NZ hits of 1995

There was still that identity crisis the world was going through, so much so that many big hits from each country remain obscure in other parts of the world.

If we're going by chart runs, this was the biggest hit of the decade in NZ despite its success here in Australia only being a fraction of that here in Australia for Peter Andre. This pop reggae track was so successful over there (likely due to how hot he is in the video) that it allowed him to find crossover success in the UK which eventually compelled him to move over there and never look back.

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.

I don't know how they did it, but Rednex was able to score a massive hit with their blend of country and EDM despite the Grid failing to score a hit the previous year with "Swamp thing" like they did here in Australia and throughout Europe. I guess the novelty of these guys thinking they were American rednecks was fascinating to the kiwis in a way it wasn't anywhere else in the world.

Well, this song's success in NZ was inevitable given how Coolio already had success over there with "Fantastic voyage" from earlier in the decade, it came from an (at the time) popular film as well as having lyrics that directly challenge the status quo for poor communities in America which resonated with audiences.

Given how this went on to be a massive success worldwide, it stands to reason that it would be one of the biggest hits of the decade in the rapper's native homeland which indeed it was for the rapper known as OMC. He did score a few minor hits throughout the second half of the decade in his homeland, none of which managed to become a success anywhere else in the world.

Well at least this was released on time for Shaggy in NZ, meaning this was able to be a success months before it even touched the charts here in Australia for the Jamaican rapper. I never quite understood why this was so heavily delayed here as he did find success here with "Oh Carolina" from earlier in the decade, perhaps we didn't want him to be a household name like he was in NZ.

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.

Given how this was released on time in NZ compared to it being six months late in Australia, this third single from TLC managed to be a massive success for the trio over there and no doubt helped the album skyrocket up their charts as well. It's a song about self-empowerment and not allowing stigma to get you down, making it well ahead of its time when it comes to social justice.

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 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.

I would say that the kiwis were even bigger fans of the first Bad boys film than us Aussies except that this is a pop reggae track from a Jamaican artist which of course would be a more likely explanation as to how this track from Diana King managed to be an even bigger success over there than it was here. Unfortunately, this was her only hit over there as her theme to My best friend's wedding wasn't a hit like it was here.

This managed to become a massive success for the British boy band in NZ mainly due to their incorporation of RNB during a time where that was inescapable in NZ, they were kind of the 90's equivalent of Blue in that regard even though that boy band would achieve infinitely more success in the 00's both in NZ and Australia.

I'm not sure if the kiwis were tuned in to Triple J back in the day (there's evidence to support they were and weren't) if they were then that would explain how Silverchair were able to score a massive hit with their debut single given how the station heavily promoted the band back in the day. It led to them having massive success over there this year with their debut album and the singles from it.

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.

Well, this did manage to make its way to number one in NZ for both Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, it didn't stay there for sixteen weeks, and it certainly didn't overstay its welcome overall on their charts like it did in America, but it was a massive success for them regardless and set up the stage for several other tracks dedicated to the fallen friends of artists.

From what I can gather, this is the only song recorded by Keith Martin who I'm guessing was an aspiring RNB singer looking for his big break in the music industry. He somewhat achieved that in NZ as this was a massive hit from the Bad boys soundtrack, but so was Diana King and MN8's entries on this list so that's more due to how massively popular the film was over there.

Well, the kiwis weren't interested in having "Set you free" become a success for these guys, although that didn't mean there was no chance for them having a hit over there as this second single from their discography became a massive success for them due to the nostalgia that the kiwis had for the Bee Gees classic of the same name this track heavily samples.

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.

I think this was always intended to be the big hit from Daydream for Mariah Carey, it's just the fact that her earlier entry on this list happened to become one of the biggest hits of all time in her native America is what made it so successful due to it being a collaboration with Boyz II Men as well as the lyrical content connecting better with audiences.

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.

