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.
#1000
In case you were wondering, Mermaids is such a weird title for the movie this serves as a theme song to as aside from one scene where Cher dresses up as one for a costume party, the film has almost nothing to do with the concept of mermaids unless you make a very slim argument that the sexual themes of the film are based around how mermaids tend to lure in men to their doom. Even then, it's more the two leads that are dooming each other than anything.
#999
So, a bit of a depressing fact (or joyous if you're a hater of Celine Dion) she never made it to number one in NZ as all of her biggest international hits didn't quite translate to her success over there for some reason. This was the best she could do with her singles likely due to it technically being a double A side as like in Australia, this was bundled with her song she performed at the Olympics this year.
#998
Incubus were a band never known to make the same album twice given how they followed up their nu metal album from the previous year with an album that's more in line with what RHCP would make from around this time. The album was initially a flop for them worldwide, however it became a success over in NZ thanks to this becoming a surprise hit for the band months after its initial release.
#997
I should point out that "Stan" was released the previous year in NZ to deafening silence, it's failure over there is perhaps what allowed the song that sampled to become a massive hit over there this year as Dido's label allowed it to be released over there as opposed to here where it wasn't because of the success of that song here. It's weird that this sweet love ballad was chosen for a song about the rapper's toxic fanbase.
#996
There were a ton of hits to come from Supergroove's debut album, however this was by far the biggest from the album as it was an infectious number that could stand up to something from the likes of Red hot chili peppers or even Lenny Kravitz from around this time. This was even a minor success here in Australia due to how well it did over there, although I feel it could've been a genuine hit at the time.
#995
This was the biggest hit of Madonna's career in NZ, it's curious that it was considering that it was released late over there due to her not having much success over there from the previous year like she did here. I guess the kiwis were intrigued about how she felt like a virgin on this track despite being in the headlines about her promiscuous lifestyle during the height of her popularity.
#994
This is where most of the world comes in when it comes to UB40's mainstream success, although they already had success in NZ and their native UK from the start of the decade and with their own material to boot. Still at least this was a hit this year worldwide and the following year in Canada, not like in America where it sat on shelves for five years before finally becoming a success for them.
#993
I'm not exactly sure why, but these guys managed to achieve even more success over in NZ at the start of the decade both with their breakthrough album and its signature ballad, hence why both appear much higher on this side of my site than they did on the Australian side. Even though they're a one album wonder by all accounts, frontman Sebastian Bach would resurface a decade later as a successful actor.
#992
This was also a success for the Proclaimers in NZ, likely because they were the first country in the world to hand success to the brothers with the lead single from this album. We Aussies quickly followed suit which is why the album was inescapable in the southern hemisphere during the final year of the 80's.
#991
Given how Jack Johnson was one of the biggest names in music worldwide, it only makes sense that a contemporary of his would follow in his footsteps which is where this album from Donavon Frankenreiter comes in as it managed to do just that over in NZ for the folk singer. It was the only success he had anywhere in the world, likely due to audiences preferring Johnson's material.
#990
While he wasn't as inescapable in NZ as he was here in Australia throughout the 70's, Leo Sayer was popular enough that it made sense that this greatest hits package closing out the decade would become a success for him over there this year.
#989
This was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia for MJ, mainly because the kiwis were generally bigger fans of the king of pop than we Aussies were and have also historically been better at separating art from the artist given how even at the time of his death, people were bringing up all of the controversies in his life for bad faith reasons.
#988
This managed to be an even bigger success in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely due to their first greatest hits package not being that big a deal from seven years prior likely due to it coming out around the time of Karen's tragic death.
#987
This proved to be even more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia for Kenny Rogers, likely due to it spawning a huge hit over there where it was only a minor hit at best over here for the country legend that also became his biggest hit in his native America.
#986
Well, this is a first, mainly because theme songs from the FIFA world cup hadn't had any success over in NZ like they had here in Australia which obviously changed when this became a hit over there this year when it was chosen as the theme for this year's world cup. Admittedly it's possible that this songs success was due to it being a huge hit in the UK the previous year, however I very much doubt that.
