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 is a response track to Eamon's entry from earlier on this list, although contrary to popular belief, Frankee wasn't the girlfriend Eamon was singing about on his song as she was instead some random singer who wanted to cash in off the success of that track by writing a response from the perspective of his girlfriend.
#63 for 2004 (#57 for ARIA)
This is the last big hit that RHCP had here in Australia, although internationally that honour would go to "Snow" from the same album as this served as the lead single for which either way should tell you that this was the last album that they would be superstars with before their popularity evaporated going into the 2010's. This song would've done alright with its physical sales; however, its success largely came from digital sales.
#58 for 2006 (#64 for ARIA)
We have another double entry to appear on this site, this time it's from Anthony Callea who offered audiences a two for one deal with an original track from him along with a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel classic. It was an easy hit for the singer, and one that compelled him to come out as gay shortly after its success.
#61 for 2005 (#60 for ARIA)
This will be the only appearance from Natasha Bedingfield on these lists as it was her only hit here in Australia despite having huge international success even in America, I guess we Aussies wanted to hear her song about how writing a song is difficult even when it's only meant to be a simple love song and not anything else from her. At least it was bigger than either of her older brothers hits down under.
#45 for 2004 (#41 for ARIA)
This was the third hit to come from Mika's debut album, he had a fourth hit with "Big girl" but that's too much of a sleeper hit to be making an appearance on this site of mine. Once that track fell off the charts, his popularity seemed to come to an end as his second album was a huge failure for him by the end of the decade.
#51 for 2007 (#43 for ARIA)
#51 for 2008 (#43 for ARIA)
This was the only hit that Ja Rule had from his album the Last temptation in his native America, I'm guessing it was mainly for the video which is an homage to the final song sequent from Grease only with Ja Rule as Danny and Ashanti as Sandy (this was a good year for musicians of colour taking on roles originally done by Caucasian actors.) It's also the second "thugs need love too" ballad from the pair in question.
#60 for 2003 (#45 for ARIA)
This was the last hit to come from Evanescence, mainly because it serves as the lead single for an album that many people will tell you was more of the same from their debut album three years prior. Indeed, while the album was a massive success, it was panned by critics for failing to innovate their sound which resulted in their subsequent material failing to find much of an audience.
#48 for 2006 (#53 for ARIA)
This was another alternative track to make it big in Australia during the final stretch of the decade, in this case it's from NZ indie singer Ladyhawke (named after the Michelle Pfeiffer flick from 1985) who had a big of a steady climb to its popularity here despite it ranking very high on the 2008 yearend list for Triple J. Its popularity here resulted in it eventually becoming a hit in her homeland throughout the year.
#75 for 2009 (#78 for ARIA)
This is the lead single to Gwen Stefani's second album the Sweet escape, it was a massive hit upon its initial release despite it instantly garnering criticism for a wide range of reasons from the music video which depicted her as a sexually provocative nun to the sample of "The lonely goatherd" from the Sound of music. These criticisms led to the song not being as successful as the title track from the album.
#40 for 2006 (#45 for ARIA)
#45 for 2007 (#48 for ARIA)
This was another hit to come from a Jamaican artist this decade here in Australia but not over in NZ, I guess the kiwis had finally grown tired of reggae music after three decades of embracing it throughout the twentieth century. In any case, we have this one and only hit from Kevin Lyttle which can be taken the wrong way as a song about forcing a romance due to the lyrics but has rarely been taken as such due to how catchy it is.
#38 for 2004 (#39 for ARIA)
This was originally a flop for Nelly here in Australia due to his album not making many waves in our music scene despite its international success, however it got a second chance when it was featured in the film Scary movie 2 due to it being made by the Wayan brothers who were known for using drugs in their films and this song having a ton of drug references throughout its runtime (which were all censored on the radio of course.)
#61 for 2001 (#50 for ARIA)
This was the only hit that Wyclef Jean had as a lead artist in Australia, although I get the feeling this was only a hit because it seemed like it was meant to be a reunion duet with Lauryn Hill that was instead a duet with the female member of City High once he realised he wasn't going to make up with his Fugees co member. He would have another hit with Shakira later in the decade whilst she would fade into obscurity.
