Week commencing 14 December 1992

Welcome to the final chart survey of 1992.  Fittingly, there's a Christmas song among the list of new entries below.  In other news, I have added top 150 chart runs for my posts covering February 1990 to September 1990 inclusive.

Bjӧrn Again: Santa Claus was coming to town, but not the top 100.

Top 150 dubuts:

Number 106 “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by Bjӧrn Again

Peak: number 106 (1992-3 chart run); number 105 (1994-5 chart run)

Peak dates: 14 December 1992 (1992-3 chart run); 19 December 1994 (1994-5 chart run)

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks (4 weeks in 1992-3; 4 weeks in 1994-5)

Top 150 chart run: 106-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-109

Re-entered 12 December 1994: 130-105-(chart repeated for 1 week Xmas break)-141

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

The ABBA revival was well and truly underway by the end of 1992, with the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits compilation atop the ARIA albums chart for Christmas 1992.  It all kicked off with Erasure's Abba-esque EP (number 13, August 1992) topping the UK singles chart in June 1992.  As a response to that, Australian ABBA tribute band Bjӧrn Again, cleverly named after ABBA founding member Bjӧrn Ulvaeus, covered two Erasure singles, "A Little Respect" and "Stop!", in ABBA style, released as the Erasure-ish EP in the UK, where it reached number 25 in October 1992. Oddly, the single was not released in Australia - perhaps because the Erasure originals of those songs were not hits locally.

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" did receive a local release, however, just in time for Christmas.  Unlike most tribute acts, Bjӧrn Again did not merely perform ABBA covers, but rather, often re-interpreted others' songs in ABBA style, which was part of their novelty appeal.  Their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" begins with a "Waterloo" (number 4, August 1974) mash-up, and contains their attempt at a Swedish accent, particularly noticeable on the word "Claus".  A version of "Little Drummer Boy" appeared as the single's B-side.

 

Internationally, "Santa Claus..." peaked at number 55 in the UK in December 1992.

 

Locally, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66 on the state chart in December 1994.   The single was re-released for Christmas 1994 after the success of their "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (number 27, August 1994) single and Flashback! (number 40, August 1994) album.  It stalled just outside the top 100 on both occasions, however, with the 1994 release bettering its original chart peak by only one place.

Bjӧrn Again had various line-ups over the years, but the original line-up was by far the best, and most commercially-successful.

We shall see Bjӧrn Again next in 1994.

Number 132 “A Good Idea” by Sugar

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 18 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 132-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-119-112-108-122-114

We last saw American band Sugar in October 1992.

 

"A Good Idea" was the second single lifted from their debut album Copper Blue (number 92, October 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 62 in the UK in October 1992.

I hadn't heard this one before.  While it's not something I would seek out, it wasn't bad.

This was Sugar's last top 150 single in Australia.

Number 146 “The New Time Warp” by The New Rocky Horror Show (Australian Cast)

Peak: number 106

Peak date: 18 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-118-109-106-135-127-135-142

 

OK, you know from the song title and artist credit above that this is going to be a (probably bad) version of the famous Rocky Horror Show song, "The Time Warp", from 1973, which originally peaked at number 3 in Australia for 5 non-consecutive weeks in December 1980 and January 1981.  Before that, an Australian cast recording of the same song peaked at number 85 in November 1977.  We also saw Damian's version of the song bubble under in 1989.

The New Rocky Horror Show Australian cast was made up of Ally Fowler (of Chantoozies), Alyssa Jane Cook, Craig McLachlan, Frankie J Holden, Gina Riley (the comedienne), Glenn Butcher, Linda Nagle, Peter Rosethorn, Red Symons, Steve Kearney and Wilbur Wilde.  There was an accompanying album, The New Rocky Horror Show (Australian Cast Recording) (number 124, January 1993). 

I hadn't heard this one before.  It's interesting to see Gina Riley (Kim from Kath & Kim) on the charts.

Number 149 “Love Changes Everything” by Peter Cousens

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-137-136-140-150-141

Australian singer and actor Peter Cousens guest-starred in a number of TV soap operas, including Sons and Daughters, which I was too young to have watched the first time around, but viewed the repeats on 7Two starting in 2009.  I had to google who he played, as I couldn't place it, but he portrayed Luke Carlyle, who had a brief stint on the show in 1984.

Peter also landed the role of The Phantom for the Australian leg of the musical theatre production The Phantom of the Opera.  "Love Changes Everything" was recorded for another Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Aspects of Love, in which Peter performed in for its Australian shows.  The original London Cast recording of Aspects of Love peaked at number 86 on the ARIA albums chart in November 1989.  We saw Michael Ball's recording of “Love Changes Everything” bubble under in 1989.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 167 "Morning Has Broken" by Neil Diamond

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 18 January 1993

Wees on chart: 6 weeks

 

Neil Diamond last graced our presence in April 1992.

 

"Morning Has Broken" is lifted from Neil's The Christmas Album (number 30, January 1993).  Neil's version of the Christian hymn was released just in time for the festive season.

Internationally, "Morning Has Broken" peaked at number 36 in the UK in November 1992.  Locally, the single was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 38.

Neil will next join us in 1993.

 

Number 180 “Love, Oh Love” by Lionel Richie

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks 

We last saw Lionel Richie in October 1992.

