This is my biggest project yet! I've decided to rank all the biggest songs and albums to make it big here in Australia by how well they did on our charts from 1970 to 2009. The reason I'm not including the 2010's and beyond is because let's face it, I want this list to be a celebration of all the biggest and best songs to appeal to us Aussies and I feel that the vast majority of songs and albums that made it big after 2009 won't have the lasting cultural impact that even amid level hit from 1973 still has decades later. I'll be including stats from both the ARIA AND AMR charts meaning that all singles from mid-1988 onwards as well as albums that charted between mid-1988 and late 1998 will have two entries on this list to showcase how well they did on each chart (you'll know the difference when an entry has THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY rather than my commentary on it.) One final thing, this will be presented as a countdown, meaning that I'm breaking tradition by having each entry be more successful than the last as opposed to the opposite like every other list on this site.
#6700
This is the only entry from Marie Osmond to appear on this side of my site, mainly because her duets with Donny failed to become a success here in Australia (possibly due to their incestual nature which was unintentional on their part.)
#6699
In most parts of the world, this was Albert Hammond's only hit given how he never had much success in his native UK with his ballads. I'm willing to bet this only became a hit here in Australia due to its surprise success in America, although he had a ton of success over in NZ if the Listener charts are anything to go by.
#6698
I think this was meant to be the "Lose yourself" of 50 cent's autobiographical film Get rich or die trying, it was a hit worldwide likely due to the film being a box office success (even though it was panned by critics for being a rip-off of his mentor's film) but it didn't receive any accolades to my knowledge nor did it reach the dizzying heights of Eminem's Oscar winning ballad from earlier in the decade.
#6697
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6696
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6695
I guess we Aussies were eventually won over with their only being three members of Eternal as they were able to score a second hit here with this track, although it could be their contribution to Disney's Hunchback of Notre dame which won us over despite "Someday" being a massive flop here. In any case, they scored one more hit later in the decade with "I wanna be the only one" before calling it quits.
#6694
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6693
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6692
This was sandwiched between Andy's two biggest hits worldwide, although it was a massive hit in its own right as all of his entries on this site were Billboard chart toppers for him. It's unfortunate that his popularity would die out by the end of the decade, although nowhere near as much as him passing away in 1988 due to his drug problems.
#6691
This was the only hit that the American trio Brownstone were able to achieve here in Australia, likely due to it being a huge success in the UK which admittedly seems to be how a lot of RNB jams managed to make it big throughout the 90's down under. I feel that these girls were the more successful versions of SWV here as that trio never managed to find much success even with their worldwide hit "Right here."
#6690
This remains the final hit from Guns N Roses worldwide, mainly because their cover of the Rolling stones classic serves as the theme to the theatrical adaptation of Interview with the vampire which remains one of the most critically acclaimed gothic horror films of all time. The film depicts Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in what many have interpreted as a homosexual relationship, which of course makes it a classic among the LGBT community.
#6689
I'm not exactly sure what took this song from British group Sniff n the tears to make it big given how it was originally released two years prior, although it did eventually find an audience just as the decade had started despite it never being a hit in their native UK. I guess the rest of the world were able to appreciate the slow ballad more than their fellow Brits.
#6688
This was the first of three hits that Mark Holden had back in the day, no doubt this guy was the reason why Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett were able to be so successful in Australia given how he was our version of those young men who teenage girls fell in love with this decade.
#6687
This was the second of only two solo hits that Stevie Wright had here in Australia, although he did have one of the biggest hits of the decade with "Evie" from the previous year and he was the lead single of the Easybeats who were one of the biggest Australian bands of the 60's. This was one of the earliest songs to be performed on Countdown, which in addition to his previous success, made it a shoe in to be a hit this year.
#6686
This was the lead single to Suzi Quatro's second album, it was a bit of a false start for the album given how she would find more success with its second single that would dominate the early months of the following year for the American glam rocker.
#6685
Bobby and Laurie were another big name from Australia during the 60's to find success at the start of the 70's, although this was their final hit they had before they called it quits much like their American counterpart Simon and Garfunkel.
#6684
This was the final hit that the Offspring were able to achieve in their career worldwide, I'm guessing it was due to the video which showcased lead singer Dexter Holland in what appears to be an homage to the CGI series Reboot which likely sparked nostalgia for audiences at the time given how their debut album came out the same time that show premiered. I guess there are worse ways one's popularity can die in the music scene.
#6683
This was the second single to come from Culture club, although curiously it wasn't included on their debut album which is odd because the song was a huge success for them even over in America. It was eventually included on later issues of the album, although by that stage the band had well and truly broken up due to all of the drama they would find themselves in over the decade.
