Week commencing 22 February 1993

This week in 1993's new entries peaking outside the ARIA top 100 singles chart are quite a mixed bag.  Before we take a look at them, I have updated a few earlier posts with new bubbling WAY down under debuts:

 

* 1 May 1989 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Tom Cochrane & Red Rider;

* 7 August 1989 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Mark Williams and Karen Boddington;

* 25 February 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entries from Candy Dulfer and Stereo MC's;

* 18 March 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Harry Connick, Jr.;

* 22 April 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entries from Tom Jones and John Waite.

 

 Dr. Alban: one love, and only one real hit in Australia.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 115 "Drift Away" by Michael Bolton

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 1 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Known chart run: 223-115-104-109-119-123

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We last saw the God of flowing locks, Michael Bolton, in 1992.

 

"Drift Away" was the second single released in Australia from Michael's covers album Timeless (The Classics) (number 2, January 1993).  The song was originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz in 1972, and a version by Dobie Gray reached number 44 on the Kent Music Report singles chart in 1973 - I don't, however, consider David Kent's charts prior to May 1974, when the Kent Music Report started, as being 'official', as he back-calculated these pre-1974 charts for his 1992 book, i.e. they were not published at the time.  "Drift Away" followed Michael's version of "To Love Somebody" (number 39, January 1993).   While I don't recall hearing "Drift Away" at the time, I do remember an excerpt of the chorus being used on the TV advertisement for the Timeless... album.  Footage from a live performance, similar to the "To Love Somebody" video, was used in the commercial - but I cannot find this on YouTube.

 

Internationally, Michael's rendition of "Drift Away" peaked at number 18 in the UK in December 1992, number 15 in Ireland in December 1992, and number 23 in New Zealand in April 1993.  Oddly, it does not appear to have received a single release in North America.

 

Locally, "Drift Away" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 66.

 

We shall next see Michael in 1996.

 

 

Number 123 "Juice" by Headless Chickens

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 3 May 1993

Weeks in top 150: 16 weeks

Known chart run: 206-123-124-137-136-122-128-121-116-116-106-104-111-106-113-119-126

Weeks on chart: 25 weeks

 

We last saw Kiwi band Headless Chickens in 1992.

 

"Juice" was issued as the fourth single from their debut album Body Blow (number 45, July 1993), although it did not appear on the original 1991 pressing of the album.  I didn't think I knew this song, from the title, but I was familiar with the more electronic-sounding version of the song, titled “Dreamchild”, that appears on Strawpeople's second album Worldservice, from 1992, which was later repackaged as Broadcast (number 46, August 1995).  Fiona McDonald, who was involved with both bands, sings vocals on both tracks.  One of the things I love about writing this blog is making discoveries like this, and "Dreamchild"/"Juice" is a song I like a lot.

 

Internationally, "Juice" peaked at number 7 in New Zealand in February 1993.

 

In Australia, "Juice" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 81 on the state chart.  The single peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, only just missing out (number 103) in Queensland.

 

"Juice" definitely deserved to chart much higher here.  Despite narrowly missing the top 100, it had a decent chart run, though, spending nearly six months on the chart, with almost four of those inside the top 150.

 

Headless Chickens released a fifth single from Body Blow, "Mr Moon" (number 93, August 1993), which gave them their first Australian top 100 single.

 

We will next see Headless Chickens in 1997, but before then, we'll hear Fiona McDonald's voice on a Strawpeople track that bubbles under in 1996.

 

 

Number 129 "Back to the Light" by Brian May

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 1 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Chart run: 129-123-135-138

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

We last saw Queen guitar maestro and astrophysics PhD Dr Brian May in 1992.

 

"Back to the Light" was the title track and third single lifted from Brian's first solo album proper, Back to the Light (number 94, December 1992).  It followed "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (number 18, November 1992).

 

Internationally, "Back to the Light" peaked at number 19 in the UK in November 1992, number 20 in the Netherlands in December 1992, and number 39 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1993.

 

In Australia, "Back to the Light" performed strongest in Queensland, reaching number 107 on the state chart.

 

I don't recall hearing this one before, though it probably received an airing on the UK Chart Attack radio show.

 

Brian made a new video for "Back to the Light" in 2021, which you can view here.