#46 for 2002 (#39 for ARIA)
If you're a bit concerned that this song is a bit too low for this list, I'd hate to see your reaction when we finally get to "Yeah" and its placement (don't worry, it's still to come.) Anyways, we have the second single from Usher's Confessions album which was about how failed relationship with Chilli from TLC and how he admits to screwing up the relationship shortly prior to making the album.
#31 for 2004 (#35 for ARIA)
Britney was certainly on a roll when she released the title track to her album Circus, an album that remains the last one to have any success despite her scoring a couple of hits in the 2010's with the likes of "Hold it against me" and "Till the world ends." Much like "Piece of me," this is also a song addressing her media frenzy which she refers to as a circus, however it's handled much better on this track.
#47 for 2008 (#47 for ARIA)
#50 for 2009 (#48 for ARIA)
This was the only hit to come from Puddle of Mudd here in Australia, although their big hit internationally was "Blurry" from the previous year which flopped here for some reason. The song is infamous for being written from the perspective of a teenage boy who got dumped for the first time, at least that's what people who despise this song have claimed given how it's been widely mocked since its initial release.
#62 for 2003 (#61 for ARIA)
Well, this is a song that I'm sure was a success purely through wholesome values, OK jokes aside, this was a song that was tailor made to be as explicit as possible given how we have the female rapper Khia exploiting her sexuality that only those who find her attractive could appreciate (which admittedly would be a lot of people as she is conventionally attractive.) It took a while to take off in Australia, but once it did it was a massive hit.
#68 for 2003 (#58 for ARIA)
I guess Snoop Dogg had return to what made him a household name a decade prior on this track given how he presented himself as a pimp that was in charge of the club scene on this track, although he brought back Pharrell from "Beautiful" to ease his new fanbase into the type of music his core fanbase loved him for. It was a much bigger hit worldwide for the rapper likely due to us Aussies not being into club music at the time.
#49 for 2005 (#50 for ARIA)
I think this was the first sign of JT maturing into the sex symbol he would become on his second album Futuresex/Lovesounds the following year, although here he's playing second fiddle to Snoop Dogg who would score one of his last hits as a lead artist with this track even though he remained quite popular as a featured artist for many years after this came out.
#36 for 2005 (#47 for ARIA)
This was the only hit to come from Kelly Clarkson's third album My December, an album that was panned by critics for being too much of an emotional trainwreck as she recorded it without much guidance from her management at the time. I and many others have defended the album for being an honest look at her emotional state at the time, however her label insisted on them having more control over her music after it was released.
#47 for 2007 (#50 for ARIA)
Although these guys had minor success with "It's too late" two years prior, it was this song that made them a household name likely due to it greatly benefitting from being released around the time that the digital charts had finally begun to be tracked in Australia. The two songs are very similar to each other (at least in my opinion) so perhaps "It's too late" was yet another victim of digital piracy back in the day.
#70 for 2006 (#67 for ARIA)
I think this was meant to be the debut single for Bow wow (then known as Lil bow wow) if it was then it was a massive flop in his native America as "Bounce with me" was the hit that introduced him to his fellow Americans. This was a surprise hit throughout Europe for him which likely explains why it was a hit here in Australia, although it was his only hit as a kid as he wouldn't have another until he became an adult.
#58 for 2001 (#43 for ARIA)
This is a song that I'm going to have a hard time being nice to, mainly because there have been so many jokes about it over the years that I've found amusing that perfectly sum up my and other people's problems with it (the only one I'll repeat is "someone please tell this woman what her name is so that she'll go away.") It was a huge international success for the British duo likely through ironic enjoyment.
#72 for 2008 (#59 for ARIA)
This was the lead single to P!nk's fourth album I'm not dead, an album that reassured her fans that she wasn't out of ideas and that she had new life in her music which seemed to be the case as she's still going strong even to this day (as of this writing.) Here she has a message to girls to not follow the trends of the moment and that it's a good thing if they consider themselves as outcasts.
#44 for 2006 (#40 for ARIA)
The last time Snoop Dogg had a hit here in Australia was almost a decade prior with his breakthrough single "What's my name," so to see him return with a song that seems to be respectful towards women as opposed to his other hit which had casual sexism in it (it's not as offensive as you would think) is a bit of a surprise but inevitable given its catchy chorus and production provided by Pharrell Williams.
