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.
Well so much for these guys being a one hit wonder with “Barbie girl,” this proved to be an even bigger hit in most parts of the world due to it not being pulled from shelves in order to promote their album Aquarium. As for the content, we have Lene imagining herself as a love interest for Indiana Jones which I’m sure was a major part of the songs appeal.
1997 15 weeks
This is the song where many people had turned on Bryan Adams for a few reasons, first off it was number one in the UK for sixteen weeks, making it one of the best charting songs of all time over there. Secondly it was tied to the Kevin Costner version of the famous Robin Hood fable which to this day divides audiences due to his admittedly terrible performance as the titular character.
1991 15 weeks
This is a song that should be much higher on this list but isn’t due to having most of its success contained in the first few weeks of its release, this is due to it being the first victory single from a reality show contestant (or in this case group) to make it big in Australia which sets the tone for how the decade would turn out down under.
2000 15 weeks
This was originally released the previous year to massive success for Nena throughout Europe, largely due to the lyrics being about how the end of the world came when a sentry mistook a bunch of red balloons for an attack against them. The song was liberally translated into English which didn’t match the ton of the original story or the melody of the song, this resulted in the original version becoming the big hit internationally except for America where the English version was the big hit.
1984 15 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 15 weeks
Considering this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America, you may be shocked to see how low this second single from Mariah Carey’s comeback album the Emancipation of Mimi is on this list. Alas this isn’t the result of its success being taken away due to illegal downloads, it just wasn’t as inescapable here in Australia or indeed anywhere else in the world as it was on the Billboard charts.
2005 15 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 15 weeks
Shark tale is a film that seems to divide audiences, it all comes down to whether or not they appreciate this parody of the Pixar formula the same way that Shrek 2 (which also came out this year) parodies the Disney formula or if they feel that the film is nothing more than a collection of pop culture references strung together to try and form an incoherent plot. At least people like the theme song from Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott.
2004 15 weeks
This was the lead single to Culture club’s third album Waking up with the house on fire, an album which seemed to alienate their fanbase as it moved away from their more fun tracks and towards more politically charged messages. Indeed, the lead single was a blatant cry to end the cold war, calling it stupid and pointless which while I agree with their sentiment, wasn’t the way to go about ending it.
1984 15 weeks
One of the most popular films of the decade was the first Mission impossible flick, a theatrical adaptation of the TV series which spawned a massive franchise as well as confirm Tom Cruise to be an action star which aside from Top gun from a decade prior he really wasn’t at this point. The theme song is the films strongest asset, it was composed by members of U2 Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
1996 15 weeks
Well, this is the lead single to the first of two albums which saw Metallica go in a more mainstream direction than their previous album which fans had already complained was a watered-down version of their earlier work, I guess the message their old school fans were sending these guys was that they really didn’t want the masses to influence what these guys would make in their discography.
1996 15 weeks
This was the centrepiece of Phil Collin’s Grammy award winning album No jacket required, a ballad about how he wants to spend one more night with this person before they go their separate ways. It remains one of his more popular songs in his catalogue due to it being one of his biggest hits of the decade, although it’s often cited as one of the reasons why he was so hated throughout the decade.
1985 15 weeks
Given that they were able to sort out the drama I mentioned with their earlier entry on this list, Euphoria released this second single from their debut album which saw no issues with becoming a huge hit for the trio and even sparked international interest in them due to how incessantly catchy their tracks were. There’s still one more entry for them to come on this list before they faded into obscurity.
1992 15 weeks
There seemed to be no signs of these guys slowing down when they released this ballad which almost became yet another chart topper for them in Australia, indeed they were riding high off the success of their international popularity which makes the failure of their next album all the more upsetting (or hilarious depending on your point of view.)
1977 15 weeks
This was another hit to come from a Jamaican artist this decade here in Australia but not over in NZ, I guess the kiwis had finally grown tired of reggae music after three decades of embracing it throughout the twentieth century. In any case, we have this one and only hit from Kevin Lyttle which can be taken the wrong way as a song about forcing a romance due to the lyrics but has rarely been taken as such due to how catchy it is.
2004 15 weeks
If you can believe it, the original version of this track from Kool and the gang was never a hit here in Australia, meaning that Peter Andre’s version is likely the only version that most Aussies are familiar with. The backing band on here would go on to have minor success later in the decade as Ilanda, however this was the last his that Peter had here before he migrated to the UK and never looked back.
