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.
#7400
Well just look at that cover art, this was what was sold to us Aussies back in the day as the "censored" cover art was just the same girl in the same outfit but with her whole body on it and her face looking at the viewer. Thankfully the song isn't as egregious as it's a nu metal track about a girl the narrator has the hots for, I'm not even sure why the woman on the cover is dressed as a cop seeing as though she isn't literally one in the lyrics.
#7399
It looked like Matchbox 20 going to just be an album band here in Australia given how "Bent" underperformed here despite it being a Billboard chart topper for them the previous year, however that wasn't the case as the second single from their sophomore album did become a genuine hit here in Australia albeit from the lower half of the charts which is why it isn't appearing any higher on this list.
#7398
It was a new decade, so naturally Aqua felt it would be the perfect opportunity to drop the lead single to their second album which was a modest success worldwide thanks to a video which saw a massive improvement in the budget compared to their earlier work. It was more of the same fun bubble-gum pop mixed with EDM that they had offered before, however this formula didn't work out for them on their second album overall.
#7397
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7396
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, we Aussies were finally willing to let these guys compete in the first round of the boy band wars which meant they were able to find moderate success with this second single from their breakthrough album here. It was a bittersweet victory as Robbie Williams would leave the band soon after this newfound success.
#7395
This was the only hit to come from jazz musician Lucas, a Danish musician who made a song which I think is meant to be a theme song to a show he was planning on making given what the lyrics are on here. I guess people wanted something to offset all of the EDM that was getting big this decade, and this appealed to them before the likes of RNB and hip hop in Australia.
#7394
This was the first song that Fischer Z released when they reformed the previous year, as a result it felt like no time had passed between their last hit from the start of the decade and this hit they had this year. Although the band never broke up again, this would be the last time we Aussies would hear from them as they wouldn't have another hit after this.
#7393
This was the second single that the Choirboys released from their sophomore album, it continued their winning streak this year as it became a success around the time they released the album which was also a huge hit for them here. The album was able to crossover to NZ which was a sign that there was international interest in the band which sadly never translated to success in the northern hemisphere.
#7392
This was the only hit that Charlie Daniels and company managed to score in Australia, although considering that A: it was a country track (and one that goes hard at that) and B: the lyrics were about an outlaw causing trouble, it's a miracle that it was even as big as it was outside of the band's native America. This is a song I first heard from Coyote ugly, so I was a bit surprised to learn it was a hit back in the day.
#7391
This is the only entry from the Who that will be appearing on my site, it was a hit from their album Who's next which helped that album become a massive success throughout the world which likely inspired the London symphony orchestra to make a classical rendition of their previous album Tommy.
#7390
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7389
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7388
It seems fitting that All 4 one would score their two big hits in Australia with covers of obscure country ballads, indeed this comes courtesy of John Michael Montgomery who didn't end up releasing his version as a single to allow this RNB cover to become a massive success for the boy band. This would be the last anyone would hear from these guys even though they never officially broke up.
#7387
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7386
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7385
Although he was quickly losing his popularity as the decade went on (as were most Australian artists admittedly) Diesel was nonetheless able to score a hit with this lead single to his second solo album due to it retaining his blues influence that he had on his previous effort both solo and with his band the Injectors. This would sadly be his final hit here due to Australian artists really struggling to compete with international acts from this point forward.
#7384
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7383
This was the final hit that Hot chocolate had in Australia this decade, although they would return in the early 80's with the likes of "Girl crazy" and their actual final hit "It started with a kiss" due to them performing those tracks on Countdown. In the meantime, we have this RNB ballad about Errol fixing a person he's in a relationship with, it's not exactly a fondly remembered track but it was a hit.
#7382
Well, this seemed to be tailor made to be made fun of by music nerds, after all there isn't a year of the cat in the Chinese zodiac and yet British singer Al Stewart made an entire song about that concept that was a hit for him worldwide. It was even bit over in America to give you an idea of how many people bought into this.
#7381
This was the final hit that Sonny and Cher had before their divorce, even so, it was only a success here in Australia likely due to the success of "Gypsys tramps and thieves" from much earlier on this list.
#7380
Even though he scored a big hit with "World's greatest mum" from earlier on the list, Johnny Chester managed to score a minor hit two years prior with his collaboration with Jigsaw during the height of the band's popularity here.
#7379
This is the original version to Barry Manilow's breakthrough hit "Mandy," I'm not sure why Barry felt the need to change the name of the girl who stole his affections in his rendition given how this was a proven hit for Scott English here in Australia. I guess it was for that lucrative American audience as this did bomb in Scott's native America.
