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.
Dave Edmunds already saw massive success from the start of the decade here in Australia before he joined the popular UK group Rockpile, although it was during his time with Rockpile that he was able to score a comeback hit with this pop rock track just as the decade was coming to an end. Incidentally this became a success around the same time his band mate Nick Lowe was also scoring a hit with “Cruel to be kind.”
1979 24 weeks
Of the four hits that these guys had in Australia back in the day, this was by far the most normal as it wasn’t a cod reggae track like “Dreadlock holiday,” a glam rock track like “Rubber bullets” or even a sophistopop track (or whatever the 70’s equivalent of that was) like “I’m not in love.” Instead, we have a fairly straight forward pop rock track from the band which came from their biggest album Deceptive bends.
1977 24 weeks
This arrived a little late to the party here in Australia given how it was already a huge hit for Sean Kingston months prior in NZ and his native America, however it did eventually find success here likely due to the popularity of his debut single “Beautiful girls.” He would have one more hit down under with Justin Bieber on “Eeenie meenie” before fading into obscurity worldwide.
2007 24 weeks
This was a hit for Alicia Bridges twice in Australia, of course we’ll be looking at its original success where it rode the disco bandwagon for a song that seems more in line with RNB than anything. It wasn’t among the most inescapable tracks of its day; however, its legacy got a massive push fifteen years later when it was remixed for the soundtrack of Priscilla queen of the desert.
1979 24 weeks
It’s one of the greatest ironies in music that Barry Manilow didn’t write this song about how he writes all the songs of the world, admittedly this needs the arrogance of its actual songwriter Bruce Johnston (of the Beach boys) in order to be the way it is. Apparently, it was originally given to the Captain and Tennille but was eventually given to Barry when the husband-and-wife duo felt it wouldn’t make for a good single.
1975 24 weeks
The song this live concert is paying homage to was originally released by Abba from their 1977 self-titled album which was clearly meant to be a homage to the music of the 40’s and 50’s given that was no doubt the music which made Abba want to become musicians. So basically, we have a live rendition of a song that was made in the 70’s which in turn was paying homage to music from the first half of the century.
1999 24 weeks
This was the first of three hits that JX managed to achieve in Australia, although he wouldn’t find any success in his native UK until his third hit two years after he made it big down under with this jam. If you need any proof that we Aussies had made EDM our music genre of choice this decade, look no further than the countless artists who made it big exclusively down under with their dance tracks.
1994 24 weeks
I guess it was inevitable that these Disney ballads would find mainstream success given how they were all sweeping the academy awards throughout the Disney renaissance. Here we have the second ballad to win best original song which was this duet between Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle covering the love ballad from the magic carpet scene from the movie Aladdin. It was a number one hit on Billboard and a huge success throughout the rest of the world.
1993 24 weeks
This was the second hit that Laura Branigan managed to achieve in Australia with a cover of an Umberto Tozzi track, although unlike “Gloria” this was only a hit here as the rest of the world had since moved on from her ballads. Indeed, this would be her final hit here as we too decided to was time to give success to other pop divas who had unique voices from this decade, it’s a shame because she was talented.
1984 24 weeks
Well, this was a surprise hit for Belinda Carlisle this year, she last troubled the charts five years prior with “Live your life be free” from the album of the same name which became her first album to not be released in her native America. I’m guessing this was a hit to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her solo single “Mad about you,” the times may have changed but Belinda’s appeal certainly hadn’t.
1996 24 weeks
I don’t think “He’s a dream” gets enough love from the Flashdance soundtrack, American EDM duo Deep dish seemed to agree as they took the track from Shandi and remixed it where it became a massive hit in Australia and the UK over two decades after the film came out. I guess in order to honour its source material, the duo named the remix after the film rather than the original track.
2004 24 weeks
This was initially a flop for Eric Hutchinson likely due to it receiving no promotion in his native America when it was first released the previous year, it eventually became a hit here in Australia and NZ due to its inclusion on the Packed to the rafter’s soundtrack which had exploded in popularity this year due to how popular the show itself was. Unfortunately, this was the singer/songwriters only hit even in the southern hemisphere.
