Week commencing 11 November 1991

Four of this week in 1991's six new entries debuting and peaking outside the ARIA top 100 are from artists we have seen before.   Let's take a look at them.

 

Lisette Melendez: a few weeks in the top 150.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 125 "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton (1991 release)

Peak: number 122 (1991 release); number 100 (1996 release)

Peak dates: 25 November 1991 and 2 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 13 weeks (in 1991); 21 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)

Top 150 chart run: 125-123-122-122-124-123-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-124-124-123-145-146

Re-entered 18 March 1996: 123-123-119-135-100-106-113-123

Weeks on chart: 27 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)

This single peaked at number 100 in Australia on 15 April 1996, when re-issued, spending another 8 weeks in the top 150.

We last saw Michael Bolton in August 1991.

 

"When a Man Loves a Woman", a song originally recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966, was a number 3 hit in Australia in November 1988 when Jimmy Barnes released a live version as a single.  I suspect that this relatively recent hit is one reason why Michael Bolton's rendition of the song did not take off in Australia.

"When a Man Love a Woman" was released as the third single from Michael's seventh studio album Time, Love & Tenderness (number 11, August 1992). 

 

Internationally, Michael's version of the song peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week in November 1991, number 12 in Ireland in November 1991, number 8 in the UK in November 1991, number 21 in New Zealand in December 1991, number 4 in Canada in December 1991, number 52 in Germany in December 1991, number 34 in Sweden in January 1992, number 17 in the Netherlands in January 1991, number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1992, and number 34 in France in May 1992.

In Australia, "When a Man Loves a Woman" had an interesting chart run, spending the first 11 weeks of its top 150 chart run hovering between numbers 122 and 125.  Given that the single was not a hit the first time around, it was re-issued in Australia in 1996 following the release of Michael's Greatest Hits 1985-1995 (number 6, September 1995) compilation.  The 1996 release of "When a Man Loves a Woman" just scraped into the ARIA top 100, peaking at number 100 in April 1996.

On the ARIA state charts, "When a Man Loves a Woman" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 69 in 1996.  The single peaked in early 1992 in Queensland and Western Australia, and in 1996 in all other states.

We shall next see Michael in 1992.

Number 129 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Oleta Adams

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 18 November 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Chart run: 129-107-123-125-130

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

We last saw Oleta Adams in February 1991.

 

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me " was originally recorded by Elton John, and reached number 13 in Australia in September 1974.  Oleta's version was recorded for the various artists tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (number 15, November 1991). 

Internationally, Oleta's version of the track peaked at number 33 in the UK in October 1991, and number 32 in the Netherlands in November 1991.

Within Australia, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 86.

Oleta's version of the song was soon after eclipsed by the live George Michael/Elton John duet version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (number 3, January 1992).

We will next see Oleta in 1993.

Number 139 "What About Now" by Robbie Robertson

Peak: number 133

Peak date: 6 January 1992

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks 

Chart run: 155-139-134-140-145-137-138-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-133-134-136

Weeks on chart: 12 weeks

 

Canadian musician Robbie Robertson was born Jaime Royal Robertson.  He was the lead guitarist and a songwriter for The Band before launching his solo career in 1987.

 

Robbie's only Australian singles chart entries to date had been "Showdown at Big Sky" (number 95, February 1988) and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", which peaked at number 100 on the Australian Music Report in June 1988, during the week before ARIA commenced producing the chart in-house (it otherwise went on to peak at number 83 on the AMR chart).

"What About Now" was the lead single in Australia from Robbie's second solo album Storyville (number 113, November 1991).

 

While I cannot find evidence of "What About Now" charting on any other sales-based chart, it registered on two meaningless subsidiary US Billboard charts.  "What About Now" peaked at number 15 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and number 28 on the Alternative Airplay chart in November 1991.

 

Domestically, "What About Now" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 87.

This was Robbie's last single to chart in Australia.  A second Storyville single, "Go Back to Your Woods", was released in Australia in March 1992.

 

Robbie had a couple of later albums that peaked outside the top 100 in Australia: Contact from the Underworld of Redboy (number 189, April 1998), and How to Become Clairvoyant (number 129, April 2011).

 

 

Number 147 "A Day in My Life (Without You)" by Lisette Melendez

Peak: number 135

Peak date: 18 November 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Chart run: 185-(out for 2 weeks)-147-135-139-140-144

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

We last saw Lisette Melendez in April 1991. 

"A Day in My Life (Without You)" was issued as the second single from Lisette's debut album Together Forever (number 199, December 1991). 

