Week commencing 8 April 1991

Four of this week in 1991's debuting singles that peaked in the 101-150 region of the chart spent at least seven weeks in the top 150, which is above the 1991 average of 5.65 weeks.

 

I have updated another earlier post with the following:

• 19 June 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Z'Zi Labor.
  

 

Collette: this wouldn't be everlasting chart success.

  

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 133 "This Will Be (Everlasting Love)" by Collette

Peak: number 122

Peak date: 29 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Chart run: 133-134-136-122-134-128-136-138-137

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

New-Zealand born Collette Roberts started her career as a fashion model, appearing on the cover of Dolly magazine in 1983.  She launched a recording career in 1989 with an acid-house inspired cover version of Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell", which reached number 5 in May 1989 and was certified gold.  Collette's iconic bike shorts and fluorescent lycra image in the video for "Ring My Bell" became closely associated with her, and bike shorts are one of the first things most people who grew up in the 80s would think of when the name 'Collette' is mentioned.

After the initial success of "Ring My Bell", Collette copped a lot of flak and was almost universally panned by critics for her her image, lack of technical vocal ability, and because she was a model who scored a big hit with a cover version.  Australian radio was also stuck in classic/pub rock hell at this point in time, and would not touch dance or female pop music with a barge pole.

Often inaccurately referred to as a one-hit wonder, Collette followed up "Ring My Bell" with two further top 40 hits, which she co-wrote, "All I Wanna Do Is Dance" (number 12, July 1989) and "That's What I Like About You" (number 31, November 1989).  Collette's debut album Raze the Roof (number 48, November 1989) was a moderate success, denting the top 50.

After a gap of nine months, Collette returned in 1990 with a radically different image.  Gone were the bike shorts and bright colours; in was a short hair cut and lots of dark clothes.  Collette co-wrote her next single, "Who Do You Think You Are" (number 56, August 1990) as a response to her many critics.  Unfortunately, it was not a major success.  A cover version of Diana Ross' "Upside Down" (number 91, January 1991) was released as its follow-up, but fared even worse on the charts.

Collette's second album Attitude (number 107, April 1991) was preceded by another single, "This Will Be (Everlasting Love)".  Despite sharing a similar title, the song is not a cover version of Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" (number 28, February 1976), but is an original, written by Collette and Southern Sons' Peter Bowman.

 

"This Will Be (Everlasting Love)" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 94.  The single would become Collette's final solo release.  She then briefly ventured into acting, appearing in two episodes of Home and Away in 1991 as Constable Nick Parrish's date, and then became a make-up artist.  In 2006, Collette appeared on an episode of Where Are They Now?, revealing that she also volunteers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

Despite Collette's solo recording career ending in 1991, we will see her again as a featured artist in 1995.

 

 

Number 134 "Spit in the Rain" by Del Amitri

Peak: number 118

Peak date: 15 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 134-118-128-124-120-126-132

Weeks on chart: 10 weeks

Scottish band Del Amitri formed in Glasgow in the early 1980s.  Despite claims that the band name is Greek for "from the womb", the name Del Amitri is essentially meaningless.

Del Amitri released their first, self-titled, album in 1985, but it was not a commercial success.  After a four-year gap, their second album Waking Hours (number 8, June 1990), was released in Europe in 1989.  The album's lead single, "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" (number 28, June 1990), became a sleeper hit, taking seven-and-a-half months to reach its peak in Australia and spending 41 weeks on the chart.  Surprisingly, "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" was a bigger hit in Australia than in the band's home country, where it only reached number 43 in March 1990 after initially peaking at number 59 in August 1989.

"Kiss This Thing Goodbye" was followed-up, in Australia, by "Nothing Ever Happens" (number 46, June 1990) - my favourite Del Amitri song, and "Stone Cold Sober" (number 50, September 1990).  A fourth single from Waking Hours, "Move Away Jimmy Blue", was released locally in November 1990, but did not chart.

 

"Spit in the Rain" was an in-between albums single that did not appear on any of Del Amitri's studio albums until an expanded 2-CD re-issue of Waking Hours was released in 2014.

 

Internationally, "Spit in the Rain" peaked at number 21 in the UK in November 1990.

Within Australia, "Spit in the Rain" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 78.

 

We shall next see Del Amitri in 1995.

 

 

Number 139 "More Than a Girlfriend" by No Justice

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 20 May 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 139-139-139-140-130-132-121-130-131

 

Australian band No Justice only released two singles, 1990's "Lately" (number 91, August 1990), and this one, which does not appear to be available to listen to anywhere online at the time of writing this.  It doesn't help that "More Than a Girlfriend" was only issued on vinyl and cassette, so sourcing a digital rip would not be easy.

Despite the band's lack of chart success, "Lately" managed to land heavy rotation on Home and Away at the time, and the band even appeared 'live' performing the song in an episode.

 

The drummer in No Justice was Countdown Revolution host Chook (real name Andrew Chalhoub), who sadly passed away in 2018 - something I was not aware of until researching this song for my post this week.  Before discovering this fact, I made the mistake of sending Chook a message on facebook (it was not apparent that he had died from his public profile) to ask if he had a copy of either the music video or an audio clip of this song...

August 2024 update: some kind soul has finally uploaded the audio for this track to YouTube, which I have embedded below.

 

 

Number 140 "How Much Is Enough" by The Fixx

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 29 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 140-141-135-119-124-121-130-129

We last saw English band The Fixx in April 1989.  "How Much Is Enough" was the lead single from the band's sixth studio album Ink.

 

Internationally, "How Much Is Enough" peaked at number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1991, where it was The Fixx's first US top 40 single since 1986.  The single missed the top 75 in the band's native UK.

I hadn't heard this song before, but liked it - particularly the chorus.

