Week commencing 4 January 1993

Welcome to 1993!   What were you doing that year?  1993 was an eventful year for me.  I was in year 9 at high school and officially entered adolescence.  At the time, I didn’t think 1993 was that great a year for chart music - there seemed to be many hangover songs from late 1992 clogging up the charts for the first few months of the year, and a dearth of female lead vocal songs in the top 50.  In retrospect, there was a lot of new music I enjoyed from 1993; just most of it didn’t chart so well in Australia!  But that’s what this blog is about: exploring the music that didn’t perform so well on the Australian chart.

The first chart survey of 1993 sees a number of veteran acts who had been around since at least the 1970s debuting.

 

I have updated a bunch of earlier posts:

 

* 31 July 1989 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Baby Ford; 

* 7 August 1989 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Carole King;

* 5 March 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Van Morrison;

* 12 March 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Rita MacNeil;

* 2 July 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Eric Clapton;

* 11 February 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Grand Plaz; 

* 18 February 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Yazoo;

* 16 March 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Rita MacNeil.

Deborah Harry would probably feel blue over this chart position.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 135 “That’s the Way God Planned It” by The Party Boys

Peak: number 132

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 135-132-133-136-140

We last saw Aussie band The Party boys in 1989.  Since then, they scored a minor hit with their version of "Do-Wah-Diddy" (number 81, September 1990).

"That's the Way God Planned It", a cover of the Billy Preston song which peaked at number 22 in Australia on the Go Set chart in September 1969, was recorded to raise money for charity - I remember seeing a TV commercial featuring the song at the time, but can't remember now which charity it was for.  Clearly, not much money was raised, given that this single stalled at number 132!

The single, featuring Jon 'Swanee' Swan - whom we saw bubble under in 1990 - on lead vocal, was released in September 1992 and took almost four months to dent the top 150.

This was The Party Boys' final single.

Number 145 “All Alone on Christmas” by Darlene Love

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

American R&B singer and actress Darlene Love, real name Darlene Wight, was the lead singer in the female vocal trio The Blossoms.  She previously landed one entry on the Australian chart, all the way back in 1963, with "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry", which peaked at number 78.

"All Alone on Christmas" appears on the soundtrack album for the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which was also issued as Home Alone Christmas (number 148, January 1993).  The single peaked at number 31 in the UK in December 1992, and at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1993.  "All Alone on Christmas" also peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart in January 1993.

Darlene would finally crack the ARIA top 50 in 2023 with another Christmas song, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)", which was recorded in 1963 and, to date, has peaked at number 26 in December 2024.

Number 148 “Summertime Blues” by Deborah Harry

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 148-138-141-140-(out for 1 week)-150

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

We last saw Deborah Harry in 1991.

 

"Summertime Blues" is a cover version of the Eddie Cochran song from 1958, which peaked at number 18 in Australia.  Deborah's version was recorded for the That Night soundtrack, and appears to have only been released as a single in Australia, where it performed strongest on the Queensland state chart, reaching number 109.

I remember catching the music video for this track on rage as a new release in late 1992.

We'll next see Deborah in October 1993.

Number 149 “Happy Valley” by Richard Clapton

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 149-139-125-137-110-122-125-136

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

 

We last saw Australian singer-songwriter Richard Clapton in 1989.  "Happy Valley" was the lead single from Richard's tenth studio album Distant Thunder (number 37, July 1993).

 

On the state charts, "Happy Valley" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 81.

I hadn't heard this one before.  I didn't mind it; the female backing vocals were good.

Richard will join us again in August 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 186 “I Still Believe in You” by Cliff Richard 

Peak: number 176

Peak date: 25 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks 

'Sir' Cliff last joined us in 1991.

 

Christmas time in this era often meant a new Cliff Richard single was released.  "I Still Believe in You" was the lead single from Cliff's imaginatively-titled 31st (!) studio album, The Album (number 72, May 1993).

Internationally, "I Still Believe in You" peaked at number 7 in the UK in December 1992, and at number 18 in Ireland in December 1992.

In Australia, "I Still Believe in You" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 160 on the state chart.

Cliff will join us next in July 1993.

 

Number 188 “Oh No Not My Baby” by Cher

Peak: number 188

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Pop veteran Cher last paid us a visit in 1991.

 

"Oh No Not My Baby", a cover version of the Maxine Brown song from 1964, was written by Carole King and Geoffrey Goffin, who also wrote "The Loco-Motion" for Little Eva (which was of course later covered by Kylie Minogue, among others).  Cher's version was issued as the first 'new' single to promote her Cher’s Greatest Hits: 1965-1992 (number 48, December 1992) compilation.

 

Internationally, Cher's version of "Oh No Not My Baby" peaked at number 33 in the UK in November 1992, number 52 in Germany in January 1993, number 30 in Austria in January 1993, and number 19 in Switzerland in February 1993.

 

Locally, "Oh No Not My Baby" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 162 on the state chart.

