Week commencing 14 September 1992

I can't identify a common theme linking this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, other than all but one of them have male lead vocals.  Let's take a look.

 

Right Said Fred were too sexy for the top 100 this week in 1992, and too stupid for the pandemic in the 2020s.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 112 "What God Wants, Part I" by Roger Waters

Peak: number 103

Peak dates: 21 September 1992 and 28 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 112-103-103-108-117-133

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

English musician Roger Waters was a founding member of Pink Floyd, who formed in 1965, in which he played bass guitar.  Roger left the group in 1985, although he had launched his solo career the year prior, with "5:01AM (The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking)" (number 74, August 1984), and the album The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (number 30, July 1984).

I first became aware of Roger when his single "Radio Waves" (number 43, August 1987) appeared on the '87 Hots Up (number 8, October 1987) compilation, which was the first various artists compilation I purchased, aged 8.  Roger landed another minor hit on the Australian singles chart the following year, with "The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)" (number 49, March 1988).  Both tracks were lifted from Roger's second album Radio K.A.O.S. (number 33, September 1987).

 

"What God Wants, Part I" was the lead single from Roger's third solo studio album Amused to Death (number 14, September 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 35 in the UK in September 1992, number 9 in Norway, number 26 in New Zealand in October 1992, and number 49 in the Netherlands in October 1992.  It also reached number 4 on the meaningless US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in September 1992.

 

In Australia, "What God Wants, Part I" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 84 on the state chart.

 

While this would be the only occasion we see Roger bubble under in Australia, he had a couple of later albums that missed the top 100, namely Flickering Flame: The Solo Years Volume I (number 139, April 2002), Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale (number 674, November 2018), and The Lockdown Sessions (number 220, June 2023).

Number 131 "Real Cool World" by David Bowie

Peak: number 131

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 131-139-146

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

We saw English singer-songwriter David Bowie as a featured artist in 1990, and fronting a band in 1991.  Here he is finally on his own!  Between 1972 and 1990, David placed 31 singles on the Australian top 100, with "Sorrow" (number 1 for 3 weeks in February-March 1974), "Ashes to Ashes" (number 3, October 1980) and "Let's Dance" (number 2, April 1983) being the biggest of those.

"Real Cool World" was recorded for the movie Cool World and appears on the Songs from the Cool World soundtrack album.  It was David's first solo charting single in Australia since "Fame 90" (number 85, May 1990).

 

Internationally, "Real Cool World" peaked at number 53 in the UK in August 1992, number 26 in Sweden in September 1992, number 27 in the Netherlands in September 1992, number 30 in the Flanders region of Belgium in September 1992, and number 83 in Germany in September 1992.  It also reached number 11 on the pointless US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in August 1992, and number 9 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in October 1992.

In Australia, "Real Cool World" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 112.

 

Of course, you'd have to be living under a rock (I sometimes do) to not be aware that we lost David Bowie in January 2016, from liver cancer, aged 69.

We shall next see David in 1995.

 

Number 134 "Machine Gun" by Warrant

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 5 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 134-131-129-124-135-138

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

We last saw American metal band Warrant in 1990.  Since then, Warrant had their commercial breakthrough in Australia with the single "Cherry Pie" (number 6, January 1991) - which I'm thinking was probably the last top 10 glam metal hit in Australia, and the album Cherry Pie (number 13, January 1991).  They also landed a second, minor top 40 hit in Australia with "I Saw Red" (number 36, February 1991), and another top 100 entry with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (number 85, May 1991).  Then alternative/grunge music took off in 1991 and rendered metal bands virtually obsolete.  Nonetheless, Warrant managed to limp into the top 50 - just - with their cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" (number 50, June 1992), which was recorded for the Gladiator soundtrack.

 

The success of "Cherry Pie" likely contributed to Warrant front man Jani Lane's demise.  He expressed his regret over writing that song, being pressured by the record label to produce another hit, in this interview, eerily stating he could shoot himself in the head for writing that song.  Jani was found dead in 2011 due to acute alcohol poisoning, aged 47.

"Machine Gun" was released as the lead single from Warrant's third studio album Dog Eat Dog (number 105, October 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 36 on the meaningless US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in September 1992.

Locally, "Machine Gun" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 105 on the state chart.

