For the longest time, this was the best charting song in Australia given how it slowly but surely managed to win over every possible demographic in our music scene during its time in the spotlight. I guess it started off as a fan favourite from the alternative scene before getting massive appeal from the dance floors before finally finding its way into several commercials for more mainstream audiences.
Now here's a song that brings me great joy that the internet expects me to hate with every fibre of my being (see how I was initially hostile towards music I didn't like?) we have this debut single from the Spice girls which is so much joyous fun that I don't even care that the lyrics don't make much sense once you read into them.
From what I've heard, Dangerous minds is a mediocre film looking to cash in off the success of Dead poet's society only with Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead instead of Robin Williams. At least it had a killer theme song courtesy of Coolio who did a 180 from his previous hit "Fantastic voyage" with this song that goes into brutal detail about the struggles he and people like him face on a day-to-day basis.
This served both as the lead single to Celine Dion's album Falling into you (well in America at least, it was the second single here in Australia after the title track) as well as the theme to the Michelle Pfeiffer flick Up close and personal. It also came with a B-side "The power of a dream" which Dion performed at the summer Olympics this year at Atlanta, which no doubt boosted the sales of this track.
Following the success of their breakthrough single "Set you free," this British trance group decided to remix the Bee gees classic from Saturday night fever by recording several rap verses to replace the verses from the original which allowed this to become their biggest hit in several parts of the world. This wasn't even the last time they achieved a hit with this feat as "Da ya think I'm sexy" was also a massive success for them.
This was originally released earlier in the decade in the aging duo's native Spain to critical and commercial success, however when it was released to the English-speaking parts of the world, it was given a remix which includes additional verses from the titular Macarena which makes her out to be a bit of a diva that nonetheless connected with audiences thanks to the ridiculous dance attached to the song.
This is often considered to be Toni Braxton's signature tune, mainly due to how long it lasted at number one on Billboard as it stayed there for an impressive eleven weeks back in the day. I personally prefer her other ballads over this as I find that she's over singing too much on this track, "Breathe again" is a much better example of her powerful vocals put to good use.
This is one of the more bombastic tracks to come out of the American hip hop scene, although it may surprise you to learn that this wasn't a hit in the duo's native America but rather throughout Europe due to this and their other hit "Don't stop" being huge chart toppers in the UK for some reason. Naturally we Aussies followed suit in making these songs a huge success, likely due to how catchy they were for our dance floors.
To think these two had been active for almost fifteen years when they released this track two years prior to deafening silence, likely because it was too much of an underground hit for even Triple J to notice at the time. It was given a remix from Todd Terry which helped it crossover to the dance floors around the world which is how this song finally took off for the husband-and-wife duo.
It's strange to think that the original version of this RNB track from Earth wind and fire wasn't a huge success in Australia back in the day, in fact even if you were around during the early 80's and the mid 90's, this is likely your introduction to this classic which I guess is better than nothing as the Australian quartet do a decent job updating the track for a (then) modern audience.
This was the one and only hit that the Otara millionaire's club (OMC for short) managed to achieve outside their native NZ, although it's a bit of a shame as despite him not being the best rapper of his time, the production on here more than makes up for his weak rapping and the chorus is catchy as hell to boot. He did see slightly more success in his homeland, although nothing to really write home about.
Following the success she had with "Breathe again" from two years prior, Toni Braxton no longer had any issues with scoring a hit in Australia with her subsequent releases which means she was able to find massive success with this sex jam that continues to titillate audiences to this day. This feels like a bit of an outlier in her discography as she's mostly known for her power ballads rather than her sexual nature.
I bet you're wondering why the heck Warren G decided to collaborate with Adina Howard (who my American readers know for her hit single "Freak like me" on Billboard) for this hip hop remix of Tina Turner's signature track. Well, it turns out this was commissioned for the Jackie Chan flick Supercop which was enough of a success worldwide for this to be a huge hit despite it flopping in America for some reason. This also served as the lead single to Warren's second album.
