1987 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.

Specific locations

 * 1987 in British music
 * 1987 in Norwegian music
 * 1987 in South Korean music

Specific genres

 * 1987 in country music
 * 1987 in heavy metal music
 * 1987 in hip hop music
 * 1987 in jazz

January–February

 * January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The other inductees this year consist of The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson and Jackie Wilson.
 * January 5 – Elton John, after several months of voice problems, undergoes throat surgery in an Australian hospital. The outcome would hinder his voice permanently and he would soon start singing in a deep register.
 * January 16 – Beastie Boys become the first act to be censored by American Bandstand.
 * January 24 – Steve "Silk" Hurley's innovative "Jack Your Body" becomes the first house music record to top the UK singles chart.
 * February 6 – Sonny Bono announces his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs, California.
 * February 14
 * Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" reaches #1 in the USA. It would be 1987's biggest hit song worldwide.
 * Los Angeles radio station KMET signs off after nineteen years on the air. The station had been a pioneer of underground progressive rock programming.
 * February 15 – Video Hits premieres on Australian television.
 * February 24 – The 29th Annual Grammy Awards are presented in Los Angeles, hosted by Billy Crystal. Paul Simon's Graceland wins Album of the Year, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" wins Record of the Year and Dionne Warwick's cover of "That's What Friends Are For", featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, wins Song of the Year. Bruce Hornsby & the Range win Best New Artist.
 * February 26 – The first four Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day's Night and Beatles for Sale are released on compact disc. Capitol Records decides to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, which means that the first four CDs are released in mono. This marks the first time that many of these mono mixes are available in the US.

March–April

 * March 9
 * U2 releases The Joshua Tree, an album that launches them into superstar status in the music world. The album would sell over 14 million copies worldwide in 1987 alone and would win the Grammy for "Album of the Year" (at the 1988 ceremony).  U2 have two #1 hit songs from this album on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts.
 * Carole King is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City.
 * The career that would end in an infamous appearance at The Brit awards and the burning of a million pounds began in Britain, as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu release their debut single, "All You Need Is Love".
 * March 13
 * Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
 * In the US, Bryan Adams' "Heat of the Night" becomes the first single to be commercially released on cassette. Cassette singles become known as cassingles.
 * March 27 – Inspired by The Beatles' 1969 rooftop concert, U2 shoots a music video for the song "Where the Streets Have No Name" on a rooftop in Los Angeles.
 * April 23 — Carole King sues the owner of her record company, Lou Adler, claiming that she is owed more than $400,000 in royalties. King also asks for rights to her old recordings.

May–August

 * May 9 – Ireland's Johnny Logan wins the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Brussels, Belgium, with the song "Hold Me Now", making him the first artist to win the contest twice. The song tops the charts in Ireland, and peaks at No. 2 in the UK.
 * June 14 – Madonna starts her Who's That Girl Tour in Osaka, Japan.
 * June 27 – Whitney Houston's second album Whitney becomes the first album by a female artist to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200.
 * July 4
 * Kylie Minogue's recording career begins with the release of her cover version of the Little Eva hit The Loco-Motion; the single spends seven weeks at number one in her native Australia and leads to a contract with UK-based record producers Stock Aitken Waterman.
 * The first joint rock concert between the United States and the Soviet Union is held in Moscow to promote peace. The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, Santana and Bonnie Raitt share the bill with Soviet rock group Autograph.
 * July 21 – American rock group Guns N' Roses release Appetite for Destruction which, after initial slow sales, will become the best-selling debut album of all time, with more than 18 million copies sold in the US alone to date.
 * August 1
 * Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama are married in Normandy, France.
 * MTV Europe is launched. The first video played is "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits.
 * August 3 – Def Leppard releases Hysteria, the longest rock album ever released as a single LP or cassette.
 * August 27 – The Jello Biafra criminal trial is dismissed after ending in a hung jury in Los Angeles court. Biafra and his manager had been charged with distributing harmful material to minors due to a poster included in the Dead Kennedys' Frankenchrist album of a painting depicting rows of sexual organs.
 * August 31 – Michael Jackson releases Bad, his first studio album since Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. The album would produce five number one singles in the US, a record which has not been broken.

September–October

 * September 3 – Fugazi plays their first live show (as a three-piece; Guy Picciotto had not joined the band yet) at the Wilson Center in Washington DC.
 * September 6 – Madonna ends her Who's That Girl Tour in Florence, Italy.
 * September 7 – Pink Floyd release A Momentary Lapse of Reason, their first album after the departure of, and legal battle with, bassist Roger Waters. The subsequent tour grossed around $135 million worldwide, a sum that was only equaled by the earnings of Michael Jackson and U2 combined.
 * September 11 – Reggae musician Peter Tosh is murdered during a robbery in his home.
 * September 12 – Michael Jackson starts the Bad World Tour, supporting his Bad album.
 * September 25 – CBS launches an American version of the long-running UK television show Top of the Pops. It lasts one year.
 * October 4 – Electronic data gathering completely replaces the old sales diary technique in compiling the UK singles and albums chart. The publication day of new charts is moved from Tuesday to Sunday.
 * October 8 – Chuck Berry receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
 * October 19 – Mötley Crüe release the song "You're All I Need" as a single. MTV refuse to play its video because of the level of violence.
 * October 19 – INXS releases KICK.
 * October 30 – George Michael releases his first solo studio album, Faith, which would win the Grammy Award for album of the year and sell 11 million copies in the USA alone.
 * October 31 – The Zorros headline on Halloween for the last-ever show at the Crystal Ballroom, Melbourne's premier Punk/New Wave venue. The Crystal Ballroom has seen almost ten years of intense musical evolution. The venue has chandeliers, stained glass windows, paisley wallpaper and a tiled foyer.

