To think that this is the biggest hit in the Rolling stones career in Australia, granted this is mainly due to a lack of competition this song had upon its initial release here as many of their other tracks had to fight with the likes of the Beatles and other artists from the height of the British invasion but still. At least it's a song that's still well remembered by the general public to this day.
This was the only noticeable success that Dexy's midnight runners had outside of their native UK (unfortunately "Geno" didn't find success elsewhere despite it topping their charts) although I would've been dumbfounded if I found out this song failed back in the day due to how incessantly catchy it is as well as the Celtic instrumentation fitting in well with the surprising rise in popularity Celtic music was receiving at the time.
This is a cover of an obscure track from Gloria Jones from the mid 60's, although I don't think anyone would know that nowadays given how this English duo made the track their own at the dawn of the MTV era. It turns out there's two videos floating around out there to this classic, although I'm only familiar with the one that has the love sprites haunting the (possibly queer) man in the video as a metaphor for how sexually frustrated he is.
It may shock you to learn that in their native America, Survivor aren't a one hit wonder. This is because even in America, this is the only song of theirs that has endured the test of time as opposed to their other tracks which people often tend to think are from the likes of Loverboy or Foreigner. In any case, we have this theme to the third Rocky film which was both a critical and commercial success for Sylvester Stallone.
Well, I think we all need to spare a thought for Bob Marley with this entry, he only managed to achieve one hit single in Australia during his lifetime with "Is this love" and yet these kids from London England managed to score a hit here twice as popular as that classic with a similar subject matter to his usual topics of weed culture, sometimes life isn't fair for certain people.
This remains the biggest hit in Cliff Richard's career in Australia, although I guess if we were going with sales then technically his remake of his debut single from later in the decade would claim that prize. In any case we have the crooner score a massive hit with this upbeat track right around the time MTV first launched proving he was still hip with the kids when the music scene drastically changed.
It looked like the debut album from the Moving pictures had crashed and burned upon its initial release, however the success of this second single from their album Days of innocence ensured it would be a huge success for the band. Nowadays the song is known for two things, the first is the inferior (in my opinion) cover from Shannon Noll and the second is criticism that it glorifies suffering from first world problems (it doesn't.)
It's easy to forget that this was the second single from Men at work's debut album Business as usual given how it's overshadowed the actual lead single "Who can it be now" over the years, it's easy to see how it did so given that it's one of the first songs people think of when they think of an iconic Australian song. Another fun fact about this is that it helped the band become the first to top the Billboard and UK charts simultaneously with a song and album.
This was among the first songs whose music video was banned, although not by MTV as the video for this title track of Olivia's biggest album in her career was banned in her native UK due to its shameless depiction of body shaming. The song is a bop to this day; however, most people have described it as a body shaming anthem due to the (admittedly offensive) visuals in the video.
If you thought that artists fighting for aboriginal rights is a recent phenomenon, then allow me to introduce you to Goanna who were fighting the good fight four years prior to when Midnight oil gave the marginalised group their voice with Diesel and dust. Here they are with their one and only hit in Australia which admittedly led to them having a highly successful album before they sadly faded into obscurity.
These guys had been active in the music industry for well over a decade before they finally got a massive hit in the form of this classic, there was no way this was going to fail anywhere in the world given how it tells an interesting story about how the narrator knew a girl before she became a glamour model, or a centrefold as he refers to her as.
This was the only noticeable hit for Bertie Higgins even in his native America, while I'm glad this crossed over to Australia, I can't say I understand why as at least in his native America, this was one of only many soft rock ballads to make it big this year. In any case, this song did become a huge success for him before he faded into obscurity.
This was originally released in 1976 to deafening silence, presumably because by that stage few wanted to hear a ballad about how a twenty something year old was having an existential crisis about having everything she wanted except for the things that mattered. I'm guessing the world changed its mind six years later as this became a huge hit for her worldwide for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
This was originally released the previous year in order to promote the show of the same name, for some reason this theme song only caught on in Australia once season two premiered. Regardless of when it caught on, it remains one of the most popular TV themes of all time due to how much of a success it was.
