A while back, I made a list of the biggest hits in Australia throughout the 00’s. Unlike what I did for the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, I used someone else’s ranking which means I didn’t specify how well a song did on each respective chart. My reasoning was because the AMR have been unofficial since 1999 given that’s when David Kent stopped publishing them, however I then reminded myself that my rankings throughout this side of my site have been based on those charts rather than the ARIA charts as I feel the former is more reliable than the latter. And so, I present to you the biggest hits of the decade with both charts combined.
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#49 for 2005
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for the Script even in their native UK, although the failure of this track over there was likely due to them already having a massive hit with "The man who can't be moved" over there. It was given a second chance here in Australia for some reason which eventually allowed it to crossover to America the following year.
#54 for 2009
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#47 for 2000
This was the penultimate hit that Five had before their demise later in the decade, I'm guessing because fans of the iconic band they were covering on this track (who not only gave them approval to cover it but also provided updated instrumentation for them to sing over) were none too thrilled at the boy bands take of one of their more iconic songs in their catalogue.
#48 for 2000
Much like Daft punk, this was also a French duo who scored a massive hit at the start of the decade with an EDM number, although unlike Daft punk, they wouldn't last very long in the mainstream as they would disband later in the decade. Honestly there's not much more I can add to this track other than them being a less successful version of those guys.
#49 for 2000
#48 for 2001
This is the second and final hit to come from Geri Halliwell, it serves as the lead single to both her second album and the Bridget Jones' diary soundtrack given how it's a cover of the Weather girls classic that recaptures the camp nature of the original. This was the last hit to come from any member of the Spice girls as none of their other material would touch the charts once this fell off.
#49 for 2001
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#47 for 2002
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#42 for 2003
#45 for 2004
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#45 for 2006
This was the last hit to come from Evanescence, mainly because it serves as the lead single for an album that many people will tell you was more of the same from their debut album three years prior. Indeed, while the album was a massive success, it was panned by critics for failing to innovate their sound which resulted in their subsequent material failing to find much of an audience.
#48 for 2006
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#46 for 2006
#47 for 2007
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#47 for 2006
#48 for 2007
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#55 for 2009
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#56 for 2009
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#53 for 2000
I guess Duets was a box office hit here in Australia, either that or we Aussies really wanted to allow Gwyneth Paltrow to have a singing career as her cover of the Jackie DeShannon classic (which was used to showcase how weak of a vocalist she was in the film) became a huge hit this year here and nowhere else in the world. This was the only other hit she had as none of her other singles charted down under.
#50 for 2001
Again, I promised myself I was going to be nice with each and every entry on this site, so I'll have to put aside my very negative feelings towards this "parody" of the Lou Bega hit from two years prior and instead talk about how this got Bob the Builder out of the one hit wonder bin that his theme song threatened to trap him in. I guess this was a success due to it being less problematic than the song it's obviously ripping off.
#51 for 2001
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#43 for 2003
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#57 for 2009
Although the kiwis were quick in making Missy Elliott a household name in the late 90's, we Aussies didn't give the female rapper a chance until she released what would be her biggest hit in her native America, even then it had a slow rise to its success as it was released towards the end of the previous year down under. This is Missy's signature track as it is the perfect example of her displaying her sexual nature despite being aware she's not conventionally attractive.
#49 for 2003
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#44 for 2003
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#45 for 2003
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#48 for 2006
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#49 for 2007
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#50 for 2007
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#51 for 2007
It seems strange that this was the only genuine hit that MGMT managed to achieve here in Australia, mainly because I do remember hearing both "Time to pretend" and especially "Kids" a lot on the radio back in the day given how they were both used in commercials like this was. At least the album this came from was a massive success, and hey, they were well loved on Triple J as well.
#52 for 2008
This was the final hit that Ciara had anywhere in the world, although it had a chorus provided to her from JT, so it was guaranteed to be a hit for her given that he was still considered a cheat code when it came to artists scoring hits this decade. That said, this would be the last time this would be the case as everything he touched once the new decade rolled around had a difficult time becoming a hit worldwide.
