Week commencing 28 September 1992

Before we take a look at this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, I have updated the following earlier posts:

 

* 3 April 1989 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Chris de Burgh;

* 6 November 1989 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Chris de Burgh;

* 25 June 1990 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Chris de Burgh.

 

Toto: once big in Africa, they were now struggling to scrape into the Australian top 200 in 1992.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 122 "Tell It Like It T-I-Is!" by The B-52's

Peak: number 120

Peak date: 19 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 122-126-132-120-130-146

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We last saw American band The B-52's in 1989.

"Tell It Like It T-I-Is!" was the second single lifted from the band's sixth studio album Good Stuff (number 36, July 1992), following the title title track "Good Stuff" (number 56, July 1992).  Since their 1989-90 comeback success with the Cosmic Thing (number 1 for three weeks in January 1990) album, band member Cindy Wilson took a break from the group, and would not re-join them until 1996.  Good Stuff was the only B-52's album to be recorded without Cindy.

Internationally, "Tell It Like It T-I-Is!" peaked at number 61 in the UK in September 1992.  The track also reached number 13 on the meaningless US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in September 1992.

Locally, "Tell It Like It T-I-Is!" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 91 on the state chart.

I recall hearing this one at the time, but not seeing the music video, which is somewhat boring by The B-52's usual standards.

We'll next see The B-52's in 1993.

 

 

 

Number 123 "Uh Huh Oh Yeh" by Paul Weller

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 19 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 123-122-124-121-136-148

English singer-songwriter Paul Weller came to fame as the front man of the band The Jam, who placed five singles on the Australian top 100 chart between 1981 and 1983, with "Town Called Malice"/"Precious" (number 15, May 1982) being the biggest of those.  Following The Jam's demise in 1982, Paul then formed and fronted The Style Council, whom we saw bubble under in 1989.  The Style Council landed ten Australian top 100 singles between 1983 and 1988, with "Shout to the Top" (number 8, February 1985) being the biggest of those.  The group split in 1989, and Paul then went solo.

"Uh Huh Oh Yeh" was Paul's debut solo single in Australia, although he released "Into Tomorrow" as The Paul Weller Movement in Europe in 1991.  Paul's debut album, Paul Weller (number 108, October 1992), followed suit.

Internationally, "Uh Huh Oh Yeh" peaked at number 18 in the UK in August 1992.

We shall next see Paul in 1995.

Number 132 "Felt Like a Kiss" by Honeymen

Peak: number 113

Peak date: 19 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 132-136-137-113-126-141

 

Honeymen were an Australian group, led by Sean Sennett.  "Felt Like a Kiss" was featured in the Australian soap opera E Street, which I did not watch.  Unlike other E Street spin-off/promoted acts Melissa Tkautz, Euphoria, Teen Queens, Radio Freedom and Toni Pearen, Honeymen were not able to translate the exposure from the show into a hit single, and "Felt Like a Kiss" fell short of the ARIA top 100.  It would be the group's only top 150 entry.  They released another single, "Motorbike of Love", in October 1994.

 

Number 136 "Give U My Heart" by Babyface (featuring Toni Braxton)

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 5 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 136-110-113-118-119-130

Weeks on chart: 12 weeks

We last saw American singer-songwriter and producer Babyface in 1990.

 

For this single, Babyface teamed up with Toni Braxton, whom I was not aware of until her first major solo hit in Australia, "Breathe Again" (number 2, April 1994).  "Give U My Heart" was recorded for the Boomerang soundtrack (number 29, October 1992), which also contained Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" (number 1 for four weeks in November-December 1992) and P.M. Dawn's "I'd Die Without You" (number 42, February 1993).

 

Overseas, "Give U My Heart" peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1992, and number 41 in New Zealand in October 1992.  The single also registered on several pointless Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in August 1992, number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in August 1992, number 29 on the Radio Songs chart in September 1992, number 8 on the Hip-Hop Airplay chart in September 1992, and number 32 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in October 1992.

 

Locally, "Give U My Heart" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 61.  The single performed stronger nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 82.

 

It's quite possible I heard this one on the American Top 40 radio program at the time, but if so, I have no recollection of it.

