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 originally the second single from Chris Isaak’s biggest album Forever blue, it flopped here likely due to how inescapable the album was but was given a second chance four years later when it appeared in the film Eyes wide shut. The film is notable for being the last one to be directed by Stanley Kubrick before his death and also for being the third to star husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
1999 18 weeks
There didn’t seem to be any signs of Craig David slowing down in the mainstream as he released the lead single to his second album which became an instant success for him, I’m guessing because he was making the waves over in America this year with the material from his debut album which made him in the same leagues as Usher who was also enjoying a successful year around the world with his material.
2002 18 weeks
This was originally a flop for Nelly here in Australia due to his album not making many waves in our music scene despite its international success, however it got a second chance when it was featured in the film Scary movie 2 due to it being made by the Wayan brothers who were known for using drugs in their films and this song having a ton of drug references throughout its runtime (which were all censored on the radio of course.)
2001 18 weeks
Fans of Madonna’s Confessions on a dance floor will recognise the beat to this song on her hit single “Hung up,” however here it was used for a song that’s about wanting to hook up with a man for a one-night stand in the middle of the night as opposed to Madonna being fed up with her partner wasting her time. The success of this track proved that Abba’s popularity was still going strong entering the 80’s.
1979 18 weeks
This was the first major hit that John Swan was able to score here in Australia, I’m guessing this became a hit for two reasons. The first was that it’s a pub rock cover of the Bobby Darin classic from the 60’s and the second was that he’s the older brother of Cold Chisel front man Jimmy Barnes who was scoring massive success around this time with his own music. He would score another hit the following year with “Lady what’s your name.”
1983 18 weeks
This was the big hit off of Icehouse’s second album Primitive man, so much so that it was chosen as the lead single for their international release where it became a minor hit in the UK for them. This would be their last hit in Australia and NZ until their comeback album Man of colours, mainly due to them experimenting with their sound throughout the midpoint of the 80’s to varying results.
1982 18 weeks
This was the final hit that Alice Cooper was able to achieve for an entire decade given how he wouldn’t bother the charts again until his 1989 comeback album Trash, that also served as a return to form as this era saw him being a soft rocker as opposed to the rest of this catalogue which had him in glam rock.
1978 18 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 18 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 18 weeks
Does anyone else feel like this is an unofficial sequel to “I’m on fire?” Granted this was written for the film Philadelphia which helped Bruce win an academy award due to how well received that movie was, however, the melody feels like it was recycled from his earlier hit single to me. In any case, this provided him with his first hit single since that ballad as well as a renewed interest in his music this decade.
1994 18 weeks
Here we are with the third single from NKTOB’s second album here in Australia, it was their second Billboard chart topper in a row which should tell you how popular these kids were around this time. This song has received a lot of flak over the years for it desperately trying to prove how tough these kids are when in reality they obviously had it pretty easy in life up until this point.
1989 18 weeks
This is where it all began for Kelly Clarkson outside her native America as this second single from her debut album managed to crossover here in Australia due to its lyrics of a woman (presumably Kelly herself) regretting shutting herself off from affection out of fear of being mistreated. It remains a poignant track to this day and was a hint of what was to come on her subsequent albums.
2003 18 weeks
This was the last hit that these guys had here in Australia before they broke up so that Adam Ant could pursue a solo career the following year, I guess it retains their bombastic sound that they promised from earlier on the list even though the visuals in the video are far wackier than they have any right to be. They did score a couple of more hits in their native UK before they broke up for what it’s worth.
1981 18 weeks
Following the demise of Abba, Frida decided to embark on a solo career which was off to a good start with this song about how she believes her partner is cheating on her, basically how she felt about her relationship with Benny during their final years together. To date this is the last anyone has heard from any of the members when it comes to them in front of the mic, however Benny and Bjorn have seen success as songwriters.
1982 18 weeks
This was another hit that Sherbet managed to achieve back in the day, it was a huge success for them as was just about everything they released during Countdown’s first two years of existence due to being the most regular performers on the show.
1976 18 weeks
This was another big hit that is directly targeted towards the LGBT community from this year, although unlike Paul Lekakis’s hit from earlier, this was a massive hit in the UK for the American group involved. Like Paul’s hit, this was used in a dance competition during the final months of Countdown’s existence, which more than explains how it was a hit here given how it was promoted on the show and then crossed over to the queer community.
