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.
#1700
This is an album that would qualify for my comeback list had I based that list on comebacks over in NZ rather than Australia, after all, Britney has had a very rocky decade since her second album given how everything she released between Oops I did it again and this album was a massive failure for her over there save for "Toxic" and "Piece of me." This winning streak sadly didn't last for her going into the new decade.
#1699
It looked like James Blunt saw equal success with his second album in NZ like he did here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis considered him to be an album artist even though the lead single from the album was more of a hit over there than it was over here likely due to the assistance of digital sales. His popularity would continue into the 2010's over there like it did over here.
#1698
This was an instant success in NZ for Garbage, certainly more so than it was here in Australia where it required one of its tracks to be featured in an (in my opinion) terrible Adam Sandler comedy the following year for it to be a success. Their popularity would continue well into the new millennium, especially with their third album which finally spawned them a genuine hit on the Australian charts.
#1697
This was originally released earlier in the decade to deafening silence, I'm not sure why it wasn't a hit upon its initial release given how Elvis was still able to find success with his singles throughout the world. This became a hit this year due to his tragic passing just like the second edition of this series.
#1696
We haven't seen Kelly Rowland on this site since her work with Destiny's child from four years prior, at least we Aussies gave her a hit with "Work" the previous year whereas the kiwis clearly didn't want to hear from her anymore now that she was no longer part of Beyonce's old band save for this collaboration with David Guetta which was equally as successful in both countries.
#1695
This was the lead single to Sean Kingston's second album, an album that did rather poorly worldwide compared to his debut likely due to audiences finding more love with the likes of Jay Sean and Taio Cruz exiting the decade. The kiwis had a little bit of love left for him given how he would find more success the following year with his collaboration with Justin Bieber than anywhere else in the world.
#1694
I actually feel this songs placement on this list is a bit inaccurate to how popular it was given how it was overplayed to hell and back here in Australia back in the day, at least it's a far more respectable placement on this list than it was on the Australian equivalent. Much like the rest of the world, Hoobastank remain a one hit wonder in NZ with this rock ballad about a failed relationship.
#1693
While Linkin Park was shying away from their nu metal roots when it came to their sound, that didn't mean their lyrical scope had changed as lyrically this wouldn't feel out of place on their earlier works even if the instrumentation was more at home with the likes of My Chemical Romance or Panic! at the disco from around this time. It appears this wasn't a deal breaker for the kiwis like it was for us Aussies.
#1692
Given that his earlier entry on this list went on to be one of the biggest hits of the decade in NZ (despite only barely cracking their top five) this second single from the Californian rapper was also a huge hit for him over there despite not even charting here in Australia given how it wasn't attached to a popular film of the moment. In fact, his other big Australian hit "What's love got to do with it" was also attached to a film now that I think about it.
#1691
This was an E.P to come from the Clean, a NZ rock band who was massively popular at the time if the chart run of this E.P is anything to go by as it charted like it belonged on the albums chart on their singles chart.
#1690
Even though this was eventually a minor hit later in the decade in Australia with "George," this was originally a hit this year for the Headless chickens given how it was more in line with the early UK rave scene of the 90's than the band's later material. It's little wonder that it was a huge hit for the band despite them having earlier entries on the NZ charts from the late 80's.
#1689
Given how Five for fighting's earlier entry on this list was considered as the unofficial anthem for 9/11 in NZ instead of this track from Enrique Iglesias, it meant that it wouldn't have the same impact over there as it did here in Australia which seems to have largely affected the sales of his second English speaking album over there as while it was successful, it won't be appearing on this side of my site.
#1688
This was another song that managed to find more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, although it does feel odd this was the case given how Daft Punk managed to achieve success over there around this time here in Australia and yet the French duo failed to replicate that success over there like this fellow French duo did.
#1687
Well, this was equally as random in NZ given how at least "Quit playing games with my heart" was a hit for them in the UK and their native America prior to them releasing this lead single to their second album which declared them to be back. I'm sure if their debut album was a hit in the southern hemisphere then this would've easily been their biggest hit here given the context of when it came out.
