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 IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#83 for 1995
With a name like the one these guys gave themselves; you'd think that they would have politically charged lyrics in their music. While they did occasionally get political in their music, their main schtick was novelty tracks such as this that were obviously meant to be played on shows like Beavis and Butthead rather than have any critical analysis applied to them. Indeed, this was a huge hit for the band whose acronym reads POT USA.
#89 for 1996
Well, here's a song that took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, again mainly due to RNB not being the most popular genre of the decade here despite this debut single from Monica being a huge success in NZ and her native America. She would go on to have far more success than her main rival Brandy throughout the 90's, in fact it wasn't until their collaboration that Brandy would be as successful as Monica.
#90 for 1996
There was still no shortage of EDM making it big in Australia this year, here we have a big hit from Italian DJ Brainbug who made it big with this song that feels like another entry into the DDR soundtrack that seems to be made to cash in on all of these songs from Europe throughout the 90's.
#85 for 1997
This was originally the second single from Chris Isaak's biggest album Forever blue, it flopped here likely due to how inescapable the album was but was given a second chance four years later when it appeared in the film Eyes wide shut. The film is notable for being the last one to be directed by Stanley Kubrick before his death and also for being the third to star husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
#81 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#90 for 1992
There's this movie known as Above the rim which stars Tupac Shakur as a basketball player, from what I can gather the film was poorly received for being nothing more than a string of cliches carried by the rappers admittedly compelling performance (maybe he should've played Michael Jordan in Space jam.) The film spawned a massive hit with this duet between Warren G and Nate Dogg, the former being one of the few rappers to have massive success here in Australia.
#88 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#81 for 1997
One of the sillier tracks to become a hit here, we have this metal band scoring a hit with a track about how they don't like to be called dude. If there's a more dated song to become a hit from the start of the decade, then I'm unaware of it as this couldn't be more dated if it had the TMNT rapping over this with Vanilla ice for one of their films.
#90 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#91 for 1992
These guys were on a roll this year as this became their second hit around the world likely due to how irresistibly catchy it is, although it has been used in sports themes like their earlier entry on this list. They would score two more hits in Australia the following year from their second album, although throughout Europe they were one of the most popular bands of the decade from any genre.
#89 for 1992
This was originally an album track from Vagabond heart that wasn't released as a single anywhere in the world, however it finally saw the light of day as a single two years after the album's release due to Rod performing it on MTV unplugged which compelled audiences to check out the cover of the Van Morrison track this year and make it a huge success.
#87 for 1993
This was a Hispanic hip hop duo who scored their one and only hit in Australia this year with this bop of a track, although in NZ their big hit was "On a Sunday afternoon" which topped their charts two years prior. If the production on this track sounds familiar to you, that's because Mariah Carey would sample it on her big hit "Honey" later in the decade. This wasn't a hit in America so it's anyone's guess how she came across this track.
#89 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1996
Well, this was something else from Janet Jackson, we have a rock track from her album Rhythm nation which I'm guessing she included on the album to appeal to the rock snobs of the world much like how her older brother included "Beat it" on Thriller seven years prior. It paid off for her as this became a huge hit in Australia and other parts of the world which would appreciate her attempts at rock and roll.
#89 for 1990
This was the only hit that Tony Toni Tone was able to achieve here in Australia, although like other groups of colour, they found more success over in NZ throughout the 90's which should tell you which country was more open to music of colour back then. Here they score their only hit with a new jack swing staple that proved too irresistible for us Aussies to resist back in the day like their other material.
#88 for 1993
We have another entry from a song that would be a perfect fit for Dance dance revolution, Dreamworld were a Swedish band who scored their only hit with this song here in Australia due to it being another worthy banger for our dance floors upon its initial release. I'm not sure how we Aussies were able to discover all of these gems back in the day, however they make for a great playlist for a night out.
#91 for 1996
Well, this was the song that led off the album cycle to the first U2 album that was poorly received by critics, I get that U2's schtick had become centred on irony throughout the 90's, but they perhaps took it a bit too far when they released an entire album based around the pop rock of the day.
