Biggest hits of the 80's NZ VI (alternate list)

I've also decided to release an alternate list for the biggest hits of the 80's in NZ like I have with the 90's and 00's, although this time I had to create this list from scratch even though it has the same formula as those two lists. This one I found particularly interesting for two reasons, the first is that several songs recharted throughout the decade for whatever reason (I'll point out when I'm including a song's chart run outside of their peak success) and the second is that several songs that did well during the Christmas/new year's period will appear much lower on this list due to those charts technically not being published back in the day. Also like the 90's list, I'll be including songs that have yet to appear on this side of my site even if once again, many of them have appeared on the Australian side of this site.

I guess Chicago had a harder time adapting to the MTV era as far as the kiwis were concerned given how much less popular this was over there compared to the rest of the world, once again it was a sleeper hit there which is why it's only taken until now for it to appear on this side of my site.

Hit in 1982 (#48 website)

Well at least this wasn't just the same song from the mid 70's charting again for some arbitrary reason such as appearing in a TV commercial, that was a disturbingly common trend in the UK throughout the 80's and 90's that really does make going through their charts rather tedious to this day. Instead, this was a remix from Dutch DJ Ben Liebrand which nearly took the song to number one in NZ this year.

#51 for 1987 (#31 website)

I'm flabbergasted that this wasn't a bigger hit in NZ than it wound up being considering how inescapable their earlier entry was this year over there, I guess the kiwis felt these guys were more suited to being an albums band given how both of their albums from this year saw way more success over there than any of theirs singles again save for their earlier entry on this list.

#79 for 1982 (#49 website)

Given how No doubt made these guys cool when they covered what many consider to be their signature track "It's my life" in 2003, you'd think that would've been the bit hit that Talk talk had back in the day. Alas it wasn't as this was their only hit over in NZ and even then, it was only a sleeper hit hence why it failed to appear on this site until now.

 

Hit in 1983

Well, this proved to be much less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess her having all of this success with her albums over there prevented her from having a giant hit on their singles charts like she did here in Australia. I didn't mention the video on the Australian side of this site which no doubt was a large reason why it was such a huge hit for her back in the day, mainly because of it contextualising this as a female empowerment anthem.

#67 for 1984

Well, this didn't fly straight up to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, although it nearly did as the kiwis were also looking forward to seeing Tina Turner's acting debut in the film, she was commissioned to write a theme song to Mad Max beyond ThunderDome. Although she would score two more hits over there in her career, this would be the last hit of hers to really take their music scene by storm.

#44 for 1985 (#24 website)

Unlike here in Australia where this disco track from French singer FR David needed two attempts to make it big, it was a hit upon its initial release in NZ from the start of the year likely due to the kiwis still allowing songs that sound like they belong in the 70's to make it big over there during the height of MTV.

#71 for 1983

Given how popular Sister Sledge were in NZ with their earlier material, it only makes sense that this nursery pop ballad would be a bigger hit over there than it was over here in Australia for them. The interesting think about this song is that its biggest success came from the UK where this topped the British charts, I'm guessing the Brits really appreciated the girls venturing into nursery pop with this number.

#53 for 1985 (#35 website)

Well, this is a surprise, mainly because it wound up being the least successful song that U2 had in NZ from the Joshua Tree despite it being their biggest hit here in Australia. For what it's worth, it was still a bigger hit over there than it was over here, meaning that the kiwis in general had allowed them to have more success over there than they did over here during this phase of their career.

#57 for 1987 (#32 website)

Well, it might have been about six months late to it being a success in NZ, however this second single from Wet wet wet's discography did become a success over there likely due to it being released at the height of the sophistopop craze that was taking over the world in the mid to late 80's. Their popularity in Australia was nonexistent until the 90's when "Sweet surrender" became a surprise success for the band.

#55 for 1988 (#38 website)

This was the only hit that Bob Dylan managed to achieve over in NZ, even taking into account the Listener charts, he never had another hit over there as the kiwis considered him to be more of an album artist as he had tons of success with his albums over there. I'm guessing they made an exception for this ballad due to it being the most pop friendly of his singles in his catalogue.

#63 for 1985 (#40 website)

This was a massive hit for Duran Duran around the world back in the day, although I get the feeling that if they had of gone with "The reflex" as the lead single to their third album they would've had a song as inescapable as some of the earlier entries on this list worldwide given how popular that would become from the album. At least these guys would continue to have success well into the second half of the 80's in NZ as opposed to Australia.

