Week commencing 25 January 1993

Unlike most of these chart recaps, I am familiar with all but one of this week in 1993’s new entries peaking outside the top 100 in Australia.  Among them are several artists I am at least a casual fan of.  Before taking a look at them, I have updated the following previous posts:

 

* 6 February 1989 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from The Go-Betweens;

* 14 December 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Neil Diamond.

Sunscreem: unfortunately the record-buying public were not hooked on this track.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 123 “Irresistible” by Cathy Dennis

Peak: number 103

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 123-103-118-132-122-119-126-134

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

English songstress Catherine Dennis, better know as Cathy, last joined us in October 1992.

 

"Irresistible" was the second single released from Cathy's second album Into the Skyline (number 135, February 1993), and was second in a string of singles that missed the top 100 in Australia.  I first heard this one on the UK Chart Attack radio program in late 1992.  As someone who bought Cathy's debut album Move to This (number 32, August 1991), I didn't feel compelled to purchase her second album, although I liked the singles from it.  Cathy even came to Australia to promote "Irresistible", performing the song live (with actual live vocals) on Hey Hey It's Saturday - not that it helped the single's chart fortunes.  "Irresistible" peaked on the ARIA singles chart several weeks before this live performance.

Internationally, "Irresistible" peaked at number 24 in the UK in November 1992, number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1993, and number 23 in Canada in February 1993.  The song also registered on the US Billboard Pop Airplay chart - reaching number 36 in February 1993; number 65 on the Radio Songs chart in February 1993; and number 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart in February 1993.

In Australia, "Irresistible" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 81 on the state chart.  The single peaked higher nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 92.

A third single from Into the Skyline, "Falling" - remixed by P.M. Dawn, was issued in the UK, reaching number 32 there in January 1993, but was not released in Australia.   We will see another song from Into the Skyline bubble under in 1994, however, where Cathy is credited as a featured artist.

Number 126 “Feel No Pain” by Sade

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 8 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 126-109-107-108-113-115-115-124-150

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

 

British band Sade (yes, it's a band as well as being the name of the lead singer, Nigerian-born Helen Folasade Adu) formed in London in 1982.  Despite their success on the albums chart, Sade surprisingly only landed two top 40 singles in Australia, "Smooth Operator" (number 20, December 1984) and "No Ordinary Love" (number 21, June 1993).  I am surprised that their debut single, "Your Love Is King" (number 64, December 1984), was not a bigger hit here, although it may seem like it was a bigger hit to me than it was in Australia, as I was living in New Zealand (where it reached number 2 in August 1984) at the time it was on the chart.

"Feel No Pain" was the second single lifted from Sade's fourth studio album Love Deluxe (number 13, March 1993).  It followed "No Ordinary Love", which initially peaked at number 95 in Australia in November 1992, but climbed to a much higher peak after re-entering the chart in May 1993, following renewed interest after being featured prominently in the movie Indecent Proposal; although the song does not appear on the soundtrack album, which peaked at number 67 in Australia in May 1993.  Interestingly, another act debuting this week also had an earlier-released single climbing the chart while subsequent contemporaneous releases missed the top 100.

Internationally, "Feel No Pain" peaked at number 56 in the UK in November 1992, number 80 in Germany in February 1993, and number 48 in New Zealand in March 1993.  The song also registered on the US Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where it reached number 53 in July 1993, and peaked at number 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in July 1993.

Locally, "Feel No Pain" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 87 on the state chart.  The single peaked within the top 100 on all five of the ARIA state charts, but could not crack the national top 100.

I have got a feeling that "Feel No Pain" may have performed better on the chart had it been titled "Papa Been Laid Off" (though that's not exactly a great song title), as the actual title only appears in the lyrics twice and is not immediately obvious.

Sade will join us again in May 1993, with a single that missed the top 100 just as "No Ordinary Love" was finally taking off in Australia.

Number 138 “Surround Me” by G. W. McLennan

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 15 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 138-126-132-122

Grant William McLennan was one of the founding members of Australian band The Go-Betweens, whom we saw bubble under back in 1989.  He shared lead vocal duties in that band, and played guitar, harmonica, and also bass during their early years.  The Go-Betweens' biggest 'hit' single on the Australian chart was "Streets of Your Town" (number 68, October 1988).

The Go-Betweens disbanded in December 1989, and Grant launched his solo career in 1991, with his debut solo album Watershed (number 96, June 1991).  "Surround Me", Grant's only solo single to dent the ARIA top 150, was the lead single from his second solo album Fireboy, which was released in November 1992 but missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart.  "Surround Me" was released in early October 1992, but took nearly four months to crack the top 150.  I hadn't heard this one before.

Sadly, Grant died in May 2006, aged 48, from a heart attack.

Number 149 “Fire”/“Jericho” by The Prodigy

Peak: number 138

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-138-145-(out for 1 week)-150

Weeks on chart: 18 weeks

English electronic/rave band The Prodigy last paid us a visit in June 1992.