#985
This is a song that was a massive success here in Australia but was ineligible to chart on ARIA due to not having a physical release here in Australia, fortunately this wasn't an issue in NZ as they had fully incorporated digital sales onto their charts by the time it was released as a single over there. I feel this song's placement on this list is an accurate representation of how popular it was here in Australia given its overplay back in the day.
#984
Much like here in Australia, this was also the final hit that 50 cent had over in NZ likely due to the chorus provided to him by JT who was at the height of his own popularity this year worldwide. At least Curtis managed to score one more chart topper over there before his popularity came to a screeching halt, in fact the less said about what he's been up to since the 2010's the better.
#983
This is another entry whose placement on this list is a better representation of its popularity back in the day, this time it's the second single from Britney's fourth album In the zone which proved to be the only hit she had over in NZ from the album due to both "Me against the music" and "Everytime" failing to connect with the kiwis. This was apparently written with Kylie Minogue in mind but was given to Britney instead.
#982
Although Beyonce had a major hit with the lead single to her second solo album "Check on it" in NZ, it was this third single from the album that made it a household name thanks to it being known as the "to the left, to the left" song by anyone who isn't a diehard fan of hers. Indeed, this is second only to "Sweet dreams" as her biggest hit in NZ both solo and with Destiny's Child. due to how iconic that line remains to this day.
#981
There was no surprise that this would be a success for Rihanna in NZ upon its initial release given how immensely popular it was everywhere else in the world for her, it was the lead single to her third album after all and had lyrics that are obviously about friendship but can also be interpreted to be about sex as well. I keep forgetting that Jay-Z has a verse on this track, that's odd because said verse opens up the track.
#980
I was confused at first as to what took this song so long to crossover to NZ, however I then discovered that Graham Bonnet was living in Australia at the time of his two big hits meaning it was likely marketed over there due to its success here much like his other big hit "Warm ride" (which we'll be revisiting later down this list.)
#979
Well, this was the first time the kiwis had heard from Cher the singer since her hit single "Half breed" back in 1973 (it was big on the Listener charts) that was sixteen years of silence from her as far as they were concerned even though she was popular with her films throughout the 80's. I guess this is why her big comeback wasn't as big over there as it was here where it was welcomed with open arms.
#978
Sweet were another band who had massive success in NZ during the first half of the decade according to the Listener charts, arguably more so than what they had here in Australia which is the best proof I have that glam rock was quite popular over there even if the likes of Suzi Quatro and Gary Glitter weren't.
#977
Well at least this guy had more success in NZ with his two Billboard chart toppers, yes, his Oscar winning ballad from the start of the decade was the big hit on the Listener charts and not the inferior John Farnham cover that topped our charts in 1970. BJ Thomas didn't have any other hits after his second Billboard chart topper anywhere in the world, suggesting his brand of country was no longer in vogue.
#976
This was a little late to the party in NZ, mainly because they didn't have a Triple J equivalent to heavily promote the song and incentivise the general public into crowning it the best song of 1994 like what happened to the song here in Australia. It was a massive success over there this year likely due to the circumstances I just described, although it allowed the band to take over the mainstream when it became a hit.
#975
This proved to be slightly bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, this means that the kiwis were bigger fans of Two weeks' notice than we Aussies were given how this remains their one and only hit over there and them not having much success with their albums either. There's only one thing good about the film (two if you're fine with this butchering of the Joni Mitchell classic) that being this scene.
#974
This was the last hit that John Rowles had in NZ, oh yeah, John Rowles managed to have multiple hits in his native NZ after his one and only international hit "If I only had time" from the late 60's. This is a cover of a Harry Belafonte track which means he was going for that reggae crowd which worked out for this song.
#973
If you're confused as to why this song is so much higher on this list than the Australian equivalent, that's likely because Daniel Bedingfield was actually born in NZ and the kiwis likely didn't realise that until the success of "Gotta get thru this" from the previous year. That would explain why this ballad was so much more popular over there as well as his sister finding more success later in the decade than she did here.
