Well, I thought I should make one of these lists for the biggest hits in the 00's in Australia, although I should point out that the charts were VERY unreliable when it comes to determining what was popular throughout this decade. To compromise, I'm using a list (which you can find here) to determine what were the biggest hits of the decade mainly through sales rather than chart runs. As such, you can consider the order of this list where each song would appear on the ARIA charts even though I'll still point out where they appear on my homegrown lists on this site. Also, I do apologise if some entries from 1999 and 2009 are much lower than they should be as I want to keep the integrity of the original list (OK I didn't know how to improvise where these songs would be had the decade extended longer than it did.)
This was the first big hit that Pitbull had in his career, he had previously attempted to make it big with the Crunk scene earlier in the decade to little avail, so he decided to reinvent himself as a club artist where he had much more longevity in the mainstream. This is another artist that I'm not particularly a fan of, mainly for the reasons most people aren't as he never struck me as an interesting rapper.
#37 for 2009 (#35 for ARIA)
Say what you will about "Take me there" by Blackstreet, at least it was an appropriate theme song to the first theatrical Rugrats film which is more than I can say about this track from the Baha men which serves as the theme song to the second theatrical film. The song is about how the group (who refer to themselves as dogs) are on the prowl for sex, and yet this was used in a kid's film which launched them into popularity.
#73 for 2000 (#72 for ARIA)
This was the first of two collaborations that Baby Bash made with the RNB singer Frankie J, the other would be on "Obsession" where the two roles would be reversed as Frankie would be the lead artist whilst the rapper was the featured artist. This is another song that was heavily delayed a release in Australia as it was meant to come out last year like it did internationally, thankfully it didn't affect its success here.
#16 for 2004 (#15 for ARIA)
It seems strange that this was the only genuine hit that MGMT managed to achieve here in Australia, mainly because I do remember hearing both "Time to pretend" and especially "Kids" a lot on the radio back in the day given how they were both used in commercials like this was. At least the album this came from was a massive success, and hey, they were well loved on Triple J as well.
#52 for 2008 (#50 for ARIA)
Aah comedy rap, when you're funny, you can find an endearing audience that will revisit your track time after time. When you're not (or at least only appeal to a niche audience) you may be popular for a little while like this lead single from D12's second and final album, however you'll eventually fade into obscurity as the general public no longer finds any humour in your track.
#39 for 2004 (#37 for ARIA)
This was released back in the day where Maroon 5 was a well-respected pop rock band and not a highly contentious project for the lead singer Adam Levine like they've become throughout the 2010's (yeah, I'm not a fan of their later work.) Here we have their third single from their debut album which became their biggest hit of the decade here in Australia likely due to it being a love ballad towards a girl with low self-esteem.
#8 for 2004 (#12 for ARIA)
This is often considered as one of the worst songs of the decade, mainly for how repetitive it is as well as how awful the lyrics are. Basically, it's a song that serves more as a warmup to Fergie's solo album as it can be considered the predecessor for that album's single "Fergalicious" which also has her and Will I am gawking at how attractive she is.
#27 for 2005 (#24 for ARIA)
#31 for 2006 (#31 for ARIA)
Well, this is certainly something different from Alecea Moore AKA P!nk, she would become known as a pop rock chick as early as her second album and yet here we are with her second single from an album which is more in the RNB genre. Although I and many others still have love for her early work, she's since disowned her debut album as she admitted to being forced to make it by her management.
#22 for 2000 (#28 for ARIA)
Again, I promised myself I was going to be nice with each and every entry on this site, so I'll have to put aside my very negative feelings towards this "parody" of the Lou Bega hit from two years prior and instead talk about how this got Bob the Builder out of the one hit wonder bin that his theme song threatened to trap him in. I guess this was a success due to it being less problematic than the song it's obviously ripping off.
#51 for 2001 (#41 for ARIA)
Even though this will be the only appearance of Sneaky sound system on this site, I should point out that their other two hits from their debut album "Pictures" and "I love it" were also very popular back in the day and that this was the only song from the album to reach the upper echelons of the charts upon its release. I think it's because it's a song about how the narrator saw a UFO and found it hard to convince people of her sighting.
#45 for 2007 ARIA
This was the first of a string of hits that Ja Rule managed to achieve here in Australia, I think it's due to him having a bunch of features on his songs (in this case RNB singer Case) who usually bring him a catchy chorus to connect his verses with. In this sense, he was the predecessor to Flo Rida as that's exactly what the follow east coast rapper did once the hits for this guy dried up.
