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 >

Kent Music Report beyond the top 100: 19 October 1981

This week 40 years ago, we have another mixed bag of artists bubbling under the Australian top 100.  Among them, we have a veteran singer-songwriter from the 1960s, the second single from a new pop band who appealed largely to teenage girls at this point in their career, and an obscure New Zealand band who only recorded one album.  Let's take a look.

 

Art Garfunkel: how could only one of his solo releases burn so brightly in Australia?

 

Beyond the top 100:

 

Position 38 "Don't Wanna Go Home" by Tigers

Highest rank: 21st

Peak date: 9 November 1981

Weeks on below list: 4 weeks

 

Tigers were a New Zealand band, formed in 1979 and splitting in 1983.   The band released only one album, Tigers, which was recorded in Australia.  During its tenure, the group released five singles, of which "Don't Wanna Go Home" was the only one to (almost) register on the Australian chart.  Nothing Tigers released charted in their home country.

The performance clip of "Don't Wanna Go Home" below was lifted from the iconic Australian music TV show Countdown.  It seems that, from time to time, Countdown aired some more-underground stuff, rather than just the chart hits, like this - at least in the early 1980s.

 

 

Position 39 "Careless Memories" by Duran Duran

Highest rank: 2nd  (single peaked at number 60 in 1982)

Peak date: 16 November 1981

Weeks on below list: 6 weeks

 

"Careless Memories" was Duran Duran's second single, following "Planet Earth" (number 8, August 1981).  Interestingly, "Planet Earth" peaked higher in Australia than it did in the band's native UK, where it only reached number 12 in March 1981.

"Careless Memories", however, was more or less a flop in both countries, peaking at number 37 in the UK in May 1981.  While "Careless Memories" would eventually reach a peak of number 60 in Australia in May 1982, upon its initial release, it narrowly missed the top 100.  It was only after "Girls on Film" (number 11, February 1982), "My Own Way" (number 10, May 1982) and an Australian tour in April 1982 that "Careless Memories" finally hit the top 100.

I'm not sure why "Careless Memories" was not a bigger hit for Duran Duran.  My only guess is that it lacks a big chorus, and as it was only their second single, they had not yet established a devoted fan-base.  "Careless Memories" was the only Duran Duran single to miss the top 20 in the UK until 1987, and their only single to miss the top 30 there until late 1989.

Duran Duran will next bubble under in 1987.

 

 

 

Position 42 "A Heart in New York" by Art Garfunkel

Highest rank: 20th

Peak date: 9 November 1981

Weeks on below list: 4 weeks

 

Art Garfunkel is best known as one-half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with Paul Simon.  Between 1965 and 1970, the pair landed six top 10 singles in Australia, including "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water".  1970's "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" topped the Australian singles chart.

Art embarked on a solo career in 1973.  While he placed seven singles on the Australian top 100 between 1973 and 1985, Art only had one major solo hit in Australia, with "Bright Eyes" (number 2, July 1979).

"A Heart in New York" was the lead single from Art's fifth studio album Scissors Cut (number 70, October 1981).  To my surprise, I actually knew this song already - though I've no idea how, as I was not yet 3 years old when it was released, and it wasn't a hit.

Internationally, "A Heart in New York" peaked at number 66 in the US, number 39 in the Netherlands , and number 37 in the Flanders region of Belgium - all in September 1981.

Art would score one final top 100 entry on the Australian singles chart, with "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" (number 96, June 1985).  Art's former bandmate Paul Simon landed his biggest solo hit in Australia with the inescapable "You Can Call Me Al" (number 2, November 1986) the following year.

 

Next week (26 October): Two singles bubbling beyond the top 100.

< Previous post: 12 October 1981                                     Next post: 26 October 1981 >

Week commencing 5 March 1990

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

 

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

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 145 "Burning the Ground" by Duran Duran

Peak: number 145

Peak date:  5 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

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

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

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

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

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

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

 

We shall next see Duran Duran in 1991.

Number 147 "Save Me" by 21 Guns

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 19 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

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

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

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

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

Number 149 "Melt" by The Someloves

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 16 April 1990

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

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

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

 

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

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

We will see The Someloves again in July.

Number 150 "Falling over You" by The Triffids

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

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

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

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

 

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

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

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 155 "Whitlam Square" by Died Pretty

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

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

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

Peak: number 163

Peak date: 5 March 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

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

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

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

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

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

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