I came a cross this list which much like the 00's list I posted a while back, takes into account a song's full chart run to determine what were the biggest hits of the 90's in NZ as opposed to its popularity on the upper echelons of those charts. I've decided to recreate this list and include any song that has yet to appear on this side of my site as a way of incentivising me doing so, meaning you'll get to read my commentary of these songs even though many of them have already appeared on the Australian side of my site. Also like my 00's list, I've slightly adjusted this list to include the full chart runs of songs that charted from 1989 and into 2000 rather than cutting off their chart run to only include their stats throughout the decade.
It's the comeback singles to end all over comeback singles, released as the debut single from a guy who as far as we knew didn't have any failed attempts at making it big in the music industry (OK so "Crazy" was technically his first single in his native UK even though it was his second single worldwide.) Naturally this was a big hit in NZ even though it was curiously even bigger here in Australia.
#28 for 1996 (#17 website)
So, I bet you're wondering how this managed to become such a huge success for MJ despite coming from an album that was released nearly two years prior to its release, it turns out this was selected as the theme song to the film Free willy which is about a boy befriending a whale that was a box office success at the time. I guess we Aussies didn't like the film very much as it did nothing to allow this to chart over here.
#37 for 1993 (#21 website)
This was another track from AC/DC that sounded nothing like the rest of their catalogue, naturally it would be another big hit for the band in NZ despite it curiously flopping here in Australia for some reason. This wasn't their final hit over there as they would score one more hit with "Big gun" from the Last action hero soundtrack later in the decade.
#34 for 1991 (#27 website)
I guess if I'm in the right mood, I can appreciate this as a campy teen pop track with Celtic influences peppered throughout its short runtime. I'm sure that was the appeal of the song back in the day when it became a massive worldwide hit for the Irish family group, although nowhere was it more successful than in NZ where this beat out most of the competition for the teen pop wars.
#10 for 1998 (#5 website)
Well, this was a lot less successful in NZ than it was internationally for Bryan Adams, admittedly it was still a huge hit for him over there due to it being attached to a (then) popular film, but it was obvious that the kiwis love for the former heartland rocker was beginning to fade as the decade went on.
#53 for 1995 (#27 website)
One surprising fact I have for you is that throughout most of the 90's, the biggest names in music didn't manage to achieve a number on hit in NZ. I bring that up here because aside from his theme to the Kevin Costner adaptation of Robin Hood, Bryan Adams never had a chart topper in NZ despite having massive success over there with his ballads this decade.
#29 for 1993
#28 for 1994
From what I can gather, Ngaire was a teenage NZ pop star who scored her one and only hit with this cover of the Lulu track from 1967. The original wasn't that big in NZ back in the day, meaning that Ngaire's version of the track is considered to be the definitive version over there going purely based on success.
#23 for 1990 (#30 website)
This was one of two hits that Redhead Kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, he was an east coast rapper who managed to impress the kiwis with his pop friendly tracks which I'm sure got him some unflattering comparisons to the likes of MC Hammer and Kid n Play back in the day. At least he was one of the more successful east coast rappers over there throughout the 90's.
#36 for 1990 (#28 website)
Well, here's that other big hit from the Spin doctors from their debut album that they had in NZ this year, it's just as catchy as the big international hit that had but is instead about a woman that the narrator finds to be a bit too condescending to be around (presumably an ex-girlfriend.) It was one more hit they had in NZ than they did everywhere else in the world, meaning they were most successful over there.
#38 for 1993 (#41 website)
If you're shocked at how low this cover of the Peter Frampton classic is on this list considering it's a reggae cover of a 70's classic, I should point out its placement is due to how much of a sleeper hit it was in NZ as this did chart for quite some time over there albeit in the lower half of their charts. At least this was a success for Big Mountain as opposed to the other big hit from Reality bites.
#75 for 1994 (#18 website)
This was also a huge success for Betty Boo in NZ this year, I'm guessing because it was heavily featured in season one of Beverly Hills 90210 (yes, I've seen the show and I agree the episodes are all too long for their own good.) This allowed the British female rapper to have a hit in the southern hemisphere which opened up doors for other female rappers throughout the decade here.
