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.
#6000
This was the lead single to Queen's sequel album to A night at the opera, A day at the races. While it wasn't as big a success as "Bohemian rhapsody" (which admittedly few songs have been over the years) it did retain their popularity during the album cycle and led to them having a huge hit with their earlier entry on this list. The albums themselves were also a huge success back in the day in case you were wondering.
#5999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5998
Wow was this song EVERYWHERE when it first came out, it's hard to believe that it wasn't any bigger here in Australia as it certainly felt like it was on the radio and in commercials. This was the only hit that Groove Armada managed to score down under, likely due to the novelty of a track saying "I see you baby shaking that ass" ad nauseum not allowing them to be taken seriously in the mainstream.
#5997
It looked like there was no stopping Sweet given how this was released from their album Give us a wink just after they scored a massive hit with "Action" from their previous album Strung up, however aside from having one more hit later in the decade with "Love is like oxygen," this would be the last we heard from the band proving how quickly the glam rock scene had died out in the second half of the 70's.
#5996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5993
This was the last hit that Helen Reddy was able to have here in Australia, I'm guessing because she didn't fit in with the Countdown era which seems fair enough as Livie would struggle to have success as the decade went on with the same brand of pop country. Unlike Livie, Helen Reddy would stick to acting after this, her best-known role being as Nora from Disney's Pete's dragon.
#5992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5991
This song feels a little low on this list, this is because it had some of its success stolen here in Australia by a local band known as Peaches who also covered this ballad from the Righteous brothers. Clout was an all-girl group from South Africa who saw massive international success with this ballad, presumably due to their interpretation of the lyrics which are about them being a substitute for the listener's current partner.
#5990
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5989
This was the lead single to Cold Chisel's biggest album East; it was also the final song they released in the 70's as it found its success during the first months of the 80's thanks to the sentiment of the lyrics and Jimmy's performance. Their earlier entry on this list was the bit hit from the album, although both of these songs do remain popular in their discography regardless of which one was bigger.
#5988
Next were one of the more popular RNB groups of the 90's, even so I don't think they were expecting to score a hit in Australia with their Billboard chart topper due to how RNB had only recently become more popular here over the last few years. Indeed, the note for note cover that Blue made a few years later would be a bigger hit down under, although at least the original was a success this year.
#5987
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5986
There was no escaping 50 cent during the midpoint of the decade as he managed to rack up hit after hit both as a lead artist as well as with his features, most notably with the Game who won't be appearing on this list despite scoring two hits worldwide with his hip hop numbers. I feel the production is why this song was a hit as it's by far the most recognisable of producer Scott Storch from his catalogue.
#5985
This was Leann Rimes only hit as a country artist in Australia, oh she would go on to have massive success in the new millennium as a pop star, however she began her career as a country singer with tracks such as this ballad. Considering she was only fourteen years old when she released this song, it's impressive that her vocals are this strong considering what most fourteen-year-olds sound like.
#5984
Well, this was a huge hit for both Technotronic and mashup singles, so why not have this song which essentially combines both aspects be a huge success here in Australia?
#5983
Eurovision this year was so popular that Olivia Newton John managed to score a massive hit worldwide with her entry for the UK despite it only coming in fourth place in the contest, it's a well performed ballad that no doubt caught the attention of her future American audience who gave her a Billboard chart topper with her earlier entry on this list.
#5982
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5981
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5980
This was the breakthrough single for New order, a band who serves as a sequel act to Joy division following the death of that bands lead vocalist Ian Curtis. Curiously, this song became the biggest hit of the decade over in NZ due to its refusal to die on their charts, I know this song has a diehard fanbase, but I didn't realise it consisted of the majority of the general public of NZ from around this time.
#5979
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5978
Aah contractual obligations, they make you do things you would otherwise never dream of doing such as forcing you to reunite with a band that were best known for kiddie pop a decade prior to getting back together with them. This was the fate that New edition found themselves in this year as they were forced to finish their contract by releasing an album this year which spawned this big hit for them in Australia and NZ.
