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.
Although they had success with their first album in NZ and their native UK, this was the big breakthrough that Sting and company had in Australia likely due to how they repeat the phrase "sending out and SOS" ad nauseum during the outro. Fortunately, the rest of the track is fairly complex thanks to the tight reggae inspired instrumentation as well as the lyrics about finding help for this doomed relationship.
#36 for 1980
You'd think that this lead single from Tears for fear's second album Songs from the big chair would be a number one hit in their native UK, it wasn't due to it being released during the height of by far the busiest Christmas season Britain has ever seen in the music industry. Fortunately, this had little issues with topping the charts throughout the rest of the world thanks to the instrumentation and Roland Orizabal's passionate vocals.
#26 for 1985
Now that Cliff Richard's comeback was well and truly established, it appears that he had little issues with retaining his fanbase despite being in his forties throughout the decade. Although I will say that his popularity in America didn't survive past the launch of MTV like it did throughout the rest of the world.
#37 for 1980
This was the big hit off Split enz's album Time and tide, although it wasn't the lead single which is perhaps why it wasn't as big a hit as you'd otherwise expect from the band. You'd think that a band who seemed tailor made for MTV would find more international success with their material from around this time, they did chart in the lower half of international charts but didn't find much success outside of Australia and NZ.
#27 for 1982
This was the theme song to the long-forgotten film Electric dreams, a film from what I can gather in the music video is about a geek falling in love with an attractive woman who works at an electric store. Honestly this feels like a Human League track that Phillip Oakey kept for himself as it's clear that the song has become more iconic over the years than the film that it's based on.
#26 for 1984
#27 for 1985
If you need proof that Tina Turner was always a welcomed presence in Australia, consider the fact that she starred opposite Mel Gibson in the third Mad Max film as well as providing the theme song to the film which went on to be one of her more iconic songs in her catalogue. The film was a critical and commercial success despite it being the final film in the franchise for thirty years.
#28 for 1985
This was the second of two hit singles that the Hooters were able to score in Australia (stay tuned for the first one later in the list) this was the bigger hit of the two due to how upbeat it was compared to their slower track from earlier in the year. This allowed their album to be a huge success here in Australia which sadly means that they were a one album wonder as their subsequent albums flopped here.
#29 for 1985
Given how both of them were established singers at this point (debatable so for Jason) it makes sense that Scott and Charlene from Neighbours would collaborate in real life and make a ballad to cash in on their onscreen wedding which had just aired in the UK when they released this as a single. The duo would go on to have further success this year thanks to how popular they were with the Brits.
#34 for 1989
Here we have the title track from the bestselling album of all time in America, naturally MJ needed to do something to promote this song as the album had been out for a full year by the time it was chosen as a single. The solution was to give it a high budget music video that no doubt led to the first MTV awards later in the year, such was the case for such as high concept video.
#27 for 1984
This was written for the Richard Gere flick American gigolo, a film which basically exploits the (then) attractive actor for those who appreciates the male body back when that was a socially acceptable thing to do in pop culture. Of course, the song has become more well known over the years due to it being Blondie's biggest hit in their native America, and indeed it was also a huge hit for them internationally.
#38 for 1980
This was a surprise hit for Toto coelo in America, I bring this up because they were a British band who failed in their native UK and yet they saw moderate success in America by altering their name to Total Coelo (likely to avoid confusion with Toto.) This allowed the band to find success here with a song that is indeed about eating cannibals.
#29 for 1983
And who says that the band who gave us "Relax" (which is still to come on this list) was all about fun and games? Here we have their second single which is so politically charged you'd think it was written specifically for a smear campaign for a candidate they didn't like (most likely Margaret Thatcher.) To drive the point of the song home, they have a video where the political candidates fight each other in a wrestling ring.
#28 for 1984
This was always meant to be the third single from Break out, however it was delayed due to it being chosen as the lead single for the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack due to it being played during the first chase scene of the film. It remains the Pointer sister's biggest hit in Australia due to how incessantly catchy it is as well as the lyrics connecting with audiences detailing how stressful their lives are.
