Week commencing 11 March 1991

I've written previously that many 80s artists were struggling to score hits in the early 1990s, and this week in 1991, several acts peaking outside the top 100 had been releasing material for at least 10 years.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Duran Duran were seriously flopping in Australia in 1991.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 124 "I Will Be Here" by Steve Winwood

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Chart run: 124-121-123-143-135

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

English singer-songwriter Steve Winwood notched up 10 Australian top 100 singles between 1981 and 1990, with "Higher Love" (number 8, September 1986) being the biggest of those.  His most-recent charting singles, however - "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" (number 94, September 1988) and "One and Only Man" (number 100, January 1991) - languished at the bottom end of the top 100.

"I Will Be Here" was the second single lifted from Steve's sixth studio album Refugees of the Heart (number 45, March 1991), following "One and Only Man".

Interestingly, "I Will Be Here" does not appear to have charted anywhere else; though if we are counting charts with dubious methodology, it did reach number 40 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in March 1991.

 

Within Australia, "I Will Be Here" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 97.

Steve would not land another top 100 single in Australia where he receives an artist credit.  However, Steve landed a massive hit (of sorts) when he re-recorded the lines from the chorus of his 1982 single "Valerie" - which originally peaked at number 98 in Australia in January 1983 before being remixed and re-issued in 1987, reaching a much higher peak of 19 in February 1988 - for Eric Prydz's "Call on Me" (number 2, October 2004).

Steve will join us again in 1997.

 

 

 

Number 148 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers

Peak: number 129 

Peak date: 1 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-135-140-129

This single originally peaked at number 5 in Australia in March 1965.

As a 12 year-old in late 1990, I couldn't really grasp the popularity of The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" (number 1, November 1990) - a song recorded in 1965, meaning it was ancient to me - following its inclusion in the movie Ghost.

 

As an 'oldie' myself now, I can appreciate the song, but couldn't (and still can't, really) imagine the kids rushing out to buy the single in record stores in 1990.  Perhaps they weren't, and enough oldies flocked out to buy it instead?

Re-releasing decades-old songs because they were used in a movie, on a TV show, or even a commercial, and sending them to the top of the charts, seems to me like it was very much an only-in-the-UK phenomenon, rather than an Australian one, in the pre-digital/streaming era.

Somebody obviously thought they should follow-up the runaway success of "Unchained Melody" in 1990 with another Righteous Brothers re-release; this time, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", a song that originally came out in 1964.  Somehow, I already knew this track back then; I guess through a combination of cultural osmosis and exposure to oldies' music on radio stations.

Lightning didn't strike twice - at least, not on the Australian chart, where the re-issue of "Lovin' Feelin'" stalled at number 129.  Yay for Australian record buyers showing some restraint with embracing all things bordering on novelty (back then, anyway), unlike their UK counterparts.

In the UK (of course!) it went all the way to number 3 in December 1990, and followed suit in Ireland, where it reached number 2.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 154 "What's It Gonna Be" by Jellybean featuring Niki Haris

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

Jellybean, born John Benitez, came to fame after remixing several tracks on Madonna's debut album Madonna (number 10, August 1984), including "Burning Up" (number 13, June 1984), "Borderline" (number 12, August 1984) and "Lucky Star" (number 36, November 1983).  He also produced Madonna's breakthrough hit "Holiday" (number 4, May 1984), and remixed her first number one single "Like a Virgin" (number 1 for five weeks in December 1984-January 1985).  He was also romantically involved with Madonna around this period.

 

Niki Haris first came to prominence as one of Madonna's backing singers/dancers on her Who's That Girl tour in 1987.  She also appeared in the film In Bed with Madonna (released as Truth Or Dare in some territories).

 

Jellybean first bubbled under on the Australian chart in his own right with "Sidewalk Talk", written by Madonna (her vocals are also featured on the track), which spent one week in seventh place on the Kent Music Report's list of singles with significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in May 1986.  He also landed a top 100 'hit' in Australia with "Who Found Who" (number 75, May 1988), featuring Elisa Fiorillo.

 

"What's It Gonna Be" was lifted from Jellybean's fourth studio album Spillin' the Beans (number 155, March 1991).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 118 (number 98 on the compressed chart) in the UK in January 1991, and number 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1991.

 

In Australia, "What's It Gonna Be" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 134.

 

Niki Haris would go on to feature on two Snap! singles, "Exterminate!" (number 50, February 1993) and "Do You See the Light (Looking For)", the latter of which was not released in Australia.  The 2002 remix of "Do You See the Light" (number 86, September 2002) charted in Australia.

