UK hits of the 80's VII

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.)

I bet you forget that I said these guys had a second appearance on this list, here they are with of course the one hit that had worldwide that wasn't as such here in Australia. Bearing in mind that this was the song which broke them through to an international market due to its popularity throughout Europe.

Here's another face we haven't seen in quite some time on this list, this was Belinda Carlisle's first hit she had that wasn't as such in her homeland as her fellow Americans ignored her third album to the point where she was dropped from her label over there but not internationally.

This is another entry that I'm sure will shock you with how low it is on this list, it was a hit for the J Geils band in the UK, just not to the ludicrous scale that it was in their homeland or anywhere else in the world for that matter. It might be due to the music video which I'm sure freaked out the Brits back in the day.

This is the other entry from the Fine young cannibals on this list, again it was far from the biggest hit of its year in their homeland and yet it was what put them on the map internationally. The further down this list I go, the more I realise that any sort of exposure on the UK charts is grounds for potential worldwide success.

Now I'm aware this was a hit here in Australia due to the Damned performing this on Countdown, however it's possible we Aussies came across this cover of the Barry Ryan classic due to it charting quite high in their homeland. It's also a rare punk track to appear on this list as well as my list on rateyourmusic.

While this wasn't the inescapable chart topper in the UK like it was here in Australia and their native America, it appears the Brits appreciated this change in direction that KC and the Sunshine band took once the 80's had begun. They obviously preferred their disco classics as evidence by their earlier entry on this list.

This wasn't among the biggest hits of its time in the Korgis's homeland; however, it was unique enough to connect with their fellow Brits as well as eventually find an audience with us Aussies at the start of the decade. It also no doubt inspired the likes of Spandau ballet and ABC with their entries we've looked at on this list already.

This was another victim of the 1984 Christmas season, if it were released at any other point in time, then rest assured it would be much higher on this list as there was a lot of hype going into Alison Moyet's solo debut when this came out.

I guess the Brits weren't as ecstatic with this reunion between UB40 and Chrissie Hynde as the kiwis were given how this has a lower placement on this list compared to the NZ list, although at least the reunion was a success in their homeland as opposed to the rest of the world where it was largely ignored.

If you want to know why this was a sleeper hit in NZ, that's because it was far from the biggest hit from Soul II soul in their homeland likely due to them being a new name in a year that was a celebration of the biggest names of the 80's. This was a success (hence its appearance on my list) just not an inescapable one like their earlier entry.

I have no idea why this nearly topped the NZ charts given how it wasn't anywhere near as big for Alvin Stardust in his homeland, this is especially considering that it was his only hit over there as he had no success prior to this track with the kiwis. Its success in his homeland makes more sense considering he was a household name over there throughout the 70's.

OK what I said about Alvin Stardust also applies here as Princess somehow managed to nearly top the NZ charts with her debut single despite it being far from the biggest hit of its year in her homeland. Naturally it was due to how inescapable it was in NZ that it crossed over here in Australia, although to be fair it was a decent hit for her amongst her fellow Brits.

It's been a while since we looked at an American woman of colour finding success in the UK despite being a no name in her homeland, hasn't it? Here we are with Gwen Guthrie's only hit as it was a decent success in the UK right before it became a huge chart topper for her in NZ of all places. She did score a second minor hit in NZ with a Carpenters cover which flopped in the UK.

This had to wait almost an entire year to find an audience in NZ following the more immediate success it had for Wet wet wet in their native UK, it turns out that their earlier entry on this list became a hit over there the same time their Joe Cocker cover became the biggest hit they had of the decade in their homeland.

We had to apologize to the Trekkies earlier on this list, time now for our apologies to the Dr who fandom as the KLF decided to mock the popular BBC series with this novelty track that allowed it to become a cheap chart topper for them in their homeland as well as NZ. This is the final chart topper for this list, with Jive Bunny's "Let's party" being the final one had it been a hit internationally.

Remember how I asked how we Aussies knew about this track from Transvision vamp the last time we talked about them? I'm guessing we noticed how hard this went whenever it appeared on a TOTP countdown which encouraged us to check it out in droves. This means that the band found way more success down under than they did in their homeland.

