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.
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#83 for 2000
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#76 for 2005
This would've been Guy Sebastian's final hit in his career given how his fourth album Memphis album failed to produce a hit single for him and that none of his albums were that successful (barring his debut of course.) He would score a massive comeback by the end of the decade which would extend his popularity well into the 2010's.
#77 for 2007
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#67 for 2008
This was the title track from Jessica Mauboy's second album, it was a big hit for her just like another entry that's still to come on this list, proving that she was robbed three years prior when she lost the fourth season of Australian idol.
#74 for 2009
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#84 for 2000
This was another two for one deal to make it big in Australia, this time it's the fourth and fifth singles from Vanessa Amorosi's debut album which were likely bundled together in order to give her a fourth consecutive hit from the album. The two songs are totally different from each other as "The power" is an upbeat track about living her life to the fullest whilst "Everytime I close my eyes" is a downtempo love song.
#76 for 2001
I remember this being bigger than it would up being here back in the day, then again it was one of the biggest hits of the decade in Daniel's native UK so perhaps this was one of those songs that was overhyped here at the time of its release. Daniel would only have two hits outside of his homeland with the other one being "If you're not the one" from the following year.
#79 for 2002
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#76 for 2002
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#74 for 2003
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#81 for 2004
There was no escaping 50 cent during the midpoint of the decade as he managed to rack up hit after hit both as a lead artist as well as with his features, most notably with the Game who won't be appearing on this list despite scoring two hits worldwide with his hip hop numbers. I feel the production is why this song was a hit as it's by far the most recognisable of producer Scott Storch from his catalogue.
#73 for 2005
Well given how the Crazy frog was no longer able to score hits in the music scene, this allowed the German creation Gummibear to fill in for the amphibian which managed to score one hit this year thanks to its CGI video making the waves on YouTube. This won't be making my weird videos list as it was obvious that the bizarre imagery on there was intentional much like it was on Crazy frog's videos.
#78 for 2007
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#85 for 2000
This is a song that may seem extraordinarily low to anyone reading this list, indeed it was a massive success for U2 back in the day even if its placement on here suggests it was a mere moderate success at best. It had record breaking sales upon its debut here in Australia, however that led to it dropping in the lower half of the charts where it stuck around due to airplay refusing to let it die.
#84 for 2000
This was the second hit that Daft punk had here in Australia, it was also their final hit for over a decade as none of their other songs from the 00's managed to crossover here (not even "Harder better faster stronger" which was the song Kanye West sampled for his worldwide smash "Stronger" in 2007.) The song's popularity likely comes from the video which showcases an anime style band playing along to the track.
#77 for 2001
Baby Spice was always my favourite from the Spice Girls, so it brings me great pleasure in presenting her one and only hit she had in her career away from her friends which sadly wasn't as big here as it was in NZ and throughout Europe. She was the member of the group most affiliated with adult contemporary, which is perhaps why she didn't find as much success as the likes of Ginger and Sporty.
#78 for 2001
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#78 for 2001
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#75 for 2003
We have another EDM song for this list, this time it's from the British/Australian duo the Bodyrockers who scored a massive hit worldwide with their one and only hit from their one and only album. It's a song that was a big success back in the day and has lived on due to its usage in commercials over the years, although the duo would go their separate ways when they failed to score a second hit.
#74 for 2005
The best way I can describe these guys is if Good Charlotte were from Canada, actually that's not fair as these guys were more in line with nu metal with their earlier material and only shifted towards emo rock with the album this serves as the lead single for. It was their first hit outside of their native Canada likely due to the similarities they had with Good Charlotte at the time much to the chagrin of their longtime fans.
#71 for 2008
This was another alternative track to make it big in Australia during the final stretch of the decade, in this case it's from NZ indie singer Ladyhawke (named after the Michelle Pfeiffer flick from 1985) who had a big of a steady climb to its popularity here despite it ranking very high on the 2008 yearend list for Triple J. Its popularity here resulted in it eventually becoming a hit in her homeland throughout the year.
#75 for 2009
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#76 for 2003
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#77 for 2003
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#82 for 2004
This is the final hit that Bon Jovi was able to achieve anywhere in the world, it was a bit of a surprise hit here in Australia given how they didn't have one since the start of the decade with "It's my life." I guess the general public wanted to give them one more hit before they became a legacy band as everything they've released ever since has only been a success due to nostalgia for their older work.
