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.
#3000
Unlike here in Australia where this disco track from French singer FR David needed two attempts to make it big, it was a hit upon its initial release in NZ from the start of the year likely due to the kiwis still allowing songs that sound like they belong in the 70's to make it big over there during the height of MTV.
#2999
I guess the kiwis were able to hand Donna Summer one more hit in her career before completely turning their backs on her, admittedly this was close enough to disco that it could fit on her previous album Bad girls, so maybe they felt her foray towards feminism and Christianity was for only one song with Barbra Streisand but were then proving wrong with what she did throughout the 80's.
#2998
So, you know the guy who sung on the chorus to "Gangsta's paradise" from earlier on this list right? Well, it turns out he had a solo hit of his own in NZ with this track likely due to him being a good singer and the kiwis wanting to check out what else he had to offer in his catalogue. This curiosity only lasted for one song as he would quickly fade into obscurity after this fell off the charts over there.
#2997
Although they achieved moderate success the previous year with their breakthrough single "Insane in the brain" in NZ, it was this second single from their album which made them a household name as it quickly rose up the charts over there due to how catchy the song is. Apparently, this was called "We ain't going out like that" in their native America, I'm not sure why there's a different title there compared to the rest of the world.
#2996
Although they had success earlier in the year with "Keep on moving" in NZ and their native UK, this was the song that made Soul II Soul a household name worldwide thanks to how catchy this soul number is as well as the vocal performance from Caron Wheeler. It even managed to become a hit on Billboard just before the decade ended, although it wasn't a success here in Australia.
#2995
This was another successful song from an Australian band in NZ this year, I guess the kiwis found this bouncy enough for it to be a success for the Eurogliders given how it was this bounciness and the lyrics about if heaven really does exist or not were the reasons why it nearly topped the Australian charts this year. They're sadly a one hit wonder over there as none of their other singles or albums charted.
#2994
This proved to be the slightly bigger hit in NZ than the lead single to their breakthrough album (don't worry, it's still to come on this list) I'm guessing because of how sweet and heartfelt it is out of the two ballads which allowed it to better connect with the kiwis this year. They would go on to have further success throughout the decade over there with their subsequent follow ups.
#2993
I would say this was also a huge hit for Culture club from their debut album in NZ, except for whatever reason it wasn't included as a track on Kissing to be clever and was meant to be a standalone single despite it coming out around the same time the album came out. I guess it makes its lack of popularity in Australia make even less sense as you can't even say it was because of album sales eating up its success.
#2992
This was the highest charting song from Jagged little pill from Alanis Morissette, it wasn't her biggest hit as that honour goes to her earlier entry on this list, however it was this song that the kiwis gravitated towards the quickest due to the jokes being made about irony dating back to its initial release. At least Alanis got the last laugh by saying those jokes was the point of the song.
#2991
This was another big hit that ELO had in NZ that wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, although at least they managed to have a disco hit over there given how their collaboration with Olivia Newton John on the Xanadu soundtrack failed to impress the kiwis the following year. Only "Telephone line" managed to be a bigger hit over there back in the day for the band, mainly because album sales ate up its success here.
#2990
It may surprise you to learn that "Bust a move" was a flop in NZ for Young MC, even when it was rereleased in Australia this year for the rapper, it didn't share its success over there for some reason. I'm guessing because the kiwis somehow got a hold of his second single which was a massive hit over there, likely because of it being a novelty hip hop track about getting sent to the principal's office.
#2989
These guys appeared on the Australian side of my site thanks to the success of their second album from the 90's, now they appear with their debut single which managed to become a huge success in NZ this year as well as their native UK likely thanks to Celtic music still being in vogue in both countries this far into the 80's. I get the feeling if these guys broke through earlier in the decade, this would've also been a hit down under.
#2988
This was equally as successful for Mike Oldfield in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing it was because of the vocals from Maggie Reilly who gives a compelling performance on this song about the narrator losing the love of their life to a drug overdose. There were a number of songs like this to make it big over the years, although I think this was the first of its kind to become a success.
#2987
Well, here's that second single that M People had in NZ, it's a cover of an obscure Motown track from ten years prior which I'm guessing the kiwis appreciated enough to make their earlier entry on this list a success over there. It was also quite big in their native UK during the Christmas period of 1993/1994, although it often gets lost in the shuffle with their back catalogue in recent years.
