One thing this week in 1981's debuts have in common is that this will be the only occasion we will see the artists in question. Let's take a look at them.
Anne Murray was not 'blessed' with the chart position for her latest release.
Beyond the top 100:
Position 4 "I Don't Mind" by The Hitmen
Highest rank: 2nd
Peak date: 13 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
Ironically named in retrospect, Australian band The Hitmen never actually landed a 'hit' in Australia, with none of their releases charting higher than number 67.
Formed by Radio Birdman backing singer Johnny Kannis in 1977, The Hitmen were originally named Johnny and The Hitmen. Following Radio Birdman's 1978 tour, two of that band's members joined, and they became The Hitmen; although they are credited as just 'Hitmen' on some releases, including this one. Regular readers will know that I don't like inconsistency with band names involving 'The'!
The Hitmen's biggest single in Australia was "Didn't Tell the Man" (number 75, August 1979). For reasons I cannot determine (it was released on the same label), stupidly this track did not appear on the band's debut album Hitmen (number 67, 1981) - although it does show up on an expanded 2-CD re-issue of the album in 2007.
The Hitmen only landed only one other top 100 single, with "I Want You" (number 98, June 1980), which does appear on their first album.
"I Don't Mind" also appears on the Hitmen album, and narrowly missed the top 100.
The group placed one further single on the Kent Music Report 'Hit Predictions' list (where the titles are not ranked in order of sales) in May 1982, with "Everybody Knows (I Don't Like Love)". Although signed to a different label, they repeated the mistake of not including the track on their second album It Is What It Is (number 81, December 1982) - though it does appear on the 2007 re-issue, which was the final Hitmen release to make the top 100.
Position 25 "Blessed Are the Believers" by Anne Murray
Highest rank: 15th
Peak date: 20 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 6 weeks
My impression from the song title "Blessed Are the Believers" was that it was going to be a god-bothering tune - but, instead, the song is about believing in love. Given the performer was Anne Murray, I was also expecting a country-ish tune, and I was right about that.
Canadian singer Anne Murray, born Morna Anne Murray, placed 13 singles on the Kent Music Report top 100 between 1970 and 1986, with "You Needed Me" (number 2, December 1978) being the biggest of those.
"Blessed Are the Believers" was the lead single from Anne's sixteenth studio album Where Do You Go When You Dream (number 69, July 1981).
Internationally, "Blessed Are the Believers" peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 1981.
This would be Anne's only appearance on the beyond number 100 list.
Next week (13 July): Two more singles peaking outside the top 100.
Well, we're now exactly at the mid-way point through 1991. And what better way to mark this milestone than with one of the most hotly-anticipated songs (for me) I have had to write about so far! Read on to find out more...
Samantha Fox: just because you're laughing (at the song title), doesn't mean that it'll be charting!
"Ludi" was issued as the third single from the duo's debut album And Now the Legacy Begins (number 53, March 1991). "Ludi" peaked at number 56 in Dream Warriors' native Canada - oddly, their only single to chart there. Elsewhere, the single peaked at number 39 in the UK in March 1991, number 24 in Ireland, and number 48 in the Netherlands in March 1991.
I don't recall hearing this one before. "Ludi" was Dream Warriors' final single to dent the ARIA top 150.
Number 127 "Silent Lucidity" by Queensrÿche
Peak: number 104
Peak date: 14 October 1991
Weeks in top 150: 16 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 127-125-120-113-117-119-122-127-125-(out for 2 weeks)-149-147-106-110-104-115-128
Weeks on chart: 24 weeks
American progressive metal band Queensrÿche last paid us a visit in October 1990. "Silent Lucidy" was the second single issued in Australia from the band's fourth studio album Empire (number 127, November 1990).
"Silent Lucidity" peaked at number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in June 1991, becoming their biggest hit there and only top 100 entry. The single also peaked at number 46 in Germany in June 1991, number 21 in the Netherlands in June 1991, number 24 in Switzerland in June 1991, number 11 in New Zealand in July 1991, and number 18 in the UK in August 1992 (after originally peaking at number 34 there in May 1991).
"Silent Lucidity" performed much stronger on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 21, than elsewhere. Its next-highest state chart peak was number 69, in Western Australia. It peaked outside the top 100 on the remaining three state charts. "Silent Lucidity" also peaked higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, reaching number 74.
