The Best Pop Music of 1987

A look at the best pop music of 1987 and why it’s still popular today.

Madonna – “Like a Prayer”

“Like a Prayer” is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her fourth studio album of the same name. Sire Records released it as the lead single from the album on March 3, 1989. Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, the track heralded an artistic and personal rebirth for Madonna, after she faced criticism regarding her rebel style and the way her music was marketed.

Musically, “Like a Prayer” is a pop rock ballad that incorporates elements of gospel music. A choir provides background vocals that heighten the song’s spiritual nature, while the track’s bridge contains a rock guitar riff. Lyrically, it is an ode to love with Catholic imagery. “Like a Prayer” has been described as a colorfully narrative song about faith and sex. Considered one of Madonna’s lightest ballads songs, it received mixed reviews from critics who commended its composition but criticized its lyrical content; some labeled it as sacrilegious.

Commercially, “Like a Prayer” peaked at number one in several countries worldwide and became Madonna’s seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It remains one of her most successful singles globally. The song blessed Madonna with critical acclaim throughout her career; both AllMusic and Pitchfork listed it among their lists of greatest songs ever, while Rolling Stone placed it at number 229 in their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2010, Billboard listed it as 41st on their list of 100 Greatest Choruses of All Time.”

Michael Jackson – “Bad”

“Bad” is a song by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on September 7, 1987, as the second single from Jackson’s seventh studio album of the same name. The song was written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. “Bad” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the fourth consecutive single from Bad to top the chart. It also became Jackson’s second number-one single on the Adult Contemporary chart, reaching the top spot for two weeks in early 1988. The accompanying music video for “Bad” was directed by Martin Scorsese and filmed in New York City’s subway Indies 78th Street station in the summer of 1987; it features a group of young dancers who vie for Jackson’s attention.

George Michael – “Faith”

George Michael – “Faith”

Released in October 1987, “Faith” was the lead single from George Michael’s debut solo album of the same name. The song was an instant success, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and becoming one of Michael’s signature songs. “Faith” won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and remains one of George Michael’s most popular songs.

Whitney Houston – “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”

Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” was released in 1987 and quickly rose to the top of the pop charts. The catchy, uptempo song was a hit with pop audiences and remains one of Houston’s most well-known tunes.

U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree, in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band’s second consecutive number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number six in the UK Singles Chart. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and voted by readers of Rolling Stone as one of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

The song originated from a demo that drummer Larry Mullen Jr. brought to his bandmates. Lead vocalist Bono wrote the lyric “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” in response to his frustration with God; he has said that it is perhaps his best lyric. The guitar part for this demo was written by The Edge during a soundcheck before a concert. To record the song, producer Brian Eno originally proposed using a choir, an idea that was abandoned after conflicts between him and Mullen. The opening drumming owes to Mullen’s initial inspiration for writing the song: while waiting at an airport concourse in San Francisco, Mullen thought he could hear someone playing drums in an echoing tunnel nearby and EMS Synthesizer VCS 3 helped him recreate this sound during recording sessions at Windmill Lane Studios.

The band worked out an arrangement at a rehearsal prior to recording “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, with all four members playing together for about two hours until they hit upon something that everyone felt satisfied with. Although it took nearly two months for them to be satisfied enough with their work to commit it to tape, once they began recording, engineer Steve Lillywhite completed work on it within two hours using minimal overdubs and little effects processing; Lillywhite recalled that he did very few takes because he wanted to leave something “raw and scrappy”.

In February 1988, U2 won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Album of the Year for The Joshua Tree; “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was nominated for Record of the Year but lost out to Michael Jackson’s “Bad”.

Guns N’ Roses – “Welcome to the Jungle”

“Welcome to the Jungle” is a song by American rock band Guns N’ Roses, appearing on their debut album, Appetite for Destruction (1987). It was released as the album’s second single on November 7, 1987. The song was written by Axl Rose and co-produced by Mike Clink. It is considered one of the greatest debut singles in rock history.

The hard rock song opens with a rainforest ambiance followed by a jungle drum intro beforeRose begins singing about a young city boy who “went lookin’ for a place to hide” and finds himself in the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood, California—the Sunset Strip. Slash starts playing the main riff at 0:48. The main riff is played throughout the verses while Duff McKagan plays a walking bass line. At 1:03, Rose sings “When you’re high you never”, which Slash and Izzy Stradlin harmonize in falsetto on the next two syllables. The pre-chorus features Lydon at 1:38 singing “You’re in the jungle baby; you’re gonna die!” over Slash’s wah-wah soloing; Slash plays a similar solo during Rose’s vocal bridge at 2:02.

Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar on Me”

Released in 1987, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was one of Def Leppard’s most popular songs. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a global hit. The song was included on the band’s album Hysteria, which was released in August 1987.

Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer”

“Livin’ on a Prayer” is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi, released as the second single from their 1986 album Slippery When Wet. Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Desmond Child, the song has appeared on several of Bon Jovi’s live albums and compilations. Most notably, it was included as part of the band’s greatest hits album Cross Road, which was released in 1994.

In 2009, “Livin’ on a Prayer” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2006, it was voted number 384 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. In 2004, it was ranked number 27 on VH1’s countdown of the “100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s”. The song is also considered to be one of the band’s signature songs.

Bruce Springsteen – “Brilliant Disguise”

“Brilliant Disguise” is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, with Roy Bittan playing piano. It was released as the lead single from his 1987 album Tunnel of Love on October 19, 1987, reaching #5 in the U.S. and #6 in the UK.

Springsteen wrote the song at his home in Los Angeles while working on the Tunnel of Love album. The lyrics deal with the lies we tell ourselves and others in relationships and how those lies can ultimately be exposed.

The song features a brighter, more pop-oriented sound than much of Springsteen’s previous work, with a use of synthesizers that was unusual for him at the time. The music video, directed by Arthur Penn, features Springsteen lip-syncing to the track while wearing various disguises.

“Brilliant Disguise” won Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song, and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1988 awards ceremony.

Prince – “Sign o’ the Times”

“Sign o’ the Times” is a song by American singer-songwriter Prince, and the title track from his 1987 album of the same name. The song was a commercial and critical success, and is widely considered one of Prince’s best-known and most influential songs.