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 title track to by far the most popular album that Spandau Ballet released in their career, in fact this is easily their most recognisable song in their discography for a two of reasons. First off, it’s widely regarded as having some of the worst lyrics in a song, I personally disagree as even back then there were some pretty awful lines that make these look professionally written in comparison. Secondly this was sampled in P.M Dawn’s big hit “Set adrift on memory bliss” in 1991.
1983 19 weeks
This was the theme song to the film of the same name, a film that happened to be Dolly Parton’s acting debut which garnered her critical acclaim for her performance as well as a Golden globe nomination for her role. The film remains a classic to this day as it’s a perfect display of female empowerment as her, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin overthrow their sexist boss after refusing to give into his sexual demands.
1981 19 weeks
This is the closest that Suzanne Vega will ever have to having a hit single worldwide, although this is more of a DNA track hence why they’re credited as the main artist on this hit. The original is an a Cappella track from her album Solitude standing, however the British duo added production to the ballad which helped it become a hit on the radio and also made them an in-demand production team going forward.
1990 19 weeks
This sounds like it was recorded forty years prior, I can assure you it wasn’t as Fiddler’s dram were a British band from the 70’s who scored their one and only hit just as they were calling it quits but this really does sound like something made for a vintage Gene Kelly flick. I have no idea how this became a hit during the height of the disco era, but it somehow did.
1980 19 weeks
This was the third time this ballad became a hit in Australia, the previous two were from the original singer Dusty Springfield and Bay City roller’s version from 1976. This time we have Annie Lennox taking a stab at the track with her first band the Tourists, although technically this was the Eurythmics as David Stewart was part of the group as well. They would become the Eurythmics while the band were on tour here in Australia.
1980 19 weeks
This was the breakthrough single of Daft Punk, a French EDM duo who would go on to be one of the most influential EDM artists of the 21st century thanks in no small part to a huge hit they had in 2013 with “Get lucky.” Sixteen years prior, they had a massive hit in Australia with this track which became as such due to EDM still being a massive success in the music scene here during the late 90’s.
1997 19 weeks
This was the only hit that the Bureau managed to achieve during their short time together, although I get the feeling they called it quits due to them failing to score a hit in their native UK. I’m surprise this wasn’t a hit over there considering how popular ska reggae was around this time, in fact I’m even more surprised this was a hit down under considering how Madness had yet to score a hit here.
1981 19 weeks
This was the final hit that Mark Holden was able to achieve in his career, given that he scored three massive hits with his first three singles, I don’t think he has anything to be ashamed of with this achievement.
1976 19 weeks
Well, I hope you’re in the mood for Elton John portraying himself as a native islander trying to save the life of a sex worker of colour, because that’s what he does on this song which was a Billboard chart topper for him this year. Even if this song were written and performed by a person of colour, it would still be problematic even for its time due to the insistence of them deciding what’s best for the woman in question.
1975 19 weeks
This was the only hit that country star Eddie Rabbitt was able to achieve here in Australia, likely because this was a Billboard chart topper for him but also due to how incessantly catchy this is compared to the rest of his catalogue. This was a surprisingly good time for country music given how disco had begun to lose its popularity, although country would follow suit once MTV launched this year.
1981 19 weeks
This was Simple Mind’s biggest hit in most parts of the world, likely due to it being the theme to the cult classic the Breakfast club which wasn’t well received back in the day despite it being considered a masterpiece nowadays. The song essentially sums up what the movie is about, that being a bunch of misfits who unexpectedly form a friendship with each other due to circumstances only for them to wonder if that friendship would carry on once they go their separate ways.
1985 19 weeks
Even though Journey never found success outside of their native America, lead singer Steve Perry was able to score a massive hit with his solo debut single here in Australia. I’m not sure why we Aussies love this track so much but never cared for the rest of his catalogue as everything found on this track can be found on the likes of “Don’t stop believing,” ‘Separate ways” and “Open arms.”
