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 Jay-Z’s first big hit here in Australia, even as a featured artist, he didn’t have any success prior to this collaboration with his future wife Beyonce about how they were the (then) modern equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde. This song samples “Me and my girlfriend” by 2pac when he was known as Makaveli, I thought I’d bring that up given how this east coast rapper sampled a west coast rapper.
2003 25 weeks
It may be a new decade, however that didn’t mean that Jimmy Barnes needed to change his sound in order to score a massive hit with his third album. Here he is bringing us more of the same kick ass pub rock that made him and his band a household name throughout the 80’s and it was one of the more successful songs of this year, although he did change his sound on his next album to avoid being seen as a one trick pony.
1990 25 weeks
It looks like Alannah Myles wasn’t the only Canadian songstress to see success in Australia before taking America by storm. Indeed, months after this became a huge hit for her in her homeland, we Aussies made it an even bigger hit here likely due to her unique vocals connecting with us before it finally became a moderate success on Billboard the following year.
1990 25 weeks
Babyface never had that much success here in Australia even as a producer, so to see him score a massive success with this duet with Stevie Wonder was a bit of a surprise given how Stevie Wonder hasn’t had a hit since 1985’s “Part time lover.” The collaboration helped his album become a moderate success here, although it unfortunately failed to make Babyface a household name in RNB down under.
1997 25 weeks
Even though this was only a moderate success in Donna’s native UK, it proved to be a massive hit over on Billboard likely due to her combining new age with RNB on this track which makes it one of the most unique songs to ever become a hit. It’s a bit of a shame she’s a one hit wonder with this track as I feel her voice is unique and could easily chart along the likes of Jewel and Sheryl Crow.
1996 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 25 weeks
Mannequin is one of those films you either love or hate, it mostly comes down to its premise of a man falling in love with a store mannequin that randomly comes to life and whether or not you’re on board with that premise. At least the theme song was well received even though it comes from Starship’s sell-out period, although those who despise “We built this city” don’t often have many negative things to say about this.
1987 25 weeks
This was the first song from the Rogue Traders to have Natalie Bassingthwaighte on lead vocals, Natalie of course being a former cast member of Neighbours making this another example of the show launching a pop star in Australia. Naturally this would eventually become a huge success in the UK for the band, although aside from NZ, the rest of the world wouldn’t take to the band’s music.
2005 25 weeks
Sweet’s popularity seemed to be bigger than ever when they released this track from their album Strung up, so to see them see diminishing returns as the decade went on was a bit of a surprise given how inescapable they were this year. I’m guessing this was due to glam rock being at the peak of its popularity and that they were among the most popular bands to come from the genre.
1975 25 weeks
This was the fifth hit in a row that Fergie achieved from the Dutchess, I think this is about how she feels like she’s clumsy given how I’ve heard this song hundreds of times back in the day and could never made out what she was saying. I think the song was a hit for the music video which seems to depict her as part of a popup book which audiences found amusing back in the day.
2007 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 25 weeks
He already saw success with his cover of “Sky high” from the previous year, now we have this firefighter turned pop star covering another 70’s classic in the form of this update of the Dan Hill track from 1977. Newton’s version proved to be more successful than the original here in Australia, likely due to the campy nature of this cover as well as it being a danceable track compared to the original which was a soft rock track.
1996 25 weeks
Stars on 54 were a supergroup comprised of Ultra Nate, Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez, only one of which managed to find success in Australia prior to this collaboration and yet it was a huge success here. I’m guessing it was due to it being attached to the film 54 which I haven’t seen but I’ve heard isn’t very good, that or it could also be due to it being a cover of a Gordon Lightfoot track.
1998 25 weeks
It turns out that her cameo in Coyote ugly was meant to signify Leann Rimes transitioning from country to pop as the songs on the soundtrack also appeared on her album that year which flopped due to the soundtrack being a massive success. Here she is with the lead single to her second pop album which was also a massive success here in Australia and NZ, although it was a massive flop in her native America.
2002 25 weeks
For a little while, this was my favourite hip hop track, this didn’t last long as I quickly discovered the Eminem show shortly after, but I feel that if you found Eminem too problematic with his subject matter, then Nelly was a decent alternative as he was a good rapper without coming off as corny. Audiences worldwide agreed as this lead single to Nellyville was a massive hit for him due to being a club banger.
