A while back, I made a list of the biggest hits in Australia throughout the 00’s. Unlike what I did for the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, I used someone else’s ranking which means I didn’t specify how well a song did on each respective chart. My reasoning was because the AMR have been unofficial since 1999 given that’s when David Kent stopped publishing them, however I then reminded myself that my rankings throughout this side of my site have been based on those charts rather than the ARIA charts as I feel the former is more reliable than the latter. And so, I present to you the biggest hits of the decade with both charts combined.
Although Barricades and brickwalls was already a solid success for Kasey Chambers upon its initial release the previous year, it was this ballad from the country star that made that album a household name due to it being an inescapable hit for her this year here in Australia. It even managed to crossover to NZ which goes to show how it managed to strike a chord with audiences from the southern hemisphere.
#12 for 2002
This was released back in the day where Maroon 5 was a well-respected pop rock band and not a highly contentious project for the lead singer Adam Levine like they've become throughout the 2010's (yeah, I'm not a fan of their later work.) Here we have their third single from their debut album which became their biggest hit of the decade here in Australia likely due to it being a love ballad towards a girl with low self-esteem.
#8 for 2004
This was the one and only hit from the Plain white T's, an American band who originally released this track the previous year to deafening silence only for it to pick up momentum this year for whatever reason. I guess it was popular due to the indie sphere becoming more mainstream now that the digital storefront was supporting music that wasn't centred around reality TV.
#20 for 2007
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#23 for 2008
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#13 for 2003
#8 for 2004
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#25 for 2007
#24 for 2008
Although this came bundled with her earlier entry on this list here in Australia, ARIA was kind enough to count this as a separate entry on their charts which allows me to include both of these songs on this list. I get why this song was a hit for Beyonce even though I personally find it irritating to listen to, it's about how being single isn't a bad thing and that one shouldn't feel pressured into settling down when they're not ready.
#22 for 2008
#18 for 2009
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#25 for 2008
#17 for 2009
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#18 for 2009
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#12 for 2001
#12 for 2002
It seems weird that this would be the bigger hit for 50 cent here in Australia than his second Billboard chart topper "21 questions" mainly because this was a song about how as he puts it is a motherf**king pimp which is why you shouldn't mess with him. I guess we Aussies preferred him being confrontational rather than him being a romantic.
#11 for 2003
#9 for 2004
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#13 for 2001
This is one of those songs whose sole purpose is to shock an offend audiences, personally I don't find this song offensive as it's little more than Katy admitting to experimenting with her sexuality (although I'll admit that it's one of the more annoying songs of the decade.) This became the first of many of her hits worldwide likely due to audiences being shocked and offended by this track.
#23 for 2008
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#13 for 2002
This wasn't a big hit in Amanda Perez's native America, it did OK, but it wasn't a giant hit like it was for her in the southern hemisphere on Billboard. I can understand how this was so big in NZ given how it's a contemporary Christian RNB number, however I can only assume this was a big hit here in Australia due to there being a sudden rise in popularity with songs about questioning one's faith in religion.
#12 for 2003
I'm guessing this was meant to be the Oscar winning ballad from the Hannah Montana film, it was a massive hit for Miley Cyrus after all and was used in the film as her way of stepping away from the Hannah Montana persona and being herself. Unfortunately, the film was very poorly received for its cliched story line and worse than usual acting from its cast, particularly Cyrus who clearly didn't want to be in it.
#19 for 2009
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#14 for 2001
As it turns out, there is a version of this track that's just has Alicia Keys on it known as "Empire state of mind II" meaning that this likely would've been a hit for her even without Jay Z commissioning her to provide him a chorus to how much he's proud of being from the east coast. This would be the rappers last hit outside his native America, although Alicia would have one more hit with "Girl on fire" in 2012.
#20 for 2009
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#15 for 2001
The last time Crystal Waters had any success in the music scene was back in 1994 where "100% pure love" became a massive hit for her here in Australia and eventually her native America, fast forward thirteen years and she manages to score another hit here with this track largely thanks to the music video which really hammers home the trumpet production throughout the track.
#21 for 2007
Although "Stupid girls" was indeed a big hit from P!nk's fourth album I'm not dead (it's still to come on this list) it was this second single from the album that made her a household name here in Australia above anywhere else in the world due to it being a massive success here upon its initial release. This and "U + ur hand" (also still to come) only became a hit in her homeland the following year for some reason.
