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 the final hit single that ELO were able to achieve in most parts of the world, presumably because fans felt it was a return to form with their more operatic catalogue after two albums of disco hits. After this they struggled to find mainstream relevancy due to them not fitting in with MTV, this was a fate shared by many prog bands of the 70’s despite their music being melodramatic enough for the era.
1981 21 weeks
I think I’m in the minority when I say that this is my favourite song from Jewel, sure it’s a sell-out and a complete betrayal of what she had released prior, however I appreciate her trying to make a pop song and I think she did a fairly good job on this track. Of course, her justification for this song in particular is that it was supposed to be a parody of pop songs which many have felt had become vacuous by this point.
2003 21 weeks
It’s strange to think that this was the biggest hit from the Reels and not one of their fan favourites like “Quasimodo’s dream,” then again, I guess we Aussies would’ve been nostalgic for the Herb Alpert classic they covered which would explain why it was a huge success for them right when MTV launched.
1982 21 weeks
This was a fantastic year for Mya in Australia as she not only achieved two hits on her own, but also was part of a highly popular posse cut from the Moulin rouge soundtrack (which we’ll get to in a bit.) Here she sings about being free from a toxic relationship, presumably the same one that she was in on her earlier entry on this list which makes this a compelling narrative if that’s the case.
2001 21 weeks
This was the only hit for Minnie Riperton during her short life on this planet, yes, she would go on to tragically pass away by the end of the decade from cancer which makes this one of the more bittersweet hits to become a success on my site. This song has gained infamy for Minnie’s high note at the end of each chorus as well as the lyrics admittedly making no sense, I think the song is cute for what it is.
1975 21 weeks
This is a companion band for the Timex social club, a group whose best known for their hit single “Rumours” which sadly didn’t become a hit here in Australia. I bring this up because we went from that dance classic to this cover of the Bill Withers track which became a massive success thanks to its reggae beat. It appears that UB40 wasn’t the only band to score a huge hit with a reggae cover of an RNB classic.
1987 21 weeks
This was originally released as the B-side to “Give it away now” which was a massive flop for the band worldwide, it was given a second chance when it was released as a lead single given that it found its way onto the Coneheads soundtrack likely due to having a music video which has imagery similar to what is found in the SNL movie. I guess we Aussies loved the flick as this became a huge success for them here.
1993 21 weeks
I don’t know whose bright idea it was to have this be the second single released from the Pet shop boys and not their first here in Australia, this resulted in the song not being as successful as it was internationally as their second single “Love comes quickly” was their debut single here. I guess the fact this was still a hit despite how late it was should prove how memorable it was compared to everything else this year.
1986 21 weeks
You may think that Maxine Nightingale was an American artist considering she saw massive success on Billboard with her disco classics, however she’s actually from the UK and likely only saw international success due to how women of colour seemed to have been synonymous with the genre regardless of where they were from originally. Here we have her biggest hit which set the stage for other women to fight over the crown for the queen of disco.
1976 21 weeks
This was the lead single to Taxiride’s second album Garage Mahal, an album that was only a moderate success for the band purely through how big this song was at the time of its release. It remains their biggest hit in their catalogue as their two songs from their first album weren’t that big here all things considered despite this easily being able to fit in with their debut album from three years prior.
2002 21 weeks
I guess Duets was a box office hit here in Australia, either that or we Aussies really wanted to allow Gwyneth Paltrow to have a singing career as her cover of the Jackie DeShannon classic (which was used to showcase how weak of a vocalist she was in the film) became a huge hit this year here and nowhere else in the world. This was the only other hit she had as none of her other singles charted down under.
2001 21 weeks
People tend to think that this is a silly reggae track about partying at a club named electric avenue, they couldn’t be more wrong as this is in fact a protest song about starting a riot on a street where a police brutality took place and then taking it to a higher authority to see justice for the victims. This was the only hit that Eddy Grant had in Australia and in America, however he had a ton of success in his native UK.