#6682
This was the only hit for Leon Russell, one of the less influential icons of the hippy culture despite doing quite well with his albums here in Australia during the first half of the decade. I'm not sure how we Aussies came across his work given how little success he had in his native America.
#6681
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6680
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6679
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6678
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6677
Bet you didn't know Billy Connolly had a singing career, did you? Well technically he doesn't as this "cover" of the Tammy Wynette classic is really a joke song he does in his typical sense of humour that nonetheless amused audiences back in the day. He was far from the only comic to score a hit down under over the years, heck he wasn't even the first as there were plenty of tracks like this prior to its success.
#6676
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for the husband-and-wife duo, in fact from what I can gather, this song only ever became a success here in Australia once we learned about Tina leaving Ike and making this a success in order to show our support for her getting away from her abusive husband. Since this became a surprise success for her this year, it's been adapted as a popular line dance here.
#6675
It looked like the Bee gees would be yesterday's news when their previous album flopped on the charts worldwide, however their fortunes changed when they decided to hop on the disco bandwagon early on in its popularity which single handedly revived their career worldwide as this topped the Billboard charts for them. For some reason, I always thought this was a Fleetwood mac single, possibly due to it lacking their trademark falsetto's which they would develop throughout the second half of the decade.
#6674
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6673
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6672
Faithless were a British trio who scored a massive hit this year with a song that was originally released two years prior, heck it took a year for this EDM track to find success in their native UK as it was a hit the previous year for them in their homeland. While it's road to success was admittedly a circuitous one, it was inevitable considering that EDM was still very much the in genre of choice in Australia.
#6671
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6670
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6669
This was originally a song for Alphaville from ten years prior, it was a massive flop in Australia making this dance cover from fellow German group Interactive the first version of this track to become a success here. The best-known version of this track came eleven years later when Youth group scored a huge success with their cover, although their take was more akin to a trip down memory lane.
#6668
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6667
Technically this was a C+C Music factory track as C+C does stand for Clivilles and Cole, although this was a dance cover of the first hit that U2 had so I guess they wanted to establish themselves as a slightly different act from the one who dominated the mainstream the previous year with Martha Walsh. They would return as C+C Music factory two years later once they settle their legal disputes with her.
#6666
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6665
This was initially a huge flop for Sheryl Lee Ralph upon its 1984 release, I'm guessing it was due to the high abundance of diva pop from women of colour given how it would've come out during the height of the Pointer sisters and the dozens of protegees Prince had. It was given a second chance this year when a DJ remixed it and released it where it became a massive hit here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
#6664
Ever wanted to hear a comedy track about a dead skunk? Well, you're in luck as Loudon Wainwright wrote a song with that subject matter as a comedy track which helped him score his one and only hit here in Australia by us Aussies who found this tale rather amusing to listen to at the time.
#6663
This was a bit of a minor success here in Australia, mainly because it was the lead single to a highly successful album which ate up its potential success early on but not enough for us Aussies to completely overlook this ballad from Rod Stewart.
#6662
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6661
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6660
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6659
This is to date the final hit that Blink 182 has been able to achieve in their career, it came from what was originally meant to be their final album as the band would temporarily breakup after the album cycle was completed in order to pursue other projects away from each other. They would eventually reform by the end of the decade where they've since resumed releasing new material together.
#6658
This was the first solo single from John Fogerty which he confusingly credited as the album that it appeared on; it was likely due to this confusion that prevented it from matching the success of his earlier entries with CCR he had on this list. It could also be due to the rocky reception of their final album Mardis gras which caused them to breakup to begin with.
#6657
This was the only other chart topper that Gilbert O'Sullivan had in his native UK, it was his first chart topper there given how this came out before "Get back" and likely got there due to the success of "Alone again" over in America. This ballad is actually about the mother's love for her daughter Clair rather than a traditional love ballad, likely explaining its success over other contemporary love ballads.
#6656
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6655
A word of advice, don't look up the term Chocolate starfish online unless it's in reference to this Australian band or the Limp bizkit album as both take this term from something that's very NSFW (assuming you don't already know what it is.) This was the debut single for the band which is a cover of the Carly Simon classic made over twenty years after the original in order to celebrate its legacy.
#6654
This was the third single from P!nk's Funhouse album, though it was a hit here in Australia, it's obvious that her audience was more interested in her moving on from her husband (despite the fact the two didn't end up getting a divorce) rather than begging him to take her back like she does on this track.
#6653
This was the final hit single that Celine Dion was able to score in her career in most parts of the world, mainly due to it being the perfect book end to a highly successful decade as this serves as the lead single to her pseudo greatest hits package All the way a decade of song that also has enough new tracks to qualify for a studio album. I guess she could've had more success if she didn't embarrass herself at Vegas in 2002.
