NZ hits of 1990

A new decade would have you expect to have new trends, right? This wasn't the case as the 80's kept on going into the 90's.

Although they had success with their albums a decade prior, this was the first hit single that the B52's were able to score in NZ just like everywhere else in the world except for Australia. Indeed, I'm guessing this became a success over there due to it being the perfect book end for the 80's which was a decade filled with joyous party music to distract from all of the stress and anxiety that the world was going through.

This was both the final number one single of the 80's and the first number one of the 90's in NZ, meaning that Margaret Urlich was poised for great things to happen in the latter decade which did at first as this song and the album it came from became a massive success over here in Australia for her.

While this was also a huge chart topper for MC Hammer in NZ, the fact that the kiwis already gave a number one hit to Run DMC with their 1986 effort "Walk this way" meant that they already had no fear of handing their first hip hop chart topper to someone who modern historians would say didn't deserve it. This was also a hit due to them being familiar with the Rick James track this song infamously samples.

Well, this was the first hip hop single to go to number one in America, so naturally the kiwis would follow suit in making it a success as it was everywhere else in the world. At least they had a more credible song to take home the prize of being the first hip hop single to top the charts over there than even us Aussies, Run DMC certainly is a cooler hip hop group nowadays than this guy was.

It appears the kiwis were also flattered by this rehash of "Wanted dead or alive" that they made it a huge chart topper over there despite the original only being a modest success a few years prior, it was exactly how things panned out for this solo debut from Jon Bon Jovi both there and in Australia back in the day.

This was a bit late to the party over in NZ, however it didn't seem to matter as it was equally as successful over there for Martha Walsh and company as it was here in Australia at the start of the decade. I would say it was because of the Milli Vanilli scandal that resulted in these guys not being as big over there as they were here, except that C+C Music factory was even bigger over there the following year.

This was the song which finally made AC/DC a household name in NZ, again likely due to how distinct it is from the rest of their catalogue which I'm guessing is what the kiwis needed to finally give them a hit over there. The band had little trouble finding success after this given how their album was not only a huge success over there but so were the singles and even some of their other songs from the 90's.

Following the success, he had with Linda Ronstadt on their duet "Don't know much," Aaron Neville was able to score success with his family band the Neville brothers for the Mel Gibson flick of the same name which remains one of his less popular films out of his filmography. The film was named after a Leonard Cohen track which of course the group covered for its theme song.

It looks like Jenny Morris had a similar trajectory for success in NZ as she did here in Australia, the only difference I can think of is that her solo debut was a huge flop for here over there as opposed to being a moderate success here a few years prior to this becoming her first hit in both countries. It was a good way for her to not only end the 80's but also begin the 90's due to how successful it was.

Well, there were several mashup singles to become popular in NZ throughout the 80's just like there was here in Australia, so it only makes sense that this hit from Jive Bunny would become a success over there right when the decade was coming to an end. That said they remain a one hit wonder over there despite them having multiple hits in their native UK as well as a second hit here in Australia.

The 90's had just began and there was already a call for 70's nostalgia worldwide as this one and only hit from Deee lite became a massive success everywhere in the world with the trio delivering the nostalgia people wanted. Their native America was the last place in the world where this caught on as it only did so months after it became a massive success in Australia, NZ and the UK.

This was one of only two hits that American singer Sybil had in NZ, although she would go on to have massive success later in the decade in the UK of all places for reasons I can't seem to fathom. This is a cover of the Dionne Warwick track from the early 60's, I'm not sure if this was bigger in NZ than the original since their charts don't go that far back and there's no retrospective archive available either.

While they didn't reach the same level of dizzying heights in NZ as they did here in Australia, Faith no more were still more popular over there this decade than they were in their native America which further proves how Billboard was more interested in breaking chart records than promoting their local talent given how hard it was for anyone who wasn't an A list celebrity to make it big in America in the 90's.

Whether it was due to it originally being from Prince or if the kiwis felt that Sinead O'Connor was the star of the decade, this was a massive success for the Irish singer just like it was throughout the rest of the world. The song is heartbreaking right down to the video where she sheds real tears due to her having personal demons at the time with a former friend as well as the Purple one himself.

