Week commencing 1 February 1993

The only common thread linking this week in 1993’s debuts peaking outside the Australian top 100 is that all of them peaked within the month of February 1993.  Let's take a look at them.

Céline Dion: nothing broken but the chart.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 111 “Certain People I Know” by Morrissey

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 15 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 111-129-104-117-120-141

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We saw Morrissey's former band The Smiths just last week, and last saw him as a solo artist in 1991.

 

"Certain People I Know" was issued as the third single in Europe and Australasia from Moz's third solo studio album proper, Your Arsenal (number 12, August 1992).  It followed "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (number 55, June 1992) and "You're the One for Me, Fatty" (number 85, August 1992).

 

Internationally, "Certain People I Know" peaked at number 35 in the UK in December 1992, where it became Morrissey’s lowest charting solo single to date.

 

In Australia, "Certain People I Know" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 92 on the state chart.

 

I didn't hear this one at the time, but became acquainted with the song via a UK VHS compilation I digitised in the late 2000s.

 

We will next see Moz in 1994.

Number 116 “Someday (I’m Coming Back)” by Lisa Stansfield

Peak: number 116

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 116-(out for 1 week)-123-119-128-131

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

English songstress Lisa Stansfield last graced our presence in 1992.

 

"Someday (I'm Coming Back)" was recorded for The Bodyguard soundtrack (number 1 for 5 weeks in January-February 1993).  It was the third single lifted from the album, following Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (number 1 for 10 weeks between December 1992 and February 1993) and The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M.'s "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" (number 90, February 1993).

 

Internationally, "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" peaked at number 10 in the UK in December 1992, number 16 in Ireland in January 1993, number 42 in the Netherlands in January 1993, number 39 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1993, and number 51 in Germany in February 1993.

 

Domestically, "Someday..." performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 85 on the state chart.  The single performed better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 98.

 

I am a bit surprised that "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" did not chart better in Australia, as it's one of Lisa's poppier efforts.  However, Lisa generally did not fare too well with her singles in Australia, for some reason.  Perhaps the mammoth success of The Bodguard soundtrack hindered “Someday (I’m Coming Back)”’s sales.

 

We'll see Lisa bubble under next in July 1993.

Number 118 “Can I Get Over” by Definition of Sound

Peak: number 106

Peak date: 15 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Known chart run: 208-118-110-106-110-125-124-143

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

English duo Definition of Sound last joined us in 1992.

 

"Can I Get Over" (no question mark) was the second and final single lifted from the group's second album The Lick (number 176, November 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 61 in the UK in November 1992.

Locally, "Can I Get Over" was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 89 on the state chart.

I don't recall hearing this one at the time, but became familiar with it via its appearance on a VHS compilation I digitised in the early 2010s.

It looks like Definition of Sound lost their record deal with Circa Records, after the poor chart performance of The Lick and its singles.  They would eventually return in 1995 (1996 in Australia), on new label Fontana, with a single that would finally give the pair a top 40 hit here.  We will see Definition of Sound bubble under again in 1996.

Number 124 “Since I Met You Baby” by Gary Moore and B.B. King

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 124-142

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Northern Irish guitar whizz Gary Moore last joined us in 1992.

 

"Since I Met You" was the fourth and final single released in Australia from Gary's ninth solo studio album After Hours (number 8, April 1992).  For this track, he teamed up with veteran American blues guitarist/singer B.B. King, who landed a top 30 hit in Australia with U2 in 1989 with "When Love Comes to Town" (number 23, May 1989).  B.B., real name Riley B. King, was a mere 67 when "Since I Met You Baby" was charting.

Internationally, "Since I Met You Baby" peaked at number 59 in the UK in July 1992, where it was the third single issued from After Hours.

Locally, "Since I Met You Baby" performed equally-strongest in Victoria/Tasmania and Queensland, where it reached number 103 on the state charts.

Gary will join us once more in June 1993.  We will not see B.B. King, who died in 2015 aged 89, again.

