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.
#3100
While this wasn't their debut single, this was the song that put Abba on the map thanks to the song winning Eurovision for this year with its upbeat instrumentation and lyrics about the historical surrender of Waterloo used to compare to the love the two couples shared for each other. It's a song that's endured throughout the decades thanks to its unique premise as well as how cheerful it is.
#3099
Well, here's a song that's become more popular than the film it was written for, this is mainly because this was the biggest hit of the decade over in America which should give you an idea of what type of music was making it big on Billboard in lieu of all the Australian artists I've featured on these lists so far. If you didn't already know, Debby is indeed the daughter of Pat Boone, a man who the less said about on this site the better.
#3098
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3097
Well, we looked at their big hit they had here exclusively in Australia, time now to look at the big hit these guys had internationally which curiously had a bit of a delay to its success here as it only peaked in the early months of 1973 as opposed to Christmas 1972 like it did in NZ. Again, we have an instrumental track on this list, proving how popular this genre of music was around this time.
#3096
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3095
There didn't seem to be any signs of the Brothers Gibb slowing down in the mainstream as this lead single from their album Spirits having flown proved to be a huge success for them mere months after the album cycle for Saturday night fever came to an end. They would have another hit from the album (which we'll get to in a bit) although this would sadly be the last we would hear from them as lead vocalists for a while.
#3094
And who says that feminist anthems are only a recent phenomenon? Here we have two of the most powerful women in the music industry to ever exist combining forces with this song about how they've had enough with being mistreated in this world. This comes after Donna realised that she was sending a dangerous message with her earlier material as well as Barbra wanting to appeal to Helen Reddy's audience.
#3093
This was the biggest hit that Barry Manilow managed to score in Australia, although it's worth noting that aside from "Copacabana" (which we'll get to on this list) none of his biggest hits were original compositions form him despite him being a renowned songwriter. I guess he still had plenty of success during a decade that was known to be kind to music that has been categorised as for soccer mums.
#3092
These guys had been active in the industry for over a decade before they finally score their first hit anywhere in the world with this soft rock classic, I guess even back in the day there was no age limit to when you could find success for the first time as most bands would've given up by this stage of their careers. These guys would score a second hit later in the decade with "Can't fight this feeling."
#3091
Following the success of MJ's earlier entry, this track from two years prior became a surprise success for his family band likely due to him being a welcome presence on our charts that he apparently wasn't upon this track's initial release. I don't even know why this song flopped in Australia initially as MJ didn't seem to have any problems with finding success with his album Off the wall when it came out.
#3090
The last time Cliff Richard had any success here in Australia was with his Eurovision track "Congratulations" from eight years prior, so to see him back in the spotlight with this track was a bit of a surprise to say the least. The real surprise came when this became a surprise hit in America, making this his first hit single on the Billboard charts.
#3089
This was the debut single for one of the most prominent female hip hop stars of all time, although it's interesting to note that this never became a hit for them in their native America and only saw crossover success when it became a surprise hit for them over in the UK. The girls would go on to have massive success throughout the 90's even though they wouldn't score a massive hit on Billboard until 1993.
#3088
We have another two for one deal on this list, this time it's with Elton's heartfelt tribute to Marilyn Monroe as well as his third Billboard chart topper which incidentally feels like a continuation of "Crocodile rock" from the start of this list both lyrically and musically. Naturally this allowed both songs to be a success here in Australia due to the strong album sales of the album they were pulled from.
#3087
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3086
There won't be a lot of appearances from Coldplay on this site, at least not on my 00's lists as their popularity would largely be confided to their albums in the southern hemisphere due to illegal downloads eating up the success of their singles. The exception to this was their debut single which was a massive hit here in Australia like it was in their native UK.
#3085
This was the debut single for Jason Donovan, the on-screen love interest for Kylie Minogue's character Charlene on Neighbours. While Kylie wowed audiences with her impressive vocals from around this time, it's clear that Jason's popularity was due to the novelty of being from the show as many people (me included) believe that he had no business being in the music industry.
#3084
This was the only hit single to come from Cyndi's album of the same name everywhere except for her native America where "Change of heart" managed to also be a success for her on Billboard, that's not to say the album was a failure but rather that everyone had clearly declared Madonna as the new queen of pop between these two women. This was the start of Cyndi's more mature direction in music which is perhaps why she saw diminishing returns from here on out.
