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.
It looked like there wouldn't be another Traveling Wilburys album following the tragic death of Roy Orbison shortly after they released their first album two years prior, however the remaining members decided to make a second album which included this track they released in aid of the Romanian Angel Appeal. This was a charity which helped the children of Romania that I'm sure was a factor in its success in NZ.
#77 for 1990 (#43 website)
K7 had a huge sleeper hit with "Come baby come" in NZ which won't be making an appearance on this site due to it charting in the lower half of the charts over there, this did lead to him having a huge follow up hit with the Swing kids which does qualify for this site due to charting in the upper echelons of their charts. From what I can gather, he was another Hispanic American rapper to make it big in NZ but not his homeland.
#65 for 1994 (#43 website)
I would ask how LL Cool J didn't have more success in NZ if this was such a big hit over here in Australia, but then I remember that he was an east coast rapper and that the kiwis were on the side of the west coast in the hip hop wars of the 90's. I think the only reason this was a hit over there was for Boyz II Men's chorus given how the RNB group were still one of the most inescapable groups of the decade over there.
#70 for 1996
This was the final hit that Bryan Adams was able to achieve in NZ, admittedly this was more of a Barbra Streisand track as it came from her film the Mirror has two faces which was a critical and commercial success around this time. You may have noticed that Bryan was another name from the 90's that didn't have nearly as much success in NZ as he did throughout the rest of the world with these entries.
#74 for 1997
Well, I hope you're in the mood for another reggae cover of a Beatles classic from the 90's because Inner Circle followed in the footsteps of Chaka Demus and Pliers from earlier in the decade by covering a Beatles classic in the form of this reggae track. It was an inevitable success in NZ given how popular the Jamaican band were throughout the decade over there.
#73 for 1998
I bet you were wondering if these guys had any success back in the day considering how lead singer Nick Lachey was immensely popular during his marriage with Jessica Simpson throughout the 00's. It turns out they were in their native America as well as NZ for this one and only hit of theirs which is about the boy band singing to their audience about how they can't love them because of their significant others.
#70 for 1999 (#39 website)
Much like Australia, Bryan's earlier entry on this list was pulled from shelves in NZ to encourage the sales of this second single from Waking up the neighbours as well as the album itself. I think this was the only time where this method worked out as every other time I've seen a song pulled from shelves to encourage album sales resulted in the album either doing just as well if this tactic wasn't applied or it being worse off for it.
#75 for 1991
Although it was panned by critics back in the day, Snoop Dogg's second album Tha doggfather did yield a few moderate hits including this track where he interpolates "Ooops upside your head" from the Gap band with the full endorsement of their frontman Charlie Wilson as he provides him a chorus with an update of the original. This is the second time the song was a success as an interpolation following Snap's usage of it.
#75 for 1997
From what I can tell, Greg Johnson was a folk singer from NZ who managed to score a massive hit in his homeland this year with this folk track about the love of his life named Isabelle. It was enough of a success to spark interest in him from America of all places which is why he moved over there later in the decade despite failing to score any other hits in his catalogue in his homeland.
#70 for 1992 (#40 website)
This was the second big hit that Bitty McLean had in NZ, as well as the first he had over there that wasn't a hit in his native UK as it turns out he was a one hit wonder over there with his earlier entry on this list. Although this will be his final appearance on this site, he did score minor success over there with a third single which a cover of "Dedicated to the one I love."
#66 for 1994
The success that Savage Garden had with their first album in NZ was a bit of an inverse to what they achieved in America, this and "Break me shake me" were the two big hits over there whereas "I want you" and "Truly madly deeply" were their big hits on Billboard. In any case, this became their first big hit over there following the buzz that their debut single had given them earlier in the year.
#76 for 1997 (#47 website)
We have another RNB cover of a classic 70's hit from this American duo, this time the girls pay tribute to the David Bowie classic of the same name which only the kiwis seemed to appreciate much like their previous cover from two years prior. From what I can gather, this wasn't a part of a film meaning that the kiwis genuinely enjoyed this cover back in the day.
