Week commencing 24 June 1991

Things this week in 1991's new entries have in common - none of them were huge hits in the country where the artist was based.  Before we take a look at them, I have added a newly-uncovered bubbling WAY down under entry from The Party to last week's post.

 

Whitney Houston: Australia wasn't really buying her r&b jams in the early 90s.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 103 "Only You" by Keith Urban

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 1 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 103-101-114-109-113-115-123

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

 

Country singer Keith Urban, whose real surname is Urbahn, was born in Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand.  Coincidentally, I lived in Whangarei for about six months as a 5-6 year-old child when my dad relocated there for work.  Keith's family moved to Australia when he was two years old.

 

While "Only You" was Keith's first single to chart anywhere in the world, it was actually his second release.  The first single, "I Never Work on a Sunday", was issued in Australia in June 1990, but failed to chart.  As you can see on the single sleeve for "I Never Work on a Sunday", Keith was the Westpac (Bank) Star Maker winner for 1990.  That is some accolade! (said with no hint of irony...)

Both "I Never Work on a Sunday" and "Only You" were lifted from Keith's debut album Keith Urban (number 98, October 1991) - not to be confused with his 1999 album of the same name, which peaked at number 90 in Australia in February 2001.

Keith would have to wait until 2003 to land his first top 100 single in Australia, with "Raining on Sunday" (number 79, February 2003).

 

On the state charts, "Only You" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 43.  "Only You" peaked at number 93 on the Australian Music Report singles chart.

While still tinged with country, "Only You" is more of a straightforward pop rock track.

We shall next see Keith in September 1991.

 

 

Number 135 "Lowdown and Dirty" by Foreigner

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 8 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 135-130-123-128-137-128-129-130

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

British-American rock band Foreigner placed 12 singles on the Australian chart between 1977 and 1988, with three of those reaching the top ten.  Power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is" was their biggest hit in Australia, spending five weeks at number one in February and March of 1985.  The group's previous charting single in Australia, and their last to make the top 100, was "I Don't Want to Live without You" (number 24, June 1988).

 

Lou Gramm, who had sang lead vocals on all of Foreigner's previous hits, parted ways with the group in May 1990.  He was replaced by Johnny Edwards, who sings lead on "Lowdown and Dirty", the lead single from Foreigner's seventh studio album Unusual Heat (number 102, July 1991).

 

Internationally, "Lowdown and Dirty" peaked at number 50 in Canada.  It also reached number 4 on the US Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in July 1991, for whatever that's worth (not much). 

Within Australia, "Lowdown and Dirty" was most successful in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 91.

A second and final single from Unusual Heat, "I'll Fight for You", was released in Australia in September 1991, but did not chart.

Lou Gramm re-joined Foreigner in 1992, before departing again in 2003.

 

We will next see Foreigner in 1994.

 

 

 

Number 141 "Whenever You Close Your Eyes" by Tommy Page

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 15 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 141-146-138-136-142

 

American singer Tommy Page has joined us previously in April 1989 and in April 1990; and here he is in the ARIA top 150 singles chart for a third and final time.

"Whenever You Close Your Eyes" was the lead single from Tommy's third album From the Heart (number 129, July 1991).  Interestingly, I cannot find evidence of the single charting anywhere else.

I don't recall hearing this one before.  Michael Bolton's distinctive voice can be heard singing backing vocals on the final chorus section.

Slightly amusing story: I recently had the PWL remix of Tommy's "A Zillion Kisses" playing in the car with my mum as a passenger.  As the song was playing, she asked me, "Is this Madonna?"

Number 144 "The Soul Cages" by Sting

Peak: number 135

Peak date: 1 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Chart run: 144-135-141-137

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

We last saw Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, in April 1991.

"The Soul Cages" was the third single and title track from Sting's third solo album The Soul Cages (number 3, February 1991).

 

"The Soul Cages", which I did actually hear at the time (radio loved Sting back then), peaked at number 57 in Sting's native UK in May 1991, and at number 77 in the Netherlands during the same month.  The track also reached number 9 on the US Alternative Airplay chart in April 1991, and number 7 on the US Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in April 1991.

 

Domestically, "The Soul Cages" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 125.

Sting will join us next in 1994.

Number 146 "Fastlane" by Urban Dance Squad

Peak Number 146

Peak date: 24 June 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 146

Dutch rap rock band Urban Dance Squad narrowly missed the ARIA top 50 with their debut single "Deeper Shade of Soul" (number 56, May 1991), which was their only top 100 entry in Australia.