#1686
As it turns out, the part where it sounds like there's someone playing two saxophones at once was exactly what happened during the recording of this song, so much so that even in live shows the saxophonists repeats this feat which is usually the highlight of one of their concerts. While it wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia, the kiwis were still clearly amused by this track enough to make it a hit.
#1685
This wasn't nearly as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because while the kiwis found it irresistibly catchy like the rest of the world, they felt that there were other bands at the time that combined rock with soul that they could give their attention to (as we've seen on these lists already.) Still, it was a massive hit there even before it became a Billboard chart topper for the British/American band.
#1684
This was the only hit that Marcia Hines had over in NZ, it's curious it was with this track and not one of her many other hits throughout the 70's over there which were all much more popular here in Australia than this was. That said it was likely due to this crossing over to NZ for the Australian musician of colour that allowed her to finally have international interest in her career.
#1683
Although she scored a massive hit with "World in union" this year in the UK of all places, it was this album from Kiri Te Kanawa that made her a household name in her homeland this year likely due to it being a collaboration album between fellow opera singer Malcolm Mcneill.
#1682
This was an inevitable success for Janet Jackson in NZ given how much more popular she was over there compared to Australia, heck her popularity was still stronger over there after this came out as her next album would spawn more hits there than it did here much like the rest of her catalogue.
#1681
It only makes sense that the kiwis would find more love for this breakthrough album for Gnarls Barkley than we Aussies did given how this combines all of the elements that the kiwis love the most when it comes to their music scene. As such, we have the only album anyone has ever cared about from the duo reappearing on this site, this unfortunately means their second album won't be appearing on here at all.
#1680
Well, it appears the kiwis were more forgiving towards these guys providing more of the same as their earlier entry on this list than us Aussies were, the results were a slightly more successful album over there than it was here in Australia as well as it occasionally popping back into the charts whenever the band released a new album throughout the 80's.
#1679
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for System of a down as was the other album they released this year (stay tuned for it later down this list) this just goes to show how popular alt rock was during the midpoint of the decade worldwide even with all the reality show contestants clogging up our charts.
#1678
While it wasn't as big as his first live album this decade in NZ (impressive considering it came out two years prior to when the RIANZ charts launched) this album recorded as the Greek theatre was nonetheless a huge success over there for Neil Diamond back in the day.
#1677
This was initially a minor success for Stone temple pilots in NZ, I guess the kiwis felt there were too many alternative bands to choose from at the time and passed this up for the likes of Smashing pumpkins and R.E.M. They were won over by the album eventually likely due to how popular it was here in Australia and also due to the lack of competition it had in their alternative scene.
#1676
Unlike in Australia where this was an inescapable success for Robbie Williams, it was only a decent success in NZ likely due to his earlier catalogue already been discovered by the kiwis with his first greatest hits package from the start of the decade and this feeling a tad unnecessary given the success of his previous three albums over there.
#1675
Their big international hit from earlier in the decade might have been far less successful in NZ than it was everywhere else in the world, however at least the kiwis made up for that blunder by giving Alien Ant Farm a second hit over there with this track which wasn't the case anywhere else in the world including their native America. I guess this made it big this year due to the sudden interest in rock music over there.
#1674
You may be forgiven into thinking that Nina Sky was a solo project, it's actually comprised of twin sisters who present themselves as a single person in a similar vein to the Veronicas from later in the decade. This was a massive worldwide hit for the girls and one I remember hearing quite a bit back in the day, making its failure in Australia all the stranger to me as the song did chart over here this year.
#1673
This was about as equally successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for BEP, I'm guessing because we Aussies appreciated the lyric change to the album track known as "Let's get retarded" much more than the kiwis did who likely felt that censoring the track defeated the purpose of the lyrics. Admittedly it does, but in that case, you probably should've gone with a different track to release as a single.
#1672
While the placement on this list from Chingy's third single suggests it was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I should remind my readers of the stiffer competition every song reappearing on here had over there which makes this a much bigger hit for him over there than it was over here. This was to be expected given how much more popular he was with the kiwis than with us Aussies at the time.