This would be Jellybean's final single to chart in Australia.

 

 

Number 161 "Serious" by Duran Duran

Peak: number 152

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

British band Duran Duran last bubbled under in March 1990.  We also saw them in 1981.

 

"Serious" was the second, and final, single from the band's sixth studio album Liberty (number 86, October 1990).  It followed "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (number 59, October 1990), which also underperformed on the Australian chart.

For the Liberty album, Duran Duran had recruited two new band members, guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and drummer Sterling Campbell, although they did not tour to promote the album.

 

Like many artists and groups strongly associated with the 1980s, Duran Duran's popularity took a dive in the early 1990s - at least for a coupled of years.

 

In a 2015 interview marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Liberty album, Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon himself said "(t)he album came at a difficult time, when a lot of the world was saying, 'We don’t want any more Duran Duran, we’ve had enough of you.'"

 

Internationally, "Serious" peaked at number 48 in the UK in November 1990, and number 69 in Germany in December 1990.

 

Domestically, "Serious" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 113.

 

I hadn't actually heard "Serious", or seen the music video, until writing this post.  My initial thoughts are that it's not bad, and I would listen to it again.

 

Simon Le Bon says of the song: "I think “Serious” is one of the best songs we’ve ever written."  He also said that it was Robert Palmer's - who collaborated with the band's John and Andy Taylor for The Power Station in 1985 - favourite Duran Duran song, which is high praise.

 

In 2005, the melody and Simon Le Bon's vocals from "Serious" were sampled on Ferry Corsten's "Fire" (number 61, March 2006), which was a number 24 hit in the Netherlands in November 2005, and reached number 40 in the UK in February 2006.

 

We will next see Duran Duran in 1995.

Number 164 "I Like You" by Culture Beat featuring Lana E. and Jay Supreme

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Like most Australians, I was not aware of German eurodance act Culture Beat until their smash hit "Mr. Vain" (number 1, October 1993) in 1993.  But Culture Beat had actually been releasing singles for nearly four years by that point; just none of them had crossed over in Australia from the club scene to the pop chart.

Culture Beat's first single released locally, in May 1990, was "Cherry Lips", an English version of the German "Der Erdbeermund" from 1989.  That song, featuring Jo Van Nelsen on vocals, was quite different to their later releases, and failed to chart locally, though reached number 11 in Germany in January 1990.

"I Like It", featuring singer Lana E. (short for Lana Earl) and American rapper Jay Supreme (real name Jeff Carmichael), was the second single issued from Culture Beat's debut album Horizon (number 150, August 1991).  While Lana would be replaced for their second album, Jay would remain with the group during their most commercially successful period, and performs the rap on "Mr. Vain".

 

Internationally, "I Like It" peaked at number 96 in the UK in August 1990, number 30 in Germany in September 1990, number 22 in the Netherlands in November 1990, and number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1991.

 

Domestically, "I Like You" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 138.  

 

I hadn't actually heard "I Like You" until writing this post.  The video is notably lower budget than those produced for their later hits.

We shall next see Culture Beat in June 1991.

Number 171 "Dull" by Hard-Ons

Peak: number 171

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We first saw Australian band Hard-Ons back in January 1991.  "Dull" was the second single lifted from the band's fourth studio album Yummy! (number 93, January 1991).  The single performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 133.

We shall see Hard-Ons again in 1993.

Number 181 "Chasin' the Wind" by Chicago

Peak: number 181

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American band Chicago last bubbled under in May 1990.

 

"Chasin' the Wind", which I had not heard before, was penned by Diane Warren, and was the lead single from the album Twenty 1.  Confusingly, this was only the band's seventeenth studio album, in spite of the title; I guess their greatest hits compilations were also included in the numbered chronology.  The album failed to chart in Australia.

 

Internationally, "Chasin' the Wind" peaked at number 39 in the US in March 1991, and number 50 in Canada.

Locally, "Chasin' the Wind" peaked highest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 169.

Chicago would have one further single chart in Australia, which we will see in 1997.

Number 183 "World in My Eyes" by Depeche Mode

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Here's one I have heard before, because I'm a casual Depeche Mode fan and own their The Singles 81-85 (number 135, March 1994) and The Singles 86>98 (number 42, October 1998) compilations.  I also bought the studio album this track is from, Violator (number 42, September 1990), from which this was the final single, and yet another flop in Australia.

Truth be told, "World in My Eyes" is not one of my favourite Mode singles, although I don't mind it - it's just weaker than most of the others, "in my eyes" (ho ho ho).  Had I been in charge of making single release decisions, I would have gone with the Violator album closing track "Clean".

