This was the biggest hit that T-Pain had as a lead artist in NZ, likely because it has Akon singing along with him about how they both have the hots for a female bartender which obviously amused the kiwis enough to make it a hit over there. This didn't even chart here in Australia despite the popularity of Akon at the time, although I get the feeling it would've had it been released later in the decade.
#19 for 2007 (#5 website)
I guess I was a little mean to this song on the Australian side of this site, after all, this was released during a time where comedy was far less sophisticated in the mainstream than what it's evolved to since. As such, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that this was a massive success in NZ for D12 back in the day, more so than it was here because of the lack of competition it faced against Australian Idol over there.
#21 for 2004 (#8 website)
This was the lead single to Brooke Fraser's second album; it was a massive success in her homeland due to her artist momentum being very strong following the success she had from her debut album three years prior to its release. It was the song she released to try and appeal to an Australian market which didn't work out despite her joining Hillsong around the time it became a hit over there.
#38 for 2006
#35 for 2007
This proved to be equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the German EDM group Cascada, likely because this was released during the early phases of the club boom that would explode in popularity the following year likely due to how the lyrics encourage a party atmosphere despite the name of the song suggesting otherwise. Although this was their only hit in both countries, they were far more successful throughout Europe.
#30 for 2009 (#22 website)
This proved to be a massive hit for Evermore in their homeland this year, in fact, it appears that the success of their two hit singles over there was the inverse of what they achieved over here as "Light surrounding you" was far less successful over there despite it being one of the biggest hits of the decade over here. Admittedly this song's weak placement on the Australian side of this site was due to digital sales not being incorporated by ARIA during its initial run.
#33 for 2006
The hits just kept on coming for Chingy in NZ, admittedly this is his only new appearance on this side of my site as the other three hits he had over there were also successful here in Australia. This song has become infamous for the line "I like them black, white, Puerto Ricon, or Haitian like Japanese, Chinese, or even Asian" which was supposed to show he wasn't a racist when it came to women but came off as a tad redundant.
#35 for 2004
#34 for 2005
While this was delayed over in NZ for some reason, said delay paid off as it became a much bigger hit for Madonna over there than it did over here in Australia (the only song in her career to do so mind you) proving that even the queen of pop herself can occasionally benefit from a delayed released in her career. It proved to be a bigger hit than "Music" over there as well which also wasn't the case down under.
#30 for 2001 (#19 website)
This was the second big hit that Savage had in NZ this year, it's with the original version of his hit single that he had here in Australia which is devoid of Akon given how few if anyone knew who the American RNB singer was upon this song's initial release. It's hard to say when Akon's version was released over there as RIANZ now insists that version was the one that got popular from the start when it wasn't.
#17 for 2005 (#3 website)
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ for Ronan Keating as it was here in Australia, mainly because once again, it had stiffer competition with many of the entries that outrank it on this list which prevented it from dominating their charts the same way it did over here. I guess it could also be that there was already a popular cover of the Garth Brooks classic to make it big over there from five years prior.
#35 for 2002 (#12 website)
While the placement on this list from Chingy's third single suggests it was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I should remind my readers of the stiffer competition every song reappearing on here had over there which makes this a much bigger hit for him over there than it was over here. This was to be expected given how much more popular he was with the kiwis than with us Aussies at the time.
#40 for 2004 (#30 website)
I guess the kiwis were a bit sceptical in Nelly Furtado's new music direction given how this wasn't quite as successful over there as it was over here for her, they were of course won over given how the album was a huge success as well as three out of the four singles becoming massive hits over there like they were internationally. I guess they simply needed to get on board with Timbaland being her executive producer.
#25 for 2006 (#6 website)
In an odd move, this second single from Suit was released around the same time that "Tilt ya head back" was released from Nelly's other album Sweat in NZ as opposed to here in Australia where it being released well after the latter became a hit down under. As such, this proved to be less successful over there than it was over here as it had to wait for that track to fall off the charts before it became popular.