 

 

 

Number 150 "Shakin the Cage" by The Zoo featuring Mick Fleetwood and Billy Thorpe

Peak: number 142 

Peak date: 15 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 150-142-144

 

Regular readers of my posts may know how much it irks me when an artist does not have a consistent name (e.g. The vs. no 'The' at the start of a band name) across their releases.  But a more egregious offence than that is when apostrophes are missing... and I say that as a Shakespear(')s Sister fan.  Here we have a song title that contains the word "Shakin", with no apostrophe used on the single's artwork.  Ugh.

Another dumb thing about this release is that The Zoo is a Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac side project, yet he is credited as a featured artist here.  Australian Billy Thorpe is also a member of the group, but is similarly credited as a featured artist.  The only explanation I can think of as to why this occurred is that the general public didn't know who The Zoo were, but might know of Mick Fleetwood or Billy Thorpe.

As if the above wasn't bad enough, The Zoo was credited as Mick Fleetwood's Zoo on their debut 1983 album I'm Not Me, but are listed as The Zoo on the band's second album, 1992's Shakin' the Cage - note correct use of the apostrophe.  Billy Thorpe wrote eight of the album's ten tracks, and co-wrote the other two.

As someone who wasn't aged over 40 in 1991, I'd never heard of this, or Mick Fleetwood's Zoo.  Listening to "Shakin the Cage" now, it's just the kind of thing you'd expect Triple M to have added to their playlist in 1991.  Decent enough music for long drives through the countryside, but that's about it.

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 160 "Secret Love" by Bee Gees

Peak: number 158

Peak date: 29 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

Bee Gees had three singles that peaked outside the ARIA top 100 in 1989, and we last saw the group in October 1989.

 

"Secret Love", the lead single from the group's nineteenth studio album High Civilization (number 126, June 1991), was the fourth in a string of seven Bee Gees singles to peak outside the Australian top 100 between 1989 and 1995.  The group would not trouble the ARIA top 100 singles chart again until 1997.

 

Internationally, "Secret Love" was a top 10 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and the UK.

 

Within Australia, "Secret Love" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 129.

.

We will next see Bee Gees in 1993.

 

 

Number 167 "Family Affair" by Stephen Cummings

Peak: number 167

Peak date: 8 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Australian singer-songwriter and jingle-writer Stephen Cummings last graced our presence in August 1989.  Stephen's biggest solo hit on the Australian charts was "Gymnasium" (number 27, September 1984), while his biggest hit with his former group The Sports was "How Come" (number 21, July 1981).

"Family Affair", a cover version of Sly & The Family Stone, was the second single lifted from Stephen's fifth studio album Good Humour (number 40, March 1991). It followed "Hell (You've Put Me Through)" (number 33, February 1991), which was Stephen's final top 40 hit.

On the state charts, "Family Affair" was most-successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 151.

We shall next see Stephen in June 1991.

 

 

Number 170 "Found Love" by Double Dee featuring Dany

Peak: number 170

Peak date: 8 April 1991 

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks (1991 and 1996 chart-runs combined)

Double Dee were an Italian studio boffin act, and they roped in singer Dany (real name Donato Losito) to provide vocals on this track.

Internationally, "Found Love" peaked at number 38 in the Netherlands in October 1990, number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in November 1990, number 23 in France in November 1990, and number 63 in the UK in December 1990.

Confusing matters on the Australian chart, both the original version of "Found Love" and a 1995 remix that was released as a single are combined into the same entry on the ARIA database.  "Found Love" peaked in 1991 on two of the state charts (New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and Queensland), and in 1996 on the remaining three state charts.  While I unfortunately cannot give you a national Australian chart peak for the 1996 release of this track (as it missed the top 150), I can tell you that it was not higher than number 170, and that it performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 120 in March 1996.

Double Dee will bubble under again on the Australian chart in 2003.

Number 173 "Don't You Wanna Be Mine" by Denise Lopez

Peak: number 173

Peak: 11 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American singer Denise Lopez commenced her recording career in 1984 as Neecy Dee with the single "Best of Me", which does not appear to have been released in Australia.  Then she was part of a studio project 'band' named Love Patrol, who released one single, "Love Patrol".  Her first release as Denise Lopez, the single "Sayin' Sorry (Don't Make It Right)", was released in Australia in July 1988, but failed to chart.  It did, however, register on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 31 in August 1988.

 

"Don't You Wanna Be Mine" was the lead single from Denise's second album Every Dog Has Her Day (released in Australia in March 1991, did not chart).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1990.

 

In Australia, "Don't You Wanna Be Mine" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 161 on the state chart.

 

This would be Denise's only charting release in Australia.  "Don't You Wanna Be Mine" received a remix and re-release in the UK in 2008, where it reached number 38 on the physical singles sales chart in June 2008.

 

Number 175 "Out of My Mind" by Soho

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 22 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Twin sisters Jacqui and Pauline Cuff, together with producer Timothy London, form Soho.  The group released two singles in Australia in the late 1980s that failed to chart: "Piece of You" (May 1998) and "Message from My Baby" (April 1989).

"Hippychick" (number 21, January 1991), which prominently samples The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now", gave Soho their first - and only real - hit, peaking at number 8 in the UK upon re-release in January 1991, and narrowly missing the top 20 in Australia.

"Out of My Mind" was the second single lifted from Soho's second album Goddess (number 102, January 1991) in Australia.  It was also a single in the US, though the UK went with "Love Generation".

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Out of My Mind" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 145.

 

Soho returned with a new single "Ride" in 1992.  Although I caught the video for "Ride" as a new release on rage, the single does not actually appear to have been released in Australia.

"Out of My Mind" was Soho's last single to chart in Australia.

 

 

Next week (15 April): Seven little* top 150 debuts and three bubbling WAY down under entries (*this comment will make sense next week).

