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.
This was the last hit that Cyndi Lauper had in most parts of the world, although she would return five years later with a remix of her debut single in NZ and the UK so there's that at least. This was originally written for and performed by Roy Orbison; however, he didn't include it on his final album this year which technically means this version is the original version. Roy's version came out in the early 90's when word got out that it was meant for him.
There didn't seem to be any signs of Kenny Rogers slowing down in the mainstream as he had recruited Lionel Richie to write him his first Billboard chart topper from his second greatest hits package in a row. OK so it was his first greatest hits package in his native America as the first one he had was only released here in Australia as the 70's was coming to an end. He would struggle to retain his popularity during the MTV era.
This was the other big hit that Swanee was able to score here in Australia, this time we have an original track from the older brother of Jimmy Barnes which is perhaps why it didn't do as well as his Bobby Darin cover from the previous year. Well, that and also the lyrics where he's asking the girl of his dreams what her name is, that might've also turned people off.
This was somewhat of a surprise hit in Australia, mainly because funk music wasn't doing so well throughout the decade which is perhaps why it took a while for it to crossover here for the band Cameo. It was a huge hit the previous year in the UK and their native America, likely due to the funky groove as well as the ridiculous video which showcases the lead singer wearing a plastic codpiece.
If you’re wondering how this third single from 2 unlimited’s debut album managed to be such a huge success here in Australia despite said album being far from the biggest of its time, that's because this came bundled with a mega mix which makes this more of an E.P than a single even though most will say that the success of this bundle came from the song.
Well, I did mention on the NZ side of my site that this required several attempts to take off here in Australia, it just so happens that each failed attempt contributed to this track's placement on this list which resulted in confirming its status as a sleeper hit back in the day for the jazz musician Herbie Hancock. Believe me, this is a bad representation of the man's otherwise down to earth work.
This was the only hit that British band Black were able to achieve, even then it came two years after its initial release as this took a while to take off in their native UK. I have to say that I've never liked this ballad, I know that it's meant to be bittersweet and ironic but the fact that there's such cheery lyrics set to depressing music has always rubbed me the wrong way.
I guess we Aussies had enough room for the occasional novelty track back in the day given how this managed to stick around for quite some time on our charts even if it wasn't the inescapable hit here like it was in NZ or the UK. For what it's worth, there were far more novelty tracks in this vein throughout Europe than what managed to crossover to the southern hemisphere.
This is often considered to be the signature track from Bryan Adams, mainly because it's one of his few songs that seems to be agreed upon as a classic even by those who seem to think he's the worst thing to happen to music. It tells the story about how he got into music at the age of nine and how his first attempts at making music led to him falling in love and writing his earliest hit singles.
This is another song whose tardiness at finding success here in Australia ensured it a high placement on this list given how it easily could've made the cut on one of my lists had it found an audience with us Aussies upon its initial release. It remains the only hit from the SOS band down under, although most people these days are likely more familiar with the Fatboy slim cover he made seven years later.
This feels more in line with Gary Moore's brand of blues rock rather than his cover of the Easybeats classic which put his name on the map here in Australia, although it's worth noting this was only a success down under due to the surprise success of that cover from three years prior even if it remains his signature track on oldies stations to this day due to its success back in the day.
Now looking at the title for this second hit that Ian Dury had here in Australia, you'd think it would be him wanting to be in a straight relationship. Don't worry, that's not what he means as "being straight" also refers to no longer taking drugs which is what the song is actually about, making this a PSA track against drugs and why it was a success but not a mainstream success down under.
Given how this would eventually be a track on Meat Loaf's second Bat out of hell album, it makes sense that this would be a success here in Australia for Jim Steinman even if many will agree that his rendition is far inferior to that of his partner in crime. Given this was around the time Meat Loaf released his own album Dead ringer, I think it's safe to say Jim won the battle in terms of artistic merit around this time.
It's hard to believe that we Aussies allowed for a genuine hip hop tracks to become a success (albeit a sleeper success) long before one ever did on Billboard, but that's exactly what happened when this became a success here upon its initial release despite it sounding completely different from anything that had touched the charts here up until this point.
This is a duo that has been active since the late 60's, this was their only notable success anywhere in the world likely due to it fitting in that sweet spot between disco and new wave right when the former gave way to the latter in terms of mainstream success. Like many of these less conventional tracks, this is highly regarded in the online music community for its willingness to experiment with conventions.
