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 is from the physical charts)
2005 22 weeks
I think this was meant to be the “Lose yourself” of 50 cent’s autobiographical film Get rich or die trying, it was a hit worldwide likely due to the film being a box office success (even though it was panned by critics for being a rip-off of his mentor’s film) but it didn’t receive any accolades to my knowledge nor did it reach the dizzying heights of Eminem’s Oscar winning ballad from earlier in the decade.
2005 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
Over a decade prior to his presence on the song which single handily introduced the world to 2010’s reggaeton “Despacito,” Daddy Yankee was a one hit wonder with his own reggaeton track which became a surprise worldwide success for the Latin artist likely due to how catchy it was compared to everything else on this list. You’d think that he would’ve thrived during the Zumba craze of the 2010’s given how his music would fit into those playlists.
2006 22 weeks
Given how Talking heads were on the verge of breaking up this year, it only seems reasonable that Jerry Harrison would form a new band with the Casual gods in order to find success on his own. Indeed, he was off to a good start as this debut single of theirs proved to be a bigger hit here in Australia than anything that Talking heads released, although the album wasn’t anywhere near as success as their work.
1988 22 weeks
This was the first big hit that Daryl Braithwaite had in over a decade, in fact he had become a tradie in the time it took to release his second album during the days of his band Sherbet. When he finally decided to give his singing career another go, he was given instant success as the public welcomed him back into the music industry as if no time had passed since his heyday, just like fellow aging star John Farnham.
1989 22 weeks
This was the only hit that Blondie managed to score from their album Eat to the beat in Australia, I’m guessing we Aussies weren’t as thrilled about that album as the rest of the world was given how this was a British chart topper for the band this year. Fortunately, they came back with “Call me” which restored their popularity in time for their penultimate album Autoamerican and its huge hits.
1980 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
This was the other big hit that Ashlee Simpson managed to score from her sophomore album, again it was only a success here in Australia which suggests that only we Aussies were able to overlook the SNL blunder she made back in 2004 when she released said album. The success she had down under likely convinced her to make a third album later in the decade, although that was a flop even here when it released.
2006 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 22 weeks
Although he saw massive success at the start of the decade in his native NZ as a teen idol, this was the first hit that Jon Stevens had in Australia given that he had become the lead singer of Noiseworks to reinvent himself as a pub rocker in the same vein as Jimmy Barnes and other Australian singers. I’m not sure why this was a success and not “No lies,” both have such a passionate performance from Jon that they should’ve been bigger.
1987 22 weeks
This was the Hoodoo gurus’ first bit hit in Australia, although the lead single to their album Mars needs guitars was a modest success given how “Bittersweet” did crack the top twenty for them earlier in the year. This was their surf rock track which I’m sure was what made them a household name given how there was a lot of nostalgia for that genre throughout the 70’s and 80’s down under.
1985 22 weeks
This was the only other major hit that Bucks Fizz was able to score here in Australia, I guess we Aussies were only interested in these guys for their affiliation with Eurovision despite being a regular guest on Countdown which was highly unusual for an international artist to be so back in the day. They tried to have their song “Are you ready” a big hit here as that was the song they performed on the 75th anniversary of the ABC channel down under.
1981 22 weeks
This was the first of three hits that Mark Holden had back in the day, no doubt this guy was the reason why Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett were able to be so successful in Australia given how he was our version of those young men who teenage girls fell in love with this decade.
1976 22 weeks
This was originally released two years prior from the Swedish pop star September (real name Petra Marklund) it wasn’t a big hit anywhere in the world for some reason which led to it fading into obscurity. It was given a second chance this year when a British DJ remixed it where it became a massive success for her everywhere in the world including America which was unusual for a European artist by this point in time.
2008 22 weeks
Well Sisqo’s success the following year had to come from somewhere, so here’s the final hit that his band Dru hill had before he embarked on a solo career which began with his infamous song “Thong song.” This has nothing to do with the Bee gees classic of the same name, I’d just thought I’d mention that here as there were two RNB covers of that track throughout the decade from Portrait and Take that.