2002 25 weeks
This was the debut single from one of my favourite pop stars of the decade, mainly because of how much I adore how well her vocals compliment the new wave production on each of her tracks. It appears the general public agreed as she saw massive success during the first half of the decade here in Australia, arguably more so than her native UK where her songs weren’t as successful.
1981 25 weeks
One of the more quintessential disco tracks to come out of the decade, we have this trio (who weren’t an actual family funnily enough) scoring their one and only hit worldwide with a disco track which led to their album being a huge commercial success for them. I’m not sure why these women didn’t have more success with their subsequent material other than perhaps due to them not being huge in their native America.
1976 25 weeks
Thought that David Soul was a one hit wonder with “Don’t give up on us?” Well, he might have been in his native America, however he scored two more big hits internationally with this being the third and final hit he achieved in his career. I’m guessing he returned to his day job of acting once the hits dried up for him.
1977 25 weeks
There were no signs of Belinda Carlisle slowing down in the music industry, unless of course you’re from America in which this single and album it served as the lead single to wound up being a massive flop on Billboard. I guess the Americans were tired of her passionate vocals set to upbeat pop rock, however the rest of the world certainly wasn’t as this managed to be a huge success for her because of those traits.
1989 25 weeks
Mermaids is perhaps the most underrated film in Cher’s filmography, mainly because it doesn’t live up to the standards of her other Hollywood blockbusters Silkwood, Mask and especially Moonstruck and the Witches of Eastwick. Despite that, it’s a charming coming of age story about how her daughter played by Winona Ryder comes to terms with the family she’s a part of. The film has Cher’s cover of the Merry Clayton track as its theme song due to it bizarrely being set in 1963.
1991 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 25 weeks
I was surprised that this was released before the year 1999 as I do vaguely remember hearing this track when I was seven years old which just happens to be in the year 1999. In any case, Prince scored his first breakthrough hit in most parts of the world a good sixteen years prior to when the song in question was meant to take place, although with how charismatic he is on this track, does anyone really care about when it came out?
1983 25 weeks
Well, what’s this? We have an upbeat track from Rod Stewart, and it also serves as the lead single from one of his albums as well as its title track. OK so that’s only true if you’re from Australia as “Young Turks” was the lead single from the album in most parts of the world, however we Aussies went a different direction by making this track the lead single which resulted in both songs being a success here.
1981 25 weeks
This was the theme song to the long-forgotten film Electric dreams, a film from what I can gather in the music video is about a geek falling in love with an attractive woman who works at an electric store. Honestly this feels like a Human League track that Phillip Oakey kept for himself as it’s clear that the song has become more iconic over the years than the film that it’s based on.
1984 25 weeks
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Pat Benatar since the last time she had a hit was from three years prior when “We belong” became a success for her. Then again there’s little wonder that this was going to be a hit for her given how female rock stars were able to find success this year with little issues. This led to her album Wide awake in dreamland being a modest success for her before the decade came to an end.
1988 25 weeks
This was a modest success in Betty Boo’s native UK as was her second single “Where are you baby,” so to see this be a huge success here in Australia is a bit surprising considering how rarely hip hop, let alone British hip hop makes it big here. I’m guessing the video had something to do with its success as it depicts her as a schoolgirl in a science classroom with hijinks ensuing from that premise.
1990 25 weeks
Even though the Bridge was a massive flop everywhere else in the world, it was a huge success here in Australia proving just how much we loved Billy Joel this decade and how we felt he could do no wrong. Indeed, one of his biggest hits in his catalogue down under was the second single from the album which comes complete with a video that pays homage to the Beatles rooftop concert.
1986 25 weeks
This is a song that was false advertising for the music the band in question was making, Extreme are best known for their hard rock tracks and hair metal image and yet it was this acoustic ballad that made them a household name worldwide. The lyrics are often misinterpreted as people seem to think it’s a love ballad which it technically is, however, it’s actually about how the phrase “I love you” no longer has any meaning given how easy it is for anyone to recite.
1991 25 weeks
This was originally an album track for Rod Stewart that was written by Burt Bacharach, he didn’t release it as a single for whatever reason which is why most people are unfamiliar with his version of this ballad. Somehow Dionne Warwick got a hold of this song and decided to get together Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight for this cover where the proceeds when to research for AIDS and HIV.