#41 for 2005 (#29 website)
Even though Jewel was one of the biggest names in music throughout the 90's, this was her only hit over in NZ which coincidentally was a song that failed to become as such here in Australia despite her having plenty of success with her singles over here. I guess this is somewhere between her indie folk roots from her first two albums and her pop sellout of her fourth album which the kiwis found to be the perfect balance.
#32 for 2001
#36 for 2002 (#40 website)
This was the last hit that both artists had in most parts of the world, although I doubt most people remember that Nelly Furtado had a hit after her second album Loose given how she all but faded into obscurity once that album cycle had completed two years prior. James Morrison on the other hand only managed one more hit in his career with either this lead single to his second album or with "I won't let you go" here in Australia.
#50 for 2009
Given how this was released by a then unknown Australian singer, it makes sense that it wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia even though this was released at the same time over there as it was over here due to Gabriella Cilmi already sparking international interest with this song for some reason. Indeed, this was a massive hit for her throughout Europe likely due to how popular it was in the southern hemisphere.
#40 for 2008 (#45 website)
Well Australia had 28 days and America had Limp Bizkit, so I guess Blindspott would be NZ's equivalent of nu metal given how immensely popular the band was largely thanks to the success of this runaway hit from their debut album that had been released six months prior to when this became a hit for the band. They did manage to have minor success with their second album later in the decade.
#34 for 2003 (#14 website)
Given how the digital charts were fully incorporated onto the NZ charts when this fourth and final single from BEP's Monkey business was released, it only seems natural that it found far more success over there than it did over here as from what I can gather, it was a huge hit on our digital charts prior to them being incorporated onto our main charts.
#28 for 2006 (#15 website)
Although this had a bit of delay to its release in NZ compared to here in Australia (rather unusual considering it's often the other way around for these types of songs) it was nonetheless an instant success for PCD proving that the kiwis as well as everyone else in the world found the girls titillating on this track and indeed the rest of their album.
#16 for 2005
#15 for 2006 (#16 website)
Although we'll be looking at the title track from Enrique second album he released in English later down this list, it's apparent that this was the big hit off the album given how much more popular it was over there compared to what he had released prior and certainly since. I guess the kiwis were more interested in listening to him serenate his longtime girlfriend than anything else he had to offer.
#27 for 2002 (#13 website)
This was another song that saw a massive improvement in the rankings on this side of my site thanks to Sony not tampering with its success over in NZ like they did here in Australia, although admittedly this lead single to P!nk's second album got off pretty light here compared to some of the other tracks from around this time. Her second album was the only one to be more successful over there than it was over here for the record.
#7 for 2001
#10 for 2002 (#34 website)
This had a bit of a delay to its success over in NZ compared to here in Australia, normally this means that the song was even bigger over there as that tends to be the case with tardy releases from either country, however it wasn't as it proved to be much bigger here in Australia at the turn of the decade. I guess the consolation prize is that she managed to score a second hit this year which is still to come on this list.
#25 for 2000 (#19 website)
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, although I get the feeling it was still more popular over there given how it had much stiffer competition compared to over here where it had little issues dominating our music scene. There was little chance it would fail in either country regardless given how it's one of many personal ballads to make it big throughout the decade.
#30 for 2002 (#14 website)
This was way less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis realised the problematic nature of this song (for the most part) as the song was widely criticised even back then for promoting unhealthy standards for young girls that rubbed many people (me included) the wrong way. It ended up leading to their popularity rapidly declining worldwide for the remainder of the decade.
#36 for 2008 (#29 website)
Well, I told you this would be appearing much lower on this list compared to how well it did on the Australian side of my site, although rest assure that this was still a massive hit over in NZ this year even though it spent most of its time in the lower half of their charts. She wouldn't have this conundrum with her next album over there as all of her singles from M!ssundaztood would dominate their charts.
#50 for 2000 (#14 website)
I think Australia was the only place in the world where this came bundled with "If I were a boy" as one entry, it does make sense given how quickly this was released as a single after that other track kicked off the album cycle (it was by barely a month.) Naturally this has long overshadowed that track as the feminist anthem from the album, mainly because she's only angry with one man on the track as opposed to the whole gender on that track.
