Hey there, I thought I’d make a list ranking the longest charting singles from what I believe to be the most lucrative time in music history here in Australia. This list is fairly straight forward, each entry appears A: by how long they charted for and B: how well they did during their chart run. The only other thing is that the charts became somewhat redundant starting in 2007 where ARIA allowed for digital downloads which effectively removed the shelf life of each single. This means I’ve decided to include the chart runs of songs on the digital and single charts from this period to give an idea of how long a song would’ve lasted on the charts without this change whilst allowing songs that didn’t chart on the physical chart to appear on here as well.
This was the lead single to Madonna’s most critically acclaimed album Ray of light, an album which was a return to her indie roots after experimenting with her sound many times throughout the last fifteen years of her career. This would lead the album to be nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, although it lost to Lauryn Hill’s only album due to hip hop being at the height of its popularity.
1999 22 weeks
To think that the debut single for one of the more divisive boy bands of the decade was originally meant for the New Jack city soundtrack, indeed I have a feeling the movie’s critical and commercial success was what helped it become a hit for Color me Badd as public opinion on the song hasn’t been kind over the years. I guess if you want this otherwise family friendly group to get their sexual charge on then this is for you.
1991 22 weeks
This was the only hit from Dynamic Hepnotics as they failed to make much of a splash here like many of their contemporaries save for this catchy dance track which had little chance of failing in our music scene. The real surprise here is that this managed to become an even bigger hit over in NZ the following year, possibly due to the kiwis finding this to be even more irresistible than us Aussies.
1984 22 weeks
This was a stacked year for Madonna as she was able to score three massive hits from her fourth album Like a prayer just as the decade was coming to an end. Here’s the second of the three as she promotes a message of self-value, specifically how you shouldn’t buy into material gifts that your partner offers you to excuse their awful treatment of you. It’s a positive message that seems to be relevant now more than ever.
1989 22 weeks
This was the debut single from Kids in the kitchen, an Australian new wave band who had an interesting album cycle for their debut album as it went for nearly two years before they finally released it in 1985. I guess this was to make it a success which it did to an extent, it wasn’t among the biggest albums of the decade here, but it was a huge commercial success thanks to their brand of alternative new wave.
1983 22 weeks
Bryan Ferry was on a roll with this lead single to his third album In your mind, it helped the album become a huge hit in Australia which confirmed him to be one of the hottest new artists of the decade despite the lack of success he had with Roxy music earlier in the decade. Indeed, this did him no favours when he reunited with the band later in the decade until they made a tribute to John Lennon.
1977 22 weeks
I guess in celebration of the premiere of Star trek the next generation, this novelty band from the UK through together a Claymation video that goes with a song that I think was meant to be a touching tribute to the original series. It’s hard to tell with how bad the impersonations are of the characters, if I had to pick out my least favourite song of the decade, this would be it and I’m not even a Star trek fan.
1987 22 weeks
I guess hip hop was able to find success here in Australia so long as there was a catchy EDM track to go with it, here we have Swedish rapper Melodie MC with one of the defining beats from the EDM scene of the 90’s complete with a chorus that while annoying at first, becomes easy to appreciate after repeated listens. Sadly, this was the only success that Melodie MC managed to have anywhere in the world.
1994 22 weeks
This was the title track from John Farnham’s third album from his comeback period, it’s a song that largely gets overshadowed by the rest of the album despite it being the biggest hit from said album. This is because the other two hits from the album (which are still to come) get more love on oldies stations than this does, although this does remain a fan favourite for what it’s worth.
1990 22 weeks
My American readers are likely confused as to how this managed to become a hit here in Australia given how it wasn’t even released as a single over there, I guess we Aussies didn’t want a song as controversial as “Superman” to become a success here, so instead we went with this as the fourth single from the album instead of that which the rest of the world followed suit with.