1984 19 weeks
This was released the previous year in Gareth Gates native UK when he came second in the short-lived series Pop idol, basically it was a version of Popstars but for solo artists much like what that series would become throughout the decade. I’m not sure why this was released as a single here in Australia a year later, however it was which led to it becoming a surprise hit for the British contestant.
2003 19 weeks
This is one of the catchier songs to become a hit this year, it comes to us courtesy of a British band who failed to score any success in their homeland once again making me wonder how we Aussies discovered this track back in the day. This is a song about how the Members prefer listening to the radio rather than the stereo, presumably due to the arbitrary nature of what they’ll hear when they tune in to the radio.
1982 19 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2009 19 weeks
It appears we Aussies were a bit amused with this fourth and final single from JT’s solo debut album, not amused enough to make it a massive hit like his earlier entry on this list but amused enough to make it a hit despite it flopping everywhere else in the world except for NZ. The reason why this wasn’t that big is likely due to the outro where Justin does a call and response for guys and girls listening, specifically him impersonating his female audience in the outro
2003 19 weeks
It took him nine years, but Mike Oldfield was finally able to score a second hit in his career in Australia following the success of his Exorcist theme from 1973. Here he recruits Maggie Reilly to provide vocals for this song about a friend of his who died from a drug overdose; indeed, Maggie gives a compelling performance which no doubt tugged at the heartstrings of many listeners back in the day.
1983 19 weeks
This is one of those breakup anthems that’s impossible to take seriously, I mean she goes about getting over this guy in the most over the top way that I don’t anyone would even care that she’s essentially getting even on him cheating on her by robbing him blind and leaving him homeless. Audiences obviously got the humour of this track worldwide as it was a massive hit for the American RNB singer.
2001 19 weeks
Following the demise of the Gogo’s earlier in the decade, Belinda Carlisle embarked on a solo career which went off to a good star with this track becoming a huge success for her here and in her native America. It’s essentially a love letter to her husband (who it turns out is a politician who served under Ronald Reagan) and was the launching pad for a highly successful solo career for a decade.
1986 19 weeks
It took him five years, but Armand Van Helden was able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with this track that comes complete with a video that depicts a peeping tom ogling on women in bikinis. I’m not sure what the fascination was with EDM tracks objectifying women as there’ll be plenty of other entries as we go further in the decade where this was the case.
2004 19 weeks
This was the fifth single to come from Jessica’s sophomore album, it goes to show how much Australian idol got it wrong by having her lose to Damien Leith in 2006 given how only three years later she would be one of the biggest names in music whilst he would be relegated to a tribute act at best.
2009 19 weeks
I think this is the first hit to become as such thanks to the power of text to speech, and who says that AI generated content is a recent phenomenon when it was able to give Italian DJ Benny Benassi a hit in the early to mid 00’s? Of course, the real success of this song comes from its two music videos, both of which are completely bizarre which of course makes it a shoe in for my inevitable weirdest videos list.
2003 19 weeks
This was the third Billboard chart topper in a row that Usher had in his native America, it’s easy to see why as it continues the theme of him airing out his dirty laundry from his relationship with Chilli from TLC where he admits that he screwed up in the relationship. It was a bit of a surprise hit here in Australia given how it didn’t even chart over in NZ where Usher was infinitely more popular.
2004 19 weeks
This was the debut single from Mariah Carey, a song that was a massive hit in NZ and her native America but only a moderate hit everywhere else in the world due to it being little more than a showcase for her powerful vocals. Her later material in the decade is where she would find the balance between her vocals and her personality which would find her the success worldwide she had at home.
1990 19 weeks
Even though it was panned by critics, Die another day was still a commercial success around the world due to it being a Bond film that had Halle Berry as the Bond girl. The theme song had more of a mixed reaction as people felt Madonna was a poor choice for a Bond theme, however it was a commercial success for her unlike the album it wound up being included on with failed to produce another hit for her.