1996 15 weeks
Following the massive success she had with her sophomore album, Kasey Chambers decided to hold fans over between that and her third album by releasing this cover of the Cyndi Lauper classic from the 80’s which proved to be a massive hit for the Australian country singer upon its immediate release.
2003 15 weeks
This was the lead single to Bon Jovi’s sell-out album These days, I call it a sell-out because they abandoned their glam rock roots and even their country roots for this album in favour of more mainstream adult contemporary. The album was a success for the band; however, fans weren’t happy with the direction they took which resulted in them going on hiatus for the remainder of the decade.
1995 15 weeks
Well, these guys chose a strange song to launch the album cycle of Zooropa didn’t they? Fortunately, once “Numb” had left the charts, they released this song which had Bono back on vocals while the Edge provides backing vocals to justify why they had him on lead vocals from their earlier single. People remain divided on this album to this day due to how they feel about the band heading in an industrial direction.
1993 15 weeks
This was the theme to Whitney’s third and final film the Preacher’s wife, I think by this stage audiences had grown tired of her attempts to be a Hollywood star and only supported her films in the hopes that she would return to making music full time. It turns out that this was around the time that she was facing serious relationship problems with her husband Bobby Brown due to their presence in the tabloids.
1996 15 weeks
This was the second single to come from Footloose, although it almost never existed as the scene where this song plays had a different song given how the actor legitimately didn’t know how to dance before shooting the scene. It became Deniece William’s second Billboard chart topper after her duet with Johnny Mathis from 1978, although it was her final hit in most parts of the world despite how big it was.
1984 15 weeks
Well, it seemed inevitable that these guys would make a Christmas jam right at the height of their popularity, as such we have this festive track that became a hit during the Christmas season of 1976 and even early into the following year for them.
1976 15 weeks
This is likely the first hip hop song that many people heard of back in the day, after all it was technically the first song to top the Billboard charts that has rapping in it even though I’ve heard versions of this song which takes out Debbie’s rap verse. If nothing else, at least America can take comfort in the fact that a woman became the first person to have a number one hit there with this genre.
1981 15 weeks
I wouldn’t have pegged the Pet shop boys to be a fan of Absolutely fabulous, a show that’s basically the British version of Kath and Kim as it has two female comedians navigating the day-to-day life of the modern world (or rather, the world of the 90’s) with hijinks ensuing. The duo managed to cherry pick the best moments of the shows earliest seasons and place them in a mix that managed to become a huge success for them.
1994 15 weeks
This was released as a bonus track on the American issue of Duran Duran’s debut album, as such it became a massive worldwide success as fans discovered that the band had more to offer them than what was already available at the time. Interestingly they didn’t film a flashy music video for this song, presumably to help audiences understand they didn’t always have the budget to do so.
1983 15 weeks
Dee C Lee was the backing vocalist for the Style council, so it seems fitting that she would launch a solo career given how she’s likely the reason why Paul Weller found more success with them than he did with the Jam earlier in the decade in Australia. Indeed, this was a huge hit for the singer of colour despite it being a haunting ballad that’s a far cry from the post punk she made with her band.
1986 15 weeks
This was the solo debut single for Justin Timberlake following the demise of his band N sync earlier in the year, it was meant to showcase him as a more mature pop star than his time as a boy band member which is perhaps why it was an instant success for him worldwide upon its initial release. Nowadays it’s been overshadowed by the other three singles from the album due to them being more interesting.
2002 15 weeks
Although she managed to score two hits from her third album here in Australia, neither of them was that big and the album wound up underperforming for P!nk which suggested that her time in the spotlight was up which thankfully wasn’t the case as we’ll see later in the decade. It’s a shame this underperformed because it’s one of her more fun tracks about how much of a troublemaker she can be.
2003 15 weeks
While this was a hit for Blancmange in their native UK, there wasn’t any indication that it would crossover to Australia given how it was far from the most popular song to come out when it did. I’m guessing we Aussies gravitated towards this track due to the middle eastern style of the melody as well as the admittedly funny lyrics about how this person is driving the singer insane in their relationship.
1983 15 weeks
This was the final hit that Rolling stones had throughout the world, it came from their critically panned album Dirty work which was nonetheless a success likely due to the animation in the video. As it turns out, it was done by John Kricfalusi who’s best known for his 90’s nicktoons hit Ren and Stimpy (and its more infamous adult version from the 00’s) I guess every legend in animation has to begin somewhere.