2003 22 weeks
Frankie Valli certainly seemed to have a resurgence in popularity this decade which all began with this ballad about how he reminisces about a crush he had when he was a schoolboy. This managed to tug at the heartstrings of audiences worldwide and have it be a huge success for him, which in turn led to him having two more hits later in the decade both solo and with the Four seasons with disco tracks.
1975 22 weeks
This was the lead single from a covers album that Tom Jones released just as the decade was coming to an end, it’s notable for A: helping the Cardigans escape from the one hit wonder bin and B: helping the Talking heads original finally find an audience here in Australia after almost two decades of complete obscurity. This was the only hit from the album Reload, although I would’ve thought “Sex bomb” would be a big hit as well.
1999 22 weeks
This remains Linda Ronstadt’s second biggest hit in Australia, second only to “Don’t know much” which is a song about how getting older kind of sucks which is a far cry from this track which is a cover of a love ballad from Roy Orbison. This song’s popularity has since been overshadowed by “It’s so easy” from the album they both come from Simple dreams, mainly because that song still gets airplay on oldies stations.
1977 22 weeks
This was about as equally successful as “Right thurr” from the previous year regardless of where in the world you’re from, this means that audiences wanted to hear Chingy rap about him being romantic to someone he’s interested in as much as whatever his debut single was supposed to be about. He had to more hits in his catalogue (one of which is still to come) before people became bored of his music.
2004 22 weeks
Although it remains a popular film here in Australia, Young Einstein wasn’t well received internationally largely due to the premise of there being an Australian Einstein who invented rock and roll not clicking well with foreign audiences. It doesn’t help that the premise is built on a throwaway joke from Back to the future, although at least the music was well received such as this cover of the Chuck Berry classic from Mental as anything.
1988 22 weeks
We’ve featured several tracks from his ex-wife Jessica Simpson on this site so far, so I guess it was only a matter of time before we got a hit from Nick Lachey here in Australia which came in the form of this lead single from his second solo album. Nick of course was previously known for being a member of the boy band 98° who also didn’t have any success here in Australia, that would explain why this was his only hit here.
2006 22 weeks
This was the final solo hit that Phil Collins managed to score here in Australia, it’s a song that’s seemingly about living in paradise but is actually from the point of view of a homeless person wanting to find paradise in their life of poverty. This tugged at the heartstrings of his audience for one last time as it became the final Billboard chart topper of the 80’s, this earning him the nickname of Mr. 80’s.
1989 22 weeks
Thanks to the success of their live album Under a blood red sky, U2 no longer had any issues with finding success with their singles which allowed this lead single to their album Unforgettable fire to become a massive worldwide success for them. It’s easily one of their most recognisable hits thanks to the passionate performance that Bono gives on the track, saying that one’s pride is something no one can take from them.
1984 22 weeks
This is the third and final hit that T.I had outside of America, although I feel that this would’ve been a hit regardless given how it has Justin Timberlake on the chorus who seemed to be a cheat code when it came to artists (specifically rappers) throughout the decade scoring a massive hit. This cheat code of his expired once the 2010’s rolled around as he didn’t have much success then even as a lead artist.
2009 22 weeks
This often gets confused for a Hall and Oates track due to how similar Dan Hartman sounds to Daryl Hall on this song, indeed this theme to the long-forgotten film Streets of fire allowed him to escape the one hit wonder bin here that “Instant replay” threatened to trap him in back in 1979. There are two videos of this classic, the first is with a performance that a doo wop group from the film gives while the second has Hartman himself as a bar tender singing to his patrons.
1984 22 weeks
This is often considered to be the greatest comeback ever made by an artist, mainly because Tina Turner was considered to be yesterday’s news in her native America by the time she had divorced her husband Ike eight years prior. This wasn’t her first hit she had around the world since the divorce as “Let’s stay together” was a surprise hit for her in the UK thanks to being produced by the members of Heaven 17.