#6652
Following the success of their debut single from earlier on this list, the Corrs released the title track to their album which also became a success for them in Australia and nowhere else in the world. The album did eventually see success internationally once their sophomore album took off, however we Aussies were the only ones initially that could appreciate the band's blending of adult contemporary and Celtic music.
#6651
This was the third single to be released from Man of colours for Icehouse, normally the band wouldn't score a third hit from one of their albums but in this case, they did due to how passionate Iva Davis is in his performance on this track. No doubt this helped the album becoming their most successful in their career, although their popularity would die out once the decade came to an end.
#6650
Following the success of their cover of a Carly Simon classic, Chocolate starfish released their second single "All over me" which was a flop for them, potentially rendering them a one hit wonder. Fortunately, this third single from their album was a huge success and saw a more mature side of the band, thus allowing the album to become a huge success for them this year.
#6649
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6648
This was the last song that Ted Mulry gang released before they stylised themselves as T.M.G, I'm guessing because they wanted to be taken more seriously going forward in the decade given how their biggest hit was a joke song about picking up a girl walking down the street.
#6647
I guess it was inevitable that these Disney ballads would find mainstream success given how they were all sweeping the academy awards throughout the Disney renaissance. Here we have the second ballad to win best original song which was this duet between Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle covering the love ballad from the magic carpet scene from the movie Aladdin. It was a number one hit on Billboard and a huge success throughout the rest of the world.
#6646
This was the biggest success that Paul Kelly achieved back in the day, it's a song that still resonates with audiences to this day due to the story he tells about an abusive husband who seeks to redeem himself to his wife. Even though he never achieved mainstream success outside of this hit he had, he remains one of the most well-respected Australian artists of all time to the point where his greatest hits package was a huge success in 1997.
#6645
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6644
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6643
If you want to know why this song wasn't as successful here in Australia as it was internationally, that's likely because it was released roughly around the same time as T.I's earlier entry on this list which quickly overshadowed this lead single to his album Paper trails down under. It could also be a very late entry into the "thugs need love too" troupe (minus the chorus from a female vocalist) given how it's him rapping about being the perfect gentleman.
#6642
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6641
Following his run as Judas on the Australian production of Jesus Christ superstar, Jon English was able to have a moderately successful singing career here that somehow grew to him having international success likely due to how well received the show was for international audiences. This was hit first hit here in Australia, although he found success over in NZ the previous year with "Turn the page."
#6640
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6639
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6638
One of the better animated films of the decade was the Prince of Egypt, it's an adaptation of the story of Moses from the bible which tells the story in a way that makes both Moses and Ramases sympathetic to the audience which made it become a critical and commercial success upon its initial release. The theme song came from two of the biggest divas of the decade which ended up winning an academy award for the film.
#6637
This was one of many hits this decade that relied on nostalgia baiting to give it success for (then) modern audiences, in this case Pato Banton has Ali Campbell of UB40 fame cover the song from the Equals in order to given him a chorus to connect his own verses. The song was a massive hit with this formula worldwide, and likely prompted the likes of the Fugees and Warren G to follow suit.
#6636
This was the debut single for Mel and Kim, it was a song that was destined to be a flop here in Australia until their earlier entry became a massive hit for them here which allowed it to rebound on the charts and become a hit when that went to number one. It has a positive message about having fun without breaking the bank set to some of Stock Aiken and Waterman's catchiest melodies.
#6635
This was one of only five hits that Fleetwood Mac managed to score in Australia, that should give you an idea of how our music scene works as artists who dominate our albums charts rarely do so for our singles charts. In any case, we have the lead single to their album Mirage which was their way of adjusting to the MTV era, they somewhat struggled compared to their previous work, but they pulled it off.
#6634
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6633
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6632
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6631
This was the one and only hit for the Little heroes, an Australian band looking to make it big along the likes of other stripped back bands such as Goanna and the Reels but only managed to do so with one of their songs. That said, this song has endured over the years more so than many of the entries on this list, likely due to the fond memories people have of watching this be performed on Countdown this year.
#6630
You'd think the big hit off of Sting's solo debut album would be "If you love somebody set them free," instead this was the big hit off of the album here in Australia. Although the album was already doing well here upon its initial release, this songs popularity allowed it to become one of the biggest hits of the decade down under and more so than the rest of his output both solo and with the Police.
#6629
These guys didn't have a lot of success with their singles in Australia, this was mainly due to how huge their albums were and that album artists generally didn't spawn a lot of hits here in Australia with rare exceptions such as Abba and Sherbet. They did have success during the second half of the 70's given how they had the second biggest hit of the decade with "Mull of Kintyre" from two years later.