#1671
This was Sugar Ray's only success in NZ, likely due to the animated video that aired on Cartoon Network which is honestly my only memories of this song back in the day here in Australia (admittedly it was a huge flop here despite it airing on the program.) It could also be that it makes for a good beach jam as do a few other entries on this list that failed to appear on the Australian side of this site.
#1670
Given how Talk Talk managed to achieve minor success in NZ throughout the 80's, I guess it makes sense that this cover of one of their most iconic tracks from No doubt would see more success over in NZ even if that success came a bit late over there compared to over here where it was a hit upon its initial release. This is likely what eased the kiwis into accepting Gwen's solo career from earlier on this list.
#1669
This was still the biggest hit that Icehouse had in NZ like it was here in Australia, although it wasn't as successful over there due to patriotism making it a bigger hit here in Australia even if it was still a massive success for the band. This song allowed the lead single to eventually climb up the charts over there and become a sleeper success (which we'll be looking at later down this list.)
#1668
Well, here's that other big hit from the Spin doctors from their debut album that they had in NZ this year, it's just as catchy as the big international hit that had but is instead about a woman that the narrator finds to be a bit too condescending to be around (presumably an ex-girlfriend.) It was one more hit they had in NZ than they did everywhere else in the world, meaning they were most successful over there.
#1667
This was the only hit that Rita Coolidge had in NZ, like Australia it was a cover of a song that was a complete flop over there back in the day (at least according to the Listener charts) however unlike Australia, the kiwis atoned for this by giving Jackie Wilson a genuine hit ten years after this albeit due to a creepy Claymation music video.
#1666
While this was slightly more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I think that's more because Westlife were fairly inescapable over there during the first half of the decade as opposed to them finding more love with this cover of the Billy Joel classic than we Aussies did. I didn't mention that this was a bonus track from the deluxe edition of their second album, mainly because that didn't seem to be important on the Australian equivalent of this list.
#1665
While Genesis did have hits with the two songs I featured on the Australian side of this site in NZ, this was their biggest hit over there which is odd because it came from their self-titled album from three years prior and only became a success this year due to their (then) most recent album Invisible touch. The success of this track over there encouraged the kiwis to bring further success to the album it came from.
#1664
This was equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the Backstreet boys, meaning the kiwis were officially invested in the second round of the boy band wars of the 90's given how they sat out the first round from the first half of the decade. For some reason, this wasn't released as a single in their native America until the following year.
#1663
This was slightly less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I guess once you factor in the stiffer competition it had over there compared to over here, then you can argue it was equally as successful in both countries for Sophie. It turns out this was a much bigger hit over there than her biggest hit here in Australia, although that is still to come so it's not like the kiwis ignored it or anything.
#1662
Want to hear a song that can be best described as Jamaican disco? Well Dan I did just that on this track where he managed to score a massive hit in NZ and nowhere else in the world with this formula. I think at this point, the kiwis were willing to reward anything that was either from Jamaica or in the disco genre, giving out bonus points if they somehow managed to intersect with each other.
#1661
I guess I should talk about the song itself in this entry given how we all know what happened to her once this became her final hit anywhere in the world, this is a song about the love of Janet's life that the kiwis and her fellow Americans found more endearing back in the day than we Aussies did. It was a bit of a comeback for her in NZ considering the disappointing turnout of her singles from the Velvet rope over there.
#1660
If you're wondering why this solo debut from Ronan Keating has a much lower placement on this list compared to how well it did on the Australian side of my site, that's because the deluxe edition of the album was a massive flop for it over there which means most of its success came from its initial release given how much hype that went into the album following his departure from Boyzone the previous year.
#1659
Well, this album had little issues with being a success for Toni Braxton upon its initial release in NZ, mainly because she didn't need to wait for her big hit from the album to become as such in the UK before it crossed over there like it did here in Australia. With that said, her popularity over there dwindled rather quickly as her second album didn't see the same level of success as it did here.
