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.
So much for Metallica pissing off their fans for selling out, although I guess that’s more an American issue as here in Australia they were as popular as ever given how their lead single to Reload was a hit for them.
1997 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
Although their earlier entries were the first international success these guys had (particularly in their native America) it was this song that first broke them through here in Australia likely due to their campy onstage persona. Even though homosexuality was illegal in Australia as recently as the early 90’s, it was clear that it was only enforced by a select few people given how popular queer music was.
1978 26 weeks
This was only a sleeper hit here in Australia for the Gorillaz, a British band that consists of an animated counterpart with art done by the same people who made the Tank girl comics in the 90’s. Their debut single was a hip hop track named after the Hollywood actor (despite his name not appearing once in the lyrics) which was a surprise hit for the band considering how quirky and unconventional the song is.
2001 26 weeks
This is the only hit that Secondhand serenade managed to score in their career, even then I feel this was a bit late to the emo rock party as this feels like it should’ve been released during the midpoint of the decade rather than towards the end like it actually was.
2008 26 weeks
I did mention this was on the cusp of appearing on this site of my site when I featured it on the NZ side, so here we are with the lead single to Coldplay’s magnum opus Viva la Vida which even back in the day was overshadowed by the title track from earlier on this list.
2008 26 weeks
Given how this was John Cougar’s first massive success in NZ, it’s only fitting this would be a decent success here in Australia even if said success was largely eaten up both by strong album sales as well as “Paper on fire” being said album’s lead single. Still, this did stick around for quite some time which was impressive given how the heartland rocker had been active for a decade by this point.
1987 26 weeks
There was a popular trend during the first half of the decade where there would be English translations of popular foreign language songs, such was the case for this breakthrough single from Gilbert Becaud who saw massive success throughout Europe with the original French version and scored a huge sleeper hit here in Australia two years after he conquered the European charts with the original.
1975 26 weeks
This is another song that took a while to find success here in Australia back in the day given how it was the debut single from Joshua Kadison, although it did eventually crossover here when it became a surprise hit for the singer/songwriter in the UK of all places which eventually led to the success of his earlier entry on this list.
1994 26 weeks
You better believe this was a sleeper hit here in Australia back in the day, I guess we Aussies and kiwis were bigger fans of Growing pains than the rest of the world given how the son of Alan Thicke managed to score a massive success in the southern hemisphere despite this being a massive flop in the northern hemisphere back in the day.
2003 26 weeks
I’m a bit surprised that this was a sleeper hit here in Australia considering that it didn’t even chart in NZ where this brand of new jack swing was more in vogue even during the late 90’s, then again, this was from a British boy band and is a cover of a song from a decade prior that did quite well on Billboard and on the British charts but not in the southern hemisphere.
1998 26 weeks
This was another big hit that appeared on the NZ side of my site that was only a sleeper success here in Australia, again we Aussies passed this up for the most part in favour of whatever Countdown had determined to be the in thing of the moment despite its massive international appeal at the time. Admittedly it could also be the fact it was yet another soft rock ballad during the height of that genre’s popularity.
1977 26 weeks
This third single from Lady Gaga’s debut album often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to even her early discography, mainly because it wasn’t even released as a single in her native America due to how long it took for the first two singles from her album to take off over there and was cancelled in favour of “Lovegame” as the third single. It’s a pity because it’s one of her sweeter songs in her catalogue.
2008 26 weeks
This was the lead single to Human league’s Dare album, an album that had an unusual release schedule as the second single “Open your heart” came out mere weeks before their earlier entry regardless of where in the world you’re from and months after this lead single. The album was a success once “Don’t you want me” became a huge hit here due to the members performing all three tracks on Countdown.
1981 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 26 weeks
It appears we Aussies also had a bit of love for Daughtry back in the day even if it pales in comparison to the love the kiwis and his fellow Americans gave him, admittedly this makes the list due to its refusal to die on our digital charts much like all the new entries on here.
