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.
#1500
Much like here in Australia, this was the debut single for Shaggy which of course was an even bigger hit over there due to it being a reggae cover of an old doo wop track from the early 60's. Unlike in Australia, Shaggy would go on to have massive success throughout the 90's in NZ with a bunch of other hits that made it big over there that failed to do so over here.
#1499
This was one of two successful covers of the Bee gees classic to become a success around this time, the other was from Take that which won't be appearing on this site as it wasn't popular enough in the southern hemisphere back in the day to do so. Portrait previously had a hit in their native America with "Here we go again" which failed to crossover in NZ despite this being a huge flop for them on Billboard.
#1498
Much like here in Australia, this hit from Puff Daddy and Ma$e which they were nice enough to credit as a Biggie Smalls track was the only hit that the late rapper managed to achieve in NZ, although at least it was a much bigger hit over there than it was over here much like most 90's hip hop. This feels rather strange given how the kiwis were firmly in the west coast side of the hip hop feud.
#1497
This was an even bigger success in NZ likely due to the kiwis allowing these guys to have massive success with their singles throughout the 80's which was something we Aussies didn't allow for them until this became a hit here in Australia this year. Indeed, this was the band's biggest hit in the southern hemisphere and even in America, however that honour went to "Fairground" in their native UK.
#1496
Given that the Timex Social Club did score a massive success in NZ the previous year, it's only fitting that their sister group Club Nouveau would find even more success in NZ this year with their cover of the Bill Withers track. Of course, being a pseudo reggae track was also a huge point in its favour over there given how much the kiwis love any form of reggae over the years.
#1495
Even though this never made it to number one on Billboard, that didn't prevent the line dance pioneer from becoming a massive worldwide success for Billy Ray Cyrus as this managed to also be an inescapable hit in NZ this year. At least this didn't last as long on the charts there as it did here, hence why it's slightly lower on this list.
#1494
Much like in Australia, this was the first major hit that Bryan Adams had in NZ despite having a highly successful album from the mid 80's over there. I guess the Kevin Costner adaptation of Robin hood was well received at the time even though nowadays it's heavily criticised for its more mature approach to the legend, that and people realised that Kevin couldn't do a plausible British accent for the character.
#1493
There was little doubt that this second single from Culture Club's biggest album would be a success in NZ like it was throughout the rest of the world, even taking into consideration that they weren't as big over there as they were in Australia, this was a song that was too catchy for it to fail and came complete with a video that's still fun to watch even to this day.
#1492
Well, if "One sweet day" was able to take the world by storm earlier in the year, you better believe that this would follow suit and be a huge success worldwide. There was absolutely no way this was going to fail in NZ given how these guys already had a massive hit the previous year with "1st of tha month," indeed this songs success would lead to them to have further success over there throughout the decade.
#1491
Well, there seemed to be no escaping the Britney vs Christina war regardless of where in the world you're from, both girls had catchy as hell music (even though only one of them had a phenomenal singing voice) and they both had a dedicated fanbase right from the very beginning of their music careers. One interesting note about this song is that this was originally recorded as a demo but was released as a final product due to how well put together it was.
#1490
Well just like in Australia, this battle between a boy both singers are fighting over proved to be more successful for Brandy and Monica than it did with the genders reversed for Paul McCartney and MJ from back in the early 80's in NZ. The different being that by this point, both women were among the most successful artists of the decade over there compared to here in Australia meaning this was another easy hit for them both there where it wasn't here.
#1489
I guess the trade-off for Queen's earlier entry on this list being so successful in NZ was that this wasn't nearly as big over there as it was over here during its second run in the mainstream. This also goes for their signature track as that too failed to win over the kiwis a second time like it did for the rest of the world.
#1488
It's interesting that this wasn't any bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia given how Sharon O'Neil did achieve moderate success in her homeland earlier in the decade with her debut album, although she did perform the standout track from the album on Countdown which allowed it to find an audience here in Australia even if this was far from the most popular album of the year over there.
