# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1987 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139 "2014-10-22T12:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/41 "2014-10-23T01:40:22Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Livin on a Prayer is one of the greatest songs of all time. U2 fans can suck it. “Living on a Prayer” is pure formulaic rock with zero heart or inspiration, just like all Bon Jovi songs. They are crafted from musical Lego blocks and assembled by marketers and producers. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/42 "2014-10-23T01:46:45Z")
I’ll grant that U2 is a more original band than Bon Jovi, but some purely pop songs are classics for a reason and Livin on a Prayer is one of them. THe song is so awesome it returned to the Top 40 just last year, making it to #25. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/43 "2014-10-23T03:49:30Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I’ll grant that U2 is a more original band than Bon Jovi, but some purely pop songs are classics for a reason and Livin on a Prayer is one of them. THe song is so awesome it returned to the Top 40 just last year, making it to #25. You say that proves it’s awesome; I say it proves the top 40 was, and alway is, hopeless. I’d admit we’re both right, but I just can’t. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/44 "2014-10-23T04:22:18Z")
Well, we are talking about #1s here, so by definition we’re dealing with music adored by the masses. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/45 "2014-10-23T06:27:38Z")
To me, this list shows a precipitous decline from the previous couple of years. I am not much of a _U2_ fan, but only _U2_ (and maybe Billy Idol, although he did better work) rescue it from complete disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/46 "2014-10-23T14:05:44Z")
I’d go for Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Loved that song at the time. I remember she appeared on _Friday Night Videos_ with Paul Shaffer at the time, and they showed the video for that song. She was wearing a slinky gray dress and Shaffer was practically drooling on her. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/47 "2014-10-23T19:13:05Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Well, we are talking about #1s here, so by definition we’re dealing with music adored by the masses. Not to draw attention to my lowbrow tastes and probable lack of class, but I suspect that means it’s good. I guess it depends what you think music is _for_. > [@Elendil's Heir](#): > > I’d go for Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” Loved that song at the time. I remember she appeared on Friday Night Videos with Paul Shaffer at the time, and they showed the video for that song. She was wearing a slinky gray dress and Shaffer was practically drooling on her. I thought she was quite likable at the time! But I never forgave her after she covered Dolly’s song. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/48 "2014-10-23T19:21:03Z")
Truly shocking how many terrible songs (all of which I remember) there are on this list. Horrendous. No surprise that the two U2 songs comprise almost half of all votes. Has any other artist so dominated its year in these SD polls? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/49 "2014-10-23T19:54:27Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > No surprise that the two U2 songs comprise almost half of all votes. Has any other artist so dominated its year in these SD polls? I don’t think so. The Beatles did in 1964, but that was to be expected. 🙂 I’m actually quite surprised to see U2 doing so well - both of their #1s this year are kind of mediocre and samey to me, and I’ve never really been big on them in the first place. (‘Pride In The Name Of Love’ I could’ve voted for, but it peaked at #33.) I went with Bon Jovi, myself - it’s one of those great Springsteenian songs about working-class quiet desperation that really speaks to me on a personal level even though it’s about a time and a place I’ve never personally experienced. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/50 "2014-10-23T20:52:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > In fact, my main problem with U2 is that that all their songs sound the same. You know, I could hear Bono singing that as a lyric: “Where all the songs sound the same.” ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/51 "2014-10-23T21:30:09Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > You know, I could hear Bono singing that as a lyric: “Where all the songs sound the same.” _Where the streets have no name All the songs sound the same And it will always rain On the plains in Spain_ ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/52 "2014-10-24T12:32:01Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > You know, I could hear Bono singing that as a lyric: “Where all the songs sound the same.” To me, U2’s “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” don’t sound any more alike or different than the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah).” But I don’t hear anyone grumping about how the 1964-65 Beatles songs all sound the same. (OK, I did hear that back in 1964 and 1965, but that was from grownups doing the usual “that crap that kids are listening to these days” number, which is a whole 'nother thing.) ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/53 "2014-10-24T12:38:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > To me, U2’s “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” don’t sound any more alike or different than the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah).” > > But I don’t hear anyone grumping about how the 1964-65 Beatles songs all sound the same. (OK, I did hear that back in 1964 and 1965, but that was from grownups doing the usual “that crap that kids are listening to these days” number, which is a whole 'nother thing.) I think it is probably exactly the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/54 "2014-10-24T13:28:32Z")
I love rock music. I hate U2 and Bon Jovi with a vengeance - two steaming turds of band-dom. I am no fan obviously but voted Madonna, “Who’s that Girl” - a fresh and catchy pop tune that has lasted pretty well. The #1s here are a pretty poor bunch though. I am a bit surprised my vote for her is the only one to date. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/55 "2014-10-24T13:58:40Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I think it is probably exactly the same thing. I don’t think so. Nobody here is dissing U2 because they don’t like the younger generation’s music; this poll is about music that was on the radio _27 years ago_. The median-age Doper (~44 years old, based on several “what age range are you in”-type threads) was still in high school when “With or Without You” was popular. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/56 "2014-10-24T15:42:41Z")
I picked “At This Moment” but I sure can’t disagree with those who picked either of the U2 tunes. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/57 "2014-10-24T16:05:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I don’t think so. Nobody here is dissing U2 because they don’t like the younger generation’s music; this poll is about music that was on the radio _27 years ago_. The median-age Doper (~44 years old, based on several “what age range are you in”-type threads) was still in high school when “With or Without You” was popular. I think U2 struggles with their “signature sound” - The Edge’s cascaded-digital-delay guitar sound. It can have an aggressive edge (heh) to it, like Two Hearts, or Sunday Bloody Sunday, it can have at atmospheric feel to it like Where the Streets Have no Name - but if that is what a person tunes in on, I can see where U2 can be labeled as “all songs sound the same.” My favorite U2 album - the only one I own and periodically listen to - is Achtung Baby. I hadn’t noticed up 'till now, but it has the least of that U2 signature sound of their best-loved CD’s… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/58 "2014-10-24T16:12:48Z")
I went with Belinda, for personal reasons. That song brings back many, many good memories. Runners up would be U2 and Whitney Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/59 "2014-10-24T23:00:36Z")
> [@notquitekarpov](#): > > I love rock music. I hate U2 and Bon Jovi with a vengeance - two steaming turds of band-dom. > > I am no fan obviously but voted Madonna, “Who’s that Girl” - a fresh and catchy pop tune that has lasted pretty well. The #1s here are a pretty poor bunch though. > > I am a bit surprised my vote for her is the only one to date. And I voted for the other song of hers. Madonna got no love:( ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139/60 "2014-10-25T03:20:39Z")
Gah! I was trying to vote for U2- With or Without You because it’s one of my favorite songs ever. In fact, it may be the favorite. Instead, somehow it switched my vote to Atlantic Star - Always. I have always hated that song. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1987/702139.md?page=4)