2002 19 weeks
This was Roxette’s final hit in Australia and most parts of the world, mainly because it came from their album Tourism which is part live, part studio and part interview which no doubt confused fans back in the day who likely didn’t even know what to do with it. At least there was promise that they would retain their fun pop rock going forward, however that wasn’t to be as their next album saw them changing their sound.
1992 19 weeks
This was more in line with some of the bigger hits that Leo Sayer would score this decade, although it wasn’t as big as what was still to come given how this has become one of his more forgotten songs in his catalogue over the years. Even so it was a good steppingstone for the likes of “You make me feel like dancing” and “Thunder in my heart.”
1975 19 weeks
This was the other big hit that Urban Cookie collective managed to achieve this year, although I feel that vocalist Diane Charlemagne doesn’t give in as good a performance as she does on their earlier track which is perhaps why this wasn’t as big as “The key the secret.” Even so, it was a massive success for the British band, although it didn’t do their album any favours as that was a huge flop this year.
1993 19 weeks
This song was reportedly inspired by the reality series of the same name, in fact Beyonce was supposedly watching the show when she decided to theme a breakup anthem around the show which resulted in the song’s creation for the album of the same name. It was a massive hit for the trio upon its initial release, in fact I’m surprised it wasn’t a bigger hit here in Australia given its status as a feminist anthem.
2001 19 weeks
For over a decade, this was the only hit that Eric Carmen was able to achieve anywhere in the world, it’s up there with “Without you” as one of the most melodramatic songs to come out of the 70’s which is perhaps why it’s endured over the years (that and the popular Celine Dion cover from the 90’s.) He would score a surprise comeback twelve years later by appearing on the Dirty dancing soundtrack.
1976 19 weeks
This was the debut single from the grunge band Collective soul, a band who only had one hit here in Australia but did very well in their native America throughout the remainder of the decade with their subsequent follow ups. I’m guessing this was a hit here due to this being the height of the grunge era, although it makes the failure of the rest of their catalogue all the more confusing if that’s the case.
1994 19 weeks
While I’m sure fans of the Pretenders were a bit disappointed to see Chrissie go in a pop friendly direction on her fourth album Get close, it did result in her biggest success while still staying true to what made her a household name (minus the “I’m one of the boys” attitude of course.) Here she sings about her feelings of how her mother was no longer with us and how she was going to cope with her loss.
1987 19 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2005 19 weeks
This was the fourth hit to come from Mariah Carey’s comeback album, although like the other entries from the album, it was far more successful in her native America as the rest of the world was likely still sceptical at the time that she had recovered from her erratic behaviour from earlier in the decade which she clearly had by this point in her career. It could also be that love ballads weren’t doing so well in the mainstream at the time internationally.
2005 19 weeks
This was the debut single for Bronski beat, another band who was out and proud about their LGBT status as the video to their debut single depicts a fictionalised story of lead singer Jimmy Somerville’s experience coming out of the closet. The song itself remains a classic to this day, however it’s the visuals of him falling in love with a man who is revealed to be homophobic that sticks with audiences to this day.
1984 19 weeks
While this wasn’t the first hit these guys had here in Australia (stay tuned for that in my next list) this was the first hit that AC/DC had that sparked international interest in them likely due to their usage of bagpipes on the song. It’s a bit of a surprise these guys weren’t as big down under back in the day considering A: how well promoted they were on Countdown and B: their eventually worldwide success.
1975 19 weeks
There weren’t any signs of these guys slowing down as they scored a huge hit with the first single from their third album Absolutely which remains their biggest album in their catalogue. This is a more lovestruck track from their catalogue compared to their previous hit, which is about whether heaven existed or not, sure this wasn’t as big as “Heaven,” but it still managed to resonate with audiences.