#74 for 1998
It only seems natural that this second cover that Whitney Houston made for the soundtrack to her theatrical debut would be a huge hit in NZ like it was here in Australia this year, in fact the only surprise here is that the original from Chaka Khan was also a flop over there despite that version superseding this take over the years as the definitive version on oldies stations.
#66 for 1993
This was a big success for Mariah Carey from her album Butterfly in NZ, likely for the inclusion of Bone Thugs n Harmony as it was obvious this was meant to be the album's equivalent of "One sweet day" from Daydream two years prior. While it wasn't an inescapable chart topper anywhere in the world, it was a big hit over in NZ which goes to show that the kiwis appreciated this collaboration.
#75 for 1998
This was released much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, although the law of averages take place here which is that a song that was delayed in a country would find more success in that country than they did in a country where it was released on time. I guess there's also the fact that these guys were a tad late to the boy band wars for the gimmick of playing their own instruments to matter over there.
#71 for 1999
This was SWV's first big hit anywhere in the world, in fact it was a number one hit on Billboard for the trio which perhaps explains how it managed to be a big hit over in NZ for the RNB group. Their earlier entry was what made them an international household name; however, it was this track which first put them on the map in their homeland and led them to having a bunch of hits around the world.
#67 for 1993
This is where it all began for Naughty by nature, naturally its success on Billboard made it a shoe in for success in NZ even if it was curiously a sleeper hit over there likely due to the kiwis vastly preferring west coast hip hop over its east coast counterpart. I guess they had to relent due to how incessantly catchy it is like the other hits they had throughout the decade.
#71 for 1992 (#26 website)
This was a big hit for Enigma in NZ this year, it was also decently successful here in Australia but charted too low to appear on the Australian side of my site. This song was the subject to a lawsuit as the German duo were caught sampling a track without the original composer's permission, it was settled out of court but costed them their reputation in the new age scene.
#67 for 1994 (#35 website)
Disney's animated version of Beauty and the beast is my favourite movie of all time bar none (naturally we don't talk about the Emma Watson version) it's one of many films the company made in the 90's that holds up so well that Disney haters have to invent ridiculous claims to make it seem like it isn't a masterpiece when it clearly is. This Oscar winning duet was a hit here in Australia, however it was only a minor one as opposed to its genuine success worldwide.
#72 for 1992 (#46 website)
This was the big hit off of Babyface's magnum opus the Day, an album that won't be appearing on this side of my site as the kiwis passed up on it in favour of the singles as opposed to us Aussies who let it stick around in lieu of its singles. Again, he was able to achieve this success as a lead artist whilst also producing some of the hottest RNB jams of the decade.
#77 for 1997
I'm not sure why this wasn't as popular in NZ or the trio's native America this year as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it didn't have that novelty factor that "Mmmbop" had and wasn't a ballad like their previous entry was which made it not worthy of much of either countries time. Still, this was a massive hit back in the day in both countries which further proves how inaccurate their label of a one hit wonder is.
#78 for 1997 (#39 website)
Unlike here in Australia where we Aussies largely passed up on this lead single to George's third album, this was more of a success for him over in NZ as it wound up being his biggest hit over there off said album. We'll be revisiting his big hit he had here in Australia in a bit but suffice to say that the kiwis weren't as impressed with his comeback overall as we Aussies were.
#71 for 1996
I guess this was originally not released as a single in NZ given how it only began charting in the first week of this year for Cher over there, naturally it having a strong presence on the radio must have encouraged her label to release it as a single over there to allow it to become the first chart topper in NZ with the new way the charts were calculated over there even if it quickly fell from their charts.
