Well, this was far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although this might be due to the album this came from being far more popular over there than it was over here despite album sales rarely affecting the success of a single over there like it does over here. In any case, we have the one and only hit that this British band had outside of their native UK making its second appearance on this site.
#77 for 1982 (#31 website)
It's a bit odd that this wasn't as popular in NZ as it was throughout the rest of the world given how it was the song that finally brought Phil Collins and to a lesser extent Genesis into the mainstream worldwide, at least it was a hit over there likely due to the kiwis also connecting with the lyrics that many have misinterpreted over the years to be about him calling out someone who prevented someone from drowning.
#62 for 1981 (#35 website)
Much like the rest of the world, Sheena Easton changed the name of this song from "9 to 5" to "Morning train" as to avoid confusion with the Dolly Parton track of the same name (which won't be making another appearance on this site I'm afraid.) Unlike in Australia, this was her only major success over there likely due to the kiwi's inability to take her seriously after this track.
#29 for 1981 (#12 website)
This was equally as successful for David Bowie in NZ as it was here in Australia, although this did come after the success he had there with "China girl" which was a hit and thus will be making an appearance later down this list (stay tuned for it.) In the meantime, he would continue to find success worldwide as the decade went on both with his music and with his acting career.
#59 for 1983 (#48 website)
Billy was on such a roll in NZ that he was able to release a track that he originally recorded with his old band Gen X as a solo single around this time which allowed him to score a massive hit with it over there. I'm surprised this was a flop here in Australia as I do often hear this on oldies stations from time to time, I'm guessing he had issues with his former band's label that he was able to get around over there.
#58 for 1983
#51 for 1984
There was still room for country music in NZ if this ballad from Sylvia is anything to go by, Sylvia was yet another country singer who scored a ton of success on the Billboard country charts but only managed one pop hit in her career with this ballad.
#47 for 1983
It's worth noting that Icehouse were more of an album band over in NZ as their singles saw considerably less success over there in exchange for their albums being considerably more popular there than they were over here throughout the decade, this second single from Primitive man being one of only three singles of theirs to reappear on this side of my site due to how big it was this year.
#75 for 1983
It pains me to say that the Four tops didn't have any success in NZ during the Listener charts (they may have had success earlier than 1966 but I can't say because I don't have any information on charts prior to that over there.) I bring this up because this makes it their only hit over there during their entire career that I'm aware of, which of course is yet another disco track during the height of the disco backlash.
#39 for 1981
#41 for 1982
This was the second hit that Altered images had in NZ, although it was a bittersweet hit for them as they would call it quits shortly after this came out likely due to them failing to compete with the likes of the Pretenders and even the Divinyls here in Australia. Much like those two bands, they remain quite popular in the music scene even to this day, at least they do internationally as they flopped here in Australia.
#78 for 1983 (#36 website)
This was almost as big as Tone loc's earlier entry on this list in NZ, naturally it was his bigger hit here in Australia, so the appeal was there for both songs in the southern hemisphere. I guess this was the first signs of west coast hip hop taking over the NZ charts as Tone loc was from California, not that it really mattered as hardly anyone affiliates him with the hip hop wars of the 90's.
#27 for 1989 (#32 website)
There's debate about whether this version or the Art of noise cover is the definitive version of this track, Prince of course wrote it for his second feature film Under the cherry moon, however Tom Jones is so much more sexually provocative on the cover that it puts this version to shame. For what it's worth, this is the bigger version of the two tracks worldwide likely because it was the theme to an overhyped film.
#29 for 1986 (#14 website)
Well, this is Dr Hook looking to change with the times yet again as they added back some of their bouncier instrumentation from their earlier phase of their career on this ballad about how sexy they feel their collective partner's eyes are. It was a massive hit in NZ and throughout most of the world, although it didn't do so well here in Australia likely due to us either wanting comedy or a downtempo ballad from the band.
#57 for 1980 (#37 website)
I guess the kiwis were much more on board with Dr Hook returning to their roots as a comedy band than we Aussies were as even without a memorable performance over there (that I'm aware of) this managed to be a much bigger hit for the band there than it was over here back in the day.
