This week in 1993’s new entries peaking outside the Australian top 100 are a mixed bag, split between artists your parents wouldn’t object to listening to and newer acts struggling with their latest releases. Shall we take a look?
Kenny G doesn’t quite hit ’em with the old Peabo.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 126 “By the Time This Night Is Over” by Kenny G with Peabo Bryson
Peak: number 122
Peak date: 21 June 1993
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 126-129-128-130-122-128-124
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
American lurve song crooner Peabo Bryson last joined us in 1992. American saxophone whizz Kenny G (born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick… shortening the surname to G was a wise decision) first made small ripples on the Australian singles chart with “Songbird” (number 76, November 1987), lifted from his fourth album Duotones (number 25, November 1987). More-recently, he scraped into the top 50 with “Forever in Love” (number 49, March 1993), the lead single from his sixth studio album Breathless (number 1 for one week in May 1993).
For this release, the pair joined forces, for what would become the second single from Kenny’s Breathless album. “By the Time This Night Is Over” would go on to appear on Peabo’s sixteenth studio album Through the Fire (number 193, August 1994). A Kenny collaboration with Michael Bolton, “Missing You Now” (number 61, August 1992), charted in 1992. Coincidentally, “By the Time This Night Is Over” was co-written by Michael Bolton and beige songwriter extraordinaire, Diane Warren.
With that pedigree, you expect “By the Time This Night Is Over” to be a chart smash, but it was only a major hit in Canada, where it peaked at number 6 in July 1993. Elsewhere, the single peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1993, and at number 56 in the UK in July 1993. The song registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 68 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in June 1993, number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in July 1993, number 29 on the Pop Airplay chart in July 1993, number 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in July 1993, number 24 on the Radio Songs chart in July 1993, and number 46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in July 1994.
Locally, “By the Time This Night Is Over” performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 92 on the state chart.
I didn’t recall this one by title, but recognised it once the chorus kicked in. I would have heard it being blasted from my parents’ then-new CD player they bought around March 1993. Breathless was one of the first CDs my dad bought, and I remember being subjected to it more than 18 months later. Of course, now that I am middle-aged myself, I don’t have as strong a visceral reaction to Kenny G’s style of easy-listening music, and don’t even mind “Songbird”! Both that song and “Forever in Love” remind me of the nightly ‘Love Songs and Dedications’ program aired on Melbourne’s ultra-daggy TT F.M. radio station - but hey, there wasn’t much choice at the time, and often listening to this was preferable to the ‘classic rock’ stations or Triple M.
Although the music video embedded below claims to be ‘live’, the studio version of the song is used - so it’s just a live (sic) performance video.
This was Peabo’s final charting release in Australia. Kenny had a later low-charting single with “Legacy” (number 4118, January 2022).
Number 132 “C’mon People” by Paul McCartney
Peak: number 132
Peak date: 24 May 1993
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Chart run: 178-(off chart for one week)-132-146-147-147
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
We last saw English former-Beatle Paul McCartney in 1990.
“C’mon People” was the third single released in Australia from Paul’s ninth solo studio album Off the Ground (number 8, March 1993). It followed the singles “Hope of Deliverance” (number 29 for two weeks in February-March 1993) and title-track “Off the Ground” (number 66, April 1993); the latter does not appear to have been issued as a single in the UK.
Internationally, “C’mon People” peaked at number 41 in the UK in February 1993, number 41 in Germany in May 1993, and number 80 in Canada in June 1993.
Domestically, “C’mon People” was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 117 on the state chart.
I hadn’t heard this one before. It sounds a bit Beatles-esque, as you might expect. The initially sparse black and white video ends in colour and with a lot happening.
Paul will join us next in 2001.
Number 135 “The World (In a Wrapper)” by Ratcat
Peak: number 115
Peak date: 7 June 1993
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 135-123-115-123-116-129-130
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
Sydney band Ratcat formed in 1985. They released an EP, Ratcat in 1987, and an album, This Nightmare (number 81, July 1991), independently, before signing to RooArt, a label founded by INXS’s manager at the time, Chris Murphy.
