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, here's that second hit from the Swingers to make it big back in the day, it's not quite as memorable as their earlier entry which is perhaps why it failed to become a success here in Australia and a bigger hit for the band in their homeland.
#85 for 1981
This was originally released towards the end of the previous year to deafening silence for U2, I guess audiences didn't want to hear anything else from the album this was named after given how "Pride" was such an omnipresence on the charts when that first came out. The kiwis gave this track a second chance this year when they repackaged this as its own E.P which resulted in said E.P's success.
#83 for 1985
We have another big hit from New order to feature on this side of my site, this one comes from the Pretty in pink soundtrack which makes it the second single from the album to come from a British alternative band following OMD's entry from earlier on this list. In a bizarre twist, their next single "Bizarre love triangle" failed to become a hit over there despite being their biggest hit over here.
#83 for 1986
This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although it at least finally managed to get the Pretenders out of the one hit wonder bin over there likely due to it showcasing the band as a more pop friendly group compared to their new wave that made them big from the start of the decade.
#84 for 1986
#78 for 1987
It's a bit strange that this only became a hit in NZ after the Christmas season given how many have described this track as one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, then again it was commonplace to have Christmas tracks chart well into the new year back in the day given how long Band aid and Wham charted into 1985 with their Christmas staples from 1984.
#70 for 1988
I'm guessing the kiwis were only as big of fans of the Bill Murray flick Scrooged as we Aussies were given how this theme song from Annie Lennox and Al Green appeared to be equally as successful in both countries (taking into account it had stiffer competition over there than it did over here.) This would be the final hit either of them would have in their careers regardless of what they released afterwards.
#82 for 1989
Guns were a Scottish hard rock band who scored their one and only hit worldwide with this entry, although they're perhaps best known nowadays for their cover of "Word up" which featured heavily in the Pamela Anderson flick Barb wire (more specifically, in a montage of her pole dancing.)
#83 for 1989
Given how he had one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ (even if it was far from THE biggest album of the decade over there) it makes sense that the lead single to John Farnham's follow-up to Whispering jack would also be a massive success over there even if its low placement on this list was due to most of its success being confided to the lower half of their charts.
#71 for 1988 (#41 website)
This will be only one of two entries from Air supply to reappear on this side of my site, suffice to say that the kiwis were even less impressed with their balladry going into the 80's than we Aussies were as we at least gave them a few more hits back in the day before giving up on them. It's lucky that their ballads fitted in well with the yacht rock of the day in America otherwise their popularity would've been close to non-existent.
#86 for 1981
This was the final hit that Dave Dobbyn achieved throughout the 80's in his homeland given how he had one of the biggest hits of the decade with his solo debut from two years prior, although this wouldn't be the last his fellow kiwis would hear from him as he would score a surprise comeback six years later and another one ten years after that.
#72 for 1988
This was the only success that Australian crawl had over in NZ with both their singles and albums, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis felt that their inability to understand what James Reyne was singing on their other tracks was a hinderance to their enjoyability with their catalogue given how this was one of the rare songs that sees the frontman enunciating the lyrics in his performance.
#86 for 1984
This was one of only two hits that Atlantic Starr was able to score in their career, the other was of course "Always" which was too much of a sleeper hit in NZ to appear on this side of my site. Even though they were in the RNB camp, I'm still a bit surprised they failed to score any success here in Australia if only because it was the type of RNB that wasn't alienating to us Aussies back in the day.
#85 for 1986
Morrissey is best known for two things, the first is that he was the frontman for the critically acclaimed group the Smiths and the second is for his confrontational persona that makes Bono look subtle by comparison. I guess if there was a third thing to his claim to fame, it would be his solo debut single given how it was a modest success for him in NZ and his native UK at the time of release.
#73 for 1988
Although it was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, this third single from Paul Young managed to be a huge success over there likely due to the winning streak he was on with his earlier entry on this list. Sadly, this would be the last hit single he had over there even though his second album would be a massive success with the kiwis the following year.
