One thing all of this week in 1992’s new entries peaking between number 101 and 150 have in common is that they are from artists we have not seen peaking in this region of the chart before. Before we take a look at them, I have updated the following previous posts:
* 2 March 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Public Enemy;
* 18 May 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Public Enemy.
Cathy Dennis ended her top 100 streak in Australia this week in 1992.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 112 “You Lied to Me” by Cathy Dennis
Peak: number 112
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 112-129-131-135
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
Hailing from Norwich, Norfolk, English singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis made her debut appearance on the Australian chart as a chorus member of Band Aid II, with the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (number 30, January 1990). While Cathy would go on to co-write Kylie Minogue's biggest hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (number 1 for four weeks in September-October 2001), Kylie amusingly forgot her name, after having met Cathy on the set of the Band Aid II video, when introducing D Mob's “C’mon and Get My Love” (number 35, May 1990), on which Cathy sang lead, on Countdown Revolution, despite it being Kylie's favourite track at the time. D Mob, who was essentially Daniel Poku, featured Cathy again on their fourth single released in Australia, “That’s the Way of the World” (number 98, July 1990), with both tracks appearing on their debut album A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That (number 72, June 1990).
Cathy struck it out on her own with “Just Another Dream” (number 14, April 1991), and her debut album Move to This (number 32, August 1991), both of which I bought. I also bought Cathy's second and third solo singles “Touch Me (All Night Long)” (number 16, July 1991) and “Too Many Walls” (number 57, October 1991) on cassette. I did not buy the fourth and final single lifted from Move to This, “Everybody Move” (number 85, February 1992).
Striking while the iron was hot, Cathy returned with a new single, "You Lied to Me", which I first heard on the UK Chart Attack radio program in August 1992. While I liked the song, it didn't seem like a significant departure from the sound of the Move to This singles, with Cathy teaming up with Shep Pettibone again.
Internationally, "You Lied to Me" under-performed on the chart, peaking at number 34 in the UK in August 1992, number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 1992, and at number 46 in Canada in October 1992. In contrast, "C'mon and Get My Love" and the first three singles from Move to This gave Cathy a string of four US Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits, which was quite a feat for a British female pop artist at that point in time.
"You Lied to Me" registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 25 on the Radio Songs chart in September 1992, number 28 on the Pop Airplay chart in October 1992, number 32 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in October 1992, number 6 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in October 1992, and number 12 on the Dance Club Songs chart in November 1992.
In Australia, "You Lied to Me" was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 94 on the state chart.
"You Lied to Me" would go on to appear on Cathy's second album Into the Skyline (number 135, February 1993). A brief promotional tour to Australia in early 1993 did not do much to boost the album's sales locally. Cathy would not trouble the ARIA top 100 again, though we will see her bubble under several times over the coming years.
We shall next see Cathy in 1993.
Number 116 “Hazy Shade of Criminal” by Public Enemy
Peak: number 116
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Known chart run: 166-116-128-143-141
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
We last saw American hip-hop group Public Enemy in May 1992.
"Hazy Shade of Criminal" was a new track recorded for the compilation album Greatest Misses (number 57, October 1992), which contained six new songs, six remixes of previous singles, and a track recorded live for British TV series The Word.
Internationally, "Hazy Shade of Criminal" peaked at number 179 in the UK in September 1992 as an import, and at number 27 in New Zealand in November 1992. The track also registered on several US Billboard genre-specific charts, reaching number 58 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in November 1992, number 12 on the Hot Rap Songs chart in November 1992, and number 31 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in November 1992.
Locally, “Hazy Shade of Criminal” performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, reaching number 103 on the state chart. The single performed better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 98.
We shall next see Public Enemy in 1994.
Number 123 “Temple of Dreams” by Messiah
Peak: number 105
Peak date: 9 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 123-122-105-107-111-111-150-(out for 4 weeks)-142-148-148
English duo Messiah formed in London in 1988. "Temple of Dreams" was their first charting release, peaking at number 20 in the UK in June 1992.