November–December

 * November 2 – Dokken released Back for the Attack.
 * November 13 – Sonny and Cher reunite for a performance on Late Night with David Letterman.
 * November 18 – CBS Records is sold to the Sony Corporation in a deal worth about $2 billion; the company was renamed Sony Music Entertainment in 1991.
 * November 19 – Cher returns to the music after five years of absence - time that she took to dedicate herself to the filmmaking business - with the lead single of her second self-titled album (and eighteenth overall), "I Found Someone", which peaked at number five in UK and number ten in US.
 * November 24 – ABC airs Rolling Stone Magazine's 20 Years of Rock 'n' Roll television special, chronicling the music and the people of the past twenty years to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rolling Stone magazine. The special includes new interviews as well as vintage performance footage of many rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen and many more.
 * December 16 – John Mellencamp performs two free shows in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio after one-fifth of the population signs a petition asking him to play.
 * December 23
 * Nikki Sixx of the rock band Mötley Crüe suffers a heroin overdose, but is revived shortly thereafter.
 * Roger Waters finalizes his departure from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd, after a two-year-long legal dispute over the rights to the band's name and assets.
 * December 31 – The sixteenth annual New Year's Rockin' Eve special airs on ABC, with appearances by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Los Lobos, Barry Manilow, Restless Heart and The Temptations.

Also in 1987

 * Andreas Kisser replaces Jairo Guedes in Sepultura.
 * Prince cancels The Black Album just before its release. It becomes officially available in 1994.
 * Naxos Records is established as a budget classical music CD label by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.

Bands formed

 * See Musical groups established in 1987

Bands disbanded

 * See Musical groups disestablished in 1987

Bands reformed

 * The Doobie Brothers
 * Lynyrd Skynyrd
 * Prism

Release date unknown

 * 2X4 – Guadalcanal Diary
 * 25 Years Celebration – The Dubliners
 * Akwaba Beach – Mory Kanté
 * All Our Love - Gladys Knight & the Pips
 * Angel with a Lariat – k.d. lang and the Reclines
 * Annihilate This Week (EP) – Black Flag
 * At My Window – Townes Van Zandt
 * Babble – That Petrol Emotion
 * Back Again in the DHSS - Half Man Half Biscuit
 * Ballot Result – Minutemen
 * Between Two Worlds – Patrick O'Hearn
 * Bennett/Berlin – Tony Bennett
 * The Best of A Flock of Seagulls – A Flock of Seagulls
 * The Best of Dalida, Vol. 2 – Dalida (compilation)
 * Bird Dog – The Verlaines
 * The Blanton-Webster Years – Duke Ellington
 * Brave Words – The Chills
 * Brenda K. Starr – Brenda K. Starr
 * By the Light of the Moon – Los Lobos
 * Casque Colonial - Golden Sounds
 * Catui - Catui
 * The Camera Never Lies – Michael Franks
 * The Champion – Carman (singer)
 * The Cowboy Way – Riders in the Sky
 * D & K – DeGarmo and Key
 * Daddy's Highway – The Bats
 * Dancing with Strangers – Chris Rea
 * Dawn – Current 93
 * Dead Zone: The Grateful Dead CD Collection (1977-1987) – Grateful Dead
 * Desire – Toyah
 * Diminuendo – Lowlife
 * Drive by Shooting (EP) – Henry Rollins
 * Emergency Broadcast – White Heart
 * Escape from Noise – Negativland
 * Exiles – Dan Fogelberg
 * Eye of the Hurricane – The Alarm
 * Frozen Ghost – Frozen Ghost
 * Gluey Porch Treatments – Melvins
 * Green Eggs and Crack – Too Much Joy
 * Hai Hai – Roger Hodgson
 * Hot Animal Machine – Henry Rollins
 * Huevos – Meat Puppets
 * Hot Number – The Fabulous Thunderbirds
 * I Predict 1990 – Steve Taylor
 * If I Were Your Woman – Stephanie Mills
 * In Dreams: The Greatest Hits – Roy Orbison – compilation
 * I Prefer The Moonlight – Kenny Rogers
 * Kane Roberts – Kane Roberts (Alice Cooper guitarist's solo debut)
 * Law of the Fish – The Radiators
 * Life Time – Rollins Band