#87 for 1984
I guess the kiwis weren't as kind to their LGBT scene as we Aussies were to our own as this was the only queer anthem that managed to become a big hit over there this year, granted "Male stripper" was a minor success likely due to how well received it was over here, however it didn't rack up the points to appear on this list like this one and only hit from Paul Lekakis did.
#79 for 1987
I didn't realise how much the kiwis loved the music from Malcolm Mclaren given how this is the second of three appearances he'll be making on this side of my site, I feel this was only a hit over there this year due to this year being an excellent time for artists who made it big earlier in the decade to score one last hit as a form of a last hurrah with him being no exception to this trend.
#84 for 1989
This was the only hit that Madness was able to achieve in NZ throughout their career, although at least it's with a song that's a better representation of their catalogue given how their two hits here in Australia saw them move away from their ska sound that was prevalent earlier in their career. This was an eventual sleeper hit down under, however it proved too weird for us Aussies for it to chart in the upper echelons of our charts.
#87 for 1981
I told you we'd be revisiting this second hit from Juice Newton, didn't I? Here we have the only other hit she had outside of her native America which was actually her biggest hit on Billboard despite how much more well known her earlier entry on this list remains even among her fellow Americans.
#88 for 1981
This was an EDM track that came from the Canadian duo Kon Kan, they managed to score a surprise hit with this entry throughout Europe including in the UK which would explain its success in NZ this year. There's honestly not much to say about this other than this would be the type of song that dominated the Australian airwaves had it been released in the 90's.
#85 for 1989 (#22 website)
Well, INXS were the hottest name in music from Australia as the 80's was coming to an end worldwide, so why not have this side project from Michael Hutchence be a success in NZ like it was here in Australia?
#86 for 1989
This was a bit of a return to form for George Benson given how this is more in line with his 70's material rather than his pivot towards disco from his previous album, as such, it was more of a sleeper success in NZ hence its low placement on this list despite how long it lasted on their charts over there.
#80 for 1982
This wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia much like the duo's earlier entry on this list, although at least all three of the Eurythmics entries on the Australian equivalent of this list managed to reappear on here which goes to show that the kiwis were impressed with their output, just not as much as we Aussies were.
#84 for 1985
This was the only noticeable success that the Mary Jane girls were able to achieve in their career, they were a Motown group who began their career by providing backup vocals to Rick James and were so well received on his albums that they finally got a chance to appear in the spotlight with this entry. It titillated audiences enough to become a huge hit, however they broke up later in the decade as they failed to score a second hit.
#85 for 1985
Given how Dave Dobbyn managed to achieve massive success following the release of the theme to Footrot flats from earlier on this list, it only makes sense that Herbs would also capitalise off that song's success by releasing their new album which contained their biggest hit in the form of its lead single.
#80 for 1987 (#35 website)
This was also the biggest hit to come from Revenge in NZ like it was here in Australia, although considering it's the only single from the album to reappear on this side of my site, that's not saying much. For what it's worth, "Missionary man" barely missed the cut on appearing on this side of my site due to being too much of a sleeper hit over there.
#81 for 1987
Not only was this far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia this year, but it also appears that it needed to be a success here in order for it to be a success over there given how much later it charted over there compared to over here. I guess the kiwis were a bit put off by the Japanese riff the song uses, that or they didn't appreciate the masturbation metaphors which the band insists were unintentional to this day.
#79 for 1980
This is a mashup of two tracks which served as the second single from David Lee Roth's solo E.P he released this year, it turns out he wasn't the first to put these two swing classics together as Louis Prima did just that forty years prior which I'm sure bringing attention to it was the purpose of David releasing this as a single this year. This was the big hit for him over "California girls" in NZ for some reason.
#86 for 1985 (#44 website)
This proved to be slightly more successful for the Police in NZ than "Message in a bottle was" (we'll get to that in a minute) likely due to the kiwis finding more enjoyment out of the premise of the trio walking on the moon over them repeating the title of that song multiple times. Like I said earlier, they did have plenty of success over there throughout the decade, just not on the level that they had here in Australia.
