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.
#3600
We have another entry from the brothers Gibb on this list, this time it was the song they released just prior to their earlier entry on this list which also managed to be a success due to the momentum the trio had this far into the decade from their heyday from the 60's.
#3599
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3598
This was the lead single to Madonna's most critically acclaimed album Ray of light, an album which was a return to her indie roots after experimenting with her sound many times throughout the last fifteen years of her career. This would lead the album to be nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, although it lost to Lauryn Hill's only album due to hip hop being at the height of its popularity.
#3597
This was the second hit that Rod Stewart managed to achieve this decade in Australia, although it should've been the first as it was meant to be the lead single from his second album this decade but wasn't for some reason. This unique album cycle paid off for him as he got two big hits here with two of his more upbeat tracks in his catalogue, and many will tell you (me included) that this is his best song.
#3596
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3595
This was originally a massive hit for Colbie Caillat worldwide the previous year, although for whatever reason, we Aussies weren't interested in this ballad about how much in love she was upon its initial release. We gave it a second chance this year where it became a massive success, much like Soulja boy from earlier on this list, it appears we were simply slow in allowing internet songs to make it big here.
#3594
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3593
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3592
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3591
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3590
Following her departure from Bananarama, Siobahn Fahay formed a new group with Marcella Detroit who scored initial success with their debut single "You're history" from the start of the decade. Their second album was where their popularity exploded as this lead single became a huge worldwide smash for the duo, although it led to them struggling with mental health issues which resulted in their breakup.
#3589
While this wasn't the first hit single to be produced by Stock Aiken and Waterman (that honour goes to Divine's "You think you're a man") this was the one to put the production trio on the map even though many people feel that the rest success of this song comes from Pete Burns and his provocative performance. That said, this was the only major success they had as all of their other songs didn't do that well even in their native UK.
#3588
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3587
We have another appearance from Jigsaw on this list, this time it's with their rendition of Christie's one and only hit from the start of the decade which resulted in that track failing to become a hit down under like it was internationally. In case you were wondering, these guys are the reason why the band behind "Sky high" were referred to as British jigsaw here in Australia back in the day.
#3586
This is the censored version of one of the more controversial songs to come out of the decade, replace the word love with f**k and you'll start to see why as that's the only change made in the song which has some macabre production to juxtapose with Akon's voice. Snoop Dogg is also on here to provide a verse which is also creepier if you're looking at the censored version.
#3585
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3584
I guess hip hop was able to find success here in Australia so long as there was a catchy EDM track to go with it, here we have Swedish rapper Melodie MC with one of the defining beats from the EDM scene of the 90's complete with a chorus that while annoying at first, becomes easy to appreciate after repeated listens. Sadly, this was the only success that Melodie MC managed to have anywhere in the world.
#3583
Well, this is a song that's impossible to take seriously, I don't think I've been able to get through this track once without cracking myself laughing which I feel is the point given how badly Ian wants you to hit him with your "rhythm stick" (look up what that means kids.) This song was a massive success worldwide and put the punk band on the map right when the punk scene had begun to lose its momentum.
#3582
This was the first of three hits that Michael Nesmith scored here in Australia throughout the 70's, it's worth noting that although he was popular as a member of the Monkees, he never found much success in his native America likely due to his solo outing being considering "real" music compared to the prepackaged music he made for the TV show.
#3581
There weren't any signs of the Offspring slowing down in the mainstream here in Australia as this second single from Smash managed to be a huge success here due to being ranked very high on the second annual Triple J list. Indeed, this helped the album become one of the most successful of the decade down under and solidified them as rock stars despite them not having any success in their native America.
#3580
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3579
Given how the original version of this track was never released as a single, this leaves the Elton John version the only successful version of this track supposedly about LSD given that's the initials of the song. Paul has of course denied this and reckons it's actually about a girl named Lucy who was dreaming to become a huge international superstar, and indeed it appears that's the direction Elton takes this song in.
#3578
I guess there was supposed to be a third round to the boy band wars this decade given how Blue were just the latest entry into the boy band genre to make it big with this track, although we Aussies sat out of it if there was as I don't remember there being many other contestants back in the day once the Backstreet boys faded into irrelevancy. Like many British acts of the decade, these guys were far more successful in NZ.
#3577
This was the biggest hit that Maxi Priest achieved in his career, mainly because it was a surprise Billboard chart topper for him this year and a good sign that reggae would be a huge success this decade. Maxi is one of many British artists to find more success outside of his homeland over the years, I'm guessing because of his connections with UB40 who were very popular in America around this time.