#972
It's worth noting that this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, I can only speculate why her earlier entry was even bigger over there than this was, but I think it was due to its popularity over in America and the kiwis appreciating that track more than they did with this debut from her. She managed to score a third hit from the album over there with "On the radio."
#971
There wasn't any deviation from what I said about the Bangles on the Australian side of my site, except maybe the fact that they weren't quite as inescapable over there as they were here due to their singles not being as bit for some reason. In any case, this novelty track about err.... I never understood the point of this track, however I think we can all agree it's a ton of fun even to this day regardless.
#970
While they didn't reach the same level of dizzying heights in NZ as they did here in Australia, Faith no more were still more popular over there this decade than they were in their native America which further proves how Billboard was more interested in breaking chart records than promoting their local talent given how hard it was for anyone who wasn't an A list celebrity to make it big in America in the 90's.
#969
It seems like having the Brothers Gibb on your song was a cheat code for any Australian back in the day, heck any artist period as everything affiliated with the Bee Gees was a surefire hit such as this one and only hit from Samantha Sang in her catalogue. She would try to recapture the success she had with this ballad to no avail due to not collaborating with the Brothers Gibb again.
#968
Just like in Australia, this was a two for one deal in NZ for Arrested development likely because their label wanted them to have that number one hit over there that they never wound up getting anywhere in the world. They came close admittedly as this did nearly top the NZ charts with these two tracks.
#967
It appears the kiwis were also in love with the Adam Sandler flick the Wedding singer, either that or they already had nostalgia for the mid 80's as this soundtrack was a huge success over there regardless.
#966
It's only natural that this was more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia given how Pink Floyd in general seems to be more well loved by the kiwis than they are by us Aussies, indeed their comeback album from over a decade later was also more of a success over there than it was over here.
#965
It may have received a ton of backlash back in the day, however this tribute album from Natalie Cole to her father Nat King Cole still managed to receive album of the year at the Grammys as well as sweep the big awards proving that they felt this was a touching tribute to her father and not artistic grave robbery like her haters claim. It was a massive success either way and honestly a well-deserved one.
#964
I would say that the kiwis were more into the animated adaptation of Curious George than we Aussies were, except I doubt that was the case given how the soundtrack was provided by Jack Johnson who was coming off the success of his biggest album over there from the previous year. He would have one more successful album two years later before fading into obscurity.
#963
Che Fu already achieved sound success with his first solo album during the late 90's, however I don't think anyone was expecting the former Supergroove frontman to achieve massive success with his sophomore album going into the new millennium. Sadly, third time wasn't the charm for him as his third album failed to make any sort of impact for him later in the decade.
#962
Well, I did mention that Madonna's remix of Abba's "Gimme gimme gimme" was a massive success everywhere in the world except for her native America, so it's little surprise that the song would reappear on this side of my site given how much the kiwis loved both her and Abba over the years. Even though the song was equally as successful over there as it was over here, the same can't be said about the album.
#961
From what I can gather, this was among the earliest British hip hop tracks to make it big in the UK as well as throughout the world, it comes to us courtesy of the British duo Mattafix who managed to translate their success over to NZ this year and even have minor success with this track here in Australia months after its peak over there due to how big it was worldwide.
#960
One of the more promising NZ bands of the decade was Atlas, this was due to the success of their debut single which obviously became as such thanks to rock music being arguably at its most popular over there around this time since the mid 70's. Even though this was a huge hit for the band, they called it quits the following year likely due to it being their only hit from their one and only album.
#959
This was one of two hits that NZ rapper Dei Hamo managed to achieve in his brief time in the music industry, the other being "To tha floor" which was a huge hit for him the following year (which we'll look at in the next list.) This was so popular in his homeland that it even managed to see minor success here in Australia which was impressive given how it had to compete with all of the Australian Idol shenanigans.
