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.
Given the discourse that “Milkshake” by Kelis has had since its release in America, I’d hate to think of how the internet would react to this track from the Sugababes given how it’s also built around a sexual innuendo that I doubt most of it would understand (here’s a hint, the button in question isn’t to an elevator like the video suggests.) They would only have one more hit in Australia after this before they faded into obscurity.
2005 26 weeks
This was a song written exclusively for the film Pret a porter, a film that’s about celebrity culture hence why there are several reverences to hotshot celebrities (without naming names of course) which likely was what made it such an international success for the reggae artist Ini Kamoze. This unfortunately didn’t translate to any success with the rest of his catalogue.
1994 26 weeks
This was the only notable hit from Belgian pop star Plastic Bertrand, although admittedly the fact that this is in French should tell you why he wasn’t able to find more success in an English-speaking market. I’m guessing this had crossover appeal due to how happy he clearly is throughout the track, granted many people (me included) find his energy to be rather annoying, but it clearly isn’t the case for everyone.
1978 26 weeks
I guess it was only a matter of time before we had a new version of the Fugees make it big in the music industry, enter City high who scored a massive worldwide hit with this track five years after the original trio made it big worldwide. As this was a hip hop track, it was delayed here in Australia by several months before finally being released, and like most songs on this list, it was more popular here than anywhere in the world.
2001 26 weeks
Deborah Harry saw plenty of ups and downs throughout the previous decade, so to see her come out of it with the biggest hit of her solo career (in Australia at least) must have been reassuring for her that she would still be popular throughout the 90’s. Alas that wasn’t to be as while the album this came from was successful, her popularity dwindled out once the album cycle was done.
1989 26 weeks
Even though Londonbeat were an American band, they were based in the UK when they released their first album which is why it took them a while to find success with this track in their native America this year. A big part of that was due to this becoming a huge hit in Australia, likely due to how they blended RNB with pop rock in a way that I’m surprised hasn’t been replicated that often over the years.
1991 26 weeks
This was the second single from John Farnham’s magnum opus Whispering jack, I guess this helped reassure everyone that “You’re the voice” wasn’t a fluke and that he was here to stay in the adult contemporary part of the music scene. The third single from the album “A touch of paradise” was a minor hit after this, which further cemented that he was back in the mainstream and not a flash in the pan.
1986 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 26 weeks
Peter Blakeley must have been kicking himself when he initially broke away from the Rockmelons in order to pursue a solo career right before they made it big with their debut album. Fortunately for him, his own album was a massive success two years later thanks to this lead single which has no relation to the Elvis Presley track of the same name. His success was short lived; however, it was a huge success for him regardless.
1989 26 weeks
This was the first hit single that Mondo Rock managed to achieve in Australia, this is noteworthy because the last time lead singer Ross Wilson had any success here was as the lead vocalist for his previous group Daddy Cool from the first half of the 70’s. Here he trades the pub rock from his old band for new wave for this band which helped him find massive success down under with this band.
1980 26 weeks
Oh, do I not like Simple Plan, this is coming from someone who feels that the likes of Good Charlotte and Nickelback receive too much flak from the internet which means I don’t dislike them simply because the internet tells me to. Here we have their biggest hit, which was the lead single to their second album, an album that many have mocked over the years for how highly immature it is even for emo rock.
2004 26 weeks
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for Roger Whittaker, likely due to audiences not being interested in having yet another singer/songwriter to join the ranks of Don McLean and Cat Stevens in our mainstream. The song was given a second chance during the midpoint of the decade due to it becoming a surprise hit for him in his native UK for reasons I can’t seem to ascertain.
1975 26 weeks
This was the only hit single that Blur were able to score in Australia, likely due to it quickly becoming a sporting anthem due to the “woo hoos” that Damon Albarn would shout throughout the track. Even though they lost against Oasis as the kings of Britpop, they won where it mattered which was with their critical acclaim with the Gallagher’s were quickly losing this year with their third album.