1987 18 weeks
Even though this was the second single from Too low for zero in Australia, it proved to be a massive success for Elton John like it was the first single from the album due to how much we celebrated his reunion with Bernie Taupin on the album. While his earlier entry on this list was meant to be a celebration for his comeback, here it’s a return to form as he brings Bernie’s lyrics to life like it was made ten years prior.
1983 18 weeks
This was the last hit that Destiny’s child was able to achieve in their career internationally, although they had one more hit on Billboard with “Cater 2 u” which is the opposite of what Beyonce would become known for throughout her solo career. Indeed, most of their catalogue saw a more lovestruck side of Beyonce and company which she would distance herself from the further into her solo career she got.
2005 18 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 18 weeks
This was meant to be the last song that Eminem released before he retired from music, of course that retirement lasted all of four years as he would return by the end of the decade with his album Relapse which was a commercial success for the rapper despite also being panned by critics like Encore was. In America, the big hit off his greatest hits album was “Shake that” which was his attempt at a strip club anthem.
2006 18 weeks
I wonder how many LGBT people signed up for the navy when this became a hit for the Village people back in the day, after all, the YMCA was a safe haven for queer men, and they gave their endorsement with their earlier entry on this list. This was their final hit in their native America, although they had one more hit in most parts of the world as it was the theme to their theatrical disaster Can’t stop the music.
1979 18 weeks
This was the biggest hit that Cold Chisel managed to achieve in their career, although it’s worth noting that they were more successful with their albums during their initial run than their singles hence why they never had that huge chart topper here in Australia. They almost did in NZ with this track, likely because this was the lead single to their album Circus animals whereas it was the second single here.
1982 18 weeks
Much like their earlier entry on this list, this was also a live recording of a song that the KLF recorded earlier in their career that only became a success due to their redemption arc they made after angering fans of Doctor who with their novelty track “Doctoring the Tardis.” This is my favourite song from the duo as it feels the most like a finished song to me, that and the train metaphor speaks to me.
1991 18 weeks
This was the song that made Duran Duran a household name in America, likely because it was the first video they released to have a high budget which their earlier songs in their catalogue didn’t have much of. The song remains a classic largely due to the video which depicts Simon Le Bon hooking up with a tribal woman in the jungles of South America which continues to captivate audiences to this day.
1982 18 weeks
This was the lead single to Culture club’s second album Colour by numbers, a common misconception is that “Karma chameleon” was the lead single to that album likely due to it being their signature track. It turns out it was this song that the band chose to lead their sophomore album with likely due to it sounding similar to a Human league song we’ll get to in a bit with the harmonica and melody of the track.
1983 18 weeks
This song sounds slightly different depending on if you’re listening to the single or album version, the album version isn’t as bombastic which likely suggests this wasn’t meant to be released as a single from the band. They obviously changed their minds when they put more bombast in the production and released it as a single which was for the best as it became their biggest hit in America and their native UK.
1984 18 weeks
This was the only hit that Pete Shelley was able to score here in Australia both solo and with the Buzzcocks, yeah, I hope you’re not prepared to see a lot of punk music on this site because I’m afraid that was unfairly ignored in Australia back in the day. I don’t know what this song is about, and admittedly I don’t think many people do either as it seems to be a success more for the instrumentation than the lyrics.
1982 18 weeks
Err…. how did this novelty track about the famous nursey rhyme connect with so many people this year? Oh, that’s right, the video which features Claymation of the nursery rhyme which strangely compliments the song’s campy tone which no doubt amused people back in the day. Evidentially this was a side project of Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan before his band saw mainstream success with their album Aenima.
1993 18 weeks
In most parts of the world, this was the third single to be released from Colour by numbers as it displays a more sombre side of the band as opposed to their more upbeat tracks about racial harmony. In America, this was never released as a single as they skipped over this in favour of “It’s a miracle” likely due to them being seen strictly as a fun band over there.
1984 18 weeks
This was the theme song to the theatrical adaptation of Orson Welle’s book 1984, a film that coincidentally came out in the year it was named after and was a box office success back in the day. I guess that explains the dystopian sound of this song which is very different from what we’d expect from the Eurythmics, after all the film and book had a dystopian setting for the year it was set in.
1984 18 weeks
This was a bit of a surprise hit for the Pet shop boys considering they hadn’t had a huge hit here in Australia since their cover of “Always on my mind” on the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. Then again, the lead single to their album Very was a modest hit earlier in the year, so perhaps they were due for a comeback this year even if it came with this cover of the Village people classic.