#20 for 1983 (#42 website)

#15 for 1984

This was the only success that the NZ band the Mockers managed to achieve in their homeland, it was a massive success for them but not enough to grant them any other hits there or a crossover success in Australia.

#13 for 1984

#12 for 1985

Well, this is a song I wasn't expecting to feature this low on this list, I honestly would've thought the kiwis would be more on board with Diana Ross collaborating with the Brothers Gibb more than they were back in the day considering A: their support for their collaboration with Dionne Warwick earlier in the decade and B: the staggering success Diana had over there with her hits.

#53 for 1986 (#36 website)

This was the only hit that the Angels managed to achieve in NZ throughout their career, they achieved this likely due to it being pushed as the lead single over there instead being pushed as the third single like it was here in Australia. The album also did decently well over there, suggesting that the band finally got their big break with the kiwis which unfortunately didn't last for very long.

Hit in 1987 (#40 website)

This is where it all began for Pat Benatar as it was the lead single to her debut album, it for some reason was a massive flop in her native America which would explain why it was only a sleeper hit for her over in NZ as well as a flop here in Australia. I'm a bit surprised that she didn't find more success in the southern hemisphere given how well beloved she remains on oldies stations to this day.

Hit in 1980

This was released fairly soon in Australia after it became a UK chart topper for Dead or alive, as a result, it was also a big hit here due to it being the second track to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman for an LGBT act. This was released on time in NZ where it didn't end up being a big a hit over there, although it was big enough that it was the first hit over there to be produced by the trio.

#73 for 1985 (#36 website)

Well, it remains a classic to this day and was the third single from Reckless, so naturally this song from Bryan Adams was bound to reappear on this list on a much higher position than it appeared on the Australian side of my site. That said, it's curious how this was the only hit that he had in NZ throughout the 80's as "Heaven" was a massive flop over there and "Run to you" was only a minor hit.

#69 for 1985 (#48 website)

This proved to be equally as successful for both parties involved in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it did take a bit longer to reach its peak over there than it did over here likely because it came from an otherwise underwhelming album from Queen. Both parties would continue to see massive success as the decade moved along due to them adapting to the MTV era very well.

#47 for 1981

#45 for 1982

Well, this was something different from Prince alright, namely that it was a combination of funk and RNB as well as several trends that would come to define the 90's which resulted in it being arguably his least conventional hit throughout his entire career. Honestly, I would've been stunned if this had of caught on in Australia given how off the walls this was for its time.

#50 for 1987 (#37 website)

Well at least this managed to be a hit for Jona Lewie in NZ, although I'm guessing it was only once the kiwis ignored the fact this was meant to be a Christmas song given how it only crossed over there several months into the new year as opposed to Australia where it was still summer when it became a hit. His big hit in Australia flopped over there, I guess because it was deemed too silly for the kiwis.

#63 for 1981 (#48 website)

Well at least I can finally feature the signature track from Miami sound machine on this site, I'm not sure why this flopped here in Australia but was a success in NZ considering A: "Dr beat" was a huge hit for them the previous year and B: this is less of a novelty than that track was. Indeed, this is a straightforward party jam from Gloria Estefan and company that continues to light up dance floors to this day.

#32 for 1986 (#15 website)

This was the first of only two hits that Heart achieved in NZ as "All I wanna do is make love to you" was the only other hit they had over there almost a decade later, although this was one of many songs they had that failed to make it big down under for whatever reason. As it turns out, this is a cover of an early Aaron Neville track who's best known for his duet with Linda Ronstadt later in the decade.

#65 for 1981

This was a bit delayed in NZ given how there seemed to be this unwritten rule throughout the 80's that Bananarama wasn't going to crossover until they began collaborating with Stock Aitken and Waterman on their fourth album, we Aussies broke this rule by having this nearly top our charts which allowed the kiwis to follow suit by making this a hit for the trio shortly after it became a big hit here.

#40 for 1982

#38 for 1983

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)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this song's success given how it was a Pet shop boys track during the 80's, however I am mainly because it has Dusty Springfield on vocals which makes this the first hit she had anywhere in the world since "Son of a preacher man" back in the late 60's. I guess you can say that this was the trio's response to "I knew you were waiting" from earlier on this list due to it thematically being the opposite of that track.

