Week commencing 27 July 1992

There's no common theme I can identify linking this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100.  Before diving in, I have updated the following earlier posts:

* 21 January 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pop Will Eat Itself;

* 8 July 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entries from Pop Will Eat Itself and Soul Family Sensation.

Ce Ce Peniston kept on walkin' in the opposite direction from the top 100 this week in 1992.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 109 “Beds Are Burning” (live) by Midnight Oil

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 3 August 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 109-108-113-110-117-127-136

 

It's kind of fitting that I would finally lose my hair (after a year of chemotherapy) during the week that Australian band, Midnight Oil, fronted by famous baldie Peter Garrett, would be the first entry I have to write about.  The Oils formed in 1972, though were originally known as The Farm (not to be confused with the UK band of the same name).  This is the first occasion Midnight Oil appear in the below number 100 section of the chart, although we have a seen the band's drummer, Rob Hirst, as a member of Ghostwriters previously.

Although the original 1987 studio version of "Beds Are Burning" (number 6, September 1987) was technically not their highest-charting single in Australia, it is without doubt their signature track, and biggest international hit, reaching the top 10 across Europe and the top 20 in the US.

Midnight Oil's biggest Australian hit was their Species Deceases EP (number 1 for 6 non-consecutive weeks in December 1985 and January 1986), which became the first release to debut at number 1 on the Australian singles chart.  My favourite track of theirs would be "The Dead Heart" (number 4, August 1986), which, together with the studio version of "Beds Are Burning", was taken from their sixth studio album Diesel and Dust (number 1 for 6 weeks in August-September 1987).

Fast forward to 1992, the Oils released the live album Scream in Blue - Live (number 3, May 1992).  This live version of "Beds Are Burning" was issued as the second single from it, following "Sometimes" (number 33, May 1992).  The track was recorded in Darlinghurst in 1989, from the Our Common Future concert.  Skip to 1:25 in the video embedded below if you just want to get to the music.  I don't recall hearing this version before.

 

On the state charts, this live version of "Beds Are Burning" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 74.

We shall next see Midnight Oil in 1993.

Number 122 “Boy (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)” by Deborah Blando

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 27 July 1992

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Chart run: 206-122-127-131

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

Brazilian songstress Deborah Blando, born in Italy, seemed to come out of nowhere in 1992 with her single "Innocence" (number 31, May 1992), which I rather like, though had not heard until it entered the top 60 on rage.  There were a few curiosities like that around mid-1992; I suspect heavily-discounted singles (of which "Innocence" was one), which was a new marketing strategy in Australia at the time (during a recession), was a factor at play - not to say that I think "Innocence" didn't deserve to do well.  Indeed, I can see a copy of the Australian CD single with a $1.95 price tag on it (as opposed to the regular $7.95 or even $8.95 price of CD singles at that time) on eBay; I am guessing the cassette single was sold for $0.95, as was a Shakespears Sister cassingle I bought in July 1992.  To my eyes, Deborah looked like the new Cyndi Lauper, and even had a similar voice in some ways.

"Boy (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" is a cover of a song by The Temptations, originally titled "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)", from 1964.  The track was apparently Deborah's debut single overseas, but her second released in Australia, lifted from her debut album A Different Story (number 182, April 1992).

I cannot find evidence of this single charting elsewhere, though it presumably charted in Brazil, assuming they had charts at the time.  In Australia, the single performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 107.

I don't recall hearing this one at the time, though caught a brief preview of the video (though I think without audio) on Video Smash Hits.  It's OK, but I much prefer the moody eeriness of "Innocence".

This would be Deborah's last foray onto the Australian chart, though I remember seeing her appear on some Rio festival on Hey Hey It's Saturday towards the end of 1993.

Number 130 “Keep on Walkin’” by Ce Ce Peniston

Peak: number 123

Peak dates: 10 August 1992 and 17 August 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 130-126-123-123-141-150

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

American singer and former beauty pageant winner Ce Ce Peniston, born Cecilia Veronica Peniston, launched her recording career with the enduring "Finally" (number 8, March 1992), which she co-wrote.  I first heard that track while on a family holiday in Canberra just after Christmas 1991.  She followed up that track with "We Got a Love Thang" (number 36, June 1992), which originally peaked at number 68 in May 1992 and dropped out of the top 100 for two weeks before miraculously climbing back up to number 36, and then dropping to number 72 again the following week!  I assume the bounce in sales was due to maybe a short promotional visit to Australia from Ce Ce, heavy discounting (as mentioned for Deborah Blando above), or perhaps the record company just buying up copies themselves?  Whatever the reason, it saved Ce Ce from becoming a one-hit wonder in Australia.

"Keep on Walkin'" was issued as the third single from Ce Ce's debut album Finally (number 95, March 1992).  I first became familiar with the track via the American Top 40 radio show.  This track was co-written by Kym Sims, whom we have seen bubble under twice in 1992 in her own right.  Both she and Ce Ce worked with producer Steve "Silk" Hurley.

 

Internationally, the single peaked at number 10 in the UK in May 1992, number 17 in Ireland in May 1992, number 31 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1992, number 41 in the Netherlands in July 1992, number 67 in Canada in August 1992, and 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1992.  It also topped the meaningless US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in June 1992.

In Australia, "Keep on Walkin'" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 92.

We shall next see Ce Ce in 1994.

Number 131 “Karmadrome”/“Eat Me Drink Me Love Me Kill Me” by Pop Will Eat Itself

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 3 August 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 131-121-127-136-146

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

We last saw English band Pop Will Eat Itself in 1991.

 

"Karmadrome"/"Eat Me Drink Me Love Me Kill Me" was issued as the lead single from Pop Will Eat Itself's fourth studio album The Looks Or the Lifestyle? (number 165, October 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 17 in the UK in May 1992.

In Australia, "Karmadrome"/"Eat Me Drink Me Love Me Kill Me" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 106.

 

I don't recall hearing either track before.

We'll next see Pop Will Eat Itself in October 1992.