#3576
This was the first hit that Outkast managed to achieve outside of their native America, I'm guessing because people took an interest in the song's subject matter about how the narrator is apologising to the mother of his girlfriend and how he impregnated her during the relationship. Both rappers take a different approach to the song with Andre being more sympathetic whilst Big Boi isn't as such.
#3575
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3574
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3573
This was a massive flop in Nitty's native America, I'm guessing because his fellow Americans didn't appreciate the interpolation of the Archies "Sugar sugar" on the chorus. It appears we Aussies did as this was a number one hit over here, although it's often considered one of the least memorable chart toppers in recent memory down under due to most people (me included) often forgetting that it even exists.
#3572
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3571
Well so much for these kids being one hit wonders, this was the second single from Middle of nowhere and it's commonly accepted to be the best song from the album as it's neither juvenile nor a slow ballad which is commonly agreed upon as two major flaws from the album. Even so the trio are still regarded as a one hit wonder with their early entry to this day by modern music fans.
#3570
While their second album named after their previous entry on this list wasn't as successful overall as their debut, it made up for that by spawning two of the bigger hits of the decade for Skyhooks as this second single about how Shirley feels left out for being single while everyone in his social circle is settling down with their significant others struck a chord with the single people of the decade.
#3569
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3568
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3567
This was a hit twice over the years throughout the world, of course we'll be looking at the original success of this track which proved to be a massive comeback for the Four seasons following the surprise hit that Frankie Valli had the previous year with "My eyes adored you." This was a hit likely due to it being close enough to disco for it to be played on the dance floors with other bangers from this year.
#3566
It looked like Paula Abdul no longer had any issues with finding success here in Australia as this lead single to her second album proved to be a huge success for her here, that is until the rest of the album came out and flopped here. For what it's worth, Paula did see a surprise hit later in the decade down under with "My love is for real," so it's not like we always unfairly ignored her music.
#3565
Following the success of his last album with Mental as anything, Martin Plaza decided to briefly embark on a solo career which began with this cover of an obscure track from the 60's that was able to rival the success of "Live it up" from the previous year. He rejoined the band shortly after releasing his solo album so that they could release a new album to cash in on their sudden rise in popularity worldwide.
#3564
This fifth single from Innocent eyes sort of cheated in becoming a chart topper for Delta Goodrem as it came bundled with her cover of "Happy X mas" given how it was released during the Christmas period of 2003. Even so, it allowed her to become the only artist to score five chart toppers from a single album in Australia as no other album has spawned more than three chart toppers down under over the years.
#3563
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3562
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3561
Following the massive success they had with their second album, Wham released this track which has a cool video which starts out with George's supposed frustration at performing in a low-capacity venue despite selling out arenas. This was obviously done to show the band (more specifically George) wasn't going to abandon their core fanbase and indeed he never did even after cutting ties with Andrew Ridgely.
#3560
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3559
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3558
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3557
I'm not sure how this album managed to become a success here in Australia, mainly because Edith Piaf had been dead for close to thirty years by the time it was released here this year. I'm guessing there was a rise in demand for Chanson music from the first half of the century, maybe to commemorate the end of the cold war or something.
#3556
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3555
Although he wasn't among the biggest singers of the decade, Davis Essex did achieve a string of hits during the midpoint of the decade which would explain why the album with his biggest hit became a massive success for him here in Australia. Even so he did struggle to find success after this album down under, although his popularity did return on occasion over the years in his native UK.
#3554
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3553
This is the final successful album to come from Britney Spears, an album that remains divisive amongst her fans to this day as they feel that it's another step back from her earlier work in favour of pandering to the popular zeitgeist of the moment. It did spawn a few gigantic hits for her worldwide, so it was at least a huge commercial success for the princess of pop.
#3552
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3551
While this wasn't as inescapable as the two albums it was sandwiched between, it was a huge hit for Leo Sayer back in the day proving how much we Aussies loved the British crooner among the likes of all the glam rock and disco of the moment. Naturally he would adopt some of the sounds of the moment on his next album which would prove to be equally as successful as his earlier entry on this list.
#3550
This was the last successful album that Little river band had in Australia for nearly ten years, I'm guessing it's because they were more interested in chasing their international appeal that they seemed to have forgotten to make music for us Aussies during the 80's. They would have a surprise comeback in 1988 with Monsoon when Glenn Shorrock rejoined the band after John Farnham's brief stint as the lead singer.