#1658
Given how immensely popular his debut album was in NZ back in the day, it only makes sense that the success his first two albums had over there would be the complete inverse of what they achieved here in Australia albeit if the less popular of the two albums was still a massive mainstream success.
#1657
Much like here in Australia, this breakthrough album from Groove Armada wasn't a hit upon its initial release over in NZ the previous year, it only becoming a success this year likely due to one of the songs becoming a runaway hit on the radio, although I don't remember anything other than "I see you baby" being played on the radio which isn't on the album. The main difference is that this was way more popular over there than it was over here.
#1656
Steely Dan was popular from the start in NZ it seems, this was another successful album they had over there that was only barely a hit here in Australia likely due to our local music scene pushing this album out of the competition down under.
#1655
I guess the kiwis needed some persuasion into making this soundtrack to the theatrical adaptation of Evita a success given how A: it's an Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation which tends to be a critical and commercial failure save for this one adaptation and B: it had Madonna in the starring role who usually gives in a bad performance save for this one film.
#1654
Well they did begin the decade with one of the biggest hits of the year in the form of its lead single in the southern hemisphere, so there was little doubt that this album from Faith no more would be as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia even if that success would dwindle throughout the decade over there for the rap rock band in favour of the likes of Rage against the machine and RHCP.
#1653
Given the success he had with his first album from two years prior, it makes sense that Martin Winch would make a follow up to his Espresso guitar album by turning it into a series that also saw massive success with its second instalment. The novelty must have worn off by the time he released the third instalment later in the decade as that was a massive flop for him.
#1652
I told you the kiwis were on board with this final album from the 12th man like we Aussies were, although it wasn't an immediate success over there like it was over here, suggesting that he wasn't exactly a mega superstar there like he was over here during this point in time.
#1651
Unlike here in Australia where this folk ballad was only a success due to its inclusion on the Devil wears Prada soundtrack, this managed to be a success over in NZ upon its initial release for KT Tunstall which means that the kiwis instantly enjoyed this optimistic ballad about seeing the bright side of things. This naturally led to her having massive success with her album over there that outright flopped over here.
#1650
This was a hit twice in NZ during its chart run, the first time was upon its initial release and the second was following the series finale of the reality show that INXS aired in order to determine who their new lead vocalist would be following the tragic passing of Michael Hutchence from 1997. It looked like the band was back in the mainstream given how popular this song was in the southern hemisphere, alas they weren't.
#1649
I guess I should talk about the song itself given how it wasn't bundled together with Beyonce's earlier entry on this list, this is one of the earliest songs to become a success that can be considered a misandrist anthem given how she manages to degrade the entire male gender on the song without any sense of humour of irony. As such, you can guess which demographic considers this to be a classic even to this day.
#1648
This was just another hit that Dr Hook had in NZ given how this was around the peak of their popularity over there, indeed this was even released slightly earlier over there than it was here despite it being equally as popular in both countries this year likely due to how much of a bop it remains to this day.
#1647
This was a much bigger hit in NZ this year than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis were all on board with the disco trend that was exploding around this time worldwide and that we Aussies needed a big more convincing before we were completely on board with it. Even though this was a much bigger hit over there, it wasn't enough to get Van out of the one hit wonder bin with his big UK hit "The shuffle."
#1646
I guess the kiwis weren't as touched by this tribute from Roxy music to John Lennon as we Aussies were this year, mind you this was a huge chart topper here due to the band performing it on Countdown during their Australian tour this year. It was still the band's biggest hit over there, although considering how big their albums were, that's not really much of an endorsement.
#1645
This was the only hit that Chris De Burgh had in NZ, heck I'm willing to bet this likely wouldn't have even been a hit over there if it weren't for the fact that it was such a huge success here and in his native UK. An interesting fact I have about its success in the southern hemisphere is that it was exactly the same over there as it was for Paul Simon's earlier entry in both countries, I just found that interesting.
#1644
It appears the behind the scenes drama involving this song from Destiny's child didn't appeal much to the kiwis when it came to the song itself as though their album greatly benefitted from it over there like it did worldwide, it wasn't the case with the song which achieved the same level of success over there it would've had two of its members not found out they were fired from the band by viewing its music video.