This was the debut single for Culture club, a band who would become synonymous with wanting to creature racial harmony around the world with their instantly catchy music and charming personalities. They were off to a good start with this song as it conquered the world charts with its quirky video which details some of the discrimination people like Boy George have experienced over the years.
This was the breakout single for Lindsey Buckingham which I can't help but notice was released mere months after his partner from Fleetwood mac Stevie Nicks released her own album, though she had the more successful album of the two, Lindsey at least scored the bigger hit in both of their solo careers. I always found him to be checked out on this track due to how airy he and the production feels.
Hey, remember when censorship was considered a bad thing in the Mainstream media? Here we have the Clash scoring their biggest hit with a song that was critical of censorship in the middle east, complete with a video that.... OK I guess they went a little too far with pushing the boundaries of good taste with that. In any case, this proved to be a huge success for the band including in America.
This was the final hit single that Chicago had outside their native America, now this might shock some of my readers, but I really like this ballad as it does a good job of balancing out Peter Cetera's vocals with the instrumentation in a way I feel many of their other tracks fail to do. I guess my love for this ballad was tested when the RNB group Az yet convinced him to rerecord this track for their hit in 1997.
It's easy to forget that this wasn't the originally by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and instead by a long-forgotten band by the name of Arrows, I bring this up because Joan and company had no trouble making it their own despite initially having issues with marketing the track due to this being a time where genres seemed to matter for some reason. They overcame this issue and got a huge worldwide hit out of it.
While it wasn't their debut single by any means, this was the song which launched Bananarama into the big leagues likely due to it telling a story about how the girls made a boy into a man that they collectively dated on this track. Even though their popularity in their native UK remained consistent throughout the decade, we Aussies wouldn't hear from these three again until their cover of a Shocking blue track.
This was another huge success for the Police due to the strength of their musicianship, although it appears that Sting's songwriting had significantly improved on this track as I haven't seen anyone criticise it in any way over the years. This was from their penultimate album which was admittedly not as successful as the two albums it was sandwiched in between.
Well, this was a complete 180 from Steve Miller's previous work, granted it's always good to change with the times but I don't think anyone was expecting to see these guys go in this direction with their music. Although it remains their biggest hit worldwide, it spelled the end for their relevancy as they haven't had a hit single since this came out.
This was the introduction to (in my opinion) one of the best vocalists to emerge from the decade, that vocalist is Belinda Carlisle who achieved massive success in her native America with her band the Gogo's before taking the world by storm with her solo career during the second half of the decade. Curiously this wasn't among her biggest hits on Billboard despite this nearly topping the Australian charts.
This was the last big hit that Cheap trick had with their original sound, although it was mainly a hit here in Australia following the success of their earlier hit "Dream police" from the changing of the decades. I'm not sure why their subsequent albums failed around the world, however they did score a massive comeback later in the decade with an album they felt they needed to make for contractual obligations.
Well, here's a song whose story on how it became an international success is more interesting than the song itself. It was a huge hit here in Australia and the UK of all places before it became a hit in NZ and throughout Europe which finally allowed it to crossover to Toni's native America where it topped the Billboard charts. Since then, it's become a staple in cheerleader culture thanks to its striking video.
This was a bit of a surprise hit for A flock of seagulls, mainly because it wasn't that big in their native UK and only became a hit in America after it crossed over to Australia. I'm guessing we Aussies latched onto this track because of the video which even by the standards of new wave videos, is strange and bizarre to watch. It cemented the band as a one hit wonder despite them scoring a hit in the UK with "Wishing I had a photograph of you."
This was the big hit off Split enz's album Time and tide, although it wasn't the lead single which is perhaps why it wasn't as big a hit as you'd otherwise expect from the band. You'd think that a band who seemed tailor made for MTV would find more international success with their material from around this time, they did chart in the lower half of international charts but didn't find much success outside of Australia and NZ.
This was the second hit that Rod Stewart managed to achieve this decade in Australia, although it should've been the first as it was meant to be the lead single from his second album this decade but wasn't for some reason. This unique album cycle paid off for him as he got two big hits here with two of his more upbeat tracks in his catalogue, and many will tell you (me included) that this is his best song.