 

This would be Brian's last solo charting single in Australia, although he had later low-charting albums with Live at Brixton Academy (number 190, April 1994) and Another World (number 165, July 1998).

 

Two further singles from Back to the Light were released in the UK, but not Australia - "Resurrection" (UK number 23, June 1993) with Cozy Powell, and "Last Horizon" (UK number 51, December 1993).

 

We will see Brian bubble under as part of Queen next in 1996.  Meanwhile, another member of Queen will bubble under next week!

 

 

Number 135 "One in Ten" by 808 State Vs UB40

Peak: number 135

Peak date: 22 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Known chart run: 159-135-141

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

English electronic group 808 State last joined us in 1991, and we last saw English reggae band UB40 in 1990.  The two bands collaborated for this release - or rather, 808 State reworked the original UB40 single "One in Ten" (number 87, October 1981) from 1981.  UB40 are known for their cover versions, but "One in Ten" was one of their self-penned hits, written about the approximate 10% unemployment rate in the West Midlands of England, where the band originate from, in mid-1981.  Featuring cutting lyrics such as "I am the one in ten, a number on a list", "nobody knows me but I'm always there, a statistic a reminder of a world that doesn't care", “I'm the child that never learns to read, 'cause no-one spared the time", and “I’m another teenage suicide, in a street that has no trees”, this song packs a punch and paints a bleak picture.  Piercing social commentary isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when one thinks of UB40, even though the band’s name stems from the name of the British unemployment benefit.

 

I became familiar with the UB40 original after catching the video on rage in 2009, when Suggs from Madness was guest programming an episode, and liked the song.  I hadn't heard the 808 State remix of the song until writing this post.  It's a shame that the official YouTube channel upload of UB40's "One in Ten" video has mono audio and tape artefacts - my digital TV copy from rage is better quality than this.

 

The 808 State version of "One in Ten" was the first single issued in Australia from their fifth studio album, and third major label release, Gorgeous (number 131, March 1993).  However, it was the second single from the album in the UK, following "TimeBomb" (UK number 59, August 1992), which did not receive an Australian release.  This version of "One in Ten" contains a musical riff sampled from Kraftwerk's "The Model" (number 33, May 1982).

 

Internationally, "One in Ten" peaked at number 17 in the UK in December 1992, number 19 in Ireland in December 1992, and number 22 in the Netherlands in March 1993.

 

Locally, "One in Ten" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 118 on the state chart.

 

We'll next see 808 State in May 1993, and UB40 in 1994.

 

 

Number 139 "No Tomorrow" by Atomic Dining Club

Peak: number 139

Peak date: 22 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 139

 

We last saw Aussie band Atomic Dining Club in 1992.  Unfortunately, this one wasn't available to listen to anywhere online, and I do not know the song.  This was the band's final top 150 single.

 

 

Number 146 "Starting to Believe" by Images

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 8 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-146-144

 

Another obscure Australian band, and another one where I cannot find the song online anywhere to listen to.  I have been in touch with someone who owns the album this is taken from, Images (which missed the top 150), and I may be receiving an audio rip of the track to upload here... one day.  Watch this space!  This was the band's only single to trouble the top 150.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 193 "One Love" by Dr. Alban

Peak: number 193

Peak date: 22 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw Nigerian-born but Sweden-based Dr. Alban in 1991.  Since then, he broke through into the ARIA top 100 with the lead single from his second album One Love (The Album) (number 149, November 1992), "It's My Life" (number 97, November 1992), which would later reach a higher peak of number 43 in Australia in May 1994 when re-issued after his major hit "Sing Hallelujah!" (number 5, March 1994).  "One Love" was released as the second single from the album, sandwiched between the two aforementioned singles, the latter of which we received somewhat belatedly in Australia.

 

Internationally, "One Love" peaked at number 19 in Sweden in August 1992, number 10 in Norway in September 1992, number 27 in Austria in September 1992, number 11 in Switzerland in October 1992, number 7 in Germany in October 1992, number 14 in the Netherlands in October 1992, number 8 in the Flanders region of Belgium in November 1992, number 45 in the UK in November 1992, number 3 in Ireland in November 1992, and number 42 in New Zealand in February 1993.

 

In Australia, "One Love" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 151 on the state chart.

 

I didn't hear "One Love" at the time, but the music video appeared on a VHS tape I digitised about 10 years ago.  I like it, but it doesn't really stand out like "It's My Life" or "Sing Hallelujah!".