 

< Previous week: 1 April 1991                                         Next week: 15 April 1991 >

Week commencing 1 April 1991

All three of this week in 1991's top 150-peaking debuts spent at least seven weeks in the top 150, which is above the mean (5.65 weeks), median (5.5 weeks), and mode (a measly 1 week) for singles peaking between numbers 101 and 150 in 1991.  Obviously, I took stats class a bit too seriously...

Before looking at this week in 1991's new entries, there are some earlier posts I have updated with the following:

• 29 May 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Barry Manilow;
  
• 20 November 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Ice-T;
  
• 6 August 1990 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Ice-T. 

Icehouse: there was no love for the Icehouse on the Australian charts in 1991.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 132 "Blow Westerly" by Red Not Blue

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 8 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 132-124-140-129-133-137-131

 

"Blow Westerly" was Sydney band Red Not Blue's debut single, although three tracks of theirs appeared on a shared-with-another-band 6-track mini-album released on ABC Records in 1988 (I am thinking Triple J might have been involved).  "Blow Westerly" was also the lead single from the band's only album Red Not Blue, which missed the ARIA top 150 albums chart.

I hadn't heard this song before; it's not bad.  We will see Red Not Blue again in June 1991.

 

 

Number 144 "Where the River Meets the Sea" by Icehouse

Peak: number 124

Peak date: 22 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Chart run: 144-136-126-124-128-132-136

Weeks on chart: 7 weeks

At this point in 1991, Australian band Icehouse had placed 24 singles on the Australian top 100, including three that were released under the band's original name Flowers.  Their biggest hit in Australia was "Electric Blue" (number 1, November 1987).  My favourite Icehouse single was, however, one that wasn't such a big hit for them - "Don't Believe Anymore" (number 31, August 1984).

"Where the River Meets the Sea" is one that I remember seeing in the record stores, but I never heard the song anywhere at the time.  For reasons unknown, a music video was not produced to promote the single.  With that amount of 'promotion' behind it, of course "Where the River Meets the Sea" was going to struggle on the charts.

"Where the River Meets the Sea" was the fourth and final single lifted from Icehouse's sixth studio album Code Blue (number 7, November 1990).  It followed "Big Fun" (number 47, August 1990), "Miss Divine" (number 16, October 1990), and "Anything Is Possible" (number 49, January 1991).

 

Had it been up to me, I would have gone with album track "Harbour Town" over all of the other Code Blue singles apart from "Miss Divine".  I think the record label really misfired by releasing "Big Fun" as the lead single, especially.  If "Miss Divine" and "Harbour Town" had been the first two Code Blue singles, things might have panned out very differently for this album's era... in my alternative universe, anyway.

 

I guess the only way was down for Icehouse, commercially, following the mega-successful Man of Colours album, which spent 11 weeks at number 1 on the Australian albums chart between October and December of 1987, followed by another six weeks at number 2.  Man of Colours was also the first album by an Australian artist to spawn five top 30 singles.

On the state charts, "Where the River Meets the Sea" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 106.

We shall next see Icehouse in 1993.

 

 

Number 150 "In Yer Face" by 808 State

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 29 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Known chart run: 157-150-(out of top 150 for 1 week)-143-113-108-119-117-120-118-124

Weeks on chart: 11 weeks

 

We last saw English band 808 State in December 1990 with the lead single from their third studio album ex:el (number 109, April 1991).  "In Yer Face" was the second single lifted from the album, although the previous single was a double A-side.

 

Internationally, "In Yer Face" peaked at number 9 in the UK in February 1991, and number 13 in Ireland during the same month.

 

Domestically, "In Yer Face" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 62.

 

I don't recall hearing this one at the time.  It's definitely not the sort of thing that would have done well on the Australian charts in the early 90s. 

We will see 808 State next in June 1991, when they team up with one of Scandinavia's most recognisable artists (clue: it's not ABBA).

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 168 "We Want Some Pussy" by The 2 Live Crew

Peak: number 168

Peak date: 1 April 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Here's a song I was aware of at the time, but had not heard until writing this post.  What can I say other than... oh my god.

We last saw The 2 Live Crew in January 1991.  "We Want Some Pussy" was originally released in North America and Europe in 1987.  Australia was a bit slow to cotton on to rap, however.

 

To my surprise, "We Want Some Pussy" does not appear to have charted in any other country.  Within Australia, "We Want Some Pussy" peaked highest in Western Australia, reaching number 141.

The 2 Live Crew only had one single after this that charted in Australia - "Pop That Pussy", or "Pop That Coochie" (number 97, January 1992) in its tamer form.  Two of their albums bubbled under on the ARIA albums chart, however - Sports Weekend (As Nasty As They Wanna Be Part II) (number 180, March 1992) and The Classic Collection (number 439, November 2004).

 

Next week (8 April): Five top 150 debuts and five bubbling WAY down under entries.

< Previous week: 25 March 1991                                Next week: 8 April 1991 >

Week commencing 25 March 1991

Before diving into this week in 1991's post, I need to apologise for not starting my 1982 beyond number 100 chart recaps on Tuesday, as hinted at last week.  The reason for this is - after checking with my scans of the Kent Music Report - the 'Hit Predictions' list (as it was then known) incorporated radio and TV playlists into the list, so it was not entirely sales-based.

 

As regular readers of my posts will know, I don't normally credit any chart that was not sales-based, with the only exception being (begrudgingly) the US Billboard Hot 100, which was based on a combination of sales and airplay.  Additionally, the first few months of the 1982 Hit Predictions lists were organised in alphabetical order by song title, rather than sales rank (though I knew that already), so I would not have been able to give ranked placings for singles making this list.

 

Rest assured that my 1982 chart recaps will commence on 30 August, when the 'singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100' list begins.  In the interim, I will be returning to 1981 on 27 April to fill in April-September 1981, which I missed last year when I started my 1981 beyond number 100 chart recaps.