#43 for 1982 (#34 website)
While this had a somewhat delayed release in NZ, the kiwis more than made up for this by having it be a far bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia. In fact, the band was even able to score a second minor hit around this time with "I wanna rock," a song you may recognise if you're a SpongeBob fan as it was parodied in the first SpongeBob squarepants film.
#10 for 1984
#10 for 1985
This was the big hit that Stray cats had from their debut album over in NZ, although it was a hit mainly through its refusal to die on the lower half of their charts which is why it failed to appear on my official lists whilst "Stray cat strut" qualified for my 1981 list despite it being far less successful over there.
Hit in 1981 (#39 website)
This was the song that brought Tina Turner's career back from the dead given how it was a massive hit in the UK the previous year due to it being produced by the members of Heaven 17 during the height of their popularity in their homeland. Naturally this was a massive flop for her in her native America as her fellow Americans would only allow her to come back with her earlier entry on this list.
#39 for 1984 (#30 website)
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
Given how it wasn't bundled with "Into the groove" from earlier on this list, this meant that the third single from Like a virgin had to stand on its own in NZ which for the most part it did as it proved to be a huge success over there. Although "Material girl" was a bit of a stumble in the album's cycle, it's still to come on this list as that too was a huge hit for the future queen of pop.
#49 for 1985 (#21 website)
This proved to be an even bigger success for the Art of Noise in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because for some reason, the Blues brothers soundtrack became a success over there this year which allowed it to rebound on the charts once it was a hit initially as the original instrumental from Duanne Eddy was heavily used in the film.
#44 for 1986 (#19 website)
It turns out this was the biggest hit from Madonna's album of the same name, admittedly this might be due to it being the title track of an album she dedicated to her (then) husband Sean Penn which means the kiwis likely saw this as her love letter to him at the time. That would likely explain why she omitted this from her Immaculate collection album despite how much of a hit it was worldwide.
#19 for 1986 (#39 website)
Unlike in Australia where we Aussies made both of Livie's big hits across the transatlantic a success, the kiwis were only interested in having her Billboard chart topper be a hit over there as they ignored her UK chart topper from Xanadu for the most part. I'm guessing because it was a collaboration with ELO which the kiwis didn't seem that fond over at the time, again at least compared to us Aussies.
#45 for 1980 (#36 website)
It brings me great joy in informing my audience that while it did start to lose its popularity this year, it was in a more natural way as we have yet another disco track that was a success in America to make it big in NZ this year. This time it's from the S.O.S band who had another big hit later in the decade with "Just be good to me," the song that would become a hit for Beats international ten years after this made it big.
#51 for 1980 (#42 website)
Much like in Australia, Bonnie Tyler was doomed to become a one hit wonder in NZ with "It's a heartache" before she made the smart decision to collaborate with Jim Steinman for this track that was originally meant for the second Bat out of hell album from earlier in the decade. This comeback was a bit more substantial for her over there as she scored a hit the following year with Shaking Stevens.
#31 for 1983 (#5 website)
Genesis might have had the more popular hit in NZ this year, however their earlier entry came from an album from three years prior and their actual new single (which is still to come on this list) wasn't nearly as big as Peter Gabriel's pop breakthrough over there. This proved to be equally successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere, likely because of the music video and the strange and quirky lyrics.
#39 for 1986 (#21 website)
I think the kiwis were tuning into Countdown from around this time as this is one of several hits they had over there that only became as such here because of the artist in question appearing on the show, I wouldn't know how else Janis Ian managed to score a hit with this track over there as her performing it on the show was how it managed to become a success down under.
#55 for 1980 (#39 website)
You'd think this would've been an even bigger hit in NZ considering A: it charted higher than it did here and B: it was marketed as the lead single to Slippery when wet given how the kiwis followed the Brits lead in having this lead off the album instead of "You give love a bad name" like us Aussies and their fellow Americans. Alas, it was only a big success over there rather than an inescapable one.
