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.
#3500
This was the only hit from English pianist Peter Skellern, it was a massive hit for him here in Australia and his native UK likely due to this coming out right before Elton John took over the world with his top entry on this list. It's interesting to theorise how big this guy would've been had Elton not become one of the biggest names in music worldwide.
#3499
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3498
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3497
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3496
Well, this is a song that music snobs love to make fun of, specifically how Alanis wrote an entire song about irony despite none of the situations she describes being ironic and more akin to simply bad luck. She's since admitted that was the point of the song given how deliciously ironic that she wrote a song with that title with not one ironic lyric in the song. I'm guessing this was what made the song so big worldwide.
#3495
Following the success of their first single on this list, Destiny's child released this female empowerment anthem about them having fun which is a bit of a contradiction to "Say my name" as that song is about them getting annoyed that their partner isn't spending enough time with them. Naturally these two songs aren't meant to be part of the same narrative, which is perhaps why they were both a massive success.
#3494
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3493
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3492
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3491
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3490
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3489
This was the debut single from Pseudo echo, a song that features their trademark synth heavy production that had little trouble finding an audience back in the day throughout the decade. There's an earlier version of this track that I prefer which strips back the production in favour of a catchy melody as well as putting emphasis on the lyrics were indeed about a couple's failure to communicate.
#3488
Another artist to die tragically young this decade, here we have the only hit that Janis Joplin achieved which she only did so posthumously given how he died of a drug overdose several months prior to its release. This is also a bad representation of her work musically as it's a country ballad as opposed to her heavier blues tracks that she's often celebrated for.
#3487
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3486
While none of his singles managed to rise to the ranks of even his weaker selling albums here in Australia, that didn't mean that Neil Diamond didn't achieve massive success during the first half of the decade here like he did throughout the rest of the world. This was the third hit he scored on our charts as well as the biggest in his entire catalogue due to it being his first Billboard chart topper.
#3485
So, it's come to this, we have the first big hit from Michael Bolton as him as the lead performer. Here we see him cover Otis Redding on the twentieth anniversary of his death likely as a tribute to his body of work, it's obvious that he wanted to pay his respects to the late musician of colour, and I guess audiences gave him a pass for his good intentions.
#3484
This was the debut single from the KLF, that's right, a band that would go on to make some of the most well respected EDM tracks of the 90's began their career as a novelty duo who made this joke track about the Doctor who franchise. Maybe if you enjoy picking on nerds, you'll get a chuckle out of this track.
#3483
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence in Australia, I'm guessing because we hadn't got on board with the hip hop trend despite it being a hit for Young MC in his native America. It became a surprise hit this year likely due to the success of MC Hammer's classic from the start of the list, which allowed it to become the second hip hop track to top the Australian charts.
#3482
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3481
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3480
This was one of the more successful victory singles to come from Australian idol, likely due to the controversy where although he was born in Australia, Stan Walker managed to win the series despite him being a NZ resident which allowed this to crossover to his homeland following his victory over fan favourite Hayley Warner. This controversy caused the show to be cancelled going into the 2010's.
#3479
It seemed like Suzi Quatro would be here to stay in the Australian music scene given how her second single from her sophomore album became a huge success for her, alas it wasn't meant to be as her third album was a huge flop later in the year and she would only occasionally see success throughout the rest of the decade with her songs. I'm not sure why the Australian public turned on her the way we did.
#3478
For the longest time, I was more familiar with the Jimmy Cliff version of this song given how that became a huge worldwide hit in the 90's due to being the theme song for Disney's Cool Runnings. It turns out this was originally a hit for reggae singer Johnny Nash who scored a huge number one hit on Billboard with this track as well as it being a massive hit worldwide for the American soul singer.
#3477
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3476
The last time Kim Wilde had any impact on the Australian charts was with her cover of the Supremes "You keep me hanging on," so to see her return to the mainstream with a cover of the Yvonne Elliman classic from the Saturday night fever soundtrack was a welcome surprise for her fans. This was released in conjunction with her greatest hits package which was also a decently huge success for her here.