1985 25 weeks
This was the only notable hit that Dan Hill had outside his native Canada, although it’s worth noting that this was a huge hit in his homeland which generally isn’t the case for many Canadian artists who make it big internationally. My Aussie readers will perhaps be more familiar with the dance version of this ballad from the 90’s as that proved to be more successful here than this ballad, however this was a huge deal back in the day as well.
1978 25 weeks
This was a huge comeback for Rod Stewart given how he hadn’t had a major hit on the Australian charts for nearly a decade, it goes to show that while he is willing to experiment with his sound on occasion that his bread and butter are the ballads that appeal to his core audience. This would be his last major hit single on the charts, although he did score a moderate hit later in the decade through his appearance on MTV unplugged.
1991 25 weeks
Britney was certainly on a roll when she released the title track to her album Circus, an album that remains the last one to have any success despite her scoring a couple of hits in the 2010’s with the likes of “Hold it against me” and “Till the world ends.” Much like “Piece of me,” this is also a song addressing her media frenzy which she refers to as a circus, however it’s handled much better on this track.
2008 25 weeks
It seemed like these guys weren’t destined to have a successful career in Australia given how they released two songs from their debut album before it dropped to deafening silence, their fortunes changed when this third single became a hit once the album dropped and allowed said album to become a massive success for them. Even though they never saw international success, Human nature was a contender for the boy band wars in Australia as they competed with Backstreet boys and Five for the title.
1996 25 weeks
This was the last big hit that Cheap trick had with their original sound, although it was mainly a hit here in Australia following the success of their earlier hit “Dream police” from the changing of the decades. I’m not sure why their subsequent albums failed around the world, however they did score a massive comeback later in the decade with an album they felt they needed to make for contractual obligations.
1982 25 weeks
If my American readers are confused as to where this song came from, that’s because it wasn’t released as a single over there as “Clap back” was released instead which was a massive flop for the rapper worldwide. This was a massive hit here in Australia which goes to show how much we Aussies loved him back in the day, although that love wouldn’t last much longer thanks to his beef with 50 cent.
2003 25 weeks
Well, here we are with what’s often considered the best song not just of the decade but of all time, yes, this lead single from Nevermind was indeed a huge success back in the day much to the chagrin of the band who brought it to life in the first place. Admittedly this was their only big hit in Australia as the success of the album ate up the potential success of the other singles from the album.
1991 25 weeks
This was originally a Bob Dylan track from over ten years prior, so to see Graham Bonnet score a massive hit with this cover albeit only in Australia and NZ was a bit of a surprise for audiences back in the day. Speaking of Graham, you’re likely wondering how he was able to score two big hits in the southern hemisphere and not anywhere else in the world. It turns out he was based in Australia for a little while before joining Rainbow later in the decade.
1977 25 weeks
This was the penultimate hit that Five had before their demise later in the decade, I’m guessing because fans of the iconic band they were covering on this track (who not only gave them approval to cover it but also provided updated instrumentation for them to sing over) were none too thrilled at the boy bands take of one of their more iconic songs in their catalogue.
2000 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 25 weeks
This was Christina Milian’s only hit here in Australia, although it’s worth noting that it wasn’t even released as a single in her native America as her debut single “AM to PM” was a massive flop on Billboard for some reason. Both of these songs were much bigger in the UK which allowed this to be a massive success down under and the other track to be a sleeper hit thanks to her rich vocals on both tracks.
2002 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 25 weeks
This was the third and final hit to come from Big Brovaz worldwide, likely due to the video which was clearly meant to be an homage to the TV show Friends (solving that shows issue of having an all-white cast in the process.) It was a much more sentimental track from the group who introduced themselves to the world as a tough RNB group who was all about being hard edge.
2003 25 weeks
Although he saw massive success with Cold Chisel from earlier in the decade, there didn’t seem to be any guarantee that Jimmy Barnes would find success on his own given how none of the songs from his debut album Bodyswerve became huge hits for him down under. Fortunately, this lead single from the reissue of that album was a huge success here likely due to the backing vocals from Kim Carnes of “Bette Davis eyes” fame.
