Well, I thought I'd cover all the big hits from the UK throughout the 80's that were hits in the southern hemisphere just like I did for the big hits on Billboard a few months back. Once again, I'll be skipping over songs that weren't a success in Australia and/or NZ as well as using different album art to the one's I used for entries on those sides of my site. This list is also homegrown (which you can check out here for reference.)
Much like us Aussies, the Brits were a bit late to the party when it came to making Bobby Brown a household name as a solo artist. This won't be his only appearance on this list, however his popularity peaked with his contribution to the second Ghostbusters flick.
We're having a lightning round of Madonna's catalogue in this section of my list, although I should bring up that much like on my Billboard list, I skipped over "Open your heart" which goes to show how wrong we Aussies and kiwis were for passing up on that masterpiece back in the day.
Given how this wasn't among the biggest hits of its year in the UK, you have to wonder what compelled the kiwis to make this such a huge success over there back in the day. At the very least, it was a hit upon its initial release in both countries as opposed to it only charting a year after its initial release here in Australia.
I guess the Brits were big fans of the stage production of the Wiz, that's the only explanation I have as to why this was a bigger hit for Stephanie Mills in the UK than it was in her native America back in the day. Sadly, she's a one hit wonder no matter where in the world you're from.
You may have noticed the lack of heavier rock tracks on this list, this isn't heavy by any means, however it's one of the heavier songs to become a hit in the UK over the years as the Brits seem to overlook the likes of Iron maiden and Def Leppard in favour of the more pop friendly tracks on this list.
This is the final entry from the Human league on this list as well as the final candidate I had from the band, I guess their fellow Brits got tired of their brand of new wave and synth pop as their second album was a colossal failure for them over there as was their third.
Well, I hope you weren't expecting a ton of representation from Elton John on this list as this is the second of only three entries from him, I haven't skipped any of his songs on my rateyourmusic list either to give you an idea of how unpopular he was in his homeland throughout the 80's.
I very much doubt anyone was aware there was a film adaptation of the Orson Welles book in the year it was named after, meaning that this was definitely a hit in the UK due to the artist momentum that the Eurythmics had over there. It's their final entry on this list, although I did skip over "Who's that girl" from their second album Touch.
Given how the original version of this track from 1976 was a chart topper for the Real thing as opposed to a sleeper hit in NZ, it makes sense that this remix would have more success with the kiwis than it did with their fellow Brits even though it was nonetheless a massive hit in their homeland.
Although this has a decent peak position in their homeland, it was a bit of a surprise to see how well it did in the southern hemisphere given how low it appears on this list. Admittedly its success was bolstered in Australia and NZ due to their earlier entry on this list, suggesting we weren't too interested in it initially.
Although this was a massive hit for Terence in the UK, it's placement on here does leave you to wonder how it managed to crossover not just in NZ but here in Australia where RNB wasn't exactly a household name during the time of its release. This is to say nothing on how this managed to top the Billboard charts several months after it became a worldwide success.
In case you were wondering, all of Bananarama's top ten hits here in Australia would've cleared the top 300 on this list, meaning that the trio would've been far more popular down under than they were in their homeland were it not for the fact they had more hits overall in the UK.
This was Dr Hook's only hit in the UK throughout the 80's much like it was in their native America, admittedly they didn't have a lot of success throughout their career in the UK like they did here in Australia and NZ so it's not like their lack of presence on here is that shocking.
I bet you were beginning to wonder if I lied about Bob Marley making an appearance on this list, here's the first of two appearances he has as the Brits were able to give him a hit right before he passed away due to toe cancer. Admittedly this was far more lucrative in NZ than it was in the UK, however it was a hit regardless.
Here's the big hit that Chicago had in the UK throughout the decade, although "Hard habit to break" was a top ten hit over there even if it wasn't a candidate for this list. They had a bit more luck in the 70's over there given how "If you leave me now" was a chart topper for them.
Unlike here in Australia where Madonna's singles from Like a virgin and the Vision quest soundtrack were released on top of each other, there was a bit more structure to her release schedule in the UK which meant that this was released at the tail end of 1985 where it became a victim of the Christmas period of that year.