1984 22 weeks
This was one of the better received songs in Britney’s career as it was an autobiographical account of her rise to fame (well biographical as it wasn’t written by her) it was a massive hit worldwide due to people connecting with the tale of how she got everything she wanted but it all made her feel hollow inside. In a way, this was “Everything I wanted” almost two decades before Billie Eilish wrote that track.
2000 22 weeks
This was the third and final hit that Irene Cara was able to score anywhere in the world, and behind it’s not attached to a film (that I’m aware of) meaning it was able to become a success in its own right here in Australia. She was attached to the Breakin soundtrack this year which was obviously meant to be the third film project her music was attached to, however her contributions to that soundtrack led her nowhere.
1983 22 weeks
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence here in Australia, I’m not even sure why it flopped if I’m being honest as Livie was already one of the biggest stars here in Australia and she was acquiring a massive international audience with her country ballads. This was given a second chance following the success of her greatest hits album First impressions.
1975 22 weeks
This was originally a hit for Norman Greenbaum sixteen years prior which in turn was a success due to the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon that was taking the world by storm at the start of the 70’s. These guys were able to score a massive hit throughout Europe with their interpretation of the lyrics before fading into obscurity making this an example of a one hit wonder covering a one hit wonder.
1986 22 weeks
Time to look at what I believe is the most over hated song of the decade, yes, this lead single from Nickelback’s third album All the right reasons does have strange lyrics about reminiscing on the good times, however there are far worse songs on this list alone and even from Nickelback that I don’t understand why this is often considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade by the internet.
2005 22 weeks
This was originally a hit for Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore for Harry Potter fans) ten years prior where it became a massive hit for the Irish actor despite often being hailed as one of the worst songs of all time. Donna Summer decided to resurrect this song about a cake melting in the park (that’s literally what the song is about) and make it a disco hit where it became a success all over again.
1978 22 weeks
This was the second hit that 10CC managed to achieve in Australia, although this was different from their other hits as each of them were in a different genre in music. Here we have something that feels like it belongs in the sophistopop genre a decade prior to when it became a thing in their native UK, I guess the ambience of this track was what got it to become a massive crossover success in America.
1975 22 weeks
This was the only hit for the underage American southern rapper J-Kwon, a hit that sparked a bit of minor controversy as it opens with a song about how teen drinking was bad but he didn’t care because he had a fake ID. Naturally this line was cut from the radio version of this song which left audiences with the counting gimmick he had throughout the song, it’s about all I remember from it if I’m being honest.
2004 22 weeks
There was a popular sub-genre from the 70’s that I’ve dubbed as late-night rock, this is the type of rock music I picture myself listening to whenever I’m at a cocktail bar late at night or driving home alone on a dark lonely highway. Here we have Edwyn Collins score a hit in this sub-genre I invented with his one and only hit which is about how he’s dumbfounded by this woman he’s talking to and how abnormal she seems to him.
1995 22 weeks
Many credit this one and only hit from Gary Numan as the beginning of the new wave craze, technically that honour should go to “Are friends electric” as that also had him on vocals and was a new wave classic, although I guess that was a flop over in America whereas this was a top ten hit on Billboard. Between these two songs, this was the full extent of Gary Numan’s popularity worldwide.
1979 22 weeks
These guys were certainly on a roll going into the new millennium given how they were able to finally score a number one hit in their native UK with this second single from their sophomore album Invincible. It seemed like they would be moving away from their hip hop roots going into the new millennium, however their third single traded in these roots in favour of a dated cover of a Queen classic.
1999 22 weeks
This was the biggest hit that Wang Chung had in their career, likely due to the seizure inducing music video which likely made a bunch of people epileptics whenever it was shown on TV. I find it weird this wasn’t their debut single or even their first hit considering this feels like an introduction to the band, although this could be another reason why it was their biggest hit given the potential of a TV show.
1986 22 weeks
You may recall if you’re a fan of Eminem that he was originally part of a posse group known as D12, well here they are with the first of three big hits they had this decade with a song that more or less glorifies drugs as that’s what the title of the song means in drug culture. Naturally it wasn’t played much on the radio, however that didn’t prevent this from being a massive success here and in the UK.