1983 21 weeks
This was the penultimate hit that Jordin Sparks had here in Australia, her final hit would be with Guy Sebastian on a collaboration where she attempted to bring him to an international audience (it’s still to come on this list.) I think Jordin was becoming more popular here in Australia than she was in her native America as this was a much bigger hit here than it was on the Billboard charts.
2009 21 weeks
This is often considered to be the showstopper of Grease, mainly because it’s the moment where Sandy realises that even though she’s aware that Danny might be bad for her, she can’t help but be in love with him which many people have related to over the years. It remains her biggest solo hit from the soundtrack and no doubt served as a reminder of her innocent years before she shook up her image.
1978 21 weeks
Although this was recorded long before it became the theme to the TMNT theatrical film this year, it only became a success due to its inclusion in the film as well as the success that rapper Ya Kid K had with Technotronic throughout the year. It seems that Hi tek 3 have all but faded from existence as aside from this becoming a huge hit for them because of the film, their legacy seems to have been erased.
1990 21 weeks
Depending on where in the world you’re from, this is either the lead or second single from Elton John’s comeback album with Bernie Taupin this year. It was the lead single here due to it being the perfect song for Elton to return to his former roots from the 70’s, this allowing it to become one of the biggest hits of the decade in his career and one that cemented his relationship with Bernie as a permanent one.
1983 21 weeks
This is a song that’s appeared in just about every bad child’s media over the years, so it’s easy to forget that it was once upon a time a huge hit single for the British/American band Katrina and the waves back in the day due to how shamelessly happy the song is even for the mid 80’s. This was their only hit for the longest time until they reunited in 1997 where they went on to win Eurovision for the UK that year.
1985 21 weeks
This was originally a hit for Tommy Roe back in the late 60’s, although it was covered by comedian Vic Reeves and British band Wonder stuff for charity which is why it became a huge success this year. This didn’t do the band any favours for their music career, likely due to charity singles having a bad reputation in the music industry.
1992 21 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 21 weeks
This was the only notable success that Paul Norton was able to achieve in his career, mainly because he managed to break through at a time that was good for Australian pop rock but not good enough for an artist to guarantee success going into the 90’s. I guess he was hoping on receiving promotion from Countdown revolution following the success of this track which he received, but it didn’t do him any favours.
1989 21 weeks
I think this was meant to be the debut single for Bow wow (then known as Lil bow wow) if it was then it was a massive flop in his native America as “Bounce with me” was the hit that introduced him to his fellow Americans. This was a surprise hit throughout Europe for him which likely explains why it was a hit here in Australia, although it was his only hit as a kid as he wouldn’t have another until he became an adult.
2001 21 weeks
The original version of this track was a fun dance pop number about how a boy that Britney’s into is driving her crazy due to having conflicting emotions about these feelings, naturally this wasn’t a strong enough premise for this to be a huge hit, so it was given the remix treatment to help it achieve the success her earlier entries on this list had. Suffice to say I’m not a huge fan of this remix as it kills the groove for me.
1999 21 weeks
This was the first song that Bananarama released without Siobahn Fahay, she left the group claiming that she wanted to spend time with her husband David Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) but later admitted she had issues with the direction the trio was heading with their music when she returned with Marcella Detroit as Shakespeare’s sister later in the decade. Indeed, her vocals were replaced with her replacement Jacquie O’Sullivan which helped this become one of their bigger hits down under.
1988 21 weeks
This was the only hit single that prog trio Emerson Lake and Palmer were able to achieve anywhere in the world, this no doubt led to the success of their album the Works vol 1 here given how it had a genuine hit single to its name down under. If you thought Genesis gets a bad rep when it comes to prog fans, I’d advise asking them what they think of these guys unless you’re prepared for a foul-mouthed rant.
1977 21 weeks
I should point out that TLC stands for the initials of the trio in question, that being T-Boz, Left eye Lopez and Chilli. I feel this is a good place to point that out as aside from this fourth single from Crazysexycool being a massive hit for the trio in Australia for some reason, there’s not much I can say about it as it doesn’t have the personality that defined them throughout the decade.