Number 148 “Galileo” by Indigo Girls

Peak: number 130

Peak date: 10 August 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-142-130-134-140-136

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks 

 

Amy Ray and Emily Sailers, better known as Indigo Girls, hail from Atlanta, Georgia.  The pair met in primary school, and began performing as Indigo Girls in 1985, while attending university.

 

Their debut Australian release was the single "Closer to Fine" (number 57, August 1989), lifted from their second album Indigo Girls (number 64, September 1989).  I remember catching that one on rage before the top 50 chart in 1989.  It would be the only Indigo Girls single to dent the top 100 in Australia.

"Galileo" was issued as the first, and in Australia, only, single from the duo's fourth studio album Rites of Passage (number 110, October 1992).

 

Internationally, "Galileo" peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1992, and number 86 in the UK in November 1992.  It also reached number 10 on the meaningless US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in June 1992.

 

In Australia, "Galileo" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 111.

 

We will next see Indigo Girls in 1994.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 174 "Every Time I Roll the Dice" by Delbert McClinton featuring Bonnie Raitt & Melissa Etheridge

Peak: number 160

Peak date: 3 August 1992

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

 

American blues singer-songwriter Delbert McClinton hails from Lubbock, Texas.  His recording career began in 1972, although "Every Time I Roll the Dice" would be his only single to chart in Australia.  The Australian pressing of this release lists Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge as featured vocalists (presumably as a selling point) on the cover artwork, although they are really just providing backing vocals on the track.  This track is lifted from Delbert's twelfth studio album Never Been Rocked Enough (number 123, September 1992), which was also his first album to chart locally.

Delbert's biggest and only top 40 hit in his homeland was the 1980 single "Giving It Up for Love", which reached number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981.

Internationally, "Every Time I Roll the Dice" peaked at number 13 on the meaningless US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in July 1992, and number 40 in Canada in July 1992.

In Australia, "Every Time I Roll the Dice" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 95.  The Never Been Rocked Enough album was also much more popular in South Australia/Northern Territory than elsewhere, where it reached number 33 on the state albums chart.

 

"Every Time I Roll the Dice" fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 90 nationally.

Although we will not see Delbert again, he had two later low-charting albums in Australia with the combined Second Wind/Keeper of the Flame set (number 414, June 2002) - these albums were originally released in 1978 and 1979, respectively, and Outdated Emotion (number 1234, May 2022).

Number 196 "It Only Takes a Minute" by Take That

Peak: number 191

Peak date: 3 August 1992

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

We last saw British boy band Take That in March 1992.

 

"It Only Takes a Minute" is a cover version of a track originally performed by Tavares in 1975, which did not chart in Australia.  Take That's version was released as the fourth single in their homeland from their debut album Take That & Party (number 104, May 1993), where it became their first major hit, and first release to peak within the top ten.  In Australia, "It Only Takes a Minute" was Take That's second release.

Internationally, "It Only Takes a Minute" peaked at number 7 in the UK in June 1992, and at number 11 in Ireland during the same month.

Domestically, "It Only Takes a Minute" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 172.

I first heard this one on the UK Chart Attack radio show, where it was played for several weeks, appearing in their top 5 (songs charting in the UK that had not yet crossed over or been released in the US).  The song is catchy and probably one of my favourite Take That singles, although I do not consider myself a fan of theirs.  I did not realise until researching this post that "It Only Take a Minute" was a cover.

Given that my interest in the charts wanes significantly towards the end of the 1990s, and subsequently I will almost certainly not be writing posts about 2007 charts here, I can tell you that Take That had further singles peaking outside the top 200 here from 2007 onwards, following their reformation in 2006 - but I have zero interest in those tracks.  If you really want to know, they are: "Rule the World" (number 209, November 2007), "Greatest Day" (number 202, December 2008), "The Flood" (number 300, November 2010), and several lower-charting singles I care even less about in the 2010s.

 

Take That also had later low-charting albums in Australia with The Circus (number 180, December 2008), The Greatest Day - Take That Present: The Circus Live (number 820, January 2010), Progress Live (number 524, December 2011), and III (number 263, December 2014).

Number 197 "Best of You" by Kenny Thomas

Peak: number 197

Peak date: 27 July 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw English singer Kenny Thomas in April 1992.

 

"Best of You" was issued as the third single from Kenny's debut album Voices (number 133, May 1992).  Internationally, "Best of You" peaked at number 11 in the UK in October 1991, number 27 in Ireland in October 1991, number 66 in Germany in December 1991, number 87 in the Netherlands in December 1991, number 31 in New Zealand in May 1992, and number 23 in France in July 1992.

Locally, "Best of You" performed 'best' in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 179.

Kenny will join us one more time, in 1994.

 

 

Next week (3 August): Six top 150 entries and five bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 20 July 1992                                Next week: 3 August 1992 >

Week commencing 21 May 1990

This week is the second in a three-way tie for the most top 150-peaking debuts in 1990, tied with 19 March 1990 and 17 September 1990, with ten new top 150 entries.  Of the ten new debuts, six of them are at their peak position next week, which is an unusual occurrence.  There are also three debuts that spent more than one week at their highest position.  Seven of this week's debuting acts contain artists who are no longer with us.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Somehow, Seal's 'killer' song flopped not once, but twice in Australia.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 131 "Counting Every Minute" by Sonia

Peak: number 118 

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 131-118-123-126-129-128-124-136

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

"Counting Every Minute" was another Stock Aitken Waterman composition/production for Sonia, and another single of hers to flop in Australia, peaking one place higher than the last one, which we saw back in February.  "Counting Every Minute" was also the fourth release from her then-yet-to-be-released-in-Australia album Everybody Knows (number 144, September 1990).

This single was also the fourth in a string of top 20 hits in the UK for the Liverpudlian songstress and future Eurovision Song Contest entrant, peaking at number 16 in April 1990.  "Counting Every Minute" also dented the top 20 in Ireland, peaking at number 18.  Within Australia, "Counting Every Minute" performed strongest on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart, where it reached number 88.

I'm not sure why, but 'single' (as in the chorus lyric "counting every single minute") has been omitted from the song's title, just as 'from' was omitted from the title of Sonia's "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" (number 29, October 1989).  These little things bother me!  I suppose you can understand 'from' being omitted from the title of the latter, though, as it is a longer title already.

