Well I guess I should look at what was big throughout the 80's in NZ considering how I did the same for Australia on this site, at least this list will be more straightforward as (at least as far as I'm aware) there wasn't more than one chart chronicling what was popular over in NZ like there was here in Australia.
Well, this was something different from Prince alright, namely that it was a combination of funk and RNB as well as several trends that would come to define the 90's which resulted in it being arguably his least conventional hit throughout his entire career. Honestly, I would've been stunned if this had of caught on in Australia given how off the walls this was for its time.
#50 for 1987 (#37 website)
Well, this is the one big hit that Milli Vanilli had worldwide that I had yet to feature on this site, admittedly we Aussies were very sceptical of this duo from the start only to be briefly won over by them in the new year which is why only their earlier entry on this list appeared on the 1989 list on the Australian side of this site. Everyone else made this debut single from the duo a success upon its initial release.
#44 for 1989 (#20 website)
Well, this was a song that was tailor made for the wackiness that the 80's would become synonymous with, as such it was an even bigger success in NZ given how the kiwis were more in tune with what the rest of the world was making popular as opposed to us Aussies who were still relying on our local music scene as well as whatever else managed to appear on Countdown.
#57 for 1982 (#35 website)
This proved to be an even bigger hit in NZ for Naked eyes, I'm guessing because the original from Sandie Shaw was a big hit over there even though I don't know for sure if that was the case or not. Either way, it put the duo on the map even in America which is impressive considering that this was huge flop for the duo in their native UK.
#56 for 1983 (#21 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ for Culture club as it was here in Australia, after all, I think we can all agree that war is stupid, and people are stupid and..... yeah, this song is arguably one of the catchiest to become a hit throughout the decade so regardless of how people felt about the band, it was bound to be a worldwide hit regardless.
#47 for 1984
This was an even bigger hit for Go West in NZ this year, in fact it was arguably bigger over there than the duo's native America which no doubt led to the success of their debut album during the midpoint of the 80's. I guess this early success for the band came at a cost for them over there as "King of wishful thinking" was a huge flop for them in 1990 where it was a big succes worldwide.
#48 for 1985 (#18 website)
Although this almost went to number one in NZ, it didn't mean that it was the same level of success over there as it was here for Robert Palmer which is a shame because it remains his signature tune to this day for a good reason. I guess the kiwis didn't want to have him be a success over there as this and "I'll be your baby tonight" were the only big hits he had with his singles and even his albums.
#43 for 1986 (#22 website)
Although this was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia (specifically over "Radio gaga" which is still to reappear on this list) I have to point out this was more of a sleeper hit as it was one a few songs on this list to hang around the lower half of their charts for most of the year for some reason. In any case, the band was able to retain their popularity that their previous single threatened to take away from them.
#48 for 1984 (#25 website)
Well at least this wasn't just the same song from the mid 70's charting again for some arbitrary reason such as appearing in a TV commercial, that was a disturbingly common trend in the UK throughout the 80's and 90's that really does make going through their charts rather tedious to this day. Instead, this was a remix from Dutch DJ Ben Liebrand which nearly took the song to number one in NZ this year.
#51 for 1987 (#31 website)
If you were surprised by the Cult's entry from my 1987 list on this side of my site, you'll be dumbstruck to learn that this actually topped the NZ charts this year which goes to show you how hip the kiwis were to what the internet would describe as the cool side of the decade back in the day. Sadly, they didn't have much success going into the 90's despite them fitting in perfectly with that scene.
#45 for 1989 (#13 website)
Well, this is Dr Hook looking to change with the times yet again as they added back some of their bouncier instrumentation from their earlier phase of their career on this ballad about how sexy they feel their collective partner's eyes are. It was a massive hit in NZ and throughout most of the world, although it didn't do so well here in Australia likely due to us either wanting comedy or a downtempo ballad from the band.
#57 for 1980 (#37 website)
Well Star Trek fans, I hope you can stomach the appearance of this novelty track from the band the Firm once more as it managed to become a hit in NZ in addition to here in Australia and their native UK this year. At least it wasn't quite as big over there as it was in either country, although I'm not sure if that's because the kiwis didn't find the song as funny as we did or if they didn't even realise what Star Trek was at the time.
