I wanted to do a follow up to my OZ Media list by covering the thirteen years prior to when those charts were calculated, the problem of course is that no such alternate charts exist which combines the ARIA and AMR charts of 1988-1992 (as well as there being no alternate charts here prior to that since the Go-set charts ended in 1974.) As such, I've decided to rank the biggest hits of the 80's and early 90's based on how long they charted here back in the day, this means I'll be including several songs which were sleeper hits here during that time that failed to make my official lists due to charting mostly outside of the top twenty here back in the day. As usual, any commentary from returning entries on this list have been unaltered as I feel the change of their placements on this list compared to my earlier lists should speak volumes as to how their success played out here upon their initial releases.
You'd think the big hit off of Sting's solo debut album would be "If you love somebody set them free," instead this was the big hit off of the album here in Australia. Although the album was already doing well here upon its initial release, this songs popularity allowed it to become one of the biggest hits of the decade down under and more so than the rest of his output both solo and with the Police.
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't a bigger hit here in Australia given how A: it was a massive worldwide success for Hot chocolate and B: their performance of the song on Countdown was widely praised by viewers upon its initial release. Then again, it did peak during the Christmas period of 1982, meaning that there were a ton of other songs it was up against which are all fondly remembered to this day.
This was the only hit that Bette Midler released this decade that wasn't attached to a film, instead it was a cover from the Rolling stones from their 1978 album Some girls that Bette made her own without changing the style of the original. Bette would disappear from the music scene for most of the decade as she focused on her acting career, it paid off as she made six films in the second half of the decade which were all box office hits.
This is the last hit that Fleetwood Mac was able to achieve in Australia, it may surprise you to learn it was only barely as such due to it being the third single of their album Tango in the night and the two lead singles "Big love" and "Seven wonders" flopping on our charts. At least the album was a massive success for the band, likely explaining why these songs weren't as big as you'd otherwise expect.
Well, this was a different side of Sheena Easton that he hadn't seen prior, granted there was always a seductive side of her in her music, but this was the first time she had placed it front and centre in her image. It became a huge success for her here and in America, I'm guessing her fellow Brits weren't interested in watching the woman who made it big with "Morning train" try to titillate them.
While this was far from the first song that these guys released in their discography, it was the song that put them on the map as it became a modest success for them this year. This is more in line with their earlier sound as their later hits in the decade was more pop friendly, although they were also more successful which is perhaps why this wasn't as big as the likes of "Barbados" or "Out of mind out of sight."
Much like in NZ, this also managed to be a huge sleeper hit here in Australia which is how it managed to appear on this list of mine just like it did on my bonus list for the 80's on that side of my site. Interestingly this came bundled with "Stop your fussing" in the southern hemisphere, meaning that song was technically a hit twice in both countries even though I haven't included its stats with this entry.
This was one of two hits that British band the Quick were able to achieve here in Australia, this is curious considering they never had any success in their homeland and yet they scored two hits here during the early 80's. I'm guessing the Brits didn't care for their brand of new wave dance music, perhaps if they had a dance competition like we Aussies did throughout the 80's they would've had more success.
Although "Girl's life" was a modest success here for Girlfriend, it was too modest to make an appearance on this site which is something that wasn't the case for their third single which stuck around for quite some time despite it being a departure from their brand of new jack swing and teen pop. I guess this is proof that there's always a market for slower ballads from teen idols no matter the time period.
Those who felt betrayed by Angry Anderson selling out for a wedding theme for a soap opera were likely relieved when he returned to form in the new decade with this song, although I'm sure they would've preferred it if Rose tattoo had a hit to their name which wasn't the case as they had broken up by this stage (even if they reformed later in the decade.) Indeed, this would be the last anyone would hear from the pub rocker.
"Black cat" might have been the song which encouraged us Aussies to give Rhythm nation 1814 a second chance, however it was this track that solidified the album as a classic as the album finally made it to number one here when this became a hit for Janet. I guess the ingredients that Janet needed were rock music and a love track as these were the two biggest hits from the album for her down under.
Evidently a film called White nights has not one, but two Oscar nominated ballads on its soundtrack, although this one was far less successful outside of America given how "Say you say me" was the big hit off the film due to it winning the academy award. In fact, I'm willing to bet the only reason why this got any attention was due to it having Phil Collins name on it during the height of his popularity.
