Well, I've mentioned them thoroughly throughout my site, so I guess it's finally time to look at which songs were popular on the Billboard charts that were also big hits in the southern hemisphere throughout the 90's. For the sake of my sanity, I've decided to only include songs that have already appeared on this site given how I've already stretched myself thin in contextualising what was popular in Australia and NZ during a time where I was only an infant. That said I will be including fresh commentary for each entry on this list given how what I've said about them previously obviously will feel out of place on this list, I've also decided to rank this based on the top 500 that's on the website, meaning that this is by no means a comprehensive list of every song to make it big in America this decade.
This was the first chart topper George Michael had in America for the 90's, he was certainly off to a great start given how this was meant to see him transition away from the pop music that made him big in the 80's towards the more meaningful singer/songwriter material that he always wanted to make. He would hit a few roadblocks throughout the decade which costed him his popularity on Billboard.
Much like Monica, Brandy had a ton of hits prior to her collaboration with her rival from the start of this list in America even if none of those songs went to number one on Billboard. This was her biggest hit prior to "The boy is mine" over there likely due to its connection to Waiting to exhale which was a massive success despite the mixed reception it received from critics.
This remains the biggest hit of Will Smith's career in America given that it's his highest entry on this list and that he didn't have any success in any other decade on Billboard, this is somewhat impressive given how this failed to top the Billboard charts as opposed to two of his other songs which are still to come on this list. This wasn't even his biggest hit internationally as that honour goes to "Boom shake the room."
This is the closest that Suzanne Vega had to scoring a hit in America given how her fellow Americans allowed this remix of one of her tracks to be a massive hit on Billboard at the start of the decade, this was DNA's only success over there given how the British duo failed to score a second hit with one of their remixes like they had in their homeland.
This is the second and final entry from the Space jam soundtrack to make this list, although I get the feeling this was a success due to Monica being on the track rather than its connections to the film given how it only appears in a small part of the credits at the end of the film. This was also her final hit she had worldwide until her collaboration with Brandy on their magnum opus "The boy is mine."
This may have lucked out at getting to number one in the UK due to it getting stuck behind Bryan Adam's earlier entry on this list, however that wasn't the case anywhere else in the world including America where this became a huge Billboard chart topper for Right said Fred nine months after its debut in their homeland.
It appears the kiwis were taking inspiration in making this a chart topper over there from how well it did in America for Eric Clapton upon its initial release, the song was written for a film known as Rush but instead became a hit due to the heartbreaking death of his son who fell out of a window in New York during its production.
This looked like it would be Roxette's third Billboard chart topper when it was released at the start of the decade, it stalled at number two but was nonetheless a huge success for the duo right before they did score their third chart topper with their theme to the Pretty woman soundtrack from earlier on this list.
This was the second solo chart topper that Brandy had following her collaboration with Monica from earlier on this list, this happens to be the song that confirmed her as the real deal internationally even though she did score a minor hit with her debut single "I wanna be down" earlier in the decade. She would have one more hit with "What about us" before fading into obscurity even in her homeland.
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because whereas this topped the charts around the world for Mariah Carey, it didn't do so in America making this a rare non chart topper she had throughout the 90's on Billboard. That said, it was still a huge success for her given how it comfortably makes it on the list.
Also, I wanted to throw a curveball by including the artwork for the B-side rather than reusing the artwork for "Without you" on this list.
This is one of the very few American dance acts to find success in their homeland back in the day, although I get the feeling it was only a hit in NZ due to how much the kiwis loved dance tracks coming out of the 80's and not so much because this was a success on the Billboard charts for the trio in question.
I know I should technically have "How do u want it" on here instead of this iconic track as that was the song that topped the Billboard charts back in the day, however the website lists this as the lead single instead of that which is why I went with this track instead. Either way, this was the point where Tupac became a household name worldwide given how big of a hit it was throughout the world.
I have no idea why this wasn't as big a hit in America as it was throughout the rest of the world given how Dee lite are an American band, at least it was a success over there even if said success likely came due to how big it was in the UK as well as Australia and NZ. They remain a one hit wonder in their homeland just like they do internationally with this one iconic song.
There was no stopping Janet Jackson in America as this was the third chart topper to come from her Rhythm nation album over there, it makes this list on my site due to the success it had here in Australia, however it's actually mid-tier when it comes to how popular it was for her in her homeland.
This is the only entry from RHCP on this list as the rest of their catalogue didn't receive as much attention in their homeland as it did internationally, that said this was a massive hit for the band on the Billboard charts during a year that was filled with pop ballads which this admittedly feels right at home amongst. At least we won't be looking at All saints’ inferior cover on this list as that bombed over there.