Number 143 “Poison Heart” by Ramones

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 143-147-147

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

American punk rock band Ramones (no 'The') last joined us in 1989.

 

"Poison Heart" was the lead single from the band's twelfth studio album Mondo Bizarro (number 93, October 1992).  Internationally, "Poison Heart" peaked at number 69 in the UK in December 1992.  The track also peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart in October 1992.

Locally, "Poison Heart" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 127.

I won't be writing about Ramones again, but they had three later (very) low-charting singles in Australia during the streaming era: "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" (number 979, April 2014), "California Sun" (number 1815, August 2017), and "Rockaway Beach" (live at Friars, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, 30 December 1977) (number 2351, September 2019).

Number 144 “He Can’t Decide” by Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer, Vika Bull, Deborah Conway

Peak: number 112

Peak date: 22 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 144-130-117-112-113-122-128-139

We last saw Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly in 1992.

 

"He Can't Decide", a collaboration between Paul Kelly, Renee Geyer, Vika Bull (then of The Black Sorrows and later one half of Vika & Linda), and Deborah Conway was recorded for the ABC television series Seven Deadly Sins - the soundtrack album for which peaked at number 71 in March 1993.

 

I hadn't heard this one before.  I wasn't expecting the samba style.

 

We'll next see Paul Kelly in 1994, Renee Geyer in July 1993, Vika (as one half of Vika & Linda) in 1995, and Deborah Conway in 1994.

Number 146 “Laura” by Jimmy Nail

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 146

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

English recording artist Jimmy Nail is also an actor, film producer, and writer for television.  He came to prominence in Australia with the single "Ain't No Doubt" (number 5, October 1992) - his only single to dent the top 100, effectively rendering him a one-hit wonder in this country.

Seven years before "Ain't No Doubt", Jimmy landed a hit in the UK with his version of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", peaking at number 3 there in May 1985.  The single was released in Australia in July 1985, but failed to chart.  Interestingly, and somewhat annoyingly, Jimmy changes the "just a vacancy" lyric in the chorus of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" to "just look back and see" - perhaps it was a misheard lyric?

"Laura" was the follow-up release to "Ain't No Doubt".  Both tracks were lifted from Jimmy's second studio album Growing Up in Public (number 64, November 1992).  Internationally, "Laura" peaked at number 58 in the UK in September 1992.

In Australia, "Laura" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 116 on the state chart.  "Laura" debuted on the ARIA singles chart at number 158 on 7 December 1992, but took almost two months to crack the top 150.

 

I don't recall hearing "Laura" before.

 

A third single from Growing Up in Public, "Only Love (Can Bring Us Home)", was released in Australia in March 1993, but failed to chart.  Oddly, this single does not appear to have been released in Jimmy's native UK, and only German pressings are listed on discogs.com.

 

Jimmy will join us next in 1996.

 

Number 147 “Lil' Red Ridin’ Hood” by Paul Norton

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 199-147

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Australian singer-songwriter Paul Norton last joined us in 1990.

 

"Lil' Red Ridin' Hood" was the second and final single lifted from Paul's second album Let It Fly (number 141, November 1992).  It followed “When We Were Young” (number 99, October 1992).

 

On the state charts, "Lil' Red Ridin' Hood" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 133.

 

I don't recall hearing this one before.  This was Paul's final single release.

Number 149 “Carry On” by Martha Wash

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Known chart run: 151-149

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Although "Carry On" was American singer Martha Wash's first charting release in her own right, she was no stranger to the charts.  Martha's career began as one of Sylvester's backing singers, together with Izora Armstead, as Two Tons o' Fun.  The pair then rebranded as The Weather Girls, and landed a number 16 hit in Australia with "It's Raining Men" in June 1983.

