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.
#5000
This was originally a hit for Simon and Garfunkel back in the mid 60's, although it was never a hit here in Australia until the Bangles made it their own for the film Less than zero which has been described as one of the worst movies of the 80's due to its bizarre depictions of drug culture as well as less than stellar performances from its cast. At least this cover was a huge success for the band and led to them finding success with their next album.
#4999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4998
While the title for the most sexually explicit song from Enrique Iglesias will always go to "Tonight I'm loving you," for a while there was a strong contender for this title track from Escape to take that prize as the lyrics have been criticised over the years for being very forward about Enrique's intentions towards the person he's singing to. It turns out this was the song that won over his longtime partner (who he's never married) Anna Kournikova.
#4997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4995
From what I can gather, Johnny O'Keefe is the earliest Australian artist to find international success given how his cover of "Shout" from 1959 managed to become a big hit throughout the rest of the world. Just before he released that track, he released the original version of this track which bombed back in the day but was given a second chance in 1972 where it became his final hit.
#4994
This was the second hit that Kim Wilde was able to score here and in her native UK, the latter was because the Brits looked after their own throughout the 80's whilst the former was due to a memorable performance of it and her earlier entry on Countdown. Indeed, she was well liked during her first time on the show, which would explain how she scored two more hits the following year that weren't that big in her homeland.
#4993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4992
This was the final hit that Raydio scored during their short time together, I'm guessing they only served as a platform for their lead single Ray Parker Jr to launch his solo career which would go in all sorts of directions throughout the 80's. Here we have a yacht rock track about how much in love Ray is with this person and how there's nothing they can do about it; it's a nice sounding song provided you don't think too hard about the lyrics.
#4991
While the duo already had success in their native America prior to their Billboard chart topper, this was the song which made them an international household name likely due to the lyrics about how Daryl is calling out how privileged this woman is. The duo was in danger of becoming a one hit wonder in Australia as none of their other tracks from the 70's crossed over here, although they were very popular in the 80's.
#4990
I guess Mariah's popularity was beginning to dwindle here in Australia given that she had come off not one but two of the biggest albums of the decade, even so she was able to score a massive hit with this lead single from Butterfly which is an album about emancipating oneself to fly away into who they want to be. Naturally this album has resonated with audiences since its initial release, especially those who feel like they're trapped by society's regime.
#4989
Given how there was so much 80's nostalgia throughout the decade, it's surprising that it wasn't until the end of the decade that we saw a hit with a song that could've easily come out of that decade which came to us courtesy of the British duo La roux. It's a shame that this was their one and only hit especially considering how it managed to crossover to America the following year for them.
#4988
We have another entry from the debut album of Daddy cool on this list, this was the second single from said album which was released around the time the album dropped around the time the album was released in order to cash in off said albums success. It wasn't as inescapable as their earlier entry on this list, hence why you don't hear it much on oldies stations.
#4987
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4986
This was one of three hits that Daryl Braithwaite managed to score on his own this decade, this should give you an idea as to how inescapable this man was between his solo efforts and his time as the front man of Sherbet.
#4985
This was the theme song to the film of the same name, a film that happened to be Dolly Parton's acting debut which garnered her critical acclaim for her performance as well as a Golden globe nomination for her role. The film remains a classic to this day as it's a perfect display of female empowerment as her, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin overthrow their sexist boss after refusing to give into his sexual demands.
#4984
Linda George is best known for her role as the acid queen in the theatrical adaptation of the Who's concept album Tommy, however she also had a hit this year as Miss Linda George (back when underage performers were referred to as Miss or Little) that became a hit for her this year. She mostly stuck to theatre after she became a one hit wonder, as did most female artists from the pre-Countdown era.
#4983
My NZ readers will recognise the lead singer of this Australian band as Tina Cross who was a teen idol in her homeland before she migrated here to form this new wave band. I have to say, she had one of the most unique voices of the decade which makes it a shame that none of the other band's material caught on back in the day, I'm not sure why as they were regulars on Countdown as were most Aussie artists.
#4982
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4981
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4980
This was the final hit to come from Evermore who were on a roll during the second half of the decade due to them no longer being hindered by illegal downloads like many of their contemporaries were during the first half of the decade. I'm not sure why they didn't have any success going into the 2010's as they released two more albums after the album this serves as a lead single for.
#4979
There was a popular miniseries airing from Australia which starred Jon English known as Against the wind, from what I can gather it takes place during the colonisation of Australia in the early 1800's which struck a chord with audiences back in the day. It came with a theme song which was a huge success for Jon and Mario Millo, so much so that it and the miniseries was also a success throughout Europe.