I recall hearing a snippet of this track as a preview on Take 40 Australia, but hadn't heard the full song until writing this post.  It's not among Cher's best.

Cher will join us next in April 1993.

Next week (11 January): Five top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous chart: 14 December 1992                   Next week: 11 January 1993 >

Week commencing 25 November 1991

Before getting onto this week in 1991's new entries peaking outside the ARIA top 100, 25 November 1991 is a memorable day for me, for being the day that Freddie Mercury's (the lead singer from Queen, if you live under a rock) death was announced - in Australian time, anyway.  Although I'm nothing more than a very casual Queen fan, the announcement of Freddie's death was one of those flashbulb memory moments for me, where you remember where you were when you heard the news.

 

November 25 in 1991 was also a curriculum day for me at school (yes, I sometimes remember these things...), and the day I also bought my first various artists compilation album on CD, 100% Hits Volume 2.

 

Now, onto the next batch of singles peaking outside the top 100.  As with last week, they all feature male lead vocals.

 

Pet Shop Boys: an apple a day keeps the... hits at bay?

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 105 "Radio Song" by R.E.M.

Peak: number 105

Peak date: 25 November 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Known chart run: 158-105-116-114-118-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-123-127-119

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

American band R.E.M. formed in 1980, but would have to wait until early 1989 to land their first top 50 single in Australia, with "Orange Crush" (number 15, February 1989).

"Radio Song" was issued as the fourth single from R.E.M.'s seventh studio album Out of Time (number 4, April 1991).  It followed "Losing My Religion" (number 11, May 1991), "Shiny Happy People" (number 19, July 1991), and "Near Wild Heaven" (number 65, September 1991).

 

Internationally, "Radio Song" peaked at number 28 in the UK in November 1991, number 5 in Ireland in November 1991, and number 30 in the Netherlands in November 1991.  The song also reached number 43 on the meaningless US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in October 1991.

Within Australia, "Radio Song" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 87.

We will next see R.E.M. in 1994, and will also see lead singer Michael Stipe as an uncredited featured artist a few months prior.

Number 136 "It's Grim Up North" by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 25 November 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 136

Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty formed The KLF (possibly short for Kopyright Liberation Front) in 1987.  Under the name The Timelords, they scored a number 2 hit in Australia in 1988 with "Doctorin' the Tardis" (number 2, September 1988).

 

The KLF returned to our charts, under their own name, in November 1990, with "What Time Is Love?", which, after a slow start, peaked at number 76 in February 1991 (it would go on to peak at number 73 in October 1991 when re-issued).  They then landed back-to-back top 5 hits locally with "3 a.m. Eternal" (number 3, May 1991) and "Last Train to Trancentral" (number 5, July 1991).

 

"It's Grim Up North" was released under another KLF alter-ego, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu... furthermore known as The J.A.M.M.S. - if you were paying attention to the lyrics of "Last Train to Trancentral".

 

The single, which largely just lists cities and towns in the northern region of England, peaked at number 10 in the UK in November 1991, and number 26 in Switzerland in December 1991.

I remember catching the video for this one on Coca-Cola Power Cuts, when it aired as a half-hour program on weekday afternoons.  My first thoughts were... this is a bit weird, not in a great way, and that it's lacking a tune.  I guess that's why this one didn't become a hit in Australia.

The KLF would return with "Justified & Ancient" (number 3, February 1992), released locally in December 1991, with the unlikely pairing of country music legend Tammy Wynette on vocals.

 

We'll next see The KLF, under another guise, in 1997.

Number 137 "Rock It On" by D-Man

Peak: number 118

Peak date: 20 January 1992

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 137-131-138-135-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-136-130-118-124-129

 

D-Man was an Australian rap artist, who somehow completely passed me by at the time, and I know next to nothing about... other than (after reading the comments on the video embedded below, if they are to be believed) he has since shuffled off this mortal coil, and his name was Damien Lane.

 

Can anyone reading this shed some light on D-Man? 

"Rock It On" was D-Man's only ARIA top 150 entry.

 

 

Number 142 "DJ Culture" by Pet Shop Boys

Peak: number 130

Peak date: 2 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 142-130-131-140-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We last saw Pet Shop Boys a mere three weeks ago. 

"DJ Culture" was one of two new tracks recorded for inclusion on the Pet Shop Boys' first retrospective compilation, Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (number 6, December 1991), which was the fifth CD album I ever bought.

 

Internationally, "DJ Culture" peaked at number 13 in the UK in October 1991, number 7 in Ireland in October 1991, number 17 in Sweden in November 1991, number 19 in Germany in November 1991, and number 21 in Switzerland in November 1991.  The single, when remixed by The Grid, also reached number 13 on the US Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart in December 1991.

 

Domestically, "DJ Culture" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 92.  The single also crept into the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart, peaking at number 95 on it.

 

While Discography is one of the best 'greatest hits' albums I own, I've never been much of a fan of "DJ Culture", and would always skip it.  I find the song dull and boring, and a bit of a chore to listen to.

