Week commencing 2 December 1991

This week in 1991's debuts peaking outside the top 100 are unusual in that only one of them peaked within the top 150.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Corina: not many record buyers in Australia were 'tempted' to buy this one.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 146 "Something Special" by Nomad

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 2 December 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Known chart run: 165-146

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

British house music act Nomad consist of Damon Rochefort (the band's name is Damon backwards) and Steve McCutcheon, with guest rappers and singer Sharon D. Clarke on vocals.  Their debut single "(I Wanna Give You) Devotion" (number 37, August 1991) took four and a half months to creep into the top 40 in Australia for a solitary week.  They followed it up with "Just a Groove" (number 76, September 1991).

 

"Something Special" was issued as the third and final single from Nomad's only album Changing Cabins (number 105, August 1991).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 73 in the UK in September 1991, number 15 in the Netherlands in November 1991, and number 43 in the Flanders region of Belgium in November 1991.  "Something Special" also reached number 37 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

Within Australia, "Something Special" was biggest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 136.

I didn't know this one at the time, but like it.

We'll see Nomad again in 1992.  Steve McCutcheon went on to write and produce for other artists, including Westlife and Ed Sheeran.  Steve also became part of the band Undercover, whom we'll see in 1993.  Sharon D. Clarke has acted in numerous movies and TV programs, including Doctor Who.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 153 "Spiritual High (State of Independence)" by Moodswings featuring Chrissie Hynde

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 2 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

British duo Moodswings were Grant Showbiz and James F. T. Hood.  Pretenders front woman Chrissie Hynde provided vocals on their debut album Moodfood (number 178, March 1993).  We last saw Pretenders in November 1990.

"Spiritual High (State of Independence)" is a cover version of a song originally recorded by Jon and Vangelis.  Moodswings' version initially peaked at number 66 in the UK in October 1991, before re-entering the chart in early 1993, reaching a new peak of number 47 in January 1993.

On the ARIA state charts, "Spirtual High (State of Independence)" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 132.

 

 

Number 160 "The Rivers of Belief" by Enigma

Peak: number 160

Peak date: 2 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

We last saw Enigma in August 1991.

"The Rivers of Belief" was released as the fourth and final single from Enigma's debut album MCMXC a.D. (number 2, March 1991).  Once again, the track features spoken vocals from Sandra - at least, on the single version... and pan pipes.

 

"The Rivers of Belief" peaked at number 37 in Sweden in December 1991, and number 68 in the UK in January 1992.

 

Domestically, "The Rivers of Belief" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 129.

We shall next see Enigma in 1995.

 

 

 

Number 165 "In a Darkened Room" by Skid Row

Peak: number 157

Peak date: 6 January 1992

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

We last saw American band Skid Row in December 1989.

 

"In a Darkened Room" was issued as the third single from the band's second album Slave to the Grind (number 3, June 1991) in Australia.  It followed "Monkey Business" (number 31, July 1991) and "Slave to the Grind" (released in Australia in October 1991, did not chart).

Internationally, "In a Darkened Room" peaked at number 27 in Switzerland in October 1991.

Within Australia, "In a Darkened Room" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 137.

The music video for "In a Darkened Room", which I had not seen before, is interesting for transitioning from a mimed performance to a live one mid-way through.

Skid Row will next join us in 1995.

Number 175 "For You" by Michael W. Smith

Peak: number 175

Peak date: 2 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw Michael W. Smith in July 1991.

"For You" was the second and final single released in Australia from Michael's sixth studio album Go West Young Man (released in Australia in July 1991, did not chart).

 

"For You" peaked at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1991, and number 65 in Canada during the same month.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "For You" was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 160.

 

I hadn't heard this one before.  My first thought was he sounds like a male Amy Grant, with that safe, slick American early 90s adult contemporary pop production.  Checking my previous post with Michael in it, I see I made the same observation last time.  Unlike then, however, Amy does not have a co-writing credit on this track.  The track also reminds me a little bit of Richard Marx.

