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.
He may have only come in fourth place on the fifth season of American Idol, however that didn't prevent Chris Daughtry from finding success worldwide with a band he formed after losing on the reality series months later. Indeed, this was a minor sleeper hit here in Australia for the post grunge band and likely would've been a hit like it was in NZ had we better incorporated our digital data onto the main charts.
#2699
Following the success she had from High school musical, Vanessa Hudgeons decided to embark focus more on her singing career which was off to a good start in NZ with this teen pop number that even managed to briefly chart here in Australia, suggesting we Aussies were willing to give her solo career a chance as well. Alas, she never saw any other success outside of this and her role in the Disney franchise.
#2698
This is the only other song from Mariah Carey's comeback album to appear on this list, it saw a bit of an improvement in the rankings which suggests that the kiwis were gradually becoming more open to the idea of welcoming her back into the mainstream for the first time this century after a very public meltdown she had at the start of the decade no doubt scared them off from her catalogue.
#2697
This wasn't quite as successful over in NZ as it was here in Australia for Sara Bareilles, likely because the kiwis were more interested in the hip hop and RNB scene rather than the singer/songwriter scene like we Aussies were this year. While she didn't have as much success over there with her singles as she did over here, at least she had both of her hits here become a success over there for the exact same reasons.
#2696
Given the success of their debut single "I got" these guys already received, it only makes sense that their second single would not only become a hit in their homeland but also chart here in Australia, proving how interested we Aussies were in NZ hip hop which likely inspired us to check out our own hip hop scene later in the decade.
#2695
Emma Paki was one of several female singer/songwriters from NZ looking to make it big this year, in guessing she would've become a massive success in her homeland had Bic Runga not stolen her thunder later in the decade with her own music. Emma did achieve a massive hit with this entry over there and nothing else once her contemporary broke through after all.
#2694
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for Madonna, I'm guessing because the kiwis were more OK with her marriage to Sean Penn given how this was the theme to his film At close range which wasn't even a critical or commercial success back in the day. It was better received than the movie they did together which was Shanghai surprise, a film that looks terrible even by 80's standards.
#2693
This was one of many RNB acts from NZ to score moderate success in their homeland throughout the 90's, though it was far from the biggest hit that the RNB scene over there had to offer, it did spark enough interest here in Australia for it to rank pretty high on the Triple J year end list for this year. Sadly, it's commercial success in the duo's homeland and the critical success it received over here did the group very little favours in the long run.
#2692
This was the only hit the Beastie boys ever had in the southern hemisphere, mainly for the wacky music video which easily could've made my weirdest videos of the 90's like had it been a hit here in Australia. I'm guessing this was a success more for the hype that the trio had with the video as opposed to Australia where their album was a success due to an (in my opinion) terrible dance remix of their debut single.
#2691
If you thought the Abba phenomenon fell off a cliff here in Australia from their third to fourth albums, then it looks like it fell off the face of the earth over in NZ given how much less popular this lead single to said fourth album was over there compared to over here. That said, the Swedish foursome did bounce back over there with their next album given how big "Chiquitita" was compared to how well it did here.
#2690
This proved to be equally as successful for Livie in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, I guess her performance as Sandy from Grease really revive her career which had been on the decline since the midpoint of the decade. Naturally this was her first pop song she had that lacked any country elements or wasn't from a soundtrack, although it has sadly fallen by the wayside when discussing her discography.
#2689
Well, this song's absence on the Australian side of my site was certainly felt by yours truly, so let's rectify that by having by far the signature track from one of the more popular disco girl groups from the 70's. As the girls were indeed a family, this feels more like an anthem for the band rather than a cheap disco track preaching about the importance of family, which is perhaps why it's endured over the years.
#2688
The hits kept on coming for the Carpenters in NZ during the second half of the decade, I get the feeling that these two would've been equally as successful here in Australia if Countdown hadn't of deemed them to be uncool to help promote our local music scene.
#2687
This was equally as successful for Joan Armatrading in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was due to it being released at a time where musicians of colour were able to find success with the new wave genre given how their bread and butter up until this point was with either RNB or disco. The album this serves as a lead single to wasn't her biggest album in NZ as that honour went to My myself I from the start of the decade.
