Week commencing 4 January 1993

Welcome to 1993!   What were you doing that year?  1993 was an eventful year for me.  I was in year 9 at high school and officially entered adolescence.  At the time, I didn’t think 1993 was that great a year for chart music - there seemed to be many hangover songs from late 1992 clogging up the charts for the first few months of the year, and a dearth of female lead vocal songs in the top 50.  In retrospect, there was a lot of new music I enjoyed from 1993; just most of it didn’t chart so well in Australia!  But that’s what this blog is about: exploring the music that didn’t perform so well on the Australian chart.

The first chart survey of 1993 sees a number of veteran acts who had been around since at least the 1970s debuting.

 

I have updated a bunch of earlier posts:

 

* 31 July 1989 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Baby Ford; 

* 7 August 1989 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Carole King;

* 5 March 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Van Morrison;

* 12 March 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Rita MacNeil;

* 2 July 1990 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Eric Clapton;

* 11 February 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Grand Plaz; 

* 18 February 1991 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Yazoo;

* 16 March 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Rita MacNeil.

Deborah Harry would probably feel blue over this chart position.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 135 “That’s the Way God Planned It” by The Party Boys

Peak: number 132

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 135-132-133-136-140

We last saw Aussie band The Party boys in 1989.  Since then, they scored a minor hit with their version of "Do-Wah-Diddy" (number 81, September 1990).

"That's the Way God Planned It", a cover of the Billy Preston song which peaked at number 22 in Australia on the Go Set chart in September 1969, was recorded to raise money for charity - I remember seeing a TV commercial featuring the song at the time, but can't remember now which charity it was for.  Clearly, not much money was raised, given that this single stalled at number 132!

The single, featuring Jon 'Swanee' Swan - whom we saw bubble under in 1990 - on lead vocal, was released in September 1992 and took almost four months to dent the top 150.

This was The Party Boys' final single.

Number 145 “All Alone on Christmas” by Darlene Love

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

American R&B singer and actress Darlene Love, real name Darlene Wight, was the lead singer in the female vocal trio The Blossoms.  She previously landed one entry on the Australian chart, all the way back in 1963, with "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry", which peaked at number 78.

"All Alone on Christmas" appears on the soundtrack album for the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which was also issued as Home Alone Christmas (number 148, January 1993).  The single peaked at number 31 in the UK in December 1992, and at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1993.  "All Alone on Christmas" also peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart in January 1993.

Darlene would finally crack the ARIA top 50 in 2023 with another Christmas song, "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)", which was recorded in 1963 and, to date, has peaked at number 26 in December 2024.

Number 148 “Summertime Blues” by Deborah Harry

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 11 January 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 148-138-141-140-(out for 1 week)-150

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

We last saw Deborah Harry in 1991.

 

"Summertime Blues" is a cover version of the Eddie Cochran song from 1958, which peaked at number 18 in Australia.  Deborah's version was recorded for the That Night soundtrack, and appears to have only been released as a single in Australia, where it performed strongest on the Queensland state chart, reaching number 109.

I remember catching the music video for this track on rage as a new release in late 1992.

We'll next see Deborah in October 1993.

Number 149 “Happy Valley” by Richard Clapton

Peak: number 110

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 149-139-125-137-110-122-125-136

Weeks on chart: 13 weeks

 

We last saw Australian singer-songwriter Richard Clapton in 1989.  "Happy Valley" was the lead single from Richard's tenth studio album Distant Thunder (number 37, July 1993).

 

On the state charts, "Happy Valley" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 81.

I hadn't heard this one before.  I didn't mind it; the female backing vocals were good.

Richard will join us again in August 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 186 “I Still Believe in You” by Cliff Richard 

Peak: number 176

Peak date: 25 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks 

'Sir' Cliff last joined us in 1991.

 

Christmas time in this era often meant a new Cliff Richard single was released.  "I Still Believe in You" was the lead single from Cliff's imaginatively-titled 31st (!) studio album, The Album (number 72, May 1993).

Internationally, "I Still Believe in You" peaked at number 7 in the UK in December 1992, and at number 18 in Ireland in December 1992.

In Australia, "I Still Believe in You" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 160 on the state chart.

Cliff will join us next in July 1993.

 

Number 188 “Oh No Not My Baby” by Cher

Peak: number 188

Peak date: 4 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Pop veteran Cher last paid us a visit in 1991.

