NZ hits of 1985

This is my personal favourite year in music, mainly due to how diverse the music industry had become both when it comes to the type of people allowed in the mainstream but also due to how many older artists were able to make it big this year due to the popularity of many charity events such as Live aid.

Well, this songs controversy would've been much more pronounced in NZ as "I want a new drug" was actually a moderate success over there shortly before the song's release (it won't be appearing on this site I'm afraid.) The two men settled out of court over a decade later despite it being obvious that the two melodies were almost identical to each other.

Well, there's no surprise that this was a huge success for Stevie Wonder in NZ, it won the Oscar for best original song for a movie I doubt even 80's afficionados care about these days which made it one of the biggest hits of the decade worldwide.

Well now that I've defended this song's legacy on this site, let's talk about how it made Dire straits a huge phenomenon as the song remains their biggest hit in their career regardless of where in the world you're from. It was a massive hit (homophobic lyrics notwithstanding) thanks to the smooth melody as well as the message about not living in the past and embracing the new trends offered in the world.

This was the biggest hit of Madonna's career in NZ, it's curious that it was considering that it was released late over there due to her not having much success over there from the previous year like she did here. I guess the kiwis were intrigued about how she felt like a virgin on this track despite being in the headlines about her promiscuous lifestyle during the height of her popularity.

Well I don't think anyone was expecting me to declare this as the biggest hit from Elton John of the 80's on the Australian side of this site, I get the feeling I'll get fewer objections on this side of the site given how this was such a massive hit for him upon its initial release over there as well as it being one of only three chart toppers he had over there throughout his entire career (at least on the RIANZ charts.)

Well, it was the biggest hit of the 80's in the UK for a female vocalist, so naturally this one and only hit from American born German singer Jennifer Rush would also be a massive hit over in NZ around this time. I guess for nearly a decade, this was the definitive version of this love ballad until Celine Dion made it her own in 1994.

If we're only taking into account songs that charted during the year of 1985, this was the biggest hit in NZ despite it not hitting number one. I felt I should bring that up because even in NZ where the charts are much tighter than here in Australia, number one wasn't always everything as evidence by the biggest hit being from Madonna who only had one chart topper this year with an entry we'll get to.

There was no surprise this duet between UB40 and Chrissie Hynde would be a huge success in NZ this year, both artists were among the most popular of the decade and it was a reggae cover of a 60's classic from Sonny and Cher made for Live aid after all.

This song is known for two things nowadays, the first is for the music video which has the same style of CGI animation that was a success for Dire straits around this time and the second is that the lead vocalist of the band was Margaret Urlich who would go on to have massive success as a solo artist in the 90's.

While this had a somewhat delayed release in NZ, the kiwis more than made up for this by having it be a far bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia. In fact, the band was even able to score a second minor hit around this time with "I wanna rock," a song you may recognise if you're a SpongeBob fan as it was parodied in the first SpongeBob squarepants film.

Chaka Khan was a one hit wonder in NZ like she was here in Australia, I'm not sure why as some of her work from the 70's does find its way into oldies stations in both countries, but I guess she needed to cover a Prince track and have a guest verse from Grandmaster Melle in order to make it big in the southern hemisphere. I'm not sure why Grandmaster Melle isn't credited on this track other than perhaps rap features not getting credits back in the day.

This was the only success that the NZ band the Mockers managed to achieve in their homeland, it was a massive success for them but not enough to grant them any other hits there or a crossover success in Australia.

Well, this is a site that's meant to be fun more than anything else, as such I won't be saying anything about this song other than it has good intentions and those intentions fueling its success back in the day.

Murray Head had a hit in NZ fifteen years prior with "Superstar" as he did in Australia, meaning this theme to the concept album Chess from the two male members of Abba allowed him to escape the one hit wonder bin over there just like he did here. Chess was basically the 80's equivalent of Evita in that it was a concept album first before getting turned into a highly popular musical.

Given how the kiwis got the album cycle correct for Dire straits, it only seems fitting that this third single from the album would be a massive success over there due to it being an upbeat pop rock track about living your life to the fullest. This was a minor success in Australia around this time, however it was pushed back as the fourth single here due to the band unveiling the video for the title track of the album.

This was only one of two songs to chart in NZ for Foreigner, the other was "Waiting for a girl like you" which only charted on the lower half of their charts and thus won't be making a second appearance on this site. Even their albums didn't do so well over there, although I get the feeling they were so big here in Australia because of their appearance on Countdown during the early phases of their career.