#72 for 1999
This was originally released five years prior from Freddie's second solo album, it was a collaboration with Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caballe and was a flop for the duo back in the day. It became a hit this year for two reasons, the first was of course due to Freddie's passing and the second was due to Montserrat performing this at the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics this year.
#73 for 1992
It appears that Redhead kingpin was able to score one final hit over in NZ with the lead single to his second album, I guess the kiwis felt he was enough of a legit east coast rapper to give him further success even if there were unfavourable comparisons, they made between him and MC Hammer at the time.
*Apologies for lack of single art, this is "3 2 1 pump" if you couldn't tell from my commentary*
#74 for 1992
This is the only hit that Digable planets managed to achieve both in NZ and their native America (again, what's with that weird band name?) This is an interesting sub-genre of hip hop as it includes jazz elements which I'll be honest, I'm very unfamiliar with as hip hop doesn't tend to be as classy with its production as it is on this track.
#68 for 1993
Following the demise of the series the Fresh prince of Bel air, co-star of Will Smith Tatyana Ali decided to follow the star of that shows footsteps by becoming a popular singer in the music scene which led to her releasing this track that became a massive success in NZ and nowhere else in the world. The failure of this song likely scared her off from making more music as she since returned to acting.
#76 for 1998 (#47 website)
Given how inescapable their previous album was in NZ compared to what it achieved here in Australia, I would've been dumbstruck if the lead single to their first album of the 90's was a flop over there especially given how the kiwis likely would've also gawked at the bizarre visuals of its music video at the time like we Aussies did. Unfortunately, this was their final hit anywhere in the world likely due to said video.
#75 for 1992
I guess the kiwis were also big fans of the Absolutely fabulous show in the 90's given how they had moved on from the Pet shop boys by this point in time, at least we Aussies gave them a comeback album the previous year which would explain the success of this novelty track from the duo.
#68 for 1994
This only barely managed to appear on the Australian side of my site, although it was a slightly bigger hit in NZ for the Cranberries which goes to show how well loved these guys were even after the success of "Zombie" in the southern hemisphere. It turns out that they didn't agree with the sentiment that they changed for the worse as the album overall was a much bigger success over there than it was over here.
#72 for 1996
This was also a big hit for Britney in NZ this year, although at least this remix was also a modest success in her native America which likely explains its popularity worldwide given that "Sometimes" was only barely a hit for her on Billboard this year. Unlike in her native America, her popularity would continue to grow in NZ going into the new millennium.
#73 for 1999 (#21 website)
It's a bit odd that Eternal's debut single "Stay" would be a bust for them in NZ and yet this single from their debut album managed to be a big hit for them over there, although this was admittedly one of their biggest hits in their native UK so perhaps the kiwis were simply following suit in making this their big hit. In a bizarre twist, they would be far more popular here in Australia as the decade went on.
#70 for 1995
These guys really were the exception to the rule where east coast hip hop was unwelcomed in NZ throughout the 90's, here we have another entry from them which of course failed to find an audience amongst us Aussies given our allergic reaction to any sort of hip hop at the time. Their success was about on par with the likes of Cypress hill and Bone thugs n harmony as far as the kiwis were concerned.
#71 for 1995
This was a big year for Brandy given how she released her debut album at the start of the year which spawned multiple hits for her in her native America, this was the bigger hit she had in NZ given how both "I wanna be down" and "Baby" were only minor hits over there for her. If there was a rivalry between her and Monica, Monica would've won that rivalry as far as the kiwis were concerned.
#72 for 1995
Well, here's that second hit that the Bloodhound gang were able to score in NZ this year, it's not as much in poor taste as the two songs that were on the Australian side of this site, but it's obvious that's the sort of humour that the kiwis had when making this a success for the band. If you couldn't tell from the title, this song is about how the narrator feels like he's being bullied by everyone and doesn't know why.
#79 for 1997
Queen Pen was such a force to be reckoned with this year that she managed to score a second hit over in NZ, this time all by herself as she continues the theme of her love life that she had with her earlier entry on this list that only the kiwis were able to appreciate back in the day.