2007 26 weeks
Faithless were a British trio who scored a massive hit this year with a song that was originally released two years prior, heck it took a year for this EDM track to find success in their native UK as it was a hit the previous year for them in their homeland. While it’s road to success was admittedly a circuitous one, it was inevitable considering that EDM was still very much the in genre of choice in Australia.
1997 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 26 weeks
This came very close to making the cut for my 1988 list given how it did scrap the top ten here in Australia, alas it was pushed aside in favour of many of the entries which did make the cut for that list likely due to being released at different times across the country throughout that year. In any case, he did make a huge splash with this second single from his album down under thanks to how upbeat it is.
1988 26 weeks
It took us a while, but we Aussies eventually allowed this ballad about a dead dog to become a success here in Australia following its massive popularity over in NZ and Henry’s native America. I’d be remiss not to include the infamous rant that Casey Kasem made about this song which likely boosted this song’s popularity with us Aussies (which I’ll include here.)
1976 26 weeks
This was the final taste of success that Status quo had here in Australia throughout their career, it’s interesting their popularity ended right as the decade was coming to an end given how their popularity in their native UK would last for well over a decade after this fell off the charts here. Admittedly this is another entry on this list that I’m surprised wasn’t a mainstream success here given its rotation on oldies stations.
1979 26 weeks
This was the first of three hits two have these three Aussie artists together, although the biggest hit they had also had vocalist Lolly which we’ll look at on the following list as that’s when it became popular for them. It was the first Aussie hip hop track to become a success which no doubt eventually led to the success of the Hilltop hoods much later in the decade.
2003 26 weeks
It looks like Potbelleez weren’t a one hit wonder with their earlier entry even though I admittedly don’t have much memory of this second single of theirs, I guess this got lost in the shuffled with all the other pop rock that was making it big at the time given how it wasn’t attached to an ad campaign like their earlier entry was.
2008 26 weeks
This was the final chart topper of the 80’s in Margaret Urlich’s native NZ, so it stands to reason that it would be a huge success here in Australia given how we Aussies weren’t able to resist how rich her vocals were on this breakthrough track of hers. It turns out she was part of a band known as Peking man who had a number one hit in their homeland with a song that had a CGI video in 1985.
1990 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
It looked like that these guys were here to stay given how this managed to become a hit here in Australia just as the decade was coming to an end, although for some reason, rock music would see a sharp decline going into the 2010’s which means this was their final hit single anywhere in the world.
2009 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
It appears we Aussies weren’t too interested in making High school musical a cultural phenomenon outside of the soundtrack’s success, although I guess we had a bit of love for the big hit that the album spawned even if it’s pitiful compared to the love the kiwis gave it back in the day.
2006 26 weeks
This was the first taste of success that Jenny Morris had throughout her career both here and her native NZ, indeed she was largely ignored in her homeland throughout the 80’s even though she managed to achieve moderate success here with members of several Australian bands of the moment including the likes of Air supply and the Eurogliders at the height of both bands’ respective popularities.
1983 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 26 weeks
As far as the world is concerned, John Denver hasn’t had a hit since “Calypso” from 1975. That’s mostly the case here in Australia as well, although he did manage to have a sleeper hit here thirteen years later with the lead single to his album Higher ground for reasons I can’t seem to fathom as it’s far from the country pop we’re all used to from his catalogue.
1988 26 weeks
We’re finally getting some representation from Michelle Branch on this side of my site as both entries she had on the NZ side of my site managed to be huge sleeper hits here in Australia for her back in the day. I’m genuinely shocked this wasn’t a mainstream success here like it was in NZ and her native America given how perfectly it fitted in with the music landscape we Aussies cultivated at the time of its release.
2001 26 weeks
It appears we Aussies couldn’t entirely resist this showstopper from Chess given how it managed to chart for quite some time in the lower half of the charts during the midpoint of the 80’s, although we certainly didn’t have the same love for this duet that the kiwis and ESPECIALLY the Brits did upon its initial release as it was one of the biggest hits of the decade in the UK.
