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.
#700
Livie was at the height of her popularity when she released the third volume of her greatest hits series, although it's worth noting that internationally this was only her second volume given how First impressions was released exclusively in Australia and NZ. Her career would come to a crashing halt when she starred opposite John Travolta for the second time in the critically panned Two of a kind.
#699
There weren't any signs of these guys slowing down as their fourth album managed to be a huge success for them worldwide, although I would've thought this would be even bigger here in Australia given how synonymous they've become with the second British invasion worldwide. I guess this albums success was more due to their artist momentum given how it didn't spawn a huge hit for them here.
#698
This was released around the same time as Rod Stewart's top entry on this list, meaning that this had to compete with the likes of "Maggie may" back in the day which makes its placement on this list all the more impressive in retrospect.
#697
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#696
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#695
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#694
There was a lot of hype going into this debut album from Killing Heidi given how the two lead singles were among the most successful from the transition of the 90's to the 00's, that hype was effortlessly met when it was released as it became a massive hit for the band here in Australia. I'm not sure why, but their fans and even Triple J abandoned them with their next two albums, leaving them to flop down under.
#693
This saw a massive improvement on this ranking compared to where it otherwise would've been placed on my hypothetical physical charts list, I guess fans of Brendan Urie and company were really hip with the new way of consuming music when this song first came out much like fans of the band's contemporaries at the time.
#692
Regardless of which format she was charting on, Lady Gaga was an unstoppable force going into the 2010's which should tell you how wide her mass appeal was during her first two albums worldwide.
#691
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#690
This was a bit of a return to form following the slightly more mainstream appeal of his previous album, I guess Alice wanted to reassure fans that he wasn't a complete sellout before became as such with his next album. As such this didn't have a huge hit on here like his previous album and subsequent albums did, which is perhaps why he sold out as he likely wanted to have that big hit single which he got.
#689
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#688
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#687
Although these guys have been on the cusp of mainstream success since the late 80's, it wasn't until this album that they finally achieved that success worldwide thanks to how well this both fit in with the trends of this year and also how it contrasted with some of the more popular hits making it big. This would lead the band to having huge success this decade all around the world.
#686
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#685
This was initially a flop for the Bangles, likely because the lead single was seen as a novelty despite it being written by Prince under a pseudonym. Fortunately, the album's actual novelty track helped it find an audience who realised that while the girls had their quirky side, they were for the most part a serious throwback band to the 60's jangle pop which allowed this album to be a huge success for them worldwide.
#684
Whatever did happen to this Canadian singer/songwriter? Well from what I can gather, she did achieve further success in her homeland as the decade went on despite only finding success there on this album with its third single. Again, we have a Canadian artist only making it big internationally due to them having one of their songs make it big on Billboard as opposed to their homeland, strange how this was a thing.
#683
There were no signs of Lady Gaga slowing down exiting the 00's given how this lead single to her E.P The fame monster managed to be a huge success for her worldwide, it was a sign that she would be the biggest pop star of the 2010's much like her obvious influence Madonna was throughout the 80's and 90's.
#682
Calling this a cover of the Hot chocolate classic is stretching it as much like many songs which incorporated 70's nostalgia to score a hit this decade, this song only uses the chorus of the original to connect the verses together. I'm guessing this was a success due to the original being used in the Full Monty which in turn allowed it to rechart in the band's native UK, I guess we Aussies wanted a new spin on the classic instead.
#681
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#680
This seemed to come out of nowhere for the Canadian band as while "Taking care of business" from their previous album has since become a staple on oldies stations, it wasn't a big deal back in the day outside of their native Canada. I'm guessing this was a success for them in Australia due to us Aussies connecting with them on their big hit from this album and wanting to root for them to make it big.
#679
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#678
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#677
This is one of only two hits that the Kings of Leon had in the mainstream, in Australia at least this was because of heavy promotion of their album Only by the night on Triple J which became the stations album of the year in 2008. This was a massive flop in their native America for some reason, it's even more curious it bombed on Billboard considering the second single from the album was a huge hit over there.
#676
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#675
I guess her previous album was a commercial disappointment for Avril Lavigne, so it makes sense that she would go in the complete opposite direction with her third album by appealing to a more mainstream audience like she does with this lead single. Naturally this was a success given that it was released during a time where high school drama was all the rage in the mainstream, and this would be the perfect soundtrack to those situations.
