Week commencing 10 February 1992

One thing this week in 1992's debuts peaking outside the top 100 have in common is that I did not hear any of them at the time.  Perhaps they are new to you, too?  Let's take a look/listen together.

 

 

Toni Childs: 'big in Australia', though not so much with this single.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 106 "Hearts Don't Think (They Feel)!" by Natural Selection

Peak: number 106

Peak dates: 10 February 1992 and 2 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 106-112-117-106-107-134-129

American group Natural Selection formed in Minneapolis in 1988.  Their debut single "Do Anything" (number 10, December 1991), which featured Madonna backing singer Niki Harris on the spoken female vocal bits, crept into the Australian top 10 towards the end of 1991.

"Hearts Don't Think (They Feel)!", with it's Shania Twain-esque title - some years before her time - complete with brackets and an exclamation mark, was the second single lifted from the group's only album Natural Selection (number 120, January 1992).  It was also the group's final release in Australia.

Internationally, "Hearts Don't Think..." peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992, and at number 47 in New Zealand during the same month.

"Hearts Don't Think..." managed to just scrape into the Australian Music Report singles chart, peaking at number 100 on it.

I don't recall hearing or being aware of this release at the time.  To me, the group disappeared off the face of the earth after "Do Anything".

A third Natural Selection single, "It's Sweet" was released in the US in 1992, but not in Australia.

Number 110 "I Want to Walk with You" by Toni Childs

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 110-119-129-120-131-123

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

"I Want to Walk with You" was American singer Toni Childs', now based in Australia, eighth single to register on the Australian chart, and the first to miss the top 100.  It was the third single lifted from her second album House of Hope (number 4, September 1991), following "I've Got to Go Now" (number 5, September 1991) and "House of Hope" (number 39, December 1991).  Toni's chart career started in Australia with a pair of number seventeen hits, "Stop Your Fussin'" (number 17, October 1988) and "Don't Walk Away" (number 17, December 1988).

 

Throughout her career, Toni had more commercial success in Australia than in other countries.  "I Want to Walk with You" did not register on any other countries' national charts that I can find, though it also does not appear to have been commercially released as a single anywhere else.  Locally, the single was most successful in Queensland, where it reached number 74 on the state chart.

I don't recall hearing this one before, which is odd, given that Australian radio generally played Toni's singles at the time.

A fourth single from House of Hope, "Heaven's Gate", was released in Europe, but not Australia.

 

We shall next see Toni in 1994.

Number 119 "Money Makes the World Go Round" by Technotronic featuring Reggie

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 17 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 119-117-125-128-124

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

"Money Makes the World Go Round" was Belgian dance music act Technotronic's ninth single to chart in Australia, and the first to miss the top 100.  The group burst onto the scene in late 1989 with "Pump Up the Jam" (number 4, February 1990), featuring model Felly lip syncing to Ya Kid K's vocals.

 

For this track, Reggie (real name Réjane Magloire) was on vocal duties.  It was the third and final single released from the second Technotronic studio album Body to Body (number 86, September 1991), following "Move That Body" (number 27, September 1991) and "Work" (number 92, November 1991), both of which also featured Reggie on vocals.  An interesting fact about Reggie is that she released a contemporaneous cover version of Madonna's "Into the Groove" as a single in 1985.

 

"Money Makes the World Go Round" did not chart anywhere else.  Within Australia, it was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 96. 

 

Technotronic will next join us, with Ya Kid K back in the fold, in 1994.

 

 

Number 124 "Australia Land of Today" by Judith Durham

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 124-131-134-149-138

 

Judith Durham came to fame as the lead singer of Australian band The Seekers, who scored several hits in the 1960s, such as "A World of Our Own" and "Georgy Girl".  The group disbanded in 1968, and although they reformed in 1975, Judith did not re-join them until 1992.  We saw The Seekers in 1989, though Judith was not part of the group then.

"Australia Land of Today" sounds like it was recorded for the soundtrack of a sporting event, such as the Olympics, but it charted about six months before the 1992 Olympics.

Judith passed away in August 2022, aged 79.

