I've decided to make a biggest hits of the 80's list similar to the one I made for the 2010's, although the key difference here is that I'll be including entries that reflect what was popular on the ARIA charts, although I'll only make a mention for which entries are the ARIA entries as I feel their placement on this list will speak for themselves rather than me delivering redundant commentary that will highlight how well/poorly they did compared to the AMR charts.
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#26 for 1988
This was the biggest hit that Huey Lewis and the News had in most parts of the world, granted their theme from Back to the future was also huge but this ended up being a bigger hit for them likely due to the production as well as how lovestruck Huey seems to be on this track. This in turn led the album Fore to be a huge success for them outside of America.
#22 for 1986
So, the Party boys were a supergroup comprised of several big names in the Australian music scene who got their start earlier in the decade with a mixtape called Live at several 21st's. Fast forward four years and they score a massive hit with this cover of the John Kongos track that led to them sparking interest in the UK which didn't end up with much success there.
#32 for 1987
This is the final hit single Tina Turner managed to score in Australia, mainly because her theme to her biographical film "I don't wanna fight" was a flop here despite the film being a huge critical and commercial success in 1993. This song has since become her signature tune in Australia given how she performed it with Jimmy Barnes in 1992 and that recording allow this to become a hit again that year.
#28 for 1989
It's easy to forget that this wasn't the originally by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and instead by a long-forgotten band by the name of Arrows, I bring this up because Joan and company had no trouble making it their own despite initially having issues with marketing the track due to this being a time where genres seemed to matter for some reason. They overcame this issue and got a huge worldwide hit out of it.
#19 for 1982
How is it that a song whose lyrics suggest that it's a stalking anthem can come off as one of the most beautiful songs to ever become a success? That's the power of this trio's instrumentation and Sting's vocals and a large reason as to why his songwriting has been given a pass by audiences whenever they find themselves listening to one of their songs. This was their biggest hit in America and the UK due to how timeless if feels even to this day.
#20 for 1983
If you didn't know, Jim Diamond was the lead vocalist for PH. D who in turn were a band who scored a huge hit with "I won't let you down" from earlier in the decade. Here he is following that group's demise with his big solo hit that managed to take the world by storm thanks to how sincere and overwrought he sounds throughout its runtime.
#18 for 1985
Colleen Hewett already achieved massive success nearly a decade prior to this ballad with her hit single "Day by day," it may have taken her eight years, but she finally got herself out of the dreaded one hit wonder bin here with this country ballad even if its popularity seemed to come right out of nowhere for her.
#22 for 1980
This was the second big hit that Christie Allen achieved in Australia, and much like her earlier hit "Goosebumps," this was a disco track that became a success during what was meant to be the dark age for disco which is further proof to me that the disco backlash was only a phenomenon in America and nowhere else in the world. Sadly, this would be the last we hear from Christie as her subsequent follow ups flopped.
#23 for 1980
Although Stevie Wonder did have moderate success with "You are the sunshine of my life" in Australia back in 1973, this was the first hit single of his to see massive success here likely due to how lush the track remains to this day. Indeed, this led to his final decent album (according to his diehard fans that is) to be a huge success for him here given how inescapable this was.
#24 for 1980
#22 for 1981
You better believe this song managed to become a huge hit in Australia and NZ with this cover to promote the song, that should tell you how well loved this breakthrough single is for Canadian band Loverboy and how it's endured over the years as an oldie classic. Their big breakthrough in America was their next big hit "Working for the weekend" which sadly didn't do as well in the southern hemisphere.
#23 for 1981
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#27 for 1989
Boy howdy has this song being used in every ad you can think of over the years, it's impossible to think that once upon a time it was a genuine hit single for this new wave band back in the day. I'm not sure why this was only a hit in Australia given how frequently I've seen it used in international media; I'm guessing audiences back then didn't want to hear a song from a band who's lead singer was also the drummer.