1999 22 weeks
This was released six years prior to deafening silence for Billy Vera, in fact from what I can gather, this ballad was only a success this year due to it appearing in several episodes of Family ties that involves the romance between Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan on the show.
1987 22 weeks
This was a departure from Mental as anything’s previous material, at least in the sound it was as they decided to adapt with the times and add more glossy production here and on their album Mouth to mouth in an attempt to find an international audience given how “Live it up” was a massive success for them throughout Europe at the time of this songs release. It didn’t work out for them internationally, although it was a modest hit here.
1986 22 weeks
This was the last hit that Belinda Carlisle had for five years in Australia, although she did come back later in the decade when “In too deep” became a surprise hit for her in 1996 exclusively down under. I’m guessing we Aussies needed more from her than her amazing vocals to make her a household name this far into the 90’s, to be fair she did do better than what you’d otherwise expect given this never saw the light of day in America.
1991 22 weeks
Here we have the title track from Madonna’s magnum opus Ray of light, an album that sees her returning to her indie roots by having stripped back production after over a decade of releasing albums with bombast and glossy production. Here we have proof that a song can be as catchy as hell with minimal production, in fact I and many others would’ve had this be the lead single rather than her earlier entry.
1998 22 weeks
This was the big breakthrough his for one of the more divisive British RNB singers of the decade, mainly for her other big hit “Life” which has gone down as one of the worst songs of all time for its shoddy lyrics. This was chosen as the theme song to the Next karate kid which allowed it to become an even bigger success in America, although it was big enough worldwide without that film’s affiliation.
1994 22 weeks
This was the final hit that Ronan Keating had in his career, mainly because it’s a cover of the Bob Seger classic but using the Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton format as that version was more popular back in the day. Here he recruits 60’s legend Lulu who finally escapes the one hit wonder bin after over thirty years given how she never had another hit on her own in Australia apart from “To sir with love” in 1967.
2002 22 weeks
This was the second single to come from Good charlotte’s third album the Chronicles of life and death, an album that was a huge success despite this and its lead single “Predictable” being the only songs I remember hearing from the band at the time. Granted I remember this song being played a lot back in the day, which possibly means it had its success eaten up by digital piracy like most other rock songs throughout the decade.
2005 22 weeks
So, Engelbert Humperdinck was able to score a hit this far into the 70’s, although this did come ten years after his initial breakthrough so perhaps this was more a nostalgia hit than anything even though he would’ve been too young to be as John Paul Young puts it, a “yesterday’s hero.” Evidently this was a massive success for him in America, which is perhaps how it was a big hit in Australia as well.
1977 22 weeks
There was no escaping 50 cent during the midpoint of the decade as he managed to rack up hit after hit both as a lead artist as well as with his features, most notably with the Game who won’t be appearing on this list despite scoring two hits worldwide with his hip hop numbers. I feel the production is why this song was a hit as it’s by far the most recognisable of producer Scott Storch from his catalogue.
2005 22 weeks
I’m not sure how I feel about this iconic score from the first Rocky film being a sleeper hit here in Australia, it was a Billboard chart topper for composer Bill Conti, however it’s unlike anything else that appears on this list which makes its success an anomaly to say the least. I guess the film was such a runaway hit for Sylvester Stallone that the world made an exception for allowing this kind of track to be a success.
1977 22 weeks
This was the other big hit that Ted Mulry gang had this year where they stylised themselves as T.M.G, actually this was their first hit they had with this band name meaning that we Aussies were a bit slow in rejecting them being “hip” and “with it” back in the day. Admittedly it could be more we simply grew tired of their music as they were one of the biggest bands of the decade.
1976 22 weeks
This is probably the oldest artist that will be featuring on my site, being born during the first world war and scoring his one and only hit down under a mere three years prior to his death with this spoken word ballad. This has been described as truck driving music, so I’m guessing even back in the day there was a stereotype for music catered towards truckies.
1977 22 weeks
This was the second single to come from Nickelback’s second breakthrough album the Long road, it was only a hit here in Australia which suggests that the band was more popular here than anywhere else in the world which is backed up by their songs being hits much sooner than they are in most other places. I think the less said about the subject matter of this song is for the best, although that would explain why it flopped internationally.
