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.
#3400
In case you were wondering, this is indeed a remix of a track from R Kelly's album Chocolate factory that he released due to the song having some of the stranger lyrics in his catalogue. Somehow, the troubled RNB singer (I won't go into why that is on this site) is a two-hit wonder here in Australia with this remix and one other song on this list as none of his other songs managed to become a hit like they did internationally.
#3399
Well, who needs to come in first place on a reality show to find success in the mainstream of music anyway? Here we have Paulini who came in third place on the first season of Australian idol and was able to score a massive hit with her cover of a Jeff Healy ballad from the late 80's which was far more successful here than the original was anywhere in the world combined.
#3398
This was a bit of a mini comeback for Lady gaga from her debut album as it was the first song of hers to have an accompanying music video which went on to overshadow the song itself, in this case it was due to her going over the top with the visuals as she went out of her way to depict the paparazzi as both glamourous and villainous as she could possibly get away with which connected with audiences.
#3397
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3396
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3395
He may not have won the second season of Australian idol; however, Anthony Callea can still take comfort in the fact that his cover of a showtune from a long forgotten animated film from 1998 was far bigger than the song that helped Casey Donovan claim victory over that season of the reality show.
#3394
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3393
This was the second single from Abba's fourth album Arrival, and one that seems oddly appropriate in this day and age given how frequently they proclaim this to be a "rich man's world" throughout the lyrics. It was an easy chart topper for the Swedish foursome and ensured that their popularity wasn't a fluke during the midpoint of the decade.
#3392
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3391
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3390
It's strange to think how inescapable these guys were in Australia and yet the true winner of the first round of the boy band wars of this decade Take that only managed to break through this year barely with a song that had to be rereleased in order to find any success here. I'm guessing we Aussies preferred these guys overall due to them easily fitting in with the EDM crowd over their main rivals.
#3389
Although his earlier song outranked this when it comes to their respective chart runs, this second single from Hot shot was actually the biggest hit of Shaggy's career in Australia likely due to it sampling both "Angel of the morning" (specifically Juice Newton's cover from 1981) and "The joker" from Steve Miller. It's also the second hit that he had with Rayvon who previously collaborated with him on his cover of "In the summertime."
#3388
Even though this failed to spawn a hit for the Rolling stones, the lack of said hit seemed to help it become a moderate success here in Australia hence why it was able to appear on this list.
#3387
There were no signs of these guys slowing down as they soldiered on throughout the decade with their prog rock, admittedly they weren't as inescapable as they were with their magnum opus Dark side of the moon, however that didn't mean that they were outselling the competition two to one.
#3386
It looks like Billy Birmingham was still able to find massive success with his albums throughout the 90's, in fact he kept finding success down under with his comedy routines well into the new millennium which should give you an idea as to how well loved his impersonations of sports stars were over the years.
#3385
This is the final successful album that Jack Johnson has had in his career, although this hasn't been for a lack of trying as he's released plenty of new music in the new decade which is on the same level of quality as his work throughout the 00's.
#3384
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3383
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3382
It looked like that "Desire" would be the only hit single from Rattle and hum in Australia in exchange for the album being a huge success here, however the success of this fourth single thanks to its emotional music video proved otherwise as it became the final hit that U2 had this decade. Their next album would have them go in a more ironic direction to help them adapt with the changing times.
#3381
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3380
This was the last big hit that Cheap trick had with their original sound, although it was mainly a hit here in Australia following the success of their earlier hit "Dream police" from the changing of the decades. I'm not sure why their subsequent albums failed around the world, however they did score a massive comeback later in the decade with an album they felt they needed to make for contractual obligations.
#3379
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3378
This was the E.P that contained "Twisting by the pool," a song people feel divided on as they're unsure if it's meant to be an homage or parody to the surf rock trends of the early 60's. I personally don't care either way as Dire straits looking back with nostalgia on an older genre is still awesome in my book and it appears audiences of the day agreed as this was a huge success for them.
