29 January 2021

Week commencing 29 January 1990

This week marks a year since ARIA extended the Australian singles chart beyond number 100, and when I started writing these recaps.  If you're just discovering this blog, you've got some reading to catch up on!  But if trawling through a year's worth of posts isn't your thing, there's a search box you can use on the right to search for specific artists or songs, to see whether they've charted outside the ARIA top 100 so far.  Alternatively, I made a post earlier this month which just lists the singles that peaked between number 101 and number 150 for 1989.
 
I can't identify a common thread among this week's new entries, other than I hadn't heard five of the six debuts before.  Let's take a look at them.
 
Lisa Stansfield: doing home haircuts since 1990.
 
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 119 "All That You Have Is Your Soul" by Tracy Chapman
Peak: number 119
Peak date: 29 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Tracy Chapman's chart career in Australia started off promisingly, with "Fast Car" peaking at number 4 in June 1988.  Subsequent singles from her Tracy Chapman album (number 2, July 1988) fared less well on the chart, with "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" peaking at number 67 in September 1988 (it would eventually peak one place higher in 2011), and "Baby Can I Hold You" peaking at number 68 in February 1989.

Now onto her second album, Crossroads (number 4, October 1989), "All That You Have Is Your Soul" was the album's second release, following the title track, which peaked at number 58 in October 1989.  Tracy would have to wait until 1995 to score a second decent-sized hit single down under, with "Give Me One Reason" (number 3, February 1996).
 
Although "All That You Have Is Your Soul" - which I had not heard until writing this - failed to set the Australian charts alight, it does not appear to have charted anywhere else.  On the state charts, "All That You Have Is Your Soul" performed best in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 86.

Tracy will bubble down under again in 1996.



Number 141 "Hold Me" by Wildland
Peak: number 141
Peak date: 29 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Australian band Wildland scored their first chart entry, and biggest hit, in 1989 with their debut single "One for Unity" (number 53, August 1989).  "Hold Me" was the follow-up, released back in October 1989, but somehow took until now to dent the lower region of the chart.  Both singles were lifted from the band's In This Lifetime album (number 80, June 1990).

We will see Wildland on two more occasions this year, with the next time being in March.



Number 145 "Lean on You" by Cliff Richard
Peak: number 107
Peak date: 12 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
 
"Lean on You" was the third single from Cliff's Stronger album (number 16, April 1990), following "The Best of Me" (number 59, August 1989) and the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (number 100, October 1989).  Listening to this track for the first time as I write this post, it reminds me a little bit of Cliff's "Some People" (number 7, April 1988), only not as good.

"Lean on You" fared significantly better in Cliff's native UK, where it peaked at number 17 in October 1989.  "Lean on You" also performed stronger on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 93.
 
On the state charts, "Lean on You" performed much stronger in South Australia/Northern Territory than elsewhere, where it reached number 43.

Cliff will become a regular visitor to this section of the chart in the coming months, with this being the first of three of his singles to peak outside the top 100 in 1990.  Cliff would need to wait until 1995 to score another top 100 hit down under, with his live duet with Phil Everly "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (number 93, March 1995), and until 1999 to score another (his last) top 50 single in Australia with "The Millennium Prayer" (number 2, December 1999).

We will next see Cliff in April.

 
 
Number 146 "This Is the Right Time" by Lisa Stansfield
Peak: number 138
Peak date: 28 May 1990
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
 
Before embarking on a solo career, Lisa scored a minor 'hit' down under with her former band Blue Zone, "Jackie" (number 99, February 1989).  Yes, the same "Jack-Jack-Jackie" song that became a hit for B.Z. featuring Joanne in 1998.  Despite only peaking at number 99, "Jackie" spent 15 weeks in the top 150.  Then, Lisa scored another minor hit in Australia as the featured vocalist on Coldcut's "People Hold On" (number 78, June 1989).

Lisa then struck out on her own... well, kind of.  You see, although Blue Zone was her "band", the other members of the group, Andy Morris and Ian Devaney, continued to collaborate with Lisa throughout her solo career.  Ian and Andy were more than OK with Lisa being the sole representative of the 'band', doing promotional work/interviews etc. while they remained out of the spotlight.  So "Lisa Stansfield" is, essentially, a 'band' - but Lisa is the only visible member.  Make sense?

Lisa's "solo" career was launched with "This Is the Right Time", produced by recent collaborators Coldcut.  The single peaked at number 13 in the UK in August 1989.  Released in Australia in October 1989, it was finally the right time for this single to make a dent on our chart, spurred on by the ascent of Lisa's second solo single, "All Around the World" (number 9, February 1990), which was at number 13 this week.
 
But if you thought that was complicated, "This Is the Right Time" wouldn't actually peak on the ARIA chart until the end of May 1990, after a re-release following the next single, "Live Together" (number 62, March 1990).  All three of these singles were lifted from Lisa's Affection album (number 7, February 1990) - an album I purchased on the strength of "All Around the World", although "This Is the Right Time" was my favourite song on it.  A fourth single from Affection, "What Did I Do To You?" was released in Australia in July 1990, but failed to chart.
 
On the state charts, "This Is the Right Time" performed strongest in New South Wales/A.C.T., where it peaked at number 117.

Two music videos were filmed for "This Is the Right Time" - the original 1989 version, filmed for the UK market, is currently blocked on YouTube.  A second video was filmed for the single's US release in 1990 (it peaked at number 21 there in June 1990), embedded below, and memorably shows Lisa snipping off her trademark 'kiss curl' with a pair of scissors at the start.