At least here in Australia Alannah Myles managed to score two hits from her debut album, in NZ her only hit over there was her Billboard chart topper which was reportedly about Elvis Presley. She may be a one hit wonder in NZ, however that didn't prevent her album from being a massive success like it was everywhere else in the world.

Well, UB40 seemed to have been on top of the world as far as the kiwis were concerned, so of course their collaboration with Robert Palmer on this Bob Dylan cover would be a massive success for them much sooner than it was in Australia. I guess it was our love for Robert that allowed this to become a success here in Australia, although nowhere near as popular as it was over there.

While this has similar lyrics to the Chi Lite's ballad that this second hit from MC Hammer is sampling, Hammer changes them partially to turn it into a rap ballad but also to slightly change the context of the original track as while that was a ballad about the narrator losing the love of their life, here Hammer is merely crushing over a woman he's in love with.

It seems strange that this would be Milli Vanilli's biggest hit in NZ, mainly because it was the one bonus track from the American release of their album meaning the kiwis preferred this over anything over their original album. Given this was released on time over there (likely due to them not caring about those pesky rumours that turned out to be true) it was a hit much sooner than it was here in Australia.

This was the biggest hit that Maxi Priest was able to score even in NZ, in fact all things considered, he was actually slightly more successful in Australia with his music given how his other two hits were more popular here than they were over there. Even so, there was little chance this reggae style RNB track was going to fail over there given how big it was over in America this year.

In many parts of the world, this was Madonna's final chart topper for an entire decade as she wouldn't reach the top spot again until her hit "Music" from 2000. That said certainly the case for her in the southern hemisphere as she went through all of the 90's without having that chart topper despite pumping out hit after hit from each of her albums.

Well, this was the first time the kiwis had heard from Cher the singer since her hit single "Half breed" back in 1973 (it was big on the Listener charts) that was sixteen years of silence from her as far as they were concerned even though she was popular with her films throughout the 80's. I guess this is why her big comeback wasn't as big over there as it was here where it was welcomed with open arms.

This was the biggest hit of Roxette's career over in NZ; indeed, they didn't have nearly as much success over there as they did here or in America likely due to the kiwis feeling like they were told to like them rather than organically gravitating towards them. In any case, this was the big hit off the Pretty woman soundtrack which was originally a Christmas track that they had to rework to make it fit with the film.

From what I can gather, Ngaire was a teenage NZ pop star who scored her one and only hit with this cover of the Lulu track from 1967. The original wasn't that big in NZ back in the day, meaning that Ngaire's version of the track is considered to be the definitive version over there going purely based on success.

It hadn't even been a year since this almost topped the NZ charts and yet it became a hit all over again in the new decade likely due to how funny the kiwis felt the track was. It's a rare example of a two-hit wonder where the artist scored a hit with the exact same song.

Well, this took its sweet time in becoming a hit over in NZ, it was already a massive hit for Grayson Hugh in Australia and the UK likely due to its admittedly ridiculous video where he shows his sorrow to his ex-partner while packed away in a suitcase. I'm not sure what got this to win over the kiwis, but whatever it was it resulted in it being a massive success over there around this time.

This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, it feels curious that the kiwis were initially the ones to allow EDM to have more success there back in the day considering how much bigger the genre and all of its sub genres would become down under as the 90's went on. Snap's success over there was limited to their debut album as once that fell off the charts, they were considered yesterday's news.

Well, this was a much bigger hit in NZ than it could ever hope to be in Australia, again the kiwis loved their diva pop from around this time as opposed to us Aussies who usually preferred personality over technical excellence. Still, this was decently big here (as its appearance on the Australian side of my site can attest) so it wasn't a deal breaker provided the singing is as good as it is on here.

Much like in Australia, this was the final solo hit that Phil Collins was able to score in NZ, although he didn't find much success with any of the singles from Genesis's new album in the 90's, so this was actually the last hit single that the kiwis cared about in his career. At least he still had plenty of love for his albums both solo and with Genesis throughout the decade.

This had a bit of a head start in NZ when it came to its success, although it did need that extra push to become a hit at the start of the 90's which it got when it nearly topped the Billboard charts. This was the only massive hit that Technotronic had in NZ as their other singles while mildly successful, didn't bring in the numbers that they did here in Australia to make reappearances on this site.