#55 for 2009
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#54 for 2000
This was one of two hits that the German EDM group Fragma had throughout the world at the start of the decade, the other was with "Everytime you need me" which sadly was too much of a sleeper hit here in Australia to be appearing on this site. I guess the EDM scene was still going strong going into the new millennium even if it was quickly losing steam in the mainstream compared to how inescapable it was in the 90's.
#50 for 2000
If you're wondering why there was a huge gap between this and "What a girl wants" (which we'll get to in a bit) that's because there was a song released between these two Billboard chart toppers called "I turn to you" which was a massive flop worldwide for the (then) Disney star. I'm guessing this was chosen as the fourth single from her debut album to showcase what a powerhouse of a vocalist she is.
#51 for 2000
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#55 for 2001
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#48 for 2002
It appears Beyonce and Shakira watched the Bette Midler flick Outrageous fortune and wanted to make a song based on that movie's plot of her and Shelley Long falling in love with the same man only to find out he had been lying to both of them (minus the terrorist subplot of course.) The result is this song which was the second single off the former's deluxe edition of her second solo album and a massive worldwide hit for them both.
#54 for 2007
It was a new decade and yet it appears that the EDM scene hadn't quite reached the end of its popularity in Australia as this trance single from Alice Deejay proved to be a massive success for them during the early months of the 00's. I'm guessing the reason why they didn't stick around for the rest of the decade was because they angered rock fans by titling their album who needs guitars anyway, that's a recipe for disaster.
#52 for 2000
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#55 for 2000
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#56 for 2000
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#46 for 2003
This was originally released in 1999 to deafening silence worldwide, I'm guessing because it has one of the most messed up videos of all time that was likely inspired by the cartoon series Angela Anaconda (anyone remember that show?) as well as it being little than Fatman Scoop shouting throughout the track. It was given a second chance towards the end of last year where it became a worldwide smash.
#41 for 2004
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#46 for 2004
This is the final hit to come from 50 cent before he became yesterday's news in the realms of hip hop, I think he already was by this stage but still scored a hit due to having JT on the chorus during the height of the RNB singer's own popularity. Nowadays 50 cent is best known for his problematic social media where he constantly says inappropriate things online to further justify him getting cancelled.
#55 for 2007
This is another song that arrived a little late to the party here in Australia, I'm guessing because T-Pain wasn't a big deal here in Australia until this year where this and Flo Rida's track from the start of the list made him an overnight sensation despite both tracks having him without autotune. As for this song in particular, this was the lead single to Chris Brown's second album which also remains his most popular in his career.
#53 for 2008
You'd think that Rob Thomas's reunion with Matchbox 20 from two years prior would've been more permanent, however it was only for one single as he released his second solo album before he got back together with the band to record their (to date) final album North in 2012. This was a big hit in Australia this year, although I don't remember hearing it much due to coming out around the time MJ tragically passed away.
#56 for 2009
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#56 for 2001
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#47 for 2004
Kelis is only a two-hit wonder here in Australia with both of her entries on this list, however she was one of the biggest names in music throughout the decade in Europe due to her scoring a bunch of hits over there including both of these entries. She's also only a two-hit wonder in America, although this wasn't one of those hits as "Bossy" was her other hit on Billboard from two years later.
#42 for 2004
This was always destined to be a huge hit for Kylie Minogue given how it was the second single from her album Light years which saw her return to bubble-gum pop that made her a household name in the 80's, however it was also a success here due to it being performed at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics which seemed appropriate given how it was a song about how special a night was for her.
#53 for 2000
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#48 for 2004
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#49 for 2006
#52 for 2007
This was about as equally successful as "Right thurr" from the previous year regardless of where in the world you're from, this means that audiences wanted to hear Chingy rap about him being romantic to someone he's interested in as much as whatever his debut single was supposed to be about. He had to more hits in his catalogue (one of which is still to come) before people became bored of his music.
#43 for 2004
This was the fourth and final single to come from BEP's first album with Fergie, although I should point out that this song was called "Let's get retarded" on the album which makes the lyrics about acting stupid make a bit more sense even if it also makes the song ableist as heck. Naturally the band changed the offending word to avoid any implications that they were down is that sort of behaviour.
#44 for 2004
This will be the only appearance from Natasha Bedingfield on these lists as it was her only hit here in Australia despite having huge international success even in America, I guess we Aussies wanted to hear her song about how writing a song is difficult even when it's only meant to be a simple love song and not anything else from her. At least it was bigger than either of her older brothers hits down under.
