Week commencing 19 April 1993

Before we take a look at this week in 1993’s new entries peaking outside the top 100, I wish to inform you that I have resumed my series of posts on singles that made the Kent Music Report’s list of singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100, here.  Now, back to 1993…

Billy Ray Cyrus: those locks were made for snippin’.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 135 “De-Emphasize” by Blazing Salads

Peak: number 135

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 135

We last saw Australian duo Blazing Salads in March 1993.  “De-Emphasize” (note the American spelling) was the second single issued from their only album Blazing Salads (number 130, May 1993).

Two further singles were released by the duo, “A Little Ray of Sunshine” and “Out of Time” - neither of which made the top 150.

Number 137 “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” by Billy Ray Cyrus

Peak: number 115

Peak date: 3 May 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 137-118-115-125-131

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Hailing from Kentucky, American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus burst onto the chart in 1992 with his debut single “Achy Breaky Heart”, which was number 1 for seven weeks in September-November 1992, becoming the highest-selling single of the year in Australia.  One thing I didn’t realise until writing this post is that “Achy Breaky Heart” was originally recorded by The Marcy Brothers as “Don’t Tell My Heart” in 1991, with the slightly different chorus lyric, “my achy breakin’ heart”.  Like most artists who come out of nowhere with a novelty number one hit, Billy never landed a second top 40 single in Australia, with follow-up “Could’ve Been Me” (number 43, February 1993) falling just a few places short.

“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’”, a cover version of the 1966 number one Nancy Sinatra single, was issued as the third single from Billy’s debut album Some Gave All (number 1 for two weeks October 1992) in Australasia and Europe, while the US went with “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore”.

Internationally, Billy Ray’s version of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” peaked at number 63 in the UK in November 1992, number 27 in the Netherlands in February 1993, number 32 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1993, and number 42 in New Zealand in April 1993.

In Australia, “These Boots…” was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 90 on the state chart.

We’ll next see Billy Ray in November 1993.

Number 143 “Hate It When You Leave” by Keith Richards

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 143

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards last paid us a visit in 1992.

“Hate It When You Leave” was issued as the second single from Keith’s second solo album Main Offender (number 96, November 1992).  While I cannot find evidence of this single charting anywhere else at the time of its release, interestingly, it registered on several UK format-specific charts (which I didn’t know existed until now) in 2020, following a special Record Store Day release.  The re-release of “Hate It When You Leave” peaked at number 81 on the Offical Singles Sales Chart (so excluding streaming), number 10 on the Official Physical Singles Chart, and number 8 on the Official Vinyl Singles Chart - all in October 2020.  I am thinking that the music video embedded below, although set to the audio of the original 1992 recording, may have been put together for the 2020 re-release, given the ’(2020)’ alongside the title.

In Australia, the 1993 release of “Hate It When You Leave” performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 107.

Keith had six low-charting singles in Australia between 2015 and 2019, with “Amnesia” (number 871, September 2015) being the ‘biggest’ of those.

Number 147 “Sweet Harmony” by The Beloved

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-148

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

We last saw English electronic band The Beloved in 1991.  Since then, the group’s lineup had pared back to singer Jon Marsh and his wife Helena.

“Sweet Harmony” was the lead single from the second Beloved studio album Conscience (number 144, April 1993).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 8 in the UK in January 1993, number 14 in Ireland, number 3 in Austria in March 1993, number 14 in Sweden in March 1993, number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1993, number 6 in Germany in May 1993, number 6 in Switzerland in May 1993, number 21 in the Netherlands in July 1993, and number 16 in France in November 1993.  “Sweet Harmony” also peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 in May 1993, number 23 on the Alternative Airplay chart in May 1993, and number 23 on the Dance Club Songs chart in June 1993.  As you might have surmised from all of these stats, “Sweet Harmony” was The Beloved’s biggest international hit, as well as their highest-charting single in their native UK.

In Australia, where The Beloved were criminally underrated, “Sweet Harmony” would be their third biggest ‘hit’.  On the state charts, the single performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 122.

Owing to the UK Chart Attack radio show wrapping up in Melbourne in early January 1993, I did not hear “Sweet Harmony” until early 1996, when flipping between radio stations.  Triple M, of all stations, were playing it, when they had a brief period of adding dance/pop to their playlist.  I thought it was a new release, liked it, and recorded it onto cassette (how quaint).  I am thinking that the ‘nude’ (though very well covered up) music video may have not helped “Sweet Harmony” receive exposure on TV.  It’s a shame that this song didn’t receive proper promotion in Australia.  It’s easily my favourite new entry this week.