Although he would have a moderate success in NZ ten years later with "For your love," as far as the rest of the world is concerned, this is the final hit that Stevie Wonder had in his career. It was a huge chart topper for him in NZ and his native America this year, likely due to him being immensely popular this year thanks to his Oscar winning ballad from earlier on this list as well as his affiliation with USA for Africa.

This was the Models only success in NZ, well that and the album of the same name doing reasonably well which would explain why they're a one hit wonder over there. This did chart on the lower end of the Billboard charts following its success in NZ; however, they weren't able to rise to the ranks of INXS or even Pseudo echo internationally.

This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Tears for fears, admittedly they did have more success over there overall as the third single from their sophomore album as well as the album itself proved to both be a bigger hit for them in NZ than they were down under and the band's native UK.

Well at least this song received its own entry in NZ even if it meant that Madonna had clogged up the charts over there the same way that Abba did ten years prior and the Beatles twenty years prior. "Angel" was a huge hit over there (it won't be making this list I'm afraid) proving how much the kiwis loved Madonna around this time.

I've checked the Listener charts and I can confirm with a heavy heart that Aretha Franklin never had a hit in NZ prior to this comeback she had this year, at least it was much bigger over there than it was over here likely suggesting this was the kiwis attempts to make up for sleeping on her discography all those years ago.

Although he had yet to have that runaway hit in NZ, he did have slightly more success overall in the 70's over there which means this is still a huge comeback for him this far into the 80's. It didn't last as long on their charts; however, it was a number one hit during the summer of 1984/1985 which I feel more than makes up for that.

This was the only notable hit from the husband-and-wife duo Ashford and Simpson, the name being a reference to their surnames as it comprised of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. I think it underperformed in Australia due to us Aussies still not being that into contemporary RNB (which we never really were now that I think about it) however it was a shoe in for success in NZ.

Well, it appears that we Aussies and kiwis knew exactly what this song was about upon its initial release given how there wasn't a coming to Jesus moment in the southern hemisphere when it was revealed that the song is actually a criticism about the American life of the 80's. I think we just enjoyed it for what it was from the very beginning, a well-constructed critique of American culture from someone who wanted to see change.

The absence of this classic on the Australian side of my site must have shocked my readers given how iconic it's remained over the years; it turns out it wasn't promoted here due to fears that it would eat up the success of both men's albums which I doubt was the case as these albums did fairly well over in NZ and yet this was a massive hit over there regardless. It remains the biggest hit from both men likely due to the strong chemistry they have on this track.

Due to how the charts used to work back in the day in NZ, this Christmas staple didn't even touch the charts over there until the start of this year meaning that this only became a hit over there after the holiday season. I'm guessing because of USA for Africa's entry from earlier on this list, this rebounded on the charts over there which I don't think happened anywhere else in the world this year.

I told you this third single from Tears for fears' sophomore album was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, although by this point, it should be obvious that songs from highly successful albums over there rarely have their popularity impacted by said albums. They would score one more hit in NZ four years later with "Sowing the seeds of love" before calling it quits as a band.

This was the biggest hit that Alison Moyet had over in NZ, I'm guessing because it was her take on a Billie Holiday classic from the 40's back when music from the first half of the twentieth century was still nostalgic to audiences (I wonder why that's no longer the case?) She would continue to have success in NZ and her native UK with her second album which would come out two years later.

I still don't know how this managed to become an even bigger success in NZ this year than it did here in Australia the previous year, I guess these guys must have appeared on a popular music show over there which encouraged the kiwis to make this one of the biggest hits of the year for the band. Admittedly it does blow my mind that this bop of a track wasn't as big here as it was over there back in the day.

This was a more popular hit in NZ than their signature tune "Wake me up before you go go," not that that wasn't a hit over there (it was) but it just wasn't as successful as some of the other songs from their catalogue back in the day. Another song this was more successful than over there was the George Michael track of the same name, although to be fair it was a much bigger hit than that here in Australia as well.

Given how they had a successful album the previous year in NZ, it only makes sense that the Style Council had an even bigger hit with their signature tune over there than they did over here back in the day. I'm surprised that "Walls come tumbling down" wasn't a big hit in the southern hemisphere considering how often you can still hear it on oldies stations to this day in Australia.

The hits kept on coming for Prince in NZ as this almost managed to top their charts despite it only being a top twenty hit here in Australia, it feels weird this wasn't among his bigger hits down under considering how much love this track still receives on our oldie's stations to this day.