1985 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 26 weeks
We’ve looked the debut single from Simply red on the NZ side of my site, so let’s now look at the big breakthrough they had in America as this managed to chart for quite some time here in Australia despite never reaching the dizzying heights of success here it had on Billboard and in their native UK. I guess the kiwis weren’t too fond of this ballad from the band which is odd given how sophistopop was in full swing over there by this point.
1986 26 weeks
Now if you’ve come from my 1992 lists, this may seem like a completely different band than the one that appeared on those lists given the noticeable absence of Deni Hines on lead vocals. This is because the band was notorious for its different line-up changes as we have John Kenny on lead vocals with their breakthrough single which only became a success due to its refusal to die on our charts back in the day.
1987 26 weeks
If this entry from R.E.M seems random to you, that’s because this was the theme to the Andy Kauffman biopic Man on the moon which allowed it to become a sleeper hit here in Australia just as the decade was coming to an end. I guess this makes it the second song the band wrote for the comedic legend as well as their first hit given how “Man on the moon” failed to become a hit here back in the day.
1999 26 weeks
As far as we Aussies are concerned, this was the third single from Robbie’s third album Sing when you’re winning and not “Better man” from way earlier on this list. As such, we had a bit of a mixed reaction when this song came out as it succeeded “Kids” which meant that his attempts at being hip weren’t as passe to us as I’m sure it was for the kiwis and his fellow Brits but was still jarring regardless.
2001 26 weeks
We have another entry from the Countdown list I did a while back, this time it’s the lead single to the Angels second album Face to face given how their iconic “Am I ever gonna see your face again” was from their first album which sadly flopped back in the day. This makes it the song that officially kickstarted their popularity given how big it and the album it came from was.
1978 26 weeks
Although these guys only had two mainstream hits here in Australia, this was a massive sleeper hit for the Smashing pumpkins here due to it being the lead single to their magnum opus Mellon collie and the infinite sadness given how we Aussies passed it up in favour of making the album an instant success here.
1995 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 26 weeks
It looks like Faith Hill had a second hit here in Australia after all, admittedly this is mainly due to how inescapable it was in her native America (it was the biggest hit of 2000 according to Billboard despite failing to top their charts) however I am surprised that it was only a sleeper hit down under back in the day. This would be the last time we Aussies cared for the country singer as it was all downhill from here for her.
2000 26 weeks
This was initially a huge flop for Sheryl Lee Ralph upon its 1984 release, I’m guessing it was due to the high abundance of diva pop from women of colour given how it would’ve come out during the height of the Pointer sisters and the dozens of protegees Prince had. It was given a second chance this year when a DJ remixed it and released it where it became a massive hit here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
1997 26 weeks
Even though “Truly” was Lionel’s big hit here in Australia, this second single from his solo debut managed to stick around for quite some time on our charts which allows it a spot on my list. For whatever reason, I have a feeling that 1983 was meant to be very different in terms of what became popular down under due to how the charts turned out for that year.
1983 26 weeks
This was the second and final hit that Paper lace managed to achieve in most parts of the world, it’s a biographical song about Al Capone which is full of historical inaccuracies which obviously didn’t prevent the song from becoming a huge success upon its initial release. They did achieve a third hit in certain parts of the world with “Black eyed boy,” however that would be the last anyone would hear from them.
1974 26 weeks
This was one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it’s the first of only two hits that Easybeats frontman Stevie Wright had several years after the demise of said band and a song that promised him a long and prosperous solo career that didn’t end up happening once Countdown launched later in the year. At least the song’s legacy remains as strong as ever due to a cover from 2005 made for charity.
1974 26 weeks
If this sounds like a KC and the Sunshine band song to you, you’re not far off as it was written by Harry Casey who was the lead singer of the disco band. This was George McCrae’s only hit worldwide likely due to it arriving a little too early to the disco bandwagon to be seen as anything more than a novelty at the time, if it had of come out even a year later then he probably would’ve had a ton more success.