We'll next see Babyface in 1993.  While we won't see Toni bubble under with any of her solo singles, her first solo charting release in Australia, "Another Sad Love Song", initially entered the chart at number 221 at the end of August 1993, more than six months before its eventual peak of number 57 in March 1994, just as "Breathe Again" was taking off.  Toni had a couple of later low-charting singles in Australia, with "Hurt You" (number 918, September 2013) - on which Babyface also appears - and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (number 937, December 2013).  Toni also had a sting of albums that missed the top 100 locally, including Snowflakes (number 382, December 2001), More Than a Woman (number 157, February 2003), Ultimate Toni Braxton (number 207, November 2003), The Essential Toni Braxton (number 346, April 2007), Breathe Again: The Best of Toni Braxton (number 764, August 2009), Pulse (number 228, May 2010), Love, Marriage & Divorce (number 440, February 2014), and Spell My Name (number 466, September 2020).  Phew!

Number 139 "Friends & Lovers" by Clive Young

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 12 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Known chart run: 178-139-140-123-140

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We last saw Australian singer-songwriter Clive Young in 1991.

 

"Friends & Lovers" was lifted from Clive's only commercially-released solo album  (I have since learnt that that there was a shelved album in 1989, Naturally, which had a promotional release) When the World Goes 'Round (released September 1992, did not chart).  As with Clive's previous three singles, "Friends & Lovers" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 96 on the state chart.

I remember this song received some airplay in Melbourne - not that it helped its chart placing much.  This would be Clive's final chart entry.

 

 

Number 141 "Through an Open Window" by Cliffs of Dooneen

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 5 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 141-123-129-132-141

 

I can't tell you much about Cliffs of Dooneen, other than they appear to hail from Boston.  This track appeared on their 1991 album The Dog Went East, and God Went West (released in Australia in October 1992, missed the top 150), and was their only release to dent the top 150 in Australia.  I cannot find evidence of this single charting elsewhere.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 172 "Hit & Run" by Boxcar

Peak: number 172

Peak date: 28 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

Aussie electronic band Boxcar last graced our presence in 1991.

 

The original version of "Hit & Run" appeared on the band's debut album Vertigo (number 118, February 1991).  The track was remixed and released as a single to promote their remix album Revision: The Vertigo Mixes +1 (number 154, November 1992).

 

On the state charts, "Hit & Run" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 162.  I don't recall hearing this one before - I like it, though prefer the original album version to the 'Euphoric Mix' embedded below, which was the lead track on the CD single.

 

We'll next see Boxcar in the second half of 1993.  Before then, we’ll see a side project from two of the band’s members.

 

 

Number 203 "Look to the Future" by Fortran 5 featuring Larry Graham

Peak: number 203

Peak date: 28 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Fortran 5 were David Baker and Simon Leonard, who started out as I Start Counting, formed in London in 1982.  As their music evolved to become more dance-orientated, the duo changed their name to Fortran 5.

"Look to the Future" originally appeared on the debut Fortran 5 album Blues, which does not appear to have been released in Australia, in 1991, in quite a different form, with vocals by Nigel Butler.  The track was re-recorded with Larry Graham, who sang and played bass in Sly and The Family Stone, for its single release.

"Look to the Future" peaked at number 104 in the UK in August 1992.  Locally, the single performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 160.

 

This would be the only Fortran 5 release to chart in Australia.

Number 216 "Making the Perfect Man" by Chris de Burgh

Peak: number 208

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We last saw Chris de Burgh in June 1992.

"Making the Perfect Man" was issued as the second single in Australia from Chris' tenth studio album Power of Ten (number 81, June 1992).  This single missed the UK top 75, peaking at number 87 there in August 1992.

Domestically, "Making the Perfect Man" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 175.

We shall see Chris again on one more occasion, in 1994.

Number 217 "Don't Chain My Heart" by Toto

Peak: number 173

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

American rock band Toto formed in Los Angeles in 1977.  Between 1979 and 1985, they placed eight singles on the Australian top 100, with "Africa" (number 5, February 1983) being the biggest of those.  I have a distinct early childhood memory of "Africa" playing on the radio in the taxi on the way to being page boy (which I hated...) at my uncle's wedding in early 1983, when I was four years old.

 

"Don't Chain My Heart" was issued as the lead single from Toto's eighth studio album Kingdom of Desire, which was released in Australia in September 1992 but missed the top 150.  The group had a compilation album that bubbled under in 1990, however, with Past to Present 1977-1990 (number 142, July 1990). 