#4978
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4977
Black box were on a roll when they released their first single of the 90's which helped them become established as the hottest EDM group of the moment, although there's still the issue of Martha Davis not being promoted as their lead singer in their marketing despite her clearly distinct vocals and people having fond memories of her hit single "It's raining men" during her time with the Weather girls.
#4976
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4975
I'm not exactly sure how this third album from Concrete blonde managed to be a success here in Australia as they had yet to make it big in their native America, I'm guessing this had some assistance from Triple J before they would dominate our alternative scene which admittedly would make sense given how this is the type of alternative rock that would dominate their airwaves later in the decade.
#4974
The spring of 1987 was a hectic time in Australian music given how this managed to be a massive success by collecting some of those hits into one convenient compilation album.
#4973
This is the only other album that the Cat empire managed to achieve success with here in Australia, I'm guessing because their brand of ska reggae was growing tiresome by their fanbase by the time they released their next album later in the decade as while this was a hit for the band, it was only as such due to it sticking around after it initially fell off the upper echelons of the charts.
#4972
This is the final appearance from Andrea Bocelli on this site, mainly because the opera singer got outclassed by many other classical artists throughout the decade such as Michael Bublé and Il Divo despite him still putting out new music to this day to a minimal fanbase.
#4971
Santana was on a winning streak when they released this album here in Australia even if it didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of success their previous album on my other list did back in the day. There would be a quiet period for the band after their earlier entry as they struggled for mainstream success even in their native America.
#4970
Much like his earlier entry on this list, this album from Elton John was a massive success here despite his reservations on the project he's developed over the years. This might be due to the album's failure internationally as it's the first release that failed to produce a hit in America and his native UK since his debut from fifteen years prior.
#4969
We have one final album from Bay City rollers to feature on this list, it was a success due to it having more of their hits which goes to show you how well loved these guys were in such a short amount of time.
#4968
This was the penultimate album that Smashing pumpkins released in their career before they called it quits the first time, it was another successful album from the alternative scene which proved why they wanted to keep making music even though they couldn't handle the fame very well.
#4967
I guess Tour of duty was such a cultural phenomenon in Australia that the second season also managed to spawn a successful soundtrack months after the success of the first season's soundtrack from earlier on this list. The third season also had a soundtrack to it which sadly wasn't a huge success here.
#4966
This was the first album the Doobie brothers released to have Michael McDonald on lead vocals following the departure of Tom Johnson from their previous album due to personal antics. As such the band went in a more adult contemporary direction compared to their southern rock roots from earlier in the decade, this in turn helped them find success along the likes of Eagles and Steve Miller band.
#4965
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4964
After a four-year hiatus, Eminem was back bigger than ever with his album which much like his previous effort, was panned by critics for being just as shocking and tasteless as Encore. His fanbase was a bit kinder to this album as it did see him be as juvenile as ever which they appeared to like; however, he would return to form the following year with Recovery.
#4963
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4962
There was this animated film made this year that was apparently based on a picture book series made from the forties that was a massive commercial success this year (I haven't seen it because...... well I was fourteen at the time, I was into edgier stuff.) One part of the film that was particularly well received was its soundtrack from Jack Johnson which became a massive hit for the folk singer worldwide.
#4961
This was the only notable success that Loverboy were able to achieve in Australia, mainly for the lead single which remains a staple on oldies stations to this day but also due to it fitting in with all of the popular adult contemporary albums released around this time. The band would struggle to adapt into the MTV era internationally, however they did find further success in the 80's in America and their native Canada.
#4960
Before he took Hollywood by storm with the likes of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, Baz Lurhman got his start with this film which he made here in Australia about a ballroom dancer wanting to win a competition and the trials and tribulations that he encounters along the way. It remains a classic to this day here in Australia and even a cult classic worldwide thanks to the story and soundtrack which was also a huge success.
#4959
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4958
Well Meat loaf certainly had a big falling out with Jim Steinman if this album was the best he could do to follow up Bat out of hell with, that said its success was inevitable as not everything great about his debut can be traced back to Jim as Meat Loaf is a phenomenal singer on this album. Even so, it's little wonder this would be the last we hear from him in twelve years.
#4957
This was the only big album that Elton John released during the second half of the 80's, it was a live album that he recorded with the Melbourne symphony orchestra during his umpteenth tour here in Australia.
#4956
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4955
While this was a huge success for the Cranberries this year, their fans have said that their change in sound did alienate them back in the day which is why this wasn't as inescapable as their sophomore album from two years prior. That said it was still a notable success for them which is more than I can say for their next album which failed to find any sort of audience due to them further changing their sound.