#77 for 1998
Much like Step's earlier entry on this list, this was marketed as a Christmas single (hence the cover art) which resulted in it becoming a Christmas chart topper in the family group's native UK the previous year. This naturally wasn't the case anywhere else in the world given how it was only released as a single early in this year, however that didn't prevent it from becoming a success over in NZ for them.
#74 for 1999
I guess the kiwis weren't as fooled with Mark Wahlberg's foray into hip hop as the rest of the world was given how much less successful this was compared to everywhere else in the world, although even they couldn't resist the chorus from Loleatta Holloway which is why it managed to be a moderate hit over there for the future Hollywood heavyweight.
#76 for 1991
Even though this appears around the same place as it did on the Australian side of my site, I should point out that this wound up being a much bigger success in NZ than it was here due to it sticking around for much longer on the lower echelons of their charts. I think this is because it was chosen as the theme song to the Next karate kid which is how it became a huge success in America for Des'ree.
#69 for 1994 (#31 website)
This was Tiny Tina's only hit in NZ (Tiny Tina was what we Aussies called her during her days on Young talent time) mainly because the kiwis passed up her singles over there in favour of making her second album a huge (albeit sleeper) hit over there. This was also a huge success in the UK for the Australian pop diva which led to her crossing over throughout Europe.
#73 for 1995
It was inevitable that this would reappear on this site of my site given how both Babyface and Stevie Wonder were on a roll throughout the decade as we've seen on my previous lists, heck the fact this was a big hit for them both in Australia should've been a sign this was also a success for them in NZ given our allergic reaction to RNB which we were just starting to overcome this year.
#80 for 1997
I guess the kiwis weren't as sympathetic to Meredith Brooks declaring herself as a bitch as we Aussies were given how much less popular this was over there than it was over here, then again, it doesn't escape my notice that Alanis Morissette was far less popular over there, suggesting the kiwis just didn't want to hear abrasive music from these women as much as we Aussies did.
#81 for 1997
Although I did mention that their earlier entry and "Break me shake me" were the two big hits that Savage Garden had over in NZ, this worldwide chart topper of theirs was a big sleeper hit over there this year which allowed it to reappear on this side of my site even if its popularity like the other songs from the duo's debut album was but a fraction of what it achieved here and in America.
#82 for 1997
Betty Boo was on a roll when she released her second single in the southern hemisphere, indeed this only barely failed to appear on the Australian side of my site because it too was only a sleeper hit over here like it was in NZ for the English rapper. It turns out we Aussies are to blame for her dropping off the face of the earth as we cancelled her back in the day due to her lip synching on her tour here.
#77 for 1991
The hits just kept on coming for Push Push this year in their homeland, again this didn't chart here in Australia due to us Aussies rejecting the hard rock band for some reason despite how inescapable they were over there.
#78 for 1991
From what I can gather, this was a fictious band from the NZ soap opera Shortland Street who managed to score a hit this year with this track likely due to the storyline that involved their creation in universe. It could also be due to them having Annie Crummer as one of their members which makes this the third band she was a part of after Netherworld dancing toys and When the cats away.
#69 for 1993 (#47 website)
Much like a lot of RNB and hip hop tracks this decade, this was released much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia with the obvious trade-off being that it wound up being more successful here than it was over there for TQ. You'd think this guy would've had more success in either country given how this was among the mellower hip hop tracks of its time, alas you'd be wrong.
#78 for 1998
Although Tevin Campbell did achieve massive success in NZ throughout the 90's, I should point out that this will be his only appearance on this side of my site as none of his other singles racked up enough points to make the cut for their respective lists. It seems odd that his biggest hit in NZ and his native America would be from his much younger years given how his later work was much better recieved.