Lisa will become a regular visitor to this region of the chart in the coming years - no fewer than nine of her singles charted outside the ARIA top 100 during the 1990s!  The next time we see Lisa will be in 1992.
 

  
Number 149 "Shanghaid" by J.J. Cale
Peak: number 149
Peak date: 29 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

J.J. Cale, real name John Weldon Cale, is best known for his 1977 single, "Cocaine", which I am shocked to discover only peaked at number 45 in Australia in June 1978.  The song did, however, top the New Zealand singles chart in March 1977.

"Shanghaid" was lifted from the album Travel-Log (number 102, January 1990), Cale's first studio album since 1983.  "Shanghaid" does not appear to have charted elsewhere.

J.J. Cale passed away in 2013, aged 74, due to a heart attack.
 

 
Bubbling WAY down under:
 
Number 161 "So Sorry, I Said" by Liza Minnelli
Peak: number 161
Peak date: 29 January 1990
Weeks on chart: 1 week
 
Liza Minelli scored her first chart hit in 1989 with "Losing My Mind" (number 72, November 1989), despite already being a familiar name, through her work as an actress and stage performer, and being Judy Garland's daughter.  Liza was aged 43 at this point, which seemed 'old' to me - for a pop star, as an 11 year-old boy.

Like "Losing My Mind", "So Sorry, I Said" was another track from the Pet Shop Boys-produced album Results (number 94, January 1990).   In the UK, "Don't Drop Bombs" was issued as the second single from the album, but did not receive a local release.  I was going to surmise that "Don't Drop Bombs" was skipped because it flopped there (number 46, October 1989), but "So Sorry, I Said" performed even worse (number 62, December 1989) - so who knows what the record company's rationale was.

A fourth single from Results, "Love Pains", was released as the album's third single locally in April 1990, but failed to chart here.  "So Sorry, I Said" would become Liza's second and final single to chart in Australia.
 

 
Next week (5 February): a bumper week with eleven new top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry!  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.
 
< Previous week: 22 January 1990                                      Next week: 5 February 1990 >

22 January 2021

Week commencing 22 January 1990

One thing I can tell you about all of the songs I write about this week is that I didn't hear any of them at the time... and there are a few tragic stories about the artists in question!  Let's take a look.
 
Natalie Cole: Wild women... sometimes take their time to peak, and sometimes they miss the top 150 altogether.
 
 
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 127 "Fever" by Joe Cocker
Peak: number 112
Peak date: 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
 
I wasn't aware until now that Joe had covered this song, which was originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956, with the most-famous version recorded by Peggy Lee in 1958.
 
Released as the second single from Joe's One Night of Sin album (number 32, October 1989), following "When the Night Comes" (number 39, November 1989), "Fever" only charted in Australia and New Zealand, where it peaked at number 46 in February 1990.

We lost Joe Cocker in December 2014 from lung cancer, aged 70.

Joe will be a regular visitor to this region of the chart in the coming years, notching up no fewer than five singles that peaked between numbers 101 and 150 in the coming three years.  We will see Joe again twice this year, with the next occasion being in May.
 

 
Number 136 "That's What They Always Say" by Chris Rea
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

A quick aside - the title of this track, which I hadn't heard before, makes me think of Mary Roach's legendary American Idol audition, where she says "'that's what they always say in theatre" in response to someone saying 'break a leg' to her, before she entered the audition room.  If you haven't seen that audition, it's worth checking out...  Ah, bless Mary and her white flares.

Now onto the Chris Rea song.  "That's What They Always Say" was the second single lifted from Chris's The Road to Hell album (number 35, November 1989), following "The Road to Hell (Part 2)" (number 78, November 1989).  "That's What They Always Say" peaked at number 83 in the UK in December 1989, and number 35 in France in May 1990.

Sadly, 69 year-old Chris has endured a number of major health problems over the years, including multiple surgeries for pancreatic cancer, diagnosed in 2000, and a stroke in 2016.  In a Daily Mirror article in 2014, Chris revealed that he takes thirty-four tablets and has seven injections a day, following the complete removal of his pancreas and part of his digestive tract.

We will see Chris again in 1991, where he narrowly misses the top 100.



Number 145 "Big Talk" by Warrant
Peak: number 111
Peak date: 19 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
 
Warrant first bubbled WAY down under in July 1989, and hadn't had much chart success in Australia with any of the singles from their debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (number 72, November 1989).  "Heaven" was the biggest of the bunch, peaking at number 54 in October 1989.  "Big Talk" had marginally more success in the band's native US, where it peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1989.
 
On the state charts, "Big Talk" performed strongest on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart, where it peaked at number 70.

One notable thing about the music video for "Big Talk" is that the 'dirty rotten filthy stinking rich' record company fat cat type depicted on the album sleeve comes to life.  The video is worth watching for that alone.

Warrant singer Jani Lane sadly passed away from acute alcohol poisoning in August 2011, aged 47.  Jani was never comfortable with being known as "the 'Cherry Pie' guy" - after Warrant's biggest hit (number 6, January 1991), as evident in this interview on YouTube, in which he ominously says, "I could shoot myself in the f**king head for writing that song."

Warrant will join us again in March.



