UK hits of the 90's I

Time now to look at the biggest hits of the 90's in the UK, again my source is a list I created on my rateyourmusic account (you can check it out here) and again I'm only including candidates that were a hit in the southern hemisphere back in the day. I'm also using alternate art for entries I'm able to find it for in case you don't recognise them from other areas on my site.

Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, we have the longest run at number one on the UK charts even to this day leading out our list as the Brits simply couldn't get enough of this theme from the Kevin Costner adaptation of the Robin Hood legend. I'm guessing we Aussies and kiwis didn't want this to remain at number one indefinitely on our respective charts which explain why we pulled it from our shelves.

This still remains in second place as the longest run at number one in the UK (although it's tied with "One dance" with Drake) meaning that Wet wet wet's fellow Brits couldn't get enough of their cover of a Mindbenders track for the soundtrack to Four weddings and a funeral. The film was also a huge success over there, being in the top ten highest grossing films of the decade.

Celine Dion didn't have as much success in the UK as she did here in Australia and America, however she does have a new entry on this list from my Billboard list in the form of this single from her breakthrough album the Colour of my love. This had quite the climb to get to number one over there, hence why it's the third biggest hit of the decade despite having a more reasonable run at the top.

Whitney Houston also didn't have as much success in the UK throughout the 90's as she did in her homeland, however that's small potatoes as this ballad from her critically panned film the Bodyguard had an impressive ten-week stint at the top of their charts which is only four weeks less that what it achieved on the Billboard charts.

OK slight correction from my Billboard list as it turns out this was a chart topper for All saints in their homeland, that's because it took quite a while to make it to the top of the UK charts due to it being released during the Christmas period of 1997 only to finally get there in the early weeks of 1998. This just goes to show how much staying power this ballad had in their homeland and more than explains its international success.

Given how this was a two for one deal in their homeland as well as it being released during the Christmas season of 1998, it was inevitable that this would be a massive success for Steps in their homeland which of course led to it being their sole chart topper over in NZ.

Again, these lists on my site are based on chart runs rather than sales, I've always been more fascinated with ranking a song's popularity based on that rather than how much it sold back in the day. That said, this lasted for quite some time on the UK charts making this a shoe in for this high entry on this list.

Who says controversy doesn't sell? Granted I doubt many people even noticed the line about being as serious as cancer, however the fact this song was one of the ten biggest hits of the decade over in the UK with that line in it does leave you to wonder how much lyrics mattered when it came to a song's success.

Given how he had a hit in 1981 with "Dead ringer for love" as well as his debut album Bat out of hell being a best seller in the UK, it only makes sense that Meat loaf would have more success over there with his comeback single as it lasted an impressive seven weeks at number one much like Celine Dion's earlier entry.

I hope you're prepared for a lack of hip hop on this list as the Brits weren't as hip with the genre as the Americans and kiwis were, that said they couldn't get enough of this theme to Dangerous minds from Coolio likely through a combination of them liking the movie as well as the Stevie Wonder sample.

This will be Puff daddy's/P diddy's only entry on this list as the Brits didn't care for his music save for his tribute to his fallen friend/client Biggie Smalls. Even then, I get the feeling this was more of a hit over there due to the obvious Police sample which I feel is why it was a hit here in Australia as well.

Here we have our first song on the list that failed to get to number one on the UK charts, the original mix was a massive flop for the duo upon its 1994 release, meaning that this is solely based on how well the remix did in their homeland. They did have a hit in 1988 with "I don't want to talk about it" which was a candidate for my 80's list.

With an impressive eight-week stint at number one in their homeland, it was only inevitable that this signature track from Shakespeare's sister would be a massive international hit for the duo. The only song that lasted more than six weeks at number one from the 80's was "Two tribes" from Frankie goes to Hollywood with an impressive nine weeks for the record.

This was released on time in the UK just like it was here in Australia, meaning that this made it to number one right before it became her biggest hit in her native America. With an impressive seven weeks at number one, this was also her biggest hit in the UK, although "If I could turn back time" was her big hit here in Australia.

This had to have been a massive hit in America somehow, so it's little surprise this was a huge chart topper for Mark Morrison almost a year prior to when it almost repeated that feat on the Billboard charts. He had a few other minor hits in his homeland, none of which were candidates for this list and wouldn't have appeared on here even if they were.

Toni Braxton nearly had a UK chart topper twice throughout the 90's, this was her second near miss (we'll look at the first in a bit) as well as her biggest hit over there just like it was in her homeland. Her final hit over there was "He wasn't man enough" just like it was everywhere else in the world.

