NZ hits of 1982

This was the official year for two things in the music industry, the first of course being the rise of MTV as it officially launched late in the previous year. The second was the rise of the second British invasion in America due to many of the earliest music videos coming from UK artists which resulted in the popularity of the TV program.

If you couldn't tell from the title of this track, this is a gospel tune from an aging pop crooner by the name of Howard Morrison which became a massive success in his homeland this year over any other song.

Well so much for disco being dead around the launch of MTV, we have this French duo who scored a massive hit throughout the world with this English version of their big hit from their native France. This was a minor hit in Australia this year, although we Aussies did move on from euro disco to the likes of new wave and pub rock around this time, so it was only a sleeper success here at best.

And I thought Inner Circle was the most persistent Jamaican band of the twentieth century, enter Toots and the Maytals who scored a massive hit in NZ with this reggae track a good two decades into their existence. They remain a one hit wonder over there which makes them the 80's equivalent of Inner circle if you consider that band's success here in Australia.

This was a cover of an Eddy Grant track; Eddy of course would go on to have massive success in NZ meaning that this was likely twice as successful for Renee Geyer in NZ than it was here in Australia because of that fact. This didn't do her career any favours in either country as she failed to score a second hit anywhere in the world.

Like in Australia, these guys are a one hit wonder in NZ with this cover of the Gloria Jones track, it's a shame none of their other songs managed to become a success outside of their native UK, however they at least did score a string of other hits at home meaning they did fine over there during their heyday.

This was somehow an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis wanted to give their love to Europeans throughout the 80's any way they could, and this was one of the best ways they could think of doing so. I know it wasn't always meant for ad jingles, but that's all I hear whenever I listen to this song.

Although the lead single to their album "Who can it be now" was a massive flop for these guys in NZ, there was little doubt this second single would be a huge success given how incessantly catchy the song is as well as it being a distinctly Australian track during a time where that was a selling point in pop culture. The song's success would eventually allow the band to crossover internationally later in the year.

When I first discovered this track from David Bowie, I thought he had written a song for the Andrew Lloyd Webber production Cats as that had premiered shortly before this was released as a single from him. It turns out this is the theme to a long-forgotten horror film Cat people which was loosely based on a book of poetry that the Broadway show is based on, although I really mean loosely based.

It appears that a little controversy didn't prevent this song from being a success in NZ like it did in the UK, to be clear the video to this classic was controversial due to it glorifying fat shaming as well as a possible nod that the song was about two male gym instructors getting physical with each other. This was Livie's final hit single in NZ as none of her other songs managed to become a success for her over there after this.

These guys didn't have any better luck in NZ when it came to their success than they did here in Australia, in fact their success was identical in both countries which gives you an idea of how similar our music scenes were back in the day. One final bit of trivia I have is the woman on the album cover and who Kevin Rowland hits on in the video is Siobahn Fahey of Bananarama fame.

This was the only hit that Prince Tui Teka had in his homeland, although he was part of two bands who I guess did alright in the 50's and 60's so this was merely his only solo hit in his career. He would pass away later in the decade which would explain why he didn't have any further success after this.

This was a huge success for Hot Chocolate throughout the world, heck it only didn't appear on the Australian side of my site due to not charting long enough in the upper echelons of the charts back in the day to qualify for my rankings. It was the band's final hit single outside of their native UK likely due to audiences wanting to move on to other multi racial RNB groups of the day, however they kept scoring success in their native UK.

This was the showstopper from Elaine Paige for the show Cats, somehow the kiwis preferred Barbra Streisand's version of the track which suggests there was a possibility that she would play the role of Grizabella at some point which as far as I'm aware, never wound up happening. This must have encouraged the kiwis to make her greatest hits package of the same name a success over there.

This was the last hit that John Rowles had in NZ, oh yeah, John Rowles managed to have multiple hits in his native NZ after his one and only international hit "If I only had time" from the late 60's. This is a cover of a Harry Belafonte track which means he was going for that reggae crowd which worked out for this song.

Well at least Bob Marley was one of the most popular artists in NZ even after his tragic passing, as such this kiddie version of one of his songs doesn't feel too out of left field for becoming a success over there like I'm sure it does in retrospect in America. Still, it feels weird that there was a huge hit coming from a bunch of kids who wanted to legalise marijuana in the music video.

There were a few Jamaican artists to make it big in NZ throughout the 80's, granted there were a few to do so in the 90's as well, but at least those guys had international success whereas these guys only had minor success outside of NZ and their native Jamaica. This was one of the lucky few to make it big in the UK around this time likely due to their big hit being a cover of a pre-teen MJ track.

