Well, I thought I'd cover all the big hits from the UK throughout the 80's that were hits in the southern hemisphere just like I did for the big hits on Billboard a few months back. Once again, I'll be skipping over songs that weren't a success in Australia and/or NZ as well as using different album art to the one's I used for entries on those sides of my site. This list is also homegrown (which you can check out here for reference.)
Given how there was no disco backlash in the UK, this allowed for the Spinners (known as the Detroit spinners over there despite me failing to find album art to reflect this) to score a huge chart topper at the start of the decade with this cover of the Four seasons classic.
It's little surprise this was the biggest hit Duran Duran had in their homeland as it was second only to their Bond theme as their biggest hit in America, again this goes to show that releasing a track on a highly successful album as a remix will do wonders for that song on the charts as you technically can't find it anywhere else during the height of its popularity.
It's little surprise this was a huge chart topper for Wham in their homeland given how it was the lead single to their greatest hits package the Final, it was meant to be the lead single for their third album which was cancelled due to creative differences between the two men.
Alison Moyet is another example of a British artist who failed to score a chart topper in her homeland, this lead single to her second album was her biggest even though she has entries both solo and with her band Yazoo that out peaked it throughout the decade to further prove that number one didn't mean much back in the day.
I guess it makes sense this went to number one in the UK for the brothers Gibb given how they saw a bit of a revival in their popularity due to the success of Diana Ross's entry from earlier on this list. It's the first song in their career that did better in the UK than it did anywhere else in the world which would remain the case for the remainder of their time together.
This is one of two entries from Eurovision to appear on this list (it would've been four had "What's another year" and "A little peace" been hits in the southern hemisphere.) This was also the launching pad for Bucks fizz who went on to have overwhelming success in their homeland including their earlier entry and "My camera never lies" which was another non-Australian/NZ hit I had to cut on this list.
We have another entry from the brothers Gibb as their work on Barbra Streisand's biggest international hit made it her biggest hit in the UK at the start of the decade, it's also her only hit of the 80's over there as she wouldn't trouble the British charts again until the late 90's with her work with Bryan Adams and Celine Dion.
If you can believe it, this was only a modest success in America for Glenn Medeiros, meaning that we Aussies were the ones that put this ballad on the map when it became a massive sleeper hit for the teen idol almost a year after its initial release. This led to it becoming a chart topper for him in the UK following the massive success it received here.
Well, I may not be able to feature any of Soft cell's other hits on this list (due to arbitrary rules I've given myself) however that doesn't mean we can't have another look at Marc Almond's solo entry which was a huge chart topper for him in his homeland during the final year of the decade. It's also the only time Gene Pitney's bothered their charts since his 1974 hit "Blue angel."
It appears that this is David Bowie's biggest hit of the 80's regardless of where in the world you're from, again it was a huge chart topper for him in the UK meaning that it went to number one everywhere in the world except for the place where the video was filmed (here in Australia.)
Get used to seeing massive international hits from British artists with low peak positions on this list, this is due to these songs which are so iconic to the 80's peaking during the Christmas period of each year they were released in their homeland. You can also file the Thompson twins into the category of huge artists of the decade never making it to number one over there.
As this was made during the height of Live aid, there was little doubt this would go to number one in the UK even if it was widely ignored in America for some reason. Unlike in the southern hemisphere where this was much bigger than the original from Sonny and Cher, it was equally as popular as the original over there as that too went to number one back in the day.
You can thank the Brits for why this 1975 hit from MJ recharted seven years after its release here in Australia as this randomly went to number one on the UK charts in 1981 for the (then) future king of pop. I've tried to find out why this was a number one hit for him over there (his first solo entry at that) but I came up with nothing.
I guess you can thank the Brits for why Madonna would showcase her Hispanic heritage throughout her career as this managed to be a huge chart topper for her on the UK charts even though it was the fifth single from True blue. I'd even go as far to say that this song's success over there is what led to her having "Who's that girl" be the theme song of the film of the same name.
There was a good chance that the Latin craze from the 80's would carry on well into the 90's given how inescapable tracks like this were worldwide, indeed it was due to its success in the UK during the final months of the 80's that this was one of the first hits of the 90's here in Australia for the French group.
There may not have been a disco backlash in the UK, however that didn't mean that disco had free reign at going to number one given how this stalled at number two on the British charts for Lipps inc. I guess the Brits weren't as impressed with this track given how disco was still alive and well over there when it came out.
This also failed to get to number one in the UK, although that didn't seem to matter as it was only slightly less popular in George's homeland than it was on Billboard back in the day. It still boggles my mind that it was here in Australia where this songs popularity peaked.