While this wasn't John's first hit single in Australia as he did find success in the late 70's with "I need a lover," it was his first hit internationally thanks to how anthemic this track is as well as heartland rock in general being more successful in the 80's than it was in the 70's. No doubt this led to Bruce Springsteen seeing massive success later in the decade with his magnum opus Born in the U.S.A and its singles.
This was written and recorded for the James Bond film of the same name, it has the distinction of being the only Bond theme to have the performer appear in the opening credits which should give you an idea of how popular Sheena Easton was during the first half of the decade. It also should tell you that despite beginning her career with what I've dubbed as nursery pop, she really wanted to be a sex icon in music.
Well, this is one of those songs that's easy to hate, instead of me bashing it, I'll say the one positive I can about it. This song does have good intentions as it's clear that both Paul and Stevie want to achieve racial harmony between black and white people, they clearly have their hearts in the right place on this track.
Foreigner already had moderate success here in Australia with their albums from the 70's, mainly because they were one of the earlier international artists to perform on Countdown which gave them an advantage over other non-Australian artists that decade. Here they score their second biggest hit worldwide with the second single from their fourth album with a ballad that was a typical of their rock hits.
Well, what's this? We have an upbeat track from Rod Stewart, and it also serves as the lead single from one of his albums as well as its title track. OK so that's only true if you're from Australia as "Young Turks" was the lead single from the album in most parts of the world, however we Aussies went a different direction by making this track the lead single which resulted in both songs being a success here.
It was a collaboration that could've only been made by the rock gods themselves, we have David Bowie and Queen teaming up for a song about how times were tough in the 80's and that everyone seemed to be living under pressure. The song was an instant success for both parties involved and helped Queen overcome an otherwise rocky album that was panned by critics for its weird experimentation.
This was the final hit that Barry Manilow managed to achieve in Australia, although it's worth noting that his final hit seems to be different depending on where in the world you're from as he had a different hit from around this time here, in the UK and his native America. In this case we have this cover of the Four seasons classic which likely helped keep nostalgia for Frankie Valli alive a little while longer.
Following the demise of Raydio the previous year, Ray Parker Jr decided to embark on a solo career which was off to a good start when he scored massive success with this song about how he was in a relationship with someone and how he was falling in love with another woman outside the relationship. It's a sleazy song sure, but Ray's performance makes this feel like more of a joke song than him bragging.
This was the only hit that either of these artists managed to achieve in Australia, I'm guessing it was due to the nostalgia people had for the Lesley Gore original as well as audiences being intrigued by the Kate Bushified nature of this cover. I guess if you're a mega fan of hers then you'll get something out of this cover.
This was the only hit single that Melissa Manchester was able to achieve in Australia, although at least it's a bouncy love ballad about how she's letting the narrator know that there's a woman who's clearly into them. I'm not sure how this managed to crossover for her considering the other hits she's had in her native America; however, I'm not exactly complaining about its success here.
This is an English cover of Trio's only hit single worldwide, although I wouldn't blame you for thinking that this isn't a song at all given how this seems to be tailor made for TV commercials (most notably the Sakata crackers.) I guess the novelty of this track ensured that it would be a massive hit in most parts of the world.
While this wasn't the only hit that Daryl Hall and John Oates scored in Australia back in the day, it was by far their biggest hit thanks to a memorable performance of the track on Countdown as well as the lyrics which detail a money hungry gold digger that the audience should look out for. This was a success here slightly before it was as such anywhere else in the world, proving how much we loved these guys.
So, we're all familiar with the story of Dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, right? Well Men at work decided to make a song about the story only to switch it around so that it's Dr Heckyll and Mr. jive which as you can guess, is about a mad scientist and a rock star split personality similar to the Jerry Lewis flick the Nutty professor. This proved to be a winning formula for the band as it became a success from their second album.
Well, this is one of those story ballads that leaves you feeling hollow inside, we have the tale of a wife of a missionary who one day finds her husband has left for a mission only for him to never return home despite reassurances from the air force that he would be back one day. The way Kim delivers the story leaves me in tears every time, almost as if she was speaking on behalf of someone she knew who was going through this dilemma.
This was the final hit that Leo Sayer was able to score in Australia, mainly because the 80's didn't seem to have much love for once the MTV era took off. At least he got in one more ballad on the charts before he was relegated to yesterday's news, and hey he did score some buzz the following year with "Orchard Road" which sadly didn't do much to revive his popularity.