Number 138 "Never Give Up" by Ian Moss

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 24 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 138-133-128-146-141

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

Ian Moss came to fame as the guitarist and occasional singer of the Australian band Cold Chisel in the late 1970s.  Cold Chisel split in 1983, and Ian took some time to launch his solo career in 1989, with back-to-back top 10 singles "Tucker's Daughter" (number 2, March 1989) and "Telephone Booth" (number 7, August 1989), and the number one album Matchbook (number 1, August 1989).

 

Unfortunately for Ian, his commercial success dwindled after those initial few releases, and his second solo album Worlds Away (number 42, November 1991) peaked outside the top 40.

"Never Give Up" was issued as the third and final single from Worlds Away, following "Slip Away" (number 56, July 1991) and "She's a Star" (number 74, October 1991).  While it would become Ian's final ARIA top 150 single, his 1996 album Petrolhead (number 101, August 1996) just missed the top 100.

On the state charts, "Never Give Up" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66.

We shall next see Ian in 1996.

 

 

Number 139 Just Right (EP) by Beasts of Bourbon

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 2 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-137-142-121-139-140-143-140-133-(out for 1 week)-150-150

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

Australian band Beasts of Bourbon formed in 1983.  Frontman Tex Perkins also sang lead vocals in The Cruel Sea, whom we saw in 1991.

The Just Right EP, led by the title track "Just Right" (embedded below), was the only Beasts of Bourbon single to register on the Australian charts.  The title track appeared on the band's fourth studio album The Low Road (number 85, April 1992).

 

On the state charts, the Just Right EP was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 83.

 

Although Just Right was the only Beasts of Bourbon single to chart, the group placed several albums outside the ARIA top 100, including Black Milk (number 142, July 1990), Beyond Good & Evil (number 254, October 1999), and Box Set: The Axeman's Jazz + Sour Milk + Black Milk (number 431, August 2009).

 

 

Number 142 "Obsession" by Army of Lovers

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 9 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 142-136-141-112-108-118-121

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

I first became aware of Swedish group Army of Lovers in late 1991, after catching the music video for "Crucified" (number 56, January 1992) on Coca-Cola Power Cuts.  It was certainly an experience!  My first thought was that group member Jean-Pierre Barda (the one who speaks the verses) was Pete Burns from Dead or Alive's doppelganger.

"Crucified" was actually the band's second single released in Australia, however.  "My Army of Lovers" was issued locally in May 1991, but failed to chart.  "Obsession" was the band's third release from the Australian pressing (which added some tracks from their debut album Disco Extravaganza) of their Massive Luxury Overdose (number 126, March 1992) album, which was otherwise their second studio album.

 

Internationally, "Obsession" peaked at number 2 in Sweden in October 1991, number 8 in the Netherlands in December 1991, number 67 in the UK in December 1991, number 4 in the Flanders region of Belgium in December 1991, number 7 in Switzerland in February 1992, number 7 in Germany in February 1992, and number 7 in Austria in March 1992.

 

Domestically, Queensland was the state most 'obsessed' with "Obsession", with the single peaking at number 91 on their state chart.

 

I first heard "Obsession" some time in the mid 2010s, when the music video appeared on a VHS tape I was digitising.  Watching Jean-Pierre mime the repetitive 'ah ah ah ah..." vocal throughout is certainly amusing.

 

We'll see Army of Lovers again in June.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 161 "Word to the Mutha!" by Bell Biv DeVoe featuring Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 24 February 1992

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We last saw Bell Biv DeVoe in 1991.  "Word to the Mutha!" was their fifth single to chart in Australia, and on it, they teamed up with their former New Edition bandmates Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill as featured artists.  The track was recorded for their remix album WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album (number 126, October 1991).

"Word to the Mutha!" was not released commercially as a single in the US, so was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 as per the rules at the time.  The single peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart in September 1991, and at number 11 in New Zealand in May 1992.

Domestically, "Word to the Mutha!" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 146.

"Word to the Mutha!" was the last Bell Biv DeVoe single to peak outside the top 100 in Australia, but a later album, BBD (number 253, April 2002), landed in the lower region of the chart.

