1991 - the chart year in review

Below is a list of all of the singles debuting in the top 150 in 1991 that peaked within the 101 to 150 region of the ARIA singles chart, conveniently in one location:

 

 

ARTIST	TITLE	PEAK	ENTRY DATE	WEEKS IN
2 IN A ROOM	Do What You Want/Take Me Away	120	16/09/1991	5
38 SPECIAL	The Sound of Your Voice	133	23/09/1991	6
3RD BASS	Pop Goes the Weasel	122	22/07/1991	5
808 STATE	In Yer Face	108	1/04/1991	9
808 STATE featuring BJORK	Ooops	143	3/06/1991	3
A HOMEBOY, A HIPPIE & A FUNKI DREDD	Total Confusion	136	21/01/1991	4
ADVENTURES OF STEVIE V	Body Language	108	18/03/1991	5
AL B. SURE!	Missunderstanding	137	21/01/1991	1
ALEXANDER O'NEAL	All True Man	142	25/03/1991	1
ALIAS	Waiting For Love	135	17/06/1991	2
ALICE COOPER	Love's a Loaded Gun	125	14/10/1991	4
ANOTHER BAD CREATION	Playground	138	5/08/1991	1
ASHLEY CLEVELAND	Willy	131	13/05/1991	13
B.G. THE PRINCE OF RAP	Give Me the Music	105	21/10/1991	4
BACHELORS FROM PRAGUE	Great	130	16/12/1991	9
BAD ENGLISH	Straight To Your Heart	116	14/10/1991	8
BANANARAMA	Preacher Man	147	4/03/1991	1
BEN LIEBRAND featuring TONY SCOTT	Move To the Bigband	117	25/03/1991	7
BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN	All I Have	109	21/10/1991	7
BETTE MIDLER	Wind Beneath My Wings (1991 re-entry)	144	14/01/1991	2
BEVERLEY CRAVEN	Promise Me	117	9/09/1991	5
BIG SECRET	Big Secret	141	28/10/1991	5
BILLY BRAGG	You Woke Up My Neighbourhood	107	4/11/1991	6
BILLY JOEL	Stormfront	114	4/02/1991	7
BINGOBOYS featuring ARNOLD JARVIS and PRINCESSA	Borrowed Love	104	15/07/1991	9
BIZARRE INC	Such a Feeling	150	4/11/1991	1
BLUR	There's No Other Way	113	2/09/1991	7
BOOM CRASH OPERA	The Best Thing (1990 re-issue)	112	14/01/1991	9
BUTTHOLE SURFERS	The Hurdy Gurdy Man	147	18/03/1991	1
CANDY HARLOTS	Danger	107	16/09/1991	12
CANDYMAN	Melt In Your Mouth	118	22/04/1991	6
CATFISH	Johnny's Gone	129	8/07/1991	8
CELINE DION	The Last To Know	134	23/09/1991	6
CHAD JACKSON	Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)	145	7/01/1991	1
CHER	Baby I'm Yours	146	7/01/1991	1
CHER	Save Up All Your Tears	114	28/10/1991	5
CHESNEY HAWKES	The One and Only	103	20/05/1991	16
CHOIRBOYS	Place With No Love	110	8/07/1991	6
CHOSEN FEW	When the Boat Comes In	126	14/01/1991	7
CHRIS DE BURGH	The Simple Truth	120	3/06/1991	4
CHRIS LLOYDS & LAURIN JAMES	Sometimes When We Touch	114	21/10/1991	16
CHRIS REA	Auberge	101	18/03/1991	6
CLIFF RICHARD	We Don't Talk Anymore (Remix)	111	25/11/1991	8
CLUB HOY	House On Fire	134	23/09/1991	8
CLUBLAND featuring QUARTZ	Let's Get Busy (Pump It Up)	139	7/01/1991	1
COLA BOY	7 Ways To Love	115	2/09/1991	5
COLLETTE	This Will Be (Everlasting Love)	122	8/04/1991	9
CRASH TEST DUMMIES	Superman's Song	133	18/11/1991	9
CULTURE BEAT	No Deeper Meaning	126	4/11/1991	11
DADDY FREDDY	Daddy Freddy's In Town	121	26/08/1991	7
DAMIEN LOVELOCK	The Dalai Lama	115	16/09/1991	12
DANA DAWSON	Romantic World	113	28/10/1991	14
DAVE STEWART AND THE SPRITUAL COWBOYS	Love Shines	144	28/01/1991	2
DEACON BLUE	Twist and Shout	130	16/09/1991	6
DEBORAH HARRY & IGGY POP	Well, Did You Evah!	106	18/02/1991	7
DEEE-LITE	Good Beat	105	13/05/1991	6
DEGENERATES	Out of My Head	126	22/07/1991	4
DEL AMITRI	Spit In the Rain	118	8/04/1991	7
DIED PRETTY	D.C.	124	23/09/1991	7
DINO	Romeo	105	28/01/1991	8
DIVINYLS	Make Out Alright	105	17/06/1991	8
