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.
#4700
It appears these guys had a similar trajectory for their success in NZ that they had here in Australia given how this was also their breakthrough over there like it was over here, the big difference is that it managed to be a bigger success likely due to the lack of competition the RNB and disco band had in the kiwi’s music scene.
#4699
It appears the kiwis love for reggae was going strong even this close to the 21st century as Finley Quaye was able to score a massive sleeper hit over there this year with his debut album despite it being a massive flop even in his native UK. This just goes to show how much more lucrative reggae is over there compared to the rest of the English-speaking world.
#4698
Given how A: RNB was far more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia and B: this album spawned multiple hits for All 4 one, it makes sense that it was more of a success over there than it was over here back in the day. That said, outside of scoring a huge hit from their second album the following year, this was the full extent of their popularity outside of their native America.
#4697
I was a bit surprised this wasn't more of a hit for Barbra Streisand in NZ given how this was a bit of a comeback for her here in Australia, I guess the kiwis had grown tired of her by the new millennium and only made this a hit out of pure obligation.
#4696
It's a bit weird that these guys waited thirteen years to release a sequel to their 1979 greatest hits album, so weird in fact that I'm more surprised it was a hit in NZ than I am that it bombed everywhere else in the world.
#4695
From what I can gather, 48 may was a NZ punk rock band who scored their one and only hit this year with this number that unfortunately got pushed aside in favour of a change in chart format on the RIANZ charts. It's hard to say just how big this actually was, however I have a sneaky suspicion it was bigger over there than its placement on this list suggests.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#4694
Of the three hits that Fedde le grand had here in Australia, this was the only one that saw any sort of success in NZ likely due to the kiwi’s finding amusement in the clones of Ida Corr in the video as opposed to the more........ sexually arousing videos of his other two hits. Even then, this took its sweet time in seeing the light of day over there as if the kiwis were waiting for it to be a success over here.
#4693
I guess the kiwis weren't too interested in hearing a rock track from Rihanna like we Aussies were, that's even taking into account that this was a bigger hit on our digital charts which had taken over the format in NZ by this point in time. Even so, this was a decent hit for her over there, so perhaps they simply felt she was overexposed by this stage and changed their minds with her earlier entries on this list.
#4692
We have one more entry from Busta Rhymes on this site, this time he recruits Linkin Park off the success of their (then) most recent album Minuets to midnight which obviously paid off for both parties given their placement on this list. You'd think this would've been somewhat successful in Australia as Busta did have a hit earlier in the decade with "I know what you want" with Mariah Carey.
#4691
If you want proof that Green day was way more popular in NZ than they were here in Australia, consider the fact that their third single from American idiot managed to make it onto this side of my site with it having no chance to appear on the Australian side. Now admittedly this was flogged on our radios back in the day, meaning it's very likely it only became a hit over there due to airplay.
#4690
Much like here in Australia, this was Amerie's only hit in NZ given how it was her only hit even in her native America. Again, I have a feeling she would've had better luck had Ciara not taken over the realms of female RNB singers this year with all of her entries on this list.
#4689
Given how Britney had less success overall in NZ throughout her career than she did here in Australia, it's only fitting how this was less popular for her over there even with the raunchy sex appeal she had been leaning so heavily into during this phase of her career. This raunchy appeal would come to an end when her next album underperformed in 2011 which reduced her to a meme status.
#4688
So, I might have jumped the gun when I said that these guys only had one hit in NZ as though this didn't last very long on their charts, it spent enough of its limited time in their top twenty which made it eligible for this list. I'm not sure why this suddenly fell out of the charts two months after its release other than perhaps it being pulled from the iTunes store or radio suddenly cutting it from their playlists.
#4687
I guess the trade-off for his earlier entry on this list not being as big in NZ as it was here in Australia was that the kiwis were able to give Kanye West a second hit from his third album in the form of this track, although this was a minor sleeper hit here in Australia meaning that we Aussies weren't completely ignorant to the rapper during the height of his career.
#4686
Here's that hit that Fat Joe had with Terror squad that I mentioned when we revisited his one and only solo hit from a few lists back, it's a posse cut he made with the other members of the group and a female rapper by the name of Remy who scored her one and only notable hit with this entry. Apparently, he was credited as Joey Crack on this track, a name that I feel is very inappropriate even for gangster hip hop.