As for the song... it's another upbeat dance-pop number, this time making use of the ubiquitous James Brown "wooh! yeah!" sample, which I mentioned last week, and we shall see on another song debuting this week...

 

Fans of Sonia may be interested to know that she recently released a box-set of 6 expanded CD singles from the Everybody Knows album era.

Sonia will join us next in September 1990.

Number 137 "New York, New York" by Ecco Homo

Peak: number 110

Peak dates: 4 June 1990, 25 June 1990 and 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 137-128-110-114-117-110-111-110-122

I am a little bit confused, and there doesn't seem to be a clear answer online (please help me out if you know), but Ecco Homo were an Australian collective of musicians, centred around Peter "Troy" Davies, who was a close friend of Richard Lowenstein, director of many INXS music videos.  Over the years, Troy had appeared in a couple of film clips for other artists, including Flame Fortune's "Sex Symbol" (number 76, June 1985) and Frente!'s' "No Time" (number 50, March 1993).

 

I don't believe Troy performed much of the vocals on the two Ecco Homo singles released, however.  The 'group' also contained Ollie Olsen - whose Max Q project was fronted by Michael Hutchence of INXS - Gus Till (who I think performed the majority of the vocals), Bill McDonald and Michael Sheridan.

Whatever Ecco Homo were, they managed to place one single within the ARIA top 100, "Motorcycle Baby" (number 66, March 1989), which featured Michael Hutchence and Sherine Abeyratne from Big Pig (who also performed vocals on the track) in the music video.

"New York, New York" was the second and final Ecco Homo release, and features Bono from U2 singing a few lines and appearing in the music video (!).  U2's The Edge also performs on the track.  Apparently, Bono and U2 happened to drop by the recording studio where Ollie Olsen and Michael Hutchence were jamming, after a live show in Melbourne; it was not a planned collaboration.

Despite featuring two members of U2, "New York, New York" flew under the radar, peaking outside the ARIA top 100.  It did, however, manage to spend three non-consecutive weeks at its peak of number 110, which is not bad for a single that missed the top 100.  "New York, New York" crept into the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart, reaching number 85.

Troy Davies passed away in 2007, aged 47.  A film documenting his life and career, titled Ecco Homo, was released in 2015, co-directed by Richard Lowenstein.

Number 138 "Handful of Promises" by Big Fun

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 138-110-114-129-138-136-134

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Big Fun were another Stock Aitken Waterman-produced act, consisting of Mark Gillespie, Phil Creswick, and Jason John (real name Jason Herbert).  Although a trio, the group's vocals were mostly performed by Mark, with the other two providing occasional backing vocals, rather than singing in unison or sharing lead vocal duties.  Yet we see all three of them mouthing the words to Mark's vocals in the videos... Hmmm.

Following a low-key single release in early 1989 with "Living for Your Love", Big Fun recorded a cover version of Carole King's "I Feel the Earth Move", produced by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, the Stock Aitken Waterman Hit Factory 'B' team.  Their version of "I Feel the Earth Move" was set to be released in the UK in June 1989, and a music video was filmed to promote it.  However, it was pulled from released after Pete Waterman saw the favourable reaction the group were receiving from the audience on tour with the Hitman Roadshow (for SAW-related acts).  Pete instead wanted to launch the group with a Stock Aitken Waterman-produced track - a cover version of The Jacksons' "Blame It on the Boogie".  Martika, of course, released her own version of "I Feel the Earth Move" (number 2, January 1990) later in 1989.

Big Fun crept into the lower region of the Australian top 40 with "Blame It on the Boogie" (number 37, December 1989), and into the top 100 with "Can't Shake the Feeling" (number 97, February 1990).  These singles, in contrast, peaked at numbers 4 and 8, respectively, in the UK.

"Handful of Promises" was the third release from the group's only album A Pocketful of Dreams (released in Australia in July 1990, failed to chart), and peaked at number 21 in the UK in March 1990.  The album - which takes its title from a chorus lyric of "Handful of Promises" - performed much better in the UK, where it reached number 7 in May 1990, and sold over 100,000 copies.

On the state charts, "Handful of Promises" performed best in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 85.

 

As with Sonia above, this track makes use of the James Brown "woo! yeah!" sample throughout.  Big Fun will join forces with Sonia for a charity single, which we will see in September.

The group released one final single from the album in the UK - but not in Australia - "Hey There Lonely Girl", which peaked at number 62 in the UK in August 1990.  This track was originally recorded by Ruby and The Romantics as "Hey There Lonely Boy".  Following this release, the group parted ways with Jive Records.

 

One thing that was kept hush at the time - so as to not potentially alienate their target teen/tween girl audience - was that Mark and Phil were a couple.  The pair would later release a cover version of The Brothers Johnson's "Stomp!", minus Jason, as Big Fun II.  Their version of "Stomp!" reached number 12 on the US Billboard Dance Chart in May 1994.

 

Something I didn't know until a few years ago is that Mark is originally from Australia!  Someone I have been in contact with via a music forum lived next door to Mark in Canberra when he was growing up.  Small world...

 

Following the demise of Big Fun and Big Fun II, Jason went into music management, managing the likes of Geri Halliwell from the Spice Girls during her solo career.  Mark and Phil split, and Phil became a painter and decorator, before running into some legal troubles involving drugs in 2017.   I have no idea what Mark is doing these days.

 

Jason sadly passed away in Brazil in April 2019, aged 51, although there is not much information available about this.

 

 

Number 142 "54-46 (That's My Number)" by Partners Rime Syndicate

Peak: number 142 

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 142

 

Here's a track I had never heard of before getting hold of these below #100 charts.  Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much about this song, other than the chorus is a reworked version of "54-46 Was My Number" by Toots & The Maytals, from 1969.  Elsewhere, this single peaked at number 119 (number 103 on the compressed chart) in the UK in November 1989.

