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.
#4300
Given the success of the Beach boys medley (which naturally appears on this album) the Beach boys decided to capitalise off their brief comeback by releasing a greatest hits package that of course was a huge success for them here in Australia.
#4299
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4298
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4297
It pains me to say that this guy never had much success here in Australia save for this highly successful greatest hits package he released at the start of the decade. I guess the success of this album allowed us Aussies to rediscover his back catalogue and thus allow his songs to become staples on oldies stations.
#4296
I guess it makes sense that the final hit that Evermore had in their career proved to be a bigger hit on our digital charts than as a physical release given how much bigger their earlier entries were on this format, in fact I'd be curious to see how much bigger the singles from their first album would be had ARIA bothered to track digital sales during the first half of the decade.
#4295
This feels like a more sensible placement for this lead single to I am Sasha fierce given how the song it was bundled with here in Australia proved to be far more popular back in the day, although there was little chance that this was going to flop regardless of which format we're referring to despite its lyrics some find to be contentious.
#4294
You'd think that Rob Thomas's reunion with Matchbox 20 from two years prior would've been more permanent, however it was only for one single as he released his second solo album before he got back together with the band to record their (to date) final album North in 2012. This was a big hit in Australia this year, although I don't remember hearing it much due to coming out around the time MJ tragically passed away.
#4293
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4292
Although these guys saw moderate success with their albums this decade, the last time they had a hit single was from the start of the decade when "No secrets" became a top ten hit for them. Here they are with a cover of the Animals classic from the mid 60's, this being a surprise hit for them here and even their big crossover hit in NZ as this managed to win over the kiwis after a decade of silence there.
#4291
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4290
Smokie were certainly on a roll throughout the 70's as they managed to score yet another hit in Australia during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling these guys replaced Bay city rollers as the British pop rock band of choice once the Scottish lads began to saw a dip in their popularity.
#4289
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4288
Another two for one entry on this list, this time it's the two final hits that CCR had in most parts of the world given how they both come from Pendulum which is the last album their fans like to acknowledge from their catalogue. "Have you ever seen the rain" is by far the more famous of these two entries given how fondly remembered it remains for 70's aficionados due to its instantly recognisable melody.
#4287
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4286
This guy isn't the bassist for Queen despite them sharing the same name, instead he was an Australia TV composer who scored his one and only hit for the TV show Rush which was a popular Australian crime show from the 70's that was remade in the late 00's. From what I can gather, it was the Magnum P.I of its time, making this another occasion that American media stole from Australian media throughout history.
#4285
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4284
This was the first major hit that John Swan was able to score here in Australia, I'm guessing this became a hit for two reasons. The first was that it's a pub rock cover of the Bobby Darin classic from the 60's and the second was that he's the older brother of Cold Chisel front man Jimmy Barnes who was scoring massive success around this time with his own music. He would score another hit the following year with "Lady what's your name."
#4283
This was the one and only hit from white female rapper Icy blue, an underage MC who made it big with a song about how good she is in bed err.... I mean on the dancefloor given how many guys fail to keep up with her until she comes across this seeming dweeb who outdoes her at the end of the night. The song is notable for sampling "Push it" from Salt n Pepa, which is perhaps why it was a flop in her native America.
#4282
This was the love theme for the third iteration of the A star is born franchise, a theme that was so popular that it won the Oscar for best original song at the academy awards despite the film being a critical disaster upon its initial release. I'm guessing it was this Oscar that made it a success worldwide as Barbra hadn't had a hit since her previous Oscar win with "The way we were" from earlier in the decade.
#4281
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4280
The last time Maxi Priest had troubled the charts anywhere in the world was at the start of the decade when "Close to you" became a massive success in America and in the southern hemisphere. Fast forward six years and he's back with a collaboration with Shaggy during the height of the rapper's career which no doubt elevated the success of this reggae track much higher than it otherwise would've achieved.
#4279
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4278
It looks like Peter Allen wasn't the only person who wanted to escape to Rio this year as Michael Nesmith also had a hit about the Brazilian capital in the southern hemisphere. It's worth noting that the Monkees vocalist didn't have much success in his native America once the band broke up earlier in the decade, although he managed to score three hits here and in NZ throughout the decade.