#4685
This will be the only appearance from one of Muse's singles on this site as this managed to become enough of a mainstream success in NZ to qualify for this particular list of mine, it's a good representation to their overall sound as the band were able to find a captivating audience around the world with their brand of alternative rock throughout the decade and even into the 2010's.
#4684
Whereas this was an immediate hit for Linkin Park here in Australia, it appears the kiwis were a little bit more sceptical of this second single from Meteora despite the lead single being an instant chart topper over there the previous year. It's worth noting that the kiwis did consider them an album band as opposed to us Aussies who gave them a healthy balance between albums and singles success.
#4683
Although this failed to reach the upper echelons of the NZ charts, the fact that A: it charted for quite some time and B: was released on time over there as opposed to it being heavily delayed over here suggested that the kiwis were massive fans of what the Real McCoy had to offer as evidence by their other appearances that's still to come on this side of my site.
#4682
Whereas this at least debuted high on the Australian charts only to quickly fall out when we Aussies realised it was just JT airing out his dirty laundry about Britney Spears, it appears this only became a hit in NZ thanks to it being flogged by the radio as the kiwis were really interested in owning a copy of a song that is little more than tabloid fodder set to music.
#4681
This was a decent success for Tasmin Archer in NZ (apparently that is in fact her real name and not a stage name) it was a massive chart topper for her in her native UK which of course would translate to success internationally for the RNB singer. This was a decent hit here in Australia, although it was a sleeper hit hence why it failed to appear on that side of my site.
#4680
Given how their previous album Red sails in the sunset was a complete dud in NZ, it figures that this would struggle to find success over there for Midnight oil even if it did stick around long enough to qualify for this list of mine. They would of course explode in popularity with their earlier entry on this list likely due to the themes of aboriginal rights connecting better with the kiwis than us Aussies.
#4679
Much like the rest of the world, this was a passing the torch moment for both artists involved in NZ given how Roberta Flack had a massive hit over there with "Killing me softly with his song" whilst Peabo Bryson would go on to have massive success with his Disney ballads throughout the 90's. Again, this song underperformed mainly due to how much of an outlier it is compared to the rest of the list.
#4678
This was a hit twice in NZ throughout the decade, this entry of course covers the first time it was a success for Grace Jones as the kiwis made it a decent success for her upon its initial release. This is another example of them coming across an indie artist and making them a household name despite how much of a failure they were on an international level.
#4677
Even though the kiwis weren't that big into EDM throughout the decade like the rest of the world was, they appeared to have enough nostalgic love for this cover of the Bonnie Tyler classic to make it a modest success over there this year. It pales in comparison to how well it did in Australia and America of all places, but its success was noticeable regardless.
#4676
So, it turns out these guys had one more hit in NZ after all as this managed to squeeze onto this list despite the stiff competition it had with all these "fan singles" that were clogging up their charts throughout the decade. This was OMD's big hit in their native UK which is perhaps how it managed to crossover to NZ this year even if we Aussies once again ignored what they had to offer.
#4675
Whilst overall Robert Palmer saw significantly less success in NZ than he did here in Australia, he did manage to have one of his songs be a bigger hit over there with that being the lead single to his sixth album Clues which stuck around long enough to become a hit over there when it was only a sleeper hit at best over here.
#4674
This is the final song that Split Enz released in their career before officially calling it quits, although I'm actually more familiar with the Crowded house version from their debut album as Neil Finn would rerecord this track with them despite not releasing that track as a single from that album.
#4673
You'd think that Aaliyah would've had more success in NZ given how much more prominent RNB was throughout the 90's over there, I guess she could've had that success had the kiwis allowed airplay to determine a song's success as her final two hits managed to become a success over there due to the format. This has the distinction of being the first song to top the Billboard charts purely through airplay after all.
#4672
Given how chaotic the NZ charts were this year as well as the absence of several obvious entries on this list (due to airplay shenanigans) it's hard to say if this is an accurate representation of how well this bonus track from George Michael's greatest hits album did over there. It's especially tough to pin its success when you consider how unreliable the charts were worldwide by the end of the 90's.