#47 for 2003 (#37 for ARIA)
Although they had minor success prior to the lead single to State of the art, it was this track that finally allowed the Hilltop hoods to have a huge hit here in Australia after fifteen years of first forming back in the early 90's. They would open the doors for Australian hip hop throughout the 2010's other MC's such as 360 and Illy would also have hits that decade.
#71 for 2009 (#71 for ARIA)
This was another two for one deal that the Spice girls released for their final album Forever, it's an album they didn't want to make given how they knew that they needed all five of them to connect with their audience and there were no signs of Ginger Spice rejoining the group at the time of its release.
#62 for 2000 (#54 for ARIA)
This was the lead single to the Corrs third album, an album which saw them branch away from their Celtic sound they had on their previous two albums in favour of more conventional adult contemporary. This paid off for them big time internationally as this was a massive worldwide success for them, however it wasn't as big here in Australia likely due to us feeling like they sold out with this track.
#74 for 2000 (#79 for ARIA)
While it was more of a sleeper hit this year, fans of Brendan Urie will be relieved to know that the debut single from his band Panic! at the disco was a huge success here in Australia which no doubt led to the success of My chemical romance's hit from earlier on this list. They would have a second minor hit with "But it's better if you do" (which won't be appearing on this site) and wouldn't score another for at least a decade.
#81 for 2006
This was a hit twice here in Australia, the first time was on its initial release and the second was when the album became a success worldwide several months after its initial release. I get the feeling it was this track that finally allowed many of their contemporaries to find success such as Fall out boy and the Fray as there was a sudden rise in tracks like this finding success following its success.
#72 for 2006 (#48 for ARIA)
#76 for 2007 (#53 for ARIA)
Two of the biggest names in NZ music managed to score a massive hit this year here in Australia with this collaboration, here we have P-Money who was ahead of the curb when it came to producers taking lead credit for a song they don't provide any vocals on and Scribe who delivers one of his solid rap performances which made him such a household name in his homeland.
#50 for 2005 (#43 for ARIA)
Well, I suppose that this song's popularity wasn't that surprising considering how Good Charlotte were able to make it big with their brand of emo earlier in the decade, although I never minded those guys unlike Simple plan who I've never liked even back in the day. In any case, we have this song from their first album which took a while to take off here but was a massive success once it did.
#28 for 2004 (#33 for ARIA)
Well, I guess you can say this being a success for the Foo fighters was a consolation for all of the near hits they had throughout their career prior to this point, after all, rock music was the biggest casualty of digital piracy throughout the decade which was no longer an issue this year. Still, you can consider this a stand in for the likes of "Best of you" and "The one" which naturally received much more airplay back in the day.
#85 for 2007 (#72 for ARIA)
The hits kept on coming for Ja Rule in Australia as he released the lead single to his album the Last temptation, I'm guessing it was due to the presence of Bobby Brown who hadn't had a hit here for a decade and was now providing a chorus for Ja about what it's like to have thug loving (basically a term he coined for the "thugs need love too" troupe.) This was a huge flop for him in his native America, although at least it was released over there.
#59 for 2003 (#57 for ARIA)
Kelis is only a two-hit wonder here in Australia with both of her entries on this list, however she was one of the biggest names in music throughout the decade in Europe due to her scoring a bunch of hits over there including both of these entries. She's also only a two-hit wonder in America, although this wasn't one of those hits as "Bossy" was her other hit on Billboard from two years later.
#42 for 2004 (#44 for ARIA)
This may seem a bit low to my readers, however rest assured that Alicia Keys wasn't as inescapable here in Australia as she was internationally given that her debut single was only a moderate success here compared to how well it did internationally. Admittedly it was still a huge hit here considering that it was an RNB piano ballad which still didn't have much appeal in our music scene even going into the new millennium.
#44 for 2001 (#56 for ARIA)
This is an English cover of In grid's debut single from two years prior, it was a huge hit here in Australia likely due to the opulence of the production which allows it to still be used in ads for fancy jewellery and holiday destinations to this day. In grid was an Italian pop diva who saw much more success throughout Europe than she did in English speaking parts of the world due to the language barrier of her music.
