Here it is, the long-awaited NZ equivalent of my greatest hit singles/albums of all time list I made a while back. Just like last time, I’ll be presenting this as a countdown, meaning that each entry will be more successful than the last as we go down this list. The main difference here of course is that unlike here in Australia, there was only one chart in NZ over the years, meaning that there won’t be multiple entries from singles/albums from the late 80’s/90’s/00’s like there was on my Australian list. Also, I won’t be including entries from the RIANZ charts given how they didn’t track album sales and that they were based on popular votes rather than sales, that and there was only ever a top twenty which means there’s a good chance they were struggling to fill out the top twenty each week during its run.
#1800
Well, there was no chance this was going to fail over in NZ if even we Aussies could recognise the genius behind this track, although these guys did have more success over there with their singles proving that the kiwis still had more respect for the hip hop game at this point in time than we Aussies did. This was also the rare east coast hip hop track that managed to make it big over there this decade.
#1799
This had the same approach to its success in NZ as it did in Australia, namely it was released two years prior to deafening silence likely due to audiences being initially put off by her coming out as a lesbian (the 90's were different people) before getting a second chance this year due to the success of a long-forgotten Uma Thurman film she provided the soundtrack to.
#1798
Clannad were an Irish Celtic band who were on the brink of having that crossover appeal throughout the 80's in the southern hemisphere when it finally came with this greatest hits package for them which became a massive hit in NZ this year. They never had that crossover success here in Australia, although the potential was there given the success of other bands and artists that incorporated Celtic music into their sound.
#1797
Much like here in Australia, this was a two for one deal from Nelly given how both "My place" and "Flap your wings" were bundled together onto this track which resulted in them both being a massive hit for Nelly over there like they were over here. I'm not sure why Nelly decided to release two albums on the same day as each other, I'm guessing because he couldn't decide if he wanted to be a rapper or an RNB singer at the time.
#1796
I stand by that this song would've been infinitely more successful had it been released the following year (for reasons I won't get into but should be obvious for anyone familiar with what happened to her that year.) As is, it was a massive worldwide hit for her given that it was the lead single to the deluxe edition of her third album, NZ being no exception.
#1795
It's the comeback singles to end all over comeback singles, released as the debut single from a guy who as far as we knew didn't have any failed attempts at making it big in the music industry (OK so "Crazy" was technically his first single in his native UK even though it was his second single worldwide.) Naturally this was a big hit in NZ even though it was curiously even bigger here in Australia.
#1794
Well there's something I just discovered while going through the NZ charts, the kiwis never really liked Jay Z all that much as not only did they favour the west coast hip hop during his heyday, but they even gave his main rival (at the time at least) Nas a hit as a rare east coast rapper with this song about how life would be like if he had actual power where it mattered in the world.
#1793
I guess it was only a matter of time before east coast hip hop would crossover to NZ, although this did have the endorsement of Dr Dre which I guess technically makes it a west coast track despite Blackstreet being from the east coast. This was a minor hit in Australia, likely suggesting this was one of the earlier songs to convince us Aussies that hip hop was good actually which we eventually were by the end of the decade.
#1792
For whatever reason, Lionel Richie didn't have as much success in NZ as he did in Australia during his solo career, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis already made him a household name during his time with the Commodores throughout the 70's and even earlier in the 80's. Even so, he still saw massive success over there including with the lead single to his biggest album Can't slow down.
#1791
This was almost the biggest hit from Billy Idol's career in NZ, only "To be a lover" outranks it which even then only by just meaning that these two songs were the most popular of his career over there. Admittedly this is a live rendition of a cover of a Tommy James track he made earlier in the decade, so the Whiplash smile track is his biggest original hit over there.
#1790
So, a funny story affiliated with this song, apparently the Bush Sr administration used it as a theme song for their campaign despite Bobby McFerrin being a firm supporter of the Democrat party which meant that he wasn't too thrilled at the lack of consent he had for having this song be used in a campaign for a party he didn't even support. This resulted in a lawsuit that was quickly settled out of court.
#1789
While this song saw a massive improvement in this ranking, I should point out that it didn't have its release schedule tampered with here in Australia and that its popularity was more fleeting over here back in the day than it was internationally for Beyonce. I guess we Aussies weren't sure about her having a solo career which is odd because we had no problem with Kelly making it big with her earlier entry.
