Hey there, I thought I’d make a list ranking the longest charting singles from what I believe to be the most lucrative time in music history here in Australia. This list is fairly straight forward, each entry appears A: by how long they charted for and B: how well they did during their chart run. The only other thing is that the charts became somewhat redundant starting in 2007 where ARIA allowed for digital downloads which effectively removed the shelf life of each single. This means I’ve decided to include the chart runs of songs on the digital and single charts from this period to give an idea of how long a song would’ve lasted on the charts without this change whilst allowing songs that didn’t chart on the physical chart to appear on here as well.
This was one of only two hits that 3 Doors down managed to achieve in Australia, the other was “Here without you” three years later which was a much more serious ballad compared to this pop rock classic which is all about the camp factor as evidence by the stupidly amazing video. It had a bit of a delay to its success here as it was already a moderate success in NZ the previous year for the band.
2000 35 weeks
You may recognise this woman as one third of the popular German trio the Silver convention who were scoring massive worldwide success from around this time, although in Australia this was the biggest hit any of the members were able to achieve likely due to how she screams throughout the track. I’ll be honest, I crack myself laughing whenever I find myself listening to this track due to how random her screeching is.
1976 35 weeks
Well, this is a surprise, you’d think this would be one of the most successful songs of the decade here in Australia considering how inescapable it was internationally for Tiffany Darwish. Alas it was only a sleeper hit here despite how catchy the song is and it arguably being her best performance in her catalogue, although she did find success with her follow up from earlier on this list.
1987 35 weeks
Given how there was so much 80’s nostalgia throughout the decade, it’s surprising that it wasn’t until the end of the decade that we saw a hit with a song that could’ve easily come out of that decade which came to us courtesy of the British duo La roux. It’s a shame that this was their one and only hit especially considering how it managed to crossover to America the following year for them.
2009 35 weeks
This was the lead single to Good Charlotte’s third album Good morning revival, much like their earlier entry on this list, this likely wouldn’t have been as big a hit in Australia had it been released earlier in the decade given how the likes of “Lifestyles of the rich and famous” and “Predictable” failed to appear on this site despite them both receiving tons of airplay upon their respective initial releases.
2007 35 weeks
Normally when a NZ artist crossed over to Australian from their homeland, it’s with one of their albums as we Aussies tend to favour their broader work over the hit single which made them big in their homeland. This wasn’t the case for Bic Runga who scored her only hit over here with this breakthrough hit she had in her homeland which didn’t translate to the album being a huge success here.
1998 35 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 35 weeks
Well, I hope you’re ready for the influx of new entries from country artists on this list as they were the biggest casualties of Countdown when it comes to the show promoting local talent back in the day. At least this was a more mainstream success over in NZ for Billie Jo Spears given how this appeared on that side of my site.
1975 35 weeks
This was one of several bands that Tony Burrows was a part of this decade, two others of note were Edison Lighthouse (of “Love grows” fame) and Brotherhood of man on their big hit “United we stand” from earlier in the decade. Here he is with his final hit worldwide which is a surf rock track that’s clearly meant to be an homage to the Beach boys less than a decade after their last hit “Cottonfields.”
1974 35 weeks
This is the final hit that Nickelback had anywhere in the world, even then it was a bit of a sleeper hit here in Australia due to being released right before the death of MJ which really affected the musical landscape of 2009 worldwide.
2009 35 weeks
It feels weird that this well-loved band on the internet had a shot at finding mainstream success here in Australia with this track back in the day considering how out of step it feels with the rest of the entries on this list. The Tubes did have one of their albums appear on the NZ side of my site, suggesting there was mainstream appeal for these guys in the southern hemisphere that sadly didn’t come to be.
1975 35 weeks
We have a second appearance from the Saddle club on this list of mine, this time it’s their two for one deal of “Undercover movers and shakers” and “Boogie oogie oogie” (the latter a cover of the Taste of honey classic) which stuck around forever in a day on our charts. This was the last hit single the girls on the show had, however the show itself would remain on the air for many years.