#75 for 2005
Wow was this song EVERYWHERE when it first came out, it's hard to believe that it wasn't any bigger here in Australia as it certainly felt like it was on the radio and in commercials. This was the only hit that Groove Armada managed to score down under, likely due to the novelty of a track saying "I see you baby shaking that ass" ad nauseum not allowing them to be taken seriously in the mainstream.
#85 for 2000
This one and only hit from ATC may be more appropriate than you realise given how the members were indeed from different parts of the world, those places being NZ, Australia, Italy and the UK despite the foursome being based in Germany. It was their only hit worldwide likely due to the novelty of them being from different parts of the world, although it could also be its fusion of teen pop and EDM.
#79 for 2001
This was the final hit that Enrique Iglesias was able to have in the English-speaking world for the remainder of the decade, this is despite the fact that his next album would also be in English and yet it failed to produce a hit single for him during the second half of the decade. This song features Kelis, although only on the single version as she was absent on the album version for some reason.
#82 for 2004
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#83 for 2004
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#77 for 2005
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#72 for 2007
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#73 for 2007
#68 for 2008
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#79 for 2001
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#78 for 2003
Although she managed to score two hits from her third album here in Australia, neither of them was that big and the album wound up underperforming for P!nk which suggested that her time in the spotlight was up which thankfully wasn't the case as we'll see later in the decade. It's a shame this underperformed because it's one of her more fun tracks about how much of a troublemaker she can be.
#78 for 2003
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#84 for 2004
Following the demise of Aqua from earlier in the decade, keyboardist Lazyboy decided to embark on a solo career which was a complete failure for him save for this spoken word track about how lazy he felt America was becoming during the midpoint of the 00's. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be taken seriously or what, but it was a huge hit for him here in Australia and nowhere else in the world.
#76 for 2005
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#72 for 2006
Given how Limp Bizkit was beginning to take the world by storm this year with their brand of nu metal, it was inevitable that we Aussies would have our own equivalent of that band in the form of 28 days who scored their one and only hit with this track that I'm sure most of us confused for the likes of Fred Durst. They would get sidelined once their American counterparts released their album Chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavoured water.
#86 for 2000
Given how the Eminem show was meant to debunk all of the controversies that were lobbied against Eminem, it only makes sense that he would make this the centrepiece of the album which of course meant that it would be released as a single right after his entry from towards the top of this list. While it didn't win over his haters, it did reassure those who were on the fence that no, he wasn't a violent misogynistic homophobe like he portrayed himself as on his albums.
#79 for 2003
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#74 for 2007
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#69 for 2008
You better believe that the Glee phenomenon was so inescapable when the show debuted that it was able to spawn a genuine hit for its cast in the music industry, indeed this cover of the Journey classic was one of the last hits of the decade worldwide due to it being so well received on the show that it single handedly made the original a cultural icon despite it being a massive flop back in the 80's.
#76 for 2009
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#77 for 2002
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#79 for 2003
This was a posse cut brought together by the producer J Wess, sort of like what DJ Khaled would release throughout the 2010's only if he actually produced the music rather than just shout out some random nonsense at the start of his songs. The performers are rapper Digga and vocalists Kulaia and Lolly who both contribute to the chorus on this track.
#83 for 2004
It took him five years, but Armand Van Helden was able to escape the one hit wonder bin here in Australia with this track that comes complete with a video that depicts a peeping tom ogling on women in bikinis. I'm not sure what the fascination was with EDM tracks objectifying women as there'll be plenty of other entries as we go further in the decade where this was the case.
#84 for 2004
Well, this is just bizarre, we have this diss track that Eminem made to Insult the comic dog that somehow managed to become a hit for the rapper despite the fact that he was going after a comic strip whose gimmick was that they were poking fun at people like they were the Muppets. I guess people found this funny back in the day, it's certainly hilariously ironic that Eminem of all people would attack the publication.
#77 for 2005
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#75 for 2007
If you can believe it, this is the first of TWO hit singles that Hampton the Hampster achieved in Australia this year, that's right, a song that many believe to be the first viral clip on the internet was a genuine hit here back in the day. For those who don't know, this was a character created by a Canadian art student to immortalise her pet hamster which of course led to viral success worldwide.
