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.
#2900
Well, this is a song that's sparked a bunch of controversy since its initial release, mainly because it details Rihanna in what appears to be a perfect relationship with someone and yet she still feels the need to cheat on him and yet realises that her admitting this to him would be devastating to him which leaves her conflicted in what she needs to do. I guess this dilemma connected with audiences back in the day to make it a hit.
#2899
This was the second single to be released from the Vengaboys which just like their debut from earlier on this list it was a massive success for the Dutch group due to the song continuing their gimmick of their music being the best the world has ever seen. The album itself was a huge success for them, proving that at least at the time, this was a band to whose music was considered the coolest to exist.
#2898
This was the first song that Akon had a hit with outside of his native America, I'm guessing due to the countless jokes that have been made that involve him duetting with Alvin and the Chipmunks as that's what it sounds like to most people whenever they listen to this ballad. The chorus is a sped-up version of "Mr. lonely" from Bobby Vinton released forty years prior to when this became a huge international chart topper.
#2897
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2896
This was one of the last songs Dragon released before they broke up in order to allow lead singer Marc Hunter to embark on a solo career that sadly failed to produce any success for him, I guess this served as a lesson to him and most lead vocalists from successful bands that not everyone can have a successful solo career. The band reunited in the early 80's and picked up where they left off from here.
#2895
Boy howdy has this song being used in every ad you can think of over the years, it's impossible to think that once upon a time it was a genuine hit single for this new wave band back in the day. I'm not sure why this was only a hit in Australia given how frequently I've seen it used in international media; I'm guessing audiences back then didn't want to hear a song from a band who's lead singer was also the drummer.
#2894
Before Rage against the machine and even the commercial breakthrough of Red hot chili peppers, we had Faith no more bridging the gap between rock and hip hop which led to them having a massive hit with this lead single from their third album here in Australia. These guys are one of many American bands to see more success here than in their homeland, joining the ranks of P!nk, Suzi Quatro and the Offspring.
#2893
Following the success of their novelty track from earlier on this list, Ted Murly gang released this follow up which is a rock version of a Shelton Brooks track from the 20's with additional lyrics from Ted Murly himself to help it stand out from all the other covers that has since been lost to the sands of time.
#2892
So, the Party boys were a supergroup comprised of several big names in the Australian music scene who got their start earlier in the decade with a mixtape called Live at several 21st's. Fast forward four years and they score a massive hit with this cover of the John Kongos track that led to them sparking interest in the UK which didn't end up with much success there.
#2891
This was the biggest hit that Huey Lewis and the News had in most parts of the world, granted their theme from Back to the future was also huge but this ended up being a bigger hit for them likely due to the production as well as how lovestruck Huey seems to be on this track. This in turn led the album Fore to be a huge success for them outside of America.
#2890
Before it was chosen as the theme to the cult classic the Lost boys, it was a huge success for INXS and Jimmy Barnes who teamed up on this collaboration to combine their respective audiences from their most recent albums Listen like thieves and For the working-class man respectively.
#2889
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2888
This was the lead single to BEP's (that's Black Eyed Peas for short) second album with Fergie, and it seems that she had more creative control over this project as we have her providing a chorus to how each of the original members would treat her which is further emphasised with the music video of them being in a reality show where she was the prize the members was trying to win.
#2887
This was a huge success for Billy Joel despite it being the second single from one of his albums, normally if an album of his already spawned a hit single from it he then wouldn't score another hit except in the UK this was the lead single to An innocent man rather than "Tell her about it" which led to it becoming his biggest hit there. I'm guessing the Brits wanted to hear his love letter to Christine Brinkley that he turned into this song.
#2886
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2885
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2884
Skyhooks were indeed one of the most popular bands of the decade thanks to their promotion on Countdown, so it only makes sense that lead singer Shirley Strachan would see massive success with a solo hit much like the lead singer of their rival band Sherbet did a few years prior. This did prove to be a death nail for the band's commercial appeal as they didn't reach the dizzying heights of their earlier material after this became a hit.
#2883
You'd think that a duet between a woman of colour that's been active for almost as long as her much younger male partner who was a closeted gay man would be a recipe for disaster, you'd be wrong as the two somehow managed to find chemistry on this track about how they can always rely on each other being there when they need each other the most.