Blondie was off to an amazing start in the UK given how this was their third chart topper in a row over there, it was also their final hit unfortunately as "Rapture" underperformed and thus won't be appearing on this list. We'll be revisiting their other two chart toppers later down this list so stay tuned for them respectively.
Again, it's hard to say if this song's success was more due to Phil Collin's star power or that the film it's named after was well received by his fellow Brits, either way it was a massive hit for the former Genesis drummer over there as well as the first of several Billboard chart toppers he would acquire in his career.
Much like the kiwis, the Brits tended to by singles from highly successful albums back in the day, meaning that the third single from Wham's second album managed to become their third consecutive chart topper in their homeland back in the day. This is impressive given how the duo failed to produce a chart topper from their first album two years prior.
Even though this was released to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it wound up being the UK Christmas chart topper of 1987 for the Pet shop boys which no doubt overshadowed its original conception back in the day. This was their final hit in America; however, they would have plenty more success after this internationally.
This was one of the last hits of the decade in the UK, naturally it was a massive success for Technetronic over there which led to it being one of the first hits of the 90's internationally worldwide including in America where it matched the success it achieved throughout Europe.
This is the most recent entry that'll feature on this list as this achieved some of its success during the early months of the 90's in their homeland, admittedly it was a bold move releasing this so soon after their debut album as this was the advanced single from their second album.
It may shock you to learn that Sheena Easton is another artist that never made it to number one in the UK, meaning that this is another song from a British artist that was an international chart topper despite it failing to reach the top spot in its homeland. This was likely due to it being marketed for a reality show she starred in rather than its own appeal as a song.
It was inevitable this would be a chart topper for Kajagoogoo (I can't even with that name) given how big it was internationally, they had other minor hits in their homeland, however none of them were noteworthy enough to help them escape the one hit wonder bin retroactively.
Was there any doubt this would be Spandau ballet's biggest hit in their homeland? It was such a big hit that it even crossed over to America where it became a decent success for the new romantic band as well as what many believe to be THE defining song from that genre.
How has it taken me this long to get to the Police on this list? While this was their biggest hit in their homeland, it was noticeably less successful in the UK than it was in America likely due to it not lasting as long at number one on the UK charts as it did on the Billboard charts.
While the other singles from Make it big managed to outperform this lead single in the UK, that didn't mean the song wasn't a success in Wham's homeland as it was the song to put them on the map in America due to its overwhelming success both at home as well as throughout the rest of the world.
While there were other EDM tracks that became a success in the UK prior to this entry, this was the first to find international success and thus the song that's often credited for EDM finding mainstream success nowadays. It admittedly feels weird that this was a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia given how the opposite would've been the case had it been released in the 90's.
Given how this barely managed to make the cut on the Australian side of my site, it's a bit staggering to see how well it did in King's homeland as it nearly managed to top the UK charts back in the day. They sadly remain a one hit wonder over there like they do over here due to their failure to break from the novelty connections they had with Queen.
It looked like Pet shop boys would be a one hit wonder in their homeland with their top entry on this list given how the other singles from Please didn't make much of an impression in the UK like they did in NZ, any fears that would happen were put to rest when this lead single to Actually went to number one for the duo.
This is another entry on this list that became a UK chart topper not due to its success in America but rather here in Australia, I can't for the life of me figure out how this song connected so well with us Aussies, however that led to it doing the same for the Brits just as the decade was coming to an end.
Here's another song from a British band/artist that was an international chart topper that failed to top the British charts, again we have the lucrative Christmas period to thank for how this happened as Tears for fears originally released this during the Christmas season of 1984 which was particularly brutal for non-Christmas music.
While this was more of a success in the UK than it was here in Australia, it's worth noting that it failed to get to number one over there like it did over here, meaning this prevented Shaky from having four consecutive chart toppers in his homeland as his other three entries did get to number one over there.
I guess the Brits weren't as over the moon with Paul and MJ's friendship back in the day as America was given how much less popular this was in the UK compared to the Billboard charts, although it was nonetheless a massive hit for the pair as opposed to their other collaboration "The girl is mine" which won't even appear on this list.
To this day, I have no idea how the Brits came across this debut single from Salt n Pepa given how this was a massive flop for them in their native America. It was such a massive hit for them over there that naturally it crossed over to NZ and even Australia which is odd as we Aussies were notoriously slow in adopting hip hop into our music scene back in the day.
It's weird this is Cliff Richard's highest entry on this list as I doubt many will think of this ballad when thinking of his 80's catalogue, admittedly there's still plenty to come from the aging pop crooner on this list which goes to show how popular he was two to three decades after his initial breakthrough.
