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.
#2800
Now I know I should hate this song for sampling "Tainted love" from Soft Cell, however that song is so good with its instrumentation that I don't mind that it was used so egregiously by JR Rottem even if it did lead to a career of sampling other oldies for (then) modern songs to diminishing returns. I think this works mostly for Rihanna who has a lot of presence on here to make the sample work in her favour.
#2799
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2798
Many people feel this to be a lazy retread of "Wanted dead or alive" since both songs not only sound similar to each other, but also have the same theme of a loner cowboy who doesn't abide by the laws of the wild wild west. Naturally this theme fits in perfectly with the film this song was commissioned for, and to be fair there are enough differences between both songs for this to justify its existence.
#2797
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2796
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2795
This is one of many songs to never be released as a single in America and thus, wasn't able to chart on Billboard back in the day. I'm guessing this was to promote the album Tragic kingdom which I feel was unnecessary as the song was a huge chart topper everywhere else in the world as well as the album itself still being one of the most successful of the decade. Admittedly the song is more sombre than everything else on the album.
#2794
This is the song where many people had turned on Bryan Adams for a few reasons, first off it was number one in the UK for sixteen weeks, making it one of the best charting songs of all time over there. Secondly it was tied to the Kevin Costner version of the famous Robin Hood fable which to this day divides audiences due to his admittedly terrible performance as the titular character.
#2793
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2792
Much like her debut album from two years prior, this also had to work its way up the charts here in Australia as fans obviously weren't expecting P!nk to go in a completely different direction from what she released at the start of the decade with this follow up. Sony did attempt to encourage fans to buy the album by not releasing "Just like a pill" as a single here, however that backfired as it was less successful here than it was internationally.
#2791
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2790
I'm surprised prog music wasn't more of a mainstream genre in Australia given how big rock operas were at this stage, Alan Parsons project was one of the bigger names in the prog scene as they were able to score a huge sleeper hit with this album following the success of their previous album which was based on the 50's book series I robot. Their popularity would dwindle going into the 80's and fade completely after their album Eye in the sky.
#2789
Following the success of their greatest hits package from earlier on this list, America was able to score one more successful album to their name in Australia with this album. I'm not sure why they didn't find more success back in the day as they are known better for their novelty track "A horse with no name" even to this day.
#2788
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2787
It had been seven years since the tragic passing for Karen Carpenter, although I guess the last greatest hits package from the duo was released exclusively here in Australia and NZ whereas this was released internationally to deafening silence outside of both countries. I guess we were the only ones who realised the genius of their music back in the day, although time has since reevaluated their legacy.
#2786
Well, if you wanted to see Linda Ronstadt try her hand at a standards album, she's got you covered as she released this album likely as a passion project as she wasn't known for making standards prior to making this album and standards has never been a huge draw for the mainstream. She would fade into obscurity after this album until her triumphant comeback from the very end of the decade.
#2785
This is our final new entry on this list as well as the final new entry for my blog until I come up with new ideas for it in the future, it's the debut single from the Fray which was too much of a sleeper hit to qualify for my 2006 list and indeed only made the cut for this list due to lingering in the top twenty for the digital charts for quite some time due to the success of their top entry on this list.
#2784
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2783
This was a triumphant return to the mainstream from the Brothers Gibb as it had been ten years since they last troubled the charts here with "You win again," although it's worth noting that they came back with the type of adult contemporary they were competing against in their prime two decades prior. This was their last hit single before the tragic death of Maurice in 2003.
#2782
We have another double entry on this list, this time it's from Tori Amos who managed to score a UK chart topper with both of these songs which allowed her to finally score a massive hit in Australia with both of these songs. Naturally both of these songs could've charted individually and likely would've still appeared on this list due to how popular they were for her.
#2781
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2780
This was the only other hit that Michael Nesmith had with his backing band the First national band (what a pretentious name for a band.) Like his earlier entry on this list, this was a country ballad that connected well with us Aussies and kiwis but not so much with his fellow Americans.