"Silent Lucidity" would become Queensrÿche's last single to dent the ARIA top 150. The band's 1994 album Promised Land (number 79, November 1994) peaked within the ARIA top 100, however.
Despite missing the ARIA top 100, "Silent Lucidity" holds a three-way tie in third position for the most weeks spent in the top 150 for a 1991-debuting single that missed the top 100. Its 16-week top 150 chart-run ties with Chesney Hawkes and another single we will see in October 1991. "Silent Lucidity" was still charting at the end of October 1991; its top 150 chart run was broken for two weeks in early September.
I have heard this one before, but can never remember how the song goes. It seems that metal acts were scoring their last breath of commercial success around this time by putting out ballads or acoustic tracks that were less typical of their usual sound.
Queensrÿche will join us again in 1992.
Number 134 "Heroes Let You Down" by Schnell Fenster
Peak: number 132
Peak date: 5 August 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Chart run: 134-150-141-141-145-132
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
Schnell Fenster, which translates from German as 'fast window', was a band formed in Melbourne, made up of New Zealanders. All but one of the five members of Schnell Fenster had formerly been in Split Enz or The Swingers. We last saw Schnell Fenster in 1989.
Despite the band's pedigree, Schnell Fenster failed to achieve major commercial success in Australia with none of their releases denting the ARIA top 50. Their debut single, "Whisper" (number 56, August 1988), came nearest, with subsequent singles "Love Hate Relationship" (number 83, November 1988) and "OK Alright A Huh Oh Yeah" (number 88, October 1990) languishing in the 80s. The group's debut album Sound of Trees (number 82, October 1988) followed similarly.
"Heroes Let You Down" was the belated second single from Schnell Fenster's second album OK Alright A Huh Oh Yeah (number 117, July 1991), coming nine months after the title track was released. "Heroes Let You Down" was to be the band's final single, with the group splitting in 1992.
While "OK Alright A Huh Oh Yeah" seemed to receive a moderate amount of radio and TV exposure, I do not recall hearing "Heroes Let You Down" before.
Number 140 Some Like It Hot EP by Marilyn Monroe
Peak: number 140
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 140
American actress, singer and model Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, needs no introduction. But Marilyn as a chart star?!
The title track on this EP, "Some Like It Hot", was recorded in 1959, for the movie of the same name. I am not sure why this EP was released in 1991. To confuse matters further, "Some Like It Hot" is track three on the single, with two mixes of "I Wanna Be Loved by You" - the 'Mr President Mix' and the original, appearing before it. Given that "I Wanna Be Loved by You" has been remixed for this release, I assume it was actually the main/promoted track from the EP, rather than "Some Like It Hot", and have listed it first below. "I Wanna Be Loved by You" also originally appeared in the 1959 film Some Like It Hot.
As far as I can establish, this EP was an Australian-only release.
Of course, Marilyn sadly took her own life in 1962, aged 36.
Number 147 "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On" by Samantha Fox
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 22 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Chart run: 167-147-149-124-123-143-144
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
From one blonde bombshell to another, English singer Samantha Fox came to fame as a page 3 topless model for The Sun newspaper at a tender 16 years of age. While launching a singing career a few years later might seem like a cynical move, Sam had always had her sights set on becoming a pop star, and even had her own pre-fame flop band S.F.X., who released the single "Rockin' with My Radio" in 1983.
Sam's solo career proper was launched in 1986 with the raunchy "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)", which topped the Australian singles chart for three non-consecutive weeks in July 1986, interrupted by Whitney Houston's - who we saw last week - "Greatest Love of All". On "Touch Me...", Sam displays her rock vocal prowess, which is not the paper-thin voice that can barely hold a note (not that there's anything wrong with that) you might expect from a model-turned-singer.
Between 1986 and 1989, Samantha notched up eight Australian top 100 singles. While nothing matched the massive success of "Touch Me...", Sam had two further top 20 hits in Australia, and the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" (number 22, August 1987) narrowly missed out.
The saucy song titles continued, as did the brackets, with subsequent hits "Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)" (number 18, October 1986) and "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)" (number 64, June 1988) - the latter becoming Sam's biggest hit in the US, reaching number 3 there in June 1988.
A surprising fact is that Samantha was the only British female solo artist to score three top 10 singles in the UK and US during the 1980s - with five different tracks among those, no less. Not bad for an artist whom many inaccurately label a "one hit wonder" (not that there's anything wrong with being one of those!).
