What was the #1 album on the Billboard 200 chart for the week of August 29, 1987?

My Thoughts on Billboard Chart History August 1987

So for August 1987, we were at Camelot Music, Park City Mall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

I remember Whitney—obviously Whitney Houston—was huge for almost a year.

She was selling like hotcakes. We had cassettes, and albums were still selling, but 8‑tracks no longer existed and albums (vinyl) were dying, so it was mostly cassettes at the time.

Bad performed well commercially, but Michael Jackson had effectively worn himself out with Thriller — an album so massive that it left little room for its follow-up to match its impact.

By the time Bad arrived, it sold respectably, yet it was nowhere near as popular or explosive as its Thriller had been-what an experience that had been.

*The Joshua Tree* was steady in sales, but not spectacular.

LL Cool J was becoming something of an item. A couple of stations in Harrisburg were playing him, and we were selling his records as a “let’s check it out” type of music.

The *La Bamba* soundtrack—really the single by Los Lobos—did all right, but not great, and the soundtrack itself didn’t do much.

Grateful Dead’s *In the Dark* was a solid, steady seller; it was the first time I ever sold a Grateful Dead album in those quantities.

Of course, the two biggest sellers at our Park City store were Def Leppard’s *Hysteria* and Mötley Crüe’s *Girls, Girls, Girls*. Those two albums were the top sellers of all the titles we carried in August 1987.

August 1987 was peak season at the record store.

Bad Animals was moving steadily off the shelves.

We had end-cap displays featuring Heart prominently.

The album was available on LP, cassette, and compact disc.

Cassettes were our best sellers by this point.

CDs were still considered the premium format.

They cost $15.99 versus $8.99 for cassettes.

“Alone” was getting heavy radio airplay.

The power ballad was climbing toward #1.

It wouldn’t reach the top until September.

My Top Singles Observations, Top 100

So, August 1987, some single activity. Probably the biggest hit would be “Luka” by Suzanne Vega. Oh, yeah, from Yello—the famous song from *Ferris Bueller’s Day Off*.

The movie that was opening then was also climbing the charts.

- “Luka” – Suzanne Vega
- “Oh Yeah” – Yello (from *Ferris Bueller’s Day Off*)
- “Lost in Emotion” – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
- “Don’t Mean Nothing” – Richard Marx
- “Only in My Dreams” – Debbie Gibson (teenage), who was setting records with top‑10 songs as a teenager.

But the buzz was already building.

MTV played the “Alone” video constantly.

Ann Wilson’s emotional performance connected with viewers.

The video helped drive sales significantly.

Capitol Records provided excellent promotional materials.

Some Further Mentions

VHS music video collections were becoming popular.

Duran Duran had successful video releases.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller video collection was still selling.

Heart hadn’t released a video compilation yet.

But their MTV presence was strong.

Album of the Week Spotlight

     Bad Animals - Heart!

Album of the Week Spotlight

Bad Animals – Heart

Heart was experiencing a massive commercial comeback.

Bad Animals had been released in May 1987.

The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200.

By late August, it was solidly in the top 10.

The Wilson sisters had reinvented themselves for the MTV era.

Outside songwriters helped craft radio-friendly hits.

The production was slick, polished, and perfect for 1987.

“Alone” became one of the year’s biggest power ballads.

It would eventually hit #1 on the Hot 100.

Ann Wilson’s vocals were stunning and powerful.

The album would eventually go triple platinum.

Heart proved they could compete with younger MTV-era bands.

Their career renaissance was in full swing.

Notable Tracks

• Alone

• Who Will You Run To

• There’s the Girl

AMERICA’S TOP TEN ALBUMS – WEEK OF AUGUST 29, 1987

1. Whitney – Whitney Houston (featured hits: “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”)

2. Bad – Michael Jackson (featured hits: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad”)

3. Whitesnake – Whitesnake (featured hits: “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love”)

4. The Joshua Tree – U2 (featured hits: “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”)

5. Bigger and Deffer – LL Cool J (featured hits: “I Need Love,” “I’m Bad”)

6. La Bamba – Soundtrack (featured hits: “La Bamba,” “Come On, Let’s Go”)

7. In the Dark – Grateful Dead (featured hits: “Touch of Grey,” “Hell in a Bucket”)

8. Hysteria – Def Leppard (featured hits: “Women,” “Animal”)

9. Bad Animals – Heart (featured hits: “Alone,” “Who Will You Run To”)

10. Girls, Girls, Girls – Mötley Crüe (featured hits: “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Wild Side”)

Save Your Collection from Dust & Damage!

WHAT WAS HAPPENING THAT WEEK

Music & Pop Culture

Los Lobos’ “La Bamba” hit #1 on the Hot 100 this exact week.

The Spanish-language hit was from the Ritchie Valens biopic.

It would hold the top spot for three weeks.

Michael Jackson’s Bad album was released on August 31.

The anticipation was sky-high.

This was the follow-up to Thriller.

The album would debut at #1 the following week.

MTV was at the peak of its cultural power.

Music videos were driving record sales.

The 1987 Video Music Awards would air on September 11.

Television & Movies

La Bamba was one of the summer’s surprise box office hits.

The film grossed over $54 million.

Lou Diamond Phillips became a breakout star.

Dirty Dancing had opened on August 21.

It would become a sleeper phenomenon.

The soundtrack would eventually top the charts.

Popular TV shows that fall included Cheers, The Cosby Show, and Family Ties.

Fox had just launched earlier that spring as the fourth network.

News & World Events

The stock market was reaching record highs.

The Dow Jones had peaked at 2,722 earlier in August.

Black Monday would crash the market less than two months later.

The Iran-Contra hearings had dominated the summer news.

Oliver North’s testimony captivated the nation.

The Cold War was still a defining feature of global politics.

TRIVIA – AUGUST 29, 1987

1. Heart’s Career Resurgence

Bad Animals peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200.

It was kept from #1 by Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.

The album would eventually go triple platinum.

2. La Bamba’s Historic Achievement

“La Bamba” hit #1 on the Hot 100 this exact week.

It was the first Spanish-language song to top the chart since 1958.

The song remained at #1 for three weeks.

3. Michael Jackson’s Imminent Takeover

Bad was released on August 31, 1987.

It would debut at #1 the following week.

The album would produce five #1 singles.

4. The Cassette Boom

By 1987, cassettes had overtaken vinyl as the dominant format.

Portable Walkman players drove cassette sales.

CDs were growing but still represented only 20% of sales.

     Proper Cleaning Extends Record Life!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What was the #1 album on the Billboard chart in August 1987?

A: Whitney by Whitney Houston was the #1 album for most of August 1987, including the week of August 29.

Q: How long did Whitney stay at number one?

A: The album stayed at #1 for 11 consecutive weeks from late June through early September 1987.

Q: What other albums were popular the same week?

A: Michael Jackson’s Bad, Whitesnake’s self-titled album, and U2’s The Joshua Tree were all in the top 5.

Heart’s Bad Animals was solidly in the top 10.

Q: How were Billboard album rankings calculated in the 1980s?

A: Billboard compiled chart data from retail store sales reports across the country.

Record stores would report weekly sales figures.

Billboard weighted these by market size to create national rankings.

This was before SoundScan introduced electronic tracking in 1991.

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