Biggest albums/singles of all time in NZ II

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.

#5100

Whereas we Aussies passed up this lead single to Ace of base's second album in favour of "Beautiful life," it appears the kiwis were willing to let this be their last hurrah given how this was the big hit off that album in NZ and thus the last they heard from the Swedish quartet. They did have one more hit in America later in the decade with their cover of "Cruel summer" as well as in the UK with "Life is a flower."

#5099

If you're shocked at how low this cover of the Peter Frampton classic is on this list considering it's a reggae cover of a 70's classic, I should point out its placement is due to how much of a sleeper hit it was in NZ as this did chart for quite some time over there albeit in the lower half of their charts. At least this was a success for Big Mountain as opposed to the other big hit from Reality bites.

#5098

The last time this guy troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his Billboard chart topper "Quarter to three" from two decades prior, fast forward to this year and we have him scoring arguably his biggest hit with the help of Bruce Springsteen who wrote him this song which connected with audiences from around the world except for here in Australia where this flopped for him.

#5097

This was only a minor hit in NZ (just like it was on the AMR charts funnily enough) meaning that it only barely makes the cut for this list which goes to show the mixed reception that these guys had when it came to their back catalogue following the success of their earlier entries on this list.

#5096

This is one of the few hits that OMC managed to score following the success of his earlier entry on this list, this continues the laid-back vibe of "How bizarre" which explains its popularity in his homeland and also why he was a one hit wonder internationally as it firmly established him as a bit of a one trick pony.

#5095

I'm guessing we Aussies were a big fan of the film this serves as the official theme song to given how it and Donna Summer's Oscar winning track from earlier on this list both flopped on our charts this year where it succeeded in NZ. The band who brought it to life was a group of session musicians that the producers threw together, making this one of those corporatised songs that mingled in with the genuine articles back in the day.

#5094

This was the song where it all began for the Fugees given how it was their debut single they released in their native America the previous year, it was a flop on Billboard due to the trio not participating in the east coast/west coast rivalry despite being from the former coast, however it managed to become a huge success over in NZ despite the kiwis firmly being in the west coast camp.

#5093

It seems strange that these guys would achieve far less success in NZ than they did here in Australia given how they found instant success over there the previous year with their debut album as opposed to here where they needed this song specifically for that album to be a hit. I guess the kiwis found this a bit too repetitive to have it match the success of "Roxanne" or even their earlier entry on this list.

#5092

I guess the kiwis weren't as impressed with the Backstreet boy's incorporation of a guitar solo as we Aussies were given how much less popular this second single was over there compared to over here, although they would make up for this by having their third single from Millennium be a far bigger hit over there the following year which was a return to their roots as the white Boyz II men.

#5091

It's little surprise that the kiwis were able to discover De La Soul much earlier than we Aussies did, in fact the biggest mystery is how we knew about "Ring ring ring" given how few hip-hop tracks made it big over here back in the day (even comedic tracks such as that one.) Here we have something more serious as it's an anti-drug song that naturally paved the way for more wack tracks throughout the 90's with this subject matter.

#5090

This is a bit odd to talk about, mainly because the kiwis were well ahead of the curve when it came to making Korn a household name worldwide given how their debut album was a massive hit over there this year even if it was two years after its initial release. This means that their later entries found less success over there than they did internationally as the kiwis likely found them to be sellouts compared to this.

#5089

This is the only other appearance from Josh Groban throughout the 00's on this side of my site, even then he barely squeezes in on this list due to it appearing on RIANZ's yearend list for this year despite having a rather unimpressive chart run back in the day.

#5088

Unlike the rest of the world, it appears the kiwis were a bit sceptical towards this debut album from Wilson Phillips given how it and the lead single failed to chart as high as they did here in Australia (let alone their native America.) The trade-off was that it lasted for quite some time over there as well as the follow ups becoming minor hits over there where they flopped over here.

#5087

This was all set to be a minor sleeper hit in NZ like it was here in Australia for the Motels, however it received a boost in popularity when the second single became a minor success over there likely due to it becoming the band's first big hit in their native America shortly after its release over there. As a result, it managed to have more of a mainstream success with the kiwis than it did with us Aussies.