#80 for 2001
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#85 for 2004
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#78 for 2005
This feels like an odd choice for a single because like the rest of Confessions on a dance floor, this was meant to flow in from the previous track on the album and into the following track seamlessly to give off the illusion it was one big continuous song on the album. That didn't seem to hinder its popularity here in Australia as it became a massive hit for the queen of pop even this far into her career.
#74 for 2006
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#70 for 2008
Does anyone remember the "Wazza" meme from the early 00's? Nowadays it's best known for that scene in Scary movie which admittedly grinds the movie to a halt but is still hilarious to watch (I have a weird sense of humour) but it was originally concocted for the beer company Budwiesers which was so influential that it was turned into a dance remix by Shaft (credited as Da muttz) using the beat from Rick James' "Superfreak."
#81 for 2001
This was the last song to become a hit for Craig David outside his native UK, although I get the feeling this was the case due to it sampling Sting's "Shape of my heart" from his 1993 album Ten summoner's tales and even managed to get Sting to rerecord the chorus on this track which connects the verses together. It was also the first time Sting managed to score a hit anywhere in the world in over a decade.
#80 for 2003
This was the lead single to Guy Sebastian's second album, an album he released less than a year after his debut which goes to show you how quickly he was trying to become the next big thing in the Australian music scene.
#85 for 2004
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#86 for 2004
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#79 for 2005
There were no signs of Shannon Noll slowing down from his second album as he managed to have a huge hit with the title track from said album, in fact it looked like he had finally overtaken Guy Sebastian in the mainstream given how he would only have one hit to his name this year (which we've already looked at) from an album that wasn't anywhere near as successful as what Lift was.
#75 for 2006
This is a song that I'm going to have a hard time being nice to, mainly because there have been so many jokes about it over the years that I've found amusing that perfectly sum up my and other people's problems with it (the only one I'll repeat is "someone please tell this woman what her name is so that she'll go away.") It was a huge international success for the British duo likely through ironic enjoyment.
#72 for 2008
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#74 for 2009
The first season of Australian idol was such a phenomenon here in Australia that its theme song was an instant number one hit when Sony of Australia decided to release it as a single, although the real success from the show came with Guy Sebastian's earlier entry on this list becoming the biggest hit of the decade and the second biggest hit of all time behind Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana from 1997.
#81 for 2003
You may be forgiven into thinking that this is a song explicitly about 9/11 given how the music video depicts a relationship which ends where a guy ends up fighting in Iraq, however it was actually about Billie Joe Armstrong has to cope with the death of his father every year which happened in September when he was a child. I guess he didn't want to make the ballad too personal when he released it as a single, hence the video.
#78 for 2005
Well, if nothing else, you can't accuse Robbie Williams of being one dimensional as this was his venture towards ska pop which I suppose wasn't too far removed from his venture towards swing from earlier in the decade. It was a big hit for him worldwide, although it would be one of his last hits as his next album would see him venture towards hip hop which fans didn't appreciate.
#79 for 2005
This was the second big hit to come from Fedde Le Grand this year, this time it's a remix of a track from Danish pop star Camille Jones from two years prior that became a massive hit not so much for the track itself but rather for its strange music video which showcases a bunch of secretaries being sexually provocative to an office worker throughout its runtime.
#79 for 2007
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#86 for 2000
I think this may be the shortest song I ever feature on this site, even if I were to go back to the 60's, this would still hold that record due to it not even being a minute and a half long. I suppose calling this a song is stretching it as it's more a quick comedy routine set to rock music that amused fans of MTV back in the day from comedian Liam Lynch.
#82 for 2003
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#71 for 2008
If you want to know why this song wasn't as successful here in Australia as it was internationally, that's likely because it was released roughly around the same time as T.I's earlier entry on this list which quickly overshadowed this lead single to his album Paper trails down under. It could also be a very late entry into the "thugs need love too" troupe (minus the chorus from a female vocalist) given how it's him rapping about being the perfect gentleman.
#73 for 2008
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#75 for 2009
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#87 for 2000
I didn't really have room to mention why "Who let the dogs out" was so low on my previous list, although it should be obvious by now as it was yet another song pulled from shelves in order to encourage album sales from the group. The second single from said album didn't suffer such a fate as it was free to become a massive hit here in Australia due to it a fun party jam that wasn't from a kid's movie.
