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.
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this comeback single from George Harrison given how much less successful it was over there compared to the rest of the world, heck they were rather late in making it a success as it was given how long it took for this to climb their charts compared to here in Australia where it was an instant success for him.
#48 for 1988
This was the only hit from the disco band Lakeside in NZ, it wasn't a big hit anywhere else in the world which leads me to believe that the kiwis were simply making any disco song a hit around this time that they were aware of. Still, it must have had a cult following in America back in the day as Coolio would sample this track for his breakthrough single of the same name over a decade later.
#66 for 1981 (#40 website)
The legends are true people, Freddie Mercury did have a solo career away from Queen (although his decision to do so was done amicably with his band) with this cover of the Platter's track from the 50's being his biggest hit in NZ and his native UK during his lifetime. I'm not sure why this flopped here in Australia back in the day, although I can say the same thing about Queen's discography from the late 80's.
#58 for 1987
So, we all remember Alf, right? If you don't, it was an 80's sitcom about an alien who came to earth and was taken in by a suburban family with hilarity ensuing from that premise. Like most popular TV shows of the day, a song was commissioned from it which features the titular alien rapping about his time on earth with footage of the show spliced in which became a huge hit for him over in NZ this year.
#49 for 1988 (#36 website)
I guess the kiwis really didn't want to allow the Beach boys to make it big again in the mainstream, it certainly wasn't because they didn't like the Tom Cruise flick this song was written for as the soundtrack was a massive success over there because of the movie. That said, it appears the kiwis were being contrarians to what was popular here in Australia in general in the last stretch of the 80's.
#50 for 1988
#57 for 1989
Unlike here in Australia where this disco track from French singer FR David needed two attempts to make it big, it was a hit upon its initial release in NZ from the start of the year likely due to the kiwis still allowing songs that sound like they belong in the 70's to make it big over there during the height of MTV.
#71 for 1983
Well not even their stalking anthem was able to become that big of a success for the Police in NZ, it was still a hit hence its placement on this list, however they certainly weren't too keen on making it a number one hit over there like it was in America and their native UK. I know people have made jokes about this song for decades now, but it really does seem like the sweetest song in the world if you don't read into the lyrics.
#72 for 1983 (#35 website)
I guess this was meant to be NZ's rendition of the Cars track of the same name from the previous year (well similar if you discount the parenthesis) here we have the band's third and final hit they had in their homeland before they called it quits to allow Dave Dobbyn to embark on a highly successful solo career.
#57 for 1985
Given how inescapable Talking heads were over in NZ this decade, it only makes sense that their theme to the film True stories would be more of a success over there than it was over here for them even if the soundtrack itself was only equally successful in both countries. I'm guessing the film was poorly received by us Aussies and kiwis back in the day as this was the last success they had in either country.
#57 for 1986 (#44 website)
This was another easy hit from New order in NZ, it came right before their remix from earlier on this list which means that at this point, the kiwis were willing to make anything from the band a hit in their catalogue (except for "Bizarre love triangle" it seems.) This was a minor hit here in Australia, although I don't think we Aussies wanted to hear religious songs on the charts until Madonna released her next album.
#51 for 1988
Unlike here in Australia where this was the first we Aussies heard about this cover the 50's staple, this briefly charted earlier in the decade in NZ for the Belle stars while they were still together despite the girl group not having a hit over there during their time together. It became a success there the same way it did here, by appearing in the Oscar winning flick Rain man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.
#58 for 1989 (#31 website)
Even though this was released slightly later in NZ than it was here in Australia, the kiwis were quick to make this a success over there following its success over here due to the band performing it on Countdown and the performance going over very well with us Aussies this year. As it turns out, these guys had far more success over there this year as their second album was also a hit for them with the kiwis.
#67 for 1980 (#50 website)
I should warn my readers that are fans of ELO that they didn't have nearly the level of success in NZ that they did in Australia back in the day, heck this was one of their bigger hits over there and yet you can see it didn't do as well over there as it did over here around this time. Still, they did manage to impress the kiwis from time to time with their orchestral arrangements and vocal harmonies.