#1643
Whilst we Aussies only started handing success to Prince on his third album Controversy, the kiwis were there for him at the very start of his career as this funk track from the Purple one managed to be a massive hit over there even though it underperformed for him on the Billboard charts this year. Of course, this was merely the beginning when it came to the rich and expansive catalogue he had to offer.
#1642
This wasn't a sleeper hit in NZ like it was here in Australia, it's release was delayed because for some reason, being a hit in their native UK wasn't enough incentive to crossover internationally this year, but it was released when it became a surprise hit in America as well as it crossing over down under due to it being the final song to be performed on Countdown.
#1641
Although he would have a moderate success in NZ ten years later with "For your love," as far as the rest of the world is concerned, this is the final hit that Stevie Wonder had in his career. It was a huge chart topper for him in NZ and his native America this year, likely due to him being immensely popular this year thanks to his Oscar winning ballad from earlier on this list as well as his affiliation with USA for Africa.
#1640
Well, this isn't a rock and roll rendition of the Shocking blue classic made popular by Bananarama twelve years prior, instead this is a unique track which happens to share the name of those two songs from NZ rock band the Feelers which became a massive success over there following the release of their debut album.
#1639
This is another west coast hip hop track to become big exclusively in NZ as this flopped on the Billboard charts for the Californian band Dove shack, I'm not even sure how the kiwis came across this track other than perhaps an endorsement from Warren G as the fellow west coast rapper did feature them on a bunch of his material.
#1638
This was the second chart topper that U2 had in NZ following "Pride" from three years prior, it blows my mind that each of the singles from the Joshua tree were more successful over there than they were over here considering how they each remain a household name on the oldie's stations here in Australia to this day.
#1637
This was a little late to the party in NZ, in fact I'm willing to bet this was only a success over there due to it being one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia given how few songs from what has been dubbed the Lilith Fair crowd became hits over there during the 90's.
#1636
Before "One sweet day" broke chart records, this was the song about making a dedication to your fallen friends to make it big as DRS managed to come up with the formula when they released this song as their debut single which became a massive hit for them in NZ and their native America. Of course, the likes of Boyz II Men and Bone thugs n harmony would perfect this formula as the decade went on.
#1635
Quincy Jones already had a minor hit from the start of the decade with "I'll be good to you," so here he is with another posse cut he made with the likes of Babyface and Tamia (best known for her feature on Fobolous's track "Into you") with additional help from Portrait and Barry White of all people. It was a massive success in NZ and nowhere else in the world for reasons I can't seem to fathom.
#1634
This was always meant to be the fourth and final single from 2pac's third album All eyez on me, heck the video was completed before he was murdered meaning that he had every intention of this song being released as a single before his death. I feel I should mention this given how many hits he's had since his death over the years, although I get the feeling this was only a success due to his tragic passing.
#1633
This was one of only two hits that A taste of honey managed to have any success with worldwide, the other was a cover of "Sukiyaki" from Kyo Sakamoto which was meant to be a thank you to their Japanese fans for making them a household name over there. I'm surprised this wasn't a bigger hit here in Australia considering A: it's a disco hit that went to number one on Billboard and B: how it permeates on oldies stations here to this day.
#1632
You knew that these three women of colour would have a massive hit over in NZ this decade, however I don't think anyone was expecting to see this obscure track from the trio be their biggest success given how little of a legacy it has in this day and age. Although it wasn't as big as this was, "Best of my love" was also a huge hit over there unlike here in Australia where these three didn't have a hit as a lead artist.
#1631
Whereas this was the final hit for Ricky Martin in Australia and several parts of the world, in NZ, he had one more hit the following year with Christina Aguilera proving that his time in the spotlight wasn't quite up over there like it was over here once this fell off our charts. I guess the kiwis wanted to keep around a while longer given how they were admittedly late to the party when it came to his popularity.
#1630
This proved to be equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, although this was the only song of theirs where that was the case as Blue managed to score far more success over there during the first half of the decade than they did over here as was the case for most British artists throughout the decade. I guess they wanted to start a third round of the boy band wars which never ended up happening.