#52 for 1987 (#20 website)
Well at least this managed to become a hit over in NZ even if it was to a much lesser scale than it was here in Australia, indeed Styx didn't have any other hits over there apart from this ballad which suggests that only their fellow Americans were in love with their soft rock from back in the day. Still at least they got interesting as the decade went on if their final hit "Mr. Roboto" is anything to go by.
#58 for 1980
Given how it wasn't bundled with "Into the groove" from earlier on this list, this meant that the third single from Like a virgin had to stand on its own in NZ which for the most part it did as it proved to be a huge success over there. Although "Material girl" was a bit of a stumble in the album's cycle, it's still to come on this list as that too was a huge hit for the future queen of pop.
#49 for 1985 (#21 website)
This is another huge hit in Australia that wasn't nearly as successful in NZ, I guess the kiwis felt that there wasn't much room for a lounge track this year given how there were plenty of other competing genres and sub genres trying to make it big over there this year. They did eventually allow this to be a hit over there likely because it was so inescapable down under.
#38 for 1988 (#29 website)
Even though these guys already had success from the previous year in NZ with their debut album, this lead single to their sophomore album wasn't any more or less successful over there than it was over here this year for the trio. In fact, the success of their second album was more or less the same in both countries in the southern hemisphere unlike their other two albums where they were much bigger over there.
#49 for 1984 (#29 website)
This proved to be an even bigger success for the Art of Noise in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because for some reason, the Blues brothers soundtrack became a success over there this year which allowed it to rebound on the charts once it was a hit initially as the original instrumental from Duanne Eddy was heavily used in the film.
#44 for 1986 (#19 website)
Given that he had a surprise breakthrough the previous year with his previous album On the beach, it seems to make sense that this lead single to his biggest album in Australia Dancing with strangers was a massive hit over there. Although it peaked much higher over there than it did here, it wound up being equally as successful in both countries for the British singer/songwriter.
#53 for 1987 (#28 website)
You know this song was inescapable in NZ throughout the 80's when you consider the fact that even with the original being the longest running song of the decade, this still managed to go to number one five years after its initial release over there. Unfortunately for the band, this is where their popularity over there began to dwindle likely due to how overexposed they felt at the time.
#39 for 1988 (#11 website)
This was almost a chart topper for Stevie Wonder in NZ, meaning that the first two hits he finally scored over there were so popular that it more or less confirmed him as a major hit maker as far as the kiwis were concerned. It's hard to say if this is more of a country track or a disco as Stevie seems to be walking that line on this second single from his album Hotter than July.
#58 for 1981
This was only a minor hit here in Australia this year, as such it failed to appear on the Australian side of my site despite it being a perfect shoe in for that list for being a mashup of the Beach boys back catalogue. It was a much bigger hit for the band over in NZ again due to it fitting in perfectly with the trends of the year.
#59 for 1981 (#43 website)
The original from Norman Greenbaum wasn't even a hit in NZ back in the day, meaning that it's likely the kiwis won't even realise this is a cover of a song that was released around the time of the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon. This perhaps explains why it was slightly bigger over there than it was here in Australia as we would've been torn if we appreciated a hair metal cover of a hippy track or not.
#45 for 1986 (#48 website)
This was another big hit in Australia that wasn't quite as big in NZ this year, although this time I think it's more due to the fact the kiwis didn't want older songs that already had their chance at making it big to mingle with the first hits of MTV but capitulated on this track due to how popular it was everywhere else in the world for Charlene.
#58 for 1982 (#40 website)
This was the last big hit that the Human league were able to score as a band as they would be reduced to a trio when they scored their final hit in most parts of the world with "Human" later in the decade. This was a much bigger hit in NZ likely due to the kiwis not being as deterred by the wall of noise with the synths posing as brass as we Aussies were at the time of its release.
#57 for 1983 (#26 website)
This was the actual debut single from Sade Adu and company given how it came out before "Smooth operator" which remains their signature track to this day in most parts of the world. For the most part, the band didn't have any success with their singles in NZ as they were more of an albums band just like here in Australia, the exception was this song about how much Sade approves of her partners love.