#5977
This is one of those cheesy duets which has endeared over the years due to how sincere both performers are on the track, although it's worth noting that neither Gloria Loring nor Carl Anderson saw much success in their respective careers outside of this duet even in their native America.
#5976
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.
#5975
We looked at the song this track remixes on my 1985 list, so now let's look at my and many others introduction to that classic which became a hit in the late 90's from this British dance group Dario g. Here the group takes the chanting from the original track and pairs it with production that makes it feel like an exotic track from Africa rather than a sombre ballad from a new wave band.
#5974
This was the big hit off of Bryan Adam's breakthrough album Reckless, it's the rare ballad he had this decade which seems odd for me to say considering how the 90's would be filled with ballads from him. Indeed, the other two singles off the album "Run to you" and "Summer of 69" (stay tuned for that in a bit) would be a better representation of his 80's material as they were more in line with arena rock.
#5973
Well, he may not have had his partner in crime Bernie Taupin writing his big hits, however Elton John was able to continue having success during this dark period of his career which I'm sure was enough convincing that he didn't need Bernie's songwriting chops until their reunion in 1983. This was the big hit off his first album without Bernie's output which managed to be a modest success for him.
#5972
The best way I can describe these guys is if Good Charlotte were from Canada, actually that's not fair as these guys were more in line with nu metal with their earlier material and only shifted towards emo rock with the album this serves as the lead single for. It was their first hit outside of their native Canada likely due to the similarities they had with Good Charlotte at the time much to the chagrin of their longtime fans.
#5971
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5970
These guys had been active in the music industry since the mid 50's, and while they saw a ton of success in their native America over the years, this was their only hit here in Australia due to it becoming a surprise hit for them in the UK. For some reason, the Brits labelled them as Detroit Spinners, I'm guessing due to there being an up-and-coming band named the Spinners at the time.
#5969
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.
#5968
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5967
This was the final hit that Cher was able to score here in Australia, admittedly this comes immediately after her earlier hit on this list as it served as a huge comeback for her after a rather dormant period in the mainstream. I guess this song and the rest of the album was devoid of any autotune to reassure listeners that she could still sing at this point in her career, even though the usage of autotune has been called the Cher effect.
#5966
This was the last hit that Belinda Carlisle had for five years in Australia, although she did come back later in the decade when "In too deep" became a surprise hit for her in 1996 exclusively down under. I'm guessing we Aussies needed more from her than her amazing vocals to make her a household name this far into the 90's, to be fair she did do better than what you'd otherwise expect given this never saw the light of day in America.
#5965
We have another solo entry from Donny Osmond on this list, he was just racking up the hits here in Australia back in the day which is odd because the rest of his family didn't see this level of success (except Jimmy and maybe Marie with an entry we'll get to.)
#5964
This is the only notable hit that the British group Fortunes had here in Australia, although like many British bands back in the day, they were far more lucrative in their homeland than they were internationally as they scored a ton of hits in their homeland throughout the 60's.
#5963
Oh, wow was Stephanie Mills done dirty when Diana Ross replaced her in the theatrical adaptation of the Wiz, fortunately she was able to score a hit with her singing career this year shortly after Diana scored her own comeback with "Upside down" from the previous year. Who knows how much more popular she would've been if Diana hadn't have taken her opportunity to be a Hollywood legend.
#5962
Apparently, there was a film called Car wash released around the time this became a massive success for Rose Royce worldwide, evidently no one saw the film which is perhaps why this failed to score an Oscar nomination for best original song at the academy awards around this time. Nowadays it's seen as the perfect song to play whenever you're visiting a Car wash, making it more legendary than before.