I'm guessing this was an instant success in Australia despite it failing to be released as a single in the trio's native America due to us Aussies having fond memories of the song this track sampled from 1973 of the same name. Of course, the three rappers take the song in a different direction which is more than I can say for many future hip hop tracks which relied on nostalgia for their success.
Although "Creep" was a minor success for these girls in Australia when it came out, it was this third single from their sophomore album which finally broke them through into the mainstream down under albeit months after it was already an international success for them. This is a self-empowerment anthem from the trio, one they themselves should've headed from given what was in store for them next.
This was the second single from Mariah Carey's album Daydream, and for the longest time it was the most successful song in America due to it lasting a record breaking sixteen weeks at number one on Billboard as well as it being a major seller over there as well. This is due to the winning formula it created of dedicating a ballad to the friends that have sadly no longer with us that many artists copied from here.
"Jesus to a child" might've sparked initial curiosity towards George's comeback album Older this year, however it was this track which confirmed it to be worth checking out given how it was a huge success for him and seemingly rewound his career back to 1992 when he was originally working on this album before he delayed it to briefly become the new lead singer for Queen following Freddie Mercury's death.
This was the debut single from Savage Garden and one that has a different music video depending on where in the world you're from. The original is a low budget clip which is basically Darren Hayes poorly green screened onto a car driving around the country whilst the international version is more visually striking as it has Darren singing in front of a camera and then has the footage play on a girl's TV.
Even though this was only a moderate success in Donna's native UK, it proved to be a massive hit over on Billboard likely due to her combining new age with RNB on this track which makes it one of the most unique songs to ever become a hit. It's a bit of a shame she's a one hit wonder with this track as I feel her voice is unique and could easily chart along the likes of Jewel and Sheryl Crow.
Much like the rest of their catalogue that wasn't their two Billboard chart toppers, this second single from Savage Garden has production I would firmly describe as well, savage. The lyrical content is also poignant as it depicts the observations Darren Hayes has made over a young woman who seems to have shut herself off from the world for various reasons.
Following the failure of his previous project Milli vanilli, Frank Farian created a new group in the form of this Hispanic trio from the American east coast who thankfully did sing every note on their music which means there wasn't any backlash towards the group that I'm aware of. This was among the earlier hits to emerge from the Latin craze that took the world by storm during the last stretch of the decade.
So, did anyone know who this guy was before he released his magnum opus saying he would come back bigger than ever? Yes, I know that this song is actually about him bouncing back from a bad relationship he had from his girlfriend, however between this and the Backstreet boys, this was a surprisingly good time for upstarts to declare themselves back to an audience who wasn't previously familiar with them.
From what I can gather, Triple X was a pseudonym for one Massimo Persona who was an Italian DJ who scored a massive hit with this remix of the X files theme that was made popular this year by the Mark Snow theme becoming a hit throughout Europe. I'm not sure why this remix outdid the original here in Australia, but it did which is why this is here and that isn't.
This was the only notable success to come from Robert Miles, a Swiss DJ who managed to take the world by storm with this instrumental track that has become popular for soundtracking special moments in one's life. Indeed, this was a modest success over in America, proving that even they could appreciate the beauty of this track during the height of its popularity.
This was both the lead single to No Doubt's breakthrough album Tragic kingdom as well as the theme song to the cult classic Clueless, this inevitably made the song into a huge success worldwide but didn't translate into album sales for the album or soundtrack. A bit of a fun fact with this song, its success in the UK only came when "Don't speak" became one of the biggest hits of the decade worldwide.
It had been seven years since Tracy Chapman troubled the charts with her debut single "Fast car," so to see her back in the spotlight with this led single to her fourth album was a bit of a welcome surprise given how well she adapted to the changing sounds of folk music from these two albums. Unfortunately, this comeback was short lived as she once again fell into obscurity after this dropped out of the charts.