#3549
This was the only notable album that Kim Carnes had in her career, mainly due to the lead single becoming one of the biggest hits of the decade and inspiring people to check out her catalogue. She did have more success in her native America with other material not found on this album, but none of it crossed over internationally.
#3548
There might be no signs of there being a Split enz reunion (at least one that isn't for a one-off concert) however that doesn't mean there haven't been any attempts made at expanding their audience over the years as the band's label commissioned an orchestral reworking of some of their biggest hits to be covered by some of the biggest names in NZ music. The results were an album that was a massive success for everyone involved.
#3547
Sherbet was still able to find massive success this far into the decade due to how much love they were receiving on Countdown, although it was noticeably less success than they had earlier in the decade given how it wasn't as inescapable as their earlier work (the cover might have had something to do with it.)
#3546
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3545
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3544
Bonnie had been MIA in the music scene since her breakthrough in the late 70's, although there was a logical reason for this as she had management issues which resulted in her cutting ties with them and her even refusing to acknowledge her earlier work. Here she finds massive success with an album which led off with a track that I'm confident was meant for the second Bat out of hell album that only came out ten years later.
#3543
One of the very select few Adam Sandler flicks to be a critical darling, the Wedding singer tells the story of how the titular wedding singer becomes disillusioned with love following him being stood up at the alter at his own wedding only to rediscover love when he receives positive attention from a cocktail waitress who is engaged to a man who isn't treating her right. As the film is set in the mid 80's, the soundtrack is filled with 80's classics which resonated with audiences of the late 90's.
#3542
This was an album that really took its sweet time in becoming a success here in Australia, mainly because Janet wasn't among the most popular artists here prior to the release of her next album Janet. I guess we were eventually won over with "Black cat" as that was her rare rock song, however even then it wasn't until "Love will never do without you" that the album finally took off here.
#3541
This is easily the most successful entry from an Australian Idol contestant following their victory from the reality series, although I get the feeling this was popular on our digital charts mainly due to the widespread appeal it had in Stan's native NZ following its release.
#3540
Pretty much all of Lady Gaga's repeat entries on this list saw equal amounts of success on our digital charts as they did as a physical release, like I said, her popularity was unavoidable back in the day regardless of which format we're referring to.
#3539
It's strange how people have labeled the Script as music for our mothers considering how much more successful they were on our digital charts than they were on physical media, although it's possible that the mothers of the world were hip to the format given how popular the likes of Leona Lewis and P!nk were early on from its inception.
#3538
Given how this was a victory single from a reality show (even if it wasn't from an Australian series) it makes sense that it wouldn't be as popular on our digital charts and was more of a hit through physical sales even if Jordin Sparks would go on to have more success in the former format with her subsequent follow ups.
#3537
The last time Gabrielle had a hit here in Australia was with her debut single "Dream" from eight years prior, so to see her back on the charts with this theme song to the first Bridget Jones' diary film was a bit of a surprise to say the least even if its success was inevitable in retrospect due to how popular the movie was and remains to this day. It was able to get the British RNB singer out of the one hit wonder bin if nothing else.
#3536
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3535
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3534
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3533
This is one of the very few E.P's that managed to become a hit during the pre-Countdown era in Australia, this also serves as the only hit that country singer Slim Newton had given how the title track managed to amuse his fellow Aussies upon its initial release which resulted in the E.P's success.
#3532
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3531
Well, here's a song that requires a certain level of arrogance from the performer in question, I guess this follows in the footsteps of Adam and the Ants as they too entered a new decade with a song about how awesome their music was. Hilariously this was Guru Josh's only hit single throughout the world, although this did receive a popular remix in 2008 which technically helped him escape the one hit wonder bin.
#3530
It's hard to tell if Marilyn is trans or just a really androgynous male performer (I'll be using they pronouns with this entry) either way they were able to score a massive hit in Australia with this song about their relationship with Boy George and how the two grew apart once their respective careers took off. It remains their only hit worldwide as their subsequent follow ups failed to make an impact in the music industry.
#3529
This was a modest success in Betty Boo's native UK as was her second single "Where are you baby," so to see this be a huge success here in Australia is a bit surprising considering how rarely hip hop, let alone British hip hop makes it big here. I'm guessing the video had something to do with its success as it depicts her as a schoolgirl in a science classroom with hijinks ensuing from that premise.
#3528
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3527
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3526
Well at least this cover of the Lesley Gore classic came a full decade after the original, so it's not like this short-lived Australian band was cashing in off the success of a (then) recent hit single like so many other entries on this list. Still the fact that the only hit these guys had was with a feminist anthem from a teenager should tell you why they don't have much of a legacy outside of this hit of theirs.
