Biggest hits of the 90's NZ IV (alternate list)

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.

And the obvious sampling from Puff Daddy continues as he takes David Bowie's "Let's dance" and reworks it as another tribute to Biggie Smalls given how he has the rapper posthumously appear on this track along with Ma$e (again for a second time) and some other rappers that he simply credits as The family. It was a massive hit for everyone involved in NZ and their native America at the time.

#15 for 1997

#12 for 1998

Either the kiwis weren't that big into Savage Garden going into their second album (although I doubt this was the case given their earlier entry) or they really didn't like the Other sister because either way, this was far less successful over there than it was here despite the duo already being an international household name but this point. I guess it was the latter given that it was still a hit over there unlike anywhere else in the world.

#27 for 1999

It's strange to think that this reggae cover of the Beatles classic was the only success that Chaka Demus and Pliers managed to have in NZ, after all you'd think their other two UK hits would've been as popular as this was especially considering how one of them even became a hit for them here in Australia the previous year. Still the fact they had a least one hit over there was better than what they achieved in America.

#41 for 1994 (#26 website)

Although this was released on time over in NZ due to how successful En Vogue was throughout the decade over there, the trade-off was that it was far less popular over there than it was over here given how much lower this appears on this list compared to the Australian side of my site. It could also be that this was the second single over there from the widely popular Set it off which was a huge critical and commercial success.

#57 for 1997

Although their album Permanent shade of blue was a moderate success in NZ, it didn't live up to the hype it had here in Australia likely due to this second single from the album eating up its success around the time it took off in the southern hemisphere. Nowadays Roachford is best known as a solo project from the lead singer, however back in the day they were a decently successful RNB quartet.

#43 for 1995 (#39 website)

This remains Tracy Chapman's only hit in NZ, even then it was more of a sleeper success likely due to its surprise success here in Australia as well as her native America upon its initial release. Even so, it did linger around the lower half of their charts for quite some time which makes it more than eligible for this list even if it didn't have a prayer of appearing on my official lists on this site.

Hit in 1996 (#35 website)

Whilst they still had success in their native America following the success of "No diggity" from the previous year, Blackstreet were more popular in NZ as in addition to hip hop, they also specialised in RNB which the kiwis were all in for throughout the 90's. Indeed, this was the second of three chart toppers that the group had over there, proving how much more loved they were by the kiwis than their fellow Americans.

#30 for 1997 (#12 website)

Following the success of their sister's sophomore album, the Braxton's (which originally included Toni in their lineup) found massive success with this RNB ballad in NZ of all places as the family never had much success even in their native America back in the day.

#25 for 1997 (#22 website)

This is another west coast hip hop track to become big exclusively in NZ as this flopped on the Billboard charts for the Californian band Dove shack, I'm not even sure how the kiwis came across this track other than perhaps an endorsement from Warren G as the fellow west coast rapper did feature them on a bunch of his material.

#30 for 1995 (#32 website)

This was another RNB group who managed to score success in NZ this year despite being an American group who failed to make it big in their homeland at the time. I didn't realise how many American artists got the short end of the straw throughout the decade as the American music scene really seemed more interested in breaking arbitrary Billboard records over promoting their local talent. (see why I'm covering the NZ charts?)

#44 for 1997 (#25 website)

It turns out this was a cover of a track from the late 70's, meaning that Heart chose to cover a song that has problematic elements in the lyrics which resulted in this being their biggest hit in most parts of the world. Like many people back in the day, I'm not affected by the lyrics and enjoy it more for the passionate vocals from the two leading ladies, although the kiwis might have been a little put off compared to us Aussies.

#49 for 1990 (#18 website)

Given that New edition was no more (at least at this stage) this gave the members free reign to find success of their own which leads us to this one and only hit from Ralph Tresvant who scored a massive hit in NZ early in the year with this smooth new jack swing track. He didn't rise to the ranks of his fellow band mates even in his native America; however, this was a decent effort from him regardless.

#37 for 1991 (#41 website)

I didn't even realise how late to the party we Aussies were when it came to Mariah's second single from her debut album, I guess we felt she would be a one hit wonder with her debut single but then changed our minds about that when this became an international success for the pop diva. Naturally the kiwis didn't have this conundrum as this was an instant success for her over there.