I guess now I can comfortably say that all three of Paul Young's big hits from his debut album have featured on both side of my site, although curiously, none of his hits from his second album have appeared on here including his Billboard chart topper "Every time you go away." In any case, he had quite the run with his earlier work in the southern hemisphere that promised a long career for him.
I guess Rick Astley wasn't done with the music industry after the failure of his second album, so he cut ties with Stock Aiken and Waterman to release a third album which did slightly better this year likely due to him going in a more down to earth direction with his music. This change in direction only worked for this one song as it was more in line with the adult contemporary of this year than his earlier work.
This was the final hit that Jimmy Somerville was able to score in Australia in any capacity, although he would score a solo hit throughout the rest of the world in the 90's with "To love someone" once the Communards called it quits at the end of the 80's. This was a cover of Gloria Gaynor's first hit single, which in turn was a cover of the Jackson 5 classic, making this a cover of a cover.
This was the final hit that the Eurogliders were able to achieve in their career, I'm guessing because they took too long in following up their album Absolutely with their fourth album this hit was named after and thus their fans had moved onto other forms of music by this stage. The band called it quits as the 80's came to an end, however Grace Knight would find success as a solo artist in the 90's.
This was the breakthrough for Miami sound machine, I'm guessing it was big here due to it being a surprise success for them in the UK despite this being a massive flop in their native America. The song nowadays is best known for a remix it received two decades later which allowed it to become a hit again in the mid 00's.
This barely missed the cut on appearing on the NZ side of my site, although I get the feeling the only reason why this was a success at all was due to the novelty of the only two duets on Julio's first English language album being released as singles back in the day. OK that and having Diana Ross duet with you also would've contributed to this song's popularity upon its release.
20 Weeks
This E.P created history when it was released on the singles charts, it became the first entry to debut at number one on the Australian charts even though by all accounts this should have been charting on our album charts due to it being an E.P without a standout track to promote it.
I never understood the backlash towards this cover, true it was made for charity and obviously Ali Campbell had no romantic relationship with Chrissie Hynde, however I feel you could've fooled me into thinking otherwise listening to this cover of the Sonny and Cher classic. I guess this track has only received backlash in more recent years due to UB40's general backlash due to their usage of cod reggae.
This was originally released in 1976 to deafening silence, presumably because by that stage few wanted to hear a ballad about how a twenty something year old was having an existential crisis about having everything she wanted except for the things that mattered. I'm guessing the world changed its mind six years later as this became a huge hit for her worldwide for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
This is one of my favourite songs of the decade, to think that this was originally a song from Jackie Deshannon from several years earlier only for Kim Carnes to make it her own with her raspy vocals. This was such a success that the Hollywood legend wrote a letter of thanks to everyone involved in its creation for immortalising her as a pop culture legend (as if she wasn't already by this point.)
This was the last hit that the Village people managed to achieve anywhere in the world, presumably due to it being the title track of their autobiographical film about how they came to be in the first place. OK so calling it a biography is a bit of a stretch as their actual story of how they came to be wasn't nearly as chaotic as what happens in the film but still.
This is the biggest hit in Jimmy Barne's career both solo and with his band Cold chisel, I'm guessing because it was the lead single to his album where he wanted to appeal to an international audience and as such saw success both from his fanbase and the more contemporary listeners of the day. He would abandon his ambitions at appealing to an international market following the failure of his album Freight train hearts outside the southern hemisphere.
This was the lead single to John Farnham's album of the same name and given how his previous album was the most successful of the decade in Australia, it makes sense that he would continue to appeal to the adult contemporary crowd with this number which resulted in it being a huge success for him just like before.
This was a huge worldwide smash for Prince likely due to it being the theme to his first autobiographical film Purple rain, although I would've thought the title track from the album/soundtrack would be the main theme to the film but whatever. This is one of his best songs in a catalogue filled with timeless classics, I don't even care that I have no idea what he means by doves crying.
This was a huge success for Billy Joel despite it being the second single from one of his albums, normally if an album of his already spawned a hit single from it he then wouldn't score another hit except in the UK this was the lead single to An innocent man rather than "Tell her about it" which led to it becoming his biggest hit there. I'm guessing the Brits wanted to hear his love letter to Christine Brinkley that he turned into this song.