Also, before we look at this week in 1991's new entries, I have updated two earlier posts with the following:

• 27 February 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from The Everys;
• 12 June 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Diesel Park West.
  

 

Alexander O'Neal: dressed for business, but not on the Australian charts.

  

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 142 "All True Man" by Alexander O'Neal

Peak: number 142

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 142

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We saw American singer Alexander O'Neal back in March 1989 with his first single to chart in Australia.  "All True Man", another Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam production, was the lead single from Alex's third studio album proper All True Man (number 108, April 1991), not counting his 1988 Christmas album My Gift to You.

Internationally, "All True Man" peaked at number 18 in the UK in January 1991, number 20 in the Netherlands in March 1991, and 43 in the US in April 1991.

Domestically, "All True Man" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 127.  The album also performed significantly better in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory than it did nationally, peaking at number 55 there.

I hadn't heard this one before.  I don't mind it, but it doesn't seem as strong to me as the singles from Alex's previous album Hearsay (number 142, March 1989).

We will next see Alex in June 1991.

 

 

 

Number 145 "Move to the Bigband" by Ben Liebrand featuring Tony Scott

Peak: number 117

Peak date: 29 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 145-(out for 1 week)-125-120-134-117-129-129

Here's another one I didn't know at the time.  We last saw Dutchman Ben Liebrand in September 1990 in his own right, though one of his many remixes for other artists appeared in November 1990.  This time, Ben teamed up with Dutch rapper Tony Scott (real name Peter van der Bosch).

 

"Move to the Bigband" peaked at number 15 in the Netherlands in September 1990, and number 84 in the UK in November 1990.

 

Tony Scott was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2015 and retired from performing the following year.

 

Ben will next join us in September 1991, though he is credited as a remixer only on that track.

 

 

Number 146 "If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)" by George Thorogood & The Destroyers

Peak: number 109

Peak date: 6 May 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-113-112-123-123-129-109-130-141

 

George Thorogood was one of those artists whose name I'd heard mentioned numerous times - thanks to Victorian FM radio stations' classic rock fixation in the early 1990s - but whose music I was unfamiliar with, until he landed a hit with "Get a Haircut" (number 28, September 1993) in 1993.

"If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)" was lifted from George and the gang's eighth studio album Boogie People (number 45, April 1991).  Although the group had landed eight albums on the Australian top 100 chart dating back to 1978, only one of their previous singles, "Treat Her Right" (number 74, July 1988), charted in Australia.

Internationally, "...Drinkin'..." peaked at number 5 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart (a meaningless chart, in my opinion) in April 1991.

 

 

Number 147 "Doctor Jeep" by The Sisters of Mercy

Peak: number 125

Peak date: 13 May 1991

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 147-(out for 1 week)-142-136-132-135-126-125-134-139 

Weeks on chart: 17 weeks

 

Here's another one I had not heard before.  English band The Sisters of Mercy formed in 1980.  Despite notching up nine UK top 75 singles by this point, The Sisters of Mercy had only ever placed one single on the Australian chart previously, with "More" (number 74, February 1991).  "Doctor Jeep" followed-up "More", as the second single from the band's third studio album Vision Thing (number 73, March 1991).  This was the band's final studio album to date, owing to extended wrangling with their record company EastWest.  The band are still together, however.

Internationally, "Doctor Jeep" peaked at number 37 in the UK in December 1990, and number 45 in Germany in February 1991.

Locally, "Doctor Jeep" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 91 on the state chart.

We shall next see The Sisters of Mercy in 1993.

2025 update: The music video is currently blocked in Australia.  I have left the previous link below in case it becomes unblocked at a future date.  Meanwhile, there is an extended version of the video that is currently viewable in Australia here.

 

 

 

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 155 "I Can't Take the Power" by Off-Shore

Peak: number 155

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

Off-Shore were German DJ Jens Lissat and recording engineer, producer and musician Peter Harder.  "I Can't Take the Power", their first release, contained vocal samples from Class Action's "Weekend" (the "I can't take" line) and Jocelyn Brown's "Love's Gonna Get You" ("the power" line).  The latter track was prominently sampled on Snap!'s "The Power" (number 13, August 1990), and (I didn't realise until now) on a song we will see in 1992.

Internationally, "I Can't Take the Power" peaked at number 7 in the UK in January 1991, number 11 in Ireland, and number 77 in the Netherlands in April 1991.  Surprisingly, it did not chart in the duo's native Germany.

In Australia, "I Can't Take the Power" performed equally strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory and Western Australia, where it reached number 131.  Nine weeks spent on the chart is a lot for a single that missed the top 150 in 1991, when the chart does not appear to have extended far beyond number 200 at any point in the year.

I have embedded two videos for "I Can't Take the Power" below.  The second (blocked on YouTube) is the 'official' music video, although it is made up of footage from other artists' videos, including C + C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" and Malcolm McLaren's "Deep in Vogue".  Also, this video fades out at the 2 minute mark - I suspect it was thrown together for airing on Top of the Pops during the chart countdown.

 

 

Number 165 "How Long Will I Love You" by The Waterboys

Peak: number 165

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

Scottish band The Waterboys formed in 1983.  They placed two singles on the Australian top 100 in the 1980s: "The Whole of the Moon" (number 12, March 1986) and "Fisherman's Blues" (number 70, February 1989).

 

"How Long Will I Love You" was the lead, and in Australia, only, single from the band's fifth studio album Room to Roam (number 135, November 1990).  Oddly, it was released locally three months after the album, on 25 February 1991.

 

Internationally, "How Long Will I Love You" peaked at number 28 in Ireland in December 1990.  In Australia, "How Long Will I Love You" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 120 on the state chart.

 

We'll next see The Waterboys in May 1991.

 

 

Next week (1 April): Three top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.