1985 19 weeks
I’m not exactly sure what took this song from British group Sniff n the tears to make it big given how it was originally released two years prior, although it did eventually find an audience just as the decade had started despite it never being a hit in their native UK. I guess the rest of the world were able to appreciate the slow ballad more than their fellow Brits.
1979 19 weeks
This was originally released as Yothu Yindi’s debut single from the end of the 80’s to deafening silence, likely because we Aussies weren’t quite ready for aboriginal music to make it big in the music scene at the time. It was given a second chance when their debut album took off here where it became a huge success for them, although it came about a year after the lead single “Treaty” was a hit.
1992 19 weeks
Following the success of his live album Frampton comes alive, Peter Frampton was able to score a huge hit in Australia with this track from his album of the same name only to forever fade into obscurity once the album dropped off the charts. I’m not sure why his popularity was so brief here, however it did lead to him being taught at music schools thanks to the talent he brought to his musicianship.
1977 19 weeks
This was the lead single to Prince’s first album with the New power generation, a band he formed following the demise of his previous band the Revolution due to the critical and commercial failure of his third film Graffiti bridge. This was a bit of a novelty hit for him giving how there doesn’t seem to be many lyrics in the song, although it was popular enough for his next single to be a worldwide smash.
1991 19 weeks
This was the second single to be released from the Use your illusions era, although technically it was the first as their earlier entry on this list was originally meant for the Terminator 2 soundtrack before being included on the second edition. I’m not sure if was meant to be two albums or one excruciatingly long double album conceptually, either way both volumes became a massive worldwide success for them.
1991 19 weeks
This was originally recorded by Bob Seger for his 1978 album Stranger in town, it wasn’t a hit anywhere, but it remains popular on oldies stations to this day. This year Kenny Rogers decided to turn the ballad into a duet with Sheena Easton of all people where it became a huge hit for the two of them, I’m guessing due to audiences finding chemistry between the aging country star and Scottish diva.
1983 19 weeks
If you thought that “How do I deal” was a fluke hit for Jennifer Love Hewitt due to it being the theme to a film she starred in, it turns out it wasn’t as she was able to score two more hits here in Australia with songs that were akin to what Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch were releasing at the time. This was the first of those two songs which was well received here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
2002 19 weeks
Not counting her collaboration with Busta Rhymes on “I know what you want,” this was the first hit that Mariah Carey had in the 21st century anywhere in the world given how she began the century with her acting debut in Glitter, a movie so infamous that it reportedly was responsible for her declining mental health earlier in the decade. Here she returns to form with the lead single to her comeback album under her alter ego Mimi.
2005 19 weeks
Here we are with one of the more instantly recognisable tracks from Leo Sayer given how popular this disco track has remained from him over the years, heck there was a popular remix of this from British DJ Meck nearly two decades later that no doubt helped this survive the test of time in the mid 00’s. This would be Leo’s last hit single of the decade in Australia, however he would return at the start of the 80’s.
1977 19 weeks
Following the success of their cover of a Carly Simon classic, Chocolate starfish released their second single “All over me” which was a flop for them, potentially rendering them a one hit wonder. Fortunately, this third single from their album was a huge success and saw a more mature side of the band, thus allowing the album to become a huge success for them this year.
1994 19 weeks
Smokie were on a roll this decade as this was their second big hit, they had followed their top entry from earlier on this list, it’s not as memorable as their other entries I’ve featured on this site which explains why it wasn’t among their bigger hits back in the day.
1977 19 weeks
It took him over a decade, however LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool Joe for short) finally managed to score a hit in Australia with this track where he has the assistance of Boyz II Men on the chorus fresh off the success of their earlier entry on this list. This would be his only hit as a lead artist down under, however he did score a massive hit with J-Lo in 2003 with their duet “All I have.”
1996 19 weeks
I debated on whether this was a fan single given how quickly it fell off our charts upon its initial release, however I granted it mercy as it’s the final taste of success that MJ had in his lifetime even if many like to pretend that his final hit was with “Blood on the dance floor” from four years prior.