#43 for 1990

#47 for 1991

It seems odd that the two big hits these guys had in Australia would flop in NZ, mainly because they managed to score two big hits over there this decade that didn't exactly light up our charts back in the day. This was the first of those two big hits which was the lead single to their second album Vs, an album which would be the band's biggest in the southern hemisphere despite their debut being their signature release.

#40 for 1993

Even though Lutricia McNeal is an American singer, she didn't have any success on the Billboard charts back in the day and had to achieve her success throughout Europe which she somehow managed to accomplish with her debut single. This success led to her having a hit in NZ with this cover of an obscure 70's ballad, indeed she would score other hits over there including one still to come on this list.

#25 for 1998 (#15 website)

This was more of a sleeper hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely due to it initially being the theme to the film Clueless despite it not appearing on the soundtrack for whatever reason (likely in hopes of it selling the band's album which it initially failed to do.) It looked like the band wouldn't be a household name over there due to its sleeper success, however "Don't speak" put those fears to rest when it came out.

#54 for 1996 (#25 website)

It may surprise you to learn that "Bust a move" was a flop in NZ for Young MC, even when it was rereleased in Australia this year for the rapper, it didn't share its success over there for some reason. I'm guessing because the kiwis somehow got a hold of his second single which was a massive hit over there, likely because of it being a novelty hip hop track about getting sent to the principal's office.

#60 for 1990 (#39 website)

This was a good time to be Ma$e as he was able to score a string of hits in NZ and his native America following the exposure Bad boy records received with the tragic loss of Biggie Smalls, here he scores his first hit in both countries as a lead artist following the success he had playing second fiddle to Puff Daddy and the late Notorious B.I.G on their entries I've featured on this site so far.

#37 for 1997

#35 for 1998

This had quite the lengthy rise in popularity in NZ, in fact it technically should be even higher on this list as it would eventually be bundled with "Hi de ho" which did feature on my official list for 1994 for the Hispanic rapper. I'm guessing its sudden rise in popularity over there was due to its surprise success in the UK given how it was another hip-hop track to bomb on Billboard throughout the 90's.

Hit in 1994 (#45 website)

This was the second chart topper that INXS had in NZ, although as we've established on this site, going to number one hardly constitutes how successful your song is in the southern hemisphere as this was far from the band's biggest hit in either country despite being among the higher charting songs on our charts.

#32 for 1990 (#14 website)

I don't think there's a single song that Mariah Carey released in the 90's that wasn't more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, this fourth single from Music box is no exception as it was an easy top ten hit over there again due to the kiwis not allowing highly successful albums to impact the success of popular songs back in the day.

#38 for 1994 (#39 website)

Although they achieved moderate success the previous year with their breakthrough single "Insane in the brain" in NZ, it was this second single from their album which made them a household name as it quickly rose up the charts over there due to how catchy the song is. Apparently, this was called "We ain't going out like that" in their native America, I'm not sure why there's a different title there compared to the rest of the world.

#54 for 1994 (#44 website)

This was one of the few east coast hip hop tracks to make it big in NZ during Biggie Smalls lifetime, although I don't think the kiwis cared much about which side of America this came from given how it's clearly an anthem for smoking weed. There have been a few mature topics to find their way to the mainstream back in the day, although I wouldn't have thought that marijuana would be one of the more popular trends.

#39 for 1996 (#26 website)

This is where it all began for Naughty by nature, naturally its success on Billboard made it a shoe in for success in NZ even if it was curiously a sleeper hit over there likely due to the kiwis vastly preferring west coast hip hop over its east coast counterpart. I guess they had to relent due to how incessantly catchy it is like their other entries on this list.

Hit in 1992 (#26 website)

This was the final hit that All-4-One managed to score in NZ and indeed anywhere else in the world, it seems curious it would be their weakest hit in NZ considering it was the song that got them out of the one hit wonder bin here in Australia.

#42 for 1995 (#25 website)

I'm not sure if this was a success in NZ due to the kiwis increased love for EDM this year, if it was nostalgia for the Matthew Wilder version from 1984 or if it was a huge success here in Australia for the Danish group Unique II. Whatever the reason, it managed to debut at number one over there proving how inescapable it was in the southern hemisphere this year.