This is often considered to be "Kokomo" part II by many detractors of the latter-day Beach boys, it's not hard to see why as this appeared in the Lethal weapon 2 soundtrack a year after their big comeback hit whilst having the same vibe. While this wasn't as successful as "Kokomo," it did set the boys up for a successful run in the 90's which immediately crashed and burned with their album Summer in paradise.
22 Weeks
This was the only noticeable success that Dexy's midnight runners had outside of their native UK (unfortunately "Geno" didn't find success elsewhere despite it topping their charts) although I would've been dumbfounded if I found out this song failed back in the day due to how incessantly catchy it is as well as the Celtic instrumentation fitting in well with the surprising rise in popularity Celtic music was receiving at the time.
While this was indeed an 80's hit for the Buggles over in America, this was released just as the 70's was winding down throughout the rest of the world making these two future members of Yes score their big breakthrough two years prior to when MTV launched by playing this music video as the first thing to appear on the channel when it launched.
Well mashup singles were all the rage this decade, so why not have one of the final hit singles be a mashup from this British group? I guess the gimmick here was the band's mascot which appears to be a (in my opinion) poorly drawn rabbit dancing around to this mashup in the video. Needless to say, this doesn't rank among the more popular mashups of the day despite it easily being the biggest hit in this genre.
Well, I think we all need to spare a thought for Bob Marley with this entry, he only managed to achieve one hit single in Australia during his lifetime with "Is this love" and yet these kids from London England managed to score a hit here twice as popular as that classic with a similar subject matter to his usual topics of weed culture, sometimes life isn't fair for certain people.
This was the second single from Richard Marx's sophomore album Repeat offender, an album which continued his popularity around the world despite many people nowadays dismissing him as the American equivalent of Bryan Adams. He would achieve further success in the 90's when his Canadian counterpart returned to the spotlight, however his popularity would quickly dwindle as the decade went on.
While I'm sure there were people at the time who considered this cover to be in poor taste given how Roxy music recorded and released this mere months after John Lennon's assassination, they did make it clear that it was a tribute to the late Beatle and that they weren't trying to cash in off his sudden death. This incidentally was the first hit the band had in Australia despite how big Bryan Ferry was in the 70's.
It's easy to forget that this wasn't the originally by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and instead by a long-forgotten band by the name of Arrows, I bring this up because Joan and company had no trouble making it their own despite initially having issues with marketing the track due to this being a time where genres seemed to matter for some reason. They overcame this issue and got a huge worldwide hit out of it.
This was the third single to come from Thriller, and perhaps the song on the album which officially broke down the barrier's musicians of colour had in the mainstream up until this point as it features a killer guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen in order to bring in the rock crowd. The music video is another masterpiece as is the one from his earlier entry on this list, but that's of course a given.
This was the only notable hit from Scottish lounge band Fairground attraction and let me tell you I for the longest time thought this was a 90's hit given how out of place if feels on this year which itself feels like an early prototype of what was to come throughout that decade. This song's legacy has thrived due to it being used in many commercials to this day.
Although she achieved sound success earlier in the decade in Australia with her albums, it wasn't until this bonus track from her live album that she finally managed to score a hit single here or for that matter anywhere in the world outside her native America. It's easy to see how this connected with audiences, she really throws herself onto the track about navigating a complex relationship.
This was the magnum opus for Heart's discography as far as their singles are concerned, admittedly it's one that received controversy over the years due to the story having a few problematic elements to it. If you're like me, it's best if you avoid reading too much into the lyrics and instead enjoy the track for its catchy instrumentation and some of Heart's best vocal performances.
This was the breakout single for Lindsey Buckingham which I can't help but notice was released mere months after his partner from Fleetwood mac Stevie Nicks released her own album, though she had the more successful album of the two, Lindsey at least scored the bigger hit in both of their solo careers. I always found him to be checked out on this track due to how airy he and the production feels.
To think that this is the biggest hit that Crowded house achieved here in Australia, admittedly my shock towards this fact comes from this being one of my least favourite songs from the trio and believe me, I'm a massive fan of these guy's other work. I guess their big hit worldwide is "Don't dream it's over" and that songs lack of success here was more due to it being the fourth single released from their debut.