#4277
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4276
Although the kiwis were quick in making Missy Elliott a household name in the late 90's, we Aussies didn't give the female rapper a chance until she released what would be her biggest hit in her native America, even then it had a slow rise to its success as it was released towards the end of the previous year down under. This is Missy's signature track as it is the perfect example of her displaying her sexual nature despite being aware she's not conventionally attractive.
#4275
This was the only noticeable hit that Richard Clapton was able to score throughout his career, although at least it remains a staple on oldies stations so he can take comfort in the fact that he wrote a song that would stand the test of time in Australia. I feel that this was the type of music that Daryl Braithwaite wanted to make during his time with Sherbet but got stuck making teen pop for his female audience.
#4274
OK as much flack as these guys received over the years, at least their earlier entry remains a classic on the dance floor to this day due to how much command and respect that Martha Walsh has on that track. Here she scores a second hit with a band that feels like it was tailor made to be a McDonalds commercial, indeed I've heard a remix of this track used in their ads over the years and it fits perfectly.
#4273
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4272
Continuing with his meta commentary of the state of music, John Paul Young decided to target the state of love songs which often resulted in setting up unrealistic expectations in real life romances. I guess it's good to know that people have been making these observations in music for this long, although John manages to do so while having an aurally pleasing song that managed to become a huge hit for him.
#4271
While there's no denying that this is a silly hair metal track that was clearly meant for the ladies, it's still a ton of fun to listen to thanks to the killer instrumentation and how much fun the band is having while recording this track. Strangely this was their only hit in Australia despite it not being their biggest hit in their native America, although their other songs are nowhere near as fun as this track.
#4270
This was the only hit single that Melissa Manchester was able to achieve in Australia, although at least it's a bouncy love ballad about how she's letting the narrator know that there's a woman who's clearly into them. I'm not sure how this managed to crossover for her considering the other hits she's had in her native America; however, I'm not exactly complaining about its success here.
#4269
This was the debut single for a man who was promised so much success this decade between this and his earlier entry on this list, as I said this was an even bigger hit in NZ proving that there was plenty of crossover appeal for Billy's lounge music that sadly didn't end up coming to be after this year. I guess he was deemed to kitschy during a time where Barry Manilow and the Captain and Tennille were superstars.
#4268
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4267
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4266
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4265
Well, this is one of those story ballads that leaves you feeling hollow inside, we have the tale of a wife of a missionary who one day finds her husband has left for a mission only for him to never return home despite reassurances from the air force that he would be back one day. The way Kim delivers the story leaves me in tears every time, almost as if she was speaking on behalf of someone she knew who was going through this dilemma.
#4264
If you couldn't tell from their two biggest hits this year, Mi-sex were a strange but enjoyable band who thought outside the box when it came to incorporating the science fiction craze in their music. Here we have the lead single to their second album which was based on aliens as evidence by the lyrics as well as the cover art. Indeed, the NZ band have been described as otherworldly by those who aren't into them.
#4263
This song was originally featured in Coyote ugly in a scene where the main lead realises she needed to perform the songs she wrote in order to land her dream job of being a professional songwriter, I guess enough people were impressed with a song that was meant to be little more than a jam session that the band in question the Calling were given a record deal where they were able to release it in the real world this year.
#4262
Well, here's that second hit that Sonia dada were able to achieve in Australia this year, it's about the same as their earlier entry on this list which explains why it was a huge success for them here and nowhere else in the world. Once the album cycle ended from the group, they were never heard from again.
#4261
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4260
It was a new decade, so it only makes sense that Kenny Rogers would begin it with one of his more memorable songs becoming a massive success throughout the world. He did surprisingly well going into the MTV era outside his native America considering that MTV seemed to have an allergic reaction to country music, although he would end up being more popular on Billboard as the decade went on.
#4259
This was a moderate hit in Gary and Dave's native Canada from the previous year, indeed it took quite a while for it to crossover here in Australia as it was released at the start of the year to deafening silence only for it to gain popularity towards the end of the year. As it turns out, the two men were also aviators which would explain why they didn't have another hit in their career.