#25 for 1980
I've never particularly cared for this track from Blondie, mainly because I feel that Debbie is high while on this track which I'm guessing was the point given the nature of the lyrics. Naturally I'm in the minority as this was not only a massive success for the band back in the day but it's also persisted on oldies stations to this day thanks to the reggae beat and for Debbie's vocals.
#26 for 1980
#24 for 1981
This was a huge success for Billy Joel despite it being the second single from one of his albums, normally if an album of his already spawned a hit single from it he then wouldn't score another hit except in the UK this was the lead single to An innocent man rather than "Tell her about it" which led to it becoming his biggest hit there. I'm guessing the Brits wanted to hear his love letter to Christine Brinkley that he turned into this song.
#21 for 1983
#19 for 1984
This was originally an album track for Rod Stewart that was written by Burt Bacharach, he didn't release it as a single for whatever reason which is why most people are unfamiliar with his version of this ballad. Somehow Dionne Warwick got a hold of this song and decided to get together Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight for this cover where the proceeds when to research for AIDS and HIV.
#23 for 1986
This was the second single to come from Rick Astley's debut album, although if you're from America then this song and the third single (still to come on this list) were skipped over in favour of "Together forever" which helped him score back-to-back Billboard chart toppers from the album. It was a massive year for him regardless of the order of the album cycle, although his popularity would end with his second album.
#27 for 1988 #27 ARIA
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#28 for 1989
This was the first of two charity singles which led to the inception of Live aid, this one has more honourable intentions than its American counterpart due to it being written by Bob Geldof after he saw a news bulletin about the Ethiopian famine which obviously tugged at his heartstring. It's also since become a Christmas staple and that's spawned several different updates over the years.
#20 for 1984
#19 for 1985
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#29 for 1989
This was the song where people began to question Sting's capabilities as a songwriter, after all he references Nabokov and feels the need to mispronounce his name in order to fit the rhyme scheme he had. Fortunately, most people don't pay much attention to the lyrics when listening to the trio's music as the core appeal of the band is Sting's vocals as well as the strong instrumentation from the other two.
#27 for 1980
#25 for 1981
This was the E.P that contained "Twisting by the pool," a song people feel divided on as they're unsure if it's meant to be an homage or parody to the surf rock trends of the early 60's. I personally don't care either way as Dire straits looking back with nostalgia on an older genre is still awesome in my book and it appears audiences of the day agreed as this was a huge success for them.
#22 for 1983
While it wasn't their debut single by any means, this was the song which launched Bananarama into the big leagues likely due to it telling a story about how the girls made a boy into a man that they collectively dated on this track. Even though their popularity in their native UK remained consistent throughout the decade, we Aussies wouldn't hear from these three again until their cover of a Shocking blue track.
#20 for 1982
Following the success he had with the Power station from the previous year, Robert Palmer released his album Riptide which was unfortunately all set to fail upon its initial release. He rescued the album from obscurity by filling the music video to this classic with what I can only describe as clones of Lilith Crane from Cheers as his backing band which in turn helped this song top the Billboard charts for him.
#24 for 1986
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#28 for 1988
This was the only hit single for the former wife of Mondo rock lead vocalist Ross Wilson, although he does contribute backing vocals to this track which even at the time received backlash for its admittedly weird production gimmick. This gimmick was to highlight the cool editing of the video where it jump cuts in syncopation to each beat on each chorus which I think is really cool.
#23 for 1983
This was the big hit off of Billy Field's debut album, although in NZ that honour goes to the title track from Bad habits likely due to the kiwis preferring the lounge ambience of that track over this breakup ballad from him. You'd think that with all of this success that Billy would go on to massive success this decade, you'd sadly be very wrong as his popularity died off with his next album.
#26 for 1981
This proved to be a huge comeback success for Rick Springfield as it had been exactly ten years since he last troubled the charts anywhere in the world with his hit single "Speak to the sky," although it's worth noting that his newfound popularity was likely due to his role in General hospital which was taking the world by storm when this song became a hit for him. Many people feel this to be the unofficial prequel to the Cars hit single "Best friend's girl."