 

"Fire"/"Jericho" was the third single lifted from The Prodigy's debut album Experience (number 163, January 1997).  "Fire" prominently samples vocals from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's 1968 single "Fire" (number 25 on the Go-Set singles chart, October 1968).  I first heard The Prodigy's "Fire" on the UK Chart Attack radio show; I had not heard "Jericho" before.

Internationally, "Fire"/"Jericho" peaked at number 11 in the UK in September 1992, and at number 15 in Ireland during the same month.

In Australia, once again "Fire"/"Jericho" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 82 on the state chart.  The single debuted on the national chart on the last chart survey of 1992 at number 223, taking just over a month to crack the top 150.  Interestingly, "Fire" did not peak in Queensland until all of The Prodigy's early singles were re-issued in January 1997, following the success of "Breathe" (number 2, March 1997).

 

The Prodigy will next join us in July 1993.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 170 “Never Let Her Slip Away” by Undercover

Peak: number 170

Peak date: 25 January 1993

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

British dance group Undercover formed in 1991, fronted by vocalist John Matthews.  Their debut single "Baker Street", a cover version of the Gerry Rafferty song (number 1 for 1 week in June 1978), was a number 2 hit in the UK in September 1992, but only managed a peak of number 100 in Australia, in October 1992.

Appropriate for a band named Undercover, "Never Let Her Slip Away", the band's second single, was another cover version, this time of a song originally recorded by Andrew Gold, which peaked at number 55 in Australia in October 1978.  Undercover's version of "Never Let Her Slip Away" peaked at number 5 in the UK in November 1992, number 2 in Ireland in November 1992, number 23 in Sweden in December 1992, number 8 in the Netherlands in January 1993, number 3 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1993, number 23 in Austria in January 1993, and number 16 in Germany in February 1993.

In Australia, "Never Let Her Slip Away" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 156 on the state chart.

This would be Undercover's final single to chart in Australia, although their debut album Check out the Groove managed to chart locally, albeit only reaching number 213 in February 1993.

This was another one I first heard on the UK Chart Attack radio program, which, unfortunately stopped airing in my state (Victoria, on Fox FM) in January 1993.  The show was replaced by Pillow Talk, hosted by a medical doctor using the pseudonym 'Dr. Feelgood', which focussed on sex and relationship issues.  This also meant that the American Top 40 radio show was pushed back to starting at 1 a.m. on Monday morning, a school night, which made it impossible for me to listen to.  I was gutted!

Number 184 “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths

Peak: number 176

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We last saw English band The Smiths in November 1992.

 

Although the band split in 1987, several of their earlier singles were re-issued, or in the case of this track, issued, in 1992 in the UK to promote a pair of 'best of' compilation albums.  "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" was originally an album track on The Smiths' third studio album The Queen Is Dead in 1986 (number 30, July 1986), and appears on their ...Best II (number 190, November 1992) compilation.  The track was a fan favourite that was not released as a single in 1986, although they did perform the song on UK music TV program The Tube at that time.  The band intentionally included a non-single album track on each album that stood out as being a likely single, and this was that track for The Queen Is Dead.

Internationally, "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" peaked at number 25 in the UK in October 1992, and at number 22 in Ireland during the same month.

In Australia, "There Is a Light..." was most warmly received in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 116 on the state chart.

I didn't know this song at the time, but caught the music video, which does not appear to be on YouTube, on rage in the early 2010s and liked it.

The Smiths had a later single, "The Queen Is Dead", which peaked at number 1229 in July 2017 on the ARIA singles chart.

 

Number 201 “Perfect Motion” by Sunscreem

Peak: number 161

Peak date: 1 February 1993

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

English band Sunscreem last joined us in August 1992.

 

"Perfect Motion" was the fourth single lifted from the band's debut album O₃ (number 73, March 1993), and is my favourite single of theirs.  Once again, I first heard this one on UK Chart Attack.  Interestingly, this single was released in Australia just as “Love U More” (number 30, March 1993) was belatedly climbing up the charts, more than four months after its Australian release.  The Australian branch of their record label obviously didn't think to postpone its release, although "Perfect Motion" received next to zero promotion here, anyway.

Internationally, "Perfect Motion" peaked at number 18 in the UK in October 1992.

Domestically, "Perfect Motion" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 105.

We'll next see Sunscreem in March 1993.

Number 204 “They’re Here” by EMF

Peak: number 195

Peak date: 29 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

English band EMF last graced our presence in June 1992.

 

"They're Here" was the second single from EMF's second album Stigma (number 143, November 1992).  The single was released in Australia at the end of November 1992, but took nearly two months to debut just outside the top 200.

"They're Here" peaked at number 29 in the band's native UK in September 1992.  Locally, "They're Here" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 169.

I didn't hear this one until the music video appeared on a UK promo VHS compilation I picked up in the late 2000s, although I remember the single was reviewed in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine.

I can't help but wonder, given the belated peak of "They're Here" in late March 1993, whether the March 1993 re-entry of the single is an error on the ARIA database, and it should instead be EMF's next single, "It's You", which was released in Australia on 8 February 1993 and did not otherwise chart, that peaked at number 195, while "They're Here" really peaked at number 204.  But we will never know...