#28 for 2002 (#24 for ARIA)
For a little while, this was my favourite hip hop track, this didn't last long as I quickly discovered the Eminem show shortly after, but I feel that if you found Eminem too problematic with his subject matter, then Nelly was a decent alternative as he was a good rapper without coming off as corny. Audiences worldwide agreed as this lead single to Nellyville was a massive hit for him due to being a club banger.
#30 for 2002 (#25 for ARIA)
From what I can tell, Duets is a film that exists. It's about Huey Lewis teaching Gwyneth Paltrow how to be a singer which led to this cover of the Smokey Robinson track that I personally don't have much issue with, although how it became a huge success in the southern hemisphere and nowhere else in the world is beyond me.
#15 for 2000 (#19 for ARIA)
#17 for 2001 (#22 for ARIA)
This was originally a massive hit for Colbie Caillat worldwide the previous year, although for whatever reason, we Aussies weren't interested in this ballad about how much in love she was upon its initial release. We gave it a second chance this year where it became a massive success, much like Soulja boy from earlier on this list, it appears we were simply slow in allowing internet songs to make it big here.
#43 for 2008 (#35 for ARIA)
It's strange that Lily Allen wouldn't have any success in Australia prior to the two big hits she had this year, especially considering how "Smile" was a big hit for her in NZ and yet neither of these entries were as such over there. This had a bit of a long climb to its success as she didn't originally shoot a video for it until early this year despite it being released at the end of the previous year.
#44 for 2009 (#40 for ARIA)
This was the last big hit that Ronan Keating had anywhere in the world both solo and as a member of Boyzone, although he would become a pop crooner on his later work along the likes of Michael Bublé and Michael Crawford so it's not like his popularity dwindled as far as his career was concerned. Here we have a cover of one of Garth Brook's earliest songs which suggests he was experimenting with country music.
#18 for 2002 (#18 for ARIA)
This was the first of two new entries to come from the deluxe edition of Good girl gone bad, an album that was already successful by this point but continued to be as such due to these two songs. Here we have Rihanna sing about how she was the fool in the relationship she was in and that her partner should "take a bow" at how they treated her, somehow, I get the feeling this song resonated more with her the following year.
#29 for 2008 (#30 for ARIA)
Given how two of the members had released highly successful albums between the trio's third and fourth album, the fact this was able to pick up where the singles from Survivor left off three years prior is impressive as you'd think fans would've gravitated away from the group by this point. Indeed, Destiny fulfilled was their final album as a unit as they would go their separate ways after its album cycle was done.
#21 for 2004 (#21 for ARIA)
#17 for 2005 (#21 for ARIA)
This was one of two collaborations that Eve had with Gwen Stefani, the other would come later in the decade when the latter released her solo debut to establish herself away from No doubt. In the meantime, we have this sex jam where both of them feel confident in being the love of the listeners lives and how irresistible they feel they are, audiences naturally agreed as it was a huge hit for them.
#21 for 2001 (#21 for ARIA)
This was the only hit to come from Samantha Mumba worldwide, although she did score a second hit in her native UK with "Body II body" which is a song that sampled "Ashes to ashes" by David Bowie on its twentieth anniversary. Here she is with an RNB jam about how she was in love with someone and her confessing her love to that person, it's a topic universally relatable so much so that it was a hit in America as well.
#70 for 2000 (#62 for ARIA)
This was one of two tracks to be included on the deluxe edition of Sophie's debut album, it was a massive success around the world likely due to the bizarre music video where she pays homage to the film Mannequin by portraying herself as one. It could also be due to the message of perseverance in the lyrics as while she's not over the breakup she's going through, she assures the listener that she will be.
#26 for 2002 (#22 for ARIA)
I guess the first Bad boys film spawned not one but two big hits that took the world by storm in 1995 (those being "Shy guy" and "I've got a little something for you") so it makes sense that the sequel would also have a massive hit with this posse cut from Nelly, his protegee Murphy Lee and P Diddy of all people. It was a massive hit worldwide despite criticisms involving the chanting on the track and the police siren in the production.
#16 for 2003 (#9 for ARIA)
Well it looks like this was an excellent year for European DJ's (or in this case a group of German DJ's) to dig up older songs and put their own spin on them for the clubs of the day, this time we have Scooter who dug up the Supertramp classic of the same name and scored a massive chart topper here in Australia with this formula much like DJ Otzi did earlier on this list.