You'd think that a reggae cover of a Marvin Gaye classic would be sacrilege, although you've also likely noticed that I've never had much of an issue with reggae covers of older tracks with the occasional exception. In any case, we have this reggae trio covering Marvin's only hit he had in Australia (shocking I know) where it became a huge success for them, more so than the original I might add.
This was the first of three hits that La bouche achieved in Australia, this was keeping in tradition of EDM artists scoring three hits from a highly successful album before the artist in question forever fades into obscurity. They were the most successful act to pull off this formula as they managed to find massive success on Billboard with their album which made their songs even bigger here in Australia.
Well leave it to Joan Osborne to ask the heavy questions in life with her one and only hit worldwide, although by this stage the stigma for addressing one's fate had long since been lifted given how the likes of Madonna and Sinead O'Connor normalised attacking religion throughout the decade. This did lead to her album being a moderate success even if it failed to give her a second hit.
I'm not sure what took so long for this song to be released in Australia, it was a massive international success for Shaggy and an instant success for him once he finally released it this year here. I'm guessing it was due to how his previous song "In the summertime" was looking to become a success here given how it was included in the soundtrack for the Paul Hogan film Flipper which likely caused us to delay this songs release.
This was a song that came out of nowhere this year, we have Tracy Bonham who scored a massive hit in Australia with this post grunge track that seemed to connect with us a mere two years after the death of Kurt Cobain. I feel that this is a companion piece to Meredith Brook's "Bitch" as both women seem to be unapologetic with airing out their grievances on both tracks which is why people love these women.
I should point out that TLC stands for the initials of the trio in question, that being T-Boz, Left eye Lopez and Chilli. I feel this is a good place to point that out as aside from this fourth single from Crazysexycool being a massive hit for the trio in Australia for some reason, there's not much I can say about it as it doesn't have the personality that defined them throughout the decade.
You'd think that this Italian group would've had more success here in Australia considering they saw massive success in the UK with their songs from earlier in their discography. This decade has been filled with surprises given how they weren't the only acts to make it big in the UK with songs that flopped here in Australia only to find success here with songs that weren't that big in the UK.
To think this signature track from Oasis failed to reach the top spot in their native UK, oh well it was a number one hit in most parts of the world, so I don't think the band minds too much in the long run. This has sadly received a ton of backlash in recent years due to people noticing how monotone Liam is on this track, I feel that only enhances the song as it allows the beauty of Noel's poetry and instrumentation to shine through.
This is one of the stranger songs to become a hit this decade, mainly because it does indeed use alien metaphors in order to talk about a sexual encounter that the singer had with this person. The unique sound of the song helped it find an audience for the British band Babylon Zoo, although it also firmly put them in the one hit wonder camp even in their homeland which is why this was their only hit.
He already saw success with his cover of "Sky high" from the previous year, now we have this firefighter turned pop star covering another 70's classic in the form of this update of the Dan Hill track from 1977. Newton's version proved to be more successful than the original here in Australia, likely due to the campy nature of this cover as well as it being a danceable track compared to the original which was a soft rock track.
This was the second single to come from Bryan Adam's album 18 till I die, OK technically the third as "Have you ever really loved a woman" was included on the album despite being written for the Don Juan De Marco soundtrack. This was the last hit single that he had as a solo artist as the remaining hits he had this decade were with another person.
If you think that Australians being in Eurovision is a recent phenomenon, then think again as Gina G was based in Australia before she was approached by the UK comity of Eurovision to have her represent them this year with this EDM track of hers. While this didn't win the competition (it only came in eighth) it was by far the biggest hit from the show and even allowed her to crossover to America.
This was the only hit single to come from the Tony Rich project, an RNB group named after its lead singer who scored their one and only hit with this ballad that became a surprise hit here in Australia considering how uncommon it was for RNB hits to be successful this decade. No doubt this was one of the first signs of us Aussies becoming more tolerant of black music during the second half of the 90's.
This was the only noticeable hit single that Deni Hines managed to score in Australia without the assistance of the Rockmelons, it's a bit of a shame she didn't find more success on her own as this RNB jam it catchy as hell as well as how it displays her vocal range really well. There was international interest in her following the success of this track, however much like her mother, that interest didn't translate to success for her.