 

 

 

Number 143 "Dançando Lambada" by Kaoma

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 143

 

I'm guessing you thought French-Brazilian band Kaoma were one-hit wonders with "Lambada" (number 5, April 1990), right?  Well, they did manage to place a second single on the ARIA chart... at number 143.  The song in question, which translates from Portuguese as 'dancing Lambada', also imaginatively contains 'lambada' in the title...

"Dançando Lambada" was a hit across Europe, reaching the top 10 in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, and the top 20 in Germany, Austria, Ireland, and the Flanders region of Belgium.  The single flopped in the UK, however, where it only reached number 62.  According to Wikipedia (no supporting reference is cited), "Dançando Lambada" topped the Brazilian chart.

This would be the last chart entry for Kaoma in Australia.  Vocalist Loalwa Braz was sadly murdered in Brazil in 2017, aged 63; her body was discovered inside a burnt-out car.

 

 

 

Number 144 "I Will Live for You" by Joe Cocker

Peak: number 134 

Peak dates: 28 May 1990 and 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Chart run: 144-134-140-134

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

We saw the late Joe Cocker in January this year, and he returned to the 101-150 region of the Australian chart with this track, the third single from his One Night of Sin (number 32, October 1989) album.  "I Will Live for You" does not appear to have charted anywhere else.

 

On the state charts, "I Will Live for You" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 101.

 

Joe will next join us in July, with a third single to peak in the 101-150 region of the ARIA chart in 1990.

 

 

Number 146 "Killer" by Adamski

Peak: number 112 

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 154-146-124-113-124-115-127-112-(off chart for 8 weeks)-145

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

As much as I like Sonia, I have to concede that this track is the best song debuting this week - in my opinion, anyway.  It seems the record-buying public in the UK held a similar view, as this track stopped Kylie Minogue's iconic "Better the Devil You Know" from reaching number 1 there.

 

"Killer" spent 4 weeks on top of the UK singles chart, and 16 weeks in the top 40, which was quite a long chart run for a single there at this point time.  "Killer" also topped the Flemish chart in Belgium, and was a top 5 hit in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland.  On this side of the globe, "Killer" nudged into the New Zealand top 30, peaking at number 29 there in August 1990.

In Australia, "Killer" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 62.

 

"Killer" started out as an instrumental track by keyboard whizz Adamski (real name Adam Tinley), originally titled "The Killer", as he felt it sounded like the soundtrack to a murder scene in a movie.  Following a chance meeting with Seal (real name Henry Samuel) at a nightclub on New Year's Eve 1989, Seal was invited to lay down vocals to some of Adamski's instrumental tracks he had been playing as a DJ.

Although Seal sang and co-wrote the song, he is not credited as a featured artist, due to Adamski's record company wanting to promote the single as solely an Adamski release.  Seal's working relationship with Adamski subsequently soured.

Seal would go on to have a successful solo career, placing two singles within the Australian top 10 - "Crazy" (number 9, April 1991), and "Kiss from a Rose" (number 1, August 1995).  Adamski placed one single within the ARIA top 100, "The Space Jungle" (number 70, November 1990), on which he performed vocals.

 

The Adamski album in which "Killer" and "The Space Jungle" are lifted from, Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy, peaked at number 144 in November 1990.

Seal would re-record "Killer" for his debut album Seal (number 22, June 1991).  It was released as the album's fourth single, peaking at number 8 in the UK in November 1991, and number 95 in Australia in December 1991.  Seal also recycled the "racism in among future kings can only lead to no good, and besides, all our sons and daughters already know how that feels" lyric from "Killer" in "Future Love Paradise" (number 46, July 1991).

"Killer" would eventually become a top 40 hit in Australia, when ATB released a version of it titled "Killer 2000" (number 33, March 2000).

We shall see Adamski next in 1991.

Number 147 "Treat Me Like a Lady" by Five Star

Peak: number 130

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-130-144-131-142

British pop group Five Star were five siblings from the same family, all with the surname Pearson.  The group placed 15 singles within the UK top 40 between 1985 and 1988, with six of those reaching the top 10.  In Australia, it was a different story, with only "System Addict" (number 66, May 1986) registering within the top 100.

It is quite surprising, then, to see that "Treat Me Like a Lady" dented the top 150, particularly considering it only reached number 54 in their homeland, in March 1990.

"Treat Me Like a Lady" was the first single - and only Australian release - from the album Five Star.

The group would release another single in Australia, "Shine", in 1992, but it did not make the top 150.

Number 149 "Have a Heart" by Bonnie Raitt

Peak: number 149

Peak dates: 21 May 1990 and 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-149

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Last week, Bonnie Raitt made her first appearance in the top 150, and here she is a mere week later with the third single from her Nick of Time (number 58, April 1990) album.

"Have a Heart" was a middling success for Bonnie in her native US, where it peaked at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1990.  "Have a Heart" was the theme song for the 1990 movie Heart Condition, from which several clips are used in the music video below.

On the ARIA state charts, "Have a Heart" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 58.

Listening to this track for the first time as I write this, I can't help but hear a similarity in the backing music to James Reyne's "One More River" (number 22, August 1989), though I am sure it is coincidental.

Bonnie will join us next in 1994.

Number 150 "Message" by Go 101

Peak: number 131

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 150-131-132-135-139-138-141-138 

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Australian band Go 101 scored minor success in 1988 when their debut single "Build It Up" reached number 55 in September 1988.  Two further singles also made the ARIA top 100: "Room for Love" (number 88, March 1989) and "Jealous Heart" (number 66, November 1989).

 

"Message" was the fourth and final single from the band's only album Tempting Fate (number 73, November 1989).  Interestingly, the song was titled "Message (To a Broken Heart)" on the album, but not on the single sleeve.  The song was remixed for its single release, but only the album version, embedded below, is available on YouTube.  On the state charts, "Message" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 102.

I didn't think I knew this song, but it sounds familiar listening to it as I write this week's post.

Although we won't see Go 101 again, their lead singer David Wilson will front another band we shall see bubble under in 1992.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 159 "Moonlight on Water" by Laura Branigan

Peak: number 159

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

As hinted in the blurb for this week's post last week, the first album I ever bought was recorded by one of this week's debuting artists.  The artist in question was Laura Branigan, and the album was Self Control (number 29, August 1984).

