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)
Sting didn't have as much success over in NZ as he did in Australia both solo and with the Police, so it's interesting to see him with a new entry on this site given how this was an instant success over there while his big hit from his solo debut here in Australia would be with "Russians" from the following year. This and his debut album with the Police were the only things from his catalogue to find more success over there than they did over here.
#78 for 1985 (#38 website)
This wasn't quite as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, I don't even know where to speculate what caused this to not bring in the numbers over there that it did over here as that would take up too much space for this entry. Instead, I'll also bring up that the other big Oscar winning ballad from Jennifer Warnes also wasn't as big a hit over there as it was over here.
#28 for 1983
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
This was about as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, you'd think it would've been even bigger over there given how it remains their most popular song in American and their native UK, but I suppose the kiwis found it a bit too ridiculous for that to be the case back in the day. Still, it was a massive hit for the band regardless of where in the world you're from.
#63 for 1984 (#37 website)
Given how they had a successful album the previous year in NZ, it only makes sense that the Style Council had an even bigger hit with their signature tune over there than they did over here back in the day. I'm surprised that "Walls come tumbling down" wasn't a big hit in the southern hemisphere considering how often you can still hear it on oldies stations to this day in Australia.
#31 for 1985
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)
This was the actual debut single from Sade Adu and company given how it came out before "Smooth operator" which remains their signature track to this day in most parts of the world. For the most part, the band didn't have any success with their singles in NZ as they were more of an albums band just like here in Australia, the exception was this song about how much Sade approves of her partners love.
#50 for 1984 (#21 website)
This was the second single that UB40 scored a hit in NZ with, although here we have a cover of a Randy Newman track from the 60's which perhaps explains why it was only a hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world as only the kiwis would allow a reggae cover of a children's song to be a massive success.
#47 for 1980
#46 for 1981
This was the only hit that Men without hats had in most parts of the world, at least it was nearly a chart topper in NZ proving how much the kiwis loved this ode to dancing however you want to dance when at a show. They almost scored a second hit much later in the decade with "Pop goes the world," which goes to show they weren't always doomed to be a one hit wonder over there.
#21 for 1983 (#32 website)
#17 for 1984
This was the one and only hit for the Netherworld dancing toys, a NZ band who had a few minor hits throughout the decade and only made it big with this song months prior to calling it quits. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Annie Crummer who would go on to have massive success later in the decade and even in the 90's thanks to her unique vocals.
#52 for 1985 (#32 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 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
This proved to be an even bigger hit in NZ for Naked eyes, I'm guessing because the original from Sandie Shaw was a big hit over there even though I don't know for sure if that was the case or not. Either way, it put the duo on the map even in America which is impressive considering that this was huge flop for the duo in their native UK.
#56 for 1983 (#21 website)
This was the only success that Australian crawl had over in NZ with both their singles and albums, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis felt that their inability to understand what James Reyne was singing on their other tracks was a hinderance to their enjoyability with their catalogue given how this was one of the rare songs that sees the frontman enunciating the lyrics in his performance.
#86 for 1984
Much like in Australia, all three songs with this title was a massive success over in NZ which all began with the third single from Frankie goes to Hollywood's debut album Welcome to the pleasuredome. This was also a bigger hit over there as was most popular songs from highly successful albums back in the day, although it wasn't as inescapable as it was in their native UK during their Christmas season of 1984.
#41 for 1985 (#33 website)
Contrary to popular belief, Spandau Ballet's earlier entry on this list wasn't the lead single to their album True as that honour goes to this track which was largely ignored in most parts of the world save for NZ where it became the band's first big hit. I feel like this can go hand in hand with their other entry on this list as it shares the same lyrical content as that track does, which would explain both songs popularity over there.
#79 for 1983
For whatever reason, Lionel Richie didn't have as much success in NZ as he did in Australia during his solo career, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis already made him a household name during his time with the Commodores throughout the 70's and even earlier in the 80's. Even so, he still saw massive success over there including with the lead single to his biggest album Can't slow down.
#23 for 1983
#20 for 1984
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)
Given how the kiwis got the album cycle correct for Dire straits, it only seems fitting that this third single from the album would be a massive success over there due to it being an upbeat pop rock track about living your life to the fullest. This was a minor success in Australia around this time, however it was pushed back as the fourth single here due to the band unveiling the video for the title track of the album.