Martha's vocals were uncredited on a number of recordings from the late 80s/early 90s, from Seduction, Black Box, and C + C Music Factory.  Martha sang vocals on all of the non-"Ride on Time" tracks on Black Box's Dreamland (number 1, March 1991) album, including the singles "I Don't Know Anybody Else" (number 6, April 1990), "Everybody Everybody" (number 35, July 1990), "Fantasy" (number 3, February 1991), "The Total Mix" (number 24, April 1991), "Strike It Up" (number 20, May 1991), and "Open Your Eyes" (number 60, February 1992).  Her vocals were again used without her permission on C + C Music Factory’s "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" (number 3. February 1991.  Martha's vocals were lip-synced by others in the videos for these tracks, as her full-figured body was deemed unmarketable.  Martha successfully sued the aforementioned acts, and as a result, it became US law that featured vocalists must receive credit on studio recordings and in music videos.

"Carry On" was the first single lifted from Martha’s debut solo album Martha Wash (released in Australia in April 1993 but failed to chart).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 74 in the UK in November 1992, and number 38 in the Netherlands in February 1993.  The track also registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 1 on the Dance Club Songs chart in December 1992, number 1 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in January 1993, number 68 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in January 1993, and number 97 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in January 1993.  A 1997 remix of "Carry On" peaked at number 49 in the UK in October 1997.

In Australia, "Carry On" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 116.

We'll next see Martha in April 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 180 “One Love in My Lifetime” by Innocence

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 15 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We last saw English R&B band Innocence in 1992.

 

"One Love in My Lifetime" was the second single lifted from the group's second album Build (number 217, December 1992).  The single peaked at number 40 in the UK in September 1992.

In Australia, "One Love in My Lifetime" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 144 on the state chart.

We'll see Innocence on one more occasion, in March 1993.

 

Number 182 “Unsung” by Helmet

Peak: number 182

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

American Alternative metal band Helmet formed in New York in 1989.  "Unsung" was the first single lifted from their second album, and first major label release, Meantime (number 88, February 1993).

Internationally, "Unsung" peaked at number 119 (number 91 on the compressed chart) in the UK in November 1992.  "Unsung" also peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and number 32 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Locally, "Unsung" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 169 on the state chart.

Helmet will join us next in 1994.

Number 192 “Nothing Broken but My Heart” by Céline Dion

Peak: number 192

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Canadian songstress Céline Dion launched her recording career as a 13 year old in the French-speaking province of Quebec.  Her international recording career commenced in 1990, and we saw Céline bubble under in 1991.

 

"Nothing Broken but My Heart" was lifted from Céline's eleventh studio album, and second album recorded in English, Céline Dion (number 15, September 1992).  The track, written by Diane Warren, was preceded by the singles “Beauty and the Beast” (number 17, July 1992), “If You Asked Me To” (number 52, September 1992), and “Love Can Move Mountains” (number 54, October 1992).  Although I have previously described Diane Warren as "beige songwriter extraordinaire", I actually don't mind "Nothing Broken but My Heart", which I became familiar with via the American Top 40 radio program.

 

Internationally, "Nothing Broken but My Heart" peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1992, and number 3 in Canada in October 1992.  The track also registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 26 on the Pop Airplay chart in October 1992, number 35 on the Radio Songs chart in October 1992, and number 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart in October 1992.

Domestically, "Nothing Broken but My Heart" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 178.

 

Céline would go on to greater commercial success in Australia with her next album The Colour of My Love (number 1 for 8 non-consecutive weeks between May 1995 and September 1995).  I won't be writing about Céline again, but she had a number of very low-charting singles in Australia between 2014 and 2020.

Number 193 “I Wish the Phone Would Ring” by Exposé

Peak: number 193

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

American Latin freestyle group Exposé last joined us in 1990.

 

"I Wish the Phone Would Ring" was the lead single from Exposé's third and final studio album Exposé, which does not appear to have been released in Australia.  Internationally, the single peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1992, and number 49 in Canada in December 1992.  The track also registered on numerous US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 20 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in November 1992, number 21 on the Radio Songs chart in November 1992, number 21 on the Pop Airplay chart in December 1992, and number 14 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in December 1992.

Locally, "I Wish the Phone Would Ring" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 179.

"I Wish the Phone Would Ring" was the final Exposé single released in Australia.