1996 21 weeks
While this wasn’t the final hit single these guys were able to score in Australia (that honour goes to “Rocking all over the world” from the following year) it was the last massive hit they had which goes to show how little success these guys had compared to their native UK where they were massive hit makers as recently as the early 90’s. At least you still hear all of these songs on oldies stations to this day.
1977 21 weeks
I get the feeling that Madonna wanted to play Felicity Shagwell in the second Austin Powers flick, that would explain why she was chosen to make a theme song to the film as they likely went with this as compensation for her being denied the acting gig. It proved to be a fantastic theme for the film despite it only playing in one scene where Austin is trying to figure himself out now that he was back in the 60’s.
1999 21 weeks
These guys were all set to give up when they released this song as a single, it’s a shame they did give up soon after its release because it became a huge worldwide success for them likely due to how heartfelt the lyrics are and how catchy the melody is. Who knows what these guys would’ve released if they had of believed in themselves after this became a success.
1991 21 weeks
This was the first sign of Gwen Stefani wanting to branch out in a pop direction, or at least that’s what people who dislike this song will tell you as the song which made No doubt a household name was “Just a girl” which was only slightly less pop friendly than this lead single to their third album. It features a guest verse from Jamaican rapper Bounty Killer who adds his flavour of reggae to the mix.
2001 21 weeks
This is one of the more memorable songs as the decade was coming to an end, likely due to the dreamy atmosphere the song creates with the heavily reverbed vocals as well as trance production meant to simulate how sweet this person is that the duo finds. The uncredited vocalist on here is Sharon Woolf who does a fantastic job at bringing this gem to life which resulted in the British duo’s success.
1999 21 weeks
I get the feeling this second single from Destiny fulfilled had a bit of an identity crisis here in Australia given how I’m actually not that well familiar with the version that has both T.I and Lil Wayne on the track and instead just with the version with the trio by themselves. I guess the two rappers were meant to be the soldiers in question that the girls were singing about throughout the track.
2005 21 weeks
This was a stacked year for Alanis Morissette, not only was her Grammy award winning album the biggest of the year but it also managed to spawn four huge hits for her throughout the world this year alone with this fourth entry being the second biggest here in Australia. This is known for its harmonica solo which has made it one of the more iconic songs in her discography, although it would prove to be her last hit in certain parts of the world.
1996 21 weeks
I guess Mariah’s popularity was beginning to dwindle here in Australia given that she had come off not one but two of the biggest albums of the decade, even so she was able to score a massive hit with this lead single from Butterfly which is an album about emancipating oneself to fly away into who they want to be. Naturally this album has resonated with audiences since its initial release, especially those who feel like they’re trapped by society’s regime.
1997 21 weeks
It appears that Jenny B was only called upon to provide the vocals for “Rhythm of the night” as the rest of Corona’s one and only album had Sandra Chambers as the vocalist for some reason. I’m not sure why they didn’t allow Olga to sing as she was a decent vocalist, then again at least she did sing on these tracks live which is more than I can say for other attractive women of colour from EDM groups this decade.
1995 21 weeks
This was the first solo hit that Deborah Harry had following the demise of Blondie from earlier in the decade, admittedly she did try to go solo around the time Autoamerican was tearing up the charts from the start of the decade, however no one seemed to be interested in her solo venture at the time. Indeed, this was a massive flop in her native America and only became a success when it crossed over to the UK for her.
1986 21 weeks
This was the final hit single that Madonna scored in the 80’s, mainly because “Oh father” flopped which was her first song to do so since “Lucky star” back in 1984. This is one of her sweeter ballads as she pledges her love to the person this song is dedicated to (which is apparently a Mer person according to the video) and as such it remains one of her most popular tracks from the 80’s in her fanbase.
1989 21 weeks
Although they had success prior to this song becoming their first top ten hit in Australia, this is the point where they went from a mere pub rock band into a huge household name here that had them spark international interest in them. Indeed, this track about wanting a relationship to continue even after its clearly over was a minor success over in NZ and even allowed the album to be a hit over there.