#50 for 1984 (#21 website)
This proved to be an even bigger success for Debarge in NZ this year than it was here in Australia, it's no surprise why as this is a Motown track made by a Motown band which means it's more of a surprise it made it big down under than anything else. That said, these guys are still a one hit wonder in NZ as none of their other hits on Billboard managed to crossover internationally.
#50 for 1985 (#28 website)
Well at least this song's success was punctual in NZ, likely because the kiwis were in love with Bobby's solo debut album this year thanks to the success of "My prerogative" (which is still to come on this list.) I guess I should talk about the song itself given how it's one of the catchiest songs in Bobby's career, it also comes with a rap verse depending on which version of the song you're looking at.
#46 for 1989 (#21 website)
Billy was on such a roll in NZ that he was able to release a track that he originally recorded with his old band Gen X as a solo single around this time which allowed him to score a massive hit with it over there. I'm surprised this was a flop here in Australia as I do often hear this on oldies stations from time to time, I'm guessing he had issues with his former band's label that he was able to get around over there.
#58 for 1983
#51 for 1984
This was less of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, at least at first it was as I included the stats from its remix on this ranking given how the remix was slightly more popular over there than it was over here in Australia where it didn't affect this song's ranking on that side of my site. I guess it's safe to say that queer music from queer folk was very welcomed in the mainstream in the southern hemisphere.
#52 for 1984 (#16 website)
This was the highest charting song from Guns n Roses's debut album in NZ, although it was an instant success over there as opposed to their earlier entry floating in and out of the top ten which explains why it was so inescapable for such a long time back in the day. This is another song of theirs that remains a staple on oldies stations to this day thanks to it being a song about getting away from the stress of the world.
#47 for 1989 (#25 website)
This was a big hit over in NZ for Elton John this year even without the magic touch that Bernie Taupin gave all of his endearing hits over the years, in fact Elton's popularity in general remained consistent throughout the 80's in NZ as his reunion with Bernie didn't improve the success of his singles while they were separated over there and his time without Bernie was reasonably successful as well over there.
#59 for 1980 (#40 website)
This was the first hit that Alison Moyet had in NZ, although I'm surprised "Love resurrection" wasn't a success over there given how you still hear it on oldies stations to this day here in Australia. I'm guessing this was the song which made her solo debut a huge success worldwide given that it was bigger than her debut single even in her native UK.
#51 for 1985
Given how this track was delayed worldwide to allow "Always on my mind" to be a success following the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it was one of their biggest hits in their catalogue over there. This might have something to do with collectors wanting two copies of the song as there's a different cover featuring each of the members available.
#40 for 1988 (#23 website)
This wasn't as big for Madonna in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Madonna's popularity overall wasn't as big in NZ as it was internationally despite her still being very popular over there as the decade was coming to an end. Still, this was an inevitable success for her given that it's an empowerment anthem about not settling for superficial cues in a relationship and demanding the absolute best from one's partner.
#48 for 1989 (#33 website)
This was the only hit that Jonathan Butler had in NZ, he was an African performer who had a bit of success in the UK around this time but no one who was inescapable in the 80's. Ruby Turner on the other hand was very much popular in NZ as this was the first of several big hits she had over there, it would even be the advanced single to her debut album which was also a massive hit for her there.
#46 for 1986 (#32 website)
This is another song that wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, although in this case it might be due to the stiff competition Bon Jovi had with the likes of Def Leppard and the other hair metal tracks that were becoming big over there around this time. Keep in mind that a lot of these hair metal tracks I've featured on this side of my site failed to appear on the Australian side of the site.
#41 for 1988 (#35 website)
This was equally as successful for David Bowie in NZ as it was here in Australia, although this did come after the success he had there with "China girl" which was a hit and thus will be making an appearance later down this list (stay tuned for it.) In the meantime, he would continue to find success worldwide as the decade went on both with his music and with his acting career.