#80 for 1980
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this Bond theme as we Aussies were given how much less popular it was in NZ compared to here in Australia, it could also be they just didn't like Sheena Easton as much as we did as apart from "Strut" from later in the decade, she didn't have any other hits over there throughout her career.
#81 for 1982
Even this fourth single from Madonna's second album was able to find an audience with the kiwis this year, again I feel this was more due to the live version which serves as its official music video as that offers something unique that fans wouldn't have already had access to by the time it hit the store shelves.
#87 for 1985
I did mention the last time we looked at Joan Jett that this was a hit over in NZ this year, I guess this was her way of adapting to the hair metal scene as this was originally written for Bon Jovi in mind. It served as a mini comeback for the band over there and in their native America, although the rest of the world wasn't too impressed with this change in direction.
#74 for 1988
It seems strange that these guys would achieve far less success in NZ than they did here in Australia given how they found instant success over there the previous year with their debut album as opposed to here where they needed this song specifically for that album to be a hit. I guess the kiwis found this a bit too repetitive to have it match the success of "Roxanne" or even their earlier entry on this list.
#81 for 1980
This was a moderate success here in Australia; however, it charted too low to appear on this list as it took its sweet time in finding an audience here from the end of the previous year. It was also slow in finding an audience in NZ, however once it did, it lingered in the upper half of their charts long enough to qualify for this list of mine, which allows me to feature one of the more seductive RNB tracks of the decade.
#88 for 1984 (#45 website)
This only barely missed the cut from appearing on the Australian side of my site, indeed it looked like this would also miss out on appearing on this side of my site as there was plenty of competition it had to beat out in order to claim this spot on the list. I'm guessing the lack of success it had back in the day was due to it sharing its name with Blondie's signature track from the start of the decade despite being nothing like that song otherwise.
#88 for 1985
He's best known nowadays as a protestor, however back in the day, Billy Bragg was a musician who began in the punk movement before moving on to the folk scene of the 80's which resulted in him scoring his one and only hit about a woman who's new to town and is distinguished by her brunette hair. It caught the attention of the kiwis as it was a hit over there, but not so much us Aussies where this flopped.
#82 for 1987
While I did mention the last time I talked about these guys that they continued to chart over in NZ as the decade went on, this was their only other hit they had over there likely due to it being a tribute to Smokey Robinson (despite Smokey still being alive as of this writing) that the kiwis likely felt to be touching for the Motown legend.
#83 for 1987
This was the first of two chart toppers for Tex Pistol over in NZ, the second came the following year which was much more prominent given how it was a duet with fellow kiwi Rikki Morris.
#84 for 1987
This was a solid year for Australian artists finding international success, although I guess these guys were a mix of Australian musicians with international musicians that happened to be based here in Australia more than anything. In any case, they found enough success in NZ this year that this was given a UK release where it unfortunately bombed for the supergroup with the Brits.
#85 for 1987
This is the most recent entry I'll be featuring from New order/Joy division, suffice to say that the kiwis grew tired of the band going into the 90's likely due to how overexposed they were given that they had easily the biggest hit of the decade with "Blue Monday" and its remix from the previous year.
#87 for 1989
I guess this was meant to be the more serious equivalent of Rupert's earlier entry on this list as this is more about how he feels like he's been cheated on in the song rather than him and his partner looking to cheat on each other only to end up with each other. We Aussies passed this up due to our inability to take this seriously, however the kiwis didn't hence why it became a moderate success over there.
#82 for 1980
Cyndi was certainly on a roll this year as all three of her entries that I've featured from her debut album managed to reappear on this side of my site, although this proved to be far less popular over there than it was over here as was everything else she released outside of her debut single from earlier on this list.
#89 for 1984
This wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for George Michael, although it could be due to the stiff competition it had over there as there were a ton of songs that failed to make it on this list due to them all failing to stick around long enough to do so despite how popular they clearly were over there back in the day.