#67 for 1981 (#49 website)
By all accounts this should be even higher on this list as this also refused to die on the NZ charts back in the day, alas it was only the case on the lower half of their charts hence why it isn't towards the top of this list like their earlier entry is. Aside from that, it had a similar run of success over there proving how much the kiwis loved these guys back in the day.
#73 for 1983
#60 for 1984
This was a success for Stacey Q much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm not sure why some of the biggest hits in Australia were songs that had their release and/or success delayed but that was certainly the case for Stacey as this wasn't as successful over there as it was over here. She's also a one hit wonder over there and her native America as "We connect" failed to become a hit in both countries.
#58 for 1986 (#42 website)
This was meant to be on the second Bat out of hell album from Meat loaf, in fact it eventually did find its way onto that album twelve years later when Jim Steinman was finally able to patch things up with the troubled rock singer and release the long-awaited sequel to what many will tell you is the greatest album of the 70's (no arguments here.) In the meantime, Jim used this track to launch his own solo career to minimal success.
#68 for 1981 (#46 website)
I'm not exactly sure how this managed to be a huge hit for Pseudo Echo in NZ and not their debut single "Listening," perhaps the kiwis felt that the official version of that track was too overproduced (compared to the stripped back original version) and passed that up in favour of this more stripped back follow up which was much less successful here in Australia.
#61 for 1984 (#36 website)
This was the slightly bigger hit for the Eurythmics in NZ, likely because it was their biggest hit in their native UK due to how opulent the song is in their catalogue. We'll be revisiting their big hit in Australia this year in a bit, but it's worth noting that their popularity overall in NZ was quickly dwindling with their singles despite it growing exponentially with their albums.
#58 for 1985 (#39 website)
Well, you normally shouldn't judge a song by its cover art, however looking at the cover art to this breakthrough single from the Fat boys, were you really expecting anything other than a fun throwback to a more innocent time in surf rock? Somehow the hip hop trio managed to recruit the Beach boys to recreate the instrumental they sampled for this track which is perhaps why it succeeded in NZ this year.
#59 for 1987
Even though this charted higher in NZ than it did in Australia (even going to number one over there) this still wasn't as big a hit over there as it was over here for the Art of Noise which suggests it only became a hit over there due to the kiwis love for Prince which was at an all-time high at the time. At least it brought attention over to Tom Jones who salvaged his career on this track with the line "I think I better dance now."
#59 for 1989
Well, this proved to be less successful for Bette Midler in NZ than it was here in Australia, it wasn't because the kiwis weren't as emotionally invested in the film Beaches as that soundtrack proved to be equally successful over there as it was over here. I guess they didn't like that they cried during the scene that this song plays in the film, or more accurately they felt this song doesn't work outside of that context.
#60 for 1989 (#45 website)
This was a bigger hit for Blondie in NZ, likely because their fourth album Eat to the beat was much more successful over there back in the day than it was over here for the band. I guess this was the kiwi's way of atoning for the lack of success they gave the band with their debut album, although in fairness it's not like they could've known about it given how it was only a hit here due to them appearing on Countdown.
#68 for 1980 (#46 website)
Before Janet Jackson became the most successful female member of the Jackson dynasty, Rebbie Jackson was a fairly decent singer herself which makes sense given how she's the oldest of the Jackson siblings. This was her one and only hit she had in NZ which was written by her younger brother Michael at the height of his fame and popularity.
#59 for 1985 (#49 website)
Well, I guess the kiwis were more neutral to Mondays than the rest of the world was, not so much that this would be a flop for the Bangles but just enough that it would underperform over there compared to here, the UK and their native America. It could also be the kiwis not being that into the girl band as their popularity overall was considerably less so over there than it was internationally.
#59 for 1986 (#46 website)
Much like the rest of the world, this was the final hit that Wham had in NZ before they called it quits as a duo so that George can become a solo artist and Andrew could pursue a career as a racecar driver. There's nothing more I can add to this entry that wouldn't just be me repeating what I said on the Australian side of my site.