1986 15 weeks
This is another song that was way more popular back in the day here in Australia than its placement on this list otherwise suggests, again you can blame Sony of Australia for tampering with its release schedule to cater to the Australian idol masses of the year. This was the only song to come from Big Boi’s side of the duo’s album Speakerboxx, I’m guessing Andre 3000 wanted all of the singles from the album if this was the only song to be released from the album as a single not by him.
2004 15 weeks
This was that other big hit that Dr Hook managed to score this year, although given how it’s the story of an Irish settler in Australia that was apparently written in the first half of the century, I get the feeling this was the band’s thanks for us having them be one of the biggest bands of the 70’s as it was unsurprisingly released exclusively here and nowhere else in the world.
1981 15 weeks
Noiseworks were another band that were able to successfully transition from the 80’s to the 90’s in Australia, however they did so by releasing their goofiest song likely in response to Warrant’s earlier entry on this list. Despite the success they had with their third album, it was also their final album as the band would break up the following year so that Jon Stevens could pursue a career in theatre.
1991 15 weeks
Technically this was the second solo single that George Michael released in his career, although by all accounts it was his first solo single as “Careless whisper” was by all accounts a Wham track that just happened to be credited to him alone when it was released as a single. Much like that track, this is also a ballad about his complicated feelings about a past relationship which seemed to be a theme in his catalogue.
1986 15 weeks
This was the fourth single from Kylie’s debut album, it’s a song about how Kylie is in love with someone but admittedly doesn’t understand why because of the way they treat her. The song is cute in that she ponders why she loves this person in French, hence the title of the song which translates to “I still love you (but I don’t know why)” and why it was likely a huge hit for her worldwide.
1988 15 weeks
I guess Sting was still able to find success with his second solo album which goes to show how popular he was throughout the decade despite how people feel about his song writing abilities. Here he scored a huge hit about how him and his partner will make it through the trials of their relationship no matter what people say, it connected with audiences giving him one final hit down under.
1987 15 weeks
Well, this is the trio’s commentary of how song writing had become stagnant in the music industry, let’s just say Sting wasn’t in a position to be making these claims considering even at the time people were calling into question his song writing skills. The point of the song is to showcase how songs had begun to heavily rely on catchy choruses, this having a copout chorus to force audiences to pay attention to the verses.
1981 15 weeks
I feel like this is the female empowerment anthem to end all female empowerment anthems, after all we have not one but two of the most powerful women in music joining forces to uplift the spirits of women around the world saying they can do whatever they want without feeling like they need to conform to the patriarchy. This song endures the test of time due to uplifting the women of the world without feeling the need to put men down.
1985 15 weeks
This was the third single from Dangerous for MJ, this time the topic of the song is MJ addressing rumours that he was gay that he denounces here in a cheeky way by suggesting that him and his girlfriend should keep their relationship in the closet. The video features British model Naomi Campbell lip synching the female vocals which were recorded by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, making this another star studded single for him.
1992 15 weeks
This was the last hit that Jimmy Barnes managed to achieve here in Australia, it came from his greatest hits package which he released this year to commemorate how far he had come since going solo from Cold chisel twelve years prior. This was to anticipate the return of the band later in the decade when they release new material for the first time.
1996 15 weeks
This and her next entry are songs Madonna like to pretend never happened, mainly because of the negative memories she has of the film in question which garnered her second Razzie win for worst actress. Despite the film being a critical and commercial failure (likely due to the obnoxious tone of the film from what I’ve seen in reviews) the soundtrack was a huge success likely due to both of these songs being among her better work.
1987 15 weeks
Kylie Mole was a character on the TV series the Comedy club that was created by comedian Mary Anne Fahey who was obviously meant to be a knockoff of Kylie Minogue given how quickly the Australian pop star rose to prominence in the music industry. Now unlike other comedians who made fun of Kylie in a cruel and derogatory way, Kylie did so in a loving way to the point where both women were friends in real life.
1988 15 weeks
This was the other big hit that Madness achieved here in Australia, likely due to it coming out around the time they performed this and their earlier single on Countdown making them one of the more popular bands here this year. Their next song was “Our house,” a song that underperformed here despite it easily being one of their most recognisable tracks likely due to its popularity on Billboard.
1982 15 weeks
This was a surprise hit for Sheena Easton given how the last time she troubled the charts in Australia was six years prior with her hit single “Strut,” indeed this is another entry into her catalogue of seductive tracks where she titillates her audience with her sexual appeal. Here she tries her hand at rapping which is perhaps how this managed to become a success over the sea of Paula Abdul rip-offs here.
