In September last year, I started re-capping the Predictions for National Top 100 Singles (later 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100') lists from the Kent Music Report chart in 1981. But these lists started publication over four months earlier, in April 1981. Why did I skip past the first few months? I just forgot to start writing about them in April 2021, that's all... but now I am playing catch-up. So, brace yourself as I dust off some early 80s Australian chart flops.
Sister Sledge were not the only sister act bubbling under on the Australian chart this week in 1981.
Beyond the top 100:
Position 6 "I Can't Stand It" by Eric Clapton and His Band
Highest rank: 5th
Peak dates: 4 May 1981 and 11 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 5 weeks
Eric Clapton's biggest hit in Australia at this point had been his version of Bob Marley and The Wailers' "I Shot the Sheriff" (number 11, November 1974). He would go on to land a bigger hit, with his MTV Unplugged acoustic versions of "Tears in Heaven" and "Layla", a double A-side single, reaching number 7 in April 1993 and spending a whopping 41 weeks in the ARIA top 150.
"I Can't Stand It" was the lead single from the English guitar maestro's seventh studio album Another Ticket (number 30, April 1981). While the single did not chart in Eric's native UK, it reached number 7 in Canada in April 1981, and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1981.
We will next see Eric bubble under in 1987.
Position 7 "Hello Again" by Neil Diamond
Highest rank: 3rd
Peak date: 11 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
American singer, songwriter, and sometime actor Neil Diamond released his first single in 1962, and his first album in 1966.
"Hello Again" was recorded for the soundtrack album to the 1980 movie The Jazz Singer (number 10, March 1981), which was credited as a Neil Diamond release. Neil also stars in the film. The single peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1981, and was a top 40 hit in Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium. "Hello Again" also peaked at number 51 in the UK in February 1981.
Although Neil Diamond is a name I am familiar with, I don't actually know much of his music, and I can't say I enjoyed listening to this one. I had to turn it off half-way through.
Neil will next join us in 1984.
Position 8 "Night Rider" by Kevin Johnson
Highest rank: 8th
Peak dates: 27 April 1981, 4 May 1981 and 11 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
Australian singer Kevin Johnson's first single was released in 1967. His biggest hit would come in 1973, with "Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)", which peaked at number 8 on David Kent's retrospective Australian charts.
This track was lifted from Kevin's fifth studio album Night Rider (number 72, May 1981), which was his last album to chart. Kevin would, however, have one final charting single, with "Reasons" (number 98, October 1981).
Position 13 "Marching Feet" by MEO 245
Highest rank: 13th
Peak date: 27 April 1981
Weeks on below list: 1 week
Australian band MEO 245 formed in Hobart in 1978. The group placed two singles on the Kent Music Report top 100 chart, with "Lady Love" (number 43, December 1980) being the biggest of those.
The group only released one album Screen Memory (number 69, August 1981), but curiously, neither "Lady Love" nor "Marching Feet" appear on it.
MEO 245 disbanded in 1983.
Position 14 "Telephone Lines" by Linda George
Highest rank: 11th
Peak date: 11 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
English-born Australian singer Linda George, initially known as Miss Linda George, placed six singles on the Australian chart between 1973 and 1980. The biggest of those was "Mama's Little Girl", which peaked at number 8 in October 1974.
"Telephone Lines" was a non-album release from Linda. Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about it, as the song does not appear to be available to listen to anywhere online.
Position 16 "It's My Job" by Jimmy Buffett
Highest rank: 5th
Peak date: 25 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 8 weeks
American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is one of the richest recording artists, with an estimated wealth of $900 million in 2017. Despite that, I've never heard of him before... but country music is not my thing.
Jimmy's biggest hit in Australia, and his only single to reach the top 40 here, was "Come Monday", which peaked at number 19 in November 1974.
"It's My Job" was lifted from Jimmy's tenth studio album Coconut Telegraph (number 51, April 1981). The single peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1981.
We will see Jimmy again in June 1981.
Position 17 "All American Girls" by Sister Sledge
Highest rank: 14th
Peak date: 11 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 5 weeks
American sibling vocal group Sister Sledge formed in 1971. They landed their first Australian chart hits in 1979 with the disco classics "He's the Greatest Dancer" (number 22, July 1979) and "We Are Family" (number 19, September 1979). The sisters' biggest hit in Australia, however, came in 1985, when "Frankie" reached number 10 in September of that year. Aside from these three hits, no other Sister Sledge single peaked higher than number 50 in Australia.