#38 for 2002 (#30 for ARIA)
An interesting fact about Nelly Furtado's third album Loose was that the album cycle was different depending on where in the world you're from, as such this was the lead single to her album in the UK as opposed to her earlier entry which was the lead single in most other parts of the world including here in Australia and NZ. I'm guessing the Brits wanted to hear a female perspective of the Hall and Oates track of the same name.
#38 for 2006 (#37 for ARIA)
Well, this certainly took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, heck even in NZ it was a hit upon its initial release the previous year due to it being among the last rock tracks to top the Billboard charts. I guess the consolation for its tardy success was that it was arguably bigger here than it was anywhere else in the world, after all it's the kind of Christian rock that while cheesy, can still comfort audiences.
#13 for 2001 (#16 for ARIA)
This was the debut single from the Veronicas, one of the very few Australian artists to ever have the chance to work with the likes of Max Martin and Dr Luke which of course led to their eventual international fame with their second album. People seem divided on them as their fans (which includes me) praise them for the same reason their detractors despise them, that being their gimmick of singing in unison as if they were one person.
#14 for 2005 (#14 for ARIA)
This was the first of three hit singles that Dutch DJ Fedde le grand managed to achieve worldwide thanks to having a provocative music video to accompany it going viral on YouTube, imagine how much bigger this would've been if the mainstream included YouTube views onto their respective charts.
#42 for 2007 (#36 for ARIA)
This served as the world's introduction to Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem as a couple given how this duet appears on both of their albums from around this time, it was the first hit that the former had as a solo artist and would've been the latter's seventh consecutive chart topper had it been released before "Mistaken identity" which finally broke her impressive record on the Australian charts.
#32 for 2005 (#34 for ARIA)
This was the third hit in a row from Vanessa Amorosi, it was an instant success likely due to it being about making the most of what you have as life is fleeting and can end at any moment. This was a hit around the time that her earlier entry saw an international release, although that song was only a success in NZ likely due to rumours that she would perform it at the 2000 Olympics (which she did at the closing ceremony.)
#55 for 2000 (#45 for ARIA)
It looked like Madonna's career was done for when she released her ill-fated concept album American life in 2003, however she was able to brush over that disaster with her next album which was a throwback album to the disco era starting with this lead single that samples "Gimme gimme gimme" by Abba. It was a massive hit everywhere in the world except her native America where it was only a modest success.
#10 for 2005 (#11 for ARIA)
#22 for 2006 (#20 for ARIA)
Following the success she had with the Young divas from the previous year, Ricki Lee decided to give her solo career another shot which went over much better as this became a huge success for her. The supergroup also kept going this year by replacing her with Jessica Mauboy, she would follow suit the following year and have a much more prominent career as well.
#61 for 2007 (#46 for ARIA)
While the Spice girls were still a unit by this point in time, it seems like the girls wanted to be done with it as Sporty Spice released her solo album much like Scary and Ginger did before they released their third and final album later in the year. Given how the was the most vocally gifted of the girls, her solo debut proved to be the biggest his out of all of their solo material, although it could also be due to the presence of Left eye Lopez.
#12 for 2000 (#9 for ARIA)
Much like her earlier entry, this second single from Avril Lavigne was much more successful here in Australia than its placement would otherwise suggest, however I've already gone over why that's the case, so I won't repeat myself here. Instead, I'll talk about the songs which are both iconic to this day due to them showcasing the complicated feelings that Avril has during throughout her life at this point.
#52 for 2002 (#50 for ARIA)
This was the last hit that Beyonce had from her I am Sasha fierce album, it's also one of the last songs she had a hit with that is a love song as she had become a full feminist by this point in her career to appeal to the rising fourth wave of the moment. Even though it was a massive hit internationally, it wasn't as big in her native America likely due to it feeling out of place with her new brand.
#35 for 2009 (#31 for ARIA)
This was the third big hit in a row that P!nk was able to score here in Australia, this time it's with a song that's about how she's out with her friends and is getting hit on by a guy that she's clearly not interested in and how she handles the situation. If this sounds familiar to anyone, that's because this very premise was used by Meghan Trainor a decade later with her hit single "No" and was widely ridiculed for how poorly she copied this track.
#32 for 2006 (#32 for ARIA)
#38 for 2007 (#39 for ARIA)
It feels weird that this song is Jessica Simpson's biggest hit here in Australia, mainly because it was tied to her reality show the Newlyweds where her and her (then) husband Nick Lachey were filmed in their day to day lives similar to what the Kardashians would be on Keeping up with the Kardashians. It also serves to present her as who she really is which people have criticised for it failing to do.