#2986
This was another song from Mariah Carey that proved to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, she was really on a roll this year even if she only had one chart topper outside of Billboard with "Vision of love" from the previous year. Her second international chart topper came when she performed "I'll be there" on MTV unplugged to silence those rumours that she was lip synching on her albums.
#2985
They may not have been as successful in NZ as they were here in Australia, however the Village people were still able to find success with their final Australian hit over there which also happens to be the title track of their autobiographical film of how they came to be in the first place. Also, it's yet another disco hit that came about this year in several parts of the world, although not in their native America.
#2984
Well at least this managed to be a hit for Jona Lewie in NZ, although I'm guessing it was only once the kiwis ignored the fact this was meant to be a Christmas song given how it only crossed over there several months into the new year as opposed to Australia where it was still summer when it became a hit. His big hit in Australia flopped over there, I guess because it was deemed too silly for the kiwis.
#2983
It looks like these guys were a one hit wonder depending on which country you're from in the southern hemisphere, in Australia it was with "Love rears its ugly head" whereas in NZ it was this lead single to their debut album Vivid which was also a huge success over there this year for the funk rock band. I'm not sure why their success wasn't more in harmony in the southern hemisphere, but that's how it panned out for them.
#2982
Unlike here in Australia where this was Billy Ocean's biggest hit, in NZ it was one of his weaker hits as the kiwis didn't seem to be as impressed with this theme to the Jewel of the Nile as we Aussies were back in the day. Still, it was a huge hit for the British crooner over there, meaning they just felt there were other more worthy songs back then to make a huge hit which we've looked at on this list.
#2981
This was one of those rare occasions where the kiwis got the album cycle wrong as though the album was a massive success over there, the title track was noticeably less successful than it was here in Australia despite the kiwis already being well acquainted with the Purple one by the time he released his album this year. As such, this will be his only appearance on this list as "Little red corvette" underperformed there.
#2980
I'm a bit surprised that Mis Teeq didn't have more success in NZ considering they were a British girl group, although I did notice that it was mainly their white counterparts that made it big over there given how Eternal and Honeyz never achieved that much success over there compared to what they achieved over here in the 90's. In any case, we have their one and only hit in Australia reappearing on this list.
#2979
Well Kate Bush was inexplicably popular here and in her native UK, so it only seems fitting that Lene Lovich would also find success in NZ albeit to a much smaller scale as the kiwis likely realised even at the time that she was little more than a copycat of the much younger artist. It could also be that their love for Kate was fleeting as she didn't find as much success in the 80's over there.
#2978
This was yet another Mariah Carey song that was much bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, although you've likely noticed that every one of her entries was much bigger over there than it was over here which tells you everything you need to know about how well loved she was over there compared to over here back in the day.
#2977
This was a massive hit for the NZ band Moana and the Moahunters, a group of Maori musicians who scored their one and only hit this year with this pop track during the early months of the year. They did have songs and even albums released before and since this one big hit from them, however this was the only success they had in their career.
#2976
This was the third single for the Pet shop boys in NZ, naturally since the kiwis got the album cycle for their debut correct, it proved to be a massive hit for them as opposed to here in Australia where I'm pretty sure it didn't even chart (and if it did it was only barely.) This proved the duo were here to stay as their second single "Love comes quickly" wasn't as big over there (although it's still to come on this list.)
#2975
This is another song that wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, although in this case it might be due to the stiff competition Bon Jovi had with the likes of Def Leppard and the other hair metal tracks that were becoming big over there around this time. Keep in mind that a lot of these hair metal tracks I've featured on this side of my site failed to appear on the Australian side of the site.
#2974
This wasn't as big for Madonna in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Madonna's popularity overall wasn't as big in NZ as it was internationally despite her still being very popular over there as the decade was coming to an end. Still, this was an inevitable success for her given that it's an empowerment anthem about not settling for superficial cues in a relationship and demanding the absolute best from one's partner.
