RPM was a Canadian magazine that published the best-performing singles of Canada from 1964 to 2000. During 1987, thirty-one different songs reached number one. Bruce Hornsby and the Range achieved the first number-one single of the year, "The Way It Is", while George Michael became the final musician to peak at the top spot during the year with "Faith". Of the thirty-one musical acts that earned a number-one single, twenty-two of them reached number one for the first time; those who had previously topped the listing were Corey Hart, Starship, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Atlantic Starr, Bob Seger, Billy Idol, Jennifer Warnes, and George Michael. The only Canadian who reached the summit this year was Corey Hart.
The longest-running chart-topper and most successful track of the year was Los Lobos's cover of "La Bamba", which spent seven weeks at number one from 5 September to 17 October. Madonna was the only artist to peak at number one with multiple singles: "La Isla Bonita" and "Who's That Girl", which remained at the top for a week each. Billy Idol obtained the second-most weeks at number one in 1987—four—with his live rendition of "Mony Mony" while Club Nouveau and Cutting Crew each spent three issues at the top with "Lean on Me" and "(I Just) Died in Your Arms", respectively.
| Indicates best-performing single of 1987 |
| Issue date | Song | Artist | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January | "The Way It Is" | Bruce Hornsby and the Range | [1] | |
| 10 January | ||||
| 17 January | "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" | Wang Chung | [2] | |
| 24 January | "Walk Like an Egyptian" | The Bangles | [3] | |
| 31 January | "Can't Help Falling in Love" | Corey Hart | [4] | |
| 7 February | "C'est la Vie" | Robbie Nevil | [5] | |
| 14 February | "At This Moment" | Billy Vera & The Beaters | [6] | |
| 21 February | [7] | |||
| 28 February | "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" | Samantha Fox | [8] | |
| 7 March | [9] | |||
| 14 March | "Livin' on a Prayer" | Bon Jovi | [10] | |
| 21 March | [11] | |||
| 28 March | "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" | Starship | [12] | |
| 4 April | [13] | |||
| 11 April | "Lean on Me" | Club Nouveau | [14] | |
| 18 April | [15] | |||
| 25 April | [16] | |||
| 2 May | "Don't Dream It's Over" | Crowded House | [17] | |
| 9 May | "With or Without You" | U2 | [18] | |
| 16 May | "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" | Cutting Crew | [19] | |
| 23 May | [20] | |||
| 30 May | [21] | |||
| 6 June | "La Isla Bonita" | Madonna | [22] | |
| 13 June | "Looking for a New Love" | Jody Watley | [23] | |
| 20 June | "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" | Glenn Medeiros | [24] | |
| 27 June | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | Kim Wilde | [25] | |
| 4 July | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Whitney Houston | [26] | |
| 11 July | "Always" | Atlantic Starr | [27] | |
| 18 July | [28] | |||
| 25 July | "Head to Toe" | Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam | [29] | |
| 1 August | "Shakedown" | Bob Seger | [30] | |
| 8 August | "Alone" | Heart | [31] | |
| 15 August | "Funkytown" | Pseudo Echo | [32] | |
| 22 August | "Heart and Soul" | T'Pau | [33] | |
| 29 August | "Who's That Girl" | Madonna | [34] | |
| 5 September | bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center" rowspan="7" | "La Bamba"[35] | Los Lobos | [36] |
| 12 September | [37] | |||
| 19 September | [38] | |||
| 26 September | [39] | |||
| 3 October | [40] | |||
| 10 October | [41] | |||
| 17 October | [42] | |||
| 24 October | "Here I Go Again" | Whitesnake | [43] | |
| 31 October | "Mony Mony" | Billy Idol | [44] | |
| 7 November | [45] | |||
| 14 November | [46] | |||
| 21 November | [47] | |||
| 28 November | "I Think We're Alone Now" | Tiffany | [48] | |
| 5 December | [49] | |||
| 12 December | "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" | Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes | [50] | |
| 19 December | "Faith" | George Michael | [51] | |
| 26 December | [52] |