 

We'll next see Dr. Alban in 1994.

 

 

Number 211 "Take Me to Heart" by The Neville Brothers

Peak: number 200

Peak date: 1 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

American R&B/funk/soul band The Neville Brothers last joined us in 1990.

 

"Take Me to Heart" was the second single released from the band's sixth studio album Family Groove (number 70, July 1992).  It followed their cover of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle" (number 44, July 1992), which was The Neville Brothers' biggest hit and only top 50 single in Australia.

 

I cannot find evidence of "Take Me to Heart" charting anywhere else.  Locally, "Take Me to Heart" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 173 on the state chart.

 

While we won't see The Neville Brothers bubble under again, they had a few later lower-charting albums in Australia: Live on Planet Earth (number 209, July 1994), Greatest Hits (number 219, September 1998), and Walkin' in the Shadow of Life (number 275, March 2005).  We will see band member Aaron Neville bubble under in May 1993.

 

 

 

Number 213 "Feed the Tree" by Belly

Peak: number 158

Peak date: 7 June 1993

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Alternative rock band Belly formed in Rhode Island in 1991.  "Feed the Tree" was the third single issued in Australia from their debut album Star (number 74, June 1993).  It followed "Dusted" (released in Australia in July 1992, did not chart) and "Gepetto" (released in Australia in November 1992, did not initially chart but will later on in 1993).

 

Internationally, "Feed the Tree" peaked at number 32 in the UK in January 1993, and number 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1993.  The track also reached number 1 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in March 1993, for what that is worth (not much in my book).

 

Locally, "Feed the Tree" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, reaching number 149 on the state chart.

 

Belly never landed a top 100 single in Australia, but two of their albums dented the top 100.  Interestingly, "Feed the Tree" did not reach its peak until early June 1993, one week after their next charting single peaks!

 

I did hear "Feed the Tree" at the time, probably when switching radio stations to Triple J.

 

We'll next see Belly in May 1993.

 

 

Next week (1 March): Six top 150 entries and four bubbling WAY down under debuts.

 

< Previous week: 15 February 1993                Next week: 1 March 1993 >

Week commencing 18 May 1992

This week in 1992 sees a bumper ten new top 150 entries, with a further four bubbling WAY down under.  A theme running through this week's new entries is that quite a few of them did a bit better, landing within the top 100, on the rival Australian Music Report singles chart.

 

In other news, I have updated some earlier posts (a work in progress...) with newly-uncovered singles peaking outside the top 150, namely:

 

* 13 March 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Glass Tiger;

* 20 March 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from The Smithereens;

* 24 April 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Not Drowning, Waving;

* 8 May 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Amy Grant;

* 5 June 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entries from Tom Jones, Ten City, Cameo and Keith Richards;

* 13 May 1991 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Shawn Christopher;

* 9 September 1991 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Peabo Bryson.

 

Jenny Morris landed a break in her hit-run this week in 1992.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 120 "What a Lover" by Eve

Peak: number 120

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 120-133-141-144

 

I wasn't aware of this track at the time, and can't tell you much about it, other than Eve was probably an Australian artist, as only an Australian pressing is listed on discogs.com.  This is the only release listed under that artist on the site.

"What a Lover" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 42.  "What a Lover" also peaked higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 85.

Number 124 "Don't Lose the Magic" by Shawn Christopher

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Chart run: 194-(out for 2 weeks)-124-127-132-147

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

We last saw American house singer Shawn Christopher in 1991.  "Don't Lose the Magic" was her second and final single to chart in Australia.  I didn't know this song at the time, but it was on a various artists music video compilation I recently picked up.  I like it.

Internationally, "Don't Lose the Magic" peaked at number 30 in the UK in March 1992, number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1992, number 27 in the Netherlands in May 1992, and number 30 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1992.

Domestically, "Don't Lose the Magic" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 104.

To my ears, "Don't Lose the Magic" has that Steve "Silk" Hurley sound that was popular in 1991-2, though he was not involved in its production.