#2973
Well, this was bound to be a success for S Club 7 in NZ just as the decade was coming to an end, after all teen pop and music made specifically to sell a product (in this case the band's TV show) were all the rage by the end of the 90's which is why music afficionados seem to despise this period of music nowadays.
#2972
Apparently, there was this black comedy (in more ways than one as it had a predominantly black cast) known as Booty call which was panned by critics at the time for being considered too vulgar, this was back when stuff like Beavis and Butthead and the Bloodhound gang were considered critical darlings mind you. The film had a theme song from SWV and Missy Elliott, this being the first hit the latter had anywhere in the world.
#2971
The original from Norman Greenbaum wasn't even a hit in NZ back in the day, meaning that it's likely the kiwis won't even realise this is a cover of a song that was released around the time of the Jesus Christ superstar phenomenon. This perhaps explains why it was slightly bigger over there than it was here in Australia as we would've been torn if we appreciated a hair metal cover of a hippy track or not.
#2970
Given that he had a surprise breakthrough the previous year with his previous album On the beach, it seems to make sense that this lead single to his biggest album in Australia Dancing with strangers was a massive hit over there. Although it peaked much higher over there than it did here, it wound up being equally as successful in both countries for the British singer/songwriter.
#2969
If you were surprised by the Cult's entry from my 1987 list on this side of my site, you'll be dumbstruck to learn that this actually topped the NZ charts this year which goes to show you how hip the kiwis were to what the internet would describe as the cool side of the decade back in the day. Sadly, they didn't have much success going into the 90's despite them fitting in perfectly with that scene.
#2968
Well at least this wasn't just the same song from the mid 70's charting again for some arbitrary reason such as appearing in a TV commercial, that was a disturbingly common trend in the UK throughout the 80's and 90's that really does make going through their charts rather tedious to this day. Instead, this was a remix from Dutch DJ Ben Liebrand which nearly took the song to number one in NZ this year.
#2967
Although this almost went to number one in NZ, it didn't mean that it was the same level of success over there as it was here for Robert Palmer which is a shame because it remains his signature tune to this day for a good reason. I guess the kiwis didn't want to have him be a success over there as this and "I'll be your baby tonight" were the only big hits he had with his singles and even his albums.
#2966
This proved to be an even bigger hit in NZ for Naked eyes, I'm guessing because the original from Sandie Shaw was a big hit over there even though I don't know for sure if that was the case or not. Either way, it put the duo on the map even in America which is impressive considering that this was huge flop for the duo in their native UK.
#2965
This is a cover of a Toto track that was a modest success in NZ exactly two decades prior, I'm not sure how the kiwis got a hold of this cover given how it was a flop in Eric Benet's native America at the time (it might be due to Faith Hill being on the chorus.) Nowadays Eric is best known for being married to Halle Berry during the first half of the 00's.
#2964
This was a side project for Bone thugs n harmony who brought together a bunch of their friends in the hip hop scene in order to promote them in the music industry, kind of like how Biggie Smalls had the Junior mafia throughout the decade and saw massive success in their native America as a result. These guys weren't so lucky in their homeland; however, this posse cut was a chart topper for them in NZ.
#2963
Much like Tracy Chapman from earlier on this list, Melissa Etheridge was also able to score moderate success in NZ with her second album as the 80's transitioned to the 90's thanks to how popular her and the female singer/songwriter phenomenon was around this time. Unfortunately, this would be the last us Aussies and kiwis would hear from her as her subsequent follow ups flopped in the southern hemisphere.
#2962
This could've very well been a permanent flop for Sam Brown in NZ given how the title track never became that big a hit over there, fortunately the second single reached the top ten which finally allowed the album to become a success for her much later than it was in Australia and her native UK over there.
#2961
Given how the kiwis already knew who the Nolans were, this album of theirs managed to be an instant success over there unlike here in Australia where they needed to appear on Countdown (likely after touring in NZ) to make this a success for them. It was their only successful album in the southern hemisphere as the girls were unable to adapt to the MTV era.
#2960
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, especially given how the singles certainly were on their charts. I guess they only liked the singles and felt that the album as a whole was a bit of a drag as it didn't even rechart whenever each of the singles were released and exited their charts rather quickly following its initial release.