#31 for 1997 (#20 website)

If this sounds like a Boyz II Men track to anyone, that's because it was written by Nathan Morris who was the main vocalist of the quartet. I'm guessing he donated this track to RNB singer Uncle Sam who scored his one and only hit with this ballad before forever fading into obscurity, admittedly this wouldn't work well with the quartet's catalogue given how bitter the lyrics are on here.

#65 for 1998

This is a remix of a track from Busta Rhymes that was originally a flop for the rapper worldwide, the remix became a surprise hit in the UK which of course was all the justification the kiwis needed to make this a number one hit over there given how he already had a hit over there with "Woo hah" two years prior.

#32 for 1998 (#10 website)

Given how this wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia (hence its lower placement on that side of my site) it only seems fitting that it would be a bigger hit over there from two of the most popular artists of the twentieth century. Basically, this is a song about both Jacksons spilling their guts out about the lack of privacy they have in their respective lives, if only people would respect that privacy.

#45 for 1995 (#22 website)

The Spice girls phenomenon seemed unstoppable when the girls released the lead single to their second album/soundtrack to their film Spiceworld this year, although it's worth noting that the singles from Spiceworld didn't do as well over there as they did here in Australia (even taking the ARIA vs AMR charts into account.) Indeed, this was the biggest hit they had in NZ from the album even though "Viva forever" charted higher the following year.

#22 for 1997 (#35 website)

This was the last hit that Roxette had over in NZ, it's a pity because they would continue to find success here in Australia for the next two years before their career died out by appearing on the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack. They were another band that did very well with adapting to the trends of the 90's, even with the lack of success they had in NZ, at least it was still more noteworthy than many of their contemporaries.

#49 for 1991 (#37 website)

It had been eleven years since the tragic passing of Bob Marley, and yet the kiwis were still finding ways to hand him success with previously unreleased material in his catalogue. It turns out 2pac wasn't the first artist to continue having a success in their career from beyond the grace as Bob Marley managed to score other hits this decade.

#21 for 1992

#26 for 1993

It turns out that this was released as a limited edition single here in Australia, hence why it charted high but quickly existed out charts which prevented it from being eligible to appear on that side of my site. I guess the kiwis had an unlimited edition of the track as it became a massive hit over there without any signs of it being pulled from shelves of dropping out of the charts because of a lack of stock of the song.

#38 for 1992 (#18 website)

This was the only hit that Nate Dogg was able to find anywhere in the world as a lead artist, normally he played second fiddle to other rappers such as Warren G and 50 cent which is perhaps there's certain sites which lists Snoop Dogg as the lead artist on this track when it's the other way around. It's curious this was a hit for Snoop given how he was on trial at the time for murder.

#24 for 1997 (#46 website)

Whereas this was more of what I consider to be a "fan single" here in Australia, this was more of a genuine hit for Pearl jam over in NZ as the kiwis had little issues with handing these guys genuine hits throughout the decade. That said, this would be their final big hit over there as the kiwis didn't seem to be too big of fans of their 1999 smash "Last kiss" like we Aussies were.

#36 for 1994

#35 for 1995

Given how "I know where it's at" was a minor success in NZ from the previous year (it won't be appearing on this site I'm afraid) it makes sense that this second single from All Saints would be a huge success slightly sooner over there than it was over here. The trade-off of course was that it wasn't as big a hit over there due to the kiwis already being familiar with their brand of RNB whereas it being a surprise to us Aussies.

#29 for 1998 (#9 website)

Well, this is certainly a surprise, Boyzone had virtually no success in NZ throughout the 90's and yet they found instant success with this ballad that was apparently commissioned for an Andrew Lloyd Weber show that never came to be. This had to be won over by us Aussies before it became a success here, hence why it appeared on that side of my site on the 1999 list instead of this year's.

#24 for 1998 (#1 website)

Sandwiched between their two earlier entries was this second single from C+C Music factory's debut album, I guess there's not much to say about this track that doesn't apply to the other two entries on this list other than to go into further detail about who Freedom Williams was. He was the rapper of the group, meaning he at least was able to receive full credit on the tracks unlike Martha Walsh.