This was the only success that Redgum had throughout their career, to think this was a bonus track from their live album Caught in the act which in turn helped the album also become a success for the band here. If you couldn't tell from the cover art, this song tells an emotional story about how the narrator was drafted in the Vietnam war at age nineteen and all of the horrors he went through during his draft.
This was the theme song to the second Terminator film as well as the lead single to the Use your illusions era which produced two very long albums from Axel Rose and company that would dominate the music landscape for about eighteen months with its singles. It was certainly an ambitious project for them to take on and one that arguably does live up to their early promise they had on their debut album.
It looked like Roxette were also able to survive the transition from the 80's to the 90's as this title track from their third album became a huge hit throughout the world, although admittedly they did tweak their sound to have less synthesizers compared to their earlier work so perhaps, they did make more of an effort to change with the times than many of their peers. Their time would come to an end when they appeared on the Super Mario brother's soundtrack two years later.
This was the third single to come from Make it big, unless of course you're from America in which case it was pushed back as the fourth single so that "Everything she wants" would top the Billboard charts for the duo. This is often confused with George's solo hit of the same name from 1990, so much so that version is credited as "Freedom 90" to avoid confusion with this track.
This was a bittersweet victory for Roy Orbison given how he had tragically passed away before it and the album it came from were released to the public. I get the feeling this was meant for the second edition of the Traveling wilburys album given how that was never released to the public, either way it makes for a sad but satisfying book end to a highly successful career from Roy.
This was the third single from MJ's album Bad, a song where he declares his love for a significant other who makes him feel good whenever they're around. This would be his final hit single in Australia for the decade as the next hit he would have down under would be "Black or white" from his next albums Dangerous.
This was the debut single from Pseudo echo, a song that features their trademark synth heavy production that had little trouble finding an audience back in the day throughout the decade. There's an earlier version of this track that I prefer which strips back the production in favour of a catchy melody as well as putting emphasis on the lyrics were indeed about a couple's failure to communicate.
This was the title track to David Bowie's most successful album in his catalogue, although curiously this didn't hit number one in Australia despite A: it being a massive chart topper everywhere else in the world and B: the video being filmed throughout Sydney. Even though it didn't top our charts, it did become a massive hit for Bowie down under.
This was the second single to come from Rick Astley's debut album, although if you're from America then this song and the third single (still to come on this list) were skipped over in favour of "Together forever" which helped him score back-to-back Billboard chart toppers from the album. It was a massive year for him regardless of the order of the album cycle, although his popularity would end with his second album.
This was originally the lead single to Roxette's second album in their native Sweden; however, it was released as the second single from the album when it was finally given an international release where it was only a success here in Australia. I'm not sure why this album flopped everywhere else in the world, however I think its success here came from them performing it on Countdown revolution.
I haven't seen Two of a kind, although judging by the lyrics from Livie's final hit single anywhere in the world (that wasn't a mashup of her earlier work) it seems like quite the film as there's a theme about being back from the dead on this track. Her rare foray into rock music paid off as it became one of her most well-known songs in her catalogue, although as I said, this would be the last relevant hit in her career.
It looked like Paula Abdul no longer had any issues with finding success here in Australia as this lead single to her second album proved to be a huge success for her here, that is until the rest of the album came out and flopped here. For what it's worth, Paula did see a surprise hit later in the decade down under with "My love is for real," so it's not like we always unfairly ignored her music.
This was the breakthrough single for Cheap trick here in Australia, largely thanks to a very memorable performance they gave on Countdown with this song which helped them find an audience here which had ignored them despite how big they were in their native America. They would have further success in the 80's here, although not without a huge dry spell throughout the middle of the decade.
This was originally meant to be the lead single from the second volume of Listen without prejudice, however the album was cancelled when George Michael decided to instead take over from Freddie Mercury as the lead singer for Queen following his tragic passing the previous year. That didn't prevent him from releasing this track where it became a massive success for him due to how sexually charged it is.
This was written by Prince under a pseudonym, presumably because he didn't want to let people know that he was just like everyone else who hated Mondays like we're all Garfield (OK I hate Mondays too.) He donated the song to the Bangles who scored a massive hit with their version worldwide due to how everyone could relate to the lyrics, although their popularity wouldn't peak until their third single from earlier on this list.
