This week in 1987
1 La Isla Bonita Madonna 2 Can’t Be Without You Tonight Judy Boucher 3 Lean On Me Club Nouveau 4 Let It Be Ferry Aid 5 Respectable Mel and Kim 6 Living In A Box Living In A Box 7 If You Let Me Stay Terence Trent D’Arby 8 The Slightest Touch Five Star 9 Let’s Wait A While Janet Jackson 10 Ever Fallen In Love Fine Young Cannibals
‘La Isla Bonita’ – ‘The Beautiful Island’ – was, apparently, offered to Michael Jackson for his ‘Bad’ album, but turned down. Madonna saw the potential and took up the offer instead, writing lyrics, tweaking the melody, and releasing it as her 17th single. It proved a good move: ‘La Isla Bonita’ gave the singer her fourth number one in the UK (and thus the record for most No. 1 singles for a female artist), as well as a chart hit in many other countries, including the US where the song reached number four in the Billboard Hot 100. In Ireland it reached No. 2, held off the top by the united forces of the Dubliners and the Pogues on ‘The Irish Rover’.