1974 26 weeks
I guess if Countdown hadn’t of taken over the Australian scene, then this country legend would’ve had more success here throughout the 70’s, as is it was his only hit here likely due to it being a huge hit on the Billboard country charts at the time. He continued charting on the Billboard country charts well into the 80’s, proving he was a household name in the Nashville music scene.
1974 26 weeks
This was a short-lived covers band from Australia who scored two hits during the first half of the decade with cover songs, this one being of the Merry Clayton track that’s best known nowadays for Cher’s rendition for her film Mermaids. These guys likely would’ve had more success here had they stuck around once Countdown launched, alas they called it quits mere months after the show premiered.
1974 26 weeks
He may not have won the second season of Australian idol; however, Anthony Callea can still take comfort in the fact that his cover of a showtune from a long forgotten animated film from 1998 was far bigger than the song that helped Casey Donovan claim victory over that season of the reality show.
2004 25 weeks
This was for the longest time the signature track from Abba as this was their only Billboard chart topper during their run throughout the 70’s and 80’s. It’s easy to see why this was their biggest hit in America as it perfectly demonstrates the joyous and upbeat nature of their discography that continues to captivate audiences to this day.
1976 25 weeks
This is one of the less well remembered songs to become a massive success in Australia back in the day, even so it’s easy to see how this was a big hit here given how joyous and happy the song is. Pilot did score a second hit with “Magic” which became a surprise hit for them in America of all places.
1975 25 weeks
These guys were already among the more popular bands of the 70’s in Australia and their native NZ going into the 80’s, however it was this single to their magnum opus True colours that made them a household name and even sparked international interest in them which resulted in this being one of the first songs to be played on MTV the following year. Not bad for a band whose gimmick centred around clowns.
1980 25 weeks
This was the biggest hit in Billy Ocean’s career in Australia, mainly due to it being the theme to Jewel of the Nile, which for the uninitiated is the sequel to Romancing the stone and is often considered to be an inferior film to its predecessor. I agree to an extent as this film isn’t as funny or adventurous as the other flick, however it does still have plenty of heart and isn’t too much of an Indiana Jones rip-off.
1986 25 weeks
This was a huge success for All saints all around the world, so much so that it became one of the few non-American RNB ballads to become a huge success on Billboard later in the year albeit with a different music video there than the one used everywhere else in the world. I always felt these girls didn’t reach their full artistic potential until their second album released in the new millennium.
1998 25 weeks
Although the Irish band did achieve sound success with their debut album throughout the year in Australia (mainly due to “Linger” becoming a surprise hit for them in America) this was the song that made them a household name here thanks to its politically charged lyrics delivered by Dolores O’Reidon’s powerful vocals.
1994 25 weeks
Many will tell you this is one of the worst covers to ever exist as it took an infectious disco track from the start of the decade and turned it into a bombastic new wave track, I don’t agree with this assessment as though it’s very different from the original, Pseudo echo do more than enough to make it their own without turning it into a gimmick. It is a shame this remains their one and only hit in the northern hemisphere but what are you going to do?
1986 25 weeks
This was originally a hit for the Righteous brothers back in the mid 60’s, however when this ballad was used in a steamy love scene with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in the comedy horror Ghost, it became a hit all over again as the scene turned the love ballad into a raunchy sex jam overnight.
1990 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 25 weeks
This was already becoming a huge success during the final months of John Lennon’s lifetime, although it’s hard to deny that this song’s true success came from the aftermath of his senseless assassination performed by someone who quite frankly doesn’t deserve to be named on this site. Regardless of how you feel about him in retrospect, there’s no denying that how he died was a tragedy and that no one deserves to go the way he did.
1980 25 weeks
A song about de stigmatising sex in the mainstream becoming big this year? Well, colour me shocked as we have this all-female hip hop trio to thank for why sex prudes became rarer as the decade went on (OK so they were far from the leading cause of this happening but still.) Strangely the girls were still yet to find success in their native America, although their fortunes would change there with their next album.