Locally, "Temple of Dreams" was much more successful in South Australia/Northern Territory than elsewhere, where it reached number 26 on the state chart. The single also performed better nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 73.
Messiah would go on to score one ARIA top 100 single, with the follow up, "I Feel Love" (number 66, January 1993), featuring former Eruption singer Precious Wilson on vocals. Both that track and "Temple of Dreams" appear on Messiah's debut album 21st Century Jesus, which missed the top 150 locally.
Number 129 “How Does It Feel?” by Ren
Peak: number 112
Peak date: 2 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 129-112-129-133-134
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
Every now and then, we encounter an artist I have never heard of before bubbling under the ARIA top 100; this is one such example. From the limited information I can find, 'Ren' was Ren Warmuž, who was also known as Ren & Darkness. "How Does It Feel?" was an unusual CD single, with the first track on it being a 30-second interlude titled "The Things You Do", followed by four mixes of the title track and a 1:19 minute "Outro". The track appeared on the album Prophecy, which only has Australian and Czech Republic pressings listed on Discogs. I assume, therefore, that Ren was an Australian artist, possibly of a Czech background. I say 'was' because if what I read on his Discogs profile is correct, Ren died from cancer in October 2013, aged 45.
The other piece of information I can tell you, thanks to the ARIA database conflating Ren's chart history with that of Ren & Stimpy (!), is that "How Does It Feel?" was much more popular in Victoria/Tasmania than elsewhere, where it reached number 56 on the state chart. The single missed the top 100 on the remaining four state charts, and its next-highest state chart peak was number 122. Despite being from Victoria, I was not aware of this track previously, however. The song is decent, and could have been a hit had it received better promotion.
Number 144 “Talking to a Stranger” by Filthy Lucre featuring Hunters & Collectors
Peak: number 141
Peak date: 9 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 144-150-141
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
Australian band Hunters & Collectors formed in Melbourne in 1981. Originally released as their second single in June 1982, "Talking to a Stranger" peaked at number 59 in August of that year. The track appeared on the band's debut album Hunters & Collectors (number 21, September 1982). Despite the modest chart peak, the music video directed by Richard Lowenstein received attention due to his elaborate filming/post-production techniques.
By this point in 1992, Hunters & Collectors had placed 15 singles on the Australian top 100, with "When the River Runs Dry" (number 23, December 1989) being the best-charting of those... so far! The Hunters would actually score their highest-peaking single early in 1993 with "True Tears of Joy" (number 14, February 1993), though they are probably best known for its follow-up, "Holy Grail" (number 20, July 1993) and "Throw Your Arms Around Me" (number 49, June 1986; a later, re-recorded version peaked at number 34 in February 1991).
Gavin Campbell, Paul Main and Robert Goodge, aka Filthy Lucre, came to prominence after remixing Yothu Yindi's "Treaty" (number 11, September 1991) for the version that became a hit. I assume they were approached to remix "Talking to a Stranger" with the hope of turning another Australian 'classic' into a hit - only, this time, it wasn't to be.
On the state charts, this version of “Talking to a Stranger” was most popular in Queensland and South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 115 on both charts.
We shall see another older track remixed by Filthy Lucre bubble under in November 1992. We will see Hunters & Collectors on their own in 1994.
Number 145 “My Girl” by Madness (1992 re-issue)
Peak: number 145
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 145
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
English ska/pop group Madness formed in Camden Town, London in 1976. Their first chart entry in Australia was their debut album One Step Beyond... in January 1980, which peaked at number 29 in April of that year. The group would not land a charting single in Australia until December 1980, with "Baggy Trousers" (number 30, March 1981), the lead single from their second album Absolutely (number 56, May 1981). Between 1980 and 1985, Madness placed nine singles on the Australian top 100, with "It Must Be Love" (number 6, June 1982) and "House of Fun" (number 5, August 1982) being the biggest of those. The band split up in 1986, before reforming in 1992.