#7378
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7377
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7376
This was another song that was a bit late to the party here in Australia given how it was an RNB jam, although it was a hit here even if it wasn't as big as it was in NZ and Kandi's native America. This is a cheating anthem that she justifies by having her cheat due to her partner cheating on her, it tends to divide people on whether it's an empowerment anthem or something akin to Rupert Holme's "Escape."
#7375
Bet you didn't know the Muppets were able to have hits in the mainstream, did you? Yes, this opening ballad from the first Muppet movie became a success here in Australia likely due to our love of the show and the film being a box office success at the time. Evidently the theme song to the show was a huge success worldwide in the mid 70's, although that song wasn't a success here in Australia.
#7374
OK it turns out that Bernie Taupin might have still somewhat been active in Elton John's career during the dark period that they two weren't talking to each other, I'm guessing these were songs that Bernie gave to Elton for him to work on as Elton has a songwriting credit on this instrumental as well as Bernie. I guess when I say they two reunited on Too low for zero, I mean they did so on a permanent basis.
#7373
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7372
While it was more of a sleeper hit this year, fans of Brendan Urie will be relieved to know that the debut single from his band Panic! at the disco was a huge success here in Australia which no doubt led to the success of My chemical romance's hit from earlier on this list. They would have a second minor hit with "But it's better if you do" (which won't be appearing on this site) and wouldn't score another for at least a decade.
#7371
We have another contender for the boy band wars of the 90's, this time it's Taxiride who like Hanson and Ultra played their own instruments which helped them compete in the market for teenage girls who appreciated these types of musicians. This was their second single after the commercial disappointment of their first single "Get set," both of these songs being well remembered years after their relevancy died out.
#7370
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7369
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7368
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7367
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7366
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7365
This was the second single to come from Bryan Adams's comeback album Waking up the neighbours, technically this is the reason why his earlier entry on this list didn't last forever at number one as it was pulled from shelves to encourage sales of both this single and the album this year. This was also reassurance that Bryan hadn't completely sold out yet as it was a return to his arena rock from the 80's.
#7364
This was the debut single of Snap, a German band who took the world by storm with this song that's been used in many sports montages over the years thanks to the lyrics fitting well with workout routines. Naturally their earlier entry on this list was what confirmed these guys to be the hot new EDM act of the moment, however this remains their most popular song in their catalogue due to that chorus.
#7363
I'm a bit surprised to see this so low on the list given how much oldies stations love to reminisce on these guys, I guess we Aussies did pass up on their singles in favour of their albums which all did fairly well back in the day. Although they would have to wait a whole decade before they reached their peak in popularity, they managed to retain their popularity down under until that happened.
#7362
This is the final hit that the Pussycat dolls were able to achieve anywhere in the world, it was always intended on being the fourth single from their second album but was pushed back from its planned release due to the surprise success of their earlier entry with A.R Rahman on this list.
#7361
This is a hybrid of Whitney Houston's "How will I know" (the title coming from the first few lines of the song) as well as U2's "With or without you" which the British group LMC credited the latter for likely as a condition for sampling the track on here. The lyrics were performed by English vocalist Rachel McFarlane who does an admirable impression of Whitney throughout the track.
#7360
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7359
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7358
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7357
Following the massive success of their (then) most recent album, Talking heads decided to allow their frontman David Byrne to make a theatrical film where they composed the soundtrack for which resulted in this lead single being the theme to said film which resulted in its success worldwide. It's best known for its music video where several 80's celebrities lip sync to the track which helped out with its success.
#7356
This was the only hit that Gladys Knight and the Pips scored in Australia, although Gladys did appear on Dionne Warwick's charity single "That's what friends are for" from nearly a decade later so she's technically a two-hit wonder here. Even so, this is a far cry from her success she had on Billboard with her rich vocals and smooth RNB melodies provided by her band the Pips.
#7355
This was the only hit that Skyhooks managed to have success with outside of Australia as this became a huge success for them over in NZ later in the year, although here it was the second single from their third album Straight in a gay gay world which wasn't as big as their earlier releases (possibly due to the name of the album.) Indeed, their popularity would dwindle as the decade went on.
#7354
Well, here's that surprise hit in America I mentioned at the start of this list; indeed, my American readers will think these guys are a one hit wonder due to this being their only appearance on the Billboard charts back in the day despite their earlier entry being their big hit internationally. Again, we have a song that's the embodiment of happiness which is how it was able to stand out back in the day.
#7353
As much flak as the Twilight franchise has gotten over the years, few will argue that their soundtracks were that bad considering how well loved they remain to this day. The first film's soundtrack was among the most successful albums of the decade worldwide which led off with this track from Paramore who finally managed to score a hit outside their native America with this theme from the film.