#2882
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2881
This was the second single from Richard Marx's sophomore album Repeat offender, an album which continued his popularity around the world despite many people nowadays dismissing him as the American equivalent of Bryan Adams. He would achieve further success in the 90's when his Canadian counterpart returned to the spotlight, however his popularity would quickly dwindle as the decade went on.
#2880
This is a bit of a comeback album for Ross Wilson as he was previously the lead singer of Daddy cool (best known for their hit single "Eagle rock") indeed this seemed to spark a new chapter in his popularity given how iconic the singles remain from this album. Mondo rock would see varying levels of success throughout the decade, although none of their follow ups reached this level of success.
#2879
This was the album where Alice Cooper had sold out, at least he partially sold out as the lead single from this album was an adult contemporary ballad that became his biggest hit here in Australia. There are a few glam rock tracks on here to reassure his fans he wasn't a total sellout; however, they feel out of place with the more contemporary sounding songs on here which is why it wasn't as successful as his earlier work.
#2878
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2877
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2876
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2875
There was an episode of South Park which was a parody of Live aid that aired in the shows second season, the episode was such an instant success that the showrunners convinced Chef's voice actor Isaac Hayes to have his label release a soundtrack to the episode which contained his covers as well as a bunch of songs that appeared in the episode. The soundtrack was a success and likely inspired the theatrical film.
#2874
This album was released after collecting all of the biggest hits of spring of 1983, it was released during the summer and thus peaked this year as the summer jam it was designed to be hence making it a huge success.
#2873
There weren't many successful country albums in Australia this decade, so to see Garth Brooks score massive success with this album must have been a bit of a shock to audiences back in the day. This was his only notable success here despite him being one of the most prominent country stars in his native America.
#2872
This was a compilation album which collected some of the biggest hits in Australia during our winter, it was a massive success back in the day as were the majority of these albums.
#2871
This was a seasonal compilation that collected the biggest hits of spring in Australia for 1986 just in time for our summer season, it got caught between two years due to how late it was released in the year which allows it to appear on more than one list on this site.
#2870
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2869
It looked like Guy Sebastian wasn't going to make the transition to the digital age in music given how the singles from his third album completely flopped on those charts, indeed this lead single to his fifth album was far less popular in that format than it was as a physical release.
#2868
While it may seem that this was only as popular on our digital charts as it was as a physical release, I should point out that this had much stiffer competition on the digital charts given how there were far more entries it had to compete with than as a physical release.
#2867
This is often considered to be Leo's signature tune given how it incorporates disco into his sound despite him not really being a disco artist throughout his career. His next single would be even bigger and a major draw into his fourth album after the mediocre reception of his last album, however this is the song that many will tell you is the highlight of his career.
#2866
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2865
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2864
It's strange that Dave Edmunds would score success on both ends of the decade but find no success during its midpoint, here we are with the first of his three hit singles (we'll look at his second in a bit) which was his biggest hit both here and his native UK due to being a cover of an old RNB track from the 50's that he faithfully interpreted for a (then) modern audience.
#2863
For a little while, this was my favourite hip hop track, this didn't last long as I quickly discovered the Eminem show shortly after, but I feel that if you found Eminem too problematic with his subject matter, then Nelly was a decent alternative as he was a good rapper without coming off as corny. Audiences worldwide agreed as this lead single to Nellyville was a massive hit for him due to being a club banger.
#2862
This had a very rocky road to success in Australia as it tried to find an audience and failed before finally succeeding after its third attempt. I'm not even sure why this song had such a hard time crossing over here as it was an instant success over in NZ and the rockabilly update that Ram jam gives to the ragtime original from the 30's was in line with what Ol'55 was serving up at the time.
#2861
I should point out that TLC stands for the initials of the trio in question, that being T-Boz, Left eye Lopez and Chilli. I feel this is a good place to point that out as aside from this fourth single from Crazysexycool being a massive hit for the trio in Australia for some reason, there's not much I can say about it as it doesn't have the personality that defined them throughout the decade.
#2860
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2859
Well, I don't think there's much analysis needed in what John Paul Young is trying to convey in this song, I do find it ironic that he scored three of the bigger hits of the decade with songs that were critical of the music scene and yet would go on to have massive success later in the decade with a song that embodies all that he stood against on these tracks.
#2858
This was the third big hit in a row for Aqua in Australia, although in some parts of the world "My oh my" was the third single meaning that we were among the first to have this be a huge success for them. I guess if there was a reason to dislike this song, it would be that it began the trend of comparing sex to candy given how the lyrics are sexually driven if you're familiar with double entendres.