1997 26 weeks
Well, if you wanted to hear Diana Ross cover this Burt Bacharach classic, then this is your best option as Marcia Hines has been regularly described as the Australian equivalent of Diana Ross (despite Marcia herself being from America originally.) This proved to be a massive success for her, and no doubt led to the success of her second album which this served as the lead single for.
1976 26 weeks
This was originally released as the B-side to “I do I do I do I do I do” the previous year, however it became such a fan favourite from the album that it was given its own release here in Australia and eventually in NZ where it became one of the biggest hits of the year down under. This should give you an idea as to how inescapable Abba was back in the day if a B-side could be one of the biggest hits of a year.
1976 26 weeks
This was originally released the previous year in order to promote the show of the same name, for some reason this theme song only caught on in Australia once season two premiered. Regardless of when it caught on, it remains one of the most popular TV themes of all time due to how much of a success it was.
1982 26 weeks
This was the debut single for Martika as well as her only hit in her native America as the rest of her catalogue sadly bombed on the Billboard charts. Fortunately, the rest of her catalogue was a huge success internationally likely due to her emotional vocals she gives on each of her tracks, this one in particular being the most emotional due to it being an ode to a fallen friend who died of a drug overdose.
1989 26 weeks
This was another massive hit that the Offspring were able to achieve in their career, it seems to continue the narrative they had with their previous album Americana right down to the music video complimenting the lyrics in a way I feel few others had in the twentieth century. The band’s popularity would dwindle as the decade went on; however, they did score one more hit with “Hit that” two years after this.
2000 26 weeks
This was the only notable success that Billy Squier had here in Australia, I’m guessing because his other big hit in his native America had that infamously terrible music video which prevented anyone from taking his discography seriously. This is another sexually charged track to become a hit back in the day, in this case him wanting to stroke you is the type of foreplay that generally isn’t PG 13.
1981 26 weeks
It seemed like Kelly Rowland would be yesterday’s news following the demise of Destiny’s child three years prior, although it turns out she was simply biding her time as she knew that releasing her second solo album before or while Beyonce’s own album was out would’ve meant it would be overshadowed by her former band mate. Here she is with the second single from said album which was a massive hit for her.
2008 26 weeks
This was the biggest hit of Peter Andre’s career outside of Australia, surprisingly this wasn’t among the bigger hits of the decade here despite it being the biggest hit over the decade over in NZ for reasons I couldn’t seem to ascertain. The song features a guest verse from Bubbler Ranx which was a fairly uncommon troupe in the 90’s, in fact this is arguably one of the songs to popularise it in the new millennium.
1995 26 weeks
It was as if they never broke up in the first place, oh yeah Dragon had broken up back in the late 70’s to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to pursue a solo career that brought him no success. In any case, we have the first hit of their since they reformed and it was as if they had released it immediately after their last big hit “Are you old enough,” that’s how much fans loved these guys but disliked Marc’s solo career.
1983 26 weeks
This is one of the stranger collaborations to come out of the decade, mainly because I don’t think anyone was expecting Neneh Cherry to do a duet with a west African musician considering she was best known for being a rapper whilst Youssou N’Dor is more in line with new age and traditional Arabic music. The collaboration was a huge success for the pair likely due to it fitting in with the new age trend of the decade.
1994 26 weeks
This was the first of two big hits that Jamaican singer Diana King managed to achieve worldwide that came from a Hollywood blockbuster, although this was an original track that was released to promote the Bad boys soundtrack as opposed to her other big hit which was a cover of a 60’s classic. This proved to be a massive success for Diana across the world likely due to it being a catchy pop reggae track.
1995 26 weeks
This cover of the Tommy James classic was originally released to deafening silence earlier in the decade for Billy Idol, however it was given a second chance when he performed it live later in the decade which compelled him to release this live recording where it became a huge success for him. This broke a unique record on Billboard when it replaced Tiffany’s “I think we’re alone now” at number one, namely that a cover replaced another cover of a track from the same artist.
1987 26 weeks
Although this would eventually be a bigger hit for the English duo the communards a full decade after its initial release, this was originally a hit for Thelma Houston (no relation to Whitney) who scored a massive hit with this disco classic before forever fading into obscurity. I’m guessing the rest of her catalogue wasn’t nearly as much fun as this track, or at the very least wasn’t as catchy.