#44 for 2003 (#50 for ARIA)
This was Aaliyah's only hit here in Australia, although much like her big hit in NZ from two years prior, this was also a song featured from a film which in this case was a film she also starred in. That film is of course Romeo must die which was panned by critics for its clunky story but praised for the performances from Aaliyah and her co-star Jet Li, suggesting she was also a talented actress as well as a singer.
#57 for 2000 (#57 for ARIA)
This was the only hit for both people involved on this track here in Australia, although both of them were much more popular in America given how Fabolous scored a bunch of hits on Billboard whilst Tamia was a popular choice for a guest vocalist on other people's tracks over there. As with most tracks with a male rapper and female singer, this was a "thugs need love too" anthem that was popular back in the day.
#48 for 2003 (#47 for ARIA)
Given how inescapably popular Usher was quickly becoming throughout the world, it only makes sense there would be a British equivalent which came in the form of Craig David. This was his second single from his debut album and by far the biggest on said album here in Australia, mainly because it has a gimmick of detailing his sexual escapades on each day of the week hence the name of the song.
#26 for 2000 (#27 for ARIA)
#26 for 2001 (#26 for ARIA)
This was one of two hits that the German EDM group Fragma had throughout the world at the start of the decade, the other was with "Everytime you need me" which sadly was too much of a sleeper hit here in Australia to be appearing on this site. I guess the EDM scene was still going strong going into the new millennium even if it was quickly losing steam in the mainstream compared to how inescapable it was in the 90's.
#50 for 2000 (#53 for ARIA)
This was the first sign of Gwen Stefani wanting to branch out in a pop direction, or at least that's what people who dislike this song will tell you as the song which made No doubt a household name was "Just a girl" which was only slightly less pop friendly than this lead single to their third album. It features a guest verse from Jamaican rapper Bounty Killer who adds his flavour of reggae to the mix.
#67 for 2002 (#59 for ARIA)
Now I know I should think this cover is awful especially since I'm a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac, however anything that makes me think of the band and especially Stevie Nicks is a win in my book which means this cover is fine with me. It was a surprise hit for the Dixie chicks given how they were on the cusp of getting cancelled when it was released due to them dissing the (then) current president.
#40 for 2003 (#40 for ARIA)
There weren't a lot of successful British artists throughout the decade here in Australia, however Ronan Keating was a rare exception likely due to the good will he had during his time with Boyzone throughout the 90's. Here he scored a massive hit with the second single from his solo debut ("When you say nothing at all" was technically the lead single) which was a huge hit for the Irish performer down under.
#65 for 2000 (#56 for ARIA)
Also known as the song that introduced the phrase "it's Britney bitch," we have this lead single to Britney's fifth album Breakout which saw a much more provocative side of the (then) troubled pop star following a string of public drama that forced her to be placed into her father's conservative ship (which the less I say about the better.) It was a massive hit for her likely due to fans wanting to support her during what was a dark period of her life.
#68 for 2007 (#66 for ARIA)
Well, I did mention when I talked about the original version of this track that this version was a much bigger hit here in Australia a mere three years later, so here we are with this version which was the only other hit that Blue was able to achieve here likely due to our familiarity with the original. I feel they were the 00's equivalent of MN8 as they too combined harsher RNB elements with the boy band sound.
#53 for 2001 (#54 for ARIA)
I think I'm in the minority when I say that this is my favourite song from Jewel, sure it's a sellout and a complete betrayal of what she had released prior, however I appreciate her trying to make a pop song and I think she did a fairly good job on this track. Of course, her justification for this song in particular is that it was supposed to be a parody of pop songs which many have felt had become vacuous by this point.
#30 for 2003 (#31 for ARIA)
This was the second single from Rihanna's Good girl gone bad album, it wasn't nearly as big a hit as her earlier entry on this list even though we Aussies certainly appreciated the rock edge this song has. It kind of reminds me of "Black cat" from Janet Jackson as that was another rock track from an artist who only released RNB tracks prior to its success, and indeed Rihanna would have more rock hits in her career.
#62 for 2007 (#60 for ARIA)
This was the penultimate hit that Jordin Sparks had here in Australia, her final hit would be with Guy Sebastian on a collaboration where she attempted to bring him to an international audience (it's still to come on this list.) I think Jordin was becoming more popular here in Australia than she was in her native America as this was a much bigger hit here than it was on the Billboard charts.