Internationally, "Don't Chain My Heart" peaked at number 9 in Sweden in September 1992, number 8 in Norway, number 12 in the Netherlands in September 1992, number 38 in Switzerland in October 1992, and number 35 in France in January 1993.

Locally, "Don't Chain My Heart" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 156.  This would be Toto's final single to chart in Australia, although Weezer's rendition of "Africa" would peak at number 602 in June 2018.

I have no recollection of hearing "Don't Chain My Heart" at the time.  I do recall learning of the death of Toto's drummer Jeff Porcaro in August 1992, aged 38, around this time, however, as it was announced on the American Top 40 radio show.

 

 

Next week (5 October): Three top 150 entries and five bubbling WAY down under debuts.

 

< Previous week: 21 September 1992               Next week: 5 October 1992 >

Week commencing 15 July 1991

It doesn't matter how big you are - everyone flops at some point, and we'll see that is definitely the case this week in 1991, when one of the most successful recording artists in the world - at the height of her popularity, no less - lands outside the ARIA top 100.  Shall we take a look?

 

Madonna took a 'holiday' from the ARIA top 100 this week in 1991.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 121 "When Love Comes Down" by The Slow Club

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 15 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 121-122-132-136-148

 

Australian band The Slow Club were fronted by Andrew Sefton, and also contained the lead guitarist from English band Japan, Rob Dean.  Surprisingly, Japan never landed a charting single in Australia, but their album Gentlemen Take Polaroids (number 86, March 1981) dented the top 100.  Japan's biggest hit in the UK was "Ghosts", which reached number 5 there in April 1982.

The Slow Club scored two ARIA top 50 hits with their first two releases, "Shout Me Down" (number 36, November 1990) and "Rosalie" (number 46, March 1991).

 

"When Love Comes Down" was issued as the third and final single from The Slow Club's only album World of Wonders (number 101, November 1990).  I don't recall hearing this one before.  A music video probably exists, but has not yet been uploaded online.

 

 

Number 148 "Holiday" by Madonna (re-issue)

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 22 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chat run: 148-144-150

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

This single originally peaked at number 4 on 14 May 1984, and spent 22 weeks in the top 100.

 

Madonna Ciccone made her understated debut on the Australian chart in November 1983, when "Burning Up", her second single but first Australian release, spent a solitary week at number 95.  "Burning Up", which did not chart anywhere else, would go on to reach number 13 in June 1984 following the success of the next single.  And that next single in question would be... you guessed it, "Holiday", which peaked at number 4 in May 1984.

"Holiday" was the first in a string of 20 consecutive Australian top 40 hits for Madonna, with only one of those missing the top 20.  Madonna's hit streak in Australia came to a crashing halt with "Oh Father" (number 59, January 1990), which, ironically, was the first Madonna song I really connected with.  Yes, you read that right.  Madonna's ubiquity in the 1980s put me off her a bit; she seemed inescapable.  In retrospect, I can appreciate most of Madonna's pre-"Oh Father" singles, but I really liked "Oh Father"... shame the record buying public didn't.

Madonna followed up "Oh Father" with another flop I enjoyed, "Dear Jessie", which spent two consecutive weeks at number 51 in March 1990.  Just when it seemed like Madonna's chart fortunes were waning, she quickly bounced back with one of the biggest hits of her career, "Vogue", which spent five weeks at number one in April and May 1990, becoming the third highest-selling single of 1990 in Australia.  It would, however, be Madge's last Australian number one single for a decade, and none of her other 1990s singles peaked higher than number 4 in Australia.

Madonna's first greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection (number 1, November 1990) was released towards the end of 1990, with her film Truth Or Dare (titled In Bed with Madonna in Europe and Australasia) premiering in Australia on 27 June 1991.  Madonna seemed to be the biggest pop star in the world in 1991, despite only releasing two singles that year - one of which was a re-release - and nothing else on the musical front.

 

Following the controversial music video for the lead single from The Immaculate Collection, "Justify My Love" (number 4, December 1990), the follow-up release "Rescue Me" (number 15, March 1991) was released without any promotion, and no music video - though a montage video was put together for the UK market.

