NZ hits of 1996

There was a bit more of a general consensus as to what was popular worldwide this year, Australians were more familiar with rnb and hip hop whilst the kiwis were more familiar with EDM.

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.

There was little doubt that the Spice girls was going to take over the world with this song back in the day, who cares if the lyrics make no sense and that it's under three minutes? The melody is still infectious, and the girls have so much charisma that it's impossible not to love their performances.

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 was this heist film this year that starred the likes of Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah that was a huge commercial success worldwide, although the real success came from its soundtrack which was kicked off with this posse cut from Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan each presumably portraying the roles of the four leading actresses from the film.

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.

Unlike in Australia where this second single was delayed for some reason, it was released on time in NZ which means it managed to be even more of a success for the girls over there than it was over here. This is taking into account that their third single was released rather soon after its release over there due to it becoming a Christmas UK chart topper and being marketed as such in NZ.

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.

You may be surprised that this isn't any higher on my list, this is mostly because like in America, this song briefly charted the previous year in NZ which is when this remix first existed for the aging Spanish duo. It blew up in popularity this year over there the same way it did internationally, however there thankfully wasn't another version of this song to chart with it simultaneously like there was here in Australia.

Well, I guess the original version of this RNB classic from Earth wind and fire was a success in NZ in the early 80's, so it makes sense that this Australian RNB quartet would score massive success over there with their rendition of the track fifteen years later. The boys did score a second minor hit over there with "Hey girl" later in the year, a song we'll be looking at much later down this list.

Unlike in Australia where this took its sweet time in finding an audience, this was more of an immediate success for Deborah Cox in NZ likely due to the kiwi's policy of welcoming RNB with open arms throughout the 90's. This policy didn't extend for any of her other hits including her biggest hit on Billboard "Nobody's supposed to be here" later in the decade.

Well, if "One sweet day" was able to take the world by storm earlier in the year, you better believe that this would follow suit and be a huge success worldwide. There was absolutely no way this was going to fail in NZ given how these guys already had a massive hit the previous year with "1st of tha month," indeed this songs success would lead to them to have further success over there throughout the decade.

This was more of an immediate success in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact I'm guessing this was a hit here in Australia because it was so inescapable in NZ which of course made it a hit in the UK but not in America because this was never released as a single over there. As such, Tragic kingdom was a huge worldwide success everywhere except for the band's homeland.

This was the last hit that 2pac had during his lifetime as he would tragically be shot dead shortly after this became a success for him, it was also the first hit that KCI and Jo Jo had following their departure from Jodeci from around this time period as they provide a catchy chorus for him to connect his verses about how he's hitting on the narrator of the track (presumably a woman given this is 90's hip hop.)

From what I can gather, L.A.D was an American rapper who scored his one and only hit in hit discography in NZ of all places with this track with the assistance of an RNB singer named Darvy Taylor, who I think was also an American singer. Neither man had any success in their native America, so I could be entirely wrong about their nationalities, and they could actually be kiwis for all I know.

So, a bit of a depressing fact (or joyous if you're a hater of Celine Dion) she never made it to number one in NZ as all of her biggest international hits didn't quite translate to her success over there for some reason. This was the best she could do with her singles likely due to it technically being a double A side as like in Australia, this was bundled with her song she performed at the Olympics this year.

Well, there was no chance this was going to fail over in NZ if even we Aussies could recognise the genius behind this track, although these guys did have more success over there with their singles proving that the kiwis still had more respect for the hip hop game at this point in time than we Aussies did. This was also the rare east coast hip hop track that managed to make it big over there this decade.

From what I can gather, DLT was a NZ rapper who scored his one and only hit with this track about being tied up in a relationship due to having a chorus provided to him by Supergroove front man Che fu. Che fu would go on to have massive success as a solo artist after this, however this was the only hit that DLT managed to have in his homeland.

This had all of its success this year in NZ, meaning that it was off the charts by the time it even began climbing the Australian charts the following year. This was the difference in the two music scenes in the southern hemisphere as EDM was ruling the charts in Australia this year whilst RNB was dominating the charts in NZ.