This guy had a huge success in Australia seven years prior with "My coo ca choo" during the height of the glam rock era, he returned this year to score a hit with this update of a rockabilly track from the 50's which proved to be a massive success in NZ and his native UK but not here in Australia funnily enough. What's really bizarre is that he's a one hit wonder in the southern hemisphere but with a different song in both countries.

So, this is a surprise entry, mainly because it was a massive hit here in Australia upon its initial release two years prior and yet it only became a success in NZ this year following the premiere of the TV show. This was also the case in the UK, so perhaps this was an international thing where audiences were ambivalent on the film but fell in love with the TV series.

This was the debut single from Duran Duran as far as the kiwis were concerned, true they had a bit hit in Australia the previous year with their actual debut single "Planet earth," however that flopped over there likely due to it lacking that flashy music video that came with this song. This actually charted again later in the decade for some reason, I'm guessing due to the whole 1984 doomsday that was a thing.

This was the only hit single to come from Scottish singer Natasha England, it was a modest success in her native UK and a monstrous hit in NZ likely due to her take on the old nursery rhyme connecting with the kiwis. It remains the most popular version of the track, however the Belle stars did score a hit with their version from the Rain man soundtrack.

It appears the kiwis were also in love with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts this year, although they did score success later in the decade over there with "I hate myself for loving you" unlike here in Australia where all of their success was confided to this one year. They broke down a lot of barriers for women in rock given how at this point they were mostly confided to the alternative scene.

The kiwis were just as open to the idea of a band against discrimination of any kind back in the day as the rest of the world (I wonder how modern audiences would take to these guys) as such their debut single was a massive success over there just like it was over here and in every country that it charted in.

This was a massive hit in NZ considering that it was only decently successful in Australia and ABC's native UK, I guess the kiwis were invested in this story about how Martin Fry had his heart stomped by this person who he gave his love to. Out of all the two hit wonders in Australia from this year, these guys were the most successful over there as they would go on to have moderate success as the decade went on.

We already looked at the CDB cover from the Australian side of my site, so now let's look at the original version of that RNB jam from Earth wind and fire which was a minor hit here in Australia but a massive hit in NZ and the band's native America despite being yet another disco track released during the dark ages of disco. Both lead vocalists would go on to have a huge hit in NZ later in the decade.

This was a bit late to the party in NZ given how it was already a massive hit for Toni Basil in Australia and the UK by the time it became a hit over there, although at least it was a hit before it topped the Billboard charts which means the song only made it big in her homeland once it became a worldwide success for her.

This was the only charting single that Cold Chisel had in NZ, although this was likely the song which made their penultimate album a huge success for them given how it was twice as successful over there as it was over here due to being the lead single rather than the second single. Still, it feels weird this was their only hit over there given how popular Jimmy Barnes would become later in the decade.

It may have been heavily delayed in NZ like it was in Australia, however at least the signature track from Human league managed to be a huge number one hit over there as opposed to merely being a top ten hit here. I guess this came at the expense of the other singles from the album underperforming there where they at least became sleeper hits here.

I'm sure if their fellow Americans didn't blacklist disco by this point in the 80's, these guys would've found as much success on Billboard as they did in NZ and the UK. This was their only hit in NZ, although their album Tropical gangsters was a massive success over there which I'm guessing more than made up for the fact their other two UK hits weren't as such there.

This was a huge hit here in Australia, although it failed to reach our top twenty which is why it didn't appear on that side of my site. It charted much higher in NZ which finally allows it to appear on the site which is good because I want to talk about as many popular songs from back in the day as I can. This was the only hit single that Greek composer Vangelis was able to score in most parts of the world.

While this was far from as big a success in NZ as it was in Australia and especially their native America, this was nonetheless a huge hit for the J Geils band this year likely due to the music video which while problematic by today's standards (and I would argue even for its time) was a shoe in for MTV which finally got the band noticed after a decade of obscurity in the music scene.

Well, I did mention on the Australian side that this was a hit for Chas and Dave in NZ this year rather than the following year like it was down under. The duo did manage to make it big in their native UK with this track, although I doubt many people realise this was made in the early 80's given how out of place it feels with many of the other songs on this list.

This had a bit of a delay to its success in Australia given how it was already a huge hit in NZ by the time it was released as a single down under, indeed the kiwis and the Brits were the reasons why this was a hit for Fat Larry's band as this was a massive flop in his native America likely due to it sounding like it belonged in the previous decade.