We last saw Depeche Mode in December 1990.  "World in My Eyes"' belated release in Australia (it was out in the UK in September 1990) was due to "Personal Jesus" being re-issued following "Policy of Truth".

"World in My Eyes" peaked at number 17 in the UK in October 1990, number 7 in Ireland, number 7 in Germany in October 1990, number 46 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1990, number 5 in Switzerland in November 1990, number 49 in the Netherlands in November 1990, number 30 in France in December 1990, number 52 in the US in December 1990, and number 74 in Canada in December 1990.

Locally, "World in My Hands" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 124.

We shall next see Depeche Mode in 1993.

Next week (18 March): Seven top 150 debuts and four bubbling WAY down under entries.

< Previous week: 4 March 1991                                      Next week: 18 March 1991 >

Week commencing 10 December 1990

This week's batch of new entries from 1990 can be broadly split into two categories - artists your parents knew and liked, or would approve of, and newer acts who never took off in Australia.  But before we take a look at them, I have updated last week's post which now contains an audio clip of the Solange song.

 

Caron Wheeler: soul II solo

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 125 "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel

Peak: number 108

Peak dates: 7 January 1991 and 14 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Known chart run: 160-125-113-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-108-108-112

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

"And So It Goes" was the sixth single issued from Billy Joel's Storm Front (number 1, November 1989) album, and his fourth consecutive release to miss the top 100 in Australia.  We last saw Billy bubble under in May 1990 with the fourth single from the album.  The fifth, "That's Not Her Style" (released in Australia in August 1990), failed to chart, which is odd, as it was the only one to miss the ARIA top 100 that I knew at the time.

Internationally, "And So It Goes" peaked at number 30 in Canada in September 1990, and number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "And So It Goes" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 84.  Interestingly, "And So It Goes" peaked within the top 100 on four of the five ARIA state charts, only missing out in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it peaked at number 101.

 

Believe it or not, there were another two singles to come from Storm Front - both of which peaked outside the ARIA top 100.  We shall see the next one of them in February 1991.

 

 

 

Number 127 "Impulsive" by Wilson Phillips
Peak: number 103

Peak date: 21 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Chart run: 127-104-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-105-106-103-111-118-130

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

American female vocal trio Wilson Phillips were sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson (daughters of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson), and Chynna Phillips (daughter of The Mamas & The Papas' John and Michelle Phillips).  The trio burst onto the charts with their debut single "Hold On", which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990, and reached number 2 in Australia the following month.

"Hold On" was to be Wilson Phillips' only major hit in Australia, with no other single they released peaking higher than number 31 (1992's "You Won't See Me Cry").

 

In the US, it was a different story, and the trio notched up three Hot 100 number one singles and a number 4 hit from their debut album Wilson Phillips (number 7, July 1990), which reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spent more than two years on the chart.

 

The trio's success, however, waned when their second album Shadows and Light (number 30, August 1992) was released, yielding no US top 10 hits.  The group split in 1993, and Chynna embarked on a solo career, landing a back-to-back top 15 hits in Australia in 1996 (and nowhere else) with "Naked and Sacred" (number 15, June 1996) and "I Live for You" (number 9, November 1996).

Back to Wilson Phillips' chart success, or lack thereof, in Australia... the group's second single, "Release Me" (number 57, September 1990), stalled outside the top 50, though spent a respectable 16 weeks on the chart.

"Impulsive" was the third single released from Wilson Phillips, and unlike the previous two singles, Wendy Wilson sang the lead vocal.

Internationally, "Impulsive" peaked at number 42 in the UK in November 1990, 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1990, and scraped into the top 30 in Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand.  "Impulsive" also registered in the top 40 in the Netherlands, and the top 60 in Germany.

On the ARIA state charts, "Impulsive" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 55.  "Impulsive" peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with Victoria/Tasmania being the only exception.

If you ask me, "Impulsive" and some of Wilson Phillips' other singles failed on the Australian chart because they were a bit too bland, safe, and 'American' sounding (squeaky clean, good little 'Christian' girls singing music your parents would approve of) for our tastes at this point in time.  The same observation was presumably made by the writers of the Australian comedy sketch program Fast Forward, at the time, in their parody of "Hold On" as "Wholesome".

Despite only landing one big hit in Australia, "Hold On" has had enduring popularity.  As of December 2017, "Hold On" had spent 249 weeks on the ARIA singles chart.  But yes, over 220 of those weeks are in the digital/streaming era, where anything can chart, and the chart now runs into the thousands.