#5086

This was initially a huge flop for Bone thugs n harmony the previous year in NZ despite the lead single becoming a huge hit for them over there, naturally it reached its peak in popularity this year when the third single became a huge worldwide success for the hip hop quartet as it boosted its sales over there.

#5085

This was too minor of a success to appear on the Australian side of my site, likely because Gary Moore seemed to have worn out his welcome amongst us Aussies by the time this came out. This didn't seem to be the case with the kiwis who allowed this to be a moderate success over there, thus giving him one more entry on this side of my site that he had on the Australian side.

#5084

From what I can gather, this was a mashup album from NZ composer Bob James that he released to cash in off the success of RPO from earlier on this list which admittedly was a decent success for him this year as a result.

#5083

This really did struggle to make a reappearance on this side of my site given how unpopular Michael Bolton was with the kiwis throughout his career, however this did last long enough on the lower half of their charts to qualify here likely due to how popular this was here in Australia and his native America.

#5082

This was more of a sleeper hit for Simple plan in NZ than it was here in Australia, I guess the kiwis weren't as open to allowing these guys to crossover but briefly changed their minds when the lead single to their sophomore album became a massive hit for the Canadian band over there.

#5081

For whatever reason, this second album from the Foo fighters wasn't as big in NZ as it was here in Australia (at least on the AMR charts as it was on the ARIA charts.) I guess this was more due to the stiff competition the band had to compete with during the peak of its popularity which resulted in its low placement on this list.

#5080

Although she wasn't dropped from her label in NZ like she was in America, this is the first successful album that Kylie Minogue had over there since her second album from twelve years prior. Even then, this was definitely more of a sleeper hit as it rebounded on their charts whenever one of the singles were released, although only the third single was more popular over there than it was over here.

#5079

While Jon English did find success earlier int he decade with "Turn the page" in NZ, I wasn't expecting to see him on this side of my site with the soundtrack to a miniseries he starred in. I'm guessing this was more due to the show being a huge success over there as the show would be released throughout Europe to varying degrees of success.

#5078

Well at least Shaggy's sophomore album was a success on time in NZ as opposed to it being heavily delayed here in Australia, although it didn't seem to matter when he released the album as it was equally as popular in both countries even if the singles were more popular over there than they were over here. Apparently, he released a two for one deal the following year by bundling this with his debut Pure pleasure.

#5077

This is the first taste of success that Julio Iglesias had in the English-speaking market, although the Brits passed this up in favour of his next album Begin the beguine where he started having massive success in the UK. Naturally these two albums led to him recording his first album in English later in the decade 1100 bel air place.

#5076

It's been a hot minute since we've looked at Van Morrison on this site, hasn't it? Here he is with the last album he's released that anyone has cared about from his catalogue (as of this writing of course.) It was a predictable flop here in Australia as is many albums on this list from legacy artists, however the kiwis were willing to look at this album which collects all the songs from him and his band Them that heavily feature in Hollywood blockbusters.

#5075

For whatever reason, the kiwis passed up on the official soundtrack for the original Star Wars film (before it was known as A new hope) yet gravitated towards this highlights reel that was released as an album (for some reason) which technically makes this the most successful Star Wars project on the RIANZ charts.

#5074

It had been eight years since Massive attack released their magnum opus Mezzanine, as such the kiwis were likely starting to feel nostalgic for their back catalogue which is perhaps why they gravitated towards this greatest hits album from the duo this year.

#5073

This is the final hit that Elemeno P managed to achieve in their homeland, it's a bit strange that their popularity seemingly dropped off a cliff from their first album over there given how they were posed to be the hottest new band among their fellow kiwis with the success of that album.

#5072

Given how his top entry on this list was released on time in NZ, this meant that Flo Rida's second single was also able to be released on time over there even if that meant it didn't see as much success there as it did here in Australia due to it activating a hidden rule where delayed songs see more success than if they were to be released on time. It could also be due to this song being a huge hit on our physical charts.