#15 for 1985
#15 for 1986 (#43 website)
Given that he had a surprise breakthrough the previous year with his previous album On the beach, it seems to make sense that this lead single to his biggest album in Australia Dancing with strangers was a massive hit over there. Although it peaked much higher over there than it did here, it wound up being equally as successful in both countries for the British singer/songwriter.
#53 for 1987 (#28 website)
This is another song that wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, although in this case it might be due to the stiff competition Bon Jovi had with the likes of Def Leppard and the other hair metal tracks that were becoming big over there around this time. Keep in mind that a lot of these hair metal tracks I've featured on this side of my site failed to appear on the Australian side of the site.
#41 for 1988 (#35 website)
It turns out the kiwis also wanted to hear a mashup of classical music this year just like the rest of the world did as this became a huge hit over there like it did internationally, in fact the album this comes from was far more popular over there than it was over here, proving that they were more into what RPO had to offer at the time.
#74 for 1981
As I said earlier on this list, all songs with this title were a success in NZ as they were hit in Australia this year even if their respective levels of success couldn't be further apart in both countries. I guess the kiwis weren't too impressed with this theme to Back to the future given how much less successful it was over there than it was over here, perhaps they felt this could've been improved with Ray Parker Jr.
#54 for 1985 (#29 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)
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 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)
Technically this was a chart topper here in Australia as it appeared on the Devo Live E.P that the band released back in the day, however it appears the kiwis were more on board with their signature track upon its initial release than we were given how it managed to be a sleeper hit over there without the assistance of the E.P. It was a sleeper hit, but a hit nonetheless likely thanks to its bizarre music video.
Hit in 1981
I'm not even sure if this was released as a single in NZ prior to when "Automatic" became a surprise hit for the girls in the UK, if it was then it didn't even chart over there unlike here where it at least got in a few weeks towards the start of the year before fading into obscurity. Naturally it was a hit this year once their second single from Break out managed to almost top the British charts.
#53 for 1984 (#40 website)
This was where it all began for Simply red as they chose this cover of an obscure funk track from earlier in the decade as their debut single, it was a big hit over in NZ but nowhere else in the world despite it being one of their funkier tracks in their catalogue. I guess their fanbase was more interested in their slow ballads as both of their Billboard chart toppers were the type of music some would describe as music for our mothers.
#72 for 1985 (#41 website)
This was the Models only success in NZ, well that and the album of the same name doing reasonably well which would explain why they're a one hit wonder over there. This did chart on the lower end of the Billboard charts following its success in NZ; however, they weren't able to rise to the ranks of INXS or even Pseudo echo internationally.
#18 for 1985
From what I can gather, Michael Zagar was a disco musician who tried to hop on board the genre back in its heyday to very little success. Indeed, this seemed like a doomed prospect for him and his band given how it was released during the supposed disco backlash, however it appears the kiwis were on board with having him collaborate with Deniece Williams for this track given how it was a sleeper hit over there.
Hit in 1981
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 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)
This was also a success for Rupert Holmes in NZ at the start of the 80's, I guess the kiwis were also amused by the story he told about him wanting to cheat on his girlfriend only to find his mistress he's seeing is his girlfriend who wanted to do the same thing to him. I guess it's a cute story about how the couple was always meant to be even if the relationship clearly needs some work.
#72 for 1980
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)
These guys appeared on the Australian side of my site thanks to the success of their second album from the 90's, now they appear with their debut single which managed to become a huge success in NZ this year as well as their native UK likely thanks to Celtic music still being in vogue in both countries this far into the 80's. I get the feeling if these guys broke through earlier in the decade, this would've also been a hit down under.
#46 for 1988 (#39 website)
I should warn my readers that are fans of ELO that they didn't have nearly the level of success in NZ that they did in Australia back in the day, heck this was one of their bigger hits over there and yet you can see it didn't do as well over there as it did over here around this time. Still, they did manage to impress the kiwis from time to time with their orchestral arrangements and vocal harmonies.
#67 for 1981 (#49 website)
Well not even their stalking anthem was able to become that big of a success for the Police in NZ, it was still a hit hence its placement on this list, however they certainly weren't too keen on making it a number one hit over there like it was in America and their native UK. I know people have made jokes about this song for decades now, but it really does seem like the sweetest song in the world if you don't read into the lyrics.
#72 for 1983 (#35 website)
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)
This was one of two big hits that the Blow monkeys had in NZ, indeed this was also a minor hit here in Australia this year but too minor to appear on that side of my site like it does here. This is further proof that the kiwis had welcomed sophistopop with open arms this year given how it had no trouble finding an audience with all of the competition we've looked at so far on this list.