#78 for 1991 (#39 website)

Given how I've featured the other big hit from Tamperer on this side of my site, I guess I should use this opportunity to confirm that yes, the kiwis were aware of this big hit from the Dutch band that samples the Jackson 5 classic it's named after and were probably embarrassed by how much they enjoyed it (likely ironically) to make its success reflective on the top half of their charts.

Hit in 1998 (#37 website)

This was released around the time that Monica's debut single saw the light of day here in Australia, although it did failed to appear on this site up until now, it's fairly safe to say that this confirmed the young RNB singer as the real deal alongside her rival Brandy as far as the kiwis were concerned due to how long it lasted (albeit on the lower half) on their charts.

Hit in 1995

Hit in 1996

Although it did chart in NZ, "The rain" wasn't a huge hit over there for Missy Elliott which is strange because this second single from her was likely due to the presence of Da Brat who had a minor hit over there with "Funkdafied" from earlier in the decade. Both of these women also appeared on Lil Kim's posse cut from the previous year, so that's likely the real reason why this collaboration took off over there.

#46 for 1998 (#43 website)

This was one of only two hits that Foxy Brown had in NZ, although I get the feeling this was more a hit over there due to the chorus provided to her by Blackstreet who were among the most popular artists of the moment. Foxy was a protegee of Jay Z, which is impressive considering she was only eighteen when she released this as a single which goes to show you how competent she was as a rapper at that age.

#55 for 1997 (#28 website)

She had plenty of success with her time in Miami sound machine throughout the 80's in NZ, so it makes sense that this ballad would be a hit over there this year even if it was largely due to the kiwis showing their support for her following her near fatal experience while she was on tour this year. In Australia, we showed her our support by making "Here we are" a minor success and the album a huge success.

#62 for 1990 (#37 website)

Well, it appears the kiwis weren't as big of fans of the Disney adaptation of the Three musketeers as we Aussies were, or at the very least, they weren't as big of fans of this three-way collaboration from Bryan Adams, Sting and Rod Stewart which was the final hit for two out of these three men in most parts of the world.

#47 for 1994 (#42 website)

This was a bit of a comeback for Whitney Houston in NZ, namely that it was her first hit single since the 80's over there to not be affiliated with one of her films meaning she finally had a hit that was able to stand on its own and not be as such due to audiences compensating her for her acting skills (or lack thereof.) I get the feeling this was meant to be released earlier in the decade given how it was clearly meant for Bobby Brown who she had a rocky relationship with by this point.

#31 for 1999 (#18 website)

I think this was one of the first EDM tracks that made the kiwis realise what they were missing out on over there given how it managed to become a huge hit there for the Swiss DJ Robert Miles. Admittedly it as far more successful here in Australia due to EDM still being at the height of its popularity here, however the kiwis couldn't resist this instrumental track back in the day.

#49 for 1996 (#31 website)

Given how even we Aussies were able to make this a hit for Boyz II Men this year, it only seems logical that it would be even bigger in NZ to the point where it was the second of four chart toppers they had over there this decade. This was even after they had another hit between this and their earlier entry on this list, that entry is still to come further down the list by the way.

#41 for 1993 (#19 website)

This is a cover of a Toto track that was a modest success in NZ exactly two decades prior, I'm not sure how the kiwis got a hold of this cover given how it was a flop in Eric Benet's native America at the time (it might be due to Faith Hill being on the chorus.) Nowadays Eric is best known for being married to Halle Berry during the first half of the 00's.

#39 for 1999 (#43 website)

These guys were on such a roll this year that they managed to score a second hit both in NZ and their native America with this sexually driven track which seems like a precursor to their earlier entry on this list (or at least that's my head cannon.) I should mention that their only hit here in Australia won't be reappearing on this side of my site as for some reason, the kiwis passed up on that track later in the decade.

#71 for 1990 (#38 website)

Apparently, there was this black comedy (in more ways than one as it had a predominantly black cast) known as Booty call which was panned by critics at the time for being considered too vulgar, this was back when stuff like Beavis and Butthead and the Bloodhound gang were considered critical darlings mind you. The film had a theme song from SWV and Missy Elliott, this being the first hit the latter had anywhere in the world.