#20 for 2004 (#22 for ARIA)
There didn't seem to be any signs of Usher's popularity slowing down here in Australia or anywhere else in the world as he scored the biggest hit of his career (at this point at least) I guess it was because RNB was at the height of its popularity and that Usher had fully matured into an adult by the time he released this and his album 8701. Of course, his biggest hits were still to come much later in his career.
#27 for 2002 (#27 for ARIA)
This is a song that was meant to be a tribute to Madonna who was quickly becoming less relevant in the mainstream by the time of its song's release, to do this the Androids compared her favourably to other female pop stars of the moment and how they couldn't hold a candle to the queen of pop's legacy. It was a surprise hit for the Australian band likely due to the video where the members cosplay as the different pop stars.
#33 for 2002 (#44 for ARIA)
#27 for 2003 (#39 for ARIA)
This second single from the Eminem show has always given me mixed signals as on the one hand he wants to make amends with his mother but on the other he does so in a way that suggests that he can never forgive her for the way she treated him while he was growing up. I guess these complicated feelings he had for her connected with audiences around the world as it was an easy hit for the rapper.
#34 for 2002 (#26 for ARIA)
I think this is the first song to become a hit by sampling an internet meme, in this case we have T.I sample "Dragostea din teï" from O-zone while also bringing Rihanna along to make sure the song doesn't sound too ridiculous to mainstream audiences of the day. It was a massive hit for the rapper likely due to the lyrics being about staying true to who you are which is an increasingly common theme in music.
#38 for 2008 (#34 for ARIA)
#36 for 2009 (#34 for ARIA)
This was the first big hit that Lil Wayne had here in Australia (I don't count his verse on "Soldier" as I never heard that on the radio back in the day) it was a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Kevin Rudolf which was such a success for them that it convinced him to become a rock star which even his diehard fans will tell you was a terrible idea. Kevin also had success here with the likes of Brian McFadden and Jay Sean.
#40 for 2009 (#36 for ARIA)
This was the second of only three hits that Ne-yo managed to achieve here in Australia, likely because of how catchy the song is compared to most of his other tracks which were RNB ballads. He of course had much more success over in NZ and especially his native America, and to be fair he did have other hits here as a featured artist for the likes of Pitbull and Rihanna.
#33 for 2008 (#37 for ARIA)
It seems weird that this would be the bigger hit for 50 cent here in Australia than his second Billboard chart topper "21 questions" mainly because this was a song about how as he puts it is a motherf**king pimp which is why you shouldn't mess with him. I guess we Aussies preferred him being confrontational rather than him being a romantic.
#11 for 2003 (#14 for ARIA)
#9 for 2004 (#10 for ARIA)
This was the first hit that Miley Cyrus had in her career, mainly because it was the first song she released as herself rather than her Disney alter ego Hannah Montanna in a way to distinguish herself for when she inevitably left the company in the new decade. It was originally released as a bonus track from her alter ego's second album, however it was a hit by it being the lead single to her first album as Miley.
#44 for 2008 (#42 for ARIA)
Considering this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America, you may be shocked to see how low this second single from Mariah Carey's comeback album the Emancipation of Mimi is on this list. Alas this isn't the result of its success being taken away due to illegal downloads, it just wasn't as inescapable here in Australia or indeed anywhere else in the world as it was on the Billboard charts.
#41 for 2005 (#44 for ARIA)
This is one of those songs that many people feel is one of the worst of the decade, I can't say I disagree mainly because I don't have a lot of patience for songs that are about forced positivity which this song exemplifies. Still, enough people back in the day were touched by Daniel's reassurance that things will get better that it was a massive worldwide hit for him, heck it even topped the Billboard charts the following year.
#12 for 2005 (#28 for ARIA)
Following the success of their first single on this list, Destiny's child released this female empowerment anthem about them having fun which is a bit of a contradiction to "Say my name" as that song is about them getting annoyed that their partner isn't spending enough time with them. Naturally these two songs aren't meant to be part of the same narrative, which is perhaps why they were both a massive success.
#31 for 2000 (#41 for ARIA)
I guess there was supposed to be a third round to the boy band wars this decade given how Blue were just the latest entry into the boy band genre to make it big with this track, although we Aussies sat out of it if there was as I don't remember there being many other contestants back in the day once the Backstreet boys faded into irrelevancy. Like many British acts of the decade, these guys were far more successful in NZ.
#38 for 2001 (#34 for ARIA)
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for the Script even in their native UK, although the failure of this track over there was likely due to them already having a massive hit with "The man who can't be moved" over there. It was given a second chance here in Australia for some reason which eventually allowed it to crossover to America the following year.