#30 for 2008
#31 for 2009 (#31 website)
This was the final hit that Robbie Williams had from his sophomore album in NZ and his native UK, it became a massive success for him given how he was inescapably popular in both countries despite this being a massive flop for him everywhere else in the world. This song's success no doubt led to his lead single from his second album from earlier on this list becoming an instant success worldwide.
#32 for 2000 (#15 website)
We haven't seen Kelly Rowland on this site since her work with Destiny's child from four years prior, at least we Aussies gave her a hit with "Work" the previous year whereas the kiwis clearly didn't want to hear from her anymore now that she was no longer part of Beyonce's old band save for this collaboration with David Guetta which was equally as successful in both countries.
#49 for 2009 (#36 website)
This will be the only appearance from one of Muse's singles on this site as this managed to become enough of a mainstream success in NZ to qualify for this particular list of mine, it's a good representation to their overall sound as the band were able to find a captivating audience around the world with their brand of alternative rock throughout the decade and even into the 2010's.
#65 for 2009
Although Shakira never had as much success in NZ as she did here in Australia, it's worth noting that she was still quite popular with her singles over there as evidence by this bonus track from the deluxe edition of her second English album. Like in Australia, she would have one more hit with Beyonce the following year before sadly fading into obscurity in both countries.
#17 for 2006 (#4 website)
This is another song that proved to be far more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although it's hard to say whether it was due to its release being tampered with here or if it was more popular over there organically especially considering how this was Blu's only hit over there as "Breathe" didn't even chart over there like it did over here. Either way, it was a massive success for her over there likely due to its popularity in her native America.
#16 for 2001 (#23 website)
One thing I can add to this song that I didn't cover on the Australian side of this site is that this was the final song to not chart here until it was given a physical release, as such, it managed to appear slightly higher on this list due to it charting on time over there just like every other entry on the Australian equivalent of this list.
#35 for 2008 (#28 website)
I did mention on the Australian side of this site that this managed to top both the NZ and British charts this year despite failing to do so here in Australia for the Melbourne duo, it was inevitable that it would be a massive chart topper in both countries given how it was stuck behind Eiffel 65's entry from earlier on this list like it was down under as the 90's was transitioning into the 00's.
#23 for 2000 (#16 website)
It turns out this ballad was heavily delayed here in Australia given how it was released in NZ months prior to it coming out here, although its delay was well worth it as it was obviously a much bigger hit over here than it was over there for Amanda Perez. I guess RNB was still seen as an underdog this far into the new millennium given how I honestly felt songs being delayed over here from the genre was over and done with by this point in time.
#32 for 2003 (#15 website)
It appears that this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for All Saints, either because the kiwis were also big fans of the movie it was based on (I mean it was a twenty something year old Leonardo Dicaprio stranded on a deserted island admittedly) or because it was also the lead single to the girls second album which saw massive success in their native UK once it dropped.
#20 for 2000 (#18 website)
This is often considered to be Busta Rhymes worst song, mainly for the chorus which many feel is a copout considering that his flow is as good as ever on this track. Naturally this was a huge flop here in Australia even after the success of "I know what you want" from earlier in the decade over here.
#36 for 2006 (#7 website)
This will be the only song from Simple Plan to reappear on this side of my site, I guess the kiwis could only stomach one of their songs making it big in their mainstream as opposed to us Aussies who gave them a string of hits over here back in the day from their first two albums. They're one of the most loathed bands of all time on the internet, and unlike other bands in this vein, I won't argue against their infamy.
#33 for 2004
#33 for 2005
This shares its name with a famous Kelly Clarkson track from her second album Breakaway, although it's worth noting that this is a love ballad rather than a song about how the narrator is messed up because of the way someone treated them which is why you shouldn't confuse the two songs with each other in the slightest. It was an easy hit for Ne-Yo in NZ despite it being a massive flop here in Australia.
#25 for 2007 (#7 website)
This is another song that managed to become a massive hit in NZ despite never been given a release here in Australia, this time it's the third single from Avril Lavigne's debut album which remains one of her most popular tracks in her catalogue due to how vulnerable it portrays her as without coming off as too sappy and sentimental. This would sadly be her final hit over there until "Girlfriend" from her third album.