#60 for 1986 (#47 website)
Well, the kiwis didn't seem to be as impressed with this love letter to the Shandi's of the world as we Aussies were, then again Kiss in general wasn't that successful over there as this and "I was made for loving you" will be their only songs to appear on this side of my site as well as the two albums these songs respectively came from.
#69 for 1980 (#47 website)
I'm not sure why this wasn't released the previous year in NZ like it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it's because of this tardy release that costed the song its success over there given how it was twice as big here for Hall and Oates. You can't even say it's to improve the popularity of their album as it was equally as successful in both countries as well.
#74 for 1983
This was the only hit that Ray Goodman and Brown were able to achieve throughout their career in NZ and their native America, I'm guessing they would've had better luck if black music supposedly wasn't facing backlash at the height of their popularity, however as we've established on this list alone that wasn't the case, I think it's more the kiwis and their fellow Americans only liked this one and only song from them.
#70 for 1980
We looked at the Peter Andre version of this track on the Australian side of this site, so now let's look at the original version from Kool and the Gang who managed to score a second hit in NZ and the UK with this disco classic as well as having another hit on Billboard despite it being a disco song during the disco backlash era. Their popularity would dwindle after this, however they would still score the occassional hit.
#63 for 1982 (#36 website)
It's worth noting that Icehouse were more of an album band over in NZ as their singles saw considerably less success over there in exchange for their albums being considerably more popular there than they were over here throughout the decade, this second single from Primitive man being one of only three singles of theirs to reappear on this side of my site due to how big it was this year.
#75 for 1983
Mondo Rock were never able to achieve a single hit over in NZ throughout their career, in fact where it not for a reissue of their signature hit in 1990, Daddy Cool would've also gone unnoticed over there. I bring this up because the lead singer of both bands was married to Pat Wilson who managed to achieve a big hit this year with her one and only hit she had here in Australia likely thanks to the music video.
#76 for 1983
#62 for 1984
This was about as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, you'd think it would've been even bigger over there given how it remains their most popular song in American and their native UK, but I suppose the kiwis found it a bit too ridiculous for that to be the case back in the day. Still, it was a massive hit for the band regardless of where in the world you're from.
#63 for 1984 (#37 website)
It looks like Lionel Richie's popular was quickly dwindling over in NZ given how this title track to his third solo album was the only success he managed to achieve over there following the success of his second album Can't slowdown from two years prior. I guess the kiwis preferred having Billy Ocean over this guy in their mainstream as his British counterpart managed to rack up the hits over there as the decade went on.
#61 for 1986 (#45 website)
Given how this was now the second single from Crowded house's debut album internationally, it was able to be a huge success in NZ and America meaning that they had a second hit in both countries before they did here in Australia back in the day. Admittedly this was a minor success here likely because of its international popularity, however it wasn't bigger due to being the fourth single from the album down under.
#60 for 1987
It appears the kiwis were a bit more on board with making this second single from Kick a success over there as it almost became their second chart topper over there after "Good times" from the previous year. It was also more popular in America as it almost became their second chart topper on Billboard as well, proving that it was us Aussies who initially needed to come around for this track back in the day.
#52 for 1988 (#46 website)
This was an E.P from the Reels which became a surprise hit for them over in NZ as this was only a moderate success here in Australia, so moderate in fact that it only barely missed out on appearing on the Australian side of this site. The big single from the E.P was "According to my heart" which is what the kiwis gravitated towards on this release which allowed it to become a hit over there.
#69 for 1981 (#44 website)
This was the final hit that Grace Jones was able to achieve in her career over in NZ, this was fresh off the success of her greatest hits package which has the iconic album art of her in a yoga pose that's physically impossible to pull off after all. I guess her brand of art pop had gone out of vogue after this year much like how Kate Bush's brand went out of vogue the previous year here in Australia.
#62 for 1986
At least this was a much bigger hit for Janet Jackson in NZ than it was here in Australia, although that might have doomed the rest of the singles from the album as she wouldn't score another hit from Rhythm nation 1814 over there like she did over there in the new decade. It's a bit disappointing that she wasn't more popular throughout the 80's in the southern hemisphere like she was in her native America.