EMF will next join us in 1995.

 

Next week (1 February): A bumper week with nine top 150 entries and four bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 18 January 1993                  Next week: 1 February 1993 >

Week commencing 9 November 1992

Before writing this post, I had only heard one of this week in 1992’s new entries peaking in the 101-150 region of the chart.  Perhaps they are new to you, too?  Let’s take a look.

The Cure could only ‘wish’ their latest single made the ARIA top 100 in 1992.

Top 150 debuts:

Number 120 “Always Tomorrow” by Gloria Estefan

Peak: number 107

Peak date: 23 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Chart run: 174-120-117-107-113-121-131-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

Gloria Estefan last graced our presence in 1991.

“Always Tomorrow” was issued as a new track to promote Gloria Estefan’s Greatest Hits (number 21, November 1992) compilation album, which also contained singles released as Miami Sound Machine or Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine.  The track is somewhat different from Gloria’s other singles that I am familiar with, in that it is acoustic guitar-based, and Gloria is shown playing the guitar (I was not aware that she played an instrument) in the music video.

Internationally, “Always Tomorrow” peaked at number 24 in the UK in October 1992, number 27 in Ireland in October 1992, number 15 in the Netherlands in November 1992, and number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1992.  The song also reached number 5 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in November 1992.

Locally, “Always Tomorrow” was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 90 on the state chart.

I remember seeing this single reviewed in Smash Hits magazine at the time, but did not hear it until writing this post.

We will next see Gloria in 1993.

Number 128 “A Letter to Elise” by The Cure

Peak: number 103

Peak date: 30 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Known chart run: 161-128-138-105-103-112-117-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

English band The Cure formed in 1976.  Up until this point in 1992, they had placed 19 singles on the Australian top 100, including two different versions of "Boys Don't Cry" (number 26, August 1986).  Their highest-charting single in Australia was "High" (number 5, March 1992), although "The Lovecats" (number 6, March 1984) and "Close to Me" (number 7, February 1986) are probably better-known.  My favourite Cure singles are probably "Lovesong" (number 82, October 1989), "Just Like Heaven" (number 89, November 1987) and "Never Enough" (number 22, October 1990).

"A Letter to Elise" was issued as the third single from The Cure's ninth studio album Wish (number 1, May 1992), following the aforementioned "High" and "Friday I'm in Love" (number 39, June 1992), which surprisingly only scraped into the top 40 here.

Internationally, "A Letter to Elise" peaked at number 28 in the UK in October 1992, number 23 in Ireland in October 1992, number 39 in Sweden in October 1992, and number 13 in New Zealand in November 1992.  The song also registered on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, where it reached number 2 in August 1992.

Within Australia, "A Letter to Elise" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 76.  The single also peaked 36 places higher nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 67.

I don't think I heard this one until buying The Cure's Galore: The Singles 1987-1997 (number 45, November 1997) compilation album.  I don't mind it, but it's not one of their best.

We'll next see The Cure in 1996.

Number 134 “Shuffle It All” by Izzy Stradlin and The Ju Ju Hounds

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 23 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 134-123-117-139-141

 

Born Jeffrey Dean Isbell, Izzy Stradlin came to fame as Guns N' Roses' rhythm guitarist.  Izzy quit the group in November 1991 at the height of their fame, forming Izzy Stradlin and The Ju Ju Hounds.  Their debut single "Pressure Drop" (number 47, October 1992), crept into the lower region of the ARIA top 50.  I hadn't actually heard that song until writing this post - it did not air during the rage top 60 chart, as no music video was filmed for the track.

 

"Shuffle It All" was released as the second single from the Izzy Stradlin and The Ju Ju Hounds (number 42, November 1992) album.  Internationally, the single peaked at number 54 in Canada in December 1992, and at number 85 in the UK during the same month.

This would be the last Izzy Stradlin release to trouble the ARIA top 150.

Number 140 “She’ll Be Right, Mate” by Slim Dusty

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 23 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 140-142-129

Aussie country music legend Slim Dusty has previously paid us a visit in 1981.

"She'll Be Right Mate" was lifted from Slim's 83rd (!) album - according to a chronological list on Wikipedia - That's the Song We're Singing (number 123, November 1992).  No music video is available for this track on YouTube, but you can view a live performance of it here.

 

Slim will join us next in 1994.

Number 144 “Sliding” by Living Daylights

Peak: number 144

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 144

From what I can gather, Living Daylights were an Australian band, containing members Boyd Wilson and Denise Di Marchi,  They released an album Living Daylights  in Japan in 1994, but this does not appear to have been released in Australia.  I hadn’t heard, or even heard of, this one before.

 

We will see Living Daylights again in 1993.

Number 146 The Mark Curry EP by Mark Curry

Peak: number 146

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 146-(out for 1 week)-147

American singer-songwriter Mark Curry started out in the band Crystal Sphere before going solo in 1992.  "Sorry About the Weather", the lead track from The Mark Curry EP, reached number 20 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart in October 1992.  I cannot find evidence of it charting elsewhere.

