Much like with the 80's, I've also decided to do a list of the biggest hits of the 90's in Australia which includes entries based on both their AMR and ARIA stats. Just like before, I'll only make a mention for which entries are the ARIA entries as I feel their placement on this list will speak for themselves rather than me delivering redundant commentary that will highlight how well/poorly they did compared to the AMR charts.
This was the only song to be found in Dick Tracy that was a hit in the real world, likely due to the songs in the film being sung by Madonna's character who was a vaudeville singer during a time where women's rights were non-existent. As such we have this track that can very easily be seen as sexist even when it first came out, however the context of the film allowed it to be a huge worldwide success for her.
#73 for 1990
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#65 for 1992
#68 for 1993
This was another two for one deal to come out of this decade, in this case we have both "Mr. Wendal" and "Revolution" being a massive success as the third and fourth singles from Arrested development's debut album. The former is about the wisdom of the titular Mr. Wendal while the latter is about starting a revolution to demand American politicians make do on their (to this day) empty promises to the American black community.
#66 for 1993
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#69 for 1993
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#62 for 1994
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#61 for 1995
This was the third and final hit that La Bouche was able to score from their one and only album, thus completing the cycle for EDM acts scoring massive success with one album before forever fading into obscurity throughout the 90's. I guess you can technically say that Aqua continued this trend the following year, except they not only scored four hits from Aquarium but managed to release a second album.
#62 for 1996
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#64 for 1999
This was the second single from Kylie Minogue's self-titled album, it's a song that has a video which pays homage to the Jane Fonda classic Barbarella which I'm sure helped it win over audiences back in the day. It's also catchy as hell, which is unusual for a downtempo ballad, I guess Kylie managed to find a way to make this formula work as she would release a whole album of this material later in the decade.
#63 for 1994
#60 for 1995
This was the second single to be released from Don't ask following the success of the lead single "Chains," it was an immediate success for Tina proving that audiences wanted her more sedate material rather than her upbeat tracks from her first album from the start of the decade. Her next single would underperform, however the fourth single from the album was a success which we'll look at in a bit.
#61 for 1995
This was the only hit that British RNB boy band MN8 were able to achieve in Australia, although they did have better luck in NZ and their native UK as they scored a second hit in both countries with "If you only let me in." I guess these guys tried to compete with the boy band wars of the decade by incorporating hip hop elements into their sound, a tactic many boy band used throughout the 90's.
#62 for 1995
This was an interesting year for Whigfield as she was able to score a second hit here in Australia and nowhere else in the world, I'm guessing because the rest of the world had moved on from her brand of dance pop whilst we Aussies had only just discovered her despite her massive success she had in Europe earlier in the decade.
#68 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#67 for 1990
These guys were all set to give up when they released this song as a single, it's a shame they did give up soon after its release because it became a huge worldwide success for them likely due to how heartfelt the lyrics are and how catchy the melody is. Who knows what these guys would've released if they had of believed in themselves after this became a success.
#64 for 1991
#65 for 1992
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#70 for 1993
This was the second hit that Lenny was able to achieve from his third album internationally, he does so with a self-empowerment anthem about how the listener should believe in themselves which no doubt was why this was able to connect with audiences back in the day. This would be his last hit until much later in the decade when he scored a surprise hit with "Fly away" from his fifth album.
#67 for 1993
These guys were on a roll here in Australia given how their third single was a cover of the Pet shop boys debut single, it was proof that they were the real winners of the first round of the boy band wars of the 90's here in Australia. I'm guessing the success of this cover was what led to the success of the EDM duo having a hit here with a cover of their own, that being of a Village people track which we'll get to.
#68 for 1993
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#63 for 1994
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#65 for 1999
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#68 for 1990
Well, this was a massive surprise, the last time Tom Jones has bothered the charts anywhere in the world was with his soft rock track "Say you'll stay with me till dawn" which was way back in 1977. Through a combination of a bizarre music video and endorsement from Triple J, he was able to score a massive comeback during the midpoint of the 90's which led to him releasing a highly successful covers album in 1999.