2009 24 weeks
This was the only other hit that Marty Rhone had in his career in Australia, although it was a big enough success for him that it sparked international interest in him which sadly never came to be as with most Australian artists during the height of the Countdown era. He did try to retain his popularity after this, obviously to no avail.
1977 24 weeks
This was the biggest success that Paul Kelly achieved back in the day, it’s a song that still resonates with audiences to this day due to the story he tells about an abusive husband who seeks to redeem himself to his wife. Even though he never achieved mainstream success outside of this hit he had, he remains one of the most well-respected Australian artists of all time to the point where his greatest hits package was a huge success in 1997.
1987 24 weeks
This was the only hit that ZZ Top managed to achieve in Australia, I’m guessing it was due to it being about how much the trio likes the legs of a woman they were singing about on this track. Whatever the reason was for this being a hit, it allowed their album Eliminator to be a huge success this year after sitting on shelves ignored for over a year, making this a very happy ending for the band.
1984 24 weeks
This was the debut single for Taylor Dayne, a woman who would go on to have massive success in the early 90’s thanks to her powerful vocals albeit with ballads rather than her more upbeat dance tracks such as this song. It turns out this crossed over here in Australia due to it being a massive success in the UK as this was only a modest success in her native America, although it would be her only hit there.
1988 24 weeks
This was the first song that Van Halen released with Sammy Hagger on lead vocals, while it wasn’t as big a hit as their final song with David Lee Roth, it did launch a new era for the band as the album proved to be a massive success for them. Sammy would remain with the band for the next ten years before he departed under similar circumstances to that of David and was replaced with the guy from Extreme.
1986 24 weeks
From what I can gather, this second single from Leona Lewis’s sophomore album was chosen for a charity known as Sports relief in her native UK, this meant that the ballad was a hit worldwide likely due to charity which allowed her to escape the one hit wonder bin her earlier entry on this list threatened to trap her in. She wouldn’t have another hit in most parts of the world after this.
2008 24 weeks
I guess “When you’re gone” was meant to be a calm before the storm for Avril’s older fans as she released this third single from her album which confirmed that she was making music for the type of audience she was originally rallying against on her first two albums. I get that she wanted to change things up with her third album which worked out for her commercially, however fans cried betrayal at this change in direction.
2007 24 weeks
This was the first of only two hits that Madness had in Australia, although a little-known fact about it is that it’s a cover of a Labi Siffre track from ten years prior which surprised me considering that these guys were known for writing their own songs. Their second hit came when they appeared on Countdown to perform all of the singles from their greatest hits album Complete madness.
1982 24 weeks
Given how “Here I am” managed to get a second wind on the Australian charts the previous year due to how well it did in America, it only makes sense that this song would also be given a second chance as it was the band’s biggest hit from Labour of love II in their native UK two years prior. The other two international hits on the album “Homely girl” and “The way you do the things you do” weren’t given a second chance here.
1991 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 24 weeks
Technically this was the first hit that Miley Cyrus had as Miley given how her earlier entry on this list was originally released on her Hannah Montana album before it was later repackaged as her debut single from the real world. This is a song written about her ex-boyfriend Nick Jonas (of the Jonas brothers) which was reportedly inspired by 10 things I hate about you which in turn is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the shrew.
2008 24 weeks
Your guess is as good as mine as to why Eternal’s ballad from the previous year flopped here in Australia, although Monica was able to make it a success with her rendition this year likely due to her having a string of Billboard chart toppers following the success she had with Brandy on “The boy is mine.” This would be her last hit in Australia as she wouldn’t have any success in the new millennium.
1999 24 weeks
This was apparently recorded back in the late 50’s when Freddy was just starting out in the music industry, apparently his label had faith in this ballad as they released it this year following the success of his earlier entry on this list. It became a huge success for him, although it was nowhere near as popular here or his native America as it was in NZ where no joke, it was the biggest hit of the decade.