1985 25 weeks
If this song sounds familiar to you, that’s because you likely recognise the melody from the Gap band’s “Oops upside your head” which was a hit for the RNB trio exactly a decade prior to when this became Snap’s second hit single worldwide. Their first hit was what put them on the map (which we’ll get to) however it was this song that confirmed them to be one of the big names of EDM this decade.
1990 25 weeks
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for the Irish band, I’m not even sure why it failed because it’s such a fun and upbeat number that it feels like it would’ve been a shoe in for instant success upon its initial release. It was given a remix this year which allowed the track to gain a second wind here and in their native UK, this allowing their album to be a huge success as well.
1994 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2005 25 weeks
This is one of two hits that the Rogue traders had from their debut album that wasn’t based off a sample from an older track (their first single was based off an Elvis Costello sample) the other was “We’re coming home” which was too much of a sleeper hit to make it on this site. This was a huge hit for the band as it was the song they released once they dropped their album which was a massive success.
2005 25 weeks
Even though she had a bunch of hits with Ja Rule of all people (curious because she was going out with Nelly during the height of her career) this was her only hit as a lead artist here in Australia likely because of her voice juxtaposing nicely with the production in a way that really stood out from the competition back in the day. It was an even bigger hit in her native America where it topped the Billboard charts.
2002 25 weeks
Although this wasn’t her debut single (that honour goes to “Similar features” which sadly flopped) this was the song which made Melissa Etheridge a household name due to a persistent rumour that the song was directed at another woman due to details made in the lyrics. Indeed, Melissa confirmed that it was directed at a woman when she came out as gay in 1992 around the time KD Lang also came out of the closet.
1988 25 weeks
Much like the rest of his album, this was initially a flop for Bobby Brown likely due to us Aussies not being interested in the drama he had with his former band New edition. His fortunes changed when he released his theme to Ghostbusters II which helped this upbeat track from his album become a surprise success as the 80’s was coming to an end, this allowed the album to also be a success for him.
1989 25 weeks
As far as I’m aware, this is the last hit to launch the career of a cast member from Neighbours, although I get the feeling this was always going to be a hit considering A: this sounds exactly like something the Veronicas would’ve had a hit with around this time and B: Stephanie McIntosh is the much younger sister of Jason Donovan who kickstarted this trend in the late 80’s.
2006 25 weeks
Well, if you wanted to know what the Models would sound like if they replaced James Freud with Wendy Matthews, this is your chance as both parties joined forces to make an album this year under the alias Absent friends which spawned this huge hit for them as well as the album doing fairly well. This is a cover of an obscure 60’s track, something that would become a phenomenon as the decade went along.
1990 25 weeks
This was initially a flop for the RNB girl group, likely because we Aussies weren’t interested in RNB even if it was a huge success throughout Europe like this was. We eventually changed our minds on this track when it became a surprise hit over on Billboard which made us realise how catchy and vocally impressive this track was from the trio, although this was their only hit they had here as a quartet.
1994 25 weeks
This is a song that’s since been claimed by the DreamWorks franchise Madagascar as people are likely more familiar with Sacha Baron Cohen’s cover of this dance track than the original. Indeed, this wasn’t a huge hit for the trio in their native America as this only became a worldwide smash due to it becoming a surprise hit in the UK, although there was little doubt that this would be a huge success in Australia.
1994 25 weeks
We have another successful soft rock track from Dr Hook to become a hit during the second half of the decade, although admittedly this was one of the last hit singles that they were able to have in Australia despite their growing popularity internationally, likely because they were already a huge deal with their earlier ballads.
1978 25 weeks
You’d be forgiven into thinking this was the lead single to ELO’s disco album Discography, you’d be wrong as that honour goes to “Shine a little love” which was only a modest success here likely due to us Aussies needing some convincing to allow these guys to have success in the disco genre. That convincing was met when they released the second single from the album with this favourite on oldies stations.
1979 25 weeks
Well, if the Grid were able to show us how to marry EDM with country music, then Rednex found a way to irritate audiences with their one and only hit worldwide with this track. Apparently, this was a remix of an old folk song that has been sung over the years by American outlaws that the Swedish group somehow got their hands on, although they did write the verses sung by the female vocalist.