 * Life's a Bitch – Raven
 * Live and Loud!! – Sham 69 – Live
 * Live At The Ritz – Ronnie Wood & Bo Diddley – Live
 * Lone Star State of Mind – Nanci Griffith
 * Lubricated Goat Plays the Devil's Music (debut) – Lubricated Goat
 * Maggots: The Record – Plasmatics
 * Menjaring Matahari – Ebiet G. Ade
 * Mirador – Magnum
 * Official Version – Front 242
 * One Thousand Years of Trouble – Age of Chance
 * Out of Silence – Yanni
 * Où veux tu qu'je r'garde - Noir Désir
 * Pain of Mind - Neurosis
 * Players – Too Short
 * Pontiac – Lyle Lovett
 * Poem of the River – Felt
 * Post-Mersh Vol. 1 – Minutemen
 * Post-Mersh Vol. 2 – Minutemen
 * Powder Keg - Charlie Daniels
 * Romeo at Juilliard – Don Dixon
 * Saddle Pals – Riders in the Sky
 * Safety In Numbers – David Van Tieghem
 * See How We Are – X
 * Shaka Zulu – Ladysmith Black Mambazo
 * Silence – Stephan Eicher
 * Simply Shadows – The Shadows
 * Songs from the Stage and Screen – Michael Crawford
 * The Sound of Music – The dB's
 * Soy Así – José José
 * Speed Metal Symphony – Cacophony
 * Starting Up – Roy Wood
 * Stereoland – The Modern Art
 * Stinkfist – Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch
 * Strange Cargo – William Orbit
 * Swing Street – Barry Manilow
 * Taj - Taj Mahal
 * The Talking Animals – T-Bone Burnett
 * This Means War! – Petra (band)
 * Too Late To Cry – Alison Krauss
 * The Tribe – Bernie Taupin
 * Trouble Over Here - Trouble Funk
 * VI – Circle Jerks
 * Wasted...Again – Black Flag
 * Whistlin' in the Dark – Bryan Duncan
 * Whitecross – Whitecross
 * Wildest Dreams – Saga
 * Young and Free – Rock Goddess

Biggest hit singles
The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1987.

Other Chart hit singles
• "¿A quién le importa?" – Alaska y Dinarama

• "Angel" – Angela Winbush (U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles)

• "Back in the High Life Again" (1986) – Steve Winwood

• "Bad" – Michael Jackson

• "Barcelona" – Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé

• "Beds Are Burning" – Midnight Oil

• "Behind the Wheel" – Depeche Mode

• "Bella Vita" – David et Jonathan

• "Big Love" – Fleetwood Mac

• "Big Time" (1986) – Peter Gabriel

• "Boy Blue" (1986) – Cyndi Lauper

• "Breakout" (1986) – Swing Out Sister

• "Burning Like a Flame" – Dokken

• "Brown Eyes (song)" – Johnny Hates Jazz

• "Can't We Try" – Dan Hill (duet with Vonda Shepard)

• "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)" – Boston

• "Catch Me (I'm Falling)" – Pretty Poison

• "Causing a Commotion" – Madonna

• "C'est l'amour" – Léopold Nord & Vous

• "C'est la ouate" – Caroline Loeb

• "C'est la Vie" – Robbie Nevil

• "Change of Heart" (1986) – Cyndi Lauper

• "Cherry Bomb" – John Cougar Mellencamp

• "China in Your Hand" – T'Pau (UK)

• "Come Go with Me" – Exposé (released in 1986)

• "Control" – Janet Jackson (released in 1986)

• "Crazy Crazy Nights" – Kiss

• "Criticize" – Alexander O'Neal

• "Cross My Broken Heart" – The Jets

• "Debo Hacerlo" – Juan Gabriel

• "Diamonds" – Herb Alpert

• "Didn't We Almost Have It All" – Whitney Houston

• "Do It Properly" – Adonis

• "Don't Dream It's Over" – Crowded House

• "Don't Disturb This Groove" – The System

• "Don't Mean Nothing" – Richard Marx

• "Don't Shed a Tear" – Paul Carrack

• "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" – Aerosmith

• "Dream Warriors" – Dokken

• "Electric Blue" – Icehouse

• "Electrica Salsa" – OFF

• "Ella elle l'a" – France Gall

• "Étienne" – Guesch Patti

• "Everlasting Love" – Sandra

• "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (1986) – Wang Chung

• "Everywhere" – Fleetwood Mac

• "Fairytale of New York" – The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl (UK)

• "Faith" – George Michael

• "Fake" – Alexander O'Neal

• "Force Ten" – Rush

• "Funkytown" – Pseudo Echo (released in 1986)

• "The Game" – Echo & the Bunnymen

• "Got My Mind Set On You" George Harrison

• "Get Lucky" – Jermaine Stewart

• "Hazy Shade of Winter" – The Bangles

• "Head to Toe" – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

• "Heart and Soul" – T'Pau

• "Heartbreak Beat" – The Psychedelic Furs

• "Heat of the Night" – Bryan Adams

• "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" – Belinda Carlisle

• "Here I Go Again" – Whitesnake

• "Hey Matthew" – Karel Fialka (India)

• "Hold Me Now" – Johnny Logan

• "Hysteria" – Def Leppard

• "I Found Someone" – Cher

• "I Get Weak" (1986) – Belinda Carlisle

• "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" – Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett

• "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" – Cutting Crew

• "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" – Aretha Franklin and George Michael

• "I Need Love" – LL Cool J

• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" – U2

• "I Think We're Alone Now" – Tiffany

• "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" – Whitney Houston

• "I Want You So Bad" – Heart

• "I Want Your Sex" (1986) – George Michael

• "Im Nin'Alu" – Ofra Haza

• "In Too Deep (1986) – Genesis

• "The Irish Rover" – The Pogues & The Dubliners (Ireland)

• "Is This Love" – Whitesnake

• "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – R.E.M.