We’ll next see The Beloved in June 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 166 “Happy Birthday to Me” by Cracker

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 3 May 1993

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

American rock band Cracker last paid us a visit in 1992.

“Happy Birthday to Me” was the second single released from the band’s debut album Cracker (number 178, November 1992).  The only other chart this single registered on was the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, where it reached number 13 in July 1992.

Domestically, “Happy Birthday to Me” was most popular in Western Australia, reaching number 130 on the state chart.

I hadn’t heard this one before; it’s quite good.

Cracker will next join us in 1994.

Number 177 “Never Saw a Miracle” by Curtis Stigers

Peak: number 177

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American jazz singer Curtis Stigers last joined us in 1992.

“Never Saw a Miracle” was issued as the third single in Australia from Curtis’ debut album Curtis Stigers (number 84, October 1992), in late January 1993.  I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that ARIA have made a boo-boo on their database, as the follow-up single, “You’re All That Matters to Me”, was released in Australia one week prior to this chart survey, on 12 April 1993, and it would make much more sense for that release to be debuting at number 177 one week later than a single that came out twelve weeks’ prior.

Overseas, “Never Saw a Miracle” peaked at number 34 in the UK in October 1992, and number 39 in Canada in November 1992.  The single also peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in December 1992, and number 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart in November 1992

Locally, “Never Saw a Miracle” performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, reaching number 169 on the state chart.

If this listing should actually be “You’re All That Matters to Me”, that release peaked at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1992, number 6 in the UK in April 1992, number 11 in Ireland in April 1992, number 38 in Canada in April 1992, number 83 in the Netherlands in May 1992, number 32 in the Flanders region of Belgium in June 1992, and number 54 in Germany in July 1992.  The track also reached number 17 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in April 1992.

I recall hearing “Never Saw a Miracle” at the time, but not “You’re All That Matters to Me”.  Of the two, I prefer “Never Saw a Miracle”.

We shall see Curtis on one more occasion, in 1995.

Number 196 “If I Should Fall Behind” by Bruce Springsteen

Peak: number 196

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen last paid us a visit in 1992.

“If I Should Fall Behind” was the third single released in Australia from Bruce’s tenth studio album Lucky Town (number 6, April 1992).  It appears that this track was only released as a single in Australia and select continental European countries.  I cannot find evidence of “If I Should Fall Behind” charting elsewhere.  On the state charts, “If I Should Fall Behind” performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 173.

No music video appears to have been filmed for this track, although an official live recording (which sounds completely different to the studio version embedded below) has been uploaded to YouTube here.

I hadn’t heard this one before; it’s quite nice.

We’ll next see Bruce in 1995.

Number 203 “Fall from Grace” by Eskimos & Egypt

Peak: number 186

Peak date: 24 May 1993

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Hailing from Manchester, UK band Eskimos & Egypt would be best known by Australians for their remix of Headless Chickens’ “Cruise Control” (number 26, November 1994), which was the version that became a hit here.

“Fall from Grace”, lifted from the band’s debut album Perfect Disease (released in Australia in January 1994, did not chart), peaked at number 51 in the UK in February 1993.  Locally, “Fall from Grace” was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 167.  The track features vocals from Diane Charlemagne, who went on to front Urban Cookie Collective, who had top 10 hits in Australia with “The Key: The Secret” (number 4 for 5 weeks in November-December 1993) and “Feels Like Heaven” (number 10, January 1994).  Sadly, Diane passed away in 2015, aged 51, from kidney cancer.  We’ll see Urban Cookie Collective bubble under in 1994.

Eskimos & Egypt will join us again in August 1993.

Number 204 “Many Rivers to Cross” by Cher

Peak: number 204

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American singer/actress Cher last visited us in January 1993.

“Many Rivers to Cross”, a cover of the Jimmy Cliff song from 1969, was the second new single released from Cher’s Greatest Hits 1965-1992 (number 48, December 1992).  To my surprise, it is a live recording, ‘live from The Mirage’.  The song had been performed live by Cher since at least 1975, with a live rendition performed for The Cher Sow in 1975.  The lyric, “’cause I’ve been licked, washed up for years” sounds particularly poignant, coming from Cher.