 

We shall next see Pet Shop Boys in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 143 "We Don't Talk Anymore" (Remix) by Cliff Richard

Peak: number 111

Peak date: 9 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-119-111-126-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-129-133

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

We last saw Cliff Richard in December 1990.

 

"We Don't Talk Anymore", originally released in 1979, peaked at number 3 in Australia in November of that year.  For this release, the track was remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow for PWL, using a live performance from From a Distance: The Event (number 21, December 1991).

Cliff had, of course, dabbled with PWL in 1989, releasing the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "I Just Don't Have the Heart" (number 100, October 1989).

Oddly, this remix of "We Don't Talk Anymore" does not appear to have charted anywhere else, missing the UK top 75.  That's because it was not released there - a reader from the UK has kindly let me know.

Within Australia, the remixed "We Don't Talk Anymore" single was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 93.

I hadn't heard this one before.  My thoughts are... it's kind of pointless.

We'll next see Cliff in 1993.

 

 

Next week (2 December): Just one new top 150 entry, but five bubbling WAY down under entries to make up for it.

 

< Previous week: 18 November 1991                                      Next week: 2 December 1991 >

Week commencing 3 December 1990

Before we dive into this week's post, I have updated the following earlier posts with newly-uncovered bubbling WAY down under entries:

 

* 2 October 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies.

* 6 August 1990 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies.

* 26 November 1990 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies. 

Now onto this week in 1990... we have another mixed bag, including a song from a two-years-old album that would not reach its peak on the Australian albums chart until 2015 (!), two obscure Australian artist songs that were not on YouTube until I uploaded them for this post, a song from the 1960s by an artist who had been dead for almost 20 years, and the first failed comeback attempt from a teen-pop idol who was ruling the charts just two years prior.  Phew!  Let's take a look.

 

Johnny Gill: it took 3 years for him to learn how to rub the Australian record buying public the right way.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 141 "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A.

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 141-(out for 1 week)-148-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

 

While rap was finally enjoying a commercial breakthrough on the Australian singles chart in 1990, the harder-edged style of rap as delivered by N.W.A. was still largely an underground phenomenon.  Nonetheless, N.W.A. placed two singles on the ARIA top 100 in 1990, with "100 Miles and Runnin'" breaking into the top 40.

"Gangsta Gangsta" appeared on N.W.A.'s seminal 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton, which eventually peaked at number 8 on the Australian albums chart in September 2015, after originally peaking at number 51 in July 1990.

 

Internationally, "Gangsta Gangsta" peaked at number 70 in the UK in September 1990.

On the Australian Music Report singles chart, "Gangsta Gangsta" reached number 84.

We will see two members of N.W.A., Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, bubble under in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

 

 

Number 142 "Fairweather Friend" by Johnny Gill

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 142-(out of chart for 5 weeks)-155

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

American teen pop boy band New Edition landed a top 10 hit in Australia with "Candy Girl" (number 10, August 1983).  Johnny Gill joined New Edition in 1987, following the departure of Bobby Brown, more than three years after the group landed their second Australian top 100 single, with "Popcorn Love" (number 73, November 1983).  New Edition landed no charting singles or albums during Johnny Gill's original tenure with them, from 1987 until the group split in 1990.  New Edition reformed in 1996, however, and with Johnny as part of the group, scored a number 16 single in Australia with "Hit Me Off" in October 1996.

 

As I watch the "Fairweather Friend" music video for the first time, hearing the song for the first time since early 1991, two things immediately spring to mind: 1. the production is very 'Bobby Brown'-sounding, and 2. the 1930's gangster chic wardrobe is very similar to the Pointer Sisters' "Dare Me" music video from 1985.

"Fairweather Friend" was the second single released in Australia from Johnny's second solo album titled Johnny Gill (number 110, September 1990).  The album was Johnny's first issued on Motown Records, and his third solo album.  Johnny previously released a Johnny Gill album in 1983, when he was a mere 16 years old.  "Fairweather Friend" followed "Rub You the Right Way" (number 59, September 1990).

In the US, "Fairweather Friend" was the third single from Johnny's 1990 album, where it peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1990.

Within Australia, "Fairweather Friend" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 127.

Johnny would have to wait until 1993 to score a major hit in Australia, his only one, with "The Floor" (number 6, October 1993).  Oddly, "The Floor" was a much bigger hit in Australia than anywhere else, and the only other country it reached the top 40 in was New Zealand, where it peaked at number 29 in August 1993.

Johnny will join us next in February 1991.

If watching the music video below, be aware that "Fairweather Friend" does not start until 50 seconds in.

 

 

Number 145 "From a Distance" by Cliff Richard

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 7 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Chart run: 145-123-102-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-101-104-121

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We have seen Cliff bubble under on two previous occasions, in January 1990 and April 1990.

Cliff's version of "From a Distance", a song originally recorded by Nanci Griffith in 1987, was recorded at a live concert in June 1989, released as the album From a Distance: The Event (number 21, December 1991).  Bette Midler's version of the song was number 22 on the ARIA singles chart this week in 1990, and reached a peak of number 8 in January 1991.