#1487
Although this somehow failed to crack the NZ top ten this year, this nonetheless proved to be equally as successful for Kelly Clarkson over there as it was over here where it debuted rather high on our charts thanks to how anthemic it remains to this day. I didn't mention the video on the Australian side of this site which is a shame because it remains one of the most iconic of all time due to how cathartic it is watching her trash that apartment.
#1486
Although this wasn't as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for Matchbox 20, it was nonetheless a huge success over there thanks to it being a bonus track from their greatest hits album they released around this time which was seen as a bit of a comeback for the band given how Rob's solo album wasn't a huge success over there like it was over here.
#1485
This is the remix of one of Bob Marley's earliest songs in his catalogue, it was the lead single to Bob Marley's final successful album (dead or alive) which spawned his earlier entry on this list with Lauryn Hill just as the 90's had come to an end. The DJ who remixed this was Funkstar De Luxe who had this credited as a DJ battle between him and the late reggae singer.
#1484
I guess the kiwis were more on board with this E.P than we Aussies were, after all, the first official single from the album was far more popular over there than it was over here suggesting the kiwis were willing to forgive her for the theatrical abomination we look at earlier on this list.
#1483
This is one of two hits that the American RNB girl group of colour had in NZ but not in their homeland this decade, again I'm not sure how on earth the kiwis managed to come across so many of these tracks from American artists throughout the decade that flopped on the Billboard charts but here we are. Their other big hit would sample Spandau ballet of all bands a year after this came out.
#1482
It's a bit strange that this would be a hit in NZ for Monica right around the time her debut single started to pick up steam here in Australia, although it's worth noting that this was much more of a sleeper hit for her over there given how it stuck around the lower half of their charts back in the day. Even so, this is what confirmed her as a noteworthy rival to that of Brandy in NZ and her native America.
#1481
This became a hit twice in NZ, the first time was upon its initial release where it was a minor hit for the German band whilst the second was when it randomly rebounded on their charts at the beginning of 1994 likely due to the minor success of their second single "Got to get it" (which sadly won't be reappearing on this side of my site.)
#1480
Although this debut album from Katchafire appears quite low on this list, it was indeed one of the biggest hits of the decade in their native NZ albeit by charting for a considerable amount of time on the lower half of their charts, hence its low placement on this list. There's still one more album to come from the band that will appear on this site even if this is their only album to spawn hits for them.
#1479
I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with this second album from Lily Allen as we Aussies were, then again, her first album from three years prior was a minor success over there (too minor to appear on this site of mine) so perhaps this was more a disappointment to them as it failed to spawn a hit over there like her first album did.
#1478
Just like here in Australia, this also managed to become a success all over again in NZ thanks to the success of Mamma Mia from earlier on this list, there's honestly not much else I can say for this entry that wouldn't come off as redundant, so I won't.
#1477
It's interesting that this album would flop here in Australia despite Daft Punk scoring a hit from the album here considering how the exact opposite was the case in NZ where this was a massive hit despite it failing to spawn a charting single over there. Either way, it's clear that the French duo was pipped for great things in the southern hemisphere entering the new decade which led to massive commercial disappointment for their future endeavours.
#1476
Much like on the Australian side of this site, this is an album that would've appeared much higher on this list had I factored in an entries chart run during the lower half of the charts as this proved to be a huge sleeper hit in NZ like it was here in Australia for Panic! at the disco. At least the songs did much better over there due to the kiwis incorporating their digital sales onto their main charts.
#1475
I'm a bit surprised this live album didn't do even better in NZ than it did here in Australia, although considering this was still a success over there, I think it's safe to say that the kiwis were also disappointed in the demise of the band shortly before its release.
#1474
This is the last hit that Mary J Blige was able to achieve anywhere in the world, although it appears that this was the big hit off her 2005 effort the Breakthrough and not her cover of "One" with U2 like it was here in Australia (at least it was on our digital charts.) I guess the kiwis wanted to hear an RNB ballad over her collaborating with one of the biggest bands of the 80's around this time.
#1473
It turns out these guys had a ton of success in NZ throughout the 90's beginning with this big breakthrough they had in their native America, no doubt this was going to be a success for them given how this was during the height of the new jack swing era. They would continue to score massive success in NZ and on the Billboard charts with their subsequent releases throughout the decade.