1977 26 weeks
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence in Australia, I’m guessing because we hadn’t got on board with the hip hop trend despite it being a hit for Young MC in his native America. It became a surprise hit this year likely due to the success of MC Hammer’s classic from the start of the list, which allowed it to become the second hip hop track to top the Australian charts.
1990 26 weeks
The last time Cliff Richard had any success here in Australia was with his Eurovision track “Congratulations” from eight years prior, so to see him back in the spotlight with this track was a bit of a surprise to say the least. The real surprise came when this became a surprise hit in America, making this his first hit single on the Billboard charts.
1976 26 weeks
This was the debut single from one of the most politically charged bands to come out of the decade, yes Rage against the machine managed to score at least one hit in their career before being confided to the alternative scene where they saw tons of critical acclaim by not much commercial success. I guess this made it through thanks to the grunts that Zac De La Roche makes throughout the track.
1993 26 weeks
This was the lead single to Icehouse’s biggest album Man of colours; it was also the first song from the band to crack the Billboard charts as the band had been gaining buzz throughout the decade due to their earlier work. This was a return to their new wave roots after some experimentation with their previous two albums, suffice to say that we Aussies knew what we wanted from these guys, and this was it.
1987 26 weeks
This is a song that feels like it was meant for BEP but Will I am instead gave to the Pussycat dolls given how it sounded too similar to “My humps” (at least conceptually) to be included on Monkey business, that would explain why he provides a guest verse on here and why there’s that refrain that sounds like a prototype to “Boom boom pow” from later in the decade. It was another easy hit for the girls, proving they were on a roll this year.
2006 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
This was the third big hit to come from the Veronicas debut album, it continues the trend of the duo singing in unison to create the illusion they were singing as one person which I and their many fans appreciate for its uniqueness as well as us connecting with the song regardless of how it’s presented. They would release two more singles from the album which both flopped due to the album sales eating up their success.
2006 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
This was a surprise hit for Toto coelo in America, I bring this up because they were a British band who failed in their native UK and yet they saw moderate success in America by altering their name to Total Coelo (likely to avoid confusion with Toto.) This allowed the band to find success here with a song that is indeed about eating cannibals.
1982 26 weeks
If you’re wondering why there was a huge gap between this and “What a girl wants” (which we’ll get to in a bit) that’s because there was a song released between these two Billboard chart toppers called “I turn to you” which was a massive flop worldwide for the (then) Disney star. I’m guessing this was chosen as the fourth single from her debut album to showcase what a powerhouse of a vocalist she is.
2000 26 weeks
While this wasn’t John’s first hit single in Australia as he did find success in the late 70’s with “I need a lover,” it was his first hit internationally thanks to how anthemic this track is as well as heartland rock in general being more successful in the 80’s than it was in the 70’s. No doubt this led to Bruce Springsteen seeing massive success later in the decade with his magnum opus Born in the U.S.A and its singles.
1982 26 weeks
This was the first of three duets that Peabo Bryson managed to score success with worldwide, although it’s also the only one of his duets that wasn’t attached to a Disney property meaning this was made out of passion rather than accepting a commission from the house of mouse. Here he teams up with Roberta Flack a good decade after her final hit “Killing me softly with his song” where it became a huge hit throughout Europe.
1983 26 weeks
This wasn’t the only version of the Everly Brothers track to make it big in Australia this year as Scottish band Nazareth also managed to score a hit with their version from two years prior (stay tuned for it.) I guess this was the only hit that Jim Capaldi managed to achieve even in his native UK.
1976 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
Foreigner already had moderate success here in Australia with their albums from the 70’s, mainly because they were one of the earlier international artists to perform on Countdown which gave them an advantage over other non-Australian artists that decade. Here they score their second biggest hit worldwide with the second single from their fourth album with a ballad that was a typical of their rock hits.
1981 26 weeks
This was the first hit single that Mariah Carey had that had her craft a distinctive personality for her worldwide audience, sure her previous songs were impactful, but they could’ve been sung by anybody unlike this track which is distinctly her own. It also sees her incorporating RNB into her sound which she would continue to do for many of her songs throughout the rest of the decade.