#45 for 2004
I guess Snoop Dogg had return to what made him a household name a decade prior on this track given how he presented himself as a pimp that was in charge of the club scene on this track, although he brought back Pharrell from "Beautiful" to ease his new fanbase into the type of music his core fanbase loved him for. It was a much bigger hit worldwide for the rapper likely due to us Aussies not being into club music at the time.
#49 for 2005
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#50 for 2005
This was written for this year's opening ceremony for the Commonwealth games in Melbourne by Delta Goodrem and her (then) fiancé Brian McFadden, it was an instant success due to how inescapably popular she was following the success of her first two albums throughout the decade.
#49 for 2006
This is the second song from JT to address his failed relationship with Britney Spears, although this one seems much more caustic than "Cry me a river" mainly because it came out during the height of her meltdown which (in my opinion) says a lot about the type of person he really is in retrospect. I guess if you divorce the context of what this song is about, it's easy to see how this was a huge success from him back in the day.
#56 for 2007
Well, this this fourth single from Loose says (or third if you're from the UK) all good things come to an end which is what happened for Nelly Furtado once the album cycle ended this year as she's yet to find another hit anywhere in the world with her subsequent material. At least she managed to have four massive hits in a row worldwide from an album that got her out of the one album wonder bin.
#57 for 2007
This is another song that was way bigger here in Australia than its placement on this list otherwise suggests, this time it's the victory single from the second and final band to win Popstars Australia before the series switched to having solo contestants on the show rather than groups like its first two seasons.
#52 for 2001
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#57 for 2001
Well, I did mention when I talked about the original version of this track that this version was a much bigger hit here in Australia a mere three years later, so here we are with this version which was the only other hit that Blue was able to achieve here likely due to our familiarity with the original. I feel they were the 00's equivalent of MN8 as they too combined harsher RNB elements with the boy band sound.
#53 for 2001
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#47 for 2003
This is a song that on its own is inoffensive enough (heck it can even be inspirational) however was ruined by many people due to that infamous performance on SNL where this track played instead of "Autobiography" which was the song Ashlee was meant to perform when that moment happened. For what it's worth, she wasn't entirely lip syncing that night and only had a backing track to enhance her performance that of course backfired.
#46 for 2004
This was the fifth hit in a row that the Pussycat dolls had here in Australia, it was a massive success here due to it being a female empowerment anthem about how they don't need the satisfaction of a man to have their lives fulfilled. I guess you can say it's hypocritical for them to have a song like this given their other entries on this site, however I and many others do agree that it's their best song by a mile.
#50 for 2006
#58 for 2007
We haven't looked at a Coldplay song on this site since "Yellow" on my 2001 list, this is because they didn't have much success with their singles here in Australia during the first half of the decade likely due to them being the victims of digital piracy throughout the decade. Fortunately, that was a thing of the past by the time they released their fourth album this year which allowed this Billboard chart topper to be a success down under.
#54 for 2008
Following the success of "Perfect" from the previous year, Vanessa Amorosi was finally able to score a chart topper here in Australia with the lead single to her fourth album Hazardous given how she was here to stay going into the 2010's. It turns out that wasn't the case as there was apparently a track so bad on the album that it single handedly killed her career, although I completely missed this phenomenon.
#57 for 2009
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#49 for 2002
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#51 for 2005
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#50 for 2006
Although Sam Sparro is an Australian artist, he initially found success in the UK with this EDM track before it crossed over down under for him likely due to him being stationed over there during this phase of his career. It's a song whose popularity came from its quirky music video, meaning that it hasn't had much of a legacy as even back then, it was a rather tame video compared to its competition.
#55 for 2008
This was the final hit to come from Toni Braxton anywhere in the world, likely due to it being a song where she chastised the wife of one of her exes about how he wasn't good enough for her. Needless to say, this left a bad taste in people's mouths given how she was previously known for sweet ballads such as "Breathe again" and "Unbreak my heart," although it is a bop provided you ignore the lyrics.