#76 for 1992
This is the only success that the hip hop trio Organized noize was able to achieve during their brief time together, even then it was only due to it being yet another song from the lucrative soundtrack to the heist film Set it off which has multiple other tracks on this list already. Although the film was a box office success, it appears that the kiwis seemed to love the film more than anyone else in the world.
#73 for 1996
You'd think this breakthrough single from Lenny Kravitz would've been an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, alas that wasn't the case despite it charting higher over there than it did over here which suggests that at least initially, the kiwis were more intrigued by this track than we Aussies were this year. His success would grow over there throughout the decade just like it did over here.
#79 for 1991 (#44 website)
This is Michael Bolton's biggest hit in NZ, it's odd that all of his songs were more sleeper hits than anything over there given how inescapable his songs were internationally. Heck even his albums were more sleeper hits than anything even if they did do better than his singles, I guess the kiwis were simply ahead of the curb in identifying this man as lame (at least in mainstream circles.)
#78 for 1990
I never understood why American dance acts had a hard time in finding success in their homeland, although this is one of the lucky few success stories even if it wound up being more successful in NZ albeit as more of a sleeper hit for the trio. Normally these American artists have their success in the UK or throughout Europe, however that wasn't the case for these guys.
#79 for 1990 (#36 website)
Sandwiched between their two earlier entries was this second single from C+C Music factory's debut album, I guess there's not much to say about this track that doesn't apply to the other two entries on this list other than to go into further detail about who Freedom Williams was. He was the rapper of the group, meaning he at least was able to receive full credit on the tracks unlike Martha Walsh.
#80 for 1991 (#39 website)
We have another entry on here that would release on time in NZ and was a bit of a sleeper success over there as opposed to it being delayed over here in exchange for its success being more immediate when it did see the light of day here, I guess the kiwis were a bit more embarrassed with having this booty anthem being a huge success compared to us Aussies who clearly had no such shame.
#70 for 1993 (#44 website)
File this in the increasingly large category of songs that were released on time in NZ that proved to be less popular than they were here in Australia, although admittedly this was more due to every song from the Spice girls being delayed after their debut single due to how long it took for "Say you'll be there" to see the light of day on our shelves.
#79 for 1998
This will be the only other appearance that Brandy makes on this list, although rest assure that she will be making me more appearances on this side of my site given how much she dominated the NZ charts during the second half of the decade like Monica did. I guess the kiwis were more into hearing her be lovestruck as opposed to heartbroken which explains why "I wanna be down" wasn't as big a hit over there as this was.
#74 for 1995
This was the fourth and final single to come from MC Hammer's breakthrough album, you'd think that it was made for a TV series given how often he insists that the Hammer is coming until you remember there was a TV show starring the rapper that had a much lamer theme that went with it than this song. It's almost tragic to think that he would abandon this image a mere two years later as hip hop evolved.
#81 for 1991
I've yet to see any of the Rocky films, however I have it on good authority that even the biggest diehard fan of Sylvester Stallone will tell you that the fifth entry is one of the worst films ever made. It seems the only redeeming quality about it is the theme song similar to how well received James Brown's song for the previous entry was also well received even by that film's biggest detractors.
#82 for 1991
It turns out there was another reggae song on the Pret a porter soundtrack that was released as a single worldwide, naturally the kiwis were all over this track given their love for reggae from Jamaican artists as Supercat was indeed a reggae artist as was the featured singer Jack Radics who was the guest vocalist on Chaka Demus and Plier's cover of "Twist and shout" from the previous year.
#75 for 1995
From what I can gather, these girls were part of the Mo thugs family supergroup who scored a massive hit with their earlier entry on this list exclusively in NZ, it would appear that the kiwis wanted to hear more from the women who provided the chorus to the big hit that the group had.
#83 for 1997
If the name Ray J sounds familiar to you, that's because this is the man that Kim Kardashian released a sex tape with which launched her career into the mainstream in 2007. A decade prior, he had a hit in NZ with this ballad which makes this another example of an American artist finding more success over there than they did in their homeland this decade.