#61 for 1989
I mentioned in an earlier list that this duet between Shaking Stevens and Bonnie Tyler was a success in NZ back in the day, so here we are with their collaboration which is a rockabilly cover of a Priscilla Bowman track from the 50's which was a continuation of the trends the two Welsh performers were making in their respective careers. For him it was rockabilly covers and for her it was getting established as a rock star.
#64 for 1984 (#33 website)
Well, this managed to be a hit for Steve Perry in NZ as well despite his band Journey also failing to score a single hit over there back in the day, in fact I'm surprised Journey didn't have any success outside their native America given how their arena rock would've fitted in perfectly with the MTV generation.
#65 for 1984
I get the feeling this song was originally recorded around the time "Candy girl" was released as a single, that's the best explanation I have for why Ralph Tresvant has such a high-pitched voice on this track despite him supposedly hitting puberty by the time the song was released. Naturally this flopped here in Australia due this criticism, however it was the group's first hit in their native America.
#60 for 1985
This is the only hit single to come from German singer Drafi Deutscher, it was originally released two years prior to massive success throughout Europe before finally seeing the light of day late the previous year here in Australia. It was too much of a sleeper hit to make it on that side of my site, however the kiwis made it more of an immediate success once it finally saw the light of day over there.
#61 for 1985 (#47 website)
Well, it looks like the kiwis were also fans of the Joel Schumaker film this serves as the theme song to, either that or they really liked the theme song enough to make it equally as successful over there as it was over here. This was a number one hit on Billboard despite John Parr being British, although most people likely didn't realise he was from the UK given how he sounds like an American singer on here.
#62 for 1985
Well, this was a song that was far less successful for Cyndi Lauper in NZ than it was here in Australia, then again, Cyndi's popularity was much bigger here overall given how only her debut single and album were able to match the success over there they had down under. Considering Madonna's dominance over there over the last few lists, I think it's safe to say the kiwis were already ready to discard Cyndi at this point.
#63 for 1986 (#50 website)
This was the lead single to MJ's album Bad; it was only barely a hit in Australia likely due to it being another duet that led off a highly successful album which didn't go over very well the last time that happened. Fortunately, the kiwis were more open to this duet as he recruits unknown singer Sediah Garrett to make a romantic love ballad to lead off the album.
#61 for 1987 (#29 website)
Considering how well-loved Talking Heads were in NZ back in the day, I'm surprised that this had a slight delay to its release over there as it was already a modest success here in Australia by the time it saw the light of day over there. I guess this explains why the song was merely equally as successful in both countries as opposed to it being a much bigger success over there as you would expect.
#53 for 1988 (#40 website)
It was hard to find information about this guy, although from what I've discovered, it's best that he's been lost to the sands of time as he's been in prison since 1993 for several crimes he committed during his short time in the music industry that I won't get into here (trust me, it's not safe for work.) Before this came to light, he had a hit in NZ with this cover of the Temptations classic which was much bigger there than it was on Billboard.
#54 for 1988 (#33 website)
Well, this proved to be less successful in NZ than it did here in Australia, I guess the kiwis felt this guy was a bit too overexposed by this point given how he just had four hits in a row over there like he did everywhere else in the world. That said, he would return two years later with fellow Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler with their take on "A rocking good time" everywhere except for Australia.
#64 for 1982
This was the only hit that Bob Dylan managed to achieve over in NZ, even taking into account the Listener charts, he never had another hit over there as the kiwis considered him to be more of an album artist as he had tons of success with his albums over there. I'm guessing they made an exception for this ballad due to it being the most pop friendly of his singles in his catalogue.
#63 for 1985 (#40 website)
Well, it might have been about six months late to it being a success in NZ, however this second single from Wet wet wet's discography did become a success over there likely due to it being released at the height of the sophistopop craze that was taking over the world in the mid to late 80's. Their popularity in Australia was nonexistent until the 90's when "Sweet surrender" became a surprise success for the band.