Well, this is a song that music snobs love to make fun of, specifically how Alanis wrote an entire song about irony despite none of the situations she describes being ironic and more akin to simply bad luck. She's since admitted that was the point of the song given how deliciously ironic that she wrote a song with that title with not one ironic lyric in the song. I'm guessing this was what made the song so big worldwide.
One of the most popular TV shows of the decade was Friends (stylised as F.R.I.E.N.D.S) a show about a group of twenty something year olds navigating their day-to-day life in New York while dealing with a variety of interesting storylines in their respective lives (so basically a 90's version of How I met your mother.) This show was well received back in the day and even spawned a hugely popular theme song that became a massive hit.
One of the most popular films of the decade was the first Mission impossible flick, a theatrical adaptation of the TV series which spawned a massive franchise as well as confirm Tom Cruise to be an action star which aside from Top gun from a decade prior he really wasn't at this point. The theme song is the films strongest asset, it was composed by members of U2 Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
You know that a trend is omnipresent in pop culture when there's more than one song promoting it becoming a massive success, such was the case for this Canadian group Los Del Mar who rode on the success of the Macarena and made their own song which became a success here in Australia.
This was the third single from Celine's magnum opus Falling into you, one that apparently was written for the Bat out of hell albums given how it was written by Jim Steinman and has the same bombast as the other tracks he's written for Meat loaf and others over the years. Another factor towards this song's success was the video which has gone down as one of the most expensive to ever be made.
This was a huge surprise success for Shania Twain given how this failed even in her native Canada, I'm guessing we Aussies caught wind of by far one of the sexiest tracks in her catalogue and thus made it a huge success for her just as the rest of the world had given up in making her third album a commercial success. This no doubt led to her next album being a huge success here even before it received its pop treatment.
This was the only hit that Tupac Shakur was able to achieve in Australia during his lifetime, hey at least he managed to score one hit here prior to his murder this year unlike his rival Biggie Smalls who only saw success down under after he was assassinated. Here we have a guest verse from the king of the west coast Dr Dre, a verse that curiously references the sunshine state which is odd because that's how the east coast is described.
It seemed like these guys weren't destined to have a successful career in Australia given how they released two songs from their debut album before it dropped to deafening silence, their fortunes changed when this third single became a hit once the album dropped and allowed said album to become a massive success for them. Even though they never saw international success, Human nature was a contender for the boy band wars in Australia as they competed with Backstreet boys and Five for the title.
This was a huge hit for Boyzone largely due to it being a cover of a Cat Stevens number from 25 years prior, although it's worth noting that the boys were songwriters themselves and yet most of their hits were covers of older classics. This was their only hit in Australia for two years before they scored a massive comeback later in the decade with "No matter what" being a huge success.
I read an old news column once that stated that the three nephews of MJ would embark on a music career once the first generation of the Jackson music dynasty aged out of the music scene. Obviously, this column was joking, however it appears that Tito was serious about pushing his sons into the music scene as they managed to score quite a number of hits in the UK of all places with their RNB ballads.
Here's a song that causes minor controversy in rock circles, mainly due to how this relationship never had any legs to stand on due to the only thing that the narrator has in common with their partner is that they kind of liked the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's the ultimate song about a mediocre romance which is no doubt what led to it being a massive success during what was meant to be the height of irony in pop culture.
The last time Maxi Priest had troubled the charts anywhere in the world was at the start of the decade when "Close to you" became a massive success in America and in the southern hemisphere. Fast forward six years and he's back with a collaboration with Shaggy during the height of the rapper's career which no doubt elevated the success of this reggae track much higher than it otherwise would've achieved.
If you can believe it, the original version of this track from Kool and the gang was never a hit here in Australia, meaning that Peter Andre's version is likely the only version that most Aussies are familiar with. The backing band on here would go on to have minor success later in the decade as Ilanda, however this was the last his that Peter had here before he migrated to the UK and never looked back.