#2959
Well, it was certainly a new decade alright, as such Soul II Soul were able to score success with their sophomore album in NZ with their blending of EDM and RNB. Unfortunately, they weren't able to survive the full transition from the 80's to the 90's anywhere in the world as their third album was a complete flop for them two years later.
#2958
Well, she did have a ton of success in the 80's with her first two albums, so it only seems fitting that a greatest hits album from Ruby Turner becoming a success this year was in order.
#2957
From what I can gather, the Seekers did have moderate success on the Listener charts in NZ, meaning that this album which was released once Judith Durham rejoined the band becoming a hit over there does make sense.
#2956
At least this was also a moderate success for David Bowie in NZ back in the day, it was released right when the RIANZ charts launched so I'm confident that it wasn't any bigger over there than if the charts were to go even further back.
#2955
Given the success of their concert at Budokan over in NZ (which we'll be getting to in a bit) Cheap trick had little issue with finding success with this album over there like they did at first over here. It's a bit of a shame that they would be a one album wonder over there given how much success they had over here, particularly with their sellout album Lap of luxury almost a decade later.
#2954
Although she already saw massive success in NZ with her album from the start of the decade Me myself I, this album spawned her biggest hit over there in the form of its lead single which is more or less the same story Joan had here in Australia when it came to both of these albums. The one difference is that her earlier entry was more successful over there as opposed to this being the bigger of the two down under.
#2953
Their popularity was on the decline in NZ the same as it was here in Australia, although Pearl jam were still able to find success with their albums over there until the end of the decade, just like they were over here.
#2952
Unlike in Australia where Keri Hilson only had the one hit with Timbaland from the previous year, in NZ she managed to score two more hits with this solo entry being the first of those two, proving that she was among the hottest new names in female RNB just as the decade was coming to an end over there. We'll look at her other entry the following year which was also one of the biggest hits of the decade over there.
#2951
I think we can all agree that this is a far more respectable position for this folk ballad about how Sandi Thom wishes she were around during the height of the punk movement which she seems to have confused with the hippy movement of the 60's given how she would've likely been blacklisted from the punk scene had she worn flowers in her hair at the time.
#2950
Well, it appears that the kiwis also disagreed with this being among the biggest hits of the decade as this did just as well on their charts as it did on ours suggesting that it was equally as popular there as it was over here (it was slightly more so due to having stiffer competition to work against.) Indeed, her popularity over there overall was very limited as she only has one more appearance to come on this list.
#2949
Well at least Blondie were able to achieve success with their fourth album Eat to the beat in NZ given how that album didn't see much success here in Australia back in the day, it came instantly as well as the lead single was a massive hit over there as opposed to here where it didn't even break into our top fifty.
#2948
Given how this was more in the EDM genre than anything, it makes sense that this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia and White town's native UK. Still with how catchy this song is as well as the possibility of it being the first song to be from the perspective of a trans woman, there was little doubt that this was going to be a success over there upon its initial release.
#2947
From what I can gather, Teri Desario was one of the backup singers for KC and the Sunshine band who scored her one and only hit as a lead artist with this rendition of an obscure 60's track. It was produced by Harry Casey which suggests it was originally meant for the band but given to her in order to boost her career.
#2946
With all of the shout outs that these guys have gotten over the years, you'd think that the O'jays would've had more success back in the day than this one and only hit they had in NZ. Granted they did have a string of other hits in their native American throughout the decade, however this was the only hit that managed to crossover there which is still one more hit they ever had here in Australia.
#2945
This was also the first major hit that INXS had over in NZ, although it was also the first song that charted over there given how the band had no success with their earlier material in the 80's. This will be one of only five singles of theirs to appear on this side of my side, I bring this up because they weren't as successful over there as you might think given how big they became internationally.
#2944
It's a bit surprising that this theme to the TV series Miami Vice wasn't a big hit here in Australia, mainly because it often appears on greatest TV themes of all time in addition to the show being considered one of the best shows of the 80's. As TV themes were among the more popular songs of the decade in NZ, this was a shoe in for success over there even if it wasn't a number one hit there like it was on Billboard.
#2943
This was the last hit that Coolio had in NZ, it was a lot more pop friendly compared to his other work which is perhaps why it was a hit but also largely forgotten in his catalogue in recent years.