1993 18 weeks
This was the final hit that Wings were able to achieve before they called it quits heading into the 80’s, I’m guessing they wanted to end things on a high note as this song came out around the time they released their final album London town which curiously didn’t have this on the track listing.
1979 18 weeks
My introduction to this ballad was with the remix from the late 90’s by UK group Dario G which ruined the emotions of this track enough for me to not like it at first, of course I was eventually won over by the beauty of the track which no doubt tugged at the heartstrings of audience from back in the day. This was the band’s only success even in their native UK likely due to how different it was from everything else.
1985 18 weeks
We have one final entry from Sherbet for this site, again it was a huge success for them due to how well loved they were on Countdown during the first few years of its existence.
1975 18 weeks
Years before she scored a minor hit with “It’s only the beginning” which continues to be a favourite on oldies stations to this day, Deborah Conway was the lead singer of this band who named themselves after the song from the Sound of music. They scored their one and only hit with this song that’s about pubic hair, that’s right, a song about pubic hair was one of the biggest hits of the year in Australia.
1985 18 weeks
It seemed like these guys were accused of being frauds much like Milli Vanilli this year, as such they gave a live concert proving that they sung on their songs which got them in the clear in the music industry. Before all of this went down, they released the title track to their third album which became a massive hit for them worldwide, although it would be their final hit due to those allegations.
1990 18 weeks
This was an amazing year for Elton John given how he not only scored two massive hits this year but also managed to have each of his albums at this point be a massive worldwide success. Neither of his two songs this year appeared on his albums, and admittedly audiences likely wanted to hear this upbeat song about how awesome Philadelphia is over his more sombre ballad “Someone saved my love tonight.”
1975 18 weeks
This was the final hit that Faith no more was able to achieve in Australia, admittedly this was almost a decade after their final hit in their native America which gives you an idea of how much more popular these guys were here than they were in their homeland. Their lack of success back home led to them calling it quits the following year much to the chagrin of their Australian fanbase.
1997 18 weeks
There’s a really touching quote that I want to share that Cyndi gave when she was asked about why she was the way she was when her second single from her debut album went to number one on Billboard, “I’m not trying to be different, I’m just saying it’s OK to be yourself, and if you have a few quirky things, that’s OK too.” This is more or less the message she tries to convey in the video to this track about being there for an ex-lover if they want to resume a relationship with her.
1984 18 weeks
This was the debut single for one of the more popular Australian bands for the next ten years, although it was their only massive hit as their popularity came more from their albums as well as their overplay on the radio. I’ve never quite been clear about what this song is about, I know metaphorically it’s about diving up society but I’m not sure what wall they’re referring to as there were a lot of walls back in the day that did that.
1986 18 weeks
This was a very impressive year for Rick Price as he was able to score two hit singles from his debut album despite already being in his thirties when he released said album, although he was a popular session musician throughout the 80’s which explains why it took him so long to release said album. He did score minor success with his second album later in the decade, proving there was potential for him to be even bigger.
1992 18 weeks
Well, this is a song that’s bound to get stuck in your head after repeated listens, Haysi fantayzee scored their one and only hit with this psychedelia throwback both in Australia and their native UK before calling it quits for some reason. They even performed this on Countdown mere months before they broke up, so I’m not sure why they gave up on their careers so quickly.
1983 18 weeks
This was meant to be the third single to be released from Five’s debut album, although it was pushed back to be the fourth single likely due to them having the same “na na na’s” as what Will Smith had on his hit “Getting jiggy with it” from the previous year. The similarities didn’t prevent this from being a hit here in Australia for the British boy band, although I’m sure Will Smith fans weren’t happy about this.
1999 18 weeks
This will be the final appearance of Holly Valance on my site, mainly because “State of mind” wasn’t a big enough hit here to qualify for this list even though it might arguably be her best song (it’s my personal favourite at least.) Instead, we have this third hit from her debut album which is about how she know she’s a “naughty girl” (whatever that’s supposed to mean) and how she can’t help by be the way she is.
2003 18 weeks
This is arguably my favourite song from John Farnham, everything to admired about him can be found on this second single from Chain reaction from the passionate vocals to the inspiring lyrics to the melody and then some. It remains a staple on oldies stations to this day as do a lot of the songs on this list, although it wasn’t the biggest hit of his career as you’ve likely noticed on this list alone.