Internationally, Cher’s version of this track peaked at number 37 in the UK in March 1993.  In Australia, “Many Rivers to Cross” performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 168 on the state chart.

A third new single from Cher’s Greatest Hits 1965-1992, “Whenever You’re Near”, was released in Australia in June 1993, but failed to chart.

Cher will next join us in 1996.

Next week (26 April): Five top 150 entries and eight bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 12 April 1993                    Next week: 26 April 1993 >

Week commencing 30 November 1992

A minor theme I noted running through this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100 is that three of them are cover versions, and another three are remixes or re-recordings of an artist's previous work.

Before we take a look, I have updated the following previous posts:

* 6 May 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from D.J.H. featuring Stefy;

* 9 September 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from D.J.H. featuring Stefy.

Mariah Carey: her top 100 run of hits was over this week in 1992.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 127 “Who Needs Love (Like That)” (Remix) by Erasure

Peak: number 120

Peak dates: 7 December 1992 and 4 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 127-120-129-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-120-137-124

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

We last saw English pop duo Erasure a mere four weeks ago.

"Who Needs Love Like That" (minus brackets) was Erasure's debut single in 1985, peaking at number 55 in the UK in September of that year.  The single was issued locally in October 1985, but failed to make a dent on the chart.

 

"Who Needs Love (Like That)" - now with added brackets, was remixed (the single version titled the Hamburg Mix) and released as a single to promote Erasure's first compilation album Pop! The First 20 Hits (number 122, November 1992).  In keeping with the drag theme of their recent "Take a Chance on Me" video, Andy and Vince appear as frocked dancers in the music video for the 1992 version of “Who Needs Love (Like That)”. 

The 1992 version of "Who Needs Love (Like That)" peaked at number 10 in the UK in November 1992, number 8 in Ireland in November 1992, number 31 in Sweden in November 1992, number 27 in Germany in December 1992, and number 18 in Austria in December 1992.

Locally, "Who Needs Love..." was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 94.

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

 

We will next see Erasure in 1994.

Number 130 “If It’s Over” by Mariah Carey

Peak: number 115

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Chart run: 130-124-126-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-127-115-126-130

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey burst onto the scene in 1990 with her debut single “Vision of Love" (number 9, September 1990), and her debut album Mariah Carey (number 6, February 1991), which spawned four US Billiboard Hot 100 number one hits.  At this point in 1992, Mariah had notched up eight consecutive top 100 singles in Australia, with only "Can't Let Go" (number 63, January 1992) falling short of the top 50.  My favourite Mariah single is "Someday" (number 44, April 1991), though I prefer the original album version to the New Jack Swing remix used in the music video.

 

"If It's Over" was originally a studio track on Mariah’ second album Emotions (number 8, October 1991).  It was one of the tracks Mariah performed for her MTV Unplugged (number 7, August 1992) set on 16 March 1992.  "If It's Over" received a limited single release in the Netherlands, Japan and Australia as the second single from MTV Unplugged, following "I'll Be There" (number 9, August 1992).

 

Internationally, "If It's Over" peaked at number 80 in the Netherlands in December 1992.

 

In Australia, "If It's Over" performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 87.

 

While we won't see Mariah again in this region of the chart (I have no intention of continuing these posts into the 2000s), she had numerous lower-charting singles from the late 2000s onwards, including "Obsessed" (Remix) (number 258, August 2009), "Infinity" (number 108, May 2015), and “GTFO” (number 360, September 2018).  Interestingly, the European-only single from Mariah's debut album, "There's Got to Be a Way" EP (number 4059, August 2020) also charted in Australia during the streaming era.

Number 131 “Tell Me Why” by Genesis

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 13 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 131-131-124-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-116-110-115-118-(out for one week)-140-143-132-147

Weeks on chart: 18 weeks

Between 1978 and 1992, English group Genesis amassed 16 Australian top 100 singles, starting with "Follow You Follow Me" (number 16, September 1978).  Their biggest hit in Australia was "Invisible Touch" (number 3, July 1986).  "Land of Confusion" (number 21, February 1987), also from the Invisible Touch (number 3, July 1986) album, is my favourite Genesis single.

"Tell Me Why" was issued as the fifth and final single from the fourteenth Genesis studio album We Can't Dance (number 8, July 1992).  It followed "No Son of Mine" (number 29, November 1991), "I Can't Dance" (number 7, March 1992), "Hold on My Heart" (number 63, July 1992), and "Jesus He Knows Me" (number 56, September 1992).  "Tell Me Why" was the last Genesis single to feature Phil Collins on lead vocals.  Phil quit the group in March 1996.