D-MAN	Rock It On	118	25/11/1991	11
DREAD ZEPPELIN	Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street)	138	11/02/1991	5
DREAM WARRIORS	Ludi	117	1/07/1991	5
ELVIS COSTELLO	So Like Candy	129	26/08/1991	6
ENIGMA	Principles of Lust	111	19/08/1991	4
EUROPE	Prisoners In Paradise	129	28/10/1991	5
EVERYDAY PEOPLE	Headline News	140	21/01/1991	2
FOREIGNER	Lowdown and Dirty	123	24/06/1991	8
GANG STARR	Take a Rest	143	16/12/1991	3
GARY CLAIL ON-U SOUND SYSTEM	Escape	117	14/10/1991	5
GARY MOORE featuring ALBERT COLLINS	Too Tired	130	4/02/1991	7
GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS	If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)	109	25/03/1991	9
GERARDO	We Want the Funk	128	19/08/1991	5
GLORIA ESTEFAN	Seal Our Fate	112	13/05/1991	7
GLORIA ESTEFAN	Anything For You (re-issue)	118	16/09/1991	2
GUY	I Wanna Get With U	129	11/02/1991	2
HAPPY MONDAYS	Loose Fit	117	22/04/1991	10
HARD-ONS	Where Did She Come From?	130	7/01/1991	3
HARRIET	Temple of Love	149	22/04/1991	1
HI-FIVE	I Can't Wait Another Minute	112	30/09/1991	5
HOLLY JOHNSON	Where Has Love Gone?	147	21/01/1991	1
HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS	It Hit Me Like a Hammer	106	26/08/1991	5
HURRICANE	Next To You	150	7/01/1991	1
ICEHOUSE	Where the River Meets the Sea	124	1/04/1991	7
INFORMATION SOCIETY	Think	132	4/02/1991	10
IZABELLA	I Write You a Love Song	140	26/08/1991	3
JAM ON THE MUTHA	Hotel California	144	11/02/1991	1
JASON DONOVAN	I'm Doing Fine	123	4/03/1991	6
JASON MARTIN	Take Us To the Top	145	12/08/1991	2
JAZZI P	Feel the Rhythm	138	21/01/1991	2
JEFF WAYNE	The Eve of the War (Ben Liebrand Remix)	112	9/09/1991	4
JELLYFISH	The King Is Half Undressed	111	6/05/1991	5
JESUS JONES	Real Real Real	117	7/10/1991	8
JESUS LOVES YOU	Bow Down Mister	142	20/05/1991	3
JIMMY SOMERVILLE	To Love Somebody	146	25/02/1991	1
JOE JACKSON	Stranger Than Fiction	119	29/04/1991	10
JOE JACKSON	Hit Single	129	9/09/1991	6
JOHN WILLIAMSON	A Flag of Our Own	119	12/08/1991	7
JOHN WILLIAMSON	Waratah Street	142	4/11/1991	3
JOHNNY GILL	My My My	122	11/02/1991	9
JULIE ANTHONY	Ordinary Miracles	141	23/09/1991	2
KEEDY	Save Some Love	145	8/07/1991	2
KEITH SWEAT	I'll Give All My Love To You	148	15/04/1991	1
KEITH URBAN	Only You	101	24/06/1991	8
KELLY MARIE	Feels Like I'm In Love (90's PWL Remix)	149	18/03/1991	1
KID SENSATION	Back To Boom	141	21/01/1991	1
KIM APPLEBY	Don't Worry	119	7/01/1991	6
LAMONT DOZIER AND PHIL COLLINS	The Quiet's Too Loud	136	30/09/1991	4
LISA FISCHER	How Can I Ease the Pain	117	2/09/1991	7
LISETTE MELENDEZ	Together Forever	106	15/04/1991	14
LISETTE MELENDEZ	A Day In My Life (Without You)	135	11/11/1991	5
LONDONBEAT	No Woman No Cry	109	17/06/1991	7
LONNIE GORDON	If I Have To Stand Alone	147	4/02/1991	2
LONNIE GORDON	Gonna Catch You	145	22/07/1991	2
LOUDEST WHISPER	Kanon	114	13/05/1991	8
LOUIE LOUIE	Rodeo Clown	144	21/01/1991	1
LOUIE THE LIP	Up There Cazaly '91	105	5/08/1991	5
LUTHER VANDROSS	Power of Love/Love Power	109	8/07/1991	9
MADONNA	Holiday (re-issue)	144	15/07/1991	3
MARC COHN	Silver Thunderbird	107	30/09/1991	9
MARILYN MONROE	Some Like It Hot (EP)	140	1/07/1991	1
MARK STEVENS	This Is the Way To Heaven	118	29/07/1991	9
MARK WILLIAMS	Spell Is Broken	115	28/01/1991	14
MAXI PRIEST	Human Work of Art	142	28/01/1991	1
MC HAMMER	Yo!! Sweetness	149	1/07/1991	1
MC HAMMER	(Hammer Hammer) They Put Me In the Mix	149	7/10/1991	1