#84 for 1997
Every one of Will Smith's solo entries have had an obvious sample to them from a song that was a big hit back in their respective day, his latest entry on this site samples the Whisper's "And the beat goes on" from 1980 which he recontextualises as a song about how much he loves Miami. I'm guessing this was meant for the soundtrack to Bad boys II which wouldn't come out for another five years after its initial release.
#75 for 1999
It seems fitting that this was the bigger hit from the TMNT soundtrack in NZ and that "Spin that wheel" from Hi tek 3 was the bigger hit here in Australia (stay tuned for that in a bit) after all it goes to show how both countries unintentionally capture the zeitgeist of the music scene should you combine them together. Both of these tracks capture the feel of the movie rather well, so it's not like there's a competition in that regard.
#80 for 1990
It seems odd that R.E.M would go for this as the lead single to their biggest album Automatic for the people, in fact it's largely because of this coming off as a weak lead single that the album took so long to become a best seller in most parts of the world as it required the assistance of "Man on the moon" and "Everybody hurts" to connect with audiences in a way this track initially failed to do so with everyone except for the kiwis.
#77 for 1992
This is the final hit that Crowded house was able to achieve in their career given how they would struggle with the other singles from their fourth album Together alone in Australia and NZ in exchange for said album being a massive success in both countries, it's one of their more recognisable tracks in their catalogue which makes its success less surprising over there than its failure over here.
#71 for 1993
This was yet another hit to come from the Set it off soundtrack in NZ this year, the film must've really connected with the kiwis as no fewer than six songs from the album found varying degrees of success over there with this entry from Bone thugs n harmony being one of the less popular from the album.
#85 for 1997
This was a surprise hit for Neil Finn this year, likely because this is a song that I've heard be described as an unofficial national anthem for NZ which seems appropriate given how it was among the last songs to be released in the year and for it to debut at number one when it saw the light of day.
#76 for 1999 (#25 website)
This was that second single that Extreme had a hit with over in NZ this year from their breakthrough album, it's a better representation of their sound even if it's not as aggressive as their previous material was. It's kind of like a track from Metallica's black album the more I think about it, which I guess explains why fans consider this to be the point of no return for their catalogue.
#83 for 1991
I'm a bit shocked that this underperformed here in Australia given how I remember hearing this on the radio quite a bit back in the day, indeed it was only a decent hit at best for Robyn over in NZ likely due to it being a surprise hit for her in America along with "Do you know" for reasons I wasn't able to figure out. Robyn nowadays is best known for her 2010's material, more specifically how much the internet loves it.
#80 for 1998
911 was one of many British boy bands that didn't achieve much love during the second round of the boy band wars this decade, however they did score one hit with this cover of the Bee Gees classic, suggesting that they would've had a shot in this round were the competition not so stiff.
#77 for 1999
This feels more like a success for the Cardigans than it does for Tom Jones in NZ given how the Welsh crooner hadn't had any success over there in a decade over there (two if you only count him as a lead artist.) It's hard to say why this took off over there, was it because of the Cardigans? Is it because it's a cover of a Talking heads track? Were the kiwis that nostalgic for Tom Jones? Your guess is as good as mine.
#78 for 1999
Well, how about this? We have an entry from Stevie Wonder ten years after his final international hit "Part time lover" on this list. I guess this being a hit in NZ of all places explains how he managed to score an even bigger hit with Babyface later in the decade with "How come how long," that and the fact that Coolio's earlier entry samples his song "Pastime paradise" from his 1976 magnum opus Songs in the key of life.
#76 for 1995
Blackstreet were on a roll this year in NZ as they were able to score a third hit from their breakthrough album over there with this bop, although I get the feeling this crossed over due to the presence of Ol Dirty Bastard and Guns n roses guitarist Slash which predictably made this a bit of a genre mashup upon its initial release.