#3083
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3082
This is one of those songs that's meant to be an anthem for the frat boys of the world, as such it was a massive hit for Cobra starship as it seemed inevitable that this type of song would make it big in the club boom that was exploding this year.
#3081
So, you all know the song from Smokie "Living next door to Alice" right? Well, this EDM group decided to make a remix to the 70's classic which ponders the question as to who the f**k she actually is, which really connected with audiences back in the day. This isn't even the only remix to use this formula this year as Smokie themselves got on board with the joke and had an authorised remix of their track become a success in the native UK.
#3080
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3079
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3078
This is the only notable hit that Joan Baez had here in Australia, it's a cover of a song from the Canadian band err... the Band about the fallout of the American civil war. Naturally it connected with audiences at the time due to the recent outcome of the Civil rights movement, which is often compared to the Civil war when it comes to fighting for the basic human rights of the everyman.
#3077
This was the love theme for the horror flick Airport, a film I haven't seen and likely never will given how I'm very familiar with its parody film Flying high (or Airplane if you're from America) from 1980 which makes a complete mockery of this film and its subsequent sequels. It was the only hit that composer Vincent Bell had here in Australia despite working on a number of other scores over the years.
#3076
If the vocals on this track seem familiar to you, that's likely due to the fact that this was the one and only hit from the voice actress of Garnet from Steven Universe years prior to being cast in the LGBT Cartoon network series. Here the English vocalist recruits Kanye West to provide her a guest verse for little reason other than to have him be the American boy in question she's singing about.
#3075
This was the second and final hit that Lieutenant pigeon scored in Australia, it was one more hit they had here compared to the rest of the world where they remain a one hit wonder with "Mouldy old dough" from two years prior. They were an instrumental band whose key member was a woman who was in her fifties due to her being the mother of the lead instrumentalist.
#3074
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3073
Deborah Harry saw plenty of ups and downs throughout the previous decade, so to see her come out of it with the biggest hit of her solo career (in Australia at least) must have been reassuring for her that she would still be popular throughout the 90's. Alas that wasn't to be as while the album this came from was successful, her popularity dwindled out once the album cycle was done.
#3072
This was the first major hit that Blondie had anywhere in the world, although legend has it that "X offender" was meant to be the huge hit from their debut album in Australia only for it to be this ballad instead due to it being played instead of that track on Countdown. It became a hit regardless proving that we Aussies were willing to allow any song from the album to be a huge success here.
#3071
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3070
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3069
Well, they may have been late to the party here in Australia compared to everywhere else in the world, however that didn't mean that the Real McCoy saw failure with their singles as evidence by this second hit from their album becoming a massive success here. This was the last song they released where they were credited as MC Sar and the Real McCoy, presumably because it was an unnecessarily long band name for them.
#3068
Following the success of their Joshua tree album, U2 released a highly contemptuous documentary that did manage to produce a successful soundtrack which launched arguably their biggest hit in the form of this lead single of theirs. The album would spawn more future classics for them, proving that no amount of arrogance from Bono could dissuade their fans into supporting their music.
#3067
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3066
This was the first of only two hits that British singer Peter Shelley had throughout the world (no relation to the Buzzcock's Pete Shelley) his other hit was a sleeper hit this year in Australia and thus won't be making an appearance on here. This likely would've been even bigger if Countdown had not taken over the music scene here as it was a hit the previous year before the show's introduction.
#3065
This was the sixth consecutive chart topper that Delta Goodrem had here in Australia, I'm guessing the backlash she received at the time was what Mariah Carey went through in her native America in the early 90's given how it seemed like everything she released went straight to number one on Billboard at the time. In this case, it makes sense as it was the lead single to her second album Mistaken identity.
#3064
This was a collaboration between two fairly unknown singers Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keeley who were back up by some school choir which somehow managed to make this song a massive worldwide success. If this concoction of people involved with the track isn't confusing enough, the song is a combination of reggae with what appears to be the earliest forms of new wave making it a unique sounding song.
#3063
This is the most successful entry in the Wild FM series (at least during AMR's run) given how it almost managed to top the charts like the seasonal compilations on this list. Although we'll never truly know, I'm curious to see how lucrative this series would be if they were incorporated on ARIA's main chart.