#2857
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2856
This was the second single to come from Rick Astley's debut album, although if you're from America then this song and the third single (still to come on this list) were skipped over in favour of "Together forever" which helped him score back-to-back Billboard chart toppers from the album. It was a massive year for him regardless of the order of the album cycle, although his popularity would end with his second album.
#2855
Given how two of the members had released highly successful albums between the trio's third and fourth album, the fact this was able to pick up where the singles from Survivor left off three years prior is impressive as you'd think fans would've gravitated away from the group by this point. Indeed, Destiny fulfilled was their final album as a unit as they would go their separate ways after its album cycle was done.
#2854
It looks like Alannah Myles wasn't the only Canadian songstress to see success in Australia before taking America by storm. Indeed, months after this became a huge hit for her in her homeland, we Aussies made it an even bigger hit here likely due to her unique vocals connecting with us before it finally became a moderate success on Billboard the following year.
#2853
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2852
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2851
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2850
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2849
This is a song that feels like it was meant for BEP but Will I am instead gave to the Pussycat dolls given how it sounded too similar to "My humps" (at least conceptually) to be included on Monkey business, that would explain why he provides a guest verse on here and why there's that refrain that sounds like a prototype to "Boom boom pow" from later in the decade. It was another easy hit for the girls, proving they were on a roll this year.
#2848
Although Nelly had already demonstrated his desires to be a country artist from the start of the decade with songs such as "Ride wit me" and "Country grammar," it was this collaboration with Tim McGraw that finally won him over with the country scene in his native America given how immensely popular this was on the Billboard country charts. It was also a massive international hit for the otherwise inner-city rapper.
#2847
If you didn't know, Jim Diamond was the lead vocalist for PH. D who in turn were a band who scored a huge hit with "I won't let you down" from earlier in the decade. Here he is following that group's demise with his big solo hit that managed to take the world by storm thanks to how sincere and overwrought he sounds throughout its runtime.
#2846
Although Stevie Wonder did have moderate success with "You are the sunshine of my life" in Australia back in 1973, this was the first hit single of his to see massive success here likely due to how lush the track remains to this day. Indeed, this led to his final decent album (according to his diehard fans that is) to be a huge success for him here given how inescapable this was.
#2845
This was the title track from Skyhook's second album, and one that reassured listeners that having an ego in of itself wasn't the problem with toxic people but rather how these people carried themselves with said ego. It was a surprisingly poignant message that very few songs from this time had, hence why it connected with audiences.
#2844
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2843
This is the last entry to come from the Hollies and well as the song that's most well-known outside of their fanbase due to how big it was throughout the rest of the world, heck it remains their biggest hit on Billboard likely due to people confusing it for a CCR track given that it's a swamp rock track from a band otherwise known for their garage rock sound.
#2842
One of the more critically divided films of the decade was Disney's adaptation of the Three musketeers, mainly due to it watering down the novel it's based on for a more mainstream audience while still being messed up enough to make you wonder why Disney made the film. Even its theme song divides audiences as though it was a huge success back in the day like the film, it features three rock legends who were admittedly past their prime inserting themselves as the titular musketeers on the track.
#2841
Well, this is a song that divides fans of Prince to this day, mainly because it's less of a song and more of a collage of moments from the Batman film with Prince occasionally singing to remind audiences that this is a track from him. This proved to be a huge success for him even if I would've gone with "Partyman" as the lead single from the soundtrack, not only is it a more conventional song but it plays in one of the better scenes in the movie.
#2840
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2839
One of the catchiest songs to ever be recorded, we have this late disco hit from Lipps inc which managed to become a chart topper even in their native America. I feel this important to bring up as this is the best proof I have that disco wasn't as dead as what people make it out to be, sure it had seen a sharp decline in popularity, but it soldiered on throughout the decade regardless of what people say.
#2838
I always felt that Eruption was just Boney M under a different name given how similar the British band sounded to their German counterparts, as it turns out both of their biggest hits were produced by Frank Farian, so my assumption wasn't far off from the truth after all. This was the bigger hit that the group had thanks to vocalist Precious Wilson giving a well, precious performance of the Ann Peebles number.
#2837
I always felt these guys were German for some reason, I'm guessing it's due to how aggressive their vocals are which are typical for German tracks from around this time. It turns out they are from the UK and that this became a hit here despite it flopping throughout Europe, I'm guessing because it fitted in with the disco trends that were making it big down under.
