NZ hits of 1994

This is where the world divided itself in the music scene, Australia was all about EDM, NZ was jamming to rnb and hip hop, the UK fawned over britpop and Canada couldn't get enough of rock n roll

Given how Wet wet wet already saw massive success in NZ with their debut album from the late 80's, it was only inevitable that their cover of the Mindbenders classic for the Hugh Grant flick Four weddings and a funeral would be a massive success for them in NZ as it was in most parts of the world.

It appears the kiwis were more on board with making this a success for Ini Kamoze than us Aussies back in the day (it must be due to that "Land of a 1000 dances" interpolation) as this managed to be a huge hit over there around the time it became a huge Billboard chart topper for the reggae musician.

It appears we Aussies got the release schedule for Inner circle wrong as this was meant to be the second single to crossover internationally for the Jamaican band and yet we had it as their first hit single. As a result, it not only wasn't as big here as it could've been, but they also remain a one hit wonder despite them scoring multiple hits over in NZ throughout the 90's.

Given how these guys already scored a massive hit in NZ and their native America before they took the world by storm with this ballad (stay tuned for it in a bit) it was inevitable that this would be a massive success in both countries more so than it already was in countries that these guys were a borderline one hit wonder in.

Well, this would've been completely out of leftfield in NZ considering how successful his earlier family friendly hip hop was over there, at least we Aussies could pretend this was simply the Fresh prince scoring his first hit as a gangster rapper to help audiences mature with him in the show. This didn't prevent the song from being a massive worldwide hit for him and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Even though this was an even bigger success in NZ than it was here in Australia, this debut single from Ace of base had a bit of a delay to its release over there likely due to it being a dance track more so than a reggae track. Indeed, once it was released over there, it quickly became a massive success for the band due to the reggae groove as well as the story about a woman wanting to fall pregnant with a lover.

There were no signs of these guys slowing down anywhere in the world as this lead single to their second album managed to be a huge worldwide success for them, although their success in NZ was about on par as it was here in Australia which suggests these guys were able to transcend genres with their ballads back in the day.

Well, this was a hit that was bound to be a massive success in NZ, it was a reggae cover of a Fats Domino track from the early 60's that was already a massive success in Bitty McLean's native UK around this time. This is one of the first songs to be pulled from shelves over there as it randomly stopped charting despite it still being in the top ten, I'm guessing to promote his album this came from.

The absence of Martha Walsh wasn't even noticed on this track given how these two managed to find massive success in NZ with this song by simply replacing her with a different vocalist. As it turns out, David Cole would pass away not long after this track became the duo's final hit for them, which explains why this is the last anyone had heard from either of them.

This was released on time in NZ likely due to RNB being well embraced over there compared to here in Australia where it needed some incentive to be a success from us Aussies. That incentive came for Toni's second single from her debut album when it became a hit here and in the UK of all places which finally allowed us to check this ballad out to see what all the fuss was about.

This was the biggest hit to come from Headless chickens in their homeland, although curiously when it came time for them to crossover here in Australia, this was bundled with their earlier hit "Cruise control" which allowed both songs to see minor success here. I guess this is better than both songs being a massive flop which likely would've been the case if either of them was released on their own.

It was inevitable that this self-empowerment anthem would be a massive worldwide success for Mariah Carey, after all it came from a highly successful album and its message of self-love is poignant even to this day and arguably more so back in the day. It was strangely the final Billboard chart topper for her on Music box as her next two singles didn't quite get to number one in her native America.

Regardless of what your thoughts are on this song, there's no denying it was a massive success back in the day meaning that many people felt comfort in hearing Linda Perry sing about her heartbreak in order to make it a huge worldwide success. Interestingly this song was only a modest success in the band's native America, meaning it was bigger in the southern hemisphere and throughout Europe back in the day.