I had never heard of Mark Curry before writing this post.  "Sorry About the Weather" isn't bad, although I find it annoying that the music video (embedded below) plays in the background while a couple talk in front of the television.  You can hear the track more clearly here.

 

Mark's debut solo album It's Only Time was released in Australia in November 1992, but missed the top 150.  This EP would be Mark's only ARIA top 150 entry.

Number 150 “Whatcha’ Need” by Bootsauce

Peak: number 150

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 150

It seems quite a week for obscure artists I've never heard of before, and here's yet another.  Bootsauce were a Canadian band, formed in Montreal in 1989.  "Whatcha' Need" was lifted from their second album Bull, which does not appear to have been released in Australia.

Internationally, "Whatcha' Need" peaked at number 50 in Canada in July 1992.

I didn't mind this one.  Bootsauce split in 1996, and this would be their only Australian top 150 entry.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 189 “Lovin’ You” by Shanice

Peak: number 189

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks 

We last saw American songstress Shanice in July 1992.

"Lovin' You" was issued as the third single from Inner Child (number 111, May 1992) in Australia.  The song is a cover version of Minnie Riperton's "Lovin' You" (number 5, May 1975).  We saw another cover version of this song bubble under in 1990. Shanice's version updates the song for the early 90s, with an R&B sound.

 

Internationally, Shanice's version of "Lovin' You" peaked at number 54 in the UK in November 1992.  The song also reached number 59 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

 

Domestically, "Lovin' You" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 164 on the state chart.

 

I hadn't heard Shanice's version of "Lovin' You" before, but liked it.  It translates into an early 90s R&B track better than I was expecting it to.

 

We shall next see Shanice in 1993.

Number 190 “How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths

Peak: number 190

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks 

The Smiths last graced our presence in September 1992.

 

Continuing the re-release campaign to promote their Best ...1 (number 64, October 1992) compilation, "How Soon Is Now?" was originally released in Australia in March 1985, but failed to chart.  The 1985 release of the single peaked at number 24 in the UK in February 1985, number 5 in Ireland in February 1985, and number 39 in New Zealand in June 1985.  It also reached number 36 on the US Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart in March 1985.

The 1992 release of "How Soon Is Now?" peaked at number 16 in the UK in September 1992, and at number 16 in Ireland during the same month.  Domestically, the single performed strongest in Queensland, reaching number 174 on the state chart.

I first heard "How Soon Is Now?" when catching the music video on rage among the new releases airing before the top 60 chart began, in late 1992.  My first encounter with the song was via it being sampled prominently on Soho's "Hippychick" (number 21, January 1991).

 

I concur with the comments on YouTube, where people state that the "I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does" chorus lyrics on this song hit hard.  I also like to think I can do a quite reasonable impression of Morrissey's voice on the chorus of this track. 

It's a testament to "How Soon Is Now?"'s enduring popularity that the track reached number 4 on the US Billboard Alternative Digital Song Sales chart in November 2023.

We shall see The Smiths with another re-release in early 1993.

Number 206 “Soul Inspiration” by Simon Climie

Peak: number 206

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

Simon Climie came to fame as one half of English duo Climie Fisher, whom we last saw in February 1989; although they were essentially one-hit wonders in Australia, with "Love Changes (Everything)" (number 23, October 1988).  Before that, Simon had some success as a songwriter for other artists, co-writing Pat Benatar's "Invincible" (number 23, October 1985) and Aretha Franklin & George Michael's "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (number 1 for 4 weeks in March-April 1987).

"Soul Inspiration" was Simon's debut solo single, lifted from the Soul Inspiration album, which does not appear to have been released in Australia.  Internationally, the single peaked at number 60 in the UK in September 1992, number 44 in the Netherlands in November 1992, and number 60 in Germany in December 1992.  The track was later remixed by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, formerly of PWL, and re-released as "Shine a Light (Soul Inspiration)", peaking at number 87 in the UK in July 1993.

 

Locally, "Soul Inspiration" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 188 on the state chart.

 

I wasn't familiar with this track until ripping the music video from a German VHS compilation about 15 year ago.  It could have become a hit with better promotion, I think.

 

This would be Simon's only solo charting release in Australia.

Number 207 “Only Love” by Maybe Dolls

Peak: number 207

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw Aussie band Maybe Dolls in May 1992.

"Only Love" was issued as the fourth and final single from the band's debut - and only - album Propaganda (number 25, March 1992).  The single was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 189 on the state chart.

I hadn't heard this one before, but like it.  If a music video exists, it has not yet made its way onto YouTube.

This would be Maybe Dolls' final chart entry.  They released another single, "Goodbye", in August 1993, but it seems to have disappeared without a trace, and cannot be found anywhere to listen to online.

Number 210 “Strange Weather” by Glenn Frey

Peak: number 210

Peak date: 9 November 1992

Weeks on chart: 1 week

We last saw Glenn Frey in September 1992.