#64 for 1987 (#45 website)

This is the signature track from Bobby Brown both solo and with his time with New edition, I'm guessing because it remains his only Billboard chart topper despite "Humping around" being by far his biggest hit even in his native America. This song is about how he felt the need to break apart from his group in order to be who he wanted to be, a theme that Britney Spears would find inspiration in with her own version in 2004.

#53 for 1989 (#27 website)

Although he already scored his two biggest hits in NZ with INXS from earlier on this list and "Forever now" with his old band Cold chisel, Jimmy Barnes was still able to find massive success with the lead single to his second album (or third depending on your point of view with Bodyswerve/For the working class man) which was indeed the biggest hit of his solo career over there just like it was here.

#35 for 1987

#29 for 1988

This was a medley of two covers from 70's staples that Will to Power made that became a number one hit in their native America, those two songs being "Baby I love your way" from Peter Frampton and "Freebird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was a flop in most parts of the world except for NZ where it became a big hit for the band likely due to the kiwis nostalgia for the two tracks this year.

#52 for 1989

Grace Jones was on a roll around this time given how she not only scored yet another hit in NZ with this title track from her (then) latest album, but she also received critical acclaim for her performance in the James Bond flick A view to a kill and is generally considered to be the highlight of an otherwise critically panned film in the franchise.

#35 for 1985

#31 for 1986

Well, I guess the kiwis were more neutral to Mondays than the rest of the world was, not so much that this would be a flop for the Bangles but just enough that it would underperform over there compared to here, the UK and their native America. It could also be the kiwis not being that into the girl band as their popularity overall was considerably less so over there than it was internationally.

#59 for 1986 (#46 website)

Whereas this was only barely a hit for Boy George here in Australia this year, it was more of a hit over in NZ despite the fact that Culture club didn't have as much success over there as they did over here back in the day. I guess the kiwis liked the reggae beat on here as I can't imagine this being a success for him due to nostalgia of the original given how that version was a flop (at least according to the Listener charts.)

#41 for 1987 (#27 website)

This was the other big hit that Willie Nelson had in NZ following the success of his collaboration with Julio Iglesias the previous year, although he's completely overshadowed here by his duet partner on this track as this was the final hit that Ray Charles was able to achieve in his career. Ray was still very much active in the music industry in the 80's as he would frequently collaborate with younger artists of the day.

#71 for 1985 (#43 website)

This was the only song that Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam (what a stupid band name) managed to achieve outside of their native America, it's a song I've seen be frequently compared to Motown due to its throwback style in the production as well as Lisa's vocals being reminiscent of the likes of Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick. Naturally this caught on with the kiwis, however we Aussies were clearly unimpressed.

#75 for 1987 (#41 website)

This was one of the biggest hits of the decade in Australia, so to see it appear this low on this list should give you an idea of how different the music landscape was here and in NZ around this time. I guess the kiwis didn't find this to be a groovy cover of the Mindbenders original, or rather they just felt that it wasn't good enough to be worth making it one of the defining hits of the 80's over there.

#33 for 1988 (#31 website)

I still can't believe how much less successful the Police were in NZ compared to Australia, at least three of their songs will be making a second appearance on this site with this lead single from their penultimate album Ghost in the machine being the second of those three entries.

#56 for 1981

#56 for 1982

I did mention earlier that the release schedule for Prince's album 1999 was slightly different in NZ than it was here in Australia, meaning that this was pushed as the lead single over there whilst the title track was the follow up even though this came out the same time in both countries. As a result, it lasted quite a while longer over there, hence why it qualified for this list despite being a sleeper hit.

Hit in 1983

Although this charted higher in NZ than it did here in Australia, it wound up being equally as successful in both countries thanks to how quirky the song is from the unconventional singer Matthew Wilder. Also, something both countries have in common is that the cover version from the 90's wound up being more successful, possibly due to nostalgia we Aussies and kiwis had of this track over a decade after its release.

#58 for 1984 (#42 website)

This was a moderate success here in Australia; however, it charted too low to appear on this list as it took its sweet time in finding an audience here from the end of the previous year. It was also slow in finding an audience in NZ, however once it did, it lingered in the upper half of their charts long enough to qualify for this list of mine, which allows me to feature one of the more seductive RNB tracks of the decade.

#88 for 1984 (#45 website)

This was the slightly bigger hit for the Eurythmics in NZ, likely because it was their biggest hit in their native UK due to how opulent the song is in their catalogue. We'll be revisiting their big hit in Australia this year in a bit, but it's worth noting that their popularity overall in NZ was quickly dwindling with their singles despite it growing exponentially with their albums.