2001 19 weeks
There was a good chance that these guys would be the biggest British band of the decade and not Coldplay, they were certainly off to a good start with this Britpop track that became a huge hit here in Australia despite it flopping in their native UK for some reason. The Scottish band would release their third album the following year, however it would be largely overshadowed by Coldplay’s debut album.
2001 19 weeks
This one and only hit from ATC may be more appropriate than you realise given how the members were indeed from different parts of the world, those places being NZ, Australia, Italy and the UK despite the foursome being based in Germany. It was their only hit worldwide likely due to the novelty of them being from different parts of the world, although it could also be its fusion of teen pop and EDM.
2001 19 weeks
This was the only hit for both men involved with this track in Australia, although in the case of Clarence Clemons that was more due to him being known for being a saxophonist and this being his only song he recorded vocals for. Jackson Brown on the other hand is one of the most respected singer/songwriters in the music industry and yet was only able to score his one and only hit with this duet.
1986 19 weeks
Following the success she had with her debut album internationally, Kelly Clarkson was commissioned by Disney to write a theme song for Princess diaries 2 which would go on to serve as the lead single to the album of the same name that would become her biggest in her career. The film was poorly received even by fans of the original for being a cliched mess that wasn’t even based on the books the original was an adaptation of.
2004 19 weeks
This often gets lost in the shuffle for the singles from Mariah Carey’s comeback album, mainly because it wasn’t a huge number one hit in her native America like “We belong together” or “Don’t forget about us” was nor as memorable as “It’s like that” despite that being her lowest charting song on the album worldwide. It could also be that a much more famous song with this name has since come out over the years.
2005 19 weeks
It appears that Ace of base had moved on from being the reggae equivalent of Abba to now being a straight up 90’s equivalent of the Swedish foursome from the 70’s, this is perhaps why their second album didn’t do as well internationally especially considering fans were becoming more nostalgic for the older band around this time thanks to the likes of Muriel’s wedding and other films that glorify their catalogue.
1996 19 weeks
This was the final hit that Enrique Iglesias was able to have in the English-speaking world for the remainder of the decade, this is despite the fact that his next album would also be in English and yet it failed to produce a hit single for him during the second half of the decade. This song features Kelis, although only on the single version as she was absent on the album version for some reason.
2004 19 weeks
It may surprise you to learn that this was slightly more popular here in Australia than the lead single from a band who has the acronym of POT USA (well get to it in a minute.) I guess we were more amused by this track which appears to be about nonsense given that the video seems more like something you’d expect from SNL rather than from an alternative band during the height of 90’s rock.
1996 19 weeks
This was the only hit that the Cars were able to score from their magnum opus Heartbeat city in Australia, even then it was only a moderate success here compared to how inescapable it was internationally likely due to it being the rare ballad from their discography. Here this is about how the narrator feels concern for the person who they believe to be living their life recklessly.
1984 19 weeks
This is often considered the best song to come from JT given how it airs out his dirty laundry with Britney Spears as it was recorded not long after their breakup, I won’t go into the details of what drove them apart except by mentioning that it involved her hooking up with Wade Robson while she was dating Justin. It was the weakest selling single on the album at the time, although time has made it more popular over the years.
2003 19 weeks
There were no signs of these guys slowing down in Australia this year as this title track from their (then) latest album became the second hit from the album after “Money honey” from earlier on the list.
1976 19 weeks
This was the only hit that Howard Jones was able to score here in Australia, even then it’s a remix of a track from his second album he released the previous year which had little success upon its initial release down under. I think it’s safe to say that we Aussies preferred Nik Kershaw over this guy even though I do tend to hear his big UK hit “What is love” from time to time on the oldies station.