#1472
There weren't a lot of successful NZ artists to make it big in the 70's even in their homeland, one of the lucky few was Golden harvest who scored a massive hit with this number before fading into obscurity over here.
#1471
This is the album where it all began for Chris Brown, it was a massive success in NZ due to how popular the lead single was as well as RNB in general performing much better over there than it ever did over here. It was an album that promised him a fruitful career and excluding all of the controversies in his personal life, a fruitful career is what he ended up achieving.
#1470
This was released in NZ not long after it became a success in Australia for Midnight oil to minimal success, likely because the band wanted to try and make it big over there without releasing a song to promote it which almost never works for bands and artists outside of classical music and prog rock. They eventually released their big hit over here as the lead single which allowed the album to finally be a success almost a year after its release here.
#1469
With all the industrial albums becoming a massive success in Australia, you'd think this one from Marilyn Manson would be a shoe in considering how "Beautiful people" managed to linger on the charts (albeit in the bottom half) for almost an entire year down under. The album was a much bigger hit over in NZ for the shock artist, no doubt setting him up for success with his next album Mechanical animals.
#1468
I guess the kiwis still had enough love for Barbra Streisand to make this live album of hers a success this year, it was certainly more successful over there than it was here in Australia despite how well loved she was down under throughout the 70's.
#1467
Whereas these guys were very unsuccessful here in Australia (likely due to there apparently being a third round of the boy band wars that we Aussies didn't pay much mind towards) Westlife did quite well over in NZ which allowed their first greatest hits package to be a massive success for them over there.
#1466
It feels weird that this song failed to appear on the Australian side of my site given how James Blunt had far more success overall here in Australia than he did in NZ, I guess we Aussies weren't as interested in hearing a song of his that has a tempo to it than the kiwis were this year given how this is by far his bounciest song in his catalogue to become a hit.
#1465
This is another song that managed to become a hit on time over in NZ as opposed to it being months after its popularity had died out internationally as was the case here in Australia, I'm not sure why we Aussies ignored this ballad from Colbie Caillat this year only to make it a massive hit for her the following year, you can't even say it was due to her releasing this on Myspace as that wasn't an issue for Sandi Thom over here.
#1464
For the most part, David Bowie saw more success in NZ than he did here in Australia throughout his career, I bring this up as this is one of the very few exceptions to this rule where this was more of a success here in Australia than it was over in NZ for some reason. I guess the kiwis felt his appreciation for the Wizard of Oz was a bit too strange to make it a bigger success for him over there.
#1463
This is one of only two charting singles for NZ pop singer Annie Whittle in her homeland, the other being "When you walk in the room" which is a cover of the Searchers classic from 1963. I'm somewhat cheating with this entry given how it peaked during the infamous summer break of 1976/1977 where the RIANZ charts went on a seven-week hiatus, thus making it impossible to tell what was popular during this period.
#1462
Well, it appears the kiwis were torn in whether or not to make this a hit over there, on the one hand it came from a Dutch group which they seemed to be contractually obligated to make a success but on the other that didn't seem to be the case for most of the 90's as other Dutch groups were popular over there. Eventually this did chart long enough over there that it was a massive hit, just not as big as it was here in Australia.
#1461
Here's that second big hit from Macy Gray I mentioned on her earlier entry on this list, it was more of the same in both its sound and lyrical scope as that song given how it sees Macy still having feelings for someone who she feels is bad for her. It's no surprise it was a hit over there given how inescapably popular the album was worldwide, heck it's a bit of a surprise it was a flop here if I'm being honest.
#1460
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ for the Pet shop boys as it was here in Australia, mainly because the album cycle was delayed over there to allow the duo's cover of "Always on my mind" to become a success before it resumed this year with the final single. This meant that the album actually dropped out of the charts for a little bit which affected its placement on this list.
#1459
While this wasn't released in NZ until this year as opposed to it coming out here in Australia the previous year, it was still a bigger success over there than it was over here following the sudden rise in popularity that Harry Connick Jr had in the music industry due to his acting career taking off in Hollywood. He would score massive success with his next album She, although that was also delayed in NZ.
