Well I guess I should look at what was big throughout the 90'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.
Given how this was the full extent of her success over in Australia, it makes sense that it would also be a huge success for Bic Runga in her homeland a full year prior to seeing the light of day on our charts. Admittedly it wasn't as big as you'd expect due to the kiwis gravitating towards her album over this adult contemporary ballad of hers, however it did lead to her having massive success in the new millennium.
#33 for 1997 (#29 website)
Mariah's popularity was also starting to dwindle in NZ by this point in time, although given how much more popular she was in NZ throughout the decade then here in Australia, that's like saying that Madonna's popularity declined here in Australia throughout the decade, technically true but mostly irrelevant. Mariah would still have at least two more hits over there before the decade was up.
#34 for 1997 (#18 website)
This was a bit of a comeback for Whitney Houston in NZ, namely that it was her first hit single since the 80's over there to not be affiliated with one of her films meaning she finally had a hit that was able to stand on its own and not be as such due to audiences compensating her for her acting skills (or lack thereof.) I get the feeling this was meant to be released earlier in the decade given how it was clearly meant for Bobby Brown who she had a rocky relationship with by this point.
#31 for 1999 (#18 website)
This proved to be equally as popular in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it's worth noting that despite it failing to crack their top five, this was the biggest hit that Five had on their second album over there due to it having much less competition going into the new millennium than what the lead single from the previous year had. This was also their final hit over there as they didn't score any more hits after this.
#32 for 1999
Given how this wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia (hence its lower placement on that side of my site) it only seems fitting that it would be a bigger hit over there from two of the most popular artists of the twentieth century. Basically, this is a song about both Jacksons spilling their guts out about the lack of privacy they have in their respective lives, if only people would respect that privacy.
#45 for 1995 (#22 website)
This was the first hit that these two had anywhere in the world without any assistance from anyone else, true they had hits with Jodeci and even 2pac earlier in the decade (at least in their native America with Jodeci) but this was their first hit they had where they were the only performers on the record. It was a big hit in NZ this year for the duo, and it even briefly charted the following year in Australia when "All my life" became a worldwide success.
#35 for 1997 (#21 website)
Given how the song this track remixes didn't even chart in NZ back in the day, I can only assume this was a success over there purely based on how much the loved the dance beats on here rather than them reminding them of "Life in a northern town" like it did for us Aussies back in the day. You'll also notice this was a success over there much sooner than it was over here despite being an EDM track.
#36 for 1997
#34 for 1998
This was a good time to be Ma$e as he was able to score a string of hits in NZ and his native America following the exposure Bad boy records received with the tragic loss of Biggie Smalls, here he scores his first hit in both countries as a lead artist following the success he had playing second fiddle to Puff Daddy and the late Notorious B.I.G on their entries I've featured on this site so far.
#37 for 1997
#35 for 1998
This was also a huge success for U2 upon its initial release in NZ as it was everywhere else in the world, everywhere except America because this was a huge flop on Billboard which is perhaps why people believe this wasn't the lead single of Achtung baby to this day.
#44 for 1991 (#35 website)
While this didn't chart as high in NZ as it did in Australia, it was still a massive hit for Bobby Brown over there likely due to it being by far the raunchiest song in his discography which is odd because he was married to Whitney Houston when he released this as a single worldwide. This was the last hit he had in his career in the southern hemisphere, although he did score a few hits in the UK as the decade went on.
#35 for 1992 (#22 website)
Well, here's the second single from Lenny Kravitz's third album, it was much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia hence it's higher placement on this list for the rock and roller of colour. His popularity over in NZ throughout the rest of the 90's panned out the same way it did in Australia as he didn't have another hit over there until "Fly away" from his fifth album at the end of the decade.
#42 for 1993 (#25 website)
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more open to the idea of making Celine Dion a household name over there initially even if none of her singles never reached the dizzying heights they achieved down under throughout the 90's. Indeed, this ballad's success over there was half of what it achieved here even with it being released sooner over there.
#40 for 1994 (#47 website)
It's strange to think that this reggae cover of the Beatles classic was the only success that Chaka Demus and Pliers managed to have in NZ, after all you'd think their other two UK hits would've been as popular as this was especially considering how one of them even became a hit for them here in Australia the previous year. Still the fact they had a least one hit over there was better than what they achieved in America.