This was the song that made Duran Duran a household name in America, likely because it was the first video they released to have a high budget which their earlier songs in their catalogue didn't have much of. The song remains a classic largely due to the video which depicts Simon Le Bon hooking up with a tribal woman in the jungles of South America which continues to captivate audiences to this day.
This was the final hit that Kim Wilde was able to score in Australia under her first label, she would return later in the decade with "You keep me hanging on" although that only became a hit for her once her contract with her first label ended in 1984. As such this was her final new wave hit in most parts of the world as she would change her sound when she switched labels for a more mainstream market.
This was one of only two hits that ABC scored in Australia, the other still being to come on this list meaning that their popularity down under was limited to this year. Admittedly their popularity in their native UK was also quite limited as they were much bigger in America throughout the decade, I'm guessing because they confused them with Devo as I certainly did when I was younger.
This was the biggest hit that Cold Chisel managed to achieve in their career, although it's worth noting that they were more successful with their albums during their initial run than their singles hence why they never had that huge chart topper here in Australia. They almost did in NZ with this track, likely because this was the lead single to their album Circus animals whereas it was the second single here.
Well, this song had a very lengthy delay to its release outside of the band's native UK, it had been six months since it topped the UK charts before it touched the Australian or NZ charts. I'm guessing the band wanted their album to be a huge success in both countries which to be fair it was, however, this tale about how Phil Oakey made a star out of Joanne Catherall wasn't as big a hit here as it likely should've been.
Following the demise of his band, Stuart Goddard AKA Adam Ant launched his solo career which was off to a good start with this track about how he felt like he had been a goody two shoes up until this point in his career. Although this promised him massive success throughout the rest of the decade, it never came for him even in his native UK as he never had another hit after this.
There were a lot of hits this decade about young couples falling in love weren't there? Here we have John Cougar score arguably the biggest hit with this troupe (at least in his native America) likely due to this being a heartwarming tale about how the couple made it in the end with little hassle. "Young Turks" from earlier was likely the song which started this trend which lasted all throughout the 80's.
It's strange to think that this was the biggest hit from the Reels and not one of their fan favourites like "Quasimodo's dream," then again, I guess we Aussies would've been nostalgic for the Herb Alpert classic they covered which would explain why it was a huge success for them right when MTV launched.
This was the final hit that Shaking Stevens managed to achieve in Australia, likely due to him performing all of his biggest hits he had here barring "This ole house" on Countdown around the time of its release. Much like "You drive me crazy," this is an original track from the throwback artist which could be another reason why it was a success here, although it would be his last despite his popularity growing in the UK.
This was the only hit that Pete Shelley was able to score here in Australia both solo and with the Buzzcocks, yeah, I hope you're not prepared to see a lot of punk music on this site because I'm afraid that was unfairly ignored in Australia back in the day. I don't know what this song is about, and admittedly I don't think many people do either as it seems to be a success more for the instrumentation than the lyrics.
This was the advanced single from the Pretender's third album, an album which wouldn't come out for over a year after hits songs release due to the behind-the-scenes drama they had with each other. You wouldn't know that from listening to this track as they seem to be well synchronised with each other, the band members grunting to give off the impression that they are working on a jail chain link.
There was a film released this year by the name of Starstruck which became an instant cult classic due to it telling the story of how a young woman became an overnight sensation through her personal antics. The film spawned this hit that was performed in universe by its star Jo Kennedy which became a surprise hit due to it being a duet between her onscreen partner as well as it being a partial gender flipped cover of a Split Enz track.
Following the demise of Abba, Frida decided to embark on a solo career which was off to a good start with this song about how she believes her partner is cheating on her, basically how she felt about her relationship with Benny during their final years together. To date this is the last anyone has heard from any of the members when it comes to them in front of the mic, however Benny and Bjorn have seen success as songwriters.
This was the only hit that Quarterflash were able to achieve throughout the world, I get the feeling this was a hit here in Australia due to us confusing this for a Motels track given how big Martha Davis and that were with their debut single "Total control" two years prior. Indeed, when that band finally saw international success this year, it didn't translate back here likely because of this song.