#72 for 1986
They may not have been as successful in NZ as they were here in Australia, however the Village people were still able to find success with their final Australian hit over there which also happens to be the title track of their autobiographical film of how they came to be in the first place. Also, it's yet another disco hit that came about this year in several parts of the world, although not in their native America.
#63 for 1980
This is the first big hit that Hall and Oates had in NZ, this is surprising given how it barely qualified to be on the Australian side of my site making it one of their less popular hits back in the day down under. I guess the kiwis liked how bouncy this was without it coming off as too bombastic like some of their other hit singles.
#48 for 1982
This was another big hit in Australia that wasn't quite as big in NZ this year, although this time I think it's more due to the fact the kiwis didn't want older songs that already had their chance at making it big to mingle with the first hits of MTV but capitulated on this track due to how popular it was everywhere else in the world for Charlene.
#58 for 1982 (#40 website)
This was the only hit that Ray Goodman and Brown were able to achieve throughout their career in NZ and their native America, I'm guessing they would've had better luck if black music supposedly wasn't facing backlash at the height of their popularity, however as we've established on this list alone that wasn't the case, I think it's more the kiwis and their fellow Americans only liked this one and only song from them.
#70 for 1980
Well, I'm unsure if the original from Martha and the Vandellas was a success or not in NZ, if it was then this was merely a misguided cover of that classic made for charity over there. If it wasn't as the case here in Australia, then this was likely the kiwis introducing to that classic from two of the biggest names in rock and roll history.
#37 for 1985 (#13 website)
Well, this was a song that was far less successful for Cyndi Lauper in NZ than it was here in Australia, then again, Cyndi's popularity was much bigger here overall given how only her debut single and album were able to match the success over there they had down under. Considering Madonna's dominance over there over the last few lists, I think it's safe to say the kiwis were already ready to discard Cyndi at this point.
#63 for 1986 (#50 website)
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 the first big hit that Herbs had in their homeland, Herbs of course being the band who collaborated with Dave Dobbyn's one and only hit here in Australia later in the decade. They were much more popular over there for two reasons, the first was they were a Maoris band and the second was that they used reggae in their sound.
#73 for 1982 (#43 website)
This had a bit of a delay to its success in Australia given how it was already a huge hit in NZ by the time it was released as a single down under, indeed the kiwis and the Brits were the reasons why this was a hit for Fat Larry's band as this was a massive flop in his native America likely due to it sounding like it belonged in the previous decade.
#32 for 1982
#30 for 1983
We didn't have any of Talking heads songs on the Australian side of my site, did we? Well let's rectify that with the first of two entries on this list which is this lead single to their biggest album Little creatures which was a huge hit for the band over there despite it being a huge flop here in Australia. The success of their singles from this album was inverted over there as "And she was" was the big hit here despite it flopping over there.
#65 for 1985 (#37 website)
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
Considering how well-loved Talking Heads were in NZ back in the day, I'm surprised that this had a slight delay to its release over there as it was already a modest success here in Australia by the time it saw the light of day over there. I guess this explains why the song was merely equally as successful in both countries as opposed to it being a much bigger success over there as you would expect.
#53 for 1988 (#40 website)
This was the highest charting song from Guns n Roses's debut album in NZ, although it was an instant success over there as opposed to their earlier entry floating in and out of the top ten which explains why it was so inescapable for such a long time back in the day. This is another song of theirs that remains a staple on oldies stations to this day thanks to it being a song about getting away from the stress of the world.
#47 for 1989 (#25 website)
It looks like these guys were a one hit wonder depending on which country you're from in the southern hemisphere, in Australia it was with "Love rears its ugly head" whereas in NZ it was this lead single to their debut album Vivid which was also a huge success over there this year for the funk rock band. I'm not sure why their success wasn't more in harmony in the southern hemisphere, but that's how it panned out for them.
#49 for 1989 (#11 website)
This was equally as successful for Joan Armatrading in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was due to it being released at a time where musicians of colour were able to find success with the new wave genre given how their bread and butter up until this point was with either RNB or disco. The album this serves as a lead single to wasn't her biggest album in NZ as that honour went to My myself I from the start of the decade.