The 1991 release of "Holiday" in Australia was an even more-understated affair - I was not aware of its release at the time.  In fact, I had a 'debate' with a Madonna fan over whether "Holiday" was even released here in 1991, despite there being 7", 12" and CD singles listed in The ARIA Report's weekly list of new release titles on 8 July 1991.  Of course there had to have been a local release - whether an Australian pressing or just European imports - for "Holiday" to have registered enough sales to chart in 1991; albeit lowly.

A bunch of earlier Madonna singles were issued on CD in Australia (European imports, I am assuming) on the same date as the 1991 release of "Holiday", but only "Holiday" received vinyl releases at the same time.

 

The CD single for the 1991 release of "Holiday" was titled The Holiday Collection, and contained two of Madonna's earlier hits that were excluded from The Immaculate Collection, "True Blue" (number 5, November 1986) and "Causing a Commotion" (number 7, November 1987) - although the latter is, annoyingly, titled "Causin' a Commotion" on this release.  Only Madonna could leave off international top 10 hits from her greatest hits collection!

Internationally, the 1991 release of "Holiday" peaked at number 5 in the UK in June 1991, number 3 in Ireland, number 24 in the Netherlands in July 1991, number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in July 1991, and number 37 in France in August 1991.

The 1991 issue of "Holiday" was the third time the single had reached the UK top 10, after originally peaking at number 6 there in February 1984, and at number 2 in August 1985.  That must be some kind of record - in the pre-streaming era, anyway.  Only in the UK.

Within Australia, the 1991 release of "Holiday" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 107.

Madonna will join us on a surprising number of occasions over the next two and a half years, with the next one being in February 1992.

 

Number 150 "Borrowed Love" by Bingoboys featuring Arnold Jarvis and Princessa

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 12 August 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 150-148-140-112-104-123-119-127-140

 

Austrian dance music trio Bingoboys came out of nowhere to land a number 3 hit in Australia with "How to Dance" in May 1991, featuring Princessa on vocals.  It would be their only single to register a place in the ARIA top 100.

 

The act's second single, "Borrowed Love", featured vocals from both Princessa and Arnold Jarvis.  Both tracks were lifted from The Best of Bingoboys (number 72, June 1991), which, despite the title, was the group's first album and was not a compilation.  I recall seeing an infographic over the "How to Dance" music video on Coca-Cola Power Cuts, similar to the format Pop-Up Video later used, explaining that the album was titled The Best of because "it's the best", according to the band.  Hmm.

While "How to Dance" had been a hit across Europe (minus the UK) and even crept into the top 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, "Borrowed Love" did not follow suit, and the only other place it charted was the US, where it reached number 71 in July 1991.  That being said, only Australian and American pressings of the single are listed on discogs, so perhaps it did not receive a release in Europe.  Europe did receive "No Woman No Cry" which, despite sharing a title with a famous Bob Marley song, is not a cover version.  It was not issued as a single locally.

 

"Borrowed Love" performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 93.

 

I don't recall hearing "Borrowed Love" before.  It's very different to "How to Dance", but I like it.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 177 "Whenever You Lay Your Hands on Me" by Clive Young

Peak: number 177

Peak date: 15 July 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We last saw Australian singer-songwriter Clive Young in July 1989.  In the interim, Clive switched record companies from EMI to Mushroom, and the album that was scheduled for release in 1989, Naturally, was shelved.

"Whenever You Lay Your Hands on Me" was the lead single from Clive's debut album When the World Goes 'Round, which did not see the light of day until September 1992 (it did not chart).  "Whenever You Lay Your Hands on Me" was released on 29 April 1991, and took almost three months to dent the ARIA top 200 for a solitary week.

On the ARIA state charts, "Whenever You Lay Your Hands on Me" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, as Clive's previous two singles had done, reaching number 154.  The difference between state and national chart peaks for Clive's earlier singles was stark, with "Something Special" peaking at number 15 in Victoria/Tasmania vs. number 50 nationally, and "Naturally" peaking at number 50 in Victoria/Tasmania vs. number 102 nationally.

A music video was filmed for "Whenever You Lay Your Hands on Me", but nobody seems to have their hands on it...