#3377
Before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac, this guy was the original lead vocalist for the band during the first half of the decade (fun fact, Fleetwood Mac started off as an instrumental band.) He left the group due to not finding any success with them, and while I'm sure he was kicking himself when he saw them take off soon after his departure, he at least got a consolation prize by having this be a success for him in Australia and his native America.
#3376
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3375
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3374
This might be my favourite vocal performance from Frankie Valli throughout his entire catalogue, although I might just be saying that due to how much I love the film in question more than anything. This was his final hit single (not counting a remix of "December 1963") although he was in his forties by this stage so it's understandable that he didn't find any further success after this.
#3373
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3372
This is another deeply personal ballad that came from Delta Goodrem's debut album, this time it's about her complicated feelings towards her partner which seems to go against "Lost without you" from earlier on this list which showcases the range of emotions she has throughout the album. It was her fourth consecutive chart topper, which meant that she already broke the record for most chart toppers from a single album in Australia with this entry.
#3371
The legends are true, there is in fact a version of the Christian hymn "Amazing grace" that's performed on bagpipes by a real army battalion known as the Military band of the Royal Scots Dragon Guards. I'm not sure when the backlash towards this song became an internet meme or if it even had a backlash prior to the internet, however it's one of those tracks that internet trolls love to use in reference to a joke towards a meme.
#3370
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3369
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3368
This was the first time Madonna had released a song with a poignant message attached to it (and it certainly wasn't the last) here she advocates that should a teenage girl fall pregnant that it's ultimately up to her if she decides to keep the baby or not and not her parents or guardians and certainly not anyone else. It became the clear hit from her third album True blue due to feminists of the day applauding her approval for providing teenage girls with agency.
#3367
Following the demise of No doubt, Gwen Stefani decided to embark on a solo career which began with this track which is about taking chances in life. I'm guessing this was chosen as her solo debut as a plea towards the fans of her band to give her solo direction a chance which they obviously headed as her solo album proved to be a huge success for her largely due to the success of this lead single.
#3366
It's easy to forget that this wasn't the originally by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and instead by a long-forgotten band by the name of Arrows, I bring this up because Joan and company had no trouble making it their own despite initially having issues with marketing the track due to this being a time where genres seemed to matter for some reason. They overcame this issue and got a huge worldwide hit out of it.
#3365
You may be familiar with the name Carole Bayer Sager if you're a Burt Bacharach fan, after all she was a frequent writing collaborator with the songwriting legend and co-wrote some of his more well-known songs such as "That's what friends are for" and the theme to Arthur starring Dudley Moore. Here she is with her one and only hit as a lead artist, I'm guessing this was a success more for the lyrics than her vocal performance which isn't great.
#3364
This was all set to becoming another flop for Westlife given how the Irish boy band hadn't had any success here since their cover of "Uptown girl" from earlier in the decade, however it spawned a massive hit with its lead single that for whatever reason, took its sweet time in becoming as such which finally led to this album being a success for them despite the noticeable absence of Brian McFadden.
#3363
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3362
Well so much for these guys being a one hit wonder with "Barbie girl," this proved to be an even bigger hit in most parts of the world due to it not being pulled from shelves in order to promote their album Aquarium. As for the content, we have Lene imagining herself as a love interest for Indiana Jones which I'm sure was a major part of the songs appeal.
#3361
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to have massive respect in the indie crowd but not when they initially broke through, mainly because two of the three brothers hadn't gone through puberty yet and as such people felt they were a bunch of teenage girls singing about their love rather than teenage boys. It's a stupid criticism I know because either way, they were a family act who played their own instrument singing about their love for their significant other.
#3360
This is one of three successful albums that Cat empire had here in Australia, it was mainly thanks to its lead single which I remember being played in every commercial available at the time as well as the band being heavily promoted on Triple J back in the day. I guess if it weren't for all of the digital piracy and Sony pushing every artist aside to give success to the contestants on Australian idol, then this album could've spawned a hit or two.