#54 for 2009 (#45 for ARIA)
For nine years, this was the only hit that Train had outside their native America as none of their other singles from the 00's managed to become a hit for them outside of the Billboard charts. That of course changed in 2010 when "Hey soul sister" got them out of the one hit wonder bin in most parts of the world, although I'm sure many people would rather this be their one and only hit in retrospect.
#43 for 2001 (#53 for ARIA)
This was the only hit from American RNB singer Mario Winans anywhere in the world, I'm guessing because it samples the Enya track "Boadicea" which is why she has a featuring credit on this track despite not having any vocals on here. Another featured artist was P Diddy who provides a guest verse to reinforce why Mario doesn't want anything more to do with the person he's singing about.
#26 for 2004 (#25 for ARIA)
Well, who needs to come in first place on a reality show to find success in the mainstream of music anyway? Here we have Paulini who came in third place on the first season of Australian idol and was able to score a massive hit with her cover of a Jeff Healy ballad from the late 80's which was far more successful here than the original was anywhere in the world combined.
#23 for 2004 (#24 for ARIA)
This was always destined to be a huge hit for Kylie Minogue given how it was the second single from her album Light years which saw her return to bubble-gum pop that made her a household name in the 80's, however it was also a success here due to it being performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics which seemed appropriate given how it was a song about how special a night was for her.
#53 for 2000 (#60 for ARIA)
Well, this might've been the duet to sink the reputation of both artists involved, bear in mind that the original from Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush was a huge hit in Australia exactly twenty years prior to when Shannon Noll and Rogue trader's frontwoman Natalie Bassingthwaighte took their stab at the ballad to massive commercial success. I bring this up because fans of the original were not thrilled with this remake.
#15 for 2006 (#25 for ARIA)
#17 for 2007 (#33 for ARIA)
I used to like this song, granted I was only nine years old when it came out, but there's a certain innocence to it that makes its popularity back in the day make sense to me. I do feel bad for it as it's often considered one of the worst songs of all time from an Australian artist, likely due to it being the rare, manufactured teen pop track from Australia in comparison to the rock and roll audiences are used to.
#34 for 2001 (#27 for ARIA)
Like many people over the years, I always found Macy Grey to be a rather odd vocalist as her dry vocals never sat very well with me. Of course, that puts me and her critics in the minority as this debut single of hers managed to be a huge success worldwide because of these vocals connecting with her fanbase. This was her only hit here in Australia, although the album it came from was a huge success.
#9 for 2000 (#10 for ARIA)
If the vocals on this track seem familiar to you, that's likely due to the fact that this was the one and only hit from the voice actress of Garnet from Steven Universe years prior to being cast in the LGBT Cartoon network series. Here the English vocalist recruits Kanye West to provide her a guest verse for little reason other than to have him be the American boy in question she's singing about.
#40 for 2008 (#31 for ARIA)
This was released the previous year to deafening silence here in Australia, I guess we Aussies felt that we didn't need a folk song from a Scottish woman even though Sandi Thom dominated our charts with her entry from the top of this list. It was given a second chance when it was featured in the film the Devil wears Prada which is considered one of the best rom coms of the decade.
#60 for 2007 (#42 for ARIA)
It's worth noting that Missy Higgins released most of her singles as E.P's even though songs were generally released with three or four other tracks as singles by this point in time, even so her first big hit was the lead single to her debut album which she called an E.P to no doubt drive up sales for it. This paid off for her, although I feel she didn't need to do this given how popular it's remained since its release.
#12 for 2004 (#13 for ARIA)
And who says that teen pop was dead by the midpoint of the decade? Granted it certainly didn't have a stranglehold of the music scene like it did at the start of the decade, but that didn't mean that songs such as this debut single from Jesse McCartney didn't have a chance at being a massive worldwide hit. Interestingly this flopped in his native America even though he would have massive success over there later in the decade.
#31 for 2005 (#31 for ARIA)
This is one of those songs that's meant to be an anthem for the frat boys of the world, as such it was a massive hit for Cobra starship as it seemed inevitable that this type of song would make it big in the club boom that was exploding this year.
#42 for 2009 (#43 for ARIA)
This is one of those songs like "Sweet dreams" from the Eurythmics that's meant to be hypnotic in its sound to make up for how repetitive it is when you look at it objectively, while it doesn't have that magic with me, it does with most people as it was not only a massive hit for the British group Starsailor back in the day, but also remains a critical darling in the music scene to this day.