1981 21 weeks
This was the only hit that Joan Armatrading was able to achieve throughout her career, although it’s worth noting that she was one of the most successful artists of her day if we were measuring her success with her albums sales even though The key was her only album to be a massive success here in Australia. Given how often this plays on oldies stations, I think it’s safe to say that this song has resonated with audiences since its initial release.
1983 21 weeks
This was originally a showtune from the 30’s film of the same name, it was made famous by Gene Kelly’s rendition which has endured over the years for good reason. Over fifty years later, we have Taco’s rendition which helped the Indonesian born German star find international success with the track, although it cemented him as a one hit wonder due to how indicative of the times it was.
1983 21 weeks
If you’re wondering where the heck this EDM track came from, you’ll probably be shocked to discover that this came from Jam and Spoon of “Right in the night” fame as they rebranded themselves to be anime fans as evidence by the Astro boy bootleg that appears in their promotion and the video for this track. They would score another hit later in the year with this formula which we’ll get to in a bit.
1995 21 weeks
Well, if nothing else, you can’t accuse Robbie Williams of being one dimensional as this was his venture towards ska pop which I suppose wasn’t too far removed from his venture towards swing from earlier in the decade. It was a big hit for him worldwide, although it would be one of his last hits as his next album would see him venture towards hip hop which fans didn’t appreciate.
2005 21 weeks
Although he would see massive success in his native America throughout the 80’s, it likely wouldn’t have happened had this breakthrough hit for him here in Australia not become as such this year. I’m guessing the lyrics didn’t jive well with American audiences as it is essentially Johnny looking for the perfect one-night stand, however it certainly did jive with us largely thanks to a memorable performance of it on Countdown.
1978 21 weeks
This was the band where Madonna began her music career with, albeit as their drummer as the lead singer was always Dan Gilroy during their time together. I’m guessing the success that their former drummer was having worldwide allowed audiences to check out their music which would explain the success of this track, well that and the fact that it’s one of the catchiest songs to come out of the decade.
1987 21 weeks
It looked like that the Euroglider’s third album would underperform given how it initially only spawned a hit with its lead single, however it saw a massive rebound this year due to the success of the third single which became a huge success for the Eurogliders in the early months of the year. They would have one more hit later in the decade with “Groove” before they called it quits in 1989.
1985 21 weeks
This was the winner of Eurovision for this year, boy howdy did the marketing want you to know that as it’s impossible to find album art for this song that doesn’t mention that it one Eurovision this year. It’s easy to see how this British band won as they were effectively a British version of Abba and Abba was still one of the most popular bands throughout Europe even leading up to their breakup.
1981 21 weeks
This was the first hit that both men on this track had in Australia, in fact it was their only hit here for both of them as they didn’t have other hits here like they did internationally. At least this duet helped Julio score a massive hit with his first album in English, although it did no favours for Willie Nelson who didn’t bother the charts outside of his native America after this.
1984 21 weeks
This was the third hit that Shaggy achieved on his comeback album hot stuff here in Australia, this time he recruits Samantha Cole to provide the chorus for him as he gushes about the love of his life and how fortunate he is to have her as his partner. Apparently, this was originally recorded with Janet Jackson for a soundtrack a movie no one has ever heard of from 1998, that would explain why he rerecorded that track for this album.
2001 21 weeks
This was the debut single for a man who was promised so much success this decade between this and his earlier entry on this list, as I said this was an even bigger hit in NZ proving that there was plenty of crossover appeal for Billy’s lounge music that sadly didn’t end up coming to be after this year. I guess he was deemed to kitschy during a time where Barry Manilow and the Captain and Tennille were superstars.
1981 21 weeks
These guys already had a hit earlier in the decade with “United we stand,” although it was this song which helped them win Eurovision that made them a household name as that earlier track was only a modest success upon its initial release. These two songs were the British group’s only success here in Australia, although they scored further success later in the decade by ripping off Abba’s material.