"Love, Oh Love" was the third new recording released as a single from Lionel's greatest hits album Back to Front (number 1, June 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 52 in the UK in November 1992, number 25 in Ireland in November 1992, number 15 in the Netherlands in December 1992, number 13 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1993, and number 71 in Germany in February 1993.  "Love, Oh Love" does not appear to have been released as a single in North America.

Locally, "Love, Oh Love" performed strongest in Western Australia, reaching number 157 on the state chart.

We shall next see Lionel in 2000 (if I am writing recaps for that year).  Before then, he had an album peak outside the top 100 in Australia with Time (number 174, June 1998).

Number 181 “Slow and Sexy” by Shabba Ranks featuring Johnny Gill

Peak: number 181

Peak date: 14 December 1992 (chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks 

We last saw Shabba Ranks in June 1992, and Johnny Gill in 1991.  The unlikely pair (given Shabba's stance on homosexuality at the time and Johnny's rumoured sexual orientation) teamed up for this track, lifted from Shabba's X-tra Naked (number 188, February 1993) album.

 

Overseas, "Slow and Sexy" peaked at number 17 in the UK in November 1992, and at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1993.

 

"Slow and Sexy" also registered on a bunch of genre-specific Billboard charts in the US, reaching number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in November 1992, number 36 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in November 1992, number 63 on the Radio Songs chart in November 1992, number 4 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in December 1992, number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in December 1992, and number 7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in December 1992.

 

Domestically, "Slow and Sexy" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 125 on the state chart.

I don't recall hearing this one before, though probably caught it on the American Top 40 radio show at the time.  Shabba's vocals are a bit too abrasive for my liking on this track.

Johnny would go on to finally land a major hit, his only real one, in Australia with "The Floor" (number 6, October 1993) the next year.

We will see Shabba next as a featured artist in 1993, and Johnny in 1996.

Number 186 “Who Pays the Piper” by Gary Clail On-U Sound System 

Peak: number 177

Peak date: 18 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks 

 

English artist (I'm reluctant to call him a singer) Gary Clail last graced our presence in 1991.

 

"Who Pays the Piper" was the lead single from Gary Clail On-U Sound's third album Dreamstealers (number 180, August 1993).  As with his hit "Human Nature" (number 38, August 1991), "Who Pays the Piper" deals with social issues... this time illicit drug use.

Internationally, "Who Pays the Piper" peaked at number 31 in the UK in November 1992.  In Australia, "Who Pays the Piper" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 156 on the state chart.

I first heard this one on the UK Chart Attack radio show, and caught the video as a new release on rage at the time.

We'll next see Gary in 1993.

Number 193 Can't Get Started EP by You Am I

Peak: number 177

Peak date: 22 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

Aussie band You Am I formed in Sydney in 1989.  The Can't Get Started EP was the band's second single release, following the Snake Tide EP in May 1991, which did not chart.  Although it was track 3 on this 5-track EP, a music video was made for "Goddamn" (embedded below), and therefore I assume that this was the track used to promote this release.  Confusingly, however, the band earlier released an album titled Goddamn (number 150, June 1992), which does not contain the song "Goddamn"!

 

On the state charts, the Can't Get Started EP performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 159 on the state chart.

 

We'll next see You Am I in 1993.

 

 

Number 205 “Real Love” by Mary J. Blige

Peak: number 205

Peak date: 14 December 1992 (chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks 

 

Hailing from New York, "Real Love" was Mary J. Blige's (the J stands for Jane) second single, and first Australian release, from her debut album What's the 411?, which oddly does not appear to have been released in Australia.  It followed "You Remind Me".

Elsewhere, "Real Love" peaked at number 68 in the UK in November 1992, number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in December 1992, and number 34 in Canada in December 1992.

The song also registered on a bunch of US Billboard's subsidiary charts, reaching number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in September 1992, number 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in October 1992, number 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in October 1992, number 36 on the Dance Club Songs chart in October 1992, number 5 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in October 1992, number 4 on the Radio Songs chart in November 1992, number 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in November 1992, and number 8 on the Pop Airplay chart in November 1992.

Locally, "Real Love" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 185.

I heard this one several times on the American Top 40 radio show, and knew it quite well.  Although R&B was generally making only small inroads on the Australian chart in 1992, its presence would increase in 1993.  I am surprised this was not a bigger hit, though I don't recall the song receiving any air or video play here at the time.

Mary would have to wait until 2001 to land a breakthrough hit on the Australian chart, with "Family Affair" (number 8, January 2002); a song which I could probably be caught doing some dad dancing to if I was on my own and did such things...

We'll next see Mary in 1993.

Number 217 “To Hell with Love” by Suzanne Rhatigan

Peak: number 195

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks 

 

Irish songstress Suzanne Rhatigan last paid us a visit in November 1992.

 

This song was the title track from her debut and only album To Hell with Love, which was released locally in February 1993 but did not chart.

 

"To Hell with Love" did not chart anywhere else.  It performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 159.

 

I think I did hear this one at the time, probably as a new release video on rage.

 

We shall see Suzanne once more in 1993.

Number 220 “The Bitter Pill” by Warrant

Peak: number 220

Peak date: 14 December 1992 (chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks 

We last saw American glam metal/rock band Warrant in September 1992.

 

"The Bitter Pill" was the second single lifted from the band's third studio album Dog Eat Dog (number 105, October 1992).   I cannot find evidence of this track charting elsewhere.

On the state charts, "The Bitter Pill" peaked highest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 192.

I hadn't heard this one before.  It's not the sort of thing I would seek out, but I didn't mind it.