#39 for 2003 (#16 website)
This was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it charted higher over there for much longer which is odd because it obviously had much stiffer competition over there than it did here in Australia and yet this is how its success panned out in both countries. Either way, this song's success was proof that both countries wanted more of Savage Garden and initially took whatever they could get from either member.
#33 for 2002 (#15 website)
This is another song on this list that didn't quite dominate the NZ charts the way it did here in Australia, again because it had much fairer competition over there than it did over here which is a theme that continues strong on this latest list of mine. If you can believe it, this was his first Billboard chart topper as nothing he released prior to his 2009 comeback managed to go to number one in America other than this.
#6 for 2002
#8 for 2003 (#30 website)
Given how the album cycle for P!nk's second album wasn't tampered with in NZ like it was here in Australia, this means that the second single from the album managed to be much more successful over there which is interesting as many will tell you that this is her true debut single given how it has far more personal lyrics than anything she had released prior.
#38 for 2002 (#16 website)
Well, this is a more accurate placement for this song on this list if we're measuring how popular it was, this is another reason why I wanted to look over the NZ charts on this site as the kiwis didn't allow the music industry to tamper with their songs release schedule in the 00's. In any case, we have this lead single from Kylie's biggest album Fever which remains her signature tune despite it not being among my favourites from her.
#12 for 2001 (#45 website)
#13 for 2002
One of the more promising bands from NZ to make it big at the start of the decade was Fur Patrol, mainly because they follow in the roots of No doubt and the Pretenders as a male band consisting of a female lead vocalist which no doubt helped them achieve their one and only hit with this gem. The album this came from also did reasonably well, however their subsequent material not so much.
#11 for 2000
#14 for 2001 (#46 website)
It looked like NZ Idol was about to take the kiwis by storm given how the runner up to its first season Michael Murphy also managed to achieve a huge hit from the series similar to how Shannon Noll scored a massive hit in Australia despite losing out to Guy Sebastian from earlier on this list. Alas, Michael also failed to retain his popularity in his homeland as he remains a one hit wonder with this track.
#39 for 2004 (#13 website)
Between this being released later here in Australia and having to climb our charts going into the new year, it's a miracle that this third single from Good girl gone bad managed to become a success here at all for both Rihanna and Ne-Yo back in the day. Fortunately, it didn't have either of these hinderances over in NZ, which means it not only appears on the list for this year but also has a higher spot on it.
#32 for 2007 (#48 website)
This is another song that I feel is in its rightful placement on this list to replicate how popular it was in Australia back in the day, again we have the label tampering with its release schedule to blame for its lower placement on that side of my site. For most people, this was likely their introduction to the Patti Labelle classic from the 70's given how all four girls do their best to pay tribute to the original on this track.
#26 for 2001 (#20 website)
Even though this was the last hit that Evanescence had in NZ just like the rest of the world, at least it managed to be slightly bigger over there likely due to it heavily benefitting from their digital charts which had fully been incorporated by the time it was released as a single as opposed to here where they weren't. Although it was a massive disappointment, their second album still managed to acquire fans to this day.
#39 for 2006
If you couldn't tell from the band name or album art, Katchafire was a tribute band to the late and great Bob Marley who managed to score a massive breakthrough this this track that does sound like something the reggae legend would've made had he lived to see the 21st century. It was their only hit over there, however they were more of an albums band given that's where their success came from.
#39 for 2002 (#17 website)
This was the one and only hit from the NZ indie band Goodshirt, a band who looked like they wouldn't be able to score any success with their debut album when it was released the previous year but saw their fortunes change when this track about a childhood friend of theirs named Sophie became a surprise hit for them this year.
#23 for 2002 (#18 website)
I actually feel this songs placement on this list is a bit inaccurate to how popular it was given how it was overplayed to hell and back here in Australia back in the day, at least it's a far more respectable placement on this list than it was on the Australian equivalent. Much like the rest of the world, Hoobastank remain a one hit wonder in NZ with this rock ballad about a failed relationship.