 

 

Number 168 "Never Say Never" by Lisette Melendez

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Lisette Melendez last graced our presence in 1991.  "Never Say Never" was the third single from her debut album Together Forever (number 199, December 1991) to peak outside the ARIA top 100.

I cannot find evidence of "Never Say Never" charting elsewhere.  The single was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 153.

This was Lisette's final single to chart in Australia.

 

Next week (17 February): Seven top 150 debuts and three bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

< Previous week: 3 February 1992                                    Next week: 17 February 1992 >

Week commencing 11 June 1990

Four of this week's seven top 150 debuts registered on the Australian Music Report singles chart, but missed the ARIA top 100.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Kim Wilde: Australia kept her hanging outside the top 100.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 101 "Don't Be Cruel" (Rapacious Edit) by Bobby Brown

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 101-114-114-110-117-130

 

Bobby was originally part of teen pop group New Edition, whose single "Candy Girl" reached number 10 in August 1983.  Bobby quit the group in 1986, launching a solo career with the King of Stage album, which was not released in Australia.

Bobby's first solo release in Australia, "My Prerogative" (number 40, May 1989), was lifted from his second album Don't Be Cruel (number 5, November 1989), which didn't really take off in Australia until "Every Little Step" (number 8, November 1989) was released.  In the interim, the title track - the original version of "Don't Be Cruel", peaked at number 72 in June 1989.

"Don't Be Cruel" was the lead single from the album in the US and Europe, reaching number 42 in the UK in August 1988, and number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1988.  After "My Prerogative" became a top 10 hit in the UK, a remixed version of "Don't Be Cruel" - the Rapacious Mix, was issued in the UK, reaching number 13 in April 1989.  In Australia, we got this release belatedly in May 1990.

 

This remixed version of "Don't Be Cruel" has the unusual distinction of debuting in the top 150 at number 101... and then not climbing any higher.  It seems Australia preferred the original mix of this track - or fans already owned the album, although I don't recall being aware of this new version of "Don't Be Cruel" at the time. 

This version of "Don't Be Cruel" performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 90.

Bobby will next join us as a featured artist in 1992, and in his own right in 1995.

 

 

Number 107 "Feel Like Going Home" by The Notting Hillbillies

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 107-110-117-117-121-124

 

The Notting Hillbillies were Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits' side project, although they only recorded one album Missing... Presumed Having a Good Time (number 6, May 1990).  Interestingly, their debut single "Your Own Sweet Way" (number 28, April 1990) performed much better in Australia than it did in their native UK, where it only reached number 76 in March 1990.

This track, which I hadn't heard until now, was sung by band member Brendan Croker.  "Feel Like Going Home" did not chart anywhere else.  It reached number 89 on the Australian Music Report singles chart.

A third single, "Will You Miss Me", was released in Europe, but was was not issued locally.

 

 

Number 125 "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word" by Bad English

Peak: number 124 

Peak date: 25 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 158-(off chart for 1 week)-125-126-124-127-141-141

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Fronted by John Waite, who was in The Babys and had a major solo hit with "Missing You" (number 5, October 1984), Bad English formed in 1987, and scored a number 4 hit in January 1990 with "When I See You Smile".

Prior to "When I See You Smile", Bad English released "Forget Me Not", which failed to chart, in August 1989.  Third single "Price of Love" (number 44, April 1990) scraped into the top 50, and this, their fourth release from Bad English (number 12, February 1990), missed the top 100.

On the state charts, "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 70.  On the Australian Music Report singles chart, "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word" dented the top 100, peaking at number 98.

We will see Bad English again in 1991.  We will also see lead singer John Waite bubble under on his own in 1991.

Number 128 "Abbatak (The House ABBA Built)" by Donald Wasn't

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 128

Donald Wasn't, I assume a pun on record producer and Was (Not Was) founding member Don Was's name, were presumably an Australian act.  I say that as only Australian pressings of this - their only single - are listed on discogs.com.

 

It's just as well that Australian music video program rage aired this video during a 'vault' episode in 2020, as without the embedded clip below, I wouldn't have been able to hear the single version of this track.