Between 1982 and 1988, Laura placed 9 singles within the Australian top 100, with 4 of those reaching the top 10.  "Gloria" (number 1, February 1983) went all the way to number one, for 7 weeks, becoming the third best-charting single of 1983.

Laura's last single to reach the top 40 in Australia was "Spanish Eddie" (number 24, October 1985).  Like many recording artists strongly associated with the 1980s, Laura struggled to achieve major commercial success once the 90s clocked over; although her chart career had been on the decline for most of the second half of the 80s.

 

Although she did not write the songs, Laura had the unfortunate knack of recording songs that would later go on to be big hits when recorded by other artists.  Among them are "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (although this track was written by Michael Bolton), "I Found Someone", and "The Power of Love" (the Jennifer Rush original only reached number 57 in the US).  I discovered recently that she even recorded an earlier version of "Bad Attitude", which would go on to become a top 30 hit for the Australian girl-group Girlfriend in 1992!

"Moonlight on Water" was an exception to this usual pattern of others scoring hits with Laura's flops - instead, it was a cover version of a song originally released by Kevin Raleigh in 1989.  Kevin's version peaked at number 81 in Australia in July 1989, and at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1989.  The song was co-written by Steve Kipner, who co-wrote Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" (number 1, November 1981).

In Laura's native US, "Moonlight on Water" peaked 100 places higher than it did in Australia, at number 59, in April 1990, although it would be her last Billboard Hot 100 entry.  Within Australia, "Moonlight on Water" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 132.

 

The album "Moonlight on Water" is lifted from, Laura Branigan, peaked at number 143 in Australia in June 1990.  Although Laura would have no further ARIA singles chart success, two later albums charted in Australia: Over My Heart (number 151, September 1993) and Greatest Hits (number 476, October 2007).

Laura sadly died from a brain aneurysm in her sleep in 2004, aged 52.

 

 

Number 162 "Blue Period" by The Smithereens featuring Belinda Carlisle

Peak: number 162

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We last saw The Smithereens in February 1990.

 

"Blue Period" was issued as the second and final single in Australia from their third studio album 11 (number 96, April 1990).  On this track, the band teamed up with Belinda Carlisle, whom we will see bubbling under on her own in October 1990.

 

Internationally, "Blue Period" peaked at number 99 in the UK in May 1990.  On the state charts, "Blue Period" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 125.

 

This would be The Smithereens' final single to peak outside the top 100 in Australia.  They would go on to land two further ARIA top 100 singles, with "Top of the Pops" (number 77, February 1992) and "Too Much Passion" (number 87, March 1992).  Later charting albums in Australia from The Smithereens include Blow Up (number 68, February 1992), A Date with The Smithereens (number 210, July 1994) and The Smithereens Play "Tommy"! (number 1041, June 2009).

 

 

Number 165 "96 Tears" by The Stranglers

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 21 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Between 1978 and 1986, English band The Stranglers placed five singles on the Australian top 100.  Three of those made the top 40: "Golden Brown" (number 10, May 1982), "Skin Deep" (number 11, February 1985), and "Always the Sun" (number 21, March 1987).  "Big in America" also bubbled under on the Kent Music Report's list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100, reaching fifth place on the list in April 1987.

 

"96 Tears" was the lead single from The Stranglers' tenth studio album 10 (number 142, April 1990).  The single reached number 17 in the UK in February 1990, and number 9 in Ireland during the same month.

 

I don't recall hearing this song before, and while I think it's OK (not brilliant), it's not a patch on "Always the Sun", which is one of my favourite songs of all time, even though I only know a few Stranglers singles.  I've also had a crack at trying to play "Golden Brown" on the piano, not being in possession of a harpsichord.

A second and final single from 10, "Sweet Smell of Success", was issued in Australia in May 1990, but failed to chart.  It did, however, peak at number 65 in the UK in April 1990.

Following the release of the compilation Greatest Hits 1977-1990, which oddly did not chart in Australia, the group were dropped by their record label.  The band's lead singer, Hugh Cornwell, also quit the group.  The Stranglers continued on, however, with new vocalist Paul Roberts on vocals.

Since it's extremely unlikely that I will be writing these chart recap posts once I get around to 2014 (2004 is probably a stretch, though you never know), I might as well reveal the spoiler now that The Stranglers had one later 'charting' single in Australia: "Peaches", which originally peaked at number 54 in February 1978, re-charted at number 947 (!) in April 2014.  Yes, the chart is really calculated that low... and lower, in the digital era.

 

Next week (28 May): Next week we have six new top 150-peaking debuts, and three bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

< Previous week 14 May 1990                                         Next week: 28 May 1990 >

Week commencing 14 May 1990

This week's new entries are an odd bunch.  Among them we have a band and a solo artist who started out in the 1970s but have only recently scored their first chart hits in Australia, three acts who would only score one top 150 'hit', one act who would only score one top 150 'hit' and one bubbling WAY down under 'hit', and a veteran artist who scored her biggest hits in her mid 40s.  Shall we take a look?

Tina Turner: look me in the charts!

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 139 "Wonderful Life" by The Celibate Rifles

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 4 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-139-143-138-149-143 

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

"Wonderful Life" was the third top 150-peaking 'hit' from Australian band The Celibate Rifles' Blind Ear album (number 85, July 1989), following "Johnny" in March 1989, and "O Salvation" in June 1989.  This single took its time to register in the top 150, having been released in late March 1990, as a double 7".  "Wonderful Life" was also issued on cassingle, but as this format is not currently listed on discogs, I cannot confirm that it too was a double release.

 

On the sate charts, "Wonderful Life" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 108.

The Celibate Rifles, who never scored a top 100 ARIA singles chart entry, will next grace our presence at the end of 1991.

 

 

Number 142 "Nick of Time" by Bonnie Raitt

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 14 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 142

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

American blues singer/songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt released her first album in 1971, but landed her first album on the Australian chart when Nick of Time (number 58, April 1990) crept into the ARIA top 150 albums chart in September 1989.  Eight months later, the title track - released locally in February 1990 - would belatedly scrape into the top 150 singles chart for a solitary week.