This was the only hit single that Chaka Khan managed to achieve in Australia, even so we have the assistance of Prince (who wrote the song for her) as well as Grandmaster Melle providing a guest verse during a time where that was unheard of helping her score success here. This was a huge success in the UK, likely due to how well she did over there during her time with her band Rufus.
Although New Jersey wasn't nearly as successful an album as Slippery when wet, the album was nonetheless a success for Bon Jovi as it spawned a popular lead single that helped it fly off the shelves upon its initial release. This continued their glam rock trajectory which is perhaps why the album wasn't as big as people felt this was more of the same which their 90's output certainly wasn't.
This was originally a minor hit for Elton John from his 1974 album Caribou here in Australia, however it was given its full due when George Michael agreed to perform it with him at a concert which was so well received that it became a chart topper for them both in America and their native UK. I'm guessing this was meant to be included on George's second Listen without prejudice album just like his earlier entry.
Named after the film it was written for, we have the first Billboard chart topper from Phil Collins likely because of the film's critical and commercial success due to it being a neo noir film made at a time where that was a rarity in Hollywood. It was likely due to this ballad that Phil filled his next album with ballads given how even outside of America, this was one of his biggest hits in his catalogue.
This was written for the Richard Gere flick American gigolo, a film which basically exploits the (then) attractive actor for those who appreciates the male body back when that was a socially acceptable thing to do in pop culture. Of course, the song has become more well known over the years due to it being Blondie's biggest hit in their native America, and indeed it was also a huge hit for them internationally.
It seems weird that UB40 would initially struggle to find success in Australia with their album Labour of love II when they found little issues with scoring a hit with Robert Palmer on this cover of the Bob Dylan track. I guess this is what the band needed to find success here with a later entry on this list given how Robert was still one of the hottest stars in the world when he agreed to do this duet.
It was a new decade and Jenny Morris released this track which tried to change with the times given how some of her contemporaries failed to do so which resulted in their popularity dwindling throughout the decade. Although this was a success for the NZ pop star, it was merely through residual good will she acquired throughout the previous decade as she too found it difficult to keep her momentum going this decade.
One of the biggest bands of the 70's was the Captain and Tennille, and considering this was released just as it was coming to an end, it makes sense that this would be their final hit in their career as it became a success for them during the first year of the 80's. It's one of the few hit singles to have a pan flute as one of its instruments, I'm guessing the pair were going for a throwback to the first half of the century.
This was the first of two Oscar winning tracks from Irene Cara, although Australia was one of the few places in the world where this was a hit upon its initial release as this wouldn't be a hit in NZ and throughout Europe until two years later when the TV show began to air. The film remains a classic thanks to the relatable characters as well as the dance sequences which hold up to modern viewing.
If this vocalist sounds familiar to you, that's because the KLF were able to get Tammy Wynnette on here which helped them score their third hit in a row worldwide as people no doubt had nostalgia for the country legend. They would release one more single after this which is a remake of their first song as the KLF "What time is love" before they faded into obscurity and eventually broke up.
So, it's come to this, we have the first big hit from Michael Bolton as him as the lead performer. Here we see him cover Otis Redding on the twentieth anniversary of his death likely as a tribute to his body of work, it's obvious that he wanted to pay his respects to the late musician of colour, and I guess audiences gave him a pass for his good intentions.
This was one of the more popular bands to emerge from Countdown during the 80's, mainly because despite this not being among the bigger hits of the year down under, it became a huge success in NZ and even decently successful throughout Europe for the band likely due to audiences mistaking them for Icehouse. This would eventually receive a popular remix by the end of the decade just as the band called it quits.
While this is still harder than what they would release later in the decade, many people point to this ballad as the turning point for their transition towards a more mainstream audience as this was a more watered-down version of their sound compared to what had come previously from them. It was a best of both worlds situation as fans weren't quite off the bandwagon while it also being a huge commercial success.
Following the demise of Raydio the previous year, Ray Parker Jr decided to embark on a solo career which was off to a good start when he scored massive success with this song about how he was in a relationship with someone and how he was falling in love with another woman outside the relationship. It's a sleazy song sure, but Ray's performance makes this feel like more of a joke song than him bragging.
Given how Phil Collins had established himself as one of the biggest names in music by this point, it only makes sense that Genesis would finally see some mainstream success which they achieved with the title track of their most successful album. People have complained that this is a Phil Collins track marketed as a Genesis track, I personally don't care either way as solo or with the group, I'm a fan of his.