Number 125 "Crackerjack Man" by Jenny Morris

Peak: number 125

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Known chart run: 204-125-139-150

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

New Zealand singer Jenny Morris made her first appearance on the Australian chart in 1982 with the single "Puberty Blues" (number 88, February 1982), title track of the Australian film of the same name.  Jenny returned in November 1983 as the lead singer of QED, with the track "Everywhere I Go" (number 19, April 1984); a song I remember vividly from the time, when I was in Grade Prep at school.

Jenny then launched her solo career proper with the single "Get Some Humour" (number 82, February 1986).  Between 1986 and 1992, Jenny amassed seven top 40 singles in Australia, with the highest-peaking of those being "Break in the Weather" (number 2, October 1991).

 

"Crackerjack Man" was the fourth and final single from Jenny's third solo album Honeychild (number 5, October 1991). It followed "Break in the Weather", "I've Had You" (number 39, January 1992), and "Zero" (number 89, March 1992).

On the state charts, "Crackerjack Man" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 116.

I don't recall hearing "Crackerjack Man" at the time, but became familiar with it when digitising Jenny's The Best of Jenny Morris: The Story So Far VHS tape in 2005.  I had forgotten how the song went prior to listening to it again when writing this post, though I do like it.

"Crackerjack Man" fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 98.

 

Unfortunately, Jenny has had the neurological voice disorder spasmodic dysphonia for some time, making it difficult for her to speak let alone sing, as it gives the voice a strangled-strained quality, resulting in voice breaks.  I first became aware of spasmodic dysphonia at university, where I studied speech pathology, in the late 1990s.  Coincidentally, that's also where I first heard of BoTox (it can be injected into the vocal cords to treat spasmodic dysphonia, often giving relief for several months before needing to be injected again) - before it became widely known in association with cosmetic procedures, although Jenny has opted not to undergo this treatment when I caught her speaking about the issues she has with speaking/singing on an episode of Australian Story some years ago.

We shall next see Jenny in 1994.

Number 131 "Lift Me Up" by Howard Jones

Peak: number 131

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Known chart run: 202-131-140-140-145-149

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

British singer-songwriter Howard Jones, born John Howard Jones, first appeared on the Australian chart with "New Song" (number 60, December 1983) in November 1983. He scored six top 40 hits in Australia between 1984 and 1986, with the biggest of those being "No One Is to Blame" (number 9, June 1986).  Somehow, I wasn't aware of Howard Jones at the time (I didn't start following music properly until 1987), but knew "No One Is to Blame" then, though not who it was by or what the song was called.

Howard was last on the Australian chart in 1989 with the single "Everlasting Love" (number 91, April 1989) and the album Cross That Line (number 97, May 1989).

 

"Lift Me Up" was the lead single from Howard's fifth studio album In the Running (number 158, June 1992).  Internationally, "Lift Me Up" peaked at number 52 in the UK in April 1992, number 6 in Canada in May 1992, and number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1992.

Within Australia, "Lift Me Up" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 106.

We will next see Howard in 1993.

Number 132 "I Drove All Night" by Roy Orbison

Peak: number 132

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks (2 weeks in 1992; 3 weeks in 1993)

Top 150 chart run: 132-145.  Re-entry 22 March 1993: 140-149-(out for 1 week)-143

Weeks on chart: 16 weeks (9 weeks in 1992; 7 weeks in 1993)

 

We last saw Roy Orbison in 1989.

I, like most of the world, first became familiar with the song "I Drove All Night" when Cyndi Lauper released her version of it, reaching number 11 for three weeks on the Austalian chart in July 1989.  The song, however, was originally recorded in 1987 by Roy Orbison, though his version was not released as a single until 1992, more than three years after his death at age 52 in December 1988.  I first heard Roy's rendition of "I Drove All Night" on the UK Chart Attack radio show.

 

"I Drove All Night" was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who shared writing credits on hits such as Madonna's "Like a Virgin" (number 1, December 1984), Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" (number 3, September 1986), Heart's "Alone" (number 6, August 1987), Whitney Houston's "So Emotional" (number 26, February 1988) and Bangles' "Eternal Flame" (number 1, May 1989) to name but a few.

The vocals from Roy's 1987 recording of "I Drove All Night" were used by Jeff Lynne who created a new mix of the track for Roy's posthumous King of Hearts (number 25, November 1992) album.  The track first appeared on the Nintendo: White Knuckle Scorin' album in 1991.