#3062
Although Queen was struggling to recapture the success of their breakthrough album A night at the opera during the second half of the decade, they did manage to continue to find massive success with their attempts which is why this album and its iconic lead single managed to find success here and remain popular to this day. They would hit a dry spell after this with their jazz album titled Jazz.
#3061
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3060
Following its win for best picture at the academy awards, the film adaptation of Chicago became an overnight sensation in the mainstream as audiences were captivated by the acting and singing performances of its three leads. The music especially was well received with is perhaps why the soundtrack was a massive success this year here in Australia.
#3059
This was the debut album from one of the most successful bands of the decade, although fun fact, these guys are technically an Australian band since they formed while on tour here following their departure from their previous band the Tourists. This was the start of a trend where each album the duo would release would be more successful than the last, culminating with their fourth album Revenge.
#3058
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3057
They may not have had much success with their albums in Australia (at least at this point they didn't) however the success of this greatest hits package ensured that Salt n Pepa had a very devoted fanbase here regardless based on their singles alone. Indeed, their popularity here would eventually lead to them having major success with their next album Very necessary both with the singles and the album itself.
#3056
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3055
This was an album from Elton John I'm pretty sure was only a success back in the day due to his artist momentum, I know that not everything with his name on it was an instant success throughout his career, however unless it was infamously terrible like his 1979 effort, chances are audiences would make his work a success.
#3054
This was the debut album from the first winners of a reality show from Australia, although unlike future victory albums, this comes off more like something that would fit in with the times rather than it being little more than a bunch of "thank yous" put to song form (that's my biggest issue with reality show albums if I'm being honest.) It's because of this that the album still retains a fanbase to this day long after Bardot broke up.
#3053
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3052
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for the Scottish band, likely because we Aussies didn't give them that much success back in the day and as such had no reason to check this greatest hits package out. That changed this year when their cover of a Mindbenders track become one of the biggest hits of the decade which incentivised us the check out their back catalogue with this album.
#3051
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3050
They were off to an amazing start with their debut album from the end of the previous decade, so to see these guys fail with their second and third album must have been a shock to the band given how much buzz they had going into the 80's. Indeed, their fourth album was all set for failure even with the success of its lead single, however it then won the Grammy for album of the year which boosted its sales.
#3049
You may recognise Greg Allman if you've followed the life of Cher as he was her second husband from the mid to late 70's, a few years prior he scored a massive hit with his band the Allman brothers with this album. It's the type of blues rock that was competing with all the prog and heavy metal of the day.
#3048
Oh, that poor puppy! I guess these guys wanted to dedicate their fourth album to this helpless canine on the cover which admittedly must have compelled their fans to make this a success for them as the album sadly didn't receive the same love that their previous album got from Triple J. This was the last successful album from the band as their subsequent follow ups failed to find an audience for them.
#3047
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3046
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3045
This proved to be even more of a success for Silverchair than their debut album, I'm guessing because they were able to expand their sound and not come off as much a rip-off of Pearl jam as they did on their previous album. Their popularity continued well into the new millennium, proving that they have a dedicated fanbase that were willing to follow their antics.
#3044
I'm not sure if there's a version of this song without Flo Rida's guest verse, if there is, then it likely explains why this song wasn't as big on our digital charts as it was as a physical release despite the no rap version not charting on our digital charts back in the day. It could also be that Jessica Mauboy was simply more popular with her physical releases than she was on our storefront.
#3043
Given this second single from Good girl gone bad had more of a rock edge to it, it's natural that it would be more of a success on our digital charts as it also had the benefit of not having its success eaten up by how popular the album was on that format which is why it wasn't as big as a physical release down under.
#3042
I don't think there's a version of this track without T.I on it, even if there was, that certainly didn't have any appeal on our digital charts back in the day which means this second single from Futuresex/Lovesounds was far less successful on there than it was as a physical release.
#3041
I'm sure if the digital charts were introduced when this song was initially released here in Australia that this would've matched its success on that format that it achieved as a physical release, as is, it still did rather well on the storefront which is to be expected given the presence of Will.I.Am on the track.
#3040
It took her nearly a decade, but Britney Spears was finally able to have a second Billboard chart topper with this lead single to her album Circus likely due to her embracing the sexual nature of herself which she does tenfold in the music video. At the risk of coming off as mean towards this track, I have to say that this is one of the most repetitive songs to ever become a success as the title is repeated over forty times throughout its runtime.