This was a hit in NZ slightly earlier than it was here in Australia for Princess, I'm guessing because this was an RNB track from a woman of colour which seemed to be a theme for songs that made it big in the southern hemisphere back in the day. Princess did score a second hit with "After the love has gone," a song that was also produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman like her big international hit was.

Even ignoring the fact that this was a hit twice in NZ back in the day, this was still the biggest hit that Simple minds had over there likely due to it being the lead single to their breakthrough album in America following the success of their theme to the Breakfast club earlier in the year (which is still to come on this list.) That said, this was the last hit they had over there as their popularity dwindled after this became a hit again the following year.

Grace Jones was on a roll around this time given how she not only scored yet another hit in NZ with this title track from her (then) latest album, but she also received critical acclaim for her performance in the James Bond flick A view to a kill and is generally considered to be the highlight of an otherwise critically panned film in the franchise.

Given how the kiwis were already familiar with Mental as anything from earlier in the decade, this second single from their biggest album managed to become a success over there this year without the requirement of it becoming the theme to the Crocodile Dundee films which was how it became popular throughout Europe later in the decade for the band.

Well, I'm unsure if the original from Martha and the Vandellas was a success or not in NZ, if it was then this was merely a misguided cover of that classic made for charity over there. If it wasn't as the case here in Australia, then this was likely the kiwis introducing to that classic from two of the biggest names in rock and roll history.

Unlike in Australia where it was clear we Aussies preferred the Power station over these guys, it appears that the inverse was the case for NZ where the kiwis wanted Duran Duran to have vocals from Simon Le Bon and no one else if they were to be a success in the mainstream. In fact, Robert Palmer in general didn't have much success over there save for his collaboration with UB40 because they kiwis loved UB40.

This is only one of two new appearances from Whitney Houston on the NZ side of my site, it was a hit here in Australia but only a sleeper hit likely because I doubt we Aussies wanted to hear an unknown singer of colour sing a cheating anthem that was originally performed by a married couple. This revelation didn't bother the kiwis as it became her first hit over there as it did in the UK.

This was a success slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess because the kiwis held off in making Band aid a success over there to allow this supergroup to become the big success story of the summer period of 1984/1985 over there.

Much like in Australia, all three songs with this title was a massive success over in NZ which all began with the third single from Frankie goes to Hollywood's debut album Welcome to the pleasuredome. This was also a bigger hit over there as was most popular songs from highly successful albums back in the day, although it wasn't as inescapable as it was in their native UK during their Christmas season of 1984.

While we Aussies were certainly familiar with this novelty track from the British duo Black lace, we didn't allow to become too big of a hit for them here like it was in NZ and especially their native UK likely due to it being one of those novelty tracks that music afficionados love to hate on even before the existence of the internet.

Well, this was an RNB ballad from a group of musicians of colour, so naturally it was going to be an even bigger success for the Commodores over in NZ regardless of how well it did here in Australia this year. I don't think there's anywhere in the world where this ballad failed as the back-to-back deaths of Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson from the previous year was still fresh in everyone's minds at the time of its release.

Well, this didn't fly straight up to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, although it nearly did as the kiwis were also looking forward to seeing Tina Turner's acting debut in the film, she was commissioned to write a theme song to Mad Max beyond ThunderDome. Although she would score two more hits over there in her career, this would be the last hit of hers to really take their music scene by storm.

This was a hit in NZ slightly sooner than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing so that the kiwis could show their support to those who wanted to see an end to apartheid if the big protest anthems from a few years prior becoming huge over there was anything to go by. On a slightly more depressing note, this was written in response to Queen performing at the titular Sun city despite there being laws against doing so at the time.

Given how Simple minds already had massive success in NZ throughout the decade, it shouldn't surprise you that this wasn't their biggest hit over there given how we already had an appearance from them on this list alone. Still, this was their biggest hit in America and what led to them having a huge success with their next album in most parts of the world.

This was only a minor success here in Australia for Paul Hardcastle, I guess we Aussies were already becoming fed up with songs about the Vietnam war and so didn't need a spoken word rendition of "I was only 19" from Redgum but with original lyrics from the British musician. It was a much bigger hit in NZ given how the kiwis were likely unfamiliar with the Australian classic from two years prior.

This was an even bigger hit for Go West in NZ this year, in fact it was arguably bigger over there than the duo's native America which no doubt led to the success of their debut album during the midpoint of the 80's. I guess this early success for the band came at a cost for them over there as "King of wishful thinking" was a huge flop for them in 1990 where it was a big succes worldwide.

