UK hits of the 90's II

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.

Things were off to an excellent start for Beats international when they released their debut single at the start of the decade, not only was it a huge international hit for the EDM group, but it also went straight to number one on the UK charts. Sadly, this was their only hit in their homeland, although they scored a second hit in NZ with "In the ghetto" in 1992.

If you were worried that this failing to become to the first hip hop chart topper in the UK meant that it underperformed over there like it did in MC Hammer's homeland, then you can rest assure that isn't the case as the Brits fell in love with his breakthrough from the start of the decade. Just not enough to make it a chart topper like us Aussies and kiwis.

I'm not sure why this connected with the Brits exactly given how it was only a hit through physical sales on Billboard, however it was the fact this nearly topped the UK charts that it became a worldwide smash for 4 non blondes back in the day. They're a one hit wonder over there just like everywhere else in the world.

Whereas "Bad boys" was the breakthrough single for Inner circle in America and NZ, this was their breakthrough single here in Australia as well as the UK which is why it appears on here as opposed to their other novelty track. They are a one hit wonder over there as opposed to NZ where they were one of the biggest names of the decade.

The Brits were just as in love with the Latin craze as the Americans were during the late 90's, it makes sense as there was a bit of a Latin craze from a decade prior as we saw going through my 80's list. By far the biggest name of the second craze over there was Ricky Martin who had the biggest hit with his English debut single.

I guess Americans weren't big fans of Days of thunder given how its theme song wasn't a hit on Billboard, the rest of the world seemed to be however including the Brits as this was a massive chart topper for Maria McKee on the UK charts. If we include songs she's written for others, this is her second chart topper following "A good heart" from five years prior.

We looked at Rednex's attempt at fusing country with EDM earlier on this list, time now to revisit the song that no doubt inspired them as this was a huge hit for the Grid in their homeland just like it was here in Australia. I'm not sure if the video had helped or hindered its success as I can see it being impressive for its time even though it looks horrifying now.

Whereas this failed to get to number one in her homeland, this was Mariah Carey's first chart topper in the UK as well as it being her biggest hit to date (going by original chart runs that is) I should warn my readers that she won't have the same amount of presence on this list as she had on my Billboard list moving forwards.

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 the only appearance of the Tamperer on my list, although they did have a minor hit in the UK with "If you buy this record" meaning they were a two-hit wonder over there like they were in NZ. It's little wonder as to how this was a chart topper for them over there given how it nostalgia bombs "Can you feel it" eighteen years after its original release.

If I had to determine which EDM/Eurodance artist had the most success in the UK, it would easily be Snap as they have two songs from their catalogue that went to number one over there and were so inescapable that they crossed over to America to boot. This was the first of their chart toppers and one that set the stage up for these two genres throughout the 90's.

We looked at Richard Marx's first big hit in the UK on my 80's list, time now to look at his other big hit he had with the Brits which he achieved the same time this was topping the Australian charts for the soft rocker. This was a modest success for him in his homeland, just not enough of one to make it on my Billboard lists.

This is the only appearance from U2 on this list, even then I feel it was only a hit in their homeland due to how much audiences loved Batman forever despite receiving mixed reviews from critics at the time. They of course had other hits in their homeland throughout the decade, although I consider them "fan singles" and thus ineligible for this list.

All eight of the Spice girls 90's hits will be reappearing on this list, they also all went to number one in their homeland except for "Stop" (which coincidentally is my favourite song from them) which goes to show you how inescapable they were in their homeland. Even though this was an instant hit for them in the UK and NZ, its release was heavily delayed here in Australia.

Given how the Brits didn't become more receptive towards RNB like we Aussies did, it meant that EDM would continue to reign over their mainstream even going into the 00's. This means that this debut single from Alice deejay managed to be an even bigger hit over there as well as peak just before the decade came to an end.

There will only be two entries from the Prodigy on this list, although they would've had six had the single from their first two albums found an audience with us Aussies and kiwis back in the day. As the Brits didn't have a strong indie scene like we Aussies did (at least not strong enough to compete with their mainstream) this meant that their signature track didn't last forever in a day on their charts like it did on ours.

Given how Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush" didn't get to number one in the UK like it did on Billboard (we'll be revisiting it later down the list) this means that Color me badd's debut single had no issue with topping the UK charts where it failed to do so in their homeland. We'll look at the other hit they had down under later down this list as that too was a big hit in the UK.

If you can believe it, it turns out these guys were more successful here in Australia than they were in their homeland as they only have four entries on this list out of the six hits they had here (it would've been five out of seven had "If you ever" with Gabrielle crossed over here.) This was their biggest hit in their homeland as it was marketed as a Christmas single which led to it topping the Christmas charts of 1994.