Babyface has been active since the late 80's, although he didn't start finding success as a lead artist until this ballad became a massive success for him right before he was the executive producer of Madonna's polarising album Bedtime stories. I think it was because of his association with that album that he finally scored a big hit with one of his own RNB ballads in America and over in NZ.
At least Aerosmith managed to score a chart topper here in Australia with "Janie's got a gun," this on the other hand was the only chart topper they had in their native America which I'm sure is soul crushing for their die hard fanbase who wanted the likes of "Dream on" or "Walk this way" to have that distinction. That said, it's little wonder this remains their biggest hit given its affiliation with the box office smash Armageddon.
Given how the saw a massive breakthrough in their native America with "Love shack," it only makes sense that this would be a huge hit for the B52's on Billboard at the start of the decade as their fellow Americans had finally discovered what the big fuss towards the band was about here in Australia a decade prior. This led to vocalist Katie Pierson being in demand for other projects for the likes of R.E.M and Iggy Pop.
We have another song to make it big thanks to airplay rather than a physical release in America, that's because this never saw the light of day on the store shelves over there due to the label instead wanting the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack to be a success like it was throughout the rest of the world. Even then, it failed to reach number one on their airplay charts, proving just how much pull that format had in America at the time.
I wonder how many Americans confused this for an Alanis Morrissette track back in the day, regardless of who they thought was responsible for this classic, it became a success over there like it did internationally due to how abrasive it was compared to what else was becoming popular at the time. Like many American one hit wonders on this list, she remains as such in her homeland.
While this was Jon Secada's only international hit, he had far better luck in his homeland as he even has a second entry on Billboard's 90's list with "If you go" from 1994 that won't appear on this list due to its failure in the southern hemisphere. That said, this remains his signature track even in his native America given how popular it was particularly in the UK.
This is another song that didn't receive a physical release in America, this time it was to promote Wallflowers debut album Bringing down the horse which I'm guessing worked given how it was a massive success in Australia and NZ. It's worth noting that it was a success with us Aussies despite this song being readily available for us to purchase, although nowhere near as big as it was in NZ where it wasn't.
This has the distinction of being the number one song on Billboard when it changed its chart format to allow for ridiculously lengthy chart runs that have persisted to this day, as such it has a unique place in the website's history even if few outside of 90's aficionados would recognise it if it came on the radio. It's also another example of an American act finding success in the UK before they found it in their homeland on this list.
Let's be honest, this list would be incomplete if it didn't include this magnum opus from Smash mouth on it. Naturally this was their biggest hit in America given how their earlier entry on this list didn't chart on Billboard due to not being released as a single during a time where songs were ineligible for the main charts unless they had a physical release.
It's strange that "Quit playing games with my heart" was the biggest hit that the Backstreet boys had in America given how it was a massive flop in Australia and NZ, this was their second biggest hit in their homeland which means that it's their highest entry on my list. I'm guessing this was inescapable due to it being heavily promoted on TRL which is like a kids bop rendition of Countdown or TOTP for the uninitiated.
If you're wondering how this managed to become such a massive hit in America despite it being far from the biggest hit in the UK around the time of its release, that's because it was played over the closing credits of the Next karate kid which many will agree makes this the best thing that film had to offer due to how much of an embarrassment people feel it is to the franchise.
That's right folks, MC Hammer's biggest hit in his native America wasn't his signature track "U can't touch this." Instead, it was the second single from his album Please hammer don't hurt em which is a cover of a Chi lites track from the mid 70's few if anyone remembers these days.
It's crazy to think that Arrested development will only have one appearance on this list considering that its female vocalist would go on to have a massive hit with her solo entry in their native America right after they bombed with their second album. If we don't include her work with the legendary hip hop group, this was the full extent of her success even in her homeland.
I'm not sure how Americans came across this song from the Scorpions given how it was far from the biggest hit of the moment internationally, however they did which is how it managed to be a massive success over there and thus eligible for a spot on this list.
Unlike in the rest of the world where both tracks were released separately as singles (this entry was meant for "Boombastic" until I came across this album cover) they were sold as a two for one deal in America which perhaps explains how they both managed to become a hit for the Jamaican rapper despite him failing to score a hit over there with any of his other tracks from the 90's.
This was a huge hit in America almost an entire year before it saw the light of day here in Australia, although considering how rare it was for a female country star to find international success even if she dominated the Billboard charts back in the day (heck it's rare to this day unless your name is Taylor Swift) I'm actually more surprised this was a hit down under than it being even bigger in her homeland.
It's a bit strange that this wasn't a chart topper in America even if it's from a non-American artist, after all, this song screams novelty which was how the likes of Ricky Martin and Los Del Rios were able to top the Billboard charts throughout the decade.
