Hip-Hop, Movie Ballads, and Big MTV Energy

1987 music hits captured one of the busiest years of the late ’80s. Arena rock was still massive, pop radio was packed with glossy hooks, hip-hop was pushing further into the mainstream, and movie soundtracks were delivering songs that practically came with their own slow-motion montage.

This was the year of Livin’ on a Prayer, Mony Mony, (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Lean on Me, La Bamba, With or Without You, Bad, It’s Tricky, and I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me). MTV still had serious power, radio formats were wide open, and a song could be a rock anthem, dance hit, movie theme, or saxophone-driven instrumental and still land in the same pop-culture yearbook.

The songs below mix major chart hits, MTV staples, soundtrack songs, rock favorites, R&B ballads, dance-pop, hip-hop breakthroughs, and a few wonderfully “only in 1987” moments. This was not a quiet year. It had shoulder pads, guitar solos, drum machines, and at least one saxophone ready for its close-up.

Top 10 Songs of 1987

  1. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
  2. Mony Mony – Billy Idol
  3. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
  4. Lean on Me – Club Nouveau
  5. Songbird – Kenny G
  6. Always – Atlantic Starr
  7. Oh Yeah – Yello
  8. La Bamba – Los Lobos
  9. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
  10. With or Without You – U2

1987 Music Hits by Style

Rock, Arena Rock, and Hair Metal

Rock music had a huge year in 1987, led by Bon Jovi, U2, Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Europe, and Genesis. Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer became one of the decade’s signature arena anthems, while Wanted Dead or Alive and Never Say Goodbye helped keep the band everywhere on radio and MTV.

Hard rock and glam metal were also in full force. Poison’s Talk Dirty to Me, Mötley Crüe’s Girls, Girls, Girls, Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again, and Europe’s The Final Countdown delivered big guitars, big hair, and big choruses. Subtlety was not invited, and honestly, it probably would have felt underdressed.

  • Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
  • Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi
  • Never Say Goodbye – Bon Jovi
  • With or Without You – U2
  • I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
  • Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
  • Girls, Girls, Girls – Mötley Crüe
  • Talk Dirty to Me – Poison
  • Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
  • Still of the Night – Whitesnake
  • The Final Countdown – Europe
  • Dude (Looks Like a Lady) – Aerosmith
  • Keep Your Hands to Yourself – The Georgia Satellites
  • Midnight Blue – Lou Gramm
  • Learning to Fly – Pink Floyd

Pop, Dance-Pop, and Mainstream Radio Favorites

Pop music in 1987 was bright, polished, and extremely radio-friendly. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Janet Jackson, Belinda Carlisle, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Gloria Estefan helped define the year’s mainstream sound. These songs were built for radio, MTV, cassette singles, and mall speakers that worked overtime.

This was also the year pop started leaning even harder into dance beats, synths, and sleek production. Songs like I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Bad, Open Your Heart, Faith, and Heaven Is a Place on Earth helped make 1987 feel energetic, colorful, and just a little overcaffeinated.

  • Faith – George Michael
  • Bad – Michael Jackson
  • I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
  • Open Your Heart – Madonna
  • La Isla Bonita – Madonna
  • Heaven Is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
  • I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany
  • Only in My Dreams – Debbie Gibson
  • Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
  • Looking for a New Love – Jody Watley
  • Heart and Soul – T’Pau
  • Point of No Return – Exposé
  • Come Go with Me – Exposé
  • Touch Me (I Want Your Body) – Samantha Fox
  • Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now – Samantha Fox

Hip-Hop, Rap, and Pop-Rap Breakthroughs

Hip-hop continued moving toward mainstream visibility in 1987. Run-DMC’s It’s Tricky became one of the group’s best-known crossover hits, while Beastie Boys brought loud, bratty, rock-rap chaos with (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!), Brass Monkey, and Girls. It was hip-hop with attitude, humor, and a whole lot of spilled beverage energy.