#86 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#73 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#85 for 1990
Mariah was on a roll this year given how this became her fifth Billboard chart topper in a row since all four of her singles from her debut album went to number one in America, indeed this is the best song in her career so far as it's both bouncy and displays a personality she had lacked up until this point in her career. She would appear on MTV unplugged the following year to silence any rumours she wasn't the real deal.
#91 for 1991
Well, you know a song is bumping when it's able to crossover to Australia despite it being a hip hop track and having some casual misogyny in the third verse, although when it comes to sexism this is quite tame for Snoop Dogg considering how much worse his later material would be towards women. Indeed, we Aussies wouldn't give him another hit until "Beautiful" nine years later which is the antithesis of his 90's tracks.
#90 for 1994
The legends are true people, there was a Christmas rendition of the Macarena that was a huge success here in Australia during the Christmas season of 1996. No wonder the trend became kitsch once every version of the dance dropped off the charts worldwide.
#92 for 1996
#87 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1993
Well, we haven't had a song like this feature on this site for a while, this is the only hit from pub rock band the Poor who managed to breakthrough this year with a song that would've been one of the biggest hits of its year had it been released in the 80's. This is the best proof I have for the times shifting against Australian music as there were plenty of songs from the underground this year that sounded just like this.
#91 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#74 for 1998
This could've very well been the last hit single that Mariah Carey had in Australia given what was about to come next for her in the new millennium (we won't be discussing it here.) Fortunately, she was able to return with her 2005 effort the Emancipation of Mimi which we'll get to on the 2005 list. For now, we have this anthem about sticking it to the cheating scumbag that Mariah was dating at the time complete with a huge budget music video.
#82 for 1999
Tina Cousins originally released her debut album to deafening silence in her native UK the previous year, however thanks to her involvement with the Abba tribute from earlier on this list, said album was given a second chance in Australia where it spawned two big hits for her beginning with this dance track about how she feels alone without the love of her life. The video highlights the feeling of emptiness in the lyrics by having he be stranded on an island that appears to be abandoned.
#83 for 1999
There was simply no stopping U2 from dominating our charts this year given how well they had adapted into the new decade with their album Achtung baby; indeed, this was the first album where the singles managed to truly dominate our charts here in Australia as opposed to their 80's output where they only had the one big hit.
#90 for 1992
U2 where on a roll with their album Zooropa as this managed to become a hit for them worldwide likely due to Bono returning as the main vocalist on this track compared to their previous two singles which had the Edge on vocals.
#92 for 1994
It took him over a decade, however LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool Joe for short) finally managed to score a hit in Australia with this track where he has the assistance of Boyz II Men on the chorus fresh off the success of their earlier entry on this list. This would be his only hit as a lead artist down under, however he did score a massive hit with J-Lo in 2003 with their duet "All I have."
#93 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#75 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#76 for 1998
#76 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1990
There haven't been that many instrumentals to make it big in Australia over the years, have they? Here we have David A Stewart (one half of the Eurythmics) and Dutch saxophonist Candy Dufler scoring a big hit with this track which I'm sure was the soundtrack to some steamy love scene that I wasn't able to track down to verify for this post. Candy would go on to be an in-demand session musician following this collaboration.
#90 for 1990
This was the second hit that Jimmy Barnes was able to score from his album Two fires, it continues his winning streak from his earlier entry proving yet again that he was one of the most popular artists to transition from the 80's to the 90's down under. The third single from the album bombed, however he would return the following year with "When your love is gone" became a surprise hit for him.
#91 for 1990
This E.P was the only success that Erasure had here in Australia following their debut single from six years prior, this is strange considering A: they were a dance act who would otherwise thrive on our charts and B: were inescapable in their native UK up until this point. I guess they needed to rely on our nostalgia for Abba in order to escape our one hit wonder bin with these four covers on this E.P.
#91 for 1992
Now I know that any cover of the Beatles is going to have harsh criticisms to it, this also had the uphill battle of being a reggae cover of a Beatles track which further put it at a disadvantage. With that said, the Jamaican duo did a decent job with this cover as the song feels like a celebration much like the original which no doubt helped them escape the one hit wonder bin here as well as give them a third hit in the UK.