#30 for 1985
This was originally the lead single to Roxette's second album in their native Sweden; however, it was released as the second single from the album when it was finally given an international release where it was only a success here in Australia. I'm not sure why this album flopped everywhere else in the world, however I think its success here came from them performing it on Countdown revolution.
#35 for 1989
I was surprised that this was released before the year 1999 as I do vaguely remember hearing this track when I was seven years old which just happens to be in the year 1999. In any case, Prince scored his first breakthrough hit in most parts of the world a good sixteen years prior to when the song in question was meant to take place, although with how charismatic he is on this track, does anyone really care about when it came out?
#30 for 1983
While this wasn't the first hit single to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman (that honour goes to Divine's "You think you're a man") this was the one to put the production trio on the map even though many people feel that the rest success of this song comes from Pete Burns and his provocative performance. That said, this was the only major success they had as all of their other songs didn't do that well even in their native UK.
#31 for 1985
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#38 for 1988
This was originally a hit for Merilee Rush in the late 60's, so Juice Newton had a lot to prove with her rendition which obviously she was able to when it became a massive worldwide hit for her. It turns out she performed this track on Countdown which is why it became much bigger here in Australia than most parts of the world, this no doubt led to her second hit which is still to come on this list.
#38 for 1981
This was the second hit that Rod Stewart managed to achieve this decade in Australia, although it should've been the first as it was meant to be the lead single from his second album this decade but wasn't for some reason. This unique album cycle paid off for him as he got two big hits here with two of his more upbeat tracks in his catalogue, and many will tell you (me included) that this is his best song.
#28 for 1982
This doesn't feel like an 80's song to me, I'm guessing because there were so few songs whose main instrument was the violin this decade that it feels like something that came from the 90's or even early 00's. In any case, it took Sam Brown a few tries for this to become a success for her likely due to how different it sounded to everything else on the charts, she eventually got there in the early months of the year.
#36 for 1989
It looks like Kiss were doubling down on their mainstream appeal as this lead single to Unmasked proved, after all they had yet to dedicate one of their ballads to a specifically named girl like they did here (as uncommon as the name Shandi is.) This was the band's final hit single in most parts of the world, which is probably for the best as their later material would see them shed their makeup.
#39 for 1980
It's hard to tell if Marilyn is trans or just a really androgynous male performer (I'll be using they pronouns with this entry) either way they were able to score a massive hit in Australia with this song about their relationship with Boy George and how the two grew apart once their respective careers took off. It remains their only hit worldwide as their subsequent follow ups failed to make an impact in the music industry.
#29 for 1984
Following the departure of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski beat picked a new vocalist by the name of John Foster and soldiered on with their second album which was off to a good start with this lead single becoming a huge hit both here and in their native UK. Unfortunately, the album itself was a massive flop, which is especially embarrassing considering Jimmy found massive success with his new band the Communards.
#35 for 1986
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#39 for 1988
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#37 for 1989
This was a happy ending for Jenny Morris's career given how she had struggled to score a hit throughout the 80's and finally achieved massive success just as the decade was coming to an end here and in her native NZ. Here she sings about how this woman (presumably herself in the third person) needs to be treated with love and respect from however she's singing to, and it happened to be well appreciated by audiences of the time.
#37 for 1989
There were no signs of Belinda Carlisle slowing down in the music industry, unless of course you're from America in which this single and album it served as the lead single to wound up being a massive flop on Billboard. I guess the Americans were tired of her passionate vocals set to upbeat pop rock, however the rest of the world certainly wasn't as this managed to be a huge success for her because of those traits.
#38 for 1989
This was the debut single for one of the most prominent female hip hop stars of all time, although it's interesting to note that this never became a hit for them in their native America and only saw crossover success when it became a surprise hit for them over in the UK. The girls would go on to have massive success throughout the 90's even though they wouldn't score a massive hit on Billboard until 1993.