1990 18 weeks
It had been four years since these guys had a hit anywhere in the world, although at this point this was more of a Chrissie Hynde solo project as the other original members of the band had left for various different reasons. This meant that she went in a more pop friendly direction as opposed to her new wave roots from earlier in the decade which would explain how she was able to score hits from Get close.
1986 18 weeks
This was the first single that Rihanna released after a very dark period in her life, I won’t mention what it is because I want this site to be a safe space for everyone, but I feel that I don’t have to regardless because it’s so ingrained in pop culture that it would be redundant for me to do so. One thing I will say is that it appears that she didn’t want people getting the wrong idea that she was suddenly turned off by sex with this track.
2009 18 weeks
This was the final hit that Boney M achieved in most parts of the world, possibly as a last hurrah considering this came at the end of a very successful decade for them. If you couldn’t gather from the title, this is a holiday theme which continues the trend they had with their biggest hit “The rivers of Babylon.” It was likely adopted as a theme for TV commercials wanting to sell tropical vacations for a while.
1979 18 weeks
Well, it was the fourth single from the Grammy award winning soundtrack, oh yeah, I should mention that the Saturday night fever soundtrack won album of the year at the Grammys this year. In any case, we have this third hit that the Brothers Gibb were able to score this year, once again due to the vocal harmonies of the brothers as well as the irresistibly catchy disco beat they were synonymous with.
1978 18 weeks
This was the second single to come from the Spice girls second album/soundtrack to their critically panned film Spiceworld, it’s one of their rare ballads which obviously didn’t win filmgoers over as it was nominated for a Razzie for worst original song this year (although so was Aerosmith’s earlier entry so take that with a grain of salt.) Even with the backlash the girls were receiving, there was no signs of them slowing down this year.
1998 18 weeks
This was the lead single to Cold Chisel’s biggest album East; it was also the final song they released in the 70’s as it found its success during the first months of the 80’s thanks to the sentiment of the lyrics and Jimmy’s performance. Their earlier entry on this list was the bit hit from the album, although both of these songs do remain popular in their discography regardless of which one was bigger.
1979 18 weeks
This was the final hit single to be release from True blue, an album that had five out of five chart toppers if you were to combine the Billboard and UK charts. Here we have a Latin flavoured track from the queen of pop which was very different to everything else coming out at the time, no doubt this and a later entry on this list led to the likes of the Gipsy kings finding success as the end of the decade.
1987 18 weeks
It looks like Ted Mulry gang wanted to be “hip” and “with it” throughout the remainder of the 70’s as they altered their name to be its initials. They did score moderate success with this formula as this was a decent size hit for them this year, however audiences weren’t fooled by this change as they didn’t change up their sound much from their earlier work. At least they did away with the novelty tracks like “Jump in my car.”
1977 18 weeks
There were no signs of Guns n Roses slowing down this year as they released the third single from the Use your illusions era which was this cover of the James Bond classic. I guess the original remains one of the best remembered Bond themes due to how bombastic it is (it’s my personal favourite despite not being a Wings fan) so it makes sense that these guys would take a stab at it and find success.
1991 18 weeks
I guess this second single from ELO’s biggest album A new world record confirmed them to be the hottest new band from the prog rock category, it’s not one of my favourite tracks from the album (I would’ve released “Do ya” or “So fine”) but it was a huge success for them regardless. There’s still one more entry to come from the album which was their biggest hit over in America.
1977 18 weeks
This is the last hit that Kylie Minogue has had to date in her career, although she has tried to recapture her past glory over the years which does lead her to still occasionally chart even to this day. I will say that she’s doing a better job at being a legacy pop diva than Madonna as she’s yet to release something with the intention of it becoming a meme such as what Madonna’s latest singles from the 2010’s.
2007 18 weeks
This was the only hit from Warren Zevon throughout the world, although it remains one of the most popular songs on oldies stations to this day likely due to someone mashing this up with “Sweet home Alabama” in the late 00’s and scoring a massive hit with this mashup (I forget who that might be.) Indeed, this songs melody has been used in several different ways over the years to varying degrees of success.
1978 18 weeks
This was the final hit that Skyhooks managed to achieve in Australia this decade, although it wouldn’t be the final time they trouble the charts as they would return twelve years later with “Jukebox in Siberia” for their brief reunion tour in 1990. This is a song about the band’s love for women in uniform, making this a female empowerment anthem given how more women were finding jobs in the workplace.
