"The Time Machine" was in the shop for a fall tuneup last weekend, but is back & ready to takeoff to Tuesday, September 8, 1987. Here are the national hits. With apologies to Warner Wolf, let's go to the videotape......

  • 10

    %22I Heard A Rumour%22 by Bananarama

    (#17 last week) Movie music. Quick! Which movie? Tick..tick..tick...time up. "Disorderlies", starring the Fat Boys. Yeah, I missed that one, too. It took awhile, but by this point, the girls' fortunes were reversed: they were bigger in America than in their native England.

  • 9

    %22Who's That Girl%22 by Madonna

    (#3 last week) Former #1. Is it just me, or does this sound an awful lot like Madge's previous hit from just a few months earlier, "La Isla Bonita"? Definitely catchy. I find this hard to believe, but she's supposedly only sung this live in concert one time, when it was current.

  • 8

    %22When Smokey Sings%22 by ABC

    (#11 last week) I should have waited a month to do this survey, because Smokey Robinson himself joined this song ABOUT him in the top 10 at the same time! Talk about a really good 24 hours: on July 19, 2012 ABC lead singer Martin Fry was made an honorary Doctor of Music at the University of Sheffield for his contribution of more than thirty years to music. The following day his daughter Nancy received her degree from the Department of Sociological Studies from the same University.

  • 7

    %22Doing It All For My Baby%22 by Huey Lewis & The News

    (#10 last week) I've met many music artists in my time in radio. Huey was one of the friendliest.

  • 6

    %22Can't We Try%22 by Dan Hill (with Vonda Sheppard)

    Yes, this is the same Dan Hill who had a huge hit in 1978 with "Sometimes When We Touch", so this was a pretty surprising chart comeback after nine years. Yes, this is the same Vonda Sheppard who, ten years later, sang the "Ally McBeal" theme.

  • 5

    %22Only In My Dreams%22 by Debbie Gibson

    (#4 last week) Only 17 when she hit with this, her first hit, teen queen Debbie Gibson was sort of the Taylor Swift of her time. At age eight, she sang in the children's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. She began playing the ukulele & taking piano lessons soon after.

  • 4

    %22Here I Go Again%22 by Whitesnake

    (#8 last week) Whitesnake actually recorded this song three times, originally in 1982 for the debut album, & twice here in '87, an album version & a single one. Yes, that's Tawny Kitaen, the babe from "Bachelor Party", in the video in her lingerie. She later briefly married lead singer David Coverdale.

  • 3

    %22Didn't We Almost Have It All%22 by Whitney Houston

    (#5 last week) Didn't know this: It was widely speculated that the song is about Houston's relationship with then Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham.

  • 2

    %22I Just Can't Stop Loving You%22 by Michael Jackson (with Siedah Garrett)

    (#2 last week) Was there an official video for this song? I don't remember, & it's nowhere to be found now. Garrett, whop wrote one of MJ's other big hits, "Man In The Mirror", wasn't his first choice to duet with him. The song was first offered to Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin & Agnetha Fältskog (formerly of Abba). All turned him down. The legend goes that Siedah had no idea she would record it until she showed up at the studio that day. Oh, Garrett did NOT go on the "Bad" tour, so Michael had one of his unknown backup singers do it live with him. Her name: Sheryl Crow.

  • 1

    %22La Bamba%22 by Los Lobos

    (#1 last week; 3rd week at #1) We've come to know the great Carol Kaye as one of rock's greatest bass players with "The Wrecking Crew" (or, as she prefers to call them, "the Clique"). But she also played a lot of guitar early in her career, & it's Carol who jumpstarted the Ritchie Valens version of this classic.

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