#63 for 1983 (#46 website)
The original from Norman Greenbaum wasn't even a hit in NZ back in the day, meaning that it's likely the kiwis won't even realise this is a cover of a song that was released around the time of the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon. This perhaps explains why it was slightly bigger over there than it was here in Australia as we would've been torn if we appreciated a hair metal cover of a hippy track or not.
#45 for 1986 (#48 website)
I'm not sure why "Bizarre love triangle" was a flop for New order in NZ and their native UK, I guess the kiwis and Brits were becoming tired of their brand of alternative dance music which is likely why they felt the need to make the video for this track as bizarre as they possibly could to reinvigorate interest in their music in both countries. Needless to say, this tactic paid off for them.
#49 for 1987 (#42 website)
You know this song was inescapable in NZ throughout the 80's when you consider the fact that even with the original being the longest running song of the decade, this still managed to go to number one five years after its initial release over there. Unfortunately for the band, this is where their popularity over there began to dwindle likely due to how overexposed they felt at the time.
#39 for 1988 (#11 website)
I guess the kiwis wanted to imagine Cliff Richard as their daddy this year (OK I'll stop with that) as this was a much bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia and especially "Wired for sound" which remains his biggest hit down under to this day and yet was only a mild sleeper hit for him over there.
#52 for 1982
This was the only hit that Little river band managed to achieve in NZ, it came from the first of three highly successful greatest hits packages which is perhaps why it was a big hit over there (that and having John Farnham on lead vocals might have played a part as well.) They wouldn't touch the charts again anywhere in the world until Glenn Shorrock rejoined the band later in the decade.
#40 for 1983 (#43 website)
This was the third single for the Pet shop boys in NZ, naturally since the kiwis got the album cycle for their debut correct, it proved to be a massive hit for them as opposed to here in Australia where I'm pretty sure it didn't even chart (and if it did it was only barely.) This proved the duo were here to stay as their second single "Love comes quickly" wasn't as big over there (although it's still to come on this list.)
#47 for 1986 (#30 website)
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Paul Young, I'm guessing because the kiwis were suddenly more interested in the works of Marvin Gaye given how much more popular Marvin's entry from earlier was over there compared to over here. Aside from "Love of the common people," everything Paul released was more successful in NZ during his career.
#69 for 1983
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)
This was technically the biggest hit that Simple minds had in NZ, I say technically as it was indeed their highest charting single even though they would have bigger hits as the decade went on over there. This was a sleeper hit here in Australia, meaning it could've made the cut on this list on the Australian side of my site if I didn't prioritise songs that charted longer in the upper echelons of the charts here.
#56 for 1984
This was the only hit that Jonathan Butler had in NZ, he was an African performer who had a bit of success in the UK around this time but no one who was inescapable in the 80's. Ruby Turner on the other hand was very much popular in NZ as this was the first of several big hits she had over there, it would even be the advanced single to her debut album which was also a massive hit for her there.
#46 for 1986 (#32 website)
The legends are true people, Eddie Murphy did indeed have a singing career back in the day which was off to a good start when this nearly became a Billboard chart topper for the Comedian upon its initial release (it was held off by Lionel Richie.) I can see this song working if it were performed by someone who had been in the music industry much longer than Eddie had been when he first released it.
#36 for 1986 (#20 website)
I bet you were wondering if this was a hit over in NZ given how I've featured "Secret lovers" on this side of my site from Atlantic Starr on my 1986 list, indeed this was a hit for the band albeit a sleeper hit even though it was massively popular in the northern hemisphere likely due to it being the perfect RNB ballad of the moment that sums up the cheesy ballads of the decade perfectly.
Hit in 1987 (#47 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 originally released on Lulu's 1979 album as an album track, although for some reason, her label felt there was potential for this to be released as a single which is why it was also included on her next album as the lead single. It was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it became a surprise hit for the Scottish singer for some reason.
#55 for 1982
I did mention when I talked about the album this came from that this title track of said album was a huge hit in NZ, here it is proving that fact even though it was more of a sleeper hit despite it having a rather decent peak position which it achieved when the album dropped. It will be the duo's only appearance with one of their singles on this site due to none of their other songs charting in the southern hemisphere.
Hit in 1982 (#45 website)
Well fans of Grace Jones can rejoice as the Jamaican singer/songwriter managed to achieve multiple hit singles over in NZ with this being the first of them. It was such a big success over there that it lead to the album it served as the lead single for to become a huge hit over there as well as her previous album which had been hovering in and out of the charts up until this point.
