Week commencing 21 June 1993

This week in 1993 we have 11 new entries peaking outside the top 100.  Let’s take a look at them.

A-ha didn’t exactly light up the charts with this release.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 112 “How It Should Be” by Inspiral Carpets

Peak: number 112

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Known chart run: 162-112-122-123

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

English indie rock band Inspiral Carpets last paid us a visit in 1992.

“How It Should Be” was an in-between albums single that eventually appeared on their compilation album The Singles (released in Australia in February 1995, did not chart).  Despite not appearing on their previous album Revenge of the Goldfish (number 123, June 1993), that album reached its Australian peak coinciding with this release.  I am thinking that the band may have toured Australia around this time in 1993.  "How It Should Be" would be Inspiral Carpets' highest-charting single in Australia, falling 12 places short of the top 100.

Internationally, “How It Should Be” peaked at number 49 in the UK in May 1993.

Domestically, the single performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 88.

We will next see Inspiral Carpets in 1994.

 

Number 128 “Hero” by David Crosby & Phil Collins

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 128-138-140-147-(out of top 150 for 6 weeks)-130-140-142

We last saw American singer-songwriter David Crosby in 1989, as both a solo artist and as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.  Since writing those posts, David passed away in 2023, aged 81.

“Hero”, a duet with Phil Collins - whom we last saw on another collaboration in 1991, was the lead single from David’s third solo studio album Thousand Roads (released in Australia in June 1993, missed the top 150).  Internationally, “Hero” peaked at number 56 in the UK in May 1993, number 5 in Canada in June 1993, number 51 in Germany in June 1993, number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1993, and number 32 in New Zealand in July 1993.  The song also reached number 3 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in June 1993, and number 31 on the Radio Songs chart in July 1993.

I don’t recall hearing this one before.  The musical backing is very Phil Collins.

None of the uploads of the music video I saw on YouTube are great quality, so here is an audio clip of the song with clearer audio.

We won't see David again, but we shall next see Phil Collins in October 1993.

Number 137 “Parisienne Walkways ‘93” by Gary Moore

Peak: number 137

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 137-139-149

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Northern Irish guitar guru Gary Moore last graced our presence in February 1993.

“Parisienne Walkways” originally appeared on Gary’s debut album Back on the Streets.  As a single, it peaked at number 8 in the UK in May 1979, and number 5 in Ireland.

“Parisienne Walkways ‘93” is a live recording, lifted from the album Blues Alive (number 73, July 1993).  It was recorded live at The Royal Albert Hall in London, in October 1992, rendering the title slightly misleading.  This version peaked at number 32 in the UK in May 1993, and number 9 in France for three non-consecutive weeks in July 1993.

Locally, “Parisienne ‘93” was most popular in Queensland, reaching number 108 on the state chart.

This would be Gary’s last charting single in Australia.  He had later, low-charting albums in Australia, including Ballads & Blues 1982-1994 (number 142, February 1995), Dark Days in Paradise (number 161, August 1997), and Out in the Fields - The Very Best of (number 216, March 1999).

Number 144 “Play That Country Music (Rawhide)” by The Fargone Beauties

Peak: number 137

Peak date: 28 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 144-137-143-139

We last saw Australian band The Fargone Beauties in 1992.

“Play That Country Music (Rawhide)” was the second single lifted from the band’s second album It’s Hard When You’re Ugly (number 147, November 1992).  As you might have guessed from the title, the song is a reworked version of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music” (number 5, January 1977).

This was the band’s last single release to dent the top 150, although a later album Dark Side of the Moo (number 147, March 1995) entered the top 150 albums chart in 1995.

Number 146 “Teacher I Need You” by Stephen Cummings

Peak: number 102

Peak dates: 28 June 1993 and 12 July 1993

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-102-105-102-108-118-123

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

Aussie singer-songwriter and TV ad jingle writer Stephen Cummings last joined us in March 1993.

“Teacher I Need You”, a cover version of the Elton John song from 1972, was recorded for the movie The Heartbreak Kid, and appears on its soundtrack album, which peaked at number 70 in July 1993.  On the state charts, “Teacher I Need You” performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 73.

Unfortunately, no-one has uploaded this one to YouTube at the time of writing.

We’ll next see Stephen in November 1993.

 

Number 147 “War Baby” by Tom Robinson

Peak: number 133

Peak date: 28 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-133-141

English singer-songwriter Tom Robinson first released “War Baby” in 1983.  He wrote the song after visiting a gay sauna.  The 1983 version of “War Baby” peaked at number 6 in the UK in July 1983, number 16 in Ireland in July 1983, and, belatedly, number 73 in Australia in November 1984.