Everything about this track suggests that its success in NZ was inevitable, west coast rapper? Check. Theme for a film starring a west coast rapper? Check. Hip hop track in general? Check. It was a massive success for both men involved in NZ and even a moderate success here in Australia as its appearance on that side of my site can attest.

Yep, that album cover isn't controversial in the slightest, I can't imagine anyone being put off by this reggae cover of a Drifters track from British singer CJ Lewis with the image of a woman flashing him. Evidently the kiwis and his fellow Brits weren't as this became a massive hit in both countries and even allowed him to score a string of hits in NZ as the decade went on.

While this wasn't the biggest hit that Ace of Base had in NZ, it was their highest charting single as this got to number one whilst their earlier entry was only a top three hit over there. This was indeed a huge year for the Swedish foursome thanks to their blend of EDM and reggae which helped them establish themselves as the (then) modern equivalent of Abba.

There were a ton of hits to come from Supergroove's debut album, however this was by far the biggest from the album as it was an infectious number that could stand up to something from the likes of Red hot chili peppers or even Lenny Kravitz from around this time. This was even a minor success here in Australia due to how well it did over there, although I feel it could've been a genuine hit at the time.

For whatever reason, this remix took two years to become a success in NZ and the Four seasons native America given how it was released in 1992 in Australia where it was a massive success here. This remix has since superseded the original when it comes to its presence on oldies stations, although you can still sometimes hear the original here and there.

Well, this guy was a huge fanboy of UB40, so it seems fitting that he would score massive success in NZ with this update of the Equals track from 1968 with the assistance of Ali Campbell from the band over there. It was a hit much sooner than it was here in Australia likely for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being that anything affiliated with UB40 was a guaranteed success in NZ back in the day.

One of the best live action Disney films (remember when they used to be good and original?) was Cool Runnings, a semi biographical film about the first Jamaican bob sledge team who competed in the 1988 winter Olympics. True the film made a bunch of stuff up as the idea of Jamaicans bob sledging even in the 80's was welcomed with open arms, however the film remains a classic to this day. The theme song came from Jimmy Cliff who covered the Johnny Nash classic to provide the theme.

There was no stopping Mariah Carey this year as she managed to score her second hit single this year with a cover of a popular track, this time she enlists the help of Luther Vandross, or rather he enlists her help by bringing this track from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie from 1981 to a (then) modern audience.

This was the one and only hit Prince had when he as Eminem put it "turned himself into a symbol," not even the kiwis could get on board with this phase of his career save for this ballad that sounds like it was meant for whatever 90's equivalent of the Jackson five there was, but he instead kept for himself.

This wasn't as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Sheryl Crow is essentially a one hit wonder in NZ as none of her other singles managed to become a success for her. At least her album was still a success even if it wasn't as big as it was here or especially her native America.

This was Neneh's biggest hit in NZ as it was here in Australia, mainly due to it being a new age track during the height of the new age craze as well as it being a duet with an African singer to give it that level of authenticity that the likes of Deep Forest and Enigma lacked in the genre. This would be Neneh's last hit in most parts of the world given how she had since abandoned her hip hop style.

This was only a minor success for Split enz a decade prior, so to see this be envisioned as a Boyz II Men esque ballad from the short-lived vocal harmony group Purest form was a bit of a surprise to say the least. It was a massive hit for the group and even apparently broke down some barriers when it came to Polynesian musicians given how they were the first of Polynesian descent to find success in the music scene.

Crash test dummies success in NZ was the complete inverse of what it was here in Australia, that being the album was more successful over there than the single even though both of them were massively successful in the southern hemisphere this year for the Canadian band. It still staggers me that they didn't have any success with this track in their homeland and they remain a one hit wonder internationally with this.

This was surprisingly hard to pull up information on from the internet, from what I can gather, To be continued was an RNB group from America that the kiwis somehow discovered this year as they gave them a massive hit this year with this track despite this flopping on the Billboard charts.