 

"Oh No Not My Baby", a cover version of the Maxine Brown song from 1964, was written by Carole King and Geoffrey Goffin, who also wrote "The Loco-Motion" for Little Eva (which was of course later covered by Kylie Minogue, among others).  Cher's version was issued as the first 'new' single to promote her Cher’s Greatest Hits: 1965-1992 (number 48, December 1992) compilation.

 

Internationally, Cher's version of "Oh No Not My Baby" peaked at number 33 in the UK in November 1992, number 52 in Germany in January 1993, number 30 in Austria in January 1993, and number 19 in Switzerland in February 1993.

 

Locally, "Oh No Not My Baby" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 162 on the state chart.

I recall hearing a snippet of this track as a preview on Take 40 Australia, but hadn't heard the full song until writing this post.  It's not among Cher's best.

Cher will join us next in April 1993.

Next week (11 January): Five top 150 entries and two bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous chart: 14 December 1992                   Next week: 11 January 1993 >

Week commencing 25 September 1989

One thing this week's new entries have in common is that I heard precisely zero of them in 1989.  I would hear one of them a couple of years later, but the rest remain brand new to me as I listen to them to write this post.  Perhaps you'd like to join me for the ride... or the trip, as may be more fitting for this week, as you'll soon see.

E-Zee Possee: Planet Ecstasy doesn't look like all it was cracked up to be, going by this picture.

Top 150 debuts: 

 

Number 126 "Streets of Forbes" by Weddings, Parties, Anything

Peak: number 113

Peak date: 2 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 126-113-122-123-135-134-137-137

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

Weddings, Parties, Anything were an Australian band I had somehow heard of, but wasn't familiar with any of their music, until they finally hit the top 50 in 1992 with "Father's Day" (number 29, May 1992).  Like Yothu Yindi, who I wrote about back in May, I think I first became acquainted with Weddings, Parties, Anything via their name being mentioned in a TV commercial for an Australia Day live concert (or something along those lines).  This was the band's second single to chart in Australia, following "Away Away" (number 92, May 1987).  "Streets of Forbes" was the first single lifted from their The Big Don't Argue album (number 58, October 1989).  We will see Weddings, Parties, Anything again in 1990.

Number 127 "Everything Begins with an 'E'" by E-Zee Possee

Peak: number 120

Peak date: 9 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 127-123-120-131-124-127

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

This ode to the then relatively-new street drug MDMA, aka ecstasy, was released on Boy George's More Protein label, and featured MC Kinky (who later performed the 'rap' on Erasure's 1992 ABBA-esque cover of "Take a Chance on Me") 'toasting' (rapping in a Jamaican accent) on vocals.  An interesting song for several reasons, its alternative 1990 re-release title, "Everything Starts with an 'E'", is sampled from a McDonald's (yes, the fast-food restaurant) cassette aimed at helping children learn to spell.  The song takes this theme to another level, listing a bunch of words that start with the letter E, and ecstasy just happens to be one of those!

"Everything Begins with an 'E'" didn't quite 'start' upon its initial release, peaking at number 69 in the UK in August 1989.  However, when re-titled and re-issued there in 1990, it peaked at number 15 in March.

 

In Australia, the single was only released once in its original form, peaking at number 120 nationally.  On the ARIA state charts, "Everything Begins with an 'E'" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 95.

 

The track would get another lease of life, however, when a 1996 remix was released (complete with a trippy animated video to boot) - though that went largely unnoticed, peaking at just number 128 in the UK in February 1996, and failing to chart in Australia.

While I read about "Everything Begins/Starts with an 'E'", and how naughty it was, in UK pop magazine Number One in 1990, I didn't actually hear the song until it aired as a random throwback video on the excellent (if you liked dance music) SBS weekend afternoon music video program M.C. TeeVee in 1991.

 

The 1989 release of "Everything Begins with an 'E'" was E-Zee Possee's only chart entry in Australia.  Subsequent singles "Love on Love" (released locally in April 1990) and "The Sun Machine" (July 1990), with different singers on each, failed to chart.

 

While we won't see E-Zee Possee on the Australian charts again, Eve Gallagher, who sings the "What planet are you on?  Planet Ecstasy" chorus, will pay us a visit in 1995.

Number 133 "Ace of Hearts" by Richard Clapton

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 16 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 133-124-123-122-134-140-142

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

We last saw Richard bubbling down under in July, and here he was again with, as the rear sleeve of the 7" single states, "an edited version of the live recording from the WEA album The Best Years of Our Lives".  Despite being a live track, this one had a music video filmed for it.