This was one of two successful covers of the Bee gees classic to become a success around this time, the other was from Take that which won't be appearing on this site as it wasn't popular enough in the southern hemisphere back in the day to do so. Portrait previously had a hit in their native America with "Here we go again" which failed to crossover in NZ despite this being a huge flop for them on Billboard.

This was a little late to the party in NZ, mainly because they didn't have a Triple J equivalent to heavily promote the song and incentivise the general public into crowning it the best song of 1994 like what happened to the song here in Australia. It was a massive success over there this year likely due to the circumstances I just described, although it allowed the band to take over the mainstream when it became a hit.

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.

Unlike in Australia where SWV went largely unnoticed, they were a big deal in NZ which is perhaps why this ballad from Brownstone was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here. This trio also managed to score other hits over in NZ, one of which we'll get to later down this list.

Well given how this was the theme to a 90's blaxploitation film (who knew they still existed at this point) it makes sense that it would be performed by a bunch of musicians of colour who referred to themselves as Black Men United. It seems odd they would waste such a confrontational name of a supergroup on what is essentially a cheesy RNB ballad from an otherwise erotic film.

Although he never left UB40, Ali Campbell did briefly embark on a solo career this year which included this big hit he had in NZ and his native UK. The rest of the world had given up on his band by this point, which is perhaps why it wasn't a success here in Australia or in America.

Well, I guess this solo single from Jamie Walters was the kiwis compromise for not allowing "How do you talk to an angel" from the Heights to be a success over there two years prior. Jamie Walters was the leading actor of the TV and the main vocalist on that track, although by this stage he had moved on to Beverly Hills 90210 as one of the replacements for Shannon Doherty following her departure from the show.

This was another west coast rap group to find massive success in NZ and not their native America, I told you this was going to be a trend throughout the decade given how the kiwis were firmly on board with west coast hip hop throughout the 90's. Here these guys have the blessing of the Spinners (or Detroit Spinners if you're from the UK) as they come back to rerecord their chorus from their 1972 classic this song samples.

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 is another west coast hip hop track to become big exclusively in NZ as this flopped on the Billboard charts for the Californian band Dove shack, I'm not even sure how the kiwis came across this track other than perhaps an endorsement from Warren G as the fellow west coast rapper did feature them on a bunch of his material.

Well, here's a song that was massively popular in NZ to the point where us Aussies eventually made it a hit to see what all the fuss was about back in the day, yes, this debut single from Monica was so popular in her native America that the kiwis made it an instant success over there months before it ever saw the light of day here. She would have a string of other hits between this and her collaboration with Brandy over there.

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.

This was a huge number one hit in Montell Jordan's native America, so naturally it would have crossover appeal in NZ given how it was a new jack swing track that even appealed to us Aussies this year. Unlike in Australia where this would be his only hit, Montell would have minor success over there and his native America throughout the rest of the decade with his subsequent follow ups.

This was originally a hit for Mungo Jerry back in 1970, it remains a classic to this day due to the lyrics about spending a lazy day in the summer forgetting about your worries (basically "Hakuna Matata" but written by a hippy and not Elton John.) Shaggy covered the track for the lead single to his second album, recruiting singer Rayvon who would collaborate with him again for his big hit "Angel" in 2001.

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.

I would've thought this would be an even bigger hit for Boyz II Men in NZ, I guess it did linger on their charts for quite some time at a time where songs would debut at number one only to quickly drop off the charts which is a neat compromise to now making it to number one over there. They would have two more hits this decade, the first was their earlier entry with Mariah Carey and the second would be from their third album.

Although this was a success in NZ slightly earlier than it was here in Australia, it wasn't as big a hit over there and was also their only hit given how "Don't stop" wasn't a hit earlier in the year for the American duo. I guess out of the two big hits they had in the UK, this was more likely to become a hit on Billboard due to it being a fairly standard dance track as opposed to their other big hit.