MICHAEL BOLTON	Time, Love and Tenderness	111	26/08/1991	7
MICHAEL BOLTON	When a Man Loves a Woman	122	11/11/1991	13
MIGHTY BIG CRIME	Sugar Daddy	135	8/07/1991	8
MIKE & THE MECHANICS	Get Up	150	19/08/1991	1
MONDO ROCK	Soul Reason	140	17/06/1991	3
MONTY PYTHON	Always Look On the Bright Side of Life	119	4/11/1991	4
MORRISSEY	Our Frank	127	18/03/1991	6
NATALIE COLE	The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)	104	9/12/1991	6
NED'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN	Happy	101	20/05/1991	8
NELSON	Only Time Will Tell	124	23/09/1991	6
NICK BARKER AND THE REPTILES	Miles To Go	103	9/09/1991	5
NIKKI D	Hang On Kid	112	12/08/1991	5
NILS LOFGREN (featuring BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN)	Valentine	119	13/05/1991	12
N-JOI	Adrenalin	134	27/05/1991	2
N-JOI	Anthem	141	27/05/1991	2
NO JUSTICE	More Than a Girlfriend	121	8/04/1991	9
NOMAD	Something Special	146	2/12/1991	1
OLETA ADAMS	Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me	107	11/11/1991	5
ONE-EYED JACKS	Falling	135	10/06/1991	2
ORCHESTRA JB	Come Alive	150	22/07/1991	1
ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK	Pandora's Box (1st issue)	123	2/09/1991	8
OZZY OSBOURNE	No More Tears	105	14/10/1991	6
PAT BENATAR	True Love	107	10/06/1991	4
PAUL KELLY & THE MESSENGERS	Don't Start Me Talking	105	18/03/1991	8
PAUL KELLY & THE MESSENGERS	Keep It To Yourself	146	10/06/1991	1
PAUL SIMON	Proof	134	18/02/1991	7
PAUL YOUNG	Don't Dream It's Over	114	14/10/1991	6
PET SHOP BOYS	Jealousy	147	19/08/1991	3
PET SHOP BOYS	DJ Culture	130	25/11/1991	6
PETER GABRIEL	Solsbury Hill (re-issue)	121	4/02/1991	10
PETER WELLS	Between the Saddle and the Ground	131	14/01/1991	8
PIXIES	Planet of Sound	128	5/08/1991	3
POISON	Ride the Wind	113	4/03/1991	9
PRAISE	Only You	131	3/06/1991	5
QUEEN	Headlong	119	15/04/1991	4
QUEENSRYCHE	Silent Lucidity	104	1/07/1991	16
R.E.M.	Radio Song	105	25/11/1991	9
RAY PARKER JR.	She Needs To Get Some	145	19/08/1991	1
RED NOT BLUE	Blow Westerly	124	1/04/1991	7
RED NOT BLUE	Hunger	125	17/06/1991	10
REDHEAD KINGPIN AND THE FBI	Get It Together	140	3/06/1991	3
REDHEAD KINGPIN AND THE FBI	Love Thang	148	19/08/1991	1
RIC OCASEK	Rockaway	139	29/07/1991	4
RICK ASTLEY	Move Right Out	110	17/06/1991	6
ROBBIE ROBERTSON	What About Now	133	11/11/1991	11
ROBERT PALMER	You're Amazing	103	18/02/1991	7
ROCOCO	Dance Invasion	150	3/06/1991	1
RUSSELL MORRIS	A Thousand Suns	118	19/08/1991	12
RYTHM SYNDICATE	Hey Donna	110	28/10/1991	7
SAMANTHA FOX	(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On	123	1/07/1991	6
SCHNELL FENSTER	Heroes Let You Down	132	1/07/1991	6
SCORPIONS	Send Me an Angel	108	9/12/1991	12
SCOTT CARNE	Freedom	110	28/01/1991	11
SCRITTI POLITTI	Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me	113	26/08/1991	4
SHANE HOWARD	Here and Now	132	21/01/1991	2
SHEENA EASTON	You Can Swing It	107	29/07/1991	4
SHEILA E.	Droppin' Like Flies	113	17/06/1991	7
SHUT UP AND DANCE	5.6.7.8. (1991 Remix)	142	14/10/1991	2
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES	Shadowtime	148	9/12/1991	1
SLAUGHTER	Fly To the Angels	140	4/03/1991	4
SONIC YOUTH	Dirty Boots	145	6/05/1991	1
STEELTOWN	Hero	143	26/08/1991	3
STEPHEN CUMMINGS	Stand Up (Love Is the Greatest)	142	3/06/1991	3
STEVE WINWOOD	I Will Be Here	121	11/03/1991	5
STING	Mad About You	109	22/04/1991	6