#958
While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was here in Australia (mainly due to not charting as high over there as it did over here) this was still a huge success for Lifehouse likely due to the rising trend of post grunge which would also result in the success for the likes of Creed and Nickelback. Admittedly these guys have always been far better received over the years than either of those bands.
#957
This was the biggest hit that Savage Garden had in NZ, even though it didn't get to number one over there, the fact that it lingered so long on the upper echelons of their charts was likely what got it to number one on Billboard as it was neither a chart topper nor their biggest hit here in Australia. It was their final hit in most parts of the world; however, the rest of the album gave them minor hits in the southern hemisphere.
#956
At least here in Australia Alannah Myles managed to score two hits from her debut album, in NZ her only hit over there was her Billboard chart topper which was reportedly about Elvis Presley. She may be a one hit wonder in NZ, however that didn't prevent her album from being a massive success like it was everywhere else in the world.
#955
It looked like Gabrielle would never have any success in NZ given how "Dreams" was a massive failure for her over there despite it being a massive worldwide hit seven years prior (including in America) however her fortunes changed when she released this self-empowerment anthem that heavily interpolates "Knocking on heaven's door" from Bob Dylan that connected with the kiwis where it failed to do so with us Aussies.
#954
A band as extreme as err.... Extreme would surely have success with one of their hair metal tracks that was all the rage during their initial breakthrough in their native America in the late 80's. That wasn't the case anywhere else in the world as they largely remain a one hit wonder with this ballad that was an even bigger success in NZ for them, although they did achieve moderate success with the second single from their album Pornograffiti over there.
#953
This was one of a surprising number of American rappers to find massive success in NZ despite being a massive flop in their native America, then again, the amount of EDM artists that made it big here in Australia throughout the 90's despite them failing to do so in their local music scenes was astronomical so perhaps this was the kiwis' trend in the music scene this decade.
#952
Well, this was a NZ band who achieved massive success here in Australia, so of course their one and only hit here would be a massive success in their homeland as well. They did achieve a second minor hit over there with another song of theirs which is still to come much later on this list, proving that the kiwis did look after their own whenever they could.
#951
Well, here's that other chart topper that Mark Williams had in NZ this decade, again it's the original version of a track that became popular in the mid 00's over there thanks to NZ idol reviving its popularity.
#950
At least I can comfortably say that this guy had plenty of success during his time with Simon and Garfunkel on the Listener charts, otherwise this ballad from the cult classic Watership down would be his only success in NZ which is a bit of a far cry from the music he's most well-known for in his catalogue.
#949
Although these guys had a bit more success with their singles over in NZ than they did here in Australia, this will still be their only single to appear on this site as it was the only one that was a massive success over there as it was throughout the rest of the world.
#948
It appears the kiwis also found the strange lyrics on this English breakthrough single from Shakira to be charming as this was equally as successful over there as it was over here for the Columbian singer, it's interesting to see how much bigger she was in the southern hemisphere during this phase of her career given how Laundry service didn't do as well in America or throughout Europe this year.
#947
I'm shocked that Tom Petty never had much success here in Australia given how heartland rock was always one of the more popular genres here back in the day, fortunately he was much more popular in NZ which is why this greatest hits package from him and his band was such a huge success over there this year.
#946
This was a huge success in NZ despite it lacking that inescapable hit that it had here in Australia, although I get the feeling that "Iris" was yet another victim of chart manipulation over there as there were a lot of songs in the upper echelons of the charts this year that I doubt had much of an impact even at the time.
#945
Rod Stewart closed out the 70's on top regardless of where in the world you're from, although this was the last time he would trouble the charts in NZ until his next greatest hits album from ten years later.
#944
Much like in Australia, this comeback album from the Eagles had so much hype to it in NZ that its success was inevitable over there given how much love the band received from the kiwis back in their heyday. I'm sure if they made another album after this, it would've also been a smash hit throughout the world for them.