1975 24 weeks
This is Dannii Minogue’s biggest hit in the UK, although in Australia that honour goes to “Love and kisses” from the start of the decade likely due to the goofy lyrics about eating at McDonalds on that track. If this sounds like a disco track, that’s because it originally was as this is a cover of an obscure track from the 70’s written by Van McCoy of “The hustle” fame, how Dannii discovered the original is a mystery.
1993 24 weeks
This was the only hit single that Christopher Cross was able to score in Australia, I’m guessing it was due to being a theme to the Dudley Moore flick Arthur which allowed it to win an academy award for best original song shortly into the new year. I haven’t seen the original version, although I have seen the remake and if the original is anything like the remake, then it’s a very overrated film.
1981 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 24 weeks
This was the only hit that Yvonne Fair was able to achieve in her career, it’s a passionate cry for her claiming that she should be the one who ends up with the man of her dreams on this track which has made it a staple for scenarios people find themselves in with this situation. This is also a rare Motown track to make it big in Australia, perhaps this was our way of atoning for ignoring all the labels classics in the 60’s.
1976 24 weeks
This often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to BEP’s catalogue, mainly because it wasn’t as big a hit as all their other entries on this site likely due to it being a rehash of “Shut up” from their previous album only with Fergie also needing to defend herself from her partner like the other three with theirs. It was still a hit for the group, mainly for the laid-back production and the sentiment still coming through.
2005 24 weeks
This was the debut single for Toni Childs, a woman who struggled to find success in her native America as did many of the other entries on this list as America was slow to adapt the female singer/songwriter trend into their mainstream. Here she was a massive success thanks to the popularity of her debut album where it became one of the biggest of the decade, in fact her next album was also a huge hit for her.
1988 24 weeks
It looked like there was no stopping Sweet given how this was released from their album Give us a wink just after they scored a massive hit with “Action” from their previous album Strung up, however aside from having one more hit later in the decade with “Love is like oxygen,” this would be the last we heard from the band proving how quickly the glam rock scene had died out in the second half of the 70’s.
1976 24 weeks
This was the last hit that the Sweet were able to achieve anywhere in the world, I feel like these guys got ripped off in the mainstream throughout the decade given how they were one of the most popular bands worldwide thanks to how big glam rock was during the midpoint of the 70’s. At least they got in one final hit before the decade was out with a song about how love is like the air that we breathe.
1978 24 weeks
This was the first of only two hits that Joe Camilleri managed to have with his band Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, the other being “Taxi Mary” from the early 80’s which was his final hit before they broke up and he formed his new band Black sorrows. Naturally he found more success with those guys in the 80’s and 90’s, however he originally found success here thanks to how catchy this track was during the Countdown era.
1979 24 weeks
This was the only hit for everyone involved with the song, it was a massive success in their native UK as well as here in Australia due to it being a catchy EDM track during a time where EDM was about to take over the mainstream in the latter country. This was yet another act who made it big with one hit this decade only to forever fade into obscurity once their said hit had fallen off the charts.
1993 24 weeks
You’d think that this would be a fast-paced RNB jam judging by the name of the band who made it as well as the name of the song, instead we have a smooth RNB jam that wouldn’t have felt out of place on the Saturday night fever soundtrack making it big this far into the 80’s. This was their only hit back in the day, and sadly Fat Larry would pass away later in the decade putting an end to their time together.
1982 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 24 weeks
I’ve got to be honest, I’m not sure how this managed to become a hit in Australia as Adrian Gurvitz didn’t have any success with this track anywhere else in the world. I guess this was a hit due to audiences who didn’t want to buy into the MTV generation getting something out of this ballad.
1982 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 24 weeks
It turns out Biggie Smalls wasn’t a one hit wonder here in Australia after all as he managed to achieve a second posthumous hit here with this posse cut with Diddy, Nelly and Jagged edge. I suppose if 2pac was able to keep scoring hits worldwide from beyond the grave there was no reason his main rival in his lifetime couldn’t do the same.