1995 25 weeks
This was the first of two big hits that Sophie B Hawkins was able to achieve worldwide, I feel that she deserved so much more success than what she got considering how sharply written and well performed both songs were back in the day. This is another song which caused speculation towards an artist’s sexuality as there’s lyrics in here which suggest that Sophie is talking to a woman throughout the song.
1992 25 weeks
This was the only hit to come from Samantha Mumba worldwide, although she did score a second hit in her native UK with “Body II body” which is a song that sampled “Ashes to ashes” by David Bowie on its twentieth anniversary. Here she is with an RNB jam about how she was in love with someone and her confessing her love to that person, it’s a topic universally relatable so much so that it was a hit in America as well.
2000 25 weeks
We have another British band making it big in Australia this year, although this is about as pop as you can get while still being from a band as this is obviously meant for all the Julie Anne’s in the audience and how much these guys love them. It’s innocent fun and easy to see why it was a huge success around this time.
1976 25 weeks
Midnight Oil already saw massive success with their previous two albums and even had a hit single with “Power and the passion” earlier in the decade, however this was the first big hit they had down under which is fitting because it was the advanced single for their album which stands to fight for aboriginal rights in Australia. Even though we’ve made progress over the years, there’s still people out there that feel that there’s more to be done for the white settlers to atone for how they’ve treated these people.
1986 25 weeks
Given this was on an album filled with sexually charged dance tracks meant to titillate her audience, it feels a little odd that Madonna would choose this rare ballad of hers as a single. It paid off as it became the big hit from the album in most parts of the world, proving that her audience ultimately wants to hear good music from her before being titillated by her antics.
1993 25 weeks
Here’s another favourite on oldies stations that made it big back in the day, although the Cars had to wait until their second album to find any success here due to how their debut album flopped here despite being one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ. Indeed, they seemed to be more popular over there which is odd because normally new wave bands did better here in Australia.
1979 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2005 25 weeks
This was originally a hit for Savage in his native NZ where it didn’t have Akon providing a guest verse for him, that version wasn’t released here in Australia as he was able to afford the international RNB singer by the time it was released down under almost a year after its initial release. He had a ton of other hits in his homeland; however, he remains a one hit wonder with this song (OK a two-hit wonder if you count the Joel Fletcher remix.)
2005 25 weeks
Although they had success with “Blue Monday” from earlier in the decade, this was the first mega hit that New order had in Australia despite this being a massive flop in their native UK and only barely being a minor hit in NZ. I’m not sure why this succeeded here but failed in those two countries, I guess it was due to it being more pop friendly compared to what had been released prior.
1986 25 weeks
This was the only noticeable hit that Richard Clapton was able to score throughout his career, although at least it remains a staple on oldies stations so he can take comfort in the fact that he wrote a song that would stand the test of time in Australia. I feel that this was the type of music that Daryl Braithwaite wanted to make during his time with Sherbet but got stuck making teen pop for his female audience.
1975 25 weeks
There are two versions of this track that contributed to its success, there’s the original which was a solo venture from Blu Cantrell where she fancied herself a rapper to try and convey the guy’s perspective of this song about them falling out with each other. This version didn’t go over very well likely due to her cosplaying as her partner, so a remix was commissioned with Sean Paul proving new verses which was much better received.
2003 25 weeks
Technically the first solo hit to come from Lionel Richie was his duet with Diana Ross from two years prior, however this lead single from his solo debut was the first hit he had completely on his own which sounds like something he would’ve made with the Commodores during his time with the band. Apparently, this was a calculated move to help ease fans into the music he wanted to make.
1982 25 weeks
This was a massive hit due to it being the Bond theme for the Spy who loved me, one of the more popular films during the Roger Moore era of the franchise. Of course, Carly Simon was a good choice for submitting a Bond theme given that she was one of the more popular artists of the decade, even though this was her first hit in Australia since her cover of “Mockingbird” four years prior.
1977 25 weeks
This was another RNB hit that was originally found success upon its initial release the previous year worldwide but had to wait until it was an international success to crossover here to Australia. It was the only hit for Groove city which is a shame because I felt that they were one of the more interesting RNB groups to emerge from this decade, they certainly deserved to have more success than most this decade.