This was the debut single for Depeche mode, and while it was a huge success here in Australia (even more so than their native UK) it would also be their only hit despite them having massive success worldwide throughout the rest of the decade. Indeed, I'm personally more familiar with "Enjoy the silence" from 1990, likely because that was their big hit in America a decade into their career.
This was the only hit that Joe Jackson was able to score here in Australia, although given its subject matter about what it's like to be a real man (something that was up for debate even back then) it was a surefire hit for him as he challenges the very notion of toxic masculinity on this track which connected with audiences this year. This led to his album being a massive success for him which put him on the map.
This was the last hit that Elton John had without his partner in crime Bernie Taupin, I should point out that there were tracks on these albums which did have Bernie as a songwriter, however he obviously wasn't the main creative force behind him which is why his reunion with Elton John the following year was a welcomed one. That said, this was a hit for Elton due to a compelling performance he gave on Countdown.
This was the first of two hits that Yazoo scored this year throughout the world, you've likely noticed a pattern on this list where artists would score two hits this year before struggling for relevancy throughout the rest of the decade. In any case, we have the debut single from Yazoo who is a band best known for its members, specifically Alison Moyet who was a successful singer this decade and Vince Clark who was one half of Erasure.
This was the lead single to Icehouse's second album Primitive man, an album which gave them massive success in the southern hemisphere and even moderate success worldwide making them one of the more popular Australian bands of the 80's in the process. This is probably their most well-known song despite it being far from their biggest hit, mainly due to the mixing which makes it sound like it was made in a spiritual world.
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.
This was the only hit that Supertramp were able to score here in Australia, it makes sense because it's by far their catchiest song and it's about how the narrator is losing a friend and how it makes him feel like there's rainy weather to come from the fall out. This helped them survive into the MTV era longer than many of their contemporaries who struggled for success once the program launched in 1981.
This was the big hit off of Icehouse's second album Primitive man, so much so that it was chosen as the lead single for their international release where it became a minor hit in the UK for them. This would be their last hit in Australia and NZ until their comeback album Man of colours, mainly due to them experimenting with their sound throughout the midpoint of the 80's to varying results.
This was the lead single MJ's masterpiece Thriller, I get why it was chosen as the lead single considering it was a collaboration with his then BFF Paul McCartney, however many will agree that any of the other songs on the album would've made for a better lead single and no doubt would've made it an instant success as opposed to it having to work its way to being the biggest album of all time.
This was a stellar year for Shaking Stevens who managed to score a third hit throughout the world, although this time it's with a cover of a very well-known staple of the 50's given how the original was one of the biggest hits of the decade for Jim Lowe in 1956. Shaky would have one more hit the following year with "Oh Julie" before his time in the spotlight came to an end here in Australia.
This was the lead single to Split Enz's album Time and tide, although it wasn't as memorable as their earlier entry on this list which is why it wasn't as big a hit here. It did do considerably better in NZ, proving that the band were catering more to their local scene rather than us Aussies with this entry, although it was a huge hit regardless and did lead to the album being a massive success.
This was the final hit that Roxy music managed to score anywhere in the world, this is because they would break up once the album cycle for Avalon was done so that Bryan Ferry could focus on his solo career more permanently. Unfortunately, his solo career didn't pan out in Australia this decade despite how big it was internationally, meaning this was the last song to become a hit for him overall.
This was the only hit that Little river band scored in Australia to have John Farnham on lead vocals, although they would score a huge hit internationally the following year with "The other guy" proving that people were open to the idea of John having replaced Glenn Shorrock as the lead vocalist at least for a little while. They changed their minds as the band didn't find any further success with this line up.
This was the first of only two hits that Madness had in Australia, although a little-known fact about it is that it's a cover of a Labi Siffre track from ten years prior which surprised me considering that these guys were known for writing their own songs. Their second hit came when they appeared on Countdown to perform all of the singles from their greatest hits album Complete madness.
These guys were on a roll this year as this became their third hit in a row thanks to it being a story about how Colin Hay takes an interest in a young boy and his ambitions (mind's out of the gutter please.) It connected with audiences this year (again in an innocent way) thus making it a huge hit for the band, although they wouldn't trouble the charts again until the lead single of their second album.