STING	The Soul Cages	135	24/06/1991	4
STRAITJACKET FITS	Down In Splendour	146	17/06/1991	2
STRAY CATS	Struck By Lightning	143	25/02/1991	3
STRESS	Beautiful People	132	28/01/1991	7
SURFACE	The First Time	103	11/02/1991	10
SUSANNA HOFFS	Only Love	135	19/08/1991	3
S-WITCH	It's a Shame	105	16/09/1991	8
SYDNEY YOUNGBLOOD	Hooked On You	120	12/08/1991	9
TALL TALES AND TRUE	Superstition Highway	134	18/03/1991	2
TALL TALES AND TRUE	Lifeboat	129	14/10/1991	8
TECHNO-COLOR featuring TWIGGY	Unchained Melody	102	28/01/1991	9
THE BELOVED	It's Alright Now	150	14/01/1991	1
THE CELIBATE RIFLES	Grooving In the Land of Love	123	16/12/1991	12
THE CHARLATANS	Over Rising	146	15/04/1991	1
THE COVER GIRLS	Funk Boutique	150	22/04/1991	1
THE DOORS	Light My Fire (re-issue)	130	8/07/1991	4
THE FARGONE BEAUTIES	Wild Thing (Theme From Bonanza)	140	27/05/1991	6
THE FARM	Groovy Train	113	21/01/1991	11
THE FARM	All Together Now	102	22/04/1991	7
THE FIXX	How Much Is Enough	119	8/04/1991	8
THE JUSTIFIED ANCIENTS OF MU MU	It's Grim Up North	136	25/11/1991	1
THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT featuring ROBIN WRIGHT and ISSY VAN RANDWYCK	California Dreamin	134	1/07/1991	6
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS	Until She Comes	146	12/08/1991	1
THE REELS	I Don't Love You Anymore	125	12/08/1991	10
THE REMBRANDTS	Someone	104	12/08/1991	17
THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS	You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (re-issue)	129	11/03/1991	4
THE RIPTIDES	Stop (Don't Start)	138	6/05/1991	5
THE ROLLING STONES	Sexdrive	133	29/07/1991	6
THE SHAMEN	Move Any Mountain - Progen 91	104	26/08/1991	18
THE SISTERS OF MERCY	Doctor Jeep	125	25/03/1991	9
THE SLOW CLUB	When Love Comes Down	121	15/07/1991	5
THE STONE ROSES	I Wanna Be Adored	141	18/11/1991	3
THE WATERBOYS	The Whole of the Moon (re-issue)	107	6/05/1991	6
THE WELCOME MAT	Fairydust (EP)	147	9/12/1991	1
THE ZOO featuring MICK FLEETWOOD and BILLY THORPE	Shakin the Cage	142	8/04/1991	3
THIRD EYE	Pray	117	19/08/1991	5
THOMPSON TWINS	Come Inside	149	21/10/1991	1
TINA TURNER	Way of the World	117	9/12/1991	11
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS	Into the Great Wide Open	112	30/09/1991	7
TOMMY PAGE	Whenever You Close Your Eyes	136	24/06/1991	5
TONE LOC	All Through the Night	106	9/12/1991	10
TONY! TONI! TONE!	House Party II (I Don't Know What You Come To Do)	141	18/11/1991	4
TRAVELING WILBURYS	Inside Out	117	11/02/1991	6
TRAVELING WILBURYS	Wilbury Twist	137	15/04/1991	6
TRICKY DISCO	Tricky Disco	141	7/01/1991	1
TWENTY 4 SEVEN	I Can't Stand It	130	18/02/1991	5
URBAN DANCE SQUAD	Fastlane	146	24/06/1991	1
UTAH SAINTS	What Can You Do For Me	143	4/11/1991	6
VANESSA WILLIAMS	Running Back To You	102	14/10/1991	9
VANILLA ICE	I Love You/Stop That Train	103	15/04/1991	5
VIOLENT FEMMES	American Music	118	17/06/1991	6
WAYLON JENNINGS, WILLIE NELSON, JOHNNY CASH, KRIS KRISTOFFERSON	Silver Stallion	123	27/05/1991	4
WHITNEY HOUSTON	My Name Is Not Susan	118	24/06/1991	11
WILSON PHILLIPS	You're In Love	108	29/04/1991	7
YA KID K	Awesome (You Are My Hero)	111	3/06/1991	6
YOUNG MC	Pick Up the Pace 1990	147	15/04/1991	4
ZIGGY MARLEY AND THE MELODY MAKERS	Kozmik	105	29/07/1991	6
ZOE	Sunshine On a Rainy Day	147	9/09/1991	4
ZUCCHERO & PAUL YOUNG	Senza Una Donna (Without a Woman)	113	9/09/1991	8