#39 for 1987 (#17 website)
This is another huge hit in Australia that wasn't nearly as successful in NZ, I guess the kiwis felt that there wasn't much room for a lounge track this year given how there were plenty of other competing genres and sub genres trying to make it big over there this year. They did eventually allow this to be a hit over there likely because it was so inescapable down under.
#38 for 1988 (#29 website)
Although this was a sleeper success in NZ compared to its immediate success here in Australia, this is once again an example of a song being released on time over there as opposed to it being delayed over there which seems to be a pattern when it comes to how big a song is in the southern hemisphere. I guess its delayed release here was due to "Urgent" refusing to die on our charts back in the day.
Hit in 1981
Hit in 1982
This was a big hit over in NZ for Elton John this year even without the magic touch that Bernie Taupin gave all of his endearing hits over the years, in fact Elton's popularity in general remained consistent throughout the 80's in NZ as his reunion with Bernie didn't improve the success of his singles while they were separated over there and his time without Bernie was reasonably successful as well over there.
#59 for 1980 (#40 website)
It appears the kiwis were only into Bronski beat purely for Jimmy Somerville as the band flopped over there with "Hit that perfect beat" and yet Jimmy scored a massive hit with his new band the Communards. Granted this was a bit late to the party over there as it was already one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia by the time it saw the light of day, but it didn't impact its overall success.
#8 for 1986
#16 for 1987
Although their earlier entry was a bigger success thank this debut single from Soul II soul was in NZ, it's worth noting that songs success did carry over to the 90's hence why it still has a much higher placement on this list even though this was mainly a success as a sleeper hit over there. It's also worth noting this song's popularity skyrocketed over there once their earlier entry was released as a single there.
Hit in 1989 (#19 website)
This is perhaps the most obscure entry on this list given how it was quietly a success during the early months of 1983 but stuck around for quite some time to eventually become eligible for this list. This was the one and only hit from Body electric, a NZ band who seemed to be a contemporary for the likes of DD Smash and Dance exponents when it came to their new wave scene.
Hit in 1983
Much like their earlier entry on this list, this was also much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia and their native UK. In fact, this song's success over there matches the success that "Poison arrow" had here, meaning that the kiwis were especially in love with what these guys had to offer this year, perhaps this is why they occasionally charted as the decade went on over there while they didn't over here.
#50 for 1982 (#28 website)
This was an excellent year for TV themes in NZ as this was the first of three to make it big over there, it was also the biggest likely due to it coming from a highly popular British crime show at the time known as Minder. This appeared on my 1983 list on the Australian side of my site, I guess we Aussies were slow in making this a success for the shows star Dennis Waterman.
#40 for 1981 (#24 website)
Although it wasn't an immediate hit in NZ like it was here in Australia, this second single from Tusk managed to stick around for quite some time on their charts which more than makes it eligible for this list of mine. This means that the band now has three entries on this side of my site which is still one entry less than they have on the Australian side.
Hit in 1980
Much like the rest of the world, this was the final hit that the Rolling stones was able to achieve in NZ, likely for the music video which has some pretty stilted animation from future Nickelodeon animater John Kricfalusi which likely gave Disney some ideas with their film Who framed roger rabbit two years later.
#26 for 1986 (#18 website)
Whereas this was only barely a hit here in Australia, the rest of the world was more than impressed with this collaboration between Patti Labelle and Doobie brother’s frontman Michael McDonald back in the day. Admittedly this feels like something that would've been big down under during the first half of the decade as it does feel completely out of place on this list compared to the other entries on here.
#28 for 1986 (#24 website)
This was equally as successful in NZ for Frankie Goes to Hollywood as it was here in Australia despite it charting higher over there, I guess the kiwis were also impressed with this more politically charged track that was reportedly inspired by the Mad Max films of the day. We'll be looking at their debut single again in a bit, but it's odd that this was their biggest hit back in the day in the southern hemisphere.
#33 for 1984 (#12 website)
Even though these guys already had success from the previous year in NZ with their debut album, this lead single to their sophomore album wasn't any more or less successful over there than it was over here this year for the trio. In fact, the success of their second album was more or less the same in both countries in the southern hemisphere unlike their other two albums where they were much bigger over there.
