1987In 1987, the UK Singles Chart was fundamentally reshaped by the slick, high-energy production lines of dance-pop and early sampling culture. The musical landscape was overwhelmingly dominated by the powerhouse production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, who launched newcomer Rick Astley into instant global superstardom. His signature debut “Never Gonna Give You Up” spent five weeks at the summit, triumphing as the year’s ultimate best-selling single. Concurrently, the charts welcomed a massive wave of fresh sounds, featuring the pioneering sample-heavy house track “Pump Up the Volume” by M/A/R/R/S and Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s early Chicago house anthem “Jack Your Body”. The year closed out with a legendary festive battle, where the Pet Shop Boys famously claimed the Christmas number-one spot with their synth-pop cover of “Always on My Mind,” narrowly beating out The Pogues’ iconic “Fairytale of New York.”