 

 

< 1990 - the chart year in review                                         1992 - the chart year in review >

Week commencing 16 December 1991

Welcome to the last ARIA chart survey of 1991!  And to finish things off, we have another batch of songs that I did not hear at the time.  Perhaps this is your first time hearing these tracks, too?  Let's take a look.

Gang Starr took a rest from the top 100 this week in 1991.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 129 "Grooving in the Land of Love" by The Celibate Rifles

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 27 January 1992

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 129-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-126-131-128-123-125-129-(out for 6 weeks)-149-147-147

Weeks on chart: 16 weeks

We last saw Sydney band The Celibate Rifles in May 1990.

Regular readers will know that inconsistencies in artist name credits involving the word 'the' (e.g. The Beatles vs. just Beatles) irk me.  Here, we have an instance of a song with an inconsistent title, which I think annoys me even more.  On parent album Heaven on a Stick (number 51, March 1992), this track is titled "Groovin' in the Land of Love"; while on the single sleeve, it is listed as "Grooving in the Land of Love."   Aaaaaggggghhh!

I'm generally not a fan of this type of music, but I found this track OK.  'OK' in a 6 out of 10 kind of way, maybe.

 

On the state charts, "Grooving in the Land of Love" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 109.

The Celibate Rifles will join us again in 1992.

Number 142 "Great" by Bachelors from Prague

Peak: number 130

Peak date: 3 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 142-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-141-143-137-131-130-135

We last saw Melbourne band Bachelors from Prague in October 1989.

 

"Great" was the almost-title-track from the band's final studio album Great! (number 108, June 1991).  It would become the band's last ARIA top 150 entry.

Number 143 "Take a Rest" by Gang Starr

Peak: number 143

Peak dates: 16 December 1991 (chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

American hip-hop duo Gang Starr consisted of DJ Premier and Guru.  The pair landed a hit, with what would become their only ARIA top 100 entry, with "Lovesick" (number 13, November 1991).  Until writing this post, I was not aware that there were two quite different-sounding mixes of "Lovesick" - you can hear the original, and rather inferior - in my opinion, version here.

 

"Take a Rest" was originally released in Australia in March 1991, before "Lovesick".  After the success of "Lovesick", the single was re-released in December 1991.  Both "Take a Rest" and "Lovesick" were lifted from the duo's second studio album Step in the Arena (number 141, December 1991).

 

Internationally, "Take a Rest" peaked at number 63 in the UK in February 1991.

 

In Australia, "Take a Rest" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, reaching number 126 on the state chart.