Here's the other big hit that ABC were able to achieve this year, although instead of it being a song about how Martin Fry was bitter at his ex-girlfriend's success, it's about how he's falling in love with another person and that they should take a chance on him. This was the band's biggest hit in their native UK likely due to how bouncy it is, and it even sparked their crossover success over in America.
The was the other hit that Yazoo managed to score this year, it was their bigger hit in their native UK due to being a far catchier song than their earlier entry. They would have one more hit in their homeland the following year with "Nobody's diary" before they called it quits so that they could pursue their own ventures. Alison would find success with her debut album the year after that while Vince would rule the EDM scene.
Given how MTV had taken over the mainstream, it only makes sense that this art rock track from Johnny Warman would be a huge success when it was. With that said, it's little wonder that it hasn't endured the test of time given how it seemed to be tailor made for the launch of the program and little else.
This was the only other hit that Joan Jett managed to score in Australia, I'm guessing because it was a cover of the Tommy James classic of the same name which was also a huge hit here back in the late 60's. One thing interesting about this track is that Joan doesn't change the pronouns in the sex jam, leading to a long-standing rumour that this was her way of confessing she was in fact a lesbian.
I'm not exactly sure how this song managed to become a hit here in Australia, mainly due to it being a huge flop for the band Missing persons in their native America and them never having a hit on Billboard during their career. I'm glad it was a hit here as it's a unique song about how the singer feels like her partner isn't listening to her and that she feels like communicating with them is a waste of time.
This was the other big hit that Madness achieved here in Australia, likely due to it coming out around the time they performed this and their earlier single on Countdown making them one of the more popular bands here this year. Their next song was "Our house," a song that underperformed here despite it easily being one of their most recognisable tracks likely due to its popularity on Billboard.
This was a bit of a comeback for the Cars given how their previous album was a massive flop here in Australia, although it's worth noting that their overall popular down under was pitiful when compared to what they achieved in NZ and their native America. This is especially noticeable with their next album which was only a modest success here despite it being on the biggest hits of the decade in those countries.
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.
Well, if you wanted to imagine Cliff Richard as your daddy, I guess this is the song for you as that's essentially what he's doing here on this cover of an obscure track from the early 60's. It was a big hit for the aging pop crooner following the success of his earlier entry, although he wouldn't trouble our charts gain for another four years before he teamed up with the Young ones to remake his debut single for charity.
This was the one and only hit for the Little heroes, an Australian band looking to make it big along the likes of other stripped back bands such as Goanna and the Reels but only managed to do so with one of their songs. That said, this song has endured over the years more so than many of the entries on this list, likely due to the fond memories people have of watching this be performed on Countdown this year.
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.
You'd think that Duran Duran would've performed a bunch of their hits on Countdown back in the day, as far as I can tell, they only performed this and "Is there something I should know" from the following year. Their performance of this lead single to their second album was the reason why it was a hit here as it was a massive flop everywhere else in the world likely due to the video being rather mundane.
This was one of only five hits that Fleetwood Mac managed to score in Australia, that should give you an idea of how our music scene works as artists who dominate our albums charts rarely do so for our singles charts. In any case, we have the lead single to their album Mirage which was their way of adjusting to the MTV era, they somewhat struggled compared to their previous work, but they pulled it off.
Well at least this song has far less baggage attached to it thank her earlier entry due to the music video not depicting anything contentious, although it might be due to how safely it was marketed that resulted in it not being as successful as "Physical" for Olivia Newton John anywhere in the world despite this also being a sex jam that remains a bop to listen to even to this day.
This was originally released in 1975 to deafening silence for MJ, likely due to his popularity being in the toilet in the mid 70's as the world had moved on from the Jackson 5 to disco at the time. This was given a second chance when it randomly became a UK chart topper for him the previous year, this proves that even back in the day, no song was too old to find success in the mainstream.
It looked like Rick's popularity in the music scene would be more permanent this time around as he scored a second hit in the decade with this track that often serves as a stranger danger lesson in music form. I guess his popularity mainly stemmed from his role in General hospital which is why he didn't have another hit in Australia, although he scored a few more hits over in America this decade.