#64 for 1994
#63 for 1995
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#62 for 1995
#66 for 1996
This was a stacked year for Alanis Morissette, not only was her Grammy award winning album the biggest of the year but it also managed to spawn four huge hits for her throughout the world this year alone with this fourth entry being the second biggest here in Australia. This is known for its harmonica solo which has made it one of the more iconic songs in her discography, although it would prove to be her last hit in certain parts of the world.
#63 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#64 for 1997
This was the final solo hit that Phil Collins managed to score here in Australia, it's a song that's seemingly about living in paradise but is actually from the point of view of a homeless person wanting to find paradise in their life of poverty. This tugged at the heartstrings of his audience for one last time as it became the final Billboard chart topper of the 80's, this earning him the nickname of Mr. 80's.
#74 for 1990
The last time these two were able to score a hit anywhere in the world was from their debut album from five years prior, leave it to the producers of Pretty woman to commission them into writing a song that would appear in the opening scene of the film with a song about trying to get over a bad relationship with someone. This reignited their career over in America where they managed to score further success on the Billboard charts.
#75 for 1990
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#68 for 1991
#66 for 1992
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#64 for 1994
#63 for 1995
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#67 for 1996
This was the debut single for one of the most popular bands to come out of Ireland this decade, although my UK readers will likely be surprised to see this song on this list and not later in the decade as this only became a success there in 1999 following the success of their second album. We Aussies knew that these guys were on to something special when they initially broke through, hence why the song is on this list.
#64 for 1996
Given how their American counterpart Az Yet were able to achieve massive success here in Australia this year, it only makes sense that British RNB group Damage would also see success here proving that we Aussies were slowly but surely becoming more susceptible towards RNB music and indeed music of colour in general as the decade was coming to an end. It was their only hit here despite them having a string of hits in their native UK.
#69 for 1997
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#65 for 1997
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#66 for 1999
This was the solo debut single for Lisa Stansfield, although she was part of a band known as Bluezone who would technically go on to have a massive hit at the end of the decade with "Jackie" with Australian singer Joanne on lead vocals. Here she scores a massive hit worldwide with this song about what she did to lead to her boyfriend breaking up with her, it's silly but enjoyable to listen to.
#76 for 1990
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#69 for 1990
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#71 for 1993
This was the second cover that Whitney Houston recorded for her feature film debut; this time she's covering Chaka Khan for reasons I can't seem to fathom as I don't remember this cover being in the film itself. It's a noteworthy cover as it managed to be a bigger hit for her than for Chaka back in the late 70's, no doubt helping people rediscover the RNB singer around the time this became a hit for her.
#69 for 1993
Given this was on an album filled with sexually charged dance tracks meant to titillate her audience, it feels a little odd that Madonna would choose this rare ballad of hers as a single. It paid off as it became the big hit from the album in most parts of the world, proving that her audience ultimately wants to hear good music from her before being titillated by her antics.
#70 for 1993
This was the only hit from Nick Cave and the Bad seeds throughout their career, even then I feel this was more a hit due to it being a duet with Kylie Minogue during the height of her indie phase. The two have surprisingly decent chemistry on this trach which is perhaps why it was able to find mainstream success passed the novelty of a pop princess duetting with a rock star who likely stood against her earlier catalogue.
#64 for 1995
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#66 for 1997
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#70 for 1990
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#69 for 1991
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#67 for 1992
This is often considered to be the signature tune of the show for Jesus Christ superstar, although I don't think anyone was expecting this rendition from the three leads of the Australian revival this year John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens to be a huge success. Indeed, it was which no doubt led to the success of the soundtrack which was indeed one of the biggest albums of the year.