 

"Take a Rest" would be Gang Starr's final ARIA top 150 entry, although they would have later charting albums, including Moment of Truth (number 184, April 1998), The Ownerz (number 206, August 2003), Mass Appeal: The Best of Gang Starr (number 444, February 2007), and One of the Best Yet (number 155, November 2019).

 

Guru, real name Keith Edward Elam, launched a solo career in 1993, while continuing to be part of Gang Starr.  Sadly, Guru died in 2010, aged 48, due to multiple myeloma, which is cancer of the plasma cells.  We'll see Guru bubble under in 1993.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 168 "Road to My Riches" by Vanilla Ice

Peak: number 168

Peak dates: 16 December 1991, 23 December 1991, and 30 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We last saw Robert van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, in April 1991.

"Road to My Riches" was lifted from Vanilla's live album Extremely Live (number 56, September 1991).  The single does not appear to have charted anywhere else.

On the ARIA state charts, "Road to My Riches" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 152.

We shall see Vanilla Ice again in 1992.

Number 171 "The Sun Doesn't Shine" by Beats International

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 27 January 1992

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Beats International last joined us in May 1991.

 

"The Sun Doesn't Shine" was issued as the second single from the second, and final, Beats International album Excursion on the Version, which does not appear to have been released in Australia. 

 

Internationally, "The Sun Doesn't Shine" peaked at number 66 in the UK in September 1991, and number 87 in Germany in December 1991.

 

Within Australia, "The Sun Doesn't Shine" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 130.

 

We shall see Beats International again in 1992.

Next post (6 January): 1992 kicks off with six top 150 debuts, plus one mystery title that nobody knows what it is...  I've also uploaded a preview of some of the singles coming up in my 1992 chart recaps in the video embedded below (spoiler alert!):

Thank you for reading my posts in 2022!

< Previous week: 9 December 1991                                        Next post: 6 January 1992 >

Week commencing 9 December 1991

One thing this week in 1991's debuts peaking outside the ARIA top 100 have in common is that I didn't hear any of them at the time.  Perhaps they are new to you, too?  Let's take our first listen together...

 

Tone Lōc: Lōced out of the top 100.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 118 "Send Me an Angel" by Scorpions

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 118-109-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-125-120-125-113-113-108-145-149

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

 

German rock band Scorpions (no 'The') formed in 1965 in Hanover.  Their first taste of chart success in Australia, however, did not come until whistling anthem "Wind of Change" (number 7, October 1991) became a top 10 hit in 1991.  Prior to that, their tenth studio album Savage Amusement came close to cracking the top 100 nationally, peaking at number 86 on the South Australia/Northern Territory state albums chart in July 1988, and number 91 on the Western Australia state albums chart in August 1988 (before the national chart extended beyond number 100).

 

"Send Me an Angel" was issued as the third single in Australia from Scorpions' eleventh studio album  Crazy World (number 49, September 1991).  The album's lead single, "Tease Me Please Me", was released in Australia in February 1991, but missed the ARIA top 150.

Internationally, "Send Me an Angel" peaked at number 8 in France in July 1991, number 4 in the Netherlands in August 1991, number 4 in the Flanders region of Belgium in September 1991, number 5 in Germany in November 1991, number 14 in Switzerland in November 1991, number 27 in the UK in November 1991, number 8 in Austria in December 1991, number 4 in Sweden in December 1991, and number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1992.

Domestically, "Send Me an Angel" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 44 on the state chart.  Its next-highest state chart peak was number 85 in Queensland.

 

"Send Me an Angel" found slightly greater success nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 96. 

I don't recall hearing "Send Me an Angel" at the time, but I enjoyed it.  I don't mind rock power ballads from this era.  Something about the singer, Klaus Meine's, non-native English-speaker accent is endearing.

 

We will next see Scorpions in 1993.

 

 

Number 123 "Way of the World" by Tina Turner

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Chart run: 123-128-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-122-132-132-129-122-117-126

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

 

We last saw pop veteran Tina Turner in May 1990. 

 

"Way of the World" was released as the second single from Tina's compilation album Simply the Best (number 12, November 1991), following "Nutbush City Limits (The 90's Version)" (number 16, November 1991). 

 

Overseas, "Way of the World" peaked at number 13 in the UK in November 1991, number 12 in Ireland in November 1991, number 33 in Germany in December 1991, number 12 in Austria in January 1992, number 16 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1992, number 15 in the Netherlands in February 1992, number 25 in France in February 1992, and number 29 in Switzerland in March 1992.