2003 35 weeks
This was the last hit that the Brothers Gibb had before they had transitioned to disco, it’s a good representation of their sound while they were a trio but before they were having us jam to their music on the dance floor.
1974 35 weeks
One of the catchiest female empowerment anthems to ever be released, this debut single from Madison Avenue created plenty of international success, so much so that it managed to top both the NZ and UK charts despite it getting stuck behind Eiffel 65’s entry from earlier on this list here in Australia. Sadly, the duo ruined their good will at the 2000 ARIA awards when Cheyne Coates appeared to be intoxicated while performing on stage.
1999 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 34 weeks
One of the sillier films to be released this decade is Con air, so much so that the Razzies hilariously gave it a special award for worst reckless disregard for human life and public property, to give you an idea of how insane the action and plot get in the film. Another aspect they didn’t like was the theme song, even though it was also nominated for an academy award for Trisha Yearwood despite it originally being a song from Leann rimes.
1997 34 weeks
For everyone who thought that David Hasselhoff was the original performer of this comedy track, allow me to present to you the original version from Ted Mulry gang who managed to achieve one of the biggest hits of the decade with a song that I’m sure many people found funny back in the day.
1975 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 34 weeks
This was a massive success for the Dutch group who began the decade with their hit single “Little green bag,” I have to admit that I’m not too surprised that this hasn’t stood the test of time like many of the other entries we’ll come to say as this list goes on.
1975 34 weeks
This was the final hit that Madonna has had in her career, maybe she can make a comeback given how stranger things have happened in the music industry since this song came out, but I very much doubt it given how she’s been pandering to meme culture in recent years. Indeed, I get the feeling this is more of a JT track who foolishly took a one-off payment from the song in exchange for Madonna keeping all of its royalties.
2008 34 weeks
This was originally a hit single for the Spanish group Los bravos back in the mid 60’s, although over a decade later, this French trio turned the garage rock track into a disco track which allowed it to become twice as success worldwide as the original. This took its sweet time crossing over to Australia, presumably because we Aussies needed a bit of convincing to allow these girls to disco fy an older track.
1978 34 weeks
Calling this a cover of the Hot chocolate classic is stretching it as much like many songs which incorporated 70’s nostalgia to score a hit this decade, this song only uses the chorus of the original to connect the verses together. I’m guessing this was a success due to the original being used in the Full Monty which in turn allowed it to rechart in the band’s native UK, I guess we Aussies wanted a new spin on the classic instead.
1997 34 weeks
This was the lead single to Abba’s third album, admittedly it’s one of my least favourite songs from the group as I feel the energy drops whenever they sing the song’s title in the chorus. It’s still far ahead of the competition in my books, however I can see this being a lightning for their haters to justify their dislike for them.
1975 34 weeks
Now I use the AMR charts to determine what the order these songs/E.P’s appear on these lists (that is, how well they did on those charts) however I have to make an exception here as this E.P from Ratcat didn’t chart on the AMR singles chart (rather it was on the album charts) but it did on ARIA’s singles chart and thus here we are.
That out of the way, we have this E.P from Ratcat which proved to be a massive success for the band likely through the strength of its designated signature track “That ain’t bad” on the radio. This led the band to having massive success later in the year with their debut album Blind love and its singles.
1990 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 34 weeks
Although these guys did have minor success earlier in the decade with their debut album, it was this lead single to their second album which made them an international household name likely due to the endorsement of De la soul who provide a guest verse on certain versions of this track (that admittedly I’m unfamiliar with to this day.) It even allowed the band to crossover to America due to how funky it is.
2005 34 weeks
This was the first of several songs to be released from Black box’s one and only album Dreamland, although that’s likely due to the behind-the-scenes drama the band went through when lead vocalist Martha Walsh (of Weather girls fame) was replaced with a more attractive woman on the cover art and in the videos. This led to her leaving the group which in turn led to them disbanding once the album cycle was done.