• "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

• "Jacob's Ladder" (1986) – Huey Lewis and the News

• "Je ne veux pas" – Céline Dion (Canada)

• "Joe le taxi" – Vanessa Paradis

• "Just Gets Better With Time" – The Whispers

• "Just to See Her" – Smokey Robinson

• "Kolé séré" – Jocelyne Béroard & Philippe Lavil

• "Kiss Him Goodbye" – The Nylons

• "Là-bas" – Jean-Jacques Goldman and Sirima

• "La Bamba" – Los Lobos

• "The Lady in Red" – Chris DeBurgh

• "Lean on Me" – Club Nouveau

• "Let's Go!" (1986) – Wang Chung

• "Let Me Be the One" – Exposé

• "Let's Wait Awhile" – Janet Jackson

• "Lies" – Jonathan Butler

• "Lips Like Sugar" – Echo & the Bunnymen

• "Little Lies" – Fleetwood Mac

• "Livin' on a Prayer" – Bon Jovi (released in 1986)

• "Lo Mejor de Tu Vida" – Julio Iglesias

• "Looking for a New Love" – Jody Watley

• "Lost in Emotion" – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

• "Love Bites" – Def Leppard (charted in 1988)

• "Love Will Find a Way" – Yes

• "Love You Down" – Ready for the World

• "Luka" – Suzanne Vega

• "Mandolin Rain" (1986) – Bruce Hornsby and The Range

• "Midnight Blue" – Lou Gramm

• "Midnight Man" – Sandra

• "Mony Mony" – Billy Idol

• "Move Out" – Nancy Martinez

• "My Arms Keep Missing You" – Rick Astley

• "Need You Tonight" – INXS

• "Never Gonna Give You Up" – Rick Astley

• "Never Let Me Down Again" – Depeche Mode

• "Never Say Goodbye" (1986) – Bon Jovi

• "New Sensation" – INXS

• "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" – Glenn Medeiros (USA release)

• "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – Starship

• "One Heartbeat" – Smokey Robinson

• "The One I love" – R.E.M.

• "Only in My Dreams" – Debbie Gibson

• "Open Your Heart" – Madonna (released in 1986)

• "Out of the Blue" – Debbie Gibson

• "Paper in Fire" – John Cougar Mellencamp

• "People Are Strange" – Echo & the Bunnymen

• "The Pleasure Principle" (1986) – Janet Jackson

• "Point of No Return" – Exposé

• "Pour Some Sugar on Me" – Def Leppard

• "The Power of Love" – Laura Branigan

• "Pump Up The Volume" – MARRS

• "Rag Doll" – Aerosmith

• "Rent" – Pet Shop Boys

• "Respect Yourself" – Bruce Willis

• "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

• "Rhythm of Love" – Yes

• "Rock Steady" – The Whispers

• "Rocket" – Def Leppard

• "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" – Mel & Kim

• "Sans contrefaçon" – Mylène Farmer

• "Say It Again" – Jermaine Stewart

• "Say You Really Want Me" – Kim Wilde

• "Shakedown" – Bob Seger

• "Sign o' the Times" – Prince

• "Skin Trade" - Duran Duran

• "So Emotional" – Whitney Houston

• "(Something Inside) So Strong" – Labi Siffre (UK)

• "Something So Strong" – Crowded House

• "Somewhere Out There" – Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram

• "Songbird" – Kenny G

• "Star Trekkin" – The Firm

• "Stone Love" – Kool & the Gang

• "Strangelove" – Depeche Mode

• "Surrender" (1986) – Swing Out Sister

• "Sweet Child o' Mine" – Guns N' Roses (charted in 1988)

• "There's The Girl" – Heart

• "Throwing It All Away" – Genesis

• "Time Stand Still" – Rush

• "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" – Genesis

• "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" – Samantha Fox

• "Touch of Grey" – Grateful Dead

• "Tristana" – Mylène Farmer

• "Twilight World" – Swing Out Sister

• "U Got the Look" – Prince and Sheena Easton

• "Une autre histoire" – Gérard Blanc

• "Valerie" (1982) – Steve Winwood

• "Wait" – White Lion

• "Walking Down Your Street" – The Bangles

• "Walking in the Air (Theme from 'The Snowman')" – The Shadows

• "Wanted Dead or Alive" (1986) – Bon Jovi

• "War" – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

• "The Way It Is" – Bruce Hornsby and the Range

• "We Connect"- Stacey Q.

• "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses

• "What You Get Is What You See" – Tina Turner

• "What's Going On" – Cyndi Lauper

• "Whenever You Need Somebody" – Rick Astley

• "Where the Streets Have No Name" – U2

• "Who's That Girl" – Madonna

• "Why Can't I Be You?" – The Cure

• "With or Without You" – U2

• "Wonderful Life" – Black

• "Y Tú También Llorarás" – José Luis Rodríguez "El Puma"

• "Yaka dansé" – Raft

• "You Keep Me Hanging On" – Kim Wilde

• "You're the Voice" – John Farnham

Other Notable singles
• "Adultery" - Do-Re-Mi

• "Bye Bye Pride" - The Go-Betweens

• "Little Fury Things" - Dinosaur Jr.