As this is probably the only occasion I will get to write about Sam, I thought I would mention some of my favourite flop singles of hers, in case you haven't head them - "I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night)" (released in Australia in August 1987, did not chart) and "I Promise You (Get Ready)" (not issued as a single in Australia, but peaked at number 58 in the UK in October 1987), both from her second album Samantha Fox (number 86, August 1987).
Issued as the lead single from her fourth studio album Just One Night (number 167, August 1991), "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On" surely has the sauciest song title of all among Sam's catalogue. However, the song was intended to be a safe-sex anthem, released during the peak of the AIDS epidemic, about not immediately jumping into bed with someone who fancies you, with lyrics like "you can want my body all night long, but the pants stay on" and "my reputation says I'm not one for hesitation, but when it comes to sex, I'm very, very patient". Ooh er Missus!
The intended message of "Hurt Me..." was lost in the racy song title, with people assuming it was a song about sadomasochism. The "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!)" part of the title, however, is a crowd chant heard in the clubs back then, kind of meaning 'play that song Mr. DJ!' But when coupled with "but the pants stay on", it's easy to see why the song's message was obscured.
For "Hurt Me...", Sam teamed up with Full Force, who were behind her post-"Touch Me" American top 10 hits "Naughty Girls..." and "I Wanna Have Some Fun" (number 80, July 1989). The production on "Hurt Me..." sounds to me like they were trying to emulate the C + C Music Factory sound, and I actually thought C + C Music Factory were involved until checking the credits for this post.
While I distinctly recall reading about "Hurt Me..." in pop magazines at the time, and I think the title even got a mention on Fox FM in Melbourne (which didn't play any non-'credible' female pop at all in 1991), I did not hear "Hurt Me..." until downloading the track out of curiosity in the early 2000s. While I like the song, it doesn't quite live up to its title.
Sam's previous album I Wanna Have Some Fun (number 151, March 1989) had indeed been 'fun', but the album "Hurt Me..." is from, Just One Night, is just... awful, and was a huge misstep in Sam's career. The 2012 expanded re-issue of Just One Night was partly salvaged by inclusion of a spruced up demo Sam recorded for the album with Stock Aitken Waterman, "That's What Love Can Do", which went on to become a US top 20 hit for Boy Krazy, who we will see in 1993.
Oddly, Australia was the only country "Hurt Me..." charted in that I can verify. The single performed strongest on the South Australia/Northern Territory state chart, where it reached number 102.
A second single from Just One Night, "Another Woman (Too Many People)", was released in Australia in September 1991, but failed to chart. Sam then did not release a single in Australia again until 1997, with "Let Me Be Free", which also did not chart.
"(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On" would be Samantha's final single to chart in Australia. She would, however, have a further album register on the ARIA albums chart, with Angel with an Attitude (number 476, August 2007).
Samantha recently married her girlfriend of six years, Linda Olsen.
Number 148 "California Dreamin" by The Midnight Shift featuring Robin Wright and Issy Van Randwyck
Peak: number 134
Peak date: 29 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 148-137-146-143-134-139
"California Dreamin'" (note apostrophe) was written by John and Michelle Phillips, from The Mamas and the Papas - who were Chynna Phillips from Wilson Phillips' actual mama and papa - in 1963. The song was first recorded by Barry McGuire. The Mamas and the Papas' own version, however, is the best-known one, and was released in 1965.
The Midnight Shift appear to be a British act, but their version of "California Dreamin" - minus the apostrophe - appears to have only been released on CD single in Australia, with only 12" vinyl UK and Spanish pressings listed on discogs. The wonderfully (?) cheap video embedded below was on an Australian VHS compilation designed for play in nightclubs and retail outlets that I picked up on eBay last year for a silly price. Yes, I sometimes go to great lengths for these chart recaps...
This single performed better on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 94.
Number 149 "Yo!! Sweetness" by MC Hammer
Peak: number 149
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Known chart run: 152-149
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Stanley Burrell, better known as MC Hammer, burst onto the Australian chart in 1990 with the lead single from his second album "U Can't Touch This", which was number 1 for five weeks in July and August 1990. The follow-up release "Have You Seen Her" (number 42, September 1990), however, stalled outside the top 40. "Pray" (number 8, January 1991) returned MC Hammer to the top 10, but fourth single "Here Comes the Hammer" (number 37, April 1991) just crept into the top 40.