#1788
I guess if I'm in the right mood, I can appreciate this as a campy teen pop track with Celtic influences peppered throughout its short runtime. I'm sure that was the appeal of the song back in the day when it became a massive worldwide hit for the Irish family group, although nowhere was it more successful than in NZ where this beat out most of the competition for the teen pop wars.
#1787
Unlike in Australia where SWV went largely unnoticed, they were a big deal in NZ which is perhaps why this ballad from Brownstone was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here. This trio also managed to score other hits over in NZ, one of which we'll get to later down this list.
#1786
Mel and Kim were much more popular in NZ than they were here in Australia, mainly because they were immediately welcomed into the mainstream over there as opposed to here where they had to earn their popularity which is why their debut single had such a low placement on the Australian side of my site. Of course, their second single was the real success they had in the southern hemisphere regardless.
#1785
Well given how A: "We do it" was a massive flop in NZ back in the day and B: album sales didn't seem to affect the success of a single over there, this second single from John Lennon's final album from his lifetime managed to be an even bigger success over there than it was over here. This was always meant as his second single from the album, although it's possible its success was due to his tragic passing.
#1784
Well, this was instantly one of the biggest hits of all time in Australia, so naturally it would crossover to NZ for Joe Dolce given how catchy the song remains to this day. I honestly didn't realise this was a real song growing up, I heard people singing it over the years thinking it was from an old kids show from the mid twentieth century rather than it being a huge worldwide chart topper from around this time.
#1783
While it didn't last quite as long in NZ as it did here in Australia (it feels like it was pulled from shelves even though that practice was abolished over there by this point in time) it nonetheless proved to be a massive hit for 50 cent which suggests that the kiwis would rather listen to him be a (as he puts it) motherf**king P.I.M.P rather than him trying to be romantic on "21 questions" (which is still to come on this list.)
#1782
Apparently, there was a theme to the Rugrats movie (shocking I know) the theme came from Blackstreet of all groups and featured a chorus from Mya who had still yet to have that big solo breakthrough despite being on another movie theme with "Ghetto supastar" with Pras from the Fugees. All of this was enough for the theme to the Nickelodeon theatrical film be a huge success in NZ and their native America.
#1781
This entry is to cover how well this song did before the RIANZ charts converted to a top 40 in 2004, I feel like I should mention these entries where I can on this list given how vastly different the charts were when this transition happened.
#1780
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, Berlin were able to find success with their debut album in NZ from two years prior even though it was more of a sleeper hit over there this year. This completely went ignored here in Australia given how the band didn't see their breakthrough until two years later when they appeared on the Top gun soundtrack.
#1779
Given how he was responsible for so many hip hop classics throughout the 90's, you're probably stunned at how little representation that Dr Dre has had on my site even if he had a hit as a lead artist in NZ throughout the 90's. I guess the kiwis were hyped enough to allow his second solo album to be a success for him over there at the start of the decade, certainly more so than it was in his native America.
#1778
After scoring two massive hits from the deluxe edition of Good girl gone bad worldwide, Rihanna decided to release one more song as a single from the standard edition which became a huge sleeper hit for her over in NZ this year right around the time she had her collaboration with T.I from earlier on this list.
#1777
It turns out that these guys managed to score more than one hit in NZ this decade, I guess the kiwis were really into the alternative rock scene this year given how I don't even remember hearing this on the radio back in the day like several other entries from international artists on this list. I guess the success of this track over there meant that their big breakthrough here in Australia wasn't as impressive to them.
#1776
This was the first hit that Matchbox 20 had in NZ, although there's a good chance they would've had hits from their debut album had they been released as singles over there like they were here in Australia. This wasn't their first song to chart over there as "Bent" managed to see the light of day as a single, either that or its airplay was strong enough to briefly chart in the lower half of their charts.
#1775
You better believe that Echo and the Bunnymen managed to score a hit in NZ this year with this track, although considering how they struggled for any success even in their native UK, it is surprising to see that the kiwis would gravitate towards them especially during this point of the MTV era. That said, this did struggle to appear on here due to it being pushed aside by several other entries on this list.