1991 15 weeks
It seemed odd that these guys would be able to score a hit this year considering how grunge had taken over the mainstream with the likes of Nirvana and Pearl jam, however Def Leppard had one thing over those guys which was a music video that has (even at the time) some of the worst CGI you’ll ever witness on screen. This helped the glam rock track become a hit long after the genre had lost its popularity.
1992 15 weeks
This was the only hit to come from The Joshua tree in Australia, although as you’ve likely noticed, we Aussies don’t tend to give out that many hits from highly successful albums due to our charts being strictly measured by capitalism. In any case, we have U2’s first Billboard chart topper with this ballad about how Bono is unable to live his life whether he’s in a relationship with this person or not.
1987 15 weeks
It took us long enough, but we finally have a single from Garbage appearing on my site even though they were one of the more successful bands of the 90’s with their first two albums. It’s by far their most pop friendly song as well as one of their shortest as it’s about Shirley Manson addressing the love of her life (which is hinted at being a trans woman in the lyrics) that was an instant success for them.
2002 15 weeks
It looked like Alice Cooper was back for good given how he managed to score a second single from his album Trash this year, unfortunately this was the final hit that he managed to score anywhere in the world given how glam rock and hair metal were quickly exiting the conversation in favour of newer trends that would take over the 90’s. He continues to tour to this day as a legacy artist.
1989 15 weeks
He already had three hits with three different acts prior to his solo debut, so why not become a one hit wonder for a fourth time here with said debut single? We may not have ever had any interest in giving the likes of Ultravox, Visage of Band aid a second hit here in Australia, but at least we were interested in what Midge Ure would do next as evidence by how often he would appear on the charts with a new act.
1985 15 weeks
This was Bob Seger’s other bit hit this year, it comes from Beverly Hills cop II and helped the film earn both an academy award nomination and a Razzie with George Michael’s earlier entry on this list from the film. This was the critically acclaimed song of the two and the one which finally allowed Bob to have a Billboard chart topper after over a decade of scoring hits in his native America.
1987 15 weeks
This was the final hit that the Smashing pumpkins were able to score here in Australia, mainly because this was a Razzie nominated theme to what is considered to be one of the worst films of all time Batman and Robin. Obviously, the theme was nowhere near as bad as the film and that the Razzie’s simply hated everything affiliated with it, however this did leave the band with a bad reputation in the music industry.
1997 15 weeks
This is a song that’s so awesome that people will claim that it became a hit twice this year, the second being Stevie Nicks track “Stand back” which was reportedly inspired by this second single from Prince’s album 1999. I feel this is the song where his lyrics start to become their most poetic which is one of the strongest points of his appeal over the years and a reason as to why so many people have covered his music.
1983 15 weeks
The last time Aretha Franklin troubled the charts in Australia was with her 1968 hit “I say a little prayer,” that’s nearly two decades where she went unheard of here (save for her role in the Blues brothers.) This makes this track about her finding love in a Pink Cadillac a triumphant comeback for her and one that gave her a second run in the mainstream given how she scored a hit with George Michael in 1987.
1985 15 weeks
Now that these guys had one of the biggest hits of the decade, they had little issues with finding success in Australia and the rest of the world which allowed this A Capella rendition of a 50’s staple to become a hit for them this year. Indeed, their next album would be an even bigger success given how it spawned two back-to-back Billboard chart toppers for them that would also be huge hits worldwide.
1993 15 weeks
Bet you didn’t know that Patrick Swayze had a singing career back in the day, well he didn’t actually as this was one of only three songs he recorded before he realised he was a much better actor than he was a singer. This ballad he wrote and recorded was played during the emotional highlight of the film where he and Baby couldn’t be together due to him being fired, it works in the film which is perhaps why it was a hit for him.
1988 15 weeks
This was the only hit that John Farnham had for almost ten years as his last hit was from 1973 and his next one wouldn’t come until he joined the Little river band later in the decade. This is a cover of the Beatles classic, although aside from replacing the voices of Paul and John with his own, he admittedly doesn’t add much to this track which is perhaps why it’s been lost to the sands of time.