#44 for 1990
#48 for 1991
I guess the kiwis wanted to give a shout out to the Hispanic rappers this year as A.L.T managed to score a huge hit over there much sooner than he did here in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Admittedly this was a success largely due to the sample of the instrumental track from the 50's, however the rhymes are a lot better on here than you would otherwise expect.
#33 for 1992 (#38 website)
Both of POT USA's big hits from Australia will be reappearing on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis also found enjoyment with both of these tracks back in the day, more so with this lead single to their debut album it seems given how much bigger it was over there compared to over here. Like most alternative rock from the 90's, this wasn't a hit in the band's native America, not even on the Billboard airplay charts.
#51 for 1996 (#38 website)
This was equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Backstreet boys, meaning the kiwis were officially invested in the second round of the boy band wars of the 90's given how they sat out the first round from the first half of the decade. For some reason, this wasn't released as a single in their native America until the following year.
#26 for 1998 (#25 website)
I'm not sure how this hip hop track from Icy Blu managed to become a success here in Australia and NZ back in the day given how it was a massive flop for her in America, however it was a success in the southern hemisphere regardless for the underage rapper. It turns out she had a second single chart in NZ with "I wanna be your girl" which is somehow more of a novelty than this track was.
#50 for 1991 (#21 website)
Apparently, there was a theme to the Rugrats movie (shocking I know) the theme came from Blackstreet of all groups and featured a chorus from Mya who had still yet to have that big solo breakthrough despite being on another movie theme with "Ghetto supastar" with Pras from the Fugees. All of this was enough for the theme to the Nickelodeon theatrical film be a huge success in NZ and their native America.
#9 for 1998
#10 for 1999
Well, it appears that Tevin Campbel was becoming too old to be an underage RNB singer from America, as such we now have a hit single from his obvious successor J'son who scored a massive hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world with this gem. I'm not sure what NZ's fascination with underage RNB and hip hop was throughout the 90's, but I'm sure all of these kids of colour appreciated this success back in the day.
#24 for 1996 (#16 website)
Even though this failed to appear on one of my official lists on this side of my site, it was indeed a massive success for Inner circle in NZ proving how well loved the Jamaican band was over there long after the rest of the world had long fallen out of love with their brand of reggae hip hop.
Hit in 1996
This was one of two environmental songs that MJ released this decade, the other being "Earth song" which came from his next album that also peaked during the summer period here in Australia and NZ. Say what you will about Jacksons personal antics, at least he had a genuine concern for the environment and social issues as there are plenty of these types of songs in his catalogue.
#25 for 1992
#30 for 1993
Following the success of their comeback hit "Love so right" from the previous year, Ardijah managed to score a huge success in their homeland with this cover of the Wings classic just as the decade was coming to an end. It was their biggest hit over there given how it went to number one, not bad for a band who had been active for almost a decade and a half by this point.
*Apologies for the lack of album art for this entry, there doesn't seem to be one in existence. The song is "Silly love songs" from Ardijah if you couldn't tell from my commentary*
#17 for 1999
This was originally a hit for Mungo Jerry back in 1970, it remains a classic to this day due to the lyrics about spending a lazy day in the summer forgetting about your worries (basically "Hakuna Matata" but written by a hippy and not Elton John.) Shaggy covered the track for the lead single to his second album, recruiting singer Rayvon who would collaborate with him again for his big hit "Angel" in 2001.
#34 for 1995 (#21 website)
I'm not sure why Britney Spears was a borderline one hit wonder in her native America until her post meltdown era, sure she had the occasional hit on Billboard, but nothing that even came close to what she achieved with her earlier entry and especially with her other hits internationally. This was her second single which confirmed her as a force to be reckoned with going into the new millennium.
#21 for 1999 (#20 website)
This was another west coast rap group to find massive success in NZ and not their native America, I told you this was going to be a trend throughout the decade given how the kiwis were firmly on board with west coast hip hop throughout the 90's. Here these guys have the blessing of the Spinners (or Detroit Spinners if you're from the UK) as they come back to rerecord their chorus from their 1972 classic this song samples.