 

On the state charts, "Ace of Hearts" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 99.

 

Richard will pay us another visit in 1993.

Number 139 "Friday on My Mind" by Elliot Goblet

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 9 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 139-(out for 1 week)-119-135-132

 

Comedy records are always a bit hit and miss.  Potentially funny, if you're familiar with the comedian and enjoy their work; particularly annoying if you don't.  But regardless - does anyone actually listen to comedy records more than a few times?  Jack Levi's deadpan-delivery comedy character Elliot Goblet appeared numerous times on TV shows like Hey Hey It's Saturday, The Midday Show, The Footy Show and even a 1994 episode of Neighbours. So, naturally, the next obvious step was to release a single.  This track is, of course, a cover version of The Easybeats' number one smash from 1966.  Looking at the music video below, it is obvious that it was shot in much more-recent times.  Elliot's version of "Friday on My Mind" performed better on the Australian Music Report chart, where it peaked at number 94.

Number 145 "Let's Have a Party" by Wanda Jackson

Peak: number 145

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 145

 

"Let's Have a Party" was originally recorded by Elvis Presley in 1957.  Wanda Jackson recorded her version in 1958,  and it was released as a single in 1960, reaching the lower reaches of the top 40 in both the UK and the US.  You may be wondering why it was charting again in Australia in 1989... the answer to that question seems to be that it was featured in the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society, and was subsequently re-issued as a result.  Wanda will be celebrating her 83rd birthday in October 2020.

Number 149 "Paradise" by Diana Ross

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 9 October 1989

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 149-131-117-127-146-138-140-138

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

I assume like most Australians, I was completely unaware that Diana Ross was releasing new material in 1989.  She seemed to just disappear off the face of the earth, after her smash number one hit from 1986, "Chain Reaction", which turned out to be her final top 50 single in Australia.  In the UK, it was a different story, where Diana continued to enjoy occasional solo top 10 hits as late as 1999, and a duet with Westlife peaked at number 2 there in 2005.  "Paradise", lifted from her Workin' Overtime album (number 101, August 1989), however, only peaked at number 61 in the UK, in July 1989.  In the US, where she hails from, Diana's hit-making days were effectively over after 1984, and "Chain Reaction" barely scraped the top 100 there.

 

In Australia, "Paradise" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 94.

At this point, Diana was 45 years old, and while there were numerous 'older' (for a pop star) acts having hit singles around this time, Diana perhaps seemed too closely tied to her enduring 1960s hits with The Supremes.  Diana was someone your mum listened to, not teenagers.  Diana had modernised her sound for this release, but it probably wasn't what her audience who had grown up with her wanted, and it wouldn't have appealed to younger record buyers either.

Diana will next join us in 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 158 "MPB (Missin' Persons Bureau)" by Womack & Womack

Peak: number 158

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Back in January 1989, husband and wife team Cecil and Linda Womack hit number 2 on the ARIA singles chart for four consecutive weeks with "Teardrops".  Despite hitting number 1 on the two most populous states' state charts in the same week, it couldn't wrest the top position away from The Beach Boys or The Proclaimers.  The law of diminishing returns was in effect for their subsequent releases, as follow-up single (third release from Conscience in their native UK) "Celebrate the World" peaked at number 37 in April 1989, and third release (second in the UK) "Life's Just a Ballgame" stalled outside the top 100 in June 1989.

Now onto the fourth and final single released from Conscience (number 11, February 1989), "MPB (Missin' Persons Bureau)" peaked at number 92 in the UK in July 1989.  The track had been remixed from the album version for its single release, with a more 1989-sounding beat added.

 

Domestically, "MPB..." was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 131 on the state chart.

This would be Womack & Womack's final appearance on the Australian singles chart.  A new single, "Uptown", was released locally in March 1991, from new album Family Spirit, but failed to chart.

Number 164 "Need a Little Taste of Love" by The Doobie Brothers

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 25 September 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Since 1972, The Doobie Brothers had placed 10 singles within the Australian top 100 singles chart.  Surprisingly, only four of these made the top 40, with their biggest hit locally being "What a Fool Believes" (number 12, May 1979).  Even more surprisingly, two of their 'signature' songs - "Listen to the Music" (number 50, 1972) and "Long Train Runnin'" (number 58, 1973) - missed our top 40.  The group's last chart hit in Australia had been "Real Love" (number 53, October 1980), until a recent semi-revival with "The Doctor" (number 38, July 1989).  Both that song and "Need a Little Taste of Love" were lifted from the group's Cycles album (number 44, July 1989).  "Need a Little Taste of Love" peaked at number 45 in the group's native US in September 1989. 