This would be Warrant's final chart entry in Australia.

Number 221 “Siva”/“Window Paine” by The Smashing Pumpkins 

Peak: number 216

Peak date: 1 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks 

American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins formed in Chicago in 1988.  Their first Australian singles chart entry was the Lull EP (number 74, August 1992), led by the track "Rhinoceros".  Both "Siva" and "Window Paine" were lifted from the band's debut album Gish (number 51, March 1996), which initially peaked at number 98 in July 1992.  Like most Australians, I first became aware of The Smashing Pumpkins when their single "Disarm" (number 16, August 1994) became a chart hit.

 

Internationally, "Siva"/"Window Paine" peaked at number 45 in New Zealand in February 1993.

 

Domestically, the single performed strongest on the Western Australian state chart, where it reached number 166.

A random memory I have involving The Smashing Pumpkins is my incredibly uncool audiology lecturer at uni put a question on the exam in 1998 regarding the loudness of the music at a “Roaring Pumpkins” concert.  I don’t know if he was that clueless he didn’t know the correct name of the band, or if he just got it wrong.

 

We'll next see The Smashing Pumpkins in 1995.

Next chart (4 January 1993): The new year kicks off with four new top 150 entries, and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 7 December 1992              Next chart: 4 January 1993 >

Week commencing 10 February 1992

One thing this week in 1992's debuts peaking outside the top 100 have in common is that I did not hear any of them at the time.  Perhaps they are new to you, too?  Let's take a look/listen together.

 

 

Toni Childs: 'big in Australia', though not so much with this single.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 106 "Hearts Don't Think (They Feel)!" by Natural Selection

Peak: number 106

Peak dates: 10 February 1992 and 2 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 106-112-117-106-107-134-129

American group Natural Selection formed in Minneapolis in 1988.  Their debut single "Do Anything" (number 10, December 1991), which featured Madonna backing singer Niki Harris on the spoken female vocal bits, crept into the Australian top 10 towards the end of 1991.

"Hearts Don't Think (They Feel)!", with it's Shania Twain-esque title - some years before her time - complete with brackets and an exclamation mark, was the second single lifted from the group's only album Natural Selection (number 120, January 1992).  It was also the group's final release in Australia.

Internationally, "Hearts Don't Think..." peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992, and at number 47 in New Zealand during the same month.

"Hearts Don't Think..." managed to just scrape into the Australian Music Report singles chart, peaking at number 100 on it.

I don't recall hearing or being aware of this release at the time.  To me, the group disappeared off the face of the earth after "Do Anything".

A third Natural Selection single, "It's Sweet" was released in the US in 1992, but not in Australia.

Number 110 "I Want to Walk with You" by Toni Childs

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 110-119-129-120-131-123

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

"I Want to Walk with You" was American singer Toni Childs', now based in Australia, eighth single to register on the Australian chart, and the first to miss the top 100.  It was the third single lifted from her second album House of Hope (number 4, September 1991), following "I've Got to Go Now" (number 5, September 1991) and "House of Hope" (number 39, December 1991).  Toni's chart career started in Australia with a pair of number seventeen hits, "Stop Your Fussin'" (number 17, October 1988) and "Don't Walk Away" (number 17, December 1988).

 

Throughout her career, Toni had more commercial success in Australia than in other countries.  "I Want to Walk with You" did not register on any other countries' national charts that I can find, though it also does not appear to have been commercially released as a single anywhere else.  Locally, the single was most successful in Queensland, where it reached number 74 on the state chart.

I don't recall hearing this one before, which is odd, given that Australian radio generally played Toni's singles at the time.

A fourth single from House of Hope, "Heaven's Gate", was released in Europe, but not Australia.

 

We shall next see Toni in 1994.

Number 119 "Money Makes the World Go Round" by Technotronic featuring Reggie

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 17 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 119-117-125-128-124

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

"Money Makes the World Go Round" was Belgian dance music act Technotronic's ninth single to chart in Australia, and the first to miss the top 100.  The group burst onto the scene in late 1989 with "Pump Up the Jam" (number 4, February 1990), featuring model Felly lip syncing to Ya Kid K's vocals.

 

For this track, Reggie (real name Réjane Magloire) was on vocal duties.  It was the third and final single released from the second Technotronic studio album Body to Body (number 86, September 1991), following "Move That Body" (number 27, September 1991) and "Work" (number 92, November 1991), both of which also featured Reggie on vocals.  An interesting fact about Reggie is that she released a contemporaneous cover version of Madonna's "Into the Groove" as a single in 1985.

 

"Money Makes the World Go Round" did not chart anywhere else.  Within Australia, it was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 96. 

 

Technotronic will next join us, with Ya Kid K back in the fold, in 1994.

 

 

Number 124 "Australia Land of Today" by Judith Durham

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 124-131-134-149-138

 

Judith Durham came to fame as the lead singer of Australian band The Seekers, who scored several hits in the 1960s, such as "A World of Our Own" and "Georgy Girl".  The group disbanded in 1968, and although they reformed in 1975, Judith did not re-join them until 1992.  We saw The Seekers in 1989, though Judith was not part of the group then.

"Australia Land of Today" sounds like it was recorded for the soundtrack of a sporting event, such as the Olympics, but it charted about six months before the 1992 Olympics.

Judith passed away in August 2022, aged 79.