Internationally, "Tell Me Why" peaked at number 37 in the Netherlands in December 1992, number 51 in Germany in December 1992, number 27 in France in February 1993, and number 40 in the UK in February 1993.  The UK release of the single was postponed to make way for the live version of "Invisible Touch" from the group's The Way We Walk Volume One: The Shorts (number 37, December 1992) live album.

In Australia, "Tell Me Why" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 74 on the state chart.

We'll next see Genesis, minus Phil, in 1997.  We'll see Phil solo next in 1993.

Number 138 “Thunderbirds Are Go!” by F.A.B. featuring MC Parker

Peak: number 135

Peak dates: 11 January 1993 and 18 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks 

Chart run: 185-138-139-140-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-138-135-135-144-142-143-149

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks 

 

Here's an interesting one.  "Thundebirds Are Go!" was released internationally in 1990, and received a 12" vinyl release in Australia in October 1990 on dance music label Colossal Records.  Its 1992 Australian release, on cassingle and CD single, was through BMG Records.  But, more interesting than that, a snippet of "Thunderbirds Are Go!" charted in Australia in 1991, as one of the tracks sampled on Megabass' “Time to Make the Floor Burn” (number 40, April 1991) megamix.  You can hear the "Thunderbirds Are Go!" sample from around 3:57 minutes into the video embedded in the previous sentence.  As you might expect, the track samples the theme song and audio from the 1960s British science fiction TV series Thunderbirds, which made use of electronic marionette puppetry.  While I was never really a Thunderbirds fan, I do recall catching part of a few episodes when they aired at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning here in the late 1980s.

 

Internationally, "Thunderbirds Are Go!" peaked at number 5 in the UK in July 1990, and at number 50 in the Netherlands in September 1990.

In Australia, “Thunderbirds Are Go!” was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 87 on the state chart.

I remember reading about this track in UK pop magazine Number One in 1990, but didn't hear the full song until it appeared on a UK VHS compilation I picked up in the late 2000s.

 

Number 141 “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” by Sinéad O’Connor

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 7 December 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 141-138-139-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-150

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor last graced our presence in 1990.

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina", a cover version of the Evita musical song originally recorded by Julie Covington (number 1 for seven weeks in May-June 1977), was the second single issued from Sinéad's covers album Am I Not Your Girl? (number 17, October 1992), following "Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home" (number 37, September 1992).

 

Internationally, Sinéad's version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" peaked at number 31 in the Flanders region of Belgium in November 1992, number 53 in the UK in December 1992, and number 44 in the Netherlands in December 1992.

 

Locally, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 111 on the state chart.

 

We'll next see Sinéad in 1993.

Number 148 “Suspicious Minds” by Dwight Yoakam

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 148-135-136-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-129-131-132-139-135

American singer-songwriter, actor and film producer Dwight Yoakam released his debut album in 1986.  He made his first appearance on the Australian chart in 1988, with his third studio album Buenos Noches from a Lonely Room (number 91, October 1988).  He also charted locally with the appropriately-titled compilation album Just Lookin' for a Hit (number 141, November 1989), and his fourth studio album If There Was a Way (number 147, January 1991).

"Suspicious Minds", a Mark James cover version, better known recorded by Elvis Presley (number 1 for 2 weeks in December 1969 on the Go Set chart) and Fine Young Cannibals (number 6, April 1986), was Dwight's first - and only - top 150 single in Australia.  The track does not appear on Dwight's fifth studio album This Time (number 121, April 1993), but was recorded for the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack (number 46, November 1992).

Internationally, Dwight's version of "Suspicious Minds" peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in December 1992, and at number 35 on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart in December 1992.

 

Dwight would eventually score a commercial breakthrough in Australia in 1996 with the Gone album (number 17, February 1996).

 

Number 149 “Walking in London” by Concrete Blonde

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 7 December 1992

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks 

Known chart run: 210-149-142

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We last saw American band Concerete Blonde in 1989.  Since then, they landed a major breakthrough hit in Australia with “Joey” (number 2, August 1990).  They followed that up with the minor hit “Caroline” (number 39, October 1990), which is my favourite single of theirs, and an excellent cover version of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” recorded for the movie Pump Up the Volume soundtrack (number 74, January 1992), which oddly did not chart when released as a single locally in November 1990.