It looked like Paula Abdul wasn't going to be able to find an audience in Australia given how "Straight up" was a huge flop here the previous year. Fortunately, this duet with the Wild pair was a success for her, presumably due to the duo being depicted in the video as a cartoon cat by the name of MC Skat Kat. This cat would go on to release a hip hop album the following year which many consider to be one of the worst of all time.
This was originally written for the film Mo money, hence why the two performers insist that the best things in life are free given that's the theme the film is going for (from what I can gather that is.) This proved to be a huge success for both parties involved particularly here in Australia where neither of them was exactly among the most successful stars of the moment, of course that changed once Janet released her next album.
This was the song where people began to question Sting's capabilities as a songwriter, after all he references Nabokov and feels the need to mispronounce his name in order to fit the rhyme scheme he had. Fortunately, most people don't pay much attention to the lyrics when listening to the trio's music as the core appeal of the band is Sting's vocals as well as the strong instrumentation from the other two.
This was the introduction to (in my opinion) one of the best vocalists to emerge from the decade, that vocalist is Belinda Carlisle who achieved massive success in her native America with her band the Gogo's before taking the world by storm with her solo career during the second half of the decade. Curiously this wasn't among her biggest hits on Billboard despite this nearly topping the Australian charts.
Colleen Hewett already achieved massive success nearly a decade prior to this ballad with her hit single "Day by day," it may have taken her eight years, but she finally got herself out of the dreaded one hit wonder bin here with this country ballad even if its popularity seemed to come right out of nowhere for her.
This was the big hit off of Billy Field's debut album, although in NZ that honour goes to the title track from Bad habits likely due to the kiwis preferring the lounge ambience of that track over this breakup ballad from him. You'd think that with all of this success that Billy would go on to massive success this decade, you'd sadly be very wrong as his popularity died off with his next album.
It's easy to forget that this wasn't the lead single to MJ's album of the same name, after all few people remember that "I just can't stop loving you" was the lead single to that album likely due to it not being among his more popular songs over the years. This on the other hand was such an instant classic that Weird Al decided to parody it a year after its release as "Fat" which was also a huge success.
Here we have the title track from the bestselling album of all time in America, naturally MJ needed to do something to promote this song as the album had been out for a full year by the time it was chosen as a single. The solution was to give it a high budget music video that no doubt led to the first MTV awards later in the year, such was the case for such as high concept video.
This proved to be a huge comeback success for Rick Springfield as it had been exactly ten years since he last troubled the charts anywhere in the world with his hit single "Speak to the sky," although it's worth noting that his newfound popularity was likely due to his role in General hospital which was taking the world by storm when this song became a hit for him. Many people feel this to be the unofficial prequel to the Cars hit single "Best friend's girl."
This was the debut single for one Melissa Tkautz, a rising star in the acting scene in Australia who was looking to get into the music industry much like her fellow actors from Neighbours. I will say that it's a bit uneasy listening to this track knowing that she was only sixteen when she recorded it, it would've been fine if she were older but hearing the lyrics "if you wanna wait till later, hands off my detonator" coming out of a minor is disturbing.
Well, the original version of this track was the rare ballad from KC and the Sunshine Band, so it only makes sense that this British EDM group would transform it into a dance track and that it would see massive success in a decade that was filled with EDM tracks. This resulted in the band finding other older songs to remix into club tracks, none of which managed to become a hit for them anywhere in the world.
The decade had barely even begun and there was already a huge demand for 70's nostalgia, enter Dee lite who obliged and gave us what's known as a house track which is a type of EDM where there's emphasis on the groove rather than the lyrics or vocals. This was a huge hit for the American trio internationally months before they finally found success at home, a trend that was all too common for American EDM artists.
This was the second collaboration that MJ made with Paul McCartney, and one that's been better received over the years as evidence by how much bigger the song was compared to their first collaboration from the previous year. This would be the last collaboration the two men would make as MJ would infamously buy up the back catalogue for Paul's music which put an end to their friendship.
Although they had buzz earlier in the decade and even appeared on Countdown two years prior, this was the first hit single that UB40 had in Australia as the band do a reggae cover of an old Neil Diamond track that connected with audiences at the time. The real interesting story about this song is how it got big in America, namely that it took five years after it was a hit worldwide to finally top the Billboard charts.