#3359
This took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, in fact it only became a hit for Jack Johnson due to it spawning a massive hit over in NZ with "Flake" that I'm sure encouraged us Aussies to check out the album to see what all the fuss was about over there. This naturally led to the success of his next album which would lead him to becoming one of the biggest names in music worldwide.
#3358
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3357
These guys were on a roll as their second album proved to be an even bigger success than their debut from two years prior, likely due to them having more of a budget here which allowed the songs to pop more than their previous efforts. This would lead to them releasing their sellout cover of a Lipps inc track later in the year which would in turn lead to their international success for that song.
#3356
This was the only notable success that the Hooters were able to achieve here in Australia, although considering this was a massive flop in their native America, the fact this was a success here should prove to you how we were still willing to look outside the mainstream to find talent during the 80's. They band soldiered on after this trying to replicate the success they had here with this album to no avail.
#3355
Following the success of his earlier entry on this list, Billy Joel had little issues with finding success with this album even if he was still yet to have that big hit that would come on his later work. Indeed, he was a rising star in the music industry at this stage even in his native America where he still wasn't the biggest piano man in the music scene.
#3354
Cake was never a band you were meant to take seriously, just listen to their Gloria Gaynor cover on this album and you'll understand that they're in the same leagues as POT USA and other comedy bands from the 90's. That said, people did take these guys seriously which led to a bit of a backlash to their music, specifically from Ms. Gaynor who didn't appreciate their take on her signature track which likely fueled the success of their second album.
#3353
While this wasn't as inescapable as his big comeback album from the start of the decade, Santana was nonetheless able to retain their popularity this far into the new millennium thanks to repeating the formula that worked for them with their previous album. I guess the lineup of guest vocalists weren't as impressive this time around as before which would explain why this album didn't do as well.
#3352
I'm a bit surprised the Star Wars soundtracks didn't sell better here in Australia back in the day considering A: how much of a cultural phenomenon the films were and B: them being the orchestral themes composed by John Williams especially given how the original trilogy was released when orchestral music was in vogue in the music scene.
#3351
America had a great run in their career by this point in time, so it makes sense that the band best known for lines such as "there were plants and birds and rocks and things" and "cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain" would have massive success with their greatest hits package given how they were known for so much more than their novelty track "A horse with no name" back then.
#3350
I guess Nelly Furtado wasn't considered to be as hip an artist on our digital charts as she was with people who bought physical copies of their music given how this also managed to achieve less success from our storefront than it did on our main charts.
#3349
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3348
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3347
Given how "One sweet day" became the longest running Billboard chart topper this year, it only makes sense that other artists would copy the formula of making a song that serves as an ode to the fallen friends of the people who made it. Enter Bone thugs n harmony who saw massive success with this track worldwide, although this was their only hit here in Australia likely because of the formula.
#3346
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3345
Well, this might be one of the most controversial songs of the decade, mainly because of the line "e's are good" in the chorus which is basically an endorsement for ecstasy. This was a huge UK chart topper, and it was blatantly promoting drug use, although considering it was part of the rave culture which is known for its violent participants, I think it's safe to say that the fact this song was a success at all was impressive.
#3344
While we've already seen plenty of heavier tracks on this list, this is the first entry to be a full-on heavy metal track which comes to us from Deep purple of all bands. Something interesting about this song's success here in Australia is that it was quite delayed as it had almost been a full year since its international success before it finally took off on our charts.
#3343
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3342
This was one of several bands that Tony Burrows was a part of this decade, two others of note were Edison Lighthouse (of "Love grows" fame) and Brotherhood of man on their big hit "United we stand" from earlier in the decade. Here he is with his final hit worldwide which is a surf rock track that's clearly meant to be an homage to the Beach boys less than a decade after their last hit "Cottonfields."