#943
I guess the kiwis were slightly more on board with T.I sampling a popular meme from earlier in the decade than we Aussies were, either that or they were so infatuated with having the rapper collaborate with Rihanna that they didn't care about the circumstances as to how that would happen. Much like here in Australia, this also had to compete with "Whatever you like" due to how closely it was released after that track.
#942
Timbaland was on a roll this year in NZ even though this collaboration with (then) newcomer Keri Hilson failed to reach number one over there like it did over here, this is because this was the second single in a row that became a massive hit for the rapper/producer following his posse cut with Nelly Furtado and JT which is still to come on this list.
#941
This remains as Beyonce's biggest hit over in NZ, that's interesting because it isn't among her more popular hits in her native America likely due to it being the sixth single from her Sasha Fierce album and it being a rare love ballad in a catalogue filled with breakup anthems and other songs that would appeal to the feminists of the world. She would have minor success with her singles over there throughout the 2010's.
#940
P Money had a massive hit earlier in the decade with NZ rapper Scribe, so much so that single managed to crossover to Australia where it was also a massive hit for the pair here. It's little surprise then that he would score another hit later in the decade with this track with fellow rapper Vince Harder, although it wasn't a hit here in Australia despite it arguably being bigger than "Stop the music."
#939
This is another song whose appearance on this list is more accurate to how popular it was here in Australia back in the day, although in this case this is more due to the kiwis fully incorporating their digital charts onto their main charts as opposed to us Aussies who were mainly relying on the physical sales of a song to determine its popularity. This is a song that's become an unofficial anthem for the emo crowd due to how synonymous it is with the genre to this day.
#938
There were no signs of Chris Brown's popularity slowing down this year worldwide as the RNB star managed to score another chart topper in NZ with this bonus track from the deluxe edition of his second album Exclusive. Naturally he was all set to take the prince of RNB crown from Usher given how he only managed to achieve one major hit this year worldwide, but alas that wasn't to be.
#937
It appears Jordin Spark's victory single "Tattoo" was delayed in NZ in order to allow her duet with Chris Brown to be a massive success for the pair, as such, this proved to be even more successful over there which came at the expense of her debut single underperforming for her. Of course, she managed to have all three of her songs that appeared on the Australian side of my site become hits over there and even scored a fourth hit which we'll look at in a bit.
#936
This guy also had more than just the one hit in NZ, although "Going in with my eyes open" wasn't quite as big over there as it was here or in the UK, so it won't be making a second appearance on this site like his other two entries.
#935
This was the biggest hit of Roxette's career over in NZ; indeed, they didn't have nearly as much success over there as they did here or in America likely due to the kiwis feeling like they were told to like them rather than organically gravitating towards them. In any case, this was the big hit off the Pretty woman soundtrack which was originally a Christmas track that they had to rework to make it fit with the film.
#934
The delayed success of this song in NZ is the best proof I have that this became a hit in the southern hemisphere not through the merits of the song itself but rather due to P.E teachers making kids do the strange dance from the music video. Why else would this be so successful in the southern hemisphere but only a modest success in their native UK?
#933
This was another massive hit for Pussycat in NZ back in the day, it's staggering to think these guys were so successful over in NZ despite them being one hit wonders here in Australia, but this is the reality we live in.
#932
Well at least Dorothy Moore had even more success in NZ with her one and only hit worldwide, then again given how even we Aussies couldn't resist the RNB ballad back in the day, her being a one hit wonder over there only proves how unfairly ignored the rest of her catalogue was back in the day.
#931
Unlike in Australia where this second single was delayed for some reason, it was released on time in NZ which means it managed to be even more of a success for the girls over there than it was over here. This is taking into account that their third single was released rather soon after its release over there due to it becoming a Christmas UK chart topper and being marketed as such in NZ.
#930
Enigma was off to a good start in the career when their debut single became a massive success worldwide, it was the conformation that new age music would be one of the more popular genres in the world regardless of where you were from as they would find further success with their next album as well.
#929
There'll be plenty more British representation on this side of my site throughout the decade given how the kiwis were more into the UK music scene than us Aussies were, as such we have this second solo single from Ronan Keating performing much better over there which led to him having more success with his solo album (at least with its singles) than he did here.