Wilson Phillips will next join us in April 1991.

 

 

Number 134 "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode

Peak: number 134

Peak date: 10 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 134

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We saw Depeche Mode bubble under in July 1990, and back then I wrote of how criminally underrated the band were on the Australian charts.  And, as if to prove the point, here we have one of Depeche Mode's biggest, most-recognisable hits, languishing in the 130s... on re-release, no less.  Yes, "Personal Jesus" was the first single issued from the band's seventh studio album Violator (number 42, September 1990), back in October 1989.  "Personal Jesus" eventually limped into the ARIA singles chart, at number 166, in December 1989.  I guess the record company decided to give the single another go, after the belated... success of "Enjoy the Silence" - probably the band's signature song, which peaked at number 71 in Australia in September 1990, almost six months after debuting at number 139 in the last week of March.

"Personal Jesus" had greater success internationally.  Despite only peaking at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1990, "Personal Jesus" was Depeche Mode's first US top 40 hit in almost five years, and kicked off a string of three consecutive top 30 hits there, propelling Violator to number 7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in May 1990.  The album was certified 3 times platinum in the US, for shipments of over 3 million copies.

In the band's native UK, "Personal Jesus" peaked at number 13 in September 1989.  "Personal Jesus" also reached number 7 in Ireland, number 5 in Germany and Switzerland, top 20 in Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand, and top 30 in France.

On the ARIA state charts, "Personal Jesus" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it peaked at number 111.

"Personal Jesus" was the first Depeche Mode single to feature prominent use of a guitar, laid on top of their signature electronic sound.  Adding more guitar to their sound no doubt helped the band's music appeal to a new audience.  The guitar would become even more central to Depeche Mode's sound on their next studio album Songs of Faith and Devotion (number 14, April 1993).

Marilyn Manson recorded a pointless cover version "Personal Jesus", which peaked at number 30 in Australia in October 2004.  It's an indictment on the Australian record-buying public, really, that his version peaked over 100 places higher than the Depeche Mode original.

But that would not be the last time "Personal Jesus" made a (very small) ripple on the Australian chart - the Stargate remix of the track peaked at number 571 in June 2011.

We shall next see Depeche Mode in March 1991.

 

 

Number 137 "Type" by Living Colour

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 7 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Chart run: debuted 5 November 1990: 159-(out for 4 weeks)-137-127-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-121

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

"Type" was the lead single from American band Living Colour's second album Time's Up (number 15, July 1990).  To date, the band had placed two singles within the ARIA top 150, with "Cult of Personality" (number 54, April 1989) being the bigger of the two.  We saw Living Colour bubble under with their second Australian chart 'hit' in June 1989.  In the interim, the third single from Living Colour's debut album Vivid (number 52, April 1989), "Glamour Boys" (released in Australia in October 1989), missed the top 150.

Internationally, "Type" peaked at number 75 in the UK in October 1990.  None of the band's singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100 after their first album.

 

In Australia, "Type" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 91.  "Type" peaked at number 95 nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart.

Living Colour's next single, "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" (number 10, July 1991) became their only major hit, and only top 50 single, in Australia.  Released in mid-December 1990, in its original LP version, "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" stalled at number 147 in January 1991.  It was the Soulpower remix that became a hit in Australia and Europe, when the single was re-issued locally in March 1991, climbing gradually to its eventual peak in July.

 

Living Colour placed another five singles in the ARIA top 100, but none of these peaked higher than number 56.

Number 142 "Livin' in the Light" by Caron Wheeler

Peak: number 112

Peak date: 28 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Chart run: 153-142-130-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-126-114-113-112-120-120

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

English singer Caron Wheeler came to fame as the featured vocalist on Soul II Soul's breakthrough hits "Keep on Movin'" (number 77, September 1989) and "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" (number 45, February 1990).  While neither track was a massive hit in Australia, both singles peaked within the top 5 in the UK, and the top 15 in the US.

Before recording with Soul II Soul, Caron was one third of the vocal group Afrodiziak, together with Claudia Fontaine and Naomi Thompson.  The trio performed backing vocals for many British recording artists during the 1980s.

Caron launched a solo recording career following her success with Soul II Soul. "Livin' in the Light" was the lead single from her debut album UK Blak (number 128, January 1991).

Elsewhere, "Livin' in the Light" peaked at number 14 in the UK in September 1990, number 25 in Ireland in September 1990, number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1990, and number 26 in the Netherlands in October 1990.  The single also reached the top 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium, and the top 50 in Germany and New Zealand.