#5961
This was the final hit that the New seekers managed to achieve before they called it quits to allow the genuine article to score a comeback the following year with "Sparrow song," they were meant to be the British equivalent of the Australian band but fell short due to selling themselves as a pop band as opposed to a folk band like the genuine article was.
#5960
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.
#5959
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it's from Elton John who decided to bundle "Rocket man" from Honky chateau with "Tiny dancer" from Madman across the water in order to cross promote both albums even though the latter had been out for about a year when this was released. Naturally this became a success for him here in Australia months prior to his top entry on this list.
#5958
Their big hit here might have been their cover of "Let's groove" from the following year, however CDB managed to score a big hit prior to that with this song that was originally meant for the Rockmelons while Deni Hines was still a part of the group. They eventually donated this to the RNB group when Deni left the band to go on a solo career which did spawn a huge hit for her next year.
#5957
This needed two attempts to become a hit here in Australia as it was released towards the start of the year to deafening silence for the French pop star FR David. I'm not sure what allowed us Aussies to change our mind about this track other than it being a catchy number and its success throughout Europe.
#5956
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.
#5955
I feel the title of this track tells you everything you need to know about it, it's a novelty track about absolutely nothing made by a man who was likely just as surprised by its success as everyone else was back in the day. It was a massive hit in his native NZ early in the year and a big hit over here in Australia as well.
#5954
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5953
Given how she received critical acclaim for her role as the titular Evita (a rare feat for Madonna in Hollywood) it only makes sense that her showstopping rendition of the signature track from the original concept album would be a huge success for her this year. This was pushed back as the second single due to the film wanting to push her Oscar winning ballad "You must love me" as the lead single from the album.
#5952
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5951
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5950
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5949
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5948
This was the first hit that Gary Glitter had that didn't appear on one of his albums (that I'm aware of) naturally this allowed it and his top entry on this list to top the UK charts which remain as his only two chart toppers over there along with "I'm yours" which won't be appearing on this list.
#5947
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5946
Well, we needed to have another version of the Village people eventually, enter the Skatt bros who managed to copy the formula of the LGBT band and score a massive hit here in Australia around the time they released their film Can't stop the music. This was an excellent year for queer disco in Australia it seems.
#5945
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5944
This was the second hit that Pseudo echo was able to score here in Australia, it's more in line with what their earlier entry originally sounded like proving they weren't always about being bombastic for the sake of it. This was actually their big hit over in NZ from their debut album, likely suggesting the kiwis were also in agreement that these guys were at their best when they would dial things back.
#5943
There haven't been that many Asian pop stars to make it big over the years in Australia, one of the select few was Seiko who scored a hit here with her duet with Donnie Wahlberg during the height of his popularity with NKOTB. Evidently this was the full extent of his solo career as he would go on to produce his younger brothers work while he fancied himself as a rapper.
#5942
We looked at the big hit that Jeff St John had in 1977, now let's look at his debut single which was a decent success for the paraplegic Australian musician, proving that even back in the day, you didn't have to be abled bodied in order to find massive success in the music scene.
#5941
I don't know how this hip hop track managed to become a hit in Australia, even if it was a hit in their native America (which it wasn't) hip hop didn't do well here in Australia until 2000 when Eminem broke down the barriers with his album the Marshall Mathers L.P. In any case, we have this track from the hip hop posse becoming a surprise success here which was a rarity for anyone from the east coast of hip hop.
#5940
This was another band who scored a big hit this year that was completely misleading to what their usual sound was, in this case we have Roxus scoring their only hit with this ballad which seems like the opposite of their other songs from their one and only album Nightstreet which was more in line with what Rose tattoo or AC/DC was offering from the mid 80's, they're basically the Australian equivalent of Extreme in that regard.
#5939
It turns out these guys weren't a one hit wonder with "Paloma Blanca" from later in the decade as their debut single managed to be a huge success for them here in Australia as well as throughout Europe despite it bombing in the UK for the Dutch band. Who knows how much bigger "Paloma Blanca" would've been had Countdown not given higher emphasis on local artists when it was released.