#4671
This was initially a dud for Evelyn King in NZ upon its initial release the previous year, however it was given a second chance this year when it became a surprise hit for her in the UK of all places much like several other songs from musicians of colour that bombed in their native America over the years. Even then, this was another sleeper hit for this list, so it's not like it was that popular over there.
#4670
This was the only hit single that China crisis had anywhere in the world, although I get the feeling it was only a success in NZ due to their album being a surprise hit over there due to how big the indie scene was throughout the decade. This was a huge dud for the band in their native UK, likely due to it being a bit ahead of its time to appeal to their fellow Brits.
#4669
If was all but impossible to find out information about this entry, I'm not even going to bother with a disclaimer as there's no way in hell I can say anything to help people figure out that this entry is "Cruisin" by Matty J Rays. There's little information about the singer and less information still about the song he got big with.
#4668
It turns out that Sade was able to score a second hit in NZ after all given how their lead single to their second album managed to stick around in their top twenty long enough to qualify for this list. I really can't stress enough just how chaotic the charts were during the midpoint of the decade given how we have another entry that by all accounts deserves to be much higher on this list but isn't because of these "fan singles."
#4667
If you want an idea of how much less popular Kiss was in NZ compared to here in Australia, consider the fact that this was just about out of the charts by the time the new decade rolled around over there compared to here where it was still comfortably in the top ten on our charts. That said, this was able to find success over there which is more than I can say for how well it did in their homeland.
#4666
There haven't been as many entries from the Eurythmics on this side of my as there have been on the Australian side, so it gives me great pleasure to finally feature the second single from Revenge on this site even if it was more of a sleeper hit over there back in the day. This did crack the Australian top ten upon its release; however, it was too much of a "fan single" as it quickly dropped of our charts after the fact.
#4665
With all of the "fan singles" we're going to be looking at from this point forward, it's interesting to note that the Fine young cannibals managed to achieve somewhat of a sleeper hit in NZ this year with their debut single. I say a sleeper hit but really, it's low placement on here is more due to the stiff competition the trio had with all the other entries given how chaotic the charts were around this time.
#4664
This is another song that I'm surprised wasn't a big success here in Australia back in the day, although again, it does come from a highly successful album and was more of a radio juggernaut than anything else which were both components into harming its success on our charts. As the kiwis allowed radio juggernauts onto their main charts, it was a shoe in for this list from Coldplay.
#4663
Well, this is certainly a surprise as I was expecting there to be a new entry from the queen of pop on this side of my site, indeed this was too much of a dud here in Australia due to us Aussies choosing to buy the album True blue rather than supporting this track which was reportedly written with Cyndi Lauper in mind. This wasn't too much of a hinderance for her in NZ and was a non-existent problem everywhere else in the world.
#4662
Technically this was a chart topper here in Australia as it appeared on the Devo Live E.P that the band released back in the day, however it appears the kiwis were more on board with their signature track upon its initial release than we were given how it managed to be a sleeper hit over there without the assistance of the E.P. It was a sleeper hit, but a hit nonetheless likely thanks to its bizarre music video.
#4661
If you still need proof that the kiwis loved their reggae at any given point in time, consider the fact that they allowed a Jamaican duo by the name of Sly and Robbie to find success over there this year even though they were a complete failure everywhere else in the world. This is also proof they were quick to get on board the hip hop scene even if that genre would explode in popularity not long after this became a hit.
#4660
As this was another song that appeared on the very first week of the RIANZ charts, you can assume that it had some of its potential success cut off back in the day which explains why it appears lower on this list than it likely should. Indeed, this cracked the top ten on the Listener charts right as they were winding to an end.
#4659
Given how many "fan singles" will appear later down this list, it's a bit surprising that we managed to have somewhat of a sleeper hit in the form of this lead single to Robert Cray's first breakthrough album with his self-titled backing band over in NZ this year. I'm not sure how this managed to be a success and nothing from his solo album from the previous year, however that's where we're at.
#4658
This proved to be slightly more successful for the Police in NZ than "Message in a bottle was" (we'll get to that in a minute) likely due to the kiwis finding more enjoyment out of the premise of the trio walking on the moon over them repeating the title of that song multiple times. Like I said earlier, they did have plenty of success over there throughout the decade, just not on the level that they had here in Australia.