This was the third biggest hit from MC Hammer's breakthrough album, although it was his second highest ranking album given how much like in Australia, parents would've appreciated him making a song about praying to the lord (also that Prince sample is pretty neat even nowadays.) He would have one more hit after this over there before becoming a joke much like everywhere else in the world.

I feel it was more than a coincidence that this was Bette Midler's final hit single in most parts of the world, after all the last thing anyone wants to hear is that God loves them but only under certain circumstances which is the whole point of this ballad. It has good intentions and Bette's performance does save it from people looking too far into the lyrics, however it's not fondly remembered these days.

This was the second chart topper that INXS had in NZ, although as we've established on this site, going to number one hardly constitutes how successful your song is in the southern hemisphere as this was far from the band's biggest hit in either country despite being among the higher charting songs on our charts.

The original from Lou Reed was never a hit anywhere in the world back in the 70's, I guess it was considered a bit too ahead of its time to connect with a more conservative audience of its day. It was given a cover from Jamie J Morgan who took the downbeat original and turned it into a funky dance track which became a surprise hit for him over in NZ of all places.

I've skimmed through the old Listener charts in NZ (the charts that predate RIANZ for the uninitiated) and found that while this did chart upon its initial release over there, it was far from a huge success meaning that it becoming a hit this year makes no sense to me. You can't even say it was due to an anniversary release as this was only nineteen years after its initial release.

This was also a bigger hit for Snap in NZ this year, in fact I think the kiwis were still more willing to allow EDM to permeate on their charts this year than us Aussies despite the fact that within two years, there would hardly be any EDM on their charts despite it being all over our charts. After all, once their album fell off the charts the following year, they wouldn't have any more hits over there.

This was one of two hits that Redhead Kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, he was an east coast rapper who managed to impress the kiwis with his pop friendly tracks which I'm sure got him some unflattering comparisons to the likes of MC Hammer and Kid n Play back in the day. At least he was one of the more successful east coast rappers over there throughout the 90's.

I've gone over the Listener charts (the charts that existed for NZ prior to the launch of the RIANZ charts) and it's with a heavy heart that I report that the original version of this track from Bob Dylan was a massive flop over there back in the day. Three years prior to when Guns N Roses scored a massive hit with their version, it was originally a hit for Randy Crawford and Eric Clapton as an RNB jam.

I forgot to mention on the Australian side of my site that this was a cover of a Rolling stones track from the height of their popularity in the mid 60's, this would explain the hippy vibes that the song has despite Mick Jagger and company never being a part of the hippy culture back in the day (at least as far as I'm aware they weren't.) For reasons I brought up when I last discussed this track, it was released slightly sooner over there than it was over here.

This was a huge hit for both parties involved in NZ, although it was strangely Aaron Neville who would benefit from this collaboration over there as he would score a string of hits throughout the first half of the 90's whilst this would remain Linda Ronstadt's final hit worldwide. It was also released slightly earlier over there, possibly suggesting that the kiwis were more on board with her comeback initially than us Aussies.

This is a bit odd as Rebel MC did score a massive hit in his native UK the previous year with "Street tuff" but not in NZ, yet this was his big hit over there even though if flopped in his homeland. I guess both the Brits and the kiwis would only allow one of his house tracks to make it big in each country, although he did score a second hit in NZ with his group Double Trouble with "Love don't live here anymore."

Well, we were leaving the 80's and entering the 90's, so what better way to make this transition than having Billy Joel score one of his biggest hits of his career with this lead single to his (then) latest album? Interestingly, this took its sweet time in finding an audience over in NZ and his native America as opposed to here in Australia where it was a hit upon its initial release.

This was the other big hit that Redhead kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, it was also his first hit over there given how it was released in the final months of the 80's where it crossed over at the start of the year despite being a massive flop in his native America. This actually rebounded on the charts when he released his second single earlier in the year, not enough to appear higher on the list but still.

I didn't even realise how late to the party we Aussies were when it came to Mariah's second single from her debut album, I guess we felt she would be a one hit wonder with her debut single but then changed our minds about that when this became an international success for the pop diva. Naturally the kiwis didn't have this conundrum as this was an instant success for her over there.