#1629
This was the first taste of success that George Thorogood managed to achieve anywhere in the world, I'm not sure how the kiwis managed to come across this album from the rock and roller, but they did and they were immediately blown away by how great he and his bands were live which prompted it to be a success over there.
#1628
This was another live album to inevitably find success in NZ this year, after all this was tied to their highly successful album Wings at the speed of sound which proved that Paul McCartney and company were still on top of the world during the second half of the decade.
#1627
This was set to be another flop for Robbie Williams in NZ, this is despite the fact that the lead single became a huge success for him over there upon its initial release the previous year. I don't know what happened, but the kiwis suddenly took a sharp interest in British pop music this year which allowed the album and the subsequent singles to become massive hits over there as the decade was coming to an end.
#1626
I guess this was a success from Carl Doy due to the kiwi's feeling nostalgia for the once popular Piano by candlelight franchise he began in the late 80's, who'd thought 80's nostalgia would begin less than a decade after that decade came to an end?
#1625
There was a reality show this year which tried to determine who the new lead singer for INXS would end up being given how the band were struggling to find a replacement for Michael Hutchence since his tragic passing back in 1997, the winner of the series was Canadian singer JD Fortune who would release an album with the band by the end of the year that was a massive success over in NZ.
#1624
This was originally a mere modest success for Ben Harper the previous year given how popular he was over there throughout the 90's, it was given a massive boost in popularity this year due to it spawning a genuine hit for him over there which likely led to the success of his live album over in Australia of all places the following year.
#1623
I'm not entirely sure why this second album managed to be a huge success for Evermore in their homeland considering how their first album failed to make it big over there earlier in the decade, you can't even say it was because of its success here in Australia as its success over there came the exact same time it did over here.
#1622
This was also a success for Chris Isaak in NZ this year, again I'm not sure why as it's not like there was a successful project he was attached to this year aside from whatever included "Wicked game" on its soundtrack.
#1621
This was one of the bigger British bands of the mid to late 80's in their native UK, so naturally this album from Level 42 would be a massive success in NZ where sophistopop was more commercially mainstream than it was here in Australia. They even managed to score a hit with the title track which no doubt helped boost the albums popularity over there.
#1620
These guys managed to have more success in NZ throughout the 80's than they did here in Australia, I would say because Joe Dolce stole their thunder here, but I think the actual reason was due to the kiwis having a stronger indie scene in the 80's and 90's than us Aussies despite Countdown and Triple J fuelling our indie scene in each respective decade.
#1619
This was released at the start of the decade, although its success here makes more sense given how the Brothers Gibb had a massive comeback from earlier on this list not just in NZ but throughout the world. Audiences obviously wanted to know what they were missing out on over the last two decades given how different their material was compared to their heyday.
#1618
While it may not have been as inescapable as Eric Clapton's concert from earlier on this list, this concert from Mariah Carey on MTV unplugged was a rather poignant one given how it was her first live performance she made in order to silence those who thought she was a fake in the music industry.
#1617
This is more guesswork on my part, although this third album from Rick Wakeman did quite well during the early months of the RIANZ chart's existence so I'm guessing it was a massive success overall in NZ. Maybe this guy did really well over there with his first two albums, but I can't be sure because the charts don't go that far back.
#1616
I get the feeling these guys were a bit inspired by our own Midnight Oil given how they had a similar sound to the 80's legends in addition to having a similar band name, although they weren't able to crossover to Australia with their material despite it being a massive success in their homeland. Admittedly, many kiwis who found success this decade failed to translate it to Australia.
#1615
J Williams is a NZ RNB singer who scored a massive hit with this ballad about finding love in a NZ ghetto, it connected with kiwis likely due to them finding the premise of this track to be amusing from the singer. This eventually led to him collaborating with many of the biggest names in their local music scene and scoring massive hits with them.
#1614
This was the lead single to Brooke Fraser's second album; it was a massive success in her homeland due to her artist momentum being very strong following the success she had from her debut album three years prior to its release. It was the song she released to try and appeal to an Australian market which didn't work out despite her joining Hillsong around the time it became a hit over there.