We'll next seek Michael in 1993.

Number 177 "Whispers" by Corina

Peak: number 160

Peak dates: 16 December 1991, 23 December 1991 and 30 December 1991

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

American freestyle singer Corina Katt Ayala, known mononymously as just Corina, burst onto the scene in 1991 with "Temptation" (number 57, October 1991), which although not a huge chart success in Australia, peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in August 1991.

 

Despite "Temptation" being one of my favourite songs of 1991, I never actually heard any other Corina tracks at the time, and she seemed to disappear back into obscurity as quickly as she'd arrived.  The only other memory of Corina I have from then is that Smash Hits reported she was rumoured to be dating Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg.

"Whispers" was issue as the second - and, in Australia, final - single from Corina's only album Corina (number 163, October 1991).  Internationally, "Whispers" peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991.

 

Domestically, "Whispers" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 148.

 

"Whispers" was Corina's final release to chart in Australia.  Corina also dabbled in acting, landing some guest starring roles on American TV.

 

 

Next week (9 December): Six top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

 

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Week commencing 11 December 1989

Welcome to the second last chart for 1989.  This week, there are three top 150 debuts, and one bubbling WAY down under entry.  Let's take a look:

 

Skid Row: If the rock star thing didn't work out for Sebastian Bach, a promising career in shampoo commercials beckoned.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 133 "18 & Life" by Skid Row

Peak: number 126 

Peak date: 8 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 133-(out for 3 weeks)-126.  Re-entered 25 June 1990: 144-(out for 1 week)-146-(out for 1 week)-146

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We saw Skid Row back in July with their debut single, and here they were again with the second release from their Skid Row album (number 12, May 1990).  Debuting at number 156 on 9 October 1989, "18 & Life" took nearly two months to crack the top 150, and would take almost another month to reach its peak, on 8 January 1990.  The single also had a minor resurgence following the success of the band's third single, "I Remember You" (number 12, May 1990), re-entering the chart in June 1990 and climbing back to number 144.  None of "18 & Life"'s five weeks in the top 150 were consecutive, and the single was still charting in late July 1990.  Despite all of this, "18 & Life" only managed to notch up eight weeks on the chart.

"18 & Life" had much greater success in the band's native America, where it reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1989, becoming their first major hit.  In the UK, the single peaked at number 12 in February 1990.

"18 & Life" tells the tale of wayward teen 'Ricky', who is sentenced to life imprisonment after accidentally killing another teen with a firearm while in a drug/alcohol-induced haze.

We shall see Skid Row again in 1991.

 

 

 

Number 135 "Comment Te Dire Adieu" by Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles Kingston

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 22 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks 

Chart run: 135-132-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-131-124-122-125-134

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

Jimmy Somerville was the falsetto-voiced singer in Bronski Beat (biggest hit during his tenure with the group: "Smalltown Boy" - number 8, August 1984) and The Communards (biggest hit: "Don't Leave Me This Way" - number 2, November 1986).  His solo career yielded much less success on the Australian chart, with his biggest hit locally being "Dark Sky", which peaked at number 62 in February 1998.

"Comment Te Dire Adieu" (French translation: how to say goodbye to you) was Jimmy's first solo release... well, if you ignore that it was a duet with June Miles Kingston, who was the drummer in The Communards.  The single was a French-translated cover version of the Margaret Whiting song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye", and was originally recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1968.  The track was lifted from Jimmy's Read My Lips album (number 114, January 1990).

 

"Comment Te Dire Adieu" was a success in Jimmy's native UK, where it peaked at number 14 in December 1989.  The single also peaked at number 3 in Ireland and France.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Comment Te Dire Adieu" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 89.

We will next see Jimmy in 1991.

Number 144 "Name and Number" by Curiosity Killed the Cat

Peak: number 131

Peak date: 29 January 1990

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 144-147-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-137-135-141-131

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

While Curiosity Killed the Cat (later known as just Curiosity) had reasonable success in the UK, where they racked up three top 10 hits between 1986 and 1992, they never quite took off in Australia.  In fact, only two of their singles dented the top 100, and the biggest of those, "Down to Earth", peaked at number 88 in June 1987.  "Name and Number" was the lead single from the band's Getahead album (number 136, April 1990), and peaked at number 14 on the UK singles chart in October 1989.