#674
So, it's come to this, what's often considered to be one of the worst songs of the decade which was indeed also one of the biggest worldwide. I unfortunately agree with the consensus which is that this is an annoying song with lyrics some of the corniest lyrics known to man, however it does have its merit as it did spear head the line dancing craze that would persist throughout the decade in America.
#673
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#672
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#671
I'm sorry to say that the Who album this is based on won't be appearing on this list due to being released in the 60's, however it must have been a huge hit here in Australia given how this orchestral version performed by the London symphony orchestra was a genuine success here upon its initial release.
#670
I think this is the earliest hip hop album to achieve massive success in Australia, oh sure you had your MC Hammer's and Vanilla ice's which did see moderate success here earlier in the decade, however this album from Arrested development was arguably the first to break down our bias against the genre here. It's a shame their next album was such a critical and commercial disaster for them but what are you going to do?
#669
This was the album that finally gave Cold chisel international appeal given how the big hit on here "Forever now" proved to be even bigger in NZ than it was over here (possibly due to it being the lead single there and second single here.) This was the penultimate album the band released before they went their separate ways, their final album being a huge success albeit not to this degree.
#668
Although Billy had a massive sleeper hit earlier in the decade with Piano man, this was the album which turned him from that guy who you would hear when driving around late at night on the radio to a household name due to the second single becoming his first genuine hit throughout the world. Many consider this to be his best album as the stories he tells throughout its runtime seem to resonate with audiences to this day.
#667
A trend I don't think many people realised was inescapable this decade was that of opera music finding massive success in the mainstream, that should give some context as to how this live album from Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti became a huge success upon its initial release.
#666
Aren't we all glad we can enjoy music meant for teenage girls without the fear of getting harassed by some toxic music snob from the alternative scene? Here we have the second album from the Backstreet boys which hilariously declared them to be back, the reason this is hilarious is that their debut album wasn't a big success for them whilst this was one of the biggest of the decade thanks to their blend of teen pop and RNB on the album.
#665
Given how Timbaland's entry from earlier on this list did so much better on our digital charts than our physical charts, I'm somewhat surprised this wasn't the case for the debut single for the band he "presented" on his solo album as that had the additional benefit of being from an indie band.
#664
This proved to be far more successful on our digital charts than our physical charts back in the day, this is the best proof I have that Matchbox 20 were way more popular with their singles throughout the decade than the weak physical sales would otherwise suggest given how they all came from highly successful albums.
#663
We have another rock track made popular with the emo crowd to find more success through digital sales back in the day rather than physical sales, this time it's the second single from Fall out boy's breakthrough album which suggests its rise in popularity in the format was due to album sales not being a hinderance to its success like it was with its physical format.
#662
Mika was unavoidable during the album run of his debut album back in the day, it's little wonder that the bulk of its success came from strong digital sales here in Australia given how we Aussies were amused with the precocious nature of the (then) closeted LGBT star at the time.
#661
Who knows how big "Take your mama" would've been here in Australia given how well that song did over in NZ where digital downloads was already incorporated on their charts, although this was equally as successful on both formats down under, so perhaps that song wasn't so big back in the day after all.
#660
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#659
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#658
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#657
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#656
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#655
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#654
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#653
Well, you don't have one of the biggest albums of the decade an immediately fall into obscurity (unless of course you have bad management and/or had that success through novelty) so here we have this follow-up to Live's previous album Throwing copper, which was a massive success for them, just not as much as their previous effort. The band would continue to find success well into the new millennium, proving that rock music was far from dead in the 2000's.
#652
It had been five years since Toni had troubled the charts anywhere in the world with her second album House of hope, in fact I'm guessing she only released this greatest hits package to see if anyone truly cared about her music much like how other has been have done over the years. It turns out that we Aussies loved her music (well her first two albums at least) as this was one of the biggest hits of the decade down under.
#651
There were no signs of Robbie Williams slowing down in the music scene, so it made sense that he would release a greatest hits package during the height of his popularity which became a massive success for him during the midpoint of the decade. His popularity did begin to dwindle following this album's release; however, it wouldn't fade away until the end of the decade.
#650
OK it turns out their earlier entry wasn't that much more popular through digital sales than this was, however, it was noticeable enough that the theory of this flopping in America because of that songs success over this remains plausible.
#649
This was the big hit off of Shania Twain's biggest album Come on over in Australia, admittedly this is mainly due to how long this ballad about Shania being there for the love of her life stuck around on our charts upon its initial release more than anything. I'm guessing this ballad was what encouraged her to release a pop version of her album.