Number 150 "Call It Love" by Poco
Peak: number 150
Peak date: 22 January 1990 and 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
 
Poco are (they are still active, according to Wikipedia) an American country rock band formed in 1968 (!).  Although I'd never heard of them before, they actually placed two singles on the Australian chart in the 1970s, with the biggest one being "Rose of Cimarron" (number 51, February 1977).  They also had six charting albums in Australia between 1971 and 1980.

"Call It Love", as you might expect, performed much better in the US, where it peaked at number 18 in April 1989.  Released in Australia on 6 November 1989, "Call It Love" took over two months to dent the top 150, where it spent two non-consecutive weeks at number 150.  While it's not the usual sort of thing I listen to, I did enjoy the minor chord (or perhaps it's just a key change - I'm not quite musically-gifted enough to know for sure) guitar bridge leading into the chorus.

To my surprise, this song was also a hit of sorts in the Dutch-speaking world, peaking at number 20 in the Netherlands in November 1989, and number 38 in the Flanders region of Belgium (Belgium has two separate charts: one each for the Dutch and French-speaking regions) in December 1989.

"Call It Love" was lifted from the band's Legacy album (number 136, February 1990).  Another single from the album, "Nothin' to Hide", was released locally in February 1990, but missed the top 150.



Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 162 "As a Matter of Fact" by Natalie Cole
Peak: number 162
Peak date: 22 January 1990
Weeks on chart: 1 week

Natalie's previous single, "Miss You Like Crazy" (number 34, October 1989), was a slow burner on the Australian chart, taking six weeks to crack the top 100, 13 weeks to break the top 50, and 20 weeks to reach its peak.  Nat would perform a similar feat with subsequent single, "Wild Women Do" (number 37, September 1990), which took 5 weeks to crack the top 100, and 24 weeks to both break the top 50 and reach its peak.

Released as the second single from her Good to Be Back album (number 87, September 1989) in Australia, "As a Matter of Fact" had a much shorter chart life, spending just one week on the chart, outside the top 150.  Curiously, the single took two months to dent the charts, being released locally on 20 November 1989.  "As a Matter of Fact" failed to chart elsewhere.

Poor Nat had inconsistent success on the Australian charts, with each of her seven top 100 singles in Australia being from a different album.  To add insult to injury, her 1988 single "Everlasting" made each of the state top 100 charts at different times in September-October 1988, but failed to dent the national top 100 (this was before ARIA extended the chart beyond number 100).

Unfortunately, Natalie is no longer with us, having passed away from heart failure at the end of 2015, aged 65.

Natalie will join us again in 1991.



Next week (29 January): Five new top 150 entries, including the belated appearance of the debut solo single from a new act who had a big hit on their hands, and one bubbling WAY down under debut.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

< Previous week: 15 January 1990                               Next week: 29 January 1990 >

15 January 2021

Week commencing 15 January 1990

Of the five songs I write about this week, I had only heard one of them at the time (the Malcolm McLaren one), which I barely remembered.  Two of this week's debuts - from overseas artists, no less - failed to chart anywhere else.  Let's take a look at them.
 
Adeva sings "we're almost there"... if 'there' is the top 150 this week.
  
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 130 "Another Chance" by The Georgia Satellites
Peak: number 126
Peak date: 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

American band The Georgia Satellites scored two top 40 singles in Australia - "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" (number 20, March 1987) and "The Hippy Hippy Shake" (number 37, January 1989).   A third single, "Battleship Chains" (number 82, July 1987), dented the top 100.  "Another Chance" was lifted from the band's third album, In the Land of Salvation and Sin (number 132, January 1990), and failed to chart anywhere else.  This would be the band's final top 150 singles chart appearance in Australia.
 

 
Number 147 "Thrash" by Underworld
Peak: number 147
Peak date: 15 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Weeks on chart: 1 week 

Underworld's chart career in Australia started off promisingly, with "Underneath the Radar" peaking at number 5 in June 1988.  Subsequent singles from their Underneath the Radar album (number 32, August 1988) missed the top 50: "Glory! Glory!" (number 64, September 1988), "Show Some Emotion" (number 88, December 1988), and "I Need a Doctor" (released in Australia in February 1989, failed to chart).

"Thrash" was the second single released from the band's second album, Change the Weather (number 64, October 1989), following "Stand Up" (number 79, October 1989).  "Thrash" failed to chart anywhere else.  The title track was released as the third single from the album in late January 1990, but failed to chart.

One thing that is evident when looking at Underworld's Australian chart history is that the band were notably more popular in Western Australia than in other states.  "Underneath the Radar", for example, topped the Western Australian state chart, and "Glory! Glory!", "Show Some Emotion" and "Stand Up" all made the state top 40, despite missing the national top 60.  "Thrash" similarly peaked higher on the Western Australian state chart than in other states, peaking at number 105.

Underworld would undergo a metamorphosis and change in sound in the early 90s, and would eventually score their second (and last) hit single down under with "Born Slippy" in 1996 (number 20, January 1997).

We will see Underworld next in 1994.
 

 
Number 148 "I'll Be Good to You" by Quincy Jones featuring Ray Charles and Chaka Khan
Peak: number 148
Peak date: 15 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
 
Quincy Jones is perhaps best known for being the producer of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad albums.  When it comes to charting under his own name, however, Quincy only landed one top 100 single in Australia - "Ai No Corrida" (number 74, July 1981).
 