#27 for 1981
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#29 for 1988
Much like Joan Jett from earlier in the decade, these guys had a hard time trying to market their music to a mainstream audience as they were too rock for pop, too sexy for rock and too successful to be alternative. Eventually they threaded the needle in their native UK which allowed them to score a hit with this lead single from their debut album that saw even more success here in Australia likely due to audiences being infatuated with lead singer Wendy James.
#28 for 1988
#29 for 1989
This was another huge success for the Police due to the strength of their musicianship, although it appears that Sting's songwriting had significantly improved on this track as I haven't seen anyone criticise it in any way over the years. This was from their penultimate album which was admittedly not as successful as the two albums it was sandwiched in between.
#28 for 1981
#21 for 1982
This was the only success that Redgum had throughout their career, to think this was a bonus track from their live album Caught in the act which in turn helped the album also become a success for the band here. If you couldn't tell from the cover art, this song tells an emotional story about how the narrator was drafted in the Vietnam war at age nineteen and all of the horrors he went through during his draft.
#24 for 1983
Well, this was a complete 180 from Steve Miller's previous work, granted it's always good to change with the times but I don't think anyone was expecting to see these guys go in this direction with their music. Although it remains their biggest hit worldwide, it spelled the end for their relevancy as they haven't had a hit single since this came out.
#22 for 1982
Although they had buzz earlier in the decade and even appeared on Countdown two years prior, this was the first hit single that UB40 had in Australia as the band do a reggae cover of an old Neil Diamond track that connected with audiences at the time. The real interesting story about this song is how it got big in America, namely that it took five years after it was a hit worldwide to finally top the Billboard charts.
#25 for 1983
This was meant to be a parody of the Beastie Boys classic "No sleep till Brooklyn" which these guys somehow knew about given how the hip hop trio were only successful in their native America at the time of this song's release. Hip hop wasn't even that popular when this song came out, making this feel like the trio is punching down as opposed to taking out a popular genre.
#29 for 1988 #30 ARIA
This was the first hit single that Mondo Rock managed to achieve in Australia, this is noteworthy because the last time lead singer Ross Wilson had any success here was as the lead vocalist for his previous group Daddy Cool from the first half of the 70's. Here he trades the pub rock from his old band for new wave for this band which helped him find massive success down under with this band.
#28 for 1980
#29 for 1981
This was the introduction to (in my opinion) one of the best vocalists to emerge from the decade, that vocalist is Belinda Carlisle who achieved massive success in her native America with her band the Gogo's before taking the world by storm with her solo career during the second half of the decade. Curiously this wasn't among her biggest hits on Billboard despite this nearly topping the Australian charts.
#23 for 1982
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#30 for 1989
This was the last big hit that Cheap trick had with their original sound, although it was mainly a hit here in Australia following the success of their earlier hit "Dream police" from the changing of the decades. I'm not sure why their subsequent albums failed around the world, however they did score a massive comeback later in the decade with an album they felt they needed to make for contractual obligations.
#24 for 1982
Given that this Oscar winning ballad was written for a film called White nights, I think it's safe to say that it's since become an anthem for those who would describe themselves as the name of the film. Originally this was meant to be the title track of his third album, however said album took so long to make that he changed the name to the second single that would also serve as his final hit single to date.
#20 for 1985
#25 for 1986
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#31 for 1988
This remains the biggest hit from the Eurythmics in Australia, primarily due to Annie arguably sounding her best on this track which admittedly is a bold claim considering how many powerful performances she's given throughout her discography. This flopped in the duo's native UK, however their next single was their biggest hit over there, so I guess it all worked out for them.
#21 for 1985
This was the lead single to Icehouse's biggest album Man of colours; it was also the first song from the band to crack the Billboard charts as the band had been gaining buzz throughout the decade due to their earlier work. This was a return to their new wave roots after some experimentation with their previous two albums, suffice to say that we Aussies knew what we wanted from these guys, and this was it.