Kool Moe Dee, The Fat Boys, Bobby Brown, and DJ-connected dance-pop tracks also showed how rap was spreading across pop culture. Some songs leaned serious, some were comic, and some were clearly designed to make parents ask, “What is this?” which is often how pop culture gets promoted for free.

  • It’s Tricky – Run-DMC
  • (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) – Beastie Boys
  • Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
  • Girls – Beastie Boys
  • Go See the Doctor – Kool Moe Dee
  • Wipeout – The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys
  • Girlfriend – Bobby Brown
  • Lean on Me – Club Nouveau

R&B, Soul, Funk, and Quiet Storm

R&B had a strong and smooth presence in 1987. Atlantic Starr’s Always, Whitney Houston’s Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Anita Baker’s Caught Up in the Rapture, Gregory Abbott’s Shake You Down, and The Whispers’ Rock Steady helped keep soul and adult R&B on heavy rotation.

The year also had funkier and more danceable R&B moments from LeVert, The System, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Jody Watley, and Prince. The late ’80s R&B sound was polished, romantic, rhythmic, and ready to move into the New Jack Swing era, which was just around the corner.

  • Always – Atlantic Starr
  • Casanova – LeVert
  • Looking for a New Love – Jody Watley
  • Let’s Wait Awhile – Janet Jackson
  • Shake You Down – Gregory Abbott
  • Caught Up in the Rapture – Anita Baker
  • Rock Steady – The Whispers
  • I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Michael Jackson
  • Head to Toe – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
  • Don’t Disturb This Groove – The System
  • Stop to Love – Luther Vandross
  • I’d Still Say Yes – Klymaxx
  • U Got the Look – Prince
  • I Want Your Sex – George Michael

Movie Soundtrack Hits and TV Theme Favorites

1987 was a huge year for soundtrack songs. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life became the defining musical moment from Dirty Dancing, while La Bamba by Los Lobos brought Ritchie Valens’ story and music to a new generation. Somewhere Out There from An American Tail gave the year one of its biggest animated-film ballads.

TV also had a moment, thanks to Al Jarreau’s Moonlighting Theme. Between film soundtracks and television themes, 1987 proved that pop charts and screen culture were deeply connected. Basically, if a song had a dramatic scene attached to it, the radio was ready.

  • (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
  • La Bamba – Los Lobos
  • Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
  • Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship
  • Moonlighting Theme – Al Jarreau
  • At This Moment – Billy Vera & The Beaters
  • Wipeout – The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys
  • Oh Yeah – Yello

Adult Contemporary, Pop Ballads, and Slow Dance Favorites

The ballads of 1987 were serious business. Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Always, The Lady in Red, Somewhere Out There, and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now gave the year plenty of slow-dance fuel. If there was a prom, wedding, or late-night radio dedication in 1987, these songs were probably standing nearby looking emotional.

Kenny G’s Songbird also became one of the year’s smoothest instrumental hits, while George Michael, Genesis, Steve Winwood, Dan Hill, Vonda Shepard, and The Jets filled the softer side of radio. 1987 was not afraid of feelings. It put them on a saxophone solo and sent them to adult contemporary radio.

  • Songbird – Kenny G
  • Always – Atlantic Starr
  • Didn’t We Almost Have It All – Whitney Houston
  • The Lady in Red – Chris de Burgh
  • You Got It All – The Jets
  • In Too Deep – Genesis
  • Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
  • Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship
  • The Finer Things – Steve Winwood
  • Can’t We Try – Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard
  • At This Moment – Billy Vera & The Beaters
  • I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Michael Jackson
  • Never Say Goodbye – Bon Jovi
  • I’d Still Say Yes – Klymaxx

Alternative Rock, College Rock, New Wave, and Modern Rock

Alternative and modern rock had a strong undercurrent in 1987. New Order’s True Faith, The Cure’s Why Can’t I Be You?, R.E.M.’s The One I Love, The Psychedelic Furs’ Heartbreak Beat, and Julian Cope’s World Shut Your Mouth helped represent the college-rock and new wave side of the year.