#928
MJ was on a roll when he released this track about how everyone deserves to be treated with respect regardless of the colour of their skin (a message that feels more poignant now than ever) from the positive message of the track to it being a bop to listen to, it remains an iconic track in his catalogue to this day.
#927
Given how there wasn't a local band in NZ to steal the success of this cover of an obscure Righteous brothers track from the African all girl group Clout, this managed to become a massive success for them over there and is a more accurate representation as to how well it did back in the day in the southern hemisphere.
#926
It looks like Jenny Morris had a similar trajectory for success in NZ as she did here in Australia, the only difference I can think of is that her solo debut was a huge flop for here over there as opposed to being a moderate success here a few years prior to this becoming her first hit in both countries. It was a good way for her to not only end the 80's but also begin the 90's due to how successful it was.
#925
Given how both horrible CGI and EDM had become the norm by the end of the 90's, it only seems fitting that this track from Eiffel 65 would find massive success over there like it did internationally even if that success pales in comparison to how well it did here in Australia. It's a reminder of how far CGI has come from the twentieth century as well as a nostalgia bomb for everyone born between 1980 and 2000.
#924
This was the big hit that ELO had in NZ and in America from their breakthrough album A new world record, I guess it was the most normal sounding track on the album which is why it managed to be such a huge hit in both countries and not the lead single "Living thing" which was the big hit here in Australia (although that is still to come on this list.)
#923
This was only a mild sleeper hit here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies found the idea of a hip hop track about Wolfgang Amadeus in German a bit too silly to make a huge success back in the day even if it came from Falco who scored a hit three years prior with "Der komissar" over here. Fortunately, the kiwis were able to instantly fall in love with this track which allows me to include it on this site.
#922
Well regardless of what you think about this track from Puff Daddy, there's no denying that the sentiment was genuine as many people felt it was a touching tribute to the late Biggie Smalls who had tragically passed away earlier in the year the same way his frenemy 2pac did the previous year. It was a massive success in NZ likely due to this and the Police sample he uses.
#921
This was an easy hit for Atomic Kitten over in NZ given how A: they were among the most successful groups of the decade so far worldwide and B: the Blondie track this interpolates on the chorus was and still remains one of the biggest nostalgia bombs for audiences to this day. These were both factors as to why it did well in Australia, so naturally it would continue their winning streak with the kiwis as well.
#920
There was little doubt this was going to be a success for Simply red in NZ given how it was a massive hit for them here in Australia, although like Australia they didn't find much success over there after this album despite it spawning a hit with one of its bonus tracks.
#919
This feels more out of place on this list than it did on the Australian side of my site, mainly because we Aussies at least allowed the like of Jessica Simpson and the Backstreet Boys to have success during the midpoint of the decade where the kiwis didn't. Despite this, this song from Jesse McCartney was somehow even more popular over there than it was over here this year.
#918
This managed to be a hit in NZ just as the 00's was coming to a close, as such it manages to appear on more than one list on this site even if it wasn't as popular over there as it was here in Australia for Owl City. I guess his collaboration with Carly Rae Jepsen was more popular over there several years after this came out, this would balance out his career so that it was equally as successful in both countries.
#917
I guess the kiwis were more on board with Usher trying to kick start the club boom earlier than when it officially began than us Aussies given how this was a massive hit for the prince of RNB this year over there compared to what it achieved here. You can consider this a better version of "OMG" as Young Jeezy delivers a guest verse about how awesome it is to be at the club with Usher like Will I am did on that track.
#916
While this didn't last as long on the charts for Akon in NZ as it did here in Australia, the success of this collaboration with Eminem can't be denied given how it gave fans hope of him returning to form as his verse on here is considered better than any of the verses he gave on Encore. Of course, the real star of the show is Akon who was on a roll with this track given its worldwide popularity.
