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.
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1991
A word of advice, don't look up the term Chocolate starfish online unless it's in reference to this Australian band or the Limp bizkit album as both take this term from something that's very NSFW (assuming you don't already know what it is.) This was the debut single for the band which is a cover of the Carly Simon classic made over twenty years after the original in order to celebrate its legacy.
#83 for 1993
This was the second hit to come from D:ream this year, it was also released the previous year to deafening silence likely due to the Irish band needing that extra promotion to ensure their bright and happy dance tracks would find an audience for them. Indeed, they did as the band were able to find massive success with these songs and their album they came from, although their popularity faded soon after.
#80 for 1994
This was the big breakthrough his for one of the more divisive British RNB singers of the decade, mainly for her other big hit "Life" which has gone down as one of the worst songs of all time for its shoddy lyrics. This was chosen as the theme song to the Next karate kid which allowed it to become an even bigger success in America, although it was big enough worldwide without that film's affiliation.
#81 for 1994
Faithless were a British trio who scored a massive hit this year with a song that was originally released two years prior, heck it took a year for this EDM track to find success in their native UK as it was a hit the previous year for them in their homeland. While it's road to success was admittedly a circuitous one, it was inevitable considering that EDM was still very much the in genre of choice in Australia.
#83 for 1997
Apparently, this cover of the Bangles classic was meant to be a tie into a Happy day's musical that premiered this year, although I doubt anyone even remembers this and likely thinks this was just the big hit off their second album which was named as a way of counting down to the new millennium. They would have further success in the 00's still as a boy band before switching over to being a throwback group.
#75 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#81 for 1994
Following the success of their debut single from earlier on this list, the Corrs released the title track to their album which also became a success for them in Australia and nowhere else in the world. The album did eventually see success internationally once their sophomore album took off, however we Aussies were the only ones initially that could appreciate the band's blending of adult contemporary and Celtic music.
#85 for 1996
This was a surprise hit for west coast rapper Terrance Quaites AKA TQ considering it was released the previous year to massive success worldwide except for Australia, I guess the popularity of 2Pac from beyond the grave convinced us there was still merit to be found in west coast hip hop in the final year of the 90's. He wasn't able to achieve any other hits worldwide, making him a one hit wonder with this track.
#76 for 1999
Although their previous album One hot minute was a huge commercial success for the band (regardless of what the A.V club will tell you) it didn't spawn a hit for them which makes this lead single from their album Californication a comeback for them on the singles chart. This was a return to their sound from earlier in the decade now that John Frusciante was back in the band, and they weren't political anymore.
#77 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#79 for 1995
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for Strike in their native UK, likely because EDM wasn't the biggest genre over there throughout the decade. It was given a second chance this year due to a remix which allowed it to be a huge success here in Australia where EDM was the biggest genre of the decade. This was their only hit like so many other dance acts of the 90's.
#82 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1993
Jaki Graham first had a hit in her native UK a decade prior with "Could it be I'm falling in love," it wasn't a hit here in Australia, but this cover of the Chaka Khan classic was likely due to us Aussies realising how little success Chaka had back in the day and rewarding her with given success to her covers whenever we could. This flopped in Jaki's native UK, possibly due to her being part her prime at this point.
#82 for 1994
I guess we Aussies were eventually won over with their only being three members of Eternal as they were able to score a second hit here with this track, although it could be their contribution to Disney's Hunchback of Notre dame which won us over despite "Someday" being a massive flop here. In any case, they scored one more hit later in the decade with "I wanna be the only one" before calling it quits.
#86 for 1996
Evidently there was this teen comedy series from the 90's known as Party of five, it was apparently popular enough for its theme song to be a huge success this year for the band the Bodeans. The show premiered in 1994, which means this song was already two years old by the time it became a success this year, although the Friends theme from before also had this circuitous route to success down under.
#87 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#77 for 1997
This was the final hit that the Smashing pumpkins were able to score here in Australia, mainly because this was a Razzie nominated theme to what is considered to be one of the worst films of all time Batman and Robin. Obviously, the theme was nowhere near as bad as the film and that the Razzie's simply hated everything affiliated with it, however this did leave the band with a bad reputation in the music industry.
#84 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#78 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#70 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#82 for 1990
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1991
This was only the second hit that Peter Andre was able to achieve in his career, although most of my non-Australian readers likely didn't even realise he had any success prior to "Mysterious girl" from two years later given how his earlier work as since faded into obscurity due to its failure outside of Australia.