#49 for 1997 (#16 website)

Well, I did mention earlier on this list that this was likely the reason why the duo's cover of "Ring my bell" was a massive success over in NZ, so let's look at this summer jam that the duo put out which made them a household name in the music industry following the success of Will Smith's show at the time. I'm not sure why this flopped here in Australia as we Aussies gave them a massive hit with "Boom shake the room" later in the decade.

#66 for 1991 (#33 website)

This was the biggest hit that Alanis Morissette had in NZ, I guess there might be some validity to the kiwis allowing successful albums to impact a songs popularity after all given how Jagged little pill's success didn't hamper the singles on that album too much here in Australia. She had one more hit in both countries with "Hands clean" right before her obvious replacement Avril Lavigne became a megastar.

#30 for 1998 (#34 website)

This was technically a hit twice in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release where this song from the Australian duo Bachelor girl managed to appeal to the kiwis in a way that many other adult contemporary ballads failed to do so around this time. It began dropping out of the charts before rebounding in the new year due to airplay becoming a factor of the charts and it having a strong radio presence over there.

#56 for 1998

#57 for 1999

I guess the kiwis weren't nearly as impressed with this signature ballad from Toni Braxton as we Aussies were given how it was merely a sleeper hit for her over there upon its initial release, although they did allow her family group to score a massive hit over there shortly after this came out so perhaps, they mostly passed this up in favour of what the rest of her family had to offer.

Hit in 1997

This was also much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia (even taking into account this was a number one hit on ARIA and not in AMR) I guess the kiwis really were more open to teen pop from the late 90's than us Aussies were which to be fair, we were fairly opened to around this time.

#33 for 1998 (#12 website)

This was a huge hit for the American RNB group U.N.V in NZ despite it being a massive flop in their native America, I'm not sure why this was a huge hit over there as there were plenty of RNB groups from America that saw more success than these guys ever did and yet they never crossed over back in the day.

#47 for 1995

This was an oddly good year for contemporary RNB in NZ following the success that Surface had in their native America from earlier on this list, indeed this proved to be a much bigger hit over there than it was in the Rude boys native America which is one of many RNB tracks from American groups to do so this decade.

#68 for 1991 (#29 website)

This was released on Christmas in NZ the previous year; this means that the song was released relatively close to that of "Say you'll be there" which perhaps explains why it wasn't as big a hit over there as it was here in Australia. Mind you, it was still a huge hit for the girls and likely kept their momentum going regardless given all the stiff competition they had to face around this time over there.

#40 for 1997 (#37 website)

Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder to this day here in Australia with "Tha crossroads," they would have hits over in NZ as recently as 2007 meaning that they had so much more to offer in their catalogue that the kiwis gravitated towards back in the day. This was just one of the many other hits they had over there which admittedly was also a huge success in their native America this year.

#47 for 1997 (#17 website)

This was originally released in 1994 to deafening silence for the 80's new wave band Satellite spies, although it was given a second chance five years later for some reason that I can only speculate as a way of acknowledging the work of the underground NZ band. For what it's worth, the song has no relation to the Madness track of the same name despite sounding like it came out when that classic did.

Hit in 1999

This was the third biggest hit from MC Hammer's breakthrough album, although it was his second highest ranking album given how much like in Australia, parents would've appreciated him making a song about praying to the lord (also that Prince sample is pretty neat even nowadays.) He would have one more hit after this over there before becoming a joke much like everywhere else in the world.

#30 for 1990

#28 for 1991

This was yet another Mariah Carey song that was much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, although you've likely noticed that every one of her entries was much bigger over there than it was over here which tells you everything you need to know about how well loved she was over there compared to over here back in the day.

#48 for 1996 (#28 website)

This was another huge hit for CJ Lewis in NZ, mainly because the kiwis still couldn't get enough of 90's reggae as evidence by most of the entries on this list (both new and returning) comes from the genre in some way shape or form. He would have one more hit over there after this (stay tuned for it) before the kiwis grew tired of his brand of reggae for whatever reason.