In Cliff's native UK, both versions of "From a Distance" debuted on the chart in the same week.  Cliff's version initially won out, peaking at number 11 in October 1990, while Bette's version stalled at number 45 during the same month.  However, Bette had the last laugh when her version climbed to number 6 in June 1991 after being re-issued.  Bette's version of the song was closely associated with the first Gulf War.

 

Elsewhere, Cliffs version of "From a Distance" peaked at number 16 in Ireland in October 1990.

 

On the state charts, Cliff's version of "From a Distance" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 63.  On the Australian Music Report singles chart, Cliff's version of "From a Distance" reached number 99 nationally.

 

Interestingly, Cliff had another single, "Saviour's Day" (number 97, December 1990), which entered the ARIA top 150 next week, before sliding into the top 100 for the Christmas week chart, fittingly.

We will next see Cliff in November 1991.

 

 

Number 147 "Fine Time" by Solange

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 50 chart run: 147

 

Solange, not to be confused with Beyoncé's sister (who was 4 at this point in time), was an Australian recording artist whom I know next to nothing about.  I had to go to the lengths of tracking down the cassette single of this release (it was only released on cassette and vinyl, through small/independent dance label Colossal Records) so that I could even hear the song, which I have embedded below.

All I can tell you about this track is that it was produced by Jumpin Jive Crew, mixed by D.L. Roland, and remixed by D.J. Fly.  "Fine Time" was recorded in Sydney.

 

Number 149 "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Maurie Fields

Peak: number 149 

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 149

 

I often think that nobody loves trashy novelty records as much as the UK, when you look at some of the questionable number one singles there over the years, including St Winifred's School Choir "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" - another song about 'grandma' - which supplanted John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" for the Christmas number one in 1980, just a few weeks after his untimely death.  Yes, really.

 

In Australia, mercifully, novelty records like the aforementioned 'song' were not usually that big.  Not usually, that is.

Here's a novelty song - and a Christmas one to boot - that was a flop, by none other than Maurie Fields, who was best known (at least to my generation) as the stand-up comedian old guy on the TV variety/light entertainment program Hey Hey It's Saturday.

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was lifted from the album Cheers (number 81, January 1991).  The song was a cover version of an Elmo & Patsy track from 1979.

Maurie passed away a week before Christmas in 1995, aged 69.

Number 150 "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

 

Jimi Hendrix is a name most people would know, even if you're not familiar with much (or any) of his music.  Jimi died in 1970, aged 27, after asphyxiating on his own vomit following a drug overdose.

 

Hit singles are not so important for an artist of Jimi's cultural capital.  Nonetheless, Jimi placed three singles on the Australian top 100 between 1969 and 1979, although none of these peaked higher than number 53.

 

"Hey Joe" is a track Jimi recorded in 1966 with his band The Jim Hendrix Experience.  The single reached number 6 in the UK in February 1967, and also made the top 10 in the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, while peaking just outside the top 20 in Germany.

"Hey Joe" was presumably re-issued to promote the Cornerstones 1967-1970 compilation album, which was released in the last quarter of 1990, but did not reach its peak of number 32 on the ARIA albums chart until August 1991.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 155 "Wherever Would I Be" by Cheap Trick

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 10 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We saw Cheap Trick bubble under in April 1989.  "Wherever Would I Be" was the second single lifted from the band's eleventh studio album Busted (number 36, September 1990).  It followed "Can't Stop Falling into Love" (number 26, September 1990).

Internationally, "Wherever Would I Be" peaked at number 50 in the US in December 1990, and number 59 in Canada.  The song was written by beige songwriter extraordinaire Diane Warren, although I don't actually mind this one, listening to it here for the first time.

We shall see Cheap Trick next in 1997; but, before then, lead singer Robin Zander will join us solo in 1993.  In the interim, Cheap Trick released a compilation, The Greatest Hits (number 170, December 1991), and another studio album, Woke Up with a Monster (number 152, May 1994).

 

 

Number 157 "Painkiller" by Judas Priest

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Despite widespread name recognition, English heavy metal band Judas Priest, formed in 1969, have only ever had one single trouble the Australian top 100!  The single in question was "Living After Midnight" (number 91, August 1980).  And if that statistic was not surprising enough, here was the band's only other top 200 single in Australia!  Although, I suppose, we do not know whether other singles may have made the top 200 on the Kent/Australian Music Report, as it was not published beyond number 100.

 

"Painkiller" was the lead single and title track from Judas Priest's twelfth studio album Painkiller (number 60, October 1990).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 74 in the UK in September 1990.

 

In Australia, "Painkiller" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 148 on the state chart.

 

I don't normally listen to metal, but am quite fond of Judas Priest's "Turbo Lover", which was released as a single in Australia in April 1986 but failed to chart.

 

While we won't see Judas Priest again, they had a number of very low-charting singles in Australia in the streaming era, between 2014 and 2023, with "Redeemer of Souls" (number 829, May 2014) being the highest-charting of those.