#15 for 2004 (#14 for ARIA)
This was supposed to be the song which confirmed J-Lo as someone who was down to earth and not a spoilt rich diva, I guess it's safe to say that she's long given up on this endeavour as there is countless evidence to support the fact that she is a toxic celebrity who only ever thinks of herself in recent years. None of this stopped the song from being a huge success for her back in the day, likely due to how bouncy it is.
#42 for 2002 (#42 for ARIA)
#34 for 2003 (#36 for ARIA)
Following the success that he had with Dru hill in his native America, Sisqo left the group to pursue a solo career which was off to a good start with this track about how he fell in love with a woman based on her thongs (a bikini bottom for my non-American readers.) Some have accused this song of being sexist as it glorifies the objectification of women based on a piece of clothing, usually by people who do the same thing to men.
#13 for 2000 (#20 for ARIA)
This was another song that was heavily delayed here in Australia to allow Australian idol to take over the charts, as such it proved to be less successful here than if it had of been released on time like it was everywhere else in the world towards the end of the previous year. I guess its delay allowed this to out chart "Kryptonite" here even if that song was more successful down under than this ballad.
#55 for 2004 (#51 for ARIA)
I guess Eminem felt enough time had passed from Encore that he could return with the exact type of songs that he made on that album, I guess there was a fanbase for these two albums to draw on given how Relapse was a massive success for him even though (in my opinion) it shares a lot of the same problems that Encore had from five years earlier.
#45 for 2009 (#38 for ARIA)
It turns out that her cameo in Coyote ugly was meant to signify Leann Rimes transitioning from country to pop as the songs on the soundtrack also appeared on her album that year which flopped due to the soundtrack being a massive success. Here she is with the lead single to her second pop album which was also a massive success here in Australia and NZ, although it was a massive flop in her native America.
#35 for 2002 (#36 for ARIA)
This is another deeply personal ballad that came from Delta Goodrem's debut album, this time it's about her complicated feelings towards her partner which seems to go against "Lost without you" from earlier on this list which showcases the range of emotions she has throughout the album. It was her fourth consecutive chart topper, which meant that she already broke the record for most chart toppers from a single album in Australia with this entry.
#23 for 2003 (#25 for ARIA)
This was the first song from the Rogue Traders to have Natalie Bassingthwaighte on lead vocals, Natalie of course being a former cast member of Neighbours making this another example of the show launching a pop star in Australia. Naturally this would eventually become a huge success in the UK for the band, although aside from NZ, the rest of the world wouldn't take to the band's music.
#8 for 2005 (#8 for ARIA)
It had been five years since Bon Jovi last troubled the charts with their material, although given how this was a return to form for the band, it may as well have been eight years as they hadn't released anything this hard hitting since "Keep the faith" from 1992. It was a welcomed comeback from the band who went on to have sound success throughout the 00's before becoming a nostalgia band by the end of the decade.
#14 for 2000 (#17 for ARIA)
This was released mere months after the MTV music awards where Madonna kissed both Britney and Christina Aguilera on stage, meaning that moment was meant to hype up this lead single to Britney's fourth album In the zone which it did as it became the biggest hit of the decade for her in most parts of the world. Admittedly Madonna doesn't add much to the track as she's mostly there to bring up the lesbian aspect of the track.
#41 for 2003 (#33 for ARIA)
#34 for 2004 (#31 for ARIA)
This was a surprisingly good year for music to appeal to lesbians, wasn't it? Although I should point out that this Russian duo isn't a gay couple or even gay themselves and were only showing their support for the queer community (a bold stance for them considering Russia's stance on said community) with this song and music video which has the clever spin of having the homophobes be prisoners instead of them.
#46 for 2003 (#48 for ARIA)
From what I can gather, JoJo was the first artist born in the 90's to have a hit single anywhere in the world, that's impressive considering this is a song about a teenager essentially telling her partner to get out of her life for misleading her in the relationship in one of the cleverest ways possible. She does this by initially making this about how in love she is with them only to quickly turn it into her breaking up with them.
#24 for 2004 (#23 for ARIA)
Even though the album cycle for Evanescence's debut album was well and truly done by the time Amy Lee collaborated with the south African band Seether, that didn't mean that the world was tired of her music as she was able to make this a worldwide smash for the band largely thanks to her presence as well as the song feeling like it belongs on her album.
