Week commencing 30 March 1992

Again there is no easily-identifiable common thread running among this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, so let's just dive straight in.

 

Color Me Badd: their first 'badd' chart position in Australia.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 101 "Heartbreaker" by Color Me Badd

Peak: number 101

Peak dates: 30 March 1992 and 6 April 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 101-101-108-119-129

 

American vocal quartet Color Me Badd formed in 1985.  Coincidentally, I recently watched a YouTube video on the band, whom I did not know much about previously.  To my surprise, the group formed while still at school - I would have assumed that the members auditioned to be in the band.

Color Me Badd burst onto the Australian chart with back-to-back top ten hits "I Wanna Sex You Up" (number 4, August 1991) and "All 4 Love" (number 9, November 1991).  From then, however, it was all downhill for their chart fortunes in Australia, with their third local release "I Adore Mi Amor" (number 27, February 1992) being their only other ARIA top 50 single.  In contrast, all three singles reached the top two on the US Billboard Hot 100.

While the US went with "Thinkin' Back" as the fourth single from the band's debut album C.M.B. (number 17, February 1992), Australasia and Europe went with "Heartbreaker", which was not released as a single in the US.

Internationally, "Heartbreaker" peaked at number 58 in the UK in February 1992, number 32 in New Zealand in April 1992, and number 61 in the Netherlands in April 1992.

 

Without giving much away, if you are interested in what happened to Color Me Badd since their split in 1998, it is well worth viewing this 15 minute video I caught recently on YouTube.

 

We will next see Color Me Badd in 1996.

 

 

Number 112 "Beautiful People" by Freaked Out Flower Children

Peak: number 102

Peak date: 13 April 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 112-104-102-104-122-123

Freaked Out Flower Children were essentially the two guys (Tricky and Gumpy) behind Mighty Big Crime, whom we last saw in 1991, with Australian TV host of The Bugs Bunny Show and Sex (!), Sophie Lee, plus a few other model-type women.  What contribution the latter group and Sophie had, other than to stand around pouting while looking 'hot' and apparently providing minimal backing vocals, I am not entirely sure.  Though we are led to believe that Sophie played some recorder-type instrument in the music video for the group's debut single, a cover version of Eric Burdon & War's "Spill the Wine" (number 31, February 1992).

"Beautiful People" was issued as the second and final single from the only Freaked Out Flower Children album Love In (number 81, February 1992).  A music video for the track exists, but has not made its way online at the time of writing, and I know of know source for it.

The track was also remixed for single release, but I've had to resort to asking an online contact for a rip of the LP version, as - short of buying the CD single myself and ripping the track - the song is not otherwise online.

This was Freaked Out Flower Children's final release.

Number 122 "Girls on My Mind" by David Byrne

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 6 April 1992

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 122-119-132-129-135-137-127-129-136

We last saw David Byrne in 1990.

 

"Girls on My Mind" was first single lifted from David's second solo studio album Uh-Oh (number 67, April 1992).   Internationally, "Girls on My Mind" peaked at number 39 in New Zealand in May 1992.

This would be David's last solo single to crack the ARIA top 150, although we will see him as part of Talking Heads in December 1992.

Number 133 "Money Worries" by MC OJ & Rhythm Slave

Peak: number 133

Peak date: 30 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 133-144

 

MC OJ & Rhythm Slave were a New Zealand hip-hop duo.  "Money Worries", which I had not heard before, was their only ARIA top 150 entry.  "Money Worries" peaked at number 36 in New Zealand in January 1992.  The track was lifted from the duo's only album What Can We Say.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 154 "Steel Bars" by Michael Bolton

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 30 March 1992

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

 

We last saw Michael Bolton in 1991.

 

"Steel Bars" was released as the fourth single from Michael's seventh studio album Time, Love & Tenderness (number 11, August 1991).  The song, however, was a radio-only single in Michael's native US, rendering it ineligible to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time.  I first heard this song on the American Top 40 radio show.

Elsewhere, "Steel Bars" peaked at number 17 in the UK in February 1992, number 22 in Ireland in February 1992, and number 57 in Germany in April 1992.

Within Australia, "Steel Bars" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 116.

 

I don't remember "Steel Bars" receiving any promotion, and never saw the music video at the time, which probably explains its lack of chart success.  While I'm not always a fan of Michael's ballads, I am somewhat partial to his more-upbeat singles from this era, and "Steel Bars" is one I enjoy, and I thought it should have done much better commercially.

 

Unrelated, really, but if you've ever wondered what a Michael Bolton song might sound like with Stock Aitken Waterman-style production, Tee Webb released this version of the song in 2021.