#5938
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5937
This was another big hit from Mark Holden that he achieved during his time in the spotlight, he was essentially Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett if they had an Australian accent, and he had no shame of the music he made for his audience.
#5936
Well, this was a bit of a surprise, the last time Kate Ceberano was heard from in the music scene was during her time as Mary Magdalene in the 1992 Australia revival show for Jesus Christ superstar. Fast forward six years and she's scoring a huge hit with this track likely due to how catchy the melody is as well as the sound in general being in vogue with the more mature artists from around this time.
#5935
This was a huge hit for Blackfeather the year prior to their earlier entry on this list, it was natural that this would be a success for the band given how we've firmly established at this point that psychedelia lasted well into the 70's despite it being a quintessentially 60's genre.
#5934
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5933
Your guess is as good as mine as to why Eternal's ballad from the previous year flopped here in Australia, although Monica was able to make it a success with her rendition this year likely due to her having a string of Billboard chart toppers following the success she had with Brandy on "The boy is mine." This would be her last hit in Australia as she wouldn't have any success in the new millennium.
#5932
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5931
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.
#5930
This was the only hit that Blondie managed to score from their album Eat to the beat in Australia, I'm guessing we Aussies weren't as thrilled about that album as the rest of the world was given how this was a British chart topper for the band this year. Fortunately, they came back with "Call me" which restored their popularity in time for their penultimate album Autoamerican and its huge hits.
#5929
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5928
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5927
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5926
It appears that Ace of base had moved on from being the reggae equivalent of Abba to now being a straight up 90's equivalent of the Swedish foursome from the 70's, this is perhaps why their second album didn't do as well internationally especially considering fans were becoming more nostalgic for the older band around this time thanks to the likes of Muriel's wedding and other films that glorify their catalogue.
#5925
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.
#5924
This was a huge hit for Amber who managed to crack the Billboard charts with this EDM track thanks to her strong vocals as well as the campy nature of this track which I'm sure has made it a queer anthem over the years. There was little doubt that this would be a hit here in Australia given how the decade has been filled with dance tracks such as this, and indeed she would have another hit later in the decade with "If you could read my mind" as part of a supergroup.
#5923
This was the only hit that City Boy were able to achieve in their career, I'm guessing it was due to this not being that big of a hit in their native UK despite it being a surprise hit over in America this year. I guess this was one of the more memorable pop rock tracks to come out from the decade.
#5922
Much like her earlier entry on this list, this was initially a bomb in Australia for Tina Charles, likely due to the sudden rise in popularity of "Dance little lady dance" which prevented this from becoming a success upon its initial release here. This proved to be her final hit worldwide likely due to audiences finding her voice to be overbearing for a genre that was defined by stripped back vocals.
#5921
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5920
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5919
This was the other big hit that Midge Ure had this year worldwide, and it's the song that was blocked from the UK top spot with Joe Dolce's hit from the start of the list which angered a lot of people back in the day. It seems appropriate that it would be a hit down under, although it wasn't nearly as successful as you'd think given how it's endured over the years as well as Midge Ure's reputation in music.
#5918
This was another huge hit that Slade had throughout the world during their heyday, it was coincidentally their second UK chart topper given how it was their second biggest hit here in Australia for the glam rock band.
#5917
I've heard this be described as having the feel of a Doobie brothers track, ever since all I hear whenever I hear this is the Pointer sisters covering "What a fool believes" which is admittedly a good thing in my book. Of course, the lyrics are completely different as it's about how the girls are smitten by a shy guy as opposed to the Doobie brothers being felt like a fool for being in a relationship with someone.
#5916
This was the first of only two hits that Joe Camilleri managed to have with his band Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, the other being "Taxi Mary" from the early 80's which was his final hit before they broke up and he formed his new band Black sorrows. Naturally he found more success with those guys in the 80's and 90's, however he originally found success here thanks to how catchy this track was during the Countdown era.