#82 for 2001
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#80 for 2001
For a while, this was the final hit that Backstreet boys were able to achieve in most parts of the world given how it's often regarded as the final entry from the boy band wars before they officially came to an end, it's low placement on this list is mainly due to us Aussies wanting to move on from the phenomenon even though I do remember it being everywhere on the radio back then.
#87 for 2000
Well, it was only a matter of time before we looked at a song from Limp Bizkit on this site, although it may surprise you to learn that these guys never had a hit in their native America and that their success worldwide more came from how well they did in the UK of all places where this was a chart topper for them. I guess the Brits really enjoyed the combination of rap and rock on this track more than their fellow Americans.
#83 for 2001
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#72 for 2008
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#88 for 2000
To date, this is the final hit that Darren Hayes has been able to achieve in his career, I'm guessing it was a hit because people felt it was enough like a Savage Garden track that they felt it was an unofficial reunion with him and Daniel Jones which it didn't wind up being. Still the fact that it was a hit was proof that we Aussies was willing to give his solo career a chance this far after the band was no more.
#86 for 2004
This was the third Billboard chart topper in a row that Usher had in his native America, it's easy to see why as it continues the theme of him airing out his dirty laundry from his relationship with Chilli from TLC where he admits that he screwed up in the relationship. It was a bit of a surprise hit here in Australia given how it didn't even chart over in NZ where Usher was infinitely more popular.
#87 for 2004
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#87 for 2004
You know that Nicole Scherzinger was inescapable this year when she was able to revive the popularity of Diddy after four years of him not having a hit anywhere in the world, here they are with that song which is a sex jam about how much they're both into each other which naturally titillated audiences this year.
#76 for 2006
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#76 for 2009
This was arguably the final song to be released in the 90's that became a huge hit worldwide, mainly because this serves as both a Christmas song as well as an unofficial anthem for the turn of the millennium despite that not happening until the end of this year. It's also considered to be one of the worst songs of all time and a good reason as to why Cliff Richard hasn't had any more hits since.
#88 for 2000
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#81 for 2001
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#88 for 2004
I get the feeling this second single from Destiny fulfilled had a bit of an identity crisis here in Australia given how I'm actually not that well familiar with the version that has both T.I and Lil Wayne on the track and instead just with the version with the trio by themselves. I guess the two rappers were meant to be the soldiers in question that the girls were singing about throughout the track.
#80 for 2005
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#80 for 2005
During the midpoint of the decade, INXS decided to host a competition on who would be their lead vocalist given how Jon Stevens (who replaced Michael Hutchence after his tragic death in 1997) left the group to pursue other interests. They landed on Canadian singer JD Fortune who scored a hit with the band with this track likely due to them turning the competition into a reality series around this time.
#81 for 2005
This was another E.P that Missy Higgins managed to score a hit with on the singles charts, although this formula didn't work out as well for her as despite it debuting at number one on our charts, it was only half as successful as the other two E.P's I've mentioned on this site from her. Still at least the album overall was a massive success.
#80 for 2007
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#76 for 2007
#73 for 2008
This was the fifth single to come from Jessica's sophomore album, it goes to show how much Australian idol got it wrong by having her lose to Damien Leith in 2006 given how only three years later she would be one of the biggest names in music whilst he would be relegated to a tribute act at best.
#77 for 2009
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#77 for 2007
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#77 for 2009
The hits kept on coming for RHCP during the 00's, true they didn't reach the dizzying heights of their hits from the 90's, however considering their albums were still selling like hot cakes this decade (granted all two of them) it was impressive, nonetheless. Here they have their first hit of the decade in Australia with the title track to their first album of the decade which remains a staple on oldies stations to this day.
#80 for 2002
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#78 for 2002
#80 for 2003
This served both as the theme song to the second Charlie's angels' film as well as the lead single to P!nk's third album Try this, neither project was well received at the time (despite the album being excellent in my opinion) which was a sign that her time in the spotlight was coming to an end. As bad as the film was, it's still infinitely better than the 2019 film as its at least cheesy fun that's unapologetic with what it is.
#83 for 2003
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#82 for 2001
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#79 for 2002