This is a song I would've thought had done better back in the day, mainly because of how fondly it seems to be remembered on oldies stations to this day. Greg Kihn did manage to score a second hit here in Australia with "Jeopardy" the following year, however that hasn't been as fondly remembered as this track likely because of how Greg seems to miss how songs used to be written here.
This is the first of two hits that the Stranglers had here in Australia, this means that they're one of the few punk bands to make it big on our charts given how we Aussies seemed to be allergic to the genre back in the day. That said, this is one of their more experimental tracks which is perhaps how this crossed over here from their native UK in the first place.
I've got to be honest, I'm not sure how this managed to become a hit in Australia as Adrian Gurvitz didn't have any success with this track anywhere else in the world. I guess this was a hit due to audiences who didn't want to buy into the MTV generation getting something out of this ballad.
This was originally released as the B-side to Don McLean's second single from his American pie album "Vincent," however for some reason it was given its own life a decade later which allowed him to score a hit with the song again here in Australia this year. This allowed fans to rediscover his back catalogue as a greatest hits album from the start of the decade suddenly became popular when this was released.
This was the first big hit that Simple minds had worldwide, it was barely a success for them here in Australia despite them appearing on Countdown shortly before its release (they performed a different song on their episode.) This would lead to a rocky career trajectory down under which was far less so over in NZ where they were inescapable.
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, the J Geils band managed to score a second hit worldwide with this gem that I'm surprised wasn't more of a hit here in Australia given how much love it still receives on oldies stations to this day. I guess we can chalk this up to all of the strong competition it had on this list alone given how many songs managed to make it big this year down under.
This was the lead single to Human league's Dare album, an album that had an unusual release schedule as the second single "Open your heart" came out mere weeks before their earlier entry regardless of where in the world you're from and months after this lead single. The album was a success once "Don't you want me" became a huge hit here due to the members performing all three tracks on Countdown.
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.
This was the only version of the 30's ballad that was able to become a hit over the years in most countries, although Americans had Robert John score a hit with his version from a decade prior. As this was the dawn of MTV, this version is more bombastic and, in your face, compared to other versions which is perhaps how it managed to become a huge success for Tight fit but also leaving them as a one hit wonder.
This was the final hit that Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons had here in Australia (although they were now simply going by Jo Jo Zep) it seems odd they would achieve their highest charting single before they went their separate ways but that was a surprisingly common trend in the music industry over the years. Lead singer Joe Camilleri would form a new band after this known as the Black sorrows.
This is the only hit that Haircut one hundred (what's with that name?) had here in Australia, it's one of many singles that got lost in the shuffle this year as this was a hectic year for music on our charts. Even so, it managed to crack our top ten thanks to how bouncy it is as well as this being a particularly good year for UK bands and artists.
This was the song that initially made INXS a household name, so much so that it no doubt led to the success of their breakthrough album Shabooh shoobah which would of course lead to them conquering the world as the decade went on. This is less conventional than their later tracks as they did begin their career in the new wave trends before becoming increasingly more contemporary as the decade went on.
This was the other big hit that Swanee was able to score here in Australia, this time we have an original track from the older brother of Jimmy Barnes which is perhaps why it didn't do as well as his Bobby Darin cover from the previous year. Well, that and also the lyrics where he's asking the girl of his dreams what her name is, that might've also turned people off.
This nearly missed out on appearing on my list, mainly because it was the second single from the duo's album Private eyes with the title track being the big hit despite it being a sleeper hit and thus not eligible for this list of mine. The duo did have massive success in the 70's with "Rich girl," however it was this year where their popularity truly took off down under.
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.
It looks like Dr Hook wanted to return to their roots with this entry which I'm guessing we Aussies were against for the most part given how this was likely only a hit here thanks to them performing it on Countdown this year. Although this was a much bigger hit over in NZ, it appears that the lack of positive reception this track received left a bad taste in their mouths as they would break up later in the decade.
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.
Even though their earlier entry on this list was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it appears that we Aussies could only extent our love for them for one album and this throwaway track which became a success just as the year was coming to an end. At least they were able to score a minor hit over in America before they forever faded into obscurity.
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