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.
Well, this is a song that I'm sure was a success purely through wholesome values, OK jokes aside, this was a song that was tailor made to be as explicit as possible given how we have the female rapper Khia exploiting her sexuality that only those who find her attractive could appreciate (which admittedly would be a lot of people as she is conventionally attractive.) It took a while to take off in Australia, but once it did it was a massive hit.
#68 for 2003
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#70 for 2003
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#73 for 2004
It may not have had any endorsements from De la soul like their earlier entry on this list, however this second single from the Gorillaz was still a massive worldwide success for the British band due to it being just as funky as their other hit from their second album this year. Although they consisted of a real-world band, their gimmick was their comic book style cartoon band that they used for their music videos.
#65 for 2005
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#65 for 2005
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#69 for 2007
#65 for 2008
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#66 for 2008
This was a bit of a return to form for No Doubt following their pop sellout from earlier on this list, indeed I haven't heard many people chastise this track the way they have for "Hey baby" which suggests that song was meant to be more of a testing ground for Gwen's eventual solo career later in the decade. The band would have one more hit with a cover of a (then) obscure 80's track before that came to be.
#70 for 2002
It looked like Matchbox 20's third album would be a commercial disappointment for them worldwide given how its lead single "Disease" failed to become a hit anywhere in the world the previous year. Fortunately, this second single from the album proved to be a massive success here in Australia and the band's native America, likely due to the video which compliments the lyrics about Rob Thomas dealing with mental health issues.
#69 for 2003
This was the third and final hit that Counting crows had here in Australia, it was the theme song to Shrek 2 which was played during the opening scene of the movie where we find out that Shrek and Fiona are a happy couple before the plot kicks in. Much like the first film, I'm a massive fan of the sequel due to its quirky humour that lampoons the Disney formula without it ever coming off as too mean spirited.
#74 for 2004
There was a good chance that these guys would be the biggest British band of the decade and not Coldplay, they were certainly off to a good start with this Britpop track that became a huge hit here in Australia despite it flopping in their native UK for some reason. The Scottish band would release their third album the following year, however it would be largely overshadowed by Coldplay's debut album.
#78 for 2000
This feels like a passing the torch moment as it was not only the second big hit that Enrique Iglesias was able to achieve here in Australia, but also it was the final hit that Whitney Houston had in her lifetime as the 00's wouldn't be so kind to her given the personal drama in her life. It was a fitting end to her popularity given how much chemistry she has with the Latin crooner on this ballad.
#79 for 2000
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#72 for 2001
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#74 for 2004
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#67 for 2006
The legends are true people, Paris Hilton did in fact have a singing career back in the day which consisted of this one and only hit from her one and only album. As I said, I promised myself that I was going to be nice to each and every entry I feature on this site, as such I will say that this is far from the worst song I've ever heard as it at least has a catchy melody and Paris doesn't actively drive me insane on the track.
#69 for 2006
The original version of this track flopped upon its initial release in 1983, I guess MJ felt that this was something that needed to be rectified as he heavily marketed this remix which featured additional vocals from Akon as the lead single to his 25th anniversary reissue of his Thriller album which allowed for it to become a massive success for both men. It would unfortunately be the last hit he had before his untimely death the following year.
#67 for 2008
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#79 for 2000
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#73 for 2001
This is a song whose success caused controversy this year, mainly because Dean Geyer came in third place on the fourth season of Australian idol and yet was able to score a hit here over the runner up which was Jessica Mauboy. Of course, the controversy has long since died out due to her being way more successful than either artist from that season to appear on this list.
#75 for 2007
Although they had minor success prior to the lead single to State of the art, it was this track that finally allowed the Hilltop hoods to have a huge hit here in Australia after fifteen years of first forming back in the early 90's. They would open the doors for Australian hip hop throughout the 2010's other MC's such as 360 and Illy would also have hits that decade.
#71 for 2009
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#71 for 2009
The legends are true people, Madonna did in fact cover Don McLean's signature track for her film The next best thing where she sleeps with the (totally straight) Rupert Everett where they have a child out of wedlock. As much as the cover has been despised over the years (I certainly don't like it) I think we can all agree that it's at least better than the movie who's only redeeming factor was its positive depiction of LGBT characters.
#80 for 2000
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#80 for 2000
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#66 for 2005
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#74 for 2001
This was the second single to come from Nickelback's second breakthrough album the Long road, it was only a hit here in Australia which suggests that the band was more popular here than anywhere else in the world which is backed up by their songs being hits much sooner than they are in most other places. I think the less said about the subject matter of this song is for the best, although that would explain why it flopped internationally.