#4258
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4257
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4256
So, we're all familiar with the story of Dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, right? Well Men at work decided to make a song about the story only to switch it around so that it's Dr Heckyll and Mr. jive which as you can guess, is about a mad scientist and a rock star split personality similar to the Jerry Lewis flick the Nutty professor. This proved to be a winning formula for the band as it became a success from their second album.
#4255
This was the last hit to come from Evanescence, mainly because it serves as the lead single for an album that many people will tell you was more of the same from their debut album three years prior. Indeed, while the album was a massive success, it was panned by critics for failing to innovate their sound which resulted in their subsequent material failing to find much of an audience.
#4254
This was the title track from John Farnham's third album from his comeback period, it's a song that largely gets overshadowed by the rest of the album despite it being the biggest hit from said album. This is because the other two hits from the album (which are still to come) get more love on oldies stations than this does, although this does remain a fan favourite for what it's worth.
#4253
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4252
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4251
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4250
This was Dave Edmunds second hit here in Australia, although from what I can gather it's an Australian exclusive single given how it didn't appear to chart anywhere else int he world. I would've thought that it would at least touch the Billboard charts given how America seems to be the promised land in question going by the lyrics, however it was only us Aussies that appreciated this folk ballad.
#4249
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4248
This was the final hit single that ELO were able to achieve in most parts of the world, presumably because fans felt it was a return to form with their more operatic catalogue after two albums of disco hits. After this they struggled to find mainstream relevancy due to them not fitting in with MTV, this was a fate shared by many prog bands of the 70's despite their music being melodramatic enough for the era.
#4247
This is an English cover of Trio's only hit single worldwide, although I wouldn't blame you for thinking that this isn't a song at all given how this seems to be tailor made for TV commercials (most notably the Sakata crackers.) I guess the novelty of this track ensured that it would be a massive hit in most parts of the world.
#4246
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4245
This was the final hit single that Michael Bolton was able to score anywhere in the world, although he did chart the following year with "Can I touch you there" proving that not everyone had given up on his music by the midpoint of the decade. This song is a bit of a bait and switch as you'd expect this to be about how he's bitter over a relationship he wishes he had no investment in, instead it's him saying that what he had with this person is more than love.
#4244
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4243
This was the second and final hit that this Australian sister duo had in their career, I think it was a hit as well as their final hit due to the chorus reminding people of "Little red corvette" back in the day and them being divided on whether that's a good thing or not (it certainly reminds me of the track which is an excellent thing in my book.) They would eventually be replaced with the Veronicas in the music industry.
#4242
This was the last hit that Ricky Martin was able to achieve in most parts of the world, I'm guessing because his Latin lover shtick had grown stale by this point as other Latin crooners such as Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony had released less bombastic tracks from the genre to massive success. I know it would've been a bold move at the time, but I kind of wished he made these songs for men given his sexuality.
#4241
This remains Linda Ronstadt's second biggest hit in Australia, second only to "Don't know much" which is a song about how getting older kind of sucks which is a far cry from this track which is a cover of a love ballad from Roy Orbison. This song's popularity has since been overshadowed by "It's so easy" from the album they both come from Simple dreams, mainly because that song still gets airplay on oldies stations.
#4240
This is often considered to be the showstopper of Grease, mainly because it's the moment where Sandy realises that even though she's aware that Danny might be bad for her, she can't help but be in love with him which many people have related to over the years. It remains her biggest solo hit from the soundtrack and no doubt served as a reminder of her innocent years before she shook up her image.
#4239
While this wasn't meant to be used as an anthem for unionisation, the fact that this folk-rock track has such an anthemic chorus with the subject matter has since made it a popular choice for union protests over the years. It was the Strawbs only hit here in Australia and their native UK, although that might be due to the rest of their catalogue being more in line with prog rock which typically didn't spawn many hit singles.
#4238
This was the final hit that Barry Manilow managed to achieve in Australia, although it's worth noting that his final hit seems to be different depending on where in the world you're from as he had a different hit from around this time here, in the UK and his native America. In this case we have this cover of the Four seasons classic which likely helped keep nostalgia for Frankie Valli alive a little while longer.
#4237
I guess we Aussies were willing to give these guys a chance once they won the Grammy for best new artist this year, as such we have probably their best song as it was written by Diane Warren who is best known for writing power ballads for many artists over the years. No sooner did this become a hit for the German duo that the scandal was revealed that they didn't in fact sing a note on any of their songs.