#28 for 1995 (#12 website)
I've skimmed through the old Listener charts in NZ (the charts that predate RIANZ for the uninitiated) and found that while this did chart upon its initial release over there, it was far from a huge success meaning that it becoming a hit this year makes no sense to me. You can't even say it was due to an anniversary release as this was only nineteen years after its initial release.
#34 for 1990 (#12 website)
Somehow this managed to be an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, if this isn't proof that the kiwis had a vast indie scene back in the day then I don't know what is as I can't imagine this being a success in the southern hemisphere with any assistance from MTV like it was in their native America. If nothing else, we Aussies and kiwis were ahead of the curve in making Tool and A perfect circle household names in the alternative scene.
#31 for 1993 (#12 website)
I'm sure if the kiwis hadn't already allowed EDM to dominate their music scene by the time this song came out then the track would've compelled them to finally check out what all the fuss was about in the genre throughout the 90's in Australia. Indeed, this was a song that feels like it could fit into any music landscape thanks to the vocals and production being oddly timeless for a dance track.
#29 for 1999 (#22 website)
This was originally a hit for the Steve Miller band here in Australia back in 1974, it wasn't a hit in NZ from what I can gather which is perhaps how it managed to become a massive success over there this year due to a highly successful ad campaign in the UK from the previous year. These campaigns were quite common throughout the 90's, hence why the UK charts is filled with reissues of older songs.
#25 for 1991 (#20 website)
This wasn't as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Sheryl Crow is essentially a one hit wonder in NZ as none of her other singles managed to become a success for her. At least her album was still a success even if it wasn't as big as it was here or especially her native America.
#23 for 1994
#23 for 1995
This was the debut single for En Vogue, an RNB girl group who were one of the biggest names in music throughout the world in the 90's except for here in Australia where they were a one hit wonder with "Don't let go" in 1997 (I guess a two-hit wonder if you count their chorus on Salt n Pepa's "Whatta man") The kiwis recognised their abilities to harmonise with each other from the start, hence why this was a hit over there.
#47 for 1990 (#26 website)
Much like the rest of the world, this was the final hit that TLC had in NZ given how the girls would never make another album after their third album due to tragic circumstances surrounding Left Eye Lopez in 2002. This was their second self-empowerment anthem following the success of "Waterfalls" from earlier in the decade, the two have been commonly compared to each other over the years.
#22 for 1999 (#11 website)
I think this was always intended to be the big hit from Daydream for Mariah Carey, it's just the fact that her earlier entry on this list happened to become one of the biggest hits of all time in her native America is what made it so successful due to it being a collaboration with Boyz II Men as well as the lyrical content connecting better with audiences.
#19 for 1995 (#4 website)
I told you this was a much bigger hit for Eternal months before it was a hit here in Australia, in fact it had just about left the charts over there by the time it began climbing our charts towards the end of this year to give you an idea of how much sooner it was popular over there back in the day. That said, this was the only hit of theirs to be bigger in NZ than it was down under.
#39 for 1997 (#14 website)
Well, this was an RNB jam that made it big here in Australia, so naturally it would find success much sooner in NZ even if the success was half of what it achieved down under. This is one of the first big hits to be produced by Timbaland, although you wouldn't be able to tell it was him due to all of the weird samples used throughout the track.
#32 for 1996
#27 for 1997
I feel it was more than a coincidence that this was Bette Midler's final hit single in most parts of the world, after all the last thing anyone wants to hear is that God loves them but only under certain circumstances which is the whole point of this ballad. It has good intentions and Bette's performance does save it from people looking too far into the lyrics, however it's not fondly remembered these days.
#31 for 1990
#29 for 1991
While this wasn't the first hit they had in NZ, this was the biggest hit from Jodeci members KCI and Jo Jo much like it was here in Australia. The duo was considered a two-man equivalent of Boyz II Men throughout the 90's, which is perhaps why they were able to score massive success even in a place like Australia with their ballads.
#23 for 1998 (#6 website)
I forgot to mention on the Australian side of my site that this was a cover of a Rolling stones track from the height of their popularity in the mid 60's, this would explain the hippy vibes that the song has despite Mick Jagger and company never being a part of the hippy culture back in the day (at least as far as I'm aware they weren't.) For reasons I brought up when I last discussed this track, it was released slightly sooner over there than it was over here.