#75 for 2004
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#75 for 2004
Well, I guess even D12 can prove that they had a serious side to them during their time together, as such we have their third and final hit from their discography which seems to take a page from some of Eminem's more serious work from his solo albums. They never released a third album due to the death of Proof two years later, although they did try to reunite throughout the 2010's to little avail.
#76 for 2004
Many people feel this is the last good song to come from Maroon 5 as it was the third single from their second album, it's a sentiment I share even if their overwhelming success throughout the 2010's suggests that they do indeed have an adorning fanbase to this day. Their desires to be more mainstreams started sooner than you think as their next single would be a collaboration with Rihanna.
#68 for 2008
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#75 for 2001
It took us long enough, but we finally have a single from Garbage appearing on my site even though they were one of the more successful bands of the 90's with their first two albums. It's by far their most pop friendly song as well as one of their shortest as it's about Shirley Manson addressing the love of her life (which is hinted at being a trans woman in the lyrics) that was an instant success for them.
#71 for 2002
This is another song that was way more popular back in the day here in Australia than its placement on this list otherwise suggests, again you can blame Sony of Australia for tampering with its release schedule to cater to the Australian idol masses of the year. This was the only song to come from Big Boi's side of the duo's album Speakerboxx, I'm guessing Andre 3000 wanted all of the singles from the album if this was the only song to be released from the album as a single not by him.
#77 for 2004
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#76 for 2004
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#77 for 2004
#67 for 2005
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#68 for 2005
This is the final appearance that Bryan Adams will be making on this site, mainly because he scored a massive hit with the British DJ Chicane who felt he could make a dance track with the Canadian crooner providing vocals. He turned out to be correct as this was a massive worldwide hit for the duo, although it was also the DJ's only hit as none of his other collaborations caught on anywhere.
#81 for 2000
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#72 for 2002
This is often considered the best song to come from JT given how it airs out his dirty laundry with Britney Spears as it was recorded not long after their breakup, I won't go into the details of what drove them apart except by mentioning that it involved her hooking up with Wade Robson while she was dating Justin. It was the weakest selling single on the album at the time, although time has made it more popular over the years.
#70 for 2003
This is another song on this list that's much lower than it probably should be, although it had the similar fate to U2's "Beautiful day" from the start of the decade where it had strong first week sales and then quickly dropped out of the charts as opposed to many entries that had their releases tampered with by our music industry. This was the lead single to Kylie's album Body language, a mixed bag of a release that many fans will say was her last decent album.
#71 for 2003
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#71 for 2003
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#78 for 2004
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#81 for 2000
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#76 for 2001
This will be the final appearance of Holly Valance on my site, mainly because "State of mind" wasn't a big enough hit here to qualify for this list even though it might arguably be her best song (it's my personal favourite at least.) Instead, we have this third hit from her debut album which is about how she know she's a "naughty girl" (whatever that's supposed to mean) and how she can't help by be the way she is.
#72 for 2003
This was Stacie Orrico's other big hit here in Australia and in most parts of the world outside her native America, here she's contemplating about her purpose in life and whether she's living it to her fullest potential which no doubt helped audiences appreciate their own place in this world back in the day. It was a very poignant track considering it was a teen pop number, although it would also be her final hit.
#73 for 2003
This was the second single from Missy Higgin's debut album, although it's worth noting that this wasn't released as an E.P which explains why it wasn't as big as the other two songs from the album which did come with their own E.P as well as them receiving plenty of airplay just like this song did.
#78 for 2004
#66 for 2005
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#69 for 2005
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#72 for 2009
This was a hip hop track that came out of nowhere here in Australia given how it wasn't a success for him anywhere else in the world including his native America, not even the kiwis gravitated towards this track which is really odd because they were the ones who discovered these hidden gems throughout the 90's.
#75 for 2001
It looked like Anastacia's second album was going to become a complete flop for her around the world given how its lead single "Paid my dues" failed to become a hit for her, in order to prevent that from happening, the second single was given a remix which people pointed out made it seem like it was "I'm outta love" 2.0 which regardless proved to be a hit for the American pop star here in Australia at least.
#72 for 2002
This was another female empowerment anthem to become a hit worldwide, this time it comes from Christina Aguilera and Lil Kim who collaborated with each other for the second time this decade after "Lady marmalade" from two years prior for a song that might not have been as successful, but still resonated with audiences worldwide due to them making an anthem for women for the ages.