1989 34 weeks
It looks like Santana was able to get in one more big hit in the new millennium before they were once again relegated to a legacy act, here they recruit Chad Kroeger of all people who managed to give them their second biggest hit in their career (behind “Smooth” with Rob Thomas of course) proving how much the general public loved him and Nickelback before the internet told them not to love them anymore.
2007 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 34 weeks
Even though Ace of base were still making music during this point of the decade, it appears this German trio decided they wanted to steal the crown from the Swedish quartet of fusing reggae with europop which resulted in this huge success for them. It took a little while for this to take off in Australia, however once it did it felt like it would never leave the airwaves.
1997 34 weeks
Well, I guess we Aussies aren’t opposed to allowing cheesy RNB to become a hit here after all given how this highly ridiculed ballad from Boris Gardiner managed to become a huge success here. It’s hard to talk about this song without coming off as mean, as such I won’t say anything else here.
1986 34 weeks
For a little while, it seemed like there was a rush to find the new prince of RNB given how Chris Brown temporarily had that title revoked from him for reasons I won’t get into on this list. An early contender for his replacement came from Jay Sean who achieved minor success in his native UK prior to this Billboard chart topper he had thanks to a guest verse from Lil Wayne of all people.
2009 34 weeks
This wasn’t released as a single here in Australia until a full year after its initial release worldwide, I’m guessing we Aussies didn’t want to hear Robbie Williams sing about his complicated feelings towards God but changed our minds around the time he released his swing album. This would be the first of many songs from him to explore his complicated relationship with religion.
2001 34 weeks
Although he already had success here in Australia as a member of Take that, this was the first big hit that Robbie Williams had as a solo artist despite him having huge success over in NZ and his native UK as the 90’s was coming to an end. I have to assume this was due to the video which shows him literally peeling off layers of himself until only a skeleton remains, why else would this be the song that made him big here?
2000 34 weeks
So, did anyone know who this guy was before he released his magnum opus saying he would come back bigger than ever? Yes, I know that this song is actually about him bouncing back from a bad relationship he had from his girlfriend, however between this and the Backstreet boys, this was a surprisingly good time for upstarts to declare themselves back to an audience who wasn’t previously familiar with them.
1996 34 weeks
It may surprise you to learn that “Everytime we touch” wasn’t a hit for Cascada here in Australia, heck it was a hit in America which should tell you how popular that track was and still remains to this day. Fortunately, the German band were able to score a massive hit here three years later with this track due to it being among the earlier songs to cash in on the club boom that would explode around this time.
2009 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 34 weeks
This was the second single to come from Mika’s debut album, it was also a massive hit here in Australia even though it didn’t have a particularly interesting subject matter like his earlier entry on this list. I should point out that he was a member of the LGBT community which is perhaps why his debut album appealed to the queer community when it first came out, although his popularity didn’t extend to his second album.
2007 34 weeks
There were a lot of songs about jumping around during the early 90’s weren’t there? Here we have a hit from the Movement which was an American EDM group who scored a surprise hit here in Australia with this track given how EDM generally doesn’t do well on the Billboard charts. The lack of success they had back home caused them to give up on music soon after this became a hit here.
1992 34 weeks
This is where it all started for Rihanna, although you wouldn’t be able to tell that she would become one of the most inescapable artists of the next decade given how this was the type of club banger that many of her contemporaries would have a hit with before fading into obscurity shortly after its success. Indeed, she would evolve from this sound whilst still keeping her commanding presence she provides on here.
2005 34 weeks
This was the debut single for one of the most popular bands to come out of Ireland this decade, although my UK readers will likely be surprised to see this song on this list and not later in the decade as this only became a success there in 1999 following the success of their second album. We Aussies knew that these guys were on to something special when they initially broke through, hence why the song is on this list.
1996 34 weeks
One of the more popular Australian bands to make it in the UK were these guys, specifically during the 80’s where they managed to score a couple of hits over there despite their popularity dwindling out this decade. This was one of two big hits they had here, and indeed it was a hit that helped them gain international interest given how infectiously catchy it is and how it would fit into the UK music scene.
