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.
#1300
This guy had a huge success in Australia seven years prior with "My coo ca choo" during the height of the glam rock era, he returned this year to score a hit with this update of a rockabilly track from the 50's which proved to be a massive success in NZ and his native UK but not here in Australia funnily enough. What's really bizarre is that he's a one hit wonder in the southern hemisphere but with a different song in both countries.
#1299
Even though they had success with their albums throughout the 70's in their homeland, this was still the first major hit single that Split enz managed to achieve over there just like they did here in Australia. It was an amazing start to the 80's given how their popularity exploded thanks to the video and their performance on Countdown, both of which helped spark international interest in them.
#1298
Well, it looks like disco was still a thing this far into the 80's, even America acknowledged this as a classic at the time as it was a hit on Billboard (albeit only a modest one.) It was a much bigger hit in the UK where disco continued to thrive this year, although strangely it was a flop here in Australia where disco also seemed to be welcomed with open arms.
#1297
This was Belinda Carlisle's one and only hit over in NZ, this is even taking into account her band the Go go's who also never scored a hit over there likely due to them not being promoted there due to them lacking a Countdown equivalent. At least this song led to the success of her second solo album over there, however her next album was a massive flop there despite it being a huge success here.
#1296
Well, it was the biggest hit of the 80's in the UK for a female vocalist, so naturally this one and only hit from American born German singer Jennifer Rush would also be a massive hit over in NZ around this time. I guess for nearly a decade, this was the definitive version of this love ballad until Celine Dion made it her own in 1994.
#1295
Although these guys did achieve moderate success throughout the decade in NZ, it was this cover of the Lipps inc classic that made them a household name over there which led to them scoring massive success internationally with this cover. Much like here in Australia, they wouldn't find any further success over in NZ with this cover, meaning that it did kill their career regardless of what you think of it.
#1294
Mario Lanza was an Italian American performer from the first half of the twentieth century, he died relatively young in life in 1959 (that was a bad year for musician now that I think about it) but leaving behind a rich recording history that the kiwis felt nostalgic for this year for some reason.
#1293
At least these guys were able to achieve massive success in NZ much like they did here in Australia, although I should point out the lack of success they had with their singles as by this point, only one of their songs had charted on the NZ charts. Still, it was obvious the kiwis had a strong alternative scene during the second half of the decade that wasn't trying to be covered up by the RIANZ charts.
#1292
I think this was meant to be NZ's equivalent of the Main event concert that John Farnham, Olivia Newton John and Anthony Warlow gave back in 1998, I can't think of another reason why two 80's legends would collaborate with a (then) up and coming pop star if it wasn't for charity after all. Whatever the reason for this concert, it proved to be a massive success for the trio as did this live album.
#1291
Even though I love the film, I will admit that the famous critic quote "basically it's a series of rock videos" is one of my favourite negative reviews of a film I've ever read. They're not wrong, I just fail to see how that's a bad thing in this context. It appears this swayed the kiwis a bit as the soundtrack wasn't as inescapable over there as it was here, possibly due to Jennifer Beals not promoting the film on a Countdown equivalent over there.
#1290
It's no surprise that this was a bigger success over in NZ than it was here in Australia given how much more popular Grace Jones was over there than she was over here throughout the decade, although I get the feeling a large reason for why this album was a success with the kiwis was why it was a modest success here in Australia, that of course being the album art.
#1289
Much like in Australia, these guys were a tad overexposed by the time they released their fifth album which is why it wasn't as inescapable as their earlier work over there. It was still a massive success and proof that the band could withstand the overexposure unlike several other bands from the 70's here in Australia.
#1288
This will be the final appearance of Hayley Westenra on this site, rather coincidentally, it was the last album she released as a teenager as she would turn twenty shortly after its release, suggesting that her fans were only interested in her music while she was underage.
#1287
While she never saw that much success back in the day, this greatest hits package from Anne Murray managed to become a huge success in NZ likely due to her new track from the album becoming a massive hit for her over there this year.