#74 for 2003
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#70 for 2005
Not counting her collaboration with Busta Rhymes on "I know what you want," this was the first hit that Mariah Carey had in the 21st century anywhere in the world given how she began the century with her acting debut in Glitter, a movie so infamous that it reportedly was responsible for her declining mental health earlier in the decade. Here she returns to form with the lead single to her comeback album under her alter ego Mimi.
#67 for 2005
This was an amazing year for Ciara as she scored a third hit in a row around the world with this track, here she recruits Ludacris to provide a guest verse for her which normally wouldn't have done the song any favours (save for Usher's "Yeah") but in this case it likely helped Ciara have that third hit here in Australia as the album they all came from failed to become a success like the singles were.
#68 for 2005
There were no signs of the Veronicas slowing down on their second album cycle given how the third single from said album was a massive hit for them, this is similar to the third single from their debut album as it shares its lyrical themes with "When it all falls apart" only that song was much more successful two years prior for them.
#69 for 2008
This is where the Willennium pun came from as Will Smith decided to cash in on the Y2K scare by releasing this track that became a success due to its meme status (or whatever we called a viral hit back then.) Naturally this was seen in poor taste for the rapper considering all of the stress people were going through due to Y2K back in the day.
#82 for 2000
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#82 for 2000
Much like Ginger Spice, Sporty was also able to score more than one hit on her own around the turn of the millennium as this second single from her solo album managed to be a huge sleeper hit here in Australia following the success of her earlier entry on this list. Her last hit would be her reunion with the Spice girls also from earlier on this list before she became little more than a legacy act.
#83 for 2000
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#71 for 2005
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#73 for 2009
This is the final hit single to come from a Popstars contestant from anywhere in the world, in this case it was the first winner of the series to be a solo artist given how the franchise wanted to follow the American idol format this year (despite this coming out before that show even premiered) which led to the success of Scott Cain who quickly faded into obscurity once this dropped off our charts.
#73 for 2002
These guys had already achieved minor success earlier in the decade as Kaylan, however they decided to rebrand themselves as Disco Montego where they released the first of two songs that featured fellow Australian singer Katie Underwood with this being the only hit of the two songs. The duo did score a second minor hit with "U talking to me" which was another disco throwback from their album.
#74 for 2002
Given that "Stronger" was a defining moment in Britney Spears career when it comes to female empowerment, I guess it's only fitting that Christina Aguilera would make a song of her own where she overcomes an abusive relationship only to thank her toxic partner for making her a stronger person in the process. It was as successful as her former rival's track from earlier in the decade even though it was far better received by critics.
#75 for 2003
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#70 for 2007
Given how Avril Lavigne was about to take over the world with her debut album this year, it only seems fitting that her predecessor Alanis Morissette would get in one more hit in her career before handing over the torch to her younger counterpart. I feel this is a good indication of why Avril needed to take over the mantle of being a voice of a generation from Canada as I keep forgetting this even exists.
#75 for 2002
Well, if you wanted to hear Shannon Noll's take on a song specifically written for the Australian cricket team in the late 70's, you're probably one of the many people who made this a hit during the early months of the year back in the day. Again, this is a song that's much lower on this list due to how quickly it dropped off the charts despite it being a massive hit.
#69 for 2005
This lead single to Robbie William's swing album was delayed here in Australia due to the sudden rise in popularity of his earlier entry on this list, it certainly had little to do with the presence of Nicole Kidman who was fresh off her Oscar nominated performance as Satine from Moulin Rouge where she even scored a minor hit the previous year with co-star Ewan Macgregor with the film's one original track "Come what may."
#76 for 2002
This often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to BEP's catalogue, mainly because it wasn't as big a hit as all their other entries on this site likely due to it being a rehash of "Shut up" from their previous album only with Fergie also needing to defend herself from her partner like the other three with theirs. It was still a hit for the group, mainly for the laid-back production and the sentiment still coming through.
#70 for 2005
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#72 for 2005
This often gets lost in the shuffle for the singles from Mariah Carey's comeback album, mainly because it wasn't a huge number one hit in her native America like "We belong together" or "Don't forget about us" was nor as memorable as "It's like that" despite that being her lowest charting song on the album worldwide. It could also be that a much more famous song with this name has since come out over the years.