 

Within Australia, "Way of the World" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 74.

 

I don't recall being aware of this single's release at the time.  To me, it's a bit like Tina's "Two People", released locally in November 1986 but failed to chart - disappearing without a trace, despite being sandwiched between two hits from the same album, "Typical Male" (number 20, November 1986) and "What You Get Is What You See" (number 15, April 1987).  Not that the next single from Simply the Best, "Love Thing" (number 62, March 1992), was much of a hit - but it at least dented the top 100.

 

I can only surmise that "Way of the World" was a flop in Australia because it's quite a dull song, with a similarly boring video to match.

Tina will next grace our presence in 1994.

 

 

 

Number 133 "All Through the Night" by Tone Lōc

Peak: number 106

Peak date: 6 January 1992

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 133-124-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-106-121-126-118-148-150

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

 

American rapper Tone Lōc, born Anthony Terrell Smith, scored two major hits in Australia in 1989, when rap was not that commercially successful here, with "Wild Thing" (number 15, May 1989) and "Funky Cold Medina" (number 8, August 1989).  Both singles ended up in the top 50 best-selling singles in Australia for the year.  Both hits were co-written by Marvin Young, better known as Young MC.

 

Tone also released a third, flop single that year: "I Got It Goin' On" (number 52, October 1989), which stalled just outside the ARIA top 50.  "I Got It Goin' On" was not co-written by Young MC; I see a pattern here.

 

"All Through the Night", the lead single from Tone's second - and final, to date - album Cool Hand Lōc (number 129, January 1992) was also not co-written by Young MC, and flopped everywhere.  The only other chart I can find that it registered on was the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 80 in December 1991.

In Australia, "All Through the Night" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 71 on the state chart - the only state chart where it made the top 100.

 

I remember reading a review of "All Through the Night" in December 1991, but never actually heard the song until listening to it to write this post.  It's quite different to Tone's earlier hits - he tries to be smooth and 'sexy', rather than cheeky and funny.  On the whole, I found the track boring and can see why it wasn't a hit.

 

"All Through the Night" features vocals from El DeBarge, although he does not receive a featured artist credit on the single cover.

"All Through the Night" would be Tone's last single released in Australia.

 

 

 

Number 134 "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" by Natalie Cole

Peak: number 104

Peak dates: 16 December 1991 (chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Chart run: 134-104-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-105-135

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

We last saw Natalie Cole in January 1990.

 

Before writing about this song, one thing I neglected to mention last time is that a friend from high school I kept in touch with for nearly a decade later (we have since fallen out) and I used to have a theory that no matter how big a recording artist is, the general public will only know/remember you for "3 hits" at most.  There were a handful of artists we thought were an exception to this 'rule', and, oddly enough, Natalie Cole was one of them!  Her "hits" the public remembered were: "Pink Cadillac" (number 6, June 1988), "Miss You Like Crazy" (number 34, October 1990), "Wild Women Do" (number 37, September 1990), and "Unforgettable" (number 2, August 1991), bringing her tally to an impressive four! 

 

OK, that silliness out of the way, "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" was originally released by Natalie in 1988, recorded for the Scrooged soundtrack (number 114, January 1989).  The single came out in Australia in December 1988, but failed to chart.

 

The song is a cover version of The King Cole Trio's "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)", which was recorded in 1946.  Natalie's father, Nat "King" Cole, was obviously part of that trio, and, given her recent success with the Unforgettable with Love (number 1, July 1991) album - where Natalie sang 'duets' with her late father, thanks to studio wizardry - it was obviously timely to re-issue the single for the Christmas 1991 market.

 

The single was also released to promote Natalie's Christmas Box (number 127, December 1991), which was the Unforgettable with Love album re-packaged with "The Christmas Song..." single and a VHS.

Natalie certainly had more success on the Australian albums charts with her jazz/easy listening material.  Her more-recent pop albums Everlasting (number 68, July 1988) and Good to Be Back (number 87, September 1989) stalled in the lower half of the ARIA top 100.

 

Oddly, Natalie's rendition of "The Christmas Song..." does not appear to have charted anywhere else.  On the ARIA state charts, the single performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 93. 

"The Christmas Song..." performed marginally better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it crept into the top 100, reaching number 98.

 

Natalie recorded two later versions of the song, in 1999 as a duet with her late father and The London Symphony Orchestra, and in 2009 with Andrea Bocelli.