1991 25 weeks
This was the lead single to Phil Collin’s acting debut Buster, a film that I haven’t seen but from what I can gather is absolutely terrible and rightfully lost to the sands of history. I can’t say I’m that impressed with this update of the Mindbenders track from the 60’s, mainly because for a song with the word groovy in its title, there doesn’t seem to be much of that on this track.
1988 25 weeks
While the title track to Madonna’s fourth album was uncontroversial enough, after all it’s merely about her questioning her own faith in religion as is the rest of the album, it was the video that got her in a lot of hot water when she released it this year. Suffice to say, Pepsi backed out of their sponsorship of her tour given all of the negative press the video received this year.
1989 25 weeks
While people have questioned whether or not Samantha Fox had any business being in the music industry over the years due to her vocals not being up to par with many of her contemporaries, I don’t think the vast majority cared as A: she was smoking hot and likely awakened many people’s sexual fantasies and B: the music she made was well crafted similar to her 90’s Disney counterpart Britney Spears.
1986 25 weeks
I guess we Aussies can breathe a sigh of relief by allowing a rapper of colour (even one as goofy as MC Hammer) to claim the prize of having the first hip hop chart topper on our charts over Vanilla ice like what happened in America. I think a part of why this happened was us somehow remembering the Rick James track this song heavily samples throughout its runtime in order to create the atmosphere he was going for.
1990 25 weeks
Well, this is a queer anthem if I’ve ever heard one, heck I feel this was more obvious at the time considering how many queer folks found themselves needing to us a YMCA for one reason or another. Here the Village people promote the homeless shelter chain which resulted in it becoming their signature track in a discography filled with tracks to resonate with the LGBT community.
1978 25 weeks
I will say that as iconic as this song remains to this day, it does feel weird that it originally came from the Dick Tracy soundtrack given how out of place it feels on that album (save for all of the shout outs to Hollywood legends she has on this song.) This was sadly Madonna’s final chart topper in Australia for exactly a decade, although that didn’t stop her from having some of the bigger hits of the decade here.
1990 25 weeks
Well, here’s a song that had novelty written all over it and yet it managed to endure the test of time regardless, here’s the breakthrough single for Mi-sex who were a NZ band looking to make it big in Australia so that they could take said success back home to their homeland. They struck big with this track given how the videogame industry had taken the world by storm by the time they released this as a single.
1979 25 weeks
I bet you’re wondering why the heck Warren G decided to collaborate with Adina Howard (who my American readers know for her hit single “Freak like me” on Billboard) for this hip hop remix of Tina Turner’s signature track. Well, it turns out this was commissioned for the Jackie Chan flick Supercop which was enough of a success worldwide for this to be a huge hit despite it flopping in America for some reason. This also served as the lead single to Warren’s second album.
1996 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 25 weeks
This was the only noticeable hit for Sixpence none the richer throughout their career, primarily due to it being used in Dawson’s creek as well as She’s all that which were two of the bigger pop culture artifacts to come from this year. The song was originally released the previous year to deafening silence, likely due to the band being strong Christian and audiences being done with contemporary Christian music by this point.
1999 25 weeks
Well so much for these kids being one hit wonders, this was the second single from Middle of nowhere and it’s commonly accepted to be the best song from the album as it’s neither juvenile nor a slow ballad which is commonly agreed upon as two major flaws from the album. Even so the trio are still regarded as a one hit wonder with their early entry to this day by modern music fans.
1997 25 weeks
One of the more bizarre trends of the decade was that of the mashup single, granted there weren’t as many as the decade would have you believe but when one became popular, it tended to make a huge splash in the mainstream like this medley from Dutch group Stars on 45. This was so popular that it even managed to become a hit in America, although for some reason they called themselves Starsound in the UK.
1981 25 weeks
This was the second single from Mariah Carey’s album Daydream, and for the longest time it was the most successful song in America due to it lasting a record breaking sixteen weeks at number one on Billboard as well as it being a major seller over there as well. This is due to the winning formula it created of dedicating a ballad to the friends that have sadly no longer with us that many artists copied from here.