We will next see Michael Bolton in 1993.

 

 

Number 159 "Was It Worth It?" by Pet Shop Boys

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 13 April 1992

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Pet Shop Boys last graced our presence in 1991.

 

"Was It Worth It?" was the second new track recorded for Pet Shop Boys' Discography (number 6, December 1991) compilation, and was much better than the other new song, "DJ Culture", which I am not a fan of.  However, "Was It Worth It?" performed equally-bad or worse on the chart than "DJ Culture" almost everywhere it was released!  Sometimes (OK, often...) the record-buying public get it completely wrong.

"Was It Worth It?" peaked at number 24 in the UK - the duo's lowest-peaking single there since the 1985 release of "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" - in December 1991.  It also peaked at number 25 in Ireland in December 1991, number 19 in Germany in January 1992, number 50 in the Netherlands in February 1992, and number 23 in Sweden in February 1992.

Locally, "Was It Worth It?" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 118.

 

We won't see Pet Shop Boys again until 2000 - assuming I am still writing these chart recaps in 2031 (my interest in charts wanes severely in 1999).

Number 167 "Who? Where? Why?" by Jesus Jones

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 30 March 1992

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

We last saw Jesus Jones in 1991.

 

"Who? Where? Why" was issued as the fourth and final single from Jesus Jones' second studio album Doubt (number 23, June 1991) in Australia.

 

Overseas, "Who? Where? Why?" peaked at number 21 in the UK in March 1991, and number 48 in New Zealand in November 1991.

Domestically, "Who? Where? Why?" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 141.

 

We'll next see Jesus Jones in 1993.

Number 185 "Who's Crying Now" by Randy Crawford

Peak: number 175

Peak date: 6 April 1992

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

We last saw Randy Crawford in 1989.

"Who's Crying Now" was lifted from Randy's tenth studio album Through the Eyes of Love (number 113, August 1992).  The song was originally recorded by American rock band Journey, which peaked at number 65 in Australia in October 1981.

 

Internationally, Randy's rendition of "Who's Crying Now" peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard R&B chart.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Who's Crying Now" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 160.

 

We shall see Randy again in 1998.

Number 194 "Something 'Bout Love" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Peak: number 194

Peak date: 30 March 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam last joined us in 1989. 

"Something 'Bout Love" was lifted from the band's fourth and final studio album Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen (number 129, October 1991).

"Something 'Bout Love" did not chart anywhere else that I can ascertain.  The single performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 176.

This was the final Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam release to chart in Australia.

 

 

Next week (6 April): Seven top 150 debuts and two bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

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Gold - we don't need it, do we?: singles that peaked at number 101 in Australia between 1992-1994

Back in February 2020, I made a 'special' post on singles that peaked at number 101 on the ARIA chart between 1989 and 1991.  The current month (August 1990) I am recapping on my weekly chart posts has notably fewer songs to write about than usual, so I thought it was an opportune time to write a sequel to my first post looking at singles that narrowly missed the Australian top 100.

 

This time, we'll take a look at songs that peaked at number 101 between January 1992 and December 1994.  If you don't want some 'spoilers' on my posts over the next 4 years, look away now!  Unlike my regular posts, I will not be posting the entry position or weeks spent in the top 150 for the releases below - you'll have to wait until between 2023 and 2025, when I get to those years in my weekly posts (assuming society hasn't collapsed before then), for that info.

East 17 didn't exactly go 'gold' with this single.

 

Singles peaking at number 101 on the Australian singles chart (1992-1994):

"Heartbreaker" by Color Me Badd
Peak dates: 30 March 1992 and 6 April 1992

 

American vocal quartet Color Me Badd started their chart career off in Australia with back-to-back top 10 hits "I Wanna Sex You Up" (number 4, August 1991) and "All 4 Love" (number 9, November 1991).  After that, it was all downhill, with the group only scoring one other top 50 single, "I Adore Mi Amor" (number 27, February 1992).  "Heartbreaker", the fourth single lifted from the group's debut album C.M.B. (number 17, February 1992) was Color Me Badd's first single to miss the ARIA top 100.  It would not be their last...

 

 

"Stop Draggin' Around" by Lenny Kravitz
Peak date: 18 May 1992
 

Lenny Kravitz's singles chart trajectory in Australia was off to a patchy start for the first few years, with only one ("It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" - number 10, August 1991) of the seven singles released locally from his first two albums peaking higher than number 36.  This wasn't one of them.  "Stop Draggin' Around", however, does not appear to have charted anywhere else... so number 101 is not too bad a placing for it, then, right?