#75 for 1988
It seems weird that Yello would have a different entry on each side of my side given how this was a massive flop here in Australia whilst the same was the case for "Oh yeah" over in NZ, I guess the kiwis passed up their movie theme in favour of this sports track several months after the former was a success down under.
#88 for 1989
This is the only notable success from the Fan club, a NZ band with a frontwoman who would go on to become a politician in her native Malaysia following the failure of her solo career once the band went their separate ways. Although they didn't find too much success in their homeland, there was some interest in their work here in Australia that I'm sure would've blossomed into something more with better promotion here.
#89 for 1989
Well, this is certainly a surprise, if there was any comedy routine that would become successful over in NZ from an Australian comedian, I would've expected it to come from the likes of either Austen Tayshus or Billy Birmingham AKA the 12th man. Instead, we have this one and only entry from George Smilovici who managed to take the NZ charts by storm with this track that only barely cracked our top ten.
#89 for 1985
It really is impressive how little success Phil Collins had in NZ compared to the rest of the world back in the day, this is yet another track of his that appears much lower on this side of my site than it did on the Australian version despite how fondly remembered it remains on oldies stations around the world to this day.
#90 for 1985
This was the second of three hits that Ruby Turner scored in NZ from her debut album she released the following year, it wasn't as popular as her earlier entry, however it still did well enough to appear on this list over several international chart toppers.
#86 for 1986
I'm not sure why these guys in particular failed to achieve any success here in Australia, this is even taking into account that sophistopop wasn't well received here back in the day as I would've thought we Aussies would make an exception for them like we did for Swing out sister and Alison Moyet. Alas it wasn't the case here, but fortunately this title track to their biggest album was a big deal in NZ.
#86 for 1987 (#50 website)
While none of the singles off the Cocktail soundtrack were able to take the NZ charts by storm, at least it was able to spawn one more hit over there than it did over here with this cover that John Cougar made of a 50's classic that was included on the album.
#76 for 1988
#90 for 1989
The last time this guy troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his Billboard chart topper "Quarter to three" from two decades prior, fast forward to this year and we have him scoring arguably his biggest hit with the help of Bruce Springsteen who wrote him this song which connected with audiences from around the world except for here in Australia where this flopped for him.
#89 for 1981
Tina Turner was certainly on a roll over in NZ during the midpoint of the decade as this title track managed to become a moderate hit for her this year following the commercial disappointment that "Better be good to me" was in the southern hemisphere (despite a memorable Countdown performance of the track at the end of the previous year.)
#91 for 1985
Cliff Richard was off to a good start when the 80's began in NZ as he scored a massive hit over there with the second single from his album Rock n roll juvenile, an album that's only best known for its singles given how it was a massive failure upon its initial release as were just about all of his albums throughout his career. This is another ballad from his career, something I thought of bringing up given what his album was called.
#83 for 1980
If you want to know what this song is even supposed to be, this is a collaboration that the Art of noise made with the creators of the fictional character Max Headroom as the latter speaks topical lyrics to a beat that the former created for him to do so to. For the uninitiated, Max was a CGI news reporter (or rather an actor presenting himself as such) who had his own show in the UK around this time.
#87 for 1986
This will be Wang Chung's only appearance on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis weren't as big of fans of them as we Aussies were back in the day; this was also the case for their fellow Brits as their popularity came more from America where this and their later material became a surprise success on the Billboard charts which of course translated to being a success here in Australia.
#90 for 1984
Although "Heart and soul" was a minor hit in NZ the previous year, it was too minor of a hit to reappear on this site likely due to the kiwis feeling it was little more than a commercial jingle even though it only became as such months after its initial release. They were far kinder to their other big hit from the UK as this became a genuine hit for them over there likely due to it being one of the biggest hits of the decade in their homeland.