2004 22 weeks
Well, if you couldn’t tell by the title of this song, this was a novelty track about the hobby ping pong that became a surprise hit for the Australian band Operator please likely due to this being an excellent time for offbeat songs to make it big in the mainstream worldwide. I’m willing to bet that if streaming had existed back then, this would be one of the biggest hits of all time down under as well as a huge international hit.
2007 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
If you’re still convinced that James Blunt is a one hit wonder with “You’re beautiful,” consider the fact that he scored a third hit from his debut album here in Australia which has been much better received over the years than his other two big hits from the album. All of this success led to him making a follow up album the following year that was also a massive hit everywhere in the world except for America.
2006 22 weeks
If you ever wondered why “Power and the passion” was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, that’s because this was the lead single to Midnight oil’s breakthrough album 10-1 as opposed to that song being the albums lead single in NZ. Both songs have a strong theme of the misuse of political power, meaning that they both resonated with audiences back in the day as well as now on oldies stations.
1982 22 weeks
It had been a while since Dannii Minogue troubled the charts with her pop music, so it seems inevitable she would follow in the footsteps of her older sister and move towards indie music during the second half of the decade. She did just that with this track which ranks among her more popular songs in her catalogue, although like Kylie she would return to bubble-gum pop in the new millennium.
1997 22 weeks
This was the only hit that the Doobie brothers were able to achieve in Australia, although they had plenty of success in their native America throughout the decade with their other singles which are regular staples on oldies stations here. I guess they were another victim of having more success with their albums back in the day, although Minute to minute was the only best seller for them down under.
1979 22 weeks
This was the first big hit that AC/DC had in Australia, although curiously it wasn’t included on their album of the same name as this was the lead single to their second album T.N.T which came out at the tail end of the year for the band. They would score a total of three hits throughout the decade, which is a far cry from the success you’d expect from the band as their first best seller wouldn’t come until 1980’s Back in black.
1975 22 weeks
Even though he didn’t win in his season of Popstars Australia, that didn’t prevent Selwyn from finding success with his debut single back in the day albeit as a sleeper hit given how this really struggled to crack our top twenty upon its initial release. In all honesty, I’m surprised that “Way loves supposed to be” wasn’t his magnum opus here as that felt like his signature track back in the day.
2001 22 weeks
Remember how I said in my 1985 list that “Dr Beat” would be more well known nowadays for a dance remix from the mid 00’s? Well, here’s that remix which was a massive hit worldwide for the British DJ Mylo who was part of a trend of reviving older songs for a (then) modern audience which no doubt helped younger generations discover the original track 21 years after its initial release.
2005 22 weeks
Well so much for these guys being in the running for the boy band wars in Australia, admittedly they would become worthy candidates on their second album the following year but in the meantime this early single from their debut album took nearly two years to find an audience here in Australia for the main rivals of Backstreet boys. I guess it didn’t help there was another song that shared this title around this time from Mel B.
1998 22 weeks
Given how rare it was to see a post punk band make it big here in Australia, it’s odd that Public images limited would score a sleeper hit with this track which is by far their least conventional due to it being about them not wanting to sell-out for a hit single. At least they had one more hit here than the likes of Joy division and Siouxsie and the banshees.
1983 22 weeks
This is the only other hit that Mis teeq had here in Australia and indeed outside of their native UK as for whatever reason, they couldn’t compete with the likes of Atomic kitten or the Sugababes when it came to British girl groups of the 00’s internationally. At least they managed to rack up the hits in their native UK before they went their separate ways in the midpoint of the 00’s.
2001 22 weeks
So, Guns n Roses managed to score a second hit in Australia as the decade was coming to an end, not with their more worthy songs like “Welcome to the jungle” or “Paradise city” but with a song from their second album which I’m sure many of their fans have long since forgotten about over the years.