"Strange Weather" was issued as the fourth and final single in Australia from Glenn's fourth solo album Strange Weather (number 120. September 1992).  I cannot find evidence of the single charting elsewhere.  In Australia, "Strange Weather" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 179 on the state chart.

No music video appears for this track on YouTube, but you can view a live TV performance of the song here.

 

This would be Glenn's last charting single in Australia.  He had later low-charting albums with Live (number 224, August 1993), After Hours (number 180, October 2012), and Above the Clouds: The Very Best of (number 769, June 2018).

Next week (16 November): Six top 150 entries and three bubbling WAY down under debuts.

< Previous week: 2 November 1992                     Next week: 16 November 1992 >

Week commencing 7 September 1992

This week in 1992 saw the second-highest number of new top 150 entries peaking between number 101 and 150 for the year, with 11; although the only week that beats it, in November, contains a single that would later go on to peak within the top 40, and a combined re-release of two singles that also peaked within the top 40.  To be fair, this week in 1992 contains a single that peaked within the top 60 in 1984.  It also contains four singles that dented the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart.

 

Before taking a look at this week's new entries, I wish to bring to your attention that there's a new electronic Australian singles chart book out authored by bulion from the australian-charts.com forum.  The book, which is a large Excel spreadsheet file sold on a USB stick, contains Australian chart peaks dating back to 1940, covering through to the end of 2020, including peaks from the Go-Set charts, the Australian Music Report charts (through to 1998), and the ARIA-produced charts (June 1988 onwards).  For the first time, this book contains ARIA top 100 singles chart peaks between numbers 51-100 from June 1988-December 1989 inclusive, as well as ARIA top 150 singles chart peaks from January 1989 through to December 1998.  That's right - you can skip ahead a few years on my chart recaps if you are so inclined, to find out whether some of your favourite 90s flops charted locally!  Also included are week by week chart runs for each release, as well as hyperlinks to where you can listen to each single/view the music video online.  If you are interested in purchasing this book, scroll down to the bottom of this thread on the australian-charts.com forum, and send a private message to bulion (you may need to register an account there).

I have also updated the following earlier post:

* 27 July 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entry from Delbert McClinton.

Now, onto this week from 1992...

 

Dannii Minogue showed us the way not to go on the ARIA charts in 1992.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 104 "Show You the Way to Go" by Dannii Minogue

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 7 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 104-113-107-105-125-127

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Danielle Jane Minogue, better known as Dannii, first came to the attention of Australia when she appeared as one of the young singers on the TV program Young Talent Time between 1982 and 1988.  It seemed inevitable that she would launch a recording career, and that turned out to be the case, although older sister Kylie, who initially gained fame as an actress on The Henderson Kids and Neighbours, beat her to it by three years, with the release of "Locomotion" (number 1 for seven weeks in August-September 1987).  Due to Kylie's sustained international success, Dannii's recording career always seemed to be in the shadow of Kylie's, even though Dannii is the more-gifted vocalist of the two.

After leaving Young Talent Time, Dannii launched a range of children's clothing and landed an acting gig on Home and Away as the rebellious Emma Jackson.  Dannii launched her recording career in 1990 with "Love and Kisses" (number 4, April 1990), which would oddly be her only top 10 hit in Australia, although she scored 20 ARIA top 100 singles between 1990 and 2007.  "Love and Kisses" reached number 1 on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, which was the only time Dannii achieved a number 1 single anywhere in the world.

Dannii followed up "Love and Kisses" with "Success" (number 28, October 1990).  I will always remember a comment about that single in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine: "After not having much success with, er... Success...".  Her debut album Dannii (number 24, November 1990) achieved moderate success in Australia, but had a short chart life, spending 11 weeks on the chart, with only two of those in the top 50.  A third single from the album, "I Don't Wanna Take This Pain" (number 92, December 1990), barely scraped into the top 100.

Dannii launched her music career in the UK in 1991, with a remix of "Love and Kisses" reaching number 8 there in April of that year.  For her European releases, Dannii would regain the Minogue surname - something that did not happen with her Australian releases until 2001.  I guess she didn't want to be forever known as Kylie's little sister.  A reworked version of the Dannii album, Love and Kisses, was released in Europe, containing two new recordings - which were both covers - that were released as singles: "Jump to the Beat" (number 48, October 1991) and "Baby Love" (number 26, April 1992). A slightly different version of this album, with some 12" mixes tacked on to the end, titled Love and Kisses and... was released locally in February 1992 and reached number 98 on the ARIA albums chart in May 1992.

"Show You the Way to Go", a cover version of a song originally recorded by The Jacksons in 1977, was recorded for UK music newspaper NME's Ruby Trax (The NME's Roaring Forty) compilation, to raise funds for The Spastics Society (a somewhat politically incorrect name now).  Forty artists recorded cover versions of 40 different UK number 1 singles to contribute to the compilation.  I bought this 3-CD compilation in the late 90s from the now defunct Au Go Go bricks and mortar store (they still have an online presence) in the Melbourne CBD for Tori Amos' version of "Ring My Bell", which was exclusive to this release.  If my memory serves me correctly, the mix of "Show You the Way to Go" used on Ruby Trax is slightly different to that released on the single. Another track recorded for Ruby Trax will bubble under in November 1992.