Clive will join us again in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 179 "Long Train Running" by Bananarama

Peak: number 179

Peak date: 15 July 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

Bananarama, whom we last saw in March 1991, really were in chart strife at this point in their career.  None of the four singles lifted from their fifth studio album Pop Life (number 146, August 1991) peaked higher than number 20 in the UK, and none of the album's singles dented the top 50 in Australia.  A combination of being perceived as an 80s act and the Bananarama girls now being in their 30s were probably factors.  The group had also made a deliberate attempt to move away from the Stock Aitken Waterman sound that permeated their work between 1986 and 1989, to lukewarm commercial results.

Although Bananarama made a point of not including any cover versions on their second album Bananarama (number 99, July 1984), which spawned the top 40 hits "Robert de Niro's Waiting" (number 40, August 1984) and "Cruel Summer" (number 32, February 1985), each of their studio albums since had included a cover version, which also ended up being released as a single.  The girls' attitude to releasing covers probably softened following the massive success of "Venus", which resurrected their career and was number 1 in Australia for seven weeks in September and October of 1986.  "Venus" also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1986.

The Nanas' fourth studio album WOW! (number 1, June 1988) contained a version of The Supremes' "Nathan Jones", which was not a huge hit in Australia, peaking at number 59 in March 1989, after being re-recorded with new band member Jacquie O'Sullivan and tacked onto their The Greatest Hits Collection (number 21, January 1989) compilation. 

A version of The Beatles' "Help!" (number 25, May 1989) was then recorded with French and Saunders' Bananarama parody act Lananeeneenoonoo, including Kathy Bourke as the third member, to raise funds for Comic Relief.

Bananarama covered The Doobie Brothers' 1973 single "Long Train Runnin'", adding a 'g' to the title, for their Pop Life album.  The Doobie Brothers' version peaked at number 58 on the Kent Music Report, but this was on the charts David Kent later compiled retrospectively (they were not published at the time), so I do not consider these official.  The 1993 Sure Is Pure remix of "Long Train Runnin'" peaked at number 67 in Australia in March 1994.

Released as the third Pop Life single, "Long Train Running" peaked at number 30 in the UK in April 1991, number 18 in Ireland in April 1991, number 47 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1991, and number 45 in Germany in June 1991.

Domestically, "Long Train Running" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 122.

I was (and still am, to a large degree) a Bananarama fan when this track was released.  The only place I heard "Long Train Running" at the time was on the Hot 30 Countdown on Fox FM, which was supposedly voted for by listeners.  I tuned in part-way through the song, and recognised that it was Bananarama quickly.  The song seemed familiar to me; I must have heard the original on the radio when growing up.

"Long Train Running" was somewhat different for Bananarama, featuring castanets and flamenco guitars performed by Gipsy Kings, using the name Alma De Noche.  That's the kind of thing Stock Aitken Waterman would never have done, and one of the Nanas commented in a Smash Hits interview in 1990 that their new producer Youth was open to things like putting seagulls on a track, whereas Stock Aitken Waterman would have "laughed that idea out the window".

For whatever reason, Bananarama's music was not connecting with the record-buying public in the early 1990s in the same way it had - albeit inconsistently - during the 1980s.  Following this album's era, the more-experimental sounds of Pop Life would be abandoned, and the girls would return to Stock Waterman (Aitken left in mid-1991) for their next album, which was creatively a step backwards.

 

But before then, a fourth single was released from Pop Life in Europe, "Tripping on Your Love", which was the first Bananarama single to miss the UK top 75 since "Aie a Mwana", their debut release in September 1981.  Jacquie O'Sullivan also quit the group around August 1991, after three and a half years, and there's a solo interview with Keren Woodward from that month where she admits they don't know where Jacquie is right now.  Jacquie speaks of her time in Bananarama in this interesting podcast interview from 2020, which is well worth checking out.  Sara Dallin also gave birth to her daughter Alice towards the end of 1991.

Bananarama have continued on as a duo since 1992, with original band member Siobhan Fahey (who went on to form Shakespears Sister) rejoining them for a live tour in 2017.  Bananarama have a new album Masquerade scheduled for release next week, with the video for the title track, which is the best new Bananarama track I have heard for some time, premiering last month.

We shall see Bananarama next in 1992.