1993 26 weeks
This was the third single to be released from Taylor’s second album, it’s a song that took a while to take off here as her earlier entry was a bit of a sleeper hit down under, however once it did it encouraged us Aussies to check out her album which in turn helped it become a huge success as well. She would return later in the decade with a cover of a Barry White track that would become her biggest hit here.
1990 26 weeks
Natalie was certainly on a roll this year as she was able to find massive success with the second single from her album Left of the middle, this has a much more abrasive tone to her earlier entry which was a sign that she was channelling her inner angst in a way that was very common from around this time. While she didn’t have any more hit singles here, she did find success internationally with her subsequent albums.
1998 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 26 weeks
This was mean to be the lead single from Whitney’s self-titled debut, however it was a huge flop for her given how it didn’t come with a music video which was a death nail for songs released during the height of MTV. Once a video was shot, it was rereleased as the third single where it performed much better worldwide, likely due to it being a shoutout to her godmother which happens to be Aretha Franklin.
1986 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 26 weeks
The last time Snoop Dogg had a hit here in Australia was almost a decade prior with his breakthrough single “What’s my name,” so to see him return with a song that seems to be respectful towards women as opposed to his other hit which had casual sexism in it (it’s not as offensive as you would think) is a bit of a surprise but inevitable given its catchy chorus and production provided by Pharrell Williams.
2003 26 weeks
Shortly before she became one of the more popular female artists of the decade worldwide, Tina Charles began her career as one third of the British disco trio 5000 volts who scored a massive hit with this track about burning up for the love of their lives. Nowadays there’s a more popular track with this title from Bruce Springsteen which has a very different premise to this track from the disco trio.
1975 26 weeks
This is the only hit that Naughty by nature managed to achieve in Australia, it’s curious that this was the song that made them big here considering that this was a massive flop in NZ and their native America back in the day. I guess we Aussies wanted them to have at least one hit here now that we were open to having our charts be dominated by RNB and hip hop like the rest of the world was throughout the 90’s.
2000 26 weeks
We looked at the Jim Capaldi version of this Everly brothers track earlier on this list, now let’s look at the version that is trying to copy which was originally released two years prior to deafening silence for the Scottish band Nazareth. I’m guessing this was given a second wind due to it becoming a surprise hit for them over on Billboard, either that or there was a competition to see which one of these songs were better.
1976 26 weeks
This was the debut album for one of the most popular EDM artists of the decade, although people will think that these guys are a one hit wonder with this song due to how prevalent it remains in sporting events due to the line “yall ready for this.” This wasn’t even their biggest hit as that honour goes to “No limit” from the following year, although this was a close second here in Australia.
1992 26 weeks
Following the success she had with Josh Abrahams the previous year throughout Europe as the Puretones on their rebranded collaboration of “Addicted to bass,” Amiel Daemion finally released a solo single which was a massive hit here in Australia due to it being about how she wrote as she puts it a “stupid love song” following the end of her relationship with someone that clearly connected with us Aussies.
2003 26 weeks
While she wasn’t as inescapable as her main Disney rival Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera did have the advantage of having the better voice of the two which is perhaps why she was able to score three Billboard chart toppers from her debut album. This was the second of the three which no doubt inspired a movie named What women want which came out less than a year after its initial release.
1999 26 weeks
Anastacia had only been able to achieve one hit from her first two albums in Australia, this second single from her third album broke tradition by being a massive hit for her likely due to it continuing the theme of her entry from the start of this list of being a gospel rock track about her being done with a relationship she was in. It would be her final hit in most parts of the world as her next album was a huge flop for her.
2004 26 weeks
This may seem a little low to my Australian readers given how inescapable this was on the radio and even to this day how often it appears in commercials, however it wasn’t as big a hit as you might think likely due to some of its success being eaten up by illegal downloads as well as it being the lead single to a highly successful album from him. It was a much bigger hit in NZ where it didn’t have these hinderances.