Internationally, Dannii's version of "Show You the Way to Go" peaked at number 30 in the UK in July 1992.

Locally, "Show You the Way to Go" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 77.  It also made the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart, peaking at number 87.

I would not have been aware of this song at the time if not for hearing it on the UK Chart Attack radio show.  The song went on to appear on Dannii's second album proper, Get Into You (number 53, November 1993), which was preceded by another cover version, "This Is It" (number 13, September 1993).  In between these two covers, Dannii released an original track, co-written by Cathy Dennis - whom we'll see next month - and D Mob's Danny D, "Love's on Every Corner".  That single was not released in Australia, however; probably because it bombed in the UK, peaking at number 44 there in December 1992.  Cathy would, of course, go on to co-write Kylie's biggest career hit, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (number 1 for 4 weeks in September-October 2001).

Because I have no intention of still writing these chart posts when it gets to the 2010s, this will be the only time we see Dannii bubble under.  She had two later low-charting singles, however, with "Holding On" (number 604, August 2017) and "Galaxy" (number 692, November 2017).

 

Even though the 2000s were not really my era musically, my favourite Dannii single is "You Won't Forget About Me" (number 20, November 2004).  Another underappreciated single of hers I quite like is "Rescue Me", a collaboration with Eurogroove in 1995 that was only released in Japan.

Dannii went on to have a sucessful career as a judge on TV 'reality' contest shows, like The X Factor UK (she had the good fortune of seeing X Factor audition reject legend Rachel Lester's verbal tirade uncensored and in person, in 2007 - for which I am extremely envious), Australia's Got Talent and The Masked Singer.

 

 

Number 105 "California Here I Come" by Sophie B. Hawkins

Peak: number 104

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 105-104-109-115-113-118-117

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

New York singer-songwriter Sophie Ballentine Hawkins, shortened to Sophie B. Hawkins for her recording career, landed a top 10 hit in Australia with her debut single "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" (number 7, August 1992).  Like Dannii above with her debut release, the single reached number 1 on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart.

"California Here I Come" was issued as the second single from Sophie's debut album Tongues and Tails (number 38, November 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 39 in Canada in September 1992, number 53 in the UK in September 1992, number 43 in New Zealand in September 1992, and number 77 in Germany in November 1992.

In Australia, "California Here I Come" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 67.  The single peaked within the top 100 on all of the state charts, other than New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory.  "California Here I Come" performed stronger nationally on the Australian Music Report top 100 singles chart, where it reached number 99.

I didn't actually hear "California Here I Come" in full until the second half of the 2000s decade, when it appeared on a German VHS compilation I bought.  I only heard a snippet of the song in 1992 as a preview on the Take 40 Australia radio show, so it presumably suffered from a lack of promotion, which seems odd given that it was the follow-up to a top 10 hit and radio staple at the time.  Sophie would have to wait until 1995 to score her second hit proper hit here.  Before then, it seemed like Sophie might end up a one-hit wonder in Australia.

We'll next see Sophie in November 1992.

 

Number 116 "This Charming Man" by The Smiths (1992 re-issue)

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 28 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 204-116-114-119-108-112-122

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

This single originally peaked at number 52 in Australia in April 1984, spending 12 weeks in the top 100.

 

English band The Smiths formed in Manchester in 1982.  While they accumulated 18 UK top 40 hits during their career, only two of their singles troubled the Australian top 100, with the biggest of those being the 1984 release of "This Charming Man", which peaked at number 52 in Australia in April of that year.  The Smiths had two additional singles that registered on the Australian Music Report's list of singles achieving significant sales reports beyond the top 100.  The band fared slightly better on the albums chart locally, achieving four top 40 albums, though none peaked higher than number 25 - that being The World Won't Listen (number 25, April 1987).

The Smiths split up in 1987, somewhat acrimoniously, with growing tensions between lead singer Morrissey and guitarist/pianist/keyboard and harmonica player Johnny Marr.  The band's other two members at the time of the split, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, later sued Morrissey and Marr for their share of the band's royalties.

Morrissey embarked on a solo career after the dissolution of The Smiths, and we last saw him in 1991.  Johnny Marr joined Pretenders in 1987, performing on a 1989 single of theirs, before leaving to join The The from 1989 until 1994.  During 1989, he also formed Electronic with New Order singer Bernard Sumner, with Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tenant occasionally collaborating with them.  We saw Electronic in 1991.

"This Charming Man", which tells the tale of a young male cyclist accepting a ride from an older man he flirts with after puncturing his bicycle tyre, was re-issued in 1992 to promote the release of The Smiths' compilation album Best ...1 (number 64, October 1992).  Internationally, the 1992 release of "This Charming Man" peaked at number 8 in the UK in August 1992, bettering its original peak of number 25 there in November 1983.  It also peaked at number 9 in Ireland in August 1992, where the original 1983 release did not chart.