#2779
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2778
Well, this this fourth single from Loose says (or third if you're from the UK) all good things come to an end which is what happened for Nelly Furtado once the album cycle ended this year as she's yet to find another hit anywhere in the world with her subsequent material. At least she managed to have four massive hits in a row worldwide from an album that got her out of the one album wonder bin.
#2777
This was the second and final hit that TV rock had here, likely due to us fellow Aussies realising that they were a bit of a one trick pony as I and many others can't tell the difference between this and their previous hit "Flaunt it" from the previous year.
#2776
This was the debut single for Johnny Diesel and the Injectors, an Australian pub rock band who took our music scene by storm with their debut album the released the following year which sparked international interest in the band. Indeed, this lead single became a surprise hit over in NZ, proving that the kiwis were all about our rock scene even if they were inconsistent with what they made popular there.
#2775
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2774
Given that I'm well familiar with Night at the Roxbury (more than I care to admit) it took me by surprise that this song wasn't originally written for the film and was instead a huge hit earlier in the decade for this singer of colour. It turns out he had a bunch of other hits throughout Europe that also fitted in the EDM trends, meaning he was one of the few dance artists to be underrepresented in Australia.
#2773
This was another massive hit that the Offspring were able to achieve in their career, it seems to continue the narrative they had with their previous album Americana right down to the music video complimenting the lyrics in a way I feel few others had in the twentieth century. The band's popularity would dwindle as the decade went on; however, they did score one more hit with "Hit that" two years after this.
#2772
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2771
This was the big hit off of Bon Jovi's album Keep the faith, mainly due to people not really understanding what this song is about as despite the lyrics "lay me down on a bed of roses," this is actually a breakup song about him wishing that the relationship was still going when it's clearly over. It's certainly different from the other tracks they had up until this point which were to the point.
#2770
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2769
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2768
She saw plenty of success earlier in the decade as one half of Yazoo, however this was the big solo break that Alison Moyet had in her career which succeeded thanks to her killer vocals and relatable lyrics. It was more of a hit in NZ and her native UK, however even us Aussies couldn't deny her amazing voice on this album even if that love didn't really extend to her second album.
#2767
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2766
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2765
While his first solo album was a minor success the previous year, it was this second album that Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant released this year that made him a household name following the demise of his band earlier in the decade. It was his biggest solo album likely through the strength of its lead single which became a hit throughout the world for him, although he would find success later in the decade.
#2764
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2763
My UK readers will likely recognise this track as credited to Puretone, I'm not sure why this song was rebranded as such, but it ended up working out as this became a huge success for Josh Abrahams and vocalist Amiel Daemon. Amiel is perhaps best known for her hit single "Love song" from 2003, a hit she scored a year after this became a hit for her and Josh throughout Europe.
#2762
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2761
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2760
The lead single to their second album was a bit of a commercial disappointment here in Australia, however this second single from the album was a massive hit for them likely because of it being an honest display of Chester Bennington's pain that definitively connected with audiences back in the day. It was so popular that it was mashed up with Jay-Z's "Encore" where it became an even bigger hit.
#2759
This was the final album to be released from Stevie Nicks this decade, I guess its success is proof that we Aussies were into her music regardless of all the drama that went on behind the scenes of her career. That said she wouldn't find much success going into the 90's, so I guess this was a hit due to her tumultuous relationship with Lindsey Buckingham which officially came to an end during its production.
#2758
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2757
It took this song three times to find success in N trance's native UK, given how it was originally released three years prior and was given a second chance the previous year both to little avail. It looked like third time was the charm as this track managed to become a huge success for them in their homeland this year which allowed it to crossover here in Australia where they saw massive success.
#2756
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2755
My NZ readers will recognise this guy for several of his hits from the 70's, indeed how he was able to find a huge crossover hit with this track here in Australia when he hadn't troubled his local charts in over a decade is a bit of a mystery to me but here we are. This sadly didn't lead to him having much success after this even in his homeland, proving this to be a fluke hit for the aging pop star.