Internationally, Roy's version of "I Drove All Night" peaked at number 52 in Germany in March 1992, number 74 in Canada in May 1992, number 7 in the UK in July 1992, number 6 in Ireland, and number 48 in New Zealand in September 1992.

In Australia, "I Drove All Night" had two separate releases - a cassingle release on BMG in March 1992, and a CD/cassingle release on EMI in March 1993.  The 1992 release contained Sheena Easton's "Forever Friends" and Trixter's "Line of Fire" as B-sides, while the 1993 release contained B-sides from Roy.  The single peaked at number 132 on the ARIA singles chart in May 1992, and at number 140 in March 1993.  "I Drove All Night" performed strongest on the Queensland state chart for both releases, reaching number 87 in May 1992, and number 112 in April 1993.

The music video for "I Drove All Night" features actors Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly.

Céline Dion scored a hit with her version of "I Drove All Night" (number 22, March 2003) in 2003, though I prefer the Hex Hector remix of it.

Roy Orbison's recording is my favourite version of "I Drove All Night", though I like Cyndi's version too.  Another version of the song I like was recorded by The Protomen in 2012.  "I Drove All Night" is one of my favourite karaoke songs to sing... when no-one is in the vicinity.

We will next see Roy in November 1992.

Number 136 "Love U Love Me" by Atomic Dining Club

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 1 June 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 136-131-129-140-136-134-149

 

Australian band Atomic Dining Club were Brian Mannix - former lead singer of Uncanny X-Men, Ross McLennon and Steve Harrison.  "Love U Love Me" was their debut single, from their only album Car Crash in Blue, which had three separate release dates listed in The ARIA Report, from May, June and August of 1993.  I am not sure which was the correct release date, or whether the album was even released at all, given that no copies of it are currently listed on discogs.com, and nothing came up when I googled the band name and album title.  Does anyone reading this know whether the album saw the light of day? The album missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart - I can tell you that.

Having not heard this track before, I liked it more than I was expecting to, given that I'm not really a fan of Uncanny X-Men, whose biggest hit was "50 Years" (number 4, June 1985).

"Love U Love Me" found greater success on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 87.

 

A music video exists for "Love U Love Me", as it is listed as a new addition on the rage playlists in The ARIA Report, but nobody has yet uploaded it to YouTube.

We shall see Atomic Dining Club again in 1993.

 

Number 143 "The Big One" by Chris Wilson

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 143

 

"The Big One" was Australian blues musician Chris Wilson's debut single.  The track was lifted from his debut album Landlocked, which originally peaked at number 120 in Australia in August 1992, but the 30th edition re-issue of the album actually peaked higher, reaching number 86 in December 2022.

I first became aware of Chris in 1995, when he sang the male vocal on Merril Bainbridge's "Under the Water" (number 4, August 1992) - the "I'll be your loverrrr, underrrr the waterrrr" bits.  I spelt the lyric that way in jest, as despite being Australian born and bred, Chris seems to rhotacise his r-coloured vowels - that is, pronounce the 'r' in them, like speakers of American, Canadian and Irish English do.  Australian English is non-rhotic, meaning that we do not pronounce the 'r' in vowel sounds, other than in connected speech where the vowel appears at the end of the word and is followed by another word beginning with a vowel sound, as in the phrase "four of those".  My speech pathology degree comes in handy for other things sometimes...

Chris followed up this track with the single "Alimony Blues" in October 1992, which missed the top 150.

Sadly, Chris passed away in 2019, aged 62, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

We will next see Chris in 1996, as part of the duo Wilson Diesel.

 

Number 144 "Girl for Me" by The Chevelles

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 144

Perth band The Chevelles formed in 1989.  The group never landed a top 100 entry, and this was their only release to trouble the top 150.  An earlier EP, The Kids Ain't Hip, curiously spent two weeks at number 8 on the ARIA top 20 Alternative Singles chart in March 1991, before re-appearing on the top 20 Alternative Albums Chart, where it reached number 10 in April 1991.

"Girl for Me" is lifted from The Chevelles' debut album Gigantic, which was released in June 1993.  The single performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 97.