"I'll Be Good to You" was originally recorded by The Brothers Johnson in 1976, but was produced by Quincy.  Chaka Khan, whom we last saw in September 1989, and Ray Charles provide vocals on this new version of the track, and appear in the music video embedded below.  "I'll Be Good to You" peaked at number 18 in the US in January 1990, and number 21 in the UK in February 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "I'll Be Good to You" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 36.

We will next see Quincy in 1996, but before then, we will see a project he was involved with in 1991.
 

 
 
Number 150 "House of the Blue Danube" by Malcolm McLaren and The Bootzilla Orchestra
Peak: number 150
Peak date: 15 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
 
"House of the Blue Danube" was the third single lifted from Malcolm's Waltz Darling album (number 60, August 1989), and followed "Waltz Darling" (number 65, August 1989) and "Something's Jumpin' in Your Shirt" (number 95, November 1989).  "House of the Blue Danube" peaked at number 73 in Malcolm's native UK in November 1989.
 
Malcolm scored six top 100 hits under his own name (not counting associated acts, such as World's Famous Supreme Team) in Australia, all up, with the biggest of those being "Double Dutch" (number 14, September 1983).  However, arguably the Malcolm McLaren single that had the biggest cultural impact missed the top 100, and will be coming up later in the year.

On the state charts, "House of the Blue Danube" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 135.
 
 
 
Bubbling WAY down under:
 
Number 157 "Musical Freedom (Free At Last)" by Paul Simpson featuring Adeva
Peak: number 151
Peak date: 29 January 1990
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
 
"Musical Freedom (Free At Last)" was first released in Europe in 1988, and featured Adeva - whom we saw back in July 1989 - on vocals.  It did not chart, however, until getting a re-release in 1989, following the success of "Respect" in the UK.  Interrupting an otherwise-consecutive run of three solo Adeva singles peaking at number 17, "Musical Freedom" peaked at number 22 in the UK in April 1989, and number 43 in the Netherlands in May 1989.
 
Released in Australia in September 1989, "Musical Freedom" took four months to dent the lower end of our chart, probably spurred on by the belated simultaneous ascent of "Warning!" (number 38, February 1990) and "I Thank You" (number 30, February 1990) on the charts in early 1990.

"Musical Freedom" deals with the subject of racial equality for African Americans, with upbeat lyrics such as "throw your hands up in the air, 'cause we're almost there".  Thirty plus years later, you have to wonder about that, given the current state of things in the USA.
 
One of the verses of "Musical Freedom" begins with the lyrics, "Lord knows I feel like throwing my hands up in the air", which bears a close resemblance - lyrically and melodically - to the opening lines of The Source featuring Candi Staton's "You Got the Love" ("Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air").
 
This would be Paul Simpson's - whom we saw in November 1989 - last foray onto the Australian charts.  Adeva will join us again in a few months' time.
 

 
Next week (22 January): Next week mirrors this week's chart, with four new top 150 debuts, and one bubbling WAY down under entry.  Among them is the first of five singles to bubble down under between 1990 and 1992 for a veteran artist.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.
 
< Previous week: 8 January 1990                                      Next week: 22 January 1990 >

08 January 2021

Week commencing 8 January 1990

Hey, it's the 90s!  Those of you who lived through the 90s may remember that expression being bandied about, as evidenced by this video.  And so this week, we enter the 1990s decade on the ARIA chart.
 
But before I start writing about that, I feel compelled to ask... where were you when the 90s clocked over?  I was 11 years old and about to start my final year of primary school, which in my state is grade 6.

The 90s are often - lazily, and somewhat inaccurately, in my view - summed up as being the decade where 'alternative' music became mainstream, and grunge music ruled.  While there's a kernel of truth there, the 90s was in no way just about that - dance music and rap also increased in popularity throughout the decade, and there were also plenty of schmaltzy, over-produced ballads that performed well on the charts.

But this blog isn't exactly focused on what was popular back then, right?  No, instead I'll be writing about the songs that didn't do so well on the chart - the songs you might have completely forgotten about, or simply weren't even aware of in the first place.
 
ARIA commenced producing The ARIA Report, a weekly chart publication only available via subscription (what the 'for detailed weekly chart information... send $100...' blurb on the printed top 50 charts - as embedded below - alluded to) in January 1990.  Although, this blurb was not printed on the top 50 charts until the end of April 1990:
If I'd had a clue that the 'detailed chart information' was the full top 100 charts, I would have cobbled enough pocket money together to subscribe in a jiffy!  Only, I remained clueless until late 1997, when I got the interwebz at home and quickly discovered Sarch's email list (were any readers out there also on that?), which sent out the top 100 singles chart every week (for free), until he stopped in early 1999.

In 1990, there were 272 singles that peaked between numbers 101 and 150 on the Australian singles chart.  Interestingly (well, if you're a stats nerd like me), none of these singles peaked at number 135, and only one peaked at number 113.  Let's take a look at the first instalment of them.
 
Katrina and The Waves: After 'Sunshine', Katrina and her pals didn't exactly make 'waves' on the Australian charts.
 
  
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 123 "Harvest Moon" by James Reyne
Peak: number 122
Peak date: 15 January 1990 and 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
 
"Harvest Moon" was James' tenth solo single, the fourth and final release from his Hard Reyne album (number 7, May 1989), and the first to miss the top 100.  If a music video exists for this track, it has not been uploaded to YouTube, and also does not appear on the withdrawn-soon-after-its-release-and-subsequently-sells-for-silly-prices The Definitive Collection DVD shared with James' former band, Australian Crawl.  I have no recollection of hearing this song before, so it can't have been promoted too well.
 