#55 for 1988 (#38 website)
This was the first of two big hits that the Scottish band Altered images managed to have in NZ during their short time in the spotlight, as you can see they were another band that was all male except for the lead vocalist who was a woman which was pretty common for new wave bands back in the day as Blondie, the Pretenders and the Divinyls also had massive success with this approach.
#65 for 1982 (#32 website)
This was another sophistopop track to make it big in NZ around this time, this time it's from the Scottish band Deacon blue who achieved a minor hit with this song in their native UK the previous year which goes to show how much the kiwis had fallen in love with the genre if this was bigger over there than it was in their homeland. This was also a minor hit here in Australia, but too minor to appear on that side of my site.
#62 for 1989 (#36 website)
Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder in most parts of the world including in their native America, they were able to score a second hit over in NZ with this ballad proving that they were able to find an audience with their music even if that audience was largely with the kiwis back in the day.
#71 for 1980
This was also a cover from Paul Young even if it came from an obscure artist that no one's likely heard of, I guess it was due to the obscurity of the original track that this became his biggest hit in NZ as it flew up to number one in the early months of the year for the English crooner. Interestingly, "Love of the common people" would be less successful over there than it was over here even if it's still to come on this list.
#66 for 1984 (#50 website)
This was the second hit from Hysteria that nearly topped the NZ charts for Def Leppard over in NZ, although unlike their earlier entry, it was neither a Billboard chart topper nor a sleeper success here in Australia for the hair metal band. Both of these songs on this list allowed the album to be a success this year for the band as opposed to becoming a sleeper success the following year like it was down under.
#56 for 1988 (#34 website)
I guess given how the Cure were one of the biggest bands of the decade in NZ, it would make sense that Killing joke would score at least one hit over there given how the kiwis were clearly cool with having gothic rock on their charts during the 80's. It was the band's only big hit over there as they weren't exactly a household name in their native UK at the time.
#64 for 1985 (#45 website)
Although Neil was the one to score a massive hit from the Young ones in their native UK, in NZ it was actually Alexei Sayle from the show that managed to have the big music career in NZ as he scored two hits over there with this being the bigger of the two. This is the type of humour you'd expect from 80's British comedy, which is perhaps why it managed to click with the kiwis, makes you wonder why we Aussies passed this up.
#64 for 1986 (#41 website)
This was also a success for Rupert Holmes in NZ at the start of the 80's, I guess the kiwis were also amused by the story he told about him wanting to cheat on his girlfriend only to find his mistress he's seeing is his girlfriend who wanted to do the same thing to him. I guess it's a cute story about how the couple was always meant to be even if the relationship clearly needs some work.
#72 for 1980
Well, this proved to be much less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess her having all of this success with her albums over there prevented her from having a giant hit on their singles charts like she did here in Australia. I didn't mention the video on the Australian side of this site which no doubt was a large reason why it was such a huge hit for her back in the day, mainly because of it contextualising this as a female empowerment anthem.
#67 for 1984
I would've thought this second single from Footloose would be even bigger in NZ considering A: the kiwis not allowing successful albums to impact the success of popular songs back in the day like we Aussies did and B: Deniece Williams already having a massive solo hit over there with "It's gonna take a miracle" from two years prior. I guess they weren't as invested in that scene in the movie where Kevin Bacon teaches that other kid how to dance as the rest of the world was.
#68 for 1984 (#43 website)
We didn't have any of Talking heads songs on the Australian side of my site, did we? Well let's rectify that with the first of two entries on this list which is this lead single to their biggest album Little creatures which was a huge hit for the band over there despite it being a huge flop here in Australia. The success of their singles from this album was inverted over there as "And she was" was the big hit here despite it flopping over there.
#65 for 1985 (#37 website)
This proved to be far less successful in NZ than it was everywhere else in the world, likely due to the kiwis feeling this was a betrayal of Berlin's new wave roots that they had established two years prior which was a massive success over there that year. Still, there was little chance this was going to be a complete flop for the band given how popular they were at the time as well as the film it was written for.