#66 for 1992
This is one of those songs that definitely needed to rely on the nostalgia of an older track in order to be a success, in this case it's the 1984 horror classic "Somebody's watching me" which takes the chorus of that track and makes a dance remix out of it complete with new vocals from Emel Aykanat to replace the king of pop's vocals. All of this to say that the song was a huge success here and throughout Europe for DJ Bobo.
#71 for 1993
#65 for 1994
This was the only hit single that Nine-inch nails were able to score here in Australia, even then it was pulled from shelves after a few months likely due to it being one of the more controversial songs of the decade due to its lyrics and music video. I guess you can make the argument that it was to promote the album, however between the animal torture in the video (which was fake by I digress) and the lyrics "I want to f**k you like an animal," it was a very disturbing song in the mainstream.
#66 for 1994
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#64 for 1995
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#67 for 1997
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#68 for 1997
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#71 for 1990
This feels more like an introduction to the Badloves than the lead single for Jimmy's second album of the year Flesh and wood, indeed the success of this collaboration helped the band find massive success with their album Get on board which allowed them to find success with audiences outside of listeners of Triple J.
#72 for 1993
#67 for 1994
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#69 for 1997
This was the only hit that German DJ Da Hool managed to score in his career, again we have an EDM song making it big in Australia which is nothing new at this point of the 90's. One thing I can say about this song is that according to ARIA it wasn't a hit at all, meaning that this song's appearance is based on how well it did on the AMR charts (which is how I base these rankings on this site.)
#63 for 1998
Boyzone were indeed one of the biggest boy bands of the decade, so why not have these guys take over from them once they called it quits this year? This was their debut single and the first of many UK chart toppers for them which of course led to them gaining a bad reputation in the UK due to how inescapable they were. Their popularity wasn't as big here in Australia, although they did better than Take that for what it's worth.
#62 for 1999
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#72 for 1990
This was released following the tragic death of Freddie Mercury where it became a number one hit in his native UK all over again, in Australia it wasn't quite as huge, however had it been delayed by a few months it likely would've been given that it almost topped the Billboard charts this year due to its inclusion in the Wayne's world soundtrack.
#67 for 1992
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#65 for 1994
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#65 for 1995
Passengers was a side project from the members of U2, so this basically is a U2 track that managed to be a massive success worldwide under a pseudonym for them which goes to show you how popular the Irish band was throughout the 90's. They would come back later in the decade under their original name with their venture towards pop rock in 1997.
#65 for 1995
#65 for 1996
Given how "One sweet day" became the longest running Billboard chart topper this year, it only makes sense that other artists would copy the formula of making a song that serves as an ode to the fallen friends of the people who made it. Enter Bone thugs n harmony who saw massive success with this track worldwide, although this was their only hit here in Australia likely because of the formula.
#66 for 1996
It looked like that Billie Piper wasn't going to find any crossover success here in Australia with her debut album, that changed when the fourth and final single from the album became a success here which funnily enough also serves as the title track from said album. This meant that she no longer had any issues with finding success here which led to her biggest hit the following year with "Day and night."
#63 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#70 for 1991
This was the lead single to U2's first album of the decade Achtung baby, although I get the feeling they went with the most normal track on the album as the lead single in order to hook fans in with their change in sound which happened throughout the album. Indeed, their next single "Mysterious ways" was the obvious choice for the lead single given how well remembered it remains in their catalogue.
#65 for 1991
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#68 for 1992
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#66 for 1994
One of the few movies that Madonna starred in to be critically acclaimed was A league of their own, mainly because she's more of a supporting character as the film focuses on Geena Davis and Laurie Petty as sisters who become rivals in the women's baseball league of the forties in what's based on a true story. She also wrote and performed the film's theme song which many feel is the worst part of the film due to how bland and lifeless they feel it is.
#68 for 1992
Although his earlier entry made Billboard history by being the first entry to debut at number one on their charts, it was this song that was meant to take home that honour given that it was a duet between the two most popular members of the Jackson dynasty complete with what it still the most expensive music video ever created (not to mention it being a better song in my opinion.)