1995 25 weeks
This was originally released as a Christmas track three years prior following the success of the duo’s debut album in their native Sweden, there the song had a parenthesis that read “Christmas for the broken hearted” meaning that the song was originally meant for those who knew the horrors of being alone on Christmas day. As Pretty woman wasn’t a Christmas flick, the song was slightly reworked into a typical breakup ballad that was played during the emotional low point of the film.
1990 25 weeks
This was the solo debut for Kate Ceberano, an Australian woman of colour who began her career as the lead vocalist for I’m talking which was a band comprising mostly of older men while she and a friend of hers provided vocals for their jazz rock instrumentation. Here she goes in a more pop direction with this song that showcases her powerful vocals bringing to life these cute lyrics about the relationship she’s in.
1989 25 weeks
Many people believe (me included) that this is a song about masturbation, mainly because it’s the best explanation as to what Dave Fenton means when he claims that he’s “turning Japanese” throughout the song. The song became a huge success here in Australia likely due to this urban legend despite only doing decently well in their native UK, although the band called it quits likely due to their novelty status not long after.
1980 25 weeks
Want to know something strange about this track? It was written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, two names you’ll be very familiar with if you’re a fan of the glam rock from earlier in the decade. Here they allow American band Exile to have a massive hit with this soft rock track that now that I think about it, has lyrics that are begging to be performed with bombast but aren’t on here.
1978 25 weeks
While this was a decently big hit for Jamelia in her native UK the previous year, it was a massive success here in Australia likely due to us Aussies finding more love for this empowerment anthem that she made likely for her significant other. It allowed her to have a second hit down under (which we’ll get to in a bit) before she sadly faded into obscurity here and the rest of the world.
2004 25 weeks
One of the most popular bands of the decade has to be the Bay city rollers, although admittedly their popularity here in Australia was even briefer than that of Abba and Sherbet who at least stuck around for most of the decade. Here we have the first big hit from the Scottish band which remains popular to this day due to the lyrics being a good way of ending a bad relationship with someone.
1975 25 weeks
Wes Carr was the winner of the sixth season of Australian idol, he was considered the country star of the series which is perhaps why his victory single isn’t among the more widely revered songs in this category despite its initial success.
2008 25 weeks
To think this signature track from Oasis failed to reach the top spot in their native UK, oh well it was a number one hit in most parts of the world, so I don’t think the band minds too much in the long run. This has sadly received a ton of backlash in recent years due to people noticing how monotone Liam is on this track, I feel that only enhances the song as it allows the beauty of Noel’s poetry and instrumentation to shine through.
1995 25 weeks
There were plenty of rockabilly throwback artists to make it big throughout the 70’s and 80’s, by far the most successful (at least in the UK) was Shaking Stevens who achieved overwhelming success with his attempts at being the Welsh equivalent of 50’s Elvis Presley. This was the first of his many hits in the UK, which just happens to be his biggest hit in Australia to boot.
1981 25 weeks
Although she’s appeared in many Disney products over the years, it turns out Mandy Moore was never a product of Disney herself and was instead a child star who scored massive success starting out with her debut single that she’s long since distanced herself from due to it sounding like something that would come out of the Disney machine at the time. Indeed, it turns out that much like Hanson, her later music would become more respectable as she got older.
2000 25 weeks
This is a two-way entry for Boz Scaggs as “Lido shuffle” was always the lead single to his magnum opus Silk degrees, for reasons I can never understood, it only became a hit here in Australia when it was bundled with the second single from the album “What can I say” which allowed both songs to be a huge success together as well as the album itself finally getting off the ground here.
1977 25 weeks
This was the only noticeable hit for Bertie Higgins even in his native America, while I’m glad this crossed over to Australia, I can’t say I understand why as at least in his native America, this was one of only many soft rock ballads to make it big this year. In any case, this song did become a huge success for him before he faded into obscurity.