#2942
This was so much less successful for MJ in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it didn't linger on their charts like it did here even though it did rebound on the charts in the new year when the third single from the album of the same name was released. For what it's worth, the Weird Al parody "Fat" became a genuine success for him the following year over there.
#2941
Well, this is a massive disappointment for my site, even the Brits managed to make this an inescapable hit this year and yet it was only a moderate success for Survivor in NZ. I guess the kiwis didn't enjoy Rocky III as much as the rest of the world did, either that or they weren't interested in having this be one of the biggest hits of the decade for whatever reason.
#2940
This was another entry that was a pain in the backside to do research on, here we have the German duo Jonestown who scored their one and only hit anywhere in the world with this hip hop track which goes to show that the kiwis would allow anything from RNB and hip hop to become a success over there by this point in time so long as they knew about its existence.
#2939
This was only a modest success here in Australia for Skid row, certainly nowhere near as popular as it was in NZ where hair metal seemed to still be one of the most popular genres of the first year of the 90's. Fans of Gilmour girls will recognise lead singer Sebastian Bach as Gil, although his character on the show was more loosely based on their original lead singer who did quit the band before they made it big.
#2938
Given how popular Sister Sledge were in NZ with their earlier material, it only makes sense that this nursery pop ballad would be a bigger hit over there than it was over here in Australia for them. The interesting think about this song is that its biggest success came from the UK where this topped the British charts, I'm guessing the Brits really appreciated the girls venturing into nursery pop with this number.
#2937
Well, it appears the kiwis could also appreciate this protest track about beauty standards disguised as a booty anthem just as much as we Aussies did back in the day, although this was a much bigger hit for Sir mix a lot in his native America given how it was a huge chart topper on Billboard for a song whose opening line is "I like big buts and I can not lie."
#2936
I guess the kiwis were massive fans of American Idol this year (this is strange because of Kelly Clarkson's noticeable absence on this list) as such we have the victory single from the runner up of the second season of the show Clay Aiken who decided to bundle it up with a cover of a Simon and Garfunkel classic to boost his chances of having a worldwide smash hit.
#2935
I'm not even sure if this was released as a single in NZ prior to when "Automatic" became a surprise hit for the girls in the UK, if it was then it didn't even chart over there unlike here where it at least got in a few weeks towards the start of the year before fading into obscurity. Naturally it was a hit this year once their second single from Break out managed to almost top the British charts.
#2934
This is a remix of a mambo track form the 50's (hence the name of the song) that became a massive hit worldwide for the British EDM group Shaft right as the 90's was coming to an end. This wasn't a hit here in Australia, although the group's followup single was as "Mambo Italiano" became a modest success in the new year given how it was a cover of the Rosemary Clooney classic.
#2933
Unlike here in Australia where this was a hit for Alicia Bridges twice, in NZ this was the only time the disco classic was a success over there as it vastly underperformed upon its initial release in the late 70's. As a final bit of trivia, it turns out that Alicia Bridges is indeed a lesbian as she revealed as such around the time this became a hit for her due to appearing in the LGBT masterpiece Priscilla queen of the desert.
#2932
This was a modest success for Elton John in NZ on the Listener chart, meaning that the kiwis were already familiar with the original version of this ballad when it was released as a single for charity late the previous year. Naturally it was a big hit over there like it was worldwide, however it wasn't as huge as it was here in Australia and certainly not in America or the duo's native UK.
#2931
Much like here in Australia, this was a hit in NZ following Bruce's Oscar win for this ballad for the film it was written for. Speaking of Philadelphia, the film was a critical darling at the time due to it being among the first to depict a homosexual man with any form of dignity and respect (although he was played by the VERY straight Tom Hanks who won an Oscar for his portrayal.)
#2930
This was the only hit that Jonathan Butler had in NZ, he was an African performer who had a bit of success in the UK around this time but no one who was inescapable in the 80's. Ruby Turner on the other hand was very much popular in NZ as this was the first of several big hits she had over there, it would even be the advanced single to her debut album which was also a massive hit for her there.
#2929
Given how this track was delayed worldwide to allow "Always on my mind" to be a success following the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it was one of their biggest hits in their catalogue over there. This might have something to do with collectors wanting two copies of the song as there's a different cover featuring each of the members available.