#65 for 1986
Given that their first collaboration from three years prior was a massive success worldwide (except for America of course) it only makes sense that UB40 would reunite with Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders to make another reggae cover of a 60's track, in this case an obscure track from Dusty Springfield from her final successful album (the one with "Son of a preacher" on it.)
#57 for 1988 (#43 website)
I bet you were wondering if Deniece Williams managed to score a hit of her own with a song that didn't come from a soundtrack, it turns out she did as she scored a hit in NZ and her native America with this cover of a girl group's track from the 60's. It's not as catchy as either of her songs that appeared on the Australian side of my site, hence why it probably wasn't a success down under or in the UK.
#66 for 1982
#77 for 1983
Well, this wasn't anywhere near as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm not sure why other than perhaps the kiwis being a bit colder to the duo initially going more mainstream with their third album but eventually warming up to the idea as the album grew more and more successful over there. It would explain the success of their earlier entry on this list there and in their native UK a lot better.
#66 for 1985 (#30 website)
These guys had several charting singles from earlier in the decade in their homeland, some of which were even minor hits for the throwback band likely due to 60's nostalgia kicking in over there. It was the success of this E.P which allowed them to score a massive hit for the first time in their career, although the best was yet to come as their 1990 album went on to be a huge hit for them.
#67 for 1985 (#31 website)
This was about as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Madonna, this isn't a surprise given how her earlier entry on this list was supposed to be the big hit off the album with this being a throwaway single that didn't even receive its own music video (the intro to the film is the unofficial video.) She would come back stronger than ever by the end of the decade with her fourth album.
#62 for 1987
Well, this is a song that I'm a bit embarrassed to admit wasn't a big hit in Australia back in the day, mainly because this was released on time over here towards the end of the previous year which suggests we Aussies were at least curious about this song about a freaky girl in Rick James's life. The kiwis were slow in making this a success (by almost a full year) however once it caught on over there, it was a hit for the Motown rocker.
#67 for 1982 (#44 website)
This was also a big hit for Fleetwood Mac in NZ, in fact it was much bigger over there than it was over here likely due to the kiwis not allowing the success of big albums to impact the success of its singles over there back in the day. Even so, this was the only big hit that the band had from Tango in the night over there, even "Big love" was a huge flop despite it being a minor success here in Australia.
#63 for 1987
This was the second hit that Altered images had in NZ, although it was a bittersweet hit for them as they would call it quits shortly after this came out likely due to them failing to compete with the likes of the Pretenders and even the Divinyls here in Australia. Much like those two bands, they remain quite popular in the music scene even to this day, at least they do internationally as they flopped here in Australia.
#78 for 1983 (#36 website)
Well, here's the second biggest hit that Talking heads had from their album Little creatures in the southern hemisphere, although their biggest hit is either their earlier entry on this list in NZ or "And she was" here in Australia from the following year. It's easy to see why this was their most successful point in their career as each of these songs have become popular choices for trailer music over the years.
#68 for 1985
There's a strong possibility that Cherrelle would've had the success that Janet Jackson had over the next ten years given how this was clearly meant to be a song for Janet's third album Control (right down to it being written by Terry Lewis.) Indeed, this was a big hit for the singer in NZ and the UK, however it flopped in her native America likely due to the presence of Alexander O'Neal who also never had a hit on Billboard.
#66 for 1986
This was a minor hit here in Australia at the start of the year for Clarence Carter, likely because we Aussies had nostalgia for his big hit from the start of the 70's "Patches" and wanted to see him adapt to the late 80's with this number. It was a more immediate success on NZ which is odd because it was his first hit over there after two decades in the music industry.
#63 for 1989
Even though Collette was originally from NZ, she was living here in Australia when she recorded this cover of the Anita Ward track which means it was a success here months prior to it becoming a hit back home for her. Much like here in Australia, it was the only hit for both women who recorded this track meaning this is a classic case of a one hit wonder covering a one hit wonder.
#64 for 1989
I was honestly shocked when I realised this iconic single from Guns n Roses was a flop here in Australia, I realise this was more due to the album sales eating up its success, but you'd think we Aussies would've found room to have this become a genuine hit here. Fortunately, it was a genuine hit in NZ as were the other singles from this era of the hair metal band thanks to its anthemic instrumentation.