#48 for 2004 (#43 website)
While Linkin Park was shying away from their nu metal roots when it came to their sound, that didn't mean their lyrical scope had changed as lyrically this wouldn't feel out of place on their earlier works even if the instrumentation was more at home with the likes of My Chemical Romance or Panic! at the disco from around this time. It appears this wasn't a deal breaker for the kiwis like it was for us Aussies.
#39 for 2007
While this was a hit here in Australia for Powderfinger, it was only a sleeper hit despite entering our charts in the top five (it quickly fell to the lower half of our charts.) I guess the kiwis were willing to allow this to be a hit over there this year in exchange for the album not being as successful as it was down under, although the album was a massive sleeper hit over there throughout the year.
#50 for 2001 (#22 website)
This was slightly less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I guess once you factor in the stiffer competition it had over there compared to over here, then you can argue it was equally as successful in both countries for Sophie. It turns out this was a much bigger hit over there than her biggest hit here in Australia, although that is still to come so it's not like the kiwis ignored it or anything.
#43 for 2002 (#19 website)
This song from Mary J Blige was delayed a release over in NZ, this is a bit odd considering that A: it was usually us Aussies that delayed the release of an RNB track over the years and B: Mary already had minor success over there throughout the 90's which means the kiwis would already recognise her work prior to this Billboard chart topper of hers. Of course, this worked out for her over there given how much bigger it was compared to down under.
#45 for 2002 (#30 website)
Given how this was released around the time of MJ's death, it's impressive that this song from Jordin Spark's second album managed to be as successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere as each other given how the deaf of the king of pop shook up the world quite badly when it happened. I bring this up because the song feels oddly appropriate to what his legacy has gone through since his tragic passing.
#38 for 2009 (#33 website)
Given how they had one of the biggest albums of the decade in their homeland, it only makes sense that Fat Freddy's drop would achieve a huge hit from said album which no doubt helped it achieve its best seller status over there and even likely sparked international interest in the band that helped them become a cult classic.
#28 for 2005
#30 for 2006
This was the final hit that the Feelers had in their career, it came from the album of the same name which was a success for them even if it won't be appearing on this site due to it not being successful enough to do so. They had a very good run during the first ten years of their career, so much so that they capped off their first decade together with a greatest hits package overlooking their biggest hits.
#42 for 2006
It appears the kiwis were also invested in this remix of the (then) obscure track from Elvis's catalogue given its popularity in the Ocean's eleven remake from around this time, this in addition to how much love he was given in Disney's Lilo and Stich was enough to revive the popularity of the king of rock and roll worldwide 25 years after his untimely death.
#18 for 2002 (#20 website)
I vaguely remember hearing this song on the radio back in the day, however it doesn't surprise me this flopped here in Australia given how unlikely it would've been for us Aussies to understand a word either rapper is saying on this track. It's also little surprise it was a success in NZ given how the kiwis were already acquainted with Krayzie Bone through his work with Bone Thugs n Harmony.
#22 for 2006 (#10 website)
Given how popular Robbie Williams was in NZ entering the 00's, this lead single from his third solo album didn't feel much like an event over there as it came mere months after the release of the final single from his second album (which we'll look at in a bit.) Because he was already popular over there by this point of his career, it meant that the album cycle would proceed as it did in his native UK.
#19 for 2000 (#21 website)
I guess the kiwis were also amused by this fusion of hard rock and club music to make it a massive hit for Cobra Starship like the rest of the world was, in fact their success over there was exactly the same as it was over here given how both of their hits over here saw the same amount of success over there and they had no other hits in either country.
#32 for 2009 (#18 website)
I guess I should talk about the song itself given how it wasn't bundled together with Beyonce's earlier entry on this list, this is one of the earliest songs to become a success that can be considered a misandrist anthem given how she manages to degrade the entire male gender on the song without any sense of humour of irony. As such, you can guess which demographic considers this to be a classic even to this day.