This was Styx's only international hit; I'm guessing because international audiences couldn't stomach the cheese that went into a lot of their songs like their fellow Americans did throughout the 70's and 80's. Indeed, this is one of their more normal songs as at least it isn't as sentimental as "Lady" or a complete novelty like "Mr. Roboto," and admittedly they did find plenty of success in their homeland.
Here's the title track to Lionel's third album, I feel this is a better title track to his album given how he was clearly trying to distance himself from all of the slow ballads he had become typecast as throughout the decade. Indeed, this was his party jam similar to that of "All night long" from three years prior, complete with a music video where yes, he does indeed dance on the ceiling.
You'd think that this lead single from Tears for fear's second album Songs from the big chair would be a number one hit in their native UK, it wasn't due to it being released during the height of by far the busiest Christmas season Britain has ever seen in the music industry. Fortunately, this had little issues with topping the charts throughout the rest of the world thanks to the instrumentation and Roland Orizabal's passionate vocals.
Although they would go on to have massive success with their second album later in the decade, it was the lead single to Screaming jets debut album that made them a household name due to how angry they came off on this track similar to how Nirvana launched their career with their seminal classic "Smells like teen spirit." In a way, these guys were able to help the trio find success here due to their similarities.
This was originally released as "European queen" throughout Europe, although it appears nobody wanted to hear about such a queen as it promptly flopped for Billy Ocean. Feeling that the song had a chance to be a success albeit with different marketing, he changed the name to what it is now and simply replaced the world European with Caribbean on the track. This proved to be a winning formula as the song became a massive worldwide success.
This was the second of two hit singles that the Hooters were able to score in Australia (stay tuned for the first one later in the list) this was the bigger hit of the two due to how upbeat it was compared to their slower track from earlier in the year. This allowed their album to be a huge success here in Australia which sadly means that they were a one album wonder as their subsequent albums flopped here.
The last time Murray Head troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his rendition of "Superstar" from the Jesus Christ superstar soundtrack back in the early 70's. Here he is fifteen years later with the lead single to the Abba written musical Chess which like Evita before it, was originally a concept album written by Benny and Bjorn of the Swedish group before it was turned into a musical.
This was the first big hit that Huey Lewis and the News managed to achieve outside of their native America, sure they had buzz with their previous album Sports as that was a modest success here, but it somehow failed to produce a hit single for them down under. Of course, the real success of this track was due to it being the theme for the first Back to the future film, a film that remains a classic to this day.
This was the first top ten hit that David Bowie had here in Australia since "Sorrow" from 1974, that's a six-year gap from when he managed to have a huge hit down under which should tell you how done dirty he was back in the day. He returns with one of his stranger songs which remains a fan favourite in his catalogue, likely due to it being a love letter to the Tinman from the Wizard of Oz.
There was a bit of a stumble for David Bowie during the album cycle for Let's dance, that being "China girl" underperforming on our charts and thus being unable to appear on this list. Fortunately, he recovered with the third single (fourth if you count "Cat people" from the previous year) which helped him retain his popularity thanks to how catchy it is and how charismatic his performance is.
To think that the debut single for one of the more divisive boy bands of the decade was originally meant for the New Jack city soundtrack, indeed I have a feeling the movie's critical and commercial success was what helped it become a hit for Color me Badd as public opinion on the song hasn't been kind over the years. I guess if you want this otherwise family friendly group to get their sexual charge on then this is for you.
This was the only hit from Dynamic Hepnotics as they failed to make much of a splash here like many of their contemporaries save for this catchy dance track which had little chance of failing in our music scene. The real surprise here is that this managed to become an even bigger hit over in NZ the following year, possibly due to the kiwis finding this to be even more irresistible than us Aussies.
This was a stacked year for Madonna as she was able to score three massive hits from her fourth album Like a prayer just as the decade was coming to an end. Here's the second of the three as she promotes a message of self-value, specifically how you shouldn't buy into material gifts that your partner offers you to excuse their awful treatment of you. It's a positive message that seems to be relevant now more than ever.
This was the debut single from Kids in the kitchen, an Australian new wave band who had an interesting album cycle for their debut album as it went for nearly two years before they finally released it in 1985. I guess this was to make it a success which it did to an extent, it wasn't among the biggest albums of the decade here, but it was a huge commercial success thanks to their brand of alternative new wave.