#41 for 1994 (#26 website)
This was released a bit earlier in NZ likely due to RNB and reggae being fully embraced by the kiwis throughout the 90's, although at least the original from Marvin Gaye was a bigger hit over there as opposed to Australia where this wound up outperforming the original. It's no surprise this was a hit in the southern hemisphere given how many songs reworked older tracks with addition lyrics thrown in from the performers.
#33 for 1996
Well, this was the biggest hit that the Fugees had in NZ that wasn't their iconic hit "Killing me softly," here they interpolate the Bob Marley classic which managed to appeal to the kiwis given how much love he's had over the years. It was their final hit as a unit; however, the members would go on to have success over there throughout the remainder of the decade.
#34 for 1996
#38 for 1997
I told you this was a much bigger hit for Eternal months before it was a hit here in Australia, in fact it had just about left the charts over there by the time it began climbing our charts towards the end of this year to give you an idea of how much sooner it was popular over there back in the day. That said, this was the only hit of theirs to be bigger in NZ than it was down under.
#39 for 1997 (#14 website)
These guys were on a roll this year as they managed to achieve their second big hit following their earlier entry on this list, I don't know if they managed to become the new RHCP in the eyes of the kiwis, however it would explain why that band's next album wasn't as successful over there as it was over here.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#43 for 1993
Well, it appears the kiwis were torn in whether or not to make this a hit over there, on the one hand it came from a Dutch group which they seemed to be contractually obligated to make a success but on the other that didn't seem to be the case for most of the 90's as other Dutch groups were popular over there. Eventually this did chart long enough over there that it was a massive hit, just not as big as it was here in Australia.
#33 for 1999
So, we all know that song "An Englishman in New York" from Sting, right? Well, what if we did that again but instead, we have a musician of colour from Jamaica (or in this case a British musician of colour claiming to be from Jamaica.) That was the premise of this pseudo cover of the 1987 track from Nothing like the sun which only the kiwis seemed to appreciate as it was only a hit in NZ this year.
#44 for 1993 (#28 website)
Well, I did mention this guy being able to score a second hit in NZ this year with another cover of an 80's track, this time he takes the Jermaine Jackson track and makes it his own by replacing Pia Zadora with someone named Van Der Toon which was all that needed to be done to allow this to win the kiwis over a second time for the part time singer.
#36 for 1998 (#24 website)
This was an even bigger hit for RHCP in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess even with airplay being factored into the charts, rock music was still able to find an audience during the final year of the 90's as it saw diminishing returns going into the 00's over there. Then again Californication produced multiple huge hits for the band over there, so perhaps the kiwis just wanted to give them more hits.
#34 for 1999 (#46 website)
These guys had been active for most of the 80's, however it wasn't until their 1989 album that they began having success in their native America with their RNB ballads. It wouldn't be until this became a chart topper for the group on Billboard that they finally had a hit outside of their homeland as this became a very big hit for the group in NZ this year for them.
#45 for 1991
Given that his earlier entry on this list went on to be one of the biggest hits of the decade in NZ (despite only barely cracking their top five) this second single from the Californian rapper was also a huge hit for him over there despite not even charting here in Australia given how it wasn't attached to a popular film of the moment. In fact, his other big Australian hit "What's love got to do with it" was also attached to a film now that I think about it.
#42 for 1994
Following the breakup of the Fugees from the previous year, Wyclef Jean decided to embark on a solo career the first of the three rappers which began with this hip hop ballad that became a massive success for him over in NZ. It took a while for us Aussies to give him a solo hit likely because we were on team Lauryn following the trio's breakup, however we eventually gave him one with "Two wrongs" in 2002.
#37 for 1998 (#48 website)
This was the other big hit that Redhead kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, it was also his first hit over there given how it was released in the final months of the 80's where it crossed over at the start of the year despite being a massive flop in his native America. This actually rebounded on the charts when he released his second single earlier in the year, not enough to appear higher on the list but still.
