8 of the 80s: 9/25/14 (1987)

It's throwback Thursday 80s style time, and this week I'm back to 1987, the year German teen pilot Mathias Rust was tried for flying into Moscow with his Cessna plane, eventually causing the dismissal of much of Russia's old-guard military leaders and leading to the end of the Cold War.

Kool & The Gang - "Holiday"
from the album Forever (1986)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #66
Songwriters: Robert Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown, Claydes Smith, J.T. Taylor, Curtis Williams

This final (well, so-far) top-10 R&B hit for the New Jersey pop/funk act also was a hit in Germany, reaching the top-40 on their pop chart.

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Grace Jones - "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)"
from the album Inside Story (1986)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #69
Songwriters: Grace Jones, Bruce Woolley

This record should have been Grace's American top-40 pop breakthrough, with even an A-list video with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and the single's producer Nile Rodgers, but it did reach the top-10 on the R&B and dance charts.

Mel & Kim - "Showing Out (Get Fresh At The Weekend)"
from the album F.L.M. (1986)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #78
Songwriters: Matt Aitken, Mike Stock, Pete Waterman

The sisters' #1 dance hit that was huge in Britain also stunningly stiffed here in the States. It would be their only pop hit, with Mel passing away from pneumonia complicated from chemo for cancer in 1990.

Samantha Fox - "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now"
from the album Samantha Fox (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #80
Songwriters: Matt Aitken, Mike Stock, Pete Waterman

Well, as for this one, maybe not so much. The first single from former pin-up Fox's sophomore album went top-10 all over Europe, but got a colder reception in America. The follow-up, "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)", put her back on track.

Nocera - "Summertime Summertime"
from the album Over The Rainbow (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #84
Songwriters: Floyd Fisher, Maria Nocera

The freestyle star made it to the runner-up spot on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart with this classic jam.

Stacey Q - "Shy Girl"
from the album Stacey Q (1985)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #89
Songwriters: Rick Hahn, Jon St. James, Stacey Swain

While Stacey's new singles "Two Of Hearts" and "We Connect" were conquering top-40 radio, this single from her independently-released debut album had a respectable 11-week run on the chart, helped by folks like me who bought the 12" single.

Ana - "Shy Boys"
from the album Ana (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #94
Songwriters: Sue Shifrin, Frank Wildhorn

This Cuban-American singer and protege' of Maurice Starr had a brief moment in the sun with this bouncy single, though she wasn't able to follow it, even with a duet with then-hot Jordan Knight from Starr's New Kids On The Block.

Tia - "Toy Boy"
from the album Absolutely (2010)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #97
Songwriters: Roy Be, James Cohn, Charles Ibqui

This Long Island singer spent a couple weeks in the pop chart with her big club hit from that year.