#7352
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7351
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7350
This E.P was the only success that Erasure had here in Australia following their debut single from six years prior, this is strange considering A: they were a dance act who would otherwise thrive on our charts and B: were inescapable in their native UK up until this point. I guess they needed to rely on our nostalgia for Abba in order to escape our one hit wonder bin with these four covers on this E.P.
#7349
This was originally released two years prior to deafening silence in Cathy's native UK, I'm guessing her fellow Brits didn't find much love for this dance pop number amongst all of the Kylie Minogue rip-offs that dominated their charts during the final weeks of the 80's. It was given a second chance this year when she began sparking interest over in America with "Touch me" as that eventually became a huge hit on Billboard for her.
#7348
Even though this has remained a classic on oldies stations over the years, I can't help but feel this was only a success for the Travelin wilburys due to the recent passing of Roy Orbison given how this was released around the same time his own song had become a success from earlier on this list. This would be the last we Aussies would hear from the supergroup, although they did release a second album the following year.
#7347
This was the only hit that Gregory Abbot managed to achieve worldwide, mainly because he seems to be confused as to what the term shake down is as he interprets the phrase which is otherwise affiliated with extortion as a romantic gesture. This is in complete contrast with the tone of the song, which is obviously meant to be romantic, making this an unintentionally hilarious song.
#7346
OK so I exaggerated when I said earlier in the list that "Boogie wonderland" was the only hit these guys had in Australia, it was their only top ten hit and the only hit for the Emotions, however these guys did score a hit earlier in the year with this disco classic from their greatest hits package. I guess the fact the greatest hits album was a success did mean that we were at least aware of their catalogue back in the day.
#7345
For fifteen years, this was the only hit that Meat loaf had in his native America, mainly because it was the most contemporary track on Bat out of hell given that it was a ballad about how he could never be with the woman he's singing to. It's a heartbreaking situation as he does admit that he's attracted to this woman but ultimately the attraction is shallow as there's no love he has for her.
#7344
I guess if Elvis Presley could have massive success by incorporating Hawaiian music into his sound, then why not Herb Ohta who was a Hawaiian native? This was his only hit worldwide due to it being a hybrid of Hawaiian music and Chanson which was a popular type of French music from the mid 50's.
#7343
So Simple Plan were still a thing during their third album, it may surprise you to learn that though it was a commercial disappointment for them, they would bounce back with their fourth album in the 2010's which spawned two big hits for them down under, proving that yes, we Aussies did love these guys for a while.
#7342
This was the debut single for Vanessa Amorosi, it's a more conventional teen pop song about how she realises what a nasty person she was in a relationship only after her ex has moved onto someone else. She was only young at the time, so I feel that she gets a pass for having this as her debut when the rest of her early catalogue is far more mature.
#7341
This is the only other hit that Boom crash opera was able to achieve with their singles, although their popularity was more from the album this served as the lead single for as it went on to achieve massive success the following year. I'm a bit surprised these guys didn't achieve further success in the 90's, sure this might be too bombastic for that decade, but they did adapt with the times unlike their contemporaries.
#7340
This was the lead single to the Divinyl's second album What a life, an album which remains their most successful in their career due to it spawning multiple singles despite this being the only one that became a hit for them. It remains one of their more repetitive tracks, however that didn't prevent it from becoming a surprise hit for them over in NZ the following year and sparking international interest in them.
#7339
This was the only hit single that Bob Marley was able to achieve in his lifetime in Australia, hey at least it's one more hit he had here than over in America where he never even charted even posthumously. He had much better success in NZ and the UK over the years, likely because they were able to get on board with his reggae beats regardless of if they were attached to lovestruck ballads such as this or politically charged protests.
#7338
This was the only version of the 30's ballad that was able to become a hit over the years in most countries, although Americans had Robert John score a hit with his version from a decade prior. As this was the dawn of MTV, this version is more bombastic and, in your face, compared to other versions which is perhaps how it managed to become a huge success for Tight fit but also leaving them as a one hit wonder.
#7337
Country radio was an Australian band who scored their one and only hit with this track, there's not much to say about it or the band in question as it was only a success due to it being released at the right time for it to become as such.
#7336
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7335
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7334
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7333
I did mention that this was a commercial disappointment earlier on this list, however that didn't mean this lead single to Meteora was a flop here in Australia given how it managed to rack up enough points to appear on this list of mine. Still, I don't remember hearing this much on the radio back in the day, certainly not compared to the other songs on the album especially their earlier entry.