#2754
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2753
Phoebe Snow was a singer/songwriter who had promise earlier in the decade when "Poetry man" became a huge hit for her in her native America, now she never had a hit here in Australia but due to how popular she was in NZ during the second half of the decade, this album became a huge success for her despite it flopping on the Billboard charts. Why her popularity fizzled out over there is anyone's guess.
#2752
This was the final successful album that Simply red had here in Australia, although considering they had an entire decade of uninterrupted success, this was an impressive feat for them even if it didn't reach the same levels of success as their first four albums. They aged into the 90's remarkably well, although after their greatest hits album which they released a year after this, their popularity would fade away.
#2751
This was the second solo album to come from Sting this decade, it wasn't quite as inescapable as his previous entry likely due to the success of the greatest hits album he released from his band the Police reminding audiences of their older material. Even so, this was a massive hit for the former frontman of one of the most popular bands of the decade, although his popularity would dwindle after this.
#2750
This is one of two hits that the Rogue traders had from their debut album that wasn't based off a sample from an older track (their first single was based off an Elvis Costello sample) the other was "We're coming home" which was too much of a sleeper hit to make it on this site. This was a huge hit for the band as it was the song they released once they dropped their album which was a massive success.
#2749
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2748
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2747
There are two versions of this track that contributed to its success, there's the original which was a solo venture from Blu Cantrell where she fancied herself a rapper to try and convey the guy's perspective of this song about them falling out with each other. This version didn't go over very well likely due to her cosplaying as her partner, so a remix was commissioned with Sean Paul proving new verses which was much better received.
#2746
This had a bit of a delay to its release here in Australia, although once it came out it was a modest success for Rihanna and Ne-yo who sing with each other about how they don't like the fact they have feelings for each other. It would be largely overshadowed by "Please don't stop the music" due to how long it took for this to take off here in Australia.
#2745
This was released three years prior throughout Europe to deafening silence, in fact I'm not even sure how this managed to become popular here in Australia other than it being an incessantly catchy EDM track from a talented vocalist that was never given her proper due back in the day. It nothing else, this being a massive hit here must have been some form of consolation for the singer in question.
#2744
This was an excellent year for Faith Hill given how we're still yet to get to her breakthrough album she had here in Australia, following its success, she released a greatest hits package which helped fans discover her 90's material (given how Breathe was released in 1999) which also became a massive hit for her before she unfortunately faded into obscurity down under.
#2743
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2742
This album proved to be a much bigger success than This island mainly for having multiple hit singles from it as opposed to just the one from before, although it's worth noting that the album only became a best seller here when the third single became a huge success as it looked like its popularity would fade upon its initial release. They would release one more album before calling it quits by the end of the decade.
#2741
Neil Diamond was on a roll this year as he managed to score success with his second live album he released this decade, although considering the first one is the BIGGEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME, I guess this album's success was a bit limited in comparison despite it being a well-remembered concert at the Greek theatre in Los Angeles.
#2740
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2739
These guys were among the most popular bands in the alternative scene worldwide, so it makes sense that they would finally achieve massive success with their third album given how popular they had become. This album's success was likely boosted by their appearance on Countdown this year, indeed the lead single has become a popular staple on oldie's stations more so than their actual big hit "Shout to the top."
#2738
Now that these guys had a highly successful album under their belt, they had little issues with finding success with their subsequent follow ups beginning with this album which may have failed to produce a hit single for them but was a massive success regardless. The 80's would see their popularity increase as they began scoring hits from their albums as well as developing a positive reputation as a live act.
#2737
This is the one and only album to be released from Racey, naturally it was a massive success here in Australia given how it managed to spawn three of the bigger hits during the final stretch of the 70's here, which makes you wonder why they never even attempted to release a second album given how successful they were going into the 80's.
#2736
Tom Jones had a massive comeback five years prior with his album the Lead and how to swing it, so naturally he was primed for another comeback with this album which is a covers album where he duets with some of the biggest names in music, much like Santana's album from earlier on this list. This didn't end up becoming a trend for artists who made it big in the twentieth century, but you'd think it would've.