#3475
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3474
I wouldn't have thought that a hip hop track from two underage rappers would be among the bigger hits of the year in Australia, boy did these two prove me wrong as their infectious flow combined with as they put it the "smooth groove melody" helped them find an audience in a country that seemed to be very picky with which hip hop tracks made it big. Indeed, the rest of their catalogue didn't find much success down under.
#3473
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3472
This was the only hit from husband-and-wife duo Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan, it's a novelty track about how birds can operate without the features that make them birds that apparently amused us Aussies back in the day and virtually no one else in the world due to how much of a failure it was internationally.
#3471
This was indeed a good year for Shaking Stevens as his second single proved to be equally as big as his first single despite this being an original track while his earlier entry was a cover of a 50's rockabilly tune. I guess this is the formula to his release schedule, mixing up his original tracks with covers of songs in order to provide old and new experiences for his audience.
#3470
This is one of those songs that is fondly remembered by 70's afficionados but is rather silly the more you think about its lyrics, I mean can anyone explain the poetic genius of lines like "there were plants and birds and rocks and things there was sand and hills and rings" and "in the desert, you can remember your name cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain?" I think because of these dodgy lyrics, this remains the band's only hit here in Australia.
#3469
I think this is the first song to become a hit by sampling an internet meme, in this case we have T.I sample "Dragostea din teï" from O-zone while also bringing Rihanna along to make sure the song doesn't sound too ridiculous to mainstream audiences of the day. It was a massive hit for the rapper likely due to the lyrics being about staying true to who you are which is an increasingly common theme in music.
#3468
This was the first big hit that Silverchair had since the turn of the millennium, sure their fourth album Diorama was a huge success for them earlier in the decade, however it failed to spawn any hits for them here in Australia or anywhere else in the world. Perhaps if digital downloads were legal when it was initially released, it would've had a big hit like this lead single to their fifth and final album.
#3467
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3466
Now I'm not opposed to having a song that calls for racial peace and harmony (particularly in this day and age where racial tensions seem to be at their all-time worst due to idiots on the internet) the problem I have here is that we're having a call to action from someone who's infamous for their racially insensitive comedy tracks and that it's displayed as a ballad similar to that of "We are the world."
#3465
There were plenty of rockabilly throwback artists to make it big throughout the 70's and 80's, by far the most successful (at least in the UK) was Shaking Stevens who achieved overwhelming success with his attempts at being the Welsh equivalent of 50's Elvis Presley. This was the first of his many hits in the UK, which just happens to be his biggest hit in Australia to boot.
#3464
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3463
So, we all remember "Bitch" from Meredith Brooks, right? Well Australian comedian Chris Franklin decided to release a version of that song from the perspective of an Australian bloke which became such a success for him that it even out charted the original on our charts. Naturally this was a song that only we Aussies would find any appeal from, which means it was never released internationally.
#3462
This remains the biggest hit from the Eurythmics in Australia, primarily due to Annie arguably sounding her best on this track which admittedly is a bold claim considering how many powerful performances she's given throughout her discography. This flopped in the duo's native UK, however their next single was their biggest hit over there, so I guess it all worked out for them.
#3461
Well, this was a complete 180 from Steve Miller's previous work, granted it's always good to change with the times but I don't think anyone was expecting to see these guys go in this direction with their music. Although it remains their biggest hit worldwide, it spelled the end for their relevancy as they haven't had a hit single since this came out.
#3460
Both Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell were on a roll when they began the decade with this collaboration they made together worldwide, as such it was inevitable that they would find massive success with this ballad even if the former wouldn't have another hit after this collaboration moving forward.