#34 for 2008 (#27 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, which means of course it was technically more successful over there due to having far stiffer competition given how there wasn't a reality series preventing certain songs from having a fair run on their charts which was the case on ours this year. I get the feeling this was due to the presence of Amy Lee given how Seether haven't had any success outside of this ballad worldwide.
#28 for 2004 (#28 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as on board with Gwen Stefani's solo career than we Aussies were, then again, I have noticed that she hasn't had as much success in her career up until this point in general given how much weaker her hits with No doubt were over there. That said, this was still a massive hit for her over there which is certainly more than I can say about how it did in her native America where it flopped.
#29 for 2004
#29 for 2005
While this did last a little bit longer on the NZ charts than it did here in Australia, it wasn't that much longer, which suggests that this song's popularity just faded rather quickly in both countries as opposed to it being pulled from shelves like some of the other songs to see massive improvements in these rankings. We Aussies made up for this not being as big over here by giving him a second minor hit with "Thoia thoing" this year.
#21 for 2003 (#18 website)
While it wasn't their first hit single over in NZ, this was the song that convinced their fellow kiwis that Nesian Mystik would be one of the hottest new names in their local music scene thanks to their slick and catchy hip hop that helped them stand out from their American contemporaries at the time.
#26 for 2002 (#21 website)
Given how the kiwis never had an issue with songs become a hit from already highly successful albums like we Aussies have over the years, this means that the third single from JT's solo debut managed to be even more of a success over there than it was over here. This wasn't the only song from the album to improve its ranking because of this feat, we'll be looking at the other song to achieve this in a bit.
#36 for 2003 (#19 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in both countries from the southern hemisphere, this is quite impressive given how this song had much stiffer competition over in NZ given how no song had its release tampered with over there like they did over here which suggests it was actually more popular over there for Nelly than it was over here.
#21 for 2002 (#22 website)
Even taking into consideration that every song that placed high on the Australian equivalent of this list had stiffer competition to what didn't place high on that list, it appears that the kiwis weren't as impressed with this breakthrough single from Sophie Ellis Bextor as we Aussies were likely due to them not finding the video as endearing as her earlier entry on this list.
#47 for 2002 (#23 website)
J Williams is a NZ RNB singer who scored a massive hit with this ballad about finding love in a NZ ghetto, it connected with kiwis likely due to them finding the premise of this track to be amusing from the singer. This eventually led to him collaborating with many of the biggest names in their local music scene and scoring massive hits with them.
#41 for 2009 (#24 website)
This was the last hit that Soulja Boy had anywhere in the world, it's a song about sending one's love through text messaging that he and featured vocalist Sammie who had a hit in his native America at the start of the decade with "I like it" as a child star. At least this song managed to chart here in Australia likely due to the chorus being halfway decent, however it wasn't a hit over here like it was over there.
#34 for 2009 (#14 website)
It feels weird that this song failed to appear on the Australian side of my site given how James Blunt had far more success overall here in Australia than he did in NZ, I guess we Aussies weren't as interested in hearing a song of his that has a tempo to it than the kiwis were this year given how this is by far his bounciest song in his catalogue to become a hit.
#51 for 2007
Unlike in Australia where these guys didn't have much success past the boy band wars save for their cover of a Billy Joel classic, it appears the kiwis still had plenty of love for one of the finalists of the second boy band wars of the 90's as the lead single to their second album proved to be a massive success to the point where said album was also a hit for them over there.
#18 for 2000
#24 for 2001 (#43 website)
This was Sugar Ray's only success in NZ, likely due to the animated video that aired on Cartoon Network which is honestly my only memories of this song back in the day here in Australia (admittedly it was a huge flop here despite it airing on the program.) It could also be that it makes for a good beach jam as do a few other entries on this list that failed to appear on the Australian side of this site.
#47 for 2001 (#24 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because word got out that this was a charity single in her native UK and audiences feeling that they would be supporting Sports relief if they bought the song internationally (I'm not sure if international proceeds counted towards the charity or not.) It was the only other hit she had over there as was the case over here.