#42 for 1990 (#15 website)
This was the final hit that MC Hammer had in NZ, although notice how he dropped the MC from his stage name which suggests that even at this point he was noticing that he was becoming a target from other rappers in the music industry. It was still relatively harmless even with the expensive as hell music video, certainly compared to his next album where he tried to become a gangster rapper.
#46 for 1991
#36 for 1992
This was released on Christmas in NZ the previous year; this means that the song was released relatively close to that of "Say you'll be there" which perhaps explains why it wasn't as big a hit over there as it was here in Australia. Mind you, it was still a huge hit for the girls and likely kept their momentum going regardless given all the stiff competition they had to face around this time over there.
#40 for 1997 (#37 website)
While for the most part I outgrew many of the teen pop that made it big in the late 90's, this remains a huge guilty pleasure of mine due to how much innocent fun this remains from the Danish duo to this day. It appears that was the appeal of the track back in the day as it managed to outperform most of the other teen pop in Australia and NZ back then that proved to be bigger hits in the UK.
#38 for 1998 (#27 website)
Two years prior, Mr. president managed to score a massive success in the southern hemisphere with "Coco jambo," fast forward to this year and we have Dutch group T Spoon following the same formula of a sex jam to a reggae beat scoring a hit over in NZ and it flopping here in Australia. I guess the kiwis were still in love with EDM at a time where we Aussies were beginning to grow tired of the genre.
#35 for 1999
This was the big breakthrough that TLC had outside of their native America, possibly due to it being sold as a female perspective in the "stalker anthem" that audiences tend to not realise are indeed about stalking the love of a song's narrator's life. It was a massive hit in NZ likely due to this premise as well as the song being an absolute banger, it's a shame it was mere a minor sleeper hit here in Australia.
#46 for 1995 (#35 website)
I didn't even realise how late to the party we Aussies were when it came to Mariah's second single from her debut album, I guess we felt she would be a one hit wonder with her debut single but then changed our minds about that when this became an international success for the pop diva. Naturally the kiwis didn't have this conundrum as this was an instant success for her over there.
#43 for 1990
#47 for 1991
This was a huge hit for the American RNB group U.N.V in NZ despite it being a massive flop in their native America, I'm not sure why this was a huge hit over there as there were plenty of RNB groups from America that saw more success than these guys ever did and yet they never crossed over back in the day.
#47 for 1995
Well, there was no surprise this would be a huge success in NZ for Warren G given how he had already scored two massive hits over there earlier in the decade; however, this didn't last as long on the NZ charts as it did on our charts likely due to us Aussies having more of the nostalgia bug for the Tina Turner classic than the kiwis did around this time.
#35 for 1996 (#30 website)
This was also a huge success for Betty Boo in NZ this year, I'm guessing because it was heavily featured in season one of Beverly Hills 90210 (yes, I've seen the show and I agree the episodes are all too long for their own good.) This allowed the British female rapper to have a hit in the southern hemisphere which opened up doors for other female rappers throughout the decade here.
#44 for 1990
#48 for 1991
Given how much more popular Boyz II Men were in NZ compared to Australia, it would've been inconceivable that this debut single from Shai was a flop over there given how it was a huge success for the group here in Australia. Indeed, the A Capella ballad proved just as successful in both countries, much like how the group remains a one hit wonder in both countries with the ballad.
#45 for 1993 (#34 website)
This was the only hit for the RNB group Ghost Town DJ's, an American posse group who scored a massive hit in NZ and their native America with this track about the love of the narrator's life. I guess if this had of broken through later in the decade it would've been able to crossover here in Australia as there were plenty of these sorts of tracks to make it big as the 90's was coming to an end here.
#36 for 1996 (#24 website)
Well given how these guys managed to score massive success in NZ with their previous album two years prior, it seems fitting that this big hit they had here in Australia and the UK of all places managed to be a success over there much sooner than it was in either country. For what it's worth, these guys didn't have any success in their native America with any of their songs likely due to their sense of humour not connecting with their fellow Americans.
#36 for 1999 (#9 website)
In a strange move, this was selected as the second single in NZ as opposed to "I'll be loving you" likely to try and sell the boys as much tougher than they actually were to the kiwis who had discovered the likes of Run DMC and LL Cool J by this point in time. The kiwis made this a hit for them, although it's hard to say if it was because they genuinely liked this or if they felt it too hilarious not to give this attention.