 

Nick of Time was Bonnie's tenth studio album, and was her major commercial breakthrough in the US, where it topped the Billboard 200 albums chart in April 1990, and was certified 5 times platinum.

 

"Nick of Time" was the second single from the album issued locally, released in early February 1990.  The single debuted at number 161 on 12 March 1990, but took until now to crack the top 150.  We also saw Bonnie bubble WAY down under with the album's first single in September 1989.

 

As with the album, "Nick of Time" performed stronger in the US, peaking at number 92 there in May 1990.  The single also peaked at number 67 in the Netherlands in June 1989, number 82 in the UK in April 1990, and number 73 in Germany in June 1990.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Nick of Time" peaked highest in Western Australia, where it reached number 103.

Bonnie would eventually break into the ARIA top 100 singles chart when "Something to Talk About" peaked at number 57 in November 1991.  But before then, Bonnie will join us again next week, with another track from the Nick of Time album!

Number 143 "Baby, It's Tonight" by Jude Cole

Peak: number 106

Peak date: 25 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 13 weeks 

Chart run: 143-135-123-108-117-116-106-108-112-125-110-114-130

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

 

American Jude Cole released his debut album Jude Cole in 1987.  "Baby, It's Tonight" was the lead single from his second album, A View from 3rd Street (number 114, July 1990).

I wasn't expecting to know this song, but it sounds familiar to me.  Presumably, it received some airplay in Melbourne.  Alternatively, I may have heard it on the American Top 40 radio program, as the single peaked at number 16 there in June 1990.

 

On the state charts, "Baby, It's Tonight" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 46.  The single also fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 79.  Jude would break into the ARIA top 100 singles chart in 1992 with "Start the Car" (number 59, November 1992) - his only single to do so.  Before then, Jude will bubble under again in September 1990.

 

 

Number 145 "Drag My Bad Name Down" by The 4 of Us

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 145-127-121-137-132-134-132-138

 

The 4 of Us hail from Northern Ireland.  "Drag My Bad Name Down", which peaked at number 79 in the UK in March 1990 and number 6 in Ireland, was their sole ARIA top 150 entry.  This one is another that I must have heard at the time, despite not recognising the artist name or song title, as it sounded familiar to me when I picked up a VHS compilation it was on around 2012.

Number 146 "Going Back to My Roots" by FPI Project featuring Sharon Dee Clarke

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-148-(out for 2 weeks)-143

 

Despite seeing this title listed in the UK chart in imported pop magazine Number One at the time, I don't think I've actually heard this track before.  Instantly recognisable is the James Brown "woo! yeah!' sample that was ubiquitous on dance tracks around this time.

 

This track was released as "Rich in Paradise" or "Going Back to My Roots "Rich in Paradise"" in most European countries, but the title was pared back to just "Going Back to My Roots" on the Australian pressing.  To add to the confusion, there were two versions of the track released - one with vocals by Sharon Dee Clarke, as embedded below, and one which was more instrumental in nature, with vocals by Paolo Dini (I assume the latter was the "Rich in Paradise" version).

 

Sharon Dee Clarke would later go on to sing for Nomad, whose biggest hit was "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (number 37, August 1991), and whom we will see bubble under next year.

 

"Going Back to My Roots" was originally recorded by Lamont Dozier in 1977.  This version of the track peaked at number 9 in the UK in January 1990, and also reached the top 10 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

 

Number 147 "Gotta Lambada" by Absolute
Peak: number 147

Peak date: 14 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 147

 

The risqué lambada dance, originating in Brazil, was a brief 'craze' in Australia and elsewhere at the end of the 1980s/early 1990, thanks to Kaoma's "Lambada" (number 5, April 1990), which showcased the dance in the music video.

 

To cash in on the fad, two movies about the lambada - Lambada: Set the Night on Fire and The Forbidden Dance - were filmed.  "Gotta Lambada" was recorded for the former.  However, unlike the Kaoma track, "Gotta Lambada" sounds more like a generic early 90s US r&b pop track than something originating from Brazil.

 

We will see another lambada-related track bubble under next week.

Number 149 "Look Me in the Heart" by Tina Turner

Peak: number 111

Peak date: 4 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-(out for 1 week)-135-111-116-128-135-118-(out for 3 weeks)-148

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Up until this point, Tina Turner, real name Anna May Bullock, placed 15 solo singles on the Australian top 100 chart, including two duets (not with Ike), and two number ones.

 

"Look Me in the Heart" was issued as the fourth and final single in Australia from Tina's Foreign Affair album (number 15, October 1989), following "The Best" (number 4, October 1989), "Steamy Windows" (number 34, January 1990), and "I Don't Wanna Lose You" (number 59, February 1990).

Tina previously had two solo singles released locally that missed the top 100: "Show Some Respect" (February 1985), which reached first place on the Kent Music Report 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list in March 1985, and "Two People" (November 1986).

"Look Me in the Heart" fared better in France, where it reached number 44 in March 1990, and in the UK, where it peaked at number 31 in August 1990.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Look Me in the Heart" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 88.  Despite missing the top 100 nationally, "Look Me in the Heart" peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with  New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory being the only exception.

Tina will next visit us in late 1991 - an unusual pattern that seems to be emerging this week.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 151 "Love Don't Come Easy" by The Alarm

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 14 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Welsh band The Alarm bubbled under in October 1989, and here they are with their second - and final - appearance on the Australian singles chart, with another track from their Change album (number 155, December 1989).

"Love Don't Come Easy" performed better in the UK, peaking at number 48 there in February 1990.

Next week (21 May): A bumper week with ten new top 150 entries and three bubbling WAY down under debuts, including one from the artist who released the first album I ever bought.

< Previous week: 7 May 1990                                               Next week: 21 May 1990 >

Week commencing 18 September 1989

This week in 1989 there were nine new entries peaking between number 101 and number 150.  This would hold the record for the largest number of debuts for any week of 1989, if not for the first top 150 singles chart ever produced, on 30 January 1989, which saw 23 new entries.