"Yo!! Sweetness" was released as the fifth and final single from Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em (number 5, August 1990) in Australia. While I remember seeing the single in the shops, I did not hear the track at the time, and it barely crept into the ARIA top 150. By mid-1991, Hammer, together with pop-rap rival Vanilla Ice, seemed to be a bit passe and uncool.
Internationally, "Yo!! Sweetness" peaked at number 16 in the UK in June 1991, and number 11 in Ireland. The track was not released as a commercial single in North America.
On the state charts, "Yo!! Sweetness" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 111.
The music video for "Yo!! Sweetness", embedded below, uses the LP version of the track, but the single version, both here and in Europe, was the Boilerhouse Radio Mix, which I have embedded beneath it. The Boilerhouse Mix of "Yo!! Sweetness" prominently samples Cameo's "Word Up" (number 6, March 1987), while both versions sample Rick James' "Give It to Me Baby" (which oddly did not chart in Australia).
British rapper Monie Love, born Simone Johnson, made her debut on the Australian chart in 1989 with "Grandpa's Party" (number 93, September 1989). She followed it up over a year later with another minor hit, "It's a Shame (My Sister)" (number 90, February 1991); interim single "Monie in the Middle" (released in Australia in August 1990) failed to chart. Monie's biggest Australian hit came next, with "Ring My Bell" (number 35, May 1991), a duet with Adeva.
"Down to Earth", the title track from Monie's debut album Down to Earth (number 114, July 1991), was released overseas in late 1990, before "Ring My Bell". The single's release, for whatever reason, was pushed back in Australia.
Internationally, "Down to Earth" peaked at number 31 in the UK in December 1990, number 33 in Germany in January 1991, number 15 in Switzerland in February 1991, and number 29 in the Netherlands in March 1991.
Within Australia, "Down to Earth" was most-successful on the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory state chart, where it reached number 136.
Of note is that "Down to Earth" is the earliest single I have a number 200 or below position for, at the time of writing this post.
Five of the six new entries on the Kent Music Report's beyond the top 100 list this week in 1981 are from acts we had not seen before. Let's take a look at them.
Christopher Cross: stalling outside the top 100 is sometimes the best that you can do.
Beyond the top 100:
Position 14 "I Loved 'Em Every One" by T.G. Sheppard
Highest rank: 13th
Peak dates: 6 July 1981 and 13 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 3 weeks
American country music singer T.G. Sheppard, real name William Neal Browder, started his recording career in 1974.
"I Loved 'Em Everyone" was the lead single from T.G.'s eighth studio album I Love 'Em All. The single peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1981, becoming his only American top 40 hit. T.G. had much greater success on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, as you would expect, racking up 14 number one county hits between 1974 and 1986, of which this was one.
As a general rule, I don't like country music, but I didn't find "I Love 'Em Every One" too bad, as it was more more-upbeat, and even reminded me a little bit of Little River Band.
"I Loved 'Em Every One" was T.G.'s only release to (sort of) trouble the Australian charts.
Position 15 "Say You'll Be Mine" by Christopher Cross
Highest rank: 14th
Peak dates: 6 July 1981, 13 July 1981 and 20 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, born Christopher Charles Geppert, placed seven singles on the Australian top 100 between 1980 and 1988. His biggest hit in Australia, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (number 13, December 1981) was co-written by Australia's own Peter Allen.
"Say You'll Be Mine" was the fourth and final single lifted from Christopher's debut album Christopher Cross (number 6, May 1981). It followed "Ride Like the Wind" (number 25, June 1980), "Sailing" (number 46, March 1981), and "Never Be the Same" (number 42, May 1981).
Internationally, "Say You'll Be Mine" peaked at number 20 in the US in May 1981, and number 33 in Canada.
Position 17 "When I Dream" by Jack Clement
Highest rank: 1st
Peak dates: 20 July 1981, 3 August 1981 and 10 August 1981
Weeks on below list: 7 weeks
Note: this single originally peaked at number 40 in Australia in June 1979.
American singer-songwriter and producer Jack Clement released his first record in 1953, and is credited with discovering or working with several big names before they became famous, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. He has also written songs that were recorded by Dolly Parton, Cliff Richard, Ray Charles and Elvis Presley, to name but a few.
When it came to his own recording career, Jack's success was more modest than many of the acts he worked with. Jack landed only one top 100 single in Australia, with "When I Dream" (number 40, June 1979). Surprisingly, this is one more 'pop' hit than Jack landed in the US! Jack only had minor success on the US Hot Country Songs chart with his own releases.