On the state charts, "Harvest Moon" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 88.

James will next visit us solo in 1995.  Before then, we shall see him appear as part of a group in 1993.
 
 
 
Number 140 "Washaway" by The Shivers
Peak: number 104
Peak date: 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
 
This is another track I have no recollection of - a common theme among this week's new entries.  While I can't muster many facts about this group, what I can tell you is that The Shivers were an Australian band, and their lead singer, Wendy Morrison, sang the theme song for the Australian TV series Sea Change in 1998 with Richard Pleasance, formerly of Boom Crash Opera.  I can also tell you that this single was released in early November 1989, and that the album it is lifted from, Big Love, missed the top 150.  "Washaway" performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 81.

The Shivers will visit us again in July.
 
 
 
Number 141 "You're the Reason" by Gene Pitney
Peak: number 103
Peak date: 5 February 1990
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Another recurring theme this week seems to be songs that don't have music videos - at least, not on YouTube, anyway.  I also didn't think I knew this one, but the melody seems vaguely familiar... and, to my surprise, I don't mind it!

Gene Pitney was 49 at this point in time, but seemed so old to me (for a pop star, anyway), when his duet with Marc Almond, "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (number 24, April 1989) was on the chart.  That song had been Gene's first charting single in Australia since 1975.  Gene's biggest hits in Australia both peaked at number three - 1962's "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", and 1963's "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa".
 
Gene gave a rather infamous TV performance of "You're the Reason" on UK TV in 1989, where he missed his cue, miming the song outdoors on a boat, and is wildly out of sync for the entirety of the song.
 
"You're the Reason" was lifted from the album You're the Reason (number 133, March 1990), and performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 81.
 
Had I been more clued-in to The ARIA Report, which I mentioned in the long intro blurb to this week's post, I would have noticed "You're the Reason" listed on the state chart summary, with a national HP (=High Point, aka highest position) of 119 on the ARIA Report dated week ending 28 January 1990:
 
These lists only seldom contained singles that were not within the national top 100, and such singles almost never had national HP's outside the top 100 listed.  Had I seen this in 1990, it would have alerted me to there being ARIA chart positions beyond number 100 - about 24 years earlier than I discovered this fact!  As you can see in the table above, "You're the Reason" did much better on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it peaked at number 21, than anywhere else.
 
Gene passed away in 2006, aged 66.
 

 
Number 146 "Rock 'n' Roll Girl" by Katrina and The Waves
Peak: number 146
Peak date: 8 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
 
Finally we have a song with a music video on YouTube!
 
If you were not following the charts like a hawk in the 1980s, odds are, like me, you would have thought Katrina and The Waves had one song, "Walking on Sunshine" (number 4, June 1985), and that was it.  But they actually had a second top 40 hit in Australia, with "Do You Want Crying" (number 38, September 1985).

"Rock 'n' Roll Girl" was the second single lifted from the band's Break of Hearts album (number 127, January 1990), following "That's the Way" (number 58, November 1989).  "Rock 'n' Roll Girl" also charted in the UK, where it peaked at number 93 in November 1989.
 
On the state charts, "Rock 'n' Roll Girl" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 93.
 
Katrina and The Waves will join us again in 1997.
 
 
 
Bubbling WAY down under:
 
Number 157 "Baby Come to Me" by Regina Belle
Peak: number 157
Peak date: 8 January 1990
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

American singer Regina Belle landed a major hit in Australia with her duet with Peabo Bryson, and theme song to Disney's 1992 movie Aladdin, "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)", which reached number 10 in June 1993.  Unfortunately for Regina, none of her other releases - album or single - made the top 150 in Australia.

"Baby Come to Me" had greater, albeit modest, success in Regina's native US, where it peaked at number 60 in November 1989.

On the ARIA state charts, "Baby Come to Me" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it peaked at number 127.

Regina will join us again in 1993.
 

 
Next week (15 January): Four new top 150 debuts - three of which peak between numbers 147 and 150!  Plus the first bubbling WAY down under entry for 1990.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.
 
< Previous chart: 18 December 1989                                   Next week: 15 January 1990 > 

03 January 2021

1989 - the chart year in review

Below is a list of all of the singles debuting in 1989 that peaked within the 101 to 150 region of the ARIA singles chart, conveniently in one location:


ARTIST TITLE PEAK DEBUT DATE WEEKS IN


 