A loose lyrical theme running through this week's debuts is being free with your 'love'.  Whether that's busting moves at your best friend's wedding, being flippant about the name of the person you're writing a love song about, or stating explicitly (in quite a literal sense!) what you want to do to your 'lover', it's all here this week.  Let's take a look...

Young MC was not quite 'bustin'' on the ARIA chart in 1989.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 119 "This Feeling" by Sam Brown 

Peak: number 115

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 119-115-125-124-138-136

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Released as the third single from Sam's debut album Stop! in Europe, "This Feeling" stalled at number 91 in the UK in August 1988. The single had greater, albeit moderate, success in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, and the Netherlands, where it peaked at numbers 23 and 32, respectively, in November 1988. Sam then scored her biggest hit with the re-issue issue of "Stop!" in early 1989.

In Australia, "This Feeling" was Sam's fourth single, following "Walking Back to Me" (released April 1988, failed to chart), "Stop!" (number 4, May 1989) and "Can I Get a Witness?" (number 17, August 1989).  The track features a guitar solo from David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

I remember seeing the "This Feeling" single in the shops, but never heard the song or caught the video anywhere at the time; so, presumably, its success was hindered by a lack of promotion. It's a shame, as "This Feeling" is actually my favourite Sam Brown song, and I think it deserved a lot better. "This Feeling" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it peaked at number 86. Sam will pay us another visit in 1990.

 

 

Number 127 "Be Free with Your Love" by Spandau Ballet 

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Chart run: 152-127-110-115-115-124-122-124

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

In Australia, Spandau Ballet's greatest success came in 1983, where they scored back-to-back top 10 hits with "True" (number 4, September 1983) and "Gold" (number 9, November 1983).  In total, the group amassed ten top 40 hits in Australia between 1981 and 1986, with their final top 100 chart entry being "Raw" (number 79, October 1988). "Be Free with Your Love" was the belated follow-up to "Raw", and was the second single lifted from their Heart Like a Sky album (number 115, October 1989). The single had greater, albeit modest, success in their native UK, where it peaked at number 42 in September 1989.

 

In Australia, "Be Free with Your Love" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 91 on the state chart.  The single peaked within the top 100 on all of the state charts other than New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it peaked at number 106.

 

I don't recall hearing this one before, but I like it.

 

Spandau Ballet will join us again in 1991.

Number 139 "Bust a Move" by Young MC 

Peak: number 139 (in 1989); number 1 (in 1990)

Peak dates: 18 September 1989 (1989 chart run); 22 October 1990 (1990 chart run)

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks (in 1989); 29 weeks (1989 and 1990-1991 chart runs combined)

Top 150 chart run: 139-(out for 6 weeks)-149

Re-entered 16 July 1990: 143-95-47-46-40-30-22-25-15-12-7-4-4-2-1-2-3-4-6-18-36-50-66-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-68-75

Weeks on chart: 33 weeks (1989 and 1990-1991 chart runs combined)

I know some of you reading this might be thinking, "Isn't this blog supposed to be about flops that missed the top 100?" Well, yes, that is its raison d'être, but I will also write about singles that flopped upon their initial release (or later re-release, after once being a hit), such as this one from Young MC.

"Bust a Move" was the second release for Young MC (real name Marvin Young) in Australia, following the 12" vinyl-only release of "Know How" in May 1989. Issued locally in early July 1989, "Bust a Move" took just over two months to dent the top 150. Despite the initial lack of success, Young MC had co-written both of Tone Lōc's 1989 hits, "Wild Thing" (number 15, May 1989) and "Funky Cold Medina" (number 8, August 1989). "Bust a Move" had greater success in the US, where it peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1989.

I caught the "Bust a Move" music video at least twice on Countdown Revolution in 1989, and even recall someone at school reciting the "she's dressed in yellow, she says hello" couplet at the time, so I am not sure why "Bust a Move" flopped the first time around - other than because, as I have previously written, rap generally didn't do that well on the Australian singles chart during its 1980s heyday.  Of course, "Bust a Move" would go on to top the ARIA singles chart in October 1990, after being re-released. Young MC will join us again in 1991.

Number 141 "Regina" by The Sugarcubes 

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 18 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 141

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

The Sugarcubes were a group I remember hearing and reading about at the time, but wasn't aware of them until taking note of lead singer Björk's solo career in 1993. Somehow, the group's non-charting single "Birthday" (released in Australia in September 1988) had filtered its way through to me, but I never knew what the song was called or who it was by at the time. The lead single from their Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! album (number 105, October 1989), "Regina", conversely, completely passed me by. Listening to it now, "Regina" doesn't seem particularly chart-friendly, and indeed, the only other major chart it registered on was in the UK, where it peaked at number 55 in September 1989.

 

In Australia, "Regina" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 106 on the state chart.

 

The only other charting single The Sugarcubes had in Australia was "Hit" (number 76, March 1992).

Number 142 "Hump Music" by No Face 

Peak: number 132 (in 1989); number 64 (in 1990)

Peak dates: 2 October 1989 (1989 chart run); 30 April 1990 (1990 chart run)

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks (in 1989); 13 weeks (1989 and 1990 chart runs combined)

Top 150 chart run: 142-(out for 1 week)-132-(out of chart for 3 weeks)-147-145

Re-entered 12 March 1990: 142-147-138-122-68-73-74-64-72

Another rap track that didn't crossover into the mainstream in 1989, but did a little bit better in 1990, was "Hump Music" by No Face. Although, in this instance, it's understandable why this didn't become a major chart hit (or is it?), given the more... overtly sexual nature of the lyrics, with lines such as "Girl, I'll f**k you, give me p*ssy now", "suck my d*ck all night long" and "I'll f*ck you, I'll dump you, I'll suck you". Ooh er Missus!  Nevertheless, "Hump Music" got a second lease of life on the ARIA chart, where it re-entered in March 1990, and peaked at number 64 at the end of April 1990.