#50 for 1983
This was equally as successful for Mike Oldfield in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it was because of the vocals from Maggie Reilly who gives a compelling performance on this song about the narrator losing the love of their life to a drug overdose. There were a number of songs like this to make it big over the years, although I think this was the first of its kind to become a success.
#64 for 1983 (#44 website)
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because not only was this less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia or even America, but it wasn't even among Wham's most popular songs over there as several of their other hits back in the day were more popular over there than this signature track from the duo.
#42 for 1984 (#23 website)
Well, here we are ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, the first hip hop track to go to number one in NZ which should tell you how serious the kiwis were at making the genre a household name compared to America where it originated. It was also Run DMC's only hit outside their native America for many years, although they finally got out of the one hit wonder bin in the late 90's with a few remixes.
#14 for 1986 (#27 website)
#21 for 1987
This was a success for Stacey Q much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm not sure why some of the biggest hits in Australia were songs that had their release and/or success delayed but that was certainly the case for Stacey as this wasn't as successful over there as it was over here. She's also a one hit wonder over there and her native America as "We connect" failed to become a hit in both countries.
#58 for 1986 (#42 website)
This was also a big hit for Fleetwood Mac in NZ, in fact it was much bigger over there than it was over here likely due to the kiwis not allowing the success of big albums to impact the success of its singles over there back in the day. Even so, this was the only big hit that the band had from Tango in the night over there, even "Big love" was a huge flop despite it being a minor success here in Australia.
#63 for 1987
This was also a huge hit for Roy Orbison in NZ, not quite as big as it was here in Australia but still a massive hit for him which goes to show you how bittersweet this song's success was given how he was already no longer with us when it was released as a single worldwide. Heck even the Brits made this a huge hit for him, and it was even a hit in his native America even if it wasn't to this scale on Billboard.
#39 for 1989
So, a funny story affiliated with this song, apparently the Bush Sr administration used it as a theme song for their campaign despite Bobby McFerrin being a firm supporter of the Democrat party which meant that he wasn't too thrilled at the lack of consent he had for having this song be used in a campaign for a party he didn't even support. This resulted in a lawsuit that was quickly settled out of court.
#18 for 1988 (#17 website)
#16 for 1989
Not only was this far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia this year, but it also appears that it needed to be a success here in order for it to be a success over there given how much later it charted over there compared to over here. I guess the kiwis were a bit put off by the Japanese riff the song uses, that or they didn't appreciate the masturbation metaphors which the band insists were unintentional to this day.
#79 for 1980
Well, I'm not going to bore you with a history lesson on how this song came to be like I did on the Australian side of my site, instead I'll bring up that the song was curiously pulled from shelves back in the day likely to encourage album sales form the band that obviously didn't end up happening for them.
#27 for 1984 (#18 website)
Given how inescapable Talking heads were over in NZ this decade, it only makes sense that their theme to the film True stories would be more of a success over there than it was over here for them even if the soundtrack itself was only equally successful in both countries. I'm guessing the film was poorly received by us Aussies and kiwis back in the day as this was the last success they had in either country.
#57 for 1986 (#44 website)
Well, the kiwis didn't seem to be as impressed with this love letter to the Shandi's of the world as we Aussies were, then again Kiss in general wasn't that successful over there as this and "I was made for loving you" will be their only songs to appear on this side of my site as well as the two albums these songs respectively came from.
#69 for 1980 (#47 website)
This is another entry that only barely missed the cut from appearing on one of my lists due to how much of a sleeper hit it was over in NZ, indeed it appears the kiwis were nowhere near as impressed with this sellout from Steve Miller as the rest of the world was given how it only managed to become a success by charting for quite some time in the lower half of their charts.
Hit in 1982 (#50 website)
This was the only hit that Robert Plant was able to score as a solo artist throughout his career, although it's worth noting that he achieved massive success as the lead singer of Led zeppelin during their heyday and would even score another hit as the main front man of the Honeydrippers two years later.
#81 for 1983
Not only was this a huge sleeper hit in NZ back in the day for Echo and the Bunnymen, but it was yet another song on this list that only barely failed to appear on my official lists due to being pushed aside by many of the other entries on this list from 1984. Between this and "Love will tear us apart" being a success over there that year, I think it's safe to say the kiwis were very hip with the indie scene of the day.
Hit in 1984 (#46 website)
One of the more popular TV shows of the decade was Hill Street blues, it was a detective series about a pair of cops solving crimes that was a big hit with audiences back in the day. Nowadays it's best known for its theme song which was a huge hit over in NZ this year likely due to how iconic the kiwis felt it was back in the day.