#58 for 1985 (#39 website)

Much like in Australia, only the original version of this cover from Kylie Minogue managed to become a success over in NZ this year, likely because the kiwis were intrigued by how Charlene from Neighbours was able to score a massive hit this year with this cover and decided to check it out. This makes it the second cover of the Little Eva track to make it big over there following the disco rendition from the start of the decade.

#67 for 1987

Given how he had one of the biggest albums of the decade in NZ (even if it was far from THE biggest album of the decade over there) it makes sense that the lead single to John Farnham's follow-up to Whispering jack would also be a massive success over there even if its low placement on this list was due to most of its success being confided to the lower half of their charts.

#71 for 1988 (#41 website)

It's odd that these guys would be far more successful international than they were in their native America even if they were the type of rockabilly band that would appeal to the fans of Shaking Stevens and Racey from around this time, this was their only notable hit in NZ even though "Runaway boys" was the big hit that they had here in Australia (well it was a sleeper hit at least.)

#76 for 1981

This was another song that could've made the cut on the Australian side of my site had I allowed myself to include as many minor hits in Australia throughout the years as there were, as such it missed the cut but was fortunately a much bigger hit in NZ for David Bowie likely due to how inescapably popular he was over there throughout the 80's.

#78 for 1984

From what I can gather, Patti Austin was a client of Quincy Jones (you can tell if you look closely enough at the cover of her big hit) that managed to score a Billboard chart topper with this collaboration with James Ingram who was another artist who found much more success in his native America than he did internationally. This came close to making my official lists, hence why it deserves to be here.

Hit in 1983

This will be the only song from Nik Kershaw that will appear on this side of my site as he unfortunately didn't have much success in NZ like he did here in Australia and his native UK, although it's worth noting that this at least did far better over there than it did over here likely due to them being amused by the music video where the director predicts Jim Carrey's performance as the Riddler a decade before it happened.

#75 for 1985

We have another sleeper hit to make it onto this list, this time it's the debut single from Fine young cannibals which was a huge hit in NZ upon its initial release and likely would've made the cut for my 1985 list had there not been so much competition which shoved it to the lower half of their charts for as long as it did. At least this means that their debut album had some form of success over there.

Hit in 1985 (#46 website)

Given how this track was delayed worldwide to allow "Always on my mind" to be a success following the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it was one of their biggest hits in their catalogue over there. This might have something to do with collectors wanting two copies of the song as there's a different cover featuring each of the members available.

#40 for 1988 (#23 website)

I told you we'd revisit this one and only hit from Visage didn't I? here we are with that big hit from the band which like I said earlier, the kiwis mostly passed up in favour of the Ultravox entry we looked at. Midge would find success over there with his solo hit "If I was" before he faded into obscurity like he did everywhere else in the world.

#84 for 1981

It seems strange that these guys would achieve far less success in NZ than they did here in Australia given how they found instant success over there the previous year with their debut album as opposed to here where they needed this song specifically for that album to be a hit. I guess the kiwis found this a bit too repetitive to have it match the success of "Roxanne" or even their earlier entry on this list.

#81 for 1980

This song is known for two things nowadays, the first is for the music video which has the same style of CGI animation that was a success for Dire straits around this time and the second is that the lead vocalist of the band was Margaret Urlich who would go on to have massive success as a solo artist in the 90's.

#9 for 1985

#7 for 1986

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 the lead single to MJ's album Bad; it was only barely a hit in Australia likely due to it being another duet that led off a highly successful album which didn't go over very well the last time that happened. Fortunately, the kiwis were more open to this duet as he recruits unknown singer Sediah Garrett to make a romantic love ballad to lead off the album.

#61 for 1987 (#29 website)

If you were surprised by the Cult's entry from my 1987 list on this side of my site, you'll be dumbstruck to learn that this actually topped the NZ charts this year which goes to show you how hip the kiwis were to what the internet would describe as the cool side of the decade back in the day. Sadly, they didn't have much success going into the 90's despite them fitting in perfectly with that scene.

#45 for 1989 (#13 website)

This was the last hit that the Eagles managed to score before their infamous concert at the start of the decade, I guess they were on a roll over in NZ given how this managed to be a sleeper hit over there. It somewhat boosted the sales of their album the Long run given how the title track was a huge flop over there despite it receiving tons of airplay on oldies stations to this day.