This is the other entry from Bob Marley for this list, again we have to thank the kiwis for this appearing on here as Bob only had the one hit from 1978 with "Is this love" here in Australia over the years. Obviously, this was a bigger hit in NZ for the reggae legend, however not by much as it dropped off the charts fairly quickly in both countries.

This is the final entry from Culture club on this list, again we have a near miss for the number one spot as there was a ton of hype going into their third album which was unfortunately not met once it dropped. At least their fellow Brits could appreciate the message of the song just like we Aussies did.

We haven't heard from Whitney Houston for a while on this list, have we? Here we are with the song that put her on the map here in Australia which was her fourth biggest hit of the decade in the UK. The third was "One moment in time" which we skipped due to its failure in the southern hemisphere, she also would've had another entry on this list with "So emotional" if that crossed over as well.

Here we are with Rick Astley's final appearance on this list, naturally it wasn't as big in his homeland as it was over in America due to it being separated by "Whenever you need somebody" and "When I fall in love" as opposed to it being the immediate follow up to his top entry on this list.

It's hard to say which country is responsible for this being a staple in folk music given how its success is equal on both the British and American charts, what I do know is that it was here in Australia where this debut single from Tracy Chapman found the most success as it easily appears higher on that list than it does on these two lists.

As this was the follow up to "We don't talk anymore," this was bound to be a massive hit for Cliff Richard in his homeland even if I doubt anyone outside of his fanbase would recognise this in recent years. He certainly had an interesting career trajectory throughout the 80's as we've seen on this list alone.

This is the final entry from Cliff Richard on this list, it's curiously his biggest hit here in Australia given how inescapable it was on our charts upon its initial release. It appears his fellow Brits weren't that impressed with this track as they quickly moved on to his top entry on this list during the album cycle.

I bet you forgot that I mentioned these guys had two entries on this list, here we are with ABC's debut single which proved to be more popular internationally than it was in their homeland for whatever reason. I really don't know why it popped off in NZ of all places other than maybe them confusing these guys for Devo.

Given how MJ was at the top of his game when this came out, it only makes sense that the Brits would make this a huge success for Rockwell thanks to his catchy chorus he provided the rapper. This would be the full extent of Rockwell's popularity over there just like it was internationally.

If you're wondering why this song appears so low on this list despite it being a huge international chart topper for Billy Ocean, that's likely because his fellow Brits had already rejected the original version of this track "European queen" where the only difference between both versions was where the queen in question was from.

Try as I might, I'm unable to find any cover art that suggests that the full title of this track is "French kissing in the USA" rather than what it actually is. I bring this up because apparently it was this title change that helped it find an audience internationally after it bombed in Debbie's native America.

I bet you forgot all about me mentioning that both of Tiffany's Billboard chart toppers would be appearing on this list, indeed she found massive success in the UK with her second single following the surprise success of her debut she had from earlier on this list.

Here's the other entry from Bobby Brown on this list, naturally it would be his Billboard chart topper even though I'm willing to bet some of you thought it would be "Every little step" based on how well he did in the southern hemisphere. He would have one more hit in the UK in the 90's, although it would be with "Two can play at that game" which flopped everywhere else in the world.

You knew this was going to appear on this list given how their earlier entry was one of the biggest hits of the decade in the UK, again I can't for the life of me find any cover art that lists them as the Detroit spinners which makes me wonder why the Brits ever called these guys that.

While this wasn't as big in the UK as it was in America, NZ or even here in Australia, there was no doubt this would be a show in for this list as we've firmly established throughout this list that the Brits had a soft spot for musicians of colour throughout the years.

I'm a bit surprised that this was more successful in the southern hemisphere than it was in the UK or on Billboard, admittedly the fact this was a hit in the UK is impressive even with the wacky music video likely appealing to the Brits love for novelty. Sadly, their success was confided to their native Canada as they remain a one hit wonder everywhere else.