2001 22 weeks
This could’ve very well been the last hit single that Mariah Carey had in Australia given what was about to come next for her in the new millennium (we won’t be discussing it here.) Fortunately, she was able to return with her 2005 effort the Emancipation of Mimi which we’ll get to on the 2005 list. For now, we have this anthem about sticking it to the cheating scumbag that Mariah was dating at the time complete with a huge budget music video.
1999 22 weeks
This was one of two hits that the German EDM group Fragma had throughout the world at the start of the decade, the other was with “Everytime you need me” which sadly was too much of a sleeper hit here in Australia to be appearing on this site. I guess the EDM scene was still going strong going into the new millennium even if it was quickly losing steam in the mainstream compared to how inescapable it was in the 90’s.
2000 22 weeks
This was the first big hit that Usher was able to achieve anywhere in the world, although apparently it was with a remix as this sat on shelves for a while even in his native America before it unexpectedly took off over there. As with most RNB ballads of the decade, this was heavily delayed here in Australia, however that didn’t prevent it from being a massive success here as evidence by its placement on this list.
1998 22 weeks
Well, here’s the other hit that Jam and Spoon, oh sorry, Tokyo ghetto pussy managed to score here in Australia with their anime inspired EDM. I guess they gave up on the anime aesthetics moving forward due to these two songs underperforming throughout Europe, as such they reverted back to being Jam and Spoon.
1995 22 weeks
This is one of those songs that was well promoted by Triple J which resulted in its success, although the song was a catchy throwback to the psychedelia complete with a video that seems to be an homage to the Alice in wonderland books. This was the only hit for Swoop, likely because the rest of their catalogue wasn’t nearly as catchy as this breakthrough single was for them.
1995 22 weeks
This guy had been in the industry for over two decades before he finally scored his one and only hit outside of his native America with this ballad about his own heartbreak. I guess this being a hit makes sense as soft rock was one of the biggest trends of the decade when it wasn’t centred around the dance floor or rock operas.
1979 22 weeks
This was the biggest hit from Poison in Australia, I’m guessing because they were coming off the overwhelming success of their second album Open up and say ahh which was one of the biggest here in Australia of the 80’s. From what I can tell, this is a song about nothing which admittedly is a far cry from their earlier work which at least had individual messages for each song.
1990 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
It was a new decade, so it only makes sense that Kenny Rogers would begin it with one of his more memorable songs becoming a massive success throughout the world. He did surprisingly well going into the MTV era outside his native America considering that MTV seemed to have an allergic reaction to country music, although he would end up being more popular on Billboard as the decade went on.
1980 22 weeks
This was the debut single for one of the big four in the grunge scene, in fact this year in general was a good year for bands that would go on to dominate the mainstream given how Nirvana and Red hot chili peppers got their big break with their earlier entries on this list. This would be the band’s only hit in Australia for most of the decade until they finally scored a second hit with “Last kiss” just as the 90’s was coming to an end.
1992 22 weeks
Although this wasn’t their first song to find success in their native America, this was the song which made them an international household name likely due to it being written by Bruce Springsteen for a rock artist no one’s heard of. The three ladies would go on to have massive success in the 80’s here in Australia which would’ve been impossible for them to achieve if they had of peaked in the 70’s.
1979 22 weeks
This was the third hit single that John Waite managed to score in Australia throughout his career, the first two being with his former band the Babys who had broken up going into the 80’s due to the hits drying up for them. Indeed, this was John’s only hit as a solo artist as he would form a new band later in the decade with Bad English, that band would score one more hit for him going into the 90’s.
1984 22 weeks
This was originally released two years prior in this LGBT band’s native America to deafening silence, I’m guessing because it was considered to be too wacky for audiences of the late 70’s as well as them not appreciating the surf rock influences on the track. It was able to find an audience here in Australia due to them performing it on Countdown which went over really well for the band.