Natalie will join us again in 1993.

 

 

 

Number 147 Fairydust (EP) by The Welcome Mat

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 9 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 147

This EP peaked at number 141 on the ARIA albums chart on 24 February 1992, spending one week on the ARIA top 150 albums chart.

 

Sydney band The Welcome Mat formed in Sydney in 1989.  The Fairydust EP was their first charting entry, although it had a somewhat unusual chart history, spending a solitary week in both the ARIA top 150 singles and albums charts!  Obviously, ARIA couldn't decide whether it was an EP or an album, with Fairydust peaking six places higher, at number 141, on the ARIA albums chart in February 1992.

 

The factors affecting whether an extended play's sales are counted towards the singles or albums chart is, presumably, determined at least partly by the retail price of the EP, and how many tracks it contains.  The Fairydust EP contained six tracks, pushing it into a grey area of being a mini-album rather than an EP.  Ratcat's Tingles EP (number 1 on the singles chart, April 1991) also contained six tracks, and while ARIA counted its sales towards the singles chart (with its $4.99 retail price, even on CD), the Australian Music Report (stupidly, in my opinion) counted it as an album.

 

Not being a huge fan of Australian indie rock bands from this era, I am not certain which track was promoted as the lead one from this EP, but I have embedded track one from it, "10,000 People with the Same Idea", below.  A music video was filmed for track five on the EP, "Cake", which I have also embedded below.

 

If you are so inclined, you can listen to the whole EP here. 

The Welcome Mat will next join us in 1993.

 

 

 

Number 148 "Shadowtime" by Siouxsie & The Banshees

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 9 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 148

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We last saw Siouxsie and The Banshees in January 1989. 

"Shadowtime" was the second single lifted from the band's tenth studio album Superstition (number 55, September 1991).  It followed "Kiss Them for Me" (number 40, September 1991).

 

"Shadowtime" peaked at number 57 in Siouxsie and The Banshees' native UK in July 1991.  Within Australia, the single was most successful in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 135.

I have never delved into Siouxise and The Banshees' work other than paying a view/listen to the videos of theirs that rage have aired in the last decade or so.  This one is decent.

Siouxsie and The Banshees will next join us in 1992, with a song I did hear at the time.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 158 "Both Sides Now" by Clannad & Paul Young

Peak: number 158

Peak date: 9 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

Paul Young last joined us in October 1991.  Irish band Clannad formed in 1970, and only ever placed one single in the Australian top 100, "In a Lifetime" (number 72, April 1986), which featured U2's Bono.  A pre-solo fame Enya was also part of Clannad between 1980 and 1982, together with three of her siblings.

 

"Both Sides Now" was a song written by Joni Mitchell, but first recorded by Judy Collins in 1967.  Joni recorded her own orchestral version of the song for her 2000 album Both Sides Now (number 110, June 2000).  The track appeared on Paul's From Time to Time: The Singles Collection (number 6, June 1992) compilation.

 

Internationally, "Both Sides Now" peaked at number 74 in the UK in August 1991, number 3 in Ireland in September 1991, and number 41 in the Netherlands in March 1992.

 

Domestically, "Both Sides Now" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 137.

 

Paul Young will next join us in 1997.  We will not see Clannad in the top 150 again.

Also debuting this week:

Number 170 "Cruise Control" by Headless Chickens

Peak: unknown

Peak date: unknown

Weeks on chart: 34 weeks (including tally from 1994 re-release)

The ARIA database, unfortunately, tends to combine separate releases of the same title into one entry.  So, in this instance, the original 1991 release of Headless Chickens' "Cruise Control" is counted as being the same release as the radically different Eskimos in Egypt remix of the song, which peaked at number 26 in December 1994.  Since the 1991 release peaked outside the ARIA top 150, I am unable to give you a peak for it - I can only give you the debut position.

"Cruise Control" appeared on the New Zealand band's second studio album Body Blow (number 45, July 1993).  The 1991 release of the single peaked at number 6 in New Zealand in November 1991.

Anyone who watched Neighbours or Home and Away circa late 1994-early 1995 would have heard the Eskimos in Egypt Mix of "Cruise Control" pumping out of the coffee shop/diner jukebox.

Headless Chickens will next visit us in 1992.

Next week (16 December): The final chart survey for 1991, with three top 150 debuts and two bubbling WAY down under entries.

< Previous week: 2 December 1991                                     Next week: 16 December 1991 >