I told you we'd be looking at this song twice on this list, this covers its original release where it allowed the Cars to escape the one hit wonder bin that "My best friend's girl" threatened to trap them in from 1978. It's hard to say if its success in the southern hemisphere came from its success in the UK or their native America.

We have one final appearance from Madonna on this list, it's another song that became a success in 1985 as a rerelease despite it being a decent success upon its initial release in the UK the year prior. I'm guessing this was to cash in off the rebranding of her debut album as it now went by the first album as opposed to it being a self-titled.

This is the final entry from Alison Moyet on this list, it got a bit lost in the shuffle amongst her fellow Brits due to the high number of re-entries from older artists as well as songs made as commercial fodder for the day (both categories failing to appear on this list due to their failure to find success in the southern hemisphere.)

I'm as surprised as you are at the lack of representation that New order has on this list, granted they appeared to be more well loved by the kiwis if their presence on that side of my site is anything to go by, however I would've thought this would be much higher on the list even if their fellow Brits were likely turned off by the bizarre music video.

It's been a while since we looked at Billy Joel, so here he is with his final appearance on this list as the Brits weren't quite as impressed with his history lesson as we Aussies and his fellow Americans were by the end of the decade. Still at least they made it a hit as opposed to anything he released prior to 1983.

For some reason, I'm surprised that this was the only hit that Styx had in the UK, probably because their brand of soft rock fits in perfectly with the cheesy ballads that permeated the UK charts throughout the 70's. Still there was no way this was going to flop over there given how this was a huge Billboard chart topper for them just as that decade was coming to an end.

This is the penultimate appearance of MJ on this list, I bring this up because I only skipped two of his tracks on my rateyourmusic list (those being "Smooth criminal" and "Leave me alone.") What else is weird is that this was second only to "Don't stop till you get enough" as the biggest hit from his solo debut from the start of the decade over there.

Given how this is an Oscar winning ballad as well as a huge Billboard chart topper, it only makes sense that the Brits would make this a success for Christopher Cross even though his debut album was a massive flop over there at the start of the decade.

I bet you weren't expecting to see this on my list, it by all accounts is eligible as it was part of a three for one deal here in Australia which resulted in this, "Cherish" and "Misled" being Kool and the gang's only hit down under. Admittedly this is another victim of the Christmas period of 1984 which explains its failure to crack the British top ten (the only entry on this list that failed to do so, with "Hymn" from Ultravox being the only other candidate in this regard.)

I don't know how the Brits got a hold of this track given how it wasn't among the biggest hits of the year in Animotion's native America, however they did which is perhaps how it managed to find an audience with us Aussies and kiwis back in the day. They remain a one hit wonder over there just like they do internationally.

I bet you were beginning to wonder if I forgot about this magnum opus from George Michael, while it was a huge hit for him in his homeland, it unfortunately fell off the UK charts fairly quickly as opposed to it sticking around like it did in Australia, NZ and on Billboard.

I guess the Brits weren't too big of fans of Beaches as we Aussies, kiwis and Americans were given how much lower its theme song appears on this list compared to where it appears on those respective lists. Admittedly it could also be that the Brits weren't big fans of Bette Midler in general as this was her first charting single over there.

We're really racking up the surprises on this list as like you, I expected to see this much higher on this list. At least this almost went to number one in the UK even if its success was more potent over in America coming out of the 80's, although Phil wouldn't have much luck in the 90's in his homeland.

I'm not sure what surprises me more, the fact this was seemingly pulled from the shelves here in Australia or the fact that despite that happening, it was still a bigger hit down under for Blancemange than it was in their homeland. Granted this did peak during the Christmas period of 1982, however how we Aussies came across this track is beyond me.

Much like here in Australia, this was only a hit in the UK once it won an academy award. Unlike here in Australia, said award wasn't enough for this to be an inescapable hit for the duo in question, although at least this made the cut as opposed to the other Oscar winning ballad Jennifer Warnes was a part of.

This is the final appearance from Elton John on this list, it seems fitting that it would be the follow up to his previous entry on this list given how his fellow Brits only seemed to be interested in Too low for zero as well as his top entry on this list throughout the 80's.