#45 for 1990
You know these guys did have hits with their own original material over the years, you just wouldn't know that given how most of their biggest hits were in fact covers of older songs from the 60's and 70's. This time we're looking at a song from the Chi Lites that the band made their own as the lead single to their second Labour of love album they released at the end of the previous decade.
#46 for 1990
This was the debut single for En Vogue, an RNB girl group who were one of the biggest names in music throughout the world in the 90's except for here in Australia where they were a one hit wonder with "Don't let go" in 1997 (I guess a two-hit wonder if you count their chorus on Salt n Pepa's "Whatta man") The kiwis recognised their abilities to harmonise with each other from the start, hence why this was a hit over there.
#47 for 1990 (#26 website)
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ for Celine Dion as it was here in Australia, it was the only song of hers to match its success over there with what it achieved over here as her singles weren't that popular over there throughout the 90's for some reason. I would've been shocked if this was a flop for her given how it's her rendition of a song that was meant for the Bat out of hell franchise.
#37 for 1996
I guess the kiwis did allow "Maria" to become a hit upon its initial release over there as opposed to them needing to bundle it with "Cup of life" like we Aussies did, this was all the incentive that they needed to make this a number one hit over there for Ricky Martin which is often considered to be the song which confirmed the Latin craze as a genuine trend rather than it being a fad like it was earlier in the decade.
#37 for 1999 (#14 website)
This was the last hit that Roxette had over in NZ, it's a pity because they would continue to find success here in Australia for the next two years before their career died out by appearing on the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack. They were another band that did very well with adapting to the trends of the 90's, even with the lack of success they had in NZ, at least it was still more noteworthy than many of their contemporaries.
#49 for 1991 (#37 website)
This was also a massive hit for Elton John from the Lion king soundtrack, arguably more so than what it was here in Australia as it remained in the upper echelons of their charts much longer than it did down under. As I said in the Australian side of this site, were Diana still alive even into the new millennium, this would've been the English piano man's final hit anywhere in the world.
#43 for 1994 (#25 website)
I guess I should now talk about the song given how I wound up bringing up that (in my opinion) hilarious court case where the boys defended themselves against lip synch allegations by putting on a live show where they proved they could all sing. This was an instant hit for the band everywhere in the world thanks to how catchy the track is as well as it being a typical boy band track with its usual troupes.
#48 for 1990 (#22 website)
Well at least the original version from Kool and the Gang was a massive hit in NZ back in the day, otherwise this would've been an awkward song to feature again on this site as Peter Andre scored his second chart topper over there in a row with this cover. This was the last hit he scored here in Australia, although he kept scoring hits internationally once his earlier entry took off throughout Europe.
#38 for 1996 (#19 website)
This was one of the few east coast hip hop tracks to make it big in NZ during Biggie Smalls lifetime, although I don't think the kiwis cared much about which side of America this came from given how it's clearly an anthem for smoking weed. There have been a few mature topics to find their way to the mainstream back in the day, although I wouldn't have thought that marijuana would be one of the more popular trends.
#39 for 1996 (#26 website)
This is a song that should be much higher on this list, it isn't because it was pulled from shelves in NZ to encourage album sales for the soundtrack which as far as I can tell, didn't work over there. Another interesting fact I forgot to mention on the Australian side of my site is that the beat comes from "Forget me nots" from Patrice Rushen which was a massive hit in NZ fifteen years prior.
#41 for 1997 (#5 website)
These guys were on a roll this decade in NZ as they managed to score another hit over there with one of their reggae jams, this time it's a cover of the Joe South classic from the late 60's which managed to be a hit in Australia back in the day for the American singer/songwriter. It was a flop over there (according to the Listener charts) so it's possible the kiwis don't even realise that this was a cover.
#44 for 1994 (#28 website)
While this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, it did chart as high as this reached number two in both countries, meaning that we Aussies and kiwis were equally enamoured by the band's attempts to become the new Pearl jam but with Australian accents for the 90's.