I am not sure why "When I Dream" (almost) charted again in Australia two years after it nudged the top 40. I can only guess that perhaps the song was used in a TV commercial, and subsequently some minor interest in the track was generated again. Does anybody reading this know the reason why "When I Dream" re-charted?
Jack passed away in 2013, aged 82, from liver cancer.
Position 18 "Night Train" by Steve Winwood
Highest rank: 9th
Peak date: 13 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 4 weeks
English singer-songwriter Steve Winwood released his debut album Steve Winwood (number 78, August 1977) in 1977, but did not land his first Australian top 100 single until 1981, with "While You See a Chance" (number 16, April 1981). Steve notched up 11 top 100 singles in Australia between 1981 and 1991, with "Higher Love" (number 8, September 1986) being the biggest of those.
Steve's voice was prominently featured on an even bigger hit, however, with the chorus from his 1982 single "Valerie" (number 98, January 1983; a remixed version peaked at number 19 in February 1988) forming the basis of Eric Prydz' "Call on Me" (number 2, October 2004).
"Night Train" was the second single released in Australia from Steve's second studio album Arc of a Diver (number 5, April 1981), following "While You See a Chance". Internationally, "Night Train" peaked at number 26 in the Flanders region of Belgium in May 1981, number 42 in the Netherlands in June 1981, and number 24 in New Zealand in July 1981. Oddly, this single did not chart in Steve's native UK.
I cannot find evidence of "Stars Fell on Alabama" charting anywhere else, even on the US Billboard Country Songs chart.
This would be Jimmy's last single to (sort of) register on the Australian chart. However, Jimmy would continue to have top 100 albums in Australia until 1986. Two later albums also peaked within the ARIA top 150 albums chart: Off to See the Lizard (number 131, August 1989) and Feeding Frenzy (number 141, December 1990).
Position 22 "Back to Where We Started" by Maggie McKinney and David McMaster
Highest rank: 15th
Peak date: 13 July 1981
Weeks on below list: 3 weeks
Maggie McKinney and Dave McMaster were both Australian artists, neither of whom landed any solo chart success in Australia, other than this release. Both were in the group Hot City Bump Band, who scored a number 35 hit in Australia with "Do What You Wanna Do" in September 1975; their only top 100 entry.
Maggie went on to record jingles for TV commercials, and was a backing singer for artists such as Renee Geyer and Marcia Hines. Maggie was also Australian girlband Girlfriend's tour manager in 1993.
Next week (6 July): Two new entries on the beyond the top 100 list.
Things this week in 1991's new entries have in common - none of them were huge hits in the country where the artist was based. Before we take a look at them, I have added a newly-uncovered bubbling WAY down under entry from The Party to last week's post.
Whitney Houston: Australia wasn't really buying her r&b jams in the early 90s.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 103 "Only You" by Keith Urban
Peak: number 101
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 103-101-114-109-113-115-123
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
Country singer Keith Urban, whose real surname is Urbahn, was born in Whangarei on the North Island of New Zealand. Coincidentally, I lived in Whangarei for about six months as a 5-6 year-old child when my dad relocated there for work. Keith's family moved to Australia when he was two years old.
While "Only You" was Keith's first single to chart anywhere in the world, it was actually his second release. The first single, "I Never Work on a Sunday", was issued in Australia in June 1990, but failed to chart. As you can see on the single sleeve for "I Never Work on a Sunday", Keith was the Westpac (Bank) Star Maker winner for 1990. That is some accolade! (said with no hint of irony...)
Both "I Never Work on a Sunday" and "Only You" were lifted from Keith's debut album Keith Urban (number 98, October 1991) - not to be confused with his 1999 album of the same name, which peaked at number 90 in Australia in February 2001.
Keith would have to wait until 2003 to land his first top 100 single in Australia, with "Raining on Sunday" (number 79, February 2003).
On the state charts, "Only You" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 43. "Only You" peaked at number 93 on the Australian Music Report singles chart.
While still tinged with country, "Only You" is more of a straightforward pop rock track.
British-American rock band Foreigner placed 12 singles on the Australian chart between 1977 and 1988, with three of those reaching the top ten. Power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is" was their biggest hit in Australia, spending five weeks at number one in February and March of 1985. The group's previous charting single in Australia, and their last to make the top 100, was "I Don't Want to Live without You" (number 24, June 1988).
