Don’s Top 10 From November 15, 1987

(#11 last week) The former member of Shalamar with the second of her six top 10 pop hits. She amassed those six in just two years. This song was produced by Bernard Edwards of Chic.

(#8 last week) This little-remembered hit, the second from the "Who's That Girl" soundtrack, was inspired by Madonna's relationship with then husband Sean Penn, and his abusive and violent nature.

(#9 last week) At age eight, Debbie sang in the children's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. She learned the ukelele (!) and piano soon after.She & her siblings used to fight over piano playing time.

(#7 last week) This took awhile to get under my skin. The song's quiet power builds slowly.The sound is scaled back from the typical E Street Band sound, which may have held it back a bit. Bruce said, "after '85 I'd had enough and turned inward to write about men, women and love, things that have previously been on the periphery of my work".

(#3 last week) Second single, title track from the "Bad" album. The music video for "Bad", directed by Martin Scorsese  and co-starring one of the first appearances of then-unknown Wesley Snipes, was released in late 1987. In the video, Jackson and a group of background dancers are shown doing dance routines throughout a subway station. The music video's choreographer stated that the plot and video of the background was strongly influenced by the "Cool" scene in "West Side Story" (my all-time favorite musical).

(#5 last week) They were only a one-hit wonder, but their sound was so distinctive it's surprising they didn't have more. How do you describe this? A hybrid of blue eyed soul and smooth jazz? And the video--lead singer Corinne Drewery is mesmerizing. That grin!

(#4 last week) Good songs never die--they just become commercials, like this classic, currently a spot for Nissan. Unfortunately, they are using a kid's chorus, not Billy Idol's version, or the original, by Tommy James & The Shondells (from 1968). Billy's charted twice, the studio version in 1981 & the live version here in 1987.

(#6 last week) From The Go-Go's, my second favorite artist of the 80s (#1: The Bangles), comes this first solo hit by Belinda Carlisle, an awesome recreation of many great 60s girl group songs.In the I-did-not-know-this department, Michelle Phillips from the Mamas & The Papas sings backup, as does songwriter Diane Warren (who did NOT write this). Thomas "She Blinded Me With Science" Dolby plays keyboards, & actress Diane Keaton directed the video.

(#2 last week) Jersey boy Franke Previte (Franke & The Knockouts) wrote the words to this "Dirty Dancing" smash while on the Garden State Parkway. It was originally offered to Donna Summer! So romantic. Nobody puts Baby in a corner.....

(#1 last week; 3rd week at #1) What's the saying? If you have nothing good to say, say nothing? OK. Oh, all right: it was a weird coincidence that two Tommy James & The Shondells remakes were in the two 5 at the same time.