#7332
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7331
This was a good indication of the type of music making it big in America this year given how disco and other more interesting genres seemed to be excluded on Billboard around this time for some reason, I guess we Aussies found this one and only hit from Steve Forbert interesting enough for it to also be a hit here even though we didn't extend this love for the likes of Robbie Dupree and Billy Preston.
#7330
This is the final hit from Russell Morris, he had a good run throughout the decade but alas, his popularity didn't continue on after this moderate hit he had.
#7329
Given how Nicole Scherzinger was able to revive Diddy's popularity the previous year, it only makes sense that he was score a second hit from around this time with the assistance of Christina Aguilera who was also as the height of her popularity thanks to the success of her album Back to basics.
#7328
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7327
This was the lead single to Human league's Dare album, an album that had an unusual release schedule as the second single "Open your heart" came out mere weeks before their earlier entry regardless of where in the world you're from and months after this lead single. The album was a success once "Don't you want me" became a huge hit here due to the members performing all three tracks on Countdown.
#7326
It looks like Maxine Nightingale was able to score a second hit here in Australia, although it hasn't been as well remembered as her earlier entry which is perhaps why people tend to think she's a one hit wonder to this day. She would score a second hit in NZ as well, although that would've come until the end of the decade.
#7325
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7324
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7323
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7322
Now I know that any cover of the Beatles is going to have harsh criticisms to it, this also had the uphill battle of being a reggae cover of a Beatles track which further put it at a disadvantage. With that said, the Jamaican duo did a decent job with this cover as the song feels like a celebration much like the original which no doubt helped them escape the one hit wonder bin here as well as give them a third hit in the UK.
#7321
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7320
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7319
I guess Sting was still able to find success with his second solo album which goes to show how popular he was throughout the decade despite how people feel about his songwriting abilities. Here he scored a huge hit about how him and his partner will make it through the trials of their relationship no matter what people say, it connected with audiences giving him one final hit down under.
#7318
This was a big hit in Swing out sister's native UK the previous year, however it didn't end up crossing over to Australia or NZ until the band became the final act to perform a song on Countdown during the final episode of the show. It was a big enough success in the southern hemisphere for it to crossover to America, making this a rather circuitous route for the band to make it big worldwide.
#7317
If you're unfamiliar with who Telly Savalas was, he was a crooner and part time actor who scored a massive hit in the UK with this spoken word track that also managed to become a moderate success here in Australia for him. This feels like it came from over a decade prior, meaning that this would've been an excellent year for pre-Beatles music here in Australia were it not for Countdown's presence.
#7316
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7315
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7314
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7313
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7312
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7311
This was originally a hit for Duane Eddy back in the late 50's, in fact this is more or less a remix of that version as the Art of noise simply took the original recording and turned it into a dance track by having Duane rerecord his instrumentation to better fit the beat they were going for. This led to them having a second hit later in the decade with a cover of Prince's song from earlier on the list with Tom Jones.
#7310
Before he became the lead singer for the Models, James Freud was a solo artist who had a backing band by the name of the Modern Day Poets who scored a huge hit this year with this new wave track about how he fell in love with a modern girl. I'm guessing this was meant to be the antidote to all of the rockabilly tracks that were coming out around this time which was all about living in the past.
#7309
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7308
It took him over a decade, however LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool Joe for short) finally managed to score a hit in Australia with this track where he has the assistance of Boyz II Men on the chorus fresh off the success of their earlier entry on this list. This would be his only hit as a lead artist down under, however he did score a massive hit with J-Lo in 2003 with their duet "All I have."
#7307
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7306
This was the only other hit that Gloria Estefan had in Australia with Miami sound machine, I guess the novelty of their breakthrough hit from earlier in the decade ensured that we Aussies wouldn't be able to take them seriously despite how popular they were in NZ and their native America. Her popularity would explode here in the 90's after surviving a horrific crash in her tour bus.
#7305
This was released six years prior to deafening silence for Billy Vera, in fact from what I can gather, this ballad was only a success this year due to it appearing in several episodes of Family ties that involves the romance between Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan on the show.
#7304
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7303
Tina Cousins originally released her debut album to deafening silence in her native UK the previous year, however thanks to her involvement with the Abba tribute from earlier on this list, said album was given a second chance in Australia where it spawned two big hits for her beginning with this dance track about how she feels alone without the love of her life. The video highlights the feeling of emptiness in the lyrics by having he be stranded on an island that appears to be abandoned.
#7302
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#7301
This was originally released as the B-side to Don McLean's second single from his American pie album "Vincent," however for some reason it was given its own life a decade later which allowed him to score a hit with the song again here in Australia this year. This allowed fans to rediscover his back catalogue as a greatest hits album from the start of the decade suddenly became popular when this was released.
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