"All American Girls" was the title-track from Sister Sledge's fifth studio album, which did not chart in Australia. The single peaked at number 79 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1981, number 41 in the UK in March 1981, number 8 in the Netherlands in March 1981, number 6 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1981, and number 27 in Germany in April 1981.
I think I've seen this one on a repeat of Countdown during rage retro month before; but I am not certain of that.
Sister Sledge will next bubble under in 1994.
Position 18 "Back of the Woods" by Atla
Highest rank: 18th
Peak dates: 27 April 1981 and 4 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 2 weeks
Here's one I'm certain I have seen on a Countdown repeat on rage, as I distinctly recall the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (or 'Mountie') uniforms worn in the video, embedded below.
Atla were an Australian band, and this single was their only "charting" release - of sorts. It seems the Countdown exposure did not help them.
No other release from the band is listed on discogs.com at the time of writing.
Position 19 "Love You to the Limit" by Cheetah Highest rank: 9th
Peak dates: 11 May 1981 and 18 May 1981
Weeks on below list: 5 weeks
Cheetah were another Australian band, and another one whose Countdown exposure with this track (a performance of this song from the show is embedded below) did not help its chart success.
Cheetah were fronted by English-born sisters Chrissie and Lindsay Hammond. The group placed four singles on the Kent Music Report top 100 between 1978 and 1982, with their first hit, "Walking in the Rain" (number 10, November 1978), being their biggest by far.
"Love You to the Limit" was written and produced by Vanda and Young, although obviously they did not give credit for plagiarising the riff from The Troggs' "Wild Thing" from 1966.
Cheetah's only album Rock & Roll Women, which did not chart, contains this song, but not their biggest hit.
"Love You to the Limit" was Cheetah's final Australian chart entry.
Next week (4 May): Three new singles bubbling under the top 100.
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.
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 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.
The 1990s decade had only just begun, but this week, we have two top 150 debuts from two acts most closely-associated with the 1970s, and a bubbling WAY down under entry from a band primarily thought of as being an 80s act. Interestingly, all three singles peaked on the chart during the same week. Let's take a look.
Iggy Pop: Livin' on the edge of a corporate, 9 to 5 image.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 111 "Livin' on the Edge of the Night" by Iggy Pop
Peak: number 101
Peak date: 26 March 1990
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Known chart run: 157-111-104-116-113-101-111-115-120-130
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks
Iggy Pop, real name James Newell Osterberg Jr., bubbled under in January 1989, on the first chart recap I wrote for this blog, and here he is again, with the lead single from his Brick by Brick album (number 65, February 1991), which I have previously written about in a special post on singles peaking at number 101. Interestingly, all but one of "Livin' on the Edge of the Night"'s 9 weeks in the top 150 were spent between numbers 101 and 120.
I don't recall hearing "Livin' on the Edge of the Night" at the time. I found the first verse boring, but it picked up with the chorus, and I like this. Iggy's image in the video seems a lot tamer than usual - he keeps his shirt on, for starters. It's almost as if the record company told him to wear a suit and slick back his hair, as part of an image overhaul. The shirt was off again, though, by the time they got to "Candy" later in the year.
Iggy had more luck with this track on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it just scraped into the top 100 at number 99. "Livin' on the Edge of the Night" peaked at number 51 in the UK in February 1990, and number 47 in the Netherlands in March 1990.
Domestically, “Livin’ on the Edge of the Night” was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 81. The single peaked within the top 100 on all of the state charts other than South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 106.
Iggy will join us again in 1991, with another duet.
Number 143 "Bad Love" by Eric Clapton
Peak: number 125
Peak date: 26 March 1990
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 153-143-133-128-131-125-126-131
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
More than a decade before Madonna was latching onto other (and in her case, a lot younger) artists to maintain relevance, it seemed that Eric Clapton was roping in some of his pals to help him score hits at this point in career. "Bad Love" is co-written by Eric with Mick Jones from Foreigner, and Phil Collins plays drums on the track and appears in the video. Around the same time, Eric returned the favour to Phil, playing guitar on and appearing in his video for "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (number 15, April 1990).