#84 for 1993
This was initially a huge flop for Sheryl Lee Ralph upon its 1984 release, I'm guessing it was due to the high abundance of diva pop from women of colour given how it would've come out during the height of the Pointer sisters and the dozens of protegees Prince had. It was given a second chance this year when a DJ remixed it and released it where it became a massive hit here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
#85 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#71 for 1999
This was the only other solo success that Jon Bon Jovi was able to achieve in his career, once again we have the second Young guns film to thank for this as this was also taken from the soundtrack which may as well serve as his solo debut album. He would release his first official solo album later in the decade when he received backlash for his band's album These days due to it abandoning their glam rock roots.
#88 for 1990
#88 for 1991
This is the only hit from the American rapper Del tha funkee homosapien (man what a weird stage name) this was mainly because of it being a conscious hip hop track with what has to be one of the strangest production gimmicks I've ever heard in any single. The title of the track is chanted throughout its runtime, which I guess was what helped this stand out from the other hip-hop tracks of the day for us Aussies.
#88 for 1992
This was originally a song for Alphaville from ten years prior, it was a massive flop in Australia making this dance cover from fellow German group Interactive the first version of this track to become a success here. The best-known version of this track came eleven years later when Youth group scored a huge success with their cover, although their take was more akin to a trip down memory lane.
#83 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#71 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#83 for 1990
It will forever be known as the song which tops the Christmas charts for the rest of time, however this holiday classic from Mariah Carey was originally released this year where it was a massive success for the final few months of the year before it dropped off the charts completely in the new year. This is arguably the first song to become a success despite having such a limited chart run because of record label's pulling the single from the shelves.
#83 for 1994
This was the only hit that the American trio Brownstone were able to achieve here in Australia, likely due to it being a huge success in the UK which admittedly seems to be how a lot of RNB jams managed to make it big throughout the 90's down under. I feel that these girls were the more successful versions of SWV here as that trio never managed to find much success even with their worldwide hit "Right here."
#84 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#80 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#81 for 1995
This was technically the biggest hit to come from the Smashing pumpkins in Australia, it's by far their most iconic song as the instrumentation is a perfect example of their sound and how its endured over the years. I'm guessing if this had of been the lead single from Mellon collie and the infinite sadness then it could've been one of the biggest hits of the decade instead of it being a mere modest success.
#88 for 1996
This was the final hit single that Celine Dion was able to score in her career in most parts of the world, mainly due to it being the perfect book end to a highly successful decade as this serves as the lead single to her pseudo greatest hits package All the way a decade of song that also has enough new tracks to qualify for a studio album. I guess she could've had more success if she didn't embarrass herself at Vegas in 2002.
#78 for 1999
This was the only other hit that these girls were able to achieve in their career, at least it was an original track meaning they weren't among the dozens of artists I've featured on this site so far to only find success with a cover or two over the years. Like I said earlier, one of the members would return at the end of the decade as a member of Hi 5, meaning that this was a mere steppingstone for her future success.
#89 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#82 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#82 for 1995
This was the first of two hits that Italian band Alex Party managed to score in Australia, although it was their only hit in the UK as the Brits didn't get on board with "Wrap me up" from the following year. This song has a straightforward message of not giving someone a second chance after they treated you bad in a relationship, it's surprising how rare this type of song is given how most love songs are in the music scene.
#85 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#79 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#72 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#73 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#74 for 1999
This is the only hit to come from singer/songwriter Marc Cohn, it's a song about the rich legacy of Memphis Tennessee and how music has evolved over the years in the city. It was a modest success here in Australia for him due to how well singer/songwriters were doing at the time (even if they were mainly women in this category) although his success would only be for this one and only song.
#89 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1992
It looked like Terence Trent D'arby would be a one album wonder as his second album was a complete failure for him at the start of the decade, fortunately his third album spawned this hit for him in Australia and NZ which helped him escape that fate in both countries. This is a departure from his earlier material as he went in a more rock direction from here on out in his career.
#85 for 1993
This was the other big hit that Urban Cookie collective managed to achieve this year, although I feel that vocalist Diane Charlemagne doesn't give in as good a performance as she does on their earlier track which is perhaps why this wasn't as big as "The key the secret." Even so, it was a massive success for the British band, although it didn't do their album any favours as that was a huge flop this year.
