Billboard's Top 200 Album Sales
What was the #1 album on the Billboard chart the week of August 15, 1987?
QUICK ANSWER
The #1 album on the Billboard chart for the week of August 15, 1987, was Whitney by Whitney Houston.
It ruled during a week filled with pop dominance, MTV power, and major cultural shifts.
Key Takeaway
The Billboard #1 album for August 15, 1987, was Whitney by Whitney Houston
This week reflected the polished, high-energy sound of late-summer 1987
Several now-classic albums and singles were rising at the same time
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Album of the Week Spotlight
In The Dark- Grateful Dead!
In The Dark-Grateful Dead
Album of the Week Spotlight
In the Dark – Grateful Dead
This album surprised everyone.
The Grateful Dead finally crossed into the mainstream.
Radio helped. MTV helped. Timing mattered.“In the Dark” gave the band their first real hit.
It also introduced them to a new audience.
One that had never followed the Dead before.It marked a late-career peak.
And a moment no one saw coming.
Notable Tracks
• Touch of Grey
• Hell in a Bucket
• Throwing Stones
AMERICA'S TOP TEN ALBUMS – WEEK OF AUGUST 15, 1987
Whitney – Whitney Houston
Featured Tracks: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”Bad Animals – Heart
Featured Tracks: “Alone,” “Who Will You Run To”Whitesnake – Whitesnake
Featured Tracks: “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love”Bigger and Deffer – L.L. Cool J
Featured Tracks: “I Need Love,” “Go Cut Creator Go”The Joshua Tree – U2
Featured Tracks: “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”Girls, Girls, Girls – Mötley Crüe
Featured Tracks: “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Wild Side”In the Dark – Grateful Dead
Featured Tracks: “Touch of Grey,” “Hell in a Bucket”Duotones – Kenny G
Featured Tracks: “Songbird,” “Don’t Make Me Wait for Love”Beverly Hills Cop II – Soundtrack
Featured Tracks: “Shakedown,” “The Heat Is On”Slippery When Wet – Bon Jovi
Featured Tracks: “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “You Give Love a Bad Name”
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A SNAPSHOT IN TIME – WEEK OF AUGUST 22, 1987
What Was Happening That Week
Music & Pop Culture
Whitney Houston dominated radio.
MTV leaned heavily on pop and glam metal.
U2 and Bon Jovi stayed locked in rotation.
Television & Movies
The Cosby Show led ratings.
Cheers stayed strong.
The Lost Boys hit theaters and made noise.
News & World Events
The Cold War still shaped headlines.
Stock markets were uneasy.
Global tensions remained high.
WHY THIS WEEK STILL MATTERS
This week shows pop at full power. Big vocals.
Big hooks. Big videos.
It also shows change.
Classic rock broke through again. MTV decided what sold.
That mix defines 1987.
FROM THE RECORD STORE FLOOR
I was working at Camelot Music in Park City.
Mall traffic was strong.
Tourist season helped sales. Amish Country is always a big tourist attraction during the good weather months.
The Grateful Dead came out of nowhere.
Yes, we sold catalog titles every week.
But this was different.
“Touch of Grey” was getting real radio play.
Local stations picked it up fast.
That changed everything.
MTV added the video.
That sealed the deal.
People walked in asking for it by name.
I put the album into the in-store play basket.
Grateful Dead at Camelot.
That felt wild.
The album was sold on cassette, vinyl, and CD.
Cassettes moved the fastest.
CD sales were climbing fast in 1987.
Warner Bros. pushed hard.
Posters. Flats. Counter cards.
It stood out on the wall.
We did not sell MTV VHS singles much anymore.
Those peaked earlier in the decade.
But they still mattered for artists like Duran Duran and Michael Jackson.
This moment felt unexpected.
And honestly, pretty special.
TRIVIA – AUGUST 22, 1987
Q1: What song gave the Grateful Dead their first Top 10 hit?
A: “Touch of Grey.”
Q2: Which format sold fastest in record stores in 1987?
A: Cassette tapes.
Q3: Which Whitney Houston single dominated MTV this summer?
A: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”
Q4: Which album stayed on the Billboard chart the longest from this Top Ten?
A:
The Joshua Tree by U2.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What was the #1 album on the Billboard chart in August 1987?
A:
Whitney by Whitney Houston.
Q: How long did Whitney stay at number one?
A: It held the top spot for 11 weeks total in 1987.
Q: What other albums were popular the same week?
A:
Bad Animals, Whitesnake, and The Joshua Tree.
Q: How were Billboard album rankings calculated in the 1980s?
A: Rankings were based on retail sales reports from record stores nationwide.
Join The Conversation
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