10,000 MANIACS Trouble Me 102 3/07/1989 17
2 BRAVE Stop That Girl 142 13/03/1989 2
ABC One Better World 122 4/09/1989 7
ADEVA Respect 150 3/07/1989 1
ADULT NET Take Me 137 24/07/1989 7
ALBIE WILDE & THE DAYGLOS Hey Ciao 101 29/05/1989 7
ANDREW CASH Smile Me Down 109 10/04/1989 7
ANDY PAWLAK Secrets 141 29/05/1989 6
BACHELORS FROM PRAGUE Get Smart 118 30/10/1989 5
BARBRA STREISAND We're Not Makin' Love Anymore 111 13/11/1989 11
BB STEAL I Believe 128 30/01/1989 4
BEASTIE BOYS Hey Ladies 141 21/08/1989 3
BEE GEES Ordinary Lives 131 15/05/1989 6
BEE GEES One 101 24/07/1989 12
BEE GEES Tokyo Nights 124 30/10/1989 7
BETTE MIDLER I Know You By Heart 118 23/10/1989 7
BIG BAM BOO Shooting From My Heart 122 17/04/1989 5
BIGSTORM Rubber Love 117 30/01/1989 5
BILL MEDLEY I'm Gonna Be Strong 114 30/01/1989 1
BILLY BRAGG She's Got a New Spell 116 13/03/1989 6
BLACK The Big One 123 6/03/1989 6
BLONDIE Denis ('88 Remix) 139 20/02/1989 3
BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad 129 13/03/1989 7
CATFISH Hiwire Girl 146 20/03/1989 1
CHAKA KHAN I'm Every Woman (Remix) 147 18/09/1989 1
CHEAP TRICK Never Had a Lot To Lose 118 24/04/1989 6
CHOSEN FEW Rise 120 15/05/1989 7
CINDERELLA Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) 145 8/05/1989 1
CLIFF RICHARD & SARAH BRIGHTMAN All I Ask of You 130 29/05/1989 6
CLIMIE FISHER This Is Me 128 30/01/1989 2
CLIMIE FISHER I Won't Bleed For You 124 27/02/1989 5
CLIVE YOUNG Naturally 102 24/07/1989 10
CONCRETE BLONDE God Is a Bullet 146 2/10/1989 1
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG Got It Made 134 8/05/1989 4
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT Name and Number 131 11/12/1989 8
CYNDI LAUPER A Night To Remember 145 23/10/1989 1
CYNDI LAUPER Heading West 117 18/12/1989 10
D.J. JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble 142 26/06/1989 1
DAMIAN The Time Warp II 114 4/12/1989 7
DAVID CROSBY Drive My Car 137 1/05/1989 4
DAVID ESSEX Rock On 150 17/07/1989 2
DE LA SOUL Say No Go 143 20/11/1989 4
DEBORAH HARRY Liar, Liar 141 30/01/1989 4
DEL SHANNON Walk Away 124 15/05/1989 6
DIANA ROSS Paradise 117 25/09/1989 8
DON HENLEY The Last Worthless Evening 120 27/11/1989 10
DORA D Casanova Baby 150 6/11/1989 1
DREAMS SO REAL Rough Night In Jericho 148 15/05/1989 1
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD Nothing Has Been Proved 145 5/06/1989 1
EDDIE MONEY Walk On Water 126 6/02/1989 8
EIGHTH WONDER Cross My Heart 116 30/01/1989 1
EIGHTH WONDER Baby Baby 113 6/03/1989 9
ELECTRA Jibaro 150 10/04/1989 1
ELLIOT GOBLET Friday On My Mind 119 25/09/1989 4
ELVIS COSTELLO This Town 123 10/07/1989 7
ENYA Evening Falls... 104 10/04/1989 7
ERIC CARMEN Reason To Try 133 30/01/1989 5
ERIC CLAPTON Pretending 106 4/12/1989 11
EXPLODING WHITE MICE Make It 149 31/07/1989 1
EXTREME Kid Ego 138 18/09/1989 3
E-ZEE POSSEE Everything Begins With an 'E' 120 25/09/1989 6
GAIL ANN DORSEY Wasted Country 109 30/01/1989 8
GARY MOORE Ready For Love 113 10/04/1989 8
GIPSY KINGS Djobi Djoba 131 30/10/1989 6
GLENN MEDEIROS Long and Lasting Love (Once In a Lifetime) 113 30/01/1989 7
GRACE JONES Love On Top of Love (Killer Kiss) 121 27/11/1989 9
GRAEME CONNORS A Little Further North 125 30/01/1989 1
GRAEME CONNORS Cyclone Season 135 20/02/1989 5
GREAT WHITE Once Bitten Twice Shy 144 11/09/1989 1
HANK WILLIAMS, JR. There's a Tear In My Beer 118 19/06/1989 6
HENRY LEE SUMMER Hey Baby 142 21/08/1989 2
HIPPOS Time and Motion 128 9/10/1989 7
HIPSWAY Your Love 103 3/07/1989 7
HITHOUSE Jack To the Sound of the Underground 129 20/02/1989 6
HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS World To Me 113 6/02/1989 7
HUMANOID Stakker Humanoid 145 11/09/1989 1
HURRICANE I'm Onto You 148 5/06/1989 1
ICE TIGER Turn To Fantasy 121 9/10/1989 5
ICE TIGER All I Need Is a Friend 146 20/11/1989 1
IGGY POP High On You 114 30/01/1989 6
JABULANI Want My Love 104 6/02/1989 9
JAMES Sit Down 141 16/10/1989 3
JANZ Picture 119 30/10/1989 6
JEFF DUFF Walk On the Wild Side 150 8/05/1989 1