This was almost a chart topper for Madonna upon its initial release in the UK, although I doubt it was due to the Brits love of the film it was written for At close range given how much of a box office failure it was at the time. I should also mention that I skipped over "Dear Jessie" between these two entries, if I didn't then there would be two singles from Like a prayer on this list.
I need to correct myself when I said this was Bananarama's lead single in their homeland as it turns out "I heard a rumour" still has that claim, I guess I incorrectly assumed that due to this being released much sooner over there than it was over here likely due to how much of a sleeper hit the lead single was over here.
I have to keep reminding myself that the kiwis loved their reggae at any point in time, if I didn't then I'd be left wondering how this was so much bigger over there than it was in the UK even though Sugar Minott was a Jamaican artist. I guess I'm less surprised that the Brits loved their reggae than I initially was the kiwis did.
It may surprise you to learn that this and "The reflex" from earlier on this list were the only chart toppers that Duran Duran had in their homeland throughout their career, it's especially surprising that this was their first chart topper due to how low it appears on this list.
Although it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success his earlier entries on this list did in his homeland, this lead single to Rick Astley's second album was a huge success regardless in the UK as it was on Billboard due to his artist momentum. He has one more entry to appear on this list, two if "Take me to your heart" was a hit in the southern hemisphere.
Unlike in Australia where this was only a hit in 1983 and in NZ where this was a hit in 1981, this was a hit upon its initial release for Dennis Waterman in his homeland likely due to the popularity of the show Minder which it was written for. I never understood why songs from TV series became popular at different points in time depending on where in the world you're from.
Given how this was a Billboard chart topper for U2, it only makes sense that it would be a massive hit for them in their homeland even if this is the only other entry they have on this list. I wish I could say their prospects improved in the 90's in their homeland, but alas it didn't save for their Batman forever theme.
Even though this was a chart topper for Aswad in their homeland, it appears this was more of a hit for them in NZ where it not only went to number one but also managed to stick around for quite some time on their charts. They had a second hit in their homeland with "Shine" in 1994, a hit that curiously didn't crossover to NZ despite that year being the height of reggae worldwide.
Although this was a minor hit in America, it appears this only found success in the UK when it became a huge hit for the Jacksons here in Australia. If these guys were able to find success during the height of the supposed disco backlash, I think it's safe to assume it was little more than a media frenzy back in the day.
Oh look, another disco hit, and one that appeared on my Billboard list to boot. Admittedly this feels more like the Brits atoning for not making these guys one of the biggest names of the 70's as like us Aussies and kiwis, they didn't see major success over there until the final year of that decade.
This is Janet Jackson's only entry on this list, although she would've appeared sooner on this list had "Let's wait a while" been a hit in the southern hemisphere as that was her biggest hit of the decade in the UK. I guess this being a surprise hit for her over there is why it was a hit here in Australia given how it wasn't the big hit off the album in America.
Admittedly 1988 was a bit of a hectic year around the world given the high amounts of singles competing with each other on the charts, however I'm still staggered this wasn't a bigger hit for Bomb the bass in their homeland given how it was one of the first hits from the acid house scene to crossover internationally.
I don't even know why I'm surprised to see this so low on the list given how it was far more popular in Australia and NZ than it was in Cher's native America, I guess we Aussies and kiwis were unaffected by her interesting wardrobe choice she made for the video in a way that clearly affected the Brits and her fellow Americans.
I guess the Brits were big fans of Year of the dragon if its theme song was able to become a huge hit over there, although considering it was panned by critics and even nominated for worst picture at the Razzies, I doubt that was the case (unless of course their enjoyment was ironic.) It was their only hit over there as was the case everywhere in the world except their native America.
From one golden globe nominee to another, we have this theme song from the film White nights which was much better received than Year of the dragon (by that I mean it had mixed reviews) likely due to the two hits its soundtrack spawned worldwide. We have one more entry to come from Lionel Richie, proving how much less popular he was in the UK compared to the rest of the world.