 

In Australia, "Need a Little Taste of Love" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 145 on the state chart.

 

We shall see The Doobie Brothers again in 1991.

Next week (2 October): A meager two new top 150 debuts, and two bubbling WAY down under entries.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

< Previous week: 18 September 1989                               Next week: 2 October 1989 >

Week commencing 10 July 1989

You have to admire the faith Australian record companies had in the late 1980s.  Despite numerous flops, the labels down under still (usually) gave flopping artists chance after chance, releasing their product here despite the unlikeliness of it becoming a hit.  But hey, without that blind faith, this blog probably wouldn't exist.  Among this week's new entries, we have an act who would have seven singles released in Australia in between their 1989 and 1991 hits, despite none of these in-between releases peaking higher than number 52; an artist who never peaked higher than number 45 on the singles chart; and a new artist who couldn't even score a top 50 hit in his own country.  Let's take a look at this week's new entries:

Morrissey: nice quiff, shame about the lack of Oz hits!

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 121 "I Would Do For You" by UB40

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 164-121-125-123-125-135-133

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

The fourth and final single from their UB40 album, "I Would Do For You" was the lowest-peaking of the lot in Australia, missing the top 100.  It fared better in the UK, where it peaked at number 45 in June 1989.  The group would release no fewer than seven consecutive flop singles in Australia, in between their hits "Where Did I Go Wrong" and the 1991 re-issue of "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)", following its belated US chart success.  None of the group's in-between releases peaked higher than number 52 on our chart.  UB40 will join us twice more in 1990.

 

 

Number 123 "This Town" by Elvis Costello

Peak: number 123

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 123-134-136-136-125-135-144 

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Since 1978, Elvis Costello, together with his former band The Attractions, had placed five singles in the Australian top 40; the biggest of those being 1979's "Oliver's Army", which peaked at number 24.  The follow-up to his recent number 27 hit "Veronica", "This Town" appears to have only charted in Australia (Billboard's Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts do not count in my book).  

On the state charts, "This Town" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 82.  "This Town" had greater success nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it peaked at number 86.  We will see Elvis again in 1991.

 

 

Number 145 "Interesting Drug" by Morrissey

Peak: number 111

Peak date: 31 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks

Chart run: 145-143-130-111-118-116-133-136-139-140

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

Morrissey certainly had some interesting song titles, and "Interesting Drug" is another.  Interesting lyrics also abound on this one, with lines like "There are some bad people on the right / They're saving their own skins by ruining people's lives" and "a government scheme designed to kill your dreams".  Moz never had much success on the Australian singles chart - either as a solo artist, or as part of his former band The Smiths - with his highest-peaking single being 1988's "Suedehead", at number 45 (May 1988).  He had much greater success in his native UK, where this single peaked at number 9 in April 1989.  Morrissey will pay us several visits over the coming years, with the next occasion being in October 1990.

Number 147 "Deep Water (live)" by Richard Clapton

Peak: number 147

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week 

Chart run: 147

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

The studio version of "Deep Water" peaked at number 43 in December 1977. Recorded as part of a live show in April 1989, this rendition of "Deep Water" was released to promote Richard's The Best Years of Our Lives live album, which peaked at number 23 on the ARIA albums chart.

On the state charts, "Deeper Water" (live) performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 79.

Richard will join us again later in the year.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 152 "Eye of the Storm" by Pseudo Echo

Peak: number 152

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Pseudo Echo's third studio album, Race (number 32, March 1989), was less commercially-successful than their first two albums, and ultimately led to the band's demise.  "Eye of the Storm", in a similar fashion, performed significantly worse on the charts than the first two singles from the album, "Fooled Again" (number 33, November 1988) and "Over Tomorrow" (number 40, April 1989).  If you ask me, the main reason for the downturn in Pseudo Echo's success was their transition from being Australia's premiere synth-pop band to becoming something perhaps best described as... Bon Jovi-lite.  Blame the failed change in direction on the success of their 'rawk' cover of "Funky Town" (number 1, December 1986), which was the band's biggest hit in Australia, and their only real international hit.