#5071

Given how big his hit with Bow wow was from two years prior, it's only fitting that Omarion would find success on his own in NZ as well as his native America. There's not much to say about the song itself as it's obvious it got big due to his name recognition he earned for himself; however, there's definitely worse songs we've seen on this list alone.

#5070

It appears the kiwis weren't too impressed with "Everything I'm not" given how that was too minor of a hit over there to appear on this side of my site, however they were somewhat impressed with the Veronicas third single as it appears here on this list. They wouldn't even chart again over there until "Untouched" which just like here remains their biggest hit over there despite having a low peak position.

#5069

Here we are with the third and final entry from the Killers on this side of my site, although I guess it's fitting we cap off their representation here with their sole appearance on the Australian side of my site given how this benefitted from our digital charts when it came out. Naturally this wasn't an issue for them over there given how the kiwis had already fully incorporated their digital data onto their main charts by this stage.

#5068

We looked at the first song that the Lonely Island released in their catalogue on the Australian side of my site, now let's look at the big hit that they had in NZ this year which was this track where they recruited T-Pain to sing about the luxuries of owning a boat they likely purchased with the royalties from their first single.

#5067

Whereas these guys were a one hit wonder in most parts of the world with their earlier entry on this list, they were quite popular in the UK and even scored a second hit in NZ with their uncle MJ who was on a roll with his (then) latest album History past present future. We Aussies would also give them a second hit the following year in the form of "I need you."

#5066

Finally, we have an American artist on this list who managed to see some success on the Billboard charts, this one comes to us from Case who my Aussies readers will recognise as the featured artist in Ja Rule's international breakthrough hit "Living it up" from 2001. Here he recruits Foxy Brown who provides a guest verse which also makes this her first taste of success in her career.

#5065

Not only was this delayed in NZ despite it instantly becoming Cliff's biggest success here in Australia upon its initial release, but it only became a success over there when his earlier entry on this list became an instant success with the kiwis. I guess this goes to show that they vastly prefer the crooner's ballads than they do his more upbeat material even if "Devil woman" was a considerable hit for him over there.

#5064

Here's the other big hit that Billy Ocean had this year in NZ, it was his first top ten hit over there even though his earlier entry managed to last longer on their charts and thus appear higher on this list. This would be the last anyone would hear from him until 1984 where he scored his first Billboard chart topper with "Caribbean queen."

#5063

Not only was Malcolm Mclaren able to score a massive hit in NZ with his earlier entry, but he scored a second hit over there with what wound up being his biggest success in his native UK. Even though he appeared on Countdown this year, it appears we Aussies weren't that impressed with his more eclectic music hence why neither of these songs appeared on that side of my site.

#5062

This had one of the most arrogant marketing campaigns in the band's native UK as it was touted as "the next number one hit" when it was released as a single over there, hilariously it stalled at number two for the band which of course was nothing to be ashamed of but made it all the funnier when that happened. In NZ, it was merely a decent success due to the stuff competition it had over there.

#5061

It looks like Pink Floyd managed to achieve a second hit in NZ given how the kiwis allowed the lead single from A momentary lapse of reason to become a success over there when it was a massive failure everywhere else in the world. This is another song where it's difficult to tell if it was a success or if it was a "fan single" on this list due to how chaotic the charts were this year.

#5060

Given how I've featured the other big hit from Tamperer on this side of my site, I guess I should use this opportunity to confirm that yes, the kiwis were aware of this big hit from the Dutch band that samples the Jackson 5 classic it's named after and were probably embarrassed by how much they enjoyed it (likely ironically) to make its success reflective on the top half of their charts.

#5059

Given how this was easily one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it's not too outrageous to see it become a decent success over in NZ for Jam and spoon given how I get the feeling many people thought this was Madonna on the vocals of this track. That said, it was heavily delayed over there likely due to its failure everywhere else in the world.

#5058

This will be the final entry from Bananarama on this side of my site as none of the other singles from their fourth album Wow managed to make a splash for them in NZ like they did here in Australia, although it's worth noting that this was an immediate hit for the girls over there as opposed to being a massive sleeper hit for them here in Australia. I guess they considered it to be an unofficial sequel to "Venus" with the video.