We'll see Warrant one more time, in December 1992.

Number 136 "Those Simple Things"/"(What a Day for a) Daydream" by Right Said Fred

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 28 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 136-128-121-129-134-146-146

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

English pop group Right Said Fred were brothers Richard (the singing one who also plays bass) and Fred (the guitar-playing one) Fairbass, together with guitarist Rob Manzoli.  The brothers are still together, while Rob quit the group in 1997.  The trio came to prominence with their debut single "I'm Too Sexy" (number 1 for 3 weeks in November 1991), which was essentially a novelty hit.  They avoided one-hit wonder status by following that up with the singles "Don't Talk Just Kiss" (number 18, March 1992) and "Deeply Dippy" (number 38, August 1992) - all three of these singles went top 3 in their native UK, with the latter finally giving them a number 1 there.  The group's debut album Up (number 39, July 1992) also topped the UK albums chart.

 

"Those Simple Things" was issued as the fourth single from Up, and was paired with "(What a Day for a) Daydream", a new recording and cover version of a song originally released by The Lovin' Spoonful in 1966 as just "Daydream", as a double A-side release.  Presumably, this was done to entice people to buy the single for the new track, given the album had already performed well in the UK.

The ploy did not exactly work.  "Those Simple Things"/"(What a Day for a) Daydream" under-performed in the UK, peaking at number 29 there in July 1992.  The single also peaked at number 21 in Ireland in July 1992, number 48 in Germany in September 1992, number 29 in Austria in September 1992, and number 18 in Switzerland in October 1992.

In Australia, "Those Simple Things"/"(What a Day for a) Daydream" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 95.  The single fared better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 91.

I recall hearing this single on the UK Chart Attack radio show in 1992, but could barely remember how it went.  At this point, Right Said Fred's novelty appeal was wearing off.  Nonetheless, they continued releasing material into the 2000s, and we shall see Right Said Fred bubble under (or WAY down under) on a couple of occasions over the years, with the next time we see them being in 1994.

While the Fairbrass brothers might have been been blessed with gym-fit bodies, they were clearly much further down the queue when brains were handed out.  The pair became known for downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19 during the pandemic, and expressing skepticism over the vaccines.  In 2022, the brothers were involved with distributing leaflets for anti-climate change UK activist group Not Our Future.  What a charming pair.

 

 

 

Number 150 "Full Term Love" by Monie Love

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Known chart run: 169-150

Weeks on chart: 12 weeks

We last saw English rapper Monie Love in 1991.

 

"Full Term Love" was recorded for the Class Act soundtrack, and would go on to appear on Monie's second studio album In a Word Or 2 (number 147, May 1993).  As seemed to be common in the early 90s with singles blending rap and dance, a different mix of this track was released in the US (which you can listen to here) to the single version in Europe and Australasia, which I have embedded below.  The US version is much more R&B in style, while the one we got in Australia sounds similar in production to my ears to the European versions of Salt 'N' Pepa's early 1990s singles.

Internationally, "Full Term Love" peaked at number 34 in the UK in July 1992, number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1992, and number 58 in the Netherlands in October 1992.  It also peaked at number 43 on the meaningless US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in July 1992, number 47 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart in July 1992, number 26 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in August 1992, and number 7 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart in August 1992.

Locally, "Full Term Love" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 120 on the state chart.

I remember catching the video for "Full Term Love" on M.C. TeeVee on SBS on a Sunday afternoon at the time.  I think it deserved to be a bigger hit than it was.

We shall next see Monie in 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 155 "I Love You Goodbye" by Thomas Dolby

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

We last saw English singer-songwriter Thomas Dolby in June 1992.

 

"I Love You Goodbye" was issued as the second single from Thomas' fourth studio album Astronauts & Heretics (number 123, August 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 36 in the UK in July 1992.

In Australia, "I Love You Goodbye" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 146.

 

I hadn't heard this one before.  I like it, but doesn't exactly scream 'hit'.

We'll see Thomas on one more occasion, in November 1992.

 

 

Number 182 "Going Home" by The Tyrrel Corporation

Peak: number 182

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

English duo The Tyrrel Corporation last graced our presence in May 1992.