This was also a huge success for Betty Boo in NZ this year, I'm guessing because it was heavily featured in season one of Beverly Hills 90210 (yes, I've seen the show and I agree the episodes are all too long for their own good.) This allowed the British female rapper to have a hit in the southern hemisphere which opened up doors for other female rappers throughout the decade here.

In a strange move, this was selected as the second single in NZ as opposed to "I'll be loving you" likely to try and sell the boys as much tougher than they actually were to the kiwis who had discovered the likes of Run DMC and LL Cool J by this point in time. The kiwis made this a hit for them, although it's hard to say if it was because they genuinely liked this or if they felt it too hilarious not to give this attention.

You know these guys did have hits with their own original material over the years, you just wouldn't know that given how most of their biggest hits were in fact covers of older songs from the 60's and 70's. This time we're looking at a song from the Chi Lites that the band made their own as the lead single to their second Labour of love album they released at the end of the previous decade.

This was the debut single for En Vogue, an RNB girl group who were one of the biggest names in music throughout the world in the 90's except for here in Australia where they were a one hit wonder with "Don't let go" in 1997 (I guess a two-hit wonder if you count their chorus on Salt n Pepa's "Whatta man") The kiwis recognised their abilities to harmonise with each other from the start, hence why this was a hit over there.

I guess I should now talk about the song given how I wound up bringing up that (in my opinion) hilarious court case where the boys defended themselves against lip synch allegations by putting on a live show where they proved they could all sing. This was an instant hit for the band everywhere in the world thanks to how catchy the track is as well as it being a typical boy band track with its usual troupes.

It turns out this was a cover of a track from the late 70's, meaning that Heart chose to cover a song that has problematic elements in the lyrics which resulted in this being their biggest hit in most parts of the world. Like many people back in the day, I'm not affected by the lyrics and enjoy it more for the passionate vocals from the two leading ladies, although the kiwis might have been a little put off compared to us Aussies.

This proved to be an even bigger hit for the B52's in NZ compared to Australia, although this was the second single from a highly successful album, so this was more due to the kiwis not allowing the album sales to affect its popularity like we Aussies did back in the day. It could also be that the kiwis wanted to hear an entire track devoid of Fred Schneider and just have vocals from Katie Pierson and Cyndi Wilson.

This was the other big hit that Sybil managed to achieve in NZ this year, and just like her earlier entry, this was also a cover of a Dionne Warwick track from the 60's which I'm guessing was why she had two hits over there this year as Dionne never had that much success over there (at you could likely tell from her lower placements on this side of my site.)

It seems the kiwis were equally as titillated by this first bonus track from the Immaculate collection as we Aussies were, although it clearly wasn't as much as her fellow Americans were as this went straight to number one on Billboard and became one of her biggest hits in America in her entire catalogue. It was likely the success of this track which led to her next album being all about sexual provocation.

It looks like Paul Hardcastle scored more than one hit after all, although this second hit was only as such for him in NZ as this was a house track from the man who scored a massive worldwide hit five years prior with "19." Tony Mac was the credited vocalist on this track given how "19" was a spoken word track about the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam war which wasn't going to fly on this track.

Well, I guess this song was also how Fatboy Slim was able to score massive success from the other side of the decade in NZ given how it was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here back in the day, there's little surprise how given how smooth the beat is and smoky the singer is. The original from the S.O.S band was also a moderate success in NZ as we saw a few lists back which would explain this cover's success.

Given that New edition was no more at the start of the decade, three of its members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie Deveo got together and formed a new group named after their surnames and focused more on hip hop starting with this track about a woman who they feel is poisonous for the person they're singing/rapping to. It was a huge hit for the trio in NZ and their native America but not here in Australia.

Much like here in Australia, this was the only other solo hit that Jon Bon Jovi had in NZ given how it also came from the Young Guns II soundtrack this year. Even though the success he had this year over there was equal to that down under, his popularity would quickly decline as the decade went on over there as opposed to it increasing here.

I think this was one of the last genuine country songs to become a hit in NZ as there definitely wasn't much country to make it big over there without some pop makeover, it also comes from a country legend over there as John Grenell had been releasing country albums strictly for their country scene for the better part of two decades by that point.