#4236
This was the only hit that Joan Armatrading was able to achieve throughout her career, although it's worth noting that she was one of the most successful artists of her day if we were measuring her success with her albums sales even though The key was her only album to be a massive success here in Australia. Given how often this plays on oldies stations, I think it's safe to say that this song has resonated with audiences since its initial release.
#4235
This was the first top ten hit that David Bowie had here in Australia since "Sorrow" from 1974, that's a six-year gap from when he managed to have a huge hit down under which should tell you how done dirty he was back in the day. He returns with one of his stranger songs which remains a fan favourite in his catalogue, likely due to it being a love letter to the Tinman from the Wizard of Oz.
#4234
This was the second single to be released from the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack, although the real appeal of this track is that it was the first solo single to be released from Glenn Frey and it was released around the same time Don Henley released his second solo album which meant both frontmen of the Eagles were competing with each other on the charts. Suffice to say Glenn won the battle as Don's big hit will be a bit later down this list.
#4233
While this wasn't the final hit single these guys were able to score in Australia (that honour goes to "Rocking all over the world" from the following year) it was the last massive hit they had which goes to show how little success these guys had compared to their native UK where they were massive hit makers as recently as the early 90's. At least you still hear all of these songs on oldies stations to this day.
#4232
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4231
I read an old news column once that stated that the three nephews of MJ would embark on a music career once the first generation of the Jackson music dynasty aged out of the music scene. Obviously, this column was joking, however it appears that Tito was serious about pushing his sons into the music scene as they managed to score quite a number of hits in the UK of all places with their RNB ballads.
#4230
Even though he saw sleeper success earlier in the decade with Piano man and its title track, this was the first hit single that Billy Joel was able to achieve in Australia and in most parts of the world due to him reassuring audiences that they were perfect the way they were and that they didn't need to change for anyone. I feel like if this were released in modern times it would be one of the biggest hits of all time.
#4229
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4228
This was the only notable success that Paul Norton was able to achieve in his career, mainly because he managed to break through at a time that was good for Australian pop rock but not good enough for an artist to guarantee success going into the 90's. I guess he was hoping on receiving promotion from Countdown revolution following the success of this track which he received, but it didn't do him any favours.
#4227
This is an English cover of In grid's debut single from two years prior, it was a huge hit here in Australia likely due to the opulence of the production which allows it to still be used in ads for fancy jewellery and holiday destinations to this day. In grid was an Italian pop diva who saw much more success throughout Europe than she did in English speaking parts of the world due to the language barrier of her music.
#4226
This was originally a Bob Dylan track from over ten years prior, so to see Graham Bonnet score a massive hit with this cover albeit only in Australia and NZ was a bit of a surprise for audiences back in the day. Speaking of Graham, you're likely wondering how he was able to score two big hits in the southern hemisphere and not anywhere else in the world. It turns out he was based in Australia for a little while before joining Rainbow later in the decade.
#4225
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4224
This was the only hit that either of these artists managed to achieve in Australia, I'm guessing it was due to the nostalgia people had for the Lesley Gore original as well as audiences being intrigued by the Kate Bushified nature of this cover. I guess if you're a mega fan of hers then you'll get something out of this cover.
#4223
This was the title track to David Bowie's most successful album in his catalogue, although curiously this didn't hit number one in Australia despite A: it being a massive chart topper everywhere else in the world and B: the video being filmed throughout Sydney. Even though it didn't top our charts, it did become a massive hit for Bowie down under.
#4222
There were no signs of INXS's popularity slowing down when they released the lead single to their album Listen like thieves, in fact this would go on to be their first hit single in America the following year due to how popular it was here in Australia. This was the only hit to come from the album, however the album itself was a massive success so I don't think they minded.
#4221
This was the only notable hit that the Manhattans were able to score in Australia, I'm guessing because musicians of colour were finding it easier around this time to find international success given how inescapable Stevie Wonder was with his music. They did score a second hit over in NZ with "Shining star" in 1980, proving that there was some further crossover potential here that was squandered.