#38 for 1988
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#38 for 1989
Here's that Christmas track I mentioned from earlier on this list, indeed this was written to be a Christmas chart topper in Jona's native UK despite it failing to become as such over there. I think this wound up being a bigger hit here due to us Aussies connecting with the lyrics better, that or it being a perfect candidate for what I've dubbed nursey pop due to the simplistic melody.
#39 for 1981
Although he saw success with "Wising well" from the previous year here in Australia, it was this ballad that helped Terence Trent D'arby see massive success with his album likely due to him sounding similar to Prince in his performance on this track. This allowed the lead single "If you let me stay" to have a second chance in the spotlight as it was released here where it charted much higher this time around.
#39 for 1988 #40 ARIA
This was the big showstopper on Whitney's debut album, so naturally it was the final single to be released from the album where it coincidentally became her biggest hit from the album worldwide. This is a cover of a George Benson track from the mid 70's, however I doubt many people realise that this wasn't originally meant for Whitney given how she owns this version with her killer vocals.
#36 for 1986
And who says that feminist anthems are only a recent phenomenon? Here we have two of the most powerful women in the music industry to ever exist combining forces with this song about how they've had enough with being mistreated in this world. This comes after Donna realised that she was sending a dangerous message with her earlier material as well as Barbra wanting to appeal to Helen Reddy's audience.
#40 for 1980
Named after the film it was written for, we have the first Billboard chart topper from Phil Collins likely because of the film's critical and commercial success due to it being a neo noir film made at a time where that was a rarity in Hollywood. It was likely due to this ballad that Phil filled his next album with ballads given how even outside of America, this was one of his biggest hits in his catalogue.
#30 for 1984
Although Midnight oil holds the distinction of having the first entry to debut at number one on the Australian charts, the honour for the first song to debut at number one goes to this third single from Kylie's debut album which should tell you how much anticipation there was for said album here in Australia. The anticipation was met as it was one of the more popular albums from the late 80's.
#40 for 1988
Although New Jersey wasn't nearly as successful an album as Slippery when wet, the album was nonetheless a success for Bon Jovi as it spawned a popular lead single that helped it fly off the shelves upon its initial release. This continued their glam rock trajectory which is perhaps why the album wasn't as big as people felt this was more of the same which their 90's output certainly wasn't.
#41 for 1988
Their debut album was already a moderate success for them here in Australia, however it was this lead single to their second album which made them a household name and even allowed Pop star to rebound on our charts upon the release of their second album. There was an obvious theme to both of the band's biggest hits, namely that Wendy James wanted to know that the target of these songs was the love of her life.
#39 for 1989
While this wasn't John's first hit single in Australia as he did find success in the late 70's with "I need a lover," it was his first hit internationally thanks to how anthemic this track is as well as heartland rock in general being more successful in the 80's than it was in the 70's. No doubt this led to Bruce Springsteen seeing massive success later in the decade with his magnum opus Born in the U.S.A and its singles.
#29 for 1982
This was a stacked year for Madonna as she was able to score three massive hits from her fourth album Like a prayer just as the decade was coming to an end. Here's the second of the three as she promotes a message of self-value, specifically how you shouldn't buy into material gifts that your partner offers you to excuse their awful treatment of you. It's a positive message that seems to be relevant now more than ever.
#40 for 1989
This was the first of two highly successful covers of track from Diana Ross and the Supremes this decade, the other coming from Kim Wilde with her rendition of "You keep me hanging on" later in the decade. Much like her cover, Phil's rendition of this track proved to be more successful than the original outside of America, suggesting that the Brits were trying to atone for sleeping on her music back in the day.
#31 for 1983
If this sounds like it belongs in the 60's to you, that's because this is a cover of an obscure 60's track from Shirley Ellis that the Belle stars somehow knew about when this became a hit for them in Australia. Naturally this wasn't their big hit in their native UK as that honour went to "Sign of the times," a track that has no relation to the Prince song of the same name.