#38 for 1990
#42 for 1991
This turned out to be the biggest hit that Shania Twain had in NZ, I'm guessing it was due to A: airplay finally being a factor this year which further boosted the popularity of songs from highly successful albums and B: the kiwis embracing this as the (then) new female empowerment anthem going into the new millennium.
#24 for 1999 (#15 website)
Well, UB40 seemed to have been on top of the world as far as the kiwis were concerned, so of course their collaboration with Robert Palmer on this Bob Dylan cover would be a massive success for them much sooner than it was in Australia. I guess it was our love for Robert that allowed this to become a success here in Australia, although nowhere near as popular as it was over there.
#16 for 1990
#19 for 1991 (#40 website)
The two big hits from KLF that failed to appear on this side of my site previously will be showing up on this bonus list of mine, I guess the kiwis were big fans of these guys after all even if they pushed their success aside from the mainstream in favour of all the RNB and hip hop that became popular when these two tracks came out.
Hit in 1991 (#36 website)
This was a massive hit for the American hip hop trio Something for the pain in NZ and their native America, mainly for the chorus which features fellow American RNB duo Trina and Tamara which connects the verses together about how awesome the love of the rappers is for their respective partners. Even though this was a big success for them, they called it quits not long after it fell off the charts.
#47 for 1998 (#44 website)
This was the biggest hit that Ma$e had on his own in NZ, although here he has the assistance of RNB girl group Total to provide him a smooth chorus to connect his verses about how he would treat the woman he's presumably singing to. He doesn't have much respect these days in the hip hop game mainly due to him playing second fiddle to Biggie Smalls in the east coast hip hop scene at the time.
#17 for 1998 (#31 website)
These guys had been active for most of the 80's, however it wasn't until their 1989 album that they began having success in their native America with their RNB ballads. It wouldn't be until this became a chart topper for the group on Billboard that they finally had a hit outside of their homeland as this became a very big hit for the group in NZ this year for them.
#45 for 1991
Well, this proved to be an even bigger hit for Amy Grant than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis really wanted to hear some contemporary Christian music but settled for the least Christian song from her catalogue (at least as far as I'm aware.) Then again, this was a massive hit in the UK which is perhaps how it managed to crossover to the southern hemisphere in the first place.
#38 for 1991 (#26 website)
This was more of an immediate success in NZ than it was here in Australia, in fact I'm guessing this was a hit here in Australia because it was so inescapable in NZ which of course made it a hit in the UK but not in America because this was never released as a single over there. As such, Tragic kingdom was a huge worldwide success everywhere except for the band's homeland.
#14 for 1996
#7 for 1997 (#30 website)
This was the big breakthrough that TLC had outside of their native America, possibly due to it being sold as a female perspective in the "stalker anthem" that audiences tend to not realise are indeed about stalking the love of a song's narrator's life. It was a massive hit in NZ likely due to this premise as well as the song being an absolute banger, it's a shame it was mere a minor sleeper hit here in Australia.
#46 for 1995 (#35 website)
Well, this isn't a rock and roll rendition of the Shocking blue classic made popular by Bananarama twelve years prior, instead this is a unique track which happens to share the name of those two songs from NZ rock band the Feelers which became a massive success over there following the release of their debut album.
#21 for 1998 (#45 website)
#18 for 1999
Well given how 2pac was one of the biggest artists of the decade in NZ, it's only fitting that his one and only hit in Australia (at least during his lifetime) would be a massive success over there even if his earlier entry on this list was the biggest hit of his career over there (alive or dead.) It was also Dr Dre's second hit over there following the success of "Keep their heads ringing" from the previous year.
#27 for 1996 (#11 website)
Who would've thought that Aaron Neville got the big mainstream push from his collaboration with Linda Ronstadt from the start of the decade in NZ? While she never bothered the charts again anywhere in the world, Aaron scored a bunch of hits in NZ both solo and with his band the Neville brothers as recently as 1993 with this being the biggest hit of the bunch.
#32 for 1991 (#14 website)
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more open to the idea of making Celine Dion a household name over there initially even if none of her singles never reached the dizzying heights they achieved down under throughout the 90's. Indeed, this ballad's success over there was half of what it achieved here even with it being released sooner over there.