#2735
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2734
This was the debut single for a band who was promised so much success both critically and commercially and yet seemed to have gotten nowhere once they released their second album. Their first album was showered with praise and success (rightfully so in my opinion) thanks to Ella Hooper's powerful vocals as well as the catchy instrumentation of the band.
#2733
Tiffany might have had more success with her singles overall in Australia, however her rival Debbie Gibson was able to score a massive hit this year with the lead single to her second album Electric youth due to ballads being at the height of their popularity around this time. This allowed the album to be a moderate success here as this was bigger than anything Tiffany put out despite her being massively successful worldwide.
#2732
Kelly Marie was a Scottish pop star who scored her one and only hit throughout Europe with this disco track that was originally meant for the king of rock and roll himself Elvis Presley, that should explain why she's singing like him on the track. Here in Australia, this was her second big hit as she previously saw success with "Make love to me" just as the 70's was beginning to wind down.
#2731
This was a good year for many artists who wouldn't see much success in any other year, ABC was one such act as they achieved quite a lot of success from their debut album before never being heard from again here in Australia. Of course, they had plenty of success internationally as they would have hits over on Billboard from their subsequent follow ups, it's just none of them made it big here.
#2730
Following the success of her (then) latest album, Joan Armatrading released her greatest hits album which was meant to overlook her career at this point which had seen many peaks and valleys over the years. She didn't find any further success in her career after this which is a shame because she could've thrived during the female singer/songwriter scene of the late 80's.
#2729
I guess Jackson Browne was able to achieve moderate success with his albums here in Australia during the second half of the decade, sure he wasn't a superstar here like his reputation would suggest but he did do better than some other rock and roll legends that never saw any success here back in the day.
#2728
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2727
Although these guys didn't achieve much success here in Australia with their albums or indeed their singles save for the three big hits I've already featured on this site so far, that didn't prevent them from finding success with this greatest hits package which no doubt led to them having a resurgence in popularity later in the decade with their next album.
#2726
This was the debut album from Silverchair, a band who was "unearthed" the previous year by Triple J despite only being in their early to mid-teens when they were discovered by the band. This led to the album being a huge success for them which of course they weren't able to handle very well, although they did keep it together throughout the rest of the decade as they matured their sound with each new album.
#2725
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2724
With the negative press that Madonna received from her album Like a prayer, I think Bette Midler wanted to reassure audiences that God was real with this song originally written by Nanci Griffith while also acknowledging that yes, bad things do happen to good people sometimes because God simply isn't looking hard enough at the problems of the world. The only thing I'll say is that it's songs like this that make me glad I don't follow religion.
#2723
Dr Hook were previously known for their comedy tracks from the first half of the decade, so to see them come back with a ballad about being in love with a minor only for the twist to be that the narrator was also a minor during this relationship is a bit jarring to say the least. I'm guessing they played this song straight to avoid being accused of being paedophiles as there is a lot of comedic potential in the lyrics.
#2722
This was the only hit single that Blur were able to score in Australia, likely due to it quickly becoming a sporting anthem due to the "woo hoos" that Damon Albarn would shout throughout the track. Even though they lost against Oasis as the kings of Britpop, they won where it mattered which was with their critical acclaim with the Gallagher's were quickly losing this year with their third album.
#2721
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2720
This was the breakthrough single for Marty Rhone, a pop star who was all set to break through earlier in the decade before he was drafted into the Vietnam war much like fellow pop star Normie Rowe from the previous decade. When he was discharged from the army, Marty resumed his music career which was given a second wind thanks to Countdown promoting his music.
#2719
This was a collaboration album between Neil Young and the American band Crazy horse, although half of the album is only a Neil Young album with side B being his collaborations with Crazy horse. The album was such a huge success upon its initial release that both parties went on tour to cash in on it which led to the tour being a huge success for them and even the live album being big as well.
#2718
This is the final album that George Michael released in his lifetime, I'm not sure why as though it wasn't a huge success for him, it was still quite popular which was something many of his contemporaries from the 80's and even 90's were struggling with at the time in their respective careers. Even though this was his final album, that didn't mean he stopped making music altogether as he did release singles over the years.