#59 for 1983 (#48 website)
I'm not even sure if this was released as a single in NZ prior to when "Automatic" became a surprise hit for the girls in the UK, if it was then it didn't even chart over there unlike here where it at least got in a few weeks towards the start of the year before fading into obscurity. Naturally it was a hit this year once their second single from Break out managed to almost top the British charts.
#53 for 1984 (#40 website)
This was the third single for the Pet shop boys in NZ, naturally since the kiwis got the album cycle for their debut correct, it proved to be a massive hit for them as opposed to here in Australia where I'm pretty sure it didn't even chart (and if it did it was only barely.) This proved the duo were here to stay as their second single "Love comes quickly" wasn't as big over there (although it's still to come on this list.)
#47 for 1986 (#30 website)
Well I hope you weren't expecting to see much Rod Stewart on this side of my site because this was his only hit he achieved in NZ throughout the 80's, I guess he was off to a better start over there given how this failed to become a hit here in Australia, however he would have another hit over there until the early 90's when "Rhythm of my heart" became a success for him.
#60 for 1980
#60 for 1981
Well, it appears that the film this ballad was named after didn't appeal as much to the kiwis as it did internationally, then again Phil's solo career over there has been noticeably less successful given how this was one of his highest charting singles over there despite it not getting to number one. In fact, he never had a number one hit over there both solo and with Genesis, unless of course you count that ad jingle from 2008.
#54 for 1984 (#41 website)
This was the one and only hit for the Netherworld dancing toys, a NZ band who had a few minor hits throughout the decade and only made it big with this song months prior to calling it quits. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Annie Crummer who would go on to have massive success later in the decade and even in the 90's thanks to her unique vocals.
#52 for 1985 (#32 website)
Given how popular Sister Sledge were in NZ with their earlier material, it only makes sense that this nursery pop ballad would be a bigger hit over there than it was over here in Australia for them. The interesting think about this song is that its biggest success came from the UK where this topped the British charts, I'm guessing the Brits really appreciated the girls venturing into nursery pop with this number.
#53 for 1985 (#35 website)
You better believe that these guys were more popular in NZ than they were here in Australia this year, this was the first of two hits that they had over there given how both of these songs were massive hits in the UK of all places which resulted in their success internationally after two decades of that success being confined to their native America.
#61 for 1980 (#37 website)
This was so much less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was released slightly later over there than it was here meaning that the kiwis weren't as ready to make Kim Wilde a success as we Aussies were. Admittedly this song did have its popularity boosted here when she performed it on Countdown, so perhaps if she did the same thing over there it would be much bigger.
#61 for 1981 (#37 website)
This was one of those rare occasions where the kiwis got the album cycle wrong as though the album was a massive success over there, the title track was noticeably less successful than it was here in Australia despite the kiwis already being well acquainted with the Purple one by the time he released his album this year. As such, this will be his only appearance on this list as "Little red corvette" underperformed there.
#60 for 1983 (#37 website)
Unlike here in Australia where this was Billy Ocean's biggest hit, in NZ it was one of his weaker hits as the kiwis didn't seem to be as impressed with this theme to the Jewel of the Nile as we Aussies were back in the day. Still, it was a huge hit for the British crooner over there, meaning they just felt there were other more worthy songs back then to make a huge hit which we've looked at on this list.
#48 for 1986 (#23 website)
This was another big disco hit from this year, although at least this one wasn't a hit in America as it was due to it being popular in the UK that it was a success in NZ for the American band the Whispers. This song shares its name with the Sonny and Cher track from the mid 60's, I just thought I'd bring that up with this entry.
#62 for 1980 (#34 website)
It's a bit odd that this wasn't as popular in NZ as it was throughout the rest of the world given how it was the song that finally brought Phil Collins and to a lesser extent Genesis into the mainstream worldwide, at least it was a hit over there likely due to the kiwis also connecting with the lyrics that many have misinterpreted over the years to be about him calling out someone who prevented someone from drowning.
#62 for 1981 (#35 website)
Well, this is a massive disappointment for my site, even the Brits managed to make this an inescapable hit this year and yet it was only a moderate success for Survivor in NZ. I guess the kiwis didn't enjoy Rocky III as much as the rest of the world did, either that or they weren't interested in having this be one of the biggest hits of the decade for whatever reason.
