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.
#4800
This was one of two hits that Raydio were able to achieve in Australia, the other being "You can't change that" from the following year which seems to explain the popularity of their front man Ray Parker Jr throughout the following decade. Here he tells the story of Jack and Jill in a modern setting which tugged at the heartstrings of audiences thus enabling it to be a huge worldwide success.
#4799
This was the first of two Oscar winning tracks from Irene Cara, although Australia was one of the few places in the world where this was a hit upon its initial release as this wouldn't be a hit in NZ and throughout Europe until two years later when the TV show began to air. The film remains a classic thanks to the relatable characters as well as the dance sequences which hold up to modern viewing.
#4798
Again, I promised myself I was going to be nice with each and every entry on this site, so I'll have to put aside my very negative feelings towards this "parody" of the Lou Bega hit from two years prior and instead talk about how this got Bob the Builder out of the one hit wonder bin that his theme song threatened to trap him in. I guess this was a success due to it being less problematic than the song it's obviously ripping off.
#4797
This was the final hit that Stevie Wonder was able to score in most parts of the world, it's a pity because while it wasn't a return to his disco era, it could've led to another revival period for him given the state of RNB at the time. While he would score a surprise comeback in NZ a decade later with "For your love," he wouldn't be heard from again in Australia until his collaboration with Babyface.
#4796
For some reason (most likely a joke) this track about Denis Leary being a nuisance in the Hollywood scene managed to be voted as the best song of 1993 on the first annual Triple J list. This allowed the song to become a genuine hit for the Hollywood actor and even sparked interest in his music career due to how big it was down under, although thankfully this was the only hit he had anywhere in the world.
#4795
Following the demise of Raydio the previous year, Ray Parker Jr decided to embark on a solo career which was off to a good start when he scored massive success with this song about how he was in a relationship with someone and how he was falling in love with another woman outside the relationship. It's a sleazy song sure, but Ray's performance makes this feel like more of a joke song than him bragging.
#4794
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4793
If this song sounds familiar to you, that's because you likely recognise the melody from the Gap band's "Oops upside your head" which was a hit for the RNB trio exactly a decade prior to when this became Snap's second hit single worldwide. Their first hit was what put them on the map (which we'll get to) however it was this song that confirmed them to be one of the big names of EDM this decade.
#4792
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4791
This is a song that's appeared in just about every bad child's media over the years, so it's easy to forget that it was once upon a time a huge hit single for the British/American band Katrina and the waves back in the day due to how shamelessly happy the song is even for the mid 80's. This was their only hit for the longest time until they reunited in 1997 where they went on to win Eurovision for the UK that year.
#4790
You'd think that the biggest hit from these guys would be their signature track "Everybody wants to work," that song came from an E.P which underperformed on the singles chart which meant that these guys were likely going to be nothing more than relics of a bygone era. Their fortunes changed with this ballad, which was not only a huge hit for them, but also made the album it came from a success.
#4789
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4788
People tend to think that this is a silly reggae track about partying at a club named electric avenue, they couldn't be more wrong as this is in fact a protest song about starting a riot on a street where a police brutality took place and then taking it to a higher authority to see justice for the victims. This was the only hit that Eddy Grant had in Australia and in America, however he had a ton of success in his native UK.
#4787
Given how Enya managed to score a massive hit with "Orinoco flow" as the 80's was coming to an end, it seemed inevitable that the new age trend would explode this decade which it did beginning with this track from the German duo Enigma. Something this adds over what Enya released prior was Gregorian chanting, making this feel like it belongs in a monk temple despite it being a huge success worldwide.
#4786
Given the success of their E.P from earlier on this list, we have the debut single from Ratcat which promised them a ton of success this decade that ended up being restricted to their debut album which admittedly was a huge hit for them this year. There was a ton of hype for these guys when the album dropped, so there was little chance that it was going to fail which is more than I can say for their later material.
#4785
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4784
This was originally a hit for Tommy Roe back in the late 60's, although it was covered by comedian Vic Reeves and British band Wonder stuff for charity which is why it became a huge success this year. This didn't do the band any favours for their music career, likely due to charity singles having a bad reputation in the music industry.