#40 for 1994 (#47 website)
This was the one original hit that All-4-One managed to score in their career, even then it was only a hit for them in NZ which perhaps suggests that the rest of the world was only interested in their covers of obscure tracks rather than them bringing anything new to the table. Still, they were a worthy rival for Boyz II Men in the short time they managed to be a household name.
#40 for 1995 (#29 website)
Given how this was the full extent of her success over in Australia, it makes sense that it would also be a huge success for Bic Runga in her homeland a full year prior to seeing the light of day on our charts. Admittedly it wasn't as big as you'd expect due to the kiwis gravitating towards her album over this adult contemporary ballad of hers, however it did lead to her having massive success in the new millennium.
#33 for 1997 (#29 website)
Well, there was no chance this was going to fail over in NZ if even we Aussies could recognise the genius behind this track, although these guys did have more success over there with their singles proving that the kiwis still had more respect for the hip hop game at this point in time than we Aussies did. This was also the rare east coast hip hop track that managed to make it big over there this decade.
#18 for 1996 (#2 website)
Although "Because we want to" was a sleeper hit over in NZ this year, it was this second single from Billie Piper that would help her stand out from the countless British and European teen pop stars that seemed to be clogging up the mainstream worldwide as the decade was coming to an end. Billie is perhaps best known nowadays for her role as Rose in the Doctor Who franchise.
#19 for 1998
#16 for 1999
This is a bit odd as Rebel MC did score a massive hit in his native UK the previous year with "Street tuff" but not in NZ, yet this was his big hit over there even though if flopped in his homeland. I guess both the Brits and the kiwis would only allow one of his house tracks to make it big in each country, although he did score a second hit in NZ with his group Double Trouble with "Love don't live here anymore."
#40 for 1990 (#21 website)
This was originally released to deafening silence worldwide a decade prior, however it was given a second chance in most parts of the world thanks to it being used in a Levi's commercial much like "The joker" was from the year prior. I guess the kiwis had access to these ads back in the day as this also managed to become a huge success over there despite it originally being a flop back in the day.
#27 for 1992 (#17 website)
This was a much bigger hit for Enrique Iglesias in NZ, likely because the Latin craze took off during the final year of the 90's which also resulted in huge hits for the likes of Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez over there. Enrique was by far the one who had the biggest improvement on the success he had in NZ compared to what he achieved in Australia, at least that was the case for his first English language album.
#20 for 1999 (#2 website)
Following the success of their earlier entry, this managed to become a huge success for MN8 in NZ and their native UK, proving that even as far back as the mid 90's there was potential in combining RNB and hip hop and having it be performed by a boy band. People say that Boyz II Men were technically a boy band because of their image, however they weren't really at least compared to the likes of these guys.
#44 for 1995 (#30 website)
Well, it looks like the west coast of the hip hop wars already had a strong leg in with the kiwis given how this track from Brotherhood of Creed was a massive success over there and not in the duo's native America. I guess their fellow Americans initially felt they were the British novelty group Brotherhood of man given how the two groups share a similar name to each other even if they're from two different genres.
#55 for 1992 (#19 website)
Well, I guess having that circuitous route to success here in Australia was beneficial for Toni Braxton in the long run as this was far less successful for the RNB singer of colour in NZ than it was down under. It could also be due to the kiwis not wanting to hear such a sexually driven track from a woman who has a discography otherwise categorised as something that can be listened to with the likes of Celine Dion or Whitney Houston.
#40 for 1996 (#22 website)
This was the only hit for the RNB group Ghost Town DJ's, an American posse group who scored a massive hit in NZ and their native America with this track about the love of the narrator's life. I guess if this had of broken through later in the decade it would've been able to crossover here in Australia as there were plenty of these sorts of tracks to make it big as the 90's was coming to an end here.
#36 for 1996 (#24 website)
I guess this was less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia due to the original from the Commodores already being a hit in the 70's over there, as such the kiwis really didn't need this almost note for note cover of the track to become a hit this year and yet it was likely due to their nostalgia of the original.