#17 for 2006
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#19 for 2009
This was originally released as a single from Elvis Presley in the late 60's to deafening silence, likely because it was during that period where he was more focused on his acting career rather than his singing career and the original version not being among the more memorable songs in his catalogue. This remix came to be due to the song being used in the film Ocean's eleven which allowed it to become a surprise hit worldwide.
#13 for 2002
This is one of the last RNB songs to have its released delayed here in Australia compared to the rest of the world, although the wait for its release was certainly worth it as it became much bigger here than it did even in her native America. I'm guessing this was due to it being about her showing concern towards her partners feelings for their ex and detailing why their relationship with them bothers her.
#11 for 2001
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#14 for 2002
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#9 for 2004
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#26 for 2008
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#8 for 2000
So, Nelly Furtado's second album was a huge critical and commercial disaster from 2003, so much so that she felt the need to go in a completely new direction with her third album by enlisting the help of Timbaland to be its executive producer. The results were an album which had her shifting towards an early prototype of the club boom starting with this lead single which had the producer/rapper provide a guest verse for her.
#18 for 2006
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#27 for 2008
You may be surprised to learn that Kid rock is a one hit wonder outside of his native America with this track, I'm guessing it was only a hit for him internationally due to audiences feeling nostalgia for both "Sweet home Alabama" and "Werewolves of London" which this track samples both of throughout its runtime. Even though I and many others only know him for this one track (and also his personal antics due to constantly being on the news) he was much more popular on the Billboard charts.
#24 for 2008
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#15 for 2002
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#8 for 2005
This was one of two hits that the Finnish group Bomfunk MC's had here in Australia, we'll get to their other hit in a bit, but for now we have their song which was able to have the F-bomb played on the radio due to listeners missing the "Who the f**k is Alice" reference in the lyrics. I'm guessing this means that the song was a hit mainly for the sound as this was a bit before songs became a hit due to being a meme for its lyrics.
#11 for 2000
Nelly Furtado is the latest entry into a Canadian artist who saw massive worldwide success without necessarily being the biggest artist in their homeland that I've featured on this site, oh sure she did fine with her debut album, however it didn't exactly promise the levels of success she would go on to achieve later in the decade. I'm guessing her fellow Canadians weren't as into her spiritual vibes as the rest of the world was.
#12 for 2001
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#14 for 2003
#10 for 2004
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#9 for 2000
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#15 for 2003
#11 for 2004
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#9 for 2005
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#20 for 2009
Well, this certainly took its sweet time in finding success here in Australia, heck even in NZ it was a hit upon its initial release the previous year due to it being among the last rock tracks to top the Billboard charts. I guess the consolation for its tardy success was that it was arguably bigger here than it was anywhere else in the world, after all it's the kind of Christian rock that while cheesy, can still comfort audiences.
#13 for 2001
This is one of those ironic songs where the melody is upbeat and happy, but the lyrics are actually about a relationship being on its last legs as Andre 3000 sings about the woes of his love life. It was the lead single to the duo's double album which actually comprises of two solo albums where the duo eased fans into the fact that they were thinking of splitting up which is what happened later in the decade.
#13 for 2003
#10 for 2004
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#10 for 2005
While the Spice girls were still a unit by this point in time, it seems like the girls wanted to be done with it as Sporty Spice released her solo album much like Scary and Ginger did before they released their third and final album later in the year. Given how the was the most vocally gifted of the girls, her solo debut proved to be the biggest his out of all of their solo material, although it could also be due to the presence of Left eye Lopez.
#12 for 2000
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#10 for 2000
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#16 for 2003
There were several songs that were delayed this year in order to allow the contestants of Australian idol to reign supreme on our charts, this third single from Evanescence's debut album was one of them and the song that suffered the least from this trend as it managed to be as successful as it would've been were it not for its delay. It's a good thing as it's a haunting ballad from the band showcasing Amy Lee's pain from a breakup.
#11 for 2004
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#12 for 2004
This is one of those EDM tracks that managed to become a success thanks to its video blowing up on YouTube, this was a popular phenomenon during the website's early years as we've already seen many tracks on these lists to make it big this way that never would've touched the charts had they been released prior to its launch.
#21 for 2009
The original version of this track won the Oscar for best original song due to it being extensively used in the film Slumdog millionaire, however that song is largely in Indian and as such, wasn't going to connect with an English-speaking audience. A.R Rahman went to the Pussycat dolls of all people to commission an English-speaking remix of the track which allowed them to have a massive worldwide hit.