#65 for 1989
This was the biggest hit that John Mellencamp had over in NZ, admittedly he did have hits the previous year over there such as "Cherry bomb" however this was the hit of his that made the biggest impact on their charts throughout his career. It seems curious that the last hit he had in Australia (even if it failed to appear on the Australian side of this site) would be his biggest hit over there.
#66 for 1989 (#37 website)
I did mention on the Australian side of this site that this was more of a hit over in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis were more intrigued by this single from the duo's third album than we were likely due to them feeling like it was a good way to celebrate the achievement they had throughout the decade over there.
#67 for 1989
It looks like the kiwis gave J Geils band a similar road to success as we Aussies did as this second single managed to become a hit for the band over there just like it did over here following the success of their earlier single on this list. Given how this had less competition over there than it did over here, it allowed it to become a bigger hit and thus, score a higher placement on this side of my site.
#68 for 1982
If the production on this track sounds familiar to you, that's because it was used as a sample for Will Smith's Men in black theme from fifteen years later. It was a massive hit in NZ and the UK for the American soul singer, although it flopped on Billboard back in the day which means her fellow Americans likely don't even realise that the Will Smith theme sampled a song like this.
#69 for 1982 (#38 website)
Well, it remains a classic to this day and was the third single from Reckless, so naturally this song from Bryan Adams was bound to reappear on this list on a much higher position than it appeared on the Australian side of my site. That said, it's curious how this was the only hit that he had in NZ throughout the 80's as "Heaven" was a massive flop over there and "Run to you" was only a minor hit.
#69 for 1985 (#48 website)
Well, I suppose this was bound to be a success for Midge Ure in NZ given how Ultravox had plenty of success over there throughout the decade so far as well as his involvement with Visage and Band Aid. Like in Australia, this was also his only hit in NZ and his native UK, making him a one hit wonder four times in all three countries with each of his acts I mentioned even if Ultravox were more of an albums band.
#70 for 1985
#67 for 1986
Well, it looks like the kiwis weren't as impressed with this pop friendly version of the trio's sound this year given how much less successful it was not only compared to what it achieved here in Australia, but also compared to both their earlier entry as well as Peter Gabriel's entry on this list. Still, it was inevitable that this would be a big hit for them over there given how popular they were at the time.
#68 for 1986
This was slightly bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because the kiwis were in love with anything affiliated with Jimmy Somerville if the failure of Bronski beat over there after his departure was anything to go by. It may surprise you to learn that the original from Gloria Gaynor wasn't a hit over there, meaning that this is likely the only version of this track that the kiwis are familiar with.
#58 for 1988
Black Slate were a British reggae group who scored their only success this year with this track and "Boom boom" which unfortunately failed to rack up enough points to appear on this list, this was success that was translated from their native UK given how popular reggae music was (particularly ska reggae) as well as their fellow Brits supporting their music when they broke through the previous year.
#70 for 1981 (#34 website)
This was a big hit in NZ likely due to "Who can it be now" being a massive failure over there from the previous year, I guess the kiwis were a bit slow in making these guys a household name and felt this would be the perfect way to atone for their tardy success they handed the band. This would unfortunately be their only other hit over there as their next album didn't produce a hit single for them.
#70 for 1982
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this song's success given how it was a Pet shop boys track during the 80's, however I am mainly because it has Dusty Springfield on vocals which makes this the first hit she had anywhere in the world since "Son of a preacher man" back in the late 60's. I guess you can say that this was the trio's response to "I knew you were waiting" from earlier on this list due to it thematically being the opposite of that track.
#64 for 1987 (#45 website)
This barely missed out on appearing on the Australian side of my site because it wasn't quite big enough to do so here, fortunately the kiwis loved this parody of MJ's "Bad" so much that they made it an instant hit over there for Weird al which makes it his biggest hit there as opposed to his other MJ parody "Eat it" here in Australia. I think it's safe to say that he has an obsession with food based on these two songs.