#3039
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3038
Given how she finally managed to score some much-needed success from her debut album with her earlier entry on this list, it appears that Sheryl Crow no longer had any issues with finding success with said album as this second single managed to be a huge hit for her here in Australia. This has a feel of a Fleetwood Mac track which is perhaps why she managed to connect with audiences here.
#3037
This was the song that Liv Maessen stole the success of here in Australia given how Mary Hopkin was also on a roll going into the 70's given how she capped off the 60's with two of its biggest hits. She was credited as one of the first clients on the Beatles Apple label, although there was some concern at the time given how she was barely in her twenties when she signed her contract with them.
#3036
This was originally released in 1967 to deafening silence here in Australia, I guess because we Aussies felt there wasn't enough room for these guys in the psychedelia scene given how the likes of the Beatles and Procol Harum had dominated that scene with their chart-topping hits. It was given a second chance five years later as a live rendition which became a massive worldwide hit for the band.
#3035
We've looked at the renditions from Kylie Minogue and Ritz on this site, time now to look at the first version of this track that was a huge hit here in Australia from the hard rock band Grand funk (better known as Grand funk railroad by my American readers.) Given how the original from Little Eva was a massive flop here, I'm not particularly sure why this was a hit for the band down under and not their other songs.
#3034
This was a song that P!nk released exclusively in Australia and NZ and the UK due to how well her fourth album I'm not dead was doing in all three countries, as such my American readers will likely be confused as to what this song even is given how it was never released in her homeland due to her not being as popular there around this time. It was a huge hit in the southern hemisphere and a flop in the UK.
#3033
Much like James Blunt after him, Shawn Mullins was a singer/songwriter who began his career serving his country before making music that would appeal to the more pacifist leaning music lovers. Here we have his one and only hit made for people who seem to be down in the dumps, it's a song that like "Bad day" has been criticised for its faux positivity in the lyrics.
#3032
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3031
Now that Cliff Richard's comeback was well and truly established, it appears that he had little issues with retaining his fanbase despite being in his forties throughout the decade. Although I will say that his popularity in America didn't survive past the launch of MTV like it did throughout the rest of the world.
#3030
This was the first solo single to come from Phil Collins, it's a song that's had many theories to it as people believe this to be about Phil outing out a fan of his who allowed someone to drown when they had an opportunity to save that person. I think this is one of the more ridiculous fan theories in music as there's been no proof that this even ever occurred, and people are basing it on very vague lyrics.
#3029
It was as if they never broke up in the first place, oh yeah Dragon had broken up back in the late 70's to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to pursue a solo career that brought him no success. In any case, we have the first hit of their since they reformed and it was as if they had released it immediately after their last big hit "Are you old enough," that's how much fans loved these guys but disliked Marc's solo career.
#3028
Although they had success with their first album in NZ and their native UK, this was the big breakthrough that Sting and company had in Australia likely due to how they repeat the phrase "sending out and SOS" ad nauseum during the outro. Fortunately, the rest of the track is fairly complex thanks to the tight reggae inspired instrumentation as well as the lyrics about finding help for this doomed relationship.
#3027
This was one of the rare RNB ballads that Chris Brown has in his catalogue, even back then, it feels like a black sheep compared to the rest of his catalogue which is more upbeat and showcases a tougher side of his image. This song's released was heavily delayed here as was his earlier collaboration with Jordin Sparks due to how long it took for "Kiss kiss" to become a hit here (which is still to come on this list.)
#3026
Well at least I can honestly say that the Happy days theme was a success here in Australia, even if I'd be lying if I said it was the version that played during the intro and outro of each episode. This was a cover from the Australian duo Silver Studs which became such a success here that it sparked international interest in them which sadly didn't come to be as with most Australian artists this decade.
#3025
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3024
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3023
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3022
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3021
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3020
If you think that Australians being in Eurovision is a recent phenomenon, then think again as Gina G was based in Australia before she was approached by the UK comity of Eurovision to have her represent them this year with this EDM track of hers. While this didn't win the competition (it only came in eighth) it was by far the biggest hit from the show and even allowed her to crossover to America.