Given how it wasn't bundled with "Into the groove" from earlier on this list, this meant that the third single from Like a virgin had to stand on its own in NZ which for the most part it did as it proved to be a huge success over there. Although "Material girl" was a bit of a stumble in the album's cycle, it's still to come on this list as that too was a huge hit for the future queen of pop.

This proved to be an even bigger success for Debarge in NZ this year than it was here in Australia, it's no surprise why as this is a Motown track made by a Motown band which means it's more of a surprise it made it big down under than anything else. That said, these guys are still a one hit wonder in NZ as none of their other hits on Billboard managed to crossover internationally.

This was the first hit that Alison Moyet had in NZ, although I'm surprised "Love resurrection" wasn't a success over there given how you still hear it on oldies stations to this day here in Australia. I'm guessing this was the song which made her solo debut a huge success worldwide given that it was bigger than her debut single even in her native UK.

This was the one and only hit for the Netherworld dancing toys, a NZ band who had a few minor hits throughout the decade and only made it big with this song months prior to calling it quits. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Annie Crummer who would go on to have massive success later in the decade and even in the 90's thanks to her unique vocals.

Given how popular Sister Sledge were in NZ with their earlier material, it only makes sense that this nursery pop ballad would be a bigger hit over there than it was over here in Australia for them. The interesting think about this song is that its biggest success came from the UK where this topped the British charts, I'm guessing the Brits really appreciated the girls venturing into nursery pop with this number.

As I said earlier on this list, all songs with this title were a success in NZ as they were hit in Australia this year even if their respective levels of success couldn't be further apart in both countries. I guess the kiwis weren't too impressed with this theme to Back to the future given how much less successful it was over there than it was over here, perhaps they felt this could've been improved with Ray Parker Jr.

It's a bit surprising that this theme to the TV series Miami Vice wasn't a big hit here in Australia, mainly because it often appears on greatest TV themes of all time in addition to the show being considered one of the best shows of the 80's. As TV themes were among the more popular songs of the decade in NZ, this was a shoe in for success over there even if it wasn't a number one hit there like it was on Billboard.

Well, this is shocking, this song which many has defined as the quintessential song of the 80's was only a moderate success in NZ this year despite it being a massive success throughout the rest of the world for the Danish trio. Admittedly their album was a massive success over there the following year, so perhaps the kiwis were simply being contrarians in making that a success over this lead single.

I guess this was meant to be NZ's rendition of the Cars track of the same name from the previous year (well similar if you discount the parenthesis) here we have the band's third and final hit they had in their homeland before they called it quits to allow Dave Dobbyn to embark on a highly successful solo career.

This was the slightly bigger hit for the Eurythmics in NZ, likely because it was their biggest hit in their native UK due to how opulent the song is in their catalogue. We'll be revisiting their big hit in Australia this year in a bit, but it's worth noting that their popularity overall in NZ was quickly dwindling with their singles despite it growing exponentially with their albums.

Before Janet Jackson became the most successful female member of the Jackson dynasty, Rebbie Jackson was a fairly decent singer herself which makes sense given how she's the oldest of the Jackson siblings. This was her one and only hit she had in NZ which was written by her younger brother Michael at the height of his fame and popularity.

I get the feeling this song was originally recorded around the time "Candy girl" was released as a single, that's the best explanation I have for why Ralph Tresvant has such a high-pitched voice on this track despite him supposedly hitting puberty by the time the song was released. Naturally this flopped here in Australia due this criticism, however it was the group's first hit in their native America.

This is the only hit single to come from German singer Drafi Deutscher, it was originally released two years prior to massive success throughout Europe before finally seeing the light of day late the previous year here in Australia. It was too much of a sleeper hit to make it on that side of my site, however the kiwis made it more of an immediate success once it finally saw the light of day over there.

Well, it looks like the kiwis were also fans of the Joel Schumaker film this serves as the theme song to, either that or they really liked the theme song enough to make it equally as successful over there as it was over here. This was a number one hit on Billboard despite John Parr being British, although most people likely didn't realise he was from the UK given how he sounds like an American singer on here.

This was the only hit that Bob Dylan managed to achieve over in NZ, even taking into account the Listener charts, he never had another hit over there as the kiwis considered him to be more of an album artist as he had tons of success with his albums over there. I'm guessing they made an exception for this ballad due to it being the most pop friendly of his singles in his catalogue.