#2686
Following his departure from Five, ABS decided to embark on a solo career that was off to a good start with this solo debut single of his given how it was a big hit in NZ and his native UK. I guess it was interesting to see him abstain from rapping on this track given that's how he stood out from the other members of the boy band, however that only gave him one hit as the rest of his album would be a flop.
#2685
Well, I guess Paula Abdul having a hit with "Straight up" the previous year in NZ costed her a number one hit over there as this collaboration with the cartoon feline MC Skat Kat wasn't nearly as successful over there as it was over here in Australia. In fact, her album in general wasn't that big here as it was only a minor sleeper hit the previous year as opposed to being a massive hit down under this year.
#2684
This had a bit of a delay to its success in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't quite ready to allow a new generation of Sade in their music scene given how the original band were still quite popular at the time of this songs release over there. They changed their minds when the second single from the album became a success over there which pushed this up the charts as well.
#2683
This was the only hit that Herbie Hancock was able to achieve throughout his career, it's an instrumental that comes with a video that would've been a shoe in for my weirdest music videos list had it been a bigger hit in Australia. In fact, this was a minor success here back in the day, although it needed several attempts to crossover likely due to how strange this was even for the time it was released.
#2682
From what I can gather, Kid N Play were the hip hop duo of MC Hammer as they were kid friendly rappers who even had their own cartoon show similar to that of Hammerman (both of these shows look awful for the record.) I guess they also had an acting career which is perhaps how the kiwis managed to get their hands on this pop rap track this year.
#2681
You better believe that these guys were more popular in NZ than they were here in Australia this year, this was the first of two hits that they had over there given how both of these songs were massive hits in the UK of all places which resulted in their success internationally after two decades of that success being confined to their native America.
#2680
Around this time, the Muppets show premiered on TV which was such an instant success that the theme song (which was originally written for another project Jim Hensen was a part of) became a huge success albeit only in NZ for some reason. I guess this did chart here in Australia which likely led to Kermit the frog's solo hit from the end of the decade from the Muppet movie here.
#2679
This was the one and only hit for the Netherworld dancing toys, a NZ band who had a few minor hits throughout the decade and only made it big with this song months prior to calling it quits. The song is best known for being the launching pad for Annie Crummer who would go on to have massive success later in the decade and even in the 90's thanks to her unique vocals.
#2678
Well at least these guys were able to go out on a bigger bang in NZ given how this was at least twice as successful over there as it was over here for Sweet, I think this was because it was among their bigger hits on Billboard which was something considering it was released on time in America. There'll only be one more entry from the band as we go further back in the decade on this side of my site.
#2677
I think this was the only swing revival track to make it big in NZ (correct me if I'm wrong) it was admittedly an instant success over there unlike here in Australia where it failed to catch on for some reason. I guess we Aussies were growing tired of songs being carried by trumpet instrumentation as this song is mostly known for its usage of the instrument throughout its runtime.
#2676
This was the highest charting song from Guns n Roses's debut album in NZ, although it was an instant success over there as opposed to their earlier entry floating in and out of the top ten which explains why it was so inescapable for such a long time back in the day. This is another song of theirs that remains a staple on oldies stations to this day thanks to it being a song about getting away from the stress of the world.
#2675
Given that New edition was no more at the start of the decade, three of its members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie Deveo got together and formed a new group named after their surnames and focused more on hip hop starting with this track about a woman who they feel is poisonous for the person they're singing/rapping to. It was a huge hit for the trio in NZ and their native America but not here in Australia.
#2674
For the most part Donna Summer had more success in Australia than she did in NZ, this was the rare exception to that rule as this Oscar winning theme from Thank God it's Friday wasn't a hit at all here and yet was one of her biggest hits over in NZ this year. I guess she did manage to score two new entries on this side of my site even if all of her returning entries are much lower on their respective lists.
#2673
This is another huge hit in Australia that wasn't nearly as successful in NZ, I guess the kiwis felt that there wasn't much room for a lounge track this year given how there were plenty of other competing genres and sub genres trying to make it big over there this year. They did eventually allow this to be a hit over there likely because it was so inescapable down under.
