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.
#5167
This was another album that was a sleeper hit in NZ this year, although it's worth noting that the Bangles had far less success over there than they did anywhere else in the world with this album due to its standout track failing to top their charts. Even so, their greatest hits package the following year was a decent success for them, so it's not like the kiwis were opposed to hearing more material from them.
#5166
You'd think that these guys would've had more success back in the day given how they made it big in their native UK during the height of the new wave phenomenon, alas this was their only success in NZ which is odd considering how its lead single was more of a hit here in Australia for the former punk band. Still, they at least have some representation on my site even if it's not with their most iconic work.
#5165
This was originally a flop for Tiny Tina in NZ upon its initial release, in fact I'm not sure if it was the original version or the international release that became a sleeper hit this year for her over there given how this only took off when "Show me heaven" became a massive hit throughout Europe for her (which interestingly wasn't on the original release.) Sadly, this was the full extent of her success with the kiwis.
#5164
This was originally released in 1987 to deafening silence worldwide, I'm not sure why it bombed back then given how popular their (then) most recent album Get close was worldwide. It was given a second chance in NZ this year (unless there's a different greatest hits package with this title that I'm unaware of) likely due to the fond memories the kiwis had of their back catalogue.
#5163
Given how this was a modest success here in Australia (at least on our AMR charts) it only makes sense that Puff daddy would see moderate success in NZ with his debut album as a rapper given how much more popular hip hop was over there throughout the 90's compared to over here. It definitely wasn't hindered by the singles which were all way more successful on their charts.
#5162
This would've been a mere modest success for Atomic kitten in NZ given how it only became a huge hit for the trio due to the second single becoming one of the biggest hits of the decade over there, however it rebounded on their charts when the deluxe edition was released which contained their second chart topper over there as well as their native UK.
#5161
You'd think this would be more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia considering A: RNB was more lucrative over there throughout the 90's and B: it spawned a massive hit for them over there that it lacked over here. Alas, it appears the kiwis only made this a success due to said hit it spawned, that and how inescapable it was with us Aussies.
#5160
This is the last successful album that Grace Jones has in her catalogue, even then it was only a success in NZ due to her being on a roll over there following the success of her earlier entry on this list. Even her acting career petered off after this year despite the praise she received for her role in A view to a kill.
#5159
It looks like Neil and Tim Finn were still able to find success this far into their respective careers in their homeland, although it's worth noting that it's been a hot minute since the former had any success and an even hotter minute for the latter making this a throwback hit for the brothers of sorts.
#5158
We have a second appearance from Coldplay on this list, this time it's their second single from X&Y which also benefited from airplay data in NZ as I remember hearing this nonstop on our airwaves here in Australia back in the day. Although it was far from their biggest hit back in the day (obviously) it's become somewhat their signature tune in recent years due to it constantly recharting on the world charts.
We have a second appearance from Coldplay on this list, this time it's their second single from X&Y which also benefited from airplay data in NZ as I remember hearing this nonstop on our airwaves here in Australia back in the day. Although it was far from their biggest hit back in the day (obviously) it's become somewhat their signature tune in recent years due to it constantly recharting on the world charts.
#5157
Well, how about this? We finally have an entry form the Killers first album Hot fuss on this site as this was big enough in NZ to make it onto this list for the Nevada band. I remember hearing this nonstop back in the day (this is before I checked out the album mind you) meaning that I have to imagine this was big over there largely thanks to airplay and not so much digital sales.
#5156
This is the only other hit that Duffy had in her career anywhere in the world as Adele would come around to steal her thunder by the time she released her second album in the 2010's, admittedly she was lucky that Adele didn't steal her thunder this year given how she was taking the UK by storm following her victory on X factor over there.
#5155
This is the only hit that 30 seconds to mars had anywhere in the world, OK that's not entirely true as "The kill" was a sleeper hit here in Australia due to it sticking around on our digital charts earlier in the decade. The band is best known for its Oscar winning frontman Jared Leto who even at this stage was taking Hollywood by storm with his critically acclaimed acting performances.