1980 22 weeks
This was the last hit that Elvis Presley had during his lifetime, much like John Lennon after him, he died during the height of his popularity which resulted in the success of his final album worldwide. It’s hard to say if this song would’ve been a success if he lived to see the end of the year, however his death certainly did prevent the song from failing much like some of his other ballads this decade.
1977 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2008 22 weeks
With all of the controversies involving lip synching that had emerged throughout the decade so far, Mariah had that accusation stick to her initially due to her unwillingness to embark on a tour to promote her music. In order to put those rumours to rest, she appeared on MTV unplugged where she gave a performance which confirms that her reluctancy came from her suffering from stage freight and not a lack of vocal talent.
1992 22 weeks
While this was far from the first single they released, this was the song which made Twisted sister a household name likely due to its music video depicting the band going from abused children to who they were which connected with audiences here and especially in NZ where this nearly topped their charts. It was a short-lived success for the band, however one that I’m sure people look back on fondly.
1984 22 weeks
This was a hit singles twice in Australia for Alicia Bridges, the first time was upon its initial release where it rode the disco bandwagon along with many other RNB tracks of its day and the second was with this remix which was used for the film Priscilla queen of the desert. It’s usually this remix people think of whenever they think of any version of this song or indeed, a queer anthem in general.
1994 22 weeks
This is another popular disco track that’s survived the test of time, I’m guessing due to the Kym Mazelle cover from Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet which no doubt reminded audiences of this classic around the time where disco had regained its popularity in the mainstream. Like many women of colour who made disco this decade, Candi Staton remained a one hit wonder with this classic even in her native America.
1976 22 weeks
Following the success he had the previous year as the lead singer of Mike and the Mechanics, Paul Carrack released a solo album this year which was led off with this cover of the Searchers track from the early 60’s. The original was a huge hit here in Australia back in the day, so that would explain how this was a hit for him down under and nowhere else in the world. His next single would be his first solo hit on Billboard with “Don’t shed a tear.”
1987 22 weeks
It looked like that Two fires would finish its album cycle earlier in the year for Jimmy Barnes, that changed when he released the fourth single from the album which became a surprise hit for him likely due to the children’s choir towards the end of the song. This helped boost the sales of the album which was already a huge success but became one of the biggest of the decade with this song’s success.
1991 22 weeks
There seemed to be two lanes this year with popular music, the kiddie pop which dominated the first half of this list and the alternative scene which will dominate the second half of this list. Marcy Playground managed to appeal to those in the middle ground as this became a huge success for them in the alternative scene and also while charting along the likes of the Spice girls and Backstreet boys.
1998 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
This second single wasn’t as popular as Natalie’s solo single (which we’ll get to in a bit) however it was an instant success for her here which is why it outranks “Alive” on this list. Even though there was a lot of hype going into her album 1000 stars, said album underperformed which likely meant that her popularity was fleeting here.
2009 22 weeks
World party is the solo project of Welsh singer Karl Wallinger who scored a massive hit with this track about how he didn’t want to conform to the standards set up by politicians of the 80’s or as he puts it “sail on this ship of fools.” It resonated with audiences in Australia where it became a huge success for him, although we didn’t check out any of his other material as his album and other singles flopped here.
1987 22 weeks
This was the final hit that Hall and Oates were able to score here in Australia, although they would still find moderate success during the second half of the decade in their native America. This is perhaps my favourite song from the duo as it’s by far the catchiest as well as me relating to the lyrics about being with someone who’s out of touch with reality. I’ve that person on both sides of this relationship.
1984 22 weeks
These guys had been active since the late 60’s, meaning they didn’t find any success in their career until this year when they released this bouncy country ballad that got them their Billboard chart topper in their native America. This was a good time for country music with a groove to it, so of course it was going to succeed internationally for the two brothers, and hey they scored another hit later in the decade.