1980 15 weeks
This served both as the theme song to the second Charlie’s angels’ film as well as the lead single to P!nk’s third album Try this, neither project was well received at the time (despite the album being excellent in my opinion) which was a sign that her time in the spotlight was coming to an end. As bad as the film was, it’s still infinitely better than the 2019 film as its at least cheesy fun that’s unapologetic with what it is.
2003 15 weeks
Even though this has remained a classic on oldies stations over the years, I can’t help but feel this was only a success for the Travelin wilburys due to the recent passing of Roy Orbison given how this was released around the same time his own song had become a success from earlier on this list. This would be the last we Aussies would hear from the supergroup, although they did release a second album the following year.
1989 15 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 15 weeks
Well, this was a massive surprise given how unconventional Beck has always been in the music industry, although this was a hit in his native America as well so perhaps this was us Aussies getting in on the hype of this guy for his one and only hit worldwide. Although he’s technically a one hit wonder worldwide, he continues to release albums that while not a commercial success, are critically acclaimed.
1994 15 weeks
Well, you know the political climate isn’t doing so well when even MJ has something to say about it, although he does so in the bluntest way imaginable as to remain as A political as he can so that he doesn’t alienate too much of his audience. This was the third single to come from History and one that remains iconic to this day as the lyrics seem to be more relevant now than in the days of the Clinton administration.
1996 15 weeks
Well, this was an attempt for a previously successful group to rebrand themselves for the “hip” and “radical” crowd of the day, in this case we have a song from Girlfriend which they had branded themselves as GF4 that was a hit for them but didn’t lead to anything other than them breaking up two years later. I guess this was meant for a third album, but that album never came to be.
1994 15 weeks
Abba’s popularity might not have been at its peak anymore; however, they were still able to find success with a throwaway single such as this track which served to tie fans over from their self-titled album to Voulez vous. It remains one of their more popular tracks due to the theme of the lyrics, although it wasn’t among their bigger hits likely due to it not being part of an album at the time.
1978 15 weeks
Bryan Adams was on a roll this year when he released the fourth single from his comeback album Waking up the neighbours, this was after the failure of the third single “There will never be another tonight” which signalled that he wouldn’t have much success from the singles due to how big the album would be. This song proved otherwise and even led to him scoring another hit on Billboard with “Do I have to say the words.”
1992 15 weeks
This was the big hit from I’m talking due to it being the lead single to their debut album, evidently the songs they released the previous year were from an E.P which is why none of them appear on their album they released this year. I think they were trying to win over an international audience as there’s a remix of this track that was done by Stock Aiken and Waterman, this remix was a flop unfortunately.
1986 15 weeks
This was the third hit from Silverchair’s sophomore album, this was more of an acoustic ballad which is perhaps why it wasn’t as big despite it having a higher peak position here than their previous entry.
1997 15 weeks
This was the final hit single that Rod Stewart was able to achieve in Australia throughout the 80’s, mainly because it was a chart topper for him in his native UK likely due to him experimenting with new wave with this track. Indeed, he wouldn’t trouble the charts again until the early 90’s where he returned to his adult contemporary sound that he scored massive success with throughout the 70’s.
1983 15 weeks
There were no signs of Abba slowing down when they released the third single from Arrival, in fact this wound up being their biggest hit in the UK likely due to this being a breakup song which was in sharp contrast with the bright and upbeat pseudo disco tracks they had put out throughout their career. Indeed, this song was a bit ahead of its time when it came to the band singing about their messy breakups.
1977 15 weeks
This is the rare track to not have Fred Schneider’s vocals, normally songs with Katie on the lead has him singing backup vocals but here it’s all Katie and Cyndi Wilson as they sing about “roaming” from one relationship to another which is what they accuse their partners of doing. It was a massive success for the band and no doubt made Katie an in-demand vocalist for the likes of Iggy Pop and R.E.M.
1990 15 weeks
It seemed like Kelly’s earlier entry on this list was a fluke given how her victory single from American idol wasn’t a hit anywhere in the world except on Billboard from the previous year, however this third single from her album proved that she was the real deal given how it showcased a more personal side of her in a way that was becoming quite prominent with female vocalists throughout the decade.
2003 15 weeks
It looked like Terence Trent D’arby would be a one album wonder as his second album was a complete failure for him at the start of the decade, fortunately his third album spawned this hit for him in Australia and NZ which helped him escape that fate in both countries. This is a departure from his earlier material as he went in a more rock direction from here on out in his career
1993 15 weeks
I told you this internet sensation had more than one hit here in Australia, this time it’s with an EDM cover of the John Denver classic (made only four years after his death mind you) which was technically a bigger hit here in Australia than its earlier entry but ranks lower due to it being more of a sleeper hit back in the day.