Given that he had one of the biggest hits of the decade with his earlier entry, it only makes sense that Coolio was welcomed into the Australian music scene with open arms throughout the second half of the decade. Here he scores a massive hit with this track which is a return to his breakthrough hit worldwide "Fantastic voyage" with the bouncier hip hop and less serious lyrics to his rhymes.
It's hard to think that this woman began the decade as a member of Wilson Phillips, one of the most successful artists of the early 90's in their native America that only managed a single hit song internationally with their debut single "Hold on." Fast forward six years and we have the second of two hit singles she had in Australia and seemingly nowhere else in the world.
It looked like that Bush's debut album was going to fail given that it had been released two years prior to little fanfare throughout the world, however it was finally a success this year when this became a surprise hit for the band over in America who likely appreciated their brand of post grunge on this track. It may have been their only hit worldwide, although at least it put them on the map of the alternative scene.
This was the second single to come from La Bouche's album this year, it's a song that shares its name with a Eurythmics track that in turn had a cover from Marilyn Manson that was also released this year albeit as a massive flop. This song has nothing to do with that track as it's a dance track about how the duo is looking for love on the dance floor whereas that song is about err...... whatever it's about.
This was a bit of a comeback for Simply red who hadn't had a hit in Australia since their third album from the late 80's. Indeed, this song in general was a milestone for the band as it became their only chart topper in their native UK despite having five of the most successful albums of all time over there, it's also their rare upbeat track which showed they were willing to experiment with their sound for a hit.
This was another RNB hit that was originally found success upon its initial release the previous year worldwide but had to wait until it was an international success to crossover here to Australia. It was the only hit for Groove city which is a shame because I felt that they were one of the more interesting RNB groups to emerge from this decade, they certainly deserved to have more success than most this decade.
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.
This was the first hit that Eternal had since the departure of their one white member Louise, I'm not sure why she decided to leave these three behind for a solo career nor do I plan to speculate the reason. It appears that we Aussies preferred the group as a trio as they managed to see huge success down under during the second half of the decade with their powerful voices.
This was the third and final hit that La Bouche was able to score from their one and only album, thus completing the cycle for EDM acts scoring massive success with one album before forever fading into obscurity throughout the 90's. I guess you can technically say that Aqua continued this trend the following year, except they not only scored four hits from Aquarium but managed to release a second album.
This was a stacked year for Alanis Morissette, not only was her Grammy award winning album the biggest of the year but it also managed to spawn four huge hits for her throughout the world this year alone with this fourth entry being the second biggest here in Australia. This is known for its harmonica solo which has made it one of the more iconic songs in her discography, although it would prove to be her last hit in certain parts of the world.
This was the debut single for one of the most popular bands to come out of Ireland this decade, although my UK readers will likely be surprised to see this song on this list and not later in the decade as this only became a success there in 1999 following the success of their second album. We Aussies knew that these guys were on to something special when they initially broke through, hence why the song is on this list.
Passengers was a side project from the members of U2, so this basically is a U2 track that managed to be a massive success worldwide under a pseudonym for them which goes to show you how popular the Irish band was throughout the 90's. They would come back later in the decade under their original name with their venture towards pop rock in 1997.
Given how "One sweet day" became the longest running Billboard chart topper this year, it only makes sense that other artists would copy the formula of making a song that serves as an ode to the fallen friends of the people who made it. Enter Bone thugs n harmony who saw massive success with this track worldwide, although this was their only hit here in Australia likely because of the formula.
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.
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.
Although they saw massive success in Europe the previous year with "Don't give me your life," this wasn't a bit hit over there which makes its massive success here in Australia for Alex party a bit confusing until you remember that EDM was still all the rage here upon its release. I feel this was their loss as this is a much better song than their international hit largely due to it being catchier and better performed.