"Going Home" was issued as the third, and in Australia, final, single from The Tyrrel Corporation's debut album North East of Eden (number 273, December 1992).  The song tells the tale of the pair returning to their small seaside hometown (population 37,000 in 2021) Redcar, in North East England, after having been away for some time, and being shocked at how run-down and stagnant the place had become, during the Thatcher government years of neglect ("expect that everything has changed, strange to find things just the same").

"Going Home" peaked at number 58 in the UK in August 1992.  Domestically, the single was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 169.

I didn't know this one at the time, but quite like it, particularly that bass line.

A fourth single from North East of Eden, the double A-side "Waking with a Stranger"/"One Day", was released in the UK at the end of September 1992, peaking at number 59 there the following month.

We will see The Tyrrel Corporation on one more occasion, in 1995.

 

Number 203 "Hangin' on a String" (Frankie Knuckles Remix) by Loose Ends

Peak: number 203

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

British R&B band Loose Ends formed in London in the early 1980s.  While they never landed a charting release in Australia - until now - they amassed six UK top 40 singles between 1985 and 1992.  The original 1985 release of "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" was the equal-best charting of those, reaching number 13 in the UK in March 1985.  The single also peaked at number 26 in Ireland in March 1985, number 33 in the Netherlands in April 1985, number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1985, number 12 in New Zealand in June 1985, and number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1985.

This Frankie Knuckles remix of "Hangin' on a String", minus the subtitle, was released to promote Loose Ends' Tighten Up Vol. 1 compilation, which contained remixed versions of their hits.  The 1992 remixed single peaked at number 25 in the UK in June 1992.

In Australia, the 1992 mix of "Hangin' on a String" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 153 on the state singles chart.

 

While we won't see Loose Ends again, we will see Frankie Knuckles in 1995.

 

 

Next week (21 September): Four top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

 

< Previous week: 7 September 1992                   Next week: 21 September 1992 >

Week commencing 2 July 1990

Obscure artists often feature in my chart recap posts, but this week we have quite a few 'big names' debuting.  However, that doesn't necessarily mean the artists in question were big in Australia.

 

Among this week's new entries, we have a band who notched up over 40 top 40 hits in their homeland but only ever landed one major hit in Australia.  We also have the lead singer from a band name-checked on one of the biggest singles of the early 2000s, who are touted to have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide - but who only scored one top 40 single in Australia!  We also have one of the most influential recording artists of the last century, and the manager of the Sex Pistols.  Phew!  Shall we take a look?

 

Depeche Mode seemed to have a policy of flopping when it came to the Australian charts.

 

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 102 "Book of Dreams" by Suzanne Vega

Peak: number 102

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 163-102-123-129-134-143-143-144-147

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Between 1985 and 1987, American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega placed four singles on the Australian chart: "Marlene on the Wall" (number 39, April 1986), "Left of Center" (number 35, July 1986), "Luka" (number 21, August 1987), and "Solitude Standing" (number 91, October 1987).

"Book of Dreams" was the lead single from Suzanne's third album Days of Open Hand (number 74, July 1990).  The album's title is a lyric from this song.  "Book of Dreams" peaked at number 66 in the UK in May 1990, but failed to chart in the US.  On the ARIA state charts, "Book of Dreams" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 76.

 

As a casual fan of Suzanne's singles, I picked up her Tried and True: The Best of (number 96, November 1998) compilation in early 2000, and quickly became obsessed with it.  I listened to the album all the way through about 18 times in the first three days of buying it - something I had never done with an album before, or since.  Naturally, I then tracked down her studio albums proper.  I must say, though, that while I like "Book of Dreams", I don't think it is one of her stronger singles.

Some earlier Suzanne Vega singles not released in Australia that I think are worth checking out if you've not heard them before include: "Small Blue Thing" (number 65 in the UK in January 1986), "Knight Moves" (released as a single only in Germany in 1985 or 1986) and "Gypsy" (number 77 in the UK in November 1986).

Suzanne scored her biggest hit in Australia later in 1990, credited as featured artist, with D.N.A.'s remix of her 1987 a cappella "Tom's Diner" (number 8, November 1990).  But before that, we shall see another single from Days of Open Hand bubbling under in October.

