Before taking a look at this week in 1993’s new entries peaking outside the top 100, earlier this week I completed the series of posts outlining the ARIA state chart number one singles that did not top the national chart between June 1988 and December 1989. You can read Part 3, covering July 1989 to December 1989.
Billy Ocean barely made a ripple on the Australian chart in 1993 with this release.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 112 "Oceans" by Pearl Jam
Peak: number 110
Peak date: 19 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks (5 weeks in 1993; 1 week in 1995)
Top 150 chart run: 112-111-110-125-121
Re-entered 20 March 1995: 148
Seattle band Pearl Jam are, at least in my mind, synonymous with the early 90s grunge scene. Formed in 1990, the group hit the Australian top 10 with their debut single "Alive" (number 9, April 1992), lifted from their debut album Ten (number 11, April 2009, after originally peaking at number 14 in April 1992). "Oceans" was the fourth single released from Ten, following "Even Flow" (number 22, June 1992) and "Jeremy" (number 68, October 1992).
Internationally, "Oceans" peaked at number 30 in the Netherlands in February 1993, number 35 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1993, and number 16 in New Zealand in May 1993.
I am definitely not a fan of Pearl Jam, though don’t mind "Go" (number 22, October 1993). I don’t recall hearing "Oceans" before. I am surprised that a music video was produced for the song, given how few videos the band did, although they do not appear in this one.
"Oceans" re-entered the ARIA top 150 in March 1995, as one of four Pearl Jam singles re-issued and peaking between numbers 101 and 150.
Number 125 "Ruby Tuesday" by Rod Stewart
Peak: number 118
Peak date: 12 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 125-118-123-135-146
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
Raspy-voiced English veteran singer Rod Stewart last joined us in 1992.
"Ruby Tuesday", a cover version of the Rolling Stones song from 1966, was the second single released from Rod's covers album Lead Vocalist (number 96, April 1993). It followed his rendition of "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)" (number 82, January 1993).
Internationally, "Ruby Tuesday" peaked at number 11 in the UK in February 1993, number 19 in Ireland in February 1993, number 21 in the Netherlands in March 1993, number 39 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1993, and number 57 in Germany in April 1993.
In Australia, "Ruby Tuesday" performed strongest in Queensland, reaching number 81 on the state chart.
We’ll next see Rod in October 1993.
Number 140 "Promenade" by Underground Lovers
Peak: number 140
Peak date: 5 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Known chart run: 153-140-141-149-141
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
Melbourne band Underground Lovers last bubbled under in 1992.
"Promenade" was the second single from the band's second album Leaves Me Blind (number 133, March 1993). The single was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 118 on the state chart.
I hadn’t heard this one before. It’s more guitar-heavy than the other Underground Lovers tracks I know.
We’ll next see Underground Lovers in August 1993.
Number 141 "I Was a King" by Eddie Murphy featuring Shabba Ranks
Peak: number 141
Peak date: 5 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 141
American comedian, actor and sometime singer Eddie Murphy last joined us in 1990.
"I Was a King" was the lead single from Eddie’s third musical studio album Love’s Alright. Eddie appears to have had the knack of duetting with problematic artists, teaming up with Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks, whom we last saw in 1992, for this release, and Michael Jackson for the next single "Whatzupwitu" (number 88, July 1993), which was Eddie’s last top 150 chart entry in Australia.
Internationally, "I Was a King" peaked at number 64 in the UK in February 1993, number 35 in Sweden in February 1993, and number 98 in Germany in March 1993. "I Was a King" also registered on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reaching number 61.
While we won’t see Eddie again, Shabba will join us next in 1994.
Number 145 "Pressure" by Billy Ocean
Peak: number 145
Peak date: 5 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Known chart run: 171-145
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Billy Ocean, born Leslie Sebastian Charles in Trinidad and Tobago, then part of the British West Indies, was based in the UK for his recording career. His first single "Nashville Rain" was released under the name Les Charles, in 1971. "Love Really Hurts without You" (number 3 for two weeks in June-July 1976) was Billy’s first single released as Billy Ocean, and his first Australian hit. Billy waited over eight years to land his second Australian hit, with "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" (number 2, December 1984). Between 1976 and 1989, Billy placed 11 singles on the Australian top 100, with "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" (number 1 for six weeks in March-April 1986), and "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" (number 1 for five weeks in April-May 1988) being the biggest of those, reaching number one.
Billy was last on the Australian chart with "Licence to Chill" (number 76, November 1989), from his Greatest Hits (number 14, January 1990) compilation. A second new single from Greatest Hits, "I Sleep Much Better (In Someone Else's Bed)", was released locally on 12" vinyl in March 1990, but did not chart.
"Pressure" was the lead single from Billy’s eighth studio album Time to Move On (released in Australia in June 1993, did not chart). Internationally, the single peaked at number 55 in the UK in January 1993, number 44 in the Netherlands in March 1993, and number 39 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1993.
Locally, "Pressure" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 118 on the state chart.
Billy had one further, low charting, single in Australia, with "One World" (number 2650, January 2020). He had later, low-charting albums with L.I.F.E. (number 123, August 1997), Let’s Get Back Together (number 584, March 2003), The Best of Billy Ocean (number 384, June 2009), Here You Are: The Best of Billy Ocean (number 242, May 2016), The Very Best of (number 695, May 2020), and One World (number 978, September 2020).
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 165 "Photograph of Mary" by Trey Lorenz
Peak: number 155
Peak date: 3 May 1993
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
We last saw American R&B singer Trey Lorenz in 1992.
"Photograph of Mary" was the second single released from Trey’s debut album Trey Lorenz. Internationally, the single peaked at number 38 in the UK in January 1993, and number 31 in New Zealand in March 1993. "Photograph of Mary" also peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in February 1993. The song registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 46 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in March 1993, number 46 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in March 1993, number 11 on the Dance Club Songs chart in March 1993, and number 6 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in March 1993.
In Australia, "Photograph of Mary" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 125 on the state chart.
I hadn’t heard this one before. I don’t mind it.
This was Trey’s last charting release in Australia.
Number 204 "Open Up" by Suzanne Rhatigan
Peak: number 204
Peak date: 5 April 1993
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Irish singer Suzanne Rhatigan last paid us a visit in 1992.
"Open Up" was Suzanne’s third and final single to chart in Australia, from her debut and only album To Hell with Love (released in Australia in February 1993, did not chart). The single was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 169 on the state chart.
Skip to 4:39 in the video embedded below to hear "Open Up".
Next week (12 April): Just one new top 150 entry and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.