#4783
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4782
This victory single came from by far the most controversial winner of Australian idol as Damien Leith wasn't even an Australian citizen when he won the fourth season of the series, not helped is that his victory came at the expense of Jessica Mauboy who would've been the only aboriginal contestant to win the show.
#4781
This was the second big hit to come from No Mercy this year, proving that Frank Farian had achieved his redemption arc following the disaster that was Milli Vanilli from earlier in the decade. The album these two big hits came from was a massive success here, which led audiences to wonder what was next for this trio. It turns out that their curiosity floundered when they released their next album.
#4780
Well, you better believe that the 100% hits series would also have a highly successful annual album to compete with the Smash hit's franchise, I guess the takeaway here is that 1992 was seen as an excellent year for music according to the Australian public of the time.
#4779
This was the final album to be released from Cold Chisel before they decided to call it quits, likely due to behind-the-scenes drama which caused massive friction between the members. Even though this album was a huge success upon its initial release, it was quickly overshadowed by Jimmy Barne's solo album released later in the year which also was a huge success for him.
#4778
Another Beatles compilation album, this one having the theme of love (hence its name) that was presented in a way that was meant to be one long track as opposed to a bunch of individual songs mashed together.
#4777
This was a decent success here in Australia upon its initial release for MJ, although I should point out that its title is a lie regardless of where in the world you're from given how many of these songs failed to reach number one anywhere in the world. Naturally it became a bigger success later in the decade following the tragic death of MJ.
#4776
Given how it spawned two of the bigger hits of the year, it only makes sense that this soundtrack to the second Austin Powers flick would be a success as the decade was coming to an end worldwide. The film is hilarious as it parodies the (almost equally as ridiculous) James Bond films, specifically the earlier films from Sean Connery and Roger Moore to hilarious effect.
#4775
This is the only album from Cat Stevens that didn't make it onto my previous list from the early 70's, I guess this is due to him dabbling in prog rock with this album given how one side of the L.P is a single track that builds upon itself. He would regain form with his next album Buddha and the chocolate box.
#4774
We have our second compilation album to be released during the summer of 86/87 that overlooks the biggest hits of the spring of 1986 on this list, it may not have been as big as the earlier entry on this list, however it still had a good selection of hits to make it a success.
#4773
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4772
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4771
This is the last taste of success that Slim Dusty had in his lifetime, it was one of his final studio albums that became of note due to it being his hundredth album in his catalogue. Coincidentally, he had a similar celebration to his career twenty years prior when his fiftieth album spawned his biggest hit "Duncan," although that was more due to a memorable performance on Countdown than anything.
#4770
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4769
This is the final studio album that the 12th man has released in his career, that doesn't mean he was no longer popular as he's released two greatest hits albums that were plenty successful in the 2010's, rather it appears he wanted to end things on a high note and not continue to see diminishing returns with new material in the following decade.
#4768
Here's that album I was referring to earlier on this list that ruined Robbie William's career, it's his foray into hip hop which fans didn't appreciate that much despite it being a commercial success for him. I'm not even sure why it was a success if I'm being honest as you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who can say anything positive about it.
#4767
This seemed like a good time for Mental as anything to have a recap of their career so far given how they were on the cusp of having international success with their biggest hit "Live it up" appearing on the Crocodile Dundee soundtrack, indeed this was a huge success for the band here in Australia proving how much we loved them at this point.
#4766
The autumn of 1986 was a hectic time for the Australian music scene if this compilation album is anything to go by, as a result we have big hits that can be found here from that time which ensured its success during the midpoint of the year.
#4765
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4764
This was a massive hit for Sinead O'Connor thanks to the popularity of its lead single, a song that was originally written by Prince but was donated to her from him albeit with some complications if the behind-the-scenes drama is anything to go by. Indeed, Sinead has garnered a reputation for being difficult to deal with which was all but confirmed on her SNL performance two years later.
#4763
Well, he did manage to score two gigantic hits in Australia around this time, so why not have his feature length album be a massive success here as well? I'm sure the many fans of Bob the Builder were ecstatic to receive this for Christmas (it peaked during that season) however this didn't lead to any future musical prospects for the animated construction worker.