This was a huge hit for Amber who managed to crack the Billboard charts with this EDM track thanks to her strong vocals as well as the campy nature of this track which I'm sure has made it a queer anthem over the years. There was little doubt that this would be a hit here in Australia given how the decade has been filled with dance tracks such as this, and indeed she would have another hit later in the decade with "If you could read my mind" as part of a supergroup.
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.
Well, this is the lead single to the first of two albums which saw Metallica go in a more mainstream direction than their previous album which fans had already complained was a watered-down version of their earlier work, I guess the message their old school fans were sending these guys was that they really didn't want the masses to influence what these guys would make in their discography.
This was a surprisingly good decade for Eric Clapton considering he hadn't had any success with his singles in Australia prior to his appearance on MTV unplugged four years prior. Here he scores another hit due to it being the theme to the film Phenomenon where John Travolta plays a man who suddenly acquires telekinetic powers with chaos ensuing from there. It was a box office success despite mixed reviews due to the premise of the film.
Well, this certainly took its sweet time in becoming a success here in Australia, Deborah Cox is a Canadian RNB singer who got her start with this ballad about how she's in disbelief that her partner could possibly love anyone but her. This proved to be a huge sleeper hit for her here months after it became one of the biggest hits of the year in NZ, likely due to how people could relate to the lyrics.
This was the last hit that Jimmy Barnes managed to achieve here in Australia, it came from his greatest hits package which he released this year to commemorate how far he had come since going solo from Cold chisel twelve years prior. This was to anticipate the return of the band later in the decade when they release new material for the first time.
You may have noticed that Madonna had released a bunch of ballads throughout her career, she certainly noticed as she collected all of her biggest hits in this vein onto her themed greatest hits album Something to remember which she released around this time. This was the first of three songs released from the album, proving that audiences wanted to hear more of her sombre tracks going forward.
Well, this was a surprise hit for Belinda Carlisle this year, she last troubled the charts five years prior with "Live your life be free" from the album of the same name which became her first album to not be released in her native America. I'm guessing this was a hit to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her solo single "Mad about you," the times may have changed but Belinda's appeal certainly hadn't.
This was the only notable success for Berri, a British singer who initially flopped with this cover of an Elkie Brooks track in her native UK before finding success with a remix from the EDM group New Atlantic's. This allowed the track to become a huge success here in Australia given how much we loved EDM this decade, although it flopped across Europe despite it being a huge hit in her homeland.
Aah contractual obligations, they make you do things you would otherwise never dream of doing such as forcing you to reunite with a band that were best known for kiddie pop a decade prior to getting back together with them. This was the fate that New edition found themselves in this year as they were forced to finish their contract by releasing an album this year which spawned this big hit for them in Australia and NZ.
I'm guessing the world wasn't as on board with MJ's environmental songs back in the day as they were with the rest of his catalogue given how this was the only song of his in that vein to become a massive success here in Australia. It was the third single from his double album History past present and future which has largely been overshadowed by the other tracks on the album over the years.
This was Leann Rimes only hit as a country artist in Australia, oh she would go on to have massive success in the new millennium as a pop star, however she began her career as a country singer with tracks such as this ballad. Considering she was only fourteen years old when she released this song, it's impressive that her vocals are this strong considering what most fourteen-year-olds sound like.
This was a massive success for Pearl Jam likely due to the popularity of its key song "I got ID" which was heavily flogged on the radio at the time. Indeed, this kept the bands momentum going as their next two albums would be a massive success for them during a time their peers would struggle for popularity.
We won't be looking at "Jesus to a child" on this list as it wasn't enough of a hit to qualify for this list, however that wasn't the case for the third single from George's comeback album which was given its own E.P to help it stand out from the competition that came from much younger artists at the time. George would score a few more hits in his career before he faded into obscurity here in Australia.
Following the success of their debut single from earlier on this list, the Corrs released the title track to their album which also became a success for them in Australia and nowhere else in the world. The album did eventually see success internationally once their sophomore album took off, however we Aussies were the only ones initially that could appreciate the band's blending of adult contemporary and Celtic music.