"My Girl" was issued as Madness's third single, appearing on One Step Beyond..., and was originally released in Australia in February 1980, failing to chart. The original release peaked at number 3 in the UK in January 1980, number 3 in Ireland, and at number 46 in New Zealand in May 1980.
A best-of compilation album, Divine Madness (number 37, June 1992), was released in early 1992, topping the UK albums chart for three weeks in March 1992. The popularity of this release led to the band reforming for a series of live shows titled Madstock! in August 1992. The compilation was preceded by re-issues of the singles “It Must Be Love” (number 48, June 1992) and “House of Fun” (number 73, July 1992), the former of which went to number 6 in the UK.
"My Girl" was issued as the third re-release from Divine Madness, and this time managed to chart in Australia... albeit outside the top 100. The 1992 re-issue of "My Girl" peaked at number 27 in the UK in August 1992. Locally, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 118 on the state chart.
I first heard/saw the video for "My Girl" on a Madness special rage aired on a Saturday night in July 1992. I wasn't overly familiar with their work at that point, but enjoyed the quirkiness and silliness of the songs/videos. The music video embedded below is the 1992 re-edit, containing clips from other Madness videos. You can view the original 1979 music video for "My Girl" here. Madness performed the song live on Top of the Pops in July 1992, ahead of the Madstock! gigs. You can view that performance here.
We will see Madness next in 1993.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 160 “Just Right” by Soul II Soul
Peak: number 160
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
We last saw English musical collective Soul II Soul at the end of 1990. Since then, they released another album Volume III Just Right (number 17, May 1992), and landed another two Australian top 100 singles from it: “Joy” (number 41, June 1992) and “Move Me No Mountain” (number 96, July 1992). That run was broken with the release of the album's third and final single, "Just Right", which featured Rick Clarke on vocal duties.
Internationally, "Just Right" peaked at number 38 in the UK in September 1992. In Australia, the single performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 150 on the state chart.
I recall catching the music video for "Just Right" as a new release on SBS music video TV program M.C. TeeVee. It seems like a missed opportunity that they didn't use this song to promote the breakfast cereal...
We shall next see Soul II Soul in 1993.
Number 162 “Lip Service” by Wet Wet Wet
Peak: number 154
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Scottish band Wet Wet Wet last graced our presence in June 1992.
"Lip Service" was issued as the fifth and final single from Wet Wet Wet's third studio album High on the Happy Side (number 19, May 1992) in the UK. In Australia, it was released as the third and final single from the album.
Internationally, "Lip Service" peaked at number 15 in the UK in July 1992, and at number 24 in Ireland during the same month.
Domestically, "Lip Service" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 142 on the state chart.
I don’t recall hearing this one before. It was more uptempo/poppy than I was expecting for Wet Wet Wet, and probably could have crept into the top 50 here if it had received better promotion.
Wet Wet Wet will join us next in 1994.
Number 181 “Six Blocks Away” by Lucinda Williams
Peak: number 170
Peak date: 9 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
We last saw American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams in 1989.
"Six Blocks Away" was issued as the lead single from Lucinda's fourth studio album Sweet Old World (number 134, July 1993), which she later re-issued as This Sweet Old World (number 297, October 2017).
I cannot find evidence of 'Six Blocks Away" charting elsewhere. On the state charts, the single performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 146.
We'll next see Lucinda in 1993.
Number 190 “Hey Love (Can I Have a Word)” by Mr. Lee featuring R. Kelly
Peak: number 183
Peak date: 9 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
We last saw American hip-house rapper Mr. Lee in late 1990. For “Hey Love (Can I Have a Word)”, which is a cover version of Stevie Wonder’s “Hey Love” from 1966, Mr. Lee teamed up with now-disgraced R&B singer Robert “R.” Kelly. The track is lifted from Mr. Lee’s second and final album I Wanna Rock Right Now.