This proved to be an even bigger success for Debarge in NZ this year than it was here in Australia, it's no surprise why as this is a Motown track made by a Motown band which means it's more of a surprise it made it big down under than anything else. That said, these guys are still a one hit wonder in NZ as none of their other hits on Billboard managed to crossover internationally.
#50 for 1985 (#28 website)
Well, you don't have one of the biggest hits of all time in your homeland and remain a one hit wonder there like Dave Dobbyn was here in Australia with his earlier entry, so here's the second solo hit of his career which threatened to repeat the success of "Slice of heaven" but didn't quite live up to its dizzying success at the time. Both of these songs had fallen off the charts over there by the time his first hit was finally released down under.
#32 for 1987 (#46 website)
It's little surprise that this was more of an immediate hit in NZ than it was here in Australia given how the acid house sub-genre had reigned supreme over there and throughout Europe this year, it also explains how Sonique would eventually find more success over there when she embarked on her solo career than she did over here given that the kiwis clearly had fond memories of this track when that happened over us Aussies.
#62 for 1988
This was originally recorded back in 1978 and likely meant to appear on Bob Marley's Kaya album, it does sound similar to the big hit from that album "Is this love" musically even if lyrically it's a song about American soldiers of colour forced to fight for a country that had little to know respect for them. It was a minor to huge success for the Jamaican icon posthumously everywhere in the world except of course America where it didn't even chart.
#62 for 1983 (#31 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
Given how Dave Dobbyn managed to achieve massive success following the release of the theme to Footrot flats from earlier on this list, it only makes sense that Herbs would also capitalise off that song's success by releasing their new album which contained their biggest hit in the form of its lead single.
#80 for 1987 (#35 website)
This was also a massive hit in NZ like it was here in Australia, although it was a huge flop on Billboard likely due to supergroups rarely doing well in America unless it's for charity. With the exception of Jeff Lynne who had a bigger hit over there with "Telephone line" with ELO, this was the biggest hit any of the members had on the RIANZ charts, although George did have bigger success on the Listener charts with the Beatles.
#33 for 1989
Well, this also proved to be a big hit for Fine Young Cannibals in NZ, it was equally as successful over there as it was over here for the quirky trio given how the song also managed to top the Billboard charts like their earlier entry did. It's a shame that their first album from earlier in the decade didn't do so well over there considering how it put them on the map in most parts of the world.
#68 for 1989 (#24 website)
This wasn't as big for Madonna in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Madonna's popularity overall wasn't as big in NZ as it was internationally despite her still being very popular over there as the decade was coming to an end. Still, this was an inevitable success for her given that it's an empowerment anthem about not settling for superficial cues in a relationship and demanding the absolute best from one's partner.
#48 for 1989 (#33 website)
One of the more popular TV shows of the decade was Hill Street blues, it was a detective series about a pair of cops solving crimes that was a big hit with audiences back in the day. Nowadays it's best known for its theme song which was a huge hit over in NZ this year likely due to how iconic the kiwis felt it was back in the day.
#76 for 1982
This was only a minor success here in Australia for Paul Hardcastle, I guess we Aussies were already becoming fed up with songs about the Vietnam war and so didn't need a spoken word rendition of "I was only 19" from Redgum but with original lyrics from the British musician. It was a much bigger hit in NZ given how the kiwis were likely unfamiliar with the Australian classic from two years prior.
#47 for 1985 (#6 website)
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because I wasn't expecting to have this E.P perform better in NZ than it did here in Australia. I guess this was marketed as the debut entry from the Reels which would explain how it managed to achieve much bigger success over there than it did over here, although it wouldn't do them any favours for their later catalogue.
#69 for 1981 (#44 website)
Well, you normally shouldn't judge a song by its cover art, however looking at the cover art to this breakthrough single from the Fat boys, were you really expecting anything other than a fun throwback to a more innocent time in surf rock? Somehow the hip hop trio managed to recruit the Beach boys to recreate the instrumental they sampled for this track which is perhaps why it succeeded in NZ this year.
#59 for 1987
It looks like the kiwis gave J Geils band a similar road to success as we Aussies did as this second single managed to become a hit for the band over there just like it did over here following the success of their earlier single on this list. Given how this had less competition over there than it did over here, it allowed it to become a bigger hit and thus, score a higher placement on this side of my site.
#68 for 1982
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