#1774
This is another victim on this list of the infamous summer of 1976/1977 in NZ, again it charted for quite some time into the latter year which made it eligible for this list even if we'll never truly know just how well it did during this time period. For what it's worth, RIANZ only took seven weeks off which is only a month and a half to give you an idea of how many weeks can determine a song's success in my rankings.
#1773
Although this appears in roughly the same position on this side of my site as it does on the Australian side, I should point out that this was much more of a success in NZ albeit as a sleeper hit as it didn't peak very high like it did throughout the rest of the world. I guess the kiwis were a bit put off by what EMF stood for but eventually came around due to how incessantly catchy the song was.
#1772
Well, this is the one big hit that Milli Vanilli had worldwide that I had yet to feature on this site, admittedly we Aussies were very sceptical of this duo from the start only to be briefly won over by them in the new year which is why only their earlier entry on this list appeared on the 1989 list on the Australian side of this site. Everyone else made this debut single from the duo a success upon its initial release.
#1771
It appears the kiwis were far more impressed with the Cure throughout the decade than we Aussies were given how their second album was a huge success over there, although it's worth mentioning that success was stretched out for two years given how this had a very slow start to its popularity upon its initial release.
#1770
Given how their second album was a complete dud in NZ two years prior, this proved to be a bit of a comeback for Silverchair likely due to the lead single receiving strong airplay which allowed it to be a minor hit over there this year.
#1769
You'd think this would've been even bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia given how this spawned a genuine hit for Santana over there that was only a sleeper hit over here, alas it only makes the cut due to it randomly rebounding on their charts this year likely due to the singles having enough airplay over there to chart where they didn't over here.
#1768
Although this didn't take as long to become a success for Janet Jackson in NZ, I'm willing to bet she ultimately preferred it if it did given how it was only a modest success over there following the success of "Escapade" in her native America of all things. I guess the kiwis didn't take to her experimenting with rock and roll like we Aussies did.
#1767
Regardless of how you feel about the lead single to this album, there's no denying it brought many people comfort back in the day which no doubt checked out the album it came from which made it a massive hit for Bette Midler this year. This was no different in NZ as the kiwis were impressed with what Bette had to offer on this record.
#1766
Unlike in Australia where this needed two attempts to be a success, this was a success upon its initial release in NZ for Tina Charles just like it was in her homeland, the issue of course is that it peaked during the summer of 1976/1977 where it was climbing up the charts alongside the multiple Abba entries from that time period on this list, meaning we'll never know how high up the charts it got during this period.
#1765
I guess the kiwis were such big fans of Ace of base earlier in the decade that this trio were able to see an earlier release in NZ than they did here in Australia, although the trade-off was that this song saw the bulk of its success from the lower half of their charts as opposed to here in Australia where most of its lengthy chart run was in the upper half of our charts.
#1764
I guess the kiwis weren't as big a fan of this guy as we Aussies were as this was considerably less popular over there than it was over here, although its low placement on this list is due to it being a sleeper hit given how it spent most of its time charting in the lower half of their charts during its run.
#1763
This was another successful opera album from the 90's over in NZ, this time it's from the French soprano Emma Shapplin with this album that was a huge success over there despite it failing to chart here in Australia.
#1762
It appears the kiwis were much more willing to give Diana Krall a chance when she sparked international interest with this album as this managed to be a hit over there upon its initial release as opposed to here in Australia where it had to wait until the following year before it became a hit for her.
#1761
This was the last hit that both artists had in most parts of the world, although I doubt most people remember that Nelly Furtado had a hit after her second album Loose given how she all but faded into obscurity once that album cycle had completed two years prior. James Morrison on the other hand only managed one more hit in his career with either this lead single to his second album or with "I won't let you go" here in Australia.
#1760
It's obvious that while this was much more of a sleeper hit for Stephanie Mills in NZ than it was here in Australia, it was nonetheless a much bigger success overall given how it refused to drop out of the lower half of their charts following its initial release. Indeed, the kiwis also seemed to have pity for what Diana Ross did to her role as Dorothy Gale in the theatrical adaptation of the Wiz by making this a success for her like we Aussies did.