Internationally, “Hey Love…” peaked at number 23 in New Zealand in March 1993.
Locally, “Hey Love…” was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 172.
This would be Mr. Lee’s final chart entry in Australia.
Number 191 “Face to Face” by Siouxsie & The Banshees
Peak: number 184
Peak date: 18 January 1993
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
We last saw English band Siouxsie & The Banshees in late 1991.
“Face to Face” was recorded for the movie Batman Returns, in which Catwoman made her debut in the movie series, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. The track was included on the Siouxsie & The Banshees compilation album Twice Upon a Time - The Singles (number 133, October 1992).
“Face to Face” peaked at number 21 in the UK in July 1992, and at number 32 in Sweden in August 1992.
Within Australia, “Face to Face” performed strongest in Western Australia, reaching number 151 on the state chart.
I recall seeing the video for “Face to Face” on TV a couple of times, in which Siouxsie appears in a Catwoman-esque outfit, as a new release. I am surprised it flopped so badly, given the Batman movie connection.
We’ll see Siouxsie & The Banshees again in 1995.
Number 197 “I’ve Been Watchin’” by Joe Public
Peak: number 167
Peak date: 2 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
American new jack swing group Joe Public landed a top 50 hit in Australia with their debut single “Live and Learn” (number 45, August 1992). “I’ve Been Watchin’” was issued as the second single in Australia from their debut album Joe Public (number 137, July 1992). Their homeland went with “I Miss You” instead.
Internationally, “I’ve Been Watchin’” peaked at number 75 in the UK in November 1992. Locally, the single performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, reaching number 156.
The Eastside Mix, embedded below, was the single version in Australia, the US, and continental Europe. The UK went with the Dance 7” mix instead.
This would be Joe Public’s final charting release in Australia.
Number 200 Gastanked EP by Custard
Peak: number 200
Peak date: 26 October 1992
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
Australian band Custard formed in Brisbane in 1989. The six-track Gastanked EP, led by the track “Edie” (embedded below), was their first charting release, scraping into the ARIA top 200. The band would not land an ARIA top 100 single until their fourteenth singles chart entry, “Music Is Crap” (number 73, April 1998), landing a string of top 200 ‘hits’ before then. Their biggest hit in Australia was “Girls Like That (Don’t Go for Guys Like Us)” (number 52, January 1999), which spent 24 weeks in the top 100 despite its modest peak.
The Gastanked EP performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 173 on the state chart.
Custard will next join us in 1993.
Number 212 “Someone to Hold” by Trey Lorenz
Peak: number 177
Peak date: 2 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 8 weeks
American R&B singer-songwriter Trey Lorenz, born Lloyd Lorenz Smith, first came to mainstream attention as the featured male vocalist on Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged live rendition of “I’ll Be There” (number 9, August 1992).
“Someone to Hold” was Trey’s debut solo release, and was co-written and co-produced by Mariah Carey. It appeared on his debut album Trey Lorenz. Internationally, the single peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1992, number 29 in Canada in November 1992, number 65 in the UK in November 1992, number 47 in the Netherlands in December 1992, and number 11 in New Zealand in December 1992. The song also reached number 27 on the US Billboard Radio songs chart in October 1992, number 21 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in October 1992, number 21 on the Pop Airplay chart in November 1992, number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in November 1992, number 18 on the Adult Contemporary chart in November 1992, number 29 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in November 1992, and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in December 1992. Phew!
Locally, “Someone to Hold” was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 164 on the state chart.
I no doubt heard this one on the American Top 40 radio show, but had no recollection of it. Elements of the production, which sound like they came from a late 80s New Kids on the Block ballad, sound rather dated for late 1992.
We shall see Trey again in 1993.
Next week (2 November): Four top 150 entries and five bubbling WAY down under debuts.