#59 for 1982 (#30 website)
This was the only hit that Herbie Hancock was able to achieve throughout his career, it's an instrumental that comes with a video that would've been a shoe in for my weirdest music videos list had it been a bigger hit in Australia. In fact, this was a minor success here back in the day, although it needed several attempts to crossover likely due to how strange this was even for the time it was released.
#61 for 1983
#55 for 1984
This will be the only repeat entry for Bros on this side of my site, well this and their album Push as that also did rather well for the trio over there back in the day. This was released rather late over there due to how long it took for the second single from the album to be a success, although "Drop the boy" was technically bigger over there despite it charting mostly in the lower half of their charts.
#42 for 1988
It looks like these guys were a one hit wonder depending on which country you're from in the southern hemisphere, in Australia it was with "Love rears its ugly head" whereas in NZ it was this lead single to their debut album Vivid which was also a huge success over there this year for the funk rock band. I'm not sure why their success wasn't more in harmony in the southern hemisphere, but that's how it panned out for them.
#49 for 1989 (#11 website)
Well at least this managed to be a hit for Jona Lewie in NZ, although I'm guessing it was only once the kiwis ignored the fact this was meant to be a Christmas song given how it only crossed over there several months into the new year as opposed to Australia where it was still summer when it became a hit. His big hit in Australia flopped over there, I guess because it was deemed too silly for the kiwis.
#63 for 1981 (#48 website)
This was originally recorded back in 1978 and likely meant to appear on Bob Marley's Kaya album, it does sound similar to the big hit from that album "Is this love" musically even if lyrically it's a song about American soldiers of colour forced to fight for a country that had little to know respect for them. It was a minor to huge success for the Jamaican icon posthumously everywhere in the world except of course America where it didn't even chart.
#62 for 1983 (#31 website)
This was technically the biggest hit that Simple minds had in NZ, I say technically as it was indeed their highest charting single even though they would have bigger hits as the decade went on over there. This was a sleeper hit here in Australia, meaning it could've made the cut on this list on the Australian side of my site if I didn't prioritise songs that charted longer in the upper echelons of the charts here.
#56 for 1984
This was so much less successful for MJ in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it didn't linger on their charts like it did here even though it did rebound on the charts in the new year when the third single from the album of the same name was released. For what it's worth, the Weird Al parody "Fat" became a genuine success for him the following year over there.
#54 for 1987
Well, this is a song I definitely felt the absence for given how it manages to permeate on oldies stations in Australia to this day, at least it was a success in NZ as it was everywhere else in the world for Paula Abdul. Prior to this becoming the first of multiple Billboard chart toppers for her, Paula was an in-demand choreographer for the likes of Janet Jackson and even the king of pop himself.
#50 for 1989 (#9 website)
As I said earlier on this list, all songs with this title were a success in NZ as they were hit in Australia this year even if their respective levels of success couldn't be further apart in both countries. I guess the kiwis weren't too impressed with this theme to Back to the future given how much less successful it was over there than it was over here, perhaps they felt this could've been improved with Ray Parker Jr.
#54 for 1985 (#29 website)
This was another hit that Ruby Turner managed to achieve in NZ despite it being a flop for her in her native UK, I guess her success over there was what led to a trend of RNB artists finding bigger success over there than their homelands throughout the 90's. In any case, we have her cover of the Stevie Wonder track which was a huge flop for him back in the day, meaning this is likely the definitive version over there.
#43 for 1988
#51 for 1989
This was a medley of two covers from 70's staples that Will to Power made that became a number one hit in their native America, those two songs being "Baby I love your way" from Peter Frampton and "Freebird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was a flop in most parts of the world except for NZ where it became a big hit for the band likely due to the kiwis nostalgia for the two tracks this year.
#52 for 1989
This is the only hit that Maurice White was able to achieve outside of his work with Earth wind and fire, it's a cover of the Ben E King classic which coincidentally was released a full year prior to the original version being featured in a ton of commercials which resulted in its popularity two decades after its initial release throughout the world. This was also the final hit that anyone from the band had both solo and with the group.