#52 for 1995

#44 for 1996

This proved to be equally as successful in NZ for Celine Dion as it was here in Australia, it was the only song of hers to match its success over there with what it achieved over here as her singles weren't that popular over there throughout the 90's for some reason. I would've been shocked if this was a flop for her given how it's her rendition of a song that was meant for the Bat out of hell franchise.

#37 for 1996

I guess it was only a matter of time before east coast hip hop would crossover to NZ, although this did have the endorsement of Dr Dre which I guess technically makes it a west coast track despite Blackstreet being from the east coast. This was a minor hit in Australia, likely suggesting this was one of the earlier songs to convince us Aussies that hip hop was good actually which we eventually were by the end of the decade.

#23 for 1996 (#40 website)

#17 for 1997

Even though this is credited as a Lil Kim track, it's really a posse cut with her, Da Brat, Left Eye Lopez from TLC, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez and was made for the Nothing to lose soundtrack of all things. Apparently, this is a remix of a song from her debut album given how it heavily samples the Kool and the Gang classic "Ladies night," naturally it's flipped so that it's about the girls not putting out for their male audience.

#51 for 1997 (#27 website)

I still feel this has rightfully earned its place as one of the best songs of the 90's and arguably of all time even if audiences nowadays feel that they shouldn't like this track due to it fueling the egos of the Gallagher brothers (also to be contrarian like with most popular things from the 90's receiving backlash in the new millennium.) This wasn't quite as big in NZ as it was here and their native UK, likely due to their albums being much bigger over there.

#31 for 1996 (#29 website)

This was the second time that the Anne Murray classic from the late 70's was a hit in NZ, this time it was a hit for Boyzone who managed to out chart the original likely due to the nostalgia the kiwis had from around this time for Anne Murray's work. This was the last hit that the Irish boy band had anywhere in the world before they went their separate ways to pursue solo careers.

#28 for 1999 (#27 website)

Before there was Bow wow, there was A+ who was a teenage rapper who made it big this year with the lead single to his second and to date final album in NZ and his native America. I guess it isn't fair to suggest he was a pioneer of teenage hip hop given how both Outkast and Kris Kross predate him in that regard, however he was the first teenage rapper to make it big on his own and not as part of a unit.

#51 for 1999

This was the fourth and final single to be released from Supergroove's debut album Traction, it was a massive success over there proving how inescapable the NZ funk rock band was around this time which no doubt led to them sparking international interest in their music which sadly never translated to actual success for them.

#55 for 1994 (#34 website)

Well, this was certainly a surprise hit, we have this cover of the Bee gees classic from Ardijah a decade after their initial breakthrough with the likes of "Watching u" over in NZ. I mentioned on that list that they tried to crossover to Australia by touring the country throughout the 90's, although they gave up around this time and came back home where they picked up where they left off a decade prior.

*Apologies for the lack of album art for this entry, there doesn't seem to be one in existence. The song is "Love so right" from Ardijah if you couldn't tell from my commentary*

#40 for 1998 (#29 website)

Much like in Australia, this was the final solo hit that Phil Collins was able to score in NZ, although he didn't find much success with any of the singles from Genesis's new album in the 90's, so this was actually the last hit single that the kiwis cared about in his career. At least he still had plenty of love for his albums both solo and with Genesis throughout the decade.

#28 for 1990

These guys were a two-hit wonder in NZ, although here they scored a hit with an RNB ballad meaning they were one of many groups to combine hip hop with RNB throughout the decade. As this was a huge hit for the group over there, you can be rest assured that their big hit from Australia "White men can't jump" was a massive success over there the following year from the film of the same name.

#36 for 1991 (#43 website)

While for the most part I outgrew many of the teen pop that made it big in the late 90's, this remains a huge guilty pleasure of mine due to how much innocent fun this remains from the Danish duo to this day. It appears that was the appeal of the track back in the day as it managed to outperform most of the other teen pop in Australia and NZ back then that proved to be bigger hits in the UK.

#38 for 1998 (#27 website)

The original from Lou Reed was never a hit anywhere in the world back in the 70's, I guess it was considered a bit too ahead of its time to connect with a more conservative audience of its day. It was given a cover from Jamie J Morgan who took the downbeat original and turned it into a funky dance track which became a surprise hit for him over in NZ of all places.