Given how this got stuck behind Wet wet wet's earlier entry on this list, I don't think there's any shame that this failed to get to number one in the UK like it did throughout the rest of the world. It was their only noteworthy hit over there as opposed to the rest of the world where they had several other hits.

Given how this was a massive chart topper for Pato Banton over in NZ, it only makes sense that it would be just the same in his homeland right at the height of the international reggae craze. This was his only hit in his homeland as opposed to him scoring a second hit with the Kiwis two years later with "Grooving."

With an impressive seven-week stint at number one in their homeland, it was only inevitable that this would be a huge international success for the Spice girls. I won't be mentioned runs at number one from here on out as this is the final entry to last more than six weeks at number one on the British charts.

This arrived a bit late to the party in the UK, mainly because the Brits didn't seem too interested in this theme from the Titanic until it won an academy award for Celine Dion. Even though it wasn't her biggest hit anywhere in the world, it's often cited as her signature track as well as the reason why she's awful by her haters.

This had a comparatively pitiful peak position of #7 on the UK charts, however it simply refused to leave the upper echelons of their charts which is how it managed to score such a high placement on this list. Again, this was largely at the expense of the Trisha Yearwood version which was the bigger version here in Australia.

We're going to see quite a few European artists on this list as like us Aussies, the Brits couldn't get enough of the EDM and Eurodance coming out of the continent throughout the 90's. This was the second biggest hit (behind Snap's earlier entry) which is also the signature track from 2 unlimited due to the refraining "no no no no no no's" that permeate throughout the track.

If you're wondering how this failed to appear on my Billboard list of the 90's, that's because the Americans largely ignored this novelty track from Aqua as it was only barely a top ten hit over there. This wasn't the case in the UK which was able to last forever in a day on their charts due to it not being pulled from their shelves like it was in the southern hemisphere.

Were it not for my knowledge that this was the biggest hit of the 90's in NZ, I'd be dumbstruck to see this not only nearly top the British charts but also see it this high on my list. I don't know why the kiwis loved this so much over us Aussies (I'm guessing it's the reggae beat) however it was their love for the track that helped it find an international audience for Peter Andre.

Was it a mistake that this was never released as a single in America? I think the answer is yes as this was a massive chart topper for the trio everywhere else in the world and didn't seem to affect the album sales of the Score either. This is actually the Fugees second chart topper as "Ready or not" also went to number one in the UK (we'll revisit that in a bit.)

Although this failed to get to number one in their homeland, the fact that Chumbawamba has one of the biggest hits of the 90's is impressive in of itself given how the otherwise punk rock band was able to win over audiences of the late 90's with their pub rock anthem.

The Brits really dragged their feet in making Savage Garden a household name as this was only released as a single over there following it becoming a Billboard chart topper for the duo. This isn't their only entry on this list; however, I think you'll be surprised as to what that other entry will be.

This is the first of several instrumentals we'll be revisiting on this list, this was such a huge hit in the UK that it even managed to crossover to NZ where EDM wasn't that popular and even on Billboard where it was too minor of a hit to be featured on my Billboard list for the 90's. Quite impressive given that it failed to get to number one for the Swiss producer.

The trend of American dance acts finding overwhelming success in the UK continues from my 80's list as we have this banger making it high on here despite having a lower peak position than many of the entries it beat out. As you can imagine, this was a massive flop for the duo in their homeland.

Given that we have an EDM track that has novelty written all over it, it was inevitable that it would be a massive chart topper in the UK as it was over in NZ. This was a sleeper hit over in America, although I feel that was more due to the lack of competition it had on their main charts what with all the songs disqualified from it there were.

While this was a hit over in America, it was too minor of one to appear on my Billboard 90's list given how it got lost in the shuffled with other entries that failed to appear on that list back in the day. I'm not sure how the Brits came across this ballad, however they allowed it to be a massive chart topper in the UK for the American duo which explains its international success.

It may not have lasted three months at number one in the UK like it did in their native America (probably because Bryan Adams top entry already made headline news with hogging the top spot of a country's music charts) however that didn't mean that the Brits weren't in love with this theme song to the Eddie Murphy flick Boomerang like the rest of the world was.

Although this got stuck behind Bryan Adam's top entry on this list, that didn't mean that Right said Fred didn't get to number one in their homeland as "Deeply dippy" achieved that status around the time this topped the Billboard charts. Had that been a hit anywhere else in the world, we'd be looking at it in a bit.