I'm a bit confused with this entry, namely because this was a Billboard chart topper as well as a huge sleeper hit here in Australia for the Cutting crew. While it wasn't a failure in their homeland by any means (hence why it's here in the first place) you'd expect it to be much higher like so many other British crossovers from earlier on this list.
We have one final entry from Freddie Mercury as this lead single to his second solo album was a massive hit for him in his homeland just like it was over in NZ. In fact, it was equally as successful in both countries despite it flopping here in Australia as well as in America.
I know this was a hit for T'pau in America due to its usage in a Pepes jeans commercial, however I have to wonder how it was discovered by the ad execs given how it was far from the most popular song in their homeland upon its initial release. At least its success in both countries led to them having one of the biggest hits of the decade with their earlier entry.
It appears that the story of this classic is the same no matter where in the world you're from, this remix may have peaked higher than the original did, however it clearly came at the expense of not lasting as long on the charts which goes to show how well loved the original was.
Given how this nearly topped the Australian charts (it actually did if you're going by the Countdown episodes of the day) you'd think this would've been equally as successful for Kate Bush in her homeland. It appears her fellow Brits were terrified of the accompanying music video which clearly affected the song's popularity over there in a way it didn't over here.
Given how this was a massive hit for Forrest in NZ, it only makes sense that the kiwis discovered this track from the Brits as this was an even bigger hit in the UK for the American singer. I'm sure this would've been a hit in his homeland were it not for his fellow Americans ignoring this over the MTV craze.
Again, I have to ask, how did the rest of the world come across Fine young cannibals when they were far from the most successful artist in their homeland throughout their career? Granted this is one of two entries they have on this list; however, this was a hit everywhere else in the world and yet it was only a top five hit on the UK charts.
Even though this nearly topped the British charts just like it did here in Australia and on Billboard, it's low placement on this list leaves me to believe that Eddy's fellow Brits were a bit uncomfortable with him getting political on this track as opposed to us Aussies and Americans. This is sadly his final entry on this list as "Do you feel my love" and "Gimme hope Joanna" weren't candidates for it.
I guess the Brits weren't big fans of St Elmo's fire given how its theme song wasn't anywhere near as big in John Parr's homeland as it was in America, although at least his fellow Brits were able to appreciate his raw performance on the track as this is the rare rock track on this list that goes hard.
If you're wondering why it's taken so long to feature a song from these guys on this list, that's because they were supposed to appear much higher with their cover of "With a little help from my friends" but didn't due to its failure in the southern hemisphere. Indeed, this took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ as did most sophistopop tracks on this list now that I think about it.
Whereas this was marketed as a regular old single in NZ, it was a Christmas release through and through in the Pogues homeland which explains why it had a much shorter chart run on the UK charts than it did in NZ. The song has been recharting in their homeland since the mid 00's, about a decade prior to when Mariah Carey does every Christmastime with her holiday classic.
Natalie was supposed to appear much sooner on this list with "Miss you like crazy" as that nearly topped the British charts in the final year of the decade, alas it was too much of a sleeper hit to qualify for the Australian side of my site and thus ineligible for this list. This means that this is the only representation she has in the UK on my site.
I bet you were wondering if these guys would make an appearance on here, suffice to say that I didn't skip any of their entries from my rateyourmusic list meaning this was their biggest hit in their homeland. Granted this did go to number one (likely due to it being an E.P) however it quickly fell off their chart due to how much of an outlier it is compared to other entries on this list.
Although this wasn't as big in the UK as it was throughout the rest of the world, it appears the Brits had enough love for this debut single from Martika to make it a success for her. The trade-off is that this isn't her only appearance on this list despite her being a one hit wonder in her native America.
I bet you forgot that I've only included two entries from Blondie prior to this entry, here's their third UK chart topper which was released between their other two hits we looked at. Despite this going to number one over there, I get the feeling the Brits weren't big fans of American gigolo like the rest of the world was.
Remember how I said the Brits weren't that into heavy rock and roll? This being so low on the list should be all the proof you need that's the case as there's no other explanation for why this worldwide chart topper was only barely a top five hit for Joan Jett and company in the UK.
No comments:
Post a Comment