It makes sense that this duet would be a success in America like it was here in Australia given how Patty Smyth already found success with Scandal eight years prior in both countries, there's also the fact that she's singing opposite Don Henley who saw massive success as a solo artist around the time she had her last hit in both countries. Naturally this was the last either country heard from either artist.
It's been a while since we looked at an entry from Madonna on this list, hasn't it? Here we are with one of the many huge hits she had throughout the 90's in her native America which came from the critically acclaimed film With honours (even though said film has since lost its acclaim.) It followed in the footsteps of "This used to be my playground" of being a hit from a popular film that didn't appear on an upcoming album of hers.
This was barely able to make it big in America before Billboard underwent a change in its format to the charts, as such it's hard to say how much lower this would've appeared on this list had it been released just a few weeks later over there than when it was given how unpredictable the change in trends were back in the day.
Well, it appears even Americans couldn't resist a good old pub anthem during the last stretch of the twentieth century given how popular this was on the Billboard charts back in the day, although I would've cracked myself laughing if these guys managed to score a second hit over there given how much of an outlier this is compared to the rest of their catalogue.
It's weird this was Salt n pepa's biggest hit in their native America given how that honour internationally goes to either "Push it" or "Let's talk about sex" depending on where in the world you're from. I guess this was their big hit on Billboard due to the chorus which has En vogue interpolating an obscure track from the 60's to be about the type of men both rappers are into.
This was the last hit that Roxette had on the Billboard charts, it was almost a chart topper for the duo and would've been had it not got stuck behind Bryan Adams top entry on this list. They would continue to have success here in Australia and throughout Europe after this, although this was the last Americans heard from them.
This was another song that almost topped the Billboard charts on this list, it's easy to see how as this is a catchy song made by an at the time minor. Shanice did have another hit in her homeland with "Saving forever for you" from the Beverly hills 90210 soundtrack that would’ve made this list had it been a hit anywhere else in the world.
This won't be the only Disney ballad to appear on this list, although it's by far the most successful as it sounds like it would fit on one of Elton John's own albums from around this time. This was passed up in the UK in favour of "Circle of life" which was the big hit off the soundtrack, although I get the feeling the Brits were being contrarian given that this is an Oscar winning ballad.
Your guess is as good as mine as to how this acoustic ballad managed to be a hit when it was worldwide, however it appears there was enough affection for hair metal (or hair ballads in this case) for this to be a massive chart topper on Billboard for Mr big which then translated to international success for the supergroup.
I would say this is the final hit that Prince had in his career worldwide, except he didn't go by Prince when he released this and I for one choose to respect the Purple one's identity during this phase in his career even if he reverted back to his original identity by the end of the decade. I guess all the tabloid drama he encountered did little to dissuade his fans on making this a worldwide smash for him back in the day.
We have another Billboard chart topper with this entry, this time it's the love ballad from Aladdin which finally gave Peabo Bryson a chart topper in his homeland after nearly two decades of being in the business at the time of its release. Naturally this allowed for it to be a huge success worldwide, well that and it was attached to one of Disney's most popular animated films even to this day.
Given how few entries there've been on this list that were A: not from Americans and B: aren't dance tracks, it's bizarre that this would be a massive success on Billboard for Nicki French especially considering it wasn't that big in her native UK upon its initial release. At least it being a chart topper in Australia (at least on the AMR charts) makes sense due to it being an EDM cover of an 80's classic.
Well at least this didn't need to be a two for one deal in order for it to be a success in America like it was here in Australia, we also have another entry that was heavily delayed over there for the purpose of it debuting at number one on the Billboard charts which Billboard thankfully put a stop to when it allowed for songs not released as singles to be included on their charts shortly after this happened.
Given how it was such a massive international success, it's fitting that this debut single from Brandy would also be as such in her homeland even if the best was yet to come for the (then) young RNB singer. Indeed, this was one of her weaker hits in NZ where she would thrive on their charts throughout the second half of the decade.
This is the final entry from C+C music factory on this list given how their fellow Americans were disgusted about the fact they short changed Martha Walsh when it was revealed she was the female vocalist on their tracks and not the hot woman on the cover and in the videos. The rest of the world gave them one more hit with "Do you wanna get funky" which was completely ignored on Billboard likely due to the controversy.
Even though he'll be forever associated with his theme to Dangerous minds from earlier on this list, Coolio's breakthrough in NZ and his native America came from this track which heavily samples the Lakeside track of the same name from 1981 which coincidentally was a massive hit in NZ but not America. I'm guessing it was nostalgia that made it a success with the kiwis as well as hype in his homeland.
