Much like with the 80's, I've also decided to do a list of the biggest hits of the 90's in Australia which includes entries based on both their AMR and ARIA stats. Just like before, 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.
I get the feeling that Madonna wanted to play Felicity Shagwell in the second Austin Powers flick, that would explain why she was chosen to make a theme song to the film as they likely went with this as compensation for her being denied the acting gig. It proved to be a fantastic theme for the film despite it only playing in one scene where Austin is trying to figure himself out now that he was back in the 60's.
#41 for 1999
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#42 for 1990
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#37 for 1991
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#42 for 1993
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#43 for 1993
They did manage to have one of the most successful EDM albums of the decade with their breakthrough earlier in the decade, so it makes sense that the German trio would try to replicate that success with this song which they made a valiant attempt with as it was a huge hit for them here in Australia. Unfortunately, their time in the spotlight was up as newer EDM groups took over the mainstream.
#48 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#44 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#44 for 1993
This was the only hit that Tupac Shakur was able to achieve in Australia during his lifetime, hey at least he managed to score one hit here prior to his murder this year unlike his rival Biggie Smalls who only saw success down under after he was assassinated. Here we have a guest verse from the king of the west coast Dr Dre, a verse that curiously references the sunshine state which is odd because that's how the east coast is described.
#47 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#50 for 1998
This is one of the more memorable songs as the decade was coming to an end, likely due to the dreamy atmosphere the song creates with the heavily reverbed vocals as well as trance production meant to simulate how sweet this person is that the duo finds. The uncredited vocalist on here is Sharon Woolf who does a fantastic job at bringing this gem to life which resulted in the British duo's success.
#42 for 1999
If you can believe it, there was a time where this had nothing to do with the Shrek franchise as this was originally written for the film Mystery men, hence why there's a version of this music video with clips of that film inserted randomly throughout its runtime. Even since this was included in the opening scenes of the Dreamworks flick, it's unfortunately become a meme for the band which harmed their career.
#43 for 1999
I guess we Aussies were willing to give these guys a chance once they won the Grammy for best new artist this year, as such we have probably their best song as it was written by Diane Warren who is best known for writing power ballads for many artists over the years. No sooner did this become a hit for the German duo that the scandal was revealed that they didn't in fact sing a note on any of their songs.
#45 for 1990
His Neighbours co-stars saw massive success with their transition from acting to singing, so why not have Craig McLachlan follow in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan with a singing career of his own? While this did work initially for this song as well as the album it was pulled from, he quickly found that singing wasn't his strong suit and stopped making music later in the decade.
#46 for 1990
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#42 for 1994
If you're wondering where the heck this EDM track came from, you'll probably be shocked to discover that this came from Jam and Spoon of "Right in the night" fame as they rebranded themselves to be anime fans as evidence by the Astro boy bootleg that appears in their promotion and the video for this track. They would score another hit later in the year with this formula which we'll get to in a bit.
#39 for 1995
Batman forever is a film that divides audiences to this day, mainly because it has the same campy tone as the 60's TV series despite it being a sequel to the more serious Tim Burton flicks from earlier in the decade. The soundtrack was at least a huge success thanks to Seal's earlier entry on this list; however, the actual theme song was this contribution from U2 which was nominated for a Razzie for worst song.
#40 for 1995
This was the biggest hit of Peter Andre's career outside of Australia, surprisingly this wasn't among the bigger hits of the decade here despite it being the biggest hit over the decade over in NZ for reasons I couldn't seem to ascertain. The song features a guest verse from Bubbler Ranx which was a fairly uncommon troupe in the 90's, in fact this is arguably one of the songs to popularise it in the new millennium.
#41 for 1995
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#43 for 1990
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#38 for 1991
It's a bit of a shame that the members of New Edition never saw much success here in Australia, indeed after Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill was the member with the best charting song down under with a song that didn't even crack the Billboard charts. I'm not even sure how this managed to become a hit here when it was such a failure in his native America.
#46 for 1993
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#45 for 1993
#43 for 1994
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#44 for 1994
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#45 for 1996
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#46 for 1996
It seemed like these guys weren't destined to have a successful career in Australia given how they released two songs from their debut album before it dropped to deafening silence, their fortunes changed when this third single became a hit once the album dropped and allowed said album to become a massive success for them. Even though they never saw international success, Human nature was a contender for the boy band wars in Australia as they competed with Backstreet boys and Five for the title.