#51 for 1993 (#35 website)
Given how this was the fourth single from Five's debut album, it was slightly less successful over there than the third single despite being released around the same time as it was here in Australia where it was only the third single. I still don't fully understand the logic behind the slightly different album cycle the album had here in Australia compared to the rest of the world.
#22 for 1998 (#35 website)
#19 for 1999
Given that his earlier entry on this list went on to be one of the biggest hits of the decade in NZ (despite only barely cracking their top five) this second single from the Californian rapper was also a huge hit for him over there despite not even charting here in Australia given how it wasn't attached to a popular film of the moment. In fact, his other big Australian hit "What's love got to do with it" was also attached to a film now that I think about it.
#42 for 1994
Well, this was still the biggest hit in Bon Jovi's career in NZ, although it didn't chart as high over there as it did here in Australia for whatever that's worth and isn't their highest charting single over there either.
#32 for 1994
#29 for 1995
Well, this was equally as random in NZ given how at least "Quit playing games with my heart" was a hit for them in the UK and their native America prior to them releasing this lead single to their second album which declared them to be back. I'm sure if their debut album was a hit in the southern hemisphere then this would've easily been their biggest hit here given the context of when it came out.
#29 for 1997 (#26 website)
This was the only hit the Beastie boys ever had in the southern hemisphere, mainly for the wacky music video which easily could've made my weirdest videos of the 90's like had it been a hit here in Australia. I'm guessing this was a success more for the hype that the trio had with the video as opposed to Australia where their album was a success due to an (in my opinion) terrible dance remix of their debut single.
#52 for 1998 (#21 website)
We looked at the big hit that L.S.O.B (Lighter shade of brown) had in Australia, so now let's look at the song which put the Hispanic rappers on the map in NZ which was a track about how they spent their Sunday afternoons before they made it big. This is effectively their equivalent of "Summertime" given how the premise on both songs are the same as each other.
#28 for 1992 (#11 website)
Even though this charted higher in NZ for Janet Jackson, it was equally as successful over there as it was here in Australia for the younger sister of the Jackson 5 dynasty. As I said on the Australian side of my site, this feels like it belongs on her next album the Velvet rope due to the new age influence that's on the track.
#41 for 1995 (#26 website)
I'm guessing this was a chart topper in NZ for Mariah Carey due to the kiwis having fond memories of Nilsson as he did score a big hit over there with the original version of this ballad two decades prior. Admittedly this was also bundled with what I'm sure was meant to be the actual third single from the album "Never forget you" which could also have contributed to its popularity over there.
#29 for 1994 (#21 website)
Although this failed to reach the upper echelons of the NZ charts, the fact that A: it charted for quite some time and B: was released on time over there as opposed to it being heavily delayed over here suggested that the kiwis were massive fans of what the Real McCoy had to offer as evidence by their other appearances on this side of my site.
Hit in 1995 (#50 website)
This was the first big hit that Bone Thugs n Harmony managed to have in NZ as well as their native America, it's strange to think that the band who's best known for "Tha crossroads" from the following year would have a string of other hits that are much more in line with the gangster rap of the day. Indeed, the quartet would go on to have massive success moving forward in the decade with different topics to rap about.
#49 for 1995 (#36 website)
This was a little late to the party in NZ, in fact I'm willing to bet this was only a success over there due to it being one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia given how few songs from what has been dubbed the Lilith Fair crowd became hits over there during the 90's.
#16 for 1998 (#32 website)
#15 for 1999
This was a predictably repeat entry for this list given how well-beloved Aladdin remains to this day, although I have seen people criticise these adult contemporary renditions of the showstoppers from the Disney films as little more than a soulless attempt to milk money from their respective films. I disagree as it would be weird to see the original versions of these songs on the charts especially back then.
#52 for 1993 (#37 website)
Much like the rest of the world, it appears that Rod Stewart was able to resume his career where it left off in the 70's in NZ as if there hadn't been an entire decade of silence from him over there. At least we Aussies gave him the occasional hit throughout the 80's, Rod hadn't had a hit over there since "Passion" from over ten years prior.