Hit in 1980

Well, it appears that the film this ballad was named after didn't appeal as much to the kiwis as it did internationally, then again Phil's solo career over there has been noticeably less successful given how this was one of his highest charting singles over there despite it not getting to number one. In fact, he never had a number one hit over there both solo and with Genesis, unless of course you count that ad jingle from 2008.

#54 for 1984 (#41 website)

There will only be two entries from John Cougar Mellencamp on the NZ side of my site, although at least they'll be two new entries to this site as he was unable to score any further hits in Australia after the lead single to his biggest album the Lonesome jubilee. This was that album's second single which became his first hit over there as well as the song that finally allowed him to have mainstream success in NZ.

#63 for 1988

This was another successful song from an Australian band in NZ this year, I guess the kiwis found this bouncy enough for it to be a success for the Eurogliders given how it was this bounciness and the lyrics about if heaven really does exist or not were the reasons why it nearly topped the Australian charts this year. They're sadly a one hit wonder over there as none of their other singles or albums charted.

#59 for 1984

Given how songs from highly successful albums weren't impacted by said albums success over in NZ like they were here in Australia, this allowed the second single from Born in the U.S.A to become a massive hit over there where it was only a minor hit over here this year for Bruce Springsteen. That said, this was the only song from the album to benefit from this arrangement over there for him.

#84 for 1984

Jody Watley was the sole female member of Shalamar who already had a massive hit from the start of the decade with "The second time around" in NZ, here she is seven years later with this solo single which became a big hit over there likely due to the success of Janet Jackson boosting the popularity of this type of song worldwide. It was a minor hit for her here in Australia, but too minor to be noteworthy for this site.

#65 for 1987

Well Star Trek fans, I hope you can stomach the appearance of this novelty track from the band the Firm once more as it managed to become a hit in NZ in addition to here in Australia and their native UK this year. At least it wasn't quite as big over there as it was in either country, although I'm not sure if that's because the kiwis didn't find the song as funny as we did or if they didn't even realise what Star Trek was at the time.

#52 for 1987 (#20 website)

I guess this was meant to be NZ's rendition of the Cars track of the same name from the previous year (well similar if you discount the parenthesis) here we have the band's third and final hit they had in their homeland before they called it quits to allow Dave Dobbyn to embark on a highly successful solo career.

#57 for 1985

This is the only hit single to come from German singer Drafi Deutscher, it was originally released two years prior to massive success throughout Europe before finally seeing the light of day late the previous year here in Australia. It was too much of a sleeper hit to make it on that side of my site, however the kiwis made it more of an immediate success once it finally saw the light of day over there.

#61 for 1985 (#47 website)

Although he would have a moderate success in NZ ten years later with "For your love," as far as the rest of the world is concerned, this is the final hit that Stevie Wonder had in his career. It was a huge chart topper for him in NZ and his native America this year, likely due to him being immensely popular this year thanks to his Oscar winning ballad from earlier on this list as well as his affiliation with USA for Africa.

#17 for 1985 (#34 website)

In a strange coincidence, this managed to be a success in NZ and even fell off their charts before "Ghostbusters" from Ray Parker Jr ever touched their charts, meaning that the kiwis were fully aware of how that song ripped this off musically as opposed to the rest of the world where this song underperformed in their mainstream. This only barely missed the cut for my official year end list for the record.

Hit in 1984

Well, this managed to be a hit for Steve Perry in NZ as well despite his band Journey also failing to score a single hit over there back in the day, in fact I'm surprised Journey didn't have any success outside their native America given how their arena rock would've fitted in perfectly with the MTV generation.

#65 for 1984

This was a big hit in NZ likely due to "Who can it be now" being a massive failure over there from the previous year, I guess the kiwis were a bit slow in making these guys a household name and felt this would be the perfect way to atone for their tardy success they handed the band. This would unfortunately be their only other hit over there as their next album didn't produce a hit single for them.

#70 for 1982

Given how this was now the second single from Crowded house's debut album internationally, it was able to be a huge success in NZ and America meaning that they had a second hit in both countries before they did here in Australia back in the day. Admittedly this was a minor success here likely because of its international popularity, however it wasn't bigger due to being the fourth single from the album down under.

#60 for 1987

This was the second single to come from Prince's Sign ☮ the times album, this was far more conventional than his earlier entry due to the presence of Sheena Easton who is curiously uncredited on this track despite this clearly being a duet between the two singers.