1995 25 weeks
Tone Loc is nowadays known for his many voiceover roles in kids cartoons due to his deep voice lending credence to characters with mystic or coolness, however he began his career as a rapper who scored two massive hits worldwide beginning with this being the second big hit he was able to score and by far the bigger of the two in Australia. I’m guessing it was due to a lack of nostalgia baiting on this track.
1989 25 weeks
I may have to tread lightly with this entry as there’s a bit of a dark reason why Houston is a one hit wonder with this posse cut with Chingy and Nate Dogg, that’s because he had a medical episode while promoting the track which resulted in him needing to be hospitalised and subsequently dropped from his label. At least it was a massive worldwide success for the rapper that promised him a bright future.
2004 25 weeks
It’s easy to think that Jessica Simpson came from Disney much like Britney and Christina, however she was a teen idol that had no such affiliation with the House of mouse and was instead looking to make it big during the height of the teen pop era of music. She was off to a good start with her debut single as it showcases how much of a powerhouse she was as a vocalist, rivalling that of Christina at her best.
2000 25 weeks
Well, this seems a bit odd, this second single from Big audio dynamite’s most recent album became a success around the time “Should I stay or should I go” was a massive success in their native UK. I bring this up because this song is often mistaken for the Clash classic due to them having the same melody as each other, although it’s worth noting that Mick Jones was responsible for said melody so it’s not like he was stealing from anyone else.
1991 25 weeks
This was the only hit single that Janis Ian managed to score in most parts of the world, it appears audiences weren’t interested in her coming-of-age track “At seventeen” but were interested in this jazz track she released five years later. I think this was a hit here due to her performing it on Countdown, either that or we really enjoyed the groove on here more so than her fellow Americans.
1980 25 weeks
Although he’s best known for his ballad “Lady in red” from three years later, this was the first hit that Chris De Burgh achieved in most parts of the world which is about as far away as you can get from his bigger hit in terms of sound and tone. Instead of a lightweight ballad about love, we have a borderline angry track about not paying for a service until the service is delivered to one’s satisfaction.
1983 25 weeks
Well at least these girls were back on track with this second single from their sophomore (and to date final) album, I guess this was meant to be the opposite of “Stickwitu” as this was a breakup ballad as opposed to that being about how in love with their partner they were. I would say that this was also referring to them hating the part they were irrelevant except they had two more hits the following year before that happened.
2008 25 weeks
This was the only hit that Soup Dragons managed to have worldwide, I’m guessing because they were often mislabelled as a reggae band when they were really more in the Madchester scene that was becoming more popular in their native UK around this time. I guess this made it big here because we couldn’t tell this apart from the likes of UB40 and Maxi Priest who were huge at the time.
1990 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 25 weeks
I’m surprised this collaboration didn’t happen much sooner in time considering how Aerosmith have been active almost as long as Santana has, I guess it was only once the latter found success by collaborating with some of the biggest names of the 90’s and 00’s that he finally decided to add a rock legend to his roster of collaborations with this track. Indeed, this sounds like something from the golden age of 70’s rock and roll which is likely why it was a hit.
2006 25 weeks
Following the success of his earlier entry on this list, Eric Carmen was able to score a hit without the assistance of being attached to a film with this lead single to his (then) most recent album. This led people to wondering if he was back for good after a twelve-year absence on the charts, however he wasn’t as this was the last time anyone had heard from the singer/songwriter.
1988 25 weeks
This was the only hit that Yellow dog managed to achieve in Australia and their native UK, I’m guessing because their brand of pop rock was invigorating for one hit during a time where more complex music was dominating the charts worldwide. Even so, it did better than many other pop rock tracks from the time, meaning that it did have a sizeable audience back in the day for the British band.
1978 25 weeks
Orianthi is an Australian guitarist and vocalist who was hired by MJ himself for his This is it tour, unfortunately she was unable to showcase her skills as a guitarist due to the tour being cancelled for obvious reasons. Still, that did give her enough buzz for her second album to spawn a huge hit with its lead single about how she doesn’t care about what her ex thinks of her so long as her current partner thinks the opposite.
2009 25 weeks
This was the only hit that the German band Scorpions were able to achieve in the English language market, although they are one of the most popular bands throughout Europe so it’s more our loss that the best they could do internationally was this ballad about how things were changing. This was inspired by the fall of the Berlin wall, making it an anthem to the end of the Cold war which happened this year.
