1987 in Music

Stadium pop, Joshua Tree and the rise of alt-rock.

1987 saw U2 release The Joshua Tree, Michael Jackson follow Thriller with Bad, and Guns N' Roses release Appetite for Destruction — the best-selling debut album in US history. Alternative rock began to organise itself as a viable commercial scene, paving the way for the early-1990s shift.

Trends of 1987

Hair metal hit its peak. Acid house broke out of Chicago into the UK underground. Shoegaze's earliest signals appeared in My Bloody Valentine's first EPs.

Key albums

• The Joshua Tree — U2
• Appetite for Destruction — Guns N' Roses
• Music for the Masses — Depeche Mode
• Sign o' the Times — Prince

Key songs

• With or Without You — U2
• Sweet Child o' Mine — Guns N' Roses
• Never Let Me Down Again — Depeche Mode
• True Faith — New Order

Artists of 1987

• Guns N' Roses — Appetite for Destruction blew up the polish of hair metal.
• Prince — Sign o' the Times is widely viewed as his artistic peak.

Legacy

1987 was the year alternative music began its slow march from college radio to the mainstream.

All years 1980–1989 · 80s charts by year

Compiled and fact-checked by the RADIO 1980 Editorial Team. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.