The group experienced their first taste of commercial success when the Tingles EP (number 1 for two weeks in April-May 1991), led by “That Ain’t Bad”, debuted at number 118 in October 1990. The EP slowly climbed up the chart, reaching the top spot for two weeks in April-May 1991. The Tingles EP reaching number one was probably the first sign of ‘alternative’ music becoming mainstream in Australia.
Ratcat swiftly followed that up with another number one single “Don’t Go Now” (number 1 for one week in May 1991), and a number one album Blind Love (number 1 for three non-consecutive weeks in May-June 1991). However, Ratcat’s sudden success seemed to disappear just as quickly as it arrived, and the third single from Blind Love, “Baby Baby” (number 21 for three non-consecutive weeks in July-August 1991), ‘only’ reached number 21.
Taking a year off to record their third album, Ratcat returned in the second half of 1992 with the single “Candyman” (number 38, September 1992), and the album Inside Out (number 59, November 1992), which were both relative flops. Second single “Holiday” (number 41, November 1992) stalled outside the top 40, despite being one of the poppier-sounding songs they released. Third single “The World (In a Wrapper)” fared even worse, missing the top 100.
On the state charts, “The World (In a Wrapper)” was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 80. Nationally, the single performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 97.
Another one I don’t recall hearing at the time, the featured rapper in the middle of the song was not something I was not expecting! It was performed by Rosano “The Assassin” Martinez from Sound Unlimited Posse.
I think Ratcat suffered much the same fate as Aussie group Frente! Having major commercial success kills off any ‘indie’ credibility you had. The situation was probably worse for Ratcat, as they (at least the singer) had ‘pin-up’ appeal with teenage girls.
Ratcat would not trouble the top 100 again, but we will see them bubble under again in 1995.
Number 149 “Miss Chatelaine” by k.d. lang
Peak: number 145
Peak date: 21 June 1993
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 149-149-(out of top 150 for two weeks)-145
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang last visited us in 1992.
“Miss Chatelaine” was the second single lifted from k.d.’s second solo studio album Ingénue (number 3, April 1993), following “Constant Craving” (number 38, April 1993). Internationally, “Miss Chatelaine” peaked at number 58 in Canada in October 1992, and number 68 in the UK for two weeks in June 1993. The song also registered on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number 32 in April 1993.
Domestically, “Miss Chatelaine” performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, reaching number 115 onthe state chart. Interestingly, the single debuted on the ARIA chart at number 209 on 16 November 1992, following its initial Australian release two weeks prior. “Miss Chatelaine” was re-released in Australia after the belated success of “Constant Craving”, re-entering the chart one week after its re-issue.
We’ll next see k.d. in July 1993.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 167 “Helpless Heart” by Graeme Connors
Peak: number 166
Peak date: 31 May 1993
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Aussie country singer-songwriter Graeme Connors last joined us in 1989.
“Helpless Heart” was the second single lifted from his sixth studio album The Return (number 90, March 1993). On the state charts, the single was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 157.
I don’t really like country music, but this wasn’t too bad.
We’ll next see Graeme in June 1993 with, oddly, the single released before this one.
Number 184 “Looks Like I’m in Love Again” by Key West featuring Erik
Peak: number 184
Peak date: 24 May 1993
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
Key West was a pseudonym for British producer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Anthony Hewson, from the RAH Band, who had a hit in Australia with “The Crunch” (number 16, April 1978). Erik was British singer Erica Harrold. The two joined forces for this release, which was produced by Stock/Waterman (formerly of Stock Aitken Waterman).
Internationally, “Looks Like I’m in Love Again” peaked at number 46 in the UK in April 1993.
In Australia, “Looks Like I’m in Love Again” was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 170 on the state chart.
We’ll see Key West again in 1999, and Erik in 1994.
Number 197 “Rave the Brave” by Celtic Kings of Rock
Peak: number 197
Peak date: 24 May 1993
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
Aussie synth-pop duo Celtic Kings of Rock were David Smith and Crispin Trist from Boxcar, whom we last saw in 1992. “Rave the Brave”, which makes the unusual pairing between bagpipes and dance music, was their only release under this artist name.