#1458
This was a massive hit for Jim Gilstrap in NZ, Jim is perhaps best known for singing TV themes such as the Good times theme which was one of the highest rated sitcoms at the time (as well as the first to feature a predominantly black cast.) This was a huge flop in his native America, which is perhaps why he stuck to singing TV themes rather than pursuing any further hits on the Billboard charts.
#1457
And here's yet more proof I have that disco wasn't dead this year even in America, this was a huge success on the Billboard charts for Shalamar despite it being a disco track, meaning that even their fellow Americans had some love left for the dance floors even if it admittedly did quickly evaporate as the 80's shaped up to be more about MTV and the second British invasion.
#1456
This was also a bigger hit for Snap in NZ this year, in fact I think the kiwis were still more willing to allow EDM to permeate on their charts this year than us Aussies despite the fact that within two years, there would hardly be any EDM on their charts despite it being all over our charts. After all, once their album fell off the charts the following year, they wouldn't have any more hits over there.
#1455
This was equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact everything about this soundtrack matches its success in both countries from how big it was to the popularity of its one and only single to even the peak positions of both the album and the single.
#1454
This was also Simply red's final successful album in NZ, although I would've thought these guys would retain their popularity going towards the new millennium given how this was a hit upon its immediate release over there as opposed to it needing to rebound on the charts here in Australia.
#1453
Oh, the Bloodhound gang, they certainly had a quirky sense of humour back in the day that seemed to connect with audiences. They especially connected with the kiwis as their second album managed to be a huge success over there due to the two hits that it managed to spawn for them, although this album was a complete dud here in Australia.
#1452
This wasn't quite as successful for Lady Gaga in NZ as it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis weren't as interested in listening to her complain about the paparazzi especially when you consider that it came from her debut album which she recorded before she became famous worldwide. Still, it was a bit of a comeback for her on the album given the failure of "Lovegame" over there.
#1451
This was the final hit that the Feelers had in their career, it came from the album of the same name which was a success for them even if it won't be appearing on this site due to it not being successful enough to do so. They had a very good run during the first ten years of their career, so much so that they capped off their first decade together with a greatest hits package overlooking their biggest hits.
#1450
Given how this song never even touched the number one spot in NZ (nor did it even come close to doing so) this meant that its success was more spread out during its chart run which allowed it to be placed in a much better position on this new list of mine even if it still feels relatively low compared to how unavoidable the song was back in the day.
#1449
Like most alternative rock from the 90's, this proved to be an even bigger hit for Green day in NZ than it was here in Australia given how the band finally got their mainstream push on the Billboard charts albeit only as a radio hit since this was never released as a single in their native America. They would be a one hit wonder in NZ (at least with their singles) for the next ten years as they didn't trouble their charts again until the American idiot era.
#1448
This is the final hit that Westlife managed to score in NZ, although they would find success with their later material albeit only on their album charts even though they scored a massive hit here in Australia with "You raise me up" from one of those albums. If there was a third round of the boy band wars, I would declare Blue as the winner as they managed to score far more success with their singles than these guys.
#1447
This is another song that managed to become a massive hit in NZ despite never been given a release here in Australia, this time it's the third single from Avril Lavigne's debut album which remains one of her most popular tracks in her catalogue due to how vulnerable it portrays her as without coming off as too sappy and sentimental. This would sadly be her final hit over there until "Girlfriend" from her third album.
#1446
This was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing there were more kiwis who appreciated the story of a closeted gay man being outed as such and thus needing to make it on his own in a homophobic world than there were Aussies back in the day. While this was a big hit here in Australia, the fact it was even bigger over there and came from a highly successful album shows you how much the kiwis appreciated this.
#1445
This was a huge number one hit in Montell Jordan's native America, so naturally it would have crossover appeal in NZ given how it was a new jack swing track that even appealed to us Aussies this year. Unlike in Australia where this would be his only hit, Montell would have minor success over there and his native America throughout the rest of the decade with his subsequent follow ups.