I would say that there's little surprise this was a chart topper in Bonnie Tyler's native UK except for the fact it was her only chart topper in her homeland given how "It's a heartache" was a massive worldwide success for her despite it failing to top the UK charts. It's also worth noting it was more of a success here in Australia likely due to the Meat loaf influences on the track.
Given how "Would I lie to you" was the big hit for the Eurythmics off of Be yourself tonight in America, it only makes sense that the album's second single would be the big hit for the duo in their homeland. What's surprising is that it was their only chart topper in the UK as "Sweet dreams" only got to number two over there (it's still to come on this list.)
This is one of only two entries from Milli Vanilli on this list, I guess it's fitting that their biggest hit in the UK was also their biggest hit here in Australia which leads me to believe we Aussies were following the Brits lead when making these two fraudsters a household name, that being cautiously optimistic.
Again, I have no idea why this flopped here in Australia given how it was a massive hit everywhere else in the world, I guess the kiwis can thank the Brits for why this was a hit in NZ as the only other international hit she had from her debut album was "Opposites attract" which was also a huge hit for her in the UK.
Again, I'm cheating with this entry as it was indeed the English version of this track which made it to number one in the UK as opposed to the German version which was the big hit in the southern hemisphere. It would be wrong for me to disqualify this from the list as it was a massive worldwide hit regardless of what language we're referring to.
This was much more successful in the UK than the Lesley Gore original was over there, so much so that I'm willing to bet the average Brit considers this the original version of the track given how it was a massive chart topper over there.
There was little doubt this was a massive hit for Fairground attraction in their homeland even if it feels even more out of place with the other hits of 1988 on the UK charts compared to the Australian and NZ charts, the Scottish band did have a second hit with "Find my love" that would've featured on here were it a hit in the southern hemisphere.
This being the second of three chart toppers for Jive bunny and company in their homeland is just further proof that I thought mashup singles would be inescapable in the UK throughout the decade, I guess the Brits were only interested in mashup singles if either A: they had a cartoon rabbit in their music videos or B: there was a disco beat connecting each of the tracks together.
Speaking of mashup singles with a disco beat, we have this entry from Stars on 45 which somehow failed to get to number one in the UK despite it being a massive chart topper for the Dutch group everywhere else including in America. The only thing I can think of as to why is that they were branded as Starsound over there (despite me failing to find cover art to reflect this.)
I mentioned on my Billboard list that this made history when it and the album Business as usual topped both the singles and albums charts in America and the UK in early 1983, suffice to say that this milestone ensured that this signature track from Men at work would be a shoe in for this list. Sadly, they were a one hit wonder in the UK as opposed to megastars internationally.
This is another song that could've topped the British charts had it not been released during the Christmas period of 1984; this means that Nik Kershaw is another artist that failed to top the British charts despite having so much success over there back in the day.
While it wasn't a chart topper in the UK like it was over in NZ, this was nonetheless a huge success for Ashford and Simpson with the Brits despite it only being a modest success for them in their native America. This is just another example of how the Brits looked out for artists of colour back in the day more so than Americans (another fact I'll happily bring up whenever I can.)
He might not have had more than one solo chart topper in the UK (he only had two if you include "Three times a lady" with the Commodores) however that didn't mean the Brits ignored Lionel Richie during the height of his popularity as this nearly went to number one over there due to it being among the bouncier songs in his catalogue.
This came so close to being an honourable mention on my Billboard list a while back, meaning that Americans at least had some exposure to Adam Ant back in the day even if it was with his only solo hit. This naturally meant that it would be a massive hit in his homeland which it was as well as here in Australia.
It's a bit surprising this was a hit in the UK prior to it being a hit here in Australia, mainly because it was the other way around for his one and only hit with PHD earlier in the decade even though they and Jim Diamond are British. Either way, it was equally as successful in both countries for the crooner.
The Brits initially ignored this signature track from Bruce Springsteen upon its initial release, however it was given a second chance at the start of 1985 presumably due to it being named the biggest hit of 1984 here in Australia which no doubt led the Brits to look into why we Aussies loved this track so much.
If you're wondering why this ballad from Angry Anderson became a hit in the UK over a year after its initial release here in Australia, that's because it was deliberately withheld from being released as a single over there until the airing of Scott and Charlene's wedding likely to avoid spoilers from Neighbours.
This was the biggest hit off of Wham's debut album in their homeland, not by much though as we'll be revisiting the lead single in just a bit, but it does have the highest peak position from the album on the UK charts. At least you can say the Brits were on top of their hip hop much sooner than the Americans were.