I guess we Aussies were eventually won over with their only being three members of Eternal as they were able to score a second hit here with this track, although it could be their contribution to Disney's Hunchback of Notre dame which won us over despite "Someday" being a massive flop here. In any case, they scored one more hit later in the decade with "I wanna be the only one" before calling it quits.
Evidently there was this teen comedy series from the 90's known as Party of five, it was apparently popular enough for its theme song to be a huge success this year for the band the Bodeans. The show premiered in 1994, which means this song was already two years old by the time it became a success this year, although the Friends theme from before also had this circuitous route to success down under.
This was technically the biggest hit to come from the Smashing pumpkins in Australia, it's by far their most iconic song as the instrumentation is a perfect example of their sound and how its endured over the years. I'm guessing if this had of been the lead single from Mellon collie and the infinite sadness then it could've been one of the biggest hits of the decade instead of it being a mere modest success.
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.
With a name like the one these guys gave themselves; you'd think that they would have politically charged lyrics in their music. While they did occasionally get political in their music, their main schtick was novelty tracks such as this that were obviously meant to be played on shows like Beavis and Butthead rather than have any critical analysis applied to them. Indeed, this was a huge hit for the band whose acronym reads POT USA.
Well, here's a song that took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, again mainly due to RNB not being the most popular genre of the decade here despite this debut single from Monica being a huge success in NZ and her native America. She would go on to have far more success than her main rival Brandy throughout the 90's, in fact it wasn't until their collaboration that Brandy would be as successful as Monica.
We have another entry from a song that would be a perfect fit for Dance dance revolution, Dreamworld were a Swedish band who scored their only hit with this song here in Australia due to it being another worthy banger for our dance floors upon its initial release. I'm not sure how we Aussies were able to discover all of these gems back in the day, however they make for a great playlist for a night out.
The legends are true people, there was a Christmas rendition of the Macarena that was a huge success here in Australia during the Christmas season of 1996. No wonder the trend became kitsch once every version of the dance dropped off the charts worldwide.
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."
Although this wasn't a huge hit here in Australia like their previous material was, it nonetheless a success for them largely thanks to how inescapable they were with their first two albums with their third album continuing their winner streak in the mainstream. A big complaint for their third album was their sound changing for the worse according to fans, it was certainly different, but I don't agree with it being for the worse.
I guess Neneh Cherry was still able to find success this far into the 90's, although she certainly adapted with the times as this isn't the same pop rap that she broke through with in the late 80's. This would be her final hit worldwide as she quit music shortly after she released her third album to become a mother.
It looks like Metallica were able to score massive success with their sellout tracks here in Australia, I'm personally not a fan of this era of their music as I prefer their older stuff, but at the same time I'm also fed up with their diehard fans of their older work saying that their newer stuff is not worth your time.
This was the third Billboard chart topper in a row for Mariah Carey, proving once again just how inescapable she was in America throughout the decade. Here it was a modest success for her as it's a cute enough ballad about how she's in love with the man of her dreams on this track, it could've been bigger here if the album wasn't already such a huge success, and our charts weren't solely based on capitalism.
Well, you know the political climate isn't doing so well when even MJ has something to say about it, although he does so in the bluntest way imaginable as to remain as A political as he can so that he doesn't alienate too much of his audience. This was the third single to come from History and one that remains iconic to this day as the lyrics seem to be more relevant now than in the days of the Clinton administration.
This was released as the first single from Celine's album of the same name here in Australia as opposed to her top entry on this list which was the lead single over in America this year, I'm guessing we Aussies weren't as excited for the album at first given how this was only a modest success for her and that she needed her appearance from the summer Olympics for her top entry to be a success down under.
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.
This was the first big hit that Chynna Phillips was able to score here in Australia this year, again I get the feeling we Aussies were feeling nostalgic for her bands one and only hit from the start of the decade and decided to give her two more hits this year to compensate for us ignoring Wilson Phillip's other American hits back in the day.
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