Concrete Blonde returned in 1992 with their fourth studio album Walking in London (number 18, March 1992).  “Walking in London” was issued as the album’s third single, following "Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man" (number 31, March 1992) and "Someday" (number 72, July 1992).

 

I could not find evidence of the "Walking in London" single charting elsewhere.  Locally, "Walking in London" was most successful in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 119.

 

We'll next see Concrete Blonde in 1994.

Number 150 “Wicked As It Seems” by Keith Richards

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Chart run: 150-149-137-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-136-141-138

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

We last saw Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards in 1989.

"Wicked As It Seems" was the lead single from Keith's second solo studio album Main Offender (number 96, November 1992).  Internationally, "Wicked As It Seems" peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in January 1993.

Locally, "Wicked As It Seems" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 101 on the state chart.

We'll next see Keith in 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 153 “I Am What I See” by Single Gun Theory

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 30 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 12 weeks 

 

Australian electronic group Single Gun Theory formed in Sydney in 1986.  They experienced their first state of chart success with the single "From a Million Miles" (number 64, March 1992).  "I Am What I See" was issued as the second and final single from their second studio album Millions, Like Stars in My Hands, Daggers in My Heart, Wage War (number 41, February 1992).  The single performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 130 on the state chart.

We shall see Single Gun Theory again in 1995.

Number 167 “Even Better Than the Real Thing” (Remixes) by U2

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 30 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

We last saw Irish band U2 in 1989.

The original version of "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (number 11, July 1992) was issued as the fourth single from U2's seventh studio album Achtung Baby (number 1, November 1991).  While I have questioned ARIA separating remix singles from the main release on the singles chart in 1992, the Perfecto Remix of "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (embedded below), which received its own music video, charted separately in the UK, where it reached number 8 in July 1992 (peaking higher than the original, which reached number 12 in June 1992), and at number 10 in Ireland in July 1992 (the original reached number 3 there in June 1992).

 

The remixed version of "Even Better Than the Real Thing" also registered on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, where it reached number 27 in September 1992, and at number 35 on the US Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart in October 1992.

 

In Australia, "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Remixes) performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 143 on the state chart.

 

U2 would bubble under again in 2006 with the Wide Awake in America EP (number 145, March 2006), which was led by the live track "Bad".

Number 168 “Come on Boy” by DJ Herbie

Peak: number 161

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

Weeks on chart: 12 weeks 

DJ Herbie was an alternative name for D.J.H., whom we last saw bubble under with Stefy in 1991.

I cannot find evidence of "Come on Boy" charting elsewhere.  The single performed best on the Western Australia state chart, reaching number 95.  "Come on Boy" peaked considerably higher nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 97.

 

This would be DJ Herbie's only charting release under that name in Australia.

Number 173 “Ashes to Ashes” by The Wallflowers 

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 8 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 15 weeks 

Like most people, I was not aware of The Wallflowers, led by Bob Dylan's son Jakob Dylan, until their hit “One Headlight” (number 14, September 1997) in 1997.  The band formed in Los Angeles in 1989.

 

"Ashes to Ashes", which is not a cover of the David Bowie song of the same name, was lifted from the band's debut album  The Wallflowers (number 154, March 1993).

I cannot find evidence of this one charting elsewhere.  Locally, “Ashes to Ashes” was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 144 on the state chart.

We shall next see The Wallflowers in 1996.

Number 192 “Reach for the Sky” by Firehouse

Peak: number 192

Peak date: 30 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

American band Firehouse graced our presence a mere week ago!

 

"Reach for the Sky" was issued as the second single in Australia from the band's second album Hold Your Fire (number 180, October 1992).  Internationally, "Reach for the Sky" peaked at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1992, where it was the first single from the album.

In Australia, "Reach for the Sky" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 175 on the state chart.

I hadn't head this one before; I liked the verses more than the chorus.  The music video is typical of high-budget rock band videos from the early 90s, with skydiving and shots of bungee jumping.

This would be Firehouse's final charting single in Australia.  They had a later low-charting album, though, with Lowflows: The Columbia Anthology ('91-'93) (number 1083, July 2012).

Number 212 “24 Hours a Day” by Nomad

Peak: number 212

Peak date: 30 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks 

We last saw British house duo Nomad in June 1992.  "24 Hours a Day" is a cover version of a song originally recorded by L.J. Johnson in 1979.  Internationally, their version of the track peaked at number 61 in the UK in November 1992.