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE Planes 148 27/11/1989 1
JERRY LEE LEWIS Great Balls of Fire 101 28/08/1989 7
JIGSAW UK Sky High (1989 remix) 101 29/05/1989 8
JIM CAPALDI Something So Strong 126 17/04/1989 5
JIMMY SOMERVILLE featuring JUNE MILES KINGSTON Comment Te Dire Adieu 122 11/12/1989 9
JODY WATLEY Friends 146 14/08/1989 1
JOE CAMILLERI Angel Dove 129 20/11/1989 10
JOE JACKSON Down To London 126 31/07/1989 6
JOHN FARNHAM We're No Angels 108 1/05/1989 7
JOHN KILZER Memory In the Making 114 30/01/1989 9
JOHNNY KEMP Birthday Suit 117 12/06/1989 7
JOHNNY O'KEEFE Shout (Parts 1 & 2) 146 6/03/1989 1
JUDSON SPENCE Yeah, Yeah, Yeah 133 3/04/1989 6
JULIA FORDHAM Happy Ever After 147 30/01/1989 1
KENNY ROGERS Planet Texas 129 17/07/1989 6
KING SWAMP Is This Love 109 27/02/1989 3
KISS (You Make Me) Rock Hard 101 24/07/1989 6
KOOL & THE GANG Raindrops 123 7/08/1989 7
LEVEL 42 Heaven In My Hands 115 27/02/1989 7
LEVEL 42 Tracie 134 22/05/1989 7
LIVING COLOUR Open Letter (To a Landlord) 116 12/06/1989 9
LIVING IN A BOX Gatecrashing 104 21/08/1989 9
LL COOL J I'm That Type of Guy 148 7/08/1989 1
LONDON BOYS Requiem 149 4/09/1989 1
LUCINDA WILLIAMS I Just Wanted To See You So Bad 122 14/08/1989 9
MACHINATIONS Cars & Planes 105 27/02/1989 9
MARC ALMOND Tears Run Rings 128 5/06/1989 5
MARCUS MONTANA Tell Him I'm Your Man 146 16/10/1989 1
MARSHALL CRENSHAW Some Hearts 140 18/09/1989 5
MARTIN KAYE Quit This Joint 131 6/02/1989 1
MARTIN STEPHENSON Wholly Humble Heart 136 27/03/1989 6
MASTERS APPRENTICES Birth of the Beat 132 30/01/1989 4
MELISSA ETHERIDGE The Angels 116 18/12/1989 8
MICHAEL BALL Love Changes Everything 123 14/08/1989 7
MICHELLE SHOCKED When I Grow Up 108 3/04/1989 6
MICHELLE SHOCKED On the Greener Side 118 18/12/1989 9
MICK JONES Everything That Comes Around 150 5/06/1989 1
MORRISSEY Interesting Drug 111 10/07/1989 10
NEIL MURRAY Calm and Crystal Clear 107 1/05/1989 12
NO FACE Hump Music 132 18/09/1989 4
ON THE BALL Let's Go Broncos 144 31/07/1989 3
ORDINARY MORTALS Lost Souls 139 20/02/1989 2
OZ ART FOR OZONE Our Children's World 123 4/12/1989 10
PANDORA'S BOX It's All Coming Back To Me Now 133 13/11/1989 10
PAT & MICK I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet 130 29/05/1989 4
PATRICK SWAYZE Raising Heaven (In Hell Tonight) 131 28/08/1989 6
PAUL CARRACK I Live By the Groove 105 13/11/1989 11
PAUL KELLY AND THE MESSENGERS Careless 116 30/10/1989 7
PAUL McCARTNEY This One 113 21/08/1989 8
PAUL RUTHERFORD Get Real 132 27/03/1989 1
PETE TOWNSHEND A Friend Is a Friend 113 24/07/1989 8
PETER COMBE Chopsticks 125 9/10/1989 5
PHILIP BAILEY/LITTLE RICHARD Twins 116 6/02/1989 6
POP WILL EAT ITSELF Very Metal Noise Pollution (EP) 121 18/12/1989 5
PRETENDERS Windows of the World 117 13/03/1989 5
PRINCE with SHEENA EASTON The Arms of Orion 108 4/12/1989 10
PRISCILLA'S NIGHTMARE She Ain't No Woman 111 14/08/1989 7
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD Warrior 114 28/08/1989 4
QUEEN The Invisble Man 118 2/10/1989 7
RAINBIRDS Blueprint 149 27/03/1989 3
RANDY CRAWFORD featuring ERIC CLAPTON AND DAVID SANBORN Knockin' On Heaven's Door 116 30/10/1989 10
RAZE Break 4 Love 147 22/05/1989 1
RICHARD CLAPTON Deep Water 147 10/07/1989 1
RICHARD CLAPTON Ace of Hearts 122 25/09/1989 7
ROBBEN FORD Talk To Your Daughter 108 6/02/1989 9
ROBERT PALMER Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming 117 20/11/1989 4
ROBERT PALMER Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor) 106 27/11/1989 4
ROBIN BECK First Time 148 26/06/1989 2
ROBYNE DUNN My Spark and Me 122 15/05/1989 5
ROD STEWART Crazy About Her 130 7/08/1989 7
ROSE BYGRAVE Maybe Midnight 139 1/05/1989 6
ROY ORBISON AND FRIENDS Oh Pretty Woman 112 6/11/1989 9
ROY ORBISON/K.D. LANG Crying 143 3/04/1989 2
SALT 'N' PEPA Get Up Everybody (Get Up)/Twist and Shout 111 6/03/1989 5
SAM BROWN This Feeling 115 18/09/1989 6
SCARY BILL Western World 106 12/06/1989 8
S-EXPRESS Mantra For a State of Mind 141 20/11/1989 2
SHANE HOWARD Back To the Track 148 13/03/1989 2
