Additional material published Jan. 15, 1988: Last week's column, which was based on an early wire service transmission of the Billboard charts, had reported that the Harrison song was No. 3 and George Michael's "Faith" single was No. 2.

As '87 drew to a close, Whitney Houston needed just one more chart- topping record to join the Beatles and the Bee Gees as the only pop artists to rack up six straight No. 1 singles.

And it looked like she might not get it, because George Michael's "Faith" had a solid hold on the top spot and was likely to still be there in '88. That's because most radio stations freeze their playlists during the holiday season, which results in few changes at the top for the first chart of the new year and little hope for the song that winds up the old year at No. 2- in this case, Houston's "So Emotional."