Number 145 "The Way I Made You Feel" by Ed Kuepper

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 25 May 1992

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 145-144

 

Born in West Germany, but based in Australia, Ed Kuepper was a founding member and guitarist of seminal punk band The Saints, formed in 1973.  The Saints first appeared on the Australian chart with their debut single "(I'm) Stranded" (number 98, March 1977). Ed left the band in 1979, before The Saints scored their biggest hit with "Just Like Fire Would" (number 29, April 1986).  We previously saw Ed with The Yard Goes On Forever in 1990.

Ed's debut solo album Electrical Storm was released in September 1985, but missed the national top 100.  Ed scored his first charting single with "Nothing Changes in My House" (number 99, January 1988).  His biggest solo 'hit' in Australia was "If I Had a Ticket" (number 72, April 1994).

"The Way I Made You Feel" appeared on Ed's fifth solo studio album Honey Steel's Gold (number 28, March 1992).

We will next see Ed in July 1992.

 

 

Number 147 "Play Dinosaur" by Degenerates

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 1 June 1992

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-143-142-(out for 1 week)-148

We last saw Australian band Degenerates in 1991.  "Play Dinosaur" was the title track from the band's debut album Play Dinosaur, which, as with Atomic Dining Club above, had three separate release dates listed in The ARIA Report (June, July and August 1992), and missed the top 150.

 

"Play Dinosaur" performed significantly better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 68.  I have to wonder why a single peaked 74 places higher on the AMR chart...

 

This would be Degenerates' final top 150 entry, though they released a second album Outspoken in March 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 174 “Nighttrain” by Public Enemy

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 25 May 1992

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks 

We last saw Public Enemy in March 1992.

“Nighttrain” was issued as the third single from Public Enemy’s fourth studio album Apocalypse 91… The Enemy Strikes Black (number 11, October 1991).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 55 in the UK in April 1992, and number 42 in New Zealand in June 1992.  The song also registered on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, reaching number 17 in May 1992.

Locally, “Nighttrain” performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 142.

We shall next see Public Enemy in October 1992.

Number 189 "Bang" by Blur

Peak: number 189

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We last saw English band Blur in 1991.  "Bang" was the second single released from the band's debut album Leisure (number 142, April 1992) in Australia.

Internationally, "Bang" peaked at number 24 in the UK in August 1991, and number 21 in Ireland in August 1991.  The single also peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Dance Club songs chart in June 1992 - for what that is worth (not much, in my book).  This was classified as dance music in the US?!

Within Australia, "Bang" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 168.

I don't recall hearing "Bang" before, though have a VHS-sourced copy of the video in my collection from a tape I digitised, so have actually heard it before.  Musically, it sounds quite similar to "There's No Other Way" to me.

"Bang" has been virtually disowned by Blur, who wrote the song in response to pressure they were placed under by their record label to produce another hit.  The band's bass player Alex James said in a 1999 interview that he didn't think the band would ever play the song live again.

We will next see Blur in 1993.

 

 

 

Number 209 "Closer Than Close" by Peabo Bryson

Peak: number 209

Peak date: 18 May 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We last saw American singer-songwriter Peabo Bryson in 1991.

 

"Closer Than Close" was issued as the second single from Peabo's fifteenth studio album Can You Stop the Rain (number 188, March 1992).  Interestingly, this single was released in Australia in February 1992, but took just over three months to register on the charts.

"Closer Than Close" missed the US Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 10 on the pointless Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in November 1991.

Within Australia, "Closer Than Close" peaked highest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 186.

Peabo would land his final top 100 hits in Australia with the duets "Beauty and the Beast" (number 17, July 1992) with Céline Dion, and "A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)" (number 10, June 1993) with Regina Belle.  Both tracks were themes from Disney movies, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, respectively.

While we won't see Peabo bubbling under again on his own, we will see him as a featured artist in 1993.  Peabo had further low-charting albums in Australia with Through the Fire (number 193, August 1994) and Missing You (number 619, October 2007).

 

Number 211 "The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" by They Might Be Giants

Peak: number 180

Peak date: 8 June 1992

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We last saw American band They Might Be Giants in March 1992.  "The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" was the second single from their fourth studio album Apollo 18 (number 59, April 1992).

 

"The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)" came together in a jam session based around The Tokens' "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". The song's chorus is sung by country singer Laura Cantrell.

I cannot find evidence of "The Guitar..." charting anywhere else.  Within Australia, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 156.

We shall next see They Might Be Giants in 1994.

Next week (25 May): A quieter week, with three top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

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