 

 

"Ballroom Blitz" by Tia Carrere
Peak date: 10 August 1992
 

I was born five years after The Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" was released, but it was a song I somehow 'knew' growing up.  I think I first heard it while changing radio stations on my ghetto blaster, on one of the 'oldies' stations, and was intrigued by the song/found it amusing.  Naturally, such a song was a good fit for a comedy movie, and Tia Carrere recorded this cover of it for Wayne's World.  Despite never having seen the movie myself (yes, really - I'm not into movies at all), I am familiar with some of Wayne and Garth's lingo, which made its way into the vernacular.  Tia's version of this song, however, did not.

 

 

"Broken English" by Sunscreem
Peak date: 3 May 1993
 

English band Sunscreem sadly only scored one hit, and a moderate one at that, in Australia, when the brilliant "Love U More" made its way to number 30 in March 1993, a mere six months after its release.  Aside from that track, only one other single of theirs dented the ARIA top 100: "Pressure Us" (number 64, July 1993).  "Broken English" was one of a string of excellent singles from Sunscreem that went unnoticed in this country.  As if to add insult to injury, "Broken English" spent five consecutive weeks hovering between number 101 and 107 on the ARIA chart, unable to penetrate the top 100.

 

 

 

"How I'm Comin'" by LL Cool J 

Peak date: 17 May 1993

 

Big rap hits in Australia were few and far between until 1990.  It took LL Cool J four years to break into the ARIA top 100, since his first single released locally, in 1987 ("I'm Bad").  "How I'm Comin'" just missed out.

"Only" by Anthrax
Peak date: 21 June 1993
 

I'm really not a fan of Anthrax's brand of metal, but this one seems on the (for them) softer side.  Despite that, the song did not cross over to the masses in Australia; though I suspect Anthrax are the kind of act where fans would probably buy the album instead.

 

 

"Everybody Dance" by Evolution
Peak date: 20 September 1993

"Everybody Dance" is cover version of a song originally released by Chic in 1978.  Despite becoming a top 10 hit for the group in the UK and a top 40 hit in the US, the Chic version failed to chart in Australia.  I got to know the Chic song, belatedly, in 2008, when a school I worked in at the time played a version of the song over the PA system at the end of recess and lunch times (so that the students would finish playing and get ready to return to their classrooms) for two minutes before the bell.  From speaking with people from other states in Australia, this phenomenon may be a Victorian-only thing.

But onto the Evolution version, the British dance group, signed to trendy dance label DeContstruction, did not score a top 100 entry on the ARIA chart, so this was as good as it got for them.  "Everybody Dance" was also their biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 19 in July 1993.

 

 

"Apache" by General Base
Peak date: 15 November 1993
 

From one dance act who had no top 100 entries in Australia to another... General Base also fall within that category.  German DJ Thomas Kukula was behind the act.  Oddly, this song does not appear to have charted anywhere else, not even in Germany!

 

 

"Gold" by East 17
Peak dates: 13 December 1993, 20 December 1993 and 27 December 1993
 

1993 was certainly a bumper year for singles peaking at number 101, with no fewer than 6 of them.  So it is fitting, then, that the one with the most weeks at number 101 in this post should also be from 1993.  Those three weeks East 17's "Gold" spent at number 101, though, occurred due to the ARIA chart taking a two-week break over Christmas in 1993, resulting in the final chart of the year being used for the following two weeks as well.  This practice of repeating the last chart of the year over the Christmas break happened until 1997, although in 1994 it was only for one week.

 

East 17's early chart trajectory in Australia was interesting, with the singles from their debut album Walthamstow (number 5, April 1994) peaking (in release order) at numbers 5, 7, 4, 101, and 1!  "Gold", defying the song's title, was the only one of the lot to miss the top 10.   Why, I am not sure.  Perhaps it sounded a little too similar to "House of Love" (number 5, April 1993)?

 

 

"Can You Feel It" by Obsession
Peak date: 21 March 1994

 

Dance remix outfit Almighty are behind Obsession, with the help of several female studio singers.  This track, a cover of The Jacksons, does not appear to have charted anywhere else, oddly.

 

"Slave New World" by Sepultura
Peak date: 25 July 1994

 

More metal on the heavier side, Sepultura isn't the kind of thing I enjoy listening to.  The only song of theirs I vaguely remember is "Roots Bloody Roots" (number 44, February 1996), which, coincidentally, was their only single to break the top 100 in Australia.  "Slave New World" just missed out.

 

 

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