2006 24 weeks
This was the lead single to the Divinyl’s second album What a life, an album which remains their most successful in their career due to it spawning multiple singles despite this being the only one that became a hit for them. It remains one of their more repetitive tracks, however that didn’t prevent it from becoming a surprise hit for them over in NZ the following year and sparking international interest in them.
1985 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 24 weeks
This is another song I’m surprised wasn’t that much bigger in Australia back in the day, then again that might be due to how many times I’ve seen the scene where this is played in Priscilla queen of the desert which turned this heteronormative track about getting over a bad relationship into a queer anthem about coming out of the closet. This needed two attempts to become a hit in the UK, likely due to the dozens of remixes it has.
1991 24 weeks
This was an amazing year for Ciara as she scored a third hit in a row around the world with this track, here she recruits Ludacris to provide a guest verse for her which normally wouldn’t have done the song any favours (save for Usher’s “Yeah”) but in this case it likely helped Ciara have that third hit here in Australia as the album they all came from failed to become a success like the singles were.
2005 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 24 weeks
I guess Kate Dearaugo managed to achieve what Guy Sebastian achieved and none of the other winners of Australian idol had by scoring a second hit soon after winning the show, although this is more of a track from the Veronicas as it was originally meant for their debut album but was cut from the album and donated to her instead. Even though she achieved huge success on her own, she still ended up joining Young divas later in the year.
2006 24 weeks
Apparently, this cover of the Bangles classic was meant to be a tie into a Happy day’s musical that premiered this year, although I doubt anyone even remembers this and likely thinks this was just the big hit off their second album which was named as a way of counting down to the new millennium. They would have further success in the 00’s still as a boy band before switching over to being a throwback group.
1999 24 weeks
It turns out we Aussies were somewhat familiar with the Prodigy prior to their mainstream breakthrough with “Breathe” given how this second single from their sophomore album Music for the jilted generation managed to become a surprise sleeper hit here in Australia upon its initial release. I’m not sure why this was the song which saw them breakthrough here given how it wasn’t among their biggest hits in their native UK.
1994 24 weeks
Well at least there’s one version of this track from the Beastie boys that made it big in Australia, unfortunately it comes to us from a German group who seemed to have missed the point of the original. Then again, a lot of people didn’t realise that the original was being ironic towards frat culture as you often find it in soundtracks to frat movies, and the American trio have long since distanced themselves from it.
1998 24 weeks
This is the fourth and final single to be released here in Australian from JT’s second album, although most other parts of the world had “Summer love” released as a single too which perhaps makes this an example of the album cycle being different depending on where in the world you’re from. This was a common theme this year as there have been several entries on this list where that was the case.
2007 24 weeks
This nearly made my 1999 list given how it cracked the ARIA top ten upon its initial release, however it appears we Aussies couldn’t decide if we liked these guys because they were teen idols or a pop rock band which resulted in it spending most of its chart run in the lower half of our charts. Thankfully because of my decision to include sleeper hits on this list, it more than qualifies for this entry.
1999 24 weeks
We have another entry from a song that would be a perfect fit for Dance dance revolution, Dreamworld were a Swedish band who scored their only hit with this song here in Australia due to it being another worthy banger for our dance floors upon its initial release. I’m not sure how we Aussies were able to discover all of these gems back in the day, however they make for a great playlist for a night out.
1995 24 weeks
Jaki Graham first had a hit in her native UK a decade prior with “Could it be I’m falling in love,” it wasn’t a hit here in Australia, but this cover of the Chaka Khan classic was likely due to us Aussies realising how little success Chaka had back in the day and rewarding her with given success to her covers whenever we could. This flopped in Jaki’s native UK, possibly due to her being part her prime at this point.
1994 24 weeks
There was still no shortage of EDM making it big in Australia this year, here we have a big hit from Italian DJ Brainbug who made it big with this song that feels like another entry into the DDR soundtrack that seems to be made to cash in on all of these songs from Europe throughout the 90’s.
1997 24 weeks
It appears we Aussies were amused enough with this bizarre track from the Floaters for it to be a huge sleeper hit for the band during the height of the Countdown era, this is impressive given how little RNB there was throughout the decade on our charts and yet this novelty track managed to beat out the likes of Earth wind and fire and the Manhattans as one of the bigger hits of the decade from that genre.