#22 for 2009
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#11 for 2000
This was the sequel to "My humps" that apparently everyone was asking for back in the day as it once again has Fergie brag about how hot she is and Will I am validating her ego with his own verse, I guess she at least has more of a presence on here which justifies this being a solo single from her.
#19 for 2006
#22 for 2007
It does strike me as bizarre that rock music died out in the 2010's here in Australia considering how prevalent the genre was even as the 00's was coming to an end, here we have the final big hit that the Fray achieved throughout the world which proved to be more popular here than it was even in their native America. Heck this got to number one here, proving that we Aussies certainly loved what they had to offer.
#23 for 2009
This wasn't released as a single here in Australia until a full year after its initial release worldwide, I'm guessing we Aussies didn't want to hear Robbie Williams sing about his complicated feelings towards God but changed our minds around the time he released his swing album. This would be the first of many songs from him to explore his complicated relationship with religion.
#14 for 2001
#14 for 2002
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#26 for 2007
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#21 for 2009
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#16 for 2002
#17 for 2003
It's worth noting that Missy Higgins released most of her singles as E.P's even though songs were generally released with three or four other tracks as singles by this point in time, even so her first big hit was the lead single to her debut album which she called an E.P to no doubt drive up sales for it. This paid off for her, although I feel she didn't need to do this given how popular it's remained since its release.
#12 for 2004
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#18 for 2003
This was the first song from the Rogue Traders to have Natalie Bassingthwaighte on lead vocals, Natalie of course being a former cast member of Neighbours making this another example of the show launching a pop star in Australia. Naturally this would eventually become a huge success in the UK for the band, although aside from NZ, the rest of the world wouldn't take to the band's music.
#8 for 2005
Given the discourse that "Milkshake" by Kelis has had since its release in America, I'd hate to think of how the internet would react to this track from the Sugababes given how it's also built around a sexual innuendo that I doubt most of it would understand (here's a hint, the button in question isn't to an elevator like the video suggests.) They would only have one more hit in Australia after this before they faded into obscurity.
#9 for 2005
#20 for 2006
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#18 for 2006
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#19 for 2006
#27 for 2007
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#28 for 2007
Following the success that he had with Dru hill in his native America, Sisqo left the group to pursue a solo career which was off to a good start with this track about how he fell in love with a woman based on her thongs (a bikini bottom for my non-American readers.) Some have accused this song of being sexist as it glorifies the objectification of women based on a piece of clothing, usually by people who do the same thing to men.
#13 for 2000
I guess it was only a matter of time before we had a new version of the Fugees make it big in the music industry, enter City high who scored a massive worldwide hit with this track five years after the original trio made it big worldwide. As this was a hip hop track, it was delayed here in Australia by several months before finally being released, and like most songs on this list, it was more popular here than anywhere in the world.
#15 for 2001
#15 for 2002
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#11 for 2005
#20 for 2006
This is another song on this site that I'm going to have a hard time being nice to, mainly because it repeats the word suicidal a disturbing number of times (fifteen to be exact) despite it not being a song about that subject matter and instead about how in love Sean Kingston is with the girl he's singing to. I guess there's also the Ben E King sample from JR Rottem, however that's not really why people dislike this song.
#23 for 2007
This was the second of three hits that 3oh!3 had in most parts of the world, the first was "Don't trust me" which was a song that was originally uploaded to YouTube before it was picked up as a single several months later and their third hit was a collaboration with Kesha during the height of the club boom. Here they collaborate with Katy Perry for a song that I'm sure most people have forgotten even exists.
#24 for 2009
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#17 for 2002
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#22 for 2009
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#18 for 2002
You better believe that Jack Black had a music career as a side gig to his acting career, although aside from this one hit he had here in Australia, said music career didn't yield much success for him and his partner in crime Kyle Gass who together make up Tenacious D. This is a throwback to those old cowboy tracks about how the narrator encounters the devil and hijinks ensuing from that premise.
#16 for 2002
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#21 for 2006
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#16 for 2001
MJ might have been reduced to a media frenzy by the 21st century (unfairly in my opinion) however that didn't mean that there wasn't any love left for his back catalogue as Alien ant farm managed to score their one and only hit in most parts of the world with their rendition of this track from his album Bad. If you can believe it, they scored a second hit in NZ later in the decade with "Glow."
#16 for 2001
#17 for 2002
This is one of two collaborations that J-Lo made with LL Cool J throughout the decade, the other was with "Control myself" three years later which was a hit in most parts of the world but not here in Australia. Here the duo is in a relationship that's falling apart and how she feels like that her pride is all she has left, although in the chorus, he points out that she no longer has that either.