1976 34 weeks
This was the first hit that Miley Cyrus had in her career, mainly because it was the first song she released as herself rather than her Disney alter ego Hannah Montana in a way to distinguish herself for when she inevitably left the company in the new decade. It was originally released as a bonus track from her alter ego’s second album, however it was a hit by it being the lead single to her first album as Miley.
2008 34 weeks
While on the surface this is a song about how Sara Bareilles isn’t going to write a love song about the relationship she’s in, it’s actually her standing up to her label who wanted her to write a generic love song even though she didn’t have any experience with love while making her debut album from earlier in the decade. It turns out they were happy for this to be the lead single for her second album.
2008 34 weeks
Harpo was a Swedish pop star who scored a massive hit with this track about how the love of his life happens to be a movie star, it was cheesy and allowed him to find an audience who would appreciate something that sounds like it could be from Abba’s catalogue without actually being from the quartet. This was the only hit that he had which goes to show how much we loved Abba but not their contemporaries.
1976 34 weeks
Many people feel this is the last good song to come from Maroon 5 as it was the third single from their second album, it’s a sentiment I share even if their overwhelming success throughout the 2010’s suggests that they do indeed have an adorning fanbase to this day. Their desires to be more mainstreams started sooner than you think as their next single would be a collaboration with Rihanna.
2007 34 weeks
These guys were yet another punk rock band that were adored by Triple J but otherwise largely ignored by Australian audiences, that is until this became a hit for them due to the video which lampoons some of the biggest teen pop stars of the late 90’s as a way of distancing themselves from the other popular acts on TRL. This was a disturbingly common trend for older artists that regularly appeared on the music program.
1999 34 weeks
Billed as the world’s first digital supergroup, we have this CGI nightmare scoring a massive worldwide hit thanks to the novelty of their existence as well as it being an update of the popular Greek track from the 60’s which I’m sure many older audiences were having fond nostalgia for as the decade was coming to an end.
1998 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 34 weeks
Well, here’s a song that took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, again mainly due to RNB not being the most popular genre of the decade here despite this debut single from Monica being a huge success in NZ and her native America. She would go on to have far more success than her main rival Brandy throughout the 90’s, in fact it wasn’t until their collaboration that Brandy would be as successful as Monica.
1995 34 weeks
Well, this was the song which made Powderfinger the household name they would become throughout the 00’s, like I said on the NZ side of my site, this debuted really high on our charts only to retreat to the lower half of our charts shortly after its release likely in favour of strong album sales from Odyssey no 5. To this day, this remains a staple not just on the radio but in every commercial you can conceive down under.
2000 34 weeks
Although they saw massive success in Europe the previous year with “Don’t give me your life,” this wasn’t a bit hit over there which makes its massive success here in Australia for Alex party a bit confusing until you remember that EDM was still all the rage here upon its release. I feel this was their loss as this is a much better song than their international hit largely due to it being catchier and better performed.
1996 34 weeks
This was the final hit single that Salt N Pepa managed to score before they initially called it quits, although can we even say this is one of their songs when it’s a mashup of “Gitty up” and Pink Floyd’s “Another brick in the wall?” I think this was meant to be released as the twentieth anniversary of the latter song which is perhaps why it was such a huge success for the trio here and in NZ.
1999 34 weeks
This is the last hit that Nickelback had here in Australia, although their popularity would extend to their 2011 album which was a huge success here despite it failing to spawn a hit single for them down under. The rest of the world had moved on from the band likely due to the internet making it impossible to defend their music.
2008 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 34 weeks
This was the second single to come from Christina Aguilera’s Back to basics, it’s a standards ballad that harkens back to the days of Vera Lynn that wasn’t as appealing to audiences this year as her earlier entry on this list. It was a decent success for her, however the big hit off the album wouldn’t come until the third single which was more of an Andrews sisters’ tribute.
2006 34 weeks
It feels odd this was a hit considering it was released not long after the launch of MTV, although considering that one half of this duo had just won an academy award when it became a success throughout Europe, its success isn’t as surprising as you might think. Jon Anderson is of course best known as the lead singer of Yes, although he briefly left the group to form this project with the Greek composer.