#4657
These guys were on such a roll in NZ throughout the 90's that they managed to make it on here with another entry that the rest of the world completely ignored, this was just further proof at how much the kiwis loved reggae music even though Inner circle were two hit wonders at best everywhere else in the world.
#4656
You'd think that this guy would've been more successful in NZ than he was here in Australia, in the long run he was, however he was off to a pitiful start over there given how this was more of a sleeper hit as opposed to an instant mainstream hit for Craig David. Admittedly it was strange he found so much success here given how his American counterpart Usher only took off after his debut album became a worldwide success.
#4655
Well at least we have a more appropriate album art for this second single from CJ Lewis, this time he covers an early Stevie Wonder track which didn't go over as well in NZ and his native UK as his earlier entry on this list but was still a massive success in both countries due to their respective love of pop reggae around this time.
#4654
This is one of two covers that CJ Lewis found success with in NZ this year, this one of course being a cover of the famous disco track from the Emotions which he turned into a reggae jam that connected with the kiwis this year. We have another reggae cover from him to come later down this list, proving how much love and nostalgia they had for reggae covers of disco tracks.
#4653
I guess there was one benefit to their debut single not being as big in NZ as it was internationally, that of course being that their second single managed to be a success over there even if both of these songs were among the biggest of the decade in the UK as well as the album without any sort of hinderance. They had one more minor hit in NZ with "Cry wolf" the following year before fading into obscurity.
#4652
This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although it at least finally managed to get the Pretenders out of the one hit wonder bin over there likely due to it showcasing the band as a more pop friendly group compared to their new wave that made them big from the start of the decade.
#4651
This was too much of a sleeper hit to appear on the Australian side of my site, although believe me, this was indeed a huge hit here given how it refused to drop out of our charts for the pseudo country band. It was more of mainstream hit over in NZ, although it certainly wasn't an immediate success given how it was released the previous year to deafening silence even in their native America.
#4650
This was the breakthrough single for the Dance exponents, a rock band from NZ who would become better known as the Exponents due to how big their 90's material was when they released it under that name. As such, I'll have more to say about these guys when we get to that era of their music.
#4649
Although I did mention that their earlier entry and "Break me shake me" were the two big hits that Savage Garden had over in NZ, this worldwide chart topper of theirs was a big sleeper hit over there this year which allowed it to reappear on this side of my site even if its popularity like the other songs from the duo's debut album was but a fraction of what it achieved here and in America.
#4648
It's hard to believe that LL Cool J began his career in the mid 80's given how his popularity didn't explode until the mid 90's worldwide, indeed it appears the kiwis were far ahead of the curb when it came to his popularity given how this was a genuine hit for him over there even if it was the type of "thugs need love too" track that many of his fellow gangster rappers would come to despise over the years.
#4647
Although they had more success in NZ overall than they did here in Australia, it's worth noting that this second single from the band was released slightly later over there than it was over here which admittedly didn't seem to hamper its success over there given how it managed to reappear on this side of my site.
#4646
Unlike here in Australia where this album had a slow start to its success but eventually became one of the biggest of the decade, it was a flop for Matchbox 20 in NZ and only became a decent success when it spawned their biggest international hit with "Unwell" which admittedly became their first big hit over there with the help of airplay.
#4645
Of all the 80's bands to still have success this far into the 90's, The the wasn't on my bingo list due to them finding little success in their homeland during the height of their popularity. It appears the kiwis were impressed with their fourth album enough for it to be a hit this year, however they didn't show them any further charity with their subsequent follow ups.
#4644
Although they never had that big hit in NZ like they did here in Australia, at least Big country managed to have more success overall with the kiwis largely due to how much bigger their debut album was over there compared to over here at the cost of it spawning them a hit single over there. Indeed, they would have much better luck with their subsequent follow ups largely due to the vocals of Stuart Adamson.
#4643
I'm a bit confused as to how this guy managed to crossover to NZ as instead of it being with his debut single that was a massive hit in his native UK, Rebel MC appealed to the kiwis with his second single which was coincidentally released around the time he dropped his debut album which naturally resulted in its success over there.