 

 

Number 107 "Deep in Vogue" by Malcolm McLaren and The House of McLaren

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Chart run: 107-108-116-124-121

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Before Madonna's "Vogue" (number 1, April 1990), Malcolm McLaren released a song in 1989 about the dance style incorporating modelling poses that originated in the New York LGBT African-American/Latin American house-ballroom subculture.  As I have noted previously, Jody Watley's "Friends" music video from 1989 also prominently featured voguing.

 

"Deep in Vogue", originally credited to Malcolm McLaren and The Bootzilla Orchestra, appeared as the B-side on Malcolm's "Waltz Darling" (number 65, August 1989) single.  A music video was filmed for "Deep in Vogue" to accompany this release, so it was more like a double A-side than a B-side, though not formally credited as such.  I saw the "Deep in Vogue" video on TV in 1989, and the song also received airplay - at least on Triple M's listener-voted Top 8 at 8 - which is a lot more exposure than your typical B-side gets.

Prior to its release, Malcolm asked Mark Moore from S'Express to remix "Deep in Vogue", which he did together with William Orbit.  Malcolm was so impressed with their re-working of "Deep in Vogue" that he used it in place of his original recording on the Waltz Darling (number 60, August 1989) album.  We saw Malcolm bubble under with another track from the album back in January.

Two music video edits were produced for "Deep in Vogue" - a 4 minute 7 inch version, and the full 9 minute Banjie Realness 12 inch mix, which I have embedded below.  The Banjie Realness version of the track contains audio samples from the footage recorded for Paris Is Burning, a film documentary on Harlem ball culture that was released in 1990.  Willi Ninja, credited as the godfather of voguing, appears in Paris Is Burning, and flew to London to record vocals for "Deep in Vogue".  Willi also appears prominently in the music video, as the man with long hair and dangling earrings.

 

The female vocals on "Deep in Vogue" were performed by Lourdes Morales, who is credited here as just 'Lourdes'.  She does not appear in the music video for "Deep in Vogue", but does for the second video shot for "Waltz Darling", which she also sang lead on.  Lourdes' experience working with Malcolm McLaren was not a positive one - you can read about that in her comments on this post for "Deep in Vogue" on Into the Popvoid.

Internationally, "Deep in Vogue" peaked at number 83 in the UK in May 1990.  It also topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart for one week in July 1989.

In Australia, "Deep in Vogue" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 86 on the state chart.

Both Malcolm McLaren and Willi Ninja have since passed on - Malcolm in 2010 aged 64, and Willi in 2006 aged 45.

 

Number 114 "You Can Sleep While I Drive" by Melissa Etheridge

Peak: number 105 

Peak date: 16 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 159-(off chart for 1 week)-114-135-105-130-141-146

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We saw Melissa bubble under with the second single from her second album Brave and Crazy (number 9, October 1989) in December 1989, and here she is with the album's fourth release, following "Let Me Go" (number 70, March 1990).

"You Can Sleep While I Drive" appears to have only charted in Australia and the Netherlands, where it reached number 56 in August 1990.  On the ARIA state charts, the single performed equal-strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 89.  Interestingly, "You Can Sleep While I Drive" registered within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, only missing out in Victoria/Tasmania, but could not break into the top 100 nationally.

Melissa will next join us towards the end of 1992.

Number 119 "Satin Sheets" by Sharon O'Neill

Peak: number 106

Peak dates: 9 July 1990 and 23 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 119-106-123-106-119-128-132

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Between 1980 and 1988, New Zealand singer-songwriter Sharon O'Neill placed 12 singles on the Australian top 100 chart, with "Maxine" (number 16, September 1983) being the biggest of those.

 

Sharon's career went on hiatus in 1984, due to a contractual dispute with her record company CBS.  After a 4 year-gap of not being able to release new material, Sharon returned in 1987, now signed to Polydor, with the album Danced in the Fire (number 45, November 1987).  Two singles released from the album charted in Australia: "Physical Favours" (number 39, November 1987) and "Danced in the Fire" (number 98, March 1988).  A third single, "We're Only Human" - released in Australia in August 1988, failed to chart.

"Satin Sheets" was the lead single from Sharon's sixth - and to date, final - studio album Edge of Winter (number 147, October 1990).  On the state charts, "Satin Sheets" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 81.  A second single from Edge of Winter, "Poster Girl", was released in March 1991 but failed to chart.