#1286
Even though this song appears much lower on this list compared to its Australian counterpart, I feel this song was equally successful in both countries given how its lower placement on this list was more due to having stiffer competition over there this year with a lot of the entries that have improved rankings on this list. For what it's worth, their other big hit from Demon days was much more successful over there.
#1285
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Gwen Stefani, I guess this was due to the presence of Akon throughout the track given how he was on a roll this year over there with his second album. Then again, the other two tracks from the album this is named after were bigger hits over there this year than they were down under, so perhaps the kiwis had finally come around on Gwen's solo career.
#1284
This was the second big hit that Savage had in NZ this year, it's with the original version of his hit single that he had here in Australia which is devoid of Akon given how few if anyone knew who the American RNB singer was upon this song's initial release. It's hard to say when Akon's version was released over there as RIANZ now insists that version was the one that got popular from the start when it wasn't.
#1283
It turns out this was the biggest hit for JT on his second solo album in NZ, in fact it would've been his biggest hit overall over there were it not for "Can't stop the feeling" from a decade later which goes to show you how much the kiwis loved this song from the former N sync member. I guess it could also be due to the presence of T.I who was quickly rising up the ranks as an in-demand rapper worldwide.
#1282
It appears the kiwis were only into Bronski beat purely for Jimmy Somerville as the band flopped over there with "Hit that perfect beat" and yet Jimmy scored a massive hit with his new band the Communards. Granted this was a bit late to the party over there as it was already one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia by the time it saw the light of day, but it didn't impact its overall success.
#1281
This was an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Andy Gibb, although for what it's worth "Thicker than water" wasn't a success over there so you can consider this placement a dual entry for both of his big hits he had in Australia and America this year.
#1280
You better believe I was dumbstruck when I first discovered this second single from the Joshua tree was a flop here in Australia, I can't stress enough how albums sales affected the popularity of songs down under back in the day. In any case, we have this iconic track from U2 which continues the theme of the lead single (which is still to come on this list) of the band's poetry which resulted in their second Billboard chart topper.
#1279
Well at least these guys were able to have one inescapable hit on the charts in NZ, oh don't get me wrong, these guys were very successful over there just not to the degree they were here in Australia and especially their native UK. I guess the kiwis had their limits to great music if there was such shaky songwriting for it to carry.
#1278
This was equally as successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere, likely because it serves as the theme to the first theatrical adaptation of Charlie's angels which still polarises audiences to this day depending on whether or not they find it sexist (it boils down to how you define female empowerment.) The success of this track led to hype for the girls third album which was effortlessly met worldwide.
#1277
Although she saw plenty of success over in NZ with her debut album, it appears that the kiwis weren't as on board with RNB P!nk as we Aussies were given how much more of a sleeper hit her debut single was over there compared to its immediate success over here. Indeed, I feel it was us Aussies that were the most on board with this phase of her career anywhere in the world.
#1276
This was the biggest hit that Billy Ocean had in NZ, curious that it came from his least successful album of the decade given how his previous two albums were successful worldwide even if they weren't so much in NZ for the English crooner. He would successfully close out the decade over there with his greatest hits package in a way he failed to do so here in Australia.
#1275
This was the biggest hit that Maxi Priest was able to score even in NZ, in fact all things considered, he was actually slightly more successful in Australia with his music given how his other two hits were more popular here than they were over there. Even so, there was little chance this reggae style RNB track was going to fail over there given how big it was over in America this year.
#1274
There were a few Jamaican artists to make it big in NZ throughout the 80's, granted there were a few to do so in the 90's as well, but at least those guys had international success whereas these guys only had minor success outside of NZ and their native Jamaica. This was one of the lucky few to make it big in the UK around this time likely due to their big hit being a cover of a pre-teen MJ track.
#1273
This was the last hit that 2pac had during his lifetime as he would tragically be shot dead shortly after this became a success for him, it was also the first hit that KCI and Jo Jo had following their departure from Jodeci from around this time period as they provide a catchy chorus for him to connect his verses about how he's hitting on the narrator of the track (presumably a woman given this is 90's hip hop.)