#93 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#86 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1994
Although this wasn't a huge hit here in Australia like their previous material was, it nonetheless a success for them largely thanks to how inescapable they were with their first two albums with their third album continuing their winner streak in the mainstream. A big complaint for their third album was their sound changing for the worse according to fans, it was certainly different, but I don't agree with it being for the worse.
#94 for 1996
The last time these guys had any success here in Australia was eight years prior with their debut album Southside, here they are this year with the lead single to their critically panned album White on blonde which nonetheless has its fans to this day from people who refuse to believe it's as bad as people say it is. I'm guessing something that contributed to this reputation was the Wu Tang remix it received the following year.
#88 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1996
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1996
This was a huge hit for Eternal months after it had already left the charts in NZ and their native UK, I guess we Aussies thought we were done with the trio from earlier in the decade but changed our minds when we realised how insanely catchy this track was from them. This is also the only hit single to have Bebe Winans on a track, I thought I'd bring that up since I've heard of him from different sources.
#81 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#77 for 1998
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#77 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#87 for 1990
This was the debut single of Snap, a German band who took the world by storm with this song that's been used in many sports montages over the years thanks to the lyrics fitting well with workout routines. Naturally their earlier entry on this list was what confirmed these guys to be the hot new EDM act of the moment, however this remains their most popular song in their catalogue due to that chorus.
#92 for 1990
This was the second single to come from Bryan Adams's comeback album Waking up the neighbours, technically this is the reason why his earlier entry on this list didn't last forever at number one as it was pulled from shelves to encourage sales of both this single and the album this year. This was also reassurance that Bryan hadn't completely sold out yet as it was a return to his arena rock from the 80's.
#92 for 1991
This was the son of Randy Bachman, the lead singer of Bachman Turner Overdrive who scored a massive hit with "You ain't seen nothing yet" around the time Tal would've been six years old. Fast forward 25 years and he scored his own hit with this track about how the love of his life is like that of several feminist icons throughout history, it became overused in films due to the lyrics and the sound of the track.
#84 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1990
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1991
This was the only hit that Bell Biv and Deveo were able to achieve here in Australia, I'm guessing this was due to the success Bobby Brown had around this time which likely explains the success of Johnny Gill from earlier on this list. They had better luck over in NZ where all of their recognisable songs were massive hits for them.
#89 for 1993
This remains the final hit from Guns N Roses worldwide, mainly because their cover of the Rolling stones classic serves as the theme to the theatrical adaptation of Interview with the vampire which remains one of the most critically acclaimed gothic horror films of all time. The film depicts Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in what many have interpreted as a homosexual relationship, which of course makes it a classic among the LGBT community.
#87 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1990
This was originally released two years prior to deafening silence in Cathy's native UK, I'm guessing her fellow Brits didn't find much love for this dance pop number amongst all of the Kylie Minogue rip-offs that dominated their charts during the final weeks of the 80's. It was given a second chance this year when she began sparking interest over in America with "Touch me" as that eventually became a huge hit on Billboard for her.
#93 for 1991
This was the second single from Lenny Kravitz's sophomore album Mama said, a song that's quite different from the rest of the album as it feels more like a Prince track rather than him attempting to be the (then) new Jimi Hendrix. It became a huge hit for him likely due to the goodwill he had from writing "Justify my love" for Madonna and this being a horny sex jam like that track.
#94 for 1991
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#92 for 1992
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#93 for 1992
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#90 for 1993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#88 for 1994
It seems fitting that All 4 one would score their two big hits in Australia with covers of obscure country ballads, indeed this comes courtesy of John Michael Montgomery who didn't end up releasing his version as a single to allow this RNB cover to become a massive success for the boy band. This would be the last anyone would hear from these guys even though they never officially broke up.
#88 for 1995
This was the debut single for Vanessa Amorosi, it's a more conventional teen pop song about how she realises what a nasty person she was in a relationship only after her ex has moved onto someone else. She was only young at the time, so I feel that she gets a pass for having this as her debut when the rest of her early catalogue is far more mature.
#85 for 1999
Well, this was a good year for mashup singles, wasn't it? Here we have British group Rococo scoring their one and only hit in Australia and nowhere else in the world by mashing up some of the biggest hit singles in the Italo house genre meaning that several entries on this list became a hit again because of this track.