#2836
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2835
While the original version of this track from KC and the Sunshine Band still remains a classic to this day, it should be worth noting that this Danish duo managed to achieve more success in Australia with their cover likely due to a combination of nostalgia and them swapping out the disco elements for more (then) modern EDM. It even comes complete with a rap verse to give it that extra 90's flavour.
#2834
We looked at his 1980 hit "It's hard to be humble" twice already, time to look at the big hit that Mac Davis had internationally as this ballad managed to be a Billboard chart topper for the country legend upon its initial release. This is another song that's often cited as one of the worst the decade has to offer due to its admittedly cheesy lyrics (the title says it all) which is where its legacy remains to this day.
#2833
This is the only hit to come from the Canadian band Edward Bear (a name that suggest this was from a solo artist) it was one of many pop rock tracks to be a success during the first half of the decade worldwide, although like many other entries on this list, it hasn't really stood the test of time due to its absence on oldies playlists.
#2832
We have further evidence that the 60's kept on rolling as far as the music was concerned as this feels like it belongs during the height of summer love, although I get the feeling it would've bombed had its target audience realised that Edison Lighthouse was actually just a group of session musicians looking to cash in off the Freelove vibes of the 60's rather than genuinely be a part of it.
#2831
The decade had barely even begun and there was already a huge demand for 70's nostalgia, enter Dee lite who obliged and gave us what's known as a house track which is a type of EDM where there's emphasis on the groove rather than the lyrics or vocals. This was a huge hit for the American trio internationally months before they finally found success at home, a trend that was all too common for American EDM artists.
#2830
This was the debut single for Kate Bush, it's incredible to think that someone as young as she was managed to craft a song that's resonated with so many people over the years but there you go. Kate's popularity grew well into the 80's likely due to her fitting in really well with the MTV era, after all the visuals in her videos while bizarre at time, still strike a chord with visual media to this day.
#2829
This feels like it should've been released a few years prior, doesn't it? I guess the grunge scene didn't completely kill the 80's when Nirvana released Nevermind after all as these guys managed to get in a huge hit with an acoustic ballad that would've been a dime a dozen in the late 80's. The band even achieved moderate success with their follow ups back in America, although not so much internationally.
#2828
This is a song whose popularity came right the heck out of nowhere, I'm guessing because it was the first time many people heard of a song from a female perspective sung by a man. The novelty of this allowed the song to be a massive worldwide success for White town, although it also sadly had novelty written all over it as they failed to find any success with their other singles and faded into obscurity.
#2827
This was originally a song from a guy, and as such the lyrics had a different meaning to what Cyndi gives them on her debut single as there the narrator was a player whereas here it's a female empowerment anthem. The song rightfully launched her career worldwide and even had her as an early rival of Madonna given how both women struggled to find mainstream success prior to appearing on Countdown.
#2826
This was the lead single to John Farnham's album of the same name and given how his previous album was the most successful of the decade in Australia, it makes sense that he would continue to appeal to the adult contemporary crowd with this number which resulted in it being a huge success for him just like before.
#2825
Often considered to be Suzi Quatro's signature track, this was indeed a massive hit for her here in Australia back in the day, so much so that she would perform it in the dying days of Countdown thirteen years after its initial release to massive fanfare. This just goes to show how fondly remembered the track remains even after all these years, as well as further proof women in rock was a thing in the early 70's.
#2824
Although she achieved sound success earlier in the decade in Australia with her albums, it wasn't until this bonus track from her live album that she finally managed to score a hit single here or for that matter anywhere in the world outside her native America. It's easy to see how this connected with audiences, she really throws herself onto the track about navigating a complex relationship.
#2823
Boy was this hard to do research on, this was the one and only hit from American band Osmosis who scored a hit here in Australia with this ballad and virtually nowhere else in the world. You can still find this on oldies stations to this day, which is perhaps why it's easier to look up the song over the band on the internet.
#2822
This was the debut single for Culture club, a band who would become synonymous with wanting to creature racial harmony around the world with their instantly catchy music and charming personalities. They were off to a good start with this song as it conquered the world charts with its quirky video which details some of the discrimination people like Boy George have experienced over the years.