This was Kenny Roger's second UK chart topper and likely the reason why it found an audience in the southern hemisphere as it was far from the biggest hit of 1980 over in America, it was also a bit of a passing the torch moment as he would struggle for success in the UK after this as opposed to it exponentially growing in his homeland.
Even though he had three hits in the southern hemisphere, this was Jona Lewie's only hit in his homeland likely due to it being marketed as a Christmas track in the UK. It wasn't marketed as one here in Australia which is perhaps why it was a bigger hit here than it was there.
This is the final entry on this list from Adam Ant that was a chart topper in his homeland, indeed it's his finale entry period due to the other candidates from his discography for this list failing to become a hit in the southern hemisphere. Those being "Ant rap" and "Kings of the wild frontier."
This is the final entry from Frankie goes to Hollywood on this list, although "Welcome to the pleasuredome" would also appear on here had it been more of a hit in NZ back in the day. This was also marketed as a Christmas track in the UK which is how it became a chart topper right before Band aid's entry took the title of Christmas number one of 1984 from them.
This feels a little low on this list compared to how well it did on the Billboard list from a while back, however there was no doubt this would be a massive hit for John Lennon posthumously given how much in shock the world was following his horrific assassination months prior to its release.
This is where it all began for Wham, they were certainly off to a great start even though this lucked out from getting to number one due to the Christmas season of 1982 when it was released in their homeland. This was also the first hip hop track to become a hit here in Australia (second if you count Debbie Harry's verse on "Rapture.")
Another victim of the Christmas season of 1982, in fact this had a higher peak position on Billboard than it did in the UK due to the stiff competition it faced in their homeland upon its initial release. At least it has a much higher placement on this list which is the proof I need it was a bigger hit in their homeland than it was in America.
I'm somewhat surprised this isn't higher on this list given that A: it's a charity single and B: it's a remake of Cliff Richard's debut single from 25 years prior which further added to the novelty factor it has to this day. There's also the appearance of the Young ones even if it was two years after the show ended.
I did mention this was the big hit off the Xanadu soundtrack in the UK as opposed to "Magic" which was the big hit it had in America; indeed, it was as this was a chart topper for both Livie and ELO in the UK (their only chart topper in the latter's case) suggesting the Brits preferred the disco influences of the soundtrack rather than the adult contemporary.
We're knocking out both hits ELO had in their homeland throughout the 80's as they indeed saw massive success in the UK with the lead single to their album Time. It's a bit weird they didn't have any further success over there given how the UK was largely unaffected by MTV (mostly because new wave had been a thing since the 70's over there.)
Although he had success throughout the 70's in his homeland, this was Mike Oldfield's biggest hit in the UK as well as the only song that charted over there throughout the 80's. It appears America was the only country in the world that was bothered by one of his tracks having vocals as that's the only place where this ballad flopped.
Another charity single for this list, although I doubt anyone realises anymore that this was originally recorded during Live aid since the music video has overshadowed its philanthropist intentions given how so many queer jokes have been made about the chemistry both men have during its runtime.
This was Elton John's biggest hit of the 80's in the UK just like it was in the southern hemisphere, mainly because it didn't have to compete with Dionne Warwick's "That's what friends are for" upon its initial release like it did in America which is why it was pushed back as a single on Billboard.
This came close to appearing on my Billboard list but was lost in the shuffle of other adult contemporary ballads of 1986 to do so, fortunately it more than qualifies for this list due to it being a huge chart topper for George Michael in the UK which was furthered his prospects of being a solo artist.
Even though this is his only entry on this list, this managed to top the UK charts for the Miracles frontman Smokey Robinson which goes to show how much the Brits loved soul music during what was meant to be the dark ages for musicians of colour in America.
Given how inescapable he was throughout the decade in NZ, you'd think Eddy Grant would match the success he had over there in his native UK. Alas he didn't as while this proved to be equally as successful in both countries, he only has one other entry on this list and it's the one hit he failed to have in NZ throughout his career (stay tuned for it.)
This was a sleeper hit for Kim Wilde in America and thus ineligible for my Billboard list, not that it matters as it was far more of a success in her native UK where it was her biggest hit in her career. She still has another entry on this list to come, however it would've been two had "You came" been a hit in the southern hemisphere.
It's lucky that this was a sleeper hit in NZ otherwise I would've had to omit this Billboard chart topper from my site which was also a massive hit in the UK for the American band Atlantic Starr. Sadly, we won't be revisiting "Secret lovers" on this list as the Brits didn't gravitate towards that ballad like they did for this one.