#59 for 1988 (#49 website)
Although it has a lower placement on this side of my site, this actually proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia due to it being a huge sleeper hit over there. It appears that these guys were considered as an album band given how few of their songs became inescapable like they were over here in exchange for said albums being more popular there than they were here.
#71 for 1982 (#46 website)
This was far less popular over in NZ than it was here in Australia for Queen, I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with the band returning to their glam rock roots on this track given how much more popular their earlier entry was over there this year. That said, they would retain some of their popularity during the second half of the decade over there despite the backlash they received from performing at Sun City this year.
#69 for 1984
This was the other big hit that Willie Nelson had in NZ following the success of his collaboration with Julio Iglesias the previous year, although he's completely overshadowed here by his duet partner on this track as this was the final hit that Ray Charles was able to achieve in his career. Ray was still very much active in the music industry in the 80's as he would frequently collaborate with younger artists of the day.
#71 for 1985 (#43 website)
This was where it all began for Simply red as they chose this cover of an obscure funk track from earlier in the decade as their debut single, it was a big hit over in NZ but nowhere else in the world despite it being one of their funkier tracks in their catalogue. I guess their fanbase was more interested in their slow ballads as both of their Billboard chart toppers were the type of music some would describe as music for our mothers.
#72 for 1985 (#41 website)
This was the final hit that the Thompson twins were able to score anywhere in the world, mainly because this was the last hit they had as a trio before Joe Leeway departed the group and leaving Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey as a duo. If this song were a bigger hit in Australia, its video would definitely qualify for my weird video list due to it having a robot servant and dancing nuns.
#69 for 1986
These guys were so popular over in NZ that they managed to achieve a second hit over there with this disco track, further proving that the genre was far from over as far as the kiwis were concerned. That said, I should point out that both of their hits this year did crossover in their native America even if neither of them saw the level of success on Billboard that they did internationally.
#73 for 1980
It appears the kiwis were a bit too frightened by Kate Bush's weird facial expressions in the video to make this a big hit over there, I guess there's another explanation for why this underperformed in NZ compared to Australia and her native UK, but I won't share it out of fear of angering her fanbase. At least it was a hit over there as opposed to "Running up that hill" which flopped later in the decade.
#74 for 1980
#71 for 1981
Even though both of their entries this year from the Australian side of my site will be reappearing on this list, it's worth noting that Split Enz weren't as successful over there as they were over here with their singles even though the album they came from was a big deal at the time. Indeed, this was a bit more of a sleeper hit over there likely due to the lack of promotion they had compared to here.
#72 for 1981 (#45 website)
This was the final hit that the Carpenters had anywhere in the world, mainly because Karen would tragically die of anorexia the following year due to having an unhealthy eating lifestyle forced upon her which she was unable to recover from. It was another cover from the Marvelettes that the siblings made following their huge chart topper "Please Mr. postman" from almost a decade prior.
#72 for 1982
This was the final hit that Kool and the Gang were able to achieve in NZ, it's curious how they didn't score a hit over there with their one and only Australian hit (even though technically it was three hits in one the following year but still.) This is also one of their less fondly remembered track likely due to it being released this far into the 80's.
#70 for 1984
I think people tend to forget that this isn't an MJ song given how little respect Rockwell has gotten over the years, although admittedly his verses aren't the reason why this song has endured as they're mostly about how paranoid he is which is a recurring theme for MJ's later discography. If you didn't already know, Rockwell is the eldest child of Berry Gordy who was the founder of Motown.
#71 for 1984
Well, this was far less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, true it went to number one over there; however, it very quickly fell from their charts likely due to the kiwis realising that it was a stalker anthem which is also the likely explanation I gave for why "Every breath you take" wasn't that big over there the previous year.
#72 for 1984
Well, I guess I should expand upon the song itself given how I brought up Cyndi's appeal back in the day when I talked about this song on the Australian side of this site, it was a big success in America and the UK as it became her first Billboard chart topper as well as it being much bigger in both countries than her earlier entry on this list. It was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia despite having a higher peak over there.
#73 for 1984 (#44 website)
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