This was the other big hit that Chaka Demus and Pliers had internationally, it was the only song of theirs to top the UK charts likely due to it being a cover of a Beatles classic which is always a surefire way to win over the Brits. They would've had one more entry on here had "She don't let nobody" been a hit in either Australia or NZ.

Given how it was his only international hit, it only makes sense that this would be a huge chart topper for Jimmy Nail in his homeland despite sounding out of place with the other hits of 1992 more so on the UK charts. He had two other noteworthy hits in his homeland, the first was "Love don't live here anymore" from 1985 whilst the second is "Crocodile shoes" from 1994, both worthy candidates for these lists.

I wasn't expecting to find out that the Brits were also big fans of Reality bites back in the day as both the big hits from the soundtrack will be appearing on this list, this was the bigger of the two due to it being a reggae cover of a 70's staple which was a shoe in for success in the UK. Even so I wasn't expecting this to nearly top their charts like it wound up doing.

All three of the KLF's biggest hits of the decade will be accounted for on this list, this was the biggest of the three and even became a moderate success on Billboard following its success in the southern hemisphere. They would've had a fourth entry with "What time is love" had that been a hit outside of their homeland.

This feels like a more worthy placement for this collaboration between Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, indeed the Brits were just as impressed with this theme song to Mo money as we Aussies were as it was almost a chart topper for the pair in both countries. Whether this was due to Janet's artist momentum or our love for the film is anyone's guess (though it's probably the latter.)

Three out of the four hits that Eternal had in the southern hemisphere will be appearing on this list, evidently their fellow Brits weren't that impressed with "Power of a woman" like we Aussies were back in the day. This was by far their biggest hit in their homeland as it was their only chart topper likely due to the chorus provided by Bebe Winans.

It looks like America was the only place in the world where this was the lead single to Falling into you and not the title track as this too was the second single from the album over in the UK, this had the same method of success over there as it did in NZ where it failed to get to number one but stuck around for quite a bit due to her presence at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996.

Here's the other big hit that Toni Braxton had in the UK, it was due to its success over there that it managed to crossover here in Australia despite it already being a massive hit in America and NZ when it became a hit with the Brits. It's crazy to think that it almost topped the charts in Australia, NZ and the UK but was only #3 in her homeland.

Given how this flopped in K7's native America, I have to wonder how both the Brits and the kiwis came across his debut single as I can't find any reason as to why it was a hit in both countries that wouldn't involve its success in his homeland. It was more of a mainstream hit in the UK as opposed to NZ where it was a sleeper hit for him.

En vogue have three entries on this list, two as lead artists and one as a featured artist. They weren't quite as inescapable in the UK as they were in their homeland, however it's clear that the Brits were in love with their brand of RNB including on their biggest worldwide hit that's also one of several hits to spawn from the Set it off soundtrack.

This was the final hit that New order had anywhere in the world, they rebranded themselves as Englandneworder due to this being the theme for the 1990 FIFA world cup. It was a decent hit over in NZ hence how it appears on this list, however the rest of the world were clearly done with the new wave band by this point.

I have to assume that the Brits weren't bothered by the 1999 film adaptation this theme song is named after as the rest of the world was given how it comfortably saw the bulk of its success in the UK despite failing to get to number one over there. The film was a box office success despite being considered one of the worst films of the decade.

Although this is the only appearance from the Shamen on this list, they would've had four more had any of their other songs crossed over outside of their homeland. Indeed, this might be one of the most controversial songs on this list as many feel this is a not-so-subtle jingle for ecstasy, it certainly didn't prevent it from being a UK chart topper for them.

These guys were among the likes of Tears for fears, Kim Wilde and the Fine young cannibals when it came to British artists who scored chart toppers everywhere in the world except on the UK charts, then they released this track during the midpoint of the 90's which finally got them out of this exclusive club they found themselves in.

If you're wondering how this failed to appear on my 90's list, that's because it didn't peak until 2000 in America due to how late it was released this decade internationally. Naturally this was a shoe in for this list even if it appears it didn't do as well in the UK as it did in the southern hemisphere for the Italian trio.

My American readers will claim this to be the signature track from 2 unlimited given how it stuck around the Billboard charts for quite some time despite never actually taking off over there, it was certainly their first big hit as it nearly topped the UK charts upon its initial release over there.

It turns out the world's love for this debut single from the nephews of MJ began when it nearly topped the British charts given how this wasn't a particularly big hit in their native America back in the day. Although this is their only candidate for this list, they did have a few other minor hits over there, proving that the Brits took them seriously as artists.

It became obvious going over the NZ charts of the 90's that the kiwis were suckers for reggae, here's further proof that they loved it more than the Brits as this wasn't as big for Bitty Mclean in his homeland as it was over there despite coming close to topping the British charts. He would've had a second entry on this list had the kiwis made "Dedicated to the one I love" a hit over there.