1977 24 weeks
This was the first of three hits that Maxi Priest scored in Australia over the years, it’s also his only cover as he took the Cat Stevens original and turned it into a reggae track to help him establish a career away from UB40. This was likely one of the songs to kick star the 90’s fascination with reggae given how many other tracks from the genre made it big that decade.
1988 24 weeks
While this wasn’t the first hit that Enrique Iglesias had in his career, it was the first one he had in the English-speaking market given how it was his first song he recorded in English. I guess the Latin craze wasn’t as successful here in Australia given how he would only be a bestselling artist here with his next album, specifically when the lead single became the unofficial anthem for 9/11.
1999 24 weeks
Max Sharam was a promising indie singer that Triple J heavily promoted on their station, although this was her only hit likely due to it placing very high on their second annual list in an attempt to bring her music to a wider audience. Her popularity was limited to her one and only album which wasn’t a big success for her, although I’m not sure why she never recorded another album in her career.
1994 24 weeks
Although “Should’ve known better” did scrape the top ten here in Australia, it won’t be appearing on this list due to how it was only barely a hit here this year. Fortunately, Richard’s second single from his debut album was a much bigger hit despite it having a lower peak here. I do prefer his earlier single mainly because it’s more upbeat than this ballad, however they both showcase his strengths as a vocalist.
1988 24 weeks
This was another song that required multiple attempts to make it big here in Australia, although it’s the debut single for one of the most influential women in music even if her influence wouldn’t be felt until her second album. This made it big once “Holiday” became a surprise success here in Australia, proving how much we Aussies love the future queen of pop even back in her earliest days.
1984 24 weeks
We haven’t had many Asian pop stars making it big in the west, have we? Here we have one of the lucky few to do so as Coco Lee is from Hong Kong who scored a massive hit this year exclusively in Australia with one of her few English language tracks about whether the person she’s singing to is interested in her or not. It easily fits in with all of the teen pop that made it big on this list.
2000 24 weeks
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for Strike in their native UK, likely because EDM wasn’t the biggest genre over there throughout the decade. It was given a second chance this year due to a remix which allowed it to be a huge success here in Australia where EDM was the biggest genre of the decade. This was their only hit like so many other dance acts of the 90’s.
1995 24 weeks
This is another song that required several attempts to become a success here in Australia as it finally saw the upper echelons of our charts after its third rerelease, although considering how unpopular RNB disco was on our charts (at least compared to the rest of the world) the fact it eventually clicked with us Aussies was an impressive feat for the aging Lou Rawls.
1977 24 weeks
Before he became the lead singer for the Models, James Freud was a solo artist who had a backing band by the name of the Modern Day Poets who scored a huge hit this year with this new wave track about how he fell in love with a modern girl. I’m guessing this was meant to be the antidote to all of the rockabilly tracks that were coming out around this time which was all about living in the past.
1980 24 weeks
It looks like the Bellamy brothers were able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with what has to be one of the corniest songs to ever be a hit anywhere in the world, I mean the title alone should tell you what you’re in for here and yet this managed to be a sleeper success right when the decade was coming to an end here and in the UK of all places.
1979 24 weeks
Before they were Disco Montego, this family duo went by Kaylan who scored a massive sleeper hit at the start of the 00’s with this EDM track proving that the genre still had plenty of appeal left even if it was largely pushed aside in favour of all the teen pop of the moment. Naturally they would find further success once they rebranded themselves with their earlier entry on this list.
2000 24 weeks
Given how this was a genuine hit for Chris Brown over in NZ, it appears we Aussies were willing to allow this to become a modest sleeper hit for the troubled RNB star going into the 2010’s which likely resulted in his comeback a year after its release in the form of his album F.A.M.E.
2009 24 weeks
I can see why this wasn’t as much of an immediate success here in Australia as the other two big hits Wang Chung had during their heyday as it’s nowhere near as catchy as “Everybody have fun tonight” or “Dance hall days,” that said, it was a decent success for the band and proof they didn’t need to resort to gimmicks in order to find an audience during the height of the sophistopop era.