 

"Fastlane", also from the group's debut album Mental Floss for the Globe (released in Australia in May 1991, missed the top 150), was Urban Dance Squad's second single issued locally.

"Fastlane" peaked at number 59 in the Netherlands in June 1991.

This single was the group's last top 150 entry in Australia.

Number 148 "My Name Is Not Susan" by Whitney Houston

Peak: number 118

Peak date: 8 July 1991

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Chart run: 148-133-118-139-134-147-149-125-136-150-139

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

By this point in 1991, American singer Whitney Houston had placed 12 singles on the Australian chart.  In the US, Whitney had a string of seven consecutive number one singles, and a tally of nine Billboard Hot 100 number ones by mid-1991.  In contrast, despite her first two albums being huge, Whitney had only landed four top 10 singles in Australia at this point in time, with "Greatest Love of All" (number 1, July 1986) and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (number 1, June 1987) being her only releases to top the singles chart so far.

Whitney's third album I'm Your Baby Tonight (number 10, December 1990) was more r&b-focused and less commercially-successful than its predecessors.  Only one single from the album, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (number 7, November 1990), reached the top 50 in Australia.  "All the Man That I Need" (number 59, March 1991), the album's second single, stalled outside the top 50.

 

Third single "My Name Is Not Susan" fared even worse, peaking outside the top 100.  Up until now, the only Whitney singles that missed the top 100 in Australia were the duets "I Know Him So Well" (with her mother Cissy Houston, released in Australia in March 1989) and "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" (with Aretha Franklin, October 1989) - which both failed to chart.

Internationally, "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked at number 43 in the Flanders region of Belgium in 1991, number 29 in the UK in July 1991, number 14 in Ireland in July 1991, number 28 in the Netherlands in July 1991, number 57 in Germany in August 1991, number 31 in Sweden in August 1991, and number 20 in the US in September 1991.

 

The US peak of 'only' number 20 was surely a disappointment, coming off the back of two number one hits.  The I'm Your Baby Tonight album campaign soon wrapped up, following a fourth single issued in North America and Europe - but not in Australia - "I Belong to You", which missed the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked no higher than number 54 (in the UK) anywhere in the world.

 

For reasons I am not sure why, "My Name Is Not Susan" re-entered the chart in Germany in 1998, reaching a slightly higher peak of number 52 there in July 1998.

Within Australia, "My Name Is Not Susan" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 77.

As with "I'm Your Baby Tonight", there were two different mixes of the single and two different videos for the US and European/Australasian markets.  I have embedded both below, with the earlier European version (made up of clips from other Whitney videos/performances) listed beneath the US 'rap' version, which features Monie Love.

Whitney will next join us in 2001.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 180 "Tell Me That You Wait" by Culture Beat featuring Lana E. and Jay Supreme

Peak: number 180

Peak date: 24 June 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

We last saw German dance group Culture Beat in March 1991.  "Tell Me That You Wait" was the third single lifted from their debut album Horizon (number 150, April 1991).  Oddly, I cannot find evidence of "Tell Me That You Wait" charting anywhere else.

I have heard this track before, but not until the mid 2010s, when it showed up on a various artists promo VHS compilation I bought on eBay.

On the ARIA state charts, "Tell Me That You Wait" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 157.

We'll next see Culture Beat in November 1991, when they finally break into the top 150 singles chart.

 

 

Number 185 "Heartbreak Station" by Cinderella

Peak: number 185

Peak date: 24 June 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We have seen American rock band Cinderella twice previously, in May and July of 1989.

 

"Heartbreak Station" was the second single and title track from the band's third album Heartbreak Station (number 72, March 1991).  It followed "Shelter Me" (number 48, March 1991), which was their biggest hit in Australia.

 

Internationally, "Heartbreak Station" peaked at number 44 in the US in April 1991, number 51 in Canada, and number 63 in the UK in April 1991.

Within Australia, "Heartbreak Station" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 142.

"Heartbreak Station" was Cinderella's final single to chart in Australia.  They had another charting album, however, with Still Climbing (number 187, January 1995).

 

 

Next week (1 July): Seven top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.  Among them is one of the best (or worst - depending on which side of the fence you sit) song titles of all time!

 

< Previous week: 17 June 1991                                         Next week: 1 July 1991 > 

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.

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