It's curious to think that of the three candidates I have for this list of mine from Level 42, the one that makes the cut is the weakest hit they had of the three in their homeland. Their other two hits were "Lessons in love" and "Something about you," the latter of which was also a candidate for my Billboard list.

This was one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, so it makes sense that the Brits would make it a success for John Farnham even though they likely had never heard of him prior to this becoming a hit over there. This unfortunately didn't lead him to any further success with the Brits.

I would say that I'm confused as to how Maxi Priest managed to find massive worldwide success when he was far from the most popular artists in his native UK, but then I remember he was a member of UB40 and thus likely managed to find worldwide success with his connections to them rather than his popularity with his fellow Brits.

When I said there would be a third appearance from Cyndi Lauper on this list, I bet you weren't expecting it to be the lead single to her third album were you? It appears the Brits were largely unimpressed with her second album as that failed to produce a hit for her in the UK, however they clearly had love for this track Roy Orbison donated to her shortly prior to his death.

Here's the other appearance from Martika I mentioned earlier on this list, again this was way more popular here in Australia, however that was due to a Countdown performance she gave right before the decade ended as opposed to it being a success on its own merits throughout the rest of the world.

This is our final appearance from UB40 on this list, I only skipped over one song from my rateyourmusic list of theirs (that being "Don't break my heart") which means their fellow Brits passed over a few of their songs that we Aussies and kiwis didn't throughout the decade.

This is the final appearance from Duran Duran on this list, I'm guessing this connected with their fellow Brits due to its saucy music video which many feminists cite as the main evidence for sexism in the music industry (they of course ignore sexism towards men when they say this.) This also confirms that it was us Aussies that made these guys a household name as "Planet earth" bombed in their homeland.

I'm really surprised this is so low on this list, granted this nearly topped the British charts as it has novelty written all over it, however it was a massive chart topper for Trio over in NZ which goes to show how much more amusing the kiwis found this over the Brits.

Whereas this was a mere sleeper hit for Boys town gang here in Australia, it was a genuine hit for them over in the UK where disco continued to reign supreme despite MTV's best efforts in making it yesterday's news worldwide. Sadly, they only had the one hit as they called it quits in 1984 due to the failure they had on Billboard.

This is the final entry from Prince on this list, it appears the Brits weren't too big a fan of this err.... collage he made for Tim Burton's adaptation of Batman as I refuse to believe this song underperforming was due to their disinterest in the film. He would continue to have moderate success in the UK throughout the 90's.

I'm not sure why this was the big hit from Paul Young over in NZ given how it was far from his biggest success in his homeland, at least it was eligible for this list as opposed to "Everything must change" and "Everytime you go away" from his second album, the latter of which was a Billboard chart topper for him.

This is the final entry on this list to be a hit in 1985 despite originally being released earlier in the decade, admittedly I'm not sure why this and Billy's earlier entry on this list was ignored by his fellow Brits until the midpoint of the decade, however both songs did win them over this year for some reason.

It appears the Brits were bigger fans of the movie this song is named after than Labyrinth just like the rest of the world was, either that or we all were simply unimpressed with the soundtrack to that cult classic. I skipped over "Fashion" from my rateyourmusic list as that flopped in the southern hemisphere, it's the only song from Bowie that I had to do so for this list.

This is Bananarama's final entry on this list, I skipped over "Robert De Niro's waiting" which makes this their weakest hit they had that was eligible for this list. Again, how this managed to become an international chart topper including in America when its success was so mediocre in their homeland is beyond me.

This is another song that almost topped the British charts to rank so low on this list, I guess the Brits only made this a hit through its novelty value and definitely didn't affiliate it with the Cocktail soundtrack as we won't be looking at the Beach boy's contribution to that cinematic disaster on this list.

If you're wondering how this managed to become a massive hit for Altered images in NZ when it struggles to appear on this list, that's because it was released for the Christmas season of 1981 where it got lost in the shuffle from a lot of the earlier entries on this list. Why their other NZ hit "Don't talk to me about love" underperformed over there on the other hand is beyond me.