#46 for 2009 (#44 for ARIA)
Given how this ranked very high on the Triple J year end list for 2007, it was able to find massive success this year for the band Faker even if most of that success came from the lower half of the charts this year. There's not much more I can say about this track as it was one of those songs that likely would've flopped during the first half of the decade due to it being illegally downloaded.
#69 for 2008 ARIA
This was originally released in 1999 to deafening silence worldwide, I'm guessing because it has one of the most messed up videos of all time that was likely inspired by the cartoon series Angela Anaconda (anyone remember that show?) as well as it being little than Fatman Scoop shouting throughout the track. It was given a second chance towards the end of last year where it became a worldwide smash.
#41 for 2004 (#30 for ARIA)
This was the third hit that Shakira had this year, and just like her first entry on this list, this is an English cover of one of her tracks she originally recorded in Spanish which means the lyrics aren't as tightly written as her other entry on this list. Still, it was a massive hit for her and only wasn't as big as her other entries due to the album being a massive hit by the time it was released as a single.
#49 for 2002 (#54 for ARIA)
We've featured several tracks from his ex-wife Jessica Simpson on this site so far, so I guess it was only a matter of time before we got a hit from Nick Lachey here in Australia which came in the form of this lead single from his second solo album. Nick of course was previously known for being a member of the boy band 98° who also didn't have any success here in Australia, that would explain why this was his only hit here.
#46 for 2006 (#38 for ARIA)
This wasn't nearly as successful internationally as it was on Billboard where it became 50 cent's second consecutive chart topper, and in case you were wondering, yes there are exactly 21 questions asked in this song (even if some of them were asked more than once.) I think the real appeal of this track was having Nate Dogg on the chorus who just like on "Regulate" nine years prior, delivers a killer chorus.
#56 for 2003 (#46 for ARIA)
This was the final hit that Ciara had anywhere in the world, although it had a chorus provided to her from JT, so it was guaranteed to be a hit for her given that he was still considered a cheat code when it came to artists scoring hits this decade. That said, this would be the last time this would be the case as everything he touched once the new decade rolled around had a difficult time becoming a hit worldwide.
#55 for 2009 (#54 for ARIA)
This is a song that may seem extraordinarily low to anyone reading this list, indeed it was a massive success for U2 back in the day even if its placement on here suggests it was a mere moderate success at best. It had record breaking sales upon its debut here in Australia, however that led to it dropping in the lower half of the charts where it stuck around due to airplay refusing to let it die.
#84 for 2000 (#86 for ARIA)
Given how well-loved Nelly was from around this time, it only seems fitting that Chingy would follow suit into being an overnight sensation from the mid-west which began with his debut single which contains the infamous line "give me what you got for a porkchop." The song regularly appears on worst of the 00's lists for the line in question as well as people believing that Chingy isn't a good rapper.
#53 for 2003 (#52 for ARIA)
This is the final hit to come from 50 cent before he became yesterday's news in the realms of hip hop, I think he already was by this stage but still scored a hit due to having JT on the chorus during the height of the RNB singer's own popularity. Nowadays 50 cent is best known for his problematic social media where he constantly says inappropriate things online to further justify him getting cancelled.
#55 for 2007 (#57 for ARIA)
This is the last hit that everyone involved with this track had here in Australia, although in their native America, R Kelly would have one more hit with "Same girl" with Usher later in the decade. I guess the controversial RNB singer was added to the track to help break up the monotony of this being the third collaboration between Ja Rule and Ashanti as it's yet another "thugs need love too" anthem the pair made.
#46 for 2005 (#46 for ARIA)
This was one of two hits that Sean Paul had in Australia as a lead artist, this is impressive considering how he only ever had a hit as a featured artist over in NZ which is bizarre considering the kiwis would've loved this guy throughout the 90's if he had released his catalogue back then. Another surprise is that he was massive over in the UK given how the Brits also didn't have much love for reggae over the years.
#39 for 2003 (#44 for ARIA)
Given how there was so much 80's nostalgia throughout the decade, it's surprising that it wasn't until the end of the decade that we saw a hit with a song that could've easily come out of that decade which came to us courtesy of the British duo La roux. It's a shame that this was their one and only hit especially considering how it managed to crossover to America the following year for them.