#77 for 1988 (#47 website)
This was the fifth Billboard chart topper in a row for MJ on his Bad album, this time we have a song detailing one of his Stan's and how she tried to get him to commit adultery towards his (then) partner by sleeping with him against his will. I feel this song is the best proof anyone could have when it comes to combating his allegations of sexual abuse as it's obvious here that he would never intentionally make anyone sexually uncomfortable.
#78 for 1988
This was one of two hits that Mick Jagger was able to achieve from his solo debut album in NZ, we'll get to his other big hit from the album on the following list, however it's worth noting this only barely missed the cut on making it on the Australian side of this site given how this was a minor success here as well.
#92 for 1985
Remember how I said earlier that several songs charted this year for seemingly no reason? This is another case of a song becoming a success for a second time for reasons I described in the Joy division entry where I brought this phenomenon up. I guess this came back due to this being the height of Duran Duran's popularity worldwide.
#91 for 1984
This was the only other song that the Holidaymakers released during their brief time together before they called it quits, it was a hit for them in their homeland which begs the question as to why they didn't even attempt to keep their momentum going after this.
#79 for 1988
We have another disco refugee making it big this year during the genres supposed dark age, this time it's American singer Forrest who covers the Hues corporation classic from a decade prior which became a surprise success in the UK which in turn allowed this to become a moderate success over in NZ.
#87 for 1983
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't more of a hit in NZ than it was here in Australia given how this is a reggae cover of a Cat Stevens classic, then again, Maxi Priest in general didn't see much more popularity over there than he did over here as he didn't score any hits over there that he had over here.
#80 for 1988
I guess the trade-off for her earlier entry on this list not being as big in NZ as it was here in Australia was for Yazz to have a second hit over there in the form of this original track of hers, indeed this proved to be just as infectious as her signature track even though it was much less successful over there and in her native UK as well as it being a bomb over here.
#91 for 1989
Given how this was released as the fourth single in NZ instead of "When I fall in love," it makes sense that this would be the bigger hit of the two over there even if it was less popular there than the other track was over here this year. As I mentioned, this was the second single he released in America due to it retaining the same energy as his top entry on this list, thus becoming his second consecutive chart topper on Billboard.
#81 for 1988
This was one of only two hits that Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark (OMD for short) were able to achieve in NZ and indeed the southern hemisphere back in the day, this is curious considering how many hits they racked up in their native UK and that their brand of new wave would've been a shoe in for success during the height of MTV.
#82 for 1982
This was far less popular in NZ than it was internationally, in fact it didn't even begin to become popular until the early months of this year as opposed to it already being a top ten hit over here the previous year and a chart topper in his native America. Either the kiwis were quickly becoming fed up with his brand of RNB or they really didn't like the film this was attached to (which won him an Oscar no less.)
#88 for 1986
This was the second single to come from Prince's Sign ☮ the times album, this was far more conventional than his earlier entry due to the presence of Sheena Easton who is curiously uncredited on this track despite this clearly being a duet between the two singers.
#87 for 1987
Given how this was one of the biggest hits of the year here in Australia, it makes sense that this wouldn't see any issues with crossing over to NZ especially considering how Ian's former bandmate Jimmy Barnes was finding a ton of success over there with his own solo material. Sadly, this would be the full extent of his popularity with the kiwis as the album was a huge flop over there.
#92 for 1989
We have a second E.P to become a success in NZ from the Clean, although it wasn't nearly as popular as their earlier entry hence why it appears much lower on this list.
#83 for 1982
There was not stopping Pet shop boys in NZ or their native UK this year as the lead single to their third album was a huge hit for them in both countries, I'm guessing this was due to them incorporating Latin elements into their sound which helped it stand out from their previous material. This would unfortunately be their last hit in NZ save for their collage they made for fans of Absolutely fabulous.
#82 for 1988
Although this was still less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, at least this managed to chart higher over there than it did over here which goes to show that were it not for all the stiff competition she had to face at the time, Kylie could've had her songs be more popular over there than they were over here.