1976 22 weeks
I told you that British artists weren’t that successful here in Australia, I’m willing to be the only reason why this track from Westlife was a hit here was due to it being a cover of one of Billy Joel’s most recognisable songs in his catalogue and we Aussies were having nostalgia for the original when this came out. If finally got the Irish band out of the one hit wonder bin here despite how inescapable they were worldwide.
2001 22 weeks
This was the breakthrough single for Heart, one of the more popular bands from America that unfortunately didn’t receive much love here in Australia back in the day save for the occasional hit single here and there. Indeed, their next hit wouldn’t come for another decade down under when “Alone” cracked the top ten here, by that stage they had changed their sound drastically from what it was here.
1976 22 weeks
This was originally released as a bonus track from Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits package from two years prior, most likely as a way to capitalise off the film of the same name from 1993. It was given a second chance when it was included in the Jerry Maguire soundtrack where it became a massive success due to it being the soundtrack to Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger’s romance in the film.
1997 22 weeks
Much like their previous entry on this list, this third single from BEP’s Elephunk is different depending on which version we’re looking at. The single version is a rather innocuous party jam that was a predictable hit for the group, however the album version has some truly bizarre lines as well as a breakdown where the members spout gibberish that I and many others find to be absolutely hilarious.
2004 22 weeks
This was the second big hit to come from Chemistry, the album that Mondo rock released this year which restored Ross Wilson’s popularity in the music industry after almost a decade of silence from him. Here we have a song about how he’s going to try and thaw the love of a woman he’s interested in but is giving him the cold shoulder, it seems desperate until you realise that she’s clearly playing hard to get.
1981 22 weeks
It looked like their second album was going to be a complete flop when it was released towards the end of last year, however these guys managed to score a surprise hit with this ballad which gave them success outside of their debut album from the start of the decade. This didn’t do anything to turn the album’s reception around, but it at least helped them find success in a year their contemporaries were struggling in.
1993 22 weeks
Following the moderate success of her cover of “Fire and rain,” Marcia Hines managed to score a huge hit here in Australia with this original ballad which no doubt led to the success of her debut album from around the time of its release. This would be the start of a highly successful music career here in Australia after a successful run as Mary Magdalene in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar.
1975 22 weeks
It looked like that Billie Piper wasn’t going to find any crossover success here in Australia with her debut album, that changed when the fourth and final single from the album became a success here which funnily enough also serves as the title track from said album. This meant that she no longer had any issues with finding success here which led to her biggest hit the following year with “Day and night.”
1999 22 weeks
This was the biggest hit to come from the Eurythmics’s fourth album Revenge, it’s a personal favourite of mine thanks to how well Annie sounds on this track as well as it confronts what she describes as a thorn in her side that is the toxic relationship she was in at the time. This would be the last hit that the duo would have here in Australia, although they would release two more albums before calling it quits.
1986 22 weeks
This was the theme to the Stephen King film Maximum overdrive, a film I’ve seen described as one of the most ridiculous to come out of the decade due to how over the top the storyline is which involves electronic appliances rising up against humanity to destroy us all. Naturally the soundtrack is the only part of the film that anyone seems to have fond memories of, even then it’s because it’s AC/DC.
1986 22 weeks
Here we have the debut single from an indie singer by the name of Madonna, the name seems vaguely familiar to me and the song in question has been considered a classic of the 80’s thanks to her passionate vocals about wanting a holiday during the height of the Regan and Thatcher era. All jokes aside, this was the breakthrough single from one of the most successful artists of all time for good reason.
1984 22 weeks
Although their output this decade would be seen as a far cry from the quality of their 80’s material, at least Metallica were able to ease their older fans into their new sound with the lead single of their black album which at least retains to complex musicianship of their older material. Lyrically it’s about how James Hetfield suffers from nightmares and how he internalises getting through each night.
1991 22 weeks
This was the second hit that Lenny was able to achieve from his third album internationally, he does so with a self-empowerment anthem about how the listener should believe in themselves which no doubt was why this was able to connect with audiences back in the day. This would be his last hit until much later in the decade when he scored a surprise hit with “Fly away” from his fifth album.