• "Good Times" - Hoodoo Gurus

• "The Prettiest Girl in the World" b/w "If That's What Love Is" - T.V. Personalities

• "Right Here" - The Go-Betweens

• "Shine On" - The House of Love

• "There's Too Many Irons in the Fire" - Cardiacs

Published popular music

 * "Last Midnight" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
 * "Children Will Listen" w.m. Stephen Sondheim
 * "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" w.m. Gloria Estefan & E. E. Garcia
 * "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" w.m. Franke Previte, Donald Markowitz & John DeNicola

Classical music

 * Pascal Bentoiu – Symphony No. 8 ("Imagini"), Op. 30
 * John Cage – As Slow as Possible
 * Mario Davidovsky – Quartet for flute, violin, viola and violoncello
 * James Dillon - Helle Nacht, large orchestra (90 players)
 * Joël-François Durand – Lichtung
 * Petr Eben – Job, for organ
 * Philip Feeney – Mémoire imaginaire (ballet)
 * Morton Feldman
 * Samuel Beckett, Words and Music, for 2 flutes, vibraphone, piano, violin, viola, and cello
 * For Samuel Beckett, for 23 instruments
 * Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello
 * Brian Ferneyhough - Third String Quartet
 * Lorenzo Ferrero
 * Ostinato
 * Non parto, non resto
 * Malcolm Forsyth – Songs from the Qu'appelle Valley
 * Karel Goeyvaerts – Aanloop en kreet (Run and Cry), for symphony orchestra and chorus
 * Henryk Górecki - Totus Tuus, Op. 60
 * Sofia Gubaidulina
 * String Quartet No. 2
 * String Quartet No. 3
 * Toshio Hosokawa - Ferne Landschaft I
 * György Kurtág
 * Kafka-Fragmente for soprano and violin
 * Requiem for a Friend to Poems by Rimma Dalos
 * Helmut Lachenmann - Staub for orchestra
 * Francisco Llácer Pla – Ricercare Concertante
 * Philippe Manoury - Jupiter for flute and live electronics, op. 15a
 * Nicholas Maw – Odyssey
 * Conlon Nancarrow - String Quartet #3
 * Luigi Nono
 * 1° Caminantes…..Ayacucho, for alto, flute, small and large chorus, organ, orchestra and live electronics
 * 2° No hay caminos, hay que caminar.....Andrej Tarkowskij, for seven ensembles
 * Post-prae-ludium No. 1 per Donau, for tuba and live electronics
 * Découvrir la subversion. Hommage à Edmond Jabès, for alto, narrator, flute, tuba, French horn and live electronics
 * Per Nørgård - Violin Concerto No. 1 Helle Nacht
 * Henri Pousseur – Traverser la forêt
 * Wolfgang Rihm
 * Klangbeschreibung I
 * Klangbeschreibung II
 * Klangbeschreibung III
 * Kaija Saariaho - Nymphéa, for string quartet and electronics
 * Somei Satoh - Stabat Mater
 * Ahmed Adnan Saygun – Cello Concerto
 * Byambasuren Sharav – Symphony No. 2
 * Juan Maria Solare – Doce variaciones 1987 (for piano)
 * Toru Takemitsu
 * All in Twilight
 * I Hear the Water Dreaming
 * Signals from Heaven
 * Joan Tower – Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1 
 * Galina Ustvolskaya - Symphony No. 4 - Prayer, for contralto, piano, trumpet and tam-tam
 * Kevin Volans - String Quartet No. 2 Hunting: Gathering
 * Iannis Xenakis
 * Ata, for orchestra
 * À r. (Hommage à Ravel), for piano
 * Jalons, for piccolo, oboe, bass clarinet, doublebass clarinet, contrabassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, harp, string quintet
 * Kassandra, for baritone/psalterion and percussion
 * XAS, for saxophone quartet
 * Taurhiphanie, 2-track
 * Tracées, for orchestra

Opera

 * John Adams – Nixon in China
 * Friedrich Cerha – Der Rattenfänger (The Pied Piper)
 * Michael Nyman – Vital Statistics
 * Judith Weir – A Night at the Chinese Opera, 8 July, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, England

Musical theater

 * Abyssinia, with music by Ted Kociolek and lyrics by James Racheff – Off-Broadway production at the CSC Repertory Theater
 * Up on the Roof by Simon Moore and Jane Prowse—Portsmouth, UK production
 * Roza, with music by Gilbert Bécaud and lyrics and book by Julian More based on Romain Gary's novel La vie devant soi – Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre and closed after only 10 days
 * Anything Goes – Broadway revival
 * Bless the Bride – West End revival
 * Cabaret (Kander and Ebb) – Broadway revival
 * Dreamgirls – Broadway revival
 * Into the Woods – Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 765 performances
 * Les Misérables – Broadway production opened at The Broadway Theatre and ran for a total of 6680 performances, the second-longest run of any Broadway musical after Cats
 * Oil City Symphony – off-Broadway production ran for 626 performances
 * Stardust musical by Mitchell Parish opens at Biltmore Theater NYC for 102 performances
 * Starlight Express (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Stilgoe) – Broadway production opened at the Gershwin Theatre and ran for 761 performances

Musical films

 * Aria
 * Dirty Dancing
 * Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
 * Hearts of Fire
 * La Bamba
 * Mr. India
 * Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare
 * Sign o' the Times
 * Testimony