 

Internationally, "A Day in My Life..." peaked at number 49 in the US in November 1991.

 

Within Australia, "A Day in My Life..." was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 125.

 

Listening to this track, the first thing that strikes me is that the backing music is almost identical to Corina's "Temptation" (number 57, October 1991), which was an observation I made with the last Lisette track we saw.

 

Lisette will join us again in 1992.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 177 "Coast Is Clear" by Curve

Peak: number 172

Peak date: 25 November 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

English duo Curve are made up of singer Toni Halliday and instrumentalist/programmer Dean Garcia.  The pair were signed to Dave Stewart's, whom we saw last week, label Anxious Records.

"Coast Is Clear", which does not appear on Curve's debut album Doppelgänger (number 136, May 1992), was Curve's debut release in Australia.  The single became the pair's first top 40 entry in the UK, where it reached number 34 in May 1991.

 

In Australia, "Coast Is Clear" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 145.

 

Curve never had a top 100 entry in Australia, but we will see them bubble under on five more occasions on the singles chart, between now and 1998.  We shall next see Curve in 1992.

 

 

Number 184 "Top of the World" by Van Halen

Peak: number 162

Peak date: 25 November 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

We last saw Van Halen in August 1991.

 

"Top of the World" was released as the third single from Van Halen's ninth studio album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (number 5, July 1991). 

Overseas, "Top of the World" peaked at number 61 in the UK in October 1991, and number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991.

On the ARA state charts, "Top of the World" was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 149.

Van Halen will join us next in 1995.

 

 

Next week (18 November): Three top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

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

Week commencing 25 February 1991

Of the five new singles debuting this week in 1991 that I write about, two of them were much bigger hits overseas, while one of them only registered a chart placing in Australia.  But before taking a look at these, I have updated some earlier posts with the following:

• 20 February 1989 - a video has been added for Ordinary Mortals, and a bubbling WAY down under entry from Barbra Streisand;
  
• 6 March 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Bryan Ferry;
• 8 May 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from White Lion;
• 31 July 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Wendy & Lisa;
• 21 August 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Kon Kan;
• 20 November 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Kon Kan;
• 27 November 1989 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Jermaine Jackson; 
• 8 January 1990 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Regina Belle;
  
• 21 January 1991 - a bubbling WAY down under entry from Kon Kan.
  

 

Jimmy Somerville's solo career was not very 'loved' by the Australian record-buying public.

  

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 145 "Struck by Lightning" by Stray Cats

Peak: number 143

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Known chart run: 171-145-149-143

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

We saw American rockabilly group Stray Cats bubble under in July 1989.  "Struck by Lighting" was the second single from the band's sixth studio album Let's Go Faster (number 57, March 1991).  It followed "Cross of Love" (number 94, January 1991), which was Stray Cats' final single to dent the Australian top 100.

 

"Struck by Lighting" appears to have only charted in Australia, although only an Australian pressing is listed on discogs.  On the ARIA state charts, "Struck by Lightning" peaked highest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 105.

 

We shall next see Stray Cats in April 1991.

 

 

Number 146 "To Love Somebody" by Jimmy Somerville

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 25 February 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 146

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville graced our presence previously in December 1989.  As mentioned then, none of Jimmy's solo singles peaked higher than number 62 in Australia; he had much greater success locally as the lead singer of Bronski Beat and The Communards.

"To Love Somebody", a reggae cover version of a Bee Gees track, was released as a single to promote The Singles Collection 1984/1990 (number 114, February 1991), a compilation album covering Jimmy's solo work to date, as well as singles from The Communards and Bronski Beat that he sang lead on.

Internationally, Jimmy's version of "To Love Somebody" peaked at number 8 in the UK in November 1990.  It was also a top 10 hit in Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and New Zealand, and a top 20 hit in Germany, France and Switzerland.

 

Locally, "To Love Somebody" had its greatest success in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 136. 

 

We will next see Jimmy in 1995.

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 168 "Heavenly City" by Candy Dulfer

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 25 February 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer came to the attention of Australia via her instrumental duet with David A. Stewart from Eurythmics, "Lily Was Here" (number 10, November 1990).  "Heavenly City" was her second solo single release in Australia, following "Saxuality" (released in Australia in September 1990, did not chart).  Both tracks were lifted from Candy's debut album Saxuality (number 133, January 1991).

 

Internationally, "Heavenly City" peaked at number 50 in the Netherlands in October 1990, and number 178 (number 123 on the compressed chart) in the UK in October 1990.

 

In Australia, "Heavenly City" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 126.

 

We'll next see Candy in 1993.