< Previous week: 18 March 1991                                  Next week: 1 April 1991 >

Week commencing 18 March 1991

With one notable exception, which should become obvious, the artists debuting and peaking outside the top 100 this week in 1991 were either artists who had been around for a while but generally struggled to land hits in Australia, or those who were newer acts struggling to score hits.

 

Before diving into this week's post, again I have added the following to some earlier posts:

• 20 February 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Gary Moore;
  
• 13 March 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Alexander O'Neal;
• 15 May 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Sa-Fire;
• 11 September 1989 - a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Danny Wilson.
  

Eurythmics: flops are a stranger to their Australian chart history.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 105 "Auberge" by Chris Rea

Peak: number 101

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks 

Known chart run: 152-105-101-110-108-121-120

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

 

We saw English singer/songwriter Chris Rea bubble under in early 1990, and here he is with the lead single and title-track from his eleventh studio album Auberge (number 53, April 1991).

Between 1978 and 1989, Chris placed 12 singles on the Australian top 100 chart, with "Let's Dance" (number 9, October 1987) being the biggest of those.

 

"Auberge", meaning 'inn' in French, peaked at number 16 in the UK in March 1991, number 8 in Ireland, number 45 in the Netherlands in March 1991, number 20 in Germany in April 1991, number 31 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1991, number 29 in Austria in April 1991, and number 46 in France in April 1991.

 

In Australia, "Auberge" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, reaching number 72 on the state chart.

 

The music video for "Auberge" is notable for being set within a single frame, although it was not shot in one continuous take.

Two further singles from Auberge were released in Australia - "Heaven" (May 1991) and "Looking for the Summer" (July 1991) - but both missed the top 150.

Chris's next two studio albums God's Great Banana Skin (number 137, November 1992) and Espresso Logic (number 109, March 1994) yielded no Australian top 150 singles, but we will see Chris bubble WAY down under next in 1992.

 

 

Number 122 "Body Language" by Adventures of Stevie V

Peak: number 108

Peak date: 1 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 122-109-108-122-131

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

British dance act Adventures of Stevie landed a number 18 single in Australia with "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)" in February 1991, although it took seven months from its chart debut at number 147 in July 1990 to reach its eventual peak.

"Body Language", the less-successful follow-up, peaked at number 29 in the UK in October 1990, number 14 in the Netherlands in December 1990, and number 40 in New Zealand in December 1990.  Both this track and "Dirty Cash" were lifted from his (their?) debut album Adventures of Stevie V (number 83, February 1991).

"Body Language" single fared better on the Australian Music Report, where it reached number 94.  The single performed strongest on the ARIA state chart for New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 81.

"Body Language" would be the second and final Adventures of Stevie V single to chart in Australia.

 

 

Number 130 "Don't Start Me Talking" by Paul Kelly and The Messengers

Peak: number 105

Peak date: 8 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks

Chart run: 130-115-114-105-115-115-120-116

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

Fast becoming a regular in the 101-150 region of the Australian singles chart, this is the third time we have seen Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly, along with his band The Messengers, in as many years, with the last occasion being in August 1990.

 

"Don't Start Me Talking" was the first of three singles lifted from the band's Comedy (number 12, May 1991) album, and all three singles missed the ARIA top 100.  "Don't Start Me Talking" was the highest-peaking of the lot.

The single fared better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, reaching number 92.

 

On the ARIA state charts, "Don't Start Me Talking" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 87.

The music video for "Don't Start Me Talking" is notable for its use of Australian Sign Language (AUSLAN).

We shall next see Paul Kelly and The Messengers in June 1991.

Number 136 "Our Frank" by Morrissey

Peak: number 127

Peak date: 8 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 136-144-(out for 1 week)-127-129-137-130

Weeks on chart: 9 weeks

 

Another regular to the below number 100 region of the ARIA singles chart is Steven Morrissey, whom we have seen on three previous occasions, with the most recent one being in October 1990.

"Our Frank" was the lead single from Morrissey's second studio album proper Kill Uncle (number 45, March 1991).

 

The single peaked at number 26 in the UK in February 1991, number 7 in Ireland in February 1991, and number 45 in New Zealand in March 1991.

Domestically, "Our Frank" performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 98.

"Our Frank" peaked within the top 100 on the Australian Music Report singles chart, at number 97.

Morrissey will join us next in June 1991.

 

 

Number 146 "Superstition Highway" by Tall Tales and True

Peak: number 134

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks 

Top 150 chart run: 146-134

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

Sydney band Tall Tales and True placed two singles on the ARIA top 100 in 1989: "Trust" (number 69, April 1989) and "Hold On" (number 70, July 1989).  Their debut album Shiver peaked at number 66 in June 1989.

As seemed to be a popular thing for Australian indie artists to do in 1990-91, the group then released this 4-track EP as a stop-gap in between albums - though 4-track CD singles were becoming the norm by this time.  "Superstition Highway" did not appear on the band's second album, released in 1992.

On the state charts, "Superstition Highway" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 106.

We shall next see Tall Tales and True in October 1991.

Number 147 "The Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Butthole Surfers
Peak: number 147

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 147

Weeks on chart: 4 weeks 

American band Butthole Surfers (no 'The') were a group I hadn't heard of until their 1996 hit - their only Australian hit - "Pepper" (number 15, June 1996), a song I did not particularly enjoy, and, in hindsight made me question why I was listening to radio station Triple J, who seemed to love it, in 1996.  The group had actually been in existence for 15 years at that point.

"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" was lifted from the band's fifth studio album piouhgd (number 136, March 1991).  It is a cover version of a song originally recorded by Donovan in 1968.

 

Butthole Surfers' version of "The Hurdy Gurdy Man" peaked at number 98 in the UK in December 1990, and number 36 in New Zealand in March 1991.   The song was later used on the soundtrack for the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber.

In Australia, "The Hurdy Gurdy Man" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 118 on the state chart.