Births

 * January 2 – Syesha Mercado, American singer and actress
 * January 7 – Sirusho, Armenian singer
 * January 9 – Paolo Nutini, British singer
 * January 12
 * Naya Rivera, American actress and singer (d. 2020)
 * Sunday (Jin Bo-ra), Korean pop singer (TSZX The Grace)
 * January 16 – Jake Epstein, Canadian actor and singer
 * January 18 – Stefan Filipović, Montenegrin pop singer
 * January 19 – Rahma Riad, Iraqi singer
 * January 22 – Angel Olsen, American folk and indie rock singer
 * January 27
 * Katy Rose, American singer-songwriter, producer, musician and actress
 * Ashley Grace, American singer-songwriter (Ha*Ash)
 * January 31 – Marcus Mumford, British singer-songwriter, musician and producer
 * February 1 – Heather Morris, American actress, dancer, singer and model
 * February 2
 * Heather Bright, American pop singer-songwriter, DJ and record producer
 * Victoria Song, Chinese pop singer (f(x))
 * February 3 – Elvana Gjata, Albanian singer
 * February 5 – Darren Criss, American actor and singer-songwriter
 * February 6 – DJ Raiden, Korean DJ and producer
 * February 7
 * Kerli, Estonian singer-songwriter
 * Monika Brodka, Polish singer
 * February 10
 * Choi Si Won, Korean actor and pop singer
 * Poli Genova, Bulgarian singer and TV presenter
 * February 12 – O'Ryan (Browner), American R&B singer
 * February 17 – Lee Bo-ram, K-pop singer (SeeYa)
 * February 23 – Ab-Soul, American rapper (Black Hippy)
 * February 24 – Kim Kyu-jong, Korean pop singer (SS501)
 * February 25 – Eva Avila, Canadian singer-songwriter
 * February 27 – Cory Henry, American jazz organist, pianist, gospel musician, and producer (Snarky Puppy)
 * March 1 – Kesha, American singer-songwriter, author, activist, musician
 * March 2 – Ken Hung, Hong Kong singer and actor
 * March 4 – Aja Volkman, American singer-songwriter and musician.
 * March 8 - Tobe Nwigwe, American rapper, singer and actor
 * March 9 – Bow Wow, American hip-hop artist, actor
 * March 10
 * Emeli Sandé, Scottish singer-songwriter
 * Mod Sun, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and rapper (Four Letter Lie and Scary Kids Scaring Kids; working with Avril Lavigne (date), Travis Barker, Bella Thorn, Tana Mongeau, Dove Cameron, Megan Fox and Becky G, blackbear)
 * March 12 – Hiroomi Tosaka, Japanese singer
 * March 20 – Jonas Rivanno, Indonesian actor, model and singer
 * March 25 – Jason Castro, American singer
 * March 26 – YUI, Japanese pop singer
 * March 27 – Polina Gagarina, Russian singer-songwriter, actress and model
 * March 31 – Jeff Montalvo (Seven Lions), American electronic music producer
 * April 3 –
 * Park Jung-min, Korean pop singer (SS501)
 * Rachel Bloom, American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, songwriter and mental health activist
 * April 9
 * Jesse McCartney, American singer-songwriter, musician, voice actor and actor
 * Jazmine Sullivan, American singer
 * April 10 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano singer
 * April 11
 * Lights (musician), Canadian singer-songwriter
 * Joss Stone, English soul singer-songwriter
 * April 12 – Brendon Urie, American vocalist and musician
 * April 15 – Iyaz, British Virgin Islands singer
 * April 17 – Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Canadian actress, disc jockey, singer and television host
 * April 18 – Samantha Jade, Australian singer and actress
 * April 20 − Anna Rossinelli, Swiss singer-songwriter
 * April 21 − Anastasia Prikhodko, Ukrainian folk rock and traditional pop singer
 * April 23 – Laura Mvula, British recording artist, songwriter and pianist.
 * April 24 - Jessica Pratt (musician), American singer-songwriter
 * April 30 – Nikki Webster, Australian pop singer/businesswoman/actress
 * May 2 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer
 * May 4 – Anjeza Shahini, Albanian singer
 * May 7 – Asami Konno, Japanese singer
 * May 13
 * Hunter Parrish, American actor and singer
 * Candice King, American actress and singer
 * Charlotte Wessels, Dutch singer-songwriter (Delain, Phantasma, Kamelot)
 * May 15
 * Ammo (musician), American record producer and songwriter
 * Jennylyn Mercado, Filipina actress, singer, television personality
 * May 16 – Can Bonomo, Turkish-Jewish singer
 * May 17 – DJ Akademiks, Jamaican-American blogger who covers hip hop
 * May 18 – Luisana Lopilato, Argentine actress, singer and model (Michael Buble)
 * May 21 – Hit-Boy, American record producer, rapper and singer-songwriter
 * May 24 – Jimena Barón, Argentine actress and singer
 * May 29 – Ak'Sent, American rapper
 * May 30 – Joyce Cheng, Hong Kong singer and actress
 * June 2 – Matthew Koma, American songwriter-singer, DJ and record producer (married to Hilary Duff)
 * June 8 – Ty Segall, American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and record producer
 * June 10 – Dotter, Swedish singer-songwriter
 * June 16 – Diana DeGarmo, singer, American Idol contestant
 * Ali Stroker, American musician, singer, actress and advocate
 * June 17 – Kendrick Lamar, American rapper and songwriter (Black Hippy)
 * June 19 – Miho Fukuhara, Japanese singer and actress (Sweetbox)
 * June 21