Lou Gramm, who had sang lead vocals on all of Foreigner's previous hits, parted ways with the group in May 1990. He was replaced by Johnny Edwards, who sings lead on "Lowdown and Dirty", the lead single from Foreigner's seventh studio album Unusual Heat (number 102, July 1991).
Internationally, "Lowdown and Dirty" peaked at number 50 in Canada. It also reached number 4 on the US Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in July 1991, for whatever that's worth (not much).
Within Australia, "Lowdown and Dirty" was most successful in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 91.
A second and final single from Unusual Heat, "I'll Fight for You", was released in Australia in September 1991, but did not chart.
Lou Gramm re-joined Foreigner in 1992, before departing again in 2003.
We will next see Foreigner in 1994.
Number 141 "Whenever You Close Your Eyes" by Tommy Page
Peak: number 136
Peak date: 15 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 141-146-138-136-142
American singer Tommy Page has joined us previously in April 1989 and in April 1990; and here he is in the ARIA top 150 singles chart for a third and final time.
"Whenever You Close Your Eyes" was the lead single from Tommy's third album From the Heart (number 129, July 1991). Interestingly, I cannot find evidence of the single charting anywhere else.
I don't recall hearing this one before. Michael Bolton's distinctive voice can be heard singing backing vocals on the final chorus section.
Slightly amusing story: I recently had the PWL remix of Tommy's "A Zillion Kisses" playing in the car with my mum as a passenger. As the song was playing, she asked me, "Is this Madonna?"
Number 144 "The Soul Cages" by Sting
Peak: number 135
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Chart run: 144-135-141-137
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
We last saw Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, in April 1991.
"The Soul Cages" was the third single and title track from Sting's third solo album The Soul Cages (number 3, February 1991).
"The Soul Cages", which I did actually hear at the time (radio loved Sting back then), peaked at number 57 in Sting's native UK in May 1991, and at number 77 in the Netherlands during the same month. The track also reached number 9 on the US Alternative Airplay chart in April 1991, and number 7 on the US Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in April 1991.
Domestically, "The Soul Cages" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 125.
Sting will join us next in 1994.
Number 146 "Fastlane" by Urban Dance Squad
Peak Number 146
Peak date: 24 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 146
Dutch rap rock band Urban Dance Squad narrowly missed the ARIA top 50 with their debut single "Deeper Shade of Soul" (number 56, May 1991), which was their only top 100 entry in Australia.
"Fastlane", also from the group's debut album Mental Floss for the Globe (released in Australia in May 1991, missed the top 150), was Urban Dance Squad's second single issued locally.
"Fastlane" peaked at number 59 in the Netherlands in June 1991.
This single was the group's last top 150 entry in Australia.
Number 148 "My Name Is Not Susan" by Whitney Houston
By this point in 1991, American singer Whitney Houston had placed 12 singles on the Australian chart. In the US, Whitney had a string of seven consecutive number one singles, and a tally of nine Billboard Hot 100 number ones by mid-1991. In contrast, despite her first two albums being huge, Whitney had only landed four top 10 singles in Australia at this point in time, with "Greatest Love of All" (number 1, July 1986) and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (number 1, June 1987) being her only releases to top the singles chart so far.
Whitney's third album I'm Your Baby Tonight (number 10, December 1990) was more r&b-focused and less commercially-successful than its predecessors. Only one single from the album, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (number 7, November 1990), reached the top 50 in Australia. "All the Man That I Need" (number 59, March 1991), the album's second single, stalled outside the top 50.
Third single "My Name Is Not Susan" fared even worse, peaking outside the top 100. Up until now, the only Whitney singles that missed the top 100 in Australia were the duets "I Know Him So Well" (with her mother Cissy Houston, released in Australia in March 1989) and "It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be" (with Aretha Franklin, October 1989) - which both failed to chart.
Internationally, "My Name Is Not Susan" peaked at number 43 in the Flanders region of Belgium in 1991, number 29 in the UK in July 1991, number 14 in Ireland in July 1991, number 28 in the Netherlands in July 1991, number 57 in Germany in August 1991, number 31 in Sweden in August 1991, and number 20 in the US in September 1991.
The US peak of 'only' number 20 was surely a disappointment, coming off the back of two number one hits. The I'm Your Baby Tonight album campaign soon wrapped up, following a fourth single issued in North America and Europe - but not in Australia - "I Belong to You", which missed the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked no higher than number 54 (in the UK) anywhere in the world.
For reasons I am not sure why, "My Name Is