#3459
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3458
So, this is the song which introduced the world to Prince as an unpronounceable symbol, this was such a conundrum when it came to printing this songs placement on the charts worldwide that the UK charts hilariously referred to him as the Artist formerly known as Prince. The song itself is a step down from his earlier work, mainly because it's your typical RNB ballad that would fit in with Boyz II men's catalogue.
#3457
Well leave it to Joan Osborne to ask the heavy questions in life with her one and only hit worldwide, although by this stage the stigma for addressing one's fate had long since been lifted given how the likes of Madonna and Sinead O'Connor normalised attacking religion throughout the decade. This did lead to her album being a moderate success even if it failed to give her a second hit.
#3456
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3455
Paul Young was on a roll when he released his second album internationally, although it wasn't quite as huge as his debut album from two years prior due to it not having a string of hits like that album did. It didn't really matter though as he scored a Billboard chart topper from this album with a cover of a Hall and Oates track, thus making him one of the biggest British artists of the second invasion this decade over there.
#3454
This was the second edition of U2's greatest hits anthology which they delayed by five years in order for it to collect their work from the start of the decade in addition to their outlook from the 90's. It was a massive hit for the band as was their previous output, although not to the same level suggesting fans prefer their 80's output.
#3453
Sherbet was on a roll when they released this album a year into the Countdown era, so much so that it led to their biggest hit worldwide "Howzat" shortly after the album cycle finish and made them an international household name.
#3452
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3451
This was another successful greatest hits package from John Farnham, in fact it only came six years after his previous entry in his catalogue which goes to show you how much we Aussies loved his back catalogue even by this point in time.
#3450
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't a bigger hit for T.I on our digital charts considering A: it had Rihanna on the chorus and B: it was built around one of the earliest memes to come from the internet. I guess there was a certain sector of the digital storefront that considered this to be a bit lame which prevented it becoming as popular as it arguably should've been on there.
#3448
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3447
Here we have the title track from the bestselling album of all time in America, naturally MJ needed to do something to promote this song as the album had been out for a full year by the time it was chosen as a single. The solution was to give it a high budget music video that no doubt led to the first MTV awards later in the year, such was the case for such as high concept video.
#3446
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3445
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3444
Well, I hope you're prepared to see the Bee gees in their Beatles knockoff phase otherwise you'll be shocked at how radically different their music is compared to their more iconic disco phase. This was the biggest hit the trio had during the first half of the decade given how they lost a lot of their good will coming into the decade due to behind-the-scenes drama with the other members of their band.
#3443
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3442
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3441
This was the biggest hit that Elton John had throughout the decade, likely due to this being a heartfelt ballad towards a Nikita in his life which tugged at the heartstrings of listeners back in the day. Despite this being his biggest hit of the 80's, this would be the start of the very difficult time in his life as he would suffer from drug problems that would persist for the remainder of the decade.
#3440
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3439
Here we have another song that was inescapable from the Bay city rollers this decade in Australia, there's only so much I can say about these tracks without coming off as repetitive and redundant.
#3438
This was the theme to the Leonardo Dicaprio flick The beach, a film that was critically panned for being little more than an excuse to see him stranded on a deserted island to be objectified by those who find him attractive. Indeed, the song remains the only part of the film that was well received as it became a massive hit for All saints who (in my opinion) greatly improved from their debut album two years prior.
#3437
This was written by Prince under a pseudonym, presumably because he didn't want to let people know that he was just like everyone else who hated Mondays like we're all Garfield (OK I hate Mondays too.) He donated the song to the Bangles who scored a massive hit with their version worldwide due to how everyone could relate to the lyrics, although their popularity wouldn't peak until their third single from earlier on this list.
#3436
While this wasn't the song to come from the Eurogliders, it was their first hit due to them asking the question of whether or not heaven actually exists. This isn't like Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a place on earth" where it's a metaphorical heaven, but rather if heaven is real which makes this a song about questioning one's faith in religion. That combined with how catchy this is helped make this song a hit for the band.