#4762
One of the more popular non-Hollywood films to emerge from this decade was Four wedding and a funeral, a British rom com about a guy is afraid of commitment falling in love with an American woman with chaos ensuing from there. The film was a huge box office and critical success thanks to the charming interactions with the characters, and as such the soundtrack which spawned one of the biggest hits of the decade was also a huge success.
#4761
While it's hard to say how much more or less success Ciara would've had during her initial breakthrough in Australia had digital downloads been a factor onto our charts, this collaboration she had with JT would suggest that it would've made little difference overall given how it was equally as popular regardless of which format we're referring to.
#4760
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4759
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4758
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4757
This was the debut album for one of the most popular EDM artists of the decade, although people will think that these guys are a one hit wonder with this song due to how prevalent it remains in sporting events due to the line "yall ready for this." This wasn't even their biggest hit as that honour goes to "No limit" from the following year, although this was a close second here in Australia.
#4756
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4755
This was the lead single to the boy's album of the same name, I'm sorry but I just always found it hilarious that the first hit singles these guys had in Australia was with a song proclaiming that they were back. Of course, as far as their core fanbase was concerned, this was appropriate and hey "Quit playing games with my heart" was a huge hit in their native America and throughout Europe for what it's worth.
#4754
This second single wasn't as popular as Natalie's solo single (which we'll get to in a bit) however it was an instant success for her here which is why it outranks "Alive" on this list. Even though there was a lot of hype going into her album 1000 stars, said album underperformed which likely meant that her popularity was fleeting here.
#4753
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4752
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4751
If you can believe it, the original version of this track from Kool and the gang was never a hit here in Australia, meaning that Peter Andre's version is likely the only version that most Aussies are familiar with. The backing band on here would go on to have minor success later in the decade as Ilanda, however this was the last his that Peter had here before he migrated to the UK and never looked back.
#4750
The 90's were here, which means it was time to get our love for the 70's into gear which Kylie was here to do with the second single to her third album Rhythm of love. Indeed, this was a huge hit for her due to everyone's love for the 70's, specifically the O'jays despite them not having any success here back in the day. The decade would have many highs and lows for her as she would experiment with her sound.
#4749
Kelis is only a two-hit wonder here in Australia with both of her entries on this list, however she was one of the biggest names in music throughout the decade in Europe due to her scoring a bunch of hits over there including both of these entries. She's also only a two-hit wonder in America, although this wasn't one of those hits as "Bossy" was her other hit on Billboard from two years later.
#4748
This is where it all began for Wham, a British duo who would go on to have massive success this decade thanks to the charisma of its two members George Michael and Andrew Ridgely. If you're wondering why their debut album didn't crossover in America, it's likely due to it featuring a ton of rapping from George as he wanted to make music that he felt would cater to an American market.
#4747
We almost went through the entire decade without there being a "Girls just want to have fun" equivalent, so here's Shania Twain filling in that void with this track which became her fourth hit from Come on over during the height of its popularity worldwide. It comes complete with a video that is the reverse of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to love" as we have her as the lead vocalist with guys as her backing band.
#4746
This was the third hit single that John Waite managed to score in Australia throughout his career, the first two being with his former band the Babys who had broken up going into the 80's due to the hits drying up for them. Indeed, this was John's only hit as a solo artist as he would form a new band later in the decade with Bad English, that band would score one more hit for him going into the 90's.
#4745
This was the penultimate hit that Five had before their demise later in the decade, I'm guessing because fans of the iconic band they were covering on this track (who not only gave them approval to cover it but also provided updated instrumentation for them to sing over) were none too thrilled at the boy bands take of one of their more iconic songs in their catalogue.
#4744
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4743
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4742
Before it became the theme song to the Michael Keaton flick Gung Ho, this was originally the title track to the reissue album of Jimmy's debut Bodyswerve which became an instant Australian classic due to it being dedicated to the working-class society of our country. It seemed like an obvious choice for a film that centres around this plot, however it wasn't able to help him score a hit in the northern hemisphere.