#32 for 1983
There's been much confusion as to what this song is actually about, it's not an endorsement of being an American but rather a laundry list of all the atrocities the American government has done to both its citizens and the people of the world. It remains one of the most politically charged songs to ever become a hit throughout the world, although I doubt many of the people who love it even realise its message.
#32 for 1985
This was originally a hit for Norman Greenbaum sixteen years prior which in turn was a success due to the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon that was taking the world by storm at the start of the 70's. These guys were able to score a massive hit throughout Europe with their interpretation of the lyrics before fading into obscurity making this an example of a one hit wonder covering a one hit wonder.
#37 for 1986
This cover of the Tommy James classic was originally released to deafening silence earlier in the decade for Billy Idol, however it was given a second chance when he performed it live later in the decade which compelled him to release this live recording where it became a huge success for him. This broke a unique record on Billboard when it replaced Tiffany's "I think we're alone now" at number one, namely that a cover replaced another cover of a track from the same artist.
#37 for 1987
#42 for 1988 #41 ARIA
This was written and recorded for the James Bond film of the same name, it has the distinction of being the only Bond theme to have the performer appear in the opening credits which should give you an idea of how popular Sheena Easton was during the first half of the decade. It also should tell you that despite beginning her career with what I've dubbed as nursery pop, she really wanted to be a sex icon in music.
#30 for 1982
Well, this is one of those songs that's easy to hate, instead of me bashing it, I'll say the one positive I can about it. This song does have good intentions as it's clear that both Paul and Stevie want to achieve racial harmony between black and white people, they clearly have their hearts in the right place on this track.
#31 for 1982
This was the theme to Prince's second film Under the cherry moon, a film that received the opposite reception of his first film Purple rain as it was heavily panned by critics and was a box office flop for the rock star. At least the soundtrack was still well received, showing a far more sexually provocative side of Prince which he was already known for being sexually charged in his music by this point.
#38 for 1986
This is one of the strangest songs to become a hit in Australia, mainly because it's literally about how the singer daydreams about being a cowboy and how he wants his girlfriend to be his cowgirl. I don't know how we Aussies and kiwis discovered this track; however, we did, and it became a huge hit in both countries for the British band.
#39 for 1986
Midnight Oil already saw massive success with their previous two albums and even had a hit single with "Power and the passion" earlier in the decade, however this was the first big hit they had down under which is fitting because it was the advanced single for their album which stands to fight for aboriginal rights in Australia. Even though we've made progress over the years, there's still people out there that feel that there's more to be done for the white settlers to atone for how they've treated these people.
#40 for 1986
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#42 for 1988
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#39 for 1989
This was the breakthrough single for Cheap trick here in Australia, largely thanks to a very memorable performance they gave on Countdown with this song which helped them find an audience here which had ignored them despite how big they were in their native America. They would have further success in the 80's here, although not without a huge dry spell throughout the middle of the decade.
#41 for 1980
Kelly Marie was a Scottish pop star who scored her one and only hit throughout Europe with this disco track that was originally meant for the king of rock and roll himself Elvis Presley, that should explain why she's singing like him on the track. Here in Australia, this was her second big hit as she previously saw success with "Make love to me" just as the 70's was beginning to wind down.
#42 for 1980
#40 for 1981
This was the title track to David Bowie's most successful album in his catalogue, although curiously this didn't hit number one in Australia despite A: it being a massive chart topper everywhere else in the world and B: the video being filmed throughout Sydney. Even though it didn't top our charts, it did become a massive hit for Bowie down under.
#33 for 1983
Foreigner already had moderate success here in Australia with their albums from the 70's, mainly because they were one of the earlier international artists to perform on Countdown which gave them an advantage over other non-Australian artists that decade. Here they score their second biggest hit worldwide with the second single from their fourth album with a ballad that was a typical of their rock hits.