 

 

Number 181 "Crazy" by Daisy Dee

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 22 July 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

Daisy Dee, born Desiree Rollocks, is a Dutch "singer, actress, TV host, stylist, and television producer" (thanks Wikipedia).  She was a featured vocalist on MC B's version of Technotronic's 'This Beat Is Techntronic", which was a top 20 hit in the Netherlands, Austria and Germany in 1990.  That single was released in Australia in April 1990, but missed the top 150.

"Crazy" was Daisy's first solo release in Australia, was lifted from her 1992 debut album Daisy Dee.  "Crazy" peaked at number 29 in the Netherlands in September 1990, and number 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991.  The song was used in the Vanilla Ice movie Cool As Ice, but did not make its way onto the accompanying soundtrack album.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Crazy" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 145.

 

Daisy would land her biggest chart success in Australia with a remixed version of this track, "Crazy 96", which reached number 38 in September 1996.  This would be Daisy's only top 100 entry in Australia, although she came within a whisker of the top 100 again in 2000.

 

Daisy will join us next in 1996.

 

 

 

Number 182 "Piece of My Heart" by Tara Kemp

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 19 August 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

American r&b/new jack swing singer Tara Kemp landed her first chart 'hit' in Australia with her first release, "Hold You Tight", which peaked at number 68 in May 1991.  That single was vastly more successful in the US, where it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991, becoming the first of two top 10 hits Tara would land in her home country.

 

"Piece of My Heart" was the second of Tara's US top 10 hits, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1991.  It was the second single from Tara's debut album Tara Kemp, which peaked at number 140 on the ARIA albums chart in April 1991.  Internationally, "Piece of My Heart" peaked at number 81 in Canada in August 1991.

Within Australia, "Piece of My Heart" was most successful in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 136 on the state chart.

 

I remember hearing both "Hold You Tight" and "Piece of My Heart" on the American Top 40 radio show.

 

A third single from Tara Kemp, "Too Much", was released locally in September 1991, but failed to chart. "Piece of My Heart" was Tara's last single to chart in Australia.

 

 

 

Number 194 "Don't Let Me Down" by The Farm

Peak: number 194

Peak date: 15 July 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

We last saw The Farm in April 1991.

 

"Don't Let Me Down" was the third single issued from the band's first studio album Spartacus (number 106, May 1991).

 

Internationally, "Don't Let Me Down" peaked at number 36 in the UK in April 1991, number 29 in Ireland in May 1991, and number 78 in Germany in June 1991.

 

Locally, "Don't Let Me Down" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 169.

 

We'll next see The Farm in 1992. 

 

Next week (22 July): Four top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

< Previous week: 8 July 1991                                         Next week: 22 July 1991 >

Week commencing 24 July 1989

This week's new entries are split between big names having flop singles and new and upcoming acts struggling to make a dent.  Among them are two singles that peaked at number 101, and another that peaked at number 102!  Let's take a look...

Kiss: let's put the hair in Cher.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 101 "One" by Bee Gees

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 101-108-106-128-124-(out for 2 weeks)-139-136-141-135-138-129-126

Weeks on chart: 15 weeks

Peaking 100 places lower than the title would suggest, I've written about this "one" previously in my special post on singles peaking at number 101 between 1989 and 1991.  "One" was the second single lifted from the album One, and followed up "Ordinary Lives", which we saw in May.  "One" was a much bigger hit in the US, where it peaked at number 7.  Bee Gees (note: no 'The') will join us again in October.

Number 139 "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" by Kiss

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 14 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 139-(out for 2 weeks)-101-116-107-130-130

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Coincidentally, here's another single that peaked at number 101, which I have also already written about.  The second single lifted from their Smashes, Thrashes & Hits greatest hits compilation, the subtly-titled (!) song failed to register on a reputable national chart anywhere, that I am aware of, other than coming within a whisker of making the ARIA top 100.  But, such is the size of their fan-base that the music video (embedded below) currently has over 5.5 million views on YouTube, in spite of being a flop single.  On the state charts, "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66.  The single peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory being the only exception.

Kiss will join us again in 1990.