#33 for 1987
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#32 for 1988
Here's the title track to Lionel's third album, I feel this is a better title track to his album given how he was clearly trying to distance himself from all of the slow ballads he had become typecast as throughout the decade. Indeed, this was his party jam similar to that of "All night long" from three years prior, complete with a music video where yes, he does indeed dance on the ceiling.
#26 for 1986
Given how Wings were no more once the 80's began, it appears that Paul McCartney finally felt comfortable to release his second solo album which spawned easily the biggest hit of his career he had without the assistance of anybody else. Whether it be with the Beatles, Wings or a musician of colour, Paul has had a ton of success with other people, however very few of it came from a solo performance.
#29 for 1980
Given how Marcia Hines was beginning to see a decline in her popularity in Australia, it seemed like the perfect moment for Diana Ross to reclaim her throne as the woman of colour we Aussies gravitate towards outside the disco scene. Here she is with her first big hit in seven years since "Touch me in the morning" was a success, proving that no comeback is out of the question here.
#30 for 1980
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Pat Benatar since the last time she had a hit was from three years prior when "We belong" became a success for her. Then again there's little wonder that this was going to be a hit for her given how female rock stars were able to find success this year with little issues. This led to her album Wide awake in dreamland being a modest success for her before the decade came to an end.
#30 for 1988
Well, here's a song whose story on how it became an international success is more interesting than the song itself. It was a huge hit here in Australia and the UK of all places before it became a hit in NZ and throughout Europe which finally allowed it to crossover to Toni's native America where it topped the Billboard charts. Since then, it's become a staple in cheerleader culture thanks to its striking video.
#25 for 1982
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#33 for 1988
#31 for 1989
This was a huge worldwide smash for Prince likely due to it being the theme to his first autobiographical film Purple rain, although I would've thought the title track from the album/soundtrack would be the main theme to the film but whatever. This is one of his best songs in a catalogue filled with timeless classics, I don't even care that I have no idea what he means by doves crying.
#21 for 1984
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#32 for 1989
Following the success of their Joshua tree album, U2 released a highly contemptuous documentary that did manage to produce a successful soundtrack which launched arguably their biggest hit in the form of this lead single of theirs. The album would spawn more future classics for them, proving that no amount of arrogance from Bono could dissuade their fans into supporting their music.
#31 for 1988
Well, this is a song that hasn't received much love since its initial release, I'm guessing this is due to the music video which depicts the two rock icons dancing around with some of the strangest choreography ever put to film. The fact this is a cover of a 60's classic made specifically for charity likely doesn't help its cause either as this suggests it was only a hit because of this charity rather than people like the song itself.
#22 for 1985
This was the debut single from the KLF, that's right, a band that would go on to make some of the most well respected EDM tracks of the 90's began their career as a novelty duo who made this joke track about the Doctor who franchise. Maybe if you enjoy picking on nerds, you'll get a chuckle out of this track.
#32 for 1988
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#33 for 1989
You may think that this songs appearance on this list was due to how much we Aussies love it during the 1979 Eurovision, until you realise that this wasn't the song they performed on there (that being "Dschinghis Khan" for the record.) No this was a number one hit in Australia due to it being chosen as the unofficial theme to the Moscow Olympics this year here in Australia during our coverage of the controversial sporting games, and the less said about them on this blog the better.
#31 for 1980
There were plenty of rockabilly throwback artists to make it big throughout the 70's and 80's, by far the most successful (at least in the UK) was Shaking Stevens who achieved overwhelming success with his attempts at being the Welsh equivalent of 50's Elvis Presley. This was the first of his many hits in the UK, which just happens to be his biggest hit in Australia to boot.
