Before taking a look at this week in 1993's new entries peaking outside the Australian top 100 singles chart, I have made two special posts looking at singles that topped at least one of the state charts, but not the national chart, between June 1988 and December 1988, and January 1989 and June 1989. State chart information covering the period where ARIA commenced producing the chart in-house (6 June 1988) through to the last chart survey of 1989 has not previously been published. Stay tuned for a third instalment in the series, covering July 1989 to December 1989.
RuPaul: this didn’t exactly ‘work’ on the Australian charts.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 106 “The Nameless One” by Wendy James
Peak: number 106
Peak date: 29 March 1993
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 106-118-(out for 1 week)-125
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
London-born Wendy James fronted the band Transvision Vamp, whom we saw in 1990, from their inception in 1986 through to their demise in 1991. During that time, the band notched up nine top 100 singles in Australia, with "Baby I Don't Care" (number 3, August 1989) being the biggest of those.
Following Transvision Vamp's split, Wendy wrote to Elvis Costello for advice on what to do next. Elvis responded by writing an album's worth of material for her, with his then wife Cate O'Riordan co-authoring five of the ten songs. "The Nameless One" was the lead single from Wendy's debut solo album Now Ain’t the Time for Your Tears (number 132, May 1993).
Internationally, "The Nameless One" peaked at number 34 in the UK in February 1993. In Australia, the single was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 79.
Despite being a fan of Transvision Vamp's, Wendy's solo material has never interested me that much, and I hadn't actually heard "The Nameless One" until listening to it while writing this post. The track is decent, but lacks the hooks/instant catchiness and fun of Transvision Vamp at their best.
We shall see solo Wendy once more, in July 1993.
Number 115 “Broken English” by Sunscreem
Peak: number 101
Peak date: 3 May 1993
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Chart run: 211-115-105-104-104-107-101-116-139-134
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
English band Sunscreem last graced our presence in January 1993. "Broken English", the fifth single from their debut album O3 (number 73, March 1993), was a cover version of a song originally performed by the recently-departed Marianne Faithfull that peaked at number 75 in Australia in August 1980.
Internationally, Sunscreem's version of "Broken English" peaked at number 13 in the UK in January 1993, becoming their highest-charting single there.
Locally, "Broken English" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 84 on the state chart. "Broken English" peaked within the top 100 on all five of the state charts.
I first heard this one on the radio show UK Chart Attack, back in January 1993, in what must have been one of the last episodes of it to air in Melbourne. I like the song, but it's not my favourite one from Sunscreem.
Sunscreem would release a (sort of) sixth single from O3, "Pressure Us" (number 64, July 1993), which was a remixed and slightly re-titled version of their first Australian chart entry.
We will see Sunscreem on one more occasion, in 1995.
Number 126 “Losin’ Myself” by Debbie Gibson
Peak: number 126
Peak date: 29 March 1993
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Known chart run: 166-126-129-142-144
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
Deborah Ann Gibson, better known as Debbie Gibson for most of her career, burst onto the Australian chart in 1988 with her second single “Shake Your Love” (number 27, May 1988). She became the then-youngest artist to write, perform and produce a US Billboard Hot 100 number one with her fourth single, "Foolish Beat" (number 60, August 1988), which topped the US chart for one week in June 1988, when Debbie was just over two months off turning 18.
Although Debbie didn't quite match her US-level of chart success in Australia, she nonetheless placed eight singles within the ARIA top 100 between 1988 and early 1991, with "Anything Is Possible" (number 60, January 1991) being the last of those. Unfortunately for Debbie, five of her eight Australian top 100 singles peaked between numbers 57 and 68; she was indeed the queen of the Breakers section (which listed the five highest-charting singles moving up the chart outside of the top 50) of the ARIA printed top 50 charts!
Debbie's biggest hit in Australia was the sappy "Lost in Your Eyes" (number 7, May 1989), although I would guess she is better-remembered for its follow up, "Electric Youth" (number 21, July 1989), the title track of her second album Electric Youth (number 10, August 1989).
Teen pop stardom doesn't always translate into career longevity, and sadly for Debbie, in spite of her musical talent, she struggled with commercial success once her 20s clocked over. "Losin' Myself" was the lead single from Debbie's fourth studio album Body Mind Soul (number 180, March 1993). For this project, Debbie tried to take on a more 'mature', 'sexy' image. It didn't quite work.