As for the connection to ABBA... the track contains samples of the piano intro from ABBA's "Dancing Queen" (number 1, September 1976), as well as a few vocal lines of them singing "Fernando" (number 1, April 1976), but that's it.

Number 136 "It's Here" by Kim Wilde

Peak: number 104

Peak dates: 18 June 1990 and 16 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 136-104-108-109-118-104-126-129

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Kim Wilde's Australian chart career started off with a bang, with four consecutive top 10 hits: "Kids in America" (number 5, June 1981), "Chequered Love" (number 6, October 1981), "Cambodia" (number 7, February 1982) and "View from a Bridge" (number 7, July 1982).  But since then, she had only scored one major hit down under - though quite a big one - when "You Keep Me Hangin' On" spent two non-consecutive weeks at number 1 in February and March 1987.

Kim's previous album Close (number 82, November 1988) gave her a career resurgence in her native UK, where three singles lifted from it reached the top 10.  In contrast, only one of those, "You Came", dented the ARIA top 100, peaking at number 34 in November 1988.

Kim previously bubbled under on the Australian chart with "Four Letter Word" in early 1989, and prior to that, "Dancing in the Dark" was ranked first on the Kent Music Report list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in January 1984.  "Never Trust a Stranger", the third single from Close, registered on the Western Australia state chart at number 74 in December 1988, but did not chart nationally, as it was prior to the ARIA singles chart extending beyond number 100.  The lead single from Close, "Hey Mister Heartache", missed the ARIA chart, but peaked at number 96 on the Australian Music Report singles chart in July 1988.

"It's Here" was the lead single from Kim's seventh studio album Love Moves (number 126, August 1990) - an album my local K-Mart seemed to order in bulk, which was always a bad omen.  Unfortunately for Kim, the Love Moves era was largely a flop for her in the UK, with none of the four singles lifted from the album there reaching the top 40.  Nevertheless, "It's Here" was a top 40 hit for Kim in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and the Flanders region of Belgium.

Locally, "It's Here" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 82.  Frustratingly, "It's Here" dented the top 100 on four of the five ARIA state charts (only missing out in South Australia/Northern Territory), but couldn't dent the top 100 nationally.  The single did, however, reach number 92 on the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart.

One other single from Love Moves, "Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love)", was released in Australia (and, oddly, not in the UK) in August 1990, but failed to chart, despite being aired at least twice on Countdown Revolution.  In contrast, I never heard or saw the video for "It's Here" anywhere at the time.  Go figure.

We shall see Kim next in 1992.

Number 146 "Driving" by Everything But the Girl

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 146

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks (1990 and 1997 chart runs combined)

Before reinventing themselves as a dance/drum 'n' bass sensation in the mid 1990s, Tracey Thorn and Benn Watt, aka Everything But the Girl, were purveyors of jazz-tinged sophisti-pop.  Although romantically-involved since their university days, the couple's relationship was not publicised, and they did not marry until 2009, after 28 years together.

The duo's first foray into the Australian singles chart came in 1987, when "Don't Leave Me Behind", from their third studio album Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, peaked at number 85 in April of that year.  Their version of "I Don't Want to Talk About It" registered on the Western Australia state chart, but not the national chart, where it reached number 68 in September 1988.

"Driving" was the lead single from the duo's fifth studio album The Language of Life (number 90, April 1990), and peaked at number 54 in the UK in January 1990.  The single first registered on the ARIA chart at the end of February 1990, when it entered at number 152, but took over three months to dent the top 150.  "Driving" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 68, matching the state chart peak there for "I Don't Want to Talk About It".

 

Unless you were living under a rock, you would know that Everything But the Girl scored a major hit with the Todd Terry remix of "Missing", which spent six weeks at number 2 on the ARIA singles chart in March and April 1996.  Capitalising on this success, the duo's sound shifted from being largely acoustic to electronic for their next album Walking Wounded (number 11, June 1996).

A change in record label post-"Missing" resulted in "Driving" being remixed by Todd Terry for inclusion on the The Best of Everything But the Girl (number 58, April 1997) compilation, and that version will go on to reach a new peak in early 1997.  But before then, the duo released the single "Take Me" in Australia, which failed to chart, in June 1990.