#2672
I'm going to interpret this ballad's success in NZ and Gregory's native America as audiences finding it hilarious that he didn't realise what the term "shake you down" meant when he wrote this track, it's as good as explanation as to how this managed to become such as major hit back in the day and have no staying power on oldies stations anymore.
#2671
This had a slow rise to its success in NZ as the lead single sadly bombed over there upon its initial release the previous year, fortunately the second single became a surprise hit for Tom Petty over there which allowed it to rise up the charts at the start of the 90's. Sadly this would be the final success that he would have outside his native America as the rest of the decade wasn't kind to him internationally.
#2670
Unlike here in Australia where this took its sweet time in finding success, it appears this was more of an immediate success over in NZ for the Rolling stones likely due to the kiwis having more nostalgic love for their back catalogue than we Aussies did around this time.
#2669
If you're wondering how this album from a Greek conductor managed to become a success over in NZ just as the decade was coming to an end, that's due to it also serving as the soundtrack to the BBC series of the same name which proved to be quite popular throughout the world upon its initial release.
#2668
It appears the kiwis were just as much fans of the Austin Powers franchise as we Aussies were given how this also managed to become a huge success over there like it did over here, I guess this was through a combination of their love of James Bond and the 60's as the franchise (well the first two films at least) pay loving tribute to both which helps it remain endearing to this day.
#2667
They may have had less success in NZ overall than they did here in Australia, but at least the Police were able to have immediate success over there rather than having to wait until the new decade for this to take off after the success of their sophomore album. To be honest, I'm not even sure why this album initially failed here given how it not only had massive international success but fitted in perfectly with our music scene.
#2666
Although these guys didn't find any success with their albums following their reunion (at least not whilst Louisa Wisseling was the lead vocalist) here in Australia, they were able to score a massive hit in NZ with this entry likely suggesting the kiwis wanted to hear more form the Australian group even with the absence of Judith Durham.
#2665
This was the first major success that Scottish singer Isla Grant was able to achieve in NZ, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis were more open to the idea of seemingly ordinary people with impressive vocals making it big given the success of Susan Boyle worldwide from earlier on this list.
#2664
This was the first big album that AC/DC had over in NZ, this is likely due to the international success of their previous album which was a huge flop over there for some reason the previous year.
#2663
This was a moderate success for Metallica in NZ, mainly for the good will they achieved earlier in the decade with the black album as the singles over there were noticeably less successful than they were here in Australia. People will complain that they sold out here, however it's more their songs were more radio friendly than them selling out entirely.
#2662
While this proved to be more of a success in NZ for Lisa Stansfield than it did here in Australia, the obvious trade off was that the lead single was only barely a success over there as opposed to it being a massive success here and the rest of the world. It's strange that a vocalist as unique as her wouldn't find any other success in her career anywhere in the world after this solo breakthrough.
#2661
These guys were on a roll in NZ as they found success over there with the second album they released in the decade, this one follows the same theme as their biggest album which allows Midge Ure to croon over the band's new wave melodies that connected better with the kiwis than it did us Aussies back in the day.
#2660
Given how Geoff Sewell was the NZ member from Amici Forever, it only seems natural that he would find massive success in his homeland with a solo album given how his presence was likely the reason why the British opera band managed to achieve so much success over there to begin with.
#2659
This was far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I'm not sure why as both Jay-Z and Linkin Park found more success over there than they did by this point in time as did anything related to MTV. I guess it was less popular due to it failing to spawn a hit with "Numb/Encore" like it did over here.
#2658
The step-up franchise had almost the exact same trajectory of success in NZ as it did here in Australia, that being the first entry's soundtrack was a flop with the second entry being more successful due to spawning one of the biggest hits of the decade with its lead single.
#2657
This was less of a success in NZ for Elton John back in the day, perhaps due to the kiwis also wanting a reunion with him and Bernie Taupin which wouldn't happen for at least another two years after its initial release.
#2656
Much like the rest of the world, this penultimate album from Tool (as of this writing at least) was a massive success for them in NZ meaning that fans were eagerly awaiting their next album for thirteen years as the members pursued other activities and touring extensively before finally delivering on their next album in 2019.