Even though this was a massive hit here in Australia, it's still curious to see how this caught on in America particularly in a year where the likes of Amy Grant and Rod Stewart were able to score massive hits on Billboard. This eventually led the song to being an international success for the Divinyls, although it was curiously a flop in NZ despite them having a hit there with "Pleasure and pain."
I'm not sure what took this song so long to take off here in Australia given how it had been six months since it was a hit in the trio's native America when it finally did so, it makes sense this was a huge hit on Billboard given how many consider it to be an unofficial anthem for St Patrick's day due to how unapologetically Irish the track remains to this day.
It appears the Americans were willing to let Rod Stewart back into the mainstream given how this was also a hit on Billboard like it was internationally, indeed this is far from his only appearance on Billboard's 90's list and even on this list which goes to show how his popularity had returned after a turbulent decade from the 80's.
While I'm not entirely sure why this was a success here in Australia, I do understand its success in America given how this was clearly trying to compete with Beverly hills 90210 as the show about teen drama back in the day. It's the fact that it failed to usurp 90210 that confuses me about its success down under, this is despite the fact this was a chart topper for the cast in question on Billboard.
You can decide what made this a success in America as naturally I don't definitively know given how I'm not American myself, was it the David Bowie sample? Good will from Diddy's tribute to Biggie smalls from earlier on this list? East coast hip hop finally dominating the Billboard charts? Your guess is likely better than mine at this point.
I have to imagine this was only a hit in America due to its affiliation with the film Above the rim given how surprisingly unsuccessful Warren G was on Billboard (and Nate Dogg for that matter.) From what I can gather, this is the only part of the film worth remembering given how poorly received it was back in the day from both critics and audiences.
We have another Billboard chart topper with this entry, although it was to be expected given how it was the lead single to Boyz II men's third album. That said, it was noticeably less successful than what they previously had to offer, suggesting even their fellow Americans were beginning to grow tired of their brand of RNB.
Technically this was the first solo hit that Will Smith had in America given how "Men in black" wasn't released as a single over there (don't worry we'll be looking at it shortly.) It was an easy chart topper for the rapper turned Hollywood actor given how he was coming off the success of two commercially successful Hollywood blockbusters (I would say critically except Independence Day wasn't.)
I feel this is the song that many will believe is the biggest hit from the Backstreet boys given how it's easily their most instantly recognisable, alas it was only a massive hit for the boy band as we've looked at their biggest hit on Billboard that was also as such internationally already. Still, it was a massive hit for the boys, definitely more so than most teen pop from the second half of the decade.
This is the other big hit that LL Cool J had on Billboard that was also a hit somewhere else in the world (in this case NZ) it makes sense the kiwis would latch onto this track given how it was a follow up to his earlier entry on this list. We Aussies never quite got the appeal of this guy outside of his love ballads, hence why he had such a lack of representation on that side of my site.
This is the final appearance of Boyz II men on this list, indeed it's their lowest entry on Billboard's 90's list as the only other entries on there that isn't here are "Motownphilly" and "Water runs dry" which both flopped outside of America. This was a massive hit due to it being the first thing they released following the success of "End of the road" except in NZ where they went with "Please don't go."
Oh, Vanilla ice, there was no denying you were unstoppable during the first stretch of the 90's even if by 1993 you'd be seen as a complete joke in the industry. Here he is with his second and final hit which was as such in his homeland as well as in NZ thanks to the Wild cherry sample which he used without permission.
This was somewhat of a surprise hit for Sophie B Hawkins even in her native America given how long it took to take off in her homeland despite the success she had with her other big international hit (which we'll look at in a bit.) The success this had here in Australia ensured that it would make an appearance on my list even if its pitiful compared to what it achieved on the Billboard charts.
This is one of the first songs to become a hit during the changing of the chart formats Billboard underwent in late 1991, as such it was one of the last songs released in America under the old format which likely explains how it made the list when so many other songs that charted after the format with its chart run failed to do so.
Technically this should've appeared earlier on this list with Jewel's other entry "You were meant for me" given how these two songs were bundled together when they were released in America, however Billboard was kind enough to give this its own entry on its 90's list which is why it appears in this spot on my list. This will be her final appearance on here even if I included her non international hits.
This was a shoe in for this list given how many different versions there are of this track floating around the internet, although it's worth noting that Ce Ce Peniston (I regret to inform my readers that's her real name) wasn't a one hit wonder in her native America or indeed in the UK as she scored a second hit in both countries with "We got a love thang" that failed to become as such in the southern hemisphere.
This was another shoe in entry for Janet Jackson given how it's the second single from her magnum opus Janet, it wasn't a chart topper like many of her other entries on this list, however it did make waves back in the day which no doubt led to its international success.
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