Like most alternative rock from the 90's, this proved to be an even bigger hit for Green day in NZ than it was here in Australia given how the band finally got their mainstream push on the Billboard charts albeit only as a radio hit since this was never released as a single in their native America. They would be a one hit wonder in NZ (at least with their singles) for the next ten years as they didn't trouble their charts again until the American idiot era.

This song made history when it became the first to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, of course this song cheated to achieve this as did most of the earliest songs to debut at number one as it would have a delayed release to allow airplay to drive up its buzz and then be released as a single once the hype had gotten out of hand. This is why many people regard Billboard as highly unreliable when looking over the popular music of the 90's.

This was the one original hit that All-4-One managed to score in their career, even then it was only a hit for them in NZ which perhaps suggests that the rest of the world was only interested in their covers of obscure tracks rather than them bringing anything new to the table. Still, they were a worthy rival for Boyz II Men in the short time they managed to be a household name.

Even though this charted higher in NZ for Janet Jackson, it was equally as successful over there as it was here in Australia for the younger sister of the Jackson 5 dynasty. As I said on the Australian side of my site, this feels like it belongs on her next album the Velvet rope due to the new age influence that's on the track.

This was the final hit that All-4-One managed to score in NZ and indeed anywhere else in the world, it seems curious it would be their weakest hit in NZ considering it was the song that got them out of the one hit wonder bin here in Australia.

Although their album Permanent shade of blue was a moderate success in NZ, it didn't live up to the hype it had here in Australia likely due to this second single from the album eating up its success around the time it took off in the southern hemisphere. Nowadays Roachford is best known as a solo project from the lead singer, however back in the day they were a decently successful RNB quartet.

Following the success of their earlier entry, this managed to become a huge success for MN8 in NZ and their native UK, proving that even as far back as the mid 90's there was potential in combining RNB and hip hop and having it be performed by a boy band. People say that Boyz II Men were technically a boy band because of their image, however they weren't really at least compared to the likes of these guys.

Given how this wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia (hence its lower placement on that side of my site) it only seems fitting that it would be a bigger hit over there from two of the most popular artists of the twentieth century. Basically, this is a song about both Jacksons spilling their guts out about the lack of privacy they have in their respective lives, if only people would respect that privacy.

This was the big breakthrough that TLC had outside of their native America, possibly due to it being sold as a female perspective in the "stalker anthem" that audiences tend to not realise are indeed about stalking the love of a song's narrator's life. It was a massive hit in NZ likely due to this premise as well as the song being an absolute banger, it's a shame it was mere a minor sleeper hit here in Australia.

This was a huge hit for the American RNB group U.N.V in NZ despite it being a massive flop in their native America, I'm not sure why this was a huge hit over there as there were plenty of RNB groups from America that saw more success than these guys ever did and yet they never crossed over back in the day.

While this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, it did chart as high as this reached number two in both countries, meaning that we Aussies and kiwis were equally enamoured by the band's attempts to become the new Pearl jam but with Australian accents for the 90's.

This was the first big hit that Bone Thugs n Harmony managed to have in NZ as well as their native America, it's strange to think that the band who's best known for "Tha crossroads" from the following year would have a string of other hits that are much more in line with the gangster rap of the day. Indeed, the quartet would go on to have massive success moving forward in the decade with different topics to rap about.

Well at least this song was a much bigger hit for Whitney Houston in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I've seen this be described as her worst song likely due to how ridiculous the chorus is on the track. I'm guessing it was only a hit at the time due to the film it was written for being much better received than Whitney's previous acting gig with the Bodyguard from earlier in the decade.

Unlike in Australia where I know for a fact that the original ballad from Kyu Sakamoto was a hit, I can't say I have any idea if the kiwis will be familiar with the original which means that for all I know, this could only be the second version of this song to become popular over there following the success of A taste of honey's version from the early 80's. For what it's worth, it came out slightly sooner over there despite being bigger down under.

This was another huge hit for CJ Lewis in NZ, mainly because the kiwis still couldn't get enough of 90's reggae as evidence by most of the entries on this list (both new and returning) comes from the genre in some way shape or form. He would have one more hit over there after this (stay tuned for it) before the kiwis grew tired of his brand of reggae for whatever reason.