It appears the kiwis were on board with the idea of the three sons of Tito Jackson (that's they story behind their band name by the way) having an RNB career over there than the rest of the world as it was released slightly sooner over there than it was here in Australia and in the UK. It wound up being a massive hit everywhere except for their native America likely due to their connections with their uncle.

There was a film around this time from the makers of the Naked gun series known as High school high, it was a film meant to parody the likes of Dangerous minds and other teen dramas centered around a high school that was poorly received by critics due to the low hanging fruit the film resorted to parodying. If you couldn't tell, this is an RNB cover of Queen's signature track that was a huge success from the film in NZ.

I guess it was only a matter of time before east coast hip hop would crossover to NZ, although this did have the endorsement of Dr Dre which I guess technically makes it a west coast track despite Blackstreet being from the east coast. This was a minor hit in Australia, likely suggesting this was one of the earlier songs to convince us Aussies that hip hop was good actually which we eventually were by the end of the decade.

Well, it appears that Tevin Campbel was becoming too old to be an underage RNB singer from America, as such we now have a hit single from his obvious successor J'son who scored a massive hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world with this gem. I'm not sure what NZ's fascination with underage RNB and hip hop was throughout the 90's, but I'm sure all of these kids of colour appreciated this success back in the day.

Well there's something I just discovered while going through the NZ charts, the kiwis never really liked Jay Z all that much as not only did they favour the west coast hip hop during his heyday, but they even gave his main rival (at the time at least) Nas a hit as a rare east coast rapper with this song about how life would be like if he had actual power where it mattered in the world.

Quincy Jones already had a minor hit from the start of the decade with "I'll be good to you," so here he is with another posse cut he made with the likes of Babyface and Tamia (best known for her feature on Fobolous's track "Into you") with additional help from Portrait and Barry White of all people. It was a massive success in NZ and nowhere else in the world for reasons I can't seem to fathom.

Well given how 2pac was one of the biggest artists of the decade in NZ, it's only fitting that his one and only hit in Australia (at least during his lifetime) would be a massive success over there even if his earlier entry on this list was the biggest hit of his career over there (alive or dead.) It was also Dr Dre's second hit over there following the success of "Keep their heads ringing" from the previous year.

It's the comeback singles to end all over comeback singles, released as the debut single from a guy who as far as we knew didn't have any failed attempts at making it big in the music industry (OK so "Crazy" was technically his first single in his native UK even though it was his second single worldwide.) Naturally this was a big hit in NZ even though it was curiously even bigger here in Australia.

Well, it seemed inevitable that Coolio would find massive success in NZ with the songs he had success with here in Australia given how he already had a hit over there prior to his magnum opus from earlier on this list. Even if he didn't make an anthem for a generation, I can't see this song being a failure over there due to how catchy it is as well as his tight flows making him a credible rapper.

This was originally released as the debut single from the hip hop quartet to deafening silence even in their native America, I guess this was considered to be too hard core in 1994 even though Cypress hill managed to find success with little issues that year. It was given a second chance this year following the success of their earlier entry, which must have been a mood whiplash for fans back in the day.

I still feel this has rightfully earned its place as one of the best songs of the 90's and arguably of all time even if audiences nowadays feel that they shouldn't like this track due to it fueling the egos of the Gallagher brothers (also to be contrarian like with most popular things from the 90's receiving backlash in the new millennium.) This wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here and their native UK, likely due to their albums being much bigger over there.

Well, this was an RNB jam that made it big here in Australia, so naturally it would find success much sooner in NZ even if the success was half of what it achieved down under. This is one of the first big hits to be produced by Timbaland, although you wouldn't be able to tell it was him due to all of the weird samples used throughout the track.

This was released a bit earlier in NZ likely due to RNB and reggae being fully embraced by the kiwis throughout the 90's, although at least the original from Marvin Gaye was a bigger hit over there as opposed to Australia where this wound up outperforming the original. It's no surprise this was a hit in the southern hemisphere given how many songs reworked older tracks with addition lyrics thrown in from the performers.