#83 for 1988
Well, this proved to be far less popular in NZ than it was throughout the rest of the world, I guess the kiwis weren't as into this horror track turned workout jam as we Aussies were given how it only barely managed to reappear on this side of my site. Naturally this meant that Michael wasn't able to score any surprise hits over there which is usually the case for international one hit wonders with his background.
#88 for 1983
Unlike here in Australia where Madonna was welcomed with open arms from the very beginning, it appears the kiwis were a bit more sceptical towards her brand of dance pop given how much less popular this breakthrough single was for her over there. Heck her debut album wouldn't even touch their charts until the following year when her sophomore effort took the world by storm.
#92 for 1984
This was another moderate success that Herbs managed to achieve in their homeland this year, although their winning streak would run out by the end of the decade likely due to the novelty of their work with Dave Dobbyn running out by then.
#88 for 1987
This was the third single to come from Alison Moyet's solo debut album, it was much less of a success than her two earlier entries likely due it not connecting as well with the kiwis as those two tracks did. I would also blame album sales except that didn't stop several other songs from highly successful albums from appearing on this side of my site.
#93 for 1985
This was sandwiched between Miami sound machine's two earlier entries on this list; indeed, this was a fantastic year for the Latin band given how Australia was one of the few countries in the world where they didn't find much success with these songs. Sadly, this would be the full extent of their popularity in NZ, however Gloria Estefan would find further success over there in the 90's like she did worldwide.
#89 for 1986
Mel and Kim were on a roll this year when the title track to their one and only album became a moderate success in NZ, indeed it was even a minor hit here in Australia and likely would've matched its success were it not for the strong album sales eating up its success. Rest assured if it were a hit down under, its video would be a shoe in for my weirdest videos list due to the strange marionettes of the girls.
#89 for 1987
This was the only notable success that both the Beat masters and Cookie crew were able to achieve anywhere in the world, even then this was more due to them being at the right place at the right time as this brand of acid house was able to fit in with all the other dance tracks that made it big in NZ and their native UK this year.
#84 for 1988
Well at least this was a genuine top ten hit in NZ as opposed to it only making the cut on the Australian side of my site due to how long it lasted in our top twenty, either way, this debut single from Toni Childs was able to allow the folk singer/songwriter to join the ranks of Tracy Chapman and Melissa Etheridge as the leading forces of down to earth female musicians going into the 90's.
#85 for 1988
I guess the kiwis weren't as humoured with this parody of "Beat it" as we Aussies were given how much less popular this was over there compared to over here, although Weird Al would eventually score that massive hit with the kiwis with his next MJ parody "Fat" four years later even though that underperformed on our charts.
#93 for 1984
This was the final single to come from Please for the Pet shop boys, it did decently well in NZ where album sales rarely affected the success of its singles, but it wasn't the showstopper that their earlier entries on this list were.
#90 for 1986
It appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with this second single from the trio's third album as we Aussies were, likely due to them struggling to accept the premise of a copout chorus which Sting claims to be the reason why said chorus in this track is complete nonsense. At least the rest of the world was on board with this premise, hence its international success.
#90 for 1981
This was the second chart topper in a row for Joy Division following the news that they had reformed as New order this year, just like their earlier entry, this also recharted many times throughout the decade over there likely to keep the memory of Ian Curtis alive as the rest of the members saw massive worldwide success with their new endeavours.
#91 for 1981
It looks like these guys were able to achieve a second hit during their time together in their homeland, although given how there's no horrifically dated CGI in the accompanying music video, it didn't stick around for quite as long meaning its success was purely through the dulcet vocals of Margaret Urlich.
#91 for 1986
"Stop" was only a modest sleeper hit in NZ this year, however the kiwis were far more impressed with the second single from Sam Brown's debut album as it's her take on the Marvin Gaye classic from the early 60's. This allowed the album to become a massive success over there thanks to her love of 60's RNB being recognised by the kiwis by this point, however she still remains a one album wonder over there.
#93 for 1989
This is one of many Prince tracks that became a success over in NZ that were massive flops for him here in Australia, this was the final single off his album Sign ☮︎ the times which is perhaps why it appears so low on this list as this was right before he released his earlier entry on this list.