#4954
Following the surprise success of their signature track from the film Ghost, the Righteous brothers decided to release a greatest hits package to help their new fans discover their back catalogue which proved to be a wise move as it not only worked for them but created a trend of older artists following suit throughout the 90's.
#4953
Rolling Stones also saw plenty of success during the first half of the decade here in Australia, this being a rather weak follow up commercially to what was at the time their most successful album Goat head's soup. They would bounce back from this commercial misstep with their next album Black and blue which thrived here in Australia even with the presence of Countdown in our music scene.
#4952
Graham Bonnet was a British musician that was briefly based here in Australia, this is why he scored two massive hits from two separate albums that didn't chart anywhere else in the world before he joined the British group Rainbow after the success of his second album. Rainbow never found success here, proving that his popularity was more due to his presence in our music scene.
#4951
This greatest hits album looked like it was going to be a flop here in Australia as it originally came out two years prior for Don McLean, however it was given a second chance when "Castles in the sky" was released as a single ten years after it appeared as the B-side to "Vincent" thus allowing it and the album to become a success for the singer/songwriter.
#4950
They had moderate success earlier in the decade with their debut album here in Australia, however I doubt fans were expecting the second album from the Scissor sisters to be a huge success here even if the lead single was a runaway hit for the band around the time of its release. Of course, it turned out that the song was more popular than the album it came from given how it was one of the biggest of the decade.
#4949
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4948
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4947
Bette had seen many highs and lows in her music career, as such she decided to release this greatest hits album which was a huge success for her likely due to a combination of fans loving her work as well as audiences being fans of her films. It would be the last time she troubled the charts anywhere in the world as she stuck to acting after releasing this.
#4946
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4945
It had been over ten years since John Fogerty last troubled the charts with his solo debut album where he credited himself as Blue Ridge Rangers, so here we are all these years later with his third album which came a decade after his second that became a success due to this being an excellent time for artists from highly established bands (regardless of how long ago they had a hit) finding success as a solo act.
#4944
This was released two years prior to deafening silence for the Screaming jets, likely because we Aussies felt that we didn't need to allow and Australian equivalent of Nirvana or Pearl jam on the charts now that we had those to bands making it big worldwide. We clearly changed our minds this year when the album rebounded on the charts due to one of the songs becoming a surprise hit this year.
#4943
Given how these three men were proven to be the real deal when it came to singing on their songs, there wasn't any issues with the Frank Farian made band to find success with their debut album which admittedly was a lengthy process given how his previous band Milli Vanilli caused quite the scandal at the start of the decade. This no doubt led to the Latin craze which the boys sadly weren't a part of.
#4942
I guess Akon was able to score one more entry on this list after all given how his remix of MJ's 1983 classic managed to be more of a success on our digital charts than it was as a physical single upon its release. I did notice while combing through our digital charts that older songs did pop up in the lower half of those charts quite often throughout the decade which would explain this remixes success.
#4941
This is the final entry on this list that charted before ARIA began tracking digital downloads, as such it had the potential to appear much higher on this list and might one day do so if ARIA were to ever retroactively track down what was popular on our digital storefront each week from the first half of the decade.
#4940
Now that these guys had one of the biggest hits of the decade, they had little issues with finding success in Australia and the rest of the world which allowed this A Capella rendition of a 50's staple to become a hit for them this year. Indeed, their next album would be an even bigger success given how it spawned two back-to-back Billboard chart toppers for them that would also be huge hits worldwide.
#4939
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4938
This was the song which helped Joshua Kadison's album take off here in Australia, true he saw success the previous year with "Jessie" however there was no indication that would lead to him having any success with anything else from his catalogue. Indeed, he remains a one album wonder which goes to show that audiences can sometimes be fickle with who they make a household name.
#4937
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4936
This was the final hit that TLC were able to achieve in most parts of the world, and if their earlier entry was this albums equivalent of "Creep" from their previous album, then this was the albums equivalent of "Waterfalls" as this was a self-empowerment anthem meant to uplift the spirits of those who were feeling down when listening to it. Sadly, this would be it for the girls as Left eye Lopez would die in a car accident in 2002.
#4935
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4934
Shortly before she had most of her success stolen by Liv Maessen with her earlier entry on this list, Mary Hopkin managed to begin the decade with this track that does a great job in showcasing her abilities as a vocalist as well as bringing to life songs that were discarded by the members of the Beatles for whatever reason. It's a shame that her popularity died out after the first year of the decade came to an end.