One surprising fact I have for you is that throughout most of the 90's, the biggest names in music didn't manage to achieve a number on hit in NZ. I bring that up here because aside from his theme to the Kevin Costner adaptation of Robin Hood, Bryan Adams never had a chart topper in NZ despite having massive success over there with his ballads this decade.

I'm guessing this was a chart topper in NZ for Mariah Carey due to the kiwis having fond memories of Nilsson as he did score a big hit over there with the original version of this ballad two decades prior. Admittedly this was also bundled with what I'm sure was meant to be the actual third single from the album "Never forget you" which could also have contributed to its popularity over there.

Before "One sweet day" broke chart records, this was the song about making a dedication to your fallen friends to make it big as DRS managed to come up with the formula when they released this song as their debut single which became a massive hit for them in NZ and their native America. Of course, the likes of Boyz II Men and Bone thugs n harmony would perfect this formula as the decade went on.

This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for the Maoris band Southside of Bombay, I'm guessing because this was a rather serious song about entering the real world set to a reggae beat and with the gimmick of being written around the children's playground game. It was a massive hit this year when it was featured in the critically acclaimed NZ film Once were warriors.

Well, this was still the biggest hit in Bon Jovi's career in NZ, although it didn't chart as high over there as it did here in Australia for whatever that's worth and isn't their highest charting single over there either.

This was another E.P to find success in NZ throughout the decade, I guess it's good to know that the kiwis also found it difficult to determine if an E.P should go on the singles or albums charts like we Aussies did. In any case, this E.P became a success over there due to it containing tracks that were originally cut from the band's debut album that the fans nonetheless wanted to hear more of.

Unlike in Australia where the only success these guys had were from covers of obscure country tracks, in NZ they scored two more hits beginning with this cover of an obscure RNB track from the Tymes. This was their debut single, which was a big hit in their native America, so naturally this was primed to be a success in NZ, I'm more surprised their earlier entry took off in other countries more than anything.

This was an underage hip hop duo similar to that of Kris Kross from two years prior who scored a massive hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world, this will be a common theme throughout the 90's in NZ as the kiwis somehow got their hands on all of this rap songs that flopped on the Billboard charts. Much like Kris Kross, the brother/sister duo went their separate ways once they realised they weren't going to make it in their homeland.

This was the other big hit that Pearl Jam had in NZ that failed to become as such here in Australia, admittedly this did chart high over here, but it was of little benefit as the song wasn't a success on our charts. Not that it mattered as it was the lead single to a highly successful album from one of the biggest bands of the decade, it's just the kiwis acknowledged it as a huge hit in addition to the album it came from.

Well, this is technically the second time "Dreadlock holiday" went to number one in NZ given how the hip hop trio 3 the hard way sampled the 10cc classic for their breakthrough single this year. I guess we Aussies found this corny enough to make it a minor hit this year, making this the first NZ hip hop group to score a hit over here at a time where even the biggest rappers from America were struggling to do so.

I don't think there's a single song that Mariah Carey released in the 90's that wasn't more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, this fourth single from Music box is no exception as it was an easy top ten hit over there again due to the kiwis not allowing highly successful albums to impact the success of popular songs back in the day.

Cyndi was really struggling for mainstream relevancy in NZ following the success of her debut album a decade prior, who'd thought her second biggest hit over there would be a reggae reworking of her debut single? It was likely due to nostalgia of the original version as well as reggae always having a welcomed presence over there, although neither of these factors did this song any favours here in Australia.

This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more open to the idea of making Celine Dion a household name over there initially even if none of her singles never reached the dizzying heights they achieved down under throughout the 90's. Indeed, this ballad's success over there was half of what it achieved here even with it being released sooner over there.

It's strange to think that this reggae cover of the Beatles classic was the only success that Chaka Demus and Pliers managed to have in NZ, after all you'd think their other two UK hits would've been as popular as this was especially considering how one of them even became a hit for them here in Australia the previous year. Still the fact they had a least one hit over there was better than what they achieved in America.