#49 for 1984 (#29 website)
In a way, I'm kind of shocked that this managed to become a sleeper hit in NZ and a massive hit in the UK given how no one in America knew about this genre until Blondie's "Rapture" became a huge chart topper on Billboard months after this was a huge success in both countries. It's often regarded as the true introduction to hip hop given how well it holds up in the scene to this day.
Hit in 1980 (#44 website)
Well, this was an RNB ballad from a group of musicians of colour, so naturally it was going to be an even bigger success for the Commodores over in NZ regardless of how well it did here in Australia this year. I don't think there's anywhere in the world where this ballad failed as the back-to-back deaths of Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson from the previous year was still fresh in everyone's minds at the time of its release.
#43 for 1985 (#20 website)
We looked at the Peter Andre version of this track on the Australian side of this site, so now let's look at the original version from Kool and the Gang who managed to score a second hit in NZ and the UK with this disco classic as well as having another hit on Billboard despite it being a disco song during the disco backlash era. Their popularity would dwindle after this, however they would still score the occassional hit.
#63 for 1982 (#36 website)
While Genesis did have hits with the two songs I featured on the Australian side of this site in NZ, this was their biggest hit over there which is odd because it came from their self-titled album from three years prior and only became a success this year due to their (then) most recent album Invisible touch. The success of this track over there encouraged the kiwis to bring further success to the album it came from.
#22 for 1986
#28 for 1987
Well, she didn't have a string of chart toppers in NZ like she did here in Australia (in fact she only ever had one number one hit over there with "Can't get you out of my head" in 2001) however that didn't seem to matter as Kylie was massive success internationally with the third single from her debut album. All this means is that it doesn't have that much cultural significance over there like it does here.
#28 for 1988 (#21 website)
This was a bigger hit for Blondie in NZ, likely because their fourth album Eat to the beat was much more successful over there back in the day than it was over here for the band. I guess this was the kiwi's way of atoning for the lack of success they gave the band with their debut album, although in fairness it's not like they could've known about it given how it was only a hit here due to them appearing on Countdown.
#68 for 1980 (#46 website)
I guess it's fitting this managed to be a massive sleeper hit over in NZ given how this was another example of a song technically being a hit twice on this list, it of course rebounding on their charts when Neneh's earlier entry on this list was released and became a more instant success for the Swedish rapper over there. This was a minor success here in Australia, however her first major hit came in 1994 with "7 seconds."
Hit in 1989 (#10 website)
This didn't quite make it to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, meaning it doesn't have the distinction of either being the last chart topper over there of the 70's or the first of the 80's like it does here in Australia. Still, it was a mammoth hit from the duo who correctly predicted the deaths of many of a rock stars career thanks to the rise of MTV two years prior to its launch.
#28 for 1980
This was the Welsh crooner's first UK chart topper as "This ole house" didn't quite make it to number one in his homeland like it did here in Australia, I bring this up because this wasn't a chart topper in NZ meaning that he never had a number one hit in all three countries throughout his career. There's nothing else I can add about this guy or his discography at this point, so I thought I'd bring that up.
#53 for 1981 (#26 website)
This was an even bigger hit for Go West in NZ this year, in fact it was arguably bigger over there than the duo's native America which no doubt led to the success of their debut album during the midpoint of the 80's. I guess this early success for the band came at a cost for them over there as "King of wishful thinking" was a huge flop for them in 1990 where it was a big succes worldwide.
#48 for 1985 (#18 website)
This was another sleeper hit in NZ at the start of the decade, this time it was the surprise hit that Don Mclean had worldwide eight years after his magnum opus American Pie. Even though this was a minor success in his native America, it was a huge chart topper in the UK which is perhaps why it managed to be a massive sleeper hit over in NZ.
Hit in 1980
This was the biggest hit that Berlin had in NZ, granted "Take my breath away" did chart over there, but it wasn't the big inescapable success that it was internationally likely due to the kiwis feeling that the band sold out with that ballad from Top gun. This did chart here in Australia due to the band performing it on Countdown this year, however only the kiwis got on board with this new wave dance track.