 * Khatia Buniatishvili, Georgian pianist
 * Kim Ryeowook, Korean pop singer (Super Junior)
 * June 23
 * Jacob Lusk, American singer
 * Caitlin Rose, American country singer
 * June 27 – Tomoya Kanki, Japanese musician (One Ok Rock)
 * July 1 – Yoga Lin, Taiwanese pop singer, One Million Star, Season 1 winner
 * July 4 – Jah Prayzah, Zimbabwean musician
 * July 6 – Kate Nash, English pop singer-songwriter and musician
 * July 9 – Rebecca Sugar, American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and songwriter
 * July 11 – Shigeaki Kato, Japanese singer and actor (NEWS and K.K.Kity)
 * July 13 – Eva Rivas, Russian-Armenian singer
 * July 14
 * Drew Fortier, American musician, songwriter, filmmaker and actor
 * Dan Reynolds, American singer-songwriter, activist (Imagine Dragons and Egyptian)
 * Peter Vives, Spanish actor, singer and classical pianist
 * July 17
 * Chloe Lowery, American singer-songwriter
 * Jeremih, American recording artist and producer
 * July 19 – Nicola Benedetti, Scottish violinist
 * July 23 – Felipe Dylon, Brazilian singer
 * July 25
 * Alan Dawa Dolma (better known as "Alan"), Chinese singer
 * Jax Jones, English singer, producer and DJ
 * Gor Sujyan, Armenian rock singer, lead singer of Dorians
 * July 26 – Evelina Sašenko-Statulevičienė, Lithuanian jazz singer of Polish-Ukrainian descent
 * July 28
 * Sevak Khanagyan, Russian-Armenian singer
 * John Stevens, American singer
 * July 29 - Illangelo, Canadian record producer, songwriter, musician and mixing engineer (The Weeknd, Grimes)
 * July 30 – Elise Estrada, Canadian singer
 * August 2
 * Nayer, American pop singer
 * Jessie Daniels, American actress, songwriter and musician
 * August 3 – Kim Hyung-jun, South Korean singer and DJ
 * August 6 – Aditya Narayan, Bollywood actor and singer
 * August 9 – Noonie Boa, Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer
 * August 19 - John Ryan, also known as John the Blind and JRY, American singer-songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist (Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, One Direction, De;ta Goodrem)
 * August 21 – Kim Kibum, Korean actor and pop singer
 * August 24 – Daichi Miura, Japanese singer-songwriter, dancer and choreographer
 * August 26 – Gin Lee, Malaysian singer based in Hong Kong
 * September 1
 * Dann Hume, New Zealand musician, music producer, mix engineer and songwriter (Amy Shark)
 * Sevdaliza, Irish Dutch singer-songwriter and record producer
 * September 6 – Ramiele Malubay, Filipino-American singer
 * September 7 – Evan Rachel Wood, American singer and actress
 * September 8 - Wiz Khalifa, American rapper and singer
 * September 13 - Snoh Aalegra, Swedish singer based in Los Angeles
 * September 16 – Sarah Hay, American ballerina and actress
 * September 19 - Sam Ellis (songwriter), Canadian singwriter and record producer
 * September 21 - Elly (dancer), Japanese dancer, rapper, choreographer (Sandaime J Soul Brothers)
 * September 22 - Tom Felton, English actor and musician
 * September 23 – Skylar Astin, American actor and singer
 * September 26 – Rosie Munter, Swedish vocalist and dancer
 * September 28
 * Hilary Duff, American singer-songwriter, author and actress (married to Matthew Koma, sister of Haylie Duff, Sutton Foster)
 * Chloë Hanslip, English violinist
 * September 29 – Gryffin, American musician, DJ, record producer.
 * October 3 – Starley (singer), Australian singer-songwriter
 * October 7 – Lauren Mayberry, Scottish singer-songwriter, writer and journalist (Chvrches)
 * October 17 – Stephanie (Kim Bo-kyung), American-born Korean pop singer (TSZX The Grace)
 * October 18 – Zac Efron, American actor, dancer, singer, musical star
 * October 28 – Frank Ocean, American singer-songwriter
 * October 29 – Tove Lo, Swedish singer-songwriter, dancer and activist
 * November 3 – Courtney Barnett, Australian singer-songwriter/musician
 * November 4
 * Tim Douwsma, Dutch singer
 * T.O.P, Korean rapper
 * November 5 – Kevin Jonas, American musician (Jonas Brothers)
 * November 9 – Zahara, South African Afro-soul singer-songwriter (d. 2023)
 * November 10 – Charles Hamilton, American rapper and producer
 * November 12 – Jamison Ross, American jazz drummer and vocalist
 * November 24 – Sermstyle, English singer-songwriter, remixer, record producer and DJ
 * November 25 – Dolla, American rapper
 * November 29 – Cashmere Cat, Norwegian DJ, record producer, musician and turntablist (Ariana Grande)
 * November 30 – Dougie Poynter, English pop-rock bass guitarist (McFly)
 * December 1 – Vance Joy, Australian musician
 * December 2 – Teairra Mari, American R&B singer-songwriter, dancer, model and actress
 * December 7 – Aaron Carter, American pop singer and rapper (d. 2022)
 * December 14 - Alex Gaskarth, English-born American singers-songwriter
 * December 15 - Lady Leshurr, British hip hop grime dancehall rapper, singer-songwriter and producer
 * December 18 – Ayaka, Japanese pop singer
 * December 20 – Barrie-James O'Neill, Scottish singer-songwriter, working with Lana Del Rey
 * December 25 – Julian Lage, American jazz guitarist
 * December 27 – Yui Okada, Japanese pop singer