 

"Satin Sheets" was Sharon's last single to chart in Australia.  A compilation album, The Best of Sharon O'Neill, peaked at number 366 on the ARIA albums chart in September 2005.  Before then, she shared a The Very Best of compilation album with fellow New Zealand-born recording artist Collette, but it failed to chart.

Number 131 "Better World" by Rebel MC

Peak: number 131

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 131-132-(out of top 150 for 2 weeks)-149

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

English toaster (as in the Jamaican rapping style - not a kitchen appliance!) Rebel MC, real name Michael West, scored a number 85 single in Australia with "Street Tuff", together with Double Trouble, in February 1990.  That single performed much better in the UK, where it reached number 3 in October 1989.  We saw Rebel MC bubble under on the ARIA chart with another collaboration with Double Trouble in March 1990.

 

"Better World", Rebel MC's third single release and first on his own, peaked at number 20 in the UK in April 1990.  Lifted from the album Rebel Music (number 98, July 1990), "Better World" reached the top 5 in New Zealand, the top 20 in the Netherlands, and the top 30 in Ireland, Switzerland, and the Flanders region of Belgium.

"Better World" peaked 43 places higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 88.  On the ARIA state charts, "Better World" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 93.

This single would be Rebel MCs last to enter the top 150 in Australia, although we will see him bubble WAY down under in October 1990.

Number 139 "Pretty Pink Rose" by Adrian Belew featuring David Bowie

Peak: number 127

Peak date: 16 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-142-127-133-131-139-141-144

Adrian Belew is an American songwriter, producer, and musician, most well-known as a guitarist in the formed-in-London band King Crimson.  While King Crimson did not land any charting singles in Australia, their song "Sleepless" probably sounds familiar to most Australians who follow music, through to its use in an interlude for the long-running music video TV program rage.  Five King Crimson albums also made the top 100 in Australia.

"Pretty Pink Rose" was recorded for Adrian's fifth solo studio album Young Lions (number 149, June 1990), and is a duet with David Bowie, who, of course, needs no introduction.  Up until this point in 1990, David had placed 31 singles on the Australian top 100 singles chart.  Bowie previously bubbled under on the Australian Music Report list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 when "Time Will Crawl" reached second place on this list in July 1987.

While we won't see Adrian in the top 150 again, David Bowie will bubble under next in 1992.

Number 143 "Policy of Truth" by Depeche Mode

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 143

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

English band Depeche Mode (French for 'fashion news' or 'fashion update') have, at the time of writing this, landed 43 top 40 singles in their native UK, although none of these have peaked higher than number 4.

 

In Australia, Depeche Mode have been much less successful, placing 15 singles in the top 100 between 1982 and 2001, with only 5 of these reaching the top 40.  However, their biggest hit in Australia, "Just Can't Get Enough" (number 4, April 1992), actually bettered its UK peak by 4 places, and matched their highest UK singles chart position.

 

"Just Can't Get Enough", from the album Speak & Spell (number 28, April 1982), was written by Vince Clarke, who left the band shortly after the album was released.  Vince went on to score chart success with Yazoo, who landed two top 10 singles in Australia with "Only You" (number 7, August 1982) and "Don't Go" (number 6, November 1982), and Erasure - whom we saw last week but were under-appreciated in Australia.

 

Band member Martin L. Gore assumed songwriting duties following Vince's departure, and penned the band's only other Australian top 40 hit during the 1980s, "People Are People" (number 25, August 1984).

 

It is criminal, really, the general lack of commercial success Depeche Mode achieved in Australia.  Even "Enjoy the Silence", widely regarded as their classic, only peaked at number 71 in September 1990 - six months after its release, boosted by a live show in Sydney on 31 August 1990 (their only concert performed in Oceania on the World Violation Tour).

"Policy of Truth" was the third release from the band's seventh studio album Violator (number 42, September 1990).   It followed "Personal Jesus" - which peaked later in 1990 following a re-release - and "Enjoy the Silence".  On the state charts, "Policy of Truth" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it peaked at number 131.  "Policy of Truth" had greater success in the UK, where it peaked at number 16 in May 1990, and in the US, where it reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1990.

 

Although the Violator era was not so successful in Australia, the album peaked at at number 7 in the US in May 1990, shifting over 4.5 million copies there and becoming their best-selling release worldwide.