Given that his earlier entry on this list went on to be one of the biggest hits of the decade in NZ (despite only barely cracking their top five) this second single from the Californian rapper was also a huge hit for him over there despite not even charting here in Australia given how it wasn't attached to a popular film of the moment. In fact, his other big Australian hit "What's love got to do with it" was also attached to a film now that I think about it.

This was also a massive hit for Elton John from the Lion king soundtrack, arguably more so than what it was here in Australia as it remained in the upper echelons of their charts much longer than it did down under. As I said in the Australian side of this site, were Diana still alive even into the new millennium, this would've been the English piano man's final hit anywhere in the world.

These guys were on a roll this decade in NZ as they managed to score another hit over there with one of their reggae jams, this time it's a cover of the Joe South classic from the late 60's which managed to be a hit in Australia back in the day for the American singer/songwriter. It was a flop over there (according to the Listener charts) so it's possible the kiwis don't even realise that this was a cover.

This became a hit twice in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release where it was a minor hit for the German band whilst the second was when it randomly rebounded on their charts at the beginning of 1994 likely due to the minor success of their second single "Got to get it" (which sadly won't be reappearing on this side of my site.)

Much like here in Australia, this was a hit in NZ following Bruce's Oscar win for this ballad for the film it was written for. Speaking of Philadelphia, the film was a critical darling at the time due to it being among the first to depict a homosexual man with any form of dignity and respect (although he was played by the VERY straight Tom Hanks who won an Oscar for his portrayal.)

Well, it appears the kiwis weren't as big of fans of the Disney adaptation of the Three musketeers as we Aussies were, or at the very least, they weren't as big of fans of this three-way collaboration from Bryan Adams, Sting and Rod Stewart which was the final hit for two out of these three men in most parts of the world.

This had a bit of a delay to its success in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't quite ready to allow a new generation of Sade in their music scene given how the original band were still quite popular at the time of this songs release over there. They changed their minds when the second single from the album became a success over there which pushed this up the charts as well.

You's think this would be a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia due to the presence of En Vogue, you'd be mistaken as I'm fairly certain their presence was the only reason why this second song from Salt n Pepa's album Very necessary was a hit at all over there given how much of a failure "Shoop" was. This would be the trio's last hit over there; however, En Vogue would return for one more hit later in the decade.

Well, here's that second single that M People had in NZ, it's a cover of an obscure Motown track from ten years prior which I'm guessing the kiwis appreciated enough to make their earlier entry on this list a success over there. It was also quite big in their native UK during the Christmas period of 1993/1994, although it often gets lost in the shuffle with their back catalogue in recent years.

This had a bit of a delay to its release in NZ, likely because this is an EDM cover of the KC and the Sunshine band classic from eleven years prior which was a bit out of the comfort zone for the kiwis at the time. I'm guessing they made it a success when they realised this came complete with a rap verse which was able to fit in with the increasing number of hip hop making it big over there.

Ever want to know why Jason Priestly from 90210 ever took Hollywood by storm outside of his starring role in the TV series? Well, it may have something to do with his first feature length film which was so poorly received that history has done its best to try and erase its existence. I bring this up because there's no information on who provided the theme song to the film other than it being a cover of a Diana Ross classic.

This was one of many RNB acts from NZ to score moderate success in their homeland throughout the 90's, though it was far from the biggest hit that the RNB scene over there had to offer, it did spark enough interest here in Australia for it to rank pretty high on the Triple J year end list for this year. Sadly, it's commercial success in the duo's homeland and the critical success it received over here did the group very little favours in the long run.

Although they achieved moderate success the previous year with their breakthrough single "Insane in the brain" in NZ, it was this second single from their album which made them a household name as it quickly rose up the charts over there due to how catchy the song is. Apparently, this was called "We ain't going out like that" in their native America, I'm not sure why there's a different title there compared to the rest of the world.