#66 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#68 for 1996
This was the theme to Whitney's third and final film the Preacher's wife, I think by this stage audiences had grown tired of her attempts to be a Hollywood star and only supported her films in the hopes that she would return to making music full time. It turns out that this was around the time that she was facing serious relationship problems with her husband Bobby Brown due to their presence in the tabloids.
#70 for 1997
It seems odd that this would be Living Colour's only hit single in Australia when they're better known for their 1989 hit "Cult of living personality" which was a massive success in NZ two years prior. Indeed, their second album Time's up managed to become a success this year down under purely thanks to how well this ballad did for them, not bad for a song about how love is such a tricky bastard.
#66 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#69 for 1992
This was a huge success for Things of stone and wood (again with a silly band name on this site) mainly because it was an E.P named after their signature tune which helped them find an audience during a time where it was beginning to become difficult for Aussies to make it big in the mainstream. Indeed, they wouldn't find any success with any of their singles despite having a decently successful album.
#73 for 1993
Even though the album Automatic for the people was already a huge success here in Australia by the time R.E.M released this ballad, this song regardless became a huge success here and boosted the sales of the album and made it even bigger than it already was. This remains their biggest hit in Australia likely due to the pain that Michael Stipe displays on the track which made audiences sympathise with him.
#74 for 1993
Following the success of No doubt and their album Tragic kingdom, it appears that the ska punk scene had little issues with finding success here in Australia which leads us to this breakthrough hit from the Mighty mighty Bosstones. This is one of those songs that was featured in just about everything you can think of back in the day, as such it's become more of a meme nowadays than a genuine hit single for the band.
#64 for 1998
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#71 for 1991
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#72 for 1991
#70 for 1992
This was the first solo hit that Diesel had here in Australia, it wasn't his first solo single as that honour goes to "Love junk" which was a huge flop for him, but this was what made him huge without the Injectors. Somehow this managed to be twice as successful over in NZ, I'm guessing he was more popular over there as his third solo single was also a huge success over there as well as his solo debut album.
#67 for 1991
#69 for 1992
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#71 for 1992
It seemed odd that these guys would be able to score a hit this year considering how grunge had taken over the mainstream with the likes of Nirvana and Pearl jam, however Def Leppard had one thing over those guys which was a music video that has (even at the time) some of the worst CGI you'll ever witness on screen. This helped the glam rock track become a hit long after the genre had lost its popularity.
#70 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#67 for 1994
I bet audience were surprised to see this RNB jam become a hit in Australia back in the day, mostly because these two while big in their native America, weren't exactly chart toppers on Billboard like so many of their contemporaries that failed to crossover here. That said, boy does it make sense that this was a hit down under due to how groove the production is, it's like the two women went back to the 70's and picked out the grooviest melody they could find for this number.
#68 for 1994
I wouldn't have pegged the Pet shop boys to be a fan of Absolutely fabulous, a show that's basically the British version of Kath and Kim as it has two female comedians navigating the day-to-day life of the modern world (or rather, the world of the 90's) with hijinks ensuing. The duo managed to cherry pick the best moments of the shows earliest seasons and place them in a mix that managed to become a huge success for them.
#69 for 1994
This was originally released as a bonus track from Bruce Springsteen's greatest hits package from two years prior, most likely as a way to capitalise off the film of the same name from 1993. It was given a second chance when it was included in the Jerry Maguire soundtrack where it became a massive success due to it being the soundtrack to Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger's romance in the film.
#71 for 1997
Well at least there's one version of this track from the Beastie boys that made it big in Australia, unfortunately it comes to us from a German group who seemed to have missed the point of the original. Then again, a lot of people didn't realise that the original was being ironic towards frat culture as you often find it in soundtracks to frat movies, and the American trio have long since distanced themselves from it.
#65 for 1998
It looked like that Two fires would finish its album cycle earlier in the year for Jimmy Barnes, that changed when he released the fourth single from the album which became a surprise hit for him likely due to the children's choir towards the end of the song. This helped boost the sales of the album which was already a huge success but became one of the biggest of the decade with this song's success.