1976 21 weeks
This was the only hit that Ja Rule had from his album the Last temptation in his native America, I’m guessing it was mainly for the video which is an homage to the final song sequent from Grease only with Ja Rule as Danny and Ashanti as Sandy (this was a good year for musicians of colour taking on roles originally done by Caucasian actors.) It’s also the second “thugs need love too” ballad from the pair in question.
2003 21 weeks
This was the second single to come from La Bouche’s album this year, it’s a song that shares its name with a Eurythmics track that in turn had a cover from Marilyn Manson that was also released this year albeit as a massive flop. This song has nothing to do with that track as it’s a dance track about how the duo is looking for love on the dance floor whereas that song is about err…… whatever it’s about.
1996 21 weeks
While the duo already had success in their native America prior to their Billboard chart topper, this was the song which made them an international household name likely due to the lyrics about how Daryl is calling out how privileged this woman is. The duo was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder in Australia as none of their other tracks from the 70’s crossed over here, although they were very popular in the 80’s.
1977 21 weeks
This was the second Oscar winning ballad this decade to come from Maureen McGovern, an actress/singer who scored both of her hits with these two ballads in Australia as they were both attached to highly successful films that she also appeared in. This came from the Towering inferno, a disaster film about how a fire starts in what was supposed to be the tallest building in the world and the struggles that were had containing the fire in the building.
1975 21 weeks
This was originally released in 1982 to deafening silence for the Belle stars, likely because we didn’t need yet another update of the calypso track from the 50’s by the early 80’s and that the Belle stars already had success with their hit “The clapping song” here in Australia and “Sign of the times” in their native UK. The girls had broken up by the time their cover had appeared in the Oscar winning film Rain man, so the video was reedited to have scenes from the film spliced in with the original clip.
1989 21 weeks
It looked like there were no signs of this husband-and-wife duo slowing down as they were able to score further success during the second half of the decade thanks to their breakthrough single “Love will keep us together” from the previous year, although their popularity here in Australia wasn’t anywhere near as successful as it was in their native America where they scored a ton more success.
1975 21 weeks
This was a two for one deal for John Denver as he released two of his more popular tracks from his (then) latest album Windsong in order to retain his popularity in the mainstream. This paid off for him as the double entry was a success as was the album itself, although it appears audiences suffered from overexposure from the country singer as he struggled for relevancy after this.
1975 21 weeks
This was the third and final hit that Euphoria was able to achieve back in the day, this time we have Andrew Klippel on lead vocals which is perhaps how it was able to find success given how the other two tracks featured Holly and Keren on lead vocals. Sadly, this story doesn’t have a happy ending to it as Holly would tragically take her life later in the decade due to family drama.
1992 21 weeks
It seems weird that Guess who never much success had here in Australia given how well remembered their catalogue is on oldies stations, what’s even weirder is that the lead singer Burton Cummings managed to find success following the bands brief demise in the mid 70’s. Burton never officially re-joined the band, likely due to the surprise hit he had with this ballad that he’s been trying to replicate.
1976 21 weeks
This was the second Billboard chart topper that REO Speedwagon was able to score this decade, this of course meant that this ballad about not realising what you have until it’s gone would be a huge hit for them here in Australia due to the lyrics connecting with audiences of the day. This would be the last anyone would hear from the band as they would fade into irrelevancy after this fell off the charts.
1985 21 weeks
This was the breakthrough single for the Bloodhound gang, one of those comedy bands whose sense of humour is what I can charitably describe as an acquired taste. If your sense of humour lines up with theirs, then you’ll likely have a ton of fun with their music and if it doesn’t, it’ll probably annoy you to no end. Unfortunately, my sense of humour doesn’t line up with theirs, so you can guess how I feel about them.
1997 21 weeks
The last time Heart saw any success in Australia was ten years prior when “Magic man” became a huge hit for them, here they are ten years later with their biggest hit on Billboard which (to me at least) sounds like a prototype of Roxette’s “Listen to your heart” which makes it a favourite of mine. They would have one more hit in 1990 with “All I wanna do is make love to you” worldwide.