Next week (8 February): Another busy week, with twelve top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 25 January 1993                     Next week: 8 February 1993 >

Week commencing 28 May 1990

All six of this week's top 150-debuting artists scored top 40 hits on the Australian charts during the 1980s, whether on their own or as part of a group.  Early into the 1990s, however, their latest releases were flopping on the Australian chart.  Let's take a look at these under-appreciated by the Australian record-buying public songs.

 

Kate Bush: those who love her music might be 'angered' with her chart placing this week.

 

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 117 "Softly Whispering I Love You" by Paul Young

Peak: number 105

Peak date:  2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Chart run: 117-122-121-124-116-105-126-121-115-126-132

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

Frog-voiced Paul Young placed nine singles within the Australian top 100 chart between 1983 and 1987, with two of those reaching the top 10: "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" (number 9, September 1983) and "Love of the Common People" (number 8, April 1984).  Paul additionally had one single register on the Kent Music Report's 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list, with "Bite the Hand That Feeds" reaching fourth place on the list in October 1985.

"Softly Whispering I Love You" was the first single issued from the English singer's fourth studio album Other Voices (number 102, July 1990).  The song is a cover version of a David and Jonathan track, which reached number 23 on the Australian Go-Set chart (which pre-dates the Kent Music Report and was Australia's official chart at the time).

Paul's version of "Softly Whispering I Love You" peaked at number 21 for two weeks in the UK in May 1990, number 16 in Ireland, and reached the top 50 on the Dutch and Flemish charts.  Within Australia, the single performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 52.

We shall see Paul again in September.

Number 133 "The Downeaster "Alexa"" by Billy Joel

Peak: number 126

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 160-133-134-145-133-133-126-133-139

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

We saw Billy Joel bubble under with the third single from his Storm Front album (number 1, November 1989) in March 1990, and here he is this week with the fourth.

"The Downeaster "Alexia"" peaked at number 57 in Billy's native US on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990, and number 76 in the UK during the same month.

Billy will join us again in December, but in between he released "That's Not Her Style" in August 1990, which surprisingly failed to chart.  I say 'surprisingly' because it was the only one of his Storm Front singles that missed the top 100 in Australia that I knew at the time.

Number 140 "Our House" by v. Spy v. Spy

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 140-127-119-130-130-132-140

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We saw Aussie band v. Spy v. Spy back in February with the second single from Trash the Planet (number 22, November 1989), and here they are with the third.  I don't recall hearing this one before.

On the state charts, “Our House” performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 70.

A fourth single from Trash the Planet, "Oceania", was released in August 1990, but failed to chart.

We shall see v. Spy v. Spy again in 1993.

Number 141 "Sophisticated Lady" by Grace Knight

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 141

Grace Knight fronted Perth band Eurogliders before they split in 1989.  Between 1982 and 1988, Eurogliders placed 12 singles within the Australian top 100, with three of those reaching the top 10.  "Heaven (Must Be There)" was their biggest hit, peaking at number 2 in July 1984.

 

Two Eurogliders singles bubbled under on the Australian Music Report's list of 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100': "Listen" reached seventh place on this list (when the ARIA chart stopped at number 100) in October 1988, and "Precious" reached tenth place on this list in April 1989 (did not chart on the ARIA chart).  On the ARIA charts, "Listen" peaked at number 91 on the Western Australia state chart in September 1988, but did not chart nationally or register on any other state chart.

In a recent interview with Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop, who recap the Australian weekly top 100 charts from the 80s and 90s, Grace revealed that she was in a financially perilous situation following the demise of Eurogliders.  As a single parent struggling to make ends meet, as luck would have it, Grace received a call from the ABC, who asked if she would be interested in recording some jazzy numbers for a TV series they were producing, Come in Spinner.  Grace jumped at the opportunity, and the soundtrack album for the series reached number 4 on the ARIA albums chart in April 1990.  The move paid off, as the album went double platinum and led to Grace recording further jazz albums.