#1759
This was the final hit that Zed had in their homeland, it was a huge hit for them but appears low on this list due to its failure to compete with the Christmas rush of this year with several entries higher up on this list. As such, we can consider it a bit of a sleeper hit for the pop rock band.
#1758
Although this was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia (specifically over "Radio gaga" which is still to reappear on this list) I have to point out this was more of a sleeper hit as it was one a few songs on this list to hang around the lower half of their charts for most of the year for some reason. In any case, the band was able to retain their popularity that their previous single threatened to take away from them.
#1757
Not only was this Barry Manilow's biggest hit on the RIANZ charts, it was also his only hit over there as he didn't score a hit with any of his other ballads according to their charts. I mention RIANZ because he did score a hit on the Listener charts earlier in the decade with "Mandy," so perhaps he may have racked up more hits in the 70's if those charts had of kept going.
#1756
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, mainly because it did chart as high over there as it did over here which suggests that we Aussies were more interested in having Busta Rhymes be an RNB singer than the kiwis were. There is rapping on this track, however it's nowhere near as intense as what fans of Busta are used, which could be another reason for its lack of success over there.
#1755
Well, I told you this would be appearing much lower on this list compared to how well it did on the Australian side of my site, although rest assure that this was still a massive hit over in NZ this year even though it spent most of its time in the lower half of their charts. She wouldn't have this conundrum with her next album over there as all of her singles from M!ssundaztood would dominate their charts.
#1754
This proved to be equally as successful for both parties involved in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it did take a bit longer to reach its peak over there than it did over here likely because it came from an otherwise underwhelming album from Queen. Both parties would continue to see massive success as the decade moved along due to them adapting to the MTV era very well.
#1753
While they already had moderate success in NZ with their album Eliminator from the previous year, it certainly received a boost in popularity over there when this became a massive success for the trio around the time it was a worldwide success for them. Although they're a one hit wonder over there like they were everywhere else in the world, at least the kiwis tried to give them a second hit later in the decade.
#1752
You'd think that Nik Kershaw's biggest album in his career would be his debut given how that was what spawned his biggest hit, however that wasn't the case as this proved to be his more successful due to it spawning two huge hits throughout the world back in the day. It makes sense it was his biggest hit in NZ given how it spawned his only hit single, however it was a minor success here in Australia as well.
#1751
Well, you may have noticed a suspicious absence from Santana when going through this side of my site, that's because the Californian band didn't have much success in NZ over the years save for their 1999 comeback Supernatural and this effort from their original run in the mainstream. I don't even know if they had any success prior to this album over there, meaning they were likely a one album wonder for many years.
#1750
This was originally a flop for Madonna when it came out the previous year in NZ, in fact the reason why I'm using a different album art is that when it became a success over there, it was repackaged as The first album which is how it was sold internationally given how it originally wasn't even released in most parts of the world due to how much it failed everywhere except for Australia.
#1749
Although this wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia (or at least it wasn't according to ARIA) this was at least released on time over there which means that it became a success months prior to it seeing the light of day down under.
#1748
Well, these guys were one of the biggest bands of the 80's with their previous album so much more so in NZ than they were in Australia, so perhaps they didn't even require the assistance of that awful CGI music video for the lead single in order to make it big over there this year. Their popularity would quickly decline worldwide as the trends shifted away from them.
#1747
Well, this song had Akon on it, so naturally it was going to be a massive hit in NZ given how much the kiwis loved the RNB singer this year (boy did he have a strong work ethic back in the day.) This was able to give Wyclef Jean another hit over there five years after his previous collaboration with a female vocalist (Niia being her name in this case) as well as give Lil Wayne a hit over there with his guest verse.
#1746
It looks like the kiwis were a bit resistant towards this ballad at first given how it took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ back in the day, alas it appears they were eventually won over by this one and only hit from Morris Albert in the early months of the year as it was nominated for a Grammy around the time it rose up their charts.
#1745
This was another huge hit for CJ Lewis in NZ, mainly because the kiwis still couldn't get enough of 90's reggae as evidence by most of the entries on this list (both new and returning) comes from the genre in some way shape or form. He would have one more hit over there after this (stay tuned for it) before the kiwis grew tired of his brand of reggae for whatever reason.