This is the only other entry that Simple minds have on this list, again I didn't skip any of their songs like I've done for so many other artists we've looked at, meaning their fellow Brits didn't have a lot of love for their catalogue like we Aussies and kiwis did throughout the 80's.

Given how this was a massive worldwide hit for Robbie Nevil, it only makes sense that the Brits would join in on making this a hit even if its success in the UK was pitiful to what it achieved in the southern hemisphere (let alone his native America.) I think Australia is the only place in the world where he was able to escape the one hit wonder bin with "Just like you."

It's a bit surprising to see that this is the only entry from the Stray cats on this list, admittedly it was the song that put them on the map which is perhaps why it crossed over here in Australia, however I would’ve thought their entries from my Billboard list would also appear on here.

This is the final entry from David Bowie on this list, it's the second single from Let's dance I mentioned earlier on this list which somewhat got lost in the shuffle back in the day due to it already being released by Iggy Pop who he co-wrote this with.

I'm a bit shocked this wasn't a huge hit for these guys in their homeland given how this almost topped the Australian charts for them, I guess we Aussies were able to find the humour in them making fun of the Beastie boys in a way that the Brits couldn't appreciate. Needless to say, this was a massive flop in NZ where hip hop was well respected.

It appears the kiwis took a page out of the Brits in making this Yello's only success, why they passed up "Oh yeah" when it became a surprise hit here in Australia two years after its initial release is beyond me if they were willing to give success to the Austrian duo.

This is the final entry from both Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, it's fitting we close out their respective representation on this list with the one song they made together even if its success in the UK pales in comparison to what it achieved throughout the rest of the world.

These guys notoriously had little success in their native America throughout their career, so much so that I wasn't expecting them to have a hit in the UK even if this was their only hit over there. Again, thank the kiwis for why this made it on here otherwise we wouldn't have them on one of these lists.

How appropriate that we close out this list with the title track to MJ's third solo album, I was beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel with this list as everything that appears after this entry from here on out on my rateyourmusic list seemed like they were filler entries on the UK charts back in the day.

So, what are my thoughts on the UK charts of the 80's? Well first off, I have to apologise for coming off a bit confrontational when it came to debunking the lack of representation in the music industry throughout the 80's, there were so many other queer, non-white and ESPECIALLY female artists that I skipped over on this list due to their failure to score a hit in the southern hemisphere that I actually got agitated here and there when coming up with things to say about how diverse the music industry was in the UK and indeed throughout the world (the overall quality of most of the songs on here thankfully brought me in a peaceful mind.) I guess one way the UK scene was worse than the rest of the world was the high number of novelty tracks there were, again I skipped a fair amount of these tracks that failed to catch on anywhere else in the world due to no one outside of the UK finding much to enjoy about them. The Brits also didn't have much love for rock and roll as the few entries from that genre that did make the cut felt like they were hits more out of obligations rather than genuine enjoyment they had for these songs. Unlike in America where there wasn't a clear genre that defined the decade, in the UK the winner was obviously new wave with sophistopop coming in a close second which many feel is a spinoff of new wave anyway. I can't stress enough how little it mattered for a song getting to number one throughout the decade, arguably more so than here in Australia as at least songs failing to get to number one was due to them getting stuck behind juggernauts whilst a song having a low peak position was due to it being released at different points in time across the country. I also don't understand why so many songs became a hit specifically in 1985 despite being released prior to that year, yes there was Live aid, however that didn't encourage the general public of that year outside of the UK to revisit any artists back catalogue (save for maybe Bruce Springsteen and Phil Collins, although that was clearly due to their respective world tours that year rather than their involvement with Live aid.) Finally, I brought this up on one of the entries, but it really seems arbitrary which bands and artists from the UK crossover internationally as you no doubt noticed towards the end of this list. The biggest artist of the decade that failed to appear on this list was Depeche mode followed closely by Status quo with a string of other names that also had several entries on my list that failed to make it on here.