#4933
This was the debut single from 1927, a band that serves as a spiritual successor to Moving pictures as it has Garry Frost as its founding member who was a key member of the former band. They were off to a good start with this track given how it became a huge success for them, and indeed their second single and debut album from later in the year made them one of the hottest new names in Australian music.
#4932
Following the success she had with 5000 volts from earlier on this list, we have the first of three solo hits that Tina Charles managed to score throughout the world which all seem to have the same premise as each other. The premise is that she loves two things, her partner and dancing which naturally captivated audiences enough to make all of her hits as big as they were back in the day.
#4931
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4930
This was the other big hit that FYC had throughout the world this year, although it was curiously a flop in their native UK despite it being their second Billboard chart topper. This and several of the tracks on the album was recorded two years prior, which means there was possibly behind the scenes drama which led to them calling it quits the following year despite how well their album did.
#4929
It appears that Christina Aguilera had always wanted to make a throwback album to the forties and that her collaboration with Nelly on "Tilt ya head back" wasn't a fluke in that regard, as such we have the lead single to her third album which was a good indicator of what was to come on that album as it indeed attempts to be a throwback to the music that audiences were listening to in the first half of the twentieth century.
#4928
This was the second single from John's latest album at the time, it continued his winning streak with his adult contemporary sound with its lyrics about how his love with his partner at the time was that of a honey to the bee (hence the album art.) There didn't seem to be any signs of his career slowing down at the time.
#4927
Here we have the debut single from an indie singer by the name of Madonna, the name seems vaguely familiar to me and the song in question has been considered a classic of the 80's thanks to her passionate vocals about wanting a holiday during the height of the Regan and Thatcher era. All jokes aside, this was the breakthrough single from one of the most successful artists of all time for good reason.
#4926
Dave Edmunds already saw massive success from the start of the decade here in Australia before he joined the popular UK group Rockpile, although it was during his time with Rockpile that he was able to score a comeback hit with this pop rock track just as the decade was coming to an end. Incidentally this became a success around the same time his band mate Nick Lowe was also scoring a hit with "Cruel to be kind."
#4925
This was another hit that Sherbet managed to achieve back in the day, it was a huge success for them as was just about everything they released during Countdown's first two years of existence due to being the most regular performers on the show.
#4924
This was the only hit that Heavy D and the Boyz managed to score worldwide, likely due to it being a cover of the O'jays who were seeing a rise in popularity this year thanks to some endorsements from Kylie Minogue and Dee lite. I guess the song adds some hip-hop verses to help differentiate it from the original track, something that would become very common throughout the 90's with hip hop.
#4923
This was originally released two years prior in this LGBT band's native America to deafening silence, I'm guessing because it was considered to be too wacky for audiences of the late 70's as well as them not appreciating the surf rock influences on the track. It was able to find an audience here in Australia due to them performing it on Countdown which went over really well for the band.
#4922
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4921
This was the debut single for a band who would go on to dominate the 80's with some of the greatest and bestselling albums of all time worldwide, although here we have a more subdue performance from the band which likely helped it stand out from all of the disco that was becoming popular around this time. They wouldn't have another hit here until "Twisting by the pool" in 1983.
#4920
This will be the only appearance from Avril Lavigne on this list, suffice to say that "Don't tell me" was another victim of Sony tampering with the release schedule of a song in order to allow all of the entries from Australian idol contestants to run rampant on our charts this year. Fortunately, this second single from her sophomore album wasn't affected by this which allowed her to have a hit with this ballad about her angsty breakup with someone.
#4919
This was one of only three hits that Bob Dylan had as a solo artist in Australia, it was also his final hit here which should tell you how uninterested we were with his singles despite how huge his albums were. This was a protest song about the mistreatment of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter which came out less than a year after the success of a tribute track towards Muhammad Ali, making this a good time to write songs about boxers of colour.
#4918
This was the final hit single that Madonna scored in the 80's, mainly because "Oh father" flopped which was her first song to do so since "Lucky star" back in 1984. This is one of her sweeter ballads as she pledges her love to the person this song is dedicated to (which is apparently a Mer person according to the video) and as such it remains one of her most popular tracks from the 80's in her fanbase.
#4917
This was the only other hit that Glenn Medeiros was able to achieve in his career, mainly because it has a guest verse from Bobby Brown during the height of the former New edition rapper's popularity. This is a song about how an ex-partner of Glenn Medeiros is now going out with the listener and how as he puts it "she ain't worth it" because of all of the heartbreak she brought him during his relationship.