#54 for 2000
This was the only hit that 112 managed to achieve here in Australia, it's curious that this was their big hit down under given how this flopped in their native America for whatever reason. Also is it just me, or does this song sound like it was sampled from an alternative rock track? It heavily reminds me of the Doom II soundtrack which was well known for having compositions based on classic metal songs.
#47 for 2002
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#50 for 2002
This was meant to be Christina Aguilera's self-empowerment anthem; it was a massive hit for her due to it coming from an album where she strips herself of the pop machine that made her a household name during her time with Disney and thus makes it more genuine from her than if she had of released it earlier in her career. I get the feeling this also would've been even bigger here if digital downloads were legal at the time.
#50 for 2003
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#48 for 2003
This was the biggest hit from JT's solo debut album Justified, mainly because it's well known that it was written for the king of pop in mind who passed this up for reasons I can't seem to ascertain. Justin scooped it up and strangely didn't have it be the lead single for whatever reason as it was clear from the get-go that this would be the song to launch his career away from N sync following his breakup with Britney Spears.
#51 for 2003
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#49 for 2003
This second single wasn't as popular as Natalie's solo single (which we'll get to in a bit) however it was an instant success for her here which is why it outranks "Alive" on this list. Even though there was a lot of hype going into her album 1000 stars, said album underperformed which likely meant that her popularity was fleeting here.
#58 for 2009
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#50 for 2003
Two of the biggest names in NZ music managed to score a massive hit this year here in Australia with this collaboration, here we have P-Money who was ahead of the curb when it came to producers taking lead credit for a song they don't provide any vocals on and Scribe who delivers one of his solid rap performances which made him such a household name in his homeland.
#50 for 2005
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#52 for 2005
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#53 for 2007
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#54 for 2007
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#51 for 2002
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#49 for 2004
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#53 for 2005
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#54 for 2005
#51 for 2006
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#52 for 2006
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#58 for 2009
This was the third hit in a row from Vanessa Amorosi, it was an instant success likely due to it being about making the most of what you have as life is fleeting and can end at any moment. This was a hit around the time that her earlier entry saw an international release, although that song was only a success in NZ likely due to rumours that she would perform it at the 2000 Olympics (which she did at the closing ceremony.)
#55 for 2000
Although the Backstreet boys had been crowned the winner of the boy bands late 90's edition by this point, Human nature still managed to make a case that they should've taken the crown (at least here in Australia) with this lead single to their third album which was a massive success for them going into the 21st century. Nowadays it's lost its popularity due to it being seen as a "nice guy" anthem even though it avoids many of that type of songs pitfalls.
#56 for 2000
#54 for 2001
Given how his British counterpart Craig David was scoring massive worldwide success with his debut album this year, it only seems fitting that Usher would follow suit in his success when he released his own album this year which kicked off the cycle with this ballad about how the person he's singing to reminds him of an ex he used to go out with. I think we've all been in the situation he describes in the song which explains its success.
#55 for 2001
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#58 for 2001
This was the third victory single to come out of Australian idol, although at least this time, the winner in question had more of a career than her predecessor as Kate scored a second solo hit after this as well as a ton of success as one of the members of Young divas.
#51 for 2005
#51 for 2006
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#57 for 2000
This was Aaliyah's only hit here in Australia, although much like her big hit in NZ from two years prior, this was also a song featured from a film which in this case was a film she also starred in. That film is of course Romeo must die which was panned by critics for its clunky story but praised for the performances from Aaliyah and her co-star Jet Li, suggesting she was also a talented actress as well as a singer.
#57 for 2000
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#58 for 2000
You may recall if you're a fan of Eminem that he was originally part of a posse group known as D12, well here they are with the first of three big hits they had this decade with a song that more or less glorifies drugs as that's what the title of the song means in drug culture. Naturally it wasn't played much on the radio, however that didn't prevent this from being a massive success here and in the UK.
#56 for 2001
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#51 for 2003
#50 for 2004
There was a theme on Gwen Stefani's album where she was playing with pop cliches of wanting to be rich and famous only to then denounce those desires as she already had everything she wanted in her life at the time, it was very clever for its time and perhaps the real reason why it was a massive success back in the day. This second single from the album is the finest example of that as well as it being her reunion with Eve from earlier in the decade.
#52 for 2005
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#55 for 2007
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