#1744
This was a much bigger hit in NZ for Seal than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because EDM was still more popular over there at the time given how this was while he was little more than a vocalist for some catchy beats from the UK scene. Strangely enough, this was his only big hit over there as "Kiss from a rose" would greatly underperform later in the decade compared to the rest of the world.
#1743
In a strange move, this was selected as the second single in NZ as opposed to "I'll be loving you" likely to try and sell the boys as much tougher than they actually were to the kiwis who had discovered the likes of Run DMC and LL Cool J by this point in time. The kiwis made this a hit for them, although it's hard to say if it was because they genuinely liked this or if they felt it too hilarious not to give this attention.
#1742
This was inevitably going to be a bigger hit for Bob Marley in NZ than it was here in Australia, although you'd think this would be one of the biggest songs of the decade over there given how immensely popular he was throughout the 80's over there. Still, this was a massive hit for the Jamaican singer during his lifetime, it's far more impressive he found any success at all considering his failure in America.
#1741
Grace Jones was on a roll around this time given how she not only scored yet another hit in NZ with this title track from her (then) latest album, but she also received critical acclaim for her performance in the James Bond flick A view to a kill and is generally considered to be the highlight of an otherwise critically panned film in the franchise.
#1740
This was the last hit that Jenny Morris was able to achieve in her career, at least she had a string of minor hits here in Australia throughout the 80's both solo and with her bands as opposed to NZ where she's a two-hit wonder with this and "She has to be loved" from two years prior. I guess the kiwis didn't have that much love for her after all despite how big both of these singles were over there.
#1739
This was released just as the 90's was coming to an end where it was a huge hit for Shihad in their homeland, although it didn't reach its true success until the start of the new decade where it quickly became one of the biggest albums of the 00's over there. Naturally this sparked interest in the band from us Aussies which they achieved some degree of success throughout the decade here.
#1738
This was initially a modest success for Bonnie Raitt in NZ, likely due to the kiwis not being aware of her as she had yet to truly take off in her native America when she released this. It exploded in popularity several months later due to it being a rock album released at a time where the genre had truly taken off in the mainstream worldwide.
#1737
There haven't been many successful metal bands from NZ over the years, one of the lucky few to achieve success over there was Tadpole who scored a massive hit with their debut album from the start of the decade due to it being released at a time where all kinds of metal were able to find success worldwide effortlessly. Naturally they struggled to repeat this success later in their career due to how lucky they were with this album.
#1736
This was also the last time Michael Bolton bothered the NZ charts like he did here in Australia, although it didn't last as long over there as it did over here likely due to his popularity never being that big over there throughout the decade.
#1735
This was also a massive success over in NZ, although it took its time finding success even when it came out over there at the start of the year. I'm guessing this is because the kiwis didn't find the second season of the show as exhilarating as the first or as much as we did down under.
#1734
This was the only hit single from American rapper Jibbs to become a hit for him, even then it was only a hit in his native America as well as over in NZ likely due to international audiences not vibing with the song built on a children's nursery rhyme. Given how it's ultimately about him having long pieces of jewellery (chains to be exact) it made it impossible for anyone to take seriously at the time.
#1733
Given how this was released by a then unknown Australian singer, it makes sense that it wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia even though this was released at the same time over there as it was over here due to Gabriella Cilmi already sparking international interest with this song for some reason. Indeed, this was a massive hit for her throughout Europe likely due to how popular it was in the southern hemisphere.
#1732
Although the placement of this song would have you believe this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I should remind my readers that this was pulled from shelves over here which means that this was still more successful over there as it was able to have a full chart run even if it was more popular here in Australia given that it had its success taken away from it by record executives.
#1731
For whatever reason, the kiwis were less kind towards Dragon than we Aussies were back in the day, although at least they were able to achieve success over there with their two biggest hits they had over here even if both were half as big there as they were here. This was naturally the bigger of the two hits they had in their homeland despite them breaking up a few months after it became a success.
#1730
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ for Celine Dion as it was here in Australia, it was the only song of hers to match its success over there with what it achieved over here as her singles weren't that popular over there throughout the 90's for some reason. I would've been shocked if this was a flop for her given how it's her rendition of a song that was meant for the Bat out of hell franchise.