Given how the original version was one of the bigger hits of the 70's here in Australia, it makes sense that this remix from Ben Liebrand would be a decent success here at the start of the 90's even if it didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of success it achieved over in NZ.
Well, they may have switched from standing up for aboriginal rights to fighting for the Australian miners and their rights, however that's the only change that Midnight Oil made for their first album of the 90's as music wise it's the same rock and roll that made them a household name throughout the 80's. This was their final hit in their career in Australia, although they did score one more hit in NZ with "Truganini" in 1993.
I know that this is one of the most quintessential ballads of the 80's, but something about it feels like it was made in the 90's to me. I think it's the way the synths create a dreamy atmosphere that would become more popular in that decade than in this one, although I definitely see how this was able to help the trio become a massive international success given how lovestruck Tom Bailey is throughout the track.
While this wasn't her debut single, it was the song that got Irish new age vocalist Enya into the mainstream as it became a surprise success in her native UK when it got to number one over there. I'm guessing this was a huge hit down under due to the number of female singer/songwriters making it big around this time, making it a win for what would eventually become the Lilith Fair crowd.
This was the title track to the third album Bon Jovi had massive international success with, it appears that they didn't want to alienate fans that made New Jersey a success in the late 80's too much as they went with the song that most resembled their 80's material as their first single of the 90's. Indeed, the rest of the album would be more akin to what the 90's rock scene would shape up to be.
If the melody sounds familiar to you on this track, that's because it was originally the melody from Spandau Ballet's "True" from eight years prior that PM Dawn took for themselves for their breakthrough single this year. This has the distinction of being the first Billboard chart topper when they started using Neil scan to determine their charts, meaning that they relied on computers to calculate what was popular rather than audience engagement.
Although they made a big splash here in Australia with their cover of the Kinks "You really got me" back in 1978, it wasn't until this became a Billboard chart topper than Van Halen were able to score massive success here likely due to how frenetic the energy is on this track. Even though this finally put the band on the map down under, it was their only hit with David Lee Roth as the lead vocalist.
This was a short-lived supergroup which comprised of the two vocalists from Led zeppelin as well as members of the Yardbirds and Nile Rogers of Chic fame. Naturally this was going to be a success for the band even though this was the only song they released from their one and only album, it was a temporary project that wasn't going to last regardless of the results they got.
Black box were on a roll when they released their first single of the 90's which helped them become established as the hottest EDM group of the moment, although there's still the issue of Martha Davis not being promoted as their lead singer in their marketing despite her clearly distinct vocals and people having fond memories of her hit single "It's raining men" during her time with the Weather girls.
If you couldn't tell from their two biggest hits this year, Mi-sex were a strange but enjoyable band who thought outside the box when it came to incorporating the science fiction craze in their music. Here we have the lead single to their second album which was based on aliens as evidence by the lyrics as well as the cover art. Indeed, the NZ band have been described as otherworldly by those who aren't into them.
This was originally released as the B-side to Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the dark" which was ranked the second biggest hit of the decade in Australia by David Kent due to its mammoth 64 week run on the charts. Naturally Natalie Cole saw how big this song was and decided to make it her own four years later which allowed it to become her first big hit here after over a decade of trying to make it big.
This was a bit of a surprise hit for Julian Lennon as the last time he troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his debut single "Too late for goodbyes" from five years prior. Indeed, this lead single to his third album was a massive flop throughout the rest of the world and yet it was a huge success for him here in Australia, likely for the video which depicted him with a prototype of Slappy the dummy from Goosebumps.
This was the final hit that Leo Sayer was able to score in Australia, mainly because the 80's didn't seem to have much love for once the MTV era took off. At least he got in one more ballad on the charts before he was relegated to yesterday's news, and hey he did score some buzz the following year with "Orchard Road" which sadly didn't do much to revive his popularity.
Suzi Quatro had been seeing diminishing returns in her popularity since her second album in Australia, mainly because she quickly drifted away from glam rock and into a more contemporary sound as the 70's went on. Here she returned to her glam roots which got her one final hit here in Australia before she was once again seen as yesterday's news as she failed to adapt to the MTV era of music.