#60 for 2009 (#62 for ARIA)
This is the censored version of one of the more controversial songs to come out of the decade, replace the word love with f**k and you'll start to see why as that's the only change made in the song which has some macabre production to juxtapose with Akon's voice. Snoop Dogg is also on here to provide a verse which is also creepier if you're looking at the censored version.
#44 for 2007 (#54 for ARIA)
At least Shannon Noll was able to have genuine success this year following his loss of the first season of Australian idol, this is because his second single was a hit that stuck around long enough to appear much higher than any of the other entries from Guy Sebastian which were hits but only because of his name recognition.
#62 for 2004 (#62 for ARIA)
This was a two for one deal from Cosima, a fan favourite on the first season of Australian idol who had to drop out due to developing an illness during the show that affected her ability to sing. Here she scored her one and only hit with these two tracks, the first being a cover of a Cold chisel classic and the second being what I'm sure was meant to be her victory single had she won the season.
#49 for 2004 (#55 for ARIA)
This was the biggest hit from JT's solo debut album Justified, mainly because it's well known that it was written for the king of pop in mind who passed this up for reasons I can't seem to ascertain. Justin scooped it up and strangely didn't have it be the lead single for whatever reason as it was clear from the get-go that this would be the song to launch his career away from N sync following his breakup with Britney Spears.
#51 for 2003 (#49 for ARIA)
These guys were yet another punk rock band that were adored by Triple J but otherwise largely ignored by Australian audiences, that is until this became a hit for them due to the video which lampoons some of the biggest teen pop stars of the late 90's as a way of distancing themselves from the other popular acts on TRL. This was a disturbingly common trend for older artists that regularly appeared on the music program.
#47 for 2000 (#52 for ARIA)
This was the only hit for the underage American southern rapper J-Kwon, a hit that sparked a bit of minor controversy as it opens with a song about how teen drinking was bad but he didn't care because he had a fake ID. Naturally this line was cut from the radio version of this song which left audiences with the counting gimmick he had throughout the song, it's about all I remember from it if I'm being honest.
#54 for 2004 (#34 for ARIA)
I feel that Beth Ditto was the Caucasian equivalent of Lizzo as she was an LGBT performer who was so comfortable with her appearance that it became an endearing factor of her image, and like Lizzo, she never felt the need to put anyone down in order to make herself feel good unlike some other performers throughout the 2010's. It's a shame her band only had one hit, although it was one more hit they had here than their native America.
#66 for 2009 (#67 for ARIA)
While the title for the most sexually explicit song from Enrique Iglesias will always go to "Tonight I'm loving you," for a while there was a strong contender for this title track from Escape to take that prize as the lyrics have been criticised over the years for being very forward about Enrique's intentions towards the person he's singing to. It turns out this was the song that won over his longtime partner (who he's never married) Anna Kournikova.
#51 for 2002 (#52 for ARIA)
This was another two for one deal from Nelly here in Australia (apologies for the lack of album art for "Flap your wings") as this serves as the lead single to his two albums Suit and Sweat which showcase two sides of the rapper from around this time. I remember "My place" being the big hit from around this time, although "Flap your wings" also remains fondly remembered to this day by his fans.
#40 for 2004 (#38 for ARIA)
Shakaya was one of the very few Australian groups to have its members be of indigenous descent to make it big in Australia, even then this was their only massive hit as it's about them being harassed by a stalker who they want nothing to do with and them telling this person to leave them alone. They did have buzz with their next two singles, however only "Cinderella" came close to recreating this song's success.
#57 for 2002 (#58 for ARIA)
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to have massive success throughout the decade worldwide, although curiously it was only a hit here in Australia as this flopped in their native America for some reason. I guess the song is on the shorter side which led people to believe it was over before it even began, a sentiment that wasn't felt here in Australia as it was a huge success here.
#60 for 2001 (#51 for ARIA)
You'd think that Rob Thomas's reunion with Matchbox 20 from two years prior would've been more permanent, however it was only for one single as he released his second solo album before he got back together with the band to record their (to date) final album North in 2012. This was a big hit in Australia this year, although I don't remember hearing it much due to coming out around the time MJ tragically passed away.