Domestically, "Livin' in the Light" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 84.

Caron's next single, "UK Blak", was issued in Australia in January 1991, but failed to chart locally.  Two further singles were released from UK Blak in the UK, but were not released here.

As a fan of Soul II Soul's singles, I somehow never heard "Livin' in the Light" until 2013, despite reading about its release and seeing the single in the shops in 1990.  My first thought upon hearing the track was that it sounded a lot more 1970s-inspired than I was expecting, and, musically at least, is not dissimilar to something Jamiroquai might have put out a few years later.  I was expecting a more-typical 'Soul II Soul'-type sound, but I like this track a lot.

We shall see Caron again in 1993.

Number 145 "Biggest Mountain" by Inspiral Carpets

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 21 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Chart run: 145-144-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-142-128-122-146-136-145-143

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

Inspiral Carpets bubbled under back in July with their first single issued in Australia, from their debut album Life (number 140, September 1990).  In the interim, "She Comes in the Fall" was issued locally in September 1990, but failed to chart.  "Biggest Mountain" was an in-between-albums single.

In Inspiral Carpets' native UK, "Biggest Mountain" was the lead track on their Island Head E.P., which peaked at number 21 there in November 1990.  The EP also reached number 29 in Ireland during the same month.

As a (very) casual fan of Inspiral Carpets' singles, I bought a DVD of their music videos second hand on eBay some years back, but haven't watched most of it.  Listening to "Biggest Mountain" as I write this post, this is actually the first time I have heard the track.  I like its more-subdued sound, and there is even a harpsichord waltz coda from just after three and a half minutes in - I was not expecting that.

 

This style of slightly 'alternative' music offered by British bands from this era remained largely unappreciated in Australia until Oasis and Blur landed major hits in the second half of the 1990s.

On the ARIA state charts, "Biggest Mountain" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 101.

We will next see Inspiral Carpets in August 1991.

 

Number 147 "The Anniversary Waltz" by Status Quo

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 7 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-126-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-104-113-110-116-124-134

 

British rock band Status Quo formed in 1962.  Originally, they were named The Scorpions (not to be confused with the German band), changing to The Status Quo in 1967 before dropping the 'The' in 1969.  Somehow, the band are still going, although there have been numerous line-up changes, and several members have died in more-recent years.

At this point in 1990, Status Quo had placed 14 singles on the Australian top 100 chart, between 1970 and 1985.  Three of their singles reached the top 10 in Australia during the 1970s.  These days, the song they would likely be best known for here is "Down Down" (number 4, 1975), thanks to its use in supermarket giant Coles' TV commercials (yes, the "down down, prices are down" song).

Not to be outdone by Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers, Status Quo recorded this medley of covers of songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  I was going to surmise it was in hope of landing a UK Christmas number one, but the single was released in September 1990 there, peaking at number 2 the following month.

A sequel to "The Anniversary Waltz", Part 2 - another covers medley - was released in the UK just in time for Christmas; however, it only reached number 16 on the Christmas chart.  Thankfully, Australia was spared part two.

Elsewhere, part 1 of "The Anniversary Waltz" reached the top 10 in Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden; and the top 20 in Germany, Switzerland, and the Flanders region of Belgium.  Surprisingly, "The Anniversary Waltz" reached number 30 in New Zealand in January 1991 - a rare instance of our Kiwi brethren displaying worse musical taste than us.

"The Anniversary Waltz" peaked higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 74.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 165 "I Like the Girls" by Mr. Lee

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 10 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American rapper Mr. Lee has bubbled under on two previous occasions earlier in 1990, most recently in September.

"I Like the Girls" was the third single from his Get Busy album - released in Australia in August 1990 but did not chart.

Internationally, "I Like the Girls" peaked at number 34 in the Netherlands in August 1990, and number 36 in the Flanders region of Belgium in September 1990.

Domestically, "I Like the Girls" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 153.

 

Despite being uploaded on an official Vevo channel, the music video for "I Like the Girls", embedded below, has distracting de-interlacing lines (those horizontal lines) throughout, making it almost unwatchable.  Record companies really ought to do better than this with official uploads!

Mr. Lee will join us for one last visit in 1992.

Next week (17 December): The chart year draws to a close, with seven top 150 debuts and five bubbling WAY down under entries.  Among them is the single that spent more weeks on the top 150 than any other single peaking between number 101 and 150 from the first half of the 1990s.

< Previous week: 3 December 1990                                    Next week: 17 December 1990 >

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.

 

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