1982 34 weeks
In a way, this song did see mainstream success here in Australia when Laura Branigan sung an English version of it five years after its initial release. I guess this song’s major sleeper success here explains why Laura’s version was so big down under and nowhere else in the world given how we Aussies almost allowed this Italian track to reach the upper echelons of our charts back in the day.
1979 34 weeks
Much like Jet’s new entry from earlier on this list, this is also a song I wasn’t expecting to place on here given how it seemed to be allergic to the upper regions of our charts back in the day. Alas, this lead single to the breakthrough album of John Butler trio did appeal to our alternative scene back in the day, hence why it managed to stick around for quite some time on our charts.
2003 34 weeks
Not only did this song achieve all of its success upon its initial release here in Australia, but it also came out much sooner here which is odd considering this feel like a shoe in for instant success over in NZ like I’m sure it seemed like at the time when the kiwis nearly made it a chart topper over there. I guess this was a sleeper hit here due to us Aussies vaguely remembering his first hit “Patches” from eighteen years prior.
1988 34 weeks
This was one of those songs that was overplayed to death back in the day, so I’m a bit shocked that it wasn’t a mainstream success here and was likely only as big as it was on the lower half of our charts due to the strong airplay and not so many people liking it. I guess if digital datal existed when it came out, I can definitively diagnose how this was a hit for Ben Lee.
2005 34 weeks
We have another example of a song appearing on here due to it rebounding on our charts once a much more popular song became as such here in Australia, this time it was when “Electric Avenue” nearly topped our charts like it did in America that compelled us Aussies to check out what the fuss was about with this big chart-topping hit Eddy Grant had in NZ and his native UK.
1983 34 weeks
You better believe there was a time when David Guetta had some success before he got on board some of the biggest names in music worldwide, this is the biggest hit he had prior to when he got the likes of Kelly Rowland, Akon and Flo rida to sing over his beats.
2006 34 weeks
This was a modest success upon its initial release here in Australia for Bluejuice, it qualified for this list due to placing high on Triple J’s year end list for 2009 which allowed it to rebound on the charts at the start of the 2010’s for the indie band.
2009 34 weeks
It looks like R Kelly had some success in the 90’s here in Australia after all as his breakthrough single with Public Announcement managed to be a massive sleeper hit here upon its initial release despite it not being a huge success anywhere else in the world. It’s a bit odd to hear the RNB legend (at least he’s a legend as far as his music is concerned) on a new jack swing track given what he would be known for.
1992 34 weeks
This is another track that lasted for quite some time in the lower half of our charts back in the day, I guess we Aussies couldn’t decide whether we appreciated this throwback to the 70’s or if we felt it was kitschy and lame upon its initial release. Either way, it’s since become well liked on the internet which has since secured the German band’s legacy.
1996 34 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 34 weeks
Now here’s a song that brings me great joy that the internet expects me to hate with every fibre of my being (see how I was initially hostile towards music I didn’t like?) we have this debut single from the Spice girls which is so much joyous fun that I don’t even care that the lyrics don’t make much sense once you read into them.
1996 33 weeks
Does anyone even remember the film, Loser? True to its title, the film follows two teenagers who feel like outcasts in the world and eventually find and fall in love with each other. The theme song from American band Wheatus basically describes the plot of the film in the lyrics, which I’m guessing is why it managed to be more popular even at the time than the film was as it contained its premise in a short amount of time.
2000 33 weeks
Coyote ugly gets a bit of a bad rep these days, mainly because people don’t find it campy enough to be a so bad it’s good film whilst also finding it to be too tired and cliched to be a genuinely good film. I personally like it mainly for its uplifting story about a songwriter finding success in the music industry, this theme song from the film being one of the songs she wrote in universe and what transitioned Leann Rimes from country to pop music.