#30 for 1981
This was the third single to come from Thriller, and perhaps the song on the album which officially broke down the barrier's musicians of colour had in the mainstream up until this point as it features a killer guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen in order to bring in the rock crowd. The music video is another masterpiece as is the one from his earlier entry on this list, but that's of course a given.
#26 for 1983
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#34 for 1988
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#34 for 1989
This was indeed a good year for Shaking Stevens as his second single proved to be equally as big as his first single despite this being an original track while his earlier entry was a cover of a 50's rockabilly tune. I guess this is the formula to his release schedule, mixing up his original tracks with covers of songs in order to provide old and new experiences for his audience.
#31 for 1981
Well, if fulfilling their record label's wishes involved making this note for note cover of the Elvis Presley track, then I can understand why these guys weren't too thrilled with selling out this year as this is certainly a far cry from their earlier material from the start of the decade. That said, it appears there were plenty of us Aussies who appreciated this update to the Elvis classic as it became a huge hit for them.
#33 for 1988
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#35 for 1988
This was originally a hit for the Righteous brothers in 1965, so of course there was bound to be some nostalgic love for the ballad around the time Long John Baldry and an obscure vocalist Kathi McDonald decided to take their stab at the ballad by turning it into a breakup ballad where both parties are accusing the other of losing the love in the relationship rather than just the original narrator.
#32 for 1980
Following the massive success they had with their second album, Wham released this track which has a cool video which starts out with George's supposed frustration at performing in a low-capacity venue despite selling out arenas. This was obviously done to show the band (more specifically George) wasn't going to abandon their core fanbase and indeed he never did even after cutting ties with Andrew Ridgely.
#27 for 1986
This was written by Prince under a pseudonym, presumably because he didn't want to let people know that he was just like everyone else who hated Mondays like we're all Garfield (OK I hate Mondays too.) He donated the song to the Bangles who scored a massive hit with their version worldwide due to how everyone could relate to the lyrics, although their popularity wouldn't peak until their third single from earlier on this list.
#28 for 1986
You'd think that this would be one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, admittedly it was huge and the reason why it wasn't bigger was due to it being the second single to come out of Slippery when wet after "You give love a bad name" which somehow flopped here. This song's success was more likely due to it being a huge hit in the UK where it was the lead single from the album rather than their other track.
#34 for 1987
This was a song that was more in line with their sellout cover of "Funkytown" that made them a household name, mainly for the use of the keytar which added more synths to the track than they already had. Fortunately, the lyrics are still sharply written as it's about how Brian and company are only happy when they have the comfort of their partner due to nightmares they have without them.
#23 for 1985
#29 for 1986
For some reason, the lead single to Bananarama's fourth album Wow flopped here in Australia, or more accurately it was a minor sleeper hit as it failed to reach the upper echelons of the charts. Fortunately, this second single (which incidentally was the album's lead single in their native UK) was a massive hit here likely due to how much cheesy fun it is, although it also stands as the final song they released before Sioban Fahey left the group.
#34 for 1988 #36 ARIA
Well, this is a song that's easy to make fun of, although I'll refrain from making the obvious joke that the trio's haters used to make back in the day as it's a pretty mean one all things considered. Of course, the joke was on those who doubted them as this did indeed become a massive hit for Bros as well as their album which spawned a bunch of other hits for them across the world, even though they would be one album wonders.
#35 for 1988
It looked like that "Desire" would be the only hit single from Rattle and hum in Australia in exchange for the album being a huge success here, however the success of this fourth single thanks to its emotional music video proved otherwise as it became the final hit that U2 had this decade. Their next album would have them go in a more ironic direction to help them adapt with the changing times.
#30 for 1989
Even though the Bridge was a massive flop everywhere else in the world, it was a huge success here in Australia proving just how much we loved Billy Joel this decade and how we felt he could do no wrong. Indeed, one of his biggest hits in his catalogue down under was the second single from the album which comes complete with a video that pays homage to the Beatles rooftop concert.