1993 22 weeks
It had been five years since No Doubt released their breakthrough album Tragic kingdom, although that album did take its sweet time in finding success around the world due to the band being unknown prior to its release. In any case, we have the lead single to their follow up album Return of Saturn which proved to be their only hit from said album around the world, naturally this led to the band changing up their sound later in the decade.
2000 22 weeks
This was a huge success for Things of stone and wood (again with a silly band name on this site) mainly because it was an E.P named after their signature tune which helped them find an audience during a time where it was beginning to become difficult for Aussies to make it big in the mainstream. Indeed, they wouldn’t find any success with any of their singles despite having a decently successful album.
1992 22 weeks
While this wasn’t the first single that Duran Duran had a hit in Australia, this was the song which made them international superstars thanks to a provocative video which depicted women wrestling topless which earned the video the distinction of it being the first to be banned on MTV. The song itself is a classic thanks to the passionate vocals of Simon Le Bon, although the video has made it an anthem for misogyny in recent years.
1981 22 weeks
If you’re wondering what this song even is, it was the theme song to Happy feet which is a film that divides audiences to this day due to how preachy they tend to find the environmental message of the film. It was a massive box office success worldwide which allowed this theme to be a hit here in Australia for the unknown singer Gia Farrell.
2007 22 weeks
We have another EDM song for this list, this time it’s from the British/Australian duo the Bodyrockers who scored a massive hit worldwide with their one and only hit from their one and only album. It’s a song that was a big success back in the day and has lived on due to its usage in commercials over the years, although the duo would go their separate ways when they failed to score a second hit.
2005 22 weeks
He managed to have one of the bigger albums of the decade with She, so it only makes sense that Harry Connick Jr would have a massive hit in Australia with the albums lead single which admittedly was very different to all of the other songs on this list due to it being a jazz single. This helped him balance out his popularity in both the music industry and in Hollywood as he kept getting high profile acting gigs.
1994 22 weeks
Even though she was widely mocked online for her SNL performance from the previous year, that didn’t seem to prevent Ashlee Simpson from finding further success with her second album at least here in Australia as it managed to spawn not one but two hits for her back in the day. This was the first of those two hits which is a plea to her sister to get over that she was dating someone she used to date (given that she was married and all.)
2005 22 weeks
James was on a roll this year as he managed to score a second hit from his solo album, further proving that he was the driving force of Australian crawl throughout the decade given how their popularity dwindled after their third album. All of this success led to him receiving buzz the following year for his album internationally, so much so that his album was given an international released that sadly flopped for him.
1987 22 weeks
I’m a bit surprised that Jon English didn’t see more success with his music career back in the day in Australia, especially considering how he did have minor international success thanks to his role as Judas in the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar this decade. I guess this became a hit for him following his role in the miniseries Against the wind which was a massive success for him.
1978 22 weeks
Although “Sacrifice” proved to be the big hit off of Sleeping with the past, this was the lead single which was enough of a sleeper success to allow said album to be an improvement over most of his 80’s work before “Sacrifice” made it a best seller. In the UK, these two songs were bundled together which allowed them both to top the British charts making it his second and final chart topper in his homeland.
1989 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 22 weeks
The hits kept on coming for BEP going into the new decade as this fourth single from the E.N.D (Energy never dies for the uninitiated) was a massive worldwide hit for the quartet. Evidently this was stitched together with “Imma be” in their native America due to its video serving as a continuation to that video, it would explain why that track was the third Billboard chart topper for them on the album.
2009 22 weeks
This was the fourth single that Savage Garden released from their self-titled debut album, as such it was an instant success here thanks to the production once again living up to their namesake and being savage compared to everything else that was popular around the time of its release. They would release one more single from the album with “Universe” before going back to make their second album.