#1613
This was a much bigger hit over in NZ for Houston than it was here in Australia, likely because it had both Chingy and Nate Dogg on the track who both saw more success with their respective catalogues over there than they did here in Australia. Apparently, this was used as a McDonald's campaign in the UK as the British cover art mentions the ad where you can download it and other songs using a coupon from the restaurant.
#1612
While this also remains Green Day's final hit in NZ like it was everywhere else in the world, at least it was a much bigger send off to their popularity over there than it was here in Australia where it struggled to find mainstream relevancy as evidence by its lower placement on the Australian version of this list. Who knows if their popularity would've remained had the 2010's not become so hostile towards rock music.
#1611
It appears the kiwis had enough love for T.I's music that this lead single to his sixth album (damn this guy has an amazing worth ethic) managed to almost be as successful as his earlier entry on this list in NZ as opposed to it only barely qualifying for the Australian equivalent of this list. Even with all of this success, the only time he'll trouble the charts in the 2010's over there was with his verse on "Blurred lines."
#1610
While this was back in the day where people had to buy singles to make them a success (be it physical copies or digital downloads) I get the feeling this was a hit ironically for BEP worldwide given how it's the type of song that seems perfect to annoy someone with (similar to Crazy Frog's popularity now that I think about it.) That said, there are people out there that do enjoy this any many other widely mocked songs featured on this site unironically.
#1609
I guess the kiwis were a bit sceptical in Nelly Furtado's new music direction given how this wasn't quite as successful over there as it was over here for her, they were of course won over given how the album was a huge success as well as three out of the four singles becoming massive hits over there like they were internationally. I guess they simply needed to get on board with Timbaland being her executive producer.
#1608
What was is with aging performers around this time being introduced as the wrong person? First there was John Farnham being introduced as Jack which resulted in his comeback album being called Whispering Jack, and now we have this comeback single from Paul Simon about how people are referring to him as Al instead of Paul. Naturally this was also a huge hit in NZ, although nowhere near as big as it was in Australia.
#1607
While this was slightly less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I should bring up that it did have stiff competition this year from many of the entries we've looked at so far on this list. Something else I noticed is that this is the biggest hip-hop track of the year of there, suggesting that the kiwis were more interested in giving success to British artists than American artists and their genres.
#1606
Well, here's a song that was massively popular in NZ to the point where us Aussies eventually made it a hit to see what all the fuss was about back in the day, yes, this debut single from Monica was so popular in her native America that the kiwis made it an instant success over there months before it ever saw the light of day here. She would have a string of other hits between this and her collaboration with Brandy over there.
#1605
While this was far from as big a success in NZ as it was in Australia and especially their native America, this was nonetheless a huge hit for the J Geils band this year likely due to the music video which while problematic by today's standards (and I would argue even for its time) was a shoe in for MTV which finally got the band noticed after a decade of obscurity in the music scene.
#1604
This was originally released three years prior to deafening silence for the Maoris band Southside of Bombay, I'm guessing because this was a rather serious song about entering the real world set to a reggae beat and with the gimmick of being written around the children's playground game. It was a massive hit this year when it was featured in the critically acclaimed NZ film Once were warriors.
#1603
This was also a mega hit for Donna Summer in NZ this year, I doubt it was due to this being her first Billboard chart topper as she already had two big hits internationally by the time her disco rendition of the Richard Harris classic became her first American number one around this time.
#1602
This wasn't quite as big a hit for Amii Stewart in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm not even sure why as you'd think if anything this disco rendition of an RNB classic from the 60's would've been even more inescapable over there given the circumstances of how it came to be. Much like Australia, she would remain a one hit wonder in NZ with this disco classic.
#1601
This was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because it charted higher over there for much longer which is odd because it obviously had much stiffer competition over there than it did here in Australia and yet this is how its success panned out in both countries. Either way, this song's success was proof that both countries wanted more of Savage Garden and initially took whatever they could get from either member.
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