#1444
There was no escaping the king of rock and roll this year anywhere in the world given how both Ocean's eleven and Disney's Lilo and Stitch managed to bring the legend back into the mainstream thanks to how much both films loved his catalogue, as such we have this greatest hits package becoming a massive hit in NZ like it was here in Australia.
#1443
This was also a success for Blondie in NZ this year like it was here in Australia, although its success wasn't consistent in both countries given how the lead single was bigger over there whilst the second single was bigger over here. Still, it was a solid enough album to carry them into the 80's, although tensions behind the scenes prevented them from delivering a cohesive follow up which led to their breakup the following year.
#1442
These guys had a bit of a slow climb to their popularity throughout their career given how this was their third album overall and the first to find massive success in their homeland, their popularity would grow throughout the 2010's despite being an alternative EDM band, or likely because of it as they did seem to fit in with the club boom of the day.
#1441
Well, I guess the kiwis had grown tired of Bon Jovi by this point as this greatest hits album wasn't nearly as successful over there as it was over here. Then again, their previous album Keep the faith was a complete failure over there despite it being a massive success here in Australia, so perhaps this greatest hits album was in fact the comeback that the band needed from being left behind in the 80's over there.
#1440
While this wasn't as big a success in NZ as it was here in Australia for Adam and the Ants, it was still a huge success for the band once the kiwis got into the genius that was the second track from the album after we Aussies made it one of the biggest hits of the decade here. Unlike here in Australia and their native UK, they would be a one album wonder over there as their third album flopped.
#1439
As with all of their albums (except for their debut funnily enough) this was also not as big in NZ as it was here in Australia despite the band incorporating reggae music into their sound throughout each of their albums and the kiwis love for reggae especially around this time. It was still a success, just not at the same level it was down under.
#1438
This wasn't quite as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia as was John Farnham's previous album Whispering jack, however it was still a massive success for him over there likely due to the title track becoming a hit for him this year. Still, he wasn't able to have much success over there going into the 90's, meaning this comeback was much shorter lived over there.
#1437
This was the first big success that AC/DC had in NZ, oh the kiwis would've heard of these guys prior to this year, however for some reason, it was this album where they finally began taking notice of their brand of rock and roll despite being in the industry for well over a decade at this point.
#1436
This wasn't as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia this year, likely because there were a lot more kiwis who felt that this ballad was little more than a shallow attempt at forced positivity than audiences throughout the rest of the world where this song saw more popularity. The song was at its most popular in America the following year where it was the biggest hit of 2006 according to Billboard.
#1435
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, although again we have the stiffer competition it had over here to factor into its ranking which once again means that this was actually slightly more popular over there than it was over here for the (then) underage rapper J Kwon.
#1434
Although this was a success in NZ slightly earlier than it was here in Australia, it wasn't as big a hit over there and was also their only hit given how "Don't stop" wasn't a hit earlier in the year for the American duo. I guess out of the two big hits they had in the UK, this was more likely to become a hit on Billboard due to it being a fairly standard dance track as opposed to their other big hit.
#1433
Given that New edition was no more (at least at this stage) this gave the members free reign to find success of their own which leads us to this one and only hit from Ralph Tresvant who scored a massive hit in NZ early in the year with this smooth new jack swing track. He didn't rise to the ranks of his fellow band mates even in his native America; however, this was a decent effort from him regardless.
#1432
This was another successful American all-girl RNB trio of colour to make it big in NZ, although unlike the Emotions, they only had the one hit in both countries likely due to the kiwis and their fellow Americans only confusing them the one time for the women who brought us "Best of my love" this year. If it's any consolation, this was far bigger over there than that Billboard chart topper.
#1431
It turns out this was the biggest hit from Madonna's album of the same name, admittedly this might be due to it being the title track of an album she dedicated to her (then) husband Sean Penn which means the kiwis likely saw this as her love letter to him at the time. That would likely explain why she omitted this from her Immaculate collection album despite how much of a hit it was worldwide.