Locally, "24 Hours a Day" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 184.

This was Nomad's final new single; though they released two later remixes of "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (number 37, August 1991) in the UK in 1995 and 2003.

Next week (7 December): Three top 150 entries and one bubbling WAY down under debut.

< Previous week: 23 November 1992                   Next week: 7 December 1992 >

Week commencing 5 June 1989

Four of this week's ten new entries are songs that did not register on any other 'real', sales-based chart, to my knowledge.  That's quite a feat, considering that only one of those four acts is Australian.  The other theme rippling through this week's entries is 'veteran' (as in, they'd been around for at least five years, which is a long time in chart years) acts giving it another go, or a new go as a solo act.  Let's take a look at what was bubbling down under this week in 1989:

Dusty Springfield: Having no hits for almost two decades does not always "prove" your career is over.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 144 "Tears Run Rings" by Marc Almond

Peak: number 128

Peak date: 19 June 1989

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Chart run: 158-144-134-128-133-133

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

Hot off the heels of his recent number 24 duet with Gene Pitney, "Tears Run Rings" became Marc's first truly solo chart 'hit' in Australia.  He had, of course, had a major hit in 1981-2 as one half of Soft Cell - and a newly-recorded version of that would give Marc a number 93 'hit' in 1991, though credited to Soft Cell/Marc Almond.  Marc also scored a number 34 hit with Bronski Beat in 1985, on a cover version medley of "I Feel Love", which has been dubbed "the gayest record ever made".  But this was as good as it got for Marc in his own right down under.  He had more success with this track in the UK, where it peaked at number 26 in September 1988.

 

"Tears Run Rings" was lifted from the album The Stars We Are (number 123, May 1989).  Another single from the album, "Only the Moment", was released in Australia in August 1989, but failed to chart.

 

In Australia, "Tears Run Rings" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 105.

 

We will next week Marc in 1991.

 

 

Number 145 "Nothing Has Been Proved" by Dusty Springfield

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Dusty, real name Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (phew!), had major chart success in the 1960s, including in Australia.  Her chart fortunes had all but dried up by the early 70s, though, and her last solo top 40 hit in Australia was 1970's "What Good Is I Love You?"  That all changed in 1987, however, when Pet Shop Boys rescued her from obscurity, with an unlikely pairing on the number 22 hit (number 2 in both the UK and US) "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"  Continuing the partnership, Pet Shop Boys produced half of Dusty's 1990 album Reputation, from which this track was eventually lifted.  While generally not a movie fan, to my ears, "Nothing Has Been Proved" sounds like it could have been a Bond theme; and my impression wasn't too far off the mark, as the song was recorded for and played over the closing credits of the 1989 British film Scandal, about a political scandal involving the Conservative Party in 1963.  The single had more success in the UK, where it peaked at number 16, and gave Dusty her first solo top 40 single since 1970.  "Nothing Has Been Proved" also peaked at number 10 in Ireland, number 52 in Germany in April 1989, number 26 in the Netherlands in April 1989, number 24 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1989, and number 33 in New Zealand in May 1989.

 

In Australia, "Nothing Has Been Proved" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 106.

 

We will see Dusty bubbling down under again in 1990.  Of course, Dusty sadly passed away from breast cancer in 1999, aged 59.

Number 148 "I'm On To You" by  Hurricane

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 148

Perhaps one factor leading to heavy metal's decline in the early 1990s was that the market was fairly saturated with similar acts by this point.  Enter Hurricane into the fray, with their first Australian chart 'hit', with a song that failed to register on any other chart (real chart, I mean) as far as I can tell, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the group's homeland.  Parent album, Over the Edge, fared slightly better on the Billboard 200, reaching number 92.  It's not something I would normally listen to, but I have to admit that the "na na na na na na" hook is catchy.  Hurricane will visit us again in 1991.

 

 

Number 149 "No Matter What" by Swingshift

Peak: number 126

Peak dates: 26 June 1989 and 24 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 149-145-139-126-136-144-139-126-128-139-143

Swingshift were an Australian band, and this single - their only release listed on discogs.com - appears to have been issued on a small independent record label, Top Shelf Recordings.  Only one other title, from another band, is currently listed on the Top Shelf Recordings record label page on the site.

Despite being issued on an independent label, "No Matter What" was promoted though a TV advertising campaign, as evident on the embedded video below.