1989 22 weeks
This was the first hit single that Prince had in Australia, although he did score success from his first album in NZ with “I wanna be your lover” two years prior. His prominent songs would start to come out the following year which led to him becoming one of the biggest artists of the decade thanks to his funky instrumentation and provocative lyrics like the ones found on his first Australian hit.
1982 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Hot chocolate given how it seemed like they were yesterday’s news once the new decade rolled around, although their popularity didn’t waver entering the 80’s as they scored a massive hit with “No doubt about it” at the start of the decade in their native UK. This was one of two hits they had internationally this year, the other being “It started with a kiss” which sadly underperformed here.
1982 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
The first time I heard this song, I had to question if it was Bonnie Tyler singing as she doesn’t seem to have developed her trademark raspy voice that she uses in her two chart toppers she had here in Australia. Alas, that’s clearly her on the cover and in the accompanying music video to this debut single of hers, meaning this was where it all began for the Welsh singer even if it was a humble beginning.
1977 22 weeks
I debated on if I could include both of these songs on this list as technically, they were separate chart entries even if the former was deleted from the chart the week the latter was released, in the end I’ve decided to allow them on here since ARIA insists on counting this as a two for one deal even if that wasn’t the case originally. In any case, the former is the song which helped Michael’s self-titled album finally take off here in Australia given how catchy it is even outside of the swing revival genre whilst the latter is a swing cover of the Spider man theme which was included in the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and was only a success here in Australia.
2004 22 weeks
These guys had been active in the industry for exactly ten years when they finally had their commercial breakthrough this year, it’s with a song you may recognise as the American theme to the TV drama House (it had a different theme depending on where in the world you’re from.) I guess this was a success six years prior to the show premiering due to its music video which still haunts my nightmares to this day.
1998 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
This was the title track from Jessica Mauboy’s second album, it was a big hit for her just like another entry that’s still to come on this list, proving that she was robbed three years prior when she lost the fourth season of Australian idol.
2009 22 weeks
This is the final new entry from Fall out boy on this list, it was the third single from their breakthrough album Infinity on high which was only a success thanks to digital sales given how the album was already a massive success here by the time this had hit our store shelves.
2007 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
Although they were a favourite among watchers of Countdown throughout its run, this was the only hit that Rose tattoo were able to score here in Australia likely due to them being a little ahead of the curve when it came to Aussie pub rock as that wouldn’t explode in popularity until the tail end of the decade. Still, they had quite a bit more luck in the 80’s with their third album due to their signature track “We can’t be beaten.”
1977 22 weeks
It may be hard to believe that this was the song which broke Dragon through into the mainstream here in Australia given how it’s fallen into obscurity compared to the likes of their other two entries on this list and “Still in love with you,” however this was the first song of theirs to become a success for them even if it didn’t reach the dizzying heights of success of “April sun in Cuba” or “Are you old enough.”
1977 22 weeks
This was meant as both the theme song from the Lizzie McGuire film as well as the lead single to Hilary Duff’s debut album, it kick started her career outside of Disney as she found herself in acting roles that showcased a more risqué side of her in addition to her albums slowly becoming less kid friendly with each release.
2004 22 weeks
This was the breakthrough single for Genesis, it seems fitting that they would finally see success in the mainstream following the departure of Peter Gabriel and being replaced by their drummer Phil Collins. They would achieve more success in the 80’s as Phil would become a household name worldwide.
1978 22 weeks
Although the original version of this song charted upon its initial release here in Australia, it was this version from their 1987 album which became the sleeper hit here due to it being released around the time of their American breakthrough “Is this love” (stay tuned for that in a bit.) Sadly, this was the full extent of Whitesnake’s popularity here in Australia given they were just one of many hair metal bands of the moment.
1987 22 weeks
This is one of the less fondly remembered singer/songwriters of the decade, mainly because he was a one hit wonder with a ballad that wasn’t that big and only released two albums during his career. Even so, this did have its fans back in the day as it was a modest success around the world for the American crooner.
1977 22 weeks
It looks like Lisa Stansfield managed to get herself out of the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with this gem, although once again, that’s mainly due to this being a sleeper hit despite it being very similar to her biggest hit “All around the world.” The next time her influence would be felt was when Joanne covered one of her tracks during her time with Bluezone years after this became a hit for Lisa.