#32 for 1982
I haven't seen Two of a kind, although judging by the lyrics from Livie's final hit single anywhere in the world (that wasn't a mashup of her earlier work) it seems like quite the film as there's a theme about being back from the dead on this track. Her rare foray into rock music paid off as it became one of her most well-known songs in her catalogue, although as I said, this would be the last relevant hit in her career.
#34 for 1983
#31 for 1984
This was the first song that Bananarama released without Siobahn Fahay, she left the group claiming that she wanted to spend time with her husband David Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) but later admitted she had issues with the direction the trio was heading with their music when she returned with Marcella Detroit as Shakespeare's sister later in the decade. Indeed, her vocals were replaced with her replacement Jacquie O'Sullivan which helped this become one of their bigger hits down under.
#43 for 1988
One of the biggest bands of the 70's was the Captain and Tennille, and considering this was released just as it was coming to an end, it makes sense that this would be their final hit in their career as it became a success for them during the first year of the 80's. It's one of the few hit singles to have a pan flute as one of its instruments, I'm guessing the pair were going for a throwback to the first half of the century.
#43 for 1980
While the second single from the Swing was a hit (we'll get to it in a bit) it wasn't a huge success for the band like the third single was, indeed, this is likely the reason why the band were able to appeal to an international audience as it has a really catchy instrumental which makes it different from most songs that become popular over the years. They had one more single from the album before they went to work on their next album.
#32 for 1984
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#43 for 1988
Although their other big hit from this time left these guys as an international one hit wonder, they were able to score a second hit with this song due to the video being filmed while they were on their Australian tour. This no doubt led the song to be even bigger here than their earlier hit, although it did their albums no favours as it unfortunately crashed and burned here like it did everywhere else.
#33 for 1985
Well, what's this? We have an upbeat track from Rod Stewart, and it also serves as the lead single from one of his albums as well as its title track. OK so that's only true if you're from Australia as "Young Turks" was the lead single from the album in most parts of the world, however we Aussies went a different direction by making this track the lead single which resulted in both songs being a success here.
#41 for 1981
#33 for 1982
There were no signs of INXS's popularity slowing down when they released the lead single to their album Listen like thieves, in fact this would go on to be their first hit single in America the following year due to how popular it was here in Australia. This was the only hit to come from the album, however the album itself was a massive success so I don't think they minded.
#34 for 1985
Although he saw massive success with Cold Chisel from earlier in the decade, there didn't seem to be any guarantee that Jimmy Barnes would find success on his own given how none of the songs from his debut album Bodyswerve became huge hits for him down under. Fortunately, this lead single from the reissue of that album was a huge success here likely due to the backing vocals from Kim Carnes of "Bette Davis eyes" fame.
#35 for 1985
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#44 for 1988
These guys were about a year off from experiencing the 90's and yet it appears they were already sick of the 80's, I guess the rest of the world was as well given how this managed to become a huge hit for them. Interestingly this was a Billboard chart topper for the English band despite this flopping in their native UK, perhaps it was due to the American flags that were waved so patriotically in the video.
#44 for 1988
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#40 for 1989
Tiffany might have had more success with her singles overall in Australia, however her rival Debbie Gibson was able to score a massive hit this year with the lead single to her second album Electric youth due to ballads being at the height of their popularity around this time. This allowed the album to be a moderate success here as this was bigger than anything Tiffany put out despite her being massively successful worldwide.
#41 for 1989
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#41 for 1989
This was the debut single for Martika as well as her only hit in her native America as the rest of her catalogue sadly bombed on the Billboard charts. Fortunately, the rest of her catalogue was a huge success internationally likely due to her emotional vocals she gives on each of her tracks, this one in particular being the most emotional due to it being an ode to a fallen friend who died of a drug overdose.
#42 for 1989
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#42 for 1989
This often gets confused for a Hall and Oates track due to how similar Dan Hartman sounds to Daryl Hall on this song, indeed this theme to the long-forgotten film Streets of fire allowed him to escape the one hit wonder bin here that "Instant replay" threatened to trap him in back in 1979. There are two videos of this classic, the first is with a performance that a doo wop group from the film gives while the second has Hartman himself as a bar tender singing to his patrons.
