22 August 1987 I was too young in 1987 to know much about Dusty Springfield. Only years later I learned her mother was from my home town of Tralee, Co. Kerry, so Dusty was basically one of our own. No, we're not related. It was much later too, during my college years, that I became … Continue reading Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield – ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’
Author: Aidan Curran
Los Lobos – ‘La Bamba’
1 August 1987 Fake news and misinformation existed in 1987 too, you know. I remember everyone at the time saying that 'la bamba' in Spanish meant 'the goat' and that this song was about a goat. In provincial Ireland in 1987 the only Spanish speakers we ever saw were the impossibly exotic Spanish students who … Continue reading Los Lobos – ‘La Bamba’
Madonna – ‘Who’s That Girl’
18 July 1987 The animated Madonna that appears halfway through the video (below) for 'Who's That Girl' is by Elinor Blake, who under her later nom de pop of April March sang 'Chick Habit' which appeared on the soundtrack to the '00s Quentin Tarantino movie Death Proof and on a car ad. I saw Blake … Continue reading Madonna – ‘Who’s That Girl’
Pet Shop Boys – ‘It’s A Sin’
4 July 1987 'West End Girls', one of the best singles of the 1980s, didn't get to number one in Ireland, so this is our first Pet Shop Boys chart-topper. By this stage they were well established as an essential pop act; I remember radio DJs and music writers of the time speaking of Tennant … Continue reading Pet Shop Boys – ‘It’s A Sin’
The Firm – ‘Star Trekkin”
27 June 1987 I was in primary school when 'Star Trekkin'' was in the charts, so I can confirm it was a big hit in my then-demographic. We were a bit young to be Star Trek fans or even watchers, but we knew the main gist of it, so we took the song's characters and … Continue reading The Firm – ‘Star Trekkin”
George Michael – ‘I Want Your Sex’
20 June 1987 Here it is: after all those years of Wham! service and a hit single on the side, George Michael finally starts his "serious artist" solo career. And what's the first thing he releases? Well, remember in the video for 'I'm Your Man' where there's a film countdown reel that slips in the … Continue reading George Michael – ‘I Want Your Sex’
U2 – ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’
13 June 1987 Zap through all your TV channels and you'll invariably come across the religious stations. Many are pretty orthodox: a priest, nun, pastor, rabbi or imam leading a service or preaching the party line. But you'll probably also see a live music event where an earnest-looking rock band is churning out sub-emo guitar … Continue reading U2 – ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’
Johnny Logan – ‘Hold Me Now’
16 May 1987 Resplendent in an all-white kit, Spurs lost a classic FA Cup Final in 1987 to unfancied Coventry City and Keith Houchen's diving header. Johnny Logan, also top to toe in white, won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland a week earlier in equally dramatic circumstances. For years I misremembered both as being … Continue reading Johnny Logan – ‘Hold Me Now’
Starship – ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’
2 May 1987 Have you ever actually watched the movie Mannequin, or does the video for 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' suffice? I feel the video gives me all the Mannequin I need; the full movie itself would only be a let down. This is our first number one from the pen of Diane Warren, … Continue reading Starship – ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’
The Pogues and The Dubliners – ‘The Irish Rover’
18 April 1987 The Irish and UK top ten singles in April 1987 featured 'Let It Be' by Ferry Aid, a charity fundraising record for the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, and also this comic Irish ballad about a ship that sank. Explain me that. The Pogues had two Irish number one singles in 1987, both duets, … Continue reading The Pogues and The Dubliners – ‘The Irish Rover’