1991 22 weeks
This was one of those soft rocker ballads that managed to be a massive success in America but struggled to find an international audience for the singer/songwriter in question, in this case it’s Randy Vanwarmer who scored a massive breakthrough with this ballad before he faded into obscurity right when the 70’s had become the 80’s.
1979 22 weeks
This was the last hit that Helen Reddy was able to have here in Australia, I’m guessing because she didn’t fit in with the Countdown era which seems fair enough as Livie would struggle to have success as the decade went on with the same brand of pop country. Unlike Livie, Helen Reddy would stick to acting after this, her best-known role being as Nora from Disney’s Pete’s dragon.
1974 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
Although Renee Geyer had been a welcomed guest on Countdown since the day it launched, it wasn’t until this track from her breakthrough album Moving along that she finally managed to score any sort of success with her fellow Aussies. Even then, it’s somewhat surprising this didn’t do even better for her back in the day given how this was meant to be a warmup for her magnum opus “Say I love you” from 1981.
1977 22 weeks
Rob Thomas was on a roll here in Australia as he managed to score a second hit with his solo debut, this is a complete contrast with his earlier entry as while that was about him wanting to be with someone, here he’s complaining about how his heart was broken by someone he fell in love with too quickly which creates a narrative between the two songs. This narrative didn’t continue with the third single which is perhaps why if flopped here.
2005 22 weeks
It turns out this was a modest success here in Australia for Psychedelic furs after all given how it managed to chart long enough to qualify for this list of mine, although I guess it was seen as too bizarre for us Aussies for it to be a genuine success with the likes of ABC and Madness upon its initial release. Regardless of its minimal success back in the day, it’s presence on oldies stations has since ensured its legacy here.
1982 22 weeks
Well, the album of the same name did fairly well here in Australia, so naturally this second hit the Silver convention had in America would wind up being a fairly decent success here as well even if it’s widely considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade. I’m willing to bet that this was as big as it was here due to the surprise success that Penny McLean had with her earlier entry on this list.
1976 22 weeks
It looks like the Quick were able to score a second hit in Australia, this is impressive considering how their first hit wasn’t a hit for them anywhere else in the world the previous year. Perhaps this was used in another of Countdown’s dance competitions (they had a lot of those this decade) which encouraged people to check out the song.
1982 22 weeks
Much like Polly Brown from earlier on this list, this was also a bit ahead of its time for it to be a genuine success here in Australia, that or Countdown really messed up with not promoting disco in its first season given how there was clearly a potential market with us Aussies for the genre given how it would explode in popularity as the decade went on.
1975 22 weeks
It took me long enough, but I’ve finally managed to feature a track from Hunters and collectors on this side of mine with the lead single from their biggest album Ghost nation. Now obviously this was yet another victim of a highly successful album when it came to its commercial success, however it seems said album wasn’t enough to eat up all of its success given how long it remained on our charts for.
1989 22 weeks
Now if you thought that the Village people were made for queer folk, then allow me to introduce you to a man named Sylvester who made those guys seem like the macho men they were singing about in their breakthrough single by comparison. This was the musician of colours one and only hit anywhere in the world given how unashamedly queer it remains to this day, although he would tragically pass away a decade after its release.
1979 22 weeks
For fifteen years, this was the only hit that Meat loaf had in his native America, mainly because it was the most contemporary track on Bat out of hell given that it was a ballad about how he could never be with the woman he’s singing to. It’s a heart-breaking situation as he does admit that he’s attracted to this woman but ultimately the attraction is shallow as there’s no love he has for her.
1978 22 weeks
We have another successful hit from Ol’55 this year, this time it’s a song about how they were on the prowl on a Saturday night which is a term used to look for trouble. Naturally this song was tongue in cheek about how innocent sounding songs from the 50’s actually had a more sinister tone when you look at the lyrics as they do acknowledge that the song’s subject matter was potentially problematic in the lyrics.