"Bad Love" was issued as the second single from Eric's Journeyman album (number 27, December 1989). We saw the first single from the album bubble under back in December.
Internationally, "Bad Love" peaked at number 25 in the UK in February 1990, number 83 in the Netherlands in March 1990., and number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1990.
On the state charts, "Bad Love" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 56.
Thompson Twins (no The) bubbled WAY down under back in October 1989. Here they are in the same region of the chart again, with the second single lifted from their Big Trash album (number 135, October 1989).
I don't recall hearing this one before, yet it peaked three places higher than the previous single - which I heard/saw on TV numerous times. Unusually for this period, where the chart does not seem to have extended to/beyond number 200, this single spent 6 weeks on the chart, despite its number 152 peak. "Bombers in the Sky" does not appear to have charted anywhere else.
Next week (5 March): Next week there are four new top 150 debuts, including a megamix from a band who were quite successful during the 1980s, and two bubbling WAY down under entries. You can also follow my posts on instagram, facebook and twitter.
Now in the final month of 1989, the chart year is drawing to a close, with this week's chart being the third-last one for the year. Unusually, of the ten songs I write about this week, I only knew two of them at the time - and they are both from the bubbling WAY down under section. At least one of this week's new entries does not have a music video, and two of the songs I write about were not even on YouTube until creating this post! Shall we take a look?
Olivia Newon-John: The charts weren't the only thing she was on the 'fringe' of in 1989.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 108 "The Arms of Orion" by Prince with Sheena Easton
Peak: number 108
Peak date: 4 December 1989
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Chart run: 165-108-121-115-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-124-126-118-115-117
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
Prince, under the pseudonym Alexander Nevermind, first collaborated with Sheena Easton through writing the infamous "Sugar Walls" (number 87, June 1985), recorded for her A Private Heaven album (number 88, March 1985). The pair then recorded a duet, "U Got the Look" (number 90, October 1987) for Prince's Sign "☮︎" the Times album (number 20, May 1987). While neither of these collaborations had much chart success in Australia, both reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100.
"The Arms of Orion" was released as the third single from Prince's Batman soundtrack (number 4, July 1989), without an accompanying music video, which probably hindered its chart success. The single performed stronger on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 88. "The Arms of Orion" also peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1989, and number 27 in the UK during the same month.
Within Australia, "The Arms of Orion" performed equally-strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 77 on the state charts. However, despite peaking highest in the two most-populous states, it didn't boost the single into the top 100, as it peaked peaked eight weeks apart on both state charts.
While I saw this single in the shops, I never heard the song until looking it up on YouTube out of curiosity a few years ago. That is, unless it is featured in the 1989 Batman movie, which I saw at the cinema, but can barely remember anything about (was there actually a plot?).
Sheena will pay us another visit in 1991, and Prince will join us again in 1996.
Number 114 "The Time Warp (PWL Remix)" by Damian
Peak: number 114
Peak date: 4 December 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 114-125-130-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-116-128
The original version of "The Time Warp", by The Rocky Horror Picture Show Original Cast, like the 1975 film that spawned it, had a 'rocky' start, eventually peaking at number 3 in December 1980, spending 15 weeks in the Australian top 10. Damian, hailing from Manchester in the UK, in a similar fashion, kept re-releasing his version of the track until it became a hit - well, in the UK, anyway. Originally peaking at number 94 in the UK in September 1986 (after debuting on the chart in March of the same year), it was re-recorded and re-released as "The Time Warp II" - having two separate chart runs between December 1987 and September 1988, peaking at number 51 there in January 1988. Finally, Damian's version of "The Time Warp" was remixed by Pete Hammond at PWL (home of hit-makers extraordinare Stock Aitken Waterman), and his Midas touch propelled the single to number 7 in the UK, for two weeks in September 1989. Phew!
In Australia, we got "The Time Warp II", released in November 1988. The PWL remix of "The Time Warp" was released locally in early November 1989. Judging by the embedded music video, Damian moonlighted as a clown/stilts walker. Sadly, he died from cancer in 2017, aged 52.