#48 for 2008 (#36 website)
It was only inevitable that the winner of the first season of NZ Idol would achieve massive success in his homeland following his victory on the show, such was the fate for Ben Lummis who wowed his fellow kiwis with his brand of RNB which resulted in this chart topper for him. Sadly, NZ Idol didn't have as much staying power over there as the Australian counterpart over here as this remains his only hit.
#16 for 2004 (#1 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Pitbull, meaning this was another case of the club boom homogenising the music scene from everywhere in the world given how many of these tracks were a hit regardless of where in the world you were from during the height of its popularity.
#29 for 2009 (#20 website)
Naturally this wasn't as inescapably popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Ian Carey Project due to it being an EDM track that found its initial popularity on YouTube worldwide, although it did do better than most of the other tracks to make it big this way from the likes of Fedde Le Grand and those ringtone downloads looking to cash in on the Crazy Frog's popularity.
#58 for 2009
I stand by that this song would've been infinitely more successful had it been released the following year (for reasons I won't get into but should be obvious for anyone familiar with what happened to her that year.) As is, it was a massive worldwide hit for her given that it was the lead single to the deluxe edition of her third album, NZ being no exception.
#31 for 2008 (#16 website)
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, naturally this was because it was one of the few songs to not have its release schedule tampered with by Sony due to the Australian Idol phenomenon which technically means that it was more popular in NZ given how it had stiffer competition over there. I guess the kiwi's felt Jo Jo was the new Avril Lavigne given the latter doesn't have any entries on this list.
#22 for 2004 (#24 website)
Even though this was released on time over in NZ, it appears that didn't do the song's popularity any favours over there it didn't become as popular as it was here in Australia where it was delayed in order to allow Guy Sebastian's earlier entry on this list to dominate our charts during the holiday season of 2003/2004. I guess the kiwis didn't find this haunting ballad as beautiful as we Aussies did.
#45 for 2004 (#36 website)
This is the closest that Eve came to having more success in NZ than she did here in Australia, mainly because this song rebounded on the charts over there as it was descending likely due to it being the first solo hit that Gwen Stefani had in her native America. Ultimately it was more successful here in Australia even taking into account that this lasted longer on the NZ charts than it did on ours.
#54 for 2005 (#30 website)
Given how this wasn't delayed as a single over in NZ like it was here in Australia (I'm not going to speculate on the reason why) this was naturally a much bigger hit over there than it was over here given how the kiwis were also impressed with the Russian duo's stance against homophobia they took with this track. This was originally recorded in Russian before they translated it into English for a wider audience.
#38 for 2003 (#20 website)
This is the final hit that Westlife managed to score in NZ, although they would find success with their later material albeit only on their album charts even though they scored a massive hit here in Australia with "You raise me up" from one of those albums. If there was a third round of the boy band wars, I would declare Blue as the winner as they managed to score far more success with their singles than these guys.
#46 for 2002 (#24 website)
I've featured several entries on this site where Lil Wayne was the featured rapper on someone else's song, I guess it's about time that we look at one of his own songs where he's the lead artist which just so happens to be his one and only Billboard chart topper as the lead artist from his critically acclaimed album Tha carter III. I'm guessing it was a hit in his homeland and in NZ due to it being a song comparing sex to candy.
#32 for 2008 (#18 website)
While this also remains Green Day's final hit in NZ like it was everywhere else in the world, at least it was a much bigger send off to their popularity over there than it was here in Australia where it struggled to find mainstream relevancy as evidence by its lower placement on the Australian version of this list. Who knows if their popularity would've remained had the 2010's not become so hostile towards rock music.
#39 for 2009 (#38 website)
Even though this was released on time in NZ as opposed to here where it was heavily delayed for 3 Doors down, it manages to have a lower placement on this list due to it only becoming a success over there once it was released over here where it nearly topped our charts upon its initial release. I guess it goes to show that a delay can work to its songs favour provided it has the hype from a band's fans.
#64 for 2004
This is the other big hit that Zed had over in NZ from their debut album, it turns out it was included on the American pie soundtrack which perhaps explain how this got the band off the ground in their homeland given how popular that film was back in the day. These were the only hits that the band had in their homeland, however they did achieve minor success later in the decade with their second album.