In Australia, the 1992 release of "This Charming Man" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 88.

 

The Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke died in May 2023, aged 59, from pancreatic cancer.

We shall next see The Smiths in November 1992.

 

 

Number 127 "Your Mirror" by Simply Red

Peak: number 120

Peak date: 28 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 127-133-123-120-127-139-144

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

It was a little over two months ago that English band Simply Red graced our presence, and here they are with the second of three consecutive single releases to fall short of the top 100 in Australia.  "Your Mirror" was issued as the fifth and final single from the band's fourth studio album Stars (number 7, April 1992). Unusually, there does not appear to have been a music video filmed to promote the single, although two live performances have been uploaded to Simply Red's official YouTube channel - one of which, from Hamburg in 1992, you can view here.

Internationally, "Your Mirror" peaked at number 17 in the UK in July 1992, number 28 in Ireland in July 1992, and number 59 in Germany in September 1992.

Locally, "Your Mirror" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 97 on the state chart.

 

I don't recall hearing this one before, although the chorus seemed vaguely familiar.

We will next see Simply Red in 1993.

 

 

Number 130 "Lowdown" by Adore

Peak: number 109

Peak date: 5 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 130-110-121-113-109-133-141

Adore were Australian trio David Wilson, Jo Offe, and Susie Ahern.  David had previously been the lead singer in Go 101, whom we saw bubble under in 1990.  "Lowdown", which was the band's only release, was a cover version of the Boz Scaggs song, which surprisingly only peaked at number 94 in Australia in October 1976, before bettering its peak as the AA-side on the "We're All Alone" single, which reached number 54 in October 1977.

I remember seeing Adore perform "Lowdown" live on Hey Hey It's Saturday.  Although I was aware of the song at the time, I had completely forgotten about it until picking up the music video for it on a VHS compilation I bought on eBay about 18 months ago, to upload it to one of my YouTube channels.

"Lowdown" fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 95.

Renegade Funktrain would incorporate the chorus of "Lowdown" into their single "I Wonder...", which originally peaked at number 68 in Australia in August 1995, before being re-issued as a AA-side single with  "Renegade Funktrain", reaching number 49 in March 1996.

 

 

Number 131 "Pennies from Heaven" by Inner City

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 21 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Known chart run: 170-131-132-122-128-139-150

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

We last saw American duo Inner City in October 1990.

 

"Pennies from Heaven" was released as the first and only single in Australia from Inner City's third studio album Praise (number 135, September 1992).   Four other singles from the album were released internationally, including "Let It Reign", "Hallelujah '92", "Praise", and "Follow Your Heart".

Internationally, "Pennies from Heaven" peaked at number 24 in the UK in June 1992, and number 51 in the Netherlands in August 1992.

Within Australia, "Pennies from Heaven" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 58.

I remember seeing this single being reviewed in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine, but don't think I actually heard it until getting hold of the video on a UK VHS compilation in the 2000s.  The song is quite uplifting, and should have had much more commercial success.  Again, a lack of promotion was no doubt at play, at least in Australia.

"Pennies from Heaven" would be Inner City's last single released in Australia until the 1999 version of "Good Life" (number 52, March 1989) - the duo's biggest 'hit' in Australia, re-titled "Good Life (Buena Vida)".  While I assume the 1999 single charted in Australia, based on the weeks in tally listed for "Good Life" (28 weeks, versus the 16 weeks the original spent in the top 150), I am unable to give you a chart peak for it at present, as the ARIA database unfortunately tends to combine separate releases of the 'same' title into one entry, and I do not currently possess the top 150 charts for 1999 to be able to tell you whether or not it made the top 150.

Inner City would have one further charting album in Australia, however, with Testament 93 (number 166, July 1993), which contained remixes of tracks from their first three studio albums.

 

 

Number 133 "I Believe" by Edrenalin

Peak: number 129

Peak date: 21 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 133-137-129-148-141

I can't tell you much about Edrenalin, other than they were an Australian act containing Greg Hopping and Jamie White.  "I Believe", which I hadn't heard before, was their only release to trouble the ARIA top 150, and appeared on the album Carpe Diem.

 

 

Number 135 "Bring Me On" by K.I.C.

Peak: number 135

Peak date: 7 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 135-139-(out for 2 weeks)-150

K.I.C. was Australian artist Cristian Saliadarre.  "Bring Me On", which I hadn't heard before, was one of two singles he released - the other being "The Right Way", which was released in July 1993 but missed the top 150.  Both videos have been uploaded to Cristian’s YouTube channel, and if he is to be believed, the latter single made the top 10 in both Hong Kong and Singapore, though I have no way of verifying that.

"Bring Me On" performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 99.

 

 

Number 137 "River of Dreams" by Glenn Frey

Peak: number 137

Peak date: 7 September

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Known chart run: 215-137-142-146-145-(out for 1 week)-147

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

 

Former Eagle Glenn Frey last joined us in July 1992.