Well, this was a lot less successful in NZ than it was internationally for Bryan Adams, admittedly it was still a huge hit for him over there due to it being attached to a (then) popular film, but it was obvious that the kiwis love for the former heartland rocker was beginning to fade as the decade went on.

It feels weird that Batman returns was the only Batman film from the Burton/Schumaker films to not spawn a hit single or even a successful album back in the day, I guess that was going for an even darker tone than the original film and as such, Tim Burton felt that contemporary music was out of the question. Admittedly the Batman forever soundtrack wasn't exactly contemporary itself as evidence by this being the big hit from the album.

Unlike here in Australia where this was a hit for Alicia Bridges twice, in NZ this was the only time the disco classic was a success over there as it vastly underperformed upon its initial release in the late 70's. As a final bit of trivia, it turns out that Alicia Bridges is indeed a lesbian as she revealed as such around the time this became a hit for her due to appearing in the LGBT masterpiece Priscilla queen of the desert.

As this was released on time in NZ, it means it was able to become a success much sooner over there than it did here in Australia. It was also less successful over there, although that's more due to the trio already having success with the other three songs from Crazysexycool by the time this was released as a single there as opposed to them only having one hit over here with "Waterfalls."

At least this song managed to be a hit on time in NZ, although like many songs that were hits earlier in one country in the southern hemisphere than the other, it wound up being a bigger hit here in Australia the following year likely due to the show being a juggernaut by the time season three premiered as opposed to it only being a moderate success when season two came around.

Emma Paki was one of several female singer/songwriters from NZ looking to make it big this year, in guessing she would've become a massive success in her homeland had Bic Runga not stolen her thunder later in the decade with her own music. Emma did achieve a massive hit with this entry over there and nothing else once her contemporary broke through after all.

Sadly, "Another night" failed to appear on this side of my site due to being way too much of a sleeper hit to do so even though it was a huge success over there. Fortunately, this second single was able to rack up the points to appear on this side of my site due to the success of that song which in turn translated to the album's success over there.

These guys were on a roll in NZ as they managed to score a third big hit over there following the success of "O.P.P" and Hip hip hooray from earlier in the decade, indeed their popularity there was arguably more so than it was their native America as this underperformed on the Billboard charts back in the day. I guess the kiwis needed to show some love to east coast hip hop to balance out all the west coast tracks making it big.

Well, it looks like the kiwis also found this novelty track about body shaming a guy for having a small dick hilarious back in the day, not as hilarious as we Aussies found it and certainly not as quickly as we did, but its success was noteworthy over there regardless.

This was the theme song to a film known as Friday, it's a black comedy starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker which has retained a strong fanbase in black communities as well as fans of 90's comedy (I haven't seen it but should probably get around to doing so.) It was also the only hit that Dr Dre had as a lead performer in NZ given how he was better known for being a producer by this point in his career.

Well, it took us long enough, but we've finally gotten to that other big hit that Brownstone was able to achieve in NZ this year. This is a cover of the Eagles final hit single before they called it quits in 1980, curiously around the same time they had embarked on their Hell froze over tour which means the kiwis were very hungry for not only more music like SWV but also new music from the band this year.

I guess the kiwis were more conscious about the environment than we Aussies were back in the day as this managed to be a bigger hit for MJ over there in addition to "Heal the world" being a massive success for him two years earlier. It could admittedly be that anything released from the king of pop around this time was more popular with the kiwis than it was with us Aussies given how these lists have turned out in his favour.

Well, this is certainly a surprise entry, namely because this came from Janet's album from two years prior and yet it instantly shot up the charts over there likely due to it being bundled with "What'll I do" which was a minor hit here in Australia earlier in the year.