2001 33 weeks
If this feels like a victory single to anyone, rest assured that it isn’t as it’s in fact the debut single from Delta Goodrem who took a circuitous route in becoming a successful musician as she first appeared on Neighbours as Nina Tucker before translating the popularity she had on the show into her music career. I guess you can argue this is a victory single in that regard, although the rest of the album has more personality to it.
2002 33 weeks
This was a massive success for Laura Branigan this year, likely due to how unique and powerful her vocals were but also for the lyrics which seem to depict a vein woman by the name of Gloria and the narrator calling out how her vanity has alienated her from anyone wanting to do anything with her.
1982 33 weeks
So, it’s come to this, what’s often considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade which was indeed also one of the biggest worldwide. I unfortunately agree with the consensus which is that this is an annoying song with lyrics some of the corniest lyrics known to man, however it does have its merit as it did spear head the line dancing craze that would persist throughout the decade in America.
1992 33 weeks
This is a song that works fine upon its initial release, but I feel becomes tiresome after repeated listens, I think it’s because the yelping at the end of the second chorus feels unnecessary although that could just be a me problem. This was one of the biggest hits of the decade in Australia despite Bryan’s band Roxy music failing to find any major success with one of their singles prior to him temporarily disbanding them to pursue his solo career.
1976 33 weeks
For the second single in a row, Racey were able to top the Australian and NZ charts proving that there was still plenty of love for the rockabilly revival craze that people often forget is affiliated with the 70’s. Their third single from their album was also a huge hit in Australia, however this would prove to be the end for the band as they haven’t released any new material since.
1979 33 weeks
It really does pain me to admit that the original version of this track from Donna Summer was a complete flop here in Australia as it remains one of her best songs in her catalogue, I guess this cover from four of the more popular female contestants from Australian idol becoming one of the biggest hits of the decade was meant to be a consolation for that song being a flop.
2006 33 weeks
This was the last hit single that Will Smith had anywhere in the world, although by this stage he was more well known as an actor than a rapper given how he only released two albums in the new millennium. I know I’m far from the first person to make this observation, but I feel this was meant to be the theme to his film Hitch which has him playing a love doctor for Kevin James in a rare rom com he stars in.
2005 33 weeks
This was a surprise hit for the Offspring in Australia, mainly because this flopped in their native America as did most of their catalogue unfortunately. I guess you can thank Triple J for heavily promoting this and the album it came from which resulted in both becoming some of the biggest hits of the decade down under, that and the track itself is catchy as hell set to lyrics that resonated with audiences.
1994 33 weeks
This was originally released simply as “Mascara” where it managed to climb the charts following the success of the band’s debut single “Weir,” then their label decided to bundle it with “Leave me alone” which allowed both songs to top the Australian charts early on in the 00’s and just in time for their debut album Reflector to be released.
1999 33 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 33 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 33 weeks
I think this is the first song to become a hit by sampling an internet meme, in this case we have T.I sample “Dragostea din teï” from O-zone while also bringing Rihanna along to make sure the song doesn’t sound too ridiculous to mainstream audiences of the day. It was a massive hit for the rapper likely due to the lyrics being about staying true to who you are which is an increasingly common theme in music.
2008 33 weeks
These guys already had massive success in their native America throughout the decade, however it was this lead single to their third album which finally allowed them to have a hit internationally largely due to this type of emo rock still being very popular in the mainstream when it was initially released. It did take a while for this to become a hit here in Australia, however once it did it was a massive success.
2008 33 weeks
Well, I think I found the reason as to why Julio Iglesias was able to score massive success the following year with his first English album, we have Renee and Renato who were a UK based duo singing a song that you’d expect in an old Dezi Arnaz film that became a surprise hit in Australia and throughout Europe.
1983 33 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 33 weeks
Delerium was a Canadian EDM duo who scored massive international success with this track featuring the vocals of Sarah McLaughlin, Sarah herself was a popular Canadian artist who made adult contemporary ballads that helped her stand out in her native Canada. Neither artist saw any international success outside of this dance track, in fact this mainly became a success due to the multiple remixes that were floating around at the time it its release.