#3435
This was originally a hit for the Righteous brothers in 1965, so of course there was bound to be some nostalgic love for the ballad around the time Long John Baldry and an obscure vocalist Kathi McDonald decided to take their stab at the ballad by turning it into a breakup ballad where both parties are accusing the other of losing the love in the relationship rather than just the original narrator.
#3434
This was always meant to be the third single from Break out, however it was delayed due to it being chosen as the lead single for the Beverly Hills cop soundtrack due to it being played during the first chase scene of the film. It remains the Pointer sister's biggest hit in Australia due to how incessantly catchy it is as well as the lyrics connecting with audiences detailing how stressful their lives are.
#3433
This is the other two for one deal that Cat Stevens released here in Australia back in the day, naturally this also managed to become a success for the English folk singer mainly through the strength of side-A which was the intended second single from Teaser and the firecat. This would be his only other major hit here in Australia, although he was always more of an album artist back in the day.
#3432
This was a fantastic year for Mya in Australia as she not only achieved two hits on her own, but also was part of a highly popular posse cut from the Moulin rouge soundtrack (which we'll get to in a bit.) Here she sings about being free from a toxic relationship, presumably the same one that she was in on her earlier entry on this list which makes this a compelling narrative if that's the case.
#3431
This was the only noticeable hit single that Deni Hines managed to score in Australia without the assistance of the Rockmelons, it's a bit of a shame she didn't find more success on her own as this RNB jam it catchy as hell as well as how it displays her vocal range really well. There was international interest in her following the success of this track, however much like her mother, that interest didn't translate to success for her.
#3430
For the longest time, this was the only hit that Tony Christie had in his native UK, although he had a second hit here in Australia that we'll get to in a bit that was a hit for him over there in 2005 of all times. I like to think of this guy as the English equivalent of Tom Jones, that is the pop crooner Tom and not the sexaholic Tom given how this guy obviously lacks the Welshman's sex appeal.
#3429
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3428
Much like the original from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, this duet between Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey was a huge success this year even though I'm not sure why as it's not like it was attached to anything like the original was. Perhaps it was through the artistic momentum that Mariah had given how she could release anything this year and it would be a huge success for her worldwide.
#3427
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3426
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3425
This was a bittersweet victory for Roy Orbison given how he had tragically passed away before it and the album it came from were released to the public. I get the feeling this was meant for the second edition of the Traveling wilburys album given how that was never released to the public, either way it makes for a sad but satisfying book end to a highly successful career from Roy.
#3424
This was the third single to come from Thriller, and perhaps the song on the album which officially broke down the barrier's musicians of colour had in the mainstream up until this point as it features a killer guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen in order to bring in the rock crowd. The music video is another masterpiece as is the one from his earlier entry on this list, but that's of course a given.
#3423
It's hard to believe this song was ever taken seriously given how it will be forever remembered for its bizarre "ooga chucka's" at the end of each chorus, however it may surprise you to learn this was a cover of a BJ Thomas track which naturally omitted that inane chant this version uses. Unsurprisingly, this was Blue Swede's only hit anywhere in the world due to how gimmicky this cover is.
#3422
This was a very good year for Jona Lewie as this was his second big hit following the success of his pseudo-Christmas track "Stop the Calvary" (which we'll get to in a bit.) I always got this guy confused from Kevin Roland from Dexy's midnight runners as the two men looked similar to me for some reason, although this guy was way cheesier than Kevin could ever hope to be.
#3421
This was a mashup of "Numb" from Linkin Park and "Encore" from Jay Z that the two acts performed on MTV that was released as a single, it was a massive hit for both parties likely due to the popularity of the former who had already had a hit with their track the previous year as well as the latter's popularity steadily growing thanks to his relationship with Beyonce.