#48 for 1995 (#37 website)
Well, I guess having that circuitous route to success here in Australia was beneficial for Toni Braxton in the long run as this was far less successful for the RNB singer of colour in NZ than it was down under. It could also be due to the kiwis not wanting to hear such a sexually driven track from a woman who has a discography otherwise categorised as something that can be listened to with the likes of Celine Dion or Whitney Houston.
#40 for 1996 (#22 website)
This was the first big hit that Bone Thugs n Harmony managed to have in NZ as well as their native America, it's strange to think that the band who's best known for "Tha crossroads" from the following year would have a string of other hits that are much more in line with the gangster rap of the day. Indeed, the quartet would go on to have massive success moving forward in the decade with different topics to rap about.
#49 for 1995 (#36 website)
Just a friendly reminder that these lists of mine are based on how well a song did on the charts rather than their physical sales, otherwise this song would easily be at the top of every list it qualifies for given that it's the bestselling song of all time (at least until the digital age came along.) As for why it's so low on this list, it was pulled from shelves in NZ which wasn't the case here in Australia.
#42 for 1997 (#1 website)
This song's success in NZ was inevitable given how it was a hip hop track from a well-established rapper made for a popular film at the time of its release, although it was curiously not as success there as it was here likely because the kiwis were mixed on the "Islands in the dreams" interpolation on the track. This was the biggest hit that Pras had on his own, although here he simply replaced Lauryn for Mya and Wyclef for Ol dirty bastard.
#39 for 1998 (#19 website)
I still can't believe this was a flop for the New radicals in their native America, I know those shout outs to all those celebrities that the band didn't like were a bit uncalled for, but was that really enough of an incentive to boycott this track back in the day? It certainly wasn't outside of America as this became a huge success for the band thanks to how catchy it is as well as the lyrics being more intelligent than you'd realise.
#38 for 1999
It turns out this was a cover of a track from the late 70's, meaning that Heart chose to cover a song that has problematic elements in the lyrics which resulted in this being their biggest hit in most parts of the world. Like many people back in the day, I'm not affected by the lyrics and enjoy it more for the passionate vocals from the two leading ladies, although the kiwis might have been a little put off compared to us Aussies.
#49 for 1990 (#18 website)
I'm not sure how this hip hop track from Icy Blu managed to become a success here in Australia and NZ back in the day given how it was a massive flop for her in America, however it was a success in the southern hemisphere regardless for the underage rapper. It turns out she had a second single chart in NZ with "I wanna be your girl" which is somehow more of a novelty than this track was.
#50 for 1991 (#21 website)
Even though "The fly" was a massive hit for U2 back in the day, people tend to believe this was the lead single from Achtung baby given how much more popular it's become over the years for the band compared to the actual lead single.
#51 for 1991
#37 for 1992
This was a side project for Bone thugs n harmony who brought together a bunch of their friends in the hip hop scene in order to promote them in the music industry, kind of like how Biggie Smalls had the Junior mafia throughout the decade and saw massive success in their native America as a result. These guys weren't so lucky in their homeland; however, this posse cut was a chart topper for them in NZ.
#41 for 1996
#43 for 1997
This was another RNB group who managed to score success in NZ this year despite being an American group who failed to make it big in their homeland at the time. I didn't realise how many American artists got the short end of the straw throughout the decade as the American music scene really seemed more interested in breaking arbitrary Billboard records over promoting their local talent. (see why I'm covering the NZ charts?)
#44 for 1997 (#25 website)
This proved to be an even bigger hit for the B52's in NZ compared to Australia, although this was the second single from a highly successful album, so this was more due to the kiwis not allowing the album sales to affect its popularity like we Aussies did back in the day. It could also be that the kiwis wanted to hear an entire track devoid of Fred Schneider and just have vocals from Katie Pierson and Cyndi Wilson.
#50 for 1990 (#45 website)
It turns out that this was released as a limited edition single here in Australia, hence why it charted high but quickly existed out charts which prevented it from being eligible to appear on that side of my site. I guess the kiwis had an unlimited edition of the track as it became a massive hit over there without any signs of it being pulled from shelves of dropping out of the charts because of a lack of stock of the song.