#49 for 1986
This was the only hit that British singer Haywoode was able to achieve anywhere in the world, although how it became a hit in NZ is anyone's guess as it flopped on the British charts upon its initial release. I'm guessing the kiwis were really on board with making Stock Aiken Waterman a commercial success as this was another song to be produced by the trio which also happens to have a woman of colour performing on it.
#50 for 1986 (#33 website)
They may not have been as successful in NZ as they were here in Australia, however the Village people were still able to find success with their final Australian hit over there which also happens to be the title track of their autobiographical film of how they came to be in the first place. Also, it's yet another disco hit that came about this year in several parts of the world, although not in their native America.
#63 for 1980
Not only was George Benson a welcomed presence with the lead single from his disco album in NZ, but he managed to score a second hit over there with this follow up which goes to show how much the kiwis still loved disco even after the supposed disco backlash from 1979. George would continue to have minor success over there as the decade went on, proving that he somewhat survived the transition into the MTV era.
#64 for 1980
#64 for 1981
Although this charted much higher in NZ than it did in Australia, it wound up only being equally as successful for Cameo over there as it was here likely due to it being even more delayed over there despite it being a funk track and the kiwis being into funk throughout the decade. I guess they felt this was a rip-off of Midnight Star's "Freak a zoid" from a few years prior.
#55 for 1987 (#30 website)
This was the first of only two hits that Heart achieved in NZ as "All I wanna do is make love to you" was the only other hit they had over there almost a decade later, although this was one of many songs they had that failed to make it big down under for whatever reason. As it turns out, this is a cover of an early Aaron Neville track who's best known for his duet with Linda Ronstadt later in the decade.
#65 for 1981
This was equally as successful for Joan Armatrading in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was due to it being released at a time where musicians of colour were able to find success with the new wave genre given how their bread and butter up until this point was with either RNB or disco. The album this serves as a lead single to wasn't her biggest album in NZ as that honour went to My myself I from the start of the decade.
#63 for 1983 (#46 website)
It's a bit surprising that this theme to the TV series Miami Vice wasn't a big hit here in Australia, mainly because it often appears on greatest TV themes of all time in addition to the show being considered one of the best shows of the 80's. As TV themes were among the more popular songs of the decade in NZ, this was a shoe in for success over there even if it wasn't a number one hit there like it was on Billboard.
#55 for 1985
#51 for 1986
This was the last hit that the Eurythmics were able to achieve in most parts of the world, mainly due to it being completely different from anything they had released at this point as it was more artsy and even had spoken word lyrics from Annie Lennox. What really threw us Aussies off was the image makeover that Annie had as she grown out her hair which made her look wrong for some reason.
#44 for 1988
You'd think with how much less successful this duet was between Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley that the kiwis would've hated Dirty dancing at the time, it turns out that they loved it given how the soundtrack was one of the most successful of the decade over there. I'm guessing they just weren't that impressed with this Oscar winning ballad, certainly not to the same degree we Aussies were where it was one of the biggest hits of the 80's here.
#45 for 1988 (#37 website)
This was also the first major hit that INXS had over in NZ, although it was also the first song that charted over there given how the band had no success with their earlier material in the 80's. This will be one of only five singles of theirs to appear on this side of my side, I bring this up because they weren't as successful over there as you might think given how big they became internationally.
#57 for 1984 (#28 website)
I told you Princess wasn't a one hit wonder in NZ, this was her second hit over there which was also produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman which goes to show how much the kiwis were willing to accept anything from the production trio this early on with their catalogue. She would have one more single chart over there with "I'll keep on loving you" which underperformed on their charts.
#52 for 1986 (#25 website)
This was equally as successful for Mike Oldfield in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it was because of the vocals from Maggie Reilly who gives a compelling performance on this song about the narrator losing the love of their life to a drug overdose. There were a number of songs like this to make it big over the years, although I think this was the first of its kind to become a success.
#64 for 1983 (#44 website)
This was the only hit from the NZ band Coconut Rough, it was a song about the African country which was a massive success in their homeland and even sparked interest here in Australia back in the day for them. This interest didn't translate to success for the band which led to them breaking up the following year.