2001 26 weeks
This is a song that on its own is inoffensive enough (heck it can even be inspirational) however was ruined by many people due to that infamous performance on SNL where this track played instead of “Autobiography” which was the song Ashlee was meant to perform when that moment happened. For what it’s worth, she wasn’t entirely lip syncing that night and only had a backing track to enhance her performance that of course backfired.
2004 26 weeks
Unlike in NZ where this was a genuine hit for Elvis Presley upon its initial release only to then extend its popularity after he died, this was only a minor hit for the king of rock and roll here in Australia and only became a massive success for him once he tragically passed away six months after its initial release. For the sake of his legacy, I only ranked this based on its initial run to showcase how well it did during his lifetime.
1977 26 weeks
This was a massive hit in Tom’s native Canada towards the end of the previous year, even so there was no guarantee that this song would crossover given how he had been active in his homeland for almost two decades at this point without seeing any international success. His patience was rewarded when this became a huge international success likely due to heartland rock still being one of the most popular genres of the moment.
1992 26 weeks
This was a huge hit for Amber who managed to crack the Billboard charts with this EDM track thanks to her strong vocals as well as the campy nature of this track which I’m sure has made it a queer anthem over the years. There was little doubt that this would be a hit here in Australia given how the decade has been filled with dance tracks such as this, and indeed she would have another hit later in the decade with “If you could read my mind” as part of a supergroup.
1996 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 26 weeks
Well, it was only a matter of time before we looked at a song from Limp Bizkit on this site, although it may surprise you to learn that these guys never had a hit in their native America and that their success worldwide more came from how well they did in the UK of all places where this was a chart topper for them. I guess the Brits really enjoyed the combination of rap and rock on this track more than their fellow Americans.
2001 26 weeks
This was a hip hop track that came out of nowhere here in Australia given how it wasn’t a success for him anywhere else in the world including his native America, not even the kiwis gravitated towards this track which is really odd because they were the ones who discovered these hidden gems throughout the 90’s.
2001 26 weeks
I bet audience were surprised to see this RNB jam become a hit in Australia back in the day, mostly because these two while big in their native America, weren’t exactly chart toppers on Billboard like so many of their contemporaries that failed to crossover here. That said, boy does it make sense that this was a hit down under due to how groove the production is, it’s like the two women went back to the 70’s and picked out the grooviest melody they could find for this number.
1993 26 weeks
This song feels a little low on this list, this is because it had some of its success stolen here in Australia by a local band known as Peaches who also covered this ballad from the Righteous brothers. Clout was an all-girl group from South Africa who saw massive international success with this ballad, presumably due to their interpretation of the lyrics which are about them being a substitute for the listener’s current partner.
1978 26 weeks
There wasn’t any indication that Poison’s second album would be a commercial success for them even in their native America, however they were off to a good start in Australia when the lead single became a huge success here due to it being seen as an anthem for the weekend like many rock tracks that make it big here. The albums popularity peaked when the third single “Every rose as its thorn” topped the Billboard charts.
1988 26 weeks
This was Stacie Orrico’s other big hit here in Australia and in most parts of the world outside her native America, here she’s contemplating about her purpose in life and whether she’s living it to her fullest potential which no doubt helped audiences appreciate their own place in this world back in the day. It was a very poignant track considering it was a teen pop number, although it would also be her final hit.
2003 26 weeks
I haven’t brought up the differences between the AMR charts (how these lists are determined) and the ARIA charts lately on this site, this song has compelled me to do so given how it was a much bigger hit on the latter charts than it was on the former likely due to it being released around the time MJ passed away which should tell you how the music scene becomes unpredictable when something major like that happens.
2009 26 weeks
This had a bit of a delay to its release here in Australia, although once it came out it was a modest success for Rihanna and Ne-yo who sing with each other about how they don’t like the fact they have feelings for each other. It would be largely overshadowed by “Please don’t stop the music” due to how long it took for this to take off here in Australia.
2007 26 weeks
This was the only major hit that Candice Alley managed to achieve in her career, it was a massive hit upon its initial release likely due to it being well promoted this year along with many other tracks from Australian artists prior to when Australian idol took over our music scene by the end of the year. Candice would have a second minor hit later in the year with “Obsession” which has a similar subject matter to this ballad.