 

 

Number 159 "New Inside" by Tiffany

Peak: number 159

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

Tiffany landed three top 15 hits in Australia with her first three singles released locally: "I Think We're Alone Now" (number 13, January 1988), "Could've Been" (number 8, June 1988) and "I Saw Him Standing There" (number 10, June 1988).  But then it was all downhill, with none of her later singles peaking higher than number 65.  We first saw Tiffany bubble under in March 1989.

It was a similar story on the albums chart, with Tiffany (number 6, June 1988) reaching the top 10, while the follow-up, Hold an Old Friend's Hand (number 56, January 1989), stalled outside the top 50.

"New Inside" was the title track from Tiffany's third album New Inside (number 142, November 1990).  As a sign of how over Tiffany was by 1990, the single actually did not chart anywhere else.

 

I remember reading about "New Inside" in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine, where either the album or single (possibly both) were reviewed, but I never heard the track... until now.  The song marks a change in sound for Tiffany, as it is much more r&b-sounding than her previous releases.

 

If I remember correctly, Tiffany was supposed to be dating Jonathan Knight (who was outed as a gay man in 2009) from New Kids on the Block around this time.  Dating a teen heartthrob is one way to get yourself hated by your target audience of tween and teenage girls.

 

If a music video for "New Inside" exists, it does not appear to have found its way to YouTube.  Instead, the video I have embedded below is a German TV performance - though the song does not begin until around 30 seconds in.

 

Tiffany will next join us in 1993.

 

 

 

Next week (10 December): Seven top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

< Previous week: 26 November 1990                                   Next week: 10 December 1990 >

Week commencing 9 April 1990

I can't identify a common thread running through this week's new entries, so let's just jump straight in.

 

They Might Be Giants roost on the charts this week.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number  135 "Into My Life" by Colin Hay Band

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 23 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 135-134-117-129-141-132-141-150

 

Formerly the lead singer of Men At Work, whose biggest hit "Down Under" (number 1, December 1981) remains an iconic song about Australia, Colin Hay embarked on a solo career following the band's demise in 1986.  Released under the name of Colin James Hay (why, I am not sure), Colin's first - and only - solo foray into the Australian top 100 singles chart came in 1987, with his debut solo release "Hold Me" (number 40, March 1987).

 

Now recording under the name of Colin Hay Band, "Into My Life" was the first release from the album Wayfaring Sons (number 118, April 1990).  In case you were wondering, the other members of the Colin Hay Band were Gerry Hale, Paul Gadsby, and Robert Dillon.  The band released two other singles from the album, "Wayfaring Sons" in July 1990, and "Storm in My Heart" six weeks later in August 1990, but neither single dented the top 150.

 

 

Number 138 "Darlin' Please" by Weddings, Parties, Anything

Peak: number  136

Peak date: 7 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Chart run: 138-141-144-145-136

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

We saw Weddings, Parties, Anything back in September 1989 with "Streets of Forbes", and here they are with the third single from their The Big Don't Argue album (number 58, October 1989).  In between "Streets of Forbes" and this one, "The Wind and the Rain" was issued as a single in November 1989, but failed to chart.  Unfortunately, whoever is behind the band's official YouTube channel has done a total botch job, and the (audio only) video uploaded to it titled "Darlin' Please" actually contains the audio for "The Wind and the Rain"... and (you guessed it) the video titled "The Wind and the Rain" is actually something else.  Oh dear.

So, instead, I have had to go to the drastic lengths of creating my own (audio only) 'video' for "Darlin' Please", after sourcing the audio from... shall we say, 'elsewhere', just so you (and I, for the first time) can hear it.

We will next see Weddings, Parties, Anything in November 1990.

Number 139 "Birdhouse in Your Soul" by They Might Be Giants

Peak: number 125

Peak date: 30 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 139-130-131-125-127-131-126

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We saw They Might Be Giants back in April 1989 with their first single to chart nationally in Australia, and here they are a year later with the lead single from their third album, Flood (number 99, May 1990).  Probably a bit too quirky for mainstream US success, "Birdhouse in Your Soul" became a major hit for the American group in the UK, where it peaked at number 6 in April 1990.  The single also peaked at number 12 in Ireland, but, unfortunately, this success was not replicated elsewhere.

Bordering on novelty (but hey, there's nothing wrong with that in my book), I tend to agree with a description of They Might Be Giants I read many years ago - that they make kindergarten music for adults.  Music nerds might be interested to know that this song contains no fewer than 18 (!) key changes.

I first learnt of this song's existence through seeing it listed on the UK chart in British pop magazine Number One, which would arrive in Australia about 3 months after its publication date.  I remember thinking to myself, "That's an interesting song title."  I am not 100% certain, but I think I may have caught the video once on rage before the top 50 started, early one Saturday morning.  To my ears, it sounds like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" should have been a much bigger hit locally - it probably suffered from a lack of mainstream exposure.