Number 143 "Kid Ego" by Extreme 

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-138-148

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Like most Australians, I'd never heard of Extreme until their breakthrough hit, "More Than Words" (number 2, August 1991); an acoustic ballad that was nothing like their typical sound. Released as the band's second single in the US, but their first in Australia, the glam metal "Kid Ego" peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (which doesn't count as a real chart in my book), and appears to have not charted anywhere else other than New Zealand, where it peaked at number 13 in August 1989. Lifted from the album Extreme (number 97, August 1989), "Kid Ego" performed better on the Australian Music Report chart, where it peaked at number 93. On the state charts, "Kid Ego" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 79. We will next see Extreme in 1993.

Number 145 "Song for Whoever" by The Beautiful South 

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 18 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

The Beautiful South were a band I remember reading about in UK Smash Hits-rival magazine Number One, which I read regularly in 1989 and 1990 (before my local newsagent stopped stocking it). I never heard any of their music though until "A Little Time" became a minor hit locally (number 72, May 1991) - and, in fact, their only top 100 single in Australia. Formed from the remnants of The Housemartins, whose biggest and only real hit in Australia was their version of "Caravan of Love" (number 24, June 1987), "Song for Whoever" was The Beautiful South's debut single. The track, lifted from their Welcome to the Beautiful South album, peaked at number 2 in the group's native UK in July 1989.

 

I didn't hear this track until 2007, when it became one of my favourite 'new' music discoveries that year. Known as the "music man" with a stash of music at the ready at a former job, someone once asked me to put some music on when a 'colleague' announced that she eloped on an overseas holiday during a staff meeting. The nearest thing I could grab was a CD-R (how quaint) with this on it as track 1. I'm not sure how well lines like "I love you from the bottom of my pencil case" fit the occasion, but it's not like anyone was really listening. Still, I think it was a more-fitting song than the one the requester had suggested - Billy Idol's "White Wedding" (do people not listen to the lyrics?!).

On the state charts, "Song for Whoever" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it
peaked at number 114. We shall see The Beautiful South again in 1990.

Number 147 "I'm Every Woman (Remix)" by Chaka Khan 

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 18 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 147

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Despite having name recognition, Chaka Khan only had two solo top 100-charting singles in Australia - those being the original version of "I'm Every Woman" (number 27, March 1979), and "I Feel for You" (number 4, December 1984). Even with her group Rufus, they only managed to score one Australian top 100 'hit' - "Tell Me Something Good" (number 64, November 1974). Despite Chaka's relative lack of success, this 1989 remix of "I'm Every Woman", lifted from the remix album Life Is a Dance - The Remix Album (number 143, July 1989), managed to register on our chart - albeit in the lower reaches of the top 150. This version of "I'm Every Woman" performed much better in the UK, where it peaked at number 8
for two weeks in May 1989.

We will next see Chaka as a featured artist in 1990, and on her own in 1992.

Number 150 "Some Hearts" by Marshall Crenshaw 

Peak: number 140

Peak date: 16 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 150-144-(out for 1 week)-150-140-148

Before getting hold of these charts, I had never heard of Marshall Crenshaw, who hails from the US. Marshall had previously placed one single in the Australian top 100, "Someday, Someway" (number 57, December 1982). "Some Hearts" was written by Diane Warren, and was originally offered to Belinda Carlisle, who recorded a demo for her 1987 Heaven on Earth album, but it did not evolve beyond the demo stage. Interestingly, this song did not chart anywhere else.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 152 "Some People" by E.G. Daily 

Peak: number 152

Peak date: 18 September 1989

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Now here's someone I had heard of before... unknowingly, as the voice of Tommy Pickles on the Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats - a show I used to sometimes watch in 1996 to wind down from a day of my final year of high school. But long before then, E.G. (real name: Elizabeth Ann Guttman) had a brush with fame playing 'Patti', the 17 year-old teenage runaway who later gave birth to a 10 lb. baby boy, in Rod Stewart's "Young Turks" (number 3, March 1982) music video. In between being a dancer in music videos and a voiceover actress, E.G. tried her hand at being a pop star. While she never achieved massive success in her recording career, E.G. did score a top 20 hit in Belgium, the Netherlands and New Zealand, with "Say It, Say It" in 1986.

Elizabeth also recorded a track with Stock Aitken Waterman, "Mind Over Matter", released overseas in 1987 to promote the film Summer School.  In Australia, "Mind Over Matter" had a belated release in July 1988, and whilst it peaked at number 44 on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart in September 1988, it did not chart nationally on the ARIA chart (probably because the chart ended at number 100 in 1988).  "Mind Over Matter" did, however, reach number 84 on the Australian Music Report chart.  Interestingly, Stock Aitken Waterman originally recorded "Mind Over Matter" with Deborah Harry, but it was shelved, and remains unreleased to this day.

After that long introduction, let's take a look at the track at hand. "Some People" was released as the lead single from the album Lace Around the World. While it reached number 33 on the US Dance chart (not a real chart, according to me), the single failed to chart anywhere else.

In Australia, "Some People" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 104.

 

 

Number 153 "Thing Called Love" by Bonnie Raitt

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 18 September 1989

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

American Bonnie Raitt had been releasing albums since 1971, but "Thing Called Love", from her tenth studio album Nick of Time (number 58, April 1990), was her first single to register on the Australian chart.

 

The Nick of Time album was also Bonnie's major commercial breakthrough in the US, where it topped the chart and was certified quintuple platinum.  That being said, "Thing Called Love" did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, despite later singles from the album doing so.

Elsewhere, "Thing Called Love" peaked at number 86 in the UK in June 1990, and number 66 in the Netherlands in September 1990.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Thing Called Love" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it peaked at number 125.

Listening to "Thing Called Love" as I write this, I can't help but think that it might have been a much bigger hit if it had've been released a couple of years later, when the popularity of blues-twinged music seemed to take off in Australia.  The song is certainly catchy.

 

Bonnie will break into the ARIA top 150 single chart in May 1990, twice!

 

 

Next week (25 September): Another six new top 150 entries, and two bubbling WAY down under debuts. Among them, we have the first charting song about the drug ecstasy, and the last chart entry from a duo who were nudging the top of the charts earlier in the year. You can also follow my posts on facebook and instagram.

< Previous week: 11 September 1989                            Next week: 25 September 1989 >