#1729
This proved to be equally as successful for P!nk in NZ as it was here in Australia, then again, this ballad about P!nk coping with her parents' divorce (presumably written at a young age) was the only song of hers from her second album to not be pulled from shelves here in Australia given how Sony had finally got the message that we Aussies weren't going to by her album by making the song unavailable to us.
#1728
I didn't even realise how late to the party we Aussies were when it came to Mariah's second single from her debut album, I guess we felt she would be a one hit wonder with her debut single but then changed our minds about that when this became an international success for the pop diva. Naturally the kiwis didn't have this conundrum as this was an instant success for her over there.
#1727
Two years prior, Mr. president managed to score a massive success in the southern hemisphere with "Coco jambo," fast forward to this year and we have Dutch group T Spoon following the same formula of a sex jam to a reggae beat scoring a hit over in NZ and it flopping here in Australia. I guess the kiwis were still in love with EDM at a time where we Aussies were beginning to grow tired of the genre.
#1726
This was the other big hit that Redhead kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, it was also his first hit over there given how it was released in the final months of the 80's where it crossed over at the start of the year despite being a massive flop in his native America. This actually rebounded on the charts when he released his second single earlier in the year, not enough to appear higher on the list but still.
#1725
Well fans of Grace Jones can rejoice as the Jamaican singer/songwriter managed to achieve multiple hit singles over in NZ with this being the first of them. It was such a big success over there that it lead to the album it served as the lead single for to become a huge hit over there as well as her previous album which had been hovering in and out of the charts up until this point.
#1724
This is one of only two entries that Matchbox 20 will have on this side of my site, the other entry will come from their greatest hits package from later in the decade as that was fairly popular over there upon its initial release. it makes sense that this would be their biggest hit over there considering A: it was their biggest hit in their native America and B: the subject matter remains endearing to this day.
#1723
Well, here's the second single from Lenny Kravitz's third album, it was much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia hence it's higher placement on this list for the rock and roller of colour. His popularity over in NZ throughout the rest of the 90's panned out the same way it did in Australia as he didn't have another hit over there until "Fly away" from his fifth album at the end of the decade.
#1722
Well, this was another album to have an inevitable reappearance on this site, although Bob Dylan's popularity in NZ was certainly a far cry from what it was here in Australia throughout the 70's.
#1721
Even though the Beach boys didn't achieve a single hit in NZ throughout the 70's (either on RIANZ or the Listener charts) that didn't mean that they didn't close out the decade without any success at all as this greatest hits album was a hit for them this year.
#1720
This seemed like a good time to release a greatest hits package for Sade given how popular their (then) most recent album was worldwide, naturally it was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia as we Aussies at least seemed to have a limit on how many of these albums would be a success back in the day compared to the kiwis.
#1719
It appears that even two decades after his death, Bob Marley could still find success with new material as his estate commissioned this duets album where some of the biggest fans of his music in the music industry made a virtual duet with him that became a success in NZ around the height of Y2K.
#1718
It had been a decade since the Exponents released a greatest hits package, although they hadn't achieved any success since they did which makes this albums success a bit confusing to me.
#1717
This was a passing the torch moment as Savage wouldn't be able to find any success until the end of the decade (with Baby Bash of all people) whilst Aaradhna would score a massive hit the following year given how popular this collaboration the rapper had with the RNB singer. Like every song of his to appear on this list, this also charted in Australia albeit in the lower half of our charts.
#1716
Before they were members of the Cheetah Girls (a Disney girl group that I'm sure some would appreciate me referencing) 3 Little Ladies (3LW for short) were an RNB group who scored their one and only hit with this track about no putting up with a bad partner in a relationship. The song has sparked criticism for having the girls repeat the last word of a sentence in each of the verses.
#1715
Well, it appears the kiwis weren't as impressed with the husband-and-wife duo of the Captain and Tennille as we Aussies were as this is the only other appearance they have in this side of my site after we looked at "Do that to me one more time" in my 1980 list. It was a huge hit over there this year, although mainly as a sleeper hit as it achieved most of its success in the lower regions of the charts.