2003 26 weeks
Given how his former band Westlife managed to score a massive hit two years prior with “You raise me up,” it only seems fitting that Brian McFadden finally scored a hit of his own with this lead single to his second album here in Australia and virtually nowhere else in the world. By this point, he had migrated here due to his ongoing relationship with Delta Goodrem, however he moved back to Ireland once their engagement was called off.
2008 26 weeks
This was the theme to the first film that many feel was a dud in Will Smith’s filmography, that being the theatrical adaptation of the TV series Wild wild west which race swaps the main character to justify his casting. The film was a box office success likely due to nostalgia of the 60’s western, however it was torn apart by critics and even had the theme song be the only one to be nominated for worst song at the Razzies for 1999.
1999 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 26 weeks
Oh, wow was Stephanie Mills done dirty when Diana Ross replaced her in the theatrical adaptation of the Wiz, fortunately she was able to score a hit with her singing career this year shortly after Diana scored her own comeback with “Upside down” from the previous year. Who knows how much more popular she would’ve been if Diana hadn’t have taken her opportunity to be a Hollywood legend.
1980 26 weeks
I have no idea why this song became a success this year in Australia, it would’ve made more sense it if were a hit last year as it was featured in not one but two highly successful films from Hollywood. Those films of course being Ferris Bueller’s day off and The secret of my success which fun fact, this song soundtracks a montage of a car being showed off to the protagonist of the films in question.
1988 26 weeks
This was the second hit that Limahl managed to achieve in his career, although his first hit was with his band Kajagoogoo so technically this was his only solo hit he achieved in his career. This is the theme song to the movie of the same name which is often described as one of the best kids’ films of the decade due to its timeless themes and interesting visual style, the song is also considered one of the best themes of all time due to how catchy it is.
1984 26 weeks
This was the second single to come from Offspring’s more mature album Ixnay on the hombre, it follows the success of the lead single “All I want” which helped branch the band away from their loser personas from their previous album Smash. It appears we Aussies were more interested in their loser personas as when they returned to that image on their next album, it wound up being their most successful here.
1997 26 weeks
This was the breakthrough single for New order, a band who serves as a sequel act to Joy division following the death of that bands lead vocalist Ian Curtis. Curiously, this song became the biggest hit of the decade over in NZ due to its refusal to die on their charts, I know this song has a diehard fanbase, but I didn’t realise it consisted of the majority of the general public of NZ from around this time.
1983 26 weeks
Well, here’s that surprise hit in America I mentioned at the start of this list; indeed, my American readers will think these guys are a one hit wonder due to this being their only appearance on the Billboard charts back in the day despite their earlier entry being their big hit internationally. Again, we have a song that’s the embodiment of happiness which is how it was able to stand out back in the day.
1975 26 weeks
While this wasn’t their debut single here in Australia, it was the song which got them off the ground given how the first two singles from their self-titled album were huge flops here despite the band performing them on Countdown the previous year. Naturally this was chosen as the lead single internationally once the album got off the ground here, which is why it did much better internationally than it did here.
1986 26 weeks
There were quite a few Irish tracks to make it big during the first half of the decade in Australia, one of the more popular ballads was this track about how the narrator of the song reminisces about knowing someone from when they were sixteen years old. I feel this song gets right what “My eyes adored you” and especially “You’re sixteen” gets wrong, reminiscing about someone from when they were younger without coming off as creepy.
1982 26 weeks
This was the only hit for the New radicals, mainly because it was only a success worldwide due to it being big in the UK as this for some reason flopped in their native America. I’m guessing it flopped on Billboard due to the final verse where the band suddenly makes a bunch of shout outs to people they didn’t like, none of these people were flattered by these shout outs for obvious reasons.
1999 26 weeks
Years before he became one of the leading forces of the EDM scene, Fatboy slim was a member of Beats international who scored their only hit in Australia with this remix of the S.O.S Band’s hit single “Just be good to me” from 1983. The original was a decent hit here in Australia back in the day, meaning that audiences had nostalgia for that track when the band decided to rework it as a smoky jazz number.