#48 for 1996
#49 for 1997
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#51 for 1998
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#39 for 1991
It appears that Jenny B was only called upon to provide the vocals for "Rhythm of the night" as the rest of Corona's one and only album had Sandra Chambers as the vocalist for some reason. I'm not sure why they didn't allow Olga to sing as she was a decent vocalist, then again at least she did sing on these tracks live which is more than I can say for other attractive women of colour from EDM groups this decade.
#42 for 1995
One of the more promising Australian acts of the decade was Bachelor girl, a duo who scored their first hit with a song about how falling in love with a boy was the same thing as being brutally murdered in different ways. OK so it's dead simple to make fun of this song, however few have (to my knowledge at least) due to how heartfelt the vocals are as well as this being a staple of the 90's sound.
#50 for 1998
Given the success of their E.P from earlier on this list, we have the debut single from Ratcat which promised them a ton of success this decade that ended up being restricted to their debut album which admittedly was a huge hit for them this year. There was a ton of hype for these guys when the album dropped, so there was little chance that it was going to fail which is more than I can say for their later material.
#38 for 1991
So, this was the biggest hit that Gloria Estefan achieved in her career, scratch that it's just about the only hit she managed to achieve here as she didn't even find much success during her time with the Miami sound machine let alone her solo career. I think this was a hit due to it being the theme to the Sylvester Stallone flick the Specialist, even though it was originally a song by Vicki Sue Robinson of "To sir with love" fame.
#43 for 1994
#43 for 1995
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#45 for 1994
#38 for 1995
There were plenty of boy bands competing in the boy band wars this decade, these guys stood out because they played their own instruments which even then wasn't a unique requirement as we had Hanson and our own Taxiride that also filled this bill. This was the British band's only hit single in Australia, which I feel was only the case to give them a shoutout among the other contestants.
#44 for 1999
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#44 for 1990
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#46 for 1993
This was the first big hit that Usher was able to achieve anywhere in the world, although apparently it was with a remix as this sat on shelves for a while even in his native America before it unexpectedly took off over there. As with most RNB ballads of the decade, this was heavily delayed here in Australia, however that didn't prevent it from being a massive success here as evidence by its placement on this list.
#51 for 1998
Although this was always intended to be the second single from J-Lo's debut album, the fact that it was marketed as the theme song to the new millennium (despite needing to come out the following year for that to happen) likely helped it become a huge hit for her despite the mediocre reception of her album. Indeed, it looked like her popularity would come to an end after this dropped off the charts, however as we all know, it didn't.
#45 for 1999
This was a modest success in Betty Boo's native UK as was her second single "Where are you baby," so to see this be a huge success here in Australia is a bit surprising considering how rarely hip hop, let alone British hip hop makes it big here. I'm guessing the video had something to do with its success as it depicts her as a schoolgirl in a science classroom with hijinks ensuing from that premise.
#47 for 1990
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#40 for 1991
Given how Enya managed to score a massive hit with "Orinoco flow" as the 80's was coming to an end, it seemed inevitable that the new age trend would explode this decade which it did beginning with this track from the German duo Enigma. Something this adds over what Enya released prior was Gregorian chanting, making this feel like it belongs in a monk temple despite it being a huge success worldwide.
#39 for 1991
Well, here's that second hit that Sonia dada were able to achieve in Australia this year, it's about the same as their earlier entry on this list which explains why it was a huge success for them here and nowhere else in the world. Once the album cycle ended from the group, they were never heard from again.
#47 for 1993
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#47 for 1993
This is a song that's since been claimed by the Dreamworks franchise Madagascar as people are likely more familiar with Sacha Baron Cohen's cover of this dance track than the original. Indeed, this wasn't a huge hit for the trio in their native America as this only became a worldwide smash due to it becoming a surprise hit in the UK, although there was little doubt that this would be a huge success in Australia.
#44 for 1994
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#39 for 1995
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#40 for 1995
This was the second big hit to come from No Mercy this year, proving that Frank Farian had achieved his redemption arc following the disaster that was Milli Vanilli from earlier in the decade. The album these two big hits came from was a massive success here, which led audiences to wonder what was next for this trio. It turns out that their curiosity floundered when they released their next album.
#50 for 1997
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#45 for 1999
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#45 for 1990
#41 for 1991
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#42 for 1991
This was the big hit off of Bon Jovi's album Keep the faith, mainly due to people not really understanding what this song is about as despite the lyrics "lay me down on a bed of roses," this is actually a breakup song about him wishing that the relationship was still going when it's clearly over. It's certainly different from the other tracks they had up until this point which were to the point.