Well, this was the biggest hit that the Fugees had in NZ that wasn't their iconic hit "Killing me softly," here they interpolate the Bob Marley classic which managed to appeal to the kiwis given how much love he's had over the years. It was their final hit as a unit; however, the members would go on to have success over there throughout the remainder of the decade.

Well, there was no surprise this would be a huge success in NZ for Warren G given how he had already scored two massive hits over there earlier in the decade; however, this didn't last as long on the NZ charts as it did on our charts likely due to us Aussies having more of the nostalgia bug for the Tina Turner classic than the kiwis did around this time.

This was the only hit for the RNB group Ghost Town DJ's, an American posse group who scored a massive hit in NZ and their native America with this track about the love of the narrator's life. I guess if this had of broken through later in the decade it would've been able to crossover here in Australia as there were plenty of these sorts of tracks to make it big as the 90's was coming to an end here.

This proved to be equally as successful in NZ for Celine Dion as it was here in Australia, it was the only song of hers to match its success over there with what it achieved over here as her singles weren't that popular over there throughout the 90's for some reason. I would've been shocked if this was a flop for her given how it's her rendition of a song that was meant for the Bat out of hell franchise.

Well at least the original version from Kool and the Gang was a massive hit in NZ back in the day, otherwise this would've been an awkward song to feature again on this site as Peter Andre scored his second chart topper over there in a row with this cover. This was the last hit he scored here in Australia, although he kept scoring hits internationally once his earlier entry took off throughout Europe.

This was one of the few east coast hip hop tracks to make it big in NZ during Biggie Smalls lifetime, although I don't think the kiwis cared much about which side of America this came from given how it's clearly an anthem for smoking weed. There have been a few mature topics to find their way to the mainstream back in the day, although I wouldn't have thought that marijuana would be one of the more popular trends.

Well, I guess having that circuitous route to success here in Australia was beneficial for Toni Braxton in the long run as this was far less successful for the RNB singer of colour in NZ than it was down under. It could also be due to the kiwis not wanting to hear such a sexually driven track from a woman who has a discography otherwise categorised as something that can be listened to with the likes of Celine Dion or Whitney Houston.

This was a side project for Bone thugs n harmony who brought together a bunch of their friends in the hip hop scene in order to promote them in the music industry, kind of like how Biggie Smalls had the Junior mafia throughout the decade and saw massive success in their native America as a result. These guys weren't so lucky in their homeland; however, this posse cut was a chart topper for them in NZ.

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.

For whatever reason, "You oughta know" underperformed in NZ the previous year for Alanis Morissette despite being one of the biggest hits of that year here in Australia. Fortunately, the second single from Jagged little pill was a big hit over there despite it underperforming here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies wanted to make her a one hit wonder but changed our minds as the album cycle rolled out.

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.

This song was initially set to be a flop in NZ as it only rose to the top twenty upon its initial release and then began to fall off the charts, the kiwis changed their minds by making it a success shortly after that which I'm not sure why because it was already a massive hit in Australia and the band's native UK when it was initially climbing up the charts over there.

Coolio was on a roll this year in NZ when he released the second single from his sophomore album named after his top entry on this list, this time he samples the Kool and the Gang track of the same name for this summer jam that was curiously released during the winter in his homeland which prevented it from becoming a hit on Billboard like it was in NZ.

Given how he had one of the biggest hits of the year in NZ around this time, it only makes sense that Keith Sweat's other big hit in his native America would also be a success over there given how it uses the same formula as "Twisted" with the chorus from Kut Klose connecting his verses together.

This was yet another Mariah Carey song that was much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, although you've likely noticed that every one of her entries was much bigger over there than it was over here which tells you everything you need to know about how well loved she was over there compared to over here back in the day.

I think this was one of the first EDM tracks that made the kiwis realise what they were missing out on over there given how it managed to become a huge hit there for the Swiss DJ Robert Miles. Admittedly it as far more successful here in Australia due to EDM still being at the height of its popularity here, however the kiwis couldn't resist this instrumental track back in the day.

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."