 

 

Number 173 "Elevate My Mind" by Stereo MC's

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 1 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

English electronic dance/hip hop group Stereo MC's formed in London in 1985.  "Elevate My Mind" was the lead single from the band's second album Supernatural (number 132, March 1991).  Internationally, "Elevate My Mind" peaked at number 74 in the UK in September 1990, and number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1991, which made them the first British rap group to dent the American top 40.  It's rather unusual that an act like Stereo MC's would initially do better in the US than in their homeland.

 

In Australia, "Elevate My Mind" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 98 on the state chart.

 

We shall see Stereo MC's bubble under next in 1993.

 

 

Number 176 "Get Here" by Oleta Adams

Peak: number 151

Peak date: 6 May 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

American singer Oleta Adams first bubbled under on the Australian chart in May 1990.  Earlier during the same month she did the same thing as a guest vocalist with Tears for Fears, with whom she landed her biggest 'hit' in Australia, with "Woman in Chains" (number 39, January 1990).

"Get Here", a song written and originally recorded by Brenda Russell in 1988, was the second single released in Australia from Oleta's third album Circle of One (number 131, September 1990).  Oleta decided to record the song after hearing it being played in a record store in Stockholm.  With lyrics about crossing the desert like an Arab man, Oleta's version of the song became a timely release for troops in the Gulf War.

 

Internationally, "Get Here" reached number 4 in the UK in February 1991, and number 5 in the US in March 1991 - where it was Oleta's only single to dent the Billboard Hot 100.  The single also peaked at number 28 in the Netherlands in January 1991, number 4 in Ireland, number 80 in Germany in March 1991, and number 43 in New Zealand in June 1991.

Locally, "Get Here" performed strongest on the Western Australian state chart, where it reached number 136.

I am surprised by "Get Here"'s lack of success in Australia.  It seemed to gain decent airplay and I caught the video on TV a number of times.  I think there may have even been an ad for the single I heard on radio.

While "Get Here" would be Oleta's biggest solo international hit by far, in Australia, she had another single that peaked higher, which we shall see in November 1991.

 

 

 

Next week (4 March): Four top 150 entries and one bubbling WAY down under debut.

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

Week commencing 28 May 1990

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

 

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

 

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

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

Peak: number 105

Peak date:  2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks

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

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

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

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

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

We shall see Paul again in September.

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

Peak: number 126

Peak date: 2 July 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

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

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

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

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

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

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

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 11 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

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

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

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

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

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

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

Number 141 "Sophisticated Lady" by Grace Knight

Peak: number 141

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 141

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

 

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

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

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

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

Number 145 "Love and Anger" by Kate Bush

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Chart run: 145

Weeks on chart: 1 week

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

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

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

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

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

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

We will next see Kate in 1994.

Number 148 "Far Far Cry" by Jon Anderson

Peak: number  148

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 148

 

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

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

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

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

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 157 "Rhythm of Life" by Oleta Adams

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

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

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

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

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

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

Number 161 "Tell Me Why" by Exposé

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 4 June 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

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

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

Chicago will visit us next in 1991.

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

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

Week commencing 7 May 1990

As with last week, all of this week's top 150 debuts enter at position number 140 or below.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Tears for Fears offer advice for those wanting to look nonchalant in photographs.

 

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 140 "Advice for the Young at Heart" by Tears For Fears

Peak: number 116

Peak date: 4 June 1990

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 140-121-119-120-116-138-135

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Between 1983 and 1989, British band Tears For Fears placed seven singles on the Australian chart, with "Shout" going all the way to number 1 for one week in March 1985.  All seven of the group's top 100 singles in Australia peaked within the top 40, with "Woman in Chains" (number 39, January 1990) being the final one.

 

Surprisingly, four singles released locally by the group failed to chart - "Pale Shelter" (released August 1983), "The Way You Are" (February 1984), "Mothers Talk" (November 1984), and "I Believe" (November 1985).  "Pale Shelter" made the Kent Music Report's 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list for two weeks in August 1983, however, reaching fifth place on this list.

"Advice for the Young at Heart" was the third single lifted from Tears For Fears' third album The Seeds of Love (number 18, October 1989).  The single fared better in their native UK, peaking at number 36 in March 1990.  A fourth single from the album, "Famous Last Words", was issued in the UK in August 1990, peaking at number 83 there during the same month, but was not released in Australia.