#86 for 1988
Here's that gender swapped cover of the Beatles classic I mentioned earlier on this list, it managed to barely make the cut on this list due to it lasting just long enough in the RIANZ top ten this year to do so despite what I'm sure were savage protests from Beatles fans that this was ruining the fab four's legacy.
#87 for 1988
This is another song I'm surprised bombed here in Australia back in the day considering how much love it receives from oldies stations to this day, however it had more success over in NZ hence why it manages to appear on this side of my site. Climie Fisher consists of vocalist Simon Climie and former Naked eyes member Rob Fisher who went their separate ways not long after this came out.
#88 for 1988
Knightshade was a NZ hair metal band who managed to score a moderate success with this number just as the 80's was coming to an end, who knows how much more successful they would've been in their homeland had they broken through sooner than they did.
#94 for 1989
This saw a rerelease the previous year in NZ presumably to mark its twentieth anniversary which makes sense given how it was a huge hit back in the day (at least according to the Listener charts it was) however it was given a second chance during this year's Christmas where it became a surprise success over there for some reason.
#89 for 1988
This was only barely a hit for U2 in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't big fans of B.B King's involvement on the track given how the soul legend wouldn't achieve full appreciation from them until his collaboration album with Eric Clapton from over a decade later.
#95 for 1989
This is a parody version of the Deane Waretini entry from earlier on this list from a NZ radio DJ, naturally it was a moderate success despite how clearly in poor taste this song was even back then.
#92 for 1981
Shalamar were able to escape the one hit wonder bin in NZ that "Second time around" threatened to trap them in at the start of the decade with this jam from the Footloose soundtrack, this is what plays when Ariel and company are dancing at the drive-in theatre which makes it the perfect rebellion anthem to play when out of touch authority figures try to dictate to you what you can and can't do in life.
#94 for 1984
This barely managed to make the cut on this list due to it lasting just long enough in the upper echelons of the NZ charts to do so, it's a single from the Mocker's breakthrough album that I'm sure would've done much better in a year where the wasn't so much competition in the mainstream.
#94 for 1985
One of the more prominent indie bands of the 80's was the Pogues, they will be making two appearances on this side of my site beginning with this E.P they released this year that appealed to the kiwis likely due to the strong Celtic influences throughout its runtime. Their other big hit was the Christmas classic "Fairytale of New York" which occasionally recharts during Christmastime in recent years.
#92 for 1986
This was the first notable success that the Chills were able to score in their career, it came months prior to when they scored their real success with their Lost E.P which put the NZ band on the map.
#95 for 1984
#95 for 1985
Well, this is certainly a surprise, I certainly wasn't expecting to feature the Cult on my site given how they're up there with Sonic Youth and Melanie Martinez as bands and artists people love to complain about how they never saw much mainstream success in their days. It appears the kiwis did give these guys success this year with this hair metal track likely due to it being released at the height of hair metal.
#90 for 1987
I guess the kiwis weren't as intrigued with the return of Pete Townshend as we Aussies were given how this only barely managed to make a reappearance on this side of my site, then again, many older artists who made it big on the Australian side of my site struggled to replicate their success over in NZ, so this was still an impressive feat for the Who vocalist.
#93 for 1986
This was a last hurrah single if I've ever seen one, after all we have both Tim Finn and the Herbs joining forces for this track about Māori culture that likely would've flopped at any other point in time due to how out of place it feels with the more conventional music on this list.
#96 for 1989
This is here to commemorate the second time this became a hit in NZ, I mentioned why on my previous list but to summarise, the band embarked on a successful world tour for their (then) most recent album which compelled the kiwis to rediscover this track less than a year after its initial release.
#94 for 1986
This managed to be a minor success for Stevie Wonder in NZ following the success of his collaboration with Paul McCartney from earlier on this list, it's another disco track during what was supposedly the dark age of the genre, which likely explains why it wasn't that big anywhere in the world.
#84 for 1982
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