Number 138 "Never Give Up" by Ian Moss

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 24 February 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 138-133-128-146-141

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

Ian Moss came to fame as the guitarist and occasional singer of the Australian band Cold Chisel in the late 1970s.  Cold Chisel split in 1983, and Ian took some time to launch his solo career in 1989, with back-to-back top 10 singles "Tucker's Daughter" (number 2, March 1989) and "Telephone Booth" (number 7, August 1989), and the number one album Matchbook (number 1, August 1989).

 

Unfortunately for Ian, his commercial success dwindled after those initial few releases, and his second solo album Worlds Away (number 42, November 1991) peaked outside the top 40.

"Never Give Up" was issued as the third and final single from Worlds Away, following "Slip Away" (number 56, July 1991) and "She's a Star" (number 74, October 1991).  While it would become Ian's final ARIA top 150 single, his 1996 album Petrolhead (number 101, August 1996) just missed the top 100.

On the state charts, "Never Give Up" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66.

We shall next see Ian in 1996.

 

 

Number 139 Just Right (EP) by Beasts of Bourbon

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 2 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-137-142-121-139-140-143-140-133-(out for 1 week)-150-150

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

Australian band Beasts of Bourbon formed in 1983.  Frontman Tex Perkins also sang lead vocals in The Cruel Sea, whom we saw in 1991.

The Just Right EP, led by the title track "Just Right" (embedded below), was the only Beasts of Bourbon single to register on the Australian charts.  The title track appeared on the band's fourth studio album The Low Road (number 85, April 1992).

 

On the state charts, the Just Right EP was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 83.

 

Although Just Right was the only Beasts of Bourbon single to chart, the group placed several albums outside the ARIA top 100, including Black Milk (number 142, July 1990), Beyond Good & Evil (number 254, October 1999), and Box Set: The Axeman's Jazz + Sour Milk + Black Milk (number 431, August 2009).

 

 

Number 142 "Obsession" by Army of Lovers

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 9 March 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 142-136-141-112-108-118-121

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

I first became aware of Swedish group Army of Lovers in late 1991, after catching the music video for "Crucified" (number 56, January 1992) on Coca-Cola Power Cuts.  It was certainly an experience!  My first thought was that group member Jean-Pierre Barda (the one who speaks the verses) was Pete Burns from Dead or Alive's doppelganger.

"Crucified" was actually the band's second single released in Australia, however.  "My Army of Lovers" was issued locally in May 1991, but failed to chart.  "Obsession" was the band's third release from the Australian pressing (which added some tracks from their debut album Disco Extravaganza) of their Massive Luxury Overdose (number 126, March 1992) album, which was otherwise their second studio album.

 

Internationally, "Obsession" peaked at number 2 in Sweden in October 1991, number 8 in the Netherlands in December 1991, number 67 in the UK in December 1991, number 4 in the Flanders region of Belgium in December 1991, number 7 in Switzerland in February 1992, number 7 in Germany in February 1992, and number 7 in Austria in March 1992.

 

Domestically, Queensland was the state most 'obsessed' with "Obsession", with the single peaking at number 91 on their state chart.

 

I first heard "Obsession" some time in the mid 2010s, when the music video appeared on a VHS tape I was digitising.  Watching Jean-Pierre mime the repetitive 'ah ah ah ah..." vocal throughout is certainly amusing.

 

We'll see Army of Lovers again in June.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 161 "Word to the Mutha!" by Bell Biv DeVoe featuring Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 24 February 1992

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

We last saw Bell Biv DeVoe in 1991.  "Word to the Mutha!" was their fifth single to chart in Australia, and on it, they teamed up with their former New Edition bandmates Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill as featured artists.  The track was recorded for their remix album WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album (number 126, October 1991).

"Word to the Mutha!" was not released commercially as a single in the US, so was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 as per the rules at the time.  The single peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart in September 1991, and at number 11 in New Zealand in May 1992.

Domestically, "Word to the Mutha!" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 146.

"Word to the Mutha!" was the last Bell Biv DeVoe single to peak outside the top 100 in Australia, but a later album, BBD (number 253, April 2002), landed in the lower region of the chart.

 

 

Number 168 "Never Say Never" by Lisette Melendez

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 10 February 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Lisette Melendez last graced our presence in 1991.  "Never Say Never" was the third single from her debut album Together Forever (number 199, December 1991) to peak outside the ARIA top 100.

I cannot find evidence of "Never Say Never" charting elsewhere.  The single was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 153.

This was Lisette's final single to chart in Australia.

 

Next week (17 February): Seven top 150 debuts and three bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

< Previous week: 3 February 1992                                    Next week: 17 February 1992 >

Week commencing 11 February 1991

One thing tying all of this week in 1991's new entries together is that all but one of them has a male lead vocal.  Let's take a look.

 

New Order: how does it feel... to keep charting with the same song?

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 129 "I Wanna Get with U" by Guy

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 11 February 1991

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 129-140

 

Going by the artist name, I was expecting Guy to be a solo artist, but it's actually a trio, made up of Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall and Damion Hall.  Damion replaced original band member Timmy Gatling after the band's first album Guy, released in 1988.

"I Wanna Get with U" was the lead single from Guy's second album The Future (number 129, February 1991).  Annoyingly, for me, the song was titled just "Wanna Get with U" (no "I" at the start) on the album and on the single artwork in the band's native US.  Elsewhere, it was titled "I Wanna Get with U" on the single sleeve.