#86 for 1997
This was the only hit that NZ singer Sina was able to achieve in her career, it was kind of a pain to find out any information about her on the internet as this was her only claim to fame even in her local music scene.
#81 for 1998
I guess the kiwis weren't that much more impressed with this sweet and innocent number from (at the time) underage singer Shanice Wilson than we Aussies were, although at least it didn't have to worry about making the cut on this list as opposed to the Australian side of my site where it nearly failed to do so. Again, this was far more successful in the northern hemisphere back in the day.
#78 for 1992
This was a hit twice in NZ, hence its placement on multiple lists despite it not peaking during the Christmas period of any given year. The first time was upon its initial release where it did reasonably well for Cypress hill whilst the second was when their album blew up over there due to the success of "I ain't going out like that" which firmly put the trio on the hip hop map with for kiwis.
#72 for 1993
#70 for 1994
This is one of two covers that CJ Lewis found success with in NZ this year, this one of course being a cover of the famous disco track from the Emotions which he turned into a reggae jam that connected with the kiwis this year. We have another reggae cover from him to come later down this list, proving how much love and nostalgia they had for reggae covers of disco tracks.
#71 for 1994
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this solo debut from Ginger Spice, although admittedly they were at first as this managed to debut at number one over there as opposed to here where it never reached the top spot, however the novelty quickly wore off shortly after its release which is why is has a much lower ranking on this list.
#79 for 1999
I guess the kiwis were a bit iffy about having this duet be a success back in the day given how there was worldwide criticism towards Natalie making this virtual duet with her father who had been dead for nearly thirty years at the time of its release. They did make this a moderate success over there as it's clear she had the best intentions with this cover; however, it did sadly normalise the art of artistic grave robbery over the years.
#84 for 1991 (#50 website)
This was the final hit that Tim Finn was able to achieve in his homeland, considering how this year saw a massive purge of older artists in the mainstream, it's quite impressive he was able to score this hit when he did.
#73 for 1993
I have no idea how the kiwis came across this guy given how he didn't even touch the Billboard charts with his one and only album (he's from the east coast for the record) however they did as they allowed him to have one big hit over there with this ballad before he forever faded into obscurity.
#74 for 1996 (#46 website)
This was originally released in 1994 to deafening silence for the 80's new wave band Satellite spies, although it was given a second chance this year for some reason that I can only speculate as a way of acknowledging the work of the underground NZ band. For what it's worth, the song has no relation to the Madness track of the same name despite sounding like it came out when that classic did.
#80 for 1999
Given how this was a massive worldwide hit for Stevie B, it only makes sense that it would be a decent hit for him in NZ even if its success over there was pitiful compared to what it achieved internationally. Again, I should point out that it was only when this caught on in the UK that it became a success in the southern hemisphere despite it being a massive Billboard chart topper for him prior to its success over there.
#85 for 1991
I have no idea how the kiwis came across this house track from American DJ Lidell Townsell (really what's with that stage name?) however, they did as it became one of the bigger hits of the year over there which is odd as it's usually us Aussies that discover these otherwise obscure dance tracks in order to have them light up our dance floors especially from back then.
#79 for 1992
I did mention earlier on this list that these guys were only able to find success with their debut single in NZ due to the success of "Don't be shy," although it's worth noting that despite this appearing the lowest of their three hits on this list, it was technically their biggest hit due to how long it lasted on their charts throughout the year. Sadly, they wouldn't find any further success in either country as the decade went on.
#72 for 1994 (#33 website)
Well at least we have a more appropriate album art for this second single from CJ Lewis, this time he covers an early Stevie Wonder track which didn't go over as well in NZ and his native UK as his earlier entry on this list but was still a massive success in both countries due to their respective love of pop reggae around this time.
#73 for 1994
This is the third and final entry from Babyface on this list, it was the lead single to his album the Day which got off to a rocky start when it quickly fell out of the charts the previous year when it was first released. It rebounded early this year which allowed it to be a shoe in for this list even though it was more of a sleeper hit over there compared to his native America.