I think that's all I have to say in this recap, it's definitely not a list hardcore rock fans will enjoy much; however, I had fun constructing it and hope this will further debunk the claims Marxist idiots make about the decade (as well as horrify those who think its perceived lack of diversity was a good thing.)

UK hits of the 80's VI

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.)

Much like us Aussies, the Brits were a bit late to the party when it came to making Bobby Brown a household name as a solo artist. This won't be his only appearance on this list, however his popularity peaked with his contribution to the second Ghostbusters flick.

We're having a lightning round of Madonna's catalogue in this section of my list, although I should bring up that much like on my Billboard list, I skipped over "Open your heart" which goes to show how wrong we Aussies and kiwis were for passing up on that masterpiece back in the day.

Given how this wasn't among the biggest hits of its year in the UK, you have to wonder what compelled the kiwis to make this such a huge success over there back in the day. At the very least, it was a hit upon its initial release in both countries as opposed to it only charting a year after its initial release here in Australia.

I guess the Brits were big fans of the stage production of the Wiz, that's the only explanation I have as to why this was a bigger hit for Stephanie Mills in the UK than it was in her native America back in the day. Sadly, she's a one hit wonder no matter where in the world you're from.

You may have noticed the lack of heavier rock tracks on this list, this isn't heavy by any means, however it's one of the heavier songs to become a hit in the UK over the years as the Brits seem to overlook the likes of Iron maiden and Def Leppard in favour of the more pop friendly tracks on this list.

This is the final entry from the Human league on this list as well as the final candidate I had from the band, I guess their fellow Brits got tired of their brand of new wave and synth pop as their second album was a colossal failure for them over there as was their third.

Well, I hope you weren't expecting a ton of representation from Elton John on this list as this is the second of only three entries from him, I haven't skipped any of his songs on my rateyourmusic list either to give you an idea of how unpopular he was in his homeland throughout the 80's.

I very much doubt anyone was aware there was a film adaptation of the Orson Welles book in the year it was named after, meaning that this was definitely a hit in the UK due to the artist momentum that the Eurythmics had over there. It's their final entry on this list, although I did skip over "Who's that girl" from their second album Touch.

Given how the original version of this track from 1976 was a chart topper for the Real thing as opposed to a sleeper hit in NZ, it makes sense that this remix would have more success with the kiwis than it did with their fellow Brits even though it was nonetheless a massive hit in their homeland.

Although this has a decent peak position in their homeland, it was a bit of a surprise to see how well it did in the southern hemisphere given how low it appears on this list. Admittedly its success was bolstered in Australia and NZ due to their earlier entry on this list, suggesting we weren't too interested in it initially.

Although this was a massive hit for Terence in the UK, it's placement on here does leave you to wonder how it managed to crossover not just in NZ but here in Australia where RNB wasn't exactly a household name during the time of its release. This is to say nothing on how this managed to top the Billboard charts several months after it became a worldwide success.

In case you were wondering, all of Bananarama's top ten hits here in Australia would've cleared the top 300 on this list, meaning that the trio would've been far more popular down under than they were in their homeland were it not for the fact they had more hits overall in the UK.

This was Dr Hook's only hit in the UK throughout the 80's much like it was in their native America, admittedly they didn't have a lot of success throughout their career in the UK like they did here in Australia and NZ so it's not like their lack of presence on here is that shocking.

I bet you were beginning to wonder if I lied about Bob Marley making an appearance on this list, here's the first of two appearances he has as the Brits were able to give him a hit right before he passed away due to toe cancer. Admittedly this was far more lucrative in NZ than it was in the UK, however it was a hit regardless.

Here's the big hit that Chicago had in the UK throughout the decade, although "Hard habit to break" was a top ten hit over there even if it wasn't a candidate for this list. They had a bit more luck in the 70's over there given how "If you leave me now" was a chart topper for them.

Unlike here in Australia where Madonna's singles from Like a virgin and the Vision quest soundtrack were released on top of each other, there was a bit more structure to her release schedule in the UK which meant that this was released at the tail end of 1985 where it became a victim of the Christmas period of that year.