"Sophisticated Lady", a version of the 1930s jazz standard - originally an instrumental by Duke Ellington, was not quite as successful, languishing in the lower part of the top 150, but no doubt helped promote sales of the soundtrack album.

Eurogliders would eventually reform, in 2005, recording new material.

Number 145 "Love and Anger" by Kate Bush

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 145

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Since bursting onto the charts with a bang in 1978 with "Wuthering Heights" (number 1, May 1978), Kate Bush had placed 10 singles within the Australian top 100 up until this point, with four of those reaching the top 10.

"Love and Anger" was issued as the third and final single from Kate's sixth studio album The Sensual World (number 30, November 1989) in her native UK, where it peaked at number 38 in March 1990, and in Australia.  It followed "The Sensual World" (number 44, November 1989) and "This Woman's Work" (number 89, February 1990).  In the US, "Love and Anger" was released as the lead single from the album.

Kate had previously bubbled under on the Australian chart, with "Cloudbusting" reaching seventh place on the Kent Music Report's 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list in January 1986, and "Experiment IV" reaching fifth place on the list in December 1986.  Some excellent Kate Bush singles released locally that didn't do a thing on the Australian charts and are well worth checking out include "Suspended in Gaffa" (released in Australia in January 1983), "Breathing" (released in Australia in May 1980), and "Hounds of Love" (released in Australia in March 1986).

I caught the music video for "Love and Anger" once on rage before the top 50 in 1990, and remember seeing the cassingle in the shops; but other than that, it didn't seem to receive any promotion.  On the state charts, "Love and Anger" performed best in Western Australia, where it reached number 100.

One thing missing from the music video is Kate's laugh, which appears at the end of the track on European and Australasian pressings of The Sensual World (it is part of the following track, "The Fog" on US pressings, I believe), and at 4:38 in this video.  I recall reading that Kate had always wanted her laugh - without any musical accompaniment - to appear on an album; obviously, she had enough clout at this point to fulfill this wish.

In between "Love and Anger" and her next single "Rocket Man" (number 2, March 1992), Kate released a box-set of all her studio albums to date, plus two extra discs of B-sides and 12" versions, titled This Woman's Work: Anthology 1978-1990.  The set peaked at number 143 on the ARIA albums chart in February 1991.  Curiously, it did not chart anywhere else.

We will next see Kate in 1994.

Number 148 "Far Far Cry" by Jon Anderson

Peak: number  148

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 148

 

Jon (real name John) Anderson was the frontman of Yes, whose "Owner of a Lonely Heart" single reached number 14 in February 1984.  Yes placed one other single within the Australian top 100 during the 1980s, "Love Will Find a Way" (number 80, December 1987).  A further single, "Leave It", reached tenth place on the Kent Music Report list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in April 1984.

As a solo artist, Jon's single "Hold on to Love" reached number 86 on the Australian Music Report singles chart in July 1988, but did not make the ARIA chart.

"Far Far Cry" was recorded for Jonathan Elias' Requiem for The Americas: Songs from the Lost World album (number 145, June 1990), which featured collaborations with several artists, including members of Duran Duran, Grace Jones, Toni Childs, Michael Bolton, and Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles.

Interestingly, "Far Far Cry" did not chart in Jon's native UK, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 157 "Rhythm of Life" by Oleta Adams

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

I've mentioned previously that Oleta was discovered by Tears for Fears, and collaborated with them for several tracks on their The Seeds of Love album (number 18, October 1989), notably on their single "Woman in Chains" (number 39, January 1990).

While Oleta released two albums in the early 1980s, "Rhythm of Life" was the lead single from her major label debut, Circle of One (number 131, September 1990).  The single crept into the Dutch top 40 at number 39 in June 1990, and initially peaked at number 52 in the UK in March 1990.  A later remixed version of the track would reach number 38 in the UK in December 1995.  In her native US, "Rhythm of Life" missed the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 21 on the Adult Contemporary chart (a meaningless chart, if you ask me) in September 1990.

Within Australia, "Rhythm of Life" performed strongest on the Queensland state chart, where it reached number 140.