#2928
This was the first of six consecutive chart toppers for Westlife in the UK, it would've been ten consecutive chart toppers if the Bob the builder theme didn't prevent one of their tracks from getting to number one over there the following year (do with that information what you will.) While they weren't that crazy popular over in NZ, they did still score a ton of success over there including this chart-topping hit.
#2927
This proved to be an even bigger success for Debarge in NZ this year than it was here in Australia, it's no surprise why as this is a Motown track made by a Motown band which means it's more of a surprise it made it big down under than anything else. That said, these guys are still a one hit wonder in NZ as none of their other hits on Billboard managed to crossover internationally.
#2926
This was the last big hit that the Human league were able to score as a band as they would be reduced to a trio when they scored their final hit in most parts of the world with "Human" later in the decade. This was a much bigger hit in NZ likely due to the kiwis not being as deterred by the wall of noise with the synths posing as brass as we Aussies were at the time of its release.
#2925
It feels weird that Batman returns was the only Batman film from the Burton/Schumaker films to not spawn a hit single or even a successful album back in the day, I guess that was going for an even darker tone than the original film and as such, Tim Burton felt that contemporary music was out of the question. Admittedly the Batman forever soundtrack wasn't exactly contemporary itself as evidence by this being the big hit from the album.
#2924
As far as fans are concerned, this was the last thing that the Spice girls released as they (including me) like to pretend that their third album never came to be instead of it crashing and burning the following year when it actually came out. This was just as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia despite it also managing to chart higher over there than it did over here as with most of these repeat entries.
#2923
Whereas these guys remain a one hit wonder to this day here in Australia with "Tha crossroads," they would have hits over in NZ as recently as 2007 meaning that they had so much more to offer in their catalogue that the kiwis gravitated towards back in the day. This was just one of the many other hits they had over there which admittedly was also a huge success in their native America this year.
#2922
You better believe that Kris Kross had more than one hit in NZ given how the kiwis seemed to be hungry for any kind of hip hop this decade, here's their second hit which was just as infectious as their earlier entry and yet was only a success over there and their native America likely due to international audiences finding the chorus to be too gimmicky for their liking.
#2921
Well Star Trek fans, I hope you can stomach the appearance of this novelty track from the band the Firm once more as it managed to become a hit in NZ in addition to here in Australia and their native UK this year. At least it wasn't quite as big over there as it was in either country, although I'm not sure if that's because the kiwis didn't find the song as funny as we did or if they didn't even realise what Star Trek was at the time.
#2920
Well, this is Dr Hook looking to change with the times yet again as they added back some of their bouncier instrumentation from their earlier phase of their career on this ballad about how sexy they feel their collective partner's eyes are. It was a massive hit in NZ and throughout most of the world, although it didn't do so well here in Australia likely due to us either wanting comedy or a downtempo ballad from the band.
#2919
Well, this was a song that was tailor made for the wackiness that the 80's would become synonymous with, as such it was an even bigger success in NZ given how the kiwis were more in tune with what the rest of the world was making popular as opposed to us Aussies who were still relying on our local music scene as well as whatever else managed to appear on Countdown.
#2918
It took almost an entire decade for 3 the hard way to follow up their debut album from 1994, I guess the kiwis were very patient to see what else they had up their sleeves as this managed to become equally as successful over there as their debut single "Hip hop holiday" did. Given how there isn't an obvious sample that they use here like that song did, it wasn't a success over in Australia for the trio.
#2917
This is one of the few singles from No Doubt to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, it also serves as a comeback single for them over there given how their second international album from earlier in the decade was a complete flop for them as opposed to being a mere modest success down under. I guess the kiwis came around for this track due to the reggae influence as well as the hip hop verse.
#2916
This was the second hit that A taste of honey managed to score in NZ, their first being their disco classic "Boogie oogie oogie" which remains a staple on oldies stations in Australia despite that being a flop here at the time. Evidently this cover of the Kyo Sakamoto track (in which they didn't bother using the correct name of the song for its title) was a tribute to their Japanese fans as they were allegedly more popular there than they were in the western world.