#30 for 1986
Even though they were among the most popular bands going into the 80's, Dr Hook's popularity in Australia was quickly diminishing save for this upbeat ballad which managed to become a hit for them around the time they released their greatest hits package. They did score a second hit later in the year (which we'll get to) proving that their time in the spotlight wasn't quite over yet here.
#32 for 1981
Well, this is a Christmas staple that refuses to die in the current day and age of streaming payola, although at least this only comes around during the Christmas season so it's not like it's clogging the charts all year round or anything. I guess it's good to know that it was a huge hit for the duo back in the day, although it came at the expense of arguably their best song "Everything she wants" being a bigger hit here.
#22 for 1984
#24 for 1985
Given how Madonna was by far the most successful artist of the decade, I guess it only makes sense that there would be rip-offs to try and steal her throne as the queen of pop. One of the more successful was Stacey Q who scored massive success with this track where she titillates her audience with her seductive vocals while going on about how she found the love of her love in the lyrics.
#31 for 1986
#35 for 1987
While this wasn't the lead single for Diesel and dust, this was the song which was released once the album dropped which proved to be a massive hit worldwide as audiences became invested in the plight for aboriginal rights (and are still fighting for them to this day.) This led to the album being a massive success for the band and it being declared one of the best albums from an Australian act of all time.
#36 for 1987
This was Styx's only international hit; I'm guessing because international audiences couldn't stomach the cheese that went into a lot of their songs like their fellow Americans did throughout the 70's and 80's. Indeed, this is one of their more normal songs as at least it isn't as sentimental as "Lady" or a complete novelty like "Mr. Roboto," and admittedly they did find plenty of success in their homeland.
#33 for 1980
While this wasn't the song to come from the Eurogliders, it was their first hit due to them asking the question of whether or not heaven actually exists. This isn't like Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a place on earth" where it's a metaphorical heaven, but rather if heaven is real which makes this a song about questioning one's faith in religion. That combined with how catchy this is helped make this song a hit for the band.
#23 for 1984
This was the one and only hit from Grayson Hugh not just in Australia but throughout the world, I'm guessing because this flopped in his native America likely due to the video which is admittedly ridiculous even for its time. The lyrics do make up for the cheesy video which apparently were meant for Olivia Newton John to sing, however I feel this guy does a better job then she could ever hope for.
#31 for 1989
This was the first solo single to come from Phil Collins, it's a song that's had many theories to it as people believe this to be about Phil outing out a fan of his who allowed someone to drown when they had an opportunity to save that person. I think this is one of the more ridiculous fan theories in music as there's been no proof that this even ever occurred, and people are basing it on very vague lyrics.
#33 for 1981
This is another song I would describe as a nursery pop number, mainly because of how chipper both the melody and the Irish family group are during the song's runtime. This was all set to be a flop here in Australia despite how big the girls were in NZ and their native UK, however a memorable performance of this song on Countdown helped it become a surprise hit for them months after its initial release.
#34 for 1981
It was as if they never broke up in the first place, oh yeah Dragon had broken up back in the late 70's to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to pursue a solo career that brought him no success. In any case, we have the first hit of their since they reformed and it was as if they had released it immediately after their last big hit "Are you old enough," that's how much fans loved these guys but disliked Marc's solo career.
#27 for 1983
This was the only hit single to come from Cyndi's album of the same name everywhere except for her native America where "Change of heart" managed to also be a success for her on Billboard, that's not to say the album was a failure but rather that everyone had clearly declared Madonna as the new queen of pop between these two women. This was the start of Cyndi's more mature direction in music which is perhaps why she saw diminishing returns from here on out.
#32 for 1986
This was the debut single for Jason Donovan, the on-screen love interest for Kylie Minogue's character Charlene on Neighbours. While Kylie wowed audiences with her impressive vocals from around this time, it's clear that Jason's popularity was due to the novelty of being from the show as many people (me included) believe that he had no business being in the music industry.