#4642
This is one of only two hits that Twista had in NZ, although admittedly this feels like a precursor to "Gold digger" from Kanye West and Jamie Foxx given how both men are involved in this track two years prior to when they scored massive worldwide success with that track. This wasn't even Twista’s most recognisable hit as that honour goes to "Sunshine" which we’ll get to in the next list.
#4641
Given how Australian idol was playing to NZ audiences back in the day, this allowed runner up Shannon Noll to have a huge sleeper hit over there with his "victory" single which in turn is a cover of a Moving pictures track that was a minor hit over there back in the day. OK this is the only other Australian idol contestant I'll be featuring on this side of my site......... well him and kiwi Stan Walker that is.
#4640
This was the third and final hit that these guys were able to achieve in their homeland from their debut album, they did release a second album later in the decade to very limited success which prompted the band to breakup and for Dane Rumble to embark on a solo career.
#4639
This barely missed the cut from appearing on the Australian side of my site due to being too much of a sleeper hit to do so, however the opposite was the case for "Viva la Vida" in NZ as the kiwis were more interested in this lead single to their magnum opus named after that second single this year.
#4638
We've looked at the Faith no more cover twice already on this site, time now to look at the original version of their ballad which does indeed come from Lionel Richie and company as this was a surprise success in NZ given how it was far from the biggest hit on Billboard this year. Even though the 90's version is more popular in the southern hemisphere, you can still hear both versions on oldies stations to this day.
#4637
Given how the kiwis had already moved on from EDM to the likes of RNB and hip hop by this point in the decade, it makes sense that this only saw a fraction of the success over there that it did here in Australia and K.W.S's native UK. I guess it could also be due to it being a cover of the KC and the sunshine band ballad that was among the band's biggest hits over there that rubbed them the wrong way.
#4636
So, I kind of fibbed when I said that Technotronic's earlier entry on this list would be their only appearance on this side of my site, indeed their second single from their debut album was a success in NZ even if it saw a fraction of that success over there than it did internationally. I guess you can argue that this was proof that the kiwis were already growing tired of the EDM trend this early in the decade.
#4635
Surprised it's taken this long for me to feature a song from KLF on this list? Even though both songs from their album this year were massive hits for them in NZ (stay tuned for the other one in a bit) they curiously spent most of their time in the lower half of the charts likely due to the kiwis not being as into EDM by this point in time as we Aussies were. What’s more surprising is that this outranks their biggest international hit on this list.
#4634
Here we are with the other big hit from TMNT (a bit sooner than I thought when writing about it earlier on this list) naturally this was the big hit here in Australia given how it's essentially a Technotronic song given how it features Ya Kid K on vocals. This would be the last either country would hear from the group, although they would have one more hit in America with "Move this" in 1992.
#4633
Given how this was a massive worldwide hit for Stevie B, it only makes sense that it would be a decent hit for him in NZ even if its success over there was pitiful compared to what it achieved internationally. Again, I should point out that it was only when this caught on in the UK that it became a success in the southern hemisphere despite it being a massive Billboard chart topper for him prior to its success over there.
#4632
Their earlier entry might not have been as big a hit in NZ for Womack and Womack as it was here in Australia and in the UK, however the trade-off seemed to be that the second single from their breakthrough album was a decent hit over there where it flopped in those countries. In any case, they certainly did better internationally than they did in their native America where they had no hits on Billboard.
#4631
Much like here in Australia, this was Eddie Rabbit's only hit in NZ despite him having multiple hits in his native America from around this time. I guess we Aussies and kiwis only wanted the bounciest tracks he had to offer with this being the only one that passed our threshold, although again, he had a much lower bar of entry in his homeland that he effortlessly cleared.
#4630
Dr Hook were certainly on a roll in NZ when they entered this decade with this ballad, certainly more so than they were here in Australia where they wouldn't have their first 80's hit until "Girls can get it" the following year. I don't know why we Aussies had seemingly given up on the band by this point only to change our minds the following year when they scored two back-to-back hits on our charts.
#4629
If this feels a little low on this list, that's because it faced stiff competition from several other entries on this list largely due to how unreliable the charts were this year due to the infamous summer break it began with (in my opinion of course.) In any case, this third single from Arrival was a huge success for the Swedish foursome in NZ even if it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success it achieved internationally.