#2717
Anne Murray is by all means a one hit wonder here in Australia with "You needed me," however it appears that song was popular enough for this greatest hits package she released two years later to become a massive success for her over here to help fans rediscover her back catalogue they ignored prior to that song's release.
#2716
This was Madonna's foray into RNB, an exercise that would result it being her lowest selling album of the 90's given how people felt she was following trends on this album rather than setting them. Even so, it was a moderate success for her as it would take something disastrous like American life or anything she would release in the 2010's for fans to abandon her music.
#2715
It seems odd that both this guy and his American counterpart Eric Clapton wouldn't see much success this decade in Australia, perhaps due to both men having success earlier in their careers and thus seeming like they were out of touch by the time the Countdown era rolled around. In any case, we have this album from JJ Cale which was indeed his fifth album and one that was a huge hit for him here.
#2714
Speaking of his earlier catalogue, this was Paul's first album he released following the end of his professional relationship with Art Garfunkel, it was a massive success for the folk singer and spawned a huge hit for him here as well as the rest of the world.
#2713
This seemed like a good time to release a greatest hits album from Powderfinger given how they just came off three of the biggest albums of all time here in Australia, as such it somewhat affected their popularity moving forward, however not enough for it to matter as their next two albums also proved to be a massive success for them.
#2712
Although Dragon did achieve minor success earlier in the decade here in Australia, this was the album which finally made them a household name here to the point where they were able to take their success back home as the lead single managed to become a huge success over there. They were one of the earliest acts to achieve success in NZ thanks to appearing on Countdown for what it's worth.
#2711
This is the final album that Powderfinger released before they went their separate ways at the start of the 10's, they agreed this would be their final album regardless of success given how Bernard Fanning wanted to pursue his solo career which didn't reach the dizzying heights of success of his debut album or his bands work throughout the 00's.
#2710
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2709
This was an album that likely would've not even been released here in Australia were it not for Ricky's involvement with the FIFA world cup this year, after all this was released entirely in Spanish save for the big hit he performed at the games which was included as a bonus track when it was released here. No doubt this led to him recording his next album mostly in English which took the world by storm the following year.
#2708
There have been quite a number of ballads to make it big from Madonna over the years, she certainly noticed how many of them were successful which is why she released a greatest hits packaged themed around them that was a huge success for her worldwide. As far as I can tell, she's yet to do the same for her more upbeat material as those songs can only be found on albums that has her ballads on them.
#2707
Much like her former partner in crime Beyonce, Kelly Rowland obviously had a more loyal fanbase when it came to her physical media as opposed to those who consumed her music through digital downloads, of course that didn't prevent her final solo hit from being a flop on that format but still.
#2706
We have another Oscar winning ballad to make it on this site, this time it's the love theme from Barbra Streisand's movie of the same name which helped her score her first Billboard chart topper as well has her first hit here in Australia since "Second hand rose" from eight years prior. The film remains a classic to this day thanks to strong performances from her and her co-star Robert Redford.
#2705
This was the debut single from one of the most politically charged bands to come out of the decade, yes Rage against the machine managed to score at least one hit in their career before being confided to the alternative scene where they saw tons of critical acclaim by not much commercial success. I guess this made it through thanks to the grunts that Zac De La Roche makes throughout the track.
#2704
I guess if Countdown hadn't of taken over the Australian scene, then this country legend would've had more success here throughout the 70's, as is it was his only hit here likely due to it being a huge hit on the Billboard country charts at the time. He continued charting on the Billboard country charts well into the 80's, proving he was a household name in the Nashville music scene.
#2703
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2702
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#2701
This was the other big hit that Diana King managed to achieve in her career that was tied to a Hollywood film, this time we have the theme to My best friend's wedding which is a film about how Julia Roberts has to fight over Cameron Diaz over a guy she's known since childhood and was hoping to be the man of her dreams (it's much better than I'm making it sound.) Of course, this was going to be a hit regardless due to it being a cover of a Dionne Warwick staple.
No comments:
Post a Comment