#45 for 1984 (#27 website)
These guys did achieve a moderate hit in NZ the previous year with "Digging your scene" however this proved to be the big hit for the sophistopop band over there given how the sub-genre managed to explode in popularity this year both there and in the band's native UK where this was also a decent success. Naturally the Blow monkeys didn't achieve any success here in Australia due to the genre's lack of popularity.
#71 for 1987 (#26 website)
Now this is a surprise hit for my site, Mick Jagger already had plenty of success in NZ with his album from the previous year, however the album rebounded this year due to this nearly topping their charts over there early in the year. I guess this is what hyped up the kiwis for his band's earlier entry on this list.
#55 for 1986 (#29 website)
There was little doubt that this second single from Culture Club's biggest album would be a success in NZ like it was throughout the rest of the world, even taking into consideration that they weren't as big over there as they were in Australia, this was a song that was too catchy for it to fail and came complete with a video that's still fun to watch even to this day.
#6 for 1983 (#7 website)
#8 for 1984
This proved to be an even bigger success for Sinitta over in NZ than it did here in Australia, this is interesting because A: this was Sinitta's only hit over there as she at least had a minor hit here three years prior with "So macho" and B: the original from Maxine Nightingale wasn't a big success over there back in the 70's despite it being released at a time where female musicians of colour were dominating their charts.
#43 for 1989 (#38 website)
Well at least this managed to become a hit over in NZ even if it was to a much lesser scale than it was here in Australia, indeed Styx didn't have any other hits over there apart from this ballad which suggests that only their fellow Americans were in love with their soft rock from back in the day. Still at least they got interesting as the decade went on if their final hit "Mr. Roboto" is anything to go by.
#58 for 1980
This was the first of two big hits that the Scottish band Altered images managed to have in NZ during their short time in the spotlight, as you can see they were another band that was all male except for the lead vocalist who was a woman which was pretty common for new wave bands back in the day as Blondie, the Pretenders and the Divinyls also had massive success with this approach.
#65 for 1982 (#32 website)
This was the only hit that Chris De Burgh had in NZ, heck I'm willing to bet this likely wouldn't have even been a hit over there if it weren't for the fact that it was such a huge success here and in his native UK. An interesting fact I have about its success in the southern hemisphere is that it was exactly the same over there as it was for Paul Simon's earlier entry in both countries, I just found that interesting.
#23 for 1986
#29 for 1987
Well at least this wasn't the biggest hit that Crowded house had in NZ as that honour goes to "Don't dream it's over" from the previous year, although it did come pretty close given how popular it was for the trio at the time of its release in the southern hemisphere. Indeed, their second album in general wasn't as big over there as it was over here, suggesting they would need to change their sound going into the 90's.
#30 for 1988 (#20 website)
I would say this was also a huge hit for Culture club from their debut album in NZ, except for whatever reason it wasn't included as a track on Kissing to be clever and was meant to be a standalone single despite it coming out around the same time the album came out. I guess it makes its lack of popularity in Australia make even less sense as you can't even say it was because of album sales eating up its success.
#68 for 1983 (#33 website)
These guys were a one hit wonder everywhere in the world with what appears to be a different track depending on where in the world you're from, in NZ and their native America, this was their big hit which is a doo wop track about a boy from New York city. In Australia and throughout Europe, their big hit was "Chanson d'amour" from 1977 which was a cover of a popular French track from the 50's.
#50 for 1981 (#28 website)
This was so much less successful for MJ in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it didn't linger on their charts like it did here even though it did rebound on the charts in the new year when the third single from the album of the same name was released. For what it's worth, the Weird Al parody "Fat" became a genuine success for him the following year over there.
#54 for 1987
Given how "Just like you" was a flop over in NZ, this means that Robbie Nevil was a one hit wonder over there despite this being a bigger hit there than it was here in Australia. I'm not even sure how he scored a second hit down under back in the day as from what I can tell, "Just like you" wasn't a hit anywhere else in the world.