#915
Even though this song about de stigmatising sex in the mainstream was still a massive hit for the hip hop trio in NZ, it curiously wasn't as big over there as it was over here where it was at its most popular. These girls were the rare exception to the rule where hip hop artists found more success in NZ than in Australia back in the day as it was the other way around for them.
#914
This is a song I'm surprised wasn't a hit here in Australia, I guess we Aussies only had room for one group like this at a time as this was released during the height of Aqua's dominance worldwide. It appears the kiwis allowed this to be bigger than anything released from Aqua given how this fellow Danish band didn't have any other success throughout their career over there.
#913
This was a cover of an Eddy Grant track; Eddy of course would go on to have massive success in NZ meaning that this was likely twice as successful for Renee Geyer in NZ than it was here in Australia because of that fact. This didn't do her career any favours in either country as she failed to score a second hit anywhere in the world.
#912
This was the biggest hit to come from Headless chickens in their homeland, although curiously when it came time for them to crossover here in Australia, this was bundled with their earlier hit "Cruise control" which allowed both songs to see minor success here. I guess this is better than both songs being a massive flop which likely would've been the case if either of them was released on their own.
#911
Well, there's no surprise that this was a huge success for Stevie Wonder in NZ, it won the Oscar for best original song for a movie I doubt even 80's afficionados care about these days which made it one of the biggest hits of the decade worldwide.
#910
It's no surprise that Eminem saw equal amounts of success over in NZ as he did here in Australia with this lead single to his magnum opus the Eminem show, after all, it remains funny to this day without resorting to any of his shock value that many have criticised him for as being inappropriate to his predominantly younger audience. Indeed, his success was largely the same from here on out in both countries in the southern hemisphere.
#909
This was a huge success for the short-lived NZ band the Holidaymakers, I'm guessing because it was yet another cover of a Bill Withers track from around this time given how many of these entries on these last few lists of mine were originally from the RNB legend.
#908
Well, if you're into a spoken word RNB track about guys hitting on you by introducing themselves with their horoscopes, then this is the song for you as the Floaters (wow that band name) managed to score a massive worldwide hit with this ballad likely due to the novelty of the track that I've just described.
#907
There's little surprise this was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia for 50 cent given how much buzz Eminem provided for him throughout the year, indeed his mentor even appears in the video as does Dr Dre who produced the song for the east coast rapper, which I guess means that this signaled the official end of the east coast/west coast rivalry.
#906
Well, the kiwis weren't interested in having "Set you free" become a success for these guys, although that didn't mean there was no chance for them having a hit over there as this second single from their discography became a massive success for them due to the nostalgia that the kiwis had for the Bee Gees classic of the same name this track heavily samples.
#905
Much like in Australia, this was technically the first solo single from George Michael as it curiously wasn't credited to Wham despite it appearing on their second album as the final track. It was credited to Wham on the American release, likely to not confuse American fans due to this only being the duo's second single over there.
#904
This was the third single to come out of Abba's self-titled album in NZ, as such it wasn't quite as successful over there due to it being released much later than even "S.O.S" was over here and thus allowing the kiwis to buy the album at its expense. That said, the song was still a massive hit over there which proves how much they loved the Swedish foursome.
#903
This was a massive success for Patea Maori club back in the day, so much so that it became a success again nearly thirty years later in 2010 proving how much the kiwis love this hybrid of new wave and traditional Maoris music. It remains their only hit over there, although given it was a hit twice, I don't think the band minds.
#902
This was a massive hit for the Backstreet boys in NZ much like it was internationally, again likely due to the single version being slightly different from the album version which was still a common phenomenon back in the day. I feel the video had something to do with it as well as it's a clever take on how their female audience tended to sexualise them and how it ends with them doing the same to some female executives.
#901
Well, this was a hit that was bound to be a massive success in NZ, it was a reggae cover of a Fats Domino track from the early 60's that was already a massive success in Bitty McLean's native UK around this time. This is one of the first songs to be pulled from shelves over there as it randomly stopped charting despite it still being in the top ten, I'm guessing to promote his album this came from.
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