Bad, Faith, Joshua Tree and Appetite for Destruction
1987 was another blockbuster year. Michael Jackson returned with Bad, George Michael released Faith, U2 reached a new level with The Joshua Tree, and Guns N’ Roses brought a rougher edge back into hard rock.
Michael Jackson after Thriller
Bad carried enormous expectations and confirmed Jackson’s command of dance-pop, R&B and music video spectacle.
George Michael steps fully solo
Faith established Michael as a mature songwriter and producer able to move between pop, soul and rockabilly influence.
Rock shifts
U2’s stadium-scale seriousness and Guns N’ Roses’ street-level hard rock pointed toward two very different futures for guitar music.
Why 1987 matters
The year captured both the peak of polished 1980s superstardom and the first signs of a rougher rock climate ahead.