This was only a modest success here in Australia for Skid row, certainly nowhere near as popular as it was in NZ where hair metal seemed to still be one of the most popular genres of the first year of the 90's. Fans of Gilmour girls will recognise lead singer Sebastian Bach as Gil, although his character on the show was more loosely based on their original lead singer who did quit the band before they made it big.

Well, I guess Paula Abdul having a hit with "Straight up" the previous year in NZ costed her a number one hit over there as this collaboration with the cartoon feline MC Skat Kat wasn't nearly as successful over there as it was over here in Australia. In fact, her album in general wasn't that big here as it was only a minor sleeper hit the previous year as opposed to being a massive hit down under this year.

It may surprise you to learn that "Bust a move" was a flop in NZ for Young MC, even when it was rereleased in Australia this year for the rapper, it didn't share its success over there for some reason. I'm guessing because the kiwis somehow got a hold of his second single which was a massive hit over there, likely because of it being a novelty hip hop track about getting sent to the principal's office.

Well, I guess it had been thirty years since the original from Brian Hyland became a huge hit for him worldwide, so why not have this short-lived novelty group named after a character from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats make it their own this year? As big of a hit as it was in NZ, at least it wasn't a massive chart topper over there like it was in the group's native UK.

She had plenty of success with her time in Miami sound machine throughout the 80's in NZ, so it makes sense that this ballad would be a hit over there this year even if it was largely due to the kiwis showing their support for her following her near fatal experience while she was on tour this year. In Australia, we showed her our support by making "Here we are" a minor success and the album a huge success.

I guess the kiwis didn't care as much for the Australian miners back then as they did for Aboriginal rights, although there was still a level of appreciation for this track given how it peaked higher over there despite it being less successful overall. Midnight oil were arguably bigger in NZ throughout the 90's mainly because their next album spawned them a genuine hit over there.

I don't think I've elaborated on what the Baggy sub-genre was despite already mentioning it on this site, it's basically a combination of EDM and psychedelia which was popular in the UK by bands and artists such as the Stone roses and Happy Mondays. They didn't have any success outside of their homeland, but these guys did as they scored a bit hit in NZ with this track about hippy culture.

Well at least Suzanne Vega had a minor hit in NZ three years prior with "Luka" which came from the same album as the original version of this dance classic from DNA, it was a slightly bigger hit over in NZ likely because the kiwis wanted to get Suzanne out of the one hit wonder bin even if technically she still is a one hit wonder over there as she was merely credited as the featured artist on this remix.

This was the last major hit that Soul II Soul had anywhere in the world, I'm guessing this was due to it coming off the success of their two hits from their debut album from the previous year despite this being the lead single to their second album they released this year. The album itself was a massive success, suggesting that the follow ups were ignored in NZ in favour of said album's success.

Even with a film as disastrous as Graffiti Bridge (at least from what I've heard it was a disaster) Prince was still able to find success in NZ with its theme song as this track did manage to become a moderate success for the Purple one this year over there. Admittedly it was a minor success here in Australia as well, proving that its failure might be more due to the film it was attached to rather than the quality of the song.

He may not have had any success during his time with the Rockmelons here in Australia, however at least Peter Blakeley can take comfort in the fact that his one and only hit in Australia was also as such in NZ albeit to a much lesser scale. It appears to have come at the expense of his album being a success over there as it unfortunately flopped much like his former band's album from two years prior.

At least this was a massive hit here in Australia for Wilson Phillips, it wasn't quite the case in NZ where it was half as successful likely due to there being another song with its title that became a success over there that we looked at earlier in this list. I guess I should mention that these girls were the daughters of some of the biggest names in music from the 60's which is why they were so big in their native America.

We looked at Pauline Henry's solo hit from later in the decade on the Australian side of this site, so now let's look at the big hit she had with her band the Chimes at the start of the decade which became a big hit in NZ this year. Strangely it wasn't their biggest hit in their native UK as that honour goes to their cover of U2's "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" which was a minor hit here in Australia.

These guys were on such a roll this year that they managed to score a second hit both in NZ and their native America with this sexually driven track which seems like a precursor to their earlier entry on this list (or at least that's my head cannon.) I should mention that their only hit here in Australia won't be reappearing on this side of my site as for some reason, the kiwis passed up on that track later in the decade.