#4741
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4740
This was originally released the previous year to deafening silence for the Script even in their native UK, although the failure of this track over there was likely due to them already having a massive hit with "The man who can't be moved" over there. It was given a second chance here in Australia for some reason which eventually allowed it to crossover to America the following year.
#4739
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4738
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4737
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4736
Years before it was featured in the first Shrek film as a montage of Shrek and Donkey's journey to save Princess Fiona, this was a huge hit for the Proclaimers in the southern hemisphere following the massive success they had with their earlier entry on this list. This helped the album be a massive success as it proved they were more than just a novelty act and were able to sustain an audience with their pop rock.
#4735
This was supposed to be the fourth single from I'm not dead and in P!nk's native America it was, however, it was pushed back as the fifth single in the parts of the world where her earlier entry was released as a single likely due to fears that it being pushed as a single would result in her getting cancelled similar to how Madonna and the Dixie chicks did earlier in the decade. Of course, that didn't end up happening as this became a huge hit for her worldwide with little issue.
#4734
This is often cited as the song where fans of No doubt officially gave up on Gwen Stefani, I'm guessing because it remains her biggest hit in her native America even though there are plenty of other contenders for that honour throughout the rest of the world. It may also be because this is a diss track towards Coutney Love of all people who called her a cheerleader, I guess her revenge was to act like one on this track and video.
#4733
Sash were a German EDM group who holds the record for the most songs to hit number two on the UK charts without ever having a number one hit over there, this was one of those near chart toppers they had which was also their only hit here in Australia proving that we Aussies were beginning to fall out of love with EDM around the turn of the millennium.
#4732
Depending on where in the world you're from, this is either the lead or second single from Elton John's comeback album with Bernie Taupin this year. It was the lead single here due to it being the perfect song for Elton to return to his former roots from the 70's, this allowing it to become one of the biggest hits of the decade in his career and one that cemented his relationship with Bernie as a permanent one.
#4731
This was a huge hit for Boyzone largely due to it being a cover of a Cat Stevens number from 25 years prior, although it's worth noting that the boys were songwriters themselves and yet most of their hits were covers of older classics. This was their only hit in Australia for two years before they scored a massive comeback later in the decade with "No matter what" being a huge success.
#4730
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4729
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4728
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4727
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4726
If you're a bit concerned that this song is a bit too low for this list, I'd hate to see your reaction when we finally get to "Yeah" and its placement (don't worry, it's still to come.) Anyways, we have the second single from Usher's Confessions album which was about how failed relationship with Chilli from TLC and how he admits to screwing up the relationship shortly prior to making the album.
#4725
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4724
The last time Murray Head troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his rendition of "Superstar" from the Jesus Christ superstar soundtrack back in the early 70's. Here he is fifteen years later with the lead single to the Abba written musical Chess which like Evita before it, was originally a concept album written by Benny and Bjorn of the Swedish group before it was turned into a musical.
#4723
This is often considered to be the greatest comeback ever made by an artist, mainly because Tina Turner was considered to be yesterday's news in her native America by the time she had divorced her husband Ike eight years prior. This wasn't her first hit she had around the world since the divorce as "Let's stay together" was a surprise hit for her in the UK thanks to being produced by the members of Heaven 17.
#4722
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4721
This was another hit to come from a Jamaican artist this decade here in Australia but not over in NZ, I guess the kiwis had finally grown tired of reggae music after three decades of embracing it throughout the twentieth century. In any case, we have this one and only hit from Kevin Lyttle which can be taken the wrong way as a song about forcing a romance due to the lyrics but has rarely been taken as such due to how catchy it is.
#4720
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4719
This was originally written for a much younger performer to sing these lyrics, that makes sense as the lyrics are written in a way that suggests that the narrator is more than a little naive to the concept of sex. Confident though she may be on this track, Anita Ward was nonetheless able to take the world by storm with her one and only hit likely because of how titillating she comes off on the track which I'm sure turned audiences on.