The album's title track, "Circle of One", was not issued as a single in Australia, but is my favourite Oleta Adams track that I know.  This track reached number 73 in the UK in June 1991, after originally peaking at number 95 in July 1990.

Oleta never landed a top 100 solo single or album in Australia, but will join us a couple of times over the coming years, with the next occasion being in February 1991.

Number 161 "Tell Me Why" by Exposé

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 4 June 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Exposé bubbled WAY down under in November 1989 with the second single from their What You Don't Know album (number 117, November 1989) album, and here they are in the same region of the chart with the follow-up release.

 

"Tell Me Why" was the last in a string of seven consecutive US Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits for the American group, reaching number 9 there in February 1990.  "Tell Me Why" had much less success internationally, only registering within the top 40 (at number 34) in Canada.

On the state charts, "Tell Me Why" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it peaked at number 122.  Exposé released one further single from the What You Don't Know album locally - "Your Baby Never Looked Good in Blue", in July 1990, but it failed to chart.

 

Exposé would place one more single on the ARIA singles chart, which we will see in 1993.

Number 167 "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" by Chicago

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, American band Chicago placed 18 singles within the Australian top 100.  Their biggest hits in Australia were "If You Leave Me Now" (number 1, December 1976) and "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" (number 4, September 1982).  The singer of both of those tracks, Peter Cetera, left the band in 1985, and lead vocal duties were taken over by Robert Lamm, who had been with the group since its inception in 1967.

"What Kind of Man Would I Be?" originally appeared on the Chicago 19 album (number 97, August 1988), but was subtly remixed for inclusion on their Greatest Hits 1982-1989 compilation, titled The Heart of Chicago in Europe and Australasia (number 92, January 1990).

Chicago will visit us next in 1991.

Next week (4 June 1990): Just two new top 150 entries, one of which is a song that will go on to reach the top 20 when re-issued in late 1991.

< Previous week: 21 May 1990                                       Next week: 4 June 1990 >

Week commencing 6 November 1989

Two of this week's four new top 150 entries are side projects or one-off collaborations - one is the sole release of the artist's discography, and the other is one of many releases from a group who majorly underperformed on the Australian charts.  Shall we take a look?

 

Steve Stevens: Atomic Playboys?  Or just boys who like to lick their fingers and stick them in power sockets?

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 129 "Oh Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison and Friends

Peak: number 112

Peak date: 27 November 1989

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 129-114-117-112-128-128-140-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

 

Roy Orbison's music - whether part of Traveling Wilburys (no The) or solo - was seemingly inescapable in 1989, following his untimely death in December 1988, and the success of his posthumous Mystery Girl album (number 1, February 1989).  "Oh Pretty Woman", a song I'm sure most people would assume was just titled "Pretty Woman" with no "Oh", was one of those songs you just absorbed through cultural osmosis, and was certainly one I knew from an early age, despite being born 14 years after it topped the chart in 1964.

Following the increased interest in Roy's music following his death, naturally it seemed logical to issue this live recording, from September 1987, that Roy performed together with 'friends' including Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jennifer Warnes, and others.  An album of the live set, A Black & White Night Live (number 28, November 1989), was also released.  Despite peaking outside the top 100 in Australia, somehow this track made its way onto the various artists compilation album Hits of 1990 Volume 1.  That makes me wonder if these below number 100 charts - or at least, the relevant placings from them - were made available to record companies, at the time.

 

On the state charts, "Oh Pretty Woman" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 74.

Roy will bubble down under again in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 138 Steve Stevens Atomic Playboys "Atomic Playboys"

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 6 November 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 138

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Steve Stevens (real name Steven Bruce Schneider) was best known for being Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator, with prominent roles in his music videos such as "Rebel Yell" (number 7, April 1984).  He also famously played guitar on Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" (number 26, June 1988).  This track was Steve's first foray with his group, Atomic Playboys.  As far as I am aware, the single did not chart anywhere else, and the group's only album, Steve Stevens Atomic Playboys, peaked at number 67 in Australia in October 1989, and number 119 in the US.  When asked in a 2001 interview whether there was any possibility of the group reforming, Steve replied: "Absolutely not. That group was a very expensive hobby."