Number 123 "Our Children's World" by Oz Art for Ozone
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 4 December 1989
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 123-130-127-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-143-140-134-140-141
This track was (obviously) a charity record, by an ensemble of Australian artists - presumably to raise funds for environmental causes. Artists participating in this project included: Andy McLean (21 Guns), Brian Canham (Pseudo Echo), David Janz (Janz), Grace Knight (Eurogliders), Jim Keays (Masters Apprentices), John Swan (Swanee), Juno Roxas (Roxus), Lisa Edwards, Lisa Schouw (Girl Overboard), Matthew De La Hunty (Tall Tales & True), and Wendy Stapleton (Wendy & The Rocketts). I have no recollection of hearing this track before, so lack of exposure/promotion might have been a problem. Like almost all charity records, it kind of... sucks.
Going by the rear sleeve used as an image still for the (audio-only) video below, there was a music video filmed for this one - but no-one has yet uploaded it to YouTube.
Number 133 "Pretending" by Eric Clapton
Peak: number 106
Peak dates: 18 December 1989 (chart repeated 25 December 1989 and 1 January 1990), 8 January 1990 and 25 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Chart run: 133-119-106-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-106-107-110-106-114-133
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
Up until now, Eric had placed eight singles within the top 100 on the Australian singles chart, with the biggest of those being "I Shot the Sheriff" (number 11, November 1974). "Pretending" was the lead single from his Journeyman album (number 27, December 1989). "Pretending" performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 85. "Pretending" peaked at number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1989, and at number 96 in Eric's native UK in July 1990.
In Australia, "Pretending" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 46 on the state chart. The single peaked within the top 100 on all five state charts, but this was not enough for it to dent the national top 100.
Chart run: 176-134-140-143-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-142-139-146-139
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
Zan, real name Suzanne Abeyratne, was co-lead vocalist in the Australian band I'm Talking, who placed five singles in the Australian top 40 between 1985 and 1986, with the biggest of those being "Do You Wanna Be?" (number 8, June 1986). Of the singles the band released, Zan only sang lead on one of them, "Holy Word", which peaked at number 9 in September 1986.
I'm Talking bubbled under on the Kent Music Report's list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 with "How Can It Be", which reached fifth place on the list in November 1986.
I'm Talking disbanded in 1987, prompting both of its vocalists - Zan and Kate Ceberano - to launch solo careers. Zan's debut single, "It's Your Move", peaked at number 82 in April 1989, and this was its follow up. On the state charts, "Good Love" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 104.
Zan released one further solo single, "Nobody Else", in January 1991, but it failed to chart.
As this song was not previously on YouTube, I've had to resort to uploading the video below, which is just the audio of the 12" mix - the only version I was able to source.
Number 141 "Radar Love" by White Lion
Peak: number 117
Peak date: 8 January 1990
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Chart run: 151-(off chart for 1 week)-141-142-133-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-117-120-139-129-129
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
A cover version of the Golden Earring classic (number 10, September 1974), "Radar Love" was released as the second single from the Danish/American band's third album, Big Game (number 119, August 1989), and became their third single to bubble under in 1989, after we saw the band debut in May. White Lion's version of the track peaked at number 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Locally, "Radar Love" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 77.
Number 142 "Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez" by Tommy Emmanuel
Peak: number 138
Peak date: 18 December 1989 (chart repeated 25 December 1989 and 1 January 1990)
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 142-146-138-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-139-141-142
Guitar maestro Tommy Emmanuel's first foray onto the Australian charts came in 1988, when the album Up from Down Under peaked at number 48 in July 1988. "Guitar Concierto de Aranjuez" was a version of "Concierto de Aranjuez", composed in 1939 by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo, and lifted from Tommy's Dare to Be Different album (number 13, August 1990). Tommy will join us again in 1990.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 155 "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty
Peak: number 155 (in 1989); number 59 in 2017
Peak dates: 4 December 1989 (1989 chart run); 9 October 2017 (2017 chart run)
Weeks on chart: 40 weeks (1989 and 2017 chart runs combined)
Sometimes, some of an artist's most well-known songs are not their biggest chart hits, and here we have a prime example of that, with Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'". Despite peaking at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1990, becoming his biggest hit there, "Free Fallin'" stalled outside the top 150 in Australia in 1989. Tom's biggest chart hits in Australia had been "I Won't Back Down" (number 16, July 1989), and, with The Heartbreakers, "Refugee" (number 24, May 1980) and their duet with Stevie Nicks, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (number 10, September 1981).