#33 for 1987 (#23 website)
The absence of this classic on the Australian side of my site must have shocked my readers given how iconic it's remained over the years; it turns out it wasn't promoted here due to fears that it would eat up the success of both men's albums which I doubt was the case as these albums did fairly well over in NZ and yet this was a massive hit over there regardless. It remains the biggest hit from both men likely due to the strong chemistry they have on this track.
#25 for 1985 (#42 website)
From what I can gather, this was a decent size hit for the punk novelty band Coup D'etat, a band comprising of member of Hello sailor who scored a hit with this novelty track about how much they enjoy aa doctor's medicine despite how shady said doctor clearly is to them.
Hit in 1981
This was also a big hit for Fleetwood Mac in NZ, in fact it was much bigger over there than it was over here likely due to the kiwis not allowing the success of big albums to impact the success of its singles over there back in the day. Even so, this was the only big hit that the band had from Tango in the night over there, even "Big love" was a huge flop despite it being a minor success here in Australia.
#63 for 1987
Well at least this song received its own entry in NZ even if it meant that Madonna had clogged up the charts over there the same way that Abba did ten years prior and the Beatles twenty years prior. "Angel" was a huge hit over there (it won't be making this list I'm afraid) proving how much the kiwis loved Madonna around this time.
#20 for 1985 (#4 website)
This was almost a chart topper for Stevie Wonder in NZ, meaning that the first two hits he finally scored over there were so popular that it more or less confirmed him as a major hit maker as far as the kiwis were concerned. It's hard to say if this is more of a country track or a disco as Stevie seems to be walking that line on this second single from his album Hotter than July.
#58 for 1981
Unlike here in Australia where this was the first we Aussies heard about this cover the 50's staple, this briefly charted earlier in the decade in NZ for the Belle stars while they were still together despite the girl group not having a hit over there during their time together. It became a success there the same way it did here, by appearing in the Oscar winning flick Rain man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.
#58 for 1989 (#31 website)
*This includes the original release as well as when it became popular in 1989*
This was the only chart topper that Wham had in NZ throughout their career, it's further proof that number one isn't everything over there as though it was a success for the duo, it wasn't their biggest hit as their earlier hits lasted longer on their charts despite not charting as high as this did. Still, it was a massive hit for the duo thanks to how popular they were upon its initial release.
#24 for 1986 (#10 website)
I guess the kiwis weren't as into this cover of the Rod Stewart track from earlier in the decade than we Aussies were, I guess there's another possibility for this song not doing as well over there that I'd rather not share with my readers as I'd like to keep this site as fun as possible (it involves why this cover exists is all I'm saying.) At least it was more of an immediate success over there than it was over here.
#54 for 1986 (#28 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact I think Australia was the only country in the world where this theme song to Madonna's third film of the same name wasn't at least a top three hit given that we Aussies for some reason weren't that keen on supporting the film (it looks terrible admittedly.) I'm guessing this is why neither song on the soundtrack appeared on the Immaculate collection.
#34 for 1987 (#14 website)
Well at least this song's success was punctual in NZ, likely because the kiwis were in love with Bobby's solo debut album this year thanks to the success of "My prerogative" (which is still to come on this list.) I guess I should talk about the song itself given how it's one of the catchiest songs in Bobby's career, it also comes with a rap verse depending on which version of the song you're looking at.
#46 for 1989 (#21 website)
You'd think with how much less successful this duet was between Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley that the kiwis would've hated Dirty dancing at the time, it turns out that they loved it given how the soundtrack was one of the most successful of the decade over there. I'm guessing they just weren't that impressed with this Oscar winning ballad, certainly not to the same degree we Aussies were where it was one of the biggest hits of the 80's here.
#45 for 1988 (#37 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Madonna, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more OK with her marriage to Sean Penn given how this was the theme to his film At close range which wasn't even a critical or commercial success back in the day. It was better received than the movie they did together which was Shanghai surprise, a film that looks terrible even by 80's standards.