This was a bit of a sleeper hit for Macy Grey in the UK, likely because the Brits had discovered this track well before her fellow Americans did as this didn't become a hit on Billboard until 2000 which is why it didn't feature on my 90's list from a while back. Even so, it's success peaked in the southern hemisphere where this topped both the Australian and NZ charts.

Given how this was a massive hit on Billboard, it only makes sense that it would be an even bigger chart topper for K.W.S in their homeland which goes to show just how much appeal they had by turning the rare ballad from KC and the Sunshine band into a dance track. They had a minor follow up with their cover of "Rock your baby" which wasn't a candidate for this list.

Although it was their biggest hit in their homeland, this curiously failed to get to number one in the UK for Oasis which is a friendly reminder from my 80's list that number one wasn't everything in the UK as is the case here in Australia. The Gallaghers had plenty of other candidates for this list, several of which did go to number one, however they all flopped internationally.

Much like here in Australia, this was Bon Jovi's biggest hit in the UK even though it also failed to get to number one over there like it did here (if we're going by the ARIA charts that is.) This is their only entry on this list, although they did have a string of minor hits over there outside of their two biggest hits on these lists.

Well, this had to be a juggernaut in Billboard's airplay charts somehow, once again this failed to get to number one in the UK due to it being released during the Christmas season of 1997 just like it was here in Australia. Natalie had other minor hits over there, however none of them were candidates for this list.

We have three entries on this list for UB40, this is obviously their biggest given how it was their biggest hit in America due to it being the theme to a film Sliver which while panned by critics, has developed a cult following due to the erotic scenes contained in the film.

Although it wasn't their highest charting single in the UK, this was their biggest hit over there which was enough encouragement to make this a hit for Chaka Demus and Pliers here in Australia. For whatever reason, the kiwis passed up on this track, although they did make their other entry on this list a massive hit.

This was the only hit that Aerosmith had in the UK, mainly because the Brits weren't that interested in making heavier rock tracks a mainstream success over the years and this track being more of a media frenzy than anything else. It failed to get to number one over there, which leaves you to wonder if it was a hit because of the media frenzy or their love of the film Armageddon.

The success that Ace of base achieved with their first two singles in the UK was the inverse of their success in America, namely that this was the huge chart topper whilst "The sign" (which we'll revisit in a bit) failed to get to number one over there. Outside of this, their success in both countries was identical to each other.

I guess Cher's fellow Americans weren't big fans of Mermaids as its theme song failed to become a hit for her on Billboard, fortunately the Brits were as it was her first UK chart topper since "I got you babe" with her ex-husband Sonny Bonny 25 years prior. Naturally this led to the song becoming a massive hit in Australia and NZ.

This is the only entry from Eurovision on this list, there were other songs that charted in the UK from the song contest, however this was the only one that the Brits really seemed to like and by extension us Aussies and even eventually the Americans. It's hard to say if this was a hit down under because of its success in the UK or if we Aussies were supporting oner of our own (probably the former.)

I'm shocked that this was the Brits introduction to Shania Twain given how she almost topped the Billboard charts with "You're still the one" a year prior to its release, then again, they were never that interested in country music, and this is a pop remix of a song from the album which was much less pop friendly on said album.

Either Americans didn't like the steamy sex scene this song played over in Ghost or the Righteous brother's label forgot to reissue this song in America due to how popular that scene was. Either way, this song's absence on my Billboard list is puzzling as it was a massive worldwide chart topper for the 60's legends including in the UK.

Given how this managed to make in on my Billboard list of the 90's, it's only fitting that it would be a massive chart topper for B*witched in their homeland. Their other two big hits they had in the southern hemisphere are still to come on this list, however they didn't do much better in their homeland outside of these three hits.

Given how this was a massive chart topper for No doubt in Australia and NZ, it only makes sense it would also be a chart topper for them in the UK even though they didn't have another hit throughout the 90's over there. Again, this being released as a single didn't hamper the success of Tragic kingdom like their American label thought it would.

This is one of two entries from R Kelly on this list, I'm not that surprised this was a hit in the UK given how popular Space jam was at the time of its release. He would've had three entries on here had "If I could turn back the hands of time" caught on anywhere else in the world.

This is one of only three entries from Boyzone on here, it would've been the first of nine had their other six hits they had in their homeland found international success. At least their hit to miss ratio internationally is better than their main rivals Take that as they only had the one international hit.