Well at least both of their international hits were fairly close to each other in terms of their UK success, indeed this was a massive hit for Enigma in the UK before it saw the light of day here in Australia, NZ or in America for the German duo.

If you thought it was weird that Warren G only had two hits in his native America back in the day, imagine how much weirder it is that he had a bunch of other hits in the UK including one that's still to come on this list that didn't feature on my Billboard list from a while back. Admittedly it won't be "This DJ" as it appears that only saw minor success following his breakthrough with this track.

I mentioned that the Americans didn't care much for the Bad boy's soundtrack on my Billboard list a while back, this is because the success of its soundtrack comes from the UK as this and MN8's contribution to the album both barely missed out on getting to number one on the UK charts back in the day. It makes sense this was a near chart topper for Diana King given that it's a reggae track.

The Brits certainly loved their EDM at the start of the decade, so much so that this nearly became a chart topper for Stevie V and company as well as a sleeper hit here in Australia due to how groovy we Aussies and Brits felt the track was. Sadly, this was their only hit in both countries due to its novelty factor.

Although this peaked higher in Urban cookie collective's native UK, it did just as well in their homeland as it did here in Australia which suggests both audiences found it equally as appealing as the other. Their other big hit down under "Feels like heaven" wasn't enough of one in their homeland to be appearing on this list I'm afraid.

It turns out these guys are a one hit wonder in the UK as "Wrap me up" bombed over there despite it being their bigger hit here in Australia, at least this nearly topped the British charts as it explains how we Aussies came across this track as opposed to many other EDM tracks that failed to become a hit over there.

This is the only appearance that Cliff Richard will be making on this list, he would've also appeared with "Saviour's Day" had that been a hit at the start of the decade in the southern hemisphere, but alas it wasn't. Still the fact he only had two candidates for these lists that failed to appear on here should tell you how much we Aussies and kiwis loved the aging crooner.

The 80's just kept on going as far as Erasure was concerned in their homeland, they would've had three more entries on this list had they scored a hit outside of their E.P that pays tribute to Abba. This was the duo's only chart topper in their homeland even though they scored a ton of hits that were eligible for these lists of mine.

I have no idea what took us Aussies so long to make this a sleeper hit for Tasmin Archer given how this was a massive chart topper for her in her homeland, I'm also shocked that this bombed over in NZ given how this would've been a shoe in for the RNB that was dominating their music landscape throughout the decade.

We have the other environmental song that MJ released in his catalogue appearing on this list, it's a bit weird how this was the biggest hit off of Dangerous in the UK given how it failed to hit number one over there as opposed to its lead single (which we'll revisit in a bit.)

Remember what I said about the Brits not being into heavier rock and roll, this track from Spin doctors is about as heavy as we're going to get on this list given how the Brits found this too catchy to not make it a hit for them on the UK charts. It was definitely more of a hit over there than it was in their homeland given how this was a mere honourable mention on my Billboard list.

This was Underworld's only hit as far as their fellow Brits are concerned, how we Aussies came across "Underneath the radar" six years prior is anyone's guess given how that didn't even chart in their homeland. Heck this was only a hit due to its inclusion on the Trainspotting soundtrack, meaning it was bound to be a success given how well loved that film remains to this day.

I bet you felt the absence of these guys on my 80's list for the UK, it turns out the Brits weren't that of fans of these two as they only have one other entry to come on this list without me skipping any of their other tracks. I feel this was a hit over there more due to the Brits love for Pretty woman rather than finally clicking with their brand of pop rock.

This managed to be equally as successful as their debut single from three years prior in the UK, meaning that the Brits almost allowed them to have two chart toppings singles over there before they finally started having success in their homeland. That said, this was a minor hit on the Billboard charts, just too minor for it to mean anything.

This was KLF's only chart topper single in their homeland, unless of course we include their mocking of the Dr who fanbase from 1988 given how they released that track under the pseudonym of the Timelords. As you can tell, this wasn't as big as their earlier entry on this list in their homeland which was also the case in NZ where that track was a number one hit.

I'm guessing this managed to find an audience with us Aussies and kiwis due to how well it did in the UK for Jon Secada, this makes sense as the Brits always seem to have a soft spot for Latin flavoured pop even if that love didn't extend to any of the other songs from his catalogue.

This is the final entry from Bryan Adams, although I feel that Rod Stewart and Sting equally contributed to this song's success given how popular those two were in their homeland over the years. This didn't quite reach the top spot over there, suggesting the Brits weren't too big of fans of Disney's adaptation of the Three musketeers.

We only have three entries from Take that on this list, although my British readers can rest assure that they likely would've had the most entries on here as they had eight other tracks from their catalogue that were candidates for this list ("Could it be magic" would've even appeared as their highest entry despite it failing to get to number one.) At least this was also a hit in America, like due to it being a chart topper here in Australia.