#4628
Although she struggled to retain her success in NZ that she had throughout the rest of the world, Cyndi Lauper did manage to have her final worldwide hit become as such over there even if it struggled to reappear on this side of my site as opposed to it comfortably making it onto the Australian side of my site.
#4627
Considering how much they play "Ride like the wind" on oldies stations to this day, you may be surprised to learn that this was the big hit off of Christopher Cross's self-titled debut album given how it went to number one on the Billboard charts for him at the start of the decade. It was an immediate albeit minor hit over in NZ this year, however it didn't crossover here in Australia despite several attempts.
#4626
This is another song that wasn't nearly as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, this is especially surprising given how it has the endorsement of P Diddy with the rapper even providing a guest verse on the track which seemed to be a guarantee for success over there around this time. I guess the kiwis had grown tired of this type of RNB whereas us Aussies were still vibing to it like it was fresh and new.
#4625
Blackstreet were on a roll this year in NZ as they were able to score a third hit from their breakthrough album over there with this bop, although I get the feeling this crossed over due to the presence of Ol Dirty Bastard and Guns n roses guitarist Slash which predictably made this a bit of a genre mashup upon its initial release.
#4624
Well, how about this? We have an entry from Stevie Wonder ten years after his final international hit "Part time lover" on this list. I guess this being a hit in NZ of all places explains how he managed to score an even bigger hit with Babyface later in the decade with "How come how long," that and the fact that Coolio's earlier entry samples his song "Pastime paradise" from his 1976 magnum opus Songs in the key of life.
#4623
I'm a bit shocked that this underperformed here in Australia given how I remember hearing this on the radio quite a bit back in the day, indeed it was only a decent hit at best for Robyn over in NZ likely due to it being a surprise hit for her in America along with "Do you know" for reasons I wasn't able to figure out. Robyn nowadays is best known for her 2010's material, more specifically how much the internet loves it.
#4622
If the name Ray J sounds familiar to you, that's because this is the man that Kim Kardashian released a sex tape with which launched her career into the mainstream in 2007. A decade prior, he had a hit in NZ with this ballad which makes this another example of an American artist finding more success over there than they did in their homeland this decade.
#4621
I told you we'd revisit this one and only hit from Visage didn't I? here we are with that big hit from the band which like I said earlier, the kiwis mostly passed up in favour of the Ultravox entry we looked at. Midge would find success over there with his solo hit "If I was" before he faded into obscurity like he did everywhere else in the world.
#4620
This was the third single that Ricky Martin released from his first album he recorded in English, it became one of the last songs to crack the top ten in the 90's in NZ and yet it saw the bulk of its success this year due to how late it was released in the previous year. This is basically a "shake your booty" anthem that was rather popular back in the day, once again performed by a closeted gay man.
#4619
Sandwiched between their two earlier entries was this second single from C+C Music factory's debut album, I guess there's not much to say about this track that doesn't apply to the other two entries on this list other than to go into further detail about who Freedom Williams was. He was the rapper of the group, meaning he at least was able to receive full credit on the tracks unlike Martha Walsh.
#4618
It's no coincidence that this cover of the Tommy James classic was a hit when Billy Idol's version from earlier on this list became a success in NZ, although I am surprised this was the only hit that Amazulu managed to achieve over there given how they had a few other hits in their native UK with this being one of the weaker entries in their catalogue over there.
#4617
This was the first hit that the Rolling stones had in NZ in the 80's, it's curious that they would have two hits in Australia prior to this and yet this would be a flop here despite it being a hit for them in NZ. They would score one more hit in both countries as well as the rest of the world with "Harlem shuffle" three years after this.
#4616
Oh boy was this a pain to do research on, here we have a country cover of a ballad from the 50's that was only a hit in NZ this year likely due to country still reigning supreme over there as opposed to everywhere else in the world which had moved on to the likes of glam and early disco.
#4615
I don't know what's worse about this track, the fact that it was Gloria Gaynor's only hit in NZ or the fact that it was so much less successful over there than it was here in Australia despite being a quintessential disco classic that's survived the test of time. I would say the semi failure of this track was due to the kiwis preferring Donna Summer over her, except Donna didn't exactly take their charts by storm either.