1978 18 weeks
I guess we Aussies were eventually won over with their only being three members of Eternal as they were able to score a second hit here with this track, although it could be their contribution to Disney’s Hunchback of Notre dame which won us over despite “Someday” being a massive flop here. In any case, they scored one more hit later in the decade with “I wanna be the only one” before calling it quits.
1996 18 weeks
You know a film has connected with an audience when even its main character’s theme song manages to become one of the biggest hits of the year worldwide, that’s exactly what happened here as Axel Foley was so well liked by audiences that his theme was a huge success for composer Harold Faltermeyer. It’s perhaps best known for the Crazy frog remix two decades later, a remix that’s best left in the 00’s.
1985 18 weeks
This was the only hit either artist involved was able to achieve in Australia, although Stevie Nicks did see a ton more success with her albums and during her time with Fleetwood mac, so we at least knew who she was. Tom Petty on the other hand had less success here back in the day, sure his songs have popped up on oldies stations, but none of them found much success and his albums weren’t big either.
1981 18 weeks
This was the last hit that Roxette had over in America, although the rest of the world would keep them around a little while longer given how well they had aged into the 90’s from their 80’s material on their album Joyride. Here we have Marie trying to cope with a breakup she went through and how that person makes her have conflicting emotions about how it ended, it was a sure-fire hit for the duo thanks to the complicated feelings she provides in the lyrics.
1991 18 weeks
This was a bit of a return to form for No Doubt following their pop sell-out from earlier on this list, indeed I haven’t heard many people chastise this track the way they have for “Hey baby” which suggests that song was meant to be more of a testing ground for Gwen’s eventual solo career later in the decade. The band would have one more hit with a cover of a (then) obscure 80’s track before that came to be.
2002 18 weeks
This was the lead single to the Velvet rope, although I wouldn’t blame you for thinking her earlier entry was considering how that completely overshadowed this cover of the Joni Mitchell classic. OK so it’s not really a cover as Janet only samples the chorus to the original while she and Q tip have original verses, much like a bunch of other songs throughout the decade that managed to get big with this formula.
1997 18 weeks
Sheila E was the on again off again girlfriend of Prince, so it only makes sense that she was able to score a massive hit with a song that he wrote for her during the height of his popularity. She was another vocalist to achieve massive success by playing the drums on her songs, although I think she’s the first solo female drummer/vocalist to achieve a hit in the music industry and second after Phil Collins.
1984 18 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 18 weeks
This was a random hit that Nelly had this year about grillz, for the uninitiated, those are the fake teeth that rappers and other celebrities tended to wear throughout the decade, meaning Nelly made a song specifically about how he finds women wearing the mouthpieces to be sexy. I guess enough people also found the mouth gear to be sexy which is why it was a massive hit for him worldwide.
2006 18 weeks
This was the other big hit that Midge Ure had this year worldwide, and it’s the song that was blocked from the UK top spot with Joe Dolce’s hit from the start of the list which angered a lot of people back in the day. It seems appropriate that it would be a hit down under, although it wasn’t nearly as successful as you’d think given how it’s endured over the years as well as Midge Ure’s reputation in music.
1981 18 weeks
This was Live’s only hit in Australia, although many of their songs remain staples on the alternative and oldies stations to this day due to how inescapable their albums were this decade. This was the song that made their album Throwing copper a huge success as the album was released the previous year to minimal success, Triple J prevails once again in making a huge success for an alternative band.
1995 18 weeks
This was the lead single from the Eurythmics album Revenge, an album that proved to be the biggest for the duo despite never making clear what they wanted vengeance against. Here they have a song about the possibilities of the future which might have one of Annie’s best performances in her career, in fact the album in general has her at her best vocally which is perhaps why it was their biggest album.
1986 18 weeks
This was the big hit off of Cold Chisel’s breakthrough album East, a song about how Jimmy Barnes gets day drunk to help him cope with the loss of his girlfriend (who may or may not be the mother of his son David Campbell.) The song remains a classic to this day as does the majority of the tracks from East, it makes you wonder why it wasn’t a bigger hit until you remember it coming from a highly successful album.
1980 18 weeks
This was the second hit that the Young divas had here in Australia that was a cover of a song produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman back in the day and was a huge flop down under, this time they update the Lonnie Gordon classic from 1990 which I’m willing to bet was many people’s introduction to the dance pop classic of that era given how popular this cover was.