I guess in celebration of the premiere of Star trek the next generation, this novelty band from the UK through together a Claymation video that goes with a song that I think was meant to be a touching tribute to the original series. It's hard to tell with how bad the impersonations are of the characters, if I had to pick out my least favourite song of the decade, this would be it and I'm not even a Star trek fan.
This was the title track from John Farnham's third album from his comeback period, it's a song that largely gets overshadowed by the rest of the album despite it being the biggest hit from said album. This is because the other two hits from the album (which are still to come) get more love on oldies stations than this does, although this does remain a fan favourite for what it's worth.
Although it remains a popular film here in Australia, Young Einstein wasn't well received internationally largely due to the premise of there being an Australian Einstein who invented rock and roll not clicking well with foreign audiences. It doesn't help that the premise is built on a throwaway joke from Back to the future, although at least the music was well received such as this cover of the Chuck Berry classic from Mental as anything.
This was the final solo hit that Phil Collins managed to score here in Australia, it's a song that's seemingly about living in paradise but is actually from the point of view of a homeless person wanting to find paradise in their life of poverty. This tugged at the heartstrings of his audience for one last time as it became the final Billboard chart topper of the 80's, this earning him the nickname of Mr. 80's.
Thanks to the success of their live album Under a blood red sky, U2 no longer had any issues with finding success with their singles which allowed this lead single to their album Unforgettable fire to become a massive worldwide success for them. It's easily one of their most recognisable hits thanks to the passionate performance that Bono gives on the track, saying that one's pride is something no one can take from them.
This often gets confused for a Hall and Oates track due to how similar Dan Hartman sounds to Daryl Hall on this song, indeed this theme to the long-forgotten film Streets of fire allowed him to escape the one hit wonder bin here that "Instant replay" threatened to trap him in back in 1979. There are two videos of this classic, the first is with a performance that a doo wop group from the film gives while the second has Hartman himself as a bar tender singing to his patrons.
This is often considered to be the greatest comeback ever made by an artist, mainly because Tina Turner was considered to be yesterday's news in her native America by the time she had divorced her husband Ike eight years prior. This wasn't her first hit she had around the world since the divorce as "Let's stay together" was a surprise hit for her in the UK thanks to being produced by the members of Heaven 17.
This was the third and final hit that Irene Cara was able to score anywhere in the world, and behind it's not attached to a film (that I'm aware of) meaning it was able to become a success in its own right here in Australia. She was attached to the Breakin soundtrack this year which was obviously meant to be the third film project her music was attached to, however her contributions to that soundtrack led her nowhere.
This was originally a hit for Norman Greenbaum sixteen years prior which in turn was a success due to the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon that was taking the world by storm at the start of the 70's. These guys were able to score a massive hit throughout Europe with their interpretation of the lyrics before fading into obscurity making this an example of a one hit wonder covering a one hit wonder.
Many credit this one and only hit from Gary Numan as the beginning of the new wave craze, technically that honour should go to "Are friends electric" as that also had him on vocals and was a new wave classic, although I guess that was a flop over in America whereas this was a top ten hit on Billboard. Between these two songs, this was the full extent of Gary Numan's popularity worldwide.
This was the biggest hit that Wang Chung had in their career, likely due to the seizure inducing music video which likely made a bunch of people epileptics whenever it was shown on TV. I find it weird this wasn't their debut single or even their first hit considering this feels like an introduction to the band, although this could be another reason why it was their biggest hit given the potential of a TV show.
This was the biggest hit from Poison in Australia, I'm guessing because they were coming off the overwhelming success of their second album Open up and say ahh which was one of the biggest here in Australia of the 80's. From what I can tell, this is a song about nothing which admittedly is a far cry from their earlier work which at least had individual messages for each song.
It was a new decade, so it only makes sense that Kenny Rogers would begin it with one of his more memorable songs becoming a massive success throughout the world. He did surprisingly well going into the MTV era outside his native America considering that MTV seemed to have an allergic reaction to country music, although he would end up being more popular on Billboard as the decade went on.
This was the debut single for one of the big four in the grunge scene, in fact this year in general was a good year for bands that would go on to dominate the mainstream given how Nirvana and Red hot chili peppers got their big break with their earlier entries on this list. This would be the band's only hit in Australia for most of the decade until they finally scored a second hit with "Last kiss" just as the 90's was coming to an end.