Internationally, "I Wanna Get with U" peaked at number 50 in the US in December 1990, and number 28 in the Netherlands in January 1991.

 

Guy will join us again in January 1992.

 

 

Number 139 "My My My" by Johnny Gill

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-141-144-145-126-125-122-128-128

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

One-time New Edition member Johnny Gill joined us previously in December 1990 with the second single from his second solo album titled Johnny Gill (number 110, September 1990), and here he is with the third - in Australia, anyway.  "My My My" was the second single from the album in Johnny's native US.

I would have heard "My My My" on the American Top 40 radio show at the time, but couldn't remember how it went.  Listening to the song again now, it has that stereotypical early 90s 'lurve' ballad saxophone on it, and sounds like an obvious L.A. Reid/Babyface production.

Internationally, "My My My" peaked at number 10 in the US in September 1990, number 31 in New Zealand in October 1990, number 89 in the UK in October 1990, and number 37 in the Netherlands in November 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "My My My" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 94.

We will see Johnny again as a solo artist in 1996, but before then, he will bubble under as both a featured artist and as part of his former group in 1992.

 

 

 

Number 141 "Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street)" by Dread Zeppelin

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 18 February 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 141-138-139-142-146

I have heard this one before, once, as it's my rip of the video (which is blocked in Australia on YouTube) embedded below.  But I had no recollection of the song.  Prior to listening to it again, two things sprung to mind, going by the band name: it's no doubt by a 'joke' act, and it's almost certainly going to be 'dread'-ful (ho ho).  I was right on both accounts.

Surprisingly, for once the UK exercised some restraint, and this steaming pile of novelty rubbish did not become a massive hit there, stalling at number 83 in August 1990.  And also, for once, the Kiwis displayed poorer musical taste than their Aussie counterparts, as this single went all the way to number 40 there in February 1991.  Oh, New Zealand!

 

"Heartbreaker..." is lifted from the album Un-Led-Ed, which reached number 93 in Australia in April 1991.  The group also had another charting album in Australia, 5,000,000*, which peaked at number 150 in July 1991.  Oh, Australia!

 

 

 

Number 144 "Hotel California" by Jam on the Mutha

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 11 February 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 144

 

Speaking of things you can tell about a song before ever hearing it, I assume that this track is a (probably cheap and nasty) dance cover version of the Eagles song "Hotel California".   Well, I was right on that assumption, though it's slightly better than I was expecting.  My expectations, however, were low.

One interesting thing - for me, anyway, is that the vocalist on this track, Andy Caine, is a name I recognise as co-writing Yazz's "Fine Time" (number 60, March 1989).

This version of "Hotel California" peaked at number 62 in the UK in August 1990.

 

 

Number 146 "Inside Out" by Traveling Wilburys

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 18 February 1991

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Chart run: 170-146-117-133-126-142-137

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Supergroup Traveling Wilburys burst onto the scene in late 1988 with "Handle with Care" (number 3, January 1989) and the album Volume One (number 1, February 1989).  Their debut album was the highest-selling album of 1989 in Australia, and was on heavy rotation in my family car's cassette deck, thanks to my dad picking up the album.

 

Surprisingly, both "Handle with Care" and Volume One were much bigger in Australia than in the UK, where two-fifths of the band's original five members are from.  Of course, Roy Orbison died in December 1988, about six weeks after Volume One was released.  Two further singles were issued from the album, "End of the Line" (number 12, April 1989) and "Heading for the Light" (number 88, June 1989).

The band's second album, minus Roy, was titled Vol. 3 (number 14, November 1990), to "confuse the fuckers", to quote George Harrison.  Arguably, band member Tom Petty's 1989 album Full Moon Fever (number 13, June 1989), was Vol. 2, as all of the then-surviving Wilburys appear on it.

"Inside Out" was the second single lifted from Vol. 3, and followed "She's My Baby" (number 58, November 1990).  The band also landed a minor 'hit' on the Australian chart with the charity single "Nobody's Child" (number 66, September 1990).

Internationally, "Inside Out" also charted in Canada, where it reached number 50.

 

Locally, "Inside Out" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 76.

 

My dad didn't buy Vol. 3, so I never heard this one at the time.

 

Two more Wilburys have died since Vol. 3, their last studio album.  George Harrison succumbed to lung cancer in 2001, aged 58, and Tom Petty died in 2017 following a heart attack, aged 66.

We shall see Traveling Wilburys again in April 1991.

 

 

 

Number 148 "The First Time" by Surface

Peak: number 103

Peak dates: 1 April 1991 and 8 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-(out for 1 week)-148-124-115-114-107-103-103-105-121

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

Here's another one I would have heard on American Top 40 at the time, but have no recollection of.  It also sounds like another Babyface production to my ears, but isn't.

"The First Time" is lifted from Surface's third studio album 3 Deep (number 146, April 1991).  While the group had been releasing material since 1983, "The First Time" was the band's first single to chart in Australia.  Surface never landed a top 100-peaking single or album in Australia.

 

Internationally, "The First Time" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1991, and peaked at number 60 in the UK in January 1991, number 18 in Canada in March 1991, and number 7 in New Zealand in March 1991.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "The First Time" performed much stronger in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 54, than on any of the other state charts.  The single missed the top 100 on three of the four remaining state charts, peaking at number 89 in Western Australia, which was its second strongest state.  I can only assume, therefore, that the single received a lot more airplay in New South Wales than in other states.

On the Australian Music Report singles chart, "The First Time" peaked at number 78.