#4916
You may recall if you're a fan of Eminem that he was originally part of a posse group known as D12, well here they are with the first of three big hits they had this decade with a song that more or less glorifies drugs as that's what the title of the song means in drug culture. Naturally it wasn't played much on the radio, however that didn't prevent this from being a massive success here and in the UK.
#4915
Given how the Rolling Stones were back on top of the charts here in Australia, I guess it makes sense that the bassist Bill Wyman would score a massive hit here with this track about how he's a rock star which he curiously sings in French about during each chorus. I guess the novelty of him wanting to be as recognisable as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards allowed this to be a success here and in NZ.
#4914
This was the first of three hits that JX managed to achieve in Australia, although he wouldn't find any success in his native UK until his third hit two years after he made it big down under with this jam. If you need any proof that we Aussies had made EDM our music genre of choice this decade, look no further than the countless artists who made it big exclusively down under with their dance tracks.
#4913
JPY was on a roll when he released the lead single to his third album Green, although he seems to have given up on his criticisms of the music industry as this is a much more straightforward track about how he wants to be with the person he's singing this to. It did hamper his success somewhat going forward, however he continued to find success throughout the rest of the decade.
#4912
If you're a fan of Hi 5, then you'll likely recognise Kelly Haggart on here as this was the band she was with before she joined the children's band later in the decade. I guess you can consider this the female equivalent of the Wiggles in that regard even though the other two members has since faded into obscurity, indeed their biggest hit while a cover, is about how they want you to as they put it "be their baby."
#4911
Just a heads up that I'm on team Digimon when it comes the Pokémon vs Digimon wars from around this time, it's just a better constructed franchise with better characters and a more complex card game that it's based on (even though Yu-gi-oh is my favourite card game but I digress.) That out of the way, this was the theme song to the English dub of the first Pokémon movie, a dub that's infamous for changing the storyline of the original film which was a common troupe for 4kids dubs back in the day.
#4910
This was the second single to be released from Diesel's solo album Hepfidelity, it proved to be a bigger hit for him than his first single (which we'll get to in a bit) likely due to it being a more stripped back number than anything he released up until this point. For some reason, he had more success in NZ this year with this album, although that did result in him gaining international interest in his music.
#4909
This was the third single to come from the Real McCoy who now had removed the MC Sar from their name given how redundant that was making them look. I guess the third single is different depending on where in the world you're from as their cover of "Come and get your love" was the third single in America and NZ, that was their fourth single which had underperformed here when it was released.
#4908
This was another two for one deal that the Spice girls released for their final album Forever, it's an album they didn't want to make given how they knew that they needed all five of them to connect with their audience and there were no signs of Ginger Spice rejoining the group at the time of its release.
#4907
This was the third hit in a row that the Rogue traders managed to have here in Australia, this time they interpolate "My Sharona" by the Knack which perhaps reminded audiences of the original enough to make this a hit for them. The song has gotten flak over the years for its lyrics, specifically the chorus where Natalie admits to watching someone who was in turn watching her, only to find out she was watching them to begin with.
#4906
Well so much for James Reyne being the reason why Australian crawl never scored a hit single during their time together, this was his first song he released following the band's demise, and it proved to be an instant hit for him. A common criticism towards his music is his inability to enunciate, I and many others don't find that to be an issue as while it is hard to understand what he's saying, the music usually makes up for it.
#4905
Although the Backstreet boys had been crowned the winner of the boy bands late 90's edition by this point, Human nature still managed to make a case that they should've taken the crown (at least here in Australia) with this lead single to their third album which was a massive success for them going into the 21st century. Nowadays it's lost its popularity due to it being seen as a "nice guy" anthem even though it avoids many of that type of songs pitfalls.
#4904
Ever wanted to hear a disco rendition of the 2001 a space oddity theme? Well, you're in luck as we have just that from Brazilian composer Deodato who laid out the blueprints for the genre with this rearrangement of the classic theme that tickled audiences fancy upon its initial release.
#4903
This has a bit of a weird story to its success, namely that despite being a real band, Kincade didn't exist when their debut single was released as it was merely the stage name of their frontman John Carter when it came to be. It was a surprise hit here in Australia as well as in certain parts of the world despite it failing to chart in their native UK.
#4902
Given how his British counterpart Craig David was scoring massive worldwide success with his debut album this year, it only seems fitting that Usher would follow suit in his success when he released his own album this year which kicked off the cycle with this ballad about how the person he's singing to reminds him of an ex he used to go out with. I think we've all been in the situation he describes in the song which explains its success.
#4901
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
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