#6628
Does anyone remember the "Wazza" meme from the early 00's? Nowadays it's best known for that scene in Scary movie which admittedly grinds the movie to a halt but is still hilarious to watch (I have a weird sense of humour) but it was originally concocted for the beer company Budwiesers which was so influential that it was turned into a dance remix by Shaft (credited as Da muttz) using the beat from Rick James' "Superfreak."
#6627
"Black cat" might have been the song which encouraged us Aussies to give Rhythm nation 1814 a second chance, however it was this track that solidified the album as a classic as the album finally made it to number one here when this became a hit for Janet. I guess the ingredients that Janet needed were rock music and a love track as these were the two biggest hits from the album for her down under.
#6626
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6625
This was the third single to come from Culture beat's one and only album, although it was released around the time Serenity hit shelves, so it likely boosted the success of the album for the band this year. They would metaphorically pass the baton to Corona who would also score three hits from their one and only album (albeit without any rapping) before they passed the baton to La Bouche the following year.
#6624
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6623
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6622
You may be forgiven into thinking that this is a song explicitly about 9/11 given how the music video depicts a relationship which ends where a guy ends up fighting in Iraq, however it was actually about Billie Joe Armstrong has to cope with the death of his father every year which happened in September when he was a child. I guess he didn't want to make the ballad too personal when he released it as a single, hence the video.
#6621
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6620
So, Engelbert Humperdinck was able to score a hit this far into the 70's, although this did come ten years after his initial breakthrough so perhaps this was more a nostalgia hit than anything even though he would've been too young to be as John Paul Young puts it, a "yesterday's hero." Evidently this was a massive success for him in America, which is perhaps how it was a big hit in Australia as well.
#6619
Well, I didn't think I'd be featuring a song from the man who produced the earlier albums from the fab four on this site, however he evidently gave a music career as a frontman a shot which led to him scoring a massive worldwide hit with this pop rock track as his debut single. It was his only hit worldwide as he quickly reverted back to being behind the scenes despite its success.
#6618
Apparently when it came time to promote John Paul Young to an international audience, his label went with an album track from his second album rather than one of the big hits he had earlier in the decade here. This was that song they went with which became a hit for him two years after it appeared on the album, it led to the success of his earlier entry on this list worldwide, so I guess that's something.
#6617
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6616
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6615
We have another EDM song for this list, this time it's from the British/Australian duo the Bodyrockers who scored a massive hit worldwide with their one and only hit from their one and only album. It's a song that was a big success back in the day and has lived on due to its usage in commercials over the years, although the duo would go their separate ways when they failed to score a second hit.
#6614
Well, this is a participation trophy in song form if I've ever heard one, although I absolutely understand why this has endured over the years given how Errol and company reassure their audience that it's not about winning or losing but how much fun you have playing the game. It was an easy hit for the band, although it would be one of their last hits outside of their native UK.
#6613
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6612
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6611
This was the final hit that Mark Holden was able to achieve in his career, given that he scored three massive hits with his first three singles, I don't think he has anything to be ashamed of with this achievement.
#6610
This was the only hit that Bette Midler released this decade that wasn't attached to a film, instead it was a cover from the Rolling stones from their 1978 album Some girls that Bette made her own without changing the style of the original. Bette would disappear from the music scene for most of the decade as she focused on her acting career, it paid off as she made six films in the second half of the decade which were all box office hits.
#6609
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6608
This was the only other solo success that Jon Bon Jovi was able to achieve in his career, once again we have the second Young guns film to thank for this as this was also taken from the soundtrack which may as well serve as his solo debut album. He would release his first official solo album later in the decade when he received backlash for his band's album These days due to it abandoning their glam rock roots.
#6607
This is a cover of a song that was made in the late 50's, even so I wasn't expecting to see this on one of these lists considering I was dead certain this was always meant as a commercial jingle and not a critically acclaimed art pop track from the start of the 80's. Even though this remains well loved in the music community to this day, the band couldn't shake off their novelty status which led to them breaking up in 1984.
#6606
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6605
While this wasn't the first single that Duran Duran had a hit in Australia, this was the song which made them international superstars thanks to a provocative video which depicted women wrestling topless which earned the video the distinction of it being the first to be banned on MTV. The song itself is a classic thanks to the passionate vocals of Simon Le Bon, although the video has made it an anthem for misogyny in recent years.
#6604
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6603
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#6602
This was a song that was released exclusively in Australia, it interrupted the album cycle as "Kiss the bride" was always meant to be the third single from Too low for zero but was pushed back to the following year where it flopped due to everyone owning the album by that point. I guess this was his way of thanking us for keeping his popularity alive during the years Bernie Taupin was absent from his career.
#6601
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
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