#56 for 1986 (#31 website)
This was almost the biggest hit from Billy Idol's career in NZ, only "To be a lover" outranks it which even then only by just meaning that these two songs were the most popular of his career over there. Admittedly this is a live rendition of a cover of a Tommy James track he made earlier in the decade, so the Whiplash smile track is his biggest original hit over there.
#20 for 1987
#20 for 1988
This is another song that technically became a hit twice in NZ, once upon its initial release likely due to its success in the UK (despite this being yet another EDM track from an American group which bombed on Billboard) and the second was a few months later for some random reason as I can't figure out why it saw a surge in popularity so late into its chart run over there.
Hit in 1989 (#41 website)
It turns out this was a hit upon its initial release over in NZ for Toto, I'm not even sure why because it's not like they had much success over there prior to this becoming an instant hit this year. In any case, they certainly have the right to brag about being the first country in the world to make this a hit for the band given how it wasn't even a hit in their native America until the following year.
#61 for 1982 (#42 website)
Remember, this site isn't one where hate is tolerated, this of course puts me at a disadvantage when talking about this misguided ballad between Stevie and Paul, but they of course had good intentions with its creation that the general public of the day acknowledged by making it a hit.
#39 for 1982 (#17 website)
Well, this managed to be an even bigger hit for Martika in NZ this year, although it was the only hit of hers to be more successful there than it was here as her other two big worldwide hits were far bigger here in Australia after this. I guess the kiwis made this a huge hit due to it being her only Billboard chart topper but kept her around due to how well she did down under and throughout Europe.
#31 for 1989 (#29 website)
Given that their first collaboration from three years prior was a massive success worldwide (except for America of course) it only makes sense that UB40 would reunite with Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders to make another reggae cover of a 60's track, in this case an obscure track from Dusty Springfield from her final successful album (the one with "Son of a preacher" on it.)
#57 for 1988 (#43 website)
Even though this was released slightly later in NZ than it was here in Australia, the kiwis were quick to make this a success over there following its success over here due to the band performing it on Countdown and the performance going over very well with us Aussies this year. As it turns out, these guys had far more success over there this year as their second album was also a hit for them with the kiwis.
#67 for 1980 (#50 website)
This had a bit of a delay to its success in NZ, almost as if the kiwis didn't want to make a hit with a song that featured a twenty something year old white British guy rapping given how the previous entry was from an established hip hop artist from America who grew up in the culture that birthed the genre. Alas the kiwis were eventually won over with this track as were us Aussies and the duo's fellow Brits before them.
#45 for 1983 (#41 website)
It looked like Kylie wouldn't have as much success in NZ as she did in Australia early in her career, that's perfectly normal considering that patriotism has always been a fact when it comes to artists making it big in their own countries. While none of her songs were ever as big there as they were here, she did find massive success over there with her debut album to make up for that.
#26 for 1988 (#27 website)
Timex social club are known for being the sister band for Club Nouveau, I bring this up because the success of this song no doubt led to the success of the latter band's cover of "Lean on me" the following year worldwide. I know the two songs have very little in common with each other, this being a fast-paced track about the dangers of spreading rumours whilst the other being a reggae cover of a song about putting your trust in the narrator.
#20 for 1986 (#38 website)
This was the only notable hit from the husband-and-wife duo Ashford and Simpson, the name being a reference to their surnames as it comprised of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. I think it underperformed in Australia due to us Aussies still not being that into contemporary RNB (which we never really were now that I think about it) however it was a shoe in for success in NZ.
#23 for 1985 (#27 website)
Although this failed to appear on any of my official lists on this side of my site, it is worth noting that it is indeed John Farnham's biggest hit in NZ (although "Sadie the cleaning lady" might rival it if the Listener charts were more reliable during its popularity) over the other entries that have appeared on this side of my site. This is mainly due to it receiving a boost in popularity when "Pressure down" became a success over there.
Hit in 1987
It was hard to find information about this guy, although from what I've discovered, it's best that he's been lost to the sands of time as he's been in prison since 1993 for several crimes he committed during his short time in the music industry that I won't get into here (trust me, it's not safe for work.) Before this came to light, he had a hit in NZ with this cover of the Temptations classic which was much bigger there than it was on Billboard.