#4614
This was a success twice over in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release due to spawning two of the biggest hits of 1989 worldwide whilst the second was when the band released their second album as it rebounded on the charts over there due to the momentum they had. This curiously bombed here in Australia, likely because we Aussies felt it was a bit too ahead of its time unlike the rest of the world.
#4613
Given how this was a massive hit for Gabrielle Cilmi here in Australia as well as in the UK (for some reason) it makes sense that the kiwis would also make it a success for her even if it set her up for a career that ultimately led nowhere in the long run. Indeed, her second album didn't even chart anywhere in the world outside of her homeland.
#4612
This is a bit of a strange entry from Kenny G, namely because this was a hit upon its initial release in NZ as opposed to it only being a hit after the success of his mainstream breakthrough Breathless two years later here in Australia. What's truly bizarre is that we Aussies at least gave him a chance initially with his debut album Duotones back in 1987 whereas the kiwis completely ignored him then.
#4611
This album's success confuses me in a number of ways, first off, it's the third greatest hits album to be a success in NZ since they had their final hit over there ("Hooray hooray" from 1979.) Secondly, it shares the name of their 1980 album which was a huge hit for them upon its initial release, thirdly it goes to show how much nostalgic love the kiwis had for the band that launched Frank Farian and to an extent Milli Vanilli into the public consciousness.
#4610
In what was the inverse of her career trajectory here in Australia, Marianne Faithful began the decade with her biggest album and then found progressively less success with each new release as the decade went on. This means that this will be her final entry on this side of my site as her 1983 effort was a complete dud with the kiwis.
#4609
There's not a lot of information I could find about these guys, however from what I could dig up, they were a hip hop band from NZ who scored their one and only hit with this entry before fading into obscurity. Judging by the quality of the song, I'd say they were a joke band similar to that of D12 from earlier in the decade.
#4608
It looks like these guys were able to score a second hit in their homeland with the lead single to their sophomore album, I guess this is proof that nu metal wasn't out of vogue just yet in NZ like it was throughout the rest of the world given that this easily would've flopped had these guys been from Australia and released it here.
#4607
Even though this was released on time in NZ as opposed to being delayed here in Australia (likely due to shenanigans when it came to streaming in both countries) this didn't achieve any more success over there than it did over here, suggesting that Rihanna's popularity was fleeting from the beginning and only became more sustainable as the decade went on.
#4606
I guess having the digital charts in full swing did Maroon 5 very little favours in NZ this year as this somehow managed to be less popular over there than it was over here in Australia even with our lack of digital sales handicapping this song's success, this just goes to show how the band's popularity was fading over there which would make their comeback in the early 2010's that much more surprising.
#4605
It appears the kiwis weren't very impressed with this title track to Steve Miller's sellout album this year like the rest of the world was, although then again, this was the first of only two hits he had over there given how "The joker" wouldn't be a success over there until seven years later when it was featured in a Levi Jeans ad in the UK. At least he had success with his albums over there throughout the 70's.
#4604
I did mention earlier on this list that these guys were only able to find success with their debut single in NZ due to the success of "Don't be shy," although it's worth noting that despite this appearing the lowest of their three hits on this list, it was technically their biggest hit due to how long it lasted on their charts throughout the year. Sadly, they wouldn't find any further success in either country as the decade went on.
#4603
This was originally released in 1994 to deafening silence for the 80's new wave band Satellite spies, although it was given a second chance this year for some reason that I can only speculate as a way of acknowledging the work of the underground NZ band. For what it's worth, the song has no relation to the Madness track of the same name despite sounding like it came out when that classic did.
#4602
It's odd that this would flop here in Australia given how it was a decent success over in NZ, although given the subject matter involving nuclear weapons and using aboriginal land as test sites, you can make the argument it made us Aussies uncomfortable in a way that didn't affect the kiwis. I should point out that my support of the aboriginal community is less about "white guilt" (whatever that's even supposed to be) and more about holding the Australian government accountable for their mistreatment of them over the years.
#4601
This is the only notable success for the NZ band Eye TV in their homeland, you'd think judging by their name they would be a pop rock band when in reality they're an alternative band who had been active since the start of the 90's as the Nixon’s. Despite finally scoring a massive hit in their homeland with this gem, they decided to call it quits the following year likely due to not handling their newfound fame very well.
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