This was the fourth and final single to be released from Supergroove's debut album Traction, it was a massive success over there proving how inescapable the NZ funk rock band was around this time which no doubt led to them sparking international interest in their music which sadly never translated to actual success for them.

This was originally a hit for Jim Steinman thirteen years prior in NZ as well as it being a minor hit here in Australia, it was one of the only tracks salvaged from his one and only album for Meat loaf as it was originally written to be on Bat out of hell II all those years ago. It's hard to say if this was always meant to be a single since its inception in the late 70's, however it was a big hit for Meat loaf over there this year.

Babyface is of course best known for his legendary production he gave to the likes of Whitney Houston and Boyz II Men throughout the decade, however it's worth noting that he also fancied himself an RNB singer back in the 90's which peaked with this ballad in NZ and his native America this year. He would go on to have further success as the decade went on in both countries including with the song I've already featured on the Australian side of this side.

Much like in Australia, this was the only hit that U2 managed to score from Zooropa in NZ, I'm guessing to allow the album itself to be a massive success there due to it being their foray towards industrial rock which was slowly starting to take over the music industry at the time of its release.

It seems curious that the one hit these guys didn't have in Australia from their debut album would be their biggest hit in NZ, not to say that their other two hits from the album weren't a success over there, rather it just seems like this was the big hit over there due to how successful the other two singles were here. In any case, this was proof that the Sydney based NZ RNB group were able to find massive success in the southern hemisphere back in the day.

It appears the kiwis were also on board with this alternative track from Beck as it managed to become a huge success over there like it was over here for the alternative rocker, although it also remains his only hit over there making it feel more like a novelty on this list than an anthem for a generation like it's been described as.

This was the big breakthrough hit that Coolio had in most parts of the world, likely for the sample which came from one hit wonder Lakeside who scored a massive hit in NZ back in 1981. Of course, Coolio only samples the beat and chorus of the original as he uses them to connect his verses about how he was making it in the big leagues now that he was a successful rapper (a bit early to brag but it was eventually true.)

This was the last hit that R.E.M managed to achieve in most parts of the world as the band became more of an album act after the success of this lead single to their album Monster, I'm guessing this was a hit in NZ due to it being a surprise hit over in the UK even though it was only a minor hit at best here in Australia for the band.

I'm surprised this wasn't a bigger hit in NZ given how gangster rap was taking the world by storm around this time, heck it was even noticeable enough for it to become a success in Australia which says how popular Snoop Dogg was back in the day. Alas it was only a modest success for him in NZ just like it was here in Australia, although he did have moderate success over there as the decade went on.

I should point out that this was the song that made Kulcha a household name in NZ given how "Shaka jam" only became a hit over there once this was released as a single and instantly caught on with the quartet's fellow kiwis. These three songs I've featured on this site was the full extent of their popularity back in the day as their second album would bomb later in the decade.

K7 had a huge sleeper hit with "Come baby come" in NZ which won't be making an appearance on this site due to it charting in the lower half of the charts over there, this did lead to him having a huge follow up hit with the Swing kids which does qualify for this site due to charting in the upper echelons of their charts. From what I can gather, he was another Hispanic American rapper to make it big in NZ but not his homeland.

This was the second big hit that Bitty McLean had in NZ, as well as the first he had over there that wasn't a hit in his native UK as it turns out he was a one hit wonder over there with his earlier entry on this list. Although this will be his final appearance on this site, he did score minor success over there with a third single which a cover of "Dedicated to the one I love."

This was a big hit for Enigma in NZ this year, it was also decently successful here in Australia but charted too low to appear on the Australian side of my site. This song was the subject to a lawsuit as the German duo were caught sampling a track without the original composer's permission, it was settled out of court but costed them their reputation in the new age scene.

I guess the kiwis were also big fans of the Absolutely fabulous show in the 90's given how they had moved on from the Pet shop boys by this point in time, at least we Aussies gave them a comeback album the previous year which would explain the success of this novelty track from the duo.