Butthole Surfers will next 'surf' the top 150 in 1996.

Number 149 "Feels Like I'm in Love" (90's PWL Remix) by Kelly Marie

Peak: number 149

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 1 week

Top 150 chart run: 149

Scottish singer Kelly Marie, real name Jacqueline McKinnon, scored a pair of hits in Australia in the late 1970s/early 1980s, with "Make Love to Me" (number 5, March 1979) and "Feels Like I'm in Love" (number 7, December 1980).  But, aside from those two top 10 hits, none of 'Kelly''s other singles made the top 100 down under.

Fast forward to the early 90s, and the 70s (even though the original Kelly Marie version of this track was from 1980) revival had started.  It was timely, therefore, that "Feels Like I'm in Love", which topped the UK singles chart for two weeks in September 1980, and was a top 10 hit across Europe and in the US, received a 90s remix.  The remix in question was conducted by Dave Ford and Pete Hammond for PWL, Pete Waterman of Stock Aitken Waterman fame's record label.

The PWL remix of "Feels Like I'm in Love" surprisingly did not chart in the UK, or anywhere else that I can determine.

I was not aware of this remix at the time.  Listening to it for the first time here, I think it's OK, but I would take the 1980 version of the song over this any day.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 156 "Promise Me You'll Remember" by Harry Connick, Jr.

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

 

American crooner Harry Connick, Jr. released his debut album Harry Connick, Jr. in 1987.  His commercial breakthrough in Australia, however, would not come until 1991, with the Australian-only compilation of some of Harry's earlier recordings, It Had to Be You (number 4, March 1992).

 

"Promise Me You'll Remember" was recorded for the soundtrack of the movie The Godfather Part III, though was also included on the It Had to Be You compilation album.  Internationally, the single peaked at number 75 in the Netherlands in April 1991.

 

Locally, "Promise Me You'll Remember" performed strongest in Western Australia, reaching number 137 on the state chart.

 

We shall see Harry next in 1992.

 

 

Number 165 "Love Is a Stranger" by Eurythmics (1991 re-issue)

Peak: number 156

Peak date: 25 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

This single originally peaked at number 17 in Australia on 27 June 1983, spending 22 weeks in the top 100.

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart (who we saw in January) first came to prominence as part of the band The Tourists, who landed a couple of hits in their native UK in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Only one of their singles, however, a cover version of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be with You", registered on the Australian chart, peaking at number 6 in August 1980.  The band split up while touring Australia later in the year.

Dave and Annie, who had once been romantically involved, then decided to go it alone... together, and formed Eurythmics (no 'The').  Their debut album, 1981's In the Garden, was a commercial failure and did not chart anywhere... until the 2005 re-issue of the album peaked at number 521 in Australia in January 2006.  A single from the album, "Never Gonna Cry Again", charted at number 63 in the UK in July 1981, but did not register a blip when issued in Australia in October of that year.

The first three singles from the duo's second album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (number 5, July 1983) also faltered on the charts, although the band's fortunes turned around dramatically when the album's title track was issued as the last single from it.  "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (number 6, July 1983) was a major hit for the pair, reaching number 2 in the UK, and topping the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1983.

The success of "Sweet Dreams" renewed interest in Eurythmics' previous single "Love Is a Stranger" (released in Australia in January 1983), and it followed "Sweet Dreams" into the top 20 in June 1983, peaking at number 17.

Between 1983 and 1990, Eurythmics notched up 18 Australian top 40 singles, with all but three of those reaching the top 20.  Their biggest hit in Australia was "Would I Lie to You?", which topped the singles chart for two weeks in June 1985.

Having that many hits, any greatest hits compilation released by the duo was bound to be a smash, and that's exactly what happened when Greatest Hits spent seven weeks at number 1 in April and May of 1991.  The compilation similarly spent its first nine weeks on the UK albums chart at number 1, with a tenth week at the summit a couple of weeks later.

 

"Love Is a Stranger" was re-issued to promote Greatest Hits - not that the album needed much promotion with the number of hits it contained.  The re-issued single, in contrast to the album, barely registered on the radar, peaking at number 46 in the UK in March 1991.

Australia appears to have been the only other country where the 1991 issue of "Love Is a Stranger" charted, albeit rather lowly.  On the state charts, "Love Is a Stranger" was most successful in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 123.

The "Love Is a Stranger" music video was re-edited (embedded below) to contain snippets of most of Eurythmics' earlier videos to promote the 1991 release, and the Greatest Hits album.

 

Eurythmics had quietly gone on hiatus prior to Greatest Hits being released, and would not release new material as a duo again until 1999.

 

The 1991 release of "Love Is a Stranger" was Eurythmics' only single to bubble under during the ARIA-produced chart era; although "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" made number 78 on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart in September 1988 despite not charting nationally (when the chart ended at number 100).

 

Eurythmics bubbled under on the ARIA albums chart in 1993 with Live 1983-1989 (number 102, December 1993).

We shall see Dave Stewart again in November 1991, and Annie Lennox in 1996.

Number 170 "All I Want" by The Lightning Seeds

Peak: number 170

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

English band The Lightning Seeds (sometimes with 'The', sometimes without, to my annoyance), formed in Liverpool in 1989.

Their debut single, "Pure", peaked at number 92 in Australia in November 1990.  "All I Want" was the second single released locally from the band's debut album Cloudcuckooland (number 143, August 1990).

 

Internationally, "All I Want" peaked at number 155 in the UK (number 110 on the compressed chart) in May 1990.  Due to the way the compressed singles chart, where titles below number 75 with sales declines exceeding 20% on the previous week are 'starred out' or excluded from being assigned a chart placing, so that (in theory) newer titles entering lower in the chart have a greater likelihood of having their profile raised, "All I Want"'s 'real' peak (of number 155, with no singles excluded above it) occurred two weeks before its peak (of number 110) on the compressed version of the chart, when it was actually the 156th highest-selling single of that week.  Makes sense, huh?