#1272
Well, this guy was a huge fanboy of UB40, so it seems fitting that he would score massive success in NZ with this update of the Equals track from 1968 with the assistance of Ali Campbell from the band over there. It was a hit much sooner than it was here in Australia likely for a multitude of reasons, the biggest being that anything affiliated with UB40 was a guaranteed success in NZ back in the day.
#1271
This wasn't even the biggest hit that Guns N Roses managed to achieve in NZ this year and it was still much bigger over there than it was over here, I guess the kiwis really loved both Axel Rose and the Terminator films if this lead single can do so well over there and not in the bands native America.
#1270
This is further proof that disco was far from dead this year as the Brothers Johnson managed to score a massive worldwide hit with this track, although it was most popular in NZ likely due to musicians of colour in general not having much pushback from the kiwis around this time.
#1269
These guys were able to score two back-to-back chart toppers in NZ just like they did here in Australia, that's impressive considering they never hit number one in their native UK despite both of these songs being massive hits on their charts. This would be the last the kiwis would hear from the band as neither their album nor third single managed to become a success over there.
#1268
This was released on time over in NZ, although it was rather late from the previous year and it didn't peak until the early months of this year, so it's not like that gave it any advantages with how popular it was considering that it was merely delayed here and not pulled from shelves like some of the other entries on this list. Regardless, it was equally as successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere.
#1267
Well, the Pointer sisters were a Motown act, therefore it makes sense that they had even more success in NZ back in the day than they did here in Australia. All things considered I'm surprised they had any success here in Australia given how many of their contemporaries, including those way more popular in their native America had failed to score any success here or even in NZ back in the day.
#1266
These guys didn't have any better luck in NZ when it came to their success than they did here in Australia, in fact their success was identical in both countries which gives you an idea of how similar our music scenes were back in the day. One final bit of trivia I have is the woman on the album cover and who Kevin Rowland hits on in the video is Siobahn Fahey of Bananarama fame.
#1265
This was the lead single from Rod Stewart's album Foot loose and fancy free, and like his other songs and albums this decade, it was a massive success for him worldwide. Sorry but I don't have anything new to add to this entry.
#1264
Well, this was 10cc's foray into reggae, so naturally it would be their biggest hit in NZ given how the kiwis have always had a soft spot for reggae over the years. Granted this was also their biggest hit here in Australia, however that was more due to their other songs coming from highly successful albums as well as possibly due to the story being told in the lyrics about the lead singer getting mugged.
#1263
It appears that a little controversy didn't prevent this song from being a success in NZ like it did in the UK, to be clear the video to this classic was controversial due to it glorifying fat shaming as well as a possible nod that the song was about two male gym instructors getting physical with each other. This was Livie's final hit single in NZ as none of her other songs managed to become a success for her over there after this.
#1262
This album's success was inevitable in NZ, although it was a success only the same time it crossed over here in Australia so perhaps it was a result of them winning best new artist at the Grammys this year. This win did allow their songs to become much bigger this year over there which set them up for so much hype for their next album that they failed to meet.
#1261
From what I can gather, this album was released on the twentieth anniversary of its initial release in NZ where it became a hit for Dr Hook all over again, in fact it was able to match the success it achieved here in Australia twenty years prior by finally getting to number one over there like it did over here.
#1260
This was the biggest hit that T-Pain had as a lead artist in NZ, likely because it has Akon singing along with him about how they both have the hots for a female bartender which obviously amused the kiwis enough to make it a hit over there. This didn't even chart here in Australia despite the popularity of Akon at the time, although I get the feeling it would've had it been released later in the decade.
#1259
Although this had a bit of delay to its release in NZ compared to here in Australia (rather unusual considering it's often the other way around for these types of songs) it was nonetheless an instant success for PCD proving that the kiwis as well as everyone else in the world found the girls titillating on this track and indeed the rest of their album.
#1258
You'd think that Mario would've had more success over in NZ given how the rest of his catalogue was the type of RNB that made the likes of Akon and Usher popular worldwide, alas he also remains a one hit wonder over there with this Billboard chart topper which was only as successful there as it was here in Australia for him.