Janet only has four entries on this list, I didn't skip any of her entries either like I did for the Billboard list from a few months back, meaning that she wasn't anywhere near as popular in the UK as she was internationally. Heck, she never even made it to number one on the UK charts, although she might have had this not been released in the Christmas of 1997.

It turns out this was also featured in the film Sliver with the Brits must've been huge fans of as this was also a UK chart topper for Shaggy, I just assumed this was a hit due to the reggae phenomenon that exploded upon its initial release which to be fair is likely still the reason as to why it was an international hit for the Jamaican rapper.

Bryan Adams had far better luck throughout the 90's in the UK than he did in the 80's, this is his second appearance on this list even if he had Sporty Spice to thank for its success as she was one of the hottest names in music due to her involvement with the Spice girls at the time of its release.

Much like here in Australia, this required two attempts to find an audience with D:ream's fellow Brits as it was a massive flop for them upon its initial release in early 1993. In fact, it was exactly a year old when it finally became a chart topper for the Irish group which of course led to its massive success here in Australia soon after.

I'm not sure how the Brits got a hold of this track from the Outhere brothers, however this and their other big hit they had here in Australia both went to number one on the UK charts which no doubt led to them both crossing over in the southern hemisphere. Naturally it's doubtful that their fellow Americans even know this song even exists.

Hey look, it didn't take us as long to feature an MJ track on this list like it did on the Billboard equivalent from a few months back, although it's curious to see that this was his biggest hit in the UK throughout the 90's given how hard it is to find it on his greatest hits compilations his label has released over the years.

All three of Britney's hits from the 90's will be appearing on this list, although I think you've figured out by now that teen pop was far more lucrative in the UK than it was in her native America by the late 90's. There wasn't a single place in the world where this song charted that didn't have it as a number one hit to give you an idea of how inescapable it was.

This was a sleeper hit for Gabrielle over in America, likely because it was a massive chart topper for her in her homeland as well as nearly topping our charts here in Australia back in the day. I have no idea why this flopped over in NZ as this would've been an easy shoe in for their RNB scene back in the day.

I still don't know why this underperformed in America; however we can thank the Brits for why it was a huge international success as they seemed to like this track and possible Bulworth enough for it to nearly top their charts upon its initial release. This was the only solo success any member of the Fugees had in the UK for the record.

This is another song that was a sleeper hit in America throughout the decade, likely because it was a massive hit in the UK for Haddaway to the point where it nearly got him to number one over there. The Brits gave him two more hits from his debut album, both of them would've made it on this list had they been hits internationally.

All but one of Will Smith's solo hits from the 90's will be appearing on this list (that being "Just the two of us") this should give you an idea of how inescapable the rapper turned film star was by the time he released the theme song to his film Men in black which was a huge worldwide success both critically and commercially.

Given how RNB wasn't as popular in the UK as it was internationally throughout the 90s (heck even the Australian equivalent of this list has better representation of it) it seems a little bit of a surprise that this collaboration between two of the bigger names in the genre would nearly top the charts over there. This makes it a rare example of a double one hit wonder from the same track.

It looks like Australia was the only place in the world where these guys weren't one hit wonders, admittedly that required us to overlook the fact they were the latest project from Frank Farian who had disgraced himself and the music industry earlier in the decade when it was revealed Milli Vanilli wasn't who they claimed to be.

Bryan Adams was on a roll when he released his greatest hits package So far so good, again this didn't reach the dizzying heights of success in the UK it achieved here in Australia, however it did confirm him as a household name as nothing else from Waking up the neighbours managed to catch on over there.

Guys I'm happy to report that this wasn't the first hip hop chart topper on the UK charts like it was on Billboard, although admittedly the song that beat this to the punch isn't that much more respectable in the hip hop community. This was his only hit over there as "Play that funky music" bombed on the UK charts just like it did here in Australia.

OK slight correction from before, this was only a hit here in Australia and not NZ which I implied with the duo's earlier entry on this list. Again, I have no idea how the Brits came across both of these singles as they both bombed in their native America, however they did and made them chart toppers which resulted in their international success.

It took us a while to get here, but we're finally revisiting THE dance craze of the 90's and arguably of the twentieth century on this list. Despite this being a complete novelty, this failed to get to number one in the UK, meaning we have Americans to thank for why this took off globally and not the Brits.