#38 for 1992 (#18 website)
This was the other big hit that Sybil managed to achieve in NZ this year, and just like her earlier entry, this was also a cover of a Dionne Warwick track from the 60's which I'm guessing was why she had two hits over there this year as Dionne never had that much success over there (at you could likely tell from her lower placements on this side of my site.)
#51 for 1990 (#48 website)
Well at least this song was a much bigger hit for Whitney Houston in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I've seen this be described as her worst song likely due to how ridiculous the chorus is on the track. I'm guessing it was only a hit at the time due to the film it was written for being much better received than Whitney's previous acting gig with the Bodyguard from earlier in the decade.
#50 for 1995
#42 for 1996
Well, this was certainly a surprise hit, we have this cover of the Bee gees classic from Ardijah a decade after their initial breakthrough with the likes of "Watching u" over in NZ. I mentioned on that list that they tried to crossover to Australia by touring the country throughout the 90's, although they gave up around this time and came back home where they picked up where they left off a decade prior.
*Apologies for the lack of album art for this entry, there doesn't seem to be one in existence. The song is "Love so right" from Ardijah if you couldn't tell from my commentary*
#40 for 1998 (#29 website)
It turns out these guys had a ton of success in NZ throughout the 90's beginning with this big breakthrough they had in their native America, no doubt this was going to be a success for them given how this was during the height of the new jack swing era. They would continue to score massive success in NZ and on the Billboard charts with their subsequent releases throughout the decade.
#52 for 1991 (#46 website)
Unlike in Australia where I know for a fact that the original ballad from Kyu Sakamoto was a hit, I can't say I have any idea if the kiwis will be familiar with the original which means that for all I know, this could only be the second version of this song to become popular over there following the success of A taste of honey's version from the early 80's. For what it's worth, it came out slightly sooner over there despite being bigger down under.
#51 for 1995 (#43 website)
It's worth noting that though he died before it came out, the first album that 2pac released as Makaveli was completed and scheduled for release shortly after his death, meaning this wasn't his label milking his work for profit (for the most part at least) and instead a work of artistic merit. This seemed to be the incentive the kiwis needed in making this lead single to Makaveli's debut album a success over there.
#45 for 1997 (#42 website)
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the label felt that this collaboration between Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson would be unsuccessful here due to neither artist having that big hit prior to its release on our charts. As fate would have it, it proved to be more successful down under than it was anywhere else in the world, although it was also quite huge in the UK.
#39 for 1992 (#44 website)
It seems the kiwis were equally as titillated by this first bonus track from the Immaculate collection as we Aussies were, although it clearly wasn't as much as her fellow Americans were as this went straight to number one on Billboard and became one of her biggest hits in America in her entire catalogue. It was likely the success of this track which led to her next album being all about sexual provocation.
#52 for 1990
#53 for 1991
This was the third time that the Anita Ward classic managed to be a success in NZ, or at least it was if we ignore the fact that DJ Jazzy Jeff merely sampled the chorus of the original to allow Will Smith to spit his own rhymes about him hitting on a person he has the hots for. It was a surprise success in NZ likely due to the success of "Summertime" which was their big breakthrough in their native America.
#54 for 1991
#40 for 1992
This was equally as successful for Rage against the machine in NZ as it was here in Australia, although this was the only thing they released in their career where it proved to be as popular with us Aussies as the kiwis as the rest of their catalogue saw much more success over there throughout the 90's than it did here. I feel that these guys were more popular in NZ than anywhere else in the world which was the case for Faith no more down under.
#46 for 1993 (#32 website)
This became a hit twice in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release where it was a minor hit for the German band whilst the second was when it randomly rebounded on their charts at the beginning of 1994 likely due to the minor success of their second single "Got to get it" (which sadly won't be reappearing on this side of my site.)
#47 for 1993
#45 for 1994
Well, this was bound to be a success in NZ given how even we Aussies made this track that nostalgia baits off the Bob Marley classic a success over here. It wasn't Warren G's final success over there as he still has one more entry to appear on this list.