#14 for 2003
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I used to like this song from Limp Bizkit, admittedly I wasn't aware of the original version from the Who until much later in life which should be a testament to how well written the song is when even Fred Durst manages to find some meaning in it thirty years after the original was released. I'm guessing that's how this managed to be such a huge hit for the band back in the day.
#15 for 2003
#13 for 2004
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#29 for 2007
You thought I forgot about this track, didn't you? It turns out we Aussies were slow in making this a success for DeAndre Way AKA Soulja boy likely due to it being arguably the song that started the trend of allowing a meme to become a massive worldwide hit on the music charts that wasn't made by a music exec (that is, a viral hit not from the likes of Crazy frog and its countless knockoffs) only to allow this phenomenon to happen this year on our charts.
#25 for 2008
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#12 for 2000
This was the last big hit that Ronan Keating had anywhere in the world both solo and as a member of Boyzone, although he would become a pop crooner on his later work along the likes of Michael Bublé and Michael Crawford so it's not like his popularity dwindled as far as his career was concerned. Here we have a cover of one of Garth Brook's earliest songs which suggests he was experimenting with country music.
#18 for 2002
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#23 for 2009
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#24 for 2009
It had been five years since Bon Jovi last troubled the charts with their material, although given how this was a return to form for the band, it may as well have been eight years as they hadn't released anything this hard hitting since "Keep the faith" from 1992. It was a welcomed comeback from the band who went on to have sound success throughout the 00's before becoming a nostalgia band by the end of the decade.
#14 for 2000
I guess the first Bad boys film spawned not one but two big hits that took the world by storm in 1995 (those being "Shy guy" and "I've got a little something for you") so it makes sense that the sequel would also have a massive hit with this posse cut from Nelly, his protegee Murphy Lee and P Diddy of all people. It was a massive hit worldwide despite criticisms involving the chanting on the track and the police siren in the production.
#16 for 2003
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#13 for 2004
Now I know I should hate this song for sampling "Tainted love" from Soft Cell, however that song is so good with its instrumentation that I don't mind that it was used so egregiously by JR Rottem even if it did lead to a career of sampling other oldies for (then) modern songs to diminishing returns. I think this works mostly for Rihanna who has a lot of presence on here to make the sample work in her favour.
#21 for 2006
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#25 for 2009
This was the last big hit that Miley Cyrus had during her Hannah Montana days, sure she tried to mature into her new sound the following year with her album Can't be tamed, however no one was buying it given how Disney imposed restrictions on her with how risqué she could present herself on that album. I guess if you went from this to the title track of that album, "We can't stop" isn't that far of a leap in her evolution.
#25 for 2009
From what I can tell, Duets is a film that exists. It's about Huey Lewis teaching Gwyneth Paltrow how to be a singer which led to this cover of the Smokey Robinson track that I personally don't have much issue with, although how it became a huge success in the southern hemisphere and nowhere else in the world is beyond me.
#15 for 2000
#17 for 2001
If you felt that her earlier entry on this list was too much of a victory single from a reality show, then fear not as the rest of Delta's catalogue (well at least most of it) is a lot more personal such as this second single from her debut album which details her trying to live without her partner at the time. It was the second of six consecutive chart toppers here in Australia for her which predictably led to her backlash.
#17 for 2003
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#26 for 2009
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#13 for 2000
It looked like Madonna's career was done for when she released her ill-fated concept album American life in 2003, however she was able to brush over that disaster with her next album which was a throwback album to the disco era starting with this lead single that samples "Gimme gimme gimme" by Abba. It was a massive hit everywhere in the world except her native America where it was only a modest success.
#10 for 2005
#22 for 2006
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#22 for 2006
This was the second hit from JT's second solo album Futuresex/Lovesounds, an album that seemed to want to make JT into a sex symbol which it arguably succeeded in doing given how successful it and the singles were in addition to him being considered one of the sexiest men of the decade. This was also the song which made T.I a household name here in Australia due to his guest verse being memorable.
#23 for 2006
#24 for 2007
I guess this was meant to be Fergie's attempt at creating a power fantasy for the working-class population for what it's like to have the lifestyle of the rich and famous, it paid off given how this was a massive hit for her and would've been her biggest solo hit were it not for her earlier entry on this list stealing that title from this track. The song is perhaps best known for Fatman scoop's infamous line "if you ain't got no money take your broke ass home."
#25 for 2007
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#23 for 2006
#30 for 2007
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#24 for 2006