#2655
This album often gets overlooked in UB40's catalogue, likely because it doesn't have one of their covers that made it big and is instead mostly filled with original tracks that the members wrote. Indeed, the lead single was a rare hit they had in NZ that was an original track, much like their debut single from the start of the decade.
#2654
This wasn't quite as successful for Abba in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the lead single did eat up a bunch of its success over there as opposed to it being less successful here to allow the album to flourish. In any case, it was their final big hit over there as they band struggled for mainstream relevancy going into the 80's which certainly wasn't the case down under.
#2653
This was a greatest hits package covering the works of all of the Osmond family, meaning this has the big hits from the band, Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond throughout the first half of the decade. It was a big success in NZ given how Donny and Marie were able to score hits over there as opposed to here in Australia, however those hits dried up after this became a success for the family.
#2652
Given how popular the "murder remixes" of both "I'm real" and "Ain't it funny" was at the time, J-Lo decided to commission an entire "remix" album where she gets a bunch of rappers to duet with her which proved to be a massive success in certain parts of the world this year. It wasn't a success here in Australia given how we Aussies didn't care much for these "remixes."
#2651
You'd think that this would've been inescapably popular in Margaret's homeland given how much more successful it was here in Australia when it eventually crossed over here, sadly you'd be wrong as while the lead single was a massive success upon its initial release, the same can't be said for the album which only lingered around the lower half of their charts for half the time it charted over here.
#2650
While we won't be having any repeat entries from Stevie Nicks on the NZ side of this side, I can at least proudly say that Tom Petty will be having plenty more representation over here as he managed to score a ton of success over there outside of his collaboration with the Fleetwood Mac singer. This was his second successful album over there that he released around the time "Stop dragging my heart around" was a hit down under.
#2649
This was also a success for the Smashing pumpkins in NZ this year, they may have been unable to handle their fame like so many talented alt rock bands before and after them, but at least that didn't come across in their music.
#2648
This proved to be more of a success for Eric Clapton in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing the kiwis were more willing to keep him around following the success of his appearance on MTV two years prior even if his popularity came to an end once his final hit "Change the world" dropped off the charts worldwide.
#2647
Much like here in Australia, this was only a modest success in NZ earlier in the decade for the king of pop, its true popularity wasn't realised until this year when he tragically passed away from health complications.
#2646
I think this was the album that was meant to become a success on the Australian side of my site, I included a reissue of their 1980 album because that's what appeared on the weekly charts I used when compiling these lists. Either way, this was the second greatest hits package from Dr Hook to become a success in the southern hemisphere.
#2645
I guess the kiwis were more willing to hear a serious song from D12 than us Aussies were given how there wasn't any signs of this song being pulled from shelves over here like so many other entries on this list that saw a massive improvement in the rankings. Indeed, this serious tone that the track takes is the complete opposite of their other two hits down under which were far more juvenile.
#2644
This was the first hit that T.I had as a lead artist, much like "I wanna love you" from Akon, this also is a censored version of a much filthier track which is perhaps why it was able to catch on in NZ where it failed to do so in most parts of the world. The rapper would have much more commercial success the following year thanks to him conforming to the pop trends of the day.
#2643
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because word got out that this was a charity single in her native UK and audiences feeling that they would be supporting Sports relief if they bought the song internationally (I'm not sure if international proceeds counted towards the charity or not.) It was the only other hit she had over there as was the case over here.
#2642
This was a surprise hit for Nelly in NZ this year, mainly because it was us Aussies who would give him the sporadic hit over the next decade making this song's failure over here a bit perplexing in hindsight. Indeed, I get the feeling that audiences were only handing him success with theses tracks in the hopes that he would release an album that would live up to the standards of Country grammar or Nellyville.
#2641
At least the one good song from Encore (in my and many others opinion) managed to be more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it serves as a profound take on what audiences felt was going to be inevitable as tensions in the world government led to theories that there would be a return of mandatory conscription in most parts of the world which thankfully turned out to be false.