 

On the state charts, "Name and Number" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 102.

While you may not be familiar with this track, you've no doubt heard the "Hey, how you doin'?" chorus before, which was recycled on De La Soul's "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" (number 4, July 1991) after some slight tweaking of the lyrics.

We shall see Curiosity Killed the Cat again in 1992, albeit under a different name.

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 163 "Superheroes" by The Firm

Peak: number 163

Peak date: 11 December 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

 

The Firm scored a novelty hit in 1987 with "Star Trekkin'", which reached number 1 in the UK in June 1987, and number 3 in Australia in October of the same year.  "Superheroes" was released as the follow-up - at least in the UK - where it flopped, peaking at number 99 in September 1987.  In Australia, "Superheroes" was not released as a single until November 1989.  I am not sure why it took more than two years for the single to receive a release locally, but I am guessing that perhaps the record company were hesitant to release it in 1987 after it's poor chart performance in the UK, and felt now was the right time to release it, given the general popularity of the Batman movie in 1989.  Batman does get a mention in this song.

Like "Star Trekkin'", the music video for "Superheroes" is another clay animation production.  Both tracks were lifted from the album Serious Fun (number 81, March 1988), which - surprisingly, given it charted here - missed the top 100 in the UK.

On the state charts, "Superheroes" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 153.

Next week (18 December): The final chart for 1989, and the decade.  There are six top 150 debuts - among them is a band who scored a number 1 single only a few months ago, and an 80s icon who seemed to be struggling with her most-recent releases.  You can also follow my posts on instagram and facebook.

 

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Week commencing 24 July 1989

This week's new entries are split between big names having flop singles and new and upcoming acts struggling to make a dent.  Among them are two singles that peaked at number 101, and another that peaked at number 102!  Let's take a look...

Kiss: let's put the hair in Cher.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 101 "One" by Bee Gees

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 12 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 101-108-106-128-124-(out for 2 weeks)-139-136-141-135-138-129-126

Weeks on chart: 15 weeks

Peaking 100 places lower than the title would suggest, I've written about this "one" previously in my special post on singles peaking at number 101 between 1989 and 1991.  "One" was the second single lifted from the album One, and followed up "Ordinary Lives", which we saw in May.  "One" was a much bigger hit in the US, where it peaked at number 7.  Bee Gees (note: no 'The') will join us again in October.

Number 139 "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" by Kiss

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 14 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 139-(out for 2 weeks)-101-116-107-130-130

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Coincidentally, here's another single that peaked at number 101, which I have also already written about.  The second single lifted from their Smashes, Thrashes & Hits greatest hits compilation, the subtly-titled (!) song failed to register on a reputable national chart anywhere, that I am aware of, other than coming within a whisker of making the ARIA top 100.  But, such is the size of their fan-base that the music video (embedded below) currently has over 5.5 million views on YouTube, in spite of being a flop single.  On the state charts, "(You Make Me) Rock Hard" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 66.  The single peaked within the top 100 on four of the five state charts, with New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory being the only exception.

Kiss will join us again in 1990.

 

Number 142 "A Friend Is a Friend" by Pete Townshend

Peak: number 113

Peak date: 7 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 142-117-113-121-122-120-128-132

Former frontman of The Who, Pete Townshend was last on the Australian singles chart in 1986 with "Give Blood", peaking at number 77.  Immediately prior to that, he scored his biggest, and only real, solo hit single down under with "Face the Face", which peaked at number 9 in Australia in February 1986.  This track was lifted from The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend, which peaked at number 59 on the ARIA albums chart in July 1989.  "A Friend Is a Friend" peaked at number 151 (number 110 on the compressed chart) in the UK in July 1989.