#5154
If you can believe it, Paris Hilton managed to score a hit in NZ as well even if it wasn't quite as big over there as it was over here for the err......... socialite (we'll say that's her job status for the sake of keeping this site fun and educational.) Believe it or not, you can blame the Brits for why this was so big as that's where it initially found success for her.
#5153
This is the only hit that either of the Simpson sisters had in NZ, although Jessica did come close to appearing on this list with "These boots are made for walking" as that did crack their top ten over there this year. Even so, it appears the kiwis were willing to give Ashlee once hit off her debut album as some sort of consolidation for the albums merit whilst also acknowledging how awful her SNL performance was.
#5152
I hope you're in the mood for seeing more of T-Pain on this side of my site because he had a string of hits in NZ even though he went virtually unheard of here in Australia (at least as a lead artist.) Here he is with his debut single which took a while to take off over there given how it was a big hit for him in his native America the previous year, I guess the kiwis couldn't take this song about how cuked he was seriously.
#5151
We're about to see an uptake in appearances from Coldplay on this side of my site given how the kiwis had allowed both digital and airplay onto their main charts in a way we Aussies didn't, as such I can finally feature the lead single to X&Y on this side which was too much of a "fan single" down under to make it onto that side of my site despite it being one of their more quintessential songs in their catalogue.
#5150
Given how this was a hit mainly through physical sales here in Australia, it makes sense that it wouldn't be nearly as successful for Miley Cyrus in NZ where physical sales had all but died over there by the end of the decade. Even so, there was little doubt this would be a success for her given how it was the emotional high point of the Hannah Montana movie that while panned by critics, was a commercial success.
#5149
High school musical was such a phenomenon this year in NZ that the soundtrack was able to spawn a second single in NZ where it became a decent hit over there, I'm guessing this is the song from the climax of the film given the cover art and the lyrics (sorry guys I'm not watching something I thought looked lame as a kid to verify where this song comes in throughout the film.)
#5148
This is the only song that has Lil Jon as the lead artist to make it big outside of his native America, even then it was only a decent hit at best in NZ given how the kiwis were into southern hip hop by this point in the decade. He's had plenty of detractors saying that he does nothing in his songs but shout, I can see the argument but there's something endearing about his vocals on each of these tracks.
#5147
You may be shocked to see how little success this signature track from Amy Winehouse received in the southern hemisphere given its absence on the Australian side of my site as well as how low it appears on this side of my site, obviously you can blame strong album sales for this happening but it's also a song that only became a classic after her untimely death due to how bittersweet the lyrics became when that happened.
#5146
Much like here in Australia, this was Gossip's only hit in NZ even though the American band did see sound success in the UK of all places throughout the decade. Indeed, it's a wonder how this managed to make it big in the southern hemisphere right after MJ's death given how this sounds no different to what was making it big for them among the Brits earlier in the decade.
#5145
This is another moderate hit that 50 cent had from his second album in NZ, although it comes just shy of two months prior to the lead single to the soundtrack of his film Get rich or die trying which more than explains why it wasn't as popular as the other singles from the album this year worldwide.
#5144
This appeared to have the same level of success in NZ as it did here in Australia for Kid Cudi, although much like here in Australia, he would only have one more hit after with this David Guetta before he fell into complete obscurity worldwide. It's for the best you don't find out what happened to him after this, let's just say I'm hoping he's in a better mental state than he was in the mid 00's.
#5143
Thought that the Ying Yang twins were loud and in your face (stay tuned for them in the next list by the way) here's Dem franchize boyz (wow that band name) scoring a hit with the formula that the duo had throughout the decade in their native America. I'm not sure how the kiwis came across this, however they did hence its placement on this list.
#5142
This often gets overlooked in Beyonce's catalogue for two reasons, the first is that it was sandwiched in the album cycler of I am Sasha fierce between the infamous "Diva" (which bombed everywhere outside of her native America) and its final single "Sweet dreams" from earlier on this list. The second reason is that this was released right before the death of MJ where it got pushed aside for his onslaught on the charts worldwide. Fortunately, this didn't quite happen in NZ, hence why it made the cut on this list.