#2640
This proved to be slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, it really is a shame how Britney saw far less success over in NZ this decade than she did down under even if many people (me included) felt that the quality of her music dramatically dropped when she released her album Blackout two years prior. This is the last song in her career that those people will tell you is decent.
#2639
This managed to be released on time in NZ for Sean Kingston, not only that, but it also saw instant success over there as opposed to here where it really needed to work its way up to its success with us Aussies. This is probably because the kiwis were still in love with reggae music (and still are to this day from what I can gather) which was a genre that Sean was a part of throughout his career.
#2638
This entry is to cover how well this song did before the RIANZ charts converted to a top 40 in 2004, I feel like I should mention these entries where I can on this list given how vastly different the charts were when this transition happened.
#2637
This was the only major hit that Plies had over in NZ, likely because it has a chorus from Akon who was unstoppable over there this year as well as the rapper having some buzz over there following the success of "Shawty" he had in his native America. He would have one more hit in his homeland with "Bust it baby" before he faded into obscurity as did the entire crunk genre in his homeland.
#2636
This was the first hit that Poison had in NZ, it was a minor hit here in Australia, but it appears we Aussies preferred their more bombastic hair metal tracks over this Billboard chart topper where the band dials it back for the easy listening crowd. This ballad helped their album finally become a success over there given how "Nothing but a good time" didn't even chart there in the previous year.
#2635
The hits seemed to keep on coming for CJ Lewis in NZ as he managed to score a big hit over there with the title track to his second album, it proved to be much bigger there than it was in his native UK as was everything else in his catalogue as he didn't have much success in on the British charts with his brand of pop reggae.
#2634
This was a medley of two covers from 70's staples that Will to Power made that became a number one hit in their native America, those two songs being "Baby I love your way" from Peter Frampton and "Freebird" from Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was a flop in most parts of the world except for NZ where it became a big hit for the band likely due to the kiwis nostalgia for the two tracks this year.
#2633
This was another hit that Ruby Turner managed to achieve in NZ despite it being a flop for her in her native UK, I guess her success over there was what led to a trend of RNB artists finding bigger success over there than their homelands throughout the 90's. In any case, we have her cover of the Stevie Wonder track which was a huge flop for him back in the day, meaning this is likely the definitive version over there.
#2632
This is the only hit that Spanish born German singer Luisa Fernandez achieved anywhere in the world, I'm guessing she made it big in NZ due to the high number of European artists making it big throughout the 70's and her being part of the shuffle over there and not over here.
#2631
This was so much less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because it was released slightly later over there than it was here meaning that the kiwis weren't as ready to make Kim Wilde a success as we Aussies were. Admittedly this song did have its popularity boosted here when she performed it on Countdown, so perhaps if she did the same thing over there it would be much bigger.
#2630
This was a girl group that was put together by P Diddy, I'm guessing so that he could enter the girl band wars that was far less prevalent worldwide given how they mostly took place in the UK where the Spice Girls were the clear winners despite pulling out of the competition early on compared to their rivals. Dream managed to score a hit with their debut single in NZ and their native America and nowhere else in the world.
#2629
I think this was one of the first EDM tracks that made the kiwis realise what they were missing out on over there given how it managed to become a huge hit there for the Swiss DJ Robert Miles. Admittedly it as far more successful here in Australia due to EDM still being at the height of its popularity here, however the kiwis couldn't resist this instrumental track back in the day.
#2628
Even though this is credited as a Lil Kim track, it's really a posse cut with her, Da Brat, Left Eye Lopez from TLC, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez and was made for the Nothing to lose soundtrack of all things. Apparently, this is a remix of a song from her debut album given how it heavily samples the Kool and the Gang classic "Ladies night," naturally it's flipped so that it's about the girls not putting out for their male audience.
#2627
This was an even bigger hit in NZ for Elton John this year, there's two possible theories I have for why this is. The first is that the kiwis preferred this borderline instrumental track to his lead single from his first album without Bernie Taupin (at least on full songwriting duties as this was donated to Elton by him) the second is that the kiwis were touched by his performance of this track on Countdown which was introduced by Dame Edna more than us Aussies were.