#68 for 1991
This was originally released as Yothu Yindi's debut single from the end of the 80's to deafening silence, likely because we Aussies weren't quite ready for aboriginal music to make it big in the music scene at the time. It was given a second chance when their debut album took off here where it became a huge success for them, although it came about a year after the lead single "Treaty" was a hit.
#71 for 1992
This is one of those songs that was well promoted by Triple J which resulted in its success, although the song was a catchy throwback to the psychedelia complete with a video that seems to be an homage to the Alice in wonderland books. This was the only hit for Swoop, likely because the rest of their catalogue wasn't nearly as catchy as this breakthrough single was for them.
#67 for 1996
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#62 for 1998
This was a hit exclusively in Australia for Belinda Carlisle, it looked like Runaway horses would be yet another flop for her despite how big her earlier entry was here; however, this third single became a surprise success due to the bittersweet lyrics of her losing the love of her life after a summer fling. I'm guessing this was the song that convinced her label to release her next album here as it was never released in her native America.
#77 for 1990
This is arguably my favourite song from John Farnham, everything to admired about him can be found on this second single from Chain reaction from the passionate vocals to the inspiring lyrics to the melody and then some. It remains a staple on oldies stations to this day as do a lot of the songs on this list, although it wasn't the biggest hit of his career as you've likely noticed on this list alone.
#78 for 1990
You knew she was going to make one of these lists eventually, so here's the big hit that Bjork managed to achieve outside of her native Iceland thanks to being quite possibly the most bombastic hit single of the 90's with the combination of her vocals and the swing jazz production on display. She already had success with her solo album Debut from two years prior, however this lead single from her second album Post was what made her a household name.
#68 for 1996
This was the second single to come from the Spice girls second album/soundtrack to their critically panned film Spiceworld, it's one of their rare ballads which obviously didn't win filmgoers over as it was nominated for a Razzie for worst original song this year (although so was Aerosmith's earlier entry so take that with a grain of salt.) Even with the backlash the girls were receiving, there was no signs of them slowing down this year.
#66 for 1998
The 90's might have been wrapping up this year, however that didn't mean its trends were as we have this trance track from this German DJ becoming a massive worldwide success after a full decade of successful European DJ's making it big with EDM. I guess this is one of the more popular instrumentals of the decade as well as most of the big hits from the genre in Australia had vocals attached to them.
#64 for 1999
Even though "Always and ever" was a modest success for the band, it was this third single which confirmed them to be the real deal as it became a huge success for them and allowed their debut album to be a huge success this year. They were pipped for greatness for the 90's as were a lot of Australian acts on this list, unfortunately the 90's became hostile towards local artists in 1993 for some reason.
#69 for 1991
Considering James Brown lived for another fifteen years when this song was recorded, I'm guessing what the Dutch group meant by him being dead was his legacy which even back then couldn't have been further from the truth due to how much nostalgia people had for soul. I guess we Aussies found this concept to be hilarious which is perhaps why it became one of the bigger hits of the year.
#72 for 1992
Following the success of the title track from Erotica, Madonna decided that she was done trying to shock audiences with her sexual appeal and instead go for a more conventional dance track as the second single from the album. It proved to be a bigger hit for her mainly due to it being a song you can play on the dance floor but also due to the video and its visuals of balloons floating away signifying going deeper into the relationship.
#73 for 1992
#75 for 1993
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#72 for 1993
This is Dannii Minogue's biggest hit in the UK, although in Australia that honour goes to "Love and kisses" from the start of the decade likely due to the goofy lyrics about eating at McDonalds on that track. If this sounds like a disco track, that's because it originally was as this is a cover of an obscure track from the 70's written by Van McCoy of "The hustle" fame, how Dannii discovered the original is a mystery.
#76 for 1993
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#73 for 1990