 

On the State charts, "Birdhouse in Your Soul" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 73.  It also reached number 76 in Western Australia, but missed the top 100 on the remaining three state charts.

They Might Be Giants will grace us with their presence again in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 140 "Stronger Than That" by Cliff Richard

Peak: number 140

Peak date: 9 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Chart run: 140-144

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

"Stronger Than That" was the fourth and final single released from Cliff's Stronger album (number 16, April 1990), and the second, following "Lean on You" in January 1990, to peak within the 101-150 region of the ARIA singles chart.  None of the singles lifted from the album peaked higher than number 59 in Australia.  We last saw Cliff in March 1990.

"Stronger Than That", as you might expect, fared much 'stronger' in Cliff's native UK, where it peaked at number 14 in March 1990.

 

On the state charts, "Stronger Than That" performed equally-strongest in Victoria/Tasmania and Queensland, where it reached number 125.

Cliff, who is now 80, was a mere 49 when this energetic music video - showing him performing some choreographed moves with an ensemble of back-up dancers (one of which I think I've spotted in a Sinitta video) - was shot.  The video also displays some nifty shoulder-dancing by the backing dancers, from 0:11 to 0:16, which is well worth checking out.

Cliff will visit us again in December.

 

 

 

Number 143 "Natural Thing" by Innocence

Peak: number 116 

Peak date: 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-(out for 1 week)-149-(out for 9 weeks)-145-116-142-135

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Innocence were a British quartet consisting of production trio Jolley/Harris/Jolley and frontwoman Gee Davis.   The group's sound - based on my impression from listening to their singles - was at the more laid-back or 'downtempo' end of electronic music.  The kind of thing you might put on at the end of the day to help you unwind and relax, rather than to get you boogieing on the dance floor.

The group released two studio albums and notched up six UK top 40 singles between 1990 and 1992, with "Natural Thing" being the biggest of those, peaking at number 16 in the UK in March 1990.  In Australia, Innocence peaked 100 places lower with this, their debut single.  Sadly, the group would never dent the ARIA top 100.  That being said, Innocence would achieve consistent top 200 'success' locally throughout their brief recording career.  While that may sound unimpressive, it's not too bad, considering that I - someone who has a penchant for music that flopped in Australia from this period - had never heard any of their music at the time.

While "Natural Thing" spent an unremarkable six weeks in the top 150 (which is about average for a single that missed the top 100), those six weeks were spread across three and a half months.  The single did not peak in Australia until July 1990.

"Natural Thing" was lifted from the album Belief (number 115, February 1991).  Despite its low peak, Belief performed a similar feat to "Natural Thing", racking up 24 weeks in the top 150 over a seven-month span, between December 1990 and July 1991, and spending 26 weeks on the chart in total.

On the ARIA state charts, "Natural Thing" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 84.

We shall next see Innocence in 1991.

Number 147 "The Heart of the Matter" by Don Henley

Peak: number 127

Peak date: 16 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 147-127-140-131-139-138

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Eagles singer-gone-solo Don Henley visited us back in November 1989, and returns with either the third or fourth single from his The End of the Innocence album (number 40, August 1989).  I say 'either' the third or fourth single because "New York Minute" is listed in the Australian Music Report new releases schedule in November 1989 - a mere three weeks after the "The Last Worthless Evening" single - and on CD single format only, which is highly unusual for 1989.  I don't know what to make of that.

I also don't know what to make of this song, as it seems that all studio versions of it are blocked on YouTube (so I have resorted to embedding a live version).

 

"The Heart of the Matter" peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1990. 

On the ARIA state charts, "The Heart of the Matter" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 98.

 

We will see Don again in 2000.

Number 148 "Women" by Def Leppard

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 9 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 148

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

Now we come to the final single released in Australia from a now almost-three-year-old album, Hysteria (number 1, July 1989).

 

Hysteria was released in Australia on 7 September 1987, and was something of a textbook definition of a 'slow burner', debuting at number 59 on the albums chart, and initially peaking at number 33 in October 1987.  The album took almost two years to reach its eventual peak.

The singles lifted from Hysteria in Australia were "Animal" (September 1987, peaked at number 46 in December 1987), "Hysteria" (January 1988, failed to chart), "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (May 1988, failed to chart), "Love Bites" (September 1988, peaked at number 21 in November 1988), "Armageddon It" (January 1989, peaked at number 34 in February 1989), "Rocket" (May 1989, peaked at number 15 in July 1989), "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (re-issued August 1989, peaked at number 26 in September 1989), "Hysteria" (re-issued October 1989, peaked at number 77 in November 1989), "Animal" (re-issued January 1990, peaked at number 83 in February 1990), and finally, "Women", which was released on 19 March 1990 but made its top 150 debut now.  Phew!  That's a total of ten single releases for seven different tracks from the album.  Eat your heart out Michael and Janet Jackson!