#1257
This was where Mariah Carey was able to finally distinguish herself from all of the other pop divas of her time, so naturally it would be a huge success for her in NZ like it was everywhere else in the world due to how incessantly catchy it is without compromising her vocal talent. Her earlier entry on this list would be the big hit from Music box, however this was still a solid introduction to the album.
#1256
This was the final hit that Frankie Valli had anywhere in the world, I think most people tend to not notice this was a disco hit given how it was the theme to a film that was set in the 50's which was long before disco was ever a thing. Frankie was a surprisingly good disco artist between this and "December 63" with the Four seasons, I'm not sure why these were the only two disco hits had had.
#1255
It seems strange that this would be Milli Vanilli's biggest hit in NZ, mainly because it was the one bonus track from the American release of their album meaning the kiwis preferred this over anything over their original album. Given this was released on time over there (likely due to them not caring about those pesky rumours that turned out to be true) it was a hit much sooner than it was here in Australia.
#1254
Much like in Australia, this title track to George Michael's solo debut was the biggest hit he had in NZ throughout his career, it's a song that I feel sums up his entire career as he could be both insightful with his lyrics whilst fun with his production. Audiences obviously agreed as this was the template for most of his discography for the rest of his career.
#1253
Well, this is a more accurate placement for this song on this list if we're measuring how popular it was, this is another reason why I wanted to look over the NZ charts on this site as the kiwis didn't allow the music industry to tamper with their songs release schedule in the 00's. In any case, we have this lead single from Kylie's biggest album Fever which remains her signature tune despite it not being among my favourites from her.
#1252
This was the second of two chart toppers that Mark Williams was able to have in NZ back in the day, the first was with "Yesterday was the beginning of my life" which is a song best known nowadays as the song that the first season of NZ idol performed back in 2004.
#1251
This is another successful throwback album to a legend (or a group of legends in this case) to make it big in the southern hemisphere, this was a success in NZ the same reason it was here in Australia.
#1250
This was a huge success for Hot Chocolate throughout the world, heck it only didn't appear on the Australian side of my site due to not charting long enough in the upper echelons of the charts back in the day to qualify for my rankings. It was the band's final hit single outside of their native UK likely due to audiences wanting to move on to other multi racial RNB groups of the day, however they kept scoring success in their native UK.
#1249
Well, it appears everyone in the world except for America wanted to hear Nancy Cartwright sing a song about doing a dance based on her signature character that was written by the king of pop back in the day, this led to the cast releasing an album where they did similar songs in their cartoon voices which proved to be a massive success in certain parts of the world.
#1248
While this wasn't her debut album, it was the album which got Joan Armatrading off the ground in NZ years before she got any buzz here in Australia. I'm not sure how the LGBT folk singer managed to connect with the kiwis (or indeed how the kiwis even came across this album) but it would explain her success over there throughout the 80's.
#1247
Unlike here in Australia where this was the biggest album that Pat Benatar had, it appears that it was only a modest success over in NZ likely due to the bonus track not being one of the bigger hits of the year over there like it was over here.
#1246
This was the only success that country singer Billie Jo Spears had anywhere in the world, although like most country legends, she had a ton of success on the Billboard country charts further proving how detached from the mainstream that the country scene has always been.
#1245
I would've been shocked if this was a flop over in NZ considering A: how big Falco's tribute to this film was over there the following year and B: that it was the soundtrack to a film that many consider to be one of the best not just of the decade but of all time due to it shedding a light on one of the most underappreciated composers of all time albeit in a way that's perhaps portrays him in a more sanctimonious way than he was in real life.
#1244
I guess the kiwis were able to instantly buy into the hype that went towards this German duo, they were managed by the former frontman of Boney M after all and his band's music from the 70's is still played on oldies stations to this day. That said, this was more of a sleeper hit over there like it was over here, although it did chart much higher over there which is how it appears higher on this list.