This was the third hit single that John Waite managed to score in Australia throughout his career, the first two being with his former band the Babys who had broken up going into the 80's due to the hits drying up for them. Indeed, this was John's only hit as a solo artist as he would form a new band later in the decade with Bad English, that band would score one more hit for him going into the 90's.
This was originally released two years prior in this LGBT band's native America to deafening silence, I'm guessing because it was considered to be too wacky for audiences of the late 70's as well as them not appreciating the surf rock influences on the track. It was able to find an audience here in Australia due to them performing it on Countdown which went over really well for the band.
With all of the controversies involving lip synching that had emerged throughout the decade so far, Mariah had that accusation stick to her initially due to her unwillingness to embark on a tour to promote her music. In order to put those rumours to rest, she appeared on MTV unplugged where she gave a performance which confirms that her reluctancy came from her suffering from stage freight and not a lack of vocal talent.
While this was far from the first single they released, this was the song which made Twisted sister a household name likely due to its music video depicting the band going from abused children to who they were which connected with audiences here and especially in NZ where this nearly topped their charts. It was a short-lived success for the band, however one that I'm sure people look back on fondly.
Following the success he had the previous year as the lead singer of Mike and the Mechanics, Paul Carrack released a solo album this year which was led off with this cover of the Searchers track from the early 60's. The original was a huge hit here in Australia back in the day, so that would explain how this was a hit for him down under and nowhere else in the world. His next single would be his first solo hit on Billboard with "Don't shed a tear."
It looked like that Two fires would finish its album cycle earlier in the year for Jimmy Barnes, that changed when he released the fourth single from the album which became a surprise hit for him likely due to the children's choir towards the end of the song. This helped boost the sales of the album which was already a huge success but became one of the biggest of the decade with this song's success.
World party is the solo project of Welsh singer Karl Wallinger who scored a massive hit with this track about how he didn't want to conform to the standards set up by politicians of the 80's or as he puts it "sail on this ship of fools." It resonated with audiences in Australia where it became a huge success for him, although we didn't check out any of his other material as his album and other singles flopped here.
This was the final hit that Hall and Oates were able to score here in Australia, although they would still find moderate success during the second half of the decade in their native America. This is perhaps my favourite song from the duo as it's by far the catchiest as well as me relating to the lyrics about being with someone who's out of touch with reality. I've that person on both sides of this relationship.
This was the second big hit to come from Chemistry, the album that Mondo rock released this year which restored Ross Wilson's popularity in the music industry after almost a decade of silence from him. Here we have a song about how he's going to try and thaw the love of a woman he's interested in but is giving him the cold shoulder, it seems desperate until you realise that she's clearly playing hard to get.
This was the biggest hit to come from the Eurythmics's fourth album Revenge, it's a personal favourite of mine thanks to how well Annie sounds on this track as well as it confronts what she describes as a thorn in her side that is the toxic relationship she was in at the time. This would be the last hit that the duo would have here in Australia, although they would release two more albums before calling it quits.
This was the theme to the Stephen King film Maximum overdrive, a film I've seen described as one of the most ridiculous to come out of the decade due to how over the top the storyline is which involves electronic appliances rising up against humanity to destroy us all. Naturally the soundtrack is the only part of the film that anyone seems to have fond memories of, even then it's because it's AC/DC.
Here we have the debut single from an indie singer by the name of Madonna, the name seems vaguely familiar to me and the song in question has been considered a classic of the 80's thanks to her passionate vocals about wanting a holiday during the height of the Regan and Thatcher era. All jokes aside, this was the breakthrough single from one of the most successful artists of all time for good reason.
Although their output this decade would be seen as a far cry from the quality of their 80's material, at least Metallica were able to ease their older fans into their new sound with the lead single of their black album which at least retains to complex musicianship of their older material. Lyrically it's about how James Hetfield suffers from nightmares and how he internalises getting through each night.
While this wasn't the first single that Duran Duran had a hit in Australia, this was the song which made them international superstars thanks to a provocative video which depicted women wrestling topless which earned the video the distinction of it being the first to be banned on MTV. The song itself is a classic thanks to the passionate vocals of Simon Le Bon, although the video has made it an anthem for misogyny in recent years.
James was on a roll this year as he managed to score a second hit from his solo album, further proving that he was the driving force of Australian crawl throughout the decade given how their popularity dwindled after their third album. All of this success led to him receiving buzz the following year for his album internationally, so much so that his album was given an international released that sadly flopped for him.