#5057

In a bit of a bizarre twist, it turns out the kiwis weren't that impressed with Brotherhood of man's victory single for Eurovision this year like the rest of the world was given how much less successful it was over there compared to here in Australia. Admittedly this could be due to the fact that this is likely the only song of theirs the average kiwi could even name as their debut single "United we stand" was a bomb over there (at least according to the Listener charts.)

#5056

This was too minor a hit to appear on the Australian side of my site, however it managed to crack the NZ top ten this year which means it was elligible for this list for both Julio Iglesias and Diana Ross. This would be the last hit for the former anywhere in the world whilst the latter would of course return two years later with her magnum opus "Chain reaction."

#5055

Even though Genesis overall had less success with their singles in NZ than they did here in Australia (barring their earlier entry of course) they were able to find moderate success with this track from Invisible touch largely thanks to its (in my opinion) highly disturbing music video which has some of the most grotesque puppets in existence that loosely resemble 80's celebrities.

#5054

Given how No doubt made these guys cool when they covered what many consider to be their signature track "It's my life" in 2003, you'd think that would've been the bit hit that Talk talk had back in the day. Alas it wasn't as they only had one other hit over there with that not being it, also this was only a sleeper hit hence why it appears so low on this list.

#5053

We have one final entry from Montell Jordan on this side of my site given how he managed to stick around a little while longer in NZ than he did even in his native America following his two big hits from the previous year. Again, I have to wonder how the kiwis kept getting their hands on these RNB jams when few if any of them managed to connect with the American market back in the day.

#5052

Not only was Gwen Guthrie able to score a massive chart topper with her earlier entry on this list in NZ, but she also managed to score a second hit over there with her cover of the Carpenters classic that put that duo on the map seventeen years prior. This would be where her winning streak came to an end as everything else she released would crash and burn regardless of where in the world you’re from.

#5051

It turns out this was a huge flop for Mandy Moore in her native America, that would explain why it took so long to see the light of day here in Australia as it appears we Aussies only noticed its existence due to it being a decent hit for her in NZ at the very start of the decade. How we Aussies and kiwis came across her debut single when it was so thoroughly ignored internationally is anyone's guess.

#5050

This is another song that technically became a hit twice in NZ, once upon its initial release likely due to its success in the UK (despite this being yet another EDM track from an American group which bombed on Billboard) and the second was a few months later for some random reason as I can't figure out why it saw a surge in popularity so late into its chart run over there.

#5049

This is the only notable hit from Lou Rawls from anywhere in the world, he did have a minor hit here in Australia with "You'll never find a love like mine," however that was a sleeper hit here given how he didn't find much success even in his native America. I think NZ is the only place in the world where he even managed to score a top ten hit and even then, it was only sleeper hit for him over there.

#5048

We have the final appearance from Crazysexycool on this list as the second single was indeed a decent hit for TLC over in NZ, although it was a bit of a stumble for them as opposed to in their homeland where this nearly became their second Billboard chart topper for them. I guess the kiwis were a little put off by how blatantly sexual this track was compared to their more mature entries on this list.

#5047

This is the last hit that Aaron Neville had anywhere in the world, although he would continue to chart in NZ for the rest of the decade to give you an idea of how well loved he was over there. I'm guessing his subsequent follow ups would've been successful at least with the kiwis had this year not been so vicious towards older artists.

#5046

There were quite a lot of adult contemporary ballads from American artists from the start of the decade that never saw the light of day outside the Billboard charts, so it's odd to see this ballad from Arthur Baker on this list given how it wasn't one of those ballads that clogged up the American music scene back in the day. From what I've gathered, these ballads have given the early 90's a bad reputation in most music circles.

#5045

Here's the other big hit that KLF had around the world this year, again it was only a sleeper success in NZ despite it lasting just long enough in the upper echelons of their charts to appear on this list of mine. What's really curious is that the third single from their album would become a chart topper for them the following year over there, likely due to it having guest vocals from country legend Tammy Wynette.