#33 for 1990 (#19 website)

While this didn't chart as high in NZ as it did in Australia, it was still a massive hit for Bobby Brown over there likely due to it being by far the raunchiest song in his discography which is odd because he was married to Whitney Houston when he released this as a single worldwide. This was the last hit he had in his career in the southern hemisphere, although he did score a few hits in the UK as the decade went on.

#35 for 1992 (#22 website)

Mariah's popularity was also starting to dwindle in NZ by this point in time, although given how much more popular she was in NZ throughout the decade then here in Australia, that's like saying that Madonna's popularity declined here in Australia throughout the decade, technically true but mostly irrelevant. Mariah would still have at least two more hits over there before the decade was up.

#34 for 1997 (#18 website)

I guess the kiwis were also more impressed with this reworking of the Hot Chocolate classic than its usage in the Full Monty this year, either that or we Aussies and Kiwis simply forgot to reward the original with success like the Brits did in favour of making this EDM rendition of the disco classic a hit in the southern hemisphere. I guess the fact that it only borrows the chorus from the original was a factor as well.

#19 for 1997

#15 for 1998

Cyndi was really struggling for mainstream relevancy in NZ following the success of her debut album a decade prior, who'd thought her second biggest hit over there would be a reggae reworking of her debut single? It was likely due to nostalgia of the original version as well as reggae always having a welcomed presence over there, although neither of these factors did this song any favours here in Australia.

#39 for 1994 (#48 website)

I guess the kiwis did allow "Maria" to become a hit upon its initial release over there as opposed to them needing to bundle it with "Cup of life" like we Aussies did, this was all the incentive that they needed to make this a number one hit over there for Ricky Martin which is often considered to be the song which confirmed the Latin craze as a genuine trend rather than it being a fad like it was earlier in the decade.

#37 for 1999 (#14 website)

From what I can gather, this is a charity song that NZ blues singer Hammond Gamble wrote for red nose day that became a hit twice in NZ. This was obviously the first time as it went straight to number one over there this year, however it went back to number one the following year likely due to a similar campaign shooting it back up the charts.

*Apologies for the lack of album art for this entry, there doesn't seem to be one in existence. The song is "You make the whole world smile" from Hammond Gamble if you couldn't tell from my commentary*

*This entry encapsulates both times this song went to number one in NZ*

#69 for 1992 (#21 website)

It was only inevitable that the kiwis would also welcome back Terence Trent D'arby with open arms this year given how much more successful his debut album was over there compared to here, in fact he would go on to have moderate success over there throughout the decade as he scored several minor hits over there that failed to make an impression over here.

#55 for 1993 (#48 website)

Well, that's one way to convince your audience to buy a single, although I feel this was meant to be ironic because this samples Madonna's "Material girl" similar to how their big hit in Australia sampled the Jackson 5's "Can you feel it." It's pretty obvious why neither of these songs have survived the test of time as even back then, they felt more like a gimmick than something audiences generally liked.

#62 for 1999

I guess I should now talk about the song given how I wound up bringing up that (in my opinion) hilarious court case where the boys defended themselves against lip synch allegations by putting on a live show where they proved they could all sing. This was an instant hit for the band everywhere in the world thanks to how catchy the track is as well as it being a typical boy band track with its usual troupes.

#48 for 1990 (#22 website)

Given that New edition was no more at the start of the decade, three of its members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie Deveo got together and formed a new group named after their surnames and focused more on hip hop starting with this track about a woman who they feel is poisonous for the person they're singing/rapping to. It was a huge hit for the trio in NZ and their native America but not here in Australia.

#55 for 1990 (#32 website)

This proved to be an even bigger hit for the B52's in NZ compared to Australia, although this was the second single from a highly successful album, so this was more due to the kiwis not allowing the album sales to affect its popularity like we Aussies did back in the day. It could also be that the kiwis wanted to hear an entire track devoid of Fred Schneider and just have vocals from Katie Pierson and Cyndi Wilson.

#50 for 1990 (#45 website)

This is the only appearance that Metallica will be making on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with their post sellout material as we Aussies were throughout the decade, in fact it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that their biggest hit over there was a song that's in that perfect middle ground of sounding like something from their classic period whilst coming from their sellout period.