I guess given how the Cure were one of the biggest bands of the decade in NZ, it would make sense that Killing joke would score at least one hit over there given how the kiwis were clearly cool with having gothic rock on their charts during the 80's. It was the band's only big hit over there as they weren't exactly a household name in their native UK at the time.

We didn't have any of Talking heads songs on the Australian side of my site, did we? Well let's rectify that with the first of two entries on this list which is this lead single to their biggest album Little creatures which was a huge hit for the band over there despite it being a huge flop here in Australia. The success of their singles from this album was inverted over there as "And she was" was the big hit here despite it flopping over there.

Well, this wasn't anywhere near as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm not sure why other than perhaps the kiwis being a bit colder to the duo initially going more mainstream with their third album but eventually warming up to the idea as the album grew more and more successful over there. It would explain the success of their earlier entry on this list there and in their native UK a lot better.

These guys had several charting singles from earlier in the decade in their homeland, some of which were even minor hits for the throwback band likely due to 60's nostalgia kicking in over there. It was the success of this E.P which allowed them to score a massive hit for the first time in their career, although the best was yet to come as their 1990 album went on to be a huge hit for them.

Well, here's the second biggest hit that Talking heads had from their album Little creatures in the southern hemisphere, although their biggest hit is either their earlier entry on this list in NZ or "And she was" here in Australia from the following year. It's easy to see why this was their most successful point in their career as each of these songs have become popular choices for trailer music over the years.

Well, it remains a classic to this day and was the third single from Reckless, so naturally this song from Bryan Adams was bound to reappear on this list on a much higher position than it appeared on the Australian side of my site. That said, it's curious how this was the only hit that he had in NZ throughout the 80's as "Heaven" was a massive flop over there and "Run to you" was only a minor hit.

Well, I suppose this was bound to be a success for Midge Ure in NZ given how Ultravox had plenty of success over there throughout the decade so far as well as his involvement with Visage and Band Aid. Like in Australia, this was also his only hit in NZ and his native UK, making him a one hit wonder four times in all three countries with each of his acts I mentioned even if Ultravox were more of an albums band.

This was the other big hit that Willie Nelson had in NZ following the success of his collaboration with Julio Iglesias the previous year, although he's completely overshadowed here by his duet partner on this track as this was the final hit that Ray Charles was able to achieve in his career. Ray was still very much active in the music industry in the 80's as he would frequently collaborate with younger artists of the day.

This was where it all began for Simply red as they chose this cover of an obscure funk track from earlier in the decade as their debut single, it was a big hit over in NZ but nowhere else in the world despite it being one of their funkier tracks in their catalogue. I guess their fanbase was more interested in their slow ballads as both of their Billboard chart toppers were the type of music some would describe as music for our mothers.

This was released fairly soon in Australia after it became a UK chart topper for Dead or alive, as a result, it was also a big hit here due to it being the second track to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman for an LGBT act. This was released on time in NZ where it didn't end up being a big a hit over there, although it was big enough that it was the first hit over there to be produced by the trio.

It's hard to say if this was a hit back in the day despite it being satire of the 80's era of greed or because of it, either way it remains one of Madonna's more contentious songs in recent years for glorifying materialism in the mainstream from people who don't get the intent of the song. Commercially it was a bit of a stumble for her, however she bounced back with her earlier entries on this list.

This will be the only song from Nik Kershaw that will appear on this side of my site as he unfortunately didn't have much success in NZ like he did here in Australia and his native UK, although it's worth noting that this at least did far better over there than it did over here likely due to them being amused by the music video where the director predicts Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler a decade before it happened.

Although they had more success in NZ overall than they did here in Australia, it's worth noting that this second single from the band was released slightly later over there than it was over here which admittedly didn't seem to hamper its success over there given how it managed to reappear on this side of my site.

This was the only song to not only be a success for Sheila E in NZ, but to even chart over there as "The glamorous life" was a massive flop for the American drummer for whatever reason. This was also a minor success here in Australia, although it didn't rack up the points to make an appearance on that side of my site. It's strange that she was a one hit wonder in the southern hemisphere with a different song in each country.

Sting didn't have as much success over in NZ as he did in Australia both solo and with the Police, so it's interesting to see him with a new entry on this site given how this was an instant success over there while his big hit from his solo debut here in Australia would be with "Russians" from the following year. This and his debut album with the Police were the only things from his catalogue to find more success over there than they did over here.