#87 for 1987

Well, here's that third single from David Bowie's Let's dance that became a hit over in NZ this year, it may not have racked up the numbers like his other three hits did, however it was still a massive success for him likely due to it being a song originally written for and with Iggy Pop for his 70's output. Bowie took the punk track and made it more mainstream which resulted in its success.

#70 for 1983 (#38 website)

I guess the kiwis were a bit intrigued with this debut single from Whitney Houston when it initially came out given how it did chart for a little while upon its initial release over there, this would explain why it didn't chart very well when it was released with a music video a year after its release there which would've made it impossible to appear on this side of my site were it not for this list of mine.

Hit in 1986

Well, it looks like the kiwis weren't as impressed with this pop friendly version of the trio's sound this year given how much less successful it was not only compared to what it achieved here in Australia, but also compared to both their earlier entry as well as Peter Gabriel's entry on this list. Still, it was inevitable that this would be a big hit for them over there given how popular they were at the time.

#68 for 1986

While as far as the rest of the world is concerned, "Hold me now" was where it all began for the Thompson twins, in NZ this was the beginning of their popularity likely due to the presence of Alannah Currie who was a former NZ journalist before joining the band shortly before this was released as a single. That said, it was another sleeper hit hence its absence on this site up until this point.

Hit in 1983

While it's not that surprising to see this reappear on this side of my site given how Shona Laing is a NZ artist who previously found success with "1905" in her homeland, what's surprising is that she had to find success over here in Australia before her fellow kiwis realised the beauty of this ballad given how it was a success over there long after it was over here this year.

#68 for 1987 (#36 website)

This was a solid year for Australian artists finding international success, although I guess these guys were a mix of Australian musicians with international musicians that happened to be based here in Australia more than anything. In any case, they found enough success in NZ this year that this was given a UK release where it unfortunately bombed for the supergroup with the Brits.

#85 for 1987

This was another hit that Wet wet wet managed to score in NZ this year, although at least their earlier entry did chart here in Australia which is more than I can say for this third single from their debut album (which also came out the previous year in their native UK.) They wouldn't score another hit over there until "Love is all around" from the Four weddings and a funeral soundtrack.

#68 for 1988

This is another song that only barely failed to appear on both sides of my site due to being decently success in both countries back in the day, it was a huge sleeper hit for Toni in NZ likely due to being much catchier than her big hit. I'm sure this would've been even bigger here in Australia as well were it not for the fact that the high album sales ate up its commercial success here.

Hit in 1989

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

These guys were on a roll as they released the lead single to their third and final album this year, it wouldn't be the biggest hit from said album as that would come the following year with "Magic" but this was nonetheless big enough to convince Dave Dobbyn to embark on a solo career once the album cycle came to an end.

#82 for 1984

This is another song that I'm surprised wasn't a genuine hit back in the day given how much you hear it on oldies stations to this day, although at least it did pop up briefly in the upper echelons of the NZ charts to become a hit as well as lasting on their charts overall long enough to qualify for this list. Admittedly it was heavily delayed over there likely due to it flopping multiple times here in Australia.

Hit in 1984

These guys were so popular over in NZ that they managed to achieve a second hit over there with this disco track, further proving that the genre was far from over as far as the kiwis were concerned. That said, I should point out that both of their hits this year did crossover in their native America even if neither of them saw the level of success on Billboard that they did internationally.

#73 for 1980

You'd think with all of the country making it big in NZ this year that this would've been an even bigger hit for Juice Newton over there, alas it wasn't as it only managed to be half as successful over there as it was over here. At least she was able to have both of her big hits here in Australia reappear on this side of my site as we'll be revisiting "Queen of hearts" later down this list.

#73 for 1981 (#50 website)

This is a bit of a surprise entry given how this flopped here in Australia for Jo Jo Zep, I'm guessing this was supposed to be the success that "Taxi Mary" was to receive over there given how that was his big solo hit following the demise of his backing band the Falcons the previous year which did chart prior to this song over there. This was around the time he would form his new band the Black Sorrows who didn't have any success over there.

#85 for 1983

I would've thought this second single from Footloose would be even bigger in NZ considering A: the kiwis not allowing successful albums to impact the success of popular songs back in the day like we Aussies did and B: Deniece Williams already having a massive solo hit over there with "It's gonna take a miracle" from two years prior. I guess they weren't as invested in that scene in the movie where Kevin Bacon teaches that other kid how to dance as the rest of the world was.