Internationally, "Losin' Myself" peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1993, and number 73 in Canada in February 1993. The song also registered on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, reaching number 49 in February 1993, and number 46 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in March 1993.
In Australia, "Losin' Myself" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 109 on the state chart.
I hadn't heard "Losin' Myself" before. It's OK, but lacks the pop charm of her earlier releases.
We shall see Debbie once more, in July 1993.
Number 133 “What You Won’t Do for Love” by Go West
Peak: number 122
Peak date: 5 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Chart run: 133-122-127-131-131
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
English duo Go West formed in London in 1982, with Peter Cox on vocals and Richard Drummie on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Between 1985 and 1992, the pair placed seven singles on the Australian top 100, with "We Close Our Eyes" (number 8, June 1985) and “King of Wishful Thinking” (number 6, October 1990) - the latter from the Pretty Woman (number 1 for four weeks in July 1990) soundtrack - hitting the top ten, and "Call Me" (number 12, August 1985) coming close.
"What You Won't Do for Love" was the second single lifted from the third Go West studio album Indian Summer (number 112, March 1993), more than five years since their second album. It followed "Faithful" (number 42, February 1993). "What You Won't Do for Love" is a cover of the Bobby Caldwell single from 1978, which did not chart in Australia, but peaked at number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Internationally, Go West's version of "What You Won't Do for Love" peaked at number 15 in the UK in January 1993, number 55 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1993, number 52 in Germany in April 1993, and number 12 in Canada in May 1993.
Domestically, "What You Won't Do for Love" was equally most popular in Queensland and South Australia/Northern Territory, reaching number 111 on both state charts.
This is another track that I first heard on one of the final UK Chart Attack episodes to air in Victoria. You can view a second video filmed for the song, for the US market, here.
A third single from Indian Summer, "Still in Love", was released in the UK, but not in Australia, in March 1993.
We'll see Go West on one more occasion, in November 1993.
Number 140 “Supermodel (You Better Work)” by RuPaul
Peak: number 115
Peak date: 10 May 1993
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 140-144-145-139-124-116-115-125-119-133-131
Weeks on chart: 23 weeks
RuPaul (his actual real name) Andre Charles was born in San Diego, California. The concept of the 'supermodel' seemed to be new (at least to me) in the early 1990s, perhaps best illustrated by George Michael's music videos for "Freedom!" (number 18, February 1991), and later "Too Funky" (number 3, August 1992). It seems (again, at least to me) that RuPaul was trying to capture some of this attention by becoming the first drag 'supermodel'. "Supermodel (You Better Work)" was his (I'm not sure whether that's the right pronoun for him in drag, though Wikipedia tells me he doesn't mind being called 'he' or 'she') first single, from his debut album Supermodel of the World (number 150, August 1993).
Even though the song wasn't a big commercial success, I do remember seeing RuPaul on TV around this time and being spoken about. Of course, he is now better known for his RuPaul's Drag Race reality TV series than his recording career. Prior to coming to fame, RuPaul appeared in the music video for The B-52's "Love Shack" (number 1 for eight weeks in December 1989-February 1990).
Internationally, "Supermodel (You Better Work)" peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1993, number 100 in Germany in April 1993, number 16 in Austria in June 1993, number 39 in the UK in June 1993, and number 38 in the Netherlands in August 1993. The song also peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in February 1993, and number 55 on the Radio Songs chart in March 1993.
In Australia, "Supermodel..." 'worked' best in Western Australia, where it reached number 73 on the state chart.
"Supermodel (You Better Work)" makes extensive use of RuPaul's catchphrase "sashay shantay", which he uses in RuPaul's Drag Race. "Shantay... you stay" if you're still in the competition, and "sashay away" if you aren’t.
We'll next see RuPaul in December 1993. Before then, he landed his first ARIA top 100 single with "Back to My Roots" (number 90, August 1993).
Number 146 “Trapped Inside Your Heart” by Kings of the Sun
Peak: number 131
Peak date: 3 May 1993
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 146-(out for 1 week)-144-142-149-131
Australian band Kings of the Sun formed in Sydney in 1986. Their debut single "Bottom of My Heart" (number 47, December 1986) crept into the national top 50. It would be almost two more years until its follow-up, "Serpentine" (number 48, September 1988), and the release of their debut album Kings of the Sun (number 88, January 1989), which gave them a third charting single "Black Leather" (number 53, January 1989). They returned in 1990 with their second album Full Frontal Attack (number 93, September 1990), and their final ARIA top 100 single "Drop the Gun" (number 82, August 1990).