1982 25 weeks
This song was written by R Kelly, I guess there’s a lot of problematic elements to this song knowing what both men have been accused of, however I’m not going to get into that here as this is meant to be a fun site and not one about conspiracy theories. Instead, we have the perfect balance between both men’s talents which made this a huge success for them back in the day.
1995 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 25 weeks
This was originally a track from Vitamin C’s debut album from the end of the 90’s, it was also included on her second album where it was decided to be released as its lead single where it became a hit for the American pop star due to it being the perfect theme to a graduation ceremony. It would’ve been an even bigger hit here in Australia were it not pulled from shelves in order to promote her second single “The itch.”
2000 25 weeks
This was a huge surprise success for Shania Twain given how this failed even in her native Canada, I’m guessing we Aussies caught wind of by far one of the sexiest tracks in her catalogue and thus made it a huge success for her just as the rest of the world had given up in making her third album a commercial success. This no doubt led to her next album being a huge success here even before it received its pop treatment.
1996 25 weeks
While this wasn’t the first hit single to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman (that honour goes to Divine’s “You think you’re a man”) this was the one to put the production trio on the map even though many people feel that the rest success of this song comes from Pete Burns and his provocative performance. That said, this was the only major success they had as all of their other songs didn’t do that well even in their native UK.
1985 25 weeks
This feels like it should’ve been released a few years prior, doesn’t it? I guess the grunge scene didn’t completely kill the 80’s when Nirvana released Nevermind after all as these guys managed to get in a huge hit with an acoustic ballad that would’ve been a dime a dozen in the late 80’s. The band even achieved moderate success with their follow ups back in America, although not so much internationally.
1992 25 weeks
There’s this trend when it comes to Canadian artists crossing over to the mainstream where they only seem to do so with a song that wasn’t a huge hit in their homeland, this was the case for this one and only international hit from Crash test dummies which was far from their biggest hit in their homeland and yet was inescapable throughout the rest of the world for them.
1994 25 weeks
This was only a modest success for the duo in their native America, likely due to how sincere the pair come off on this track which admittedly makes it a really cheesy number to listen to. The Brits certainly appreciated this cheesiness as this became a huge success over in the UK which allowed it to crossover internationally for the duo. They found further success with the rest of their album in NZ of all places.
1992 25 weeks
This was the biggest hit to come from Chrissie Amphlett and company, mainly because it was a clear display of Chrissie’s sexual appeal which naturally turned many listeners on whenever it came on the radio. The success of this track here in Australia led to it being released internationally where it became a huge hit for the band a decade after they first broke through with the likes of “Boys in town” and “Science fiction.”
1990 25 weeks
This was the last big hit that Ronan Keating had anywhere in the world both solo and as a member of Boyzone, although he would become a pop crooner on his later work along the likes of Michael Bublé and Michael Crawford so it’s not like his popularity dwindled as far as his career was concerned. Here we have a cover of one of Garth Brook’s earliest songs which suggests he was experimenting with country music.
2002 25 weeks
This was a massive success for Concrete blonde who began the decade with lead singer Jonnette Napolitano reassuring her ex-Joey that she was no longer angry with him for all the horrible things he did to her during the relationship. For whatever reason, I always felt that these guys had a male lead singer, maybe that’s just my queer brain trying to see a queer narrative in something that doesn’t have one.
1990 25 weeks
This is the final hit single Tina Turner managed to score in Australia, mainly because her theme to her biographical film “I don’t wanna fight” was a flop here despite the film being a huge critical and commercial success in 1993. This song has since become her signature tune in Australia given how she performed it with Jimmy Barnes in 1992 and that recording allow this to become a hit again that year.
1989 25 weeks
It looked like their album Blood sugar sex magik was all set to flop following the failure of its lead single “Give it away” worldwide, however the band released this as the albums second single which details Anthony Kiedis’s complicated relationship with California which tugged at the heartstrings of many listeners back in the day. It remains their biggest hit to date thanks to how emotional he comes across on the track.
1992 25 weeks