"River of Dreams" - another one I hadn't heard before - was issued as the third single from Glenn's fourth solo studio album Strange Weather (number 120, September 1992), and matched the peak of the previous single in Australia.

Internationally, "River of Dreams" peaked at number 59 in Canada in October 1992.

Locally, "River of Dreams" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 105.

We will next see Glenn in November 1992.

 

Number 145 "School" by The Tin Lids with The Yunupingu Kids

Peak: number 131

Peak dates: 28 September 1992 and 5 October 1992

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 145-144-145-131-131-143-143

 

Australian band The Tin Lids - which, despite having Scottish heritage, I didn't know until recently was rhyming slang for 'kids' - were the offspring of Jimmy Barnes; namely, Mahalia, Eliza-Jane, Elly-May and Jackie.  At this point in time, their ages ranged from 3 to 10.  I strongly suspect that Elly-May is the youngest 'artist' to have ever made the ARIA chart - she was a mere 2 years and 6 months old when the group's debut single "Christmas Day" (number 40, December 1991) debuted on the chart in November 1991!

The Tin Lids followed that up with the Christmas-themed album Hey Rudolph! (number 6, December 1991).  A second album Snakes & Ladders (number 54, October 1992) followed, led by the single "Walk the Dinosaur" (number 64, July 1992), which was a cover version of the Was (Not Was) track which peaked at number 9 in Australia in February 1988.  I had forgotten I uploaded the video for The Tin Lids' version on of my YouTube channels.

"School" was issued as the second single from Snakes & Ladders, and was a collaboration with The Yunupingu Kids, which I assume were the offspring of the Yothu Yindi members with that surname.  The track accordingly features some didgeridoo.  I hadn't heard this one before, but liked it more than I was expecting to.  Naturally, I think the song would be better if the vocals were performed by adults and sounded less like a school choir performance.

 

A music video for "School" was made, but has not yet found its way onto YouTube.

While The Tin Lids would not trouble the ARIA top 150 singles chart again, they had a later top 150 album with their final studio album Dinosaur Dreaming (number 128, January 1994).

 

 

Number 150 "The Idol" by W.A.S.P.

Peak: number 126

Peak date: 21 September 1992

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 150-(out for 1 week)-126

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

We last saw American metal band W.A.S.P. in 1990.

"The Idol" appeared on the band's fifth studio album The Crimson Idol (number 104, September 1992).  Internationally, "The Idol" peaked at number 41 in the UK in May 1992.

 

Locally, "The Idol" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 74 on the state chart.

I hadn't heard this one before.  While I don't mind some metal ballads, this one didn't strike me as anything special.

 

"The Idol" would be the final W.A.S.P. release to dent the ARIA top 150, although we will see them bubble WAY down under in 1993.

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 163 "Dondé Esta La Pollo" by Headless Chickens

Peak: number 161

Peak date: 14 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

Kiwi band Headless Chickens received a mention previously in December 1991, with the 1991 release of "Cruise Control" - a single I was unable to give a peak for, given the way the ARIA database tends to combine separate releases of the same title.  I cannot ascertain a peak for anything that peaks outside the top 150 (the lowest number a weekly chart can be extracted from their database) in such circumstances.

"Dondé Esta La Pollo", which translates from Spanish as "where's the chicken?", was the third single released from the second Headless Chickens album Body Blow (number 45, July 1993), following "Gaskrankinstation"/"Crash Hot" (released here in April 1990, did not chart) and the aforementioned "Cruise Control" (released August 1991).

 

Overseas, "Dondé Esta La Pollo" peaked at number 4 in New Zealand in July 1992.  In Australia, the single performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 140.

I have seen the music video for this track a couple of times on rage over the years, but couldn't remember how it went until listening to it again to write this post.  It's not bad.

We'll next see Headless Chickens in 1993.

Number 180 "Slowly" by Stacy Earl

Peak: number 180

Peak date: 7 September 1992

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

 

American singer Stacy Earl hails from Newton, Massachusetts.  "Slowly" was her third single, though her second in Australia, following "Romeo & Juliet" (released May 1992, did not chart), which was a duet with The Wild Pair, who performed on Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract" (number 1 for two weeks in April 1990).  Stacy's debut single in her homeland, "Love Me All Up", did not receive a local release.  All three tracks would appear on Stacy's debut and only album Stacy Earl (released locally in June 1992, did not chart).

Internationally, "Slowly" - which is another one I had not heard before - peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 1992.

Locally, "Slowly" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 101.

 

I had heard Stacy's debut single "Love Me All Up" (linked above) before, due to it appearing in a 'song contest' (where participants enter a song from an obscure-ish artist for others to listen to and rate, Eurovision style, where you cannot vote for your own entry) I participate in on the Pop Justice forum, and quite like that one, but "Slowly" does not grab me.  It's a shame the Australian record label didn't release "Love Me All Up", as I believe that one could have been a hit.

This would be Stacy's only release to chart in Australia.

 

 

Next week (14 September): Five top 150 entries and three bubbling WAY down under debuts.

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