1997 22 weeks
This was the second single to be released from this RNB star’s debut album, I get the feeling this was a massive success due to the whistling on the track as RNB didn’t tend to do too well here in Australia back in the day. This was eventually a chart topper in his native America once the album became a huge success for him throughout Europe, I’m guessing he used the proceeds to help him get home after being stranded there by the US army.
1987 22 weeks
This was the second and final hit that the Babys managed to score here in Australia, making them the only artist from back in the day to score multiple hits with what I’ve described as late-night rock given how this also feels like the type of song that would play in the scenario I described earlier in this list. The band would struggle to find success going into the 80’s, however this wouldn’t be the last we hear from lead singer John Waite.
1979 22 weeks
This was the final hit that Cher was able to score here in Australia, admittedly this comes immediately after her earlier hit on this list as it served as a huge comeback for her after a rather dormant period in the mainstream. I guess this song and the rest of the album was devoid of any autotune to reassure listeners that she could still sing at this point in her career, even though the usage of autotune has been called the Cher effect.
1999 22 weeks
You’re probably wondering who Todd Rundgren even is, let alone how he managed to score a massive hit with this ballad across the world given how there was no shortage of ballads like this that were flopping at the time. It turns out that he was the one who produced Meat Loaf’s Bat out of hell album, meaning that this guy is responsible for one of the best albums of all time which more than justifies this songs success.
1978 22 weeks
This was the only other hit that Jamelia was able to achieve here in Australia, this time it’s with her version of “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera as this is about her thanking her abusive ex for making her a better person despite treating her like crap in the relationship. It’s a shining example of how female empowerment in music has been around for much longer than modern pop artists give people credit for.
2004 22 weeks
You knew she was going to make one of these lists eventually, so here’s the big hit that Bjork managed to achieve outside of her native Iceland thanks to being quite possibly the most bombastic hit single of the 90’s with the combination of her vocals and the swing jazz production on display. She already had success with her solo album Debut from two years prior, however this lead single from her second album Post was what made her a household name.
1995 22 weeks
This was the only hit that Tony Toni Tone was able to achieve here in Australia, although like other groups of colour, they found more success over in NZ throughout the 90’s which should tell you which country was more open to music of colour back then. Here they score their only hit with a new jack swing staple that proved too irresistible for us Aussies to resist back in the day like their other material.
1993 22 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2007 22 weeks
This is the last hit that Human Nature were able to achieve in their career, this is less because their popularity faded after this song and more because this came from their final album as a boy band before they reinvented themselves as a throwback group to the likes of Motown and other music from the mid twentieth century. Indeed, their popularity wouldn’t die out for another decade because of this shift in their image.
2004 22 weeks
It looks like the trio were able to prove their haters wrong by succeeding with flying colours around the world this year, here’s the second single from their debut album which may not have been as memorable as their earlier entry but was able to help their album become one of the most popular of the late 80’s. They still have one more entry to come on this list, however that would be their last hit down under.
1988 22 weeks
I guess it had been several decades since there was a dance craze in the music scene, so here’s the big one from the 80’s with a band called Was (not was) (whatever that’s supposed to say about them) who scored their one and only hit with a song about doing the Dinosaur which is a strange dance that seems to be taken from the moves found in “Walk like an Egyptian” from the Bangles. It was a huge hit in Australia and the UK but not in their native America.
1987 22 weeks
This was the second single to come from Bryan Adams’s comeback album Waking up the neighbours, technically this is the reason why his earlier entry on this list didn’t last forever at number one as it was pulled from shelves to encourage sales of both this single and the album this year. This was also reassurance that Bryan hadn’t completely sold out yet as it was a return to his arena rock from the 80’s.
1991 22 weeks
It’s hard to think that this was the first hit that Nelly had here in Australia, admittedly his earlier entry on this list was released as the second single from his album after its title track, however it only became a hit due to its inclusion in the second Scary movie film. This on the other hand was a success upon its immediate release down under, meaning this was the song that won us over to Nelly’s music.
2001 22 weeks