This was almost a chart topper for Madonna upon its initial release in the UK, although I doubt it was due to the Brits love of the film it was written for At close range given how much of a box office failure it was at the time. I should also mention that I skipped over "Dear Jessie" between these two entries, if I didn't then there would be two singles from Like a prayer on this list.

I need to correct myself when I said this was Bananarama's lead single in their homeland as it turns out "I heard a rumour" still has that claim, I guess I incorrectly assumed that due to this being released much sooner over there than it was over here likely due to how much of a sleeper hit the lead single was over here.

I have to keep reminding myself that the kiwis loved their reggae at any point in time, if I didn't then I'd be left wondering how this was so much bigger over there than it was in the UK even though Sugar Minott was a Jamaican artist. I guess I'm less surprised that the Brits loved their reggae than I initially was the kiwis did.

It may surprise you to learn that this and "The reflex" from earlier on this list were the only chart toppers that Duran Duran had in their homeland throughout their career, it's especially surprising that this was their first chart topper due to how low it appears on this list.

Although it didn't reach the dizzying heights of success his earlier entries on this list did in his homeland, this lead single to Rick Astley's second album was a huge success regardless in the UK as it was on Billboard due to his artist momentum. He has one more entry to appear on this list, two if "Take me to your heart" was a hit in the southern hemisphere.

Unlike in Australia where this was only a hit in 1983 and in NZ where this was a hit in 1981, this was a hit upon its initial release for Dennis Waterman in his homeland likely due to the popularity of the show Minder which it was written for. I never understood why songs from TV series became popular at different points in time depending on where in the world you're from.

Given how this was a Billboard chart topper for U2, it only makes sense that it would be a massive hit for them in their homeland even if this is the only other entry they have on this list. I wish I could say their prospects improved in the 90's in their homeland, but alas it didn't save for their Batman forever theme.

Even though this was a chart topper for Aswad in their homeland, it appears this was more of a hit for them in NZ where it not only went to number one but also managed to stick around for quite some time on their charts. They had a second hit in their homeland with "Shine" in 1994, a hit that curiously didn't crossover to NZ despite that year being the height of reggae worldwide.

Although this was a minor hit in America, it appears this only found success in the UK when it became a huge hit for the Jacksons here in Australia. If these guys were able to find success during the height of the supposed disco backlash, I think it's safe to assume it was little more than a media frenzy back in the day.

Oh look, another disco hit, and one that appeared on my Billboard list to boot. Admittedly this feels more like the Brits atoning for not making these guys one of the biggest names of the 70's as like us Aussies and kiwis, they didn't see major success over there until the final year of that decade.

This is Janet Jackson's only entry on this list, although she would've appeared sooner on this list had "Let's wait a while" been a hit in the southern hemisphere as that was her biggest hit of the decade in the UK. I guess this being a surprise hit for her over there is why it was a hit here in Australia given how it wasn't the big hit off the album in America.

Admittedly 1988 was a bit of a hectic year around the world given the high amounts of singles competing with each other on the charts, however I'm still staggered this wasn't a bigger hit for Bomb the bass in their homeland given how it was one of the first hits from the acid house scene to crossover internationally.

I don't even know why I'm surprised to see this so low on the list given how it was far more popular in Australia and NZ than it was in Cher's native America, I guess we Aussies and kiwis were unaffected by her interesting wardrobe choice she made for the video in a way that clearly affected the Brits and her fellow Americans.

I guess the Brits were big fans of Year of the dragon if its theme song was able to become a huge hit over there, although considering it was panned by critics and even nominated for worst picture at the Razzies, I doubt that was the case (unless of course their enjoyment was ironic.) It was their only hit over there as was the case everywhere in the world except their native America.

From one golden globe nominee to another, we have this theme song from the film White nights which was much better received than Year of the dragon (by that I mean it had mixed reviews) likely due to the two hits its soundtrack spawned worldwide. We have one more entry to come from Lionel Richie, proving how much less popular he was in the UK compared to the rest of the world.