Surface will next grace our presence in April 1991.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 151 "Blue Monday 1988" by New Order

Peak: number 151 (in 1991); number 3 (1988 release)

Peak date: 11 February 1991 (in 1991); 6 June 1988 (1988 release)

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks (1991 chart run); 19 weeks (1988 release)

 

While I've never compiled a list of my favourite songs of all time, New Order's "Blue Monday" would land somewhere on it.  The 1983 single originally peaked at number 13 in Australia in August 1983, spending 26 weeks on the chart.  It then re-entered in March 1987, presumably due to renewed interest following the success of "Bizarre Love Triangle" (number 5, March 1987), climbing to number 69 in April 1987 and spending another 9 weeks in the top 100.

 

"Blue Monday" had similar chart longevity in the UK, where it initially peaked at number 12 in April 1983, before falling to as low as number 82 in July 1983, before rebounding back up to a new peak of number 9 in October 1983, in an unbroken chart run lasting 38 weeks.  Between 1983 and 1988, "Blue Monday" notched up 69 weeks in the UK top 100, becoming the best-selling 12" single of all time in the process.

Clocking in at seven and a half minutes, a single/7"-friendly edit of "Blue Monday" was not produced until Quincy Jones remixed the track in 1988, resulting in another single release.  "Blue Monday 1988" reached number 3 in Australia in June 1988, on the first (unpublished) singles chart produced in-house by ARIA.  You will otherwise see a number 4 Australian peak listed for "Blue Monday 1988" on sites such as Wikipedia and australian-charts, which is technically incorrect.

 

Worth noting here, also, is that "Blue Monday 1988" topped the Victorian/Tasmanian state singles chart in June 1988, as did New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" (number 5, March 1987) for four weeks in February and March 1987.  New Order did not otherwise score a number one single in Australia.

"Blue Monday 1988" re-charting in 1991 is presumably due to the single being issued on CD, for the first time, in Australia in January 1991.

While number 151 may not seem terribly impressive, it is somewhat 'good' for a re-issued single in Australia at that time.  Re-issued singles of songs that were hits the first time around generally did not chart at all in Australia, back then, unlike in the UK, or now when any old track is eligible to chart.  Furthermore, this release of "Blue Monday 1988" presumably happened without any promotion.  I certainly was not aware of its re-release at the time, as a casual New Order fan.

The re-issue must have caught on in Western Australia, as this release of "Blue Monday 1988" peaked at number 70 on the Western Australian state chart.

Another incarnation of "Blue Monday" will bubble under in 1995, but, before then, we shall next see New Order in 1994.

 

 

Number 163 "Wow Wow-Na Na" by Grand Plaz

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 18 February 1991

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Now this track is a bit of an oddity.  Produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, though production credits are given to the pseudonym DJ Crazyhouse (because SAW were not deemed 'cool' at the time), the track is heavily inspired by Together's "Hardcore Uproar" (which was not not released in Australia, but peaked at number 12 in the UK in August 1990), and featured the still-unreleased vocals from the chorus of Kakko's (a Japanese singer SAW failed to land any success with) version of "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)".  "Na Na Hey Hey..." being a cover of the Steam song from 1969, which peaked at number 21 on the Go Set chart in March 1970.  Bananarama also landed a minor hit in Australia with their version of "Na Na Hey Hey..." peaking at number 38 in May 1983.

Internationally, "Wow Wow-Na Na" peaked at number 41 in the UK in September 1990.

Locally, "Wow Wow-Na Na" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 94 on the state chart.

 

 

Number 174 "Flashback Jack" by Adamski

Peak: number 174

Peak date: 11 February 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

 

We first saw Adamski in May 1990.  "Flashback Jack" was the third single released in Australia from Adamski's debut album Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy (number 144, November 1990).

Internationally, "Flashback Jack" peaked at number 46 in the UK in November 1990.  In Australia, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 143.

Adamski will join us next in 1992.

  

Number 175 "Heaven Can Wait" by Paul Young

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 25 February 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

English singer Paul Young has visited us twice previously, in May 1990 and September 1990, with the first two singles from his fourth studio album Other Voices (number 102, July 1990).  "Heaven Can Wait" was issued as the third, and - in Australia - final, single from the album.

Internationally, "Heaven Can Wait" peaked at number 71 in the UK in October 1990.

On the ARIA state charts, "Heaven Can Wait" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, reaching number 142.

A fourth single from Other Voices, "Calling You", was released in the UK, peaking at number 57 there in January 1991.

We will next see Paul on his own in October 1991, but before then, we will see him duet with another artist in September.

 

 

Number 178 "Wap Bam Boogie" by Matt Bianco

Peak: number 178

Peak date: 11 February 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Matt Bianco, despite the name, is a group and not a solo artist.  Hailing from the UK, the group landed two minor 'hits' in Australia during the 1980s, "Whose Side Are You On?" (number 57, June 1985) and "Yeh Yeh" (number 64, March 1986).  We have previously seen Basia, who was once part of the group, bubble under.

"Wap Bam Boogie" originally appeared as the B-side on Matt Bianco's "Don't Blame It on That Girl" single, which bubbled under on the Australian Music Report singles chart in August 1988.

"Wap Bam Boogie" was issued as a single in its own right to promote the release of the compilation album The Best of Matt Bianco (number 147, November 1990).

 

Internationally, "Wap Bam Boogie" peaked at number 76 in the UK in December 1990.