1987 21 weeks
The legends are true people, Lindsay Lohan did in fact have a singing career that consisted of two albums that saw a moderate amount of success for the former Disney star. This was the lead single of her first album which was her version of “Piece of me” from Britney Spears as it addresses her public behaviour (back when it was mostly innocuous) and how she was fed up with tabloids exploiting it for profit.
2004 21 weeks
This was the second hit that Kim Wilde was able to score here and in her native UK, the latter was because the Brits looked after their own throughout the 80’s whilst the former was due to a memorable performance of it and her earlier entry on Countdown. Indeed, she was well liked during her first time on the show, which would explain how she scored two more hits the following year that weren’t that big in her homeland.
1981 21 weeks
I hope you appreciate all of the Australian entries on this list because they’re about to become scarcer as we move forward in the decade, Rick Price was another Australian artist pipped for good things this decade as this was the first of two hits he was able to score from his debut album this year. Sure, it’s another rip-off of John Farnham, however John was well loved at the time and these songs do hold up to this day.
1992 21 weeks
This was Laura Branigan’s biggest hit throughout Europe, likely due to it being a cover of a popular hit over there by a pop artist by the name of RAF. Here in Australia, it was her third biggest hit due to the themes of her losing control over a partner she’s with, similar to how Christine Daae loses her self-control whenever she’s around the Phantom of the opera which this video pays homage to two years before the stage show premiered.
1984 21 weeks
This was the one and only hit from the Australian trio Slinkee Minx, mainly because it’s a cover of a Belinda Carlisle classic that while obscure everywhere else in the world, is fondly remembered down under due to it being a huge hit for her back in 1990. This is basically a dance remix of the original track as aside from adding a catchier beat than what the original had, there’s hardly any difference between the two songs.
2004 21 weeks
This was the only hit that Joe Jackson was able to score here in Australia, although given its subject matter about what it’s like to be a real man (something that was up for debate even back then) it was a sure-fire hit for him as he challenges the very notion of toxic masculinity on this track which connected with audiences this year. This led to his album being a massive success for him which put him on the map.
1982 21 weeks
I don’t know how this hip hop track managed to become a hit in Australia, even if it was a hit in their native America (which it wasn’t) hip hop didn’t do well here in Australia until 2000 when Eminem broke down the barriers with his album the Marshall Mathers L.P. In any case, we have this track from the hip hop posse becoming a surprise success here which was a rarity for anyone from the east coast of hip hop.
1991 21 weeks
This was the only hit that Princess had here in Australia, oh yeah there was an RNB singer from the UK who called herself Princess just how there was a British band who called themselves King from around this time. This was one of the earlier hits to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman, meaning that their earliest cliental consisted of women of colour and members of the LGBT community.
1985 21 weeks
This was the other big hit that Queen achieved from their album the Works, indeed it’s the more recognisable song of their two on this list largely thanks to who Freddie longs to be free from a toxic relationship he found himself in around this time. There was a bit of minor controversy from the video as it depicted the members in drag during a time where homophobia was at the height of its popularity.
1984 21 weeks
While this wasn’t the debut single to come from Ricki Lee (we’ll get to that in a bit) it was the song that confirmed the Australian idol contestant from season two that she was the real deal despite being eliminated early on that season. Indeed, she was a fan favourite for that season which makes her early elimination that much more shocking at the time and especially in retrospect.
2005 21 weeks
This was the debut single for Seal, an RNB singer who began his career as an EDM vocalist with this song about how it was good to take chances in a relationship or as he puts it “being a little crazy.” This would be a far cry from his later material which would have him become a more contemporary RNB singer which would lead to his biggest success not just in his native UK but throughout the whole world.
1991 21 weeks
This was the final hit that the Angels were able to score in Australia during their time together, although this was likely due to them taking their sweet time in releasing another album this decade as they wouldn’t release one until 1998. That’s an eight-year gap between Beyond salvation and their next album, and needless to say the times had changed against their favour which led to them breaking up.