#48 for 1993
This sounds like it came from 2 Unlimited which would make sense considering how successful the Dutch duo was this year, however it was actually a song from AB Logic who scored a hit with this here in Australia again likely due to us Aussies confusing this for a 2 unlimited track released under a pseudonym. Apparently, this did chart on Billboard the previous year, although it flopped due to being an EDM track.
#49 for 1993
This was the final hit single that Michael Bolton was able to score anywhere in the world, although he did chart the following year with "Can I touch you there" proving that not everyone had given up on his music by the midpoint of the decade. This song is a bit of a bait and switch as you'd expect this to be about how he's bitter over a relationship he wishes he had no investment in, instead it's him saying that what he had with this person is more than love.
#45 for 1994
Much like the rest of his album, this was initially a flop for Bobby Brown likely due to us Aussies not being interested in the drama he had with his former band New edition. His fortunes changed when he released his theme to Ghostbusters II which helped this upbeat track from his album become a surprise success as the 80's was coming to an end, this allowed the album to also be a success for him.
#48 for 1990
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#46 for 1990
There was a lot of hype going into Toni Child's second album, that hype was met when the lead single became a huge success for her here in Australia despite her still being unable to find success in her native America (something that she never wound-up accomplishing.) Indeed, this would be her last hit single anywhere in the world as once the album cycle ended, she was considered yesterday's news.
#40 for 1991
This was the second single to be released from East 17, and it managed to be a huge hit for them both here and in their native UK which cemented them as a worthy rival of Take that in their homeland and the clear winner of the first round of the boy band wars here in Australia. They would score two more hits from their debut album Walthamstow down under proving how inescapable they were.
#50 for 1993
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#46 for 1994
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#41 for 1995
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#47 for 1996
This was the first of two hit singles that this Danish duo managed to achieve worldwide, it's a song that fits into the teen pop demographic right down to the two performers being teenagers on the track. Naturally this was a huge hit throughout Europe as well as in the southern hemisphere given how kid friendly tracks such as this was all the rage as the decade was coming to an end.
#52 for 1998
Well, this is a song where the boys wanted to get in on the rock crowd as this samples Joan Jett's "I love rock and roll" in order to help it compete with all the rock leaning teen pop that was getting big this year. Evidently this was the fourth single from the album internationally as we Aussies had to wait for the third single "Got the feeling" to be released the following year.
#53 for 1998
This was released three years prior throughout Europe to deafening silence, in fact I'm not even sure how this managed to become popular here in Australia other than it being an incessantly catchy EDM track from a talented vocalist that was never given her proper due back in the day. It nothing else, this being a massive hit here must have been some form of consolation for the singer in question.
#46 for 1999
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#46 for 1999
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#47 for 1999
This was the third single to be released from Taylor's second album, it's a song that took a while to take off here as her earlier entry was a bit of a sleeper hit down under, however once it did it encouraged us Aussies to check out her album which in turn helped it become a huge success as well. She would return later in the decade with a cover of a Barry White track that would become her biggest hit here.
#49 for 1990
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that reggae became a huge international success this decade given how many of the bigger hits fit into the genre perfectly. This was the second single from the Rockmelons that featured Deni Hines as the lead vocalist, as well as their second hit in a row that managed to crossover to NZ where reggae was an even bigger deal than it was in Australia. All of this led to the band receiving buzz over in the UK.
#39 for 1992
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#41 for 1992
This was originally released a decade prior to deafening silence for Arrow, a Caribbean singer who wanted to make it big in the English-speaking market but failed for whatever reason. It was given a remix which helped it climb the charts both here and, in the UK, although it was only a hit here due to it being perfect for our dance floors and even TV commercials which centre around red hot deals.
#44 for 1995
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#42 for 1995
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#48 for 1996
This was a huge hit for Boyzone largely due to it being a cover of a Cat Stevens number from 25 years prior, although it's worth noting that the boys were songwriters themselves and yet most of their hits were covers of older classics. This was their only hit in Australia for two years before they scored a massive comeback later in the decade with "No matter what" being a huge success.
#49 for 1996
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#43 for 1991
It was a new decade and Jenny Morris released this track which tried to change with the times given how some of her contemporaries failed to do so which resulted in their popularity dwindling throughout the decade. Although this was a success for the NZ pop star, it was merely through residual good will she acquired throughout the previous decade as she too found it difficult to keep her momentum going this decade.