1986 19 weeks
Well at least there was an upbeat track from the soundtrack to Phil’s first starring role in Hollywood, here we have a love ballad about how he feels that he has as he puts it “two hearts living in one mind” which means there’s two sides of his personality which are very different from each other. From what I can gather, Buster is a film loosely based on The great train robbery of 1963, which means this song gives details to a potential romance subplot in the film.
1988 19 weeks
It feels weird that this song underperformed in Australia back in the day, especially considering how inescapable she would go on to be later in the decade given how it was a much bigger hit for her internationally at the time. This was the moment where she began distancing herself from her debut album as this is her admitting that she had to compromise who she was in order to make that album.
2002 19 weeks
Well, here’s that Billboard chart topper I brought up earlier in the list, it was also Air supply’s final hit here as we Aussies moved on from them in favour of fresher local talent that would dominate our music scene while they dominate the American scene. I guess if you want a song that perfectly sums up their entire catalogue, this would be it as it has lyrics about love that most find sappy set to a simple melody.
1981 19 weeks
There have been plenty of artists to make it big over the years due to their ventures in other medium, however I think Axle Whitehead is the first artist to have a hit single following a gig of being a host on a music show since the early 70’s here in Australia. In this case, he was the host of Video hits which was a show that featured music videos of usually the latest hit singles but occasionally showed older videos as well.
2008 19 weeks
Although she’s best known for being a fitness instructor in her native UK, Efua Baker briefly had a singing career in the mid 90’s which began and ended with this novelty track about how she fell in love with a guy that turned out to be married. The tale struck a chord with Australian listeners enough for it to be a modest success here, although it also stuck her in the one hit wonder bin.
1993 19 weeks
This was the only hit that the Butthole surfers (oh wow that band name is both problematic and stupid) were able to achieve in their career, probably because it’s by far their most normal song in their catalogue which takes all kinds of strange directions throughout their career. I get the feeling this was featured prominently on MTV in addition to Triple J heavily promoting the track.
1996 19 weeks
OK so I exaggerated when I said earlier in the list that “Boogie wonderland” was the only hit these guys had in Australia, it was their only top ten hit and the only hit for the Emotions, however these guys did score a hit earlier in the year with this disco classic from their greatest hits package. I guess the fact the greatest hits album was a success did mean that we were at least aware of their catalogue back in the day.
1979 19 weeks
I may be out of line by saying that Whiplash smile was Billy Idol’s foray into sophistopop, it definitely feels like sophistopop especially on his third single which is by far the most subdue song in his entire career due to how dreamy it is. It helped the album be his biggest following the failure of its second single “Don’t need a gun” which was more in line with his work from earlier in the decade.
1987 19 weeks
This was the penultimate hit that Brandy had here in Australia, it’s a cover of the Phil Collins classic (which was his penultimate here funnily enough) that she turned into a duet by recruiting RNB singer Ray J. If the name Ray J sounds familiar to you, that’s because he was the reason why Kim Kardashian became famous later in the decade after the pair starred in a sex tape together.
2001 19 weeks
Well, this album art is sure to not offend anyone, jokes aside this was the lead single of Cold chisel’s final album together before they went their separate ways to allow Jimmy Barnes to pursue his solo career. It was a decent success for the band and likely would’ve appeared on one of my prior lists had it not peaked during the Christmas season of 1983.
1983 19 weeks
Although she had minor success earlier in the decade as the lead singer of Q.E.D, Jenny Morris was able to finally score a massive hit on her own with this track from her solo debut album. It would lead to her releasing a second album as the decade was coming to an end where she saw even more success with her hit “She has to be loved” both here and her native NZ.
1987 19 weeks
Mariah was on a roll this year given how this became her fifth Billboard chart topper in a row since all four of her singles from her debut album went to number one in America, indeed this is the best song in her career so far as it’s both bouncy and displays a personality she had lacked up until this point in her career. She would appear on MTV unplugged the following year to silence any rumours she wasn’t the real deal.