#57 for 1991 (#38 website)
It turns out these guys had a ton of success in NZ throughout the 90's beginning with this big breakthrough they had in their native America, no doubt this was going to be a success for them given how this was during the height of the new jack swing era. They would continue to score massive success in NZ and on the Billboard charts with their subsequent releases throughout the decade.
#52 for 1991 (#46 website)
This was the first big hit that Boyz II Men had in NZ, it came a full year prior to when they broke chart records with "End of the road" which means they didn't come completely out of nowhere over there when they became the biggest musical act in the world. Here this is a ballad about how hard it is to move on from a situation, a song that's been played in various different scenarios to differing levels of success.
#23 for 1991 (#49 website)
#18 for 1992
From what I can gather, Joose were an American RNB band who scored a massive hit in NZ with this cover of the Garth Brooks track that somehow flopped in their native America. Nowadays most people will be more familiar with the Ronan Keating version from 2002 given how big that version was, however in NZ this wound up being the bigger hit of the two covers.
#28 for 1997 (#11 website)
For whatever reason, "You oughta know" underperformed in NZ the previous year for Alanis Morissette despite being one of the biggest hits of that year here in Australia. Fortunately, the second single from Jagged little pill was a big hit over there despite it underperforming here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies wanted to make her a one hit wonder but changed our minds as the album cycle rolled out.
#43 for 1996 (#36 website)
The last time this guy troubled the charts anywhere in the world was during the first half of the 70's, basically the RIANZ charts hadn't even been established meaning he was well past his prime when it came to connecting with the youth of the day. This was the theme to a long-forgotten film Rush, although the real charge of this hit comes from it being the first thing he released since the death of his son.
#30 for 1992 (#6 website)
This is the remix of one of Bob Marley's earliest songs in his catalogue, it came out around the time of his posthumous collaboration with Lauryn Hill and stuck around for quite some time in the top twenty in NZ during the transition from the 90's to the 00's.
Hit in 1999 (#41 website)
While this was released on time in NZ unlike here in Australia where it was slightly delayed due to our aversion towards RNB in the 90's, it took a while to become a success over there which means that it's popularity there came the same time as it did here.
#14 for 1999
This was the biggest hit that the Vengaboys had in NZ until "Shala lala" took that crown the following year from their second album, I would be surprised at how big this Dutch band got due to being an EDM act except A: Aqua achieved massive success over there with a similar (albeit much better in my opinion) sound and B: they seemed to have reinstated the unwritten rule of Dutch acts being inescapable in NZ that was discarded throughout the 90's.
#25 for 1999 (#16 website)
This was a hit twice in NZ, hence its placement on this list as well as its absence on this site up until this point. The first time was upon its initial release where it did reasonably well for Cypress hill whilst the second was when their album blew up over there due to the success of "I ain't going out like that" which firmly put the trio on the hip hop map with for kiwis.
Hit in 1993
Hit in 1994
Well, I guess this song was also how Fatboy Slim was able to score massive success from the other side of the decade in NZ given how it was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here back in the day, there's little surprise how given how smooth the beat is and smoky the singer is. The original from the S.O.S band was also a moderate success in NZ as we saw a few lists back which would explain this cover's success.
#54 for 1990 (#34 website)
Well, it seemed inevitable that Coolio would find massive success in NZ with the songs he had success with here in Australia given how he already had a hit over there prior to his magnum opus from earlier on this list. Even if he didn't make an anthem for a generation, I can't see this song being a failure over there due to how catchy it is as well as his tight flows making him a credible rapper.
#29 for 1996 (#20 website)
It was only inevitable that this would be released on time in NZ given how much more popular RNB was over there compared to here in Australia, the trade-off of course being that this was more of a sleeper hit over there as opposed to a genuine hit over here which is further proof that a song is better off having a tardy release schedule in the long run when it comes to its success in the southern hemisphere.
Hit in 1997
Hit in 1998
From what I can father, the Parker Project was a NZ band who scored a massive hit this year with their cover of the Johnny Nash track of the same name from 1975 only to forever fade into obscurity after it fell off the charts. This was another band that was surprisingly hard to find any information about on the internet, so I apologise for the vagueness of my commentary.