Unlike the previous two singles, "Advice for the Young at Heart" predominantly features band member Curt Smith on lead vocals.  Curt, of course, also sang lead on the band's earlier hits "Mad World" (number 12, April 1983) and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (number 2, June 1985).  Oleta Adams, whose voice was featured on "Woman in Chains", also appears in the video for this song, playing piano and singing backing vocals.  Oleta will go on to score some bubbling under 'hits' of her own in the coming years.

On the state charts, "Advice for the Young at Heart" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 68.  I remember seeing the video for this track on Countdown Revolution, and have viewed it on YouTube a couple of times, but can never remember how the song goes.

Following completion of the The Seeds of Love campaign, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith parted ways, and would not reunite until 2000.  Roland continued to record and release under the Tears For Fears name during the interim years, while Curt would release a solo album Soul on Board in 1993.

We shall see Tears For Fears next in 1992, although they are behind a track that we will see in 1991.

 

 

Number 146 "What "U" Waitin' "4"?" by Jungle Brothers

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 7 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 146

 

"What "U" Waitin' "4"?" was the second release from American hip-hop trio Jungle Brothers' second album Done by the Forces of Nature (number 102, April 1990), and was their first single to crack the top 150 in Australia.  It followed "Beyond This World", released locally in February 1990.

Jungle Brothers would eventually break into the ARIA top 100 in 1999, when "V.I.P." peaked at number 62, in July 1999.  By that time, the group had notched up seven UK top 40 singles.

In the interim, Jungle Brothers contributed a radically-reworked version of the Cole Porter-written track "I Get a Kick out of You" - which could have been a hit had it been released as a commercial single - to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Blue (number 38, January 1991).

 

 

 

Number 147 "The Sex of It" by Kid Creole and The Coconuts

Peak: number 139

Peak date: 28 May 1990

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-(out for 2 weeks)-139-142-150

 

Kid Creole and the Coconuts, fronted by August Darnell, placed two singles in the Australian top 100 chart: "I'm a Wonderful Thing Baby" (number 82, November 1982), and "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy" (number 89, April 1983).  A third single, "Me No Pop I", bubbled under on the Kent Music Report's 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list in August 1981, reaching fifteenth place on this list.

"The Sex of It", unsurprisingly - with lines like "the thrills of it, the chills of it, the spills of it, you just want me for the sex" - was written by Prince, who also recorded a demo version that has not been officially released to date.

"The Sex of It" returned Kid Creole and The Coconuts to the top 40 region of the UK singles chart, where it peaked at number 29 in May 1990.  The song gave the band their first top 40 entry there since 1983.  "The Sex of It" also reached the lower region the top 40 in the Netherlands and the Flanders region of Belgium.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under: 

 

Number 159 "Blue Savannah" by Erasure

Peak: number 159

Peak date: 7 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

We saw Erasure bubbling WAY down under back in November 1989 with the first single from their Wild! album (number 107, January 1990), and here they are again in the same region of the chart with the album's third release; one of my favourite Erasure singles.  "You Surround Me", which failed to chart in Australia, was released in-between, in January 1990.

 

"Blue Savannah" had much greater success in Erasure's native UK, peaking at number 3 in March 1990, becoming their eighth top 10 single there.  "Blue Savannah" also peaked at number 3 in Ireland, and at number 13 in Germany in April 1990.  As with the duo's previous charting single, "Blue Savannah" performed strongest on the Western Australian state chart, where it peaked at number 117.

The music video for "Blue Savannah", which I remember seeing once or twice on Countdown Revolution, makes extensive use of blue paint and gold star gift bows.

Erasure will next grace our presence in June 1990.

 

Number 161 "Cruising for Bruising" by Basia

Peak: number 161

Peak date: 7 May 1990

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks 

Basia peaked at number 161 with her last single, in February 1990, and here she is at the same peak position again, three months later, with "Cruising for Bruising" - which I have to say, is one of the best song titles ever!

 

I think it's fair to assume that Basia is the kind of artist who would appeal more to album-buyers, with her sophistipop sound, but the album this track is from, London Warsaw New York (number 114, March 1990), didn't exactly set the ARIA albums chart alight.

"Cruising for Bruising" had marginally more success in the UK, peaking at number 86 in April 1990.  The single scraped into the top 50 in France, peaking at number 46 there in October 1990, and just missed the top 50 in the Netherlands, peaking at number 51 there in June 1990.  On the state charts, "Cruising for Bruising" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 122.

A third single from London Warsaw New York, "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)", was issued locally in November 1990, but failed to chart.

Basia will make one more appearance on the ARIA singles chart, in 1994.

 

 

Next week (14 May): Seven new top 150 debuts, and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

< Previous week: 30 April 1990                                      Next week: 14 May 1990 >