"Free Fallin'" was lifted as the third single from Tom's Full Moon Fever album (number 13, June 1989), following "I Won't Back Down" and "Runnin' Down a Dream" (number 68, September 1989).
Following Tom's death in October 2017, "Free Fallin'" re-entered the ARIA singles chart, and peaked at number 59 during the same month. "Free Fallin'" was Tom's highest-peaking single to re-enter the ARIA chart in the week following his death, placing higher than "I Won't Back Down" at number 78 in the same week. This would suggest that "Free Fallin'" could now be regarded as being Tom's 'signature' track in Australia, despite its low peak of number 155 in 1989.
London Boys nudged the lower end of the top 150 back in September, and here they were with the second single lifted from their The Twelve Commandments of Dance album (number 137, August 1989) in Australia. "London Nights" fared much better in the UK, where it became the duo's highest-charting single, peaking at number 2 in July 1989. London Boys will visit us again in 1992.
Number 178 "Reach Out for Me" by Olivia Newton-John
Peak: number 153
Peak date: 15 January 1990
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
Here's one I hadn't heard before. As Olivia explains during the spoken intro to the embedded music video, this one was written for her daughter, Chloe, who was almost 4 years old at this point. Olivia recorded an album of children's songs, Warm and Tender (number 109, February 1990), from which this track is lifted. "Reach Out for Me"'s two weeks on the chart were non-consecutive, with the single re-entering and reaching its peak in mid-January 1990. Disregarding the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (which I don't consider a 'real' chart), Australia was the only place this single charted.
Next week (11 December): a quieter week, with three new top 150 entries, and one bubbling WAY down under debut. You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.
Although I can't identify a thread linking all nine of the songs I write about this week, I can tell you that four of them are by Australian artists, which is something. Er, let's take a look at them.
Gipsy Kings: Gracias por la música
Top 150 debuts:
Number 117 "Careless" by Paul Kelly and The Messengers
Peak: number 116
Peak date: 20 November 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 117-120-117-116-122-119-134
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
Paul Kelly and The Messengers, who we formerly The Coloured Girls, were a favourite on FM radio playlists in Australia throughout the mid-late 80s. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that - two notable hits aside, "Before Too Long" (number 15, September 1986) and "To Her Door" (number 14, December 1987) - this did not translate into much chart success. In fact, Paul has only ever notched up 7 top 40 singles in Australia, including with The Dots, The Coloured Girls, and solo. To add insult to injury, all but the aforementioned two and "Darling It Hurts" (number 25, November 1986) peaked between numbers 36 and 40. Paul's tenure with The Messengers (who were really just The Coloured Girls re-branded with a more palatable name for the US market) produced precisely zero top 50 hits. The biggest hit Paul scored with The Messengers was "Sweet Guy" (number 53, August 1989). But did any of this really matter when your albums still did OK? Probably not a whole lot.
"Careless" was the second single lifted from So Much Water So Close to Home (number 10, August 1989). This release would start a trend of Paul Kelly singles peaking outside the top 100, although his 1988 single with The Coloured Girls, "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" also missed the top 100. I am unable to give you a chart position for that one, as it is from the period where the ARIA chart stopped at number 100. "Careless" fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 92.
"Careless" peaked within the top 100 on four of the five ARIA state charts, only falling short in Victoria/Tasmania. The single performed strongest in Queensland, reaching number 75.
Paul will visit us on numerous occasions over the coming years - the next time being in August 1990.
Number 119 "Picture" by Janz
Peak: number 119
Peak date: 30 October 1989
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 119-125-131-132-140-149
I really wasn't expecting to find a video (even though it's just the audio) for this track on YouTube... but I was pleasantly surprised to see that one exists! I remember seeing the music video for "Crime" (number 70, May 1989) a few times on TV, but not this one.
Janz were an Australian band hailing from Melbourne, fronted by David Janz (real name David Fernandez). Going by a comment posted on YouTube by a band member, the group disintegrated shortly after the release of this single.
Number 122 "Get Smart" by Bachelors from Prague
Peak: number 118
Peak date: 6 November 1989
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 122-118-126-134-129
The group name Bachelors from Prague sounds vaguely familiar to me, but I don't recall hearing any of their music before. Their Wikipedia article mentions they promoted their music on Hey Hey It's Saturday - that's probably where I heard of/saw them. An eight-piece Australian group hailing from Melbourne, the jazzy "Get Smart" was the lead single from the band's second album, Birth of the Fool (number 61, October 1989). We shall see Bachelors from Prague again at the end of 1991.