#2821
This was originally released in 1976 to deafening silence, presumably because by that stage few wanted to hear a ballad about how a twenty something year old was having an existential crisis about having everything she wanted except for the things that mattered. I'm guessing the world changed its mind six years later as this became a huge hit for her worldwide for reasons I can't seem to ascertain.
#2820
This was originally the debut single for Cliff Richard that was released all the way back in 1959, it was a modest success for the English crooner and launched a very lucrative career for him that persisted as recently as 1999. This year he rerecorded it with the cast of the Young ones for charity, and let's just say that this version doesn't do the original any favours for me liking this man's music.
#2819
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2818
This E.P created history when it was released on the singles charts, it became the first entry to debut at number one on the Australian charts even though by all accounts this should have been charting on our album charts due to it being an E.P without a standout track to promote it.
#2817
This was by far the biggest hit to come from Foreigner which is a bit of a shame because these guys are best known for their more energetic rock tracks such as "Urgent," "Cold as ice" and "Hot blooded." Admittedly their second biggest hit "Waiting for a girl like you" was also a soft rock ballad, so perhaps audiences were simply more interested in these guys expressing their sentimental side more than anything.
#2816
MJ might have been reduced to a media frenzy by the 21st century (unfairly in my opinion) however that didn't mean that there wasn't any love left for his back catalogue as Alien ant farm managed to score their one and only hit in most parts of the world with their rendition of this track from his album Bad. If you can believe it, they scored a second hit in NZ later in the decade with "Glow."
#2815
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2814
While he achieved minor success with his first album with Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono band, this was where John Lennon was able to wash his hands from the fab four given how it was a huge success for the troubled ex-Beatle upon its initial release.
#2813
This is an album that saw a ton of backlash upon its initial release, mostly for its lead single which was a virtual duet with Natalie's father Nat King Cole from beyond the grave which many felt she was being disrespectful towards. I feel that she had nothing but love and affection for her father's work and that this was the best compromise she had of fulfilling her dream of making a song with him. The Grammys agreed and awarded this album of the year.
#2812
We were still five years off from album number four from Lionel Richie, although I guess he noticed how long his fans had been waiting and as such released this greatest hits package to help tie them over to his eventual album. Unfortunately, while this album was a huge success for him, said fans grew tired of waiting and didn't flock over to his album when it dropped in 1996.
#2811
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2810
I'm not sure why the album cycle for the Spice girls was delayed here in Australia, whatever the case the third single was able to be a massive success here likely due to it being one of their sweeter ballads despite the lyrics being more suggestive than you might otherwise think. It was a Christmas number one in the UK months prior to it being released here, and as such is widely regarded as a Christmas track.
#2809
Although disco didn't exist at the start of the decade, I feel that it's safe to declare this as the first song in the genre given how similar it sounds to the likes of the Bee gees and Donna Summer's work from later in the decade. It was the only hit that Freda Payne had here in Australia likely due to how catchy it is compared to many of the other entries on this list, although she fared much better in her native America.
#2808
This song is slightly different from album to single given how the production is more pronounced on the single version, however that's about the only main difference which was regardless enough for this to be the boy bands biggest hit in most parts of the world. I'm glad the music community has since come around on boy bands from this decade as even if they had a specific target demographic, their music was still enjoyable in its own right.
#2807
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2806
Well, I guess the second round of the boy band wars officially begun this year given how these guys were able to compete with the Backstreet boys for the affection of the teenage girls of the late 90's. Here they incorporate hip hop elements to their sound as opposed to their American counterparts who settled with RNB elements, I guess this did create a contrast between the two discographies.
#2805
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2804
There's this trend when it comes to Canadian artists crossing over to the mainstream where they only seem to do so with a song that wasn't a huge hit in their homeland, this was the case for this one and only international hit from Crash test dummies which was far from their biggest hit in their homeland and yet was inescapable throughout the rest of the world for them.
#2803
This was the debut single from the Veronicas, one of the very few Australian artists to ever have the chance to work with the likes of Max Martin and Dr Luke which of course led to their eventual international fame with their second album. People seem divided on them as their fans (which includes me) praise them for the same reason their detractors despise them, that being their gimmick of singing in unison as if they were one person.
#2802
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2801
Following the failure of his previous project Milli vanilli, Frank Farian created a new group in the form of this Hispanic trio from the American east coast who thankfully did sing every note on their music which means there wasn't any backlash towards the group that I'm aware of. This was among the earlier hits to emerge from the Latin craze that took the world by storm during the last stretch of the decade.
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