#41 for 1991
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#48 for 1993
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#49 for 1996
I guess now that he was an established Hollywood star, Will Smith have little issues with finding an audience around the world with his pop friendly rap tracks. Here he samples a Sister Sledge track to score a hit with a song that remains iconic to this day in his discography due to how incessantly catchy it is as well as how much fun he's clearly having both on the song and in the music video.
#54 for 1998
Well, here we are with what's often considered the best song not just of the decade but of all time, yes, this lead single from Nevermind was indeed a huge success back in the day much to the chagrin of the band who brought it to life in the first place. Admittedly this was their only big hit in Australia as the success of the album ate up the potential success of the other singles from the album.
#40 for 1992
This was the other big hit to come from Reality bites, although this one has a more interesting story to it as Lisa Loeb and Nine stories weren't even signed to a label when this became a Billboard chart topper for them. This more than anything makes the song more famous than the film it was commissioned for as it helped them break a record by being the first act to top the American charts without having a label.
#46 for 1994
I read an old news column once that stated that the three nephews of MJ would embark on a music career once the first generation of the Jackson music dynasty aged out of the music scene. Obviously, this column was joking, however it appears that Tito was serious about pushing his sons into the music scene as they managed to score quite a number of hits in the UK of all places with their RNB ballads.
#50 for 1996
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#50 for 1996
#49 for 1997
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#47 for 1990
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#44 for 1991
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#42 for 1992
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#49 for 1993
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#47 for 1994
This was the debut single for a band who was promised so much success both critically and commercially and yet seemed to have gotten nowhere once they released their second album. Their first album was showered with praise and success (rightfully so in my opinion) thanks to Ella Hooper's powerful vocals as well as the catchy instrumentation of the band.
#47 for 1999
These guys were on a roll when they released their second single to their biggest album II, so much so that this replaced their previous single "I'll make love to you" at number one on Billboard making them one of the few artists to replace themselves at number one in America. I'm sure this opened up some doors in allowing RNB artists to crossover in Australia which would happen more frequently as the decade went on.
#45 for 1995
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#43 for 1995
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#51 for 1996
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#52 for 1998
From what I can gather, there are two versions of this song as there's the original which was released in the duo's native America which flopped and then there's the dance remix which became a massive success here and throughout Europe for the duo. This led to them having even more success with their earlier entry throughout the world, although they didn't find any further success with their other songs.
#46 for 1995
This was the title track from John Farnham's third album from his comeback period, it's a song that largely gets overshadowed by the rest of the album despite it being the biggest hit from said album. This is because the other two hits from the album (which are still to come) get more love on oldies stations than this does, although this does remain a fan favourite for what it's worth.
#50 for 1990
One of the biggest contemporary Christian artists of all time, Amy Grant was able to find success this year by temporarily moving away from her comfort zone and into a more adult contemporary sound which resulted in her scoring two hits this year with this being her first. She did have a Billboard chart topper prior to this become her second number one hit in America with Peter Cetera of all people.
#42 for 1991
It looked like that Lenny Kravitz would be yesterday's news following the commercial failure of his fourth album Circus, indeed his fifth album titled 5 (clever name mate) looked set to fail until he scored a surprise hit with this radio juggernaut. This no doubt led to him covering the 70's classic "American woman" which he submitted for the Austin Power Spy who shagged me soundtrack.
#48 for 1999
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#45 for 1991
This was originally a hit for Tommy Roe back in the late 60's, although it was covered by comedian Vic Reeves and British band Wonder stuff for charity which is why it became a huge success this year. This didn't do the band any favours for their music career, likely due to charity singles having a bad reputation in the music industry.
#41 for 1992
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#48 for 1999
Well so much for Ginger Spice wanting to get away from the spotlight, although I don't think it's uncommon knowledge that she just wanted to get away from the Spice girls given all the behind-the-scenes drama that was going on at the time (to say nothing about the revelations revealed year later.) It makes sense that her first hit single would be akin to a cabaret number as she was the vaudeville performer in the group.
#49 for 1999
OK as much flack as these guys received over the years, at least their earlier entry remains a classic on the dance floor to this day due to how much command and respect that Martha Walsh has on that track. Here she scores a second hit with a band that feels like it was tailor made to be a McDonalds commercial, indeed I've heard a remix of this track used in their ads over the years and it fits perfectly.
#43 for 1991
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