I did mention earlier on this list that these guys were only able to find success with their debut single in NZ due to the success of "Don't be shy," although it's worth noting that despite this appearing the lowest of their three hits on this list, it was technically their biggest hit due to how long it lasted on their charts throughout the year. Sadly, they wouldn't find any further success in either country as the decade went on.

Well at least we have a more appropriate album art for this second single from CJ Lewis, this time he covers an early Stevie Wonder track which didn't go over as well in NZ and his native UK as his earlier entry on this list but was still a massive success in both countries due to their respective love of pop reggae around this time.

At least these guys were able to find instant success in NZ with this entry unlike Culture beat from earlier on this list, although it's worth noting that this was Corona's only big hit over there likely due to the kiwis not jiving as well with the vocalist who would replace Jenny B on this track when the album was released the following year.

"Hey Mr. DJ" may have failed to make a second appearance on this site of mine, however that didn't mean the kiwis didn't allow Zhane to have a hit over there as their second single managed to become as such despite it only being a minor sleeper hit here in Australia. Although it doesn't sample the Peaches and Herb track of the same name, this has a similar vibe to that classic which perhaps explains its success.

It's no surprise that this was also a hit in NZ given how inescapably popular Mariah Carey was over there especially compared to over here, although it's worth noting that this didn't begin recharting on their charts until the 2010's unlike here where it recharted two times back in the 90's, showing how much we Aussies loved this Christmas classic back in the day.

This was the theme song to a film known as Threesome, a film that was so instantly hated upon its initial release that it was quickly forgotten about save for some worst of lists for 1994. General public were a British duo who dabbled in reggae but were primarily a pop rock group, this is perhaps the best explanation for how they were able to score a hit in NZ if the film was generally poorly received.

If you're shocked at how low this cover of the Peter Frampton classic is on this list considering it's a reggae cover of a 70's classic, I should point out its placement is due to how much of a sleeper hit it was in NZ as this did chart for quite some time over there albeit in the lower half of their charts. At least this was a success for Big Mountain as opposed to the other big hit from Reality bites.

We have one final entry from Dangerous to appear on this site as MJ released this track from the album as tribute to one of his biggest fans who unfortunately passed away during the albums production which obviously shook up the king of pop back in the day. This might've been one of the biggest cases to support that he was a child predator given how he wrote a song about a kid, however I don't and have never believed that he was a threat to them in his lifetime.

This was only barely a hit for U2 in NZ like it was here in Australia, so much so that it only makes the cut due to it sticking around long enough in their top ten to do so much like other songs at the bottom of these lists.

This was another song that came from Terence Trent's comeback album Symphony or damn, in fact this was able to let that album rebound on the charts in NZ due to how much of a surprise success it was for the RNB singer over there which should tell you how much the kiwis loved this guy around this time.

I guess DRS were able to score one more hit in NZ with the second single from their one and only album, it's a bit strange that considering DRS stands for Dirty rotten scoundrels (presumably based on the film of the same name) they would have their only two hits be ballads more in line with the likes of Boyz II men and other RNB crooners of the day.

I guess the kiwis really weren't vibing with Madonna and her experimentation with RNB from the midpoint of the decade, this would explain why her lead single to her RNB album was only barely a hit over there despite how successful it was internationally even though it had Babyface as the album's executive producer.

We have one more entry to feature from Ace of base on this side of my site, this time it's the third single from their breakthrough album which serves as a cover of the Tina Turner track from her Break every rule album that Aswad made popular two years after its release. Although the Aswad version was the most successful over there, this remains the most successful version internationally.

Evidently there was a radio edit to this third single from Cypress hill that's titled "When the ship goes down" rather than what it actually says on the cover, apparently this was supposed to be an Australian exclusive given how the group toured here this year (that would explain the album's moderate success here) which encouraged the kiwis to grab their hands on this when it saw the light of day over there.