1990 21 weeks
This was the only hit that Canadian singer/songwriter was able to score in Australia throughout his career, it’s curious because he did score success with his earlier hit singles on Billboard and in his native Canada and yet this was his only hit here despite this being a huge bomb in both countries. I guess this became a hit due to us wanting to give him at least one hit down under and this was our favourite track from him.
1987 21 weeks
Here we are with the lead single to the band’s third and final album, naturally it was a continuation from their earlier sound but with them appealing to the early MTV crowd months prior to when the program would launch later in the year. This was likely a success here for two reasons, the first was that they performed it and “Antmusic” on Countdown this year and the second was that it and their previous entry were both chart toppers in their native UK.
1981 21 weeks
The legends are true people, Jennifer Love Hewitt did in fact have a singing career before she transitioned into acting beginning earlier in the decade as a teen pop idol similar to that of Alanis Morissette. Like the Canadian singer/songwriter, she transitioned into a more mature singer/songwriter with this track that was written for the second film in the I know what you did last summer franchise which she also happened to star in.
1999 21 weeks
This was the bigger hit that Supernaut were able to score here in Australia, although we’ll get to their signature track in a bit as “I like it both ways” was the song that put them on the map originally. I’m guessing these two songs weren’t as big as what Countdown made them out to be due to these guys arriving a little too late to the glam rock party to be among the biggest bands of the decade.
1976 21 weeks
This was one of many hits this decade that relied on nostalgia baiting to give it success for (then) modern audiences, in this case Pato Banton has Ali Campbell of UB40 fame cover the song from the Equals in order to given him a chorus to connect his own verses. The song was a massive hit with this formula worldwide, and likely prompted the likes of the Fugees and Warren G to follow suit.
1994 21 weeks
This was another two for one deal to make it big in Australia, this time it’s the fourth and fifth singles from Vanessa Amorosi’s debut album which were likely bundled together in order to give her a fourth consecutive hit from the album. The two songs are totally different from each other as “The power” is an upbeat track about living her life to the fullest whilst “Everytime I close my eyes” is a downtempo love song.
2000 21 weeks
This was the final hit that Foreigner were able to achieve in most parts of the world, heck this was a bit of a surprise hit here in Australia considering how these guys didn’t have much success after their previous album Agent provocateur in their native America. I guess they were more popular here over the years hence why we were able to give them one more hit ten years after they first broke through.
1987 21 weeks
This was the only hit that City Boy were able to achieve in their career, I’m guessing it was due to this not being that big of a hit in their native UK despite it being a surprise hit over in America this year. I guess this was one of the more memorable pop rock tracks to come out from the decade.
1978 21 weeks
This was the final hit that the Offspring were able to achieve in their career worldwide, I’m guessing it was due to the video which showcased lead singer Dexter Holland in what appears to be an homage to the CGI series Reboot which likely sparked nostalgia for audiences at the time given how their debut album came out the same time that show premiered. I guess there are worse ways one’s popularity can die in the music scene.
2003 21 weeks
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock’s Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won’t be making an appearance on here. This likely would’ve been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show’s introduction.
1974 21 weeks
If I had to pick a favourite track from these guys, this would be it as it’s by far the bounciest song in their catalogue as well as it being an ode to the ladies who were admittedly their biggest demographic back in the day. Their next song would be their sole Billboard chart topper, although it’s also the point where they became more popular in America than they did in Australia (stay tuned for it.)
1980 21 weeks
This was the fourth single to come from Don’t ask, and it became a bit of a surprise hit for Tina given how the third single “Heaven help my heart” underperformed here earlier in the year. I’m guessing this was the ballad which made the album an international success as said album peaked around the same time this was released as a single.
1995 21 weeks
This will be one of only three appearances from the Sugababes on the Australian side of my site, although like most British groups (specifically the girl groups) they were much more successful over in NZ throughout the decade. The girls are best known for their multiple line-up changes throughout their career, to the point whereby the time the band was no more, none of the original members were a part of the group.