Unusually, "Women" was not issued as a single in Def Leppard's native UK, but was released in the US, Canada, and locally.  It seems that "Women" was chosen as the lead single from Hysteria in North America, as it peaked at number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1987, prior to "Animal" peaking at number 19 there in December 1987.

 

On the state charts, "Women" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 118.  "Women" also peaked on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 100.

With the Hysteria album campaign finally drawing to a close, the group had one more re-release in Australia up their sleeve before their next album was released in 1992.  "Photograph", a track from their Pyromania album (number 70, February 1984) and originally issued as a single in Australia in May 1983, was re-issued in June 1990, but missed the top 150.  "Photograph" narrowly missed the Kent Music Report top 100 singles chart in June 1983, where it placed fourth for one week on the 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list.

Def Leppard will join us again in 1994.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 151 "The Miracle" by Queen

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 9 April 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

The fifth and final single and title track from Queen's The Miracle album (number 4, June 1989) had a less-than-miraculous run on the ARIA singles chart, peaking just outside the top 150.  "The Miracle" became the third consecutive single released from the album to miss the top 100.  I suspect that a lack of promotion was largely to blame - as I hadn't heard any of the post-"Breakthru" singles from the album at the time - combined with Queen being more of an 'albums' act.

As usual, "The Miracle" performed better in the band's homeland of the UK, where it peaked at number 21 in December 1989.

One interesting thing about "The Miracle" is the music video, where the band are replaced by child imitators, and there are several different Freddie Mercury characters portrayed.  My initial thought was that this decision was probably made for the video due to Freddie's declining health, but the band appear on stage just before 4 minutes into the video to perform with their replacements.  Hmmm.

Queen will join us again in 1991.

 

 

 

Next week (16 April): Next week there are only two new top 150 debuts, but they will be joined by three new bubbling WAY down under entries.   You can also follow my posts on instagram, facebook and twitter.

 

< Previous week: 2 April 1990                                        Next week: 16 April 1990 >

Week commencing 5 March 1990

I thought that this was going to be a dull week to write about, based on my personal music tastes (I mean, I like some Duran, but this?!), but I was pleasantly surprised by one of this week's entries.  To quote the wisdom of the French woman in Kylie Minogue's "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" music video - do not be so sure.  I re-discovered a track I really like and hadn't heard in years.  One, er, other interesting thing about this week's debuts is that they are all at number 145 or below, which probably hasn't happened before.  Let's take a look at them.

 

The Triffids: decked out like this, you'd think they worked in a bank, rather than being favourite Australian indie darlings.
 

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 145 "Burning the Ground" by Duran Duran

Peak: number 145

Peak date:  5 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Chart run: 156-(off chart for 3 weeks)-145-148

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Up until this point, Duran Duran had placed 17 singles within the top 100 on the Australian charts, with the most recent of those being "All She Wants Is" (number 74, January 1989).  Eight of the band's singles had reached the top 10 in Australia, with the highest-peaking of those being "The Wild Boys" (number 3, December 1984).  However, by this point in their careers, the band were perceived as being a bit old hat, despite modernising their sound for 1988's Big Thing album (number 46, November 1988).  Duran Duran had not had a top 20 single in Australia since "Notorious" (number 17, December 1986).  Their last single, "Do You Believe in Shame?", released in Australia in July 1989, did not even chart.

So... what does a band do when their career is a bit in the doldrums?  Release a greatest hits package.  And that's exactly what Duran Duran did, issuing Decade (number 89, February 1990) towards the end of 1989.  "Burning the Ground", whose title was lifted from "Hungry Like the Wolf" (number 5, July 1982), was a megamix - of sorts - of earlier hits.  It was issued to promote the compilation, which peaked at number 5 on the band's native UK albums chart in November 1989.  "Burning the Ground" fared less well on the UK singles chart, where it peaked at number 31 in December 1989.  Oddly, "Burning the Ground" was not included on Decade.

I said that "Burning the Ground" was a megamix 'of sorts', because it consists mainly of instrumental elements of the band's hits, including "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Rio" (number 60, October 1982), "Save a Prayer" (number 56, September 1983), "The Reflex" (number 4, June 1984), "The Wild Boys", "A View to a Kill" (number 6, July 1985) and the camera shutter sound from "Girls on Film" (number 11, February 1982).  Vocal samples from "Planet Earth" (number 8, August 1981), "The Reflex", "Notorious" and "I Don't Want Your Love" (number 23, November 1988) are layered on top of this.

Duran Duran would spend a few more years in the wilderness on the Australian charts, with "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (number 59, October 1990) being the biggest hit from their 1990 studio album Liberty (number 86, October 1990).  The band would eventually have a resurgence in 1993, scoring two further top 20 hits down under.

 

We shall next see Duran Duran in 1991.

Number 147 "Save Me" by 21 Guns

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-150-129-(out for 2 weeks)-134

You may, if you're old enough, recognise 21 Guns' lead singer Andy McLean (thanks discogs - I would never have remembered his surname) from co-hosting Countdown Revolution in 1989... as part of a trio of hosts who were all a bit too enthusiastic, if you ask me.  It's doubtful you'll remember his music - that is, if you were even aware of it in the first place.  Though I do recall a later 21 Guns single, which I won't name, as I'll come to write about it in August this year.