#93 for 1990
Years before he became one of the leading forces of the EDM scene, Fatboy slim was a member of Beats international who scored their only hit in Australia with this remix of the S.O.S Band's hit single "Just be good to me" from 1983. The original was a decent hit here in Australia back in the day, meaning that audiences had nostalgia for that track when the band decided to rework it as a smoky jazz number.
#94 for 1990
This was the second single to come from These days, an album that still divides Bon Jovi fans to this day due to it being a far cry from their arena rock days and instead goes for more mainstream rock with the occasional exception such as this track which is more in line with hard rock.
#89 for 1995
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#89 for 1996
We have another contender for the boy band wars of the 90's, this time it's Taxiride who like Hanson and Ultra played their own instruments which helped them compete in the market for teenage girls who appreciated these types of musicians. This was their second single after the commercial disappointment of their first single "Get set," both of these songs being well remembered years after their relevancy died out.
#86 for 1999
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#90 for 1991
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#89 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#90 for 1996
Those who felt betrayed by Angry Anderson selling out for a wedding theme for a soap opera were likely relieved when he returned to form in the new decade with this song, although I'm sure they would've preferred it if Rose tattoo had a hit to their name which wasn't the case as they had broken up by this stage (even if they reformed later in the decade.) Indeed, this would be the last anyone would hear from the pub rocker.
#95 for 1990
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#78 for 1999
This was the final hit that Bon Jovi scored from their album Keep the faith, again it's a more downbeat ballad from what they had released prior to this point which no doubt led to them going full sellout material on their next album two years later. Although they saw massive success this decade, many regard them more as an 80's band in retrospect due to how little material from the 90's has stood the test of time.
#90 for 1993
Although he was quickly losing his popularity as the decade went on (as were most Australian artists admittedly) Diesel was nonetheless able to score a hit with this lead single to his second solo album due to it retaining his blues influence that he had on his previous effort both solo and with his band the Injectors. This would sadly be his final hit here due to Australian artists really struggling to compete with international acts from this point forward.
#91 for 1993
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#90 for 1994
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#82 for 1997
Prince was on a roll this year when he released the title track to his comeback album, it proved to be the second biggest hit off the album in his native America due to it being a much dreamier track which was unusual for him throughout his discography. He would release one more single from the album before releasing his next album which had him sporting his new name as an unpronounceable symbol.
#92 for 1992
This was the only notable success for the Wallflowers likely due to it referencing the Disney princes Cinderella in the lyrics which was receiving a resurgence in popularity this decade due to the Disney renaissance pushing all of its older characters back into the spotlight. This led their album to being a moderate success before they forever faded into obscurity.
#89 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#91 for 1991
This was the debut single for Brandy, an RNB singer who would have more success internationally than she did here due to RNB not being among the most popular genres of the decade here. That said, her popularity was decently big down under and even carried over into the 00's likely due to her strong vocals which were impressive around this time considering she was only in her mid-teens.
#90 for 1995
While they never had a hit single here in Australia, Grinspoon were able to make up for that by having a successful E.P chart with some of the more popular songs of the decade. I get the feeling that they were destined to have a ton of success with songs such as "Chemical heart" and "Hard act to follow" but didn't due to being victims of digital piracy throughout the 00's.
#82 for 1998
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#78 for 1998
Bryan Adams was on a roll this year when he released the fourth single from his comeback album Waking up the neighbours, this was after the failure of the third single "There will never be another tonight" which signalled that he wouldn't have much success from the singles due to how big the album would be. This song proved otherwise and even led to him scoring another hit on Billboard with "Do I have to say the words."
#93 for 1992
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#91 for 1994
I guess Neneh Cherry was still able to find success this far into the 90's, although she certainly adapted with the times as this isn't the same pop rap that she broke through with in the late 80's. This would be her final hit worldwide as she quit music shortly after she released her third album to become a mother.
#95 for 1996
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#83 for 1997
(THIS IS THE ARIA ENTRY)
#84 for 1997
This was the third hit from Silverchair's sophomore album, this was more of an acoustic ballad which is perhaps why it wasn't as big despite it having a higher peak position here than their previous entry.
#90 for 1997