2002 21 weeks
This is the final hit that Billy Idol managed to achieve in his career, likely because it came out when the 90’s was still considered to be the 80’s and thus was able to connect with audiences upon its initial release. Now unlike many other people on this list, Billy did try to change with the times with his next album. The album was Cyberpunk which sees him moving towards industrial rock to hilarious results.
1990 21 weeks
Considering James Brown lived for another fifteen years when this song was recorded, I’m guessing what the Dutch group meant by him being dead was his legacy which even back then couldn’t have been further from the truth due to how much nostalgia people had for soul. I guess we Aussies found this concept to be hilarious which is perhaps why it became one of the bigger hits of the year.
1992 21 weeks
This was the first big hit that R.E.M were able to score in Australia, although they did have minor success in NZ during the late 80’s with the likes of “The one I love” and “Orange crush” which have both become staples on oldies stations down under. I’m guessing this made it big due to the sudden rise in popularity of people questioning their faith in religion, that and the jangle instrumentation being catchy as hell.
1991 21 weeks
One of the sillier tracks to become a hit here, we have this metal band scoring a hit with a track about how they don’t like to be called dude. If there’s a more dated song to become a hit from the start of the decade, then I’m unaware of it as this couldn’t be more dated if it had the TMNT rapping over this with Vanilla ice for one of their films.
1990 21 weeks
Although this was an E.P from Spiderbait, the success of its title track ensured that they were able to score a hit from their third album Ivy and the big apples this year. Like many of their songs, this is a rather short track which is perhaps why the band felt it necessary to bundle it in an E.P as they felt they needed to give audiences their money’s worth when buying a single from them.
1997 21 weeks
This was the biggest hit of Andy’s career over in America, although in Australia that goes to his earlier hit “I just want to be your everything” given how that’s catchier than this track. Even so it was an obvious hit for the younger brother of the Bee gees given how it was written by his older brothers with international success in mind, although his popularity would come to an end later this year.
1978 21 weeks
This was the debut single for the Little river band, a group who would go on to have massive international success by the end of the decade due to how well they were promoted on Countdown during their inception. While this has fallen by the wayside in terms of their popularity, it did give them the success they needed to make their classics throughout their career.
1975 21 weeks
This was the song that initially made INXS a household name, so much so that it no doubt led to the success of their breakthrough album Shabooh shoobah which would of course lead to them conquering the world as the decade went on. This is less conventional than their later tracks as they did begin their career in the new wave trends before becoming increasingly more contemporary as the decade went on.
1982 21 weeks
This was originally a hit for Candi Station two decades prior where it remains a disco classic to this day. Rather than use the original for the party scene where the two leads meet in Baz Lurhman’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, he instead got unknown American singer Kym Mazelle to cover the original which allowed her to finally score a hit single after almost a decade of no success in the music industry.
1997 21 weeks
Following the demise of Shakespear’s sister, Marcella Detroit managed to score a solo hit here in Australia with this ballad proving that had they kept things together, we would’ve supported the duo going forward this decade. Apparently, they couldn’t agree upon whether they should be wacky like Siobahn’s previous band Bananarama or go in a more serious direction like Marcella wanted to.
1994 21 weeks
Well neither the original version from Nina Simone nor the popular version from the Animals was a success in Australia back in the day, however this disco rendition from the French band Santa Esmeralda was a success so at least there’s one version of this soul classic that managed to make it big here. Naturally the band failed to capitalise off their surprise hit worldwide as they were never heard from again.
1977 21 weeks
Given how this was coming from not one but two of the biggest albums of the decade, you’d think that this collaboration would’ve been more inescapable back in the day given how it was a song about protecting the children of the world from two former teen idols. I can’t even say if this song’s success came from Kylie’s fans or Robbie’s as neither fanbase seems to be that fond of the collaboration.
2000 21 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 21 weeks
This was another solo hit that Daryl Braithwaite was able to score this decade, I wish I had more to say about these songs but I’m not a fan of his 70’s output like I am with his revival period.
1977 21 weeks