#1430
Well, this was still the biggest hit in Bon Jovi's career in NZ, although it didn't chart as high over there as it did here in Australia for whatever that's worth and isn't their highest charting single over there either.
#1429
I feel it was more than a coincidence that this was Bette Midler's final hit single in most parts of the world, after all the last thing anyone wants to hear is that God loves them but only under certain circumstances which is the whole point of this ballad. It has good intentions and Bette's performance does save it from people looking too far into the lyrics, however it's not fondly remembered these days.
#1428
This was the only successful album to come from the Waterboys in their career, although in Australia and NZ, it was an instant success due to the lead single being a modest hit in the southern hemisphere unlike in their native UK where it sat on shelves ignored until the early 90's where it became a surprise hit due to appearing in an ad.
#1427
Given how this debut album from Mika only managed to spawn the one hit for him over in NZ, it only makes sense that it wasn't as bit a hit over there as it was over here even if it has roughly the same placement on this list as it does on the Australian equivalent. This is because it bounced in and out of our top twenty down under as opposed to it sticking to the lower half of the NZ charts.
#4126
Given how he was able to make it big in NZ without any hassles on if it was due to physical sales or digital, James Morrison was able to translate the success he achieved from his debut single to his debut album over there, making him the latest in a long line of British artists this decade to find more success over there than they did over here.
#1425
Unlike in Australia where this second album was inescapable for Savage Garden, it needed to be a hit twice in NZ in order to qualify for this list given how it exited the charts entering the 00's only to come back later in the year when the duo embarked on their highly successful world tour. They would part ways once the tour was complete the following year much to the disdain of their fans.
#1424
This is the only other appearance from Michael Bublé on this site of my site, I guess the kiwis really weren't that impressed with his catalogue this decade as the rest of the world was given how this was more of a hit the following decade than it was during the final months of the 00's. Heck it didn't even spawn a hit for him like it did here in Australia and on the Billboard charts.
#1423
This was more of an immediate success in NZ this year as we Aussies likely felt that George Michael didn't need to become a serious artist which was the premise of his second solo album, naturally we were won over much later where this became a huge success for him. I think this was so big initially over there due to the lead single topping the Billboard charts.
#1422
Well, this was an obvious shoe in for the NZ side of my site given how inescapably popular the Phantom of the opera show was over there, this was a reminder from the theatre manager that his previous works were also worth checking out in one convenient album.
#1421
Although it was a commercial disappointment for her over there much more than it was over here, Avril's second album was enough of a modest success that the kiwis no doubt would've been as perplexed with her selling out on her third album even if it managed to restore her popularity over there like it did everywhere else in the world.
#1420
This looked like it would only be a modest success in NZ despite it being their biggest success over in America for the Scottish band, however for whatever reason, the lead single became a hit twice within a twelve-month period which resulted in the album being a massive success over there months after its initial release. This would be their final huge success over there as their next album didn't bring in the numbers.
#1419
Unlike in Australia where this was quite popular this year due to the multiple singles it managed to spawn for Fergie worldwide, this solo outing from her only appeared to become a success due to the fourth single being a critical darling compared to the rest of the album which was considered to be too lowbrow to be taken seriously by audiences at the time.
#1418
One band who wasn't as successful in NZ as they were here in Australia was Metallica, mainly for their later material where the kiwis didn't seem to appreciate their approach to more mainstream rock and roll but also here as the singles weren't as big over there as they were over here. The album was still huge albeit in multiple increments throughout its chart run.
#1417
Well at least we can have our Cure quota met on this site given how the kiwis seemed to have a much bigger indie scene at any given time than us Aussies. Here's their third album which became an instant success over there and even encouraged the success of their second album from the previous year.
#1416
This was way less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis realised the problematic nature of this song (for the most part) as the song was widely criticised even back then for promoting unhealthy standards for young girls that rubbed many people (me included) the wrong way. It ended up leading to their popularity rapidly declining worldwide for the remainder of the decade.
#1415
Although this song was supposedly released on time in NZ, it only began charting the previous year due to them incorporating their digital charts onto their main charts as it wasn't given a physical release over there until this year where it skyrocketed up their charts like it did here in Australia. Even though its placement on here suggests it was equally as successful in both countries, it was far more successful over there.