#1714
Given how this was the full extent of her success over in Australia, it makes sense that it would also be a huge success for Bic Runga in her homeland a full year prior to seeing the light of day on our charts. Admittedly it wasn't as big as you'd expect due to the kiwis gravitating towards her album over this adult contemporary ballad of hers, however it did lead to her having massive success in the new millennium.
#1713
Given how they had a successful album the previous year in NZ, it only makes sense that the Style Council had an even bigger hit with their signature tune over there than they did over here back in the day. I'm surprised that "Walls come tumbling down" wasn't a big hit in the southern hemisphere considering how often you can still hear it on oldies stations to this day in Australia.
#1712
We won't be having another look at "You make me wanna" on this site as that song was too much of a sleeper hit for Usher to make a second appearance on this site of mine. Fortunately, this second single from his breakthrough album was a huge hit for him over there likely due to it being his first Billboard chart topper, this was due to the song coming with a few well-known remixes that made it popular worldwide.
#1711
To think this was the song that convinced the kiwis into making Boz Scaggs into a household name this year, after all, he really struggled for success over there despite how inescapable he was here in Australia with his previous album Silk degrees. Indeed, that album along with the album this serves as the lead single for both skyrocketed up their charts when it became a hit for the blues singer.
#1710
I'm sure if the kiwis hadn't already allowed EDM to dominate their music scene by the time this song came out then the track would've compelled them to finally check out what all the fuss was about in the genre throughout the 90's in Australia. Indeed, this was a song that feels like it could fit into any music landscape thanks to the vocals and production being oddly timeless for a dance track.
#1709
These guys were on a roll as they managed to score their third hit in a row from their debut album in their homeland, in fact every one of their singles they released during their time together managed to crack the top twenty in their homeland, proving how massively popular they were throughout the decade.
#1708
This was also a bit hit for Jimmy Nail in NZ this year, it wasn't quite as big there as it was here in Australia and especially his native UK, but the kiwis were able to appreciate this semi spoken word track about how toxic the woman he's in a relationship is with him. Like here in Australia, this was his only hit in NZ likely due to the kiwis also being unimpressed with the rest of his catalogue.
#1707
I forgot to mention on the Australian side of my site that this was a cover of a Rolling stones track from the height of their popularity in the mid 60's, this would explain the hippy vibes that the song has despite Mick Jagger and company never being a part of the hippy culture back in the day (at least as far as I'm aware they weren't.) For reasons I brought up when I last discussed this track, it was released slightly sooner over there than it was over here.
#1706
Peter Brown was normally a folk singer, however he managed to score his one and only hit this year with a disco track in NZ and his native America. I think this is the type of disco people point to when they say that the genre got out of hand, not that it was bad but rather it was made by someone who only made it to cash in on the popularity of the trend.
#1705
This was the second and final hit that Mareko managed to achieve in his homeland, I'm guessing he wanted to be the king of NZ hip hop but had that ambition taken away from him by Scribe who achieved infinitely more success over there than he did. Still, having two massive hits to open your career wasn't bad, he just had the bad luck of having stiff competition in the NZ hip hop game.
#1704
I did mention on the Australian side of my site that the Sugababes had more success in NZ than they did down under, let's have a look at the song which introduced the world to the trio which was a massive hit over there and one that I remember hearing on the radio quite a bit back in the day as was the case for many entries on these lists of mine that failed to appear on the Australian side of my site.
#1703
Well given how there was a much higher ratio of black to white musicians in NZ, I think it's safe to say that Robert Cray's popularity over there doesn't feel as out of place as it does here in Australia. This wasn't even his only successful album there as he would return a year later with his band for another successful release.
#1702
Whereas this at least managed to have a few massive hits here in Australia, this second album from Kylie Minogue was only a success in NZ due to how popular her debut was given how only the lead single which doesn't even appear on the standard version of the album managed to be a success over there. Indeed she would flame out entering the 90's and wouldn't be a household name over there until "Spinning around" became a hit in 2000.
#1701
Here's a repeat entry from the soundtrack to that long-forgotten Uma Thurman film that KD Lang provided, like Australia it was this soundtrack that catapulted her success in NZ she had with her earlier entry on this list.
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