1976 22 weeks
This wasn’t intended to be an LGBT anthem as it was simply another dance track that George Michael released this decade; however, it became one when it was revealed that he was gay against his will as the British tabloids discovered him at a gay bar around this time and outed him as a result. At least he was able to embrace who he truly was after the fact as otherwise that would’ve been a traumatic experience for him.
1998 22 weeks
Again, I have no idea why this was only a sleeper success here in Australia back in the day given how this remains a staple on our oldie’s stations to this day, at least it was a success here likely due to it being released at the height of disco. The duo remains a one hit wonder here as their cover of “Sukiyaki” failed to become a hit with us Aussies in the 80’s like it was throughout the rest of the world.
1978 22 weeks
Although they didn’t see the dizzying heights of success here in Australia that they did internationally, it appears the Brothers Johnson were able to find massive success with their brand of RNB and disco given how both of their entries on the NZ side of my site managed to be sleeper hits over here back in the day (“Strawberry letter 23” would’ve made the cut here had I included 70’s tracks.)
1980 22 weeks
Surprised that this was only a sleeper hit here in Australia? Well at least it managed to make the list as opposed to the singles from Fleetwood Mac’s iconic Rumours album which failed to become a success here due to how inescapably popular that album was. Their self-titled on the other hand took a while to take off here, hence why its lead single managed to makes waves on our charts back in the day.
1976 22 weeks
You better believe Soulja boy wasn’t a one hit wonder here in Australia, although he nearly was as this struggled to find an audience amongst us Aussies given how much of a novelty his earlier entry was back in the day. Naturally this was a far bigger hit for the rapper in NZ and his native America.
2009 22 weeks
Given how “I want a new drug” was the big hit for Huey Lewis over in NZ from their breakthrough album Sports, it only makes sense that the other favourite on oldies stations from that album would be their big sleeper hit here in Australia which thankfully didn’t have any baggage attached to it back in the day involving a song ripping off its melody like their anti-drug classic did.
1984 22 weeks
We finally have a second single from the Screaming jets to feature on this site, although this is a far cry from the grunge sound that “Better” resembles as this is more of a blues rock track for the band. It was a decent success upon its initial release, although the album it came from wouldn’t be a success until the release of “Helping hand” which was released the year after this came out.
1993 22 weeks
I’m as surprised as you are that Def Leppard were able to still find success during the midpoint of the 90’s, although this did come from their greatest hits package so it was likely a success more through nostalgia of their back catalogue which we Aussies largely ignored during their prime rather than us feeling this hair metal track was worthy of being a success among the likes of RHCP and Offspring.
1995 22 weeks
It’s rather bizarre that this would be OMD’s biggest hit here in Australia given how it owes its success to the band performing “We love you” on Countdown around the time it was released as a single, then again stranger things have happened throughout the 80’s when it comes to our music scene. This won’t be the band’s final appearance on this list given how their theme to Pretty in pink is still to come.
1986 22 weeks
Just like in NZ, this debut single from Fine young cannibals was also pushed aside here in Australia upon its initial release in favour of all the Live aid shenanigans found in the midpoint of the 80’s. That of course didn’t prevent this from being a massive success for the band here back in the day, rather it just slipped through the cracks of mainstream relevancy which prevented it from appearing on my 1985 list.
1985 22 weeks
This is a song that initially flopped in T’pau’s native UK; however, it was given a second chance when it appeared in a jean commercial over in America which resulted in it taking off on Billboard and eventually the rest of the world. This has tainted the song for some people over the years as it was originally praised for its heartfelt performance from lead singer Carol Decker and its personal lyrics.
1987 22 weeks
This is the final new entry on this list (at least on this side of my site) it was the first hit that Pharrell had as a lead vocalist here in Australia given how he had already made his mark on the chorus to Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful” the year prior to when this came out. It’s another song that was pushed aside here in Australia for all the reality show contestant’s Australian idol launched into our music industry.
2004 22 weeks
It looks like Extreme were able to have a second hit here in Australia just like they did in NZ and their native America, although we Aussies were a bit more confused with this second single than the kiwis and their fellow Americans were given how it was more of a sleeper hit for the band here than it was in those two countries. I guess they’re another example of a band breaking through too late to have more of an impact in the music scene.