It was such a pain to do research on this particular entry given how time has thoroughly erased it from existence, from what I can gather, this was a politically charged track that became popular in NZ this year concerning which side of the political spectrum you were leaning in and that all of them had their ups and downs when it came to society.

This might seem a bit low on this list given how inescapably popular it was upon its initial release back in the day, alas it was only inescapable in the UK as the rest of the world was a bit wary of making this duet between opera singers Elaine Paige and Barbrara Dickson a huge success back in the day. It was a huge hit in NZ, although it was a sleeper hit hence why it's so low on this list.

Unlike here in Australia where the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack was inescapable (at least as far as the singles were concerned) it appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with the soundtrack as this was the best said soundtrack could achieve over there given that both "Neutron dance" and "The heat is on" flopped over there this year. At least this is proof they enjoyed the film given that it's a character theme.

I bet you weren't expecting to see a song from the Temptations on this site, were you? Well, here we are with the final hit they managed to achieve in their career which naturally flopped here in Australia as the band sadly never had any success down under for reasons I'd rather not get into (it's what you think they are.) This became a success due to the 60's nostalgia that was in full swing around this time.

This was originally released towards the end of the previous year to deafening silence for U2, I guess audiences didn't want to hear anything else from the album this was named after given how "Pride" was such an omnipresence on the charts when that first came out. The kiwis gave this track a second chance this year when they repackaged this as its own E.P which resulted in said E.P's success.

This wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia much like the duo's earlier entry on this list, although at least all three of the Eurythmics entries on the Australian equivalent of this list managed to reappear on here which goes to show that the kiwis were impressed with their output, just not as much as we Aussies were.

This was the only noticeable success that the Mary Jane girls were able to achieve in their career, they were a Motown group who began their career by providing backup vocals to Rick James and were so well received on his albums that they finally got a chance to appear in the spotlight with this entry. It titillated audiences enough to become a huge hit, however they broke up later in the decade as they failed to score a second hit.

This is a mashup of two tracks which served as the second single from David Lee Roth's solo E.P he released this year, it turns out he wasn't the first to put these two swing classics together as Louis Prima did just that forty years prior which I'm sure bringing attention to it was the purpose of David releasing this as a single this year. This was the big hit for him over "California girls" in NZ for some reason.

Even this fourth single from Madonna's second album was able to find an audience with the kiwis this year, again I feel this was more due to the live version which serves as its official music video as that offers something unique that fans wouldn't have already had access to by the time it hit the store shelves.

This only barely missed the cut from appearing on the Australian side of my site, indeed it looked like this would also miss out on appearing on this side of my site as there was plenty of competition it had to beat out in order to claim this spot on the list. I'm guessing the lack of success it had back in the day was due to it sharing its name with Blondie's signature track from the start of the decade despite being nothing like that song otherwise.

Well, this is certainly a surprise, if there was any comedy routine that would become successful over in NZ from an Australian comedian, I would've expected it to come from the likes of either Austen Tayshus or Billy Birmingham AKA the 12th man. Instead, we have this one and only entry from George Smilovici who managed to take the NZ charts by storm with this track that only barely cracked our top ten.

It really is impressive how little success Phil Collins had in NZ compared to the rest of the world back in the day, this is yet another track of his that appears much lower on this side of my site than it did on the Australian version despite how fondly remembered it remains on oldies stations around the world to this day.

Tina Turner was certainly on a roll over in NZ during the midpoint of the decade as this title track managed to become a moderate hit for her this year following the commercial disappointment that "Better be good to me" was in the southern hemisphere (despite a memorable Countdown performance of the track at the end of the previous year.)

This was one of two hits that Mick Jagger was able to achieve from his solo debut album in NZ, we'll get to his other big hit from the album on the following list, however it's worth noting this only barely missed the cut on making it on the Australian side of this site given how this was a minor success here as well.

This was the third single to come from Alison Moyet's solo debut album, it was much less of a success than her two earlier entries likely due it not connecting as well with the kiwis as those two tracks did. I would also blame album sales except that didn't stop several other songs from highly successful albums from appearing on this side of my site.

This barely managed to make the cut on this list due to it lasting just long enough in the upper echelons of the NZ charts to do so, it's a single from the Mocker's breakthrough album that I'm sure would've done much better in a year where the wasn't so much competition in the mainstream.

This was the first notable success that the Chills were able to score in their career, it came months prior to when they scored their real success with their Lost E.P which put the NZ band on the map.