#3525
This was a stacked year for Madonna as she was able to score three massive hits from her fourth album Like a prayer just as the decade was coming to an end. Here's the second of the three as she promotes a message of self-value, specifically how you shouldn't buy into material gifts that your partner offers you to excuse their awful treatment of you. It's a positive message that seems to be relevant now more than ever.
#3524
It's worth noting that "4ever" was pulled from shelves in order to encourage the success of the duo's second single as well as their album here in Australia, otherwise that would've easily been an even bigger success than it already was back in the day. Here we have said second single which was also a massive success for them back in the day and confirmed them as one of the hot new acts in the pop rock genre.
#3523
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3522
This was the song that made John Paul Young into an international superstar given that it became a huge hit for him not just throughout Europe but also in America upon its initial release. What's strange is that it isn't among his more popular tracks in his catalogue, unless of course you include the more popular Ballroom mix from 1992 where it was chosen as the theme to the Baz Lurhman classic Strictly ballroom.
#3521
Well, if you wanted to know what the Models would sound like if they replaced James Freud with Wendy Matthews, this is your chance as both parties joined forces to make an album this year under the alias Absent friends which spawned this huge hit for them as well as the album doing fairly well. This is a cover of an obscure 60's track, something that would become a phenomenon as the decade went along.
#3520
There were no signs of Belinda Carlisle slowing down in the music industry, unless of course you're from America in which this single and album it served as the lead single to wound up being a massive flop on Billboard. I guess the Americans were tired of her passionate vocals set to upbeat pop rock, however the rest of the world certainly wasn't as this managed to be a huge success for her because of those traits.
#3519
I think I'm in the minority when I say that this is my favourite song from Jewel, sure it's a sellout and a complete betrayal of what she had released prior, however I appreciate her trying to make a pop song and I think she did a fairly good job on this track. Of course, her justification for this song in particular is that it was supposed to be a parody of pop songs which many have felt had become vacuous by this point.
#3518
I was surprised that this was released before the year 1999 as I do vaguely remember hearing this track when I was seven years old which just happens to be in the year 1999. In any case, Prince scored his first breakthrough hit in most parts of the world a good sixteen years prior to when the song in question was meant to take place, although with how charismatic he is on this track, does anyone really care about when it came out?
#3517
This was the final hit that Dawn had here in Australia, honestly with a title like that, it's any wonder why many people don't like going over what was popular during the first half of the 70's given how it tells you everything you need to know about how cheesy the music was overall.
#3516
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3515
This was the third mega hit in a row that Hanson were able to score in several parts of the world, although it's worth pointing out that this ballad was their second biggest hit in their native America as "Where's the love" sadly didn't do as well over there as it did internationally. I feel this was the song which sparked the backlash against these kids as the other two songs are at least a ton of fun to listen to.
#3514
Following the tragic death of his infant son, Eric Clapton agreed to appear on MTV unplugged where he performed an acoustic version of "Layla" on the twentieth anniversary of that track being released. The performance was so raw and emotional that it was issued as a single which allowed the song to finally be a success in Australia where it wasn't all those years ago.
#3513
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3512
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3511
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3510
This was originally a hit for the Jackson five earlier in the decade, that would explain why Gloria has a more noticeable falsetto on this track compared to her other big hit from later in the decade. It seems odd that there was a battle for who the queen of disco was this decade as I think we can all agree that Donna Summer took that prize as the decade came to an end, however Gloria was in consideration for that prize as well.
#3509
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3508
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3507
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3506
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3505
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3504
This was originally released at the start of the decade to deafening silence, mainly because it was considered to be too emo for a time that was meant to be a celebration of entering not only a new century but also new millennium. Of course, things quickly got sombre in society following the 9/11 attacks from the previous year, which allowed this sombre ballad to become a worldwide hit through that affiliation.
#3503
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#3502
Even though they were among the most popular bands going into the 80's, Dr Hook's popularity in Australia was quickly diminishing save for this upbeat ballad which managed to become a hit for them around the time they released their greatest hits package. They did score a second hit later in the year (which we'll get to) proving that their time in the spotlight wasn't quite over yet here.
#3501
After a bit of a stumble with her second album, Kate Bush was able to retain her popularity going into the 80's with this lead single to her third album which has to have one of the most horrifying music videos I've ever seen. The song is a classic and one of her most recognisable in her catalogue, however I can't get over the terrifying facial expressions she gives during the video's runtime.
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