Number 145 "Naturally" by Clive Young

Peak: number 102

Peak date: 7 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks 

Chart run: 145-135-102-113-111-104-118-114-112-123

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

Follow-up to Australian singer-songwriter Clive Young's single "Something Special" (number 50, June 1989), "Naturally" narrowly missed the top 100.  "Naturally" follows in much the same vein as its predecessor.  Oddly, Clive did not release an album until 1992, and neither "Something Special" nor "Naturally" appear on it, owing to Clive changing record labels in the interim.  The rear sleeve of the "Naturally" single states that the song is from the forthcoming album Naturally, but this does not appear to have ever been released.

On the state charts, "Naturally" performed much stronger in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 50, than elsewhere.  A similar feat occurred with "Something Special", which peaked at number 15 on the Victoria/Tasmania state chart vs. its national peak of number 50; although it also reached number 21 in South Australia/Northern Territory.

We will next see Clive in 1991.

 

Number 147 "Take Me" by Adult Net

Peak: number 137

Peak dates: 14 August 1989 and 4 September 1989

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Chart run: 147-140-143-137-141-142-137

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Britain-based American singer Brix Smith formed Adult Net as a side project after joining The Fall in 1983.  "Take Me" peaked at number 78 on the UK singles chart in March 1989, and was lifted from the album The Honey Tangle.  Given that nothing released by the group peaked higher than number 66 anywhere in the world, I am pleasantly surprised that this one even registered on the Australian charts - especially since I wasn't aware of it at the time.

 

"Take Me" performed strongest on the Queensland chart, where it reached number 111.  This would be Adult Net's only charting release in Australia.

Number 148 "Youth Gone Wild" by Skid Row

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 148

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

When writing the 'next week' preview blurb on last week's post, I was going to write that we would see the arrival of a new hair metal act... except Skid Row weren't exactly 'hair metal', were they?  When googling to see what genre the group's music is considered being (Metal? Hair metal? Rock?), I came across a comment that Skid Row were the missing link between 80s hair metal and 90s grunge, and I think that is an apt description.  One thing I vividly remember from this period is that the cassette sleeve for their album Skid Row (number 12, May 1990) was one that had been replaced by a photocopy in a record store I visited, "to prevent theft".  What that says about their (presumably teenage) fans of the time, I don't know.  Now, onto the song itself, this was the group's debut release, peaking at number 99 in the US in June 1989, and number 42 in the UK in November 1989.  I am surprised that "Youth Gone Wild" didn't perform better on our chart, as I remember hearing it and seeing the video several times (and I was not a 'metal' kid).  Perhaps their fans were stealing the single instead of buying it...  We will see Skid Row again in December.

 

 

 

Number 149 "Little Fighter" by White Lion

Peak: number 136

Peak date: 21 August 1989

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 149-(out for 2 weeks)-138-136-148-(out for 4 weeks)-143

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Now, for something less-ambiguously glam 'metal', "Little Fighter" was White Lion's second foray onto the Australian singles chart, following their debut in May 1989.  "Little Fighter" was the lead single from the band's third album, Big Game (number 119, August 1989). "Little Fighter" peaked at number 52 in the US.

On the ARIA state charts, "Little Lion" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 99.

We will see White Lion next in December.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 153 "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 24 July 1989

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

Lisa Lisa (real name Liza Velez), Alex "Spanador" Moseley and Mike Hughes together formed Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.  The group formed in New York in 1984, and placed two singles on the Australian top 100 in 1987, "Head to Toe" (number 52, July 1987) and "Lost in Emotion" (number 83, November 1987).

 

"Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" was the first single, and only one released in Australia, from the band's third album Straight to the Sky.

Internationally, "Little Jackie..." peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1989, number 90 in the UK in May 1989, and peaked within the top 10 in the Netherlands and New Zealand, and the top 20 in the Flanders region of Belgium.

We will see Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam again in 1992.

Next week (31 July): Four new top 150 entries, and six bubbling WAY down under debuts.  You can follow my posts on facebook here.

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