1991 25 weeks
It may not have had any endorsements from De la soul like their earlier entry on this list, however this second single from the Gorillaz was still a massive worldwide success for the British band due to it being just as funky as their other hit from their second album this year. Although they consisted of a real-world band, their gimmick was their comic book style cartoon band that they used for their music videos.
2005 25 weeks
This is a song that seems to be way ahead of its time both in terms of its sound and the lyrics. The sound heavily reminds me of a Sega Genesis game which is why I believe it’s ahead of its time there, however the lyrics are very ahead of its time as it’s essentially this guy talking to his computer as if Facebook existed back in the 80’s. The gimmick of him getting love advice from his computer helped it become a huge success here.
1983 25 weeks
Well, this song’s absence on this side of my site was certainly felt, wasn’t it? Here we are with the second single from Jagged little pill which was somewhat side-lined here in Australia back in the day likely due to the album taking off when it reached the upper echelons of our charts. I guess it was also due to it being her big breakthrough in NZ given how it was her biggest hit over there.
1995 25 weeks
You’d think that the biggest hit from the Machinations would be “No say in it” or “Pressure sway,” instead it was this track which lasted quite a while on the charts thus making it their biggest hit by how long it lingered in the mainstream. It was also their final hit as the band would call it quits when their third album flopped later in the decade.
1987 25 weeks
This was the only hit that Charlie Daniels and company managed to score in Australia, although considering that A: it was a country track (and one that goes hard at that) and B: the lyrics were about an outlaw causing trouble, it’s a miracle that it was even as big as it was outside of the band’s native America. This is a song I first heard from Coyote ugly, so I was a bit surprised to learn it was a hit back in the day.
1979 25 weeks
It looked like Mandy Moore would be one of the leading forces of the teen pop era going into the new millennium, unfortunately for her and many of her contemporaries, the sub-genre would quickly become uncool by the end of the following year which prevented her from having many other hits like the ones she has on this list. Still, I don’t think she minds that didn’t happen given how she’s distanced herself from this music.
2000 25 weeks
This was a sleeper hit for 3T here in Australia, likely due to how popular the trio was in the UK as opposed to their native America as well as how RNB was still far from the most successful genre in our mainstream. This was their final hit as the novelty of them being the next entry in the Jackson dynasty had worn off after this.
1997 25 weeks
This was the only hit that Black sorrows were able to achieve during their career, although they had better luck with their albums as this song did allow their album Hold on to me to become a huge success as the decade was coming to an end as well as set them up for a very successful album in the 90’s. The band is best known for their lead singer Joe Camilleri who previously had success with Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons.
1989 25 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 25 weeks
This was the second big hit to come from Fedde Le Grand this year, this time it’s a remix of a track from Danish pop star Camille Jones from two years prior that became a massive hit not so much for the track itself but rather for its strange music video which showcases a bunch of secretaries being sexually provocative to an office worker throughout its runtime.
2007 25 weeks
In most parts of the world, Enrique only had two hits with his other appearances on this list from his second English language album Escape, however in the southern hemisphere, he scored a third hit from the album with this track likely due to it having more of a rock edge compared to what he had released up until this point. He would score one more hit this decade with “I’m not in love” before temporarily fading into obscurity.
2002 25 weeks
These guys had been active in the music industry since the mid 50’s, and while they saw a ton of success in their native America over the years, this was their only hit here in Australia due to it becoming a surprise hit for them in the UK. For some reason, the Brits labelled them as Detroit Spinners, I’m guessing due to there being an up-and-coming band named the Spinners at the time.
1980 25 weeks
This was a surprisingly good decade for Eric Clapton considering he hadn’t had any success with his singles in Australia prior to his appearance on MTV unplugged four years prior. Here he scores another hit due to it being the theme to the film Phenomenon where John Travolta plays a man who suddenly acquires telekinetic powers with chaos ensuing from there. It was a box office success despite mixed reviews due to the premise of the film.
1996 25 weeks
It looked like Matchbox 20’s third album would be a commercial disappointment for them worldwide given how its lead single “Disease” failed to become a hit anywhere in the world the previous year. Fortunately, this second single from the album proved to be a massive success here in Australia and the band’s native America, likely due to the video which compliments the lyrics about Rob Thomas dealing with mental health issues.
2003 25 weeks