"Trapped Inside Your Heart" was the lead single from the third Kings of the Sun album Resurrection, which was released in Australia in April 1993 but missed the top 150. Another single from the album, "Road to Nowhere", was released in June 1993 but also missed the top 150.
Number 150 “How Can I Love You More” (Mixes) by M People
Peak: number 138
Peak date: 12 April 1993
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 150-(out for 1 week)-138-(out for 2 weeks)-147
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks (including 1992 release)
We last saw English band M People in 1992.
"How Can I Love You More" (no question mark) was issued as the band's debut single in the UK in late 1991, where it peaked at number 29 in November that year. The single received an Australian release on 3 February 1992, and debuted at number 174 the following week. Unfortunately, owing to how the ARIA database is set up, I am unable to determine whether number 174 was the peak for the original release (which missed the top 150), or whether it climbed higher than its entry position, outside the top 150. The 1991 release of the track used a different mix than the 1993 version embedded below, and you can hear/see it here. The Official Heather Small (M People's vocalist) YouTube channel stole my 480p upload of this video, which was blocked on my channel but not theirs, and replaced it with their inferior 360p copy. Yes, I am still bitter about it...
The 1993 remix of "How Can I Love You More" was the third (counting both releases of the track) and final single released in Australia from M People's debut album Northern Soul (number 150, April 1993). In the band's native UK, it was the fifth single from the album. We missed both "Someday" and "Excited". I think both could have been hits here with some promotion had they been released.
Internationally, the 1993 version of "How Can I Love You More" peaked at number 8 in the UK in February 1993, and number 10 in Ireland during the same month.
In Australia, the 1993 release of "How Can I Love You More" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 104 on the state chart.
I first heard this one in early 1994 after picking up a copy of the UK 2-CD compilation The Greatest Hits of 1993. I like it, but prefer the original 1991 mix.
M People would, of course, eventually break through commercially in Australia later in 1993 with "Movin' on Up" (number 4, January 1994). Before then, "One Night in Heaven" (number 23, March 1994) was issued as the lead single from their second album Elegantly Slumming (number 7, February 1994), and debuted outside the ARIA top 150 at number 192 on 19 July 1993. As with "How Can I Love You More", because "One Night in Heaven" missed the top 150 upon its initial release, I am unable to determine what its original peak was.
We'll next see M People in 1995.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 206 “Sinking Like a Sunset” by Tom Cochrane
Peak: number 206
Peak date: 29 March 1993
Weeks on chart: 1 week
We last saw Canadian soft rocker Tom Cochrane in February 1993.
"Sinking Like a Sunset" was issued as the fourth and final single in Australia from his second solo album Mad Mad World (number 46, October 1992). In Canada, it was the third release from the album.
Internationally, "Sinking Like a Sunset" peaked at number 2 in Canada for two weeks, in May-June 1992.
"Sinking Like a Sunset"... sank like a sunset on the Australian chart, in contrast, but performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 183 on the state chart.
I hadn't heard this one before. I probably like it more than the other two non-"Life Is a Highway" (number 2, September 1992) singles I've heard by Tom.
Tom will next join us in 1995.
Number 208 “Keep a Dream in Your Pocket” by Judith Durham/The Seekers
Peak: number 178
Peak date: 26 April 1993
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
We last saw Australian band The Seekers in 1989. This time, original lead singer Judith Durham was part of the group, for the first time since 1968. Accordingly, she received a billing on the artist credit.
"Keep a Dream in Your Pocket" was recorded/released to promote the band's The Silver Jubilee Album (number 3, May 1993) compilation album. On the state charts, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 149.
We'll next see Judith/The Seekers in 1997.
Number 209 “I’ve Got a Lot of Faith in You” by Stephen Cummings
Peak: number 171
Peak date: 19 April 1993
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
Aussie singer-songwriter and jingle writer Stephen Cummings last paid us a visit in 1992.
"I've Got a Lot of Faith in You" was released as the second single from Stephen's sixth studio album Unguided Tour (number 76, August 1992).
On the state charts, "I've Got a Lot of Faith in You" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 153.
Stephen will join us again in June 1993.
Next week (5 April): Five top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.