You'd think that the biggest hit from these guys would be their signature track "Everybody wants to work," that song came from an E.P which underperformed on the singles chart which meant that these guys were likely going to be nothing more than relics of a bygone era. Their fortunes changed with this ballad, which was not only a huge hit for them, but also made the album it came from a success.
This was the biggest hit that the Cure were able to score here in Australia, it seems odd that they weren't that successful here in the 80's considering how many times they appeared on Countdown during its run. I think the video had something to do with this being a success as it successfully demonstrates the claustrophobia that the lyrics and Robert's vocals paint out in the song, this being able to connect with stressed out audiences.
OK as much flack as these guys received over the years, at least their earlier entry remains a classic on the dance floor to this day due to how much command and respect that Martha Walsh has on that track. Here she scores a second hit with a band that feels like it was tailor made to be a McDonalds commercial, indeed I've heard a remix of this track used in their ads over the years and it fits perfectly.
Well, this might be a depressing fact if you're a fan of Marvin Gaye, that being this was his only hit in Australia and NZ during his lifetime given how he was unfairly ignored in the southern hemisphere for some reason. The more depressing fact is this became a hit a little over a year prior to his untimely death, meaning there was a good chance he would go on to massive success this decade if he lived through it.
This was the only hit that Big Country were able to achieve in most parts of the world, I'm glad it was as it's easily one of the most passionate songs to become a hit this decade thanks to the killer instrumentation and Stuart Adamson's vocals. They did try to get a second hit throughout their career, but it was to no avail which I think is a shame.
This was one of only two hits that ABC scored in Australia, the other still being to come on this list meaning that their popularity down under was limited to this year. Admittedly their popularity in their native UK was also quite limited as they were much bigger in America throughout the decade, I'm guessing because they confused them with Devo as I certainly did when I was younger.
Oh, wow is this song way too catchy for its own good, this was the only notable success that Renee Geyer was able to achieve in her career likely due to it being a cover of an Eddy Grant track from before he became a household name. This was an even bigger success over in NZ which no doubt inspired international interest in Renee that sadly never translated to actual worldwide success.
For most parts of the world, this was the only hit single that Robbie Nevil managed to achieve mainly due to the lyrics about how life shouldn't be about doing things for the sake of doing them. It connected with audiences during what I'm told is the height of the era of greed, where everything was done through the incentive of money and little else. In Australia, he scored a second hit in the early 90's with "Just like you," which is a more contemporary love song.
Well, this was certainly a surprise, we have this adult contemporary ballad from the Brothers Gibb which came out eight years after their last hit single "Tragedy" had topped the charts in America. Indeed, this was a chart topper in the UK for them which likely allowed it to become a success back home in Australia, although we wouldn't hear from the trio again for another ten years after this.
This was the first of the Unforgiven trilogy, a group of songs that Metallica released over the next fifteen years which seem to have a theme of them being unable to forgive someone in their lives. This wasn't even the biggest hit of the three songs as volume two from Reload wound up being a huge hit for them later in the decade.
This was the debut single for one of the more popular bands to come out of the 80's, although this was originally attached to a soundtrack to a film about a drug addict coping with their day-to-day struggles. It was an instant hit for the band likely due to how well Chrissie Amphlett sells the subject matter of the song and film on this track, it was even included on their debut album on its international release.
Eight years prior to when she scored a massive hit with Don Henley with "Sometimes love just ain't enough," Patty Smyth was the lead singer of a short-lived band by the name of Scandal who scored their one and only hit this year with this track that's often been confused for a Pat Benatar track. I'm guessing that's why Patty returned with an adult contemporary ballad if she was often mistaken for her in her career.
This was the only hit that Quiet riot was able to score even in their native America, although given it's a heavy metal cover of a Slade track from a decade prior, there was little chance this was going to flop even though it came many years after they first formed and released an album. Rather coincidentally, Slade themselves had a comeback hit this year and even finally broke through to America with the song.
This was the only noticeable success that De la soul managed to achieve in Australia, although given how hilarious this track is (in my opinion of course) it's little wonder it managed to be a hit down under thanks to its sense of humour as well as how ridiculously catchy the melody is. As it turns out, it samples a track from Curiosity killed the cat which is perhaps why the melody is so irresistible.