#1243
Unlike here in Australia where this required the assistance of a live E.P which contained the two most popular tracks on this album to become a success here, the kiwis were able to make this a hit over there upon its initial release (albeit as a sleeper hit at first) which the album then saw a boost in popularity once "Whip it" became a sleeper hit on their singles charts half a year after its initial release.
#1242
Unlike here in Australia where this at least charted the previous year for the Dixie Chicks (now known simply as the Chicks) it appears the kiwis weren't even interested in their music until they were unceremoniously cancelled this year in their homeland for pointing out what everyone was thinking about the (then) American president and denouncing his actions.
#1241
While hip hop obviously saw plenty of success throughout the 80's in NZ, this was the first hip hop album to be a massive success over there which I feel is a victory because it comes from a woman of colour (albeit one from Europe and not America) which is better than what became the first hip hop album to be successful here in Australia (that of course being MC Hammer's breakthrough album.)
#1240
This was one of many other hits that Shaggy managed to achieve in NZ that wasn't a success here in Australia, it's an original track from him which perhaps explains its failure in most parts of the world given how his earlier entry on this list was an update of an early 60's track run through the reggae filter. I'm actually surprised his debut album was a flop over there given how big both of these singles were.
#1239
This was one of two hits that Redhead Kingpin managed to achieve in NZ this year, he was an east coast rapper who managed to impress the kiwis with his pop friendly tracks which I'm sure got him some unflattering comparisons to the likes of MC Hammer and Kid n Play back in the day. At least he was one of the more successful east coast rappers over there throughout the 90's.
#1238
While there were many songs that were released months late in Australia that wound up finding more success here than in most parts of the world, this one and only hit from former Xscape member Kandi Burruss was the rare exception to a song being released on time this decade finding more success in NZ than it did here in Australia. I'm not too familiar with the girl group she came from, mainly because they saw no success outside their native America.
#1237
I'm surprised this wasn't a hit here in Australia back in the day considering how often you still hear it on our oldie's stations to this day, then again, I wouldn't be sure how it crossed over here considering it was only a hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world including the band's native UK. True to their name, this is a psychedelic track that incorporates new wave into its sound which naturally appealed to the kiwis this year.
#1236
This was a great year for MJ when even a remix of a song that flopped the previous year managed to become a massive worldwide success thanks to it sampling one of his earlier singles, yes we have the "Human nature" remix of this track which was a massive success for Sisters with voices (SWV for short) and was even a mild sleeper hit here in Australia for the RNB girl group of colour.
#1235
Pacifier is actually Shihad under a pseudonym who released their first album of the 21st century under this name to massive success in their homeland, they did this due to them sparking interest in America and their management convincing them that Shihad would be a bad name for them over there for whatever reason. They naturally didn't have any success over there, although they did achieve minor success down under.
#1234
As this was a major hit here in Australia for CCR, it only makes sense that it would also find success over in NZ even though we once again have a greatest hits package from the band released exclusively in the southern hemisphere. From what I can gather, they didn't have nearly as many of these releases in the northern hemisphere over the years.
#1233
This was released the previous year to deafening silence for Hinder, although at least it had a release over there that year as opposed to here in Australia where it didn't even come out until early this year due to the success of its lead single in the southern hemisphere. The kiwis followed suit in making this a success for the band due to how popular the song was over there like it was over here.
#1232
You know that heartland rock was a massive deal in NZ when this guy managed to score a massive hit over there, Robbie Robertson was the lead singer of the Canadian band err.... the Band who saw a ton of success throughout the 70's before they broke up in 1977. They had since reformed in 1983, however Robbie didn't rejoin them and instead waited a few years before he released this album.
#1231
Well, this was an RNB jam that made it big here in Australia, so naturally it would find success much sooner in NZ even if the success was half of what it achieved down under. This is one of the first big hits to be produced by Timbaland, although you wouldn't be able to tell it was him due to all of the weird samples used throughout the track.
#1230
This is one of those disco tracks that most 70's afficionados like to pretend never existed, mainly because of the bizarre chanting that goes "ooh ooh ooh" throughout the verses as well as it being a sex song that many people (me included) don't find the least bit sexy (side note, I didn't get my online tag from this band either.) It was their only hit in NZ and their native America likely due to how much of a novelty it is.