"Eye of the Storm" would be the band's final release before splitting.  Singer Brian Canham transitioned into producing records, including Chocolate Starfish's self-titled album (number 2, 1994); although the group reformed (with a different line-up) in the late 90s, once the 80s revival became a thing, and still perform to this day - though I believe Brian Canham is the only original band member.

 

We will see Pseudo Echo bubble under again in 1999.

 

Number 154 "Sister Rosa" by The Neville Brothers

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American R&B/soul/funk group The Neville Brothers formed in New Orleans, Louisana in 1976.  As you might have guessed from the band's name, the band were brothers, Aaron, Art, Charles, Cyril and Ivan.  While they had some lower top 200 US Billboard albums chart success earlier in the 1980s, it wasn't until their fourth album Yellow Moon (number 52, September 1989) that they landed their first charting single, which was this one, "Sister Rosa".

 

The 'Sister Rosa' in question, who is the subject of this song, was Rosa Parks, the American civil rights activist known for her refusal to sit at the back of the bus, as African Americans were expected to do so in the 1950s, in accordance with the racial segregation policies of the time.

 

Internationally, "Sister Rosa" peaked at number 23 in New Zealand in August 1989.  The song also peaked at number 75 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

 

In Australia, "Sister Rosa" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 100 on the state chart.

 

The Neville Brothers would score their first ARIA top 100 single with their next release, "Yellow Moon" (number 89, September 1989).  Their biggest Australian hit would come in 1992, with their version of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle" (number 44, July 1992).

 

We'll next see The Neville Brothers in 1990.

 

 

Number 155 "The Last Mile" by Cinderella 

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

We saw Cinderella back in May, with their previous single, a rock ballad.  "The Last Mile" was slightly heavier on the guitars, but not that  much.  "The Last Mile" reached number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1989.  Cinderella will join us again in 1991.

 

Number 163 "Be There" by Clive Griffin

Peak: number 163

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

 

On paper, Clive Griffin should have been big.  He had the voice, the looks, and even recorded a duet with Céline Dion in 1993, which was featured in the movie Sleepless in Seattle.  The same year, Clive also released an album containing songs written by Diane Warren, who had penned many big chart hits.  Despite all of this, the best Clive could achieve in his native UK, as a solo artist, was number 56, with a track remixed by David Morales, no less.  Unfortunately for Clive, after his solo career faltered, he was relegated to becoming a backing singer for the likes of Kylie Minogue and Take That.  Things had come full circle for Clive, however, as he once provided the vocals for 'Rick Astley' on a Spitting Image parody of Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky"!  There were rumours at the time that Kylie's voice was actually Rick's, sped up.

Now, onto the song in question, "Be There" was the third release from Clive's debut album Step by Step, which was released in Australia in August 1989, but did not chart.  It followed "The Way We Touch" (August 1988, did not chart) and "Don't Make Me Wait" (October 1988, did not chart).  "Be There" peaked at number 76 in the UK in March 1989, and number 36 in the Netherlands in May 1989.  In Australia, this was Clive's only solo charting 'hit'.

A fourth and final single from Step by Step, "Head Above Water", was issued in Australia in July 1989, but failed to chart.  None of Clive's singles after 1989 were even released in Australia, aside from the Céline duet, "When I Fall in Love", which peaked at number 93 in September 1993.

Number 164 "Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)" by Big Country

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 10 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

Up until now, Big Country had placed six singles within the Australian top 100 singles chart, with the biggest of those being 1983's "In a Big Country" (number 7, January 1984).  "Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)" was the second single lifted from the Scottish band's fourth studio album, Peace in Our Time (number 150, December 1988), and followed up "King of Emotion" (number 79, December 1988).  Curiously, "Broken Heart..." was released in Australia on 23 January 1989, and took almost six months to (barely) register on the chart!  The single fared a little bit better in the UK, peaking at number 47 in November 1988.  Big Country's lead singer, Stuart Adamson, sadly took his own life in December 2001, aged 43.

We will next hear from Big Country in 1993.

Next week (17 July): Six new top 150 entries, including a duet chart entry for an artist who went on to score a big hit five years later with... another duet.  Also, there is one bubbling WAY down under entry, from an artist we met a few months ago.  You can also follow my posts on facebook.

< Previous week: 3 July 1989                                                  Next week: 17 July 1989 >