This was also where songs by Suzanne Vega, David Bowie, The Pretenders, Patty Smyth, and Dead or Alive found a more left-of-center lane. These tracks helped build the bridge toward the alternative-heavy 1990s. The mainstream had the big hair, but college radio had the interesting record collection.

  • True Faith – New Order
  • Luka – Suzanne Vega
  • Heartbreak Beat – The Psychedelic Furs
  • Day-In Day-Out – David Bowie
  • Don’t Leave Me This Way – The Communards
  • Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead
  • Why Can’t I Be You? – The Cure
  • The One I Love – R.E.M.
  • Brand New Lover – Dead or Alive
  • My Baby – The Pretenders
  • World Shut Your Mouth – Julian Cope
  • Something in My House – Dead or Alive
  • Downtown Train – Patty Smyth
  • Never Enough – Patty Smyth

Dance, Club, Freestyle, and Synth-Pop

Dance and club music were bright, catchy, and very active in 1987. Exposé, Company B, Pretty Poison, The Communards, Dead or Alive, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, and Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine brought freestyle, synth-pop, and dance-pop energy into the mainstream.

These songs helped define the sound of late-’80s dance floors and radio countdowns. The beats were clean, the hooks were huge, and the production had enough sparkle to make a disco ball feel underprepared.

  • Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
  • Come Go with Me – Exposé
  • Fascinated – Company B
  • Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room) – Paul Lekakis
  • Catch Me (I’m Falling) – Pretty Poison
  • Point of No Return – Exposé
  • Head to Toe – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
  • Brand New Lover – Dead or Alive
  • We Connect – Stacey Q
  • Something in My House – Dead or Alive
  • Don’t Leave Me This Way – The Communards
  • Open Your Heart – Madonna
  • I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston

Classic Rock Veterans and Legacy Artists

1987 still had plenty of room for established artists and veteran acts. Paul Simon continued his Graceland era with You Can Call Me Al, Graceland, and The Boy in the Bubble, while Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Grateful Dead, Gregg Allman, The Pretenders, and The Monkees all appeared in the year’s larger pop-rock picture.

These songs gave 1987 a strong connection to earlier rock and pop traditions. The new stars were rising fast, but the veterans still had radio pull. Nobody had packed up the classic-rock toolbox just yet.

  • You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
  • Graceland – Paul Simon
  • The Boy in the Bubble – Paul Simon
  • Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush
  • Big Time – Peter Gabriel
  • Land of Confusion – Genesis
  • Tonight, Tonight, Tonight – Genesis
  • Learning to Fly – Pink Floyd
  • Day-In Day-Out – David Bowie
  • Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead
  • I’m No Angel – Gregg Allman Band
  • Heart and Soul – The Monkees
  • My Baby – The Pretenders
  • Smoking Gun – The Robert Cray Band

Novelty, Party, and “Only in 1987” Songs

Some 1987 songs had their own pop-culture zip code. Yello’s Oh Yeah became closely tied to film, commercials, and cool-guy slow-motion moments, while Billy Idol’s live version of Mony Mony gave an older song a new late-’80s life. Beastie Boys, The Fat Boys, Bruce Willis, and Amazulu also added to the year’s fun, weird, and very-of-its-time energy.

These songs helped make 1987 feel less like a clean playlist and more like a pop-culture scrapbook. Some were party records, some were novelty-adjacent, and some were just strange enough to survive. That may be the highest honor in a truly ’80s chart.