 

While "Wap Bam Boogie" would become Matt Bianco's final single to chart in Australia, the group landed two further charting albums: Samba in Your Casa (number 172, February 1992), and The Things You Love (number 1224, November 2016).

 

 

Next week (18 February): Four top 150 debuts, and five bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

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

Week commencing 3 December 1990

Before we dive into this week's post, I have updated the following earlier posts with newly-uncovered bubbling WAY down under entries:

 

* 2 October 1989 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies.

* 6 August 1990 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies.

* 26 November 1990 - new bubbling WAY down under entry from Pixies. 

Now onto this week in 1990... we have another mixed bag, including a song from a two-years-old album that would not reach its peak on the Australian albums chart until 2015 (!), two obscure Australian artist songs that were not on YouTube until I uploaded them for this post, a song from the 1960s by an artist who had been dead for almost 20 years, and the first failed comeback attempt from a teen-pop idol who was ruling the charts just two years prior.  Phew!  Let's take a look.

 

Johnny Gill: it took 3 years for him to learn how to rub the Australian record buying public the right way.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 141 "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A.

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 141-(out for 1 week)-148-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

 

While rap was finally enjoying a commercial breakthrough on the Australian singles chart in 1990, the harder-edged style of rap as delivered by N.W.A. was still largely an underground phenomenon.  Nonetheless, N.W.A. placed two singles on the ARIA top 100 in 1990, with "100 Miles and Runnin'" breaking into the top 40.

"Gangsta Gangsta" appeared on N.W.A.'s seminal 1988 debut album Straight Outta Compton, which eventually peaked at number 8 on the Australian albums chart in September 2015, after originally peaking at number 51 in July 1990.

 

Internationally, "Gangsta Gangsta" peaked at number 70 in the UK in September 1990.

On the Australian Music Report singles chart, "Gangsta Gangsta" reached number 84.

We will see two members of N.W.A., Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, bubble under in 1992 and 1993, respectively.

 

 

Number 142 "Fairweather Friend" by Johnny Gill

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 142-(out of chart for 5 weeks)-155

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

American teen pop boy band New Edition landed a top 10 hit in Australia with "Candy Girl" (number 10, August 1983).  Johnny Gill joined New Edition in 1987, following the departure of Bobby Brown, more than three years after the group landed their second Australian top 100 single, with "Popcorn Love" (number 73, November 1983).  New Edition landed no charting singles or albums during Johnny Gill's original tenure with them, from 1987 until the group split in 1990.  New Edition reformed in 1996, however, and with Johnny as part of the group, scored a number 16 single in Australia with "Hit Me Off" in October 1996.

 

As I watch the "Fairweather Friend" music video for the first time, hearing the song for the first time since early 1991, two things immediately spring to mind: 1. the production is very 'Bobby Brown'-sounding, and 2. the 1930's gangster chic wardrobe is very similar to the Pointer Sisters' "Dare Me" music video from 1985.

"Fairweather Friend" was the second single released in Australia from Johnny's second solo album titled Johnny Gill (number 110, September 1990).  The album was Johnny's first issued on Motown Records, and his third solo album.  Johnny previously released a Johnny Gill album in 1983, when he was a mere 16 years old.  "Fairweather Friend" followed "Rub You the Right Way" (number 59, September 1990).

In the US, "Fairweather Friend" was the third single from Johnny's 1990 album, where it peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1990.

Within Australia, "Fairweather Friend" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 127.

Johnny would have to wait until 1993 to score a major hit in Australia, his only one, with "The Floor" (number 6, October 1993).  Oddly, "The Floor" was a much bigger hit in Australia than anywhere else, and the only other country it reached the top 40 in was New Zealand, where it peaked at number 29 in August 1993.

Johnny will join us next in February 1991.

If watching the music video below, be aware that "Fairweather Friend" does not start until 50 seconds in.

 

 

Number 145 "From a Distance" by Cliff Richard

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 7 January 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Chart run: 145-123-102-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-101-104-121

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We have seen Cliff bubble under on two previous occasions, in January 1990 and April 1990.

Cliff's version of "From a Distance", a song originally recorded by Nanci Griffith in 1987, was recorded at a live concert in June 1989, released as the album From a Distance: The Event (number 21, December 1991).  Bette Midler's version of the song was number 22 on the ARIA singles chart this week in 1990, and reached a peak of number 8 in January 1991.

In Cliff's native UK, both versions of "From a Distance" debuted on the chart in the same week.  Cliff's version initially won out, peaking at number 11 in October 1990, while Bette's version stalled at number 45 during the same month.  However, Bette had the last laugh when her version climbed to number 6 in June 1991 after being re-issued.  Bette's version of the song was closely associated with the first Gulf War.

 

Elsewhere, Cliffs version of "From a Distance" peaked at number 16 in Ireland in October 1990.

 

On the state charts, Cliff's version of "From a Distance" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 63.  On the Australian Music Report singles chart, Cliff's version of "From a Distance" reached number 99 nationally.

 

Interestingly, Cliff had another single, "Saviour's Day" (number 97, December 1990), which entered the ARIA top 150 next week, before sliding into the top 100 for the Christmas week chart, fittingly.

We will next see Cliff in November 1991.

 

 

Number 147 "Fine Time" by Solange

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 50 chart run: 147

 

Solange, not to be confused with Beyoncé's sister (who was 4 at this point in time), was an Australian recording artist whom I know next to nothing about.  I had to go to the lengths of tracking down the cassette single of this release (it was only released on cassette and vinyl, through small/independent dance label Colossal Records) so that I could even hear the song, which I have embedded below.