#1229
This album took its sweet time in finding success in NZ as all of the singles had already peaked in the quartet's native UK by the time it began charting in NZ due to the second single becoming a surprise hit over there, it managed to stick around for quite a while due to the singles slowly being discovered by the kiwis as time went on, which of course extended the popularity of the album each time.
#1228
It makes sense that this was far more of a success for Destiny's child in NZ than it was here in Australia even if they found more success overall here than they did over here both with their singles and albums, of course the real success from this album came when the bonus track was chosen as the theme song for the Pink panther remake that happened to star Beyonce opposite Steve Martin.
#1227
This is another album that appears low on this list but only because it found its success in NZ on the lower half of the charts, in fact it lasted so much longer on their charts than it did on our charts despite it peaking higher over here as well as spawning a huge hit for Joe Jackson on our charts in the form of the lead single.
#1226
I guess the kiwis had enough love for Faith no more by this point of their career to give them one more successful album in their career, that love didn't extend to giving them a hit single from the album, but I'm sure the band appreciated the success they got over there as it was still far more than what they achieved in their homeland.
#1225
This is another greatest hits album that was a success this decade years prior to the resurgence in popularity of the band in question, I guess the kiwis were always willing to pay their respects to these guys even prior to the release of their biopic in 2018 as opposed to us Aussies who made this a flop upon its initial release.
#1224
There's no surprise that this lead single from Linkin Park's third album was more of a success for them in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it was a song that greatly benefitted from digital sales worldwide given how they were a rock band and that rock musicians saw the biggest benefit from the sales format at the time. It could also be due to the kiwis being bigger fans of the first Transformers film that this serves as the theme to.
#1223
This was the debut single for one of the few openly gay NZ musicians to make it big in their homeland, although it took a while to take off over there likely due to her fellow kiwis being sceptical of her initially when it came to her wanting to be a successful female singer/songwriter. They were eventually won over as this climbed their charts around the time she released her debut album.
#1222
This was a good time to be Ma$e as he was able to score a string of hits in NZ and his native America following the exposure Bad boy records received with the tragic loss of Biggie Smalls, here he scores his first hit in both countries as a lead artist following the success he had playing second fiddle to Puff Daddy and the late Notorious B.I.G on their entries I've featured on this site so far.
#1221
This was the final hit that Robbie Williams had from his sophomore album in NZ and his native UK, it became a massive success for him given how he was inescapably popular in both countries despite this being a massive flop for him everywhere else in the world. This song's success no doubt led to his lead single from his second album from earlier on this list becoming an instant success worldwide.
#1220
Well, it appears the kiwis found these guys to be absolutely hilarious this year as not only was this a massive hit for them over there, but so was their album it came from which even managed to spawn a second hit for the band over there this year (which we'll look at later on this list.) This sense of humour worked for the band again two years later when "The bad touch" became a hit for them as well.
#1219
This wasn't quite as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, I don't even know where to speculate what caused this to not bring in the numbers over there that it did over here as that would take up too much space for this entry. Instead, I'll also bring up that the other big Oscar winning ballad from Jennifer Warnes also wasn't as big a hit over there as it was over here.
#1218
This was initially a minor success for Isla Grant in NZ given how this was released around the same time as her breakthrough album over there (which we’ll get to in a bit.) It became a surprise success the following year due to a successful tour she had over there where this was rereleased as a special edition package that helped boost its sales.
#1217
There were plenty of signals that Supertramp would be one of the biggest bands of the decade when it began, I think the biggest by far was the success of this live album recorded on their Paris tour which became a worldwide success. Unfortunately, they didn't have much success after their next album Famous last words.
#1216
This was an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Billy Joel, again mainly due to the lack of competition as the 70's had less to offer the kiwis than us Aussies given how weak their local music scene was back in the day. Still, this was a huge success worldwide for Billy Joel due to it being a self-empowerment anthem that can easily apply to anyone despite how personal this feels from the piano man.