#36 for 1988
#32 for 1989
Following the success of his last album with Mental as anything, Martin Plaza decided to briefly embark on a solo career which began with this cover of an obscure track from the 60's that was able to rival the success of "Live it up" from the previous year. He rejoined the band shortly after releasing his solo album so that they could release a new album to cash in on their sudden rise in popularity worldwide.
#33 for 1986
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#37 for 1988
#35 for 1989
This was a bittersweet victory for Roy Orbison given how he had tragically passed away before it and the album it came from were released to the public. I get the feeling this was meant for the second edition of the Traveling wilburys album given how that was never released to the public, either way it makes for a sad but satisfying book end to a highly successful career from Roy.
#33 for 1989
Following the success of MJ's earlier entry, this track from two years prior became a surprise success for his family band likely due to him being a welcome presence on our charts that he apparently wasn't upon this track's initial release. I don't even know why this song flopped in Australia initially as MJ didn't seem to have any problems with finding success with his album Off the wall when it came out.
#34 for 1980
These guys had been active in the industry for over a decade before they finally score their first hit anywhere in the world with this soft rock classic, I guess even back in the day there was no age limit to when you could find success for the first time as most bands would've given up by this stage of their careers. These guys would score a second hit later in the decade with "Can't fight this feeling."
#35 for 1981
This was a very good year for Jona Lewie as this was his second big hit following the success of his pseudo-Christmas track "Stop the Calvary" (which we'll get to in a bit.) I always got this guy confused from Kevin Roland from Dexy's midnight runners as the two men looked similar to me for some reason, although this guy was way cheesier than Kevin could ever hope to be.
#36 for 1981
After a bit of a stumble with her second album, Kate Bush was able to retain her popularity going into the 80's with this lead single to her third album which has to have one of the most horrifying music videos I've ever seen. The song is a classic and one of her most recognisable in her catalogue, however I can't get over the terrifying facial expressions she gives during the video's runtime.
#35 for 1980
This was a bit of a surprise hit for A flock of seagulls, mainly because it wasn't that big in their native UK and only became a hit in America after it crossed over to Australia. I'm guessing we Aussies latched onto this track because of the video which even by the standards of new wave videos, is strange and bizarre to watch. It cemented the band as a one hit wonder despite them scoring a hit in the UK with "Wishing I had a photograph of you."
#26 for 1982
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#36 for 1989
This was the only notable success that Billy Squier had here in Australia, I'm guessing because his other big hit in his native America had that infamously terrible music video which prevented anyone from taking his discography seriously. This is another sexually charged track to become a hit back in the day, in this case him wanting to stroke you is the type of foreplay that generally isn't PG 13.
#37 for 1981
So, it's come to this, we have the first big hit from Michael Bolton as him as the lead performer. Here we see him cover Otis Redding on the twentieth anniversary of his death likely as a tribute to his body of work, it's obvious that he wanted to pay his respects to the late musician of colour, and I guess audiences gave him a pass for his good intentions.
#37 for 1988
This was the debut single from Pseudo echo, a song that features their trademark synth heavy production that had little trouble finding an audience back in the day throughout the decade. There's an earlier version of this track that I prefer which strips back the production in favour of a catchy melody as well as putting emphasis on the lyrics were indeed about a couple's failure to communicate.
#28 for 1983
#24 for 1984
This was originally released the previous year to massive success for Nena throughout Europe, largely due to the lyrics being about how the end of the world came when a sentry mistook a bunch of red balloons for an attack against them. The song was liberally translated into English which didn't match the ton of the original story or the melody of the song, this resulted in the original version becoming the big hit internationally except for America where the English version was the big hit.
#25 for 1984
This was the biggest hit that Elton John had throughout the decade, likely due to this being a heartfelt ballad towards a Nikita in his life which tugged at the heartstrings of listeners back in the day. Despite this being his biggest hit of the 80's, this would be the start of the very difficult time in his life as he would suffer from drug problems that would persist for the remainder of the decade.
#25 for 1985
#34 for 1986
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