 

"Atomic Playboys" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 99.

 

We will see Steve Stevens Atomic Playboys again in February 1990.

 

 

 

Number 150 "Casanova Baby" by Dora D

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 6 November 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

 

Now here's one I had never heard of before.  Going by the artist name and song title, I assumed that Dora D might be Dora D-Cup, and the song might be a tacky but brilliant Sabrina-esque pastiche.  Listening to it now, while it doesn't quite live up to those expectations, it is fairly pleasant.  Dora D also appears to be an Australian artist, with the music video uploaded to the YouTube channel VisionlinkAustralia.  Having listened to this track twice now, I hear synths during the intro that are rather similar to those used during the intro of the single version of Kylie Minogue's "Shocked" - although that was out nearly two years after this.  Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything else about Dora D, other than the track was mixed by Mike Duffy (who produced the original, pre-Stock Aitken Waterman version of Kylie's "Locomotion"), and this appears to have been her only release.  Shame about that.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 164 "Drama!" by Erasure

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 4 December 1989

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

Things started out relatively promisingly for Erasure on the Australian singles chart, when "Oh L'amour" peaked at number 13 in September 1986, and became the 75th biggest hit of the year.  In contrast, "Oh L'amour" peaked at just number 85 in the group's native UK, in May 1986, where it was released as their third single.  Interestingly, Australia was the second country to give Erasure a top 40 hit, when "Oh L'amour" crept into the top 40 in August 1986, only being beaten by Sweden in June of that year.  In contrast, the group did not enter the top 40 in the UK until November 1986.

Despite this auspicious start, the group only ever scored one other top 40 single down under: 1992's ABBA-esque EP, which, led by "Take a Chance on Me", also peaked at number 13, in August 1992.  Their top 100 Australian singles chart tally wasn't much better, notching up a meagre five entries.  The group did, however, place a string of singles outside the top 100 in Australia, with this one being the first of 12 between 1989 and 2000.

Exclamation marks were obviously in vogue for the group, with "Drama!" being the first single lifted from the album Wild! (number 107, January 1990).  Within Australia, "Drama!" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 101.  In the UK, "Drama!" performed much better, peaking at number 4 in October 1989.

 

Erasure will next visit us in May 1990.

 

 

Number 168 "When I Looked at Him" by Exposé

Peak: number 168 

Peak date: 6 November 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American Latin freestyle group Exposé scored their sole ARIA top 100 single earlier in the year with "What You Don't Know" (number 65, October 1989), and here they are, just over 100 places lower, with the follow-up release.  Both tracks are lifted from their What You Don't Know album (number 117, November 1989).

I can see why this single didn't perform as well as the last one, though it's not that bad.  "When I Looked at Him" performed much better in the US, becoming the sixth of eight Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits for the group.

 

In Australia, "When I Looked At Him" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 121 on the state chart.

 

Exposé scored another semi-'hit' in Australia with "Seasons Change", which was ranked seventh on the Australian Music Report's list of 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' for one week in March 1988.

One earlier single from the group I like that you should check out if you don't know it already is "Point of No Return", which was issued locally in August 1987 but failed to chart.  It peaked at number 5 in the US in July 1987, however.

We shall see Exposé again in 1990.

 

 

Number 172 "This Waiting Heart" by Chris de Burgh

Peak: number 162

Peak date: 20 November 1989

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We last saw Chris de Burgh in April 1989.

 

"This Waiting Heart" was released to promote Chris' compilation album Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of Chris de Burgh (number 90, December 1989).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 15 in Ireland in October 1989, number 59 in the UK in October 1989, number 27 in Switzerland in November 1989, and number 36 in Germany in November 1989.

Domestically, "This Waiting Heart" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 104.

Chris will join us next in 1990.

 

 

 

Next week (13 November): another three new top 150 debuts, including the original version of a track that would become a big hit in 1996, and two bubbling WAY down under entries.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

 

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