Meanwhile, in Australia, "All I Want" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 147.

 

Susanna Hoffs from the Bangles covered "All I Want" for her second solo album, and we will see how that fared on the Australian charts in 1996.

 

Before then, will next see The Lightning Seeds in 1992.

 

 

Number 171 "Get Yourself Together" by Young Disciples

Peak: number 171

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week 

Young Disciples, fronted by American singer Carleen Anderson, formed in London in 1990.  "Get Yourself Together" was the band's debut single, lifted from their only album Road to Freedom (number 117, March 1992).

Internationally, "Get Yourself Together"initially peaked at number 68 in the UK in October 1990 before achieving a higher peak of number 65 in October 1991, when re-issued.  Australia appears to have been the only other country where the single charted.

 

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

In a first for this site, my mother happened to be in the vicinity while I was listening to this song to write this post, and "Get Yourself Together" gets her seal of approval!

Young Disciples will join us again in 1993.  Before then, the group released the single "Apparently Nothin'" in Australia in July 1991, but it failed to chart, despite being the band's biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 13 there in August 1991.

Next week (25 March): Four top 150 debuts and two bubbling WAY down under entries.

 

< Previous week: 11 March 1991                                 Next week: 25 March 1991 >

Week commencing 11 March 1991

I've written previously that many 80s artists were struggling to score hits in the early 1990s, and this week in 1991, several acts peaking outside the top 100 had been releasing material for at least 10 years.  Let's take a look at them.

 

Duran Duran were seriously flopping in Australia in 1991.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 124 "I Will Be Here" by Steve Winwood

Peak: number 121

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Chart run: 124-121-123-143-135

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

English singer-songwriter Steve Winwood notched up 10 Australian top 100 singles between 1981 and 1990, with "Higher Love" (number 8, September 1986) being the biggest of those.  His most-recent charting singles, however - "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" (number 94, September 1988) and "One and Only Man" (number 100, January 1991) - languished at the bottom end of the top 100.

"I Will Be Here" was the second single lifted from Steve's sixth studio album Refugees of the Heart (number 45, March 1991), following "One and Only Man".

Interestingly, "I Will Be Here" does not appear to have charted anywhere else; though if we are counting charts with dubious methodology, it did reach number 40 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in March 1991.

 

Within Australia, "I Will Be Here" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 97.

Steve would not land another top 100 single in Australia where he receives an artist credit.  However, Steve landed a massive hit (of sorts) when he re-recorded the lines from the chorus of his 1982 single "Valerie" - which originally peaked at number 98 in Australia in January 1983 before being remixed and re-issued in 1987, reaching a much higher peak of 19 in February 1988 - for Eric Prydz's "Call on Me" (number 2, October 2004).

Steve will join us again in 1997.

 

 

 

Number 148 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers

Peak: number 129 

Peak date: 1 April 1991

Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-135-140-129

This single originally peaked at number 5 in Australia in March 1965.

As a 12 year-old in late 1990, I couldn't really grasp the popularity of The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" (number 1, November 1990) - a song recorded in 1965, meaning it was ancient to me - following its inclusion in the movie Ghost.

 

As an 'oldie' myself now, I can appreciate the song, but couldn't (and still can't, really) imagine the kids rushing out to buy the single in record stores in 1990.  Perhaps they weren't, and enough oldies flocked out to buy it instead?

Re-releasing decades-old songs because they were used in a movie, on a TV show, or even a commercial, and sending them to the top of the charts, seems to me like it was very much an only-in-the-UK phenomenon, rather than an Australian one, in the pre-digital/streaming era.

Somebody obviously thought they should follow-up the runaway success of "Unchained Melody" in 1990 with another Righteous Brothers re-release; this time, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", a song that originally came out in 1964.  Somehow, I already knew this track back then; I guess through a combination of cultural osmosis and exposure to oldies' music on radio stations.

Lightning didn't strike twice - at least, not on the Australian chart, where the re-issue of "Lovin' Feelin'" stalled at number 129.  Yay for Australian record buyers showing some restraint with embracing all things bordering on novelty (back then, anyway), unlike their UK counterparts.

In the UK (of course!) it went all the way to number 3 in December 1990, and followed suit in Ireland, where it reached number 2.

Bubbling WAY down under:

Number 154 "What's It Gonna Be" by Jellybean featuring Niki Haris

Peak: number 154

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

 

Jellybean, born John Benitez, came to fame after remixing several tracks on Madonna's debut album Madonna (number 10, August 1984), including "Burning Up" (number 13, June 1984), "Borderline" (number 12, August 1984) and "Lucky Star" (number 36, November 1983).  He also produced Madonna's breakthrough hit "Holiday" (number 4, May 1984), and remixed her first number one single "Like a Virgin" (number 1 for five weeks in December 1984-January 1985).  He was also romantically involved with Madonna around this period.

 

Niki Haris first came to prominence as one of Madonna's backing singers/dancers on her Who's That Girl tour in 1987.  She also appeared in the film In Bed with Madonna (released as Truth Or Dare in some territories).

 

Jellybean first bubbled under on the Australian chart in his own right with "Sidewalk Talk", written by Madonna (her vocals are also featured on the track), which spent one week in seventh place on the Kent Music Report's list of singles with significant sales reports beyond the top 100 in May 1986.  He also landed a top 100 'hit' in Australia with "Who Found Who" (number 75, May 1988), featuring Elisa Fiorillo.

 

"What's It Gonna Be" was lifted from Jellybean's fourth studio album Spillin' the Beans (number 155, March 1991).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 118 (number 98 on the compressed chart) in the UK in January 1991, and number 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1991.

 

In Australia, "What's It Gonna Be" performed strongest on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 134.