#3341
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3340
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3339
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3338
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3337
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3336
This was the title track to the third album Bon Jovi had massive international success with, it appears that they didn't want to alienate fans that made New Jersey a success in the late 80's too much as they went with the song that most resembled their 80's material as their first single of the 90's. Indeed, the rest of the album would be more akin to what the 90's rock scene would shape up to be.
#3335
It had been well over a year since Livie last touched our charts with "Banks of the Ohio" by the time she released this country ballad, as such it makes sense that it wasn't the runaway success that or "I honestly love you" was from earlier on this list despite being among her more popular pre-Grease country ballads.
#3334
Well, they may have switched from standing up for aboriginal rights to fighting for the Australian miners and their rights, however that's the only change that Midnight Oil made for their first album of the 90's as music wise it's the same rock and roll that made them a household name throughout the 80's. This was their final hit in their career in Australia, although they did score one more hit in NZ with "Truganini" in 1993.
#3333
This was the only album that Jeff Buckley managed to release in his lifetime, it was an alternative rock album that was heavily promoted on Triple J as they were in love with the rock scene throughout the 90's and even to this day. Unfortunately, Jeff would drown two years after this album came out, although the silver lining is that this became a success for him again that year.
#3332
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3331
Both of David Bowie's entries on this list were technically from his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, this being the first entry into his alter ego's discography which he discontinued when he found massive success with Pins ups shortly after he released Aladdin sane.
#3330
This was the second album to come from Mike and the Mechanics, an album which proved to be their biggest hit given how their first album was released prior to when Mike Rutherford saw massive success with his other band Genesis as well as prior to establishing lead singer Paul Carrack as a household name with his solo work. Sadly, none of this did them any favours for transitioning their success into the 90's.
#3329
Even though this is the soundtrack to the critically panned film Even cowgirls get the blues, really, it's an album from KD Lang who managed to score her initial breakthrough this year likely due to the infamy the film received this year for its plot and possibly homophobic portrayal of lesbian cowgirls, although it couldn't have been that bad if the openly gay singer agreed to do its soundtrack.
#3328
This is the first album from the White stripes to find massive success here in Australia, it was mainly due to the lead single which to this day remains a staple on oldies stations thanks to how instantly memorable it is. It was also due to its heavy promotion on Triple J which was gaining more influence on what became a mainstream success from the alternative scene not just in Australia but around the world.
#3327
This was the only successful album to come from glam rock band Europe in Australia, although their next album did alright throughout the continent of Europe meaning they did have their appeal outside of the title track from this album. I get the feeling that Bon Jovi and Whitesnake stole the success these guys had throughout the rest of the world which would explain their one album wonder status.
#3326
This was the only hit single that Soul asylum managed to achieve worldwide, mainly due to the video which serves more as one of those missing persons posters you find at a police station as the band tries to help locate these people who have gone missing throughout America. If you couldn't tell from that, this is a song about how running away from your problems does nothing but hurt those around you.
#3325
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3324
This was originally released in Glenn's native Hawaii following his victory in a singing competition which he won with this cover of a George Benson track from earlier in the decade. Somehow this managed to become a surprise hit over in the UK which allowed it to crossover to Australia, I'm guessing due to how romantic people felt he sounded throughout its runtime.
#3323
This was the debut single for Taylor Dayne, a woman who would go on to have massive success in the early 90's thanks to her powerful vocals albeit with ballads rather than her more upbeat dance tracks such as this song. It turns out this crossed over here in Australia due to it being a massive success in the UK as this was only a modest success in her native America, although it would be her only hit there.
#3322
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3321
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3320
This was the second single to be released from Heavy nova, a song that initially struggled to find success here due to it being one of his more subdue ballads but eventually became a success due to it being one of his bigger hits in his native UK. Apparently, the Brits didn't care for "Simply irresistible" but latched on to this track from the album, proving what they liked about his music and what they didn't.