Deaths

 * January 6 – Jaidev, Bollywood composer, 67
 * January 10 – Marion Hutton, singer and actress, 67
 * January 15 – Ray Bolger, Wizard of Oz actor, 83 (cancer)
 * January 30 – Harold Loeffelmacher, musician and bandleader (Six Fat Dutchmen), 81
 * February 2
 * Spike Hughes, jazz double bass player, composer and journalist, 78
 * Alfred Lion, record executive and co-founder of Blue Note Records, 78
 * February 4 – Liberace, US pianist, 67 (AIDS-related)
 * February 8 – Tony Destra, glam metal drummer, 32 (car accident)
 * February 18 – Dmitri Kabalevsky, composer
 * February 23 – Zeca Afonso, folk musician, 57
 * March 3 – Danny Kaye, actor, singer, dancer and comedian, 76
 * March 6 – Eddie Durham, jazz musician, 80
 * March 7 – Evelyn Dove, singer, 85
 * March 15 – Don Gant, singer/songwriter, record producer, 44 (complications following boating accident)
 * March 18 – Elizabeth Poston, composer, 82
 * March 20 – Rita Streich, coloratura soprano, 66
 * March 21
 * Dean Paul Martin, singer and actor, 35 (plane crash)
 * Robert Preston, actor and singer, 68
 * March 28 – Maria von Trapp, subject of The Sound of Music, 82
 * March 29 – Felix Prohaska, conductor
 * April 2 – Buddy Rich, jazz drummer, 69 (brain tumor)
 * April 7 – Carlton Barrett, reggae drummer (The Wailers), 36 (murdered)
 * April 14 – Karl Höller, composer, 79
 * May 2 – Larry Clinton, US bandleader and songwriter, 75
 * May 3 – Dalida, singer, actress and Miss Egypt 1954, 54 (suicide)
 * May 4 – Paul Butterfield, blues vocalist and harmonica player, 44 (drug overdose)
 * May 5 – Allen Jones, record producer (heart attack)
 * May 13
 * Signe Amundsen, operatic soprano, 87
 * Ismael Rivera, salsa composer and singer, 55 (heart attack)
 * May 14 – Rita Hayworth, dancer and film star, 68
 * May 24 – Hermione Gingold, actress and singer
 * May 26 – Robert Wilkins, blues guitarist and singer, 91
 * May 29 – Phyllis Tate, avant-garde composer, 76
 * June 3 – Andrés Segovia, guitar virtuoso, 94
 * June 18 – Kid Thomas Valentine, jazz trumpeter & bandleader, 91
 * June 21 – Abram Chasins, pianist and composer, 84
 * June 22
 * Fred Astaire, dancer, actor and singer, 88
 * Frank Rehak, jazz trombonist
 * June 25 – Boudleaux Bryant, Hall of Fame songwriter, 67
 * June 26
 * Henk Badings, composer, 80
 * Gábor Rejtő, cellist, 70
 * July 1 – Snakefinger, guitarist, 38 (heart attack)
 * July 7
 * Tibor Frešo, composer, 69
 * Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, pianist, 85
 * July 10 – John Hammond, producer and musician, 76
 * July 15 – Pete King, drummer (After The Fire, BAP), 28 (testicular cancer)
 * July 25 – Alex Sadkin, saxophonist and record producer, 37 or 38 (motor accident)
 * July 26 – Joe Liggins, R&B, jazz and blues pianist, 72
 * August 2 – David Martin, bassist (Sam the Sham), 50 (heart attack)
 * August 12 – Sally Long, Ziegfeld Follies star, 85
 * August 14 – Vincent Persichetti, composer, 72
 * August 27
 * Bruce Holder, violinist, conductor and composer, 82
 * Scott La Rock, hip-hop DJ and producer, 25 (shot)
 * September 3 – Morton Feldman, composer, 51 (pancreatic cancer)
 * September 11 – Peter Tosh, reggae musician, 42 (shot and killed in a house invasion/robbery)
 * September 21 – Jaco Pastorius, jazz bassist, 35 (brain damage resulting from fight)
 * September 23 – Bob Fosse, dancer, choreographer and director of musicals, 60 (heart attack)
 * September 29 – Sebastian Peschko, pianist, 77
 * October 3 – Hans Gál, composer, 97
 * October 13 – Kishore Kumar, singer, actor, filmmaker, writer, musician and composer, 58
 * October 14 – Rodolfo Halffter, composer, 86
 * October 19 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist, 42 (multiple sclerosis)
 * October 28 – Woody Herman, US jazz clarinetist and bandleader, 74
 * November 12 – Cornelis Vreeswijk, Swedish singer-songwriter, 50 (liver cancer)
 * November 16 – Zubir Said, composer, 80
 * November 22 – Verna Arvey, librettist and pianist
 * November 23 – Joseph Beer, composer, 79
 * December 5 – Pappy Daily, country music entrepreneur and record producer, 85
 * December 8 – Annelies Kupper, operatic soprano, 81
 * December 10 – Jascha Heifetz, violinist
 * December 12 – Clifton Chenier, zydeco singer and accordionist, 62
 * December 18 – Conny Plank, record producer, 47
 * December 21 – John Spence, ska musician, 18 (suicide)
 * December 22 – Luca Prodan, rock musician, 34 (cirrhosis of the liver)
 * Unknown – Emani Sankara Sastry, veena player and composer, 65

Awards

 * The following artists are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The Coasters, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, B. B. King, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Smokey Robinson, Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters, and Jackie Wilson

Grammy Awards

 * Grammy Awards of 1987

Country Music Association Awards

 * 1987 Country Music Association Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

 * Eurovision Song Contest 1987

Glenn Gould Prize

 * R. Murray Schafer (laureate)

Charts

 * List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1987 (U.S.)