#68 for 1984 (#43 website)

This was only a minor hit here in Australia this year, although at least it charted for a while here where it became a sleeper hit which is more than I can say for the likes of "Long hot summer" and "Walls come tumbling down" which have both surpassed this song as the signature tracks for the band. It was more of a success in NZ likely due to how the kiwis were quick in making them a household name over there.

#74 for 1984

Tina was certainly on a roll in NZ when she released the lead single to her second album of the decade, while it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success like her earlier entries, it was enough of a hit to appear on this side of my site and even made the album an instant success over there to boot. I guess this was why "The best" flopped later in the decade over there given how this was a flop here in Australia.

#82 for 1986

There haven't been as many entries from the Eurythmics on this side of my as there have been on the Australian side, so it gives me great pleasure to finally feature the second single from Revenge on this site even if it was more of a sleeper hit over there back in the day. This did crack the Australian top ten upon its release; however, it was too much of a "fan single" as it quickly dropped of our charts after the fact.

Hit in 1986

This was one of only two hits that Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark (OMD for short) were able to achieve in NZ and indeed the southern hemisphere back in the day, this is curious considering how many hits they racked up in their native UK and that their brand of new wave would've been a shoe in for success during the height of MTV.

#82 for 1982

This was the only hit that British singer Haywoode was able to achieve anywhere in the world, although how it became a hit in NZ is anyone's guess as it flopped on the British charts upon its initial release. I'm guessing the kiwis were really on board with making Stock Aiken Waterman a commercial success as this was another song to be produced by the trio which also happens to have a woman of colour performing on it.

#50 for 1986 (#33 website)

Much like the rest of the world, this was the final hit that Wham had in NZ before they called it quits as a duo so that George can become a solo artist and Andrew could pursue a career as a racecar driver. There's nothing more I can add to this entry that wouldn't just be me repeating what I said on the Australian side of my site.

#60 for 1986 (#47 website)

Even though this song is in Spanish, it became the first hit from Julio Iglesias in the English-speaking parts of the world as it led to his first UK chart topper "Begin the beguine" later in the year. Of course, we Aussies didn't allow for him to have a hit in Australia until he learned English later in the decade which resulted in his first English speaking album, 1100 bel air place.

#75 for 1981

Even though their biggest hit is a remix of a track from their infamous 1997 album with the Wu tang clan in NZ, they did have a decent hit with their debut single over there likely due to how well it was received here in Australia as well as their native UK upon its initial release. As such, they remain a two-hit wonder over there like they do throughout the rest of the world with these two songs.

Hit in 1989

This was the first of two big hits that Jimmy Cliff had in NZ, the other was his cover of the Johnny Nash track "I can see clearly now" from the Cool running's soundtrack exactly a decade after this was a hit for him. Given how reggae music was massively popular in NZ (especially songs from Jamaican artists) it seems fitting that this hit from Jimmy Cliff would be as such over there.

#46 for 1984 (#31 website)

This was another hit that Dr Hook managed to achieve in NZ that wasn't a success here in Australia at the start of the decade, again it was a sleeper hit over there, but it did briefly crack their top ten which means that there was plenty of love for their brand of country pop coming into the decade over there that was quickly pushed aside in favour of the new wave that quickly took over their charts.

Hit in 1980

I guess the kiwis were able to hand Donna Summer one more hit in her career before completely turning their backs on her, admittedly this was close enough to disco that it could fit on her previous album Bad girls, so maybe they felt her foray towards feminism and Christianity was for only one song with Barbra Streisand but were then proving wrong with what she did throughout the 80's.

#66 for 1980

This nearly made the cut for appearing on one of my official yearend lists given how much the Thompson twins were on a roll in NZ when they released the lead single to their third album, indeed this continued their doctor theme from their debut likely in an attempt to get fans excited for said album which worked wonders for them with the kiwis but not so much with us Aussies.

Hit in 1985

Unlike here in Australia where this was Billy Ocean's biggest hit, in NZ it was one of his weaker hits as the kiwis didn't seem to be as impressed with this theme to the Jewel of the Nile as we Aussies were back in the day. Still, it was a huge hit for the British crooner over there, meaning they just felt there were other more worthy songs back then to make a huge hit which we've looked at on this list.

#48 for 1986 (#23 website)