Before "Policy of Truth", Depeche Mode appeared three times on the Kent Music Report's list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100.  "Shake the Disease" reached third place on the list in August 1985, "Stripped" reached fourth place on the list in June 1986, and "Strangelove" reached tenth place on the list in June 1987.

 

Some Depeche Mode singles released in Australia during the 1980s that did not chart at all, but which I recommend checking out if you are unfamiliar with them, include: "New Life" (released in Australia in April 1982), "See You" (June 1982), "Get the Balance Right!" (April 1983), "Everything Counts" (August 1983), and "A Question of Time" (October 1986).  "But Not Tonight", the B-side of "Stripped", was released as a single in the US in 1986 to promote the film Modern Girls, and is another favourite of mine.

Between 1990 and 2011, eight Depeche Mode singles peaked outside the top 100 on the ARIA singles chart.  We will next see Depeche Mode bubble under in December 1990.

Number 144 "Kiss My Ass" by The Booz'n Bang'n Dance Crew

Peak: number  144

Peak dates: 2 July 1990 and 9 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 144-144-148

Occasionally I am dumbfounded by a song/artist I've never heard of, who somehow managed to scrape into the ARIA top 150 singles chart.  This is one of those moments - and that's just from the artist name and song title, before we get to the profound lyrics such as "I love you, kiss my ass."

Going by the record label credits, even on the Australian pressing, it appears that The Booz'n Bang'n Dance Crew are a Finnish act.  The "song" contains numerous samples - two I spotted are from Kraftwerk's "The Robots" and "Pocket Calculator".

While this "song" presumably charted in Finland, the Finnish charts are not archived online prior to 1995, so I am not able to verify that.  "Kiss My Ass" does not appear to have charted anywhere else.

Number 149 "Tattooed Millionaire" by Bruce Dickinson

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 149

 

Iron Maiden are perhaps best known - to the masses - in Australia via being name-checked in the chorus of Wheatus's "Teenage Dirtbag" ("listen to Iron Maiden baby with me"), which reached number 1 on the ARIA singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks between November 2000 and January 2001.

 

Iron Maiden were much less successful with their own music on the Australian singles chart, with only three of their singles registering within the top 100 by this point.  Only one of those, "Run to the Hills", made the top 40, peaking at number 27 in September 1982.

 

Bruce Dickinson, the lead singer of Iron Maiden, launched a solo career in 1990 with the album Tattooed Millionaire (number 103, August 1990).  The album's title track peaked at number 18 in Bruce's native UK in May 1990.

Bruce never made the top 100 in Australia with any of his solo releases - single or album, but scored seven top 40 singles and two top 40 albums in the UK.

Aside from fronting one of the most popular heavy metal bands (just not with the record-buying public in Australia), Bruce is also a trained commercial pilot, and even flew Iron Maiden's own Boeing 747 jet on their 2016 world tour!

Bruce will join us again as part of Iron Maiden, who will bubble under in 1991.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 164 "Coming of Age" by Damn Yankees

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Damn Yankees, as you would suspect from the name, were an American band.  What I didn't realise, until now, is that the band was a supergroup, composed of Tommy Shaw from Styx, Jack Blades from Night Ranger, and Ted Nugent from The Amboy Dukes.  The band's drummer, Michael Cartellone, was then an unknown name, but would later perform with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"Coming of Age", the band's debut single, peaked at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1990.  It topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, for what that is worth, during the same month.  "Coming of Age" is lifted from the album Damn Yankees (number 112, April 1991).

We will see Damn Yankees again before the end of the month!

 

Number 166 "No Alibis" by Eric Clapton

Peak: number 166

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We last saw English guitar maestro Eric Clapton in February 1990.

 

 "No Alibis" was issued as the third single in Australia from Eric's eleventh studio album Journeyman album (number 27, December 1989).  Internationally, "No Alibis" peaked at number 53 in the UK in April 1990.  It also reached number 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in March 1990.

In Australia, "No Alibis" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 145 on the state chart.

I hadn't heard this one before, and didn't mind it, much to my surprise.

Eric will next join us in 1994.

 

Next week (9 July): Six top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

< Previous week: 25 June 1990                                    Next week: 9 July 1990 >