#46 for 1997 (#19 website)
This was a straight cover of the Ben E King classic of the same name from the short lived American RNB group 4 the cause, this was another group that found success throughout Europe despite never having a hit on the Billboard charts this year, likely due to their fellow Americans not appreciating this cover as much as the rest of the world did. This did briefly chart in Australia the following year, suggesting we Aussies would make it a hit but changed our minds at some point.
#41 for 1998 (#28 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ for Seal than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because EDM was still more popular over there at the time given how this was while he was little more than a vocalist for some catchy beats from the UK scene. Strangely enough, this was his only big hit over there as "Kiss from a rose" would greatly underperform later in the decade compared to the rest of the world.
#55 for 1991 (#34 website)
This was sandwiched between the RNB group's two chart toppers in NZ, so it often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to discussing their catalogue outside of their obvious hits. It could also be due to this song (which isn't a cover of the KC and the Sunshine band classic) being released before "End of the road" in their native America and also being a flop for the group on the Billboard charts.
#48 for 1993 (#50 website)
This is a cover of a Toto track that was a modest success in NZ exactly two decades prior, I'm not sure how the kiwis got a hold of this cover given how it was a flop in Eric Benet's native America at the time (it might be due to Faith Hill being on the chorus.) Nowadays Eric is best known for being married to Halle Berry during the first half of the 00's.
#39 for 1999 (#43 website)
It looks like Paul Hardcastle scored more than one hit after all, although this second hit was only as such for him in NZ as this was a house track from the man who scored a massive worldwide hit five years prior with "19." Tony Mac was the credited vocalist on this track given how "19" was a spoken word track about the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam war which wasn't going to fly on this track.
#53 for 1990
#56 for 1991
For whatever reason, "You oughta know" underperformed in NZ the previous year for Alanis Morissette despite being one of the biggest hits of that year here in Australia. Fortunately, the second single from Jagged little pill was a big hit over there despite it underperforming here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies wanted to make her a one hit wonder but changed our minds as the album cycle rolled out.
#43 for 1996 (#36 website)
Although this charted higher in NZ than it did here in Australia for the Spice girls, it didn't last as long on their charts which was the case for many of the returning entries on this list given how the NZ charts functioned differently to the Australian charts in the late 90's. Other than that, there's nothing new I can say about this song that I didn't already cover on the Australian side of this site.
#42 for 1998 (#16 website)
Well, I guess this song was also how Fatboy Slim was able to score massive success from the other side of the decade in NZ given how it was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here back in the day, there's little surprise how given how smooth the beat is and smoky the singer is. The original from the S.O.S band was also a moderate success in NZ as we saw a few lists back which would explain this cover's success.
#54 for 1990 (#34 website)
Much like the rest of the world, it appears that Rod Stewart was able to resume his career where it left off in the 70's in NZ as if there hadn't been an entire decade of silence from him over there. At least we Aussies gave him the occasional hit throughout the 80's, Rod hadn't had a hit over there since "Passion" from over ten years prior.
#57 for 1991 (#38 website)
Well Tony Toni Tone already had success earlier in the decade, so why not have these guys follow in their footsteps in NZ and their native America? This is another band who combined hip hop with new jack swing who managed to score a bigger hit in NZ than anything that the other guys released over there, although they were a one hit wonder over there and also failed to score a hit in Australia.
#41 for 1992 (#29 website)
You better believe that Kris Kross had more than one hit in NZ given how the kiwis seemed to be hungry for any kind of hip hop this decade, here's their second hit which was just as infectious as their earlier entry and yet was only a success over there and their native America likely due to international audiences finding the chorus to be too gimmicky for their liking.
#42 for 1992 (#36 website)
Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder to this day here in Australia with "Tha crossroads," they would have hits over in NZ as recently as 2007 meaning that they had so much more to offer in their catalogue that the kiwis gravitated towards back in the day. This was just one of the many other hits they had over there which admittedly was also a huge success in their native America this year.
#47 for 1997 (#17 website)
It's a bit surprising that Janet Jackson didn't have much success with the Velvet rope over in NZ given how this single in particular managed to become one of the biggest hits of the decade everywhere else in the world, I guess the kiwis were already fed up with her spiritual vibes in her music by this point given how much bigger "Runaway" was over there earlier in the decade than in most parts of the world.