#19 for 2004 (#17 for ARIA)
Well, this is a song that's sparked a bunch of controversy since its initial release, mainly because it details Rihanna in what appears to be a perfect relationship with someone and yet she still feels the need to cheat on him and yet realises that her admitting this to him would be devastating to him which leaves her conflicted in what she needs to do. I guess this dilemma connected with audiences back in the day to make it a hit.
#28 for 2006 (#33 for ARIA)
This was originally released simply as "Mascara" where it managed to climb the charts following the success of the band's debut single "Weir," then their label decided to bundle it with "Leave me alone" which allowed both songs to top the Australian charts early on in the 00's and just in time for their debut album Reflector to be released.
#8 for 2000 (#11 for ARIA)
This was a passing of the torch moment as it not only was the first of many hits that David Guetta would have in his career, but also the final hit that Kelly Rowland would have as she wouldn't touch the charts in the 2010's both solo and as a featured artist. It seemed like the French DJ had a bit of a death touch on his first album when it came to the artists careers he featured, although thankfully it was only for this one album.
#39 for 2009 (#42 for ARIA)
This was one of the rare RNB ballads that Chris Brown has in his catalogue, even back then, it feels like a black sheep compared to the rest of his catalogue which is more upbeat and showcases a tougher side of his image. This song's released was heavily delayed here as was his earlier collaboration with Jordin Sparks due to how long it took for "Kiss kiss" to become a hit here (which is still to come on this list.)
#42 for 2008 (#45 for ARIA)
It looked like the Counting crows would only be known for their debut album from 1993, however their fortunes changed when this cover of the Joni Mitchell classic was chosen to be the theme to the rom com Two weeks' notice which stars Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. The film isn't very good as it hinges on the premise that they'll end up together despite him being a thorn in her side.
#21 for 2003 (#23 for ARIA)
It looked like that Pete Murray's debut album would only be a moderate success when it was released the previous year, however it become an overnight success this year thanks to the second single becoming a massive surprise hit for the Australian folk singer this year. I'm willing to bet if digital sales were legal this year, it would've easily been the biggest hit of the year given its ubiquity on the radio.
#14 for 2004 (#18 for ARIA)
This is the first of two entries to come from Spanish DJ Sammy who took two tracks from 1985 specifically and made them into dance tracks for the (then) modern generation. Here he scoops up the Bryan Adams track which was already described as one of the cheesiest ballads of the 80's and turns it into a dance track which connected with audiences around the world including in America.
#31 for 2002 (#32 for ARIA)
Well, I did promise myself and my readers I'll be nice to each and every entry I talk about on this site, so I will say that this did get a chuckle out of me when it first came out even if that was because I was twelve years old at the time. No doubt this was the reason why this lead single to Encore and the album itself was a success for Eminem as many people felt it was a giant drop off in quality back in the day.
#29 for 2004 (#28 for ARIA)
#37 for 2005 (#35 for ARIA)
This was one of the better received songs in Britney's career as it was an autobiographical account of her rise to fame (well biographical as it wasn't written by her) it was a massive hit worldwide due to people connecting with the tale of how she got everything she wanted but it all made her feel hollow inside. In a way, this was "Everything I wanted" almost two decades before Billie Eilish wrote that track.
#69 for 2000 (#68 for ARIA)
This was originally released at the start of the decade to deafening silence, mainly because it was considered to be too emo for a time that was meant to be a celebration of entering not only a new century but also new millennium. Of course, things quickly got sombre in society following the 9/11 attacks from the previous year, which allowed this sombre ballad to become a worldwide hit through that affiliation.
#36 for 2002 (#38 for ARIA)
Although it has a low placement on this list, this was the first chart topper that Kylie Minogue had here in Australia since "Confide in me" from six years prior. Again, we have a song that debuted high on this list due to strong first week sales and then quickly dropped off the charts once the initial hype had died down, although there was a lot of hype with this song as it was a return for Kylie to bubble-gum pop.
#72 for 2000 (#74 for ARIA)
It appears that rave tracks were still a thing going into the new millennium, so much so that this was able to crossover to Australia during a time where EDM was quickly losing its popularity in our music scene. There's not much to say about the group in question, Public domain was a British EDM group who had their success before fading into obscurity in their native UK.
#36 for 2001 (#30 for ARIA)
This was Jay-Z's first big hit here in Australia, even as a featured artist, he didn't have any success prior to this collaboration with his future wife Beyonce about how they were the (then) modern equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde. This song samples "Me and my girlfriend" by 2pac when he was known as Makaveli, I thought I'd bring that up given how this east coast rapper sampled a west coast rapper.