This was the last hit that Cypress Hill had in NZ, I'm guessing because the west coast rap was becoming quite crowded in NZ given how the likes of 2pac and Coolio were scoring massive hits over there around this time. Still at least they had a hit over there with this jam, it underperformed on Billboard who were less biased when it comes to the east coast/west coast rivalry.

From what I can gather, Andru Donalds is one of the vocalists that Enigma used in their albums which would explain the success of his solo material in certain parts of the world including this track he released following an infamous lawsuit that the German duo was facing around this time. No surprise then this was a hit for him in NZ given how it's a reggae track made by an artist who hails from Jamaica.

This was the first big hit that 2pac managed to achieve in NZ during his short time on this planet, it was a massive hit for him over there and his native America likely due to it showcasing a softer side of the otherwise hardcore rapper as the song is indeed about him paying his love and respect to his mother. It recharted later in the decade when "Changes" became a huge hit for him posthumously.

This was a big year for Brandy given how she released her debut album at the start of the year which spawned multiple hits for her in her native America, this was the bigger hit she had in NZ given how both "I wanna be down" and "Baby" were only minor hits over there for her. If there was a rivalry between her and Monica, Monica would've won that rivalry as far as the kiwis were concerned.

This was Tiny Tina's only hit in NZ (Tiny Tina was what we Aussies called her during her days on Young talent time) mainly because the kiwis passed up her singles over there in favour of making her second album a huge (albeit sleeper) hit over there. This was also a huge success in the UK for the Australian pop diva which led to her crossing over throughout Europe.

This will be the only other appearance that Brandy makes on this list, although rest assure that she will be making me more appearances on this side of my site given how much she dominated the NZ charts during the second half of the decade like Monica did. I guess the kiwis were more into hearing her be lovestruck as opposed to heartbroken which explains why "I wanna be down" wasn't as big a hit over there as this was.

It turns out there was another reggae song on the Pret a porter soundtrack that was released as a single worldwide, naturally the kiwis were all over this track given their love for reggae from Jamaican artists as Supercat was indeed a reggae artist as was the featured singer Jack Radics who was the guest vocalist on Chaka Demus and Plier's cover of "Twist and shout" from the previous year.

It turns out the album cycle was a bit different for Real Mccoy depending on where in the world you're from, in NZ and America, this was the third single likely due to it being a cover of the Redbone classic from the early 70's. This is where "Love and devotion" would go had that been a success over there as that was pushed back as the fourth single from the album.

You'd think that this would've been a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia given how much more popular these guys were over there compared to over here, at least this was more of an immediate hit over there as opposed to here where it needed to work its way up to its popularity. I guess this is proof that the kiwis had considered these guys to be an albums band by this point in their career.

This was one of only two hits that Blessid union of souls managed to achieve during their time together, the other was "Hey Leonardo" which was a huge sleeper hit here in Australia as the 90's became the 00's but too much so that it failed to appear on that side of my site. Here we have a more downtempo ballad that connected with the kiwis and their fellow Americans four years prior to that other track.

This will be the only new entry from Madonna on this side of my site given how we Aussies slept on this Billboard chart topper back in the day, fortunately the kiwis made it a modest success this year likely due to it playing in the season one finale of F.R.I.E.N.D.S where Rachel realises she missed her chance with Ross, making for a scene that works wonders thanks to the song choice.

This was the other big hit that After 7 had in NZ as well as their minor hit they had here in Australia albeit at the start of the following year due to how long it took for this to see the light of day in our music scene. This is rather different compared to their earlier hit "Can't stop" given how this was more of a contemporary RNB ballad rather than a new jack swing track.

I wasn't expecting to have this reappear on my site; however, it appears the kiwis had such fond memories of this track from 1978 that they allowed it to become a minor hit seventeen years after its initial release. That's impressive considering it was only a success over there and not even in the trio's native America upon its initial release.

While this wasn't the inescapable hit that his earlier entry was anywhere in the world, it was a decent size hit in NZ and his native America and even a minor success here in Australia, proving there was some market for his brand of RNB even if it quickly went out of vogue as the decade went on.