#3019
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3018
The only American idol contestant to see success with their victory single outside of America apart from Jordin Sparks was Fantasia from four years prior, although I get the feeling this victory single was a success here in Australia mainly due to the buzz she received with her collaboration with Chris Brown from earlier on the list which would explain why that song was heavily delayed in order for this to become a hit.
#3017
We've finally arrived at what many people consider to be the quintessential track from Green day as it doubles as both a breakup anthem as well as a song attacking the American political climate of the mid 00's. For me, I always felt this song was a rip off of Avril Lavigne's "My happy ending" mostly for the "oh oh's" feeling ripped from that song on this track, although many have argued it working better on here.
#3016
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3015
Thought that David Soul was a one hit wonder with "Don't give up on us?" Well, he might have been in his native America, however he scored two more big hits internationally with this being the third and final hit he achieved in his career. I'm guessing he returned to his day job of acting once the hits dried up for him.
#3014
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3013
I'm not sure what took so long for this song to be released in Australia, it was a massive international success for Shaggy and an instant success for him once he finally released it this year here. I'm guessing it was due to how his previous song "In the summertime" was looking to become a success here given how it was included in the soundtrack for the Paul Hogan film Flipper which likely caused us to delay this songs release.
#3012
This was the third and final hit to come from Craig David's debut album in most parts of the world, it's a more standard RNB ballad from Craig as it's him walking out of a toxic relationship and indeed everything making his life worse than what it needs to be. No doubt the success of all of these tracks from his album led to the success of his American counterpart Usher later in the year worldwide.
#3011
These guys were all about giving us history lessons set to catchy music, weren't they? Here we have their history lesson on Ma Barker, one of the most notorious women in the American crime syndicate during the first half of the century (they misspelt her name for some reason.) This became an instant success for them throughout the world and no doubt led to their even better track about Rasputin.
#3010
While this wasn't Elvis's final hit anywhere in the world, it is the last song he released from his catalogue that has largely survived the test of time likely due to it feeling like a track from the 60's rather than the early 70's. It was a massive hit for the king of rock and roll regardless of where in the world you're from, although outside of Australia, it was a bit of a comeback for him.
#3009
This was the one and only hit from Grayson Hugh not just in Australia but throughout the world, I'm guessing because this flopped in his native America likely due to the video which is admittedly ridiculous even for its time. The lyrics do make up for the cheesy video which apparently were meant for Olivia Newton John to sing, however I feel this guy does a better job then she could ever hope for.
#3008
Given how Wings were no more once the 80's began, it appears that Paul McCartney finally felt comfortable to release his second solo album which spawned easily the biggest hit of his career he had without the assistance of anybody else. Whether it be with the Beatles, Wings or a musician of colour, Paul has had a ton of success with other people, however very few of it came from a solo performance.
#3007
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3006
This was the biggest solo hit that Ringo Starr had here in Australia, we'll look at his other two big hits later down this list but suffice to say this is the entry from him that gives me the least to talk about as it just confirms him as the talented drummer of the fab four and little else given its lack of legacy.
#3005
Well, here's the debut single for one of my least favourite groups to find success this decade, I know the Corrs get flack for having Celtic influences in their music but at least it enhances their songs rather than it being a gimmick like it is on B*witched's music. Remove the Celtic sound and you're left with an ordinary teen pop group who were competing with the likes of the Spice girls and Cleopatra for success.
#3004
Before Orange is the new black became the definitive program about a women's prison, there was Prisoner which aired in Australia from 1979 to 1986 and was a huge critical and commercial success due to the themes explored in each episode (again similar to how they're explored in the Netflix series.) As such the theme song became a huge success whenever the show premiered around the world, originally this year in Australia, in 1981 in NZ and 1989 in the UK.
#3003
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3002
This was the only hit single to come from RNB group Silk, I'm guessing this was so big here in Australia due to how sexually charged the lyrics are which made this the perfect soundtrack for baby making if you catch my drift. It was written and produced by Keith Sweat who would go on to have massive success later in the decade as a solo artist with equally sexually charged tracks.
#3001
This is the first of two entries to come from Spanish DJ Sammy who took two tracks from 1985 specifically and made them into dance tracks for the (then) modern generation. Here he scoops up the Bryan Adams track which was already described as one of the cheesiest ballads of the 80's and turns it into a dance track which connected with audiences around the world including in America.
No comments:
Post a Comment