#43 for 1998
This was another huge hit for CJ Lewis in NZ, mainly because the kiwis still couldn't get enough of 90's reggae as evidence by most of the entries on this list (both new and returning) comes from the genre in some way shape or form. He would have one more hit over there after this (stay tuned for it) before the kiwis grew tired of his brand of reggae for whatever reason.
#52 for 1995
#44 for 1996
As far as fans are concerned, this was the last thing that the Spice girls released as they (including me) like to pretend that their third album never came to be instead of it crashing and burning the following year when it actually came out. This was just as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia despite it also managing to chart higher over there than it did over here as with most of these repeat entries.
#44 for 1998
#40 for 1999
While this wasn't a number one hit here in Australia, that didn't prevent it from finding success in NZ this year proving that the kiwis were still into EDM and supporting Australian artists going into the new millennium. I doubt the kiwis understood the point in Joanne being "featured" by BZ given how the original from Bluezone was a flop over there as well and that they likely didn't realise Lisa Stansfield was the lead singer.
#41 for 1999
This song was initially set to be a flop in NZ as it only rose to the top twenty upon its initial release and then began to fall off the charts, the kiwis changed their minds by making it a success shortly after that which I'm not sure why because it was already a massive hit in Australia and the band's native UK when it was initially climbing up the charts over there.
#45 for 1996 (#27 website)
Well at least this was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact it was slightly bigger over there than Blue's (in my opinion) inferior cover from 2001 even though both versions topped the NZ charts back in the day. Naturally this was another chart topper this year that likely would've been higher on this list if there weren't so many minor hits that pushed it aside once it fell off from the top spot over there.
#45 for 1998 (#18 website)
Here's a fact that may shock everyone reading this who isn't from NZ, Popstars was actually a reality series that originated over there this year before it became popular here in Australia and eventually the UK. The first winners of the series anywhere in the world was this all-girl group who were formed as such because Popstars had you competing in the show in groups rather than as solo artists.
#42 for 1999 (#33 website)
You'd think that one of the big hits that En Vogue would have this year in NZ would either be "My loving" or "Free your mind," instead it was their cover of an obscure track that Aretha Franklin made in the mid 70's which of course means that they managed to have a bigger hit with this version over there than the queen of soul ever had even in her native America back in the day.
#43 for 1992 (#39 website)
This was one of many other hits that Shaggy managed to achieve in NZ that wasn't a success here in Australia, it's an original track from him which perhaps explains its failure in most parts of the world given how his earlier entry on this list was an update of an early 60's track run through the reggae filter. I'm actually surprised his debut album was a flop over there given how big both of these singles were.
#49 for 1993 (#39 website)
Well, this was a lot less successful in NZ than it was internationally for Bryan Adams, admittedly it was still a huge hit for him over there due to it being attached to a (then) popular film, but it was obvious that the kiwis love for the former heartland rocker was beginning to fade as the decade went on.
#53 for 1995 (#27 website)
It feels weird that Batman returns was the only Batman film from the Burton/Schumaker films to not spawn a hit single or even a successful album back in the day, I guess that was going for an even darker tone than the original film and as such, Tim Burton felt that contemporary music was out of the question. Admittedly the Batman forever soundtrack wasn't exactly contemporary itself as evidence by this being the big hit from the album.
#54 for 1995 (#31 website)
Coolio was on a roll this year in NZ when he released the second single from his sophomore album named after his top entry on this list, this time he samples the Kool and the Gang track of the same name for this summer jam that was curiously released during the winter in his homeland which prevented it from becoming a hit on Billboard like it was in NZ.
#46 for 1996
Given that New edition was no more at the start of the decade, three of its members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie Deveo got together and formed a new group named after their surnames and focused more on hip hop starting with this track about a woman who they feel is poisonous for the person they're singing/rapping to. It was a huge hit for the trio in NZ and their native America but not here in Australia.
#55 for 1990 (#32 website)
Given how he had one of the biggest hits of the year in NZ around this time, it only makes sense that Keith Sweat's other big hit in his native America would also be a success over there given how it uses the same formula as "Twisted" with the chorus from Kut Klose connecting his verses together.
#47 for 1996
#48 for 1997
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