Although "Sacrifice" proved to be the big hit off of Sleeping with the past, this was the lead single which was enough of a sleeper success to allow said album to be an improvement over most of his 80's work before "Sacrifice" made it a best seller. In the UK, these two songs were bundled together which allowed them both to top the British charts making it his second and final chart topper in his homeland.
This was the second single to be released from this RNB star's debut album, I get the feeling this was a massive success due to the whistling on the track as RNB didn't tend to do too well here in Australia back in the day. This was eventually a chart topper in his native America once the album became a huge success for him throughout Europe, I'm guessing he used the proceeds to help him get home after being stranded there by the US army.
It looks like the trio were able to prove their haters wrong by succeeding with flying colours around the world this year, here's the second single from their debut album which may not have been as memorable as their earlier entry but was able to help their album become one of the most popular of the late 80's. They still have one more entry to come on this list, however that would be their last hit down under.
I guess it had been several decades since there was a dance craze in the music scene, so here's the big one from the 80's with a band called Was (not was) (whatever that's supposed to say about them) who scored their one and only hit with a song about doing the Dinosaur which is a strange dance that seems to be taken from the moves found in "Walk like an Egyptian" from the Bangles. It was a huge hit in Australia and the UK but not in their native America.
This was the second single to come from Bryan Adams's comeback album Waking up the neighbours, technically this is the reason why his earlier entry on this list didn't last forever at number one as it was pulled from shelves to encourage sales of both this single and the album this year. This was also reassurance that Bryan hadn't completely sold out yet as it was a return to his arena rock from the 80's.
Given how Talking heads were on the verge of breaking up this year, it only seems reasonable that Jerry Harrison would form a new band with the Casual gods in order to find success on his own. Indeed, he was off to a good start as this debut single of theirs proved to be a bigger hit here in Australia than anything that Talking heads released, although the album wasn't anywhere near as success as their work.
This was the first big hit that Daryl Braithwaite had in over a decade, in fact he had become a tradie in the time it took to release his second album during the days of his band Sherbet. When he finally decided to give his singing career another go, he was given instant success as the public welcomed him back into the music industry as if no time had passed since his heyday, just like fellow aging star John Farnham
This was the only hit that Blondie managed to score from their album Eat to the beat in Australia, I'm guessing we Aussies weren't as thrilled about that album as the rest of the world was given how this was a British chart topper for the band this year. Fortunately, they came back with "Call me" which restored their popularity in time for their penultimate album Autoamerican and its huge hits.
Although he saw massive success at the start of the decade in his native NZ as a teen idol, this was the first hit that Jon Stevens had in Australia given that he had become the lead singer of Noiseworks to reinvent himself as a pub rocker in the same vein as Jimmy Barnes and other Australian singers. I'm not sure why this was a success and not "No lies," both have such a passionate performance from Jon that they should've been bigger.
This was the Hoodoo gurus' first bit hit in Australia, although the lead single to their album Mars needs guitars was a modest success given how "Bittersweet" did crack the top twenty for them earlier in the year. This was their surf rock track which I'm sure was what made them a household name given how there was a lot of nostalgia for that genre throughout the 70's and 80's down under.
This was the only other major hit that Bucks Fizz was able to score here in Australia, I guess we Aussies were only interested in these guys for their affiliation with Eurovision despite being a regular guest on Countdown which was highly unusual for an international artist to be so back in the day. They tried to have their song "Are you ready" a big hit here as that was the song they performed on the 75th anniversary of the ABC channel down under.
This was released six years prior to deafening silence for Billy Vera, in fact from what I can gather, this ballad was only a success this year due to it appearing in several episodes of Family ties that involves the romance between Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan on the show.
This was a departure from Mental as anything's previous material, at least in the sound it was as they decided to adapt with the times and add more glossy production here and on their album Mouth to mouth in an attempt to find an international audience given how "Live it up" was a massive success for them throughout Europe at the time of this songs release. It didn't work out for them internationally, although it was a modest hit here.
This was the last hit that Belinda Carlisle had for five years in Australia, although she did come back later in the decade when "In too deep" became a surprise hit for her in 1996 exclusively down under. I'm guessing we Aussies needed more from her than her amazing vocals to make her a household name this far into the 90's, to be fair she did do better than what you'd otherwise expect given this never saw the light of day in America.
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