#33 for 1984
Thanks to the success of their live album Under a blood red sky, U2 no longer had any issues with finding success with their singles which allowed this lead single to their album Unforgettable fire to become a massive worldwide success for them. It's easily one of their most recognisable hits thanks to the passionate performance that Bono gives on the track, saying that one's pride is something no one can take from them.
#34 for 1984
This was the biggest hit to come from the Hoodoo gurus, likely due to the video which perfectly mirrors the lyrics about who these guys are supposed to be with their respective relationships. If you can believe it, these guys remade this song many years later titled "That's my horse" which was made for a marketing campaign to promote gambling, how the mighty have fallen if they resorted to doing that.
#38 for 1987
This was the third single to come from Make it big, unless of course you're from America in which case it was pushed back as the fourth single so that "Everything she wants" would top the Billboard charts for the duo. This is often confused with George's solo hit of the same name from 1990, so much so that version is credited as "Freedom 90" to avoid confusion with this track.
#35 for 1984
#36 for 1985
I don't know whose bright idea it was to have this be the second single released from the Pet shop boys and not their first here in Australia, this resulted in the song not being as successful as it was internationally as their second single "Love comes quickly" was their debut single here. I guess the fact this was still a hit despite how late it was should prove how memorable it was compared to everything else this year.
#41 for 1986
This is a companion band for the Timex social club, a group whose best known for their hit single "Rumours" which sadly didn't become a hit here in Australia. I bring this up because we went from that dance classic to this cover of the Bill Withers track which became a massive success thanks to its reggae beat. It appears that UB40 wasn't the only band to score a huge hit with a reggae cover of an RNB classic.
#39 for 1987
Split Enz was on a roll as they were able to achieve massive success with the lead single to their album Corroboree/Waiata, an album which was meant to pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands of Australia and NZ despite the album not having any political tracks on there. The band would continue to spark international interest that failed to translate to actual success worldwide.
#42 for 1981
This was the first of two big hits that Livie managed to score from her film Xanadu, a film that's gone down in infamy as one of the worst to be ever made due to its bizarre plot and wooden acting from its star Michael Beck. This song plays in a scene where the two formerly meet for the first time, namely that Livie is skating around in an abandoned roller rink to the song itself.
#44 for 1980
This was the first top ten hit that David Bowie had here in Australia since "Sorrow" from 1974, that's a six-year gap from when he managed to have a huge hit down under which should tell you how done dirty he was back in the day. He returns with one of his stranger songs which remains a fan favourite in his catalogue, likely due to it being a love letter to the Tinman from the Wizard of Oz.
#45 for 1980
I know that this is one of the most quintessential ballads of the 80's, but something about it feels like it was made in the 90's to me. I think it's the way the synths create a dreamy atmosphere that would become more popular in that decade than in this one, although I definitely see how this was able to help the trio become a massive international success given how lovestruck Tom Bailey is throughout the track.
#36 for 1984
This was mean to be the lead single from Whitney's self-titled debut, however it was a huge flop for her given how it didn't come with a music video which was a death nail for songs released during the height of MTV. Once a video was shot, it was rereleased as the third single where it performed much better worldwide, likely due to it being a shoutout to her godmother which happens to be Aretha Franklin.
#42 for 1986
I guess in celebration of the premiere of Star trek the next generation, this novelty band from the UK through together a Claymation video that goes with a song that I think was meant to be a touching tribute to the original series. It's hard to tell with how bad the impersonations are of the characters, if I had to pick out my least favourite song of the decade, this would be it and I'm not even a Star trek fan.
#40 for 1987
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#45 for 1988
Man staying positive on this site has been a challenge for me, I guess one thing I can say in this songs favour is that Collette does seem like a better fit for the lyrics over Anita Ward, although that's about it. This was her one and only hit in Australia and her native NZ, meaning that this is an example of a one hit wonder covering a one hit wonder as opposed to Pseudo echo who were massive here.