 

Niki Haris would go on to feature on two Snap! singles, "Exterminate!" (number 50, February 1993) and "Do You See the Light (Looking For)", the latter of which was not released in Australia.  The 2002 remix of "Do You See the Light" (number 86, September 2002) charted in Australia.

This would be Jellybean's final single to chart in Australia.

 

 

Number 161 "Serious" by Duran Duran

Peak: number 152

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

British band Duran Duran last bubbled under in March 1990.  We also saw them in 1981.

 

"Serious" was the second, and final, single from the band's sixth studio album Liberty (number 86, October 1990).  It followed "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" (number 59, October 1990), which also underperformed on the Australian chart.

For the Liberty album, Duran Duran had recruited two new band members, guitarist Warren Cuccurullo and drummer Sterling Campbell, although they did not tour to promote the album.

 

Like many artists and groups strongly associated with the 1980s, Duran Duran's popularity took a dive in the early 1990s - at least for a coupled of years.

 

In a 2015 interview marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Liberty album, Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon himself said "(t)he album came at a difficult time, when a lot of the world was saying, 'We don’t want any more Duran Duran, we’ve had enough of you.'"

 

Internationally, "Serious" peaked at number 48 in the UK in November 1990, and number 69 in Germany in December 1990.

 

Domestically, "Serious" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it peaked at number 113.

 

I hadn't actually heard "Serious", or seen the music video, until writing this post.  My initial thoughts are that it's not bad, and I would listen to it again.

 

Simon Le Bon says of the song: "I think “Serious” is one of the best songs we’ve ever written."  He also said that it was Robert Palmer's - who collaborated with the band's John and Andy Taylor for The Power Station in 1985 - favourite Duran Duran song, which is high praise.

 

In 2005, the melody and Simon Le Bon's vocals from "Serious" were sampled on Ferry Corsten's "Fire" (number 61, March 2006), which was a number 24 hit in the Netherlands in November 2005, and reached number 40 in the UK in February 2006.

 

We will next see Duran Duran in 1995.

Number 164 "I Like You" by Culture Beat featuring Lana E. and Jay Supreme

Peak: number 164

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

Like most Australians, I was not aware of German eurodance act Culture Beat until their smash hit "Mr. Vain" (number 1, October 1993) in 1993.  But Culture Beat had actually been releasing singles for nearly four years by that point; just none of them had crossed over in Australia from the club scene to the pop chart.

Culture Beat's first single released locally, in May 1990, was "Cherry Lips", an English version of the German "Der Erdbeermund" from 1989.  That song, featuring Jo Van Nelsen on vocals, was quite different to their later releases, and failed to chart locally, though reached number 11 in Germany in January 1990.

"I Like It", featuring singer Lana E. (short for Lana Earl) and American rapper Jay Supreme (real name Jeff Carmichael), was the second single issued from Culture Beat's debut album Horizon (number 150, August 1991).  While Lana would be replaced for their second album, Jay would remain with the group during their most commercially successful period, and performs the rap on "Mr. Vain".

 

Internationally, "I Like It" peaked at number 96 in the UK in August 1990, number 30 in Germany in September 1990, number 22 in the Netherlands in November 1990, and number 40 in the Flanders region of Belgium in January 1991.

 

Domestically, "I Like You" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 138.  

 

I hadn't actually heard "I Like You" until writing this post.  The video is notably lower budget than those produced for their later hits.

We shall next see Culture Beat in June 1991.

Number 171 "Dull" by Hard-Ons

Peak: number 171

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 3 weeks

We first saw Australian band Hard-Ons back in January 1991.  "Dull" was the second single lifted from the band's fourth studio album Yummy! (number 93, January 1991).  The single performed strongest on the Western Australia state chart, where it reached number 133.

We shall see Hard-Ons again in 1993.

Number 181 "Chasin' the Wind" by Chicago

Peak: number 181

Peak date: 11 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 1 week

American band Chicago last bubbled under in May 1990.

 

"Chasin' the Wind", which I had not heard before, was penned by Diane Warren, and was the lead single from the album Twenty 1.  Confusingly, this was only the band's seventeenth studio album, in spite of the title; I guess their greatest hits compilations were also included in the numbered chronology.  The album failed to chart in Australia.

 

Internationally, "Chasin' the Wind" peaked at number 39 in the US in March 1991, and number 50 in Canada.

Locally, "Chasin' the Wind" peaked highest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 169.

Chicago would have one further single chart in Australia, which we will see in 1997.

Number 183 "World in My Eyes" by Depeche Mode

Peak: number 153

Peak date: 18 March 1991

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

Here's one I have heard before, because I'm a casual Depeche Mode fan and own their The Singles 81-85 (number 135, March 1994) and The Singles 86>98 (number 42, October 1998) compilations.  I also bought the studio album this track is from, Violator (number 42, September 1990), from which this was the final single, and yet another flop in Australia.

Truth be told, "World in My Eyes" is not one of my favourite Mode singles, although I don't mind it - it's just weaker than most of the others, "in my eyes" (ho ho ho).  Had I been in charge of making single release decisions, I would have gone with the Violator album closing track "Clean".

We last saw Depeche Mode in December 1990.  "World in My Eyes"' belated release in Australia (it was out in the UK in September 1990) was due to "Personal Jesus" being re-issued following "Policy of Truth".

"World in My Eyes" peaked at number 17 in the UK in October 1990, number 7 in Ireland, number 7 in Germany in October 1990, number 46 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1990, number 5 in Switzerland in November 1990, number 49 in the Netherlands in November 1990, number 30 in France in December 1990, number 52 in the US in December 1990, and number 74 in Canada in December 1990.

Locally, "World in My Hands" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 124.

We shall next see Depeche Mode in 1993.

Next week (18 March): Seven top 150 debuts and four bubbling WAY down under entries.

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