#84 for 1994
It appears there were two different versions of the Jennifer Rush track to become a hit this year in Australia, although this version from Italian singer Beverly Skeete was an EDM rendition as opposed to Celine Dion's take from earlier on this list so it's not like there was any mistaking the two versions of the track.
#85 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#72 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1992
This was the fourth and final hit that Mariah Carey released from her third album Music box, it was a continuation of the theme of having a music box played to you from the CD as here she uses that melody to reassure the listener that she'll be there whenever they feel like they need a friend. What really sells this track is the Motown choir which compliments her vocals and lyrics really nicely.
#86 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#83 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#83 for 1995
It may surprise you to learn that this was slightly more popular here in Australia than the lead single from a band who has the acronym of POT USA (well get to it in a minute.) I guess we were more amused by this track which appears to be about nonsense given that the video seems more like something you'd expect from SNL rather than from an alternative band during the height of 90's rock.
#89 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#75 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1990
This was the only other hit that Toni Pearen was able to score in her singing career, although like I said earlier, her acting career did lead to her becoming a popular TV host once the hits dried up later in the decade. Again, she never released anything as embarrassing as her E-Street co-star Melissa Tkautz, which means she hasn't been relegated to a reality star over the years and is still respected in the industry.
#86 for 1993
Well, this was a massive surprise given how unconventional Beck has always been in the music industry, although this was a hit in his native America as well so perhaps this was us Aussies getting in on the hype of this guy for his one and only hit worldwide. Although he's technically a one hit wonder worldwide, he continues to release albums that while not a commercial success, are critically acclaimed.
#87 for 1994
This was the final hit that Meat loaf had worldwide, although considering it's more of the 70's rock opera that made his two Bat out of hell albums a huge success, it's impressive he was able to have this be a success given how the 90's was more in line with grunge and alternative rock.
#86 for 1995
Well, this was a surprise hit here in Australia, mainly because nowhere else in the world was this British/American band able to score a hit other than with "I've been thinking about you" from the start of the decade. There wouldn't be any more surprise hits from these guys despite them never breaking up.
#87 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1996
#80 for 1997
This was another American DJ to not find any success in his native America but have tons of success worldwide, indeed Armand Van Helden managed to go to number one on the UK charts with this track which no doubt helped him find an audience around the world including here in Australia where EDM was still at the height of its popularity.
#79 for 1999
Five were so inescapable this year that they managed to score a fourth hit in a row from their debut album, which meant that they scored a total of six consecutive hits here in Australia with all of the entries we've looked at so far on this site. That's impressive given how the band would be yesterday's news within a few years into the new millennium.
#80 for 1999
This was the final hit that Kate Bush managed to score in her career, it's an Avant Garde cover of the Elton John classic that came from a covers album where many British artists paid tribute to the English piano man. Considering she began her career almost fifteen years prior, it's impressive that Kate was able to have success as recently as this year even if it was with an unconventional cover of a classic.
#90 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1995
With a name like the one these guys gave themselves; you'd think that they would have politically charged lyrics in their music. While they did occasionally get political in their music, their main schtick was novelty tracks such as this that were obviously meant to be played on shows like Beavis and Butthead rather than have any critical analysis applied to them. Indeed, this was a huge hit for the band whose acronym reads POT USA.
#90 for 1996
Well, here's a song that took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, again mainly due to RNB not being the most popular genre of the decade here despite this debut single from Monica being a huge success in NZ and her native America. She would go on to have far more success than her main rival Brandy throughout the 90's, in fact it wasn't until their collaboration that Brandy would be as successful as Monica.
#91 for 1996
There was still no shortage of EDM making it big in Australia this year, here we have a big hit from Italian DJ Brainbug who made it big with this song that feels like another entry into the DDR soundtrack that seems to be made to cash in on all of these songs from Europe throughout the 90's.
#86 for 1997
This was originally the second single from Chris Isaak's biggest album Forever blue, it flopped here likely due to how inescapable the album was but was given a second chance four years later when it appeared in the film Eyes wide shut. The film is notable for being the last one to be directed by Stanley Kubrick before his death and also for being the third to star husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
#81 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#90 for 1992
There's this movie known as Above the rim which stars Tupac Shakur as a basketball player, from what I can gather the film was poorly received for being nothing more than a string of cliches carried by the rappers admittedly compelling performance (maybe he should've played Michael Jordan in Space jam.) The film spawned a massive hit with this duet between Warren G and Nate Dogg, the former being one of the few rappers to have massive success here in Australia.