1987 24 weeks
Although this didn’t last very long in our top twenty like their earlier entry did, this was the big hit that Shakaya had during their brief time together likely due to it being one of many songs to subvert the Cinderella cliché of waiting around for something positive to happen in your life (something that hasn’t happened in ANY version of the fairy-tale, but I digress.) It also showcases the girls at their best both as singers and rappers.
2002 24 weeks
Here’s the other big hit that Michelle Branch had here in Australia so soon after her first big hit, yeah it turns out that we Aussies were a bit iffy towards making her a household name even with the endorsement that Santana gave her with this collaboration back in the day. Again, I’m not sure why as Avril Lavigne and P!nk were able to find success around this time with little issue.
2002 24 weeks
While this wasn’t the first hit that Split Enz had here in Australia (stay tuned for that in a bit) this was the song that convinced them to permanently migrate here to Australia given how much more popular it was here than it was in their native NZ. The best would come at the start of the 80’s where they began with one of the biggest hits of that decade with “I got you.”
1979 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 24 weeks
It would’ve been tempting for this to be a remix of the Human league track of the same name given how that came out eleven years prior to massive worldwide success, however this is an original track from the British DJ Felix that was a massive success in his homeland as well as a decent success here in Australia likely due to it being an EDM track during the height of that genre’s popularity here.
1992 24 weeks
This was one of the less successful songs that David Essex had here in Australia, although it’s worth noting that this was the lead single to a highly successful album of his which did produce his biggest hit in the form of “Hold me close,” so perhaps this was a case of us Aussies passing up what we felt was more of the same from him in favour of that pop track.
1975 24 weeks
I’m not sure how this track landed on the radar of us Aussies given how it was a huge flop in Voyager’s native UK (I’m guessing Countdown had something to do with its popularity) however it proved to be one of the bigger sleeper hits as the decade was coming to an end on our charts.
1979 24 weeks
This was the lead single to Ugly kid Joe’s debut album (bearing in mind that “Everything about you” came from their debut E.P despite that too being included on said album) the song was a huge sleeper hit here in Australia mainly for the presence of Julia Sweeney as her character Pat Riley in the music video. Now if you’re looking to accuse a 90’s property of being transphobic, Pat Riley and her movie it’s Pat is something I wouldn’t mind you going after given how offensive that is even for its time.
1992 24 weeks
There are so many versions of this song that it’s impossible to tell which one was the version that became big here in Australia, I’m playing it safe by featuring the original version even though that sat on shelves ignored in the southern hemisphere for almost a full year despite it nearly topping the Billboard charts upon its initial release. I guess you can thank the Addam’s family remix of the song for its success down under.
1994 24 weeks
Although country music wasn’t the big rage here in Australia at the start of the 80’s like it was internationally, there was enough love for the genres down under for ballads such as this from Don Williams to be a moderate sleeper hit whilst the wackier new wave tracks dominated the upper echelons of our charts.
1980 24 weeks
Although these guys did achieve moderate success with their second album Live through this here in Australia (likely due to Courtney Love’s explosion in popularity following the tragic death of her husband Kirk Cobain around the time of its release) it was this title track from their third album which really put them on the map despite their previous fans crying sell-out due to how much more pop friendly it is.
1998 24 weeks
I guess Richard Marx had a bit of bad luck with his more upbeat tracks as this is the second track in that vein to appear on this bonus list of mine for the first time following “Should’ve known better” from earlier. At least this was more of an immediate success in his homeland as it became his second consecutive Billboard chart topper following “Hold on to the nights” from his first album.
1988 24 weeks
This briefly scrapped our top ten just as the decade was coming to an end, I guess this was our way of letting the Script know that they were in for massive success throughout the 2010’s here in Australia which proved to be the case given how their next three albums did very well down under.
2009 24 weeks
Although they refused to use Countdown as a platform for their music (a bold move for them to make) Midnight oil nonetheless managed to achieve sound success with their breakthrough E.P even if the best was yet to come for the band.