 

Number 142 "A Friend Is a Friend" by Pete Townshend

Peak: number 113

Peak date: 7 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 142-117-113-121-122-120-128-132

Former frontman of The Who, Pete Townshend was last on the Australian singles chart in 1986 with "Give Blood", peaking at number 77.  Immediately prior to that, he scored his biggest, and only real, solo hit single down under with "Face the Face", which peaked at number 9 in Australia in February 1986.  This track was lifted from The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, which peaked at number 59 on the ARIA albums chart in July 1989.  "A Friend Is a Friend" peaked at number 151 (number 110 on the compressed chart) in the UK in July 1989.

Number 145 "Naturally" by Clive Young

Peak: number 102

Peak date: 7 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks 

Chart run: 145-135-102-113-111-104-118-114-112-123

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

Follow-up to Australian singer-songwriter Clive Young's single "Something Special" (number 50, June 1989), "Naturally" narrowly missed the top 100.  "Naturally" follows in much the same vein as its predecessor.  Oddly, Clive did not release an album until 1992, and neither "Something Special" nor "Naturally" appear on it, owing to Clive changing record labels in the interim.  The rear sleeve of the "Naturally" single states that the song is from the forthcoming album Naturally, but this does not appear to have ever been released.

On the state charts, "Naturally" performed much stronger in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 50, than elsewhere.  A similar feat occurred with "Something Special", which peaked at number 15 on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart vs. its national peak of number 50; although it also reached number 21 in South Australia/Northern Territory.

We will next see Clive in 1991.

 

Number 147 "Take Me" by Adult Net

Peak: number 137

Peak dates: 14 August 1989 and 4 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Chart run: 147-140-143-137-141-142-137

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Britain-based American singer Brix Smith formed Adult Net as a side project after joining The Fall in 1983.  "Take Me" peaked at number 78 on the UK singles chart in March 1989, and was lifted from the album The Honey Tangle.  Given that nothing released by the group peaked higher than number 66 anywhere in the world, I am pleasantly surprised that this one even registered on the Australian charts - especially since I wasn't aware of it at the time.

 

"Take Me" performed strongest on the Queensland chart, where it reached number 111.  This would be Adult Net's only charting release in Australia.

Number 148 "Youth Gone Wild" by Skid Row

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 148

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

When writing the 'next week' preview blurb on last week's post, I was going to write that we would see the arrival of a new hair metal act... except Skid Row weren't exactly 'hair metal', were they?  When googling to see what genre the group's music is considered being (Metal? Hair metal? Rock?), I came across a comment that Skid Row were the missing link between 80s hair metal and 90s grunge, and I think that is an apt description.  One thing I vividly remember from this period is that the cassette sleeve for their album Skid Row (number 12, May 1990) was one that had been replaced by a photocopy in a record store I visited, "to prevent theft".  What that says about their (presumably teenage) fans of the time, I don't know.  Now, onto the song itself, this was the group's debut release, peaking at number 99 in the US in June 1989, and number 42 in the UK in November 1989.  I am surprised that "Youth Gone Wild" didn't perform better on our chart, as I remember hearing it and seeing the video several times (and I was not a 'metal' kid).  Perhaps their fans were stealing the single instead of buying it...  We will see Skid Row again in December.

 

 

 

Number 149 "Little Fighter" by White Lion

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 21 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 149-(out for 2 weeks)-138-136-148-(out for 4 weeks)-143

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Now, for something less-ambiguously glam 'metal', "Little Fighter" was White Lion's second foray onto the Australian singles chart, following their debut in May 1989.  "Little Fighter" was the lead single from the band's third album, Big Game (number 119, August 1989). "Little Fighter" peaked at number 52 in the US.

On the ARIA state charts, "Little Lion" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 99.

We will see White Lion next in December.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 153 "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Lisa Lisa (real name Liza Velez), Alex "Spanador" Moseley and Mike Hughes together formed Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.  The group formed in New York in 1984, and placed two singles on the Australian top 100 in 1987, "Head to Toe" (number 52, July 1987) and "Lost in Emotion" (number 83, November 1987).

 

"Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" was the first single, and only one released in Australia, from the band's third album Straight to the Sky.

Internationally, "Little Jackie..." peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1989, number 90 in the UK in May 1989, and peaked within the top 10 in the Netherlands and New Zealand, and the top 20 in the Flanders region of Belgium.

We will see Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam again in 1992.

Next week (31 July): Four new top 150 entries, and six bubbling WAY down under debuts.  You can follow my posts on facebook here.

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