This live acoustic version of “War Baby” appears on Tom’s 1992 album Living in a Boom Time (released in Australia in April 1993, missed the top 150).  The Australian pressing of the single states that $1 from each sale will be donated to Austcare, and there is also a logo with Austcare/Triple J The Big Day In 20 June 1993 on it.

Number 150 “Waiting for the Sun” by The Jayhawks

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

American band The Jayhawks formed in Minneapolis in 1984.  “Waiting for the Sun” is lifted from their third studio album Hollywood Town Hall (released in Australia in April 1993, missed the top 150).

Internationally, “Waiting for the Sun” peaked at number 116 (number 93 on the truncated chart with exclusions below number 75) in the UK in April 1993.  The song also reached number 20 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and number 29 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

It’s not what I would normally listen to, but I didn’t mind this one, which I hadn’t heard before.

“Blue” (number 49, June 1995) would be The Jayhawks’ biggest single in Australia, and their only other single to crack the top 150.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 154 “I Should Be Laughing” by Patty Smyth

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 28 June 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We last saw American singer-songwriter Patty Smyth in February 1993.

“I Should Be Laughing” was the third and final single issued in Australia from Patty’s second solo studio album Patty Smyth (number 94, November 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1993, and number 64 in Canada for two consecutive weeks in July-August 1993.

In Australia, “I Should Be Laughing” was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 131 on the state chart.

I hadn’t heard this one before.  I thought it was OK, but nothing special.

This was Patty’s last charting release in Australia.

Number 165 “Dark Is the Night” by a-ha

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Norwegian band a-ha last joined us in 1992.

“Dark Is the Night” was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Memorial Beach (number 132, July 1993).  Elsewhere, the single peaked at number 4 in Norway, number 19 in the UK in June 1993, number 28 in Ireland in June 1993, number 46 in Germany in July 1993, number 45 in the Flanders region of Belgium for two consecutive weeks in July 1993, and number 70 in Canada in August 1993.  The song also peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 in July 1993.

Domestically, “Dark Is the Night” performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 157 on the state chart.

As with all post-1988 a-ha singles, I didn’t hear this one at the time.  Watching the video, it seems they’ve given singer Morten Harket a Ken doll makeover, wearing a vest to show off his chest and abs.  The song itself is alright, but didn’t grab me after one listen.

One thing I didn’t know until researching for this post is that Morten Harket, 65, announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease earlier this month.

Interestingly, “Dark Is the Night” is titled “Dark Is the Night for All” on the Memorial Beach album artwork.

A-ha would have one further, very low-charting single in Australia with “You Are the One” (Dub Mix Edit) (number 1669, April 2016), during the streaming era; a remix of a 1988 single.  They has one further top 200 album in Australia with Minor Earth Major Sky (number 169, June 2000).

Number 200 “Little Miracles (Happen Everyday)” by Luther Vandross

Peak: number 200

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

American soul/R&B singer-songwriter Luther Vandross last visited us in 1991.  Since then, Luther finally scored his breakthrough hit in Australia, with “The Best Things in Life Are Free” (number 2 for five weeks in October-November 1992), a duet with Janet Jackson.

“Little Miracles (Happen Everyday)” was the first single lifted from Luther’s eighth studio album Never Let Me Go (number 107, July 1993).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 28 for two weeks in the UK in May 1993, and number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1993.  The song also registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in June 1993, number 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in June 1993, number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in June 1993, number 68 on the Radio Songs chart in June 1993, number 30 on the Adult Contemporary chart in June 1993, and number 30 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart in September 1993.

In Australia, “Little Miracles (Happen Everyday)” was most popular in Western Australia, reaching number 162 on the state chart.

We shall next see Luther in October 1993.

Number 207 “Heartbeat” by Nick Berry

Peak: number 207

Peak date: 21 June 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

English man Nick Berry is primarily known for being an actor, although he released two albums, both titled Nick Berry, in 1986 and 1992.  Nick landed a minor ‘hit’ in Australia with “Every Loser Wins” (number 93, October 1987), which was played in British soap opera EastEnders, which Nick starred in at the time.

Nick played the role of Constable Nick Rowan on the long running British series Heartbeat, which first aired in the UK in 1992, and premiered on Australian TV on 13 June 1993.  “Heartbeat”, as you might have guessed, is the theme song from the show, and is a cover of the Buddy Holly song from 1958.

Internationally, “Heartbeat” peaked at number 2 in the UK for two weeks in June 1992, and number 18 in Ireland in June 1992.

In Australia, Nick’s version of “Heartbeat” performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 174 on the state chart.

Next week (28 June): Six top 150 entries.

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