1991 19 weeks
This likely would’ve been able to dominate the upper echelons of our charts were it not released as the fourth single here in Australia from No doubt’s breakthrough album, after all, it did last for quite some time on our charts proving how well loved the band was following the success of “Don’t speak” from way earlier on this list.
1997 19 weeks
I bet you were beginning to forget that Kelly Rowland had a solo career given how omnipresent Beyonce was even this soon after the demise of Destiny’s child throughout the world. Here she is with her first single from her second album which comes complete with a guest verse from Eve who was also still scoring hits this far into the decade despite her also not having much success as a lead artist for several years by this point.
2007 19 weeks
If you’re wondering why Britney Spears decided to cover Joan Jett and the Blackhearts from her third album, there are two reasons for that as A: this was a tradition early on in her career she had of covering oldies for a (then) modern audience and B: it was used in a scene from Crossroads which hilariously highlighted her weakness as a vocalist as she was trying to raise money during a road trip and the plot needed her to struggle doing so.
2002 19 weeks
This was the only hit from the American husband and wife duo Nu shooz, a song that was released to deafening silence the previous year but was given the remix treatment where it became a massive hit this year. For some reason, I always thought this was an Ace of base track, I think because the woman sounds similar to the girls from the 90’s band. It was their only hit but at least it was a huge international one.
1986 19 weeks
This is a ska cover of a track from 1970 from the Australian band the Allniters, while this wasn’t quite as successful as the original from Bobby Bloom, it was a different spin on the original which is good because this was released nine years after the death of Bobby. Unfortunately, this was the band’s only hit despite being active for several decades after this became a hit.
1983 19 weeks
This was the lead single to Janet’s album Rhythm nation 1814, an album that wouldn’t peak here in Australia for another two years due to it needing the success of her rare rock track “Black cat” to find success here for some reason. In the meantime, she did achieve success with this track about how she feels that she ended a relationship too soon and that she misses her ex.
1989 19 weeks
This was the second hit that Flowers had from their debut album as well as the final hit they had with that name before they named themselves after said album due to international interest forcing them to change their name. They would release their debut album internationally as Icehouse which would make it their self-titled album, and indeed they did chart in the lower half of the European charts with the album.
1980 19 weeks
I guess these kids were meant to be the 80’s equivalent of the Jackson 5 as they began their career with something similar to the likes of “ABC” or “I want you back” with this track. This was a massive flop in their native America; however, it became a surprise hit for them in the UK which allowed it to become a hit everywhere else in the world. They did eventually find success in their homeland later in the decade.
1983 19 weeks
I wonder if the term MILF existed around the early 00’s, this is essentially an anthem for that subculture as the lyrics of the song explicitly detail how the underage narrator was in love with an older woman (at least he acknowledges that this was a weird phenomenon he was having.) It was a surprise hit here in Australia likely due to us Aussies finding the situation hilarious to the point where we wound up loving it.
2003 19 weeks
So Simple Plan were still a thing during their third album, it may surprise you to learn that though it was a commercial disappointment for them, they would bounce back with their fourth album in the 2010’s which spawned two big hits for them down under, proving that yes, we Aussies did love these guys for a while.
2008 19 weeks
It seems rather odd that this version of the Kool and the gang classic was the biggest hit here in Australia, the original flopped earlier in the decade as did Kylie’s cover from the early 90’s. In any case, this was the final hit that Dragon had in their career, although “Young years” from their next album does still receive a ton of airplay suggesting that that was unfairly ignored at the time.
1987 19 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 19 weeks
This feels like an odd choice for a single because like the rest of Confessions on a dance floor, this was meant to flow in from the previous track on the album and into the following track seamlessly to give off the illusion it was one big continuous song on the album. That didn’t seem to hinder its popularity here in Australia as it became a massive hit for the queen of pop even this far into her career.