I'm a bit confused with this entry, namely because this was a Billboard chart topper as well as a huge sleeper hit here in Australia for the Cutting crew. While it wasn't a failure in their homeland by any means (hence why it's here in the first place) you'd expect it to be much higher like so many other British crossovers from earlier on this list.

We have one final entry from Freddie Mercury as this lead single to his second solo album was a massive hit for him in his homeland just like it was over in NZ. In fact, it was equally as successful in both countries despite it flopping here in Australia as well as in America.

I know this was a hit for T'pau in America due to its usage in a Pepes jeans commercial, however I have to wonder how it was discovered by the ad execs given how it was far from the most popular song in their homeland upon its initial release. At least its success in both countries led to them having one of the biggest hits of the decade with their earlier entry.

It appears that the story of this classic is the same no matter where in the world you're from, this remix may have peaked higher than the original did, however it clearly came at the expense of not lasting as long on the charts which goes to show how well loved the original was.

Given how this nearly topped the Australian charts (it actually did if you're going by the Countdown episodes of the day) you'd think this would've been equally as successful for Kate Bush in her homeland. It appears her fellow Brits were terrified of the accompanying music video which clearly affected the song's popularity over there in a way it didn't over here.

Given how this was a massive hit for Forrest in NZ, it only makes sense that the kiwis discovered this track from the Brits as this was an even bigger hit in the UK for the American singer. I'm sure this would've been a hit in his homeland were it not for his fellow Americans ignoring this over the MTV craze.

Again, I have to ask, how did the rest of the world come across Fine young cannibals when they were far from the most successful artist in their homeland throughout their career? Granted this is one of two entries they have on this list; however, this was a hit everywhere else in the world and yet it was only a top five hit on the UK charts.

Even though this nearly topped the British charts just like it did here in Australia and on Billboard, it's low placement on this list leaves me to believe that Eddy's fellow Brits were a bit uncomfortable with him getting political on this track as opposed to us Aussies and Americans. This is sadly his final entry on this list as "Do you feel my love" and "Gimme hope Joanna" weren't candidates for it.

I guess the Brits weren't big fans of St Elmo's fire given how its theme song wasn't anywhere near as big in John Parr's homeland as it was in America, although at least his fellow Brits were able to appreciate his raw performance on the track as this is the rare rock track on this list that goes hard.

If you're wondering why it's taken so long to feature a song from these guys on this list, that's because they were supposed to appear much higher with their cover of "With a little help from my friends" but didn't due to its failure in the southern hemisphere. Indeed, this took its sweet time in finding an audience in NZ as did most sophistopop tracks on this list now that I think about it.

Whereas this was marketed as a regular old single in NZ, it was a Christmas release through and through in the Pogues homeland which explains why it had a much shorter chart run on the UK charts than it did in NZ. The song has been recharting in their homeland since the mid 00's, about a decade prior to when Mariah Carey does every Christmastime with her holiday classic.

Natalie was supposed to appear much sooner on this list with "Miss you like crazy" as that nearly topped the British charts in the final year of the decade, alas it was too much of a sleeper hit to qualify for the Australian side of my site and thus ineligible for this list. This means that this is the only representation she has in the UK on my site.

I bet you were wondering if these guys would make an appearance on here, suffice to say that I didn't skip any of their entries from my rateyourmusic list meaning this was their biggest hit in their homeland. Granted this did go to number one (likely due to it being an E.P) however it quickly fell off their chart due to how much of an outlier it is compared to other entries on this list.

Although this wasn't as big in the UK as it was throughout the rest of the world, it appears the Brits had enough love for this debut single from Martika to make it a success for her. The trade-off is that this isn't her only appearance on this list despite her being a one hit wonder in her native America.

I bet you forgot that I've only included two entries from Blondie prior to this entry, here's their third UK chart topper which was released between their other two hits we looked at. Despite this going to number one over there, I get the feeling the Brits weren't big fans of American gigolo like the rest of the world was.

Remember how I said the Brits weren't that into heavy rock and roll? This being so low on the list should be all the proof you need that's the case as there's no other explanation for why this worldwide chart topper was only barely a top five hit for Joan Jett and company in the UK.