2001 15 weeks
Well at least this song has far less baggage attached to it thank her earlier entry due to the music video not depicting anything contentious, although it might be due to how safely it was marketed that resulted in it not being as successful as “Physical” for Olivia Newton John anywhere in the world despite this also being a sex jam that remains a bop to listen to even to this day.
1982 15 weeks
Even though their earlier entry on this list was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it appears that we Aussies could only extent our love for them for one album and this throwaway track which became a success just as the year was coming to an end. At least they were able to score a minor hit over in America before they forever faded into obscurity.
1982 15 weeks
This was somewhat a return to form for Metallica, at least sound wise it was as this is their take on an old Bob Seger track long before the singer/songwriter became a household name with the likes of “Hollywood” or “We’ve got tonight.” It was a sign of good things to come for the band, although aside from a live album with a symphonic orchestra, what came next is something their fanbase doesn’t like to acknowledge.
1998 15 weeks
This will be the only appearance from the punk band the Damned on my site, it was mainly a hit here in Australia due to them being one of the last international artists to perform on Countdown where they admittedly gave a rather compelling performance of this cover of the 60’s classic from Barry Ryan on the show. It was also a decent hit in their native UK, which is proof that punk rock was still a thing over there.
1986 15 weeks
Aah contractual obligations, they make you do things you would otherwise never dream of doing such as forcing you to reunite with a band that were best known for kiddie pop a decade prior to getting back together with them. This was the fate that New edition found themselves in this year as they were forced to finish their contract by releasing an album this year which spawned this big hit for them in Australia and NZ.
1996 15 weeks
Shona Laing was a NZ songwriter who broke through in her homeland as a child start in 1973 with her hit single “1905” before fading into obscurity over there, however she eventually came back this year with this folk track thanks to it being one of the last songs to be performed on Countdown which allowed it to be a success here and, in her homeland, before she once again faded into obscurity.
1987 15 weeks
If you’re wondering why this song that sounds like something the Spice girls would’ve released was a sleeper hit here in Australia about a year prior to that group’s breakthrough, that’s because it was the theme song to the Power ranger’s movie which I vaguely remember being a cultural phenomenon throughout the 90’s (I was an infant after all.) It was the only success that British duo Shampoo managed to have.
1994 15 weeks
A word of advice, don’t look up the term Chocolate starfish online unless it’s in reference to this Australian band or the Limp bizkit album as both take this term from something that’s very NSFW (assuming you don’t already know what it is.) This was the debut single for the band which is a cover of the Carly Simon classic made over twenty years after the original in order to celebrate its legacy.
1993 15 weeks
Five were so inescapable this year that they managed to score a fourth hit in a row from their debut album, which meant that they scored a total of six consecutive hits here in Australia with all of the entries we’ve looked at so far on this site. That’s impressive given how the band would be yesterday’s news within a few years into the new millennium.
1999 15 weeks
This is the final hit that Five had in their career before they went their separate ways, although the boys already had signs of tension during their third album’s production as ABS would leave soon after its release due to creative differences. At least this was a decent hit here in Australia given how the boy band wars had already come to an end by this point.
2001 15 weeks
This was another double feature that was available in the late 90’s, this time we have two songs from Steps which were bundled together to boost the popularity of the band right as the decade was coming to an end. The first track was a song tailor made to get to number one in their native UK for the Christmas period (it worked of course) the second was their cover of the Bee gees classic from 1979.
1999 15 weeks
If you’re unfamiliar with who Telly Savalas was, he was a crooner and part time actor who scored a massive hit in the UK with this spoken word track that also managed to become a moderate success here in Australia for him. This feels like it came from over a decade prior, meaning that this would’ve been an excellent year for pre-Beatles music here in Australia were it not for Countdown’s presence.
1975 15 weeks
If you’re wondering where this track came from, it was the theme song to a film that starred Cyndi Lauper known as Vibes which was so poorly received that it’s now long been lost to the sands of time. Indeed, this has gone down as one of Cyndi’s worst songs (not just because of that strange title) as she likes to pretend that this doesn’t exist, suggesting that she has bad memories of making the film in question.