SHERIFF When I'm With You 117 13/03/1989 6
SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK Success 141 6/03/1989 3
SIMPLY RED You've Got It 127 18/12/1989 7
SINEAD O'CONNOR Jump In the River 134 6/02/1989 7
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES Peek-a-Boo 149 30/01/1989 1
SKID ROW Youth Gone Wild 148 24/07/1989 1
SKID ROW 18 & Life 126 11/12/1989 5
SPANDAU BALLET Be Free With Your Love 110 18/09/1989 7
STEVE EARLE Back to the Wall 115 10/04/1989 6
STEVE HOY Raindance 107 19/06/1989 11
STEVE STEVENS Atomic Playboys 138 6/11/1989 1
STRAY CATS Bring It Back Again 109 3/07/1989 5
STRYPER I Believe In You 109 3/04/1989 5
SWING OUT SISTER You On My Mind 114 26/06/1989 7
SWINGSHIFT No Matter What 126 5/06/1989 11
SYDNEY YOUNGBLOOD If Only I Could 122 20/11/1989 4
TANITA TIKARAM Good Tradition 142 30/01/1989 2
TANITA TIKARAM Cathedral Song 120 3/07/1989 7
TEN WEDGE Me and Mrs Jones 127 15/05/1989 7
THE ALARM Sold Me Down the River 148 30/10/1989 1
THE ART OF NOISE Paranoimia '89 103 3/07/1989 6
THE B-52's Channel Z 145 28/08/1989 2
THE BEATMASTERS with MERLIN Who's In the House 137 12/06/1989 2
THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH Song For Whoever 145 18/09/1989 1
THE BIBLE Honey Be Good 144 27/03/1989 4
THE BLUE NILE The Downtown Lights 148 16/10/1989 1
THE BOMBERS Running In the Shadows 130 23/10/1989 7
THE CALL Let the Day Begin 111 11/09/1989 11
THE CELIBATE RIFLES Johnny 128 13/03/1989 7
THE CELIBATE RIFLES O Salvation 123 26/06/1989 4
THE DARLING BUDS Hit the Ground 147 24/04/1989 1
THE ESCAPE CLUB Shake For the Sheik 114 30/01/1989 8
THE EVERLY BROTHERS Don't Worry Baby 114 20/02/1989 10
THE FIXX Driven Out 123 17/04/1989 6
THE FOUR TOPS Loco In Acapulco 141 13/03/1989 1
THE GRACES Lay Down Your Arms 127 9/10/1989 5
THE HAPPENING THANG I Don't Wanna Go To Work 134 1/05/1989 1
THE HUMAN LEAGUE Love Is All That Matters 113 30/01/1989 2
THE JEFF HEALEY BAND Angel Eyes 115 19/06/1989 12
THE JEFF HEALEY BAND Roadhouse Blues 146 17/07/1989 2
THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Head On 102 18/12/1989 11
THE MAD TURKS Tempers Fire 127 22/05/1989 8
THE PARTY BOYS Follow Your Heart 107 13/03/1989 11
THE POGUES Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah 111 20/03/1989 6
THE PONY The Big Picture 125 27/03/1989 6
THE RAMONES Pet Sematary 149 20/11/1989 1
THE REELS Forever Now 135 30/01/1989 6
THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Acting This Way 136 30/01/1989 4
THE SEEKERS How Can a Love So Wrong Be Right 118 31/07/1989 7
THE STATE So Lonely Now 150 27/02/1989 1
THE STYLE COUNCIL Promised Land 106 24/04/1989 6
THE SUGARCUBES Regina 141 18/09/1989 1
THE SUNNYBOYS Sinful Me 105 12/06/1989 8
THE THE Gravitate To Me 147 14/08/1989 1
THE ZIMMERMEN What Really Hurts 148 1/05/1989 1
TIFFANY All This Time 120 20/03/1989 7
TIM FINN Crescendo 120 17/07/1989 8
TINY TIM Highway To Hell 150 15/05/1989 1
TOMMY EMMANUEL Guitar Concierto De Aranjuez 138 4/12/1989 8
TOMMY PAGE A Shoulder To Cry On 149 8/05/1989 1
U2 Where the Streets Have No Name 138 27/11/1989 1
UB40 I Would Do For You 121 10/07/1989 6
VAN HALEN Finish What Ya Started 123 30/01/1989 4
VANESSA WILLIAMS Dreamin' 108 24/04/1989 8
VIOLENT FEMMES Nightmares 146 8/05/1989 2
VIXEN Cryin' 111 27/03/1989 11
VIXEN Love Made Me 149 14/08/1989 1
WANDA JACKSON Let's Have a Party 145 25/09/1989 1
WANG CHUNG Praying To a New God 127 26/06/1989 10
WEDDINGS, PARTIES, ANYTHING Streets of Forbes 113 25/09/1989 8
WHEN IN ROME The Promise 103 30/01/1989 14
WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY Melting Pot 103 17/04/1989 5
WHITE LION Little Fighter 136 24/07/1989 5
WHITE LION Radar Love 117 4/12/1989 10
WILLIE NELSON with JULIO IGLESIAS Spanish Eyes 121 30/01/1989 2
WOMACK & WOMACK Life's Just a Ballgame 126 22/05/1989 7
YELLO Of Course I'm Lying 123 17/07/1989 12
YOTHU YINDI Mainstream 115 1/05/1989 9
YOUNG MC Bust a Move 139 18/09/1989 2
YOUSSOU N'DOUR & PETER GABRIEL Shakin' the Tree 131 17/07/1989 7
ZAN Good Love 134 4/12/1989 9