#3420
This was originally a track from Vitamin C's debut album from the end of the 90's, it was also included on her second album where it was decided to be released as its lead single where it became a hit for the American pop star due to it being the perfect theme to a graduation ceremony. It would've been an even bigger hit here in Australia were it not pulled from shelves in order to promote her second single "The itch."
#3419
This song was written by Michael Jackson, I just thought I'd put that out there as this not only explains his guest appearance in the first episode of season three but also how this managed to become a huge success given how cartoon shows (even adult oriented ones like the Simpsons) don't tend to produce chart topping singles like this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that MJ was a huge fan of the show given that it's a spinoff of the Tracey Ullman show.
#3418
Given the sudden rise in popularity of Kate Bush, it was only inevitable that there would be knockoffs in her wake. One of the more notable examples comes from Lene Lovich who copied the quirky nature of Kate on her big breakthrough single despite being nearly a decade older than the young singer/songwriter. This became almost as big as Kate's debut single from the previous year for the record.
#3417
This was Styx's only international hit; I'm guessing because international audiences couldn't stomach the cheese that went into a lot of their songs like their fellow Americans did throughout the 70's and 80's. Indeed, this is one of their more normal songs as at least it isn't as sentimental as "Lady" or a complete novelty like "Mr. Roboto," and admittedly they did find plenty of success in their homeland.
#3416
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3415
There were no signs of these girls slowing down in the music industry as their second single managed to become a massive worldwide hit for them, this time it's with one of their ballads which showcases a more restrained side of them which I'm sure also titillated their audiences the same was as their other songs did.
#3414
This was the biggest hit from Little river band in Australia, and it comes after a long dry spell that many of its members had from their previous bands as this feels more like a supergroup considering we have members from Axiom, Mississippi, the Twilights and Drummond in this lineup. Suffice to say, this is the most successful band that all of these men were a part of due to how well they did internationally.
#3413
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3412
It looked like that Richard Marx would be considered as yesterday's news when he released his third album Rush Street, after all Bryan Adams was back in the spotlight and it appeared that the world didn't have any use for this American singer/songwriter. They were proven wrong when this ballad about how he witnessed a murder became a surprise worldwide hit, proving there was room for multiple singer/songwriters in the 90's.
#3411
From what I can gather, JoJo was the first artist born in the 90's to have a hit single anywhere in the world, that's impressive considering this is a song about a teenager essentially telling her partner to get out of her life for misleading her in the relationship in one of the cleverest ways possible. She does this by initially making this about how in love she is with them only to quickly turn it into her breaking up with them.
#3410
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3409
This was a huge worldwide smash for Prince likely due to it being the theme to his first autobiographical film Purple rain, although I would've thought the title track from the album/soundtrack would be the main theme to the film but whatever. This is one of his best songs in a catalogue filled with timeless classics, I don't even care that I have no idea what he means by doves crying.
#3408
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3407
Well, here's a song whose story on how it became an international success is more interesting than the song itself. It was a huge hit here in Australia and the UK of all places before it became a hit in NZ and throughout Europe which finally allowed it to crossover to Toni's native America where it topped the Billboard charts. Since then, it's become a staple in cheerleader culture thanks to its striking video.
#3406
This was the lead single from Rod Stewart's album Foot loose and fancy free, and like his other songs and albums this decade, it was a massive success for him worldwide.
#3405
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3404
It was rather difficult finding out information about Joel Dayde, eventually I had to brush up on my French as the only articles online that go into detail about him are written in his native tongue. Basically, he's a singer/songwriter from France who scored his one and only hit with this ballad that was apparently written in French and then translated for him to sing in English, resulting in his version becoming a success here in Australia.
#3403
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3402
Well, this was certainly a change in direction that Kylie made following her departure from working with Stock Aiken and Waterman, I know she had to move away from bubble-gum pop eventually, but I don't think anyone was expecting her to gravitate towards indie this soon after her first phase of her career. This paid off massively for her as she not only won respect from the music snobs but even scored a massive hit with this track.
#3401
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
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