  • Mony Mony – Billy Idol
  • Oh Yeah – Yello
  • (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) – Beastie Boys
  • Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
  • Girls – Beastie Boys
  • Wipeout – The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys
  • Young Blood – Bruce Willis
  • Montego Bay – Amazulu
  • Funkytown – Pseudo Echo
  • Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room) – Paul Lekakis

PCM’s 1987 Top 100 Music Hits Chart

  1. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
  2. Mony Mony – Billy Idol
  3. (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
  4. Lean on Me – Club Nouveau
  5. Songbird – Kenny G
  6. Always – Atlantic Starr
  7. Oh Yeah – Yello
  8. La Bamba – Los Lobos
  9. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
  10. With or Without You – U2
  11. Faith – George Michael
  12. Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush
  13. Bad – Michael Jackson
  14. It’s Tricky – Run-DMC
  15. You Got It All – The Jets
  16. U Got the Look – Prince
  17. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
  18. Girls, Girls, Girls – Mötley Crüe
  19. Didn’t We Almost Have It All – Whitney Houston
  20. (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) – Beastie Boys
  21. Keep Your Hands to Yourself – The Georgia Satellites
  22. I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) – Whitney Houston
  23. The Lady in Red – Chris de Burgh
  24. Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
  25. La Isla Bonita – Madonna
  26. Funkytown – Pseudo Echo
  27. Girls – Beastie Boys
  28. Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi
  29. The Final Countdown – Europe
  30. True Faith – New Order
  31. Open Your Heart – Madonna
  32. Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
  33. Casanova – LeVert
  34. Looking for a New Love – Jody Watley
  35. In Too Deep – Genesis
  36. Let’s Wait Awhile – Janet Jackson
  37. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight – Genesis
  38. Somewhere Out There – Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
  39. Rhythm Is Gonna Get You – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
  40. Shake You Down – Gregory Abbott
  41. Talk Dirty to Me – Poison
  42. Big Time – Peter Gabriel
  43. The Finer Things – Steve Winwood
  44. Land of Confusion – Genesis
  45. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship
  46. Luka – Suzanne Vega
  47. Dude (Looks Like a Lady) – Aerosmith
  48. I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany
  49. Moonlighting Theme – Al Jarreau
  50. Heart and Soul – T’Pau
  51. Heartbreak Beat – The Psychedelic Furs
  52. Caught Up in the Rapture – Anita Baker
  53. Come Go with Me – Exposé
  54. Can’t We Try – Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard
  55. Day-In Day-Out – David Bowie
  56. Don’t Leave Me This Way – The Communards
  57. Fascinated – Company B
  58. Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back to My Room) – Paul Lekakis
  59. I’m No Angel – Gregg Allman Band
  60. Only in My Dreams – Debbie Gibson
  61. Touch of Grey – Grateful Dead
  62. When Smokey Sings – ABC
  63. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Michael Jackson
  64. Graceland – Paul Simon
  65. At This Moment – Billy Vera & The Beaters
  66. Rock Steady – The Whispers
  67. Heart and Soul – The Monkees
  68. Why Can’t I Be You? – The Cure
  69. Never Say Goodbye – Bon Jovi
  70. Downtown Train – Patty Smyth
  71. Catch Me (I’m Falling) – Pretty Poison
  72. Heaven Is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
  73. I Want Your Sex – George Michael
  74. Point of No Return – Exposé
  75. Touch Me (I Want Your Body) – Samantha Fox
  76. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
  77. I’d Still Say Yes – Klymaxx
  78. Don’t Disturb This Groove – The System
  79. Stop to Love – Luther Vandross
  80. Still of the Night – Whitesnake
  81. Midnight Blue – Lou Gramm
  82. Learning to Fly – Pink Floyd
  83. Head to Toe – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
  84. The One I Love – R.E.M.
  85. Brand New Lover – Dead or Alive
  86. Wipeout – The Fat Boys & The Beach Boys
  87. My Baby – The Pretenders
  88. World Shut Your Mouth – Julian Cope
  89. Smoking Gun – The Robert Cray Band
  90. I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You) – Grace Jones
  91. We Connect – Stacey Q
  92. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now – Samantha Fox
  93. Girlfriend – Bobby Brown
  94. Something in My House – Dead or Alive
  95. Jane’s Getting Serious – Jon Astley
  96. Never Enough – Patty Smyth
  97. Go See the Doctor – Kool Moe Dee
  98. The Boy in the Bubble – Paul Simon
  99. Young Blood – Bruce Willis
  100. Montego Bay – Amazulu