#57 for 2000 (#34 website)
You may be forgiven into thinking that Nina Sky was a solo project, it's actually comprised of twin sisters who present themselves as a single person in a similar vein to the Veronicas from later in the decade. This was a massive worldwide hit for the girls and one I remember hearing quite a bit back in the day, making its failure in Australia all the stranger to me as the song did chart over here this year.
#44 for 2004
You'd think that Akon's popularity in NZ compared to what it was here in Australia was due to him dominating their digital charts, however you'd be wrong as he actually thrived on our physical singles charts here in Australia. I guess this means that the kiwis were genuinely more interested in listening to his music than we Aussies were regardless of what format they wanted to hear it from.
#23 for 2007 (#27 website)
This feels like a more reasonable ranking for Delta Goodrem's second single from her debut album, although there's no denying that it was a massive success here in Australia which makes its international appeal make sense to me. These two entries from her on this list were her only hits in the UK, suggesting that the Brits didn't gravitate towards her music because of her appearance on Neighbours.
#43 for 2003 (#21 website)
Although the placement of this song would have you believe this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I should remind my readers that this was pulled from shelves over here which means that this was still more successful over there as it was able to have a full chart run even if it was more popular here in Australia given that it had its success taken away from it by record executives.
#50 for 2004
Well, this song had Akon on it, so naturally it was going to be a massive hit in NZ given how much the kiwis loved the RNB singer this year (boy did he have a strong work ethic back in the day.) This was able to give Wyclef Jean another hit over there five years after his previous collaboration with a female vocalist (Niia being her name in this case) as well as give Lil Wayne a hit over there with his guest verse.
#48 for 2007
I guess this song was only popular for its usage in Daredevil over in NZ as it didn't linger around once Evanescence's debut album dropped like it did here in Australia, although that didn't mean the band wasn't successful over there given how popular their subsequent follow up singles were as well as the album they were pulled from. They even found success later in the decade with their second album over there.
#24 for 2003 (#22 website)
Although T-Pain found massive success in his native America with "I'm sprung" from the previous year, it was this single with unknown rapper Mike Jones where he achieved massive success in NZ thanks to it displaying his trademark sense of humour as well as him pushing the boundaries of how to use autotune to enhance one's performance rather than have it simply cover up for vocal deficiencies like many less talented vocalists of the moment.
#31 for 2006 (#11 website)
Even though this was released much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia for Plain white t's, it appears that we Aussies were more into this ballad about a girl named Delilah than the kiwis were as this has a much lower placement on this side of my site. Still, this was a notable success for the band, although they remain a one hit wonder over there like they do everywhere else in the world.
#53 for 2007 (#34 website)
This was way more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because Enrique Iglesias was on a roll this year as well as Whitney herself seeing a massive comeback the previous year with her hit "My love is your love." Like I said on the Australian side of this site, this was a passing the torch moment for both artists as she wouldn't have another hit after this whilst he would dominate the music industry.
#53 for 2000 (#22 website)
This proved to be much less successful for Kanye West in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't familiar with the sample he used given how Daft Punk went largely unnoticed over there compared to over here where they had a good run in our mainstream. It was a hit regardless for him over there, although it wasn't the success that his earlier hit "Gold digger" was.
#40 for 2007 (#42 website)
Much like here in Australia, this disco inspired track from S club 7 was their final hit in NZ likely due to us Aussies and kiwis growing tired of their phenomenon both with their music and TV show. Depending on who you ask, this is either their best or worst song as those who love it feel it's an accurate recreation of the 70's disco scene whilst those who hate it feel that it's dated kitsch from a fad band.
#46 for 2001 (#25 website)
While there were many songs that were released months late in Australia that wound up finding more success here than in most parts of the world, this one and only hit from former Xscape member Kandi Burruss was the rare exception to a song being released on time this decade finding more success in NZ than it did here in Australia. I'm not too familiar with the girl group she came from, mainly because they saw no success outside their native America.
#44 for 2000
#45 for 2001
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