“Rave the Brave” performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 158.
The song reminds me a little bit of Utah Saints and Usura.
Number 204 “It’s OK, All Right” by Def Dames Dope
Peak: number 158
Peak date: 9 May 1994
Weeks on chart: 22 weeks
Belgian girl group Def Dames Dope were produced by 2 Unlimited’s producers, Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul De Coster. “It’s OK, All Right” was their first single, appearing on their debut album It’s a Girl! The Album, which does not appear to have been released in Australia.
Internationally, the single peaked at number 9 in the Netherlands in February 1993, and was number 1 for two weeks in the Flanders region of Belgium in February-March 1993.
In Australia, “It’s OK, All Right” was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 80 on the state chart. The single had a second lease of life following its re-release in April 1994, reaching its national peak the following month. “It’s OK, All Right” peaked in either April or May 1994 in all states. Spending 22 weeks on the chart is quite decent for a single that missed the top 150. “It’s OK, All Right” fared much better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 74.
This one didn’t seem familiar to me by artist or title name, but I recognised the chorus riff.
We shall see Def Dames Dope on one more occasion, in 1994.
Number 213 “I’m Gonna Soothe You” by Maria McKee
Peak: number 160
Peak date: 28 June 1993
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
American (I previously assumed she was British) singer-songwriter Maria McKee is best known for “Show Me Heaven” (number 3 for five weeks in December 1990-January 1991), which appeared on the Days of Thunder soundtrack (number 31, September 1990), and was her only solo Australian top 100 entry. A little over a year before “Show Me Heaven”, Maria’s debut solo album Maria McKee (number 117, September 1989) made small ripples outside the top 100, despite yielding no charting singles. Prior to going solo, Maria fronted the band Lone Justice, who had a top 40 single in Australia with “Shelter” (number 38, February 1987), and a top 100 album with their second album Shelter (number 66, February 1987).
Despite having limited commercial success in Australia with her own recording career, Maria penned a number one single recorded by Feargal Sharkey, “A Good Heart” (number 1 for two weeks in February 1986). She also had a song written about her become a hit, Deacon Blue’s “Real Gone Kid” (number 18, February 1989). The band toured with Lone Justice, and dedicated the song to her wild onstage performance. Arguably, a second song written about Maria was a hit in Australia, Feargal Sharkey’s “You Little Thief” (number 4, March 1986), which was written by Maria’s ex (whom she had written “A Good Heart about after they split), Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, though he denies this.
“I’m Gonna Soothe You” was the lead single from Maria’s second solo album, You Gotta Sin to Get Saved (number 135, July 1993). Internationally, the single peaked at number 35 in the UK in May 1993, and number 49 in Canada in September 1993.
In Australia, “I’m Gonna Soothe You” performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 123 on the state chart.
A second single from You Gotta Sin to Get Saved, “I Can’t Make It Alone”, was released in Australia in September 1993, but failed to chart.
As this was Maria’s last charting release in Australia, I thought I would mention Maria’s 1992 collaboration with Sweetest Child, “Sweetest Child”, which I like a lot.
Number 222 “Harbor Lights” by Bruce Hornsby
Peak: number 180
Peak date: 31 May 1993
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
We last saw American singer-songwriter-pianist Bruce Hornsby in 1990 as part of Bruce Hornsby & The Range. The group split in 1991, and Bruce embarked on a solo career.
“Harbor Lights” was the lead single from Bruce’s debut solo album Harbor Lights (number 118, May 1993). Internationally, the single peaked at number 14 in Canada in June 1993. The song also registered on two US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 38 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in April 1993, and number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart in June 1993.
Locally, “Harbor Lights” was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, reaching number 84 on the state chart.
Bruce would not trouble the ARIA top 150 again, but came close with his second solo album Hot House (number 151, September 1995), which became his final top 200 entry in Australia. Bruce had two later very low-charting singles during the streaming era, with “Voyager One” (number 1782, March 2019) and “Cast Off” (number 1574, April 2019).
Next week (31 May): Six top 150 entries and five bubbling WAY down under entries.
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