#33 for 1991 (#22 website)
This was the second big hit that the Exponents were able to have this year, again there was crossover potential for these guys here in Australia as was the case for Push push, however neither band managed to score that giant hit here they had over there this year.
#40 for 1991 (#28 website)
We have another entry on here that would release on time in NZ and was only a sleeper success over there as opposed to it being delayed over here in exchange for its success being more immediate when it did see the light of day here, I guess the kiwis were a bit more embarrassed with having this booty anthem being a huge success compared to us Aussies who clearly had no such shame.
Hit in 1993 (#44 website)
Well, this is technically the second time "Dreadlock holiday" went to number one in NZ given how the hip hop trio 3 the hard way sampled the 10cc classic for their breakthrough single this year. I guess we Aussies found this corny enough to make it a minor hit this year, making this the first NZ hip hop group to score a hit over here at a time where even the biggest rappers from America were struggling to do so.
#37 for 1994 (#24 website)
While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was in Australia (mainly due to it not clinging to the charts forever in a day over there) it was still a massive hit for N trance likely due to the kiwis having nostalgia for the Rod Stewart classic it samples as well as them finally opening up to EDM around this time.
#13 for 1997 (#43 website)
#8 for 1998
This had a bit of a delay to its success in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't quite ready to allow a new generation of Sade in their music scene given how the original band were still quite popular at the time of this songs release over there. They changed their minds when the second single from the album became a success over there which pushed this up the charts as well.
#48 for 1994 (#27 website)
This was the first of six consecutive chart toppers for Westlife in the UK, it would've been ten consecutive chart toppers if the Bob the builder theme didn't prevent one of their tracks from getting to number one over there the following year (do with that information what you will.) While they weren't that crazy popular over in NZ, they did still score a ton of success over there including this chart-topping hit.
#44 for 1999 (#40 website)
We won't be having another look at "You make me wanna" on this site as that song was too much of a sleeper hit for Usher to make a second appearance on this site of mine. Fortunately, this second single from his breakthrough album was a huge hit for him over there likely due to it being his first Billboard chart topper, this was due to the song coming with a few well-known remixes that made it popular worldwide.
#31 for 1998 (#42 website)
This had a bit of a delay to its release in NZ, likely because this is an EDM cover of the KC and the Sunshine band classic from eleven years prior which was a bit out of the comfort zone for the kiwis at the time. I'm guessing they made it a success when they realised this came complete with a rap verse which was able to fit in with the increasing number of hip hop making it big over there.
#51 for 1994 (#32 website)
This was only a modest success here in Australia for Skid row, certainly nowhere near as popular as it was in NZ where hair metal seemed to still be one of the most popular genres of the first year of the 90's. Fans of Gilmour girls will recognise lead singer Sebastian Bach as Gil, although his character on the show was more loosely based on their original lead singer who did quit the band before they made it big.
#58 for 1990 (#33 website)
This was an even bigger hit for RHCP in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess even with airplay being factored into the charts, rock music was still able to find an audience during the final year of the 90's as it saw diminishing returns going into the 00's over there. Then again Californication produced multiple huge hits for the band over there, so perhaps the kiwis just wanted to give them more hits.
#34 for 1999 (#46 website)
Well, here's that second single that M People had in NZ, it's a cover of an obscure Motown track from ten years prior which I'm guessing the kiwis appreciated enough to make their earlier entry on this list a success over there. It was also quite big in their native UK during the Christmas period of 1993/1994, although it often gets lost in the shuffle with their back catalogue in recent years.
#50 for 1994 (#30 website)
Although the original from Chicago did fine enough in NZ, this RNB rendition from Az yet was far more popular over there than the original likely due to the blessing that Peter Cetera gave the RNB group to cover it by rerecording his chorus from the original. It was their only hit in NZ despite "Last night" breaking the top ten over there the previous year.
#26 for 1997 (#13 website)
These guys were on a roll this decade in NZ as they managed to score another hit over there with one of their reggae jams, this time it's a cover of the Joe South classic from the late 60's which managed to be a hit in Australia back in the day for the American singer/songwriter. It was a flop over there (according to the Listener charts) so it's possible the kiwis don't even realise that this was a cover.
#44 for 1994 (#28 website)
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