#43 for 1989
It was a collaboration that could've only been made by the rock gods themselves, we have David Bowie and Queen teaming up for a song about how times were tough in the 80's and that everyone seemed to be living under pressure. The song was an instant success for both parties involved and helped Queen overcome an otherwise rocky album that was panned by critics for its weird experimentation.
#43 for 1981
#34 for 1982
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#43 for 1989
This is often considered to be the greatest comeback ever made by an artist, mainly because Tina Turner was considered to be yesterday's news in her native America by the time she had divorced her husband Ike eight years prior. This wasn't her first hit she had around the world since the divorce as "Let's stay together" was a surprise hit for her in the UK thanks to being produced by the members of Heaven 17.
#37 for 1984
This was originally released as "European queen" throughout Europe, although it appears nobody wanted to hear about such a queen as it promptly flopped for Billy Ocean. Feeling that the song had a chance to be a success albeit with different marketing, he changed the name to what it is now and simply replaced the world European with Caribbean on the track. This proved to be a winning formula as the song became a massive worldwide success.
#38 for 1984
#37 for 1985
This was the second single to be released from the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack, although the real appeal of this track is that it was the first solo single to be released from Glenn Frey and it was released around the same time Don Henley released his second solo album which meant both frontmen of the Eagles were competing with each other on the charts. Suffice to say Glenn won the battle as Don's big hit will be a bit later down this list.
#38 for 1985
This was the other big hit that John Lennon was able to score from Double fantasy this year, although I reckon it has a similar melody to another track from a few years prior called "We do it" from R and J Stone that was a massive hit here in Australia. Naturally no one seemed to care about the similarities given how this was the first song released posthumously from the former Beatle.
#44 for 1981
There was a bit of a stumble for David Bowie during the album cycle for Let's dance, that being "China girl" underperforming on our charts and thus being unable to appear on this list. Fortunately, he recovered with the third single (fourth if you count "Cat people" from the previous year) which helped him retain his popularity thanks to how catchy it is and how charismatic his performance is.
#35 for 1983
The last time Murray Head troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his rendition of "Superstar" from the Jesus Christ superstar soundtrack back in the early 70's. Here he is fifteen years later with the lead single to the Abba written musical Chess which like Evita before it, was originally a concept album written by Benny and Bjorn of the Swedish group before it was turned into a musical.
#39 for 1985
This was the first big hit that Huey Lewis and the News managed to achieve outside of their native America, sure they had buzz with their previous album Sports as that was a modest success here, but it somehow failed to produce a hit single for them down under. Of course, the real success of this track was due to it being the theme for the first Back to the future film, a film that remains a classic to this day.
#40 for 1985
Although they had success with "Blue Monday" from earlier in the decade, this was the first mega hit that New order had in Australia despite this being a massive flop in their native UK and only barely being a minor hit in NZ. I'm not sure why this succeeded here but failed in those two countries, I guess it was due to it being more pop friendly compared to what had been released prior.
#41 for 1987
Well, this is a cover that led to interesting developments in Jimmy Barne's career, we have him covering a Percy Sledge track during a live show which proved to be so well received that it was released as a single where it became a huge hit for him.
#45 for 1988
#44 for 1989
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#44 for 1989
Now that these guys were established hit makers, they didn't seem to have any issues with finding success with the rest of the songs from their sophomore album. Here we have their ballad which was a huge chart topper in the UK and their native America, although in the former it didn't reach the top spot until the 90's which means this was a hit here thanks to its popularity on Billboard.
#45 for 1989
Although they already achieved a huge hit the previous year with their cover of Redbone's "Witch queen of New Orleans," the Chantoozies were still seen as little more than a group of models singing covers of older songs until they released this track which seemed to silence their critics by bringing them into the big leagues in the music scene. After all this was one of the biggest hits of the year and allowed their album to be a huge success.
#46 for 1988
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#45 for 1989
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