This is the only chart topper Prince had as a leading artist in the UK, like I said he would've had two if his version of Sinead O'Connor's earlier entry been released over there instead of her version. My favourite fact about this song is that due to him insisting on being referred to as ♀ (I had to improvise with using his Love symbol name) the British media instead referred to him as the Artist formerly known as Prince when talking about this track.

This was the biggest hit that the Vengaboys had in the UK given how it was their first chart topper over there, this is after scoring two hits (one of which is still to come) which were both massive hits for the Dutch band that both revolved around the Vengabus which they used for their promotional material for their debut album.

Given how this was a big hit here in Australia for both comedian Vic Reeves and indie band the Wonder stuff, it's little surprise that the charity single would be a chart topper for them in their homeland even if it appears to have only been a hit through charity as opposed to us Aussies genuinely enjoying the track.

This was equally as popular in the UK as it was in Billy Joel's native America, meaning that it was in fact more popular in the southern hemisphere as this was a chart topper for him in Australia and NZ. Even though this was a massive worldwide hit for the American piano man, he to this day refuses to release another album in his catalogue.

It's easy to forget that this song was already a hit throughout Europe by the time it was included on the Chef aid episode of South Park, in fact I'm willing to bet that this nearly topping the UK charts was what convinced Trey Parker and Matt Stone to include it on the soundtrack as well as in the episode which of course solidified its legacy as a sex jam.

Much like in NZ, this was a hit on time in the UK as opposed to it taking its sweet time to find its success on the Billboard charts. I guess we Aussies were done with Whitney by the end of the decade as Australia was one of the few places in the world where this bombed back in the day.

You'd think this would've been a chart topper in East 17's homeland given how it was by far their biggest hit here in Australia, it turns out that their fellow Brits weren't as interested in this bonus track from the deluxe edition of Walthamstow as we Aussies were even though it was nonetheless a massive hit for the boy band.

It appears the kiwis were following the Brits lead when it came to making the TMNT soundtrack given how this was a huge chart topper for the novelty hip hop duo Partners in Kryme. For what it's worth, this was the song I was referring to when talking about Vanilla Ice earlier on this list.

This had to be a novelty sensation in America somehow, indeed it was the Brits who discovered this track from German singer Lou Bega even though it was more of a hit here in Australia and NZ despite it also being a chart topper on the UK charts. All of this promotion and he still failed to score a second hit anywhere in the world.

We have a returning entry from the 80's list, this is the only song to do so given how it peaked in Soul II soul's homeland right when the 80's had become the 90's. Had it been a hit here, Jason Donovan's "When you come back to me" would've also achieved this feat on my site.

She may not have had much success in the UK throughout the 80's, however that didn't mean the Brits didn't have nostalgic love for her debut single when she rerecorded it for its tenth anniversary (technically eleventh as it actually came out in 1983.) As this was a reggae rendition of that classic, it was bound to be a success over in NZ even if it bombed here in Australia.

In a bit of a twist, this reggae track that nearly topped the British charts was a crossover success here in Australia instead of NZ like you'd think. The fact it was a hit down under (albeit a sleeper hit) ensured its placement on this list for the Jamaican singer.

This is the other big hit that TLC had in the UK, much like with Toni Braxton, it was only when this crossed over there that it became a hit here in Australia despite it being a chart topper for the trio in NZ and their native America prior to its release in Britain.

This was just as popular as "Straight up" in the UK for Paula Abdul even though this came closer to topping the British charts than that single back in the day. I guess this was the final incentive us Aussies needed in giving her a hit here as this managed to top our charts just like it did on Billboard at the start of the decade.

I would've been stunned if this had of flopped in the UK given how this has all the hallmarks of becoming a massive hit with the Brits from being a novelty track to its style over substance marketing. There's a reason why there's the meme of naming an Icelandic musician other than Bjork as until recently, she was the only Icelandic artist to find international success.

I guess this being a massive hit for the Tony Rich project in the UK was what compelled us Aussies to make it a hit back in the day, even so, it's staggering to think that this nearly topped our charts given how that wasn't the case in the UK for the RNB group.

I stand by this being a sequel to "I'm on fire" given how that was the previous hit that Bruce Springsteen had in the UK nine years prior to when this became a worldwide success due to it winning an Oscar for best original song. Much like the rest of the world, this was his final hit in the UK despite "Secret Garden" becoming a hit here in Australia.

Again, given how EDM wasn't showing any signs of slowing down in the UK like it was here in Australia; it makes sense that this would be a huge chart topper on their charts as opposed to a mere top ten hit on ours. This is ATB's only entry on this list despite him having a second hit over there with "Don't stop" like he did over here.