#5044

This is one of two hits that Fan club had in NZ during their short time together, a band whose lead singer was a Malaysian woman who would go on to become a politician in her home country once her music career died out. This was their cover of a Spagna song of the same name that was quite popular in the UK, however that version was a flop in NZ which makes me wonder how they came across it.

#5043

I guess we can add these guys to the list of two hit wonders who became as such due to a remix of a song they had previously released, in this case we have this remix of the 1977 classic from Ram jam that became a surprise hit in NZ and here in Australia this year albeit only as a minor success here hence why it failed to appear on that side of my site.

#5042

Given how this was a surprise hit for Blink 182 here in Australia due to its (in my opinion) witty video that satirises the videos from teen pop artists that were playing on TRL (total request live for my non-American readers) it makes sense that it would be a hit for them in NZ to the point where it finally allowed them to find an audience amongst the kiwis after several failed attempts throughout the 90's.

#5041

Even though nowadays he's best known for being one of the biggest culture war grifters on the internet (among his string of attention grabbing antics you see on the news) it may shock you to believe that Kid rock was in fact a nu metal singer who got his start with this lead single from his fourth album Devil without a cause that was a decent success in NZ and of course his native America.

#5040

This came really close to appearing on the Australian side of my site as this was on the cusp of cracking our top ten back in the day, alas it was too minor of a hit here for Spandau ballet which is why it failed to appear on this site up until now. Fortunately, the kiwis were still very much big fans of them which allowed this to appear on this list even if their popularity would dwindle by the end of the year.

#5039

This is another entry I had to scour the internet for to find out information about, this time we have the one and only hit from the NZ girl group Moizna which managed to briefly compete with the surprising number of entries on this list (this is by far the longest list on this side of my site) with their RNB jam.

#5038

Unlike here in Australia where Michael Bolton would become one of the biggest names in music throughout the 90's, it appears the kiwis weren't as on board with this idea as this wouldn't be the case for him in NZ. That said, this did manage to scrape onto this list due to how long it lasted in their top twenty even if it failed to compete with all the "fan singles" that’s to come on this list.

#5037

It's about time I featured a song from Santana that had Carlos Santana on lead vocals, here he covers the Zombies classic from over a decade prior which allowed it to become a success in NZ in lieu of the album it came from. I guess we Aussies passed this up in favour of said album, although this remains a favourite on our oldie's stations to this day.

#5036

In a bit of a bizarre twist, this wound up being the big "retro hit" that Abba had in NZ this year as opposed to "Ring ring" following the success they had with all of their earlier entries on this list from their third album. Honestly you can consider this entry the same as "Ring ring" for this side of my site even though this comes from their second album as opposed to their debut like that song did.

#5035

OK I kind of fibbed when I said that this missed out on appearing on this site as this was indeed a massive hit for Carly Binding in her homeland this year, it was the second single from her debut album that was set to come out this year which it did to decent fanfare for the NZ singer/songwriter in her homeland.

#5034

This wasn't quite as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for George Michael, although it could be due to the stiff competition it had over there as there were a ton of songs that failed to make it on this list due to them all failing to stick around long enough to do so despite how popular they clearly were over there back in the day.

#5033

I guess this was meant to be the more serious equivalent of Rupert's earlier entry on this list as this is more about how he feels like he's been cheated on in the song rather than him and his partner looking to cheat on each other only to end up with each other. We Aussies passed this up due to our inability to take this seriously, however the kiwis didn't hence why it became a moderate success over there.

#5032

This was a solid year for Australian artists finding international success, although I guess these guys were a mix of Australian musicians with international musicians that happened to be based here in Australia more than anything. In any case, they found enough success in NZ this year that this was given a UK release where it unfortunately bombed for the supergroup with the Brits.

#5031

Given how EDM wasn't nearly as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia, it doesn't surprise me that this wasn't as big over there as it was over here even if it still lasted quite a while on their charts albeit in the lower regions of them. I'm guessing this was due to the success that Daft Punk had the previous year with their album as they can be considered the kiwis entry way into this style of EDM.