2006 19 weeks
Oh look, an entry that made its first appearance on the Countdown list I made a while back. Here’s the third and final hit that Wa Wa Nee had here in Australia which was one of the earlier victims of being released at different times here in Australia depending on which state you’re in. It’s technically bigger than “I could make you love me” because of its lengthy chart run compared to that single.
1986 19 weeks
I guess this was the song that confirmed that Chris Brown wasn’t going to be a flash in the pan as it managed to become a worldwide hit for the RNB singer, it wasn’t exactly the biggest hit anywhere in the world, however it did promise him a ton of success that he would of course achieve later in the decade.
2006 19 weeks
Pauline Henry was the lead singer of the short-lived Scottish band the Chimes from the start of the decade, they were decently successful worldwide but went their separate ways due to it not being among the biggest albums of its time. Here she branches out on her own with a cover of a Bad company track that proved to be a hit here in Australia despite the original flopping nearly two decades prior.
1994 19 weeks
Well, it was only inevitable I would feature one of the songs from Hole’s sell-out album Celebrity skin on this list, although I’m more familiar with the title track even though that definitely had no chance of appearing on this list even with my rules relaxed for said list. I guess we Aussies were a bit conflicted on whether we approved of their pop direction with the album and its singles.
1998 19 weeks
Bet you didn’t know the Muppets were able to have hits in the mainstream, did you? Yes, this opening ballad from the first Muppet movie became a success here in Australia likely due to our love of the show and the film being a box office success at the time. Evidently the theme song to the show was a huge success worldwide in the mid 70’s, although that song wasn’t a success here in Australia.
1979 19 weeks
(This is from the physical charts)
2006 19 weeks
This was a hit here in Australia likely due to the similarities it had with “Halo” from earlier on this list as both songs were written and produced by Ryan Tedder which led to accusations of him recycling songs to give to artists. As this was the only time two songs of his sounded this similar to each other, these claims quickly went away as he continued to have success as a songwriter and occasionally with his band.
2009 19 weeks
It seems odd that this would be the big hit off of Hall and Oates’ album of the same name here in Australia and not “I can’t go for that” which still fails to appear on this side of my site despite appearing on a yearend list back in the day. They were another band that didn’t see much mainstream popularity here back in the day but was nonetheless massively successful due to the sheer volume of chart entries they had.
1981 19 weeks
To think this parody of the Angels classic from 1976 was as successful as the live recording of that song from 1988, then again, we Aussies in the mid 00’s didn’t seem particularly interested in finding the new timeless classic given how this doesn’t feel too much out of the ordinary when going through the charts back then. In case you’re wondering, Reg Reagan was the alter ego of a football star Matty Johns.
2004 19 weeks
I guess we Aussies weren’t too adverse to the idea of Poison having success with one of their ballads even if this wasn’t the big success here that “Nothing but a good time” or “Unskinny bop” was, I have to agree with audiences back in the day who felt this was a cheesy sell-out for the band even if in retrospect that puts me in the minority given how fondly remembered this remains to this day.
1988 19 weeks
We have another entry on here that only appeared on my Countdown list, this time it’s the big breakthrough that Machinations had as this catchy little number managed to stick around for quite some time on the charts despite failing to usurp the likes of Wham and Culture club upon its initial release. Like many new entries to this list, this remains a staple on oldies stations to this day.
1984 19 weeks
If you’re wondering why “Forever now” wasn’t as big a hit in NZ as it was here in Australia, that’s because this was the lead single to Circus animals over here as opposed to “Forever now” being the lead single over there. I guess we Aussies didn’t quite take to this track upon its initial release despite remaining one of the band’s more recognisable hits in their vast catalogue.
1981 19 weeks
This was a bit of a surprise hit for James Taylor this year, mainly because he hadn’t troubled the Australian charts since his duet with his (then) wife Carly Simon from three years prior. Then again, I wouldn’t call this a comeback and merely a surprise hit due to him feeling out of place this year even with all the other soft rock ballads that made it big.
1977 19 weeks