#5141
If you ever wanted to know what Pharrell Williams was up to prior to becoming an in-demand producer, he was a member of this funk rock group who managed to score their one and only hit this year with this jam throughout the world. This was another minor hit here in Australia that was likely the victim of the Australian idol phenomenon, however it was at least enough of a success in NZ to make it on this site.
#5140
Given how "Secret lovers" was a huge hit for these guys the previous year in NZ, it makes sense that this would also be a hit for Atlantic Starr over there even if it was curiously a sleeper hit for the American RNB group. I guess the kiwis felt obligated to make this a hit due to it being their biggest international hit but only begrudgingly made it as such.
#5139
Although this failed to become a top ten hit for Jimmy Barnes in NZ like it was here in Australia, it still managed to be a huge sleeper hit over there likely due to the goodwill he attainted from his second album Freight train heart. He would have one more hit with John Farnham before the kiwis discarded him moving forward due to considering him and 80's artist.
#5138
We looked at the spiritual successor to these guys Coup D'etate on an earlier list, now let's look at Hello sailor who were a pop punk band who achieved massive success with this sleeper hit in their homeland back in the day. They had a bunch of other minor hits over there, making them the NZ equivalent of Flash and the pan.
#5137
This has one of the lowest peak positions on this side of my site (at only sixteen) and yet it still manages to make the cut on this list due to how long it lasted on the lower half of the NZ top twenty back in the day. I guess this was the kiwis being torn about making Craig Mclachlan a household name like we Aussies and Brits did, only for him to have a huge success as a sleeper hit.
#5136
It's odd that this was much bigger here in Australia for Kim Hart than it was in her native NZ, granted that might be because she performed this on Countdown where it was well received, however you'd think her fellow kiwis would've been more supportive of the rare disco track that came from their country than we Aussies were. Not surprisingly, she's a one hit wonder in both countries due to the lack of support she had at home.
#5135
From what I can gather, there are two versions of this song from Peter Andre as Coolio also provided a guest verse for him on this track albeit in lieu of Warren G whose version is the one we're looking at here. Either way, it's little surprise this was a genuine hit in NZ and a flop here in Australia given how much more successful all three men were over there compared to over here.
#5134
This was another sleeper hit in NZ this year that managed to make the cut for this list, this one coming to us from Don McLean eight years after his magnum opus American pie despite it originally being released two years prior to deafening silence. If you can believe it, this took off in the UK of all places before finally finding success in his native America the following year.
#5133
This is where it all began for Pat Benatar as it was the lead single to her debut album, it for some reason was a massive flop in her native America which would explain why it was only a sleeper hit for her over in NZ as well as a flop here in Australia. I'm a bit surprised that she didn't find more success in the southern hemisphere given how well beloved she remains on oldies stations to this day.
#5132
We have another entry from KCI and JoJo for this list; this time it's the second single from their debut album which was only a hit in NZ and not even in their native America. Admittedly the RIANZ charts insists that it was a remix of this track that made it big over there specifically, however I tend to include the original album art for these entries unless the remix in question is several years younger than the release.
#5131
It looks like this was able to become a success in NZ for the Verve just like it was here in Australia, although it did have some rather stiff competition hence why it appears much lower on this list than the one on the Australian side of my site. The trade-off is that their second single "The drugs don't work" cracked their top ten, however it was a "fan single" and this ineligible for this list.
#5130
Given how this was easily one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it makes sense that Wa wa nee (what even is that band name?) was able to find crossover success in NZ even if it was quite pitiful compared to what they achieved here. Indeed, they're a one hit wonder over there as neither "Sugar free" nor "I could make you love me" managed to even touch their charts.
#5129
This came really close to appearing on the Australian side of my site given how this was quite the hectic year for music down under, alas it was too minor of a hit for CCR frontman John Fogerty here despite it cracking our top ten back in the day. Heck, I'm only allowing it on this side of my site as it's even harder for me to determine what a "fan single" is over there from around this time.
#5128
For the most part, Michael Bolton didn't have any of his songs in NZ see the level of success they had here in Australia (let alone his native America) however there was one exception as this lead single to his seventh album managed to become a moderate success over there despite it bombing over here for the crooner. Admittedly it's the rare upbeat track from him even if that doesn't explain "How can we be lovers" bombing the previous year.