#648
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#647
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#646
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#645
Yeah, Cocktail isn't a very good movie, I know there's diehard fans of Tom Cruise out there who'll love anything he appears in but aside from those people, I can't imagine anyone liking this film about him being a cocktail waiter. At least it had an interesting soundtrack that revived the career of the Beach boys as well as some other interesting tracks on there.
#644
One of the more popular teen dramas of the decade was Dawson's creek, although I don't think anyone was expecting its official soundtrack to be as successful as it was considering how the Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack wasn't a huge success earlier in the decade. I guess audiences connected with the themes of the show better than that classic, although that show has retained a stronger fanbase over the years.
#643
A decade prior to scoring massive success with his second band Mondo rock, Ross Wilson fronted this short lived but well remembered band who scored one of the quintessential hits of the decade with this pub anthem. It continues to be a staple on oldies stations to this day, an honour that few other entries on this list can boast about due to how little of a legacy they each seem to have individually.
#642
If this album seems a little low to anyone, bear in mind that it wasn't as much of a juggernaut here in Australia as it was throughout the rest of the world despite many people believing (me included) this to be MJ's best album. The album is also known for breaking several records on Billboard, including spawning the most chart toppers over there as well as how many consecutive number one hits an artist has had there.
#641
Flashdance is a movie you either love or hate, you love it for the striking visuals or hate it for its admittedly meandering plot that ultimate goes nowhere. Either way the film and its soundtrack were a huge success back in the day, the former due to its powerful performance that Jennifer Beals gives as Alyx while the latter was due to how catchy the music was throughout its track listing.
#640
This remains the second most successful album from the Rolling stones behind Tattoo you which they released almost a decade later, this is largely due to the success of its lead single which is also their second biggest hit behind that other albums lead single "Start me up."
#639
Even though this isn't the most recent entry on this list (that honour goes to "Replay" from earlier on this list) this is the song whose success is the most recent as it only became a hit here thanks to it rising up the charts due to it being considered the best song of 2009 according to listeners of Triple J. For what it's worth, this performed far better on our digital charts than it did on our physical charts.
#638
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#637
This was a hit twice here in Australia for Mumford and sons, the first time was upon its initial release due to us Aussies being intrigued by their fusion of folk and country complete with using a banjo as their main instrument. The second time was when it was crowned the best song of 2009 according to listeners of Triple J which is what allowed it to become a mainstream success here and eventually worldwide.
#636
Although they found moderate success with their previous two albums, it was this album from Radiohead that finally made them a household name due to how much critical acclaim the album has received since its initial release. The album continues to be considered as one of the greatest ever made to this day.
#635
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#634
Following the success of their debut album from, Regurgitator released this album which was an instant success for them and became even more successful thanks to the success of the third single and its bizarre music video involving a poorly CGI girl dancing to the track. The success of this video led to them reissuing the album as a DVD (remember those kids?) which allowed you to play the album on a DVD player as well as a CD.
#633
This is an album that had a very extended shelf life here in Australia as it was a hit upon its initial release due to it being the Corrs second album following the success they had with Forgiven not forgotten. It was given a second wind in the mainstream when they started finding success in their native UK with "Runaway" and their cover of "Dreams" which helped them score a best seller in Australia.
#632
Well, this might be one of the peachiest songs to ever be a hit single, although curiously this wasn't the big hit that Gerry Monroe had in his native UK as that honour goes to "Sally" which was incidentally his debut single despite him pushing forty when it was released in his homeland.
#631
Following the eventual success of her debut album, Jewel was able to find more immediate success with her follow up which was a continuation of her spiritual poetry that helped her win an audience both with her music and as a bookseller as she published a book of poetry that became a New York times best seller. Even with all of this success, Jewel's popularity would begin to decline going into the new millennium.
#630
He did manage to score one of the biggest hits of the decade with the lead single from this album, so it was only inevitable that the album itself would be a huge success for Kenny Rogers here in Australia. This was unfortunately the last album he found success with here likely due to there not being much room for country music in the era of MTV here, although he did score one more hit with a greatest hits package.
#629
This was the sophomore album for Powderfinger, a band who would go on to have massive success in the new millennium as they became one of the most successful Australian bands of their time. Before they conquered our music scene, they were an up-and-coming alternative band who got a massive push from Triple J this year when several of the singles were heavily promoted from the album.