Well at least this second single from Labour of love II was a hit upon its initial release in NZ, although it was noticeably less successful over there compared to here in Australia as its lower appearance on this list can attest to. Still, there's no denying that the kiwis were in love with the band at this point in time, and this love wouldn't fade until at least the midpoint of the 90's when Ali Campbell went solo.

It appears the kiwis wanted to wash their hands of the hair metal of the 80's much faster than we Aussies did given how this lead single to Poison's third album was only a success seemingly out of obligation in NZ as it quickly rose up their charts only to quickly recede this year. That's not to say it was a fan single however as it did last quite a while in the lower half of their charts this year.

This is the only other big hit that Double J and Twice the T managed to achieve in their homeland, here they appear to recruit an environmental mascot called Robert D Frogg (lamest mascot name ever) to encourage kids of the day to be more mindful of the environment which was a common trend throughout the 90's.

I guess the mashup singles made a comeback this year in the mainstream, so why not allow Bobby Brown to have a hit with this mashup which comprises of "Every little step," "On our own," "Don't be cruel" and "My prerogative?" It was intended to be released exclusively here in Australia due to the surprise success of the first track on here (hence the name of the mashup) however it was a huge hit in NZ instead.

It looked like there wouldn't be another Traveling Wilburys album following the tragic death of Roy Orbison shortly after they released their first album two years prior, however the remaining members decided to make a second album which included this track they released in aid of the Romanian Angel Appeal. This was a charity which helped the children of Romania that I'm sure was a factor in its success in NZ.

This only barely missed out on appearing on the Australian side of my site, although rather coincidentally, the other big hit from the TMNT soundtrack "Spin that wheel" only barely missed out on reappearing on this side of my site, suggesting that we Aussies and kiwis couldn't decide on which of the two songs better represented the film between us. Admittedly they both capture the feel of the film rather well.


You can imagine my shock when I realised this wasn't a hit here in Australia, in fact you may have noticed that Tom Petty was rather unsuccessful here in general save for his contributions to the Traveling wilburys around this time. Fortunately, this was a big hit over in NZ this year exactly a decade after his first big hit "Refugee," proving how much the kiwis loved his music at the turn of both decades.

This was a bit more of a sleeper hit for Black box in NZ, which is an early sign that the kiwis wouldn't be as big a fan of EDM throughout the 90's as we Aussies were given how few entries from the Australian side of my site from the genre will be reappearing on this side of my site. Still, it did linger around long enough to qualify for this list even if most of its success came from the lower half of their charts.

Here's that cover of the U2 classic I mentioned earlier on this list, it turns out it racked up enough points to make the cut here after all even though it's obviously far less successful over there than their earlier entry on this list. This would be the last thing that the band released before they went their separate ways, most notably Pauline with her solo career.

I guess we can add these guys to the list of two hit wonders who became as such due to a remix of a song they had previously released, in this case we have this remix of the 1977 classic from Ram jam that became a surprise hit in NZ and here in Australia this year albeit only as a minor success here hence why it failed to appear on that side of my site.

For whatever reason, this lead single to George Michael's second solo album was a commercial disappointment here in Australia, I'm guessing we Aussies weren't quite ready to take him as seriously as he wanted to be taken at the start of the decade which certainly didn't seem to be the case internationally where this became an instant success for the former Wham singer.

I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this throwback single from Madonna as the rest of the world was, either they found this to be rather sexist or simply didn't care much for the film it came from (although considering the success of the film and its soundtrack over there I doubt it's the latter.) I guess it found some success all things considered, hence why it's reappearing on this list.

Apparently, this was meant to be the anthem for this year's FIFA world cup, this would explain how this was New order's (stylised as England New order) only chart topper in their native UK as well as how it became a minor hit in NZ this year. Evidently, we Aussies wouldn't make a hit out of a sports anthem until much later in the decade when Ricky Martin topped our charts with his FIFA world cup theme.

Bet you didn't know that Quincy Jones had a singing career, did you? Actually, he doesn't as this is in fact a cover of a track from the Brothers Johnson with vocals from Chaka Khan and Ray Charles. This comes from an album with a rotating list of vocalists, making this his equivalent of a David Guetta or Calvin Harris album two decades before either man found massive success with this formula.