1990 26 weeks
This was the debut single for one of the most popular bands of the decade, although it’s worth noting that this video is rather ordinary compared to the rest of their videography which perhaps explains why it was only a hit in Australia as there weren’t any flash visuals to go with the bombastic track. True to the name of the song, this is a pro earth song made during the height of the cold war.
1981 26 weeks
This was the first of two hits that the Silver convention were able to score worldwide this year, although we won’t be looking at their other hit as “Get up and boogie” wasn’t that big of a success here in Australia. Both songs had a combine total of twelve words to them, meaning that these ladies weren’t known for their complex song writing and were just meant to be listened to on the dance floors.
1975 26 weeks
This is the last hit that the Rogue traders achieved in their career, mainly because Natalie Bassingthwaighte would leave the group after the third single to their second album failed to become a hit for the group, suggesting she only joined them to further her singing career which in turn led to backlash against her when she released her solo album the following year.
2008 26 weeks
This was the debut single for Mental as anything, it’s a pub rock track that I’m surprised wasn’t an even bigger hit upon its initial release considering how often you can still hear it on the oldie’s stations to this day. They would have massive success throughout the 80’s as they became quirkier both with their sound and their onstage antics, however this was a good introduction to the band.
1979 26 weeks
Whereas his debut single from the previous year was a fast tempo track about getting over a bad breakup, this other big hit that Daniel Bedingfield had worldwide is a slow ballad about hanging onto a bad relationship which means his two big hits are the polar opposite of one another. This was more of a sleeper hit here in Australia, hence its lower placement on this list compared to his other entry.
2003 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 26 weeks
This was the last hit that Living end scored in Australia for quite some time, I get the feeling they were the victims of digital piracy throughout the 00’s as their next hit wouldn’t come until “White noise” almost a decade later when digital downloads were well and truly legal in Australia. This was the third single from their debut album, which is why it managed to become a hit this year.
1999 26 weeks
This was the first hit that Gym class heroes had in their career, mainly due to it sampling “Breakfast in America” from Supertramp likely to help them establish a fanbase through the nostalgia circuit that was becoming increasingly popular around the time the digital age began taking over the mainstream worldwide. Lyrically this makes sense given how both songs are about the narrator finding their girlfriend to be mediocre for them.
2007 26 weeks
This is another song that was a huge success in NZ that was also a sleeper hit here in Australia, this time it’s the breakthrough hit from Yvonne Elliman who was unable to have us Aussies shaking our groove things the way that Tina Charles and Donna Summer could when this first came out. Still, it did linger on our charts for quite some time, hence why it managed to appear on this list.
1976 26 weeks
These guys are best known for their big hit in their native America “I believe,” however five years later they scored a huge sleeper hit here in Australia with this gem making it one of the first hits going into the 00’s here. I’m not sure why we gravitated towards this and not their big American hit given how they both sound similar to each other and have the same spiritual lyricism to boot.
1999 26 weeks
During the midpoint of the decade, INXS decided to host a competition on who would be their lead vocalist given how Jon Stevens (who replaced Michael Hutchence after his tragic death in 1997) left the group to pursue other interests. They landed on Canadian singer JD Fortune who scored a hit with the band with this track likely due to them turning the competition into a reality series around this time.
2005 26 weeks
Although it failed to appear on this list, “Lifestyles of the rich and famous” was a big sleeper hit here in Australia that found most of its success in the lower half of the charts from the previous year. Their second single from their sophomore album proved to be more of an immediate hit here which also helped the album become a commercial success and put the band on the map of the emo rock scene.
2003 26 weeks
So much for Metallica pissing off their fans for selling out, although I guess that’s more an American issue as here in Australia they were as popular as ever given how their lead single to Reload was a hit for them.
1997 26 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 26 weeks
Although their earlier entries were the first international success these guys had (particularly in their native America) it was this song that first broke them through here in Australia likely due to their campy onstage persona. Even though homosexuality was illegal in Australia as recently as the early 90’s, it was clear that it was only enforced by a select few people given how popular queer music was.
1978 26 weeks