Number 131 "Tokyo Nights" by Bee Gees
Peak: number 124
Peak date: 27 November 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 131-136-136-130-124-136-127
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
The fourth Australian (depending on your definition) act in a row this week, Bee Gees returned to the top 150 for the third time in 1989, with this track, the third single released from their One album (number 29, January 1990). It follows earlier flop singles "Ordinary Lives" and "One". This single performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it peaked at number 84. We will next see Bee Gees (no The) in 1991.
Number 135 "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Randy Crawford featuring Eric Clapton and David Sanborn
Peak: number 116
Peak date: 4 December 1989
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Chart run: 154-135-122-121-118-117-116-137-149-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door", written and originally recorded by Bob Dylan in 1973, was covered by Randy Crawford, together with Eric Clapton and David Sanborn, for the soundtrack to the 1989 movie Lethal Weapon 2. Unfortunately, that exact version does not appear to be on YouTube... so, instead, we'll make do with this live rendition by Randy below, to give you the general gist. Randy (real name Veronica Crawford) placed three singles in the Australian top 100, with the biggest of those being "One Day I'll Fly Away" (number 29, April 1981). This track also appeared on Randy's album Rich and Poor (number 107, December 1989).
On the state chats, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 61.
The Alarm were a Welsh group, formed in 1981. In their native UK, the group notched up seven top 40 singles and five top 40 albums between 1983 and 1991. In Australia, it was a different story, with their sole top 100 appearance being the album Eye of the Hurricane (number 91, March 1988). After that, a solitary week in the top 150 with "Sold Me Down the River" was as good as it got. "Sold Me Down the River" fared better in the band's homeland, where it peaked at number 43 for two weeks in September 1989. The track was lifted from the album Change (number 155, December 1989).
This one performed much stronger in South Australia/Northern Territory than anywhere else, where it reached number 71 on the state chart.
Gipsy Kings burst onto the Australian charts with "Bamboleo" (number 19, September 1989), and "Bem Bem Maria" (number 71, September 1989) followed it up in quick succession. Their third Australian single, "Djobi, Djoba" continued the act of diminishing chart returns, landing outside the top 100, but did it really matter when parent album Gipsy Kings (number 2, September 1989) went double platinum? Probably not. Striking while the iron was hot, the French group (although they sung in Spanish) released another album locally (Gipsy Kings was released in Europe in 1987) on 1 January 1990, Mosaique (number 23, January 1990). My dad bought both albums on cassette, and had it not been for that exposure, I may not have heard "Djobi, Djoba" before, though I do remember a snippet of it being used in a TV commercial for the album.
Internationally, "Djobi, Djoba" peaked at number 15 in France in November 1987, and number 34 in the Netherlands in August 1988.
In Australia, "Djobi, Djoba" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 107 on the state chart.
We will next see Gipsy Kings in 1991. They will also accompany an unlikely act, Bananarama (!), on a single that bubbles WAY down under in 1991.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 161 "Sugar Daddy" by Thompson Twins
Peak: number 155
Peak date: 6 November 1989
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Between 1983 and 1986, Thompson Twins (no The) placed eight singles in the Australian top 100 singles chart, with the biggest of those being "Hold Me Now" (number 3, April 1984). Their last hit in Australia was "King for a Day" (number 17, February 1986), and nothing from their 1987 album Close to the Bone, nor the album itself, charted (when the chart stopped at number 100). Roll on to 1989, and "Sugar Daddy" was the lead single from their sixth studio album, Big Trash (number 135, October 1989). I remember seeing "Sugar Daddy" probably twice on Countdown Revolution, but couldn't remember how it went. The group were perhaps too closely-tied to the early-mid 1980s (big hair and a zany look, a la Cyndi Lauper) to sustain commercial success throughout the latter part of the decade, when music and fashion styles had changed. Nevertheless, we shall see the group on two more occasions, with the next one being in February 1990.
Internationally, "Sugar Daddy" peaked at number 97 in the UK in October 1989, and number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
On the state charts, "Sugar Daddy" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 116.