#4718
This was the first big hit that Huey Lewis and the News managed to achieve outside of their native America, sure they had buzz with their previous album Sports as that was a modest success here, but it somehow failed to produce a hit single for them down under. Of course, the real success of this track was due to it being the theme for the first Back to the future film, a film that remains a classic to this day.
#4717
I guess Eminem felt enough time had passed from Encore that he could return with the exact type of songs that he made on that album, I guess there was a fanbase for these two albums to draw on given how Relapse was a massive success for him even though (in my opinion) it shares a lot of the same problems that Encore had from five years earlier.
#4716
If it wasn't for "Say you'll stay until tomorrow" from later in the decade as well as his revival period in the 90's, this would've been the final hit in Tom Jones's career worldwide given how his popularity seemed to fall off a cliff despite ending the 60's on a high note with a highly successful live album based on a Vegas show of his.
#4715
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4714
This was that other sports track that made it big this year in Australia, and again we have the cricket to thank for promoting this and its sequel track into the mega hits that they were. Oh yeah, this song has a sequel to it, and it also cracked the top ten here just as the decade was coming to an end.
#4713
Unlike Guy Sebastian who rushed out a second album to cash in off the success he had from winning the first season of Australian idol, Shannon Noll took his time with a follow-up album which resulted in him retaining his popularity he had from the show for its release as evidence by how successful its lead single was. This popularity sadly wouldn't translate to his third album he released two years later.
#4712
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4711
I guess these kids were in it for the long haul, this was the second single to come from their debut album and one that proved to be equally as successful here as it was over in NZ. I guess the kiwis had access to Triple J's frequency as there were a bunch of hits that crossed over there that I could've sworn were only successful here thanks to the station. As for Silverchair, they were successful but slightly criticised for being a teenage equivalent of Pearl jam.
#4710
While this song does rely on cheap nostalgia baiting with what it used as the melody, I will admit that Dimples D makes the sample work on this track given how she promoted this song with the parenthesis "A witch for love." This is an obvious reference to how cunning the genie often was in I dream of genie, and indeed the lyrics of this song indicate a cunning side of the female rapper that helped it retain its popularity once it exploded this year here in Australia and over in NZ.
#4709
This was one of only two hits that Kanye West had as a lead artist here in Australia, the other would be "Stronger" from two years later which had him sampling Daft Punk of all people for a self-empowerment anthem. Here he recruits Jamie Foxx who was fresh off his Oscar winning performance as Ray Charles to provide him a chorus to connect his verses about a woman who's only into him for his wealth.
#4708
If you think stoner culture is anything new, then you should probably know that this comedy track from Afroman was a huge worldwide chart topper despite being little more than a song about how him being a stoner had ruined his life (I personally don't find it funny but evidently a lot of people did.) This was his one and only hit despite being a legitimate rapper who's released several albums in his career.
#4707
Well, this is a song that's become divisive in recent years, mainly because like "Justify my love" from exactly a decade prior, the song is too Avant Garde for most mainstream audiences who likely feel alienated with how Madonna experimented with her sound on this track. I guess part of this song's success at the time comes from the music video which introduced the world to Sacha Baron Cohen's character Ali G.
#4706
Even though this was a massive comeback success for Skyhooks following a lengthy breakup from the mid 80's, it sadly wasn't well received by critics who felt that this didn't live up to the standards they had set throughout the 70's. Apparently, the band didn't take to well to this criticism and as a result, they broke up shortly after this became a success.
#4705
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#4704
We Aussies have always loved a good pub anthem, the radio station Triple M decided to cash in on this love by releasing this compilation album collecting 30 of the best pub anthems to make it big down under which resulted in its massive success.
#4703
This is another album that was released the previous year but only became a success this year, it's the summer entry from the 100% hits series collecting the big hits of spring from the previous year.
#4702
This was more of a hit this year despite originally charting the previous year, it was a massive success either way as it had a fine selection of songs to choose from during our spring of 1991 to market as summer jams, thus confirming the 100% franchise as a legitimate compilation series.
#4701
This was the final successful compilation album to come out of the 80's, it's proof that the spring of 1989 was an interesting time in music here in Australia given what this album was able to include in its track listing.
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