#2915
Well, this was bound to be a success in NZ given how even we Aussies made this track that nostalgia baits off the Bob Marley classic a success over here. It wasn't Warren G's final success over there as he still has one more entry to appear on this list.
#2914
Given how Simple minds already had massive success in NZ throughout the decade, it shouldn't surprise you that this wasn't their biggest hit over there given how we already had an appearance from them on this list alone. Still, this was their biggest hit in America and what led to them having a huge success with their next album in most parts of the world.
#2913
This was the other big hit that Sybil managed to achieve in NZ this year, and just like her earlier entry, this was also a cover of a Dionne Warwick track from the 60's which I'm guessing was why she had two hits over there this year as Dionne never had that much success over there (at you could likely tell from her lower placements on this side of my site.)
#2912
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because not only was this less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia or even America, but it wasn't even among Wham's most popular songs over there as several of their other hits back in the day were more popular over there than this signature track from the duo.
#2911
It turns out that this was released as a limited edition single here in Australia, hence why it charted high but quickly existed out charts which prevented it from being eligible to appear on that side of my site. I guess the kiwis had an unlimited edition of the track as it became a massive hit over there without any signs of it being pulled from shelves of dropping out of the charts because of a lack of stock of the song.
#2910
This was a massive hit for Def Leppard in NZ this year, likely due to it topping the Billboard charts for the British band which seemed to be a pattern during the second half of the 80's where British hair metal bands found more success in America than they did in their native UK. This did eventually become a sleeper hit in Australia, although it was months after it was already a big success in NZ.
#2909
Even though "The fly" was a massive hit for U2 back in the day, people tend to believe this was the lead single from Achtung baby given how much more popular it's become over the years for the band compared to the actual lead single.
#2908
With this entry, I've now featured all four of Mr. D'arby's singles from his debut album on this site, it does feel strange that he had so much more success over in NZ compared to here in Australia even if that success does make sense considering he was an American RNB singer (even if he was stationed in Germany when he began his singing career.)
#2907
OK so I stretched the truth a bit when I said that this was the only song that Willie Nelson bothered the international charts with, he did have a second hit in NZ the following year with Ray Charles, meaning that it's possible that he was trying to crossover to the crooner scene with these two men back in the day. It obviously didn't work as Willie is best known for his country ballads rather than being the white Julio Iglesias.
#2906
Well, this didn't fly straight up to number one in NZ like it did here in Australia, although it nearly did as the kiwis were also looking forward to seeing Tina Turner's acting debut in the film, she was commissioned to write a theme song to Mad Max beyond ThunderDome. Although she would score two more hits over there in her career, this would be the last hit of hers to really take their music scene by storm.
#2905
This almost made it to number one in NZ, in fact were it not for U2's fourth single from the Joshua tree, this would've been the second number one hit for a rapper which would've been a massive achievement considering how Eric B and Rakim never had much success in their native America during their time together. If you couldn't tell from the title of the album cover, this is a song about the struggles of wealth and fame.
#2904
Much like in Australia, all three songs with this title was a massive success over in NZ which all began with the third single from Frankie goes to Hollywood's debut album Welcome to the pleasuredome. This was also a bigger hit over there as was most popular songs from highly successful albums back in the day, although it wasn't as inescapable as it was in their native UK during their Christmas season of 1984.
#2903
This was the only hit to come from the Beverly Hills cop II soundtrack in NZ, although I get the feeling this was more a hit due to it being a George Michael track given how even in the film, this song has very little place in its soundtrack (I guess that's why it won worst original song at the Razzies.)
#2902
Following their victory on Popstars UK, Hear'say managed to score a massive hit in their homeland as well as NZ of all places with this cover of the obscure girl group err.... Girl thing. Girl thing did have a minor hit here in Australia with "Last one standing" the previous year, so it is surprising that this cover didn't crossover here in Australia as well, however British music in general wasn't doing to well down under this decade.
#2901
You'd think this would've been an even bigger hit in NZ considering A: it charted higher than it did here and B: it was marketed as the lead single to Slippery when wet given how the kiwis followed the Brits lead in having this lead off the album instead of "You give love a bad name" like us Aussies and their fellow Americans. Alas, it was only a big success over there rather than an inescapable one.
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