#1414
This is another entry whose placement on this list is a better representation of how popular it was here in Australia back in the day, I guess this was a huge hit thanks to digital downloads as it came out before ARIA began tracking them which makes it hard for me to definitively say if that was the case. Either way, it was a massive hit in the southern hemisphere almost a full year prior to being released in America.
#1413
This was the biggest hit to come from Tina Charles in NZ, I'm guessing because the kiwis could only handle so much of her voice as I'll admit it does become overbearing after several tracks which is perhaps why none of her albums managed to find success anywhere in the world. That said, at least all of her songs were a success upon their initial release over there unlike here in Australia.
#1412
While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was here in Australia, it was at least a huge success for Eruption over there likely due to the kiwis mistaking this for a Boney M track despite having the dulcet vocals of Precious Wilson instead of the vocalists from the German band. It's interesting that this was their big hit over there and not "One way ticket" given how that felt more like a Boney M track than this.
#1411
Although the placement on this breakthrough hit from Train suggests that it was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, it turns out that the bulk of this songs chart run over there came from the lower half of their charts, meaning that this was actually more successful over there than it was over here for the band.
#1410
Although her hit from the previous year was massive and allowed her album to go straight to number one, it was this song from the album that allowed it to finally be a massive success for Anika Moa in her homeland which put her in the same leagues as the likes of Bic Runga and her sister Boh when it came to influential female musicians from NZ.
#1409
While this was delayed over in NZ for some reason, said delay paid off as it became a much bigger hit for Madonna over there than it did over here in Australia (the only song in her career to do so mind you) proving that even the queen of pop herself can occasionally benefit from a delayed released in her career. It proved to be a bigger hit than "Music" over there as well which also wasn't the case down under.
#1408
This was one of two environmental songs that MJ released this decade, the other being "Earth song" which came from his next album that also peaked during the summer period here in Australia and NZ. Say what you will about Jacksons personal antics, at least he had a genuine concern for the environment and social issues as there are plenty of these types of songs in his catalogue.
#1407
Much like here in Australia, the kiwis were initially sceptical with the thought of Elton John finding success without his partner in crime Bernie Taupin, although this album did win them over when they discovered that the second single was donated to Elton from Bernie, suggesting that they merely distanced themselves from each other rather than completely cutting ties.
#1406
I guess the kiwis were more interested in listening to Eric Clapton collaborate with B.B King his year than we Aussies were as this proved to be far more successful over there than it was over here this year. It's partially a covers album given how the duo take their hand on some blues classics as well as some (at the time) never before seen tracks from King's vault.
#1405
Icehouse proved to be more popular in NZ throughout the 80's than they were in their homeland, likely because the kiwis were willing to reward the band with their experimentation this decade much more than we Aussies were as evidence by how much more popular this was over there than it was down under.
#1404
This was a decent success for Jenny Morris in NZ like it was here in Australia, possibly suggesting that her fellow kiwis were initially willing to allow her to stick around in the 90's following her breakthrough over there at the tail end of the 80's with her previous album. Alas this wasn't the case as her next album bombed over there like it did over here.
#1403
This was originally dead-on arrival for Eric Clapton and JJ Cale, perhaps because neither man had a hit in over a decade (three decades in the latter's case) and that this was a blatant attempt to recapture their former glory in the 21st century. I guess the kiwis gave this a chance this year when they realised that the former covered the signature tune of the latter and thus liked the idea of them working together.
#1402
Whereas this was only a minor success here in Australia, it appears the kiwis were either massive fans of the film FM or simply viewed this as an excellent compilation album as it collects all the songs used throughout the film which feels like one of those seasonal compilation albums I've featured on the Australian side of my site.
#1401
Unlike in Australia where this was an instant success for Nickelback, the kiwis needed a bit of incentive to make this a success over there which they eventually got once the lead single finally topped the Billboard charts months after it was a massive hit here in Australia. I guess they tried to reject the band like most of the world did, but they gave up by the time All the right reasons came out.
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