We will next see Everything But the Girl in 1992.

Number 147 "The Banks of the Bogan" by Norma O'Hara Murphy

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 147

 

What could be more Australian than a song about bogans?  For those outside of Australia who may not be familiar with the term, 'bogan' in the Australian vernacular loosely refers to an unsophisticated person with unrefined tastes, often associated with lower educational attainment and low socioeconomic status; though that has changed, with the rise of the cashed-up bogan (nouveau riche) in the early 2000s.  A bogan is Australia's version of a chav or white trash.

 

Except this isn't a song about that; it's instead a song about the Bogan River in New South Wales.  Other than that, I can't tell you much about it, other than Norma is an Australian country singer.  This track appeared on Norma's compilation album Norma's Best, which peaked at number 132 in August 1991.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 151 "Boy, I'll House Ya" by 2 Static

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

From what I can gather, 2 Static were a Dutch act, and essentially an alias of Martin Boer, who would later form 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor with his brother Bobby Boer.  We shall see that act in 1994.

 

"Boy, I'll House Ya" was the first of two singles 2 Static released in Australia.  The track samples Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K's "Get Up (Before the Night Is Over)" (number 7, April 1990) and Partners Rime Syndicate's "54-46 (That's MyNumber)", which we saw in May 1990.

 

Internationally, "Boy, I'll House Ya" peaked at number 41 in the Netherlands in May 1990.

 

On the state charts, "Boy, I'll House Ya" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 96. 

We shall see 2 Static again in November 1990.

Number 153 "No More Lies" by Michel'le

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

"No More Lies" was the debut single for American r&b singer Michel'le (pronounced "Michelle-ay"), full name Michel'le Toussaint, and reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1990.  The single also dented the top 30 in New Zealand - who always seemed to be more open to this kind of music than Australia at the time, and crept into the top 80 in the UK.

 

"No More Lies" was lifted from the Michel'le album, which peaked at number 143 on the ARIA albums chart in April 1990.  On the state charts, "No More Lies" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 146.

"No More Lies" was produced and co-written by Dr. Dre, Michel'le's fiancé at the time.  The couple's relationship soon became volatile, however, and Michel'le has since spoken out about Dre severely beating her and even shooting at her with a gun, missing by inches.

One thing you'll notice about Michel'le's speaking voice is that it is much higher-pitched and Minnie Mouse-like than her singing voice on this track.

Follow-up single "Nicety" (a portmanteau of 'nice' and 'nasty') does not appear to have been released commercially in Australia, but peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990.

Michel'le's second album Hung Jury was not released until 1998.  She did not place a second single or album on the ARIA chart.

Next week (18 June): Five new top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

< Previous week: 4 June 1990                                       Next week: 18 June 1990 >

Livin' on the Edge of the Top 100: 13 singles that peaked at number 101 in Australia (1989-1991)

This post is the first in a series of occasional 'special' posts, that differ in content from my weekly recaps of top 150 debuts.

Since following the charts, it has always been a fascination of mine to see which releases have just missed out on reaching certain coveted positions - whether that's a number 2 single that missed reaching the top, a number 11 single that just missed the top ten, or a number 41 single that narrowly missed the top 40.

Remember that time that Gail and Jane from Neighbours tried to become pop stars?  Thought not.

In this post, we'll take a look at singles that just missed the top 100, between January 1989 and December 1991.


Singles peaking at number 101 on the Australian singles chart (1989-1991):

"Hey Ciao" by Albie Wilde & The Dayglos
 Peak date: 12 June 1989

The most interesting thing about this release is that it features Jane (Annie Jones) and Gail (Fiona Corke) from Neighbours, who also appear in the video, as backing vocalists!  I remember this track being reviewed in either Smash Hits or rival Hit Songwords, with the comment that it was probably the first time an act's backing singers were more-famous than the front person of a group.  Still, 'Hey Ciao' performed better on the charts here than fellow Neighbour Stefan Dennis's attempt at becoming a pop star - though I'm not certain that got a local release, as it does not appear in the Australian Music Reports new releases lists, despite rage playing the video.