#5127
This was the only hit that the Angels managed to achieve in NZ throughout their career, they achieved this likely due to it being pushed as the lead single over there instead being pushed as the third single like it was here in Australia. The album also did decently well over there, suggesting that the band finally got their big break with the kiwis which unfortunately didn't last for very long.
#5126
Given how singles from highly successful albums were barely impacted in NZ compared to here in Australia, this allowed Tears for fears to score a third hit over there with the fourth single from Songs from the big chair. That said, it did seem to struggle with all the "fan singles" over there, hence why it appears much lower than it probably deserves on this list.
#5125
In a bit of a bizarre twist, it turns out that Toto had several minor hits in NZ over the years including this lead single from their second album Hydra which was able to retain their popularity they achieved the previous year from their debut album over there. This would explain why they saw instant success with their signature track "Africa" over there despite the rest of the world delaying its success.
#5124
This was the second Billboard chart topper Enrique Iglesias had in America, naturally it would be a shoe in for this list given how this is yet another song I remember hearing quite a bit on the radio back in the day even though this apparently flopped here in Australia. Again I have to stress just how much of an impact airplay had on the NZ charts going into the 21st century which I'll admit makes me want to compare and contrast these lists on my site.
#5123
This is one of two entries from Mary J Blige on this list; we'll get to the other one in a bit but suffice to say that the RNB singer managed to finally break through to the kiwis this year despite having her debut single "Real love" be a massive hit in her native America five years prior. Naturally we Aussies wouldn’t give her a chance until her 2001 magnum opus "Family affair."
#5122
This was one of the many hits that Stellar achieved from their debut album, in fact this was the song the band released when the album dropped which naturally meant it would be a success even if it was only a sleeper hit likely due to the album overshadowing its popularity.
#5121
Honestly, I'm surprised this underperformed here in Australia for Motley Crue, granted they did see plenty of success with their album of the same name which perhaps explains why this was a flop here, however I was expecting it to be somewhat successful here like it was in NZ for the hair metal band. Naturally these guys were far more successful in their native America than they were internationally.
#5120
So it turns out I jumped the gun when I said that Belinda's earlier entry on this list was her only hit in NZ, although it's hard to say if this was a genuine hit for her over there or if it was a "fan single" that just happened to get lucky in appearing on this side of my site due to how chaotic the charts were this year. I'm a bit surprised this bombed here in Australia as I do occasionally hear it on oldies stations.
#5119
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this breakthrough single from Europe as the rest of the world was given how this struggled to reappear on this side of my site, although again, it did stick around long enough to qualify in the end which is why it's here. Once again, I have no idea why this wasn't the big hit in America given how "Carrie" (their actual big hit) flopped everywhere else in the world.
#5118
This really struggled to appear on this side of my site due to how much more chaotic the charts were in NZ this year due to there being a huge shakeup on how they were calculated (so much so that it was originally a top 40 that got expanded to a top 50.) As such, it's hard to say if this was simply pushed aside due to stronger competition or if the kiwis naturally didn't gravitate towards this track from Raydio.
#5117
We have one final entry from Simply red on this side of my site, this of course comes to us from their greatest hits album they released this year which they released due to the surprise success of their (then) most recent album, particularly the lead single "Fairground" which was their biggest hit in their native UK.
#5116
And the hits from Snap just keep on coming as we have their third single from their debut album on this list, although admittedly this is one of those songs that saw the bulk of its success as a Christmas gift given that's when it peaked in NZ only for it to immediately drop off their charts by the end of their summer holidays (which is February for those from the northern hemisphere.)
#5115
This was another easy hit for Atomic kitten in NZ, although in Australia, this wasn't released as a single as we Aussies went with "Be with you" instead. That song did crack our top ten but was too much of a "fan single" to appear on that side of my site, perhaps if airplay was factored into our charts, it would've been a solid hit for the trio due to its blatant sampling of the ELO classic "Last train to London."
#5114
I guess the kiwis weren't as blown away with this track about Joan Osbourne asking the heavy questions about if God is truly like one of us mortal beings as we Aussies were, although they were intrigued enough for it to be a sleeper success for her even if she remains a one hit wonder with this track over there like she does worldwide.