1991 22 weeks
This was originally released two years prior to deafening silence in Cathy’s native UK, I’m guessing her fellow Brits didn’t find much love for this dance pop number amongst all of the Kylie Minogue rip-offs that dominated their charts during the final weeks of the 80’s. It was given a second chance this year when she began sparking interest over in America with “Touch me” as that eventually became a huge hit on Billboard for her.
1991 22 weeks
Like many songs that I claimed were minor sleeper hits on the NZ side of my site, this manages to make an appearance on this list of mine duo to how long it lasted on our charts back in the day. Even though this didn’t become an instant hit for the band like it did in NZ, it did pique our curiosity which resulted in the success of their third album in 1985.
1984 22 weeks
We have a second appearance from Margaret Urlich on this site, this being her second solo single from her solo debut which lasted for quite some time on our charts as well as it being a minor hit in her homeland (too minor to appear on that side of my site.) She would have another near miss on her second solo album with “Boy on the moon” before officially fading into obscurity.
1990 22 weeks
This was sandwiched between the two big hits off of Maroon 5’s second album It won’t be soon before long, I guess this means we Aussies weren’t that impressed with this track from the band and only kept it around out of obligation rather than having any genuine affection for it.
2007 22 weeks
Whereas these guys were able to make it onto the NZ side of my site proper with “The hardest thing,” this was the best they were able to do here in Australia as we Aussies didn’t seem interested in hearing from Nick Lachey and company back in the day. That said, Nick would score a massive solo hit several years later thanks to his failed marriage with Jessica Simpson.
1999 22 weeks
I wasn’t expecting to see this guy again on this list given how much of a novelty his earlier entry was, it appears he managed to impress his fellow Brits with this number which in turn sparked curiosity amongst us Aussies when this got him out of the one hit wonder bin back at home. Alas this was the true extent of his popularity worldwide.
1975 22 weeks
I get the feeling that this would’ve been an even bigger hit here in Australia had this been released in 1979 rather than 1980, that’s not to say I agree that the disco backlash had any impact on our charts, rather this type of disco did seem to be dime a dozen when it saw the light of day. In any case, it did stick around for quite some time on our charts likely due to its surprise success in the UK.
1980 22 weeks
This cover of the Neil Diamond classic was originally a part of Urge overkill’s 1992 E.P Stull which naturally received little attention due to the E.P coming from an alternative band that saw little success in their native America. It was finally given a chance to shine when it was chosen as the theme song to the cult classic Pulp fiction which was one of the most popular films of the mid 90’s worldwide.
1994 22 weeks
I guess we Aussies were moderate fans of this “theme song” to the Cleopatra universe as it stuck around on our charts for quite some time back in the day. Granted it wasn’t as big here as it was in NZ or their native UK, however it did show signs that we Aussies would be interested in what else the trio had to offer which sadly never materialised into success.
1998 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
This was the final hit for Brian Cadd here in Australia, interestingly Countdown didn’t seem interested in promoting his music despite how much success he had both solo and with his two previous bands Axiom and the Twilights over the last decade. I guess if he had of joined the Little river band like his previous band mates then his solo career could’ve thrived in the second half of the 70’s.
1974 22 weeks
Eurovision this year was so popular that Olivia Newton John managed to score a massive hit worldwide with her entry for the UK despite it only coming in fourth place in the contest, it’s a well performed ballad that no doubt caught the attention of her future American audience who gave her a Billboard chart topper with her earlier entry on this list.
1974 22 weeks
This was the lead single to Suzi Quatro’s second album, it was a bit of a false start for the album given how she would find more success with its second single that would dominate the early months of the following year for the American glam rocker.
1974 22 weeks
I guess if Elvis Presley could have massive success by incorporating Hawaiian music into his sound, then why not Herb Ohta who was a Hawaiian native? This was his only hit worldwide due to it being a hybrid of Hawaiian music and Chanson which was a popular type of French music from the mid 50’s.
1974 22 weeks