2006 18 weeks
There haven’t been that many Asian pop stars to make it big over the years in Australia, one of the select few was Seiko who scored a hit here with her duet with Donnie Wahlberg during the height of his popularity with NKOTB. Evidently this was the full extent of his solo career as he would go on to produce his younger brothers work while he fancied himself as a rapper.
1990 18 weeks
This was the debut single for a band who named themselves after the dog from the Wizard of Oz, it was an impressive first impression given how it was a massive worldwide hit as well as making the album it came from a huge success for the band. They were in danger of being a one hit wonder here until their fourth album took home album of the year at the Grammys which made it a huge hit for them.
1979 18 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 18 weeks
This was the debut single for Go West, a band who would see massive success this year with their debut album throughout Europe and would return five years later with a song that made it big off the Pretty woman soundtrack. Here they have a song about taking a chance in a relationship, this can be an obvious metaphor about the music industry taking a chance on their music which it did sporadically.
1985 18 weeks
Here’s the other big hit that ABC were able to achieve this year, although instead of it being a song about how Martin Fry was bitter at his ex-girlfriend’s success, it’s about how he’s falling in love with another person and that they should take a chance on him. This was the band’s biggest hit in their native UK likely due to how bouncy it is, and it even sparked their crossover success over in America.
1982 18 weeks
This was the third and final single to come from ELO’s breakthrough album, it’s also the song which made them big both in NZ and America as it remains their biggest hit in both countries. I can see why as it’s a more subdue ballad about a long-distance relationship, it’s a much more conventional song in their catalogue compared to the rock opera from the rest of the album.
1977 18 weeks
This was the last big hit that Icehouse managed to achieve in their career, although they did achieve one more minor hit the following year with “Miss divine” from their album Code blue. This came from their greatest hits package named after their signature track from eight years prior, an album that seemed appropriate to close out the decade as they broke through at the start of the decade to massive success.
1989 18 weeks
This is the final hit that George Michael had in his lifetime, it was the lead single to his final album Patience as well as another victim of the high amount of Australian idol contestants of 2004 which pushed aside everything in the mainstream in favour of the show’s monopoly on our charts.
2004 18 weeks
This was the last hit Paul McCartney had for three decades anywhere in the world, he did eventually score a hit when he was credited for his contributions to “Fourfiveseconds” in 2015 with Rihanna and Kanye West even if he only provided the instrumentation on that track. Here he scores a hit with the lead single to the soundtrack to his film Give my regards to Broad Street, a film that was panned by critics.
1984 18 weeks
This is the final hit that Janet Jackson scored in her career worldwide, mainly because she would find herself getting cancelled at the 2004 Superbowl for her wardrobe malfunction despite the fact that Justin Timberlake was the reason for why the world got a peak at her breasts that night. She hasn’t made any comment about how she feels about that night, although I doubt she has positive feelings towards the N sync member.
2001 18 weeks
Well, his band members Beeb Birtles and Graham Goble were able to score a huge hit this year with their duet from earlier on this list, so it seems fitting that lead singer of the Little river band Glenn Shorrock would score his own solo hit this year with this cover of the Bobby Darin classic from twenty years prior. It would be his final hit both solo and with the band until he re-joined them nine years later.
1979 18 weeks
I guess ATB was able to score a second hit in his career with this follow up to his earlier entry on this list, although I say that knowing full well that many struggle to differentiate this with “9PM” given how similar the two songs are to each other. I guess that explains why this was more of a sleeper hit here in Australia rather than a genuine mainstream success like that song was.
1999 18 weeks
Following the demise of Aqua from earlier in the decade, keyboardist Lazyboy decided to embark on a solo career which was a complete failure for him save for this spoken word track about how lazy he felt America was becoming during the midpoint of the 00’s. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be taken seriously or what, but it was a huge hit for him here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
2005 18 weeks
This is the final hit that Gwen Stefani had in her career both solo and with No Doubt, heck she hasn’t even had a hit since as a featured artist which should give you an indication of how far into obscurity she’s fallen since her second album. At least she ended things on a high note as this third single from said album was one of the better received in her career after two singles that still divide fans to this day.
2007 18 weeks
This was one of the last hit singles that the king of rock and roll had in his lifetime worldwide, it was made during his Vegas years which wasn’t having a positive aspect towards his mental and physical health due to all of the controversies he was finding himself in. At least the public hadn’t forgotten about him given how he kept finding hits all the way up to his untimely death.