#56 for 2009 (#56 for ARIA)
This was the third hit that Shaggy achieved on his comeback album hot stuff here in Australia, this time he recruits Samantha Cole to provide the chorus for him as he gushes about the love of his life and how fortunate he is to have her as his partner. Apparently, this was originally recorded with Janet Jackson for a soundtrack a movie no one has ever heard of from 1998, that would explain why he rerecorded that track for this album.
#64 for 2001 (#65 for ARIA)
This is another victim of Sony's insistence of pushing popular songs aside in Australia to make way for Australian idols chart dominance, in this case it was the second single from Britney Spears which I assure you was a massive success here in Australia back in the day despite its low placement on this list. At least this managed to have presence on our charts for the short amount of time that it was available.
#64 for 2004 (#66 for ARIA)
This was the third big hit to come from the Veronicas debut album, it continues the trend of the duo singing in unison to create the illusion they were singing as one person which I and their many fans appreciate for its uniqueness as well as us connecting with the song regardless of how it's presented. They would release two more singles from the album which both flopped due to the album sales eating up their success.
#45 for 2006 (#39 for ARIA)
This was about as equally successful as "Right thurr" from the previous year regardless of where in the world you're from, this means that audiences wanted to hear Chingy rap about him being romantic to someone he's interested in as much as whatever his debut single was supposed to be about. He had to more hits in his catalogue (one of which is still to come) before people became bored of his music.
#43 for 2004 (#47 for ARIA)
There are two versions of this track that contributed to its success, there's the original which was a solo venture from Blu Cantrell where she fancied herself a rapper to try and convey the guy's perspective of this song about them falling out with each other. This version didn't go over very well likely due to her cosplaying as her partner, so a remix was commissioned with Sean Paul proving new verses which was much better received.
#43 for 2003 (#54 for ARIA)
I told you that British artists weren't that successful here in Australia, I'm willing to be the only reason why this track from Westlife was a hit here was due to it being a cover of one of Billy Joel's most recognisable songs in his catalogue and we Aussies were having nostalgia for the original when this came out. If finally got the Irish band out of the one hit wonder bin here despite how inescapable they were worldwide.
#57 for 2001 (#60 for ARIA)
There didn't seem to be any signs of Craig David slowing down in the mainstream as he released the lead single to his second album which became an instant success for him, I'm guessing because he was making the waves over in America this year with the material from his debut album which made him in the same leagues as Usher who was also enjoying a successful year around the world with his material.
#58 for 2002 (#56 for ARIA)
Shark tale is a film that seems to divide audiences, it all comes down to whether or not they appreciate this parody of the Pixar formula the same way that Shrek 2 (which also came out this year) parodies the Disney formula or if they feel that the film is nothing more than a collection of pop culture references strung together to try and form an incoherent plot. At least people like the theme song from Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott.
#57 for 2004 (#48 for ARIA)
This is the only other hit that Eve had as a lead artist in her career, although she would score two more hits after his as the guest rapper with Gwen Stefani and Guy Sebastian of all people. In the meantime, we have this collaboration with Alicia Keys fresh off the success of her debut album who provides her a chorus about how even female thugs need love too, the male equivalent worked for Ja rule after all.
#50 for 2002 (#53 for ARIA)
Even though it was a moderate success, the second album from the Rogue traders didn't pull in the numbers of their first album with Natalie Bassingthwaighte from earlier in the decade. As such, she decided to leave to the group to embark on a solo career which began with this lead single to her solo album which proved to be a massive success for her.
#56 for 2008 (#55 for ARIA)
#61 for 2009 (#63 for ARIA)
This was a posse cut brought together by the producer J Wess, sort of like what DJ Khaled would release throughout the 2010's only if he actually produced the music rather than just shout out some random nonsense at the start of his songs. The performers are rapper Digga and vocalists Kulaia and Lolly who both contribute to the chorus on this track.
#83 for 2004 (#71 for ARIA)
This was the third and final hit to come from Big Brovaz worldwide, likely due to the video which was clearly meant to be an homage to the TV show Friends (solving that shows issue of having an all-white cast in the process.) It was a much more sentimental track from the group who introduced themselves to the world as a tough RNB group who was all about being hard edge.