#82 for 1991 (#45 website)

This was the last hit that Jenny Morris was able to achieve in her career, at least she had a string of minor hits here in Australia throughout the 80's both solo and with her bands as opposed to NZ where she's a two-hit wonder with this and "She has to be loved" from two years prior. I guess the kiwis didn't have that much love for her after all despite how big both of these singles were over there.

#39 for 1991

#29 for 1992

Following the breakup of the Fugees from the previous year, Wyclef Jean decided to embark on a solo career the first of the three rappers which began with this hip hop ballad that became a massive success for him over in NZ. It took a while for us Aussies to give him a solo hit likely because we were on team Lauryn following the trio's breakup, however we eventually gave him one with "Two wrongs" in 2002.

#37 for 1998 (#48 website)

You know these guys did have hits with their own original material over the years, you just wouldn't know that given how most of their biggest hits were in fact covers of older songs from the 60's and 70's. This time we're looking at a song from the Chi Lites that the band made their own as the lead single to their second Labour of love album they released at the end of the previous decade.

#46 for 1990

It's worth noting that though he died before it came out, the first album that 2pac released as Makaveli was completed and scheduled for release shortly after his death, meaning this wasn't his label milking his work for profit (for the most part at least) and instead a work of artistic merit. This seemed to be the incentive the kiwis needed in making this lead single to Makaveli's debut album a success over there.

#45 for 1997 (#42 website)

This was a big hit in Australia this year, so naturally it would also be a big hit in NZ even if it was only slightly bigger over there for some reason. The trio would score one more hit much later in the decade over there with "Let's get down" which would be a complete departure from the new jack swing that made them a household name worldwide during the first half of the decade.

#64 for 1993 (#40 website)

I get the feeling if east coast hip hop would've been all the rage in NZ, then Busta Rhymes would've had far more success over there than he got, as is, he did decently well starting with this breakthrough single of his which was also a big deal in his native America this year. He would score further success in both countries as the decade went on even though many consider this to be his best song of the 90's.

#65 for 1996 (#39 website)

This was a huge success for Frente over in NZ this year, likely because there were a ton of Australian bands and artists making it big around this time and that there was bound to be some crossover appeal for some of the bigger artists over there. Indeed, this was a shoe in for crossover success due to how cute and fun the track remains to this day, although they would change this image with their later material.

#39 for 1993

This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the label felt that this collaboration between Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson would be unsuccessful here due to neither artist having that big hit prior to its release on our charts. As fate would have it, it proved to be more successful down under than it was anywhere else in the world, although it was also quite huge in the UK.

#39 for 1992 (#44 website)

This was released much sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, although the law of averages take place here which is that a song that was delayed in a country would find more success in that country than they did in a country where it was released on time. I guess there's also the fact that these guys were a tad late to the boy band wars for the gimmick of playing their own instruments to matter over there.

#69 for 1999

It appears the kiwis were also on board with this alternative track from Beck as it managed to become a huge success over there like it was over here for the alternative rocker, although it also remains his only hit over there making it feel more like a novelty on this list than an anthem for a generation like it's been described as.

#60 for 1994 (#29 website)

This was the final hit that AC/DC had anywhere in the world, mainly because it was the theme to the Arnold Schwarzenegger flick Last action hero where he stars in a film that involves him traveling from film universe to film universe with hilarity ensuing. I haven't seen the film (shocking I know) but it looks pretty terrible from the videos I've seen on YouTube.

#50 for 1993 (#29 website)

Given how Riff already had a hit over in NZ with "My heart is failing me" from the previous year, it makes sense that they would have an even bigger hit over in NZ with the theme to the film White men can't jump regardless of the kiwis love for the Wesley Snipes flick where he teaches Woody Harrelson how to play basketball. I know that it was our love for the film that made it a success here in Australia.

#34 for 1992 (#13 website)

I did mention the last time I featured Richard Marc on this site that this was the only other hit that he managed to achieve in NZ, this is rather coincidental as both of these songs were chart toppers here in Australia and yet this was what got him out of the one hit wonder bin over there despite being far less successful than it was over here. I guess the kiwis were a bit torn with the story telling on this particular track.

#60 for 1992 (#25 website)