#2626
OK so I may have a theory for why Donna's earlier entry on this list wasn't as big as it was here in Australia, it turns out her label issued the title track of her final disco album as a single so soon after "Hot stuff" that her previous entry hadn't even reached number one on Billboard when it entered the charts. Naturally we Aussies ignored the title track (hence why it didn't appear on the Australian side of this list) whereas the kiwis made both of them a hit at the same time.
#2625
It appears the kiwis weren't as invested with this showstopping ballad from Grease as we Aussies were, perhaps they wanted to hear the bangers on the soundtrack and only made this a success due to the passionate performance that Livie gives on the song. Admittedly it does feel in line with her earlier material from both the sound and especially the lyrical content.
#2624
Well at least this song's success was punctual in NZ, likely because the kiwis were in love with Bobby's solo debut album this year thanks to the success of "My prerogative" (which is still to come on this list.) I guess I should talk about the song itself given how it's one of the catchiest songs in Bobby's career, it also comes with a rap verse depending on which version of the song you're looking at.
#2623
Although it did chart in NZ, "The rain" wasn't a huge hit over there for Missy Elliott which is strange because this second single from her was likely due to the presence of Da Brat who had a minor hit over there with "Funkdafied" from earlier in the decade. Both of these women also appeared on Lil Kim's posse cut from the previous year, so that's likely the real reason why this collaboration took off over there.
#2622
This was another big hit in Australia that wasn't quite as big in NZ this year, although this time I think it's more due to the fact the kiwis didn't want older songs that already had their chance at making it big to mingle with the first hits of MTV but capitulated on this track due to how popular it was everywhere else in the world for Charlene.
#2621
You'd think that one of the big hits that En Vogue would have this year in NZ would either be "My loving" or "Free your mind," instead it was their cover of an obscure track that Aretha Franklin made in the mid 70's which of course means that they managed to have a bigger hit with this version over there than the queen of soul ever had even in her native America back in the day.
#2620
This was only a minor hit here in Australia this year, as such it failed to appear on the Australian side of my site despite it being a perfect shoe in for that list for being a mashup of the Beach boys back catalogue. It was a much bigger hit for the band over in NZ again due to it fitting in perfectly with the trends of the year.
#2619
This was almost a chart topper for Stevie Wonder in NZ, meaning that the first two hits he finally scored over there were so popular that it more or less confirmed him as a major hit maker as far as the kiwis were concerned. It's hard to say if this is more of a country track or a disco as Stevie seems to be walking that line on this second single from his album Hotter than July.
#2618
It seems weird to me that Ja Rule's only repeat entries on this side of my site would be his collaborations with Ashanti, it makes you think the two were dating when in reality they only ever had a professional relationship with each other (she was dating Nelly for the record.) This time, the song was a success likely due to the video which pays obvious homage to the 70's cult classic Grease.
#2617
While this wasn't a number one hit here in Australia, that didn't prevent it from finding success in NZ this year proving that the kiwis were still into EDM and supporting Australian artists going into the new millennium. I doubt the kiwis understood the point in Joanne being "featured" by BZ given how the original from Bluezone was a flop over there as well and that they likely didn't realise Lisa Stansfield was the lead singer.
#2616
Well at least this managed to become a hit over in NZ even if it was to a much lesser scale than it was here in Australia, indeed Styx didn't have any other hits over there apart from this ballad which suggests that only their fellow Americans were in love with their soft rock from back in the day. Still at least they got interesting as the decade went on if their final hit "Mr. Roboto" is anything to go by.
#2615
Although this became a chart topper for Atomic Kitten in NZ whereas the original didn't, the original was still more successful over there than this rendition likely because it was purely through nostalgia of that version which allowed this to become a massive hit for the British trio over a decade after its release. Still, at least it was a massive hit over there and in their native UK as opposed to here in Australia where it wasn't.
#2614
Well Tony Toni Tone already had success earlier in the decade, so why not have these guys follow in their footsteps in NZ and their native America? This is another band who combined hip hop with new jack swing who managed to score a bigger hit in NZ than anything that the other guys released over there, although they were a one hit wonder over there and also failed to score a hit in Australia.