#37 for 2003 (#42 for ARIA)
#33 for 2004 (#45 for ARIA)
The lead single to their second album was a bit of a commercial disappointment here in Australia, however this second single from the album was a massive hit for them likely because of it being an honest display of Chester Bennington's pain that definitively connected with audiences back in the day. It was so popular that it was mashed up with Jay-Z's "Encore" where it became an even bigger hit.
#42 for 2003 (#41 for ARIA)
#37 for 2004 (#42 for ARIA)
Well, this is a song that showcases a more immature side of Outkast, or at least it does for Andre 3000 as while Big boi is on this track, it's still primarily his song given that it appears on his side of their album. As silly as the lyrics are on the radio edit, the album version is something else as it has an outro of him finding different ways to call his ex a bitch, it's absolutely hilarious and likely why this was a hit.
#52 for 2004 (#56 for ARIA)
This song was originally featured in Coyote ugly in a scene where the main lead realises she needed to perform the songs she wrote in order to land her dream job of being a professional songwriter, I guess enough people were impressed with a song that was meant to be little more than a jam session that the band in question the Calling were given a record deal where they were able to release it in the real world this year.
#45 for 2002 (#51 for ARIA)
This was a hip hop track that came out of nowhere here in Australia given how it wasn't a success for him anywhere else in the world including his native America, not even the kiwis gravitated towards this track which is really odd because they were the ones who discovered these hidden gems throughout the 90's.
#75 for 2001 (#69 for ARIA)
There was a five-year gap between Maroon 5's debut and sophomore album, although it didn't feel as long given how most people didn't even know about the band until 2003 when "Harder to breathe" began making the airwaves from their debut. Here we are with the lead single to their second album which was a much more instantaneous hit for the band worldwide due to their popularity being as strong as ever.
#64 for 2007 (#56 for ARIA)
Much like their previous entry on this list, this third single from BEP's Elephunk is different depending on which version we're looking at. The single version is a rather innocuous party jam that was a predictable hit for the group, however the album version has some truly bizarre lines as well as a breakdown where the members spout gibberish that I and many others find to be absolutely hilarious.
#58 for 2004 (#52 for ARIA)
It's worth noting that "4ever" was pulled from shelves in order to encourage the success of the duo's second single as well as their album here in Australia, otherwise that would've easily been an even bigger success than it already was back in the day. Here we have said second single which was also a massive success for them back in the day and confirmed them as one of the hot new acts in the pop rock genre.
#40 for 2005 (#40 for ARIA)
#42 for 2006 (#42 for ARIA)
This was the fifth hit in a row that the Pussycat dolls had here in Australia, it was a massive success here due to it being a female empowerment anthem about how they don't need the satisfaction of a man to have their lives fulfilled. I guess you can say it's hypocritical for them to have a song like this given their other entries on this site, however I and many others do agree that it's their best song by a mile.
#50 for 2006 (#55 for ARIA)
#58 for 2007 (#64 for ARIA)
This was the last hit that Bardot were able to achieve in their short time together, mainly because the main star of the group Sophie Monk wanted to embark on a solo career following the departure of one of their other members during the production of their second album. While Sophie did achieve moderate success on her own with her solo album, it didn't reach the success she had with her group.
#72 for 2001 (#67 for ARIA)
This is where it all began for Kelly Clarkson outside her native America as this second single from her debut album managed to crossover here in Australia due to its lyrics of a woman (presumably Kelly herself) regretting shutting herself off from affection out of fear of being mistreated. It remains a poignant track to this day and was a hint of what was to come on her subsequent albums.
#36 for 2003 (#38 for ARIA)
This is another song on this list that's much lower than it probably should be, although it had the similar fate to U2's "Beautiful day" from the start of the decade where it had strong first week sales and then quickly dropped out of the charts as opposed to many entries that had their releases tampered with by our music industry. This was the lead single to Kylie's album Body language, a mixed bag of a release that many fans will say was her last decent album.
#71 for 2003 (#72 for ARIA)
Well, it was only a matter of time before we looked at a song from Limp Bizkit on this site, although it may surprise you to learn that these guys never had a hit in their native America and that their success worldwide more came from how well they did in the UK of all places where this was a chart topper for them. I guess the Brits really enjoyed the combination of rap and rock on this track more than their fellow Americans.
#82 for 2001 (#64 for ARIA)
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