If you were disappointed by the lack of representation from Elton John on my 80's list, you'll be slightly less so here as he has a few other entries to come and even had a candidate with "True love," his reunion with Kiki Dee from 1993. As for this entry, his label decided to bundle "Healing hands" with "Sacrifice" to ensure he began the 90's with a UK chart topper which is exactly what happened.

This was too minor of a hit in America to make it on my Billboard list, fortunately it was a huge chart topper for Culture beat over in the UK which allowed the German band's debut single to comfortably make it this high on my list. Their other two hits are still to come on this list, making them one of the bigger names in EDM and Europop throughout the 90's over there.

Is anyone surprised that this remix of the 1983 classic became a hit in the southern hemisphere because it was as such in the UK? File Jason Nevins in the category of an American dance act (or DJ in this case) finding massive worldwide success despite being a no name on the Billboard charts.

This is one of only two entries from TLC on this list, they're another group on here that never had a chart topper in the UK despite this being a massive chart topper for them throughout the rest of the world. At least we Aussies gave them an additional two hits back in the day outside of their two signature tracks.

It's a good thing I decided to include sleeper hits on the Australian side of my site, otherwise I wouldn't be able to feature the only hit any member from Stars on 54 managed to achieve in the UK throughout the 90's. Again, I don't know how the Brits came across this track from Ultra Nate, however they loved it enough to give it this high a placement on my list.

Given how this was a reggae track that was a massive chart topper on Billboard, it was obviously a shoe in for success over in the UK for Snow as it has novelty going for it as well which the Brits seem to love. This was his only hit over there as they didn't have enough love for the rest of his catalogue to make it a success.

Two entries from the king of pop within the top 100 of my list? If this isn't proof that the Brits were more in love with MJ during the midpoint of the 90's, then I don't know what is. I'm guessing that they were unaffected by the media frenzy he was involved with which likely explains why his fellow Americans were wary of him at the time.

This was one of only two chart toppers that the queen of pop had in the UK throughout the 90's, hey it's one more than she achieved here in Australia I'll tell you that much. It'll take us a while before we see another entry from her as like us Aussies, the Brits didn't make any of her other singles a household name even though they gave her plenty of them.

Much like everywhere outside of America, this was rereleased not because it was featured in a pivotal moment in Wayne's world, but rather because of the tragic passing of Freddie Mercury in late 1991. Unlike the rest of the world, they had a chart topper month prior to this with "Innuendo" despite that not being a candidate for this list.

For whatever reason, this wasn't released as a single in America, meaning it had no chance of becoming a hit as it naturally didn't receive that much airplay over there (because why would you overplay this novelty track even in 1991?) This was an easy chart topper for Nancy Cartwright and MJ over in the UK due to the popularity of the second season of the Simpsons at the time.

As this was a massive worldwide chart topper for Sinead O'Connor, it only makes sense that her fellow Brits would also make it a chart topper in her homeland. Were it not for an entry that's still to come on this list, this would've been the closest that Prince had to a number one hit in the UK given how he donated it to her.

If you're wondering why I had to specific Will Smith's solo career from earlier, that's because this is the only hit he had with DJ Jazzy Jeff over in the UK as was the case here in Australia. The song was equally as popular in both countries despite it being a massive outlier compared to the rest of the duo's catalogue.

Here we are with the second hit that Ace of base had outside their native Sweden (their second hit there was "Happy nation") like I said earlier, it's success in the UK parallels what their earlier entry achieved in America which evens out the overall success they had on both sides of the pond.

Both of Enigma's international hits will be appearing on this list, this wound up being the bigger hit for them in the UK (it technically was in America but it's hard to know for sure due to how unreliable the Billboard charts were back then.) The lawsuit this song faced meant that even the Brits didn't want to support the duo on their third album.

Unlike in America where this was an instant chart topper for Ini Kamoze, it appears the Brits weren't interested in this track until it became a huge chart topper on Billboard given how the film it was made for Pret a porter was panned by critics at the time. It may have a relatively low peak position, however we've established by this point this means nothing for a song's success.

This song was released multiple times in the UK throughout the 90's, although it was only on its third attempt that it became a hit for N trance in their homeland. Naturally it was due to this story of perseverance that we Aussies decided to check it out where it became a massive hit for them here as well.

While it didn't last as long in their homeland as it did here in Australia, at least it wasn't a quick chart topper for Boyzone before leaving the charts like it was in NZ which makes this a happy middle ground for them in these rankings. This would've been their final entry on this list had I not allowed NZ hits to qualify for these lists.