This was originally released in 1975 to deafening silence for MJ, likely due to his popularity being in the toilet in the mid 70's as the world had moved on from the Jackson 5 to disco at the time. This was given a second chance when it randomly became a UK chart topper for him the previous year, this proves that even back in the day, no song was too old to find success in the mainstream.
This was the second single from John's latest album at the time, it continued his winning streak with his adult contemporary sound with its lyrics about how his love with his partner at the time was that of a honey to the bee (hence the album art.) There didn't seem to be any signs of his career slowing down at the time.
This was the final hit that Kim Wilde was able to score in Australia under her first label, she would return later in the decade with "You keep me hanging on" although that only became a hit for her once her contract with her first label ended in 1984. As such this was her final new wave hit in most parts of the world as she would change her sound when she switched labels for a more mainstream market.
This was originally a hit for Simon and Garfunkel back in the mid 60's, although it was never a hit here in Australia until the Bangles made it their own for the film Less than zero which has been described as one of the worst movies of the 80's due to its bizarre depictions of drug culture as well as less than stellar performances from its cast. At least this cover was a huge success for the band and led to them finding success with their next album.
It's strange to think that this was released as the lead single of Songs from the big chair in America, almost as if the band wanted to make their big entrance on the Billboard charts with reassurance to their audience that while times were rough in the 80's, it wasn't going to last forever and that it was human nature that things were the way they were. Everywhere else in the world had this as the second single from the album where it was also a huge hit for them.
This was the lead single to Peter Gabriel's first album he didn't name after himself, supposedly it's about how horny he is but with how vague and (let's be honest) nonsensical the lyrics are, it could honestly be about whatever you want. It was a huge success for him likely due to the video which rightfully pioneered stop motion not just in music videos but in media in general due to the popping visuals.
This was the only hit to come from Lisa Edwards, even then this was a cover of a Godley and Creme track that was made famous here with Dragon's rendition from the mid 80's. Lisa gives the best vocal performance of the three versions as she was a really good singer, however her popularity evaporated after this became a hit for her this year for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
This was the only hit that Jimmy and the boys managed to achieve during their time together, although they did so with by far their most normal sounding song as the band were known back in the day for being rather androgynous and no doubt a favourite among the Australian LGBT community. This is hands down the least queer track in their catalogue, which is perhaps why it was such a hit for them.
This was a hit exclusively in Australia for Belinda Carlisle, it looked like Runaway horses would be yet another flop for her despite how big her earlier entry was here; however, this third single became a surprise success due to the bittersweet lyrics of her losing the love of her life after a summer fling. I'm guessing this was the song that convinced her label to release her next album here as it was never released in her native America.
This was the only hit that Matthew Wilder was able to score worldwide, likely due to his strange vocals working for this one song as it's about the weird thoughts he has whenever he's singing about this woman he's with. The song was a massive success at the time, although in Australia it's been overshadowed by a cover from Unique II who flips the genders of the track and gives better vocals.
Although Billy Idol had success here in Australia prior to this lead single from his second album of the same name, a memorable performance of the track on Countdown ensured that it would be a huge hit for him here which likely made the album a bigger hit than his previous album. It's often considered to be the signature track from his catalogue despite his biggest hit being "To be a lover" from two years later.
Now that New order finally had a hit single to their name here in Australia, they no longer had any issues with finding success here which is how this timeless classic from them managed to be a huge success for them months after their earlier entry on this list became a huge success for them. The song is best known nowadays for its strange video which seems a typical of their filmography.
This was the lead single to Elton John's least favourite album Leather jackets, mainly because of the bad memories he has of making the album as it was during its production that he had to have his polyps removed which prevented him from making his trademark falsetto that he was known for earlier in his career. We Aussies were there to support him by making this and the album a success, however that courtesy wasn't matched anywhere else in the world.
This was a song recorded specifically for the international version of James Reyne's solo debut, a version that was released here in Australia likely to boost the popularity of his catalogue which worked out as this became a big hit for him here. Unfortunately, his international appeal didn't amount to anything, although his next two albums were successful here, so I doubt he minded too much.
The last time these two were able to score a hit anywhere in the world was from their debut album from five years prior, leave it to the producers of Pretty woman to commission them into writing a song that would appear in the opening scene of the film with a song about trying to get over a bad relationship with someone. This reignited their career over in America where they managed to score further success on the Billboard charts.
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