1975 18 weeks
Well, this is just bizarre, we have this diss track that Eminem made to Insult the comic dog that somehow managed to become a hit for the rapper despite the fact that he was going after a comic strip whose gimmick was that they were poking fun at people like they were the Muppets. I guess people found this funny back in the day, it’s certainly hilariously ironic that Eminem of all people would attack the publication.
2005 18 weeks
Although his earlier entry on this list was the big hit off of Billy’s second RNB album Love zone, it was this song that was meant to promote the album as that track came from the Jewel of the Nile soundtrack and was later included on the album. Here Billy scores his biggest hit with and RNB ballad as the rest of his hits in his catalogue are more fast paced and more in line with his disco hits from the 70’s.
1986 18 weeks
This was the lead single to No jacket required, an album which many felt was the turning point for Phil Collins given how it was more in line with adult contemporary rather than the pop prog from his earlier hits. This song in particular has received criticism due to the melody sounding similar to “1999” from Prince, perhaps it’s this comparison that caused the song to not be as successful here in Australia as it was internationally.
1985 18 weeks
Obie Trice was another one of Eminem’s protegees from back in the day, although he wasn’t nearly as successful as 50 cent given how this was his one and only hit anywhere in the world. He would have problems with his mentor which would cause him to leave his label later in the decade, however he probably regrets doing so as even after cutting ties with him, he still failed to score a second hit.
2003 18 weeks
This was the fourth and final hit that Mariah Carey released from her third album Music box, it was a continuation of the theme of having a music box played to you from the CD as here she uses that melody to reassure the listener that she’ll be there whenever they feel like they need a friend. What really sells this track is the Motown choir which compliments her vocals and lyrics really nicely.
1994 18 weeks
This was the only hit that Little river band scored in Australia to have John Farnham on lead vocals, although they would score a huge hit internationally the following year with “The other guy” proving that people were open to the idea of John having replaced Glenn Shorrock as the lead vocalist at least for a little while. They changed their minds as the band didn’t find any further success with this line up.
1982 18 weeks
This was the final hit that the husband-and-wife duo managed to achieve in the 70’s outside their native America, although they would return in 1980 to score one more hit with “Do that to me one more time” before their popularity faded away for good even on the Billboard charts. This was originally recorded by Neil Sedaka but became a hit for them likely due to them being more popular at the time.
1976 18 weeks
To think that this advertisement for the Hard rock café (which opened its doors in the UK in 1971) was one of only two hits that Carole King managed to score here in Australia, I’m guessing because we Aussies loved the restaurant chain that much (I still go whenever I can afford it to this day.) I get the feeling this killed her creditability in the music scene given how she broke through with the masterpiece Tapestry around the same time the food chain opened.
1977 18 weeks
It looked like the Bee gees would be yesterday’s news when their previous album flopped on the charts worldwide, however their fortunes changed when they decided to hop on the disco bandwagon early on in its popularity which single handily revived their career worldwide as this topped the Billboard charts for them. For some reason, I always thought this was a Fleetwood mac single, possibly due to it lacking their trademark falsetto’s which they would develop throughout the second half of the decade.
1975 18 weeks
Although this was originally intended to be the third single from Janet’s album err…. Janet, it was also chosen as the theme song to her film Poetic justice which was panned by critics for her terrible acting. Despite that, the ballad received an Oscar nomination which explains why it was a Billboard chart topper for her, well that and audiences did appreciate the performance of her co-star Tupac Shakur.
1993 18 weeks
This was the only solo hit that Sophie Monk managed to have in her career following the demise of Bardot from earlier in the year, although it was likely only a hit for her due to hype built up from her time with the group as it was quickly forgotten about once her album became a flop for her. Nowadays she’s best known as a reality TV star given how she appears in shows such as the Bachelorette and Celebrity apprentice.
2002 18 weeks
Even though Lionel Richie had long since left the band by this point in time, that didn’t mean the Commodores couldn’t still find success without him as they had replaced him with British vocalist JD Nichols and soldiered on. They scored their one and only hit without Richie with this tribute to both Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye who died the previous year, making it an emotional ballad that resonated with audiences.
1985 18 weeks
This was one of the last hit singles that Marcia Hines was able to achieve in Australia back in the day, although curiously it remains her only hit in NZ despite it being far from her biggest hit over here. Here she proclaims that something is missing in her life, that something of course being the love of her life she’s trying to win over on this track.
1979 18 weeks