#3319
This was the first of three duets that Peabo Bryson managed to score success with worldwide, although it's also the only one of his duets that wasn't attached to a Disney property meaning this was made out of passion rather than accepting a commission from the house of mouse. Here he teams up with Roberta Flack a good decade after her final hit "Killing me softly with his song" where it became a huge hit throughout Europe.
#3318
This took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, in fact it was only due to the success for their earlier entry on this list that this became huge here in Australia despite it coming from a film that's frequently described as one of the best live concerts to ever be theatrically released. The rest of the world didn't have to make this soundtrack take such a circuitous route to finding success in the mainstream.
#3317
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3316
Well, her second album might have costed her a career over in America, however at least the rest of the world was able to enjoy Kylie's catalogue throughout the 90's which was kicked off with her third album which did away with those standards tracks which likely alienated her earlier fans. This was the last album to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman as they would go their separate ways after this was released.
#3315
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3314
The last time anyone seemed to care about James Taylor in the music industry was with his duet with his (then) wife Carly Simon on "Mockingbird," that was three years prior which should give you an idea of how jarring this albums success was this year for the singer/songwriter. Admittedly this came due to him scoring a hit this year with its lead single, and he has seen middling success over the years since.
#3313
This is the final successful album that the Killer's had in their career, again this was due to rock music taking a massive back seat to the likes of the club boom and indie pop going into the 2010's which sadly didn't have much room for the likes of these guys and many other bands on these last few lists of mine.
#3312
This will be the only appearance from Jethro Tull on this site, they're a band that's become highly controversial over the years not for their music but rather for an infamous blunder at the 1989 grammy awards where they won best metal performance over the likes of Metallica and other well-beloved bands.
#3311
This was another successful album that the Angels found success with this decade, it wasn't the same level of success that they would go on to achieve during the second half of the decade, but it remains one of their more popular albums in their catalogue.
#3310
Santana were one of the more popular bands during the first half of the decade, so it stands to reason that they were able to retain their popularity during the second half even if it they didn't have the same level of buzz they had earlier in their career. This was the first of three successful albums they achieved in Australia during the latter half of the decade, with the other two being more successful.
#3309
Given how she began her career on Broadway, it only makes sense that Barbra Streisand would release an album where she pays homage to the avenue of entertainment that made her a household name to begin with. It appears audiences were on board with this as it became her most successful album since Guilty from the start of the decade, and she would release a sequel to this eight years later.
#3308
You'd think these guys would be a French band given how their biggest hit was a song from the French genre chanson, you'd be wrong as these guys were based in America and only saw success throughout Europe due to how catchy this update of a 50's chanson track was throughout this decade. They did eventually score a hit on Billboard with "Boy from New York," I'm guessing to pander to American culture.
#3307
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3306
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3305
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3304
Although their previous album was a huge success here in Australia, it was this album that made Good Charlotte a household name given how they were able to thrive in the digital market that had cropped up and helped the likes of Fall out boy and My chemical romance. Indeed, this managed to spawn their biggest hits down under thanks to the format which their earlier work could've benefitted from.
#3303
Things were looking good for Human nature going into the new millennium, after all they were counting down the final months of the year with this album to see if they would indeed be one of the first new big starts of the 21st century. They were as although all of the album's success began and ended this and the previous year, their next album would spawn their biggest hit in the form of "He don't love you."
#3302
It had been nearly a decade since Deborah Harry last had a huge album in her catalogue, although her previous album did spawn a huge hit for her three years prior so it's not like this was a comeback for her or anything. This was a massive flop for her in her native America, making this a true return to her Blondie days as this managed to find more success internationally for her entering the 90's.
#3301
This is the only success that prog band Tully had in their career; they were Australian which allowed them to see success with this album even though that success didn't extend to their subsequent releases. I guess you can argue they were a bit ahead of the curve when it came to prog rock with us Aussies.
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