All I can tell you about this track is that it was produced by Jumpin Jive Crew, mixed by D.L. Roland, and remixed by D.J. Fly.  "Fine Time" was recorded in Sydney.

 

Number 149 "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Maurie Fields

Peak: number 149 

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 149

 

I often think that nobody loves trashy novelty records as much as the UK, when you look at some of the questionable number one singles there over the years, including St Winifred's School Choir "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" - another song about 'grandma' - which supplanted John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" for the Christmas number one in 1980, just a few weeks after his untimely death.  Yes, really.

 

In Australia, mercifully, novelty records like the aforementioned 'song' were not usually that big.  Not usually, that is.

Here's a novelty song - and a Christmas one to boot - that was a flop, by none other than Maurie Fields, who was best known (at least to my generation) as the stand-up comedian old guy on the TV variety/light entertainment program Hey Hey It's Saturday.

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was lifted from the album Cheers (number 81, January 1991).  The song was a cover version of an Elmo & Patsy track from 1979.

Maurie passed away a week before Christmas in 1995, aged 69.

Number 150 "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

 

Jimi Hendrix is a name most people would know, even if you're not familiar with much (or any) of his music.  Jimi died in 1970, aged 27, after asphyxiating on his own vomit following a drug overdose.

 

Hit singles are not so important for an artist of Jimi's cultural capital.  Nonetheless, Jimi placed three singles on the Australian top 100 between 1969 and 1979, although none of these peaked higher than number 53.

 

"Hey Joe" is a track Jimi recorded in 1966 with his band The Jim Hendrix Experience.  The single reached number 6 in the UK in February 1967, and also made the top 10 in the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, while peaking just outside the top 20 in Germany.

"Hey Joe" was presumably re-issued to promote the Cornerstones 1967-1970 compilation album, which was released in the last quarter of 1990, but did not reach its peak of number 32 on the ARIA albums chart until August 1991.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 155 "Wherever Would I Be" by Cheap Trick

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 10 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We saw Cheap Trick bubble under in April 1989.  "Wherever Would I Be" was the second single lifted from the band's eleventh studio album Busted (number 36, September 1990).  It followed "Can't Stop Falling into Love" (number 26, September 1990).

Internationally, "Wherever Would I Be" peaked at number 50 in the US in December 1990, and number 59 in Canada.  The song was written by beige songwriter extraordinaire Diane Warren, although I don't actually mind this one, listening to it here for the first time.

We shall see Cheap Trick next in 1997; but, before then, lead singer Robin Zander will join us solo in 1993.  In the interim, Cheap Trick released a compilation, The Greatest Hits (number 170, December 1991), and another studio album, Woke Up with a Monster (number 152, May 1994).

 

 

Number 157 "Painkiller" by Judas Priest

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Despite widespread name recognition, English heavy metal band Judas Priest, formed in 1969, have only ever had one single trouble the Australian top 100!  The single in question was "Living After Midnight" (number 91, August 1980).  And if that statistic was not surprising enough, here was the band's only other top 200 single in Australia!  Although, I suppose, we do not know whether other singles may have made the top 200 on the Kent/Australian Music Report, as it was not published beyond number 100.

 

"Painkiller" was the lead single and title track from Judas Priest's twelfth studio album Painkiller (number 60, October 1990).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 74 in the UK in September 1990.

 

In Australia, "Painkiller" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 148 on the state chart.

 

I don't normally listen to metal, but am quite fond of Judas Priest's "Turbo Lover", which was released as a single in Australia in April 1986 but failed to chart.

 

While we won't see Judas Priest again, they had a number of very low-charting singles in Australia in the streaming era, between 2014 and 2023, with "Redeemer of Souls" (number 829, May 2014) being the highest-charting of those.

 

 

Number 159 "New Inside" by Tiffany

Peak: number 159

Peak date: 3 December 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

Tiffany landed three top 15 hits in Australia with her first three singles released locally: "I Think We're Alone Now" (number 13, January 1988), "Could've Been" (number 8, June 1988) and "I Saw Him Standing There" (number 10, June 1988).  But then it was all downhill, with none of her later singles peaking higher than number 65.  We first saw Tiffany bubble under in March 1989.

It was a similar story on the albums chart, with Tiffany (number 6, June 1988) reaching the top 10, while the follow-up, Hold an Old Friend's Hand (number 56, January 1989), stalled outside the top 50.

"New Inside" was the title track from Tiffany's third album New Inside (number 142, November 1990).  As a sign of how over Tiffany was by 1990, the single actually did not chart anywhere else.

 

I remember reading about "New Inside" in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine, where either the album or single (possibly both) were reviewed, but I never heard the track... until now.  The song marks a change in sound for Tiffany, as it is much more r&b-sounding than her previous releases.

 

If I remember correctly, Tiffany was supposed to be dating Jonathan Knight (who was outed as a gay man in 2009) from New Kids on the Block around this time.  Dating a teen heartthrob is one way to get yourself hated by your target audience of tween and teenage girls.

 

If a music video for "New Inside" exists, it does not appear to have found its way to YouTube.  Instead, the video I have embedded below is a German TV performance - though the song does not begin until around 30 seconds in.

 

Tiffany will next join us in 1993.

 

 

 

Next week (10 December): Seven top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

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