#65 for 1983 (#39 website)
These guys appeared on the Australian side of my site thanks to the success of their second album from the 90's, now they appear with their debut single which managed to become a huge success in NZ this year as well as their native UK likely thanks to Celtic music still being in vogue in both countries this far into the 80's. I get the feeling if these guys broke through earlier in the decade, this would've also been a hit down under.
#46 for 1988 (#39 website)
Although this charted higher in NZ than it did here in Australia, it wound up being equally as successful in both countries thanks to how quirky the song is from the unconventional singer Matthew Wilder. Also, something both countries have in common is that the cover version from the 90's wound up being more successful, possibly due to nostalgia we Aussies and kiwis had of this track over a decade after its release.
#58 for 1984 (#42 website)
I guess the kiwis really weren't that big of fans of Phil Collins as we Aussies were as this was another one of his big hits this decade to find less success over there than it did over here, it could also be that the kiwis felt precious about the Supremes back catalogue as Kim Wilde noticeably saw far less success over there with her cover of "You keep me hanging on" from later in the decade than she did internationally as well.
#66 for 1983
This is surprising, mainly because I would've thought NZ would be where this was at its most popular given the success both men have had so far over there in their respective careers. While MJ continued to have massive success over there like he did worldwide, this was Paul's last hit there as his subsequent follow ups flopped on their charts.
#67 for 1983
Well, this is shocking, this song which many has defined as the quintessential song of the 80's was only a moderate success in NZ this year despite it being a massive success throughout the rest of the world for the Danish trio. Admittedly their album was a massive success over there the following year, so perhaps the kiwis were simply being contrarians in making that a success over this lead single.
#56 for 1985
From what I can gather, Teri Desario was one of the backup singers for KC and the Sunshine band who scored her one and only hit as a lead artist with this rendition of an obscure 60's track. It was produced by Harry Casey which suggests it was originally meant for the band but given to her in order to boost her career.
#65 for 1980
This is the signature track from Bobby Brown both solo and with his time with New edition, I'm guessing because it remains his only Billboard chart topper despite "Humping around" being by far his biggest hit even in his native America. This song is about how he felt the need to break apart from his group in order to be who he wanted to be, a theme that Britney Spears would find inspiration in with her own version in 2004.
#53 for 1989 (#27 website)
I would say this was also a huge hit for Culture club from their debut album in NZ, except for whatever reason it wasn't included as a track on Kissing to be clever and was meant to be a standalone single despite it coming out around the same time the album came out. I guess it makes its lack of popularity in Australia make even less sense as you can't even say it was because of album sales eating up its success.
#68 for 1983 (#33 website)
Well, this is a song I wasn't expecting to feature this low on this list, I honestly would've thought the kiwis would be more on board with Diana Ross collaborating with the Brothers Gibb more than they were back in the day considering A: their support for their collaboration with Dionne Warwick earlier in the decade and B: the staggering success Diana had over there with her hits.
#53 for 1986 (#36 website)
This was another successful hit that Ruby Turner had in NZ, in fact thought she charted in her native UK with all of her singles, none of them managed to become a hit over there despite how big she was here in NZ. I'm guessing this is why she's mostly fallen into obscurity in the music industry given how it's likely on the kiwis would remember anything about her music career.
#56 for 1987 (#44 website)
This was the second solo hit that Tim Finn managed to achieve in his homeland, although given how it came two albums and six years after his first solo hit anywhere in the world, it was a bit surprising that this succeeded for the former Split enz frontman until you remember that this was the final year of the decade and thus likely became a success as a last hurrah for a popular artist of the 80's.
#54 for 1989 (#17 website)
This proved to be the slightly bigger hit in NZ than the lead single to their breakthrough album (don't worry, it's still to come on this list) I'm guessing because of how sweet and heartfelt it is out of the two ballads which allowed it to better connect with the kiwis this year. Both of their big hits in NZ did crack the Australian top ten, however they both were too minor with their success here to appear on the Australian side of this site.