#5030

Given how much bigger their earlier entry was in NZ compared to here in Australia, it makes sense that this would also be a bigger hit over there even if it wasn't that much bigger overall. This is sadly the final hit that Go west had in NZ given how the kiwis weren't impressed with their contribution to the Pretty woman soundtrack in 1990 like we Aussies were.

#5029

This was a moderate success here in Australia; however, it charted too low to appear on this list as it took its sweet time in finding an audience here from the end of the previous year. It was also slow in finding an audience in NZ, however once it did, it lingered in the upper half of their charts long enough to qualify for this list of mine, which allows me to feature one of the more seductive RNB tracks of the decade.

#5028

I told you the hits kept on coming from the Carpenters as this was their third from the same album over there even if it failed to connect with their fellow Americans. This is a cover of an obscure Neil Sedaka track from earlier in the decade, suggesting that these guys took away his comeback success over there that he was achieving throughout the rest of the world.

#5027

This was a bit of a return to form for George Benson given how this is more in line with his 70's material rather than his pivot towards disco from his previous album, as such, it was more of a sleeper success in NZ hence its low placement on this list despite how long it lasted on their charts over there.

#5026

This was a little late to the party in NZ compared to the rest of the world, however it was a success once it did see the light of day over there albeit not quite on the same level as the rest of the world presumably because the kiwis weren't as impressed with the double A single as the rest of the world was.

#5025

I have no idea how the kiwis came across this guy given how he didn't even touch the Billboard charts with his one and only album (he's from the east coast for the record) however they did as they allowed him to have one big hit over there with this ballad before he forever faded into obscurity.

#5024

I guess the kiwis weren't that much more impressed with this sweet and innocent number from (at the time) underage singer Shanice Wilson than we Aussies were, although at least it didn't have to worry about making the cut on this list as opposed to the Australian side of my site where it nearly failed to do so. Again, this was far more successful in the northern hemisphere back in the day.

#5023

This was the only success that Australian crawl had over in NZ with both their singles and albums, I'm guessing this was because the kiwis felt that their inability to understand what James Reyne was singing on their other tracks was a hinderance to their enjoyability with their catalogue given how this was one of the rare songs that sees the frontman enunciating the lyrics in his performance.

#5022

Whereas we Aussies were a bit turned off by the "theme song" to Wham, it appears the kiwis were thoroughly unimpressed as "Wham rap" was a complete flop over there for the duo. Fortunately, their third single from their debut album was a much bigger hit which means that even early on, they weren't a one hit wonder with their earlier entry anywhere in the world where they charted.

#5021

Given how Dire straits were inescapable around this world this year, it makes sense that the previous album to their top entry on this list would not only see a rerelease but would also be a success once more over in NZ this year.

#5020

There was no stopping Richard Clayderman in NZ this year as we have yet another appearance from him on this list, although his luck was starting to run out by the end of the year given how he will have fewer appearances on my site going forward.

#5019

Surprised to see this so low on this side of my site? It appears the kiwis weren't very impressed with this solo outing from Beyonce given how it only became a success due to its signature track "Crazy in love" almost topping their charts over there. The album had left the charts by the time "Baby boy" followed in its footsteps, suggesting they considered her to be an albums artist.

#5018

I still don't know why Gabrielle didn't have any success in NZ with her debut album like she did internationally, however seven years later she did find massive success over there with her third album mainly due to the surprise hit it spawned over there with its title track. It recharted over there the following year when she released her greatest hits package following the success of her theme from Bridget Jones diary.

#5017

While Britpop was slightly more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm afraid there won't be many new entries from the genre on this side of my site. Indeed, this debut album from Suede was the best they could do over there despite how inescapable the British band were in their native UK throughout the decade.

#5016

This was all set to flop in NZ just like everything Hall and Oates had released over there prior to it, however it became a modest success due to the second single taking off over there for some reason. This is particularly interesting as the album bombed here in Australia despite how well the duo were doing prior to its release here.