#2613
I would say that the kiwis were more on board with this endorsement of the Holiday in hotel chain except that the more likely explanation for this song's success over there was due to it coming from Chingy, Ludacris and Snoop Dogg who were all on a roll this year with their respective careers. Sadly, for Chingy himself, his popularity would die out once "Balla baby" fell off the charts worldwide.
#2612
This was an even bigger hit for Go West in NZ this year, in fact it was arguably bigger over there than the duo's native America which no doubt led to the success of their debut album during the midpoint of the 80's. I guess this early success for the band came at a cost for them over there as "King of wishful thinking" was a huge flop for them in 1990 where it was a big succes worldwide.
#2611
This was a straight cover of the Ben E King classic of the same name from the short lived American RNB group 4 the cause, this was another group that found success throughout Europe despite never having a hit on the Billboard charts this year, likely due to their fellow Americans not appreciating this cover as much as the rest of the world did. This did briefly chart in Australia the following year, suggesting we Aussies would make it a hit but changed our minds at some point.
#2610
This was the biggest hit that Berlin had in NZ, granted "Take my breath away" did chart over there, but it wasn't the big inescapable success that it was internationally likely due to the kiwis feeling that the band sold out with that ballad from Top gun. This did chart here in Australia due to the band performing it on Countdown this year, however only the kiwis got on board with this new wave dance track.
#2609
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, or more specifically, it charted much higher over there likely due to it being written by Lionel Richie and likely given to Kenny to try and help him crossover to the pop sphere in their native America. It worked out for them if that was the case as both men scored a number one hit with this ballad on Billboard.
#2608
While Ja Rule did have massive success with his album Pain is love in NZ, it appears that the kiwis were only interested in his "thugs need love too" songs as his only hits he had over there had Ashanti involved on the chorus as opposed to here in Australia where he at least had a few other hits without her. That said, this did manage to be a bigger hit for them over in NZ than it was here in Australia.
#2607
If you can believe it, there was a time that this wasn't considered an LGBT anthem as this was made back in the days where it was mostly frowned upon to be openly queer in the world (thankfully that's no longer the case.) Instead, this was meant as Diana Ross stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing with the changing of times, although the lyrics can easily suggest she was coming out of the closet.
#2606
This may have charted higher in NZ due to the kiwis being more enamoured by the alien concept of this track, however it was ultimately as successful over there as it was over here as we Aussies were also eventually won over by their alien concept from this track and the album it was pulled from.
#2605
This was the Welsh crooner's first UK chart topper as "This ole house" didn't quite make it to number one in his homeland like it did here in Australia, I bring this up because this wasn't a chart topper in NZ meaning that he never had a number one hit in all three countries throughout his career. There's nothing else I can add about this guy or his discography at this point, so I thought I'd bring that up.
#2604
This was the first of three hits that Jona Lewie scored anywhere in the world, this was a minor hit here in Australia for the British new wave singer, but it wasn't until the following year where we made him a household name down under. Indeed, this was his biggest hit in NZ with his biggest hit here "Louise" being a flop over there the following year.
#2603
I still can't believe this was a flop for the New radicals in their native America, I know those shout outs to all those celebrities that the band didn't like were a bit uncalled for, but was that really enough of an incentive to boycott this track back in the day? It certainly wasn't outside of America as this became a huge success for the band thanks to how catchy it is as well as the lyrics being more intelligent than you'd realise.
#2602
OK I try to avoid using album art that has any indication of a song being popular in a certain country, however this is the only album art I could find for this one and only hit from the British reggae duo Typically tropical that didn't have the cover model topless or in an otherwise sexually provocative stance (even this will probably be titillating to my audience if I'm being honest.) Suffice to say, this was a song meant to put audiences in the mindset of being in a tropical paradise which connected with the kiwis and their fellow Brits.
#2601
Even though these guys are best known for their earlier entry on this list, this ballad from the Miami sound machine is a better representation of their music given how they were more in line with adult contemporary which perhaps explains Gloria Estefan's musical direction once she left the band later in the decade. It was their third and final hit over there after the success of "Conga" and "Bad boy."
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