Unfortunately, nobody has uploaded the music video for the song, or the full audio for the track, so the snippet in the ad below is all you can hear of the song.  I have no recollection of hearing "No Matter What" before.

 

Swingshift started out as a Cold Chisel covers band, and Dave Leslie from the group went on to later join the group Baby Animals.

 

Number 150 "Everything That Comes Around" by Mick Jones

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Top 150 chart run: 150

Mick is (not was!) the guitarist in Foreigner, and remains the band's only remaining founding member.  Oddly, this track didn't chart (at least, not within the top 100) in his native UK, or anywhere else, for that matter, as far as I am aware.  To date, this song's parent album, the imaginatively-titled Mick Jones, remains his only solo release.

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 152 "Move Closer" by Tom Jones

Peak: number 152 

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Veteran Welsh singer Tom Jones burst onto the charts in the mid-1960s, with hits such as "It's Not Unusual".  Tom made a surprise comeback with "Kiss" (number 8, February 1989), teaming up with The Art of Noise, earlier in the year.

"Move Closer" was a cover version of a song written and originally performed by Phyllis Nelson that peaked at number 15 in Australia in November 1985.  Phyllis sadly passed away in 1998, aged 47, from breast cancer.  Tom's version of "Move Closer" was lifted from his At This Moment (number 92, November 1990) album.  Internationally, the single peaked at number 49 in the UK in April 1989.

Within Australia, "Move Closer" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 99.

We will next see Tom in 1991.

 

Number 158 "Romance (Love Theme From Sing)" by Paul Carrack & Terri Nunn

Peak: number 158

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Another track that didn't chart anywhere else on a 'real' chart (no, the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart does not count in this instance!) is this 'love theme' (doncha love how 80s that expression is?) duet between Paul Carrack and Terri Nunn.  Paul had been somewhat of a chameleon on the Australian charts, with his first taste of chart success coming as lead vocalist of Ace with 1975's "How Long" (number 63), a song that went on to be covered by many artists.  Paul then went on to have four of his own solo hits during the 1980s, with 1987's "When You Walk in the Room" reaching number seven.  More-recently, Paul had just scored a number one single in Australia singing lead on Mike + The Mechanics' "The Living Years".  Phew!  Terri Nunn was the lead singer in synth-pop band Berlin, who had scored four top 40 hits in Australia between 1984 and 1987, with Top Gun soundtrack hit "Take My Breath Away" easily being the biggest of those, peaking at number two.

 

On the state charts, "Romance..." performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 149.

 

We will see Paul bubble under again a couple of times over the next year, but this would be Terri's only solo Australian chart 'hit' as far as I am aware.

 

 

Number 164 "That's the Way Love Is" by Ten City

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American r&b/house act Ten City hail from Chicago.  "That's the Way Love Is", lifted from their debut album Foundation (released in Australia in May 1989, did not chart), was their debut Australian release, and their only single to chart locally.

 

"That's the Way Love Is" found greater success internationally, reaching number 8 in the UK in January 1989, number 11 in Ireland, number 23 in the Netherlands in April 1989, number 18 in West Germany in April 1989, number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1989, and number 24 in New Zealand in May 1989.  Within Australia, "That's the Way Love Is" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 153.

 

Number 166 "You Make Me Work" by Cameo

Peak: number 166

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American funk band Cameo formed in 1974.  Their first, and only, taste of chart success in Australia came with "Word Up" (number 6, March 1987), and the album Word Up (number 75, April 1987).

"You Make Me Work" was the lead single from Cameo's thirteenth studio album Machismo (number 148, February 1989).  The single was released locally in January 1989, but took almost four months to register its solitary week on the chart.

Internationally, "You Make Me Work" peaked at number 74 in the UK in October 1988, and number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1988.  Within Australia, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 147.

We shall next see Cameo in 1990.

Number 167 "Make No Mistake" by Keith Richards

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 5 June 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards released his first solo album Talk Is Cheap (number 15, October 1988) in 1988, led by the single "Take It So Hard" (number 95, December 1988).

"Make No Mistake" was Keith's second solo single in Australia.  Internationally, "Make No Mistake" peaked at number 213 (number 142 on the compressed chart) in the UK in May 1989.  Domestically, "Make No Mistake" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 139.

We will next see Keith in 1992.

 

8 Next week (12 June): five debuts within the top 150, plus three bubbling WAY down under entries.  As always, you can also follow my posts on facebook.

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