Sounding like the kind of non-descript 'pub rock' you could hear in just about any live venue at the time, "Save Me" doesn't exactly boast a '90s' sound.  Granted, the catchy chorus redeems this one a little bit.

"Save Me" was the first of three singles lifted from the 21 Guns album (number 140, August 1990).  Nothing the band released dented the top 100.  I assume that they split soon afterwards.

Number 149 "Melt" by The Someloves

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 16 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-(out for 1 week)-132-129-128-126-119-121-124-133

The Someloves were another Australian band.  They had previously 'charted' on the Australian Music Report 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' lists (before the ARIA chart extended beyond number 100) with "Know You Now", where they reached tenth place on this list in November 1988.

 

Despite the '(1989)' tag added by the YouTube uploader of the music video embedded below, I can inform you that this single was not released until 19 February 1990.  That's about all I can tell you about this track, other than it performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 98.  The band's bass player, Christian Houllemare, died in 2014, aged 53.

I wasn't previously familiar with this one, though have a copy of the video in my collection.  The chorus is catchy.  "Melt" is lifted from the album Something Or Other (number 80, April 1990).

We will see The Someloves again in July.

Number 150 "Falling over You" by The Triffids

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

Australian band The Triffids, originating from Perth, appear to have been youth-orientated 'alternative' radio station Triple J (or Double J, as it was probably then known) darlings during the 1980s.  Accordingly, commercial success largely eluded them, although they placed four singles within the national top 100; the biggest of those being "Bury Me Deep in Love" (number 48, March 1988), which was used as the theme song for Harold and Madge's wedding on Neighbours (yes, really!  Skip to 4:25).  That's one way to shatter your 'indie' credibility...

Although it wasn't their biggest chart hit, The Triffids are probably best known for their rousing 1986 single "Wide Open Road" (number 64, April 1986).  The band last visited the ARIA singles chart with "Goodbye Little Boy" (number 83, July 1989).  Both that single and "Falling over You" were lifted from their The Black Swan album (number 52, July 1989).

OK... I have to ditch the train of thought I was on, as I now just pressed play on the video embedded below, and am having an "Oh my goooooddddddd!  It's that song!  I love that song!" moment.  I had forgotten that this song was by The Triffids... though I didn't actually know "Falling over You" at the time.

 

I discovered this song via the now sadly-defunct Home and Away: The Early Years repeats on Channel 7TWO, in June 2012 (I sourced the date from my downloads folders), on a repeat of a 1990 episode of Home and Away where this was used as background music.  The song grabbed my attention, and I paused my recording (I used to record it and view it when I got home from work, you see) to google some of the lyrics, and found it.  I don't think I had listened to the track since about 2014, so it's nice to re-discover it.   Ah, that's one of the reasons I write this blog...

Band member David McComb sings lead vocal on this track, and, sadly, he passed away in 1999 at the age of 36.  This would be The Triffids' last proper single.  Their Wikipedia discography tells me that the band released a promotional single in 2007, titled "Save What You Can".

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 155 "Whitlam Square" by Died Pretty

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw Australian band Died Pretty in April 1989.  "Whitlam Square" was issued as the lead single from the band's third studio album Every Brilliant Eye (number 79, April 1990).  "Whitlam Square" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 148.  We will next see Died Pretty in 1991.

Number 163 "Whenever God Shines His Light" by Van Morrison with Cliff Richard

Peak: number 163

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Northern Irish singer-songwriter and guitar maestro Van Morrison, real name George Ivan Morrison, began his solo career on the Australian chart in 1967.  Between then and 1990, he amassed nine top 100 singles in Australia, with "Wild Night" being the 'biggest' of those, though only peaking at number 66 in 1972 on the calculated-years-after-the-fact (so I don't consider them official charts, as they weren't published at the time) Kent Music Report charts that pre-date May 1974 (when the Kent Music Report was first published).  Van's biggest hit in Australia would come in 1993, with his solo version of "Gloria" (number 22, July 1993); originally recorded by his former band Them in 1964.  Van was last on the chart with "Have I Told You Lately" (number 93, August 1989).

"Whenever God Shines His Light", a collaboration with God-botherer Cliff Richard, was the second single from Van's nineteenth studio album Avalon Sunset (number 30, July 1989).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 89 in Canada in July 1989, number 20 in the UK in December 1989, and number 3 in Ireland in December 1989.

In Australia, "Whenever God..." performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 136 on the state chart.

We shall next see Van in October 1990, and Cliff in April 1990.

Next week (12 March): The quiet weeks continue (don't worry, we'll be making up for that soon), with just three new top 150 debuts - although they couldn't be more different from one another if they tried, and one bubbling WAY down under entry.  You can also follow my posts on instagram, facebook and twitter.

< Previous week: 26 February 1990                                    Next week: 12 March 1990 >