#31 for 2003 (#30 for ARIA)
This was originally an album track on N sync's third and final album Celebrity, as such there wasn't chance of the original becoming a hit for the boy band which wasn't good because the album had failed to produce a hit for them due to it being the end of the boy band wars in America. They decided to get Nelly to contribute a guest verse for the remix which allowed it to become a massive hit for them.
#44 for 2002 (#41 for ARIA)
This is the second song from JT to address his failed relationship with Britney Spears, although this one seems much more caustic than "Cry me a river" mainly because it came out during the height of her meltdown which (in my opinion) says a lot about the type of person he really is in retrospect. I guess if you divorce the context of what this song is about, it's easy to see how this was a huge success from him back in the day.
#56 for 2007 (#61 for ARIA)
This was the third entry from Delta's debut album, this time it's the title track from said album which is a reflection of how far she came from when she began her long journey as a musician which obviously connected with audiences who likely initially felt she was the Australian equivalent of the likes of Mariah Carey or P!nk. It was her third chart topper in a row, although like the rest of her catalogue, audiences have since come around for this track.
#20 for 2003 (#22 for ARIA)
It had been a while since Vanessa Amorosi had a hit here in Australia, in fact it was at the very start of the decade when she scored her final hit "The power" before she faded into obscurity for reasons I can't seem to ascertain. She was able to gain buzz the previous year with "Take your mama" which became a minor hit down under, however it was this ballad that helped her regain the dizzying success she had from her debut album.
#26 for 2008 (#44 for ARIA)
This was Christina Milian's only hit here in Australia, although it's worth noting that it wasn't even released as a single in her native America as her debut single "AM to PM" was a massive flop on Billboard for some reason. Both of these songs were much bigger in the UK which allowed this to be a massive success down under and the other track to be a sleeper hit thanks to her rich vocals on both tracks.
#40 for 2002 (#34 for ARIA)
While on the surface this is a song about how Sara Bareilles isn't going to write a love song about the relationship she's in, it's actually her standing up to her label who wanted her to write a generic love song even though she didn't have any experience with love while making her debut album from earlier in the decade. It turns out they were happy for this to be the lead single for her second album.
#49 for 2008 (#49 for ARIA)
This is often cited as the song where fans of No doubt officially gave up on Gwen Stefani, I'm guessing because it remains her biggest hit in her native America even though there are plenty of other contenders for that honour throughout the rest of the world. It may also be because this is a diss track towards Coutney Love of all people who called her a cheerleader, I guess her revenge was to act like one on this track and video.
#45 for 2005 (#49 for ARIA)
Wes Carr was the winner of the sixth season of Australian idol, he was considered the country star of the series which is perhaps why his victory single isn't among the more widely revered songs in this category despite its initial success.
#46 for 2008 (#52 for ARIA)
#48 for 2009 (#51 for ARIA)
Although "Breakaway" was the first song from Kelly Clarkson to showcase a more personal side of her, that was also the theme to the second Princess diaries flick which obviously didn't convince anyone that she was anything more than the winner of a reality series. Those preconceptions were shattered when she released the second single from the album of the same name which has become an anthem for breakups.
#38 for 2005 (#33 for ARIA)
Following the staggering success he had with Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas decided to embark on a solo career which began with the lead single to his solo album that was a massive worldwide success for him. Unlike most lead singers of popular bands in this vein, there's a distinct difference between his solo material and his work with Matchbox 20 which means that there was a vision he had that differed from his band.
#21 for 2005 (#13 for ARIA)
The only American idol contestant to see success with their victory single outside of America apart from Jordin Sparks was Fantasia from four years prior, although I get the feeling this victory single was a success here in Australia mainly due to the buzz she received with her collaboration with Chris Brown from earlier on the list which would explain why that song was heavily delayed in order for this to become a hit.
#39 for 2008 (#40 for ARIA)
This was one of only two hits that Darren Hayes had as a solo artist here in Australia, the other was "Popular" two years later which wasn't nearly as successful as this was for him. While it was unclear at the time why he chose to embark on a solo career during the height of Savage garden's popularity, it was later revealed that it was because he realised he was gay and that he needed to establish his own identity.
#29 for 2002 (#29 for ARIA)
This was another RNB track that was released fairly late here in Australia compared to the rest of the world, again it was for the best as it proved to be a bigger hit here for Debelah Morgan than even her native America likely due to it having Latin elements to the track that appeased those who wanted more of the Latin craze down under. She's a one hit wonder with this track which is a shame because she was a good singer.
#23 for 2001 (#23 for ARIA)
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