#1215
This was yet another big hit that the Eagles had in NZ this decade, it was the second single from their breakthrough album One of these nights (at least in the southern hemisphere it was) where it became a massive hit over there despite it flopping here in Australia. As I said, all of these songs I've featured on this site from the band remain staples on oldies stations to this day.
#1214
These guys proved to be far more successful in NZ than they were in Australia, likely due to the presence of Alannah Currie who prior to joining the band was a NZ journalist based in the UK as a correspondent which made the kiwis more than familiar with her involvement with the band. They began as a much bigger band before being reduced to a trio where their music career finally took off.
#1213
It only seems fitting that this album from the Alan Parsons Project would be more popular over in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because the band was already a household name by the time they released this concept album based on the I robot books that were written over twenty years prior.
#1212
This was also a success for Linda Ronstadt in NZ like it was here in Australia, although like her earlier entry on this list, it wasn't as huge over there as it was down under likely due to "Blue bayou" being such a juggernaut for her on their singles charts throughout the year.
#1211
It looks like the kiwis were equally as impressed with this album as we Aussies were, that is to say, it was well received by those who made Encore a success for him earlier in the decade and panned by those who wanted to see him return to form which he would do the following year.
#1210
This was a success in NZ multiple times for Cat Stevens, naturally this was the first time it was a success due to it being released at the start of the decade, however it was an even bigger success seven years later for reasons I can't seem to fathom.
#1209
For whatever reason, Seal was far more popular in NZ with his debut album than he was here in Australia. I find this weird because even this early in the decade, we Aussies were more in line with EDM which this album is in line with than RNB which would be his later material.
#1208
One thing I can add to this song that I didn't cover on the Australian side of this site is that this was the final song to not chart here until it was given a physical release, as such, it managed to appear slightly higher on this list due to it charting on time over there just like every other entry on the Australian equivalent of this list.
#1207
For whatever reason, this was pushed back as the second single in NZ given how "White wedding" was released first over there (which is still to come on this list.) This was slightly bigger than that track over there likely due to it becoming a hit in the lead up to the summer of this year, which admittedly was the logic behind releasing this song the previous year here in Australia for the punk rocker.
#1206
This took a while to take off in NZ which is odd because Craig's debut album was more of an instant success over there than it was over here, I guess the kiwis needed some incentive to make this song about his sexual escapades a success which came when it became a massive hit for him over in Australia upon its initial release here. They would explain why it was slightly more popular here than it was over there.
#1205
Apparently, this track was originally released as the theme song to some cop show in America I've never even heard of, I doubt this is why it became a worldwide hit this year as that show premiered at the start of the decade and it didn't do Inner circle any favours crossing over internationally. It became a hit this year in NZ because it was a reggae track about being bad boys, it was a surefire hit in the making over there.
#1204
There will be three entries from Eddy Grant to appear on the NZ side of my site, none of which were his big hit in Australia and America "Electric Avenue" which should tell you what the kiwis wanted to hear from him compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, this was a more pop friend love ballad from the British singer, although it does still incorporate reggae into the mix which the kiwis would've loved.
#1203
There was no stopping MJ this year when it comes to him scoring hits, indeed this second single from his comeback album Off the wall was actually released on time in NZ given how the kiwis already made "Blame it on the boogie" a massive hit upon its initial release over there as opposed to us Aussies finally discovering the genius of the track this year.
#1202
Whereas this was a mini comeback for Prince here in Australia, in NZ it was just another successful album for him as the kiwis enjoyed his soundtrack he made for the first theatrical Batman film just like any over album of his in his catalogue. I guess the closest he came to failing over there before he turned himself into a Symbol was the Graffiti bridge soundtrack from the following year.
#1201
This proved to be more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia for NKOTB, I'm guessing the kiwis weren't that fussed about the controversy behind the accusations that the boys didn't sing a note on their album even if they eventually proved otherwise later in the decade. Then again, lip synching didn't seem to be that controversial over there given the overwhelming success of Milli Vanilli.
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