1999 33 weeks
This was the first of two new entries to come from the deluxe edition of Good girl gone bad, an album that was already successful by this point but continued to be as such due to these two songs. Here we have Rihanna sing about how she was the fool in the relationship she was in and that her partner should “take a bow” at how they treated her, somehow, I get the feeling this song resonated more with her the following year.
2008 33 weeks
This was the only notable hit that American RNB group Allure managed to have throughout their career, although like many RNB songs this decade, it took a while for this to become a success in Australia due to us slowly warming up to the genre compared to the rest of the world. This is a cover of a Lisa Lisa and the Cult jam track from the 80’s, although I think it’s safe to say that this is the more memorable hit.
1997 33 weeks
It had been a while since Vanessa Amorosi had a hit here in Australia, in fact it was at the very start of the decade when she scored her final hit “The power” before she faded into obscurity for reasons I can’t seem to ascertain. She was able to gain buzz the previous year with “Take your mama” which became a minor hit down under, however it was this ballad that helped her regain the dizzying success she had from her debut album.
2008 33 weeks
This was another song from Missy Higgins that was released as an E.P, as such it was able to become a massive hit for her despite coming from an already highly successful album that was still selling strong numbers when this first came out. It more or less made her the rival of Delta Goodrem who was another Australian pop diva who found previously unheard-of success from one album.
2005 33 weeks
This was the only noticeable hit that Rita Coolidge was able to achieve in her career, at least in Australia it was as she found further success in the UK and her native America with her subsequent follow ups. Many have complained that this is her watering down a Jackie Wilson track from the 60’s for a more mainstream audience, I feel she does the original enough justice to warrant this covers existence.
1977 33 weeks
For eight years, this was the only hit that Underworld managed to achieve anywhere in the world, they eventually escaped the one hit wonder bin with “Born Slippy” from the Trainspotting soundtrack. In the meantime, their only hit was this infectious EDM track which was much bigger here than it was in their native UK despite EDM not being our favourite genre until well into the 90’s.
1988 33 weeks
This was the debut single from 1927, a band that serves as a spiritual successor to Moving pictures as it has Garry Frost as its founding member who was a key member of the former band. They were off to a good start with this track given how it became a huge success for them, and indeed their second single and debut album from later in the year made them one of the hottest new names in Australian music.
1988 33 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 33 weeks
Even though the big hit from Welcome to my nightmare in Alice’s native America was “Only women,” this was the big hit he had here in Australia proving that we Aussies were more interested in him being a rebel for the youth of the day rather than him speaking on behalf of women around the world about domestic violence. That said, Alice’s softer side would eventually lead to him having his biggest hit here.
1975 33 weeks
If you can believe it, this wasn’t initially created for the Chef aid episode of South Park and was instead a DJ battle between Mouse T and Hot n Juicy that became a huge success throughout Europe before Trey Parker and Matt Stone discovered the track and included it in the episode. I’m guessing this songs success was what inspired the duo to release the Chef Aid soundtrack which became a huge success for them.
1998 33 weeks
Celtic music might not have reached its peak until the Riverdance craze of the 90’s, however it did see a massive spike in popularity around this time which no doubt led to Foster and Allen scoring a hit with this ballad dedicated to a Maggie in their lives. The success it had in Australia led to it being one of the biggest hits of the decade in NZ.
1983 33 weeks
Well, this was something else from Janet Jackson, we have a rock track from her album Rhythm nation which I’m guessing she included on the album to appeal to the rock snobs of the world much like how her older brother included “Beat it” on Thriller seven years prior. It paid off for her as this became a huge hit in Australia and other parts of the world which would appreciate her attempts at rock and roll.
1990 33 weeks
A word of caution when going through the lyrics of this seemingly upbeat track from Third eye blind, this is a song about a crystal meth addiction and the band has made little to no effort to hide the serious subject matter of the song other than putting it in one of the catchiest pop rock tracks to come out of the decade. This left them a one hit wonder in Australia, although they saw massive success in their native America.
1997 33 weeks