Both of POT USA's big hits from Australia will be reappearing on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis also found enjoyment with both of these tracks back in the day, more so with this lead single to their debut album it seems given how much bigger it was over there compared to over here. Like most alternative rock from the 90's, this wasn't a hit in the band's native America, not even on the Billboard airplay charts.

Well, this was hard to find information about, from what I can gather, D faction was a NZ group who scored their one and only hit with this cover of the Billy Joe Royal track from thirty years prior which I'm guessing was a big deal over there back in the day if this was able to be a massive hit for the group.

The hits seemed to keep on coming for CJ Lewis in NZ as he managed to score a big hit over there with the title track to his second album, it proved to be much bigger there than it was in his native UK as was everything else in his catalogue as he didn't have much success in on the British charts with his brand of pop reggae.

This was more of a sleeper hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely due to it initially being the theme to the film Clueless despite it not appearing on the soundtrack for whatever reason (likely in hopes of it selling the band's album which it initially failed to do.) It looked like the band wouldn't be a household name over there due to its sleeper success, however "Don't speak" put those fears to rest when it came out.

This was the highest charting song from Jagged little pill from Alanis Morissette, it wasn't her biggest hit as that honour goes to her earlier entry on this list, however it was this song that the kiwis gravitated towards the quickest due to the jokes being made about irony dating back to its initial release. At least Alanis got the last laugh by saying those jokes was the point of the song.

So, you know the guy who sung on the chorus to "Gangsta's paradise" from earlier on this list right? Well, it turns out he had a solo hit of his own in NZ with this track likely due to him being a good singer and the kiwis wanting to check out what else he had to offer in his catalogue. This curiosity only lasted for one song as he would quickly fade into obscurity after this fell off the charts over there.

When we last saw Eric Clapton on this site, it was with his emotional tribute to his son which he wrote not only for him but also a long-forgotten film by the name of Rush. Fast forward four years and he manages to score another hit in NZ with this theme to the film Phenomenon which doesn't have the emotional baggage that his previous hit had but was a compelling ballad to the kiwis regardless.

The hits kept on coming for SWV in NZ as this was a huge success for the trio over there this year, I'm guessing because their popularity was still intact in their native America as this was also a huge success on Billboard this year. The girls would have one more hit the following year with Missy Elliott of all people before their popularity was no more.

Mista were a short lived American RNB and hip-hop group who achieved no success on the Billboard charts and yet were able to score a massive hit in NZ with this number, it was their only crossover success over there but considering how much of a failure they were in their homeland, it's still an impressive feat for them.

This was the second hit that J'son managed to achieve in NZ this year, he really did seem like the new equivalent of Tevin Campbell or even Kris Kross as those guys were struggling for mainstream popularity even in their native America around this time. Alas his popularity would come to an end after this fell off the charts as he never bothered the charts anywhere in the world ever again.

It was only inevitable that this would be more of a hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for New edition given how much more popular the boys were during their heyday over there, heck I would've been dumbstruck if this had failed over there given how much more successful the individual members were over there throughout the decade and that this was a hit over here in Australia.

This was sandwiched between the Fugees two NZ chart toppers from earlier on this list, here they interpolate a much more obscure track from the 60's in order to connect their verses about giving their love to the people they're rapping about on the track. This and "No woman no cry" were modest sleeper hits here in Australia, proving that we Aussies were becoming more susceptible towards hip hop by this point.

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.

This was the second and final hit that Pato Banton was able to score in his career throughout the world, this time we have a straight cover of a Young Rascals track as opposed to him interpolating a track from the Equals like he did two years prior with his other big hit. Naturally this was at its most popular in NZ given how the kiwis were still in love with reggae during this point in time.

I get the feeling if east coast hip hop would've been all the rage in NZ, then Busta Rhymes would've had far more success over there than he got, as is, he did decently well starting with this breakthrough single of his which was also a big deal in his native America this year. He would score further success in both countries as the decade went on even though many consider this to be his best song of the 90's.