1980 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 24 weeks
“Earth song” might’ve been the bigger hit that MJ had here in Australia, however his other song about the environment he released in the 90’s also did decently well with us Aussies even if it took its sweet time in finding an audience with us as opposed to the rest of the world where it was an instant success for the king of pop.
1992 24 weeks
This was the final hit that Chicago had here in Australia or anywhere outside their native America for that matter, I guess the rest of the world was tired of their brand of soft rock even though they continued to rack up the hits well into the 90’s on the Billboard charts. Even then, this was only a success here in Australia thanks to how long it stuck around for on our charts.
1984 24 weeks
This is the last anyone heard of Nelly Furtado given how her 2010’s output bombed so hard that none of it even touched the charts anywhere in the world, Timbaland would have one more hit after this with Katy Perry before he too fell into obscurity worldwide.
2009 24 weeks
If you ever wanted to hear Diana Ross’s take on a James Taylor classic, well this is the closest you’ll find get to that as we have Marcia Hines launching her singing career with this cover which was a massive sleeper hit for the American born singer following her successful run as Mary Magdalene in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar.
1975 24 weeks
It feels a little weird that this was the big hit off of UB40’s self-titled album, mainly because “Breakfast in bed” with Chrissie Hynde was the big hit off that album in NZ and their native UK. I guess we only wanted to hear one duet between Ali and Chrissie back in the day but also wanted to acknowledge this album now that they had success over in America.
1989 24 weeks
Whilst these guys were able to rack up the hits in America and their native Canada, this was their only other noticeable success here in Australia which even then was likely due to the success they had with their debut single from earlier on this list (although I don’t have any inappropriate album art to share with you on this entry, I’m afraid.) It’s another case of a sleeper hit finding a long shelf life on oldies stations nowadays.
1982 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 24 weeks
If you can believe it, Countdown wasn’t particularly successful in stamping out all of the 50’s crooners with their comebacks of the day. Here we have the first Billboard chart topper that Neil Sedaka had during its midpoint which admittedly wasn’t as inescapable internationally as it was in his native America but was regardless a huge success for the aging crooner here.
1974 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 24 weeks
Maybe dolls were similar to that of Baby animals (right down to the bizarre band names) in that they were a pop rock band that saw moderate success right before Australian bands had a hard time with finding success in the mainstream. Here they are with their only notable single that did fairly well despite failing to appear on the upper half of our charts during its chart run.
1991 24 weeks
This will be the only song of Jet’s to appear on this site given how the rest of their catalogue were too much of sleeper hits to qualify for these lists of mine, this one managed to crack the upper echelons of our charts this year due to its similarities to John Lennon’s “Imagine” on a musical level despite the song having lyrics about a breakup rather than imagining a better world for tomorrow.
2004 24 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 24 weeks
I’m not exactly sure why this entry from LL cool J became a huge sleeper hit here in Australia, I’m guessing it was due to us Aussies being more receptive of hip hop given how the rapper turned actor did have a huge hit here with “Hey lover” two years prior to when this caught on.
1997 24 weeks
Like many RNB songs from back in the day, this was very late to the party here in Australia as it didn’t see the light of day here until it had dropped off the charts in NZ and the trio’s native America. I guess we checked it out to see what all the fuss was about, however we clearly weren’t impressed with its gimmick of repeating words at the end of each sentence like the rest of the world was.
2001 24 weeks
It looks like Christine Anu was able to score a second hit here in Australia, this time it’s with her cover of a track from Zoe from 1991 which makes this a rare example of an Australian taking an international hit that bombed here and finding success with it. This is also another example of a song I couldn’t sworn was one of the biggest hits of its time and yet it appears so low on this list.
2000 24 weeks
It turns out this was a sleeper hit here in Australia after all for Climie and Fisher, it’s still too low on this ranking for my liking given how much oldies stations love this ballad, however the fact that it at least caught the attention of us Aussies back in the day is a bit of a reassurance for me.
1988 24 weeks