"Sky High" (1989 Remix) by Jigsaw UK
Peak date: 17 July 1989

I guess we must have had an Australian band called Jigsaw for the UK act to be re-branded 'Jigsaw UK' down under.  Before Newton's Stock/Aitken-produced cover version of the 1975 Jigsaw track in 1994, Pete Hammond (also associated with Stock Aitken Waterman) had a go at remixing the original for a 1989 release.  This sounds remarkably similar to the Newton version, to my ears - at least vocally.  Curiously, this version took eight weeks to reach its peak of number 101, before falling off the chart the following week.

"One" by Bee Gees
Peak date: 24 July 1989

This 'one' interestingly debuted at its peak of number 101 and could not manage to climb 'one' place higher to reach the top 100.  The Australian top 100 singles chart remained a hit-free zone for the Bee Gees for nearly a decade, between when 'You Win Again' left the top 100 in February 1988 and 'Alone' gave them another hit in June 1997.  A case of the tall poppy?

"(You Make Me) Rock Hard" by Kiss
Peak date: 14 August 1989

Gotta love that title, eh?  The follow-up to 'Let's Put the X in Sex', '(You Make Me) Rock Hard' was also lifted from their Smashes, Thrashes & Hits greatest hits album.  Except that this one didn't become a hit - or even chart - anywhere else, from what I can gather.

Kiss seemed to be well into their glam metal phase, with several if not all of the band members (dare I say it) not looking that unlike Cher in the late 80s in the music video.

"Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis
Peak date: 11 September 1989

Jerry re-recorded his 1957 hit for the soundtrack of the 1989 movie of the same name.  Surprisingly, this had no connection to Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers, who sampled this song on one of their two 1989 hits.

"Prayer for You" by Texas
Peak date: 12 February 1990

Texas had a hard time following up their top 10 single from 1989 with anything substantial.  Until 1997, their next-biggest hit on the Australian singles chart could reach no higher than number 52.  They'd have to settle for number 101 with this, the fourth and final single from their Southside album.

"Livin' on the Edge of the Night" by Iggy Pop
Peak date: 26 March 1990

Iggy actually wears a shirt and jacket in the video for this one, unusually.  Iggy would score a hit later in 1990 with his duet with Kate Pearson, but for now, he'd have to settle for livin' on the edge of the top 100.

"Don't Be Cruel" (Rapacious Edit) by Bobby Brown
Peak date: 11 June 1990

The original peaked at number 72 in 1989, but this remixed version fared even worse on the Australian chart.  Bobby would peak 100 places higher though with his next release.

"All I'm Missing Is You" by Glenn Medeiros
Peak date: 29 October 1990

Speaking of Bobby Brown, Glenn seemed to have undergone a 'Bobby Brown' makeover in 1990, with the aforementioned star featuring on his second and final hit.  It didn't seem terribly convincing.  Neither did this.

"From a Distance" by Cliff Richard
Peak date: 7 January 1991

Debuting on the chart a mere six weeks after the Bette Midler version of the same song, Cliff's version landed just a small distance from the top 100.  Now Cliff is the sort of artist who seems more likely to sing lyrics like "God is watching us" than Bette...

"Auberge" by Chris Rea
Peak date: 25 March 1991

'Auberge' is a French word for inn, and Chris Rea couldn't quite make it in to the top 100 with this one.  In fact, Chris wouldn't make it into the top 100 singles chart in Oz again.

"Happy" by Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Peak date: 3 June 1991

I remember hearing Ned's Atomic Dustbin being mentioned on the ABC's The Afternoon Show, but don't recall hearing any of their music before.

"Only You" by Keith Urban
Peak date: 1 July 1991

Everyone's got to start somewhere, and for Keith, that was at number 101, with his second single release - a whole 11 and a half years before scoring his first top 100 entry on the Australian singles chart.

Normal service will resume with my recap of new top 150 entries on 6 February.

                                            Singles that peaked at number 101 in Australia 1992-1994 >