#5113
It's a bit staggering how this only barely failed to appear on the Australian side of my site up until this point given how I can imagine this being one of the most inescapable songs of its time given how iconic that chorus remains to this day, admittedly it took a while for the world to gravitate towards these guys given how hip hop up until this point was either hardcore gangster rap or cartoonish pop rap.
#5112
This had a bit of a delay to its success in NZ, likely because this wasn't a success in America despite being the theme to the Tom Cruise flick Days of thunder. Given how this was a massive success here in Australia and throughout Europe for former Lone justice singer Maria McKee, it only makes sense that the kiwis would eventually gravitate towards this ballad.
#5111
These guys were so popular in NZ that their debut album managed to spawn a second hit for them following the success of said album and their earlier entry on this list, yes it was a sleeper hit for the band, however it lasting for quite some time on their charts as opposed to barely charting here in Australia goes to show how much more well liked they were over there compared to over here.
#5110
It's odd that this would be a minor hit for Whitney Houston in NZ given how A: it was her first chart topper here in Australia and B: the kiwis usually didn't have an issue with handing out massive hits from albums even if they were to the fourth or fifth single from said album like we Aussies did. In any case, this would be her second big hit over there out of three for the 80's.
#5109
Well would you look at this? We have a song from Simply red from the 21st century on this list, proving that nearly two decades into their career, they were still able to find an audience with the kiwis long after we Aussies had given up on them. Naturally this was also a decent hit for them in their native UK where their fellow Brits were already feeling the 80's nostalgia bug by this point.
#5108
Much like here in Australia, Five were able to score one final hit in NZ with the lead single to their third album largely due to the strong momentum they had from their first two albums. Unlike here in Australia, it appears that this was more of a hit on their radio given how it's a sleeper hit as opposed to a "fan single" over here (or it would've been had it not lasted for quite some time in our top twenty.)
#5107
This is another surprise for me given how after "Walls come tumbling down," this is considered one of the signature tracks from the Style council from their catalogue. At least it was a decent success in NZ as well as their native UK which is far more than I can say for how it did here in Australia where it was a complete bomb for the band.
#5106
How has it taken me this long to feature what is arguably one of the most quintessential tracks of the 80's on this site you may ask? Well, it turns out this was a bit of a dud for the Weather girls upon its initial release given how it was a huge flop in their native America and was only a modest hit in Australia and NZ (too modest for my Australian list for this year.) It didn't become a classic until the following year where it was a surprise hit for them in the UK, likely due to its wacky music video.
#5105
Much like here in Australia, this was the only hit that Stevie Nicks had in NZ without Fleetwood mac, although I feel this was more a hit over there due to the presence of Tom Petty given how much more popular he was during the first stretch of the decade compared to everywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, Stevie wouldn't have much luck with her albums either as they too bombed in NZ.
#5104
Although he didn't have that inescapable hit in NZ like he did here in Australia throughout the 70's, Billy Ocean more than made up for that by having an additional two hits over there which we'll be looking at on this specific list. This was the first of those two hits which was a disco track much like "Love really hurts without you" that stuck around for quite some time on their charts.
#5103
It appears the kiwis had so much love for Jim Gilstrap that they gave him a second hit this year in the form of this underrated gem, this would sadly be the full extent of his popularity worldwide in terms of his music as he wouldn't release another album due to the failure of his first album in his native America.
#5102
We've looked at Lil Kim and Missy Elliot throughout this site, now it's time to look at the third woman who pioneered female hip hop Da Brat who managed to score a decent hit in NZ this year with her collaboration with RNB group Cherish. Admittedly there was also Salt N Pepa, however they were more on the pop friendly side as opposed to these three women who broke down more barriers for the genre.
#5101
Ever wanted to know how an EDM cover of Matthew Wilder's one and only hit managed to become a success in Australia and NZ this year? I don't definitely know, however a theory I have is that Puff Daddy sampled the song for his breakthrough single as a lead artist which allowed it to become a massive hit for him in his native America as well as a decent hit for him over in NZ.