1988 15 weeks
Well Queen was one of the biggest bands in the world, so why not have a band named King try their hand at success? This was said band’s one and only hit which was a massive hit in their native UK as well as it being a decent hit here in Australia likely due to the novelty of Freddie and company having competition in the realms of royalty in the music world. Sadly, this would be King’s one and only hit as they called it quits the following year.
1985 15 weeks
This is one of the last new entries on this list given how everything after this was pulled from shelves for whatever reason back in the day, here we have the lead single from the Eurhythmics’ album Savage which continues to be polarising to this day due to how out of place if feels from their discography. Also, the less said about Annie’s image makeover she underwent on the album cycle the better.
1987 15 weeks
Sandwiched between their two earlier entries on this list was this second single from Big Brovaz, it’s a song that interpolates the song from the Sound of music and updates the lyrics to be about how much the female members are into expensive luxuries that their male counterparts could give them. It was an easy hit for them in Australia and their native UK, however the rest of the world was obviously turned off by this interpolation.
2003 15 weeks
This was the first big hit that Simple minds had worldwide, it was barely a success for them here in Australia despite them appearing on Countdown shortly before its release (they performed a different song on their episode.) This would lead to a rocky career trajectory down under which was far less so over in NZ where they were inescapable.
1982 15 weeks
It turns out this was a minor hit here in Australia in the start of the 80’s even if it seemed like we Aussies did our best to leave this guy in the 70’s when this came out. I guess we changed our minds when he released his next album given that spawned two of his more iconic hits in his catalogue.
1980 15 weeks
This is the first of two hits that the Stranglers had here in Australia, this means that they’re one of the few punk bands to make it big on our charts given how we Aussies seemed to be allergic to the genre back in the day. That said, this is one of their more experimental tracks which is perhaps how this crossed over here from their native UK in the first place.
1982 15 weeks
Here’s the other big hit that Mr. mister had throughout the world in their career, although it didn’t do quite as well here in Australia as it did in their homeland despite the band performing it on Countdown during the height of its popularity. I guess we Aussies preferred the slow ambience of their earlier entry compared to the frenetic anergy of this follow up back in the day.
1986 15 weeks
Finally, we have an entry from Talking heads on my site, admittedly this was a victim of having most of its sales eaten up by the highly lucrative album that spawned it as a single, however the fact it still manages to make the cut on this list (albeit barely) should a testament to how much we Aussies loved this track back in the day. That love continues through its presence of oldies stations of course.
1986 15 weeks
We have a new entry from Westlife on this list, it was their second single which of course was way bigger in their native UK than it was internationally due to how much more of a presence they had in the boy band wars over there. This was a minor hit in NZ; however, it was too minor to for me to consider it on that side of my site.
1999 15 weeks
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, Fleetwood Mac were able to score a second hit from Tusk here in Australia which naturally set them up for great success as the decade unfolded. Indeed, they would have at least one massive hit from their next two albums even as the times rapidly changed against their favour as well as their individual members releasing their solo material.
1980 15 weeks
If this song sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s a song from Goanna made under a pseudonym as this is a protest song about the Franklin River and how it was against a damn being built on it. It was a modest success this year and often cited as what stopped the production of said damn being built, proving that protest music can lead to positive change when tackled in a respectful manner.
1983 15 weeks
I bet you weren’t expecting a second entry from T.A.T.U on this list, were you? Here they are with this track which just like their earlier entry on this list, was originally released in Russian before it received an English translation for the girl’s newfound international market. The girls would fail to find success with their second album (technically third if we count the language barrier) due to their lesbian shtick falling out of favour with audiences.
2003 15 weeks
These guys were truly on a roll when they released the third single from their debut album, although this is another example of a low charting song making the cut due to peaking during our Christmas period given how it didn’t last very long on our charts otherwise. This has since become a huge radio staple due to it being a popular choice for bumper music for TV shows.
1996 15 weeks
This is the final hit that the Pointer sisters achieved here in Australia and indeed anywhere in the world, this is another song that really had to squeeze in to make it on this list given how it almost got lost in the shuffle with the competition we’ve looked at so far on this list. That said, this is another song I would’ve thought would be a bigger hit than it actually was back in the day due to how well loved it remains to this day.
1985 15 weeks
There was no signs of JPY slowing down this year as he managed to score a huge hit with this entry, although this is what I would consider to be a “fan single” as even though it failed to crack our top ten, it spent the majority of its short chart run in the top twenty before quickly falling out of our charts like a “fan single” from the 90’s and beyond would do.
1976 15 weeks