#628
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#627
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#626
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#625
Years before Pink Floyd made a theatrical adaptation of their album the Wall, Hollywood managed to convince the Who to make a theatrical adaptation of their album Tommy several years after the London Symphony Orchestra made a symphonic version of their album. The film was a critical and commercial success, likely sparking people to check out the soundtrack which like the symphonic version, was more successful than the original album.
#624
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#623
Their debut album Stoneage Romeos may remain a cult classic to this day, however it was the band's second album where they started seeing mainstream success likely due to how catchy the singles were as well as the charisma of lead singer Dave Faulkner on the record. This led to them sparking international interest in them which resulted in them developing a cult following internationally.
#622
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#621
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#620
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#619
Their previous two albums were massive flops here in Australia; however, it was this third album which finally won them an audience here thanks to Triple J heavily promoting it as well as the videos from the singles being among the more memorable of the late 90's despite the songs underperforming on our charts. Their next album wouldn't be as successful later in the decade, however the one after that would be one of the most successful of the 00's here.
#618
I guess the danger with reinventing yourself as often as these guys did is that it's difficult to retain a fanbase to your work, indeed this was the most successful album from 10cc who traded in the glam rock from their earlier work for more contemporary pop rock for this album which made it a huge success for them. They would incorporate reggae on their next album which did lead to their biggest hit.
#617
Given how the lead single managed to become a massive worldwide hit, it only makes sense that this second album from Leona Lewis would follow suit and also be a massive hit outside of her native UK as opposed to her debut which was only a hit over there due to her winning the 2005 season of UK X factor. She would release her third album by the end of the decade; however, it was a massive worldwide flop.
#616
This is the last album that Jimi Hendrix released in his lifetime, it was a live album from a concert he had during the final days of the 60's which naturally meant it was guaranteed success upon its initial release that was no doubt boosted when he tragically passed away.
#615
This was the last hit single that Will Smith had anywhere in the world, although by this stage he was more well known as an actor than a rapper given how he only released two albums in the new millennium. I know I'm far from the first person to make this observation, but I feel this was meant to be the theme to his film Hitch which has him playing a love doctor for Kevin James in a rare rom com he stars in.
#614
This was the second album to come from Boyz II men, an album that had no issues with finding success here now that they had two of the biggest hits of the decade under their belt. While they wouldn't find any further success with their albums throughout the decade, they didn't need to as their ballads would continue to become chart toppers for them in their native America throughout the 90's.
#613
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#612
Following the so so commercial success of their previous album New Jersey, Bon Jovi decided to adapt with the times with this album which admittedly got the album off to a slow start given how they led the album cycle off with the title track, however it did eventually rebound soon after when the other songs were released as singles. This led to the band going in an adult contemporary direction with their later material in the decade.
#611
This was another instant success for RHCP, and one that spawned them a genuine hit as the lead single managed to become a massive success thanks to its presence on the digital charts worldwide. This would be the final successful album from the band given how their next album wouldn't come out for another five years, they really did like taking their time with releasing new material throughout their career.
#610
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#609
It's hard to believe nowadays that JT was the epitome of cool back in the day, however this dominating our digital charts is the best proof I have for this in retrospect given how we have no entries from the likes of teen pop or other popular genres from the first half of the decade that even by the second half of the decade was deemed as lame by the masses.
#608
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#607
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#606
Things were looking good for George Michael following the success of his album Older when news broke out that he was a queer man, I'm not sure why this was a big deal, but it was for some reason as his public image took a hit as a result of this revelation. In any case, he released this greatest hits package to test the waters to see if his fans cared about his sexual identity, it turns out they didn't because it was a huge success for him.
#605
One of the more defining films of the decade was Pretty woman, a film which stars Julia Roberts as a sex worker hired by Richard Gere as his escort only for the two to eventually fall in love with each other. The story remains heartwarming to this day as does the soundtrack which is notable for taking a previously obscure Christmas track from Roxette and making it a huge worldwide success for them.
#604
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#603
While her earlier entry on this list proved to be her most popular song on our digital charts, this lead single to P!nk's fifth album does remain a close second down under given how bombastic it was when it came out and how it remains to this day.
#602
I'm not sure why Shakira's popularity died out after the success of her second English language album worldwide considering how well it did on the digital market in addition to its physical sales, perhaps her time in the spotlight was meant to end with her first album but got extended due to how irresistible this bonus track from the second album was.
#601
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