#54 for 1988 (#33 website)
There's been a suspicious absence from Sister Sledge on this site hasn't there? Well let's rectify that by featuring their biggest hit they had in NZ which was this cover of the Mary Wells track from almost two decades prior that wasn't a hit anywhere else in the world. We'll be looking at the two big international hits they had as we go through these lists but suffice to say they were at their most popular over there.
#49 for 1982
This was the last big hit that the Human league were able to score as a band as they would be reduced to a trio when they scored their final hit in most parts of the world with "Human" later in the decade. This was a much bigger hit in NZ likely due to the kiwis not being as deterred by the wall of noise with the synths posing as brass as we Aussies were at the time of its release.
#57 for 1983 (#26 website)
Even though these guys are best known for their earlier entry on this list, this ballad from the Miami sound machine is a better representation of their music given how they were more in line with adult contemporary which perhaps explains Gloria Estefan's musical direction once she left the band later in the decade. It was their third and final hit over there after the success of "Conga" and "Bad boy."
#37 for 1986 (#40 website)
Well, this wasn't a chart topper in NZ like it was in most parts of the world, although that didn't mean the kiwis didn't like this duet between Aretha Franklin and George Michael given how it still has a respectable placement on this list of mine. This was Aretha's final hit anywhere in the world, although things would continue to go up for George as he would find further success with his solo material.
#40 for 1987 (#25 website)
In a bit of a weird reversal of his success here in Australia, the kiwis passed up the lead single to his first solo album "Truly" in favour of this more upbeat track from Lionel Richie which in turn allowed the album to reach the upper echelons of their charts this year. The third single from the album "My love" wouldn't even chart in the southern hemisphere, meaning his next hit was his earlier entry on this list.
#43 for 1983 (#29 website)
Most musicians of colour tended to have more success in NZ than they did in Australia, Ray Parker Jr wasn't one of them as the former Raydio lead singer didn't have nearly the level of success with his solo breakthrough over there that he did over here likely due to the kiwis finding it to be too gimmicky compared to his earlier work with his former band.
#53 for 1982 (#27 website)
I mentioned in an earlier list that this duet between Shaking Stevens and Bonnie Tyler was a success in NZ back in the day, so here we are with their collaboration which is a rockabilly cover of a Priscilla Bowman track from the 50's which was a continuation of the trends the two Welsh performers were making in their respective careers. For him it was rockabilly covers and for her it was getting established as a rock star.
#64 for 1984 (#33 website)
Although it has a lower placement on this side of my site, this actually proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia due to it being a huge sleeper hit over there. It appears that these guys were considered as an album band given how few of their songs became inescapable like they were over here in exchange for said albums being more popular there than they were here.
#71 for 1982 (#46 website)
This proved to be far more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for Midge Ure and company, I'm guessing because the kiwis largely passed up "Fade to grey" from his other band Visage (which we'll revisit later down this list) in favour of this track which infamously was blocked from the top spot in the UK by Joe Dolce's earlier entry on this list.
#48 for 1981 (#30 website)
I'm not exactly sure how this managed to be a huge hit for Pseudo Echo in NZ and not their debut single "Listening," perhaps the kiwis felt that the official version of that track was too overproduced (compared to the stripped back original version) and passed that up in favour of this more stripped back follow up which was much less successful here in Australia.
#61 for 1984 (#36 website)
Well, this proved to be less successful for Bette Midler in NZ than it was here in Australia, it wasn't because the kiwis weren't as emotionally invested in the film Beaches as that soundtrack proved to be equally successful over there as it was over here. I guess they didn't like that they cried during the scene that this song plays in the film, or more accurately they felt this song doesn't work outside of that context.
#60 for 1989 (#45 website)
This was another successful hit that Ruby Turner had in NZ, in fact thought she charted in her native UK with all of her singles, none of them managed to become a hit over there despite how big she was here in NZ. I'm guessing this is why she's mostly fallen into obscurity in the music industry given how it's likely on the kiwis would remember anything about her music career.
#56 for 1987 (#44 website)
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