#87 for 1997
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with the Backstreet boy's incorporation of a guitar solo as we Aussies were given how much less popular this second single was over there compared to over here, although they would make up for this by having their third single from Millennium be a far bigger hit over there the following year which was a return to their roots as the white Boyz II men.
#81 for 1999 (#23 website)
Here we are with the other big hit from TMNT (a bit sooner than I thought when writing about it earlier on this list) naturally this was the big hit here in Australia given how it's essentially a Technotronic song given how it features Ya Kid K on vocals. This would be the last either country would hear from the group, although they would have one more hit in America with "Move this" in 1992.
#81 for 1990
Surprised it's taken this long for me to feature a song from KLF on this list? Even though both songs from their album this year were massive hits for them in NZ (stay tuned for the other one in a bit) they curiously spent most of their time in the lower half of the charts likely due to the kiwis not being as into EDM by this point in time as we Aussies were. What’s more surprising is that this outranks their biggest international hit on this list.
#86 for 1991 (#48 website)
This is the only appearance that Metallica will be making on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with their post sellout material as we Aussies were throughout the decade, in fact it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that their biggest hit over there was a song that's in that perfect middle ground of sounding like something from their classic period whilst coming from their sellout period.
#87 for 1991 (#45 website)
This was a moderate success for U2 in NZ like it was everywhere else in the world, it went to number one over there which I suppose is something.
#88 for 1997
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Purple one this year, I'm guessing because the kiwis in general were more apathetic to his comeback album this serves as the title track for than the rest of the world who were far more ecstatic to see the return of the funk legend.
#80 for 1992 (#49 website)
These guys were on such a roll in NZ throughout the 90's that they managed to make it on here with another entry that the rest of the world completely ignored, this was just further proof at how much the kiwis loved reggae music even though Inner circle were two hit wonders at best everywhere else in the world.
#77 for 1995
This was the other hit that CDB were able to achieve in NZ this year, this was released prior to their earlier entry on this list here in Australia where it was only a minor hit at best. You can imagine my shock when it turned out this was a number one hit over there (albeit a very weak one) which confirmed the Australian RNB group as a genuine household name that ultimately went nowhere for them.
#75 for 1996
You can imagine my shock when I realised this wasn't a hit here in Australia, in fact you may have noticed that Tom Petty was rather unsuccessful here in general save for his contributions to the Traveling wilburys around this time. Fortunately, this was a big hit over in NZ this year exactly a decade after his first big hit "Refugee," proving how much the kiwis loved his music at the turn of both decades.
#82 for 1990
It appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with this mashup of "Greased lightning," You're the one that I want" and "Summer nights" as we Aussies were given how much less successful it was over there compared to over here, still they did have some love for it as opposed to many other mashups which flopped over there big time.
#88 for 1991
It appears the kiwis were more touched initially of Eric Clapton's MTV unplugged performance of this track than we Aussies were given how it was an immediate success over there as opposed to it being needed to be bundled with an acoustic version of his earlier entry on this list like it was here in Australia.
#81 for 1992
This was commissioned for the Whoopi Goldberg flick Eddie, a film where she plays a basketball coach that's clearly meant to be a rip-off of the Mighty ducks and other sports films that permeated the 90's in Hollywood. I think this theme song is the only thing worth remembering about the project, although even then Coolio would appear on a much better theme song to a basketball film on the Space jam soundtrack.
#76 for 1996
This was a bit more of a sleeper hit for Black box in NZ, which is an early sign that the kiwis wouldn't be as big a fan of EDM throughout the 90's as we Aussies were given how few entries from the Australian side of my site from the genre will be reappearing on this side of my site. Still, it did linger around long enough to qualify for this list even if most of its success came from the lower half of their charts.
#83 for 1990 (#49 website)
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