#88 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#81 for 1997
One of the sillier tracks to become a hit here, we have this metal band scoring a hit with a track about how they don't like to be called dude. If there's a more dated song to become a hit from the start of the decade, then I'm unaware of it as this couldn't be more dated if it had the TMNT rapping over this with Vanilla ice for one of their films.
#90 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#91 for 1992
These guys were on a roll this year as this became their second hit around the world likely due to how irresistibly catchy it is, although it has been used in sports themes like their earlier entry on this list. They would score two more hits in Australia the following year from their second album, although throughout Europe they were one of the most popular bands of the decade from any genre.
#91 for 1992
This was originally an album track from Vagabond heart that wasn't released as a single anywhere in the world, however it finally saw the light of day as a single two years after the album's release due to Rod performing it on MTV unplugged which compelled audiences to check out the cover of the Van Morrison track this year and make it a huge success.
#87 for 1993
This was a Hispanic hip hop duo who scored their one and only hit in Australia this year with this bop of a track, although in NZ their big hit was "On a Sunday afternoon" which topped their charts two years prior. If the production on this track sounds familiar to you, that's because Mariah Carey would sample it on her big hit "Honey" later in the decade. This wasn't a hit in America so it's anyone's guess how she came across this track.
#89 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1996
Well, this was something else from Janet Jackson, we have a rock track from her album Rhythm nation which I'm guessing she included on the album to appeal to the rock snobs of the world much like how her older brother included "Beat it" on Thriller seven years prior. It paid off for her as this became a huge hit in Australia and other parts of the world which would appreciate her attempts at rock and roll.
#89 for 1990
I'm really confused about this track, namely because this comes from the album where Prince decided to "emancipate" himself of his identity by presenting himself as an unpronounceable symbol of love (which the UK press hilariously referred to him as "the artist formerly known as Prince.") I guess the gimmick of him being referred to his dead name (for a lack of a better term) was enough to make it a hit here in Australia.
#92 for 1992
This was the only hit that Tony Toni Tone was able to achieve here in Australia, although like other groups of colour, they found more success over in NZ throughout the 90's which should tell you which country was more open to music of colour back then. Here they score their only hit with a new jack swing staple that proved too irresistible for us Aussies to resist back in the day like their other material.
#88 for 1993
This was dangerously close to being what I consider to be a "fan single," this is something I refer to songs that debut high on the charts due to strong fanfare from the artist in question only to quickly fall off the charts due to said single failing to live up to the hype set up by the fans. Eventually I let this song on my list due to it peaking during the months leading up to the Christmas period.
#90 for 1994
We have another entry from a song that would be a perfect fit for Dance dance revolution, Dreamworld were a Swedish band who scored their only hit with this song here in Australia due to it being another worthy banger for our dance floors upon its initial release. I'm not sure how we Aussies were able to discover all of these gems back in the day, however they make for a great playlist for a night out.
#92 for 1996
Well, this was the song that led off the album cycle to the first U2 album that was poorly received by critics, I get that U2's schtick had become centred on irony throughout the 90's, but they perhaps took it a bit too far when they released an entire album based around the pop rock of the day.
#87 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#73 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1990
Mariah was on a roll this year given how this became her fifth Billboard chart topper in a row since all four of her singles from her debut album went to number one in America, indeed this is the best song in her career so far as it's both bouncy and displays a personality she had lacked up until this point in her career. She would appear on MTV unplugged the following year to silence any rumours she wasn't the real deal.
#91 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#92 for 1992
Well, you know a song is bumping when it's able to crossover to Australia despite it being a hip hop track and having some casual misogyny in the third verse, although when it comes to sexism this is quite tame for Snoop Dogg considering how much worse his later material would be towards women. Indeed, we Aussies wouldn't give him another hit until "Beautiful" nine years later which is the antithesis of his 90's tracks.
#91 for 1994
The legends are true people, there was a Christmas rendition of the Macarena that was a huge success here in Australia during the Christmas season of 1996. No wonder the trend became kitsch once every version of the dance dropped off the charts worldwide.
#93 for 1996
#88 for 1997
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