This was the big hit that Devo had in NZ back in the day, evidently, it's a cover of some obscure track from the 60's that was used for a film known as Heavy metal that came out around this time. As this was a big hit in NZ and the band performed it on Countdown shortly after its release, it was included as a bonus track from their New traditionalist album which likely boosted that album's sales.

This was slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis were more opened to the idea of hearing a Kate Bush rendition of the Lesley Gore classic but as envisioned by one of the people inspired by her rather than the genuine article. Apparently, this wasn't the only song they covered in this vein as both artists here made a career out of these sorts of covers over the decade.

I'm surprised this wasn't a hit here in Australia back in the day considering how often you still hear it on our oldie's stations to this day, then again, I wouldn't be sure how it crossed over here considering it was only a hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world including the band's native UK. True to their name, this is a psychedelic track that incorporates new wave into its sound which naturally appealed to the kiwis this year.

Well at least we Aussies allowed Stevie Nicks to have a highly successful solo career with her albums, none of them were a success in NZ save perhaps her debut album which was more of a sleeper hit than anything. I guess I bring this up because the kiwis were clearly on team Lindsey as he managed to score a giant hit with this ballad over his on again off again partner.

This was a bigger hit for both Paul and Michael in NZ, likely because of the star power of this lead single to Thriller being more of a selling point over there than it was here in Australia. This star power wasn't as palpable with their second collaboration "Say say say" as while that was a hit over there, it paled in comparison to what this achieved.

I'm not even sure if Dionne Warwick had any success in NZ prior to this ballad, although at least it was a hit over in NZ slightly before it crossed over in Australia where she did have prior success to this ballad. Even though she's a woman of colour and this was the 80's, Dionne found more success here in Australia back in the day than she did in NZ for some reason.

Remember, this site isn't one where hate is tolerated, this of course puts me at a disadvantage when talking about this misguided ballad between Stevie and Paul, but they of course had good intentions with its creation that the general public of the day acknowledged by making it a hit.

This was a bit delayed in NZ given how there seemed to be this unwritten rule throughout the 80's that Bananarama wasn't going to crossover until they began collaborating with Stock Aitken and Waterman on their fourth album, we Aussies broke this rule by having this nearly top our charts which allowed the kiwis to follow suit by making this a hit for the trio shortly after it became a big hit here.

It pains me to say that the Four tops didn't have any success in NZ during the Listener charts (they may have had success earlier than 1966 but I can't say because I don't have any information on charts prior to that over there.) I bring this up because this makes it their only hit over there during their entire career that I'm aware of, which of course is yet another disco track during the height of the disco backlash.

This was an E.P to come from the Clean, a NZ rock band who was massively popular at the time if the chart run of this E.P is anything to go by as it charted like it belonged on the albums chart on their singles chart.

I guess the kiwis were much more on board with Dr Hook returning to their roots as a comedy band than we Aussies were as even without a memorable performance over there (that I'm aware of) this managed to be a much bigger hit for the band there than it was over here back in the day.

Well, we've looked at the Stars on 45 and getting hooked on classics, so now let's look at this formula applied to local music from the NZ music scene, specifically that of Maoris which managed to become a huge success over there this year due to how popular the mashup craze was at the time.

This proved to be equally as successful for both parties involved in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it did take a bit longer to reach its peak over there than it did over here likely because it came from an otherwise underwhelming album from Queen. Both parties would continue to see massive success as the decade moved along due to them adapting to the MTV era very well.

While this was still the biggest hit off of Time and tide in NZ like it was here in Australia, it's worth noting that the other hit from the album wasn't that less successful over there like it was here (as we'll see in a minute.) This was the band's final hit single in either country as they would struggle for relevancy on their final two albums in the southern hemisphere.

OK you're probably going to have strong emotions when I say this, but this being a hit for Bill Wyman in NZ is likely the reason why that the Rolling stones didn't have a hit with "Start me up" around this time over there like they did over here. Admittedly this did nothing to affect the success of their album, in fact you can make the argument this track from bassist Bill Wyman is why that album was a success over there.

I was a bit disappointed when I realised this didn't qualify for the Australian side of my site, mainly because it was a modest hit down under this year and that it's one of my favourite songs from the duo from their catalogue. Fortunately, it was a much bigger hit over in NZ as well as their first hit over there likely due to how catchy it is whilst not being as bombastic as some of their other big hits.

There's been a suspicious absence from Sister Sledge on this site hasn't there? Well let's rectify that by featuring their biggest hit they had in NZ which was this cover of the Mary Wells track from almost two decades prior that wasn't a hit anywhere else in the world. We'll be looking at the two big international hits they had as we go through these lists but suffice to say they were at their most popular over there.