#71 for 2005
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#68 for 2006
Although these guys had minor success with "It's too late" two years prior, it was this song that made them a household name likely due to it greatly benefitting from being released around the time that the digital charts had finally begun to be tracked in Australia. The two songs are very similar to each other (at least in my opinion) so perhaps "It's too late" was yet another victim of digital piracy back in the day.
#70 for 2006
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#69 for 2006
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#73 for 2002
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#74 for 2002
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#72 for 2003
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#73 for 2003
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#79 for 2004
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#73 for 2005
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#75 for 2002
This was released the previous year in Gareth Gates native UK when he came second in the short-lived series Pop idol, basically it was a version of Popstars but for solo artists much like what that series would become throughout the decade. I'm not sure why this was released as a single here in Australia a year later, however it was which led to it becoming a surprise hit for the British contestant.
#76 for 2003
Following the success she had with her debut album internationally, Kelly Clarkson was commissioned by Disney to write a theme song for Princess diaries 2 which would go on to serve as the lead single to the album of the same name that would become her biggest in her career. The film was poorly received even by fans of the original for being a cliched mess that wasn't even based on the books the original was an adaptation of.
#79 for 2004
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#74 for 2005
I guess "When you're gone" was meant to be a calm before the storm for Avril's older fans as she released this third single from her album which confirmed that she was making music for the type of audience she was originally rallying against on her first two albums. I get that she wanted to change things up with her third album which worked out for her commercially, however fans cried betrayal at this change in direction.
#70 for 2008
This was the first single that Rihanna released after a very dark period in her life, I won't mention what it is because I want this site to be a safe space for everyone, but I feel that I don't have to regardless because it's so ingrained in pop culture that it would be redundant for me to do so. One thing I will say is that it appears that she didn't want people getting the wrong idea that she was suddenly turned off by sex with this track.
#72 for 2009
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#77 for 2001
It feels weird that this song underperformed in Australia back in the day, especially considering how inescapable she would go on to be later in the decade given how it was a much bigger hit for her internationally at the time. This was the moment where she began distancing herself from her debut album as this is her admitting that she had to compromise who she was in order to make that album.
#77 for 2002
This is the second single where Robbie Williams is questioning his place in this world, while it isn't as anti-religious as "Better man" was, it does have references to how he feels that God doesn't think much of him throughout the song that makes it somewhat similar to that song. It was a massive hit for him worldwide and likely the reason why his third album this decade was a massive success here in Australia.
#78 for 2002
#77 for 2003
It seems odd that of all the victory singles to make it big from American idol here in Australia, it would come from Fantasia who never had much success even in her homeland following her victory on the reality series. I guess this was a hit here due to the previous winner Rubben Studdard having success over in NZ the previous year along with the runner up Clay Aiken.
#80 for 2004
Even from the very beginning, Rihanna was able to achieve massive success throughout the world with her singles, it's just that she wouldn't be the household name we all know her as until later in the decade as this second single from her debut album often gets forgotten about when looking over her catalogue.
#71 for 2006
We haven't seen a lot of nepotism on this site so far, so let's rectify that by looking at the one and only hit from the daughter of a record label founder Kate Alexa. There's not much to say about the song itself, it's your typical teen pop that was still thriving from around this time here in Australia. The real meat of this song's success is that Kate is the daughter of Michael Gudinski who founded Mushroom records which is THE record label of choice here in Australia.
#72 for 2006
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#80 for 2004
I don't think "He's a dream" gets enough love from the Flashdance soundtrack, American EDM duo Deep dish seemed to agree as they took the track from Shandi and remixed it where it became a massive hit in Australia and the UK over two decades after the film came out. I guess in order to honour its source material, the duo named the remix after the film rather than the original track.
#81 for 2004
#72 for 2005
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#75 for 2005
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#70 for 2006
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#71 for 2006
This was a hit twice here in Australia, the first time was on its initial release and the second was when the album became a success worldwide several months after its initial release. I get the feeling it was this track that finally allowed many of their contemporaries to find success such as Fall out boy and the Fray as there was a sudden rise in tracks like this finding success following its success.
#73 for 2006
#76 for 2007
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#71 for 2007
Orianthi is an Australian guitarist and vocalist who was hired by MJ himself for his This is it tour, unfortunately she was unable to showcase her skills as a guitarist due to the tour being cancelled for obvious reasons. Still, that did give her enough buzz for her second album to spawn a huge hit with its lead single about how she doesn't care about what her ex thinks of her so long as her current partner thinks the opposite.
#73 for 2009
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