#5915
This had been an interesting decade for Wendy Matthews, she began as the lead singer of a supergroup before scoring two successful solo albums to her name before becoming yesterday's news by the midpoint of the 90's. Here she released a greatest hits package which became a success for her, this being the latest album of its kind to confirm that an artist's work is secured in the nostalgia circuit.
#5914
So, we all know that scene from the Blues brothers where the two leads are driving down the street and the musician of colour is entertaining everyone with his scatting right? Well, here he is fifteen years later with a successful album to his name likely due to the success of Scatman John and his hit single this year. John would live until 2001 where he passed away at the age of 83, making him one of the oldest artists to feature on this site.
#5913
This is the last successful album Gloria Estefan released in her career both solo and with her band Miami Sound Machine, it was only a success here in Australia due to the lead single also serving as the theme to the Sylvester Stallone flick the Specialist which helped it become her biggest hit down under. In case you're wondering, yes, this album title was coopted for U2's Batman forever theme.
#5912
Following the success of their previous album in their native America, Heart released this album which managed to become a big success here in Australia due to the success of its lead single. Naturally this didn't bring in the numbers here that it did in its homeland, however it did well enough that their next album was an even bigger hit at the start of the following decade.
#5911
This was only barely a success here in Australia for Rod Stewart, likely due to name recognition as it didn't have that much presence here back in the day which is strange given how inescapable he was at the end of the 70's.
#5910
Given how the lead single to this album was a massive success for Supercharge here in Australia, it only seems fitting that it would too be a success even if we Aussies didn't find much to love about it outside of said single. At least it did better over here than it did in their native UK where they never had any success.
#5909
Given how popular her film Cabaret was, it only makes sense that Liza Minnelli would capitalise off her newfound success with this live album she recorded during a performance on some TV show. If you're wondering why there's a vast gap between the Go set and AMR stats, that's because they were widely different when going through them much like the AMR and ARIA charts of the 90’s.
#5908
This was initially a failure for Carly Simon here in Australia, mainly because this was the album she released before her magnum opus from my previous list. It became a surprise hit not because of that album, but rather due to one of the songs randomly getting picked up on radio and eventually getting released exclusively here.
#5907
Given how inescapably popular James Taylor was worldwide, it only makes sense that his label would reissue his debut album which from what I can gather was a complete failure for him upon its initial 1968 release. We Aussies certainly gave it the chance it deserves hence its placement on this list.
#5906
Following the success she had with her breakthrough album, Melanie decided to release this live album which was supposedly recorded at a concert she gave for someone's birthday (at least that's what's proudly boasted on the cover) that nonetheless proved to be a massive success for her in Australia.
#5905
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#5904
This third album from Britney Spears also serves as the soundtrack to her first feature length film which was a film that was panned by critics and audiences alike for her poor acting as well as it being a cliched ridden road trip flick. At least the album was well received by fans given how few if any of the songs have anything to do with the film, after all the overall theme is about her wanting more independence in life which isn't a theme present in the film.
#5903
These guys had already released three albums before they finally made it big with this album, although interestingly this was slightly bigger in NZ around this time so perhaps this was due to them having crossover appeal over there before taking it back home over here. I guess that makes these guys the inverse of Split enz and Dragon, and admittedly their brand of alternative rock still holds up to this day.
#5902
This is one of the only entries from Pat Benatar's albums to appear on this side of my site, she did have more success over in NZ with her albums at the cost of her not having a giant hit over there like she did over here, however it's safe to say that her work wasn't very much appreciated back in the day like it is in recent years.
#5901
I guess this is proof that the digital charts wouldn't have done much to recoup Avril's losses from her first two albums given how this feels like a track that belongs on those albums, at least it did decently well hence its appearance on this list, but we clearly were more interested in her bratty new direction at this point.
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