#60 for 1982
I guess the kiwis weren't as into this cover of the Rod Stewart track from earlier in the decade than we Aussies were, I guess there's another possibility for this song not doing as well over there that I'd rather not share with my readers as I'd like to keep this site as fun as possible (it involves why this cover exists is all I'm saying.) At least it was more of an immediate success over there than it was over here.
#54 for 1986 (#28 website)
This was the first hit that Poison had in NZ, it was a minor hit here in Australia, but it appears we Aussies preferred their more bombastic hair metal tracks over this Billboard chart topper where the band dials it back for the easy listening crowd. This ballad helped their album finally become a success over there given how "Nothing but a good time" didn't even chart there in the previous year.
#55 for 1989 (#18 website)
It turns out this was a hit upon its initial release over in NZ for Toto, I'm not even sure why because it's not like they had much success over there prior to this becoming an instant hit this year. In any case, they certainly have the right to brag about being the first country in the world to make this a hit for the band given how it wasn't even a hit in their native America until the following year.
#61 for 1982 (#42 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Paul Young, I'm guessing because the kiwis were suddenly more interested in the works of Marvin Gaye given how much more popular Marvin's entry from earlier was over there compared to over here. Aside from "Love of the common people," everything Paul released was more successful in NZ during his career.
#69 for 1983
This was another successful song from an Australian band in NZ this year, I guess the kiwis found this bouncy enough for it to be a success for the Eurogliders given how it was this bounciness and the lyrics about if heaven really does exist or not were the reasons why it nearly topped the Australian charts this year. They're sadly a one hit wonder over there as none of their other singles or albums charted.
#59 for 1984
Now this is a surprise hit for my site, Mick Jagger already had plenty of success in NZ with his album from the previous year, however the album rebounded this year due to this nearly topping their charts over there early in the year. I guess this is what hyped up the kiwis for his band's earlier entry on this list.
#55 for 1986 (#29 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Madonna, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more OK with her marriage to Sean Penn given how this was the theme to his film At close range which wasn't even a critical or commercial success back in the day. It was better received than the movie they did together which was Shanghai surprise, a film that looks terrible even by 80's standards.
#56 for 1986 (#31 website)
Although they had success earlier in the year with "Keep on moving" in NZ and their native UK, this was the song that made Soul II Soul a household name worldwide thanks to how catchy this soul number is as well as the vocal performance from Caron Wheeler. It even managed to become a hit on Billboard just before the decade ended, although it wasn't a success here in Australia.
#56 for 1989
I guess the kiwis were able to hand Donna Summer one more hit in her career before completely turning their backs on her, admittedly this was close enough to disco that it could fit on her previous album Bad girls, so maybe they felt her foray towards feminism and Christianity was for only one song with Barbra Streisand but were then proving wrong with what she did throughout the 80's.
#66 for 1980
This was the first big hit that Simple Minds had in their career worldwide, again it was a modest success here in Australia even if it failed to appear on the Australian side of my site just like their earlier entry. I guess the kiwis made these two songs bigger hits over there due to them getting lost in the shuffle here for the band despite the band appearing on Countdown around this time.
#62 for 1982 (#23 website)
Well, here's that third single from David Bowie's Let's dance that became a hit over in NZ this year, it may not have racked up the numbers like his other three hits did, however it was still a massive success for him likely due to it being a song originally written for and with Iggy Pop for his 70's output. Bowie took the punk track and made it more mainstream which resulted in its success.
#70 for 1983 (#38 website)
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because it wound up being the least successful song that U2 had in NZ from the Joshua Tree despite it being their biggest hit here in Australia. For what it's worth, it was still a bigger hit over there than it was over here, meaning that the kiwis in general had allowed them to have more success over there than they did over here during this phase of their career.
#57 for 1987 (#32 website)
Not only was this song a bigger hit for Tiffany in NZ (albeit only slightly bigger as it was still a huge hit here in Australia) it was also released on time over there given the instant success of her earlier entry on this list. She scored one more hit in both countries with a gender flipped cover of the Beatles "I saw her standing there" before she faded into obscurity, presumably due to upsetting Beatles fans with the cover.
#47 for 1988 (#28 website)
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