#5015

To my knowledge, this is the only success that Status quo had in NZ over the years, although it's possible one of their earlier albums found success over there as I don't have access to their album stats prior to 1975. Assuming this was the only success they had; it means that the kiwis really didn't like these guys as opposed to us Aussies who loved them at least throughout the 70's.

#5014

There was no stopping Bic Runga throughout the 00's as her live album with the Christchurch symphony became a modest success for her due to the success of her top entry on this list. Indeed, it wouldn't be until the early 2010's where her momentum would finally slow down for her.

#5013

I’m a bit surprised this wasn't more of a success for Elton John in NZ than it was here in Australia given how much more successful nostalgia acts were doing over there around this time, then again this did chart higher over there, so perhaps it underperforming there is more a result of stiffer competition than anything.

#5012

Given how the title track was a massive hit this year in his homeland, it only makes sense that John Grenell would find success with this album amongst his fellow kiwis even if this was the full extent of his success in their mainstream.

#5011

This was a success twice in NZ for Billy Idol, although we'll only be looking at the first time it was a hit for Billy Idol which was upon its initial release this year. Naturally the second time it charted worldwide was when "Mony mony" became a surprise hit for him two years later.

#5010

Whereas we Aussies allowed Kelly to have a hit the previous year with "Like this," it appears the kiwis were completely disinterested in her having a career in NZ following the demise of Destiny's child earlier in the decade. They allowed her to have this be a hit over there likely due to how huge it was over here, and in fairness she did have one more hit as a lead artist in the 2010's over there.

#5009

This is the sequel track to a song where the two men have their roles reversed, that is, Ne-yo is the main artist and Plies was the featured rapper. I guess the kiwis wanted to hear Plies as the main artist with this song given how both songs are about wanting a girl to shake her groove thing and that Ne-yo wasn't particularly known for his strip club anthems.

#5008

It's a bit strange that Bow wow failed to appear on this side of my site as a child star given how underage hip hop was all the rage in NZ over the years, however they seemed to be more interested in his work once he matured starting with this collaboration he made with RNB singer Omarion. This was a minor hit here in Australia, although it was too minor to make an appearance on that side of my site.

#5007

If you're wondering why this failed to appear on the Australian side of my site, that's because despise peaking quite high on our charts, it wound up being a sleeper hit for U2 as it fell to the lower half of our charts in record time likely due to the hype they had with their (then) most recent album How to dismantle an atomic bomb.

#5006

We have another entry from Timbaland's album as a lead artist to make it on this site, this time it's his collaboration with Keri Hilson and Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat dolls presumably as a follow up to Timbaland and Keri's collaboration from the previous year which connected with the kiwis.

#5005

This was far less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia for the Ting Tings, mainly because it didn't last as long on their charts despite it being released over there slightly sooner than it was over here. I guess the kiwis found this track to be rather annoying to make it any more successful than it was, indeed, it's hard to say if their follow up "Shut up and let me go" was used in an ad campaign like it was here.

#5004

This was the third entry from Eminem's comeback album Relapse, it's a ballad that was meant to showcase his more sensitive side the same way that "Mockingbird" did from his earlier album. It appears the kiwis were touched by this track as it became a modest success for him over there, although it did nothing for us Aussies as it flopped over here.

#5003

This is one of those ballads that made it big due to the influx of adult contemporary that made it big during the 70's, although it's worth noting that this guy began his career in the disco genre given how his previous claim to fame was as a part of Disco Tex and his Sexolettes who you may know for their Billboard hit single "Get dancing" from two years prior.

#5002

Even though this cracked the top ten in NZ this year for Sheena Easton, it wound up only being equally as successful over there as it was over here due to just how stiff the competition was on both charts it had. Indeed, I have a feeling that her pivot towards a more seductive image would've been more appreciated by us Aussies and kiwis had she done it sooner in the decade.

#5001

I guess we Aussies were the ones who were able to appreciate how Good morning Vietnam managed to flip this Louis Armstrong classic from a happy go lucky ballad about having a wonderful day to a morbid ballad about how the world is actually terrible with how it was used in the film. At the very least, the kiwis were somewhat appreciative of the scene in question which allowed this to be a hit over there.