#4220
This was the other big hit that John Lennon was able to score from Double fantasy this year, although I reckon it has a similar melody to another track from a few years prior called "We do it" from R and J Stone that was a massive hit here in Australia. Naturally no one seemed to care about the similarities given how this was the first song released posthumously from the former Beatle.
#4219
His Neighbours co-stars saw massive success with their transition from acting to singing, so why not have Craig McLachlan follow in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan with a singing career of his own? While this did work initially for this song as well as the album it was pulled from, he quickly found that singing wasn't his strong suit and stopped making music later in the decade.
#4218
Russell Morris was another Australia artist who began the 70's on a high note given how he came out of the 60's with not one but two chart toppers under his belt (those being "The real thing" and "Part 3 into paper walls.") That said, this was his biggest hit throughout the decade which was a far cry commercially from what he achieved with his earlier work.
#4217
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4216
This was the lead single to Duran Duran's third album, an album that was all set to flop likely due to the band feeling overexposed by this point with their flashy music videos but was rescued the following year when "The reflex" became their biggest hit in America and their native UK. Indeed, that song has long since overshadowed this lead single despite this being their bigger hit here in Australia.
#4215
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4214
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4213
Well, I did promise myself and my readers I'll be nice to each and every entry I talk about on this site, so I will say that this did get a chuckle out of me when it first came out even if that was because I was twelve years old at the time. No doubt this was the reason why this lead single to Encore and the album itself was a success for Eminem as many people felt it was a giant drop off in quality back in the day.
#4212
This was the final album that Faith no more released during their time together, although they have since reformed so perhaps there's a comeback waiting to happen given how older artists seem to have little trouble with making it big over the newer talent these days. In any case, this album once again was a much bigger deal here in Australia than their native America which no doubt led to them throwing in the towel initially.
#4211
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4210
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4209
This was the only notable success that Hall and Oates had outside of their native America when it came to their albums, although at least they had better luck with their singles internationally including the lead single on this album which is perhaps what made it a success here in Australia and over in NZ for the duo. It does make you wonder why they weren't able to achieve more success with their albums back in the day.
#4208
Well, this was back in the day where sequels to soundtracks were a thing, and to be fair the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack from earlier didn't have every song that was included in the film so it makes sense this edition would also be a success here in Australia.
#4207
This is the sequel to the Immaculate collection that was released eleven years prior, naturally it collects all of Madonna's biggest hits from 1990-2000 much like her first albums collecting her hits from 1983-1990. It appears that fans weren't as impressed with her run throughout the 90's as her run throughout the 80's given how much less successful this was.
#4206
One of the sillier films to come out of Australia over the years was Young Einstein, a film where Yahoo Serious (yes that's what he called himself) rips off the formula of the Back to the future films by going back in time and inventing rock and roll while claiming himself to be Albert Einstein. It's not one of our better films I'm afraid, however the soundtrack was a massive success back in the day.
#4205
Well, that's a title that I'm sure no one's going to find offensive, admittedly there has been debate whether or not these guys were pro or anti LGBT as their flamboyant nature suggests they are whilst some of their lyrics suggests they're not. In any case, this was their third album which I guess was provocative enough to drive away some of their previous fans as it wasn't as big as their previous two albums.
#4204
This is another band I would've thought would've been more inescapable here in Australia back in the day, at least their second album proved to be a massive hit here thanks to the strength of its lead single on our charts. Something I noticed about these guys is that they have a fascination with doctors in their music, it likely explains their level of success as they were a legitimate new wave band but on the sillier side.
#4203
Although this wasn't the first album to come from Mental as anything, it was the first to give them massive success as it spawned not one but two hit singles from the quirky band this year. The album was popular enough here for it to crossover to NZ the following year where it proved to be an even bigger success for them, albeit without giving the band any success with the singles there.
#4202
This was a live rendition of a show that Supertramp gave in Paris from the previous year, as these guys were well known for their live performances, this became a massive success for them going into the 80's.
#4201
This is the only successful album to come from Ja Rule here in Australia, although it's worth noting that his follow up album the Last temptation did spawn multiple hit singles even if the album itself was a flop here. I'm guessing this made it big due to the rapper having a lot of buzz with his choruses which many have coined as the "thugs need love too" approach of having a female vocalist connect his verses about how much of a hard ass he is.
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