Much like their earlier entry on this list, this was also much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia and their native UK. In fact, this song's success over there matches the success that "Poison arrow" had here, meaning that the kiwis were especially in love with what these guys had to offer this year, perhaps this is why they occasionally charted as the decade went on over there while they didn't over here.

This was another big hit that Diana Ross had worldwide that failed to appear on the Australian side of my site, I'm guessing because we Aussies weren't interested in hearing her take on a 50's staple like she does on this track. Naturally this was a big hit over in NZ due to her popularity at the time, although it's worth noting her next big hit in either country was much bigger here than it was over there.

I guess the kiwis wanted to imagine Cliff Richard as their daddy this year (OK I'll stop with that) as this was a much bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia and especially "Wired for sound" which remains his biggest hit down under to this day and yet was only a mild sleeper hit for him over there.

Most musicians of colour tended to have more success in NZ than they did in Australia, Ray Parker Jr wasn't one of them as the former Raydio lead singer didn't have nearly the level of success with his solo breakthrough over there that he did over here likely due to the kiwis finding it to be too gimmicky compared to his earlier work with his former band.

While this was still not as big as their earlier entry in NZ, it was a much bigger hit over there compared to what it was here in Australia, meaning that these guys were still able to find massive success over there with whatever they released. Indeed, the album Time and tide was overall more successful in NZ despite their earlier entry not being as big there as it was here.

This was originally released on Lulu's 1979 album as an album track, although for some reason, her label felt there was potential for this to be released as a single which is why it was also included on her next album as the lead single. It was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it became a surprise hit for the Scottish singer for some reason.

I still can't believe how much less successful the Police were in NZ compared to Australia, at least three of their songs will be making a second appearance on this site with this lead single from their penultimate album Ghost in the machine being the second of those three entries.

Well, this was a song that was tailor made for the wackiness that the 80's would become synonymous with, as such it was an even bigger success in NZ given how the kiwis were more in tune with what the rest of the world was making popular as opposed to us Aussies who were still relying on our local music scene as well as whatever else managed to appear on Countdown.

This was another big hit in Australia that wasn't quite as big in NZ this year, although this time I think it's more due to the fact the kiwis didn't want older songs that already had their chance at making it big to mingle with the first hits of MTV but capitulated on this track due to how popular it was everywhere else in the world for Charlene.

Well, this is a massive disappointment for my site, even the Brits managed to make this an inescapable hit this year and yet it was only a moderate success for Survivor in NZ. I guess the kiwis didn't enjoy Rocky III as much as the rest of the world did, either that or they weren't interested in having this be one of the biggest hits of the decade for whatever reason.

This proved to be the slightly bigger hit in NZ than the lead single to their breakthrough album (don't worry, it's still to come on this list) I'm guessing because of how sweet and heartfelt it is out of the two ballads which allowed it to better connect with the kiwis this year. Both of their big hits in NZ did crack the Australian top ten, however they both were too minor with their success here to appear on the Australian side of this site.

It turns out this was a hit upon its initial release over in NZ for Toto, I'm not even sure why because it's not like they had much success over there prior to this becoming an instant hit this year. In any case, they certainly have the right to brag about being the first country in the world to make this a hit for the band given how it wasn't even a hit in their native America until the following year.

This was the first big hit that Simple Minds had in their career worldwide, again it was a modest success here in Australia even if it failed to appear on the Australian side of my site just like their earlier entry. I guess the kiwis made these two songs bigger hits over there due to them getting lost in the shuffle here for the band despite the band appearing on Countdown around this time.

We looked at the Peter Andre version of this track on the Australian side of this site, so now let's look at the original version from Kool and the Gang who managed to score a second hit in NZ and the UK with this disco classic as well as having another hit on Billboard despite it being a disco song during the disco backlash era. Their popularity would dwindle after this, however they would still score the occassional hit.

Well, this proved to be less successful in NZ than it did here in Australia, I guess the kiwis felt this guy was a bit too overexposed by this point given how he just had four hits in a row over there like he did everywhere else in the world. That said, he would return two years later with fellow Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler with their take on "A rocking good time" everywhere except for Australia.

This was the first of two big hits that the Scottish band Altered images managed to have in NZ during their short time in the spotlight, as you can see they were another band that was all male except for the lead vocalist who was a woman which was pretty common for new wave bands back in the day as Blondie, the Pretenders and the Divinyls also had massive success with this approach.

I bet you were wondering if Deniece Williams managed to score a hit of her own with a song that didn't come from a soundtrack, it turns out she did as she scored a hit in NZ and her native America with this cover of a girl group's track from the 60's. It's not as catchy as either of her songs that appeared on the Australian side of my site, hence why it probably wasn't a success down under or in the UK.