Following the success he had with his collaboration with Boyz II men (which we'll get to in a bit) LL Cool J was able to score a huge follow up with this single which helped him compete in the west coast/east coast rivalry that was happening at the time in hip hop over in NZ. He wouldn't have another huge hit over there until the new millennium when he teamed up with J-lo of all people.

I would ask how LL Cool J didn't have more success in NZ if this was such a big hit over here in Australia, but then I remember that he was an east coast rapper and that the kiwis were on the side of the west coast in the hip hop wars of the 90's. I think the only reason this was a hit over there was for Boyz II Men's chorus given how the RNB group were still one of the most inescapable groups of the decade over there.

Unlike here in Australia where this went straight to number one for George Michael at the expense of it having any real success here (a rarity throughout the twentieth century) this didn't get to number one in NZ despite it being a genuine hit over there which allows it to appear on this list of mine. We'll revisit his other big hit from his comeback album in a bit even though that was far less successful over there.

This only barely managed to appear on the Australian side of my site, although it was a slightly bigger hit in NZ for the Cranberries which goes to show how well loved these guys were even after the success of "Zombie" in the southern hemisphere. It turns out that they didn't agree with the sentiment that they changed for the worse as the album overall was a much bigger success over there than it was over here.

I have no idea how the kiwis came across this guy given how he didn't even touch the Billboard charts with his one and only album (he's from the east coast for the record) however they did as they allowed him to have one big hit over there with this ballad before he forever faded into obscurity.

This was the other hit that CDB were able to achieve in NZ this year, this was released prior to their earlier entry on this list here in Australia where it was only a minor hit at best. You can imagine my shock when it turned out this was a number one hit over there (albeit a very weak one) which confirmed the Australian RNB group as a genuine household name that ultimately went nowhere for them.

This was commissioned for the Whoopi Goldberg flick Eddie, a film where she plays a basketball coach that's clearly meant to be a rip-off of the Mighty ducks and other sports films that permeated the 90's in Hollywood. I think this theme song is the only thing worth remembering about the project, although even then Coolio would appear on a much better theme song to a basketball film on the Space jam soundtrack.

This was the song where it all began for the Fugees given how it was their debut single they released in their native America the previous year, it was a flop on Billboard due to the trio not participating in the east coast/west coast rivalry despite being from the former coast, however it managed to become a huge success over in NZ despite the kiwis firmly being in the west coast camp.

We have a second hit from Brandy that was commissioned for a film, this time it was her contribution to the Waiting to exhale soundtrack which makes this the second single from the album to be a success in NZ and on Billboard following Whitney Houston's contribution we looked at earlier on this list. Unlike in Australia where Monica was the bigger teen RNB artist of the decade, that honour clearly went to Brandy in NZ.

This is one of the few hits that OMC managed to score following the success of his earlier entry on this list, this continues the laid-back vibe of "How bizarre" which explains its popularity in his homeland and also why he was a one hit wonder internationally as it firmly established him as a bit of a one trick pony.

It appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with this second single from POT USA's debut album as they were with their earlier entry on this list, although at least it was a success over there unlike in their native America where neither of these songs were even hits, which suggests that their fellow Americans didn't like their music very much. It's their loss as is the case with most of the alternative scene of the decade.

It took her a while to follow-up her solo debut from four years prior, however Annie Crummer was able to retain some of her success with this lead single to her second album even if said album was a massive flop for her over there this year.

Here we are again with the big hit that George Michael had with his comeback album this year, although in NZ, that big hit was his earlier entry on this list given how much less popular this was with the kiwis compared to the rest of the world. I'm guessing they were put off by it being a dance number given how few dance tracks had made it big throughout the decade so far over there.

Although this wasn't the big inescapable hit that her other entries throughout the 90's were, Mariah's cover of the Journey classic from over a decade prior did resonate with the kiwis enough for it to become a minor hit over there and thus, eligible for appearing on this list.

Speech was the frontman for Arrested development, he put out a solo album following the demise of that group which did slightly better than their second album Zingalamaduni likely due to not having as much behind the scenes drama as that album did (to say nothing of that bizarre album title.) It could also be this song sampling the Marvin Gaye classic while he raps about his appreciation of the Motown legend.