Well, this is a song that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit wasn't a big hit in Australia back in the day, mainly because this was released on time over here towards the end of the previous year which suggests we Aussies were at least curious about this song about a freaky girl in Rick James's life. The kiwis were slow in making this a success (by almost a full year) however once it caught on over there, it was a hit for the Motown rocker.

It looks like the kiwis gave J Geils band a similar road to success as we Aussies did as this second single managed to become a hit for the band over there just like it did over here following the success of their earlier single on this list. Given how this had less competition over there than it did over here, it allowed it to become a bigger hit and thus, score a higher placement on this side of my site.

If the production on this track sounds familiar to you, that's because it was used as a sample for Will Smith's Men in black theme from fifteen years later. It was a massive hit in NZ and the UK for the American soul singer, although it flopped on Billboard back in the day which means her fellow Americans likely don't even realise that the Will Smith theme sampled a song like this.

This was a big hit in NZ likely due to "Who can it be now" being a massive failure over there from the previous year, I guess the kiwis were a bit slow in making these guys a household name and felt this would be the perfect way to atone for their tardy success they handed the band. This would unfortunately be their only other hit over there as their next album didn't produce a hit single for them.

Although it has a lower placement on this side of my site, this actually proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia due to it being a huge sleeper hit over there. It appears that these guys were considered as an album band given how few of their songs became inescapable like they were over here in exchange for said albums being more popular there than they were here.

This was the final hit that the Carpenters had anywhere in the world, mainly because Karen would tragically die of anorexia the following year due to having an unhealthy eating lifestyle forced upon her which she was unable to recover from. It was another cover from the Marvelettes that the siblings made following their huge chart topper "Please Mr. postman" from almost a decade prior.

This was the first big hit that Herbs had in their homeland, Herbs of course being the band who collaborated with Dave Dobbyn's one and only hit here in Australia later in the decade. They were much more popular over there for two reasons, the first was they were a Maoris band and the second was that they used reggae in their sound.

This was way less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for Bertie Higgins, I'm guessing it was only a success over there due to how popular it was over here as it crossed over months after it dominated our charts here. I guess the kiwis were willing to leave this sort of easy listening behind but were briefly won over by how sincere and heartfelt this ballad was from the one hit wonder.

I guess the kiwis were also fans of this one and only hit from Pete Shelley back in the day, although it was noticeably less successful over there than it was over here likely through a combination of them finding it more annoying than us Aussies and not getting into the bizarre music video like we did.

One of the more popular TV shows of the decade was Hill Street blues, it was a detective series about a pair of cops solving crimes that was a big hit with audiences back in the day. Nowadays it's best known for its theme song which was a huge hit over in NZ this year likely due to how iconic the kiwis felt it was back in the day.

Well, this was far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although this might be due to the album this came from being far more popular over there than it was over here despite album sales rarely affecting the success of a single over there like it does over here. In any case, we have the one and only hit that this British band had outside of their native UK making its second appearance on this site.

This was the breakthrough single for the Dance exponents, a rock band from NZ who would become better known as the Exponents due to how big their 90's material was when they released it under that name. As such, I'll have more to say about these guys when we get to that era of their music.

I'm flabbergasted that this wasn't a bigger hit in NZ than it wound up being considering how inescapable their earlier entry was this year over there, I guess the kiwis felt these guys were more suited to being an albums band given how both of their albums from this year saw way more success over there than any of theirs singles again save for their earlier entry on this list.

This was a bit of a return to form for George Benson given how this is more in line with his 70's material rather than his pivot towards disco from his previous album, as such, it was more of a sleeper success in NZ hence its low placement on this list despite how long it lasted on their charts over there.

I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this Bond theme as we Aussies were given how much less popular it was in NZ compared to here in Australia, it could also be they just didn't like Sheena Easton as much as we did as apart from "Strut" from later in the decade, she didn't have any other hits over there throughout her career.

This was one of only two hits that Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark (OMD for short) were able to achieve in NZ and indeed the southern hemisphere back in the day, this is curious considering how many hits they racked up in their native UK and that their brand of new wave would've been a shoe in for success during the height of MTV.

We have a second E.P to become a success in NZ from the Clean, although it wasn't nearly as popular as their earlier entry hence why it appears much lower on this list.

This managed to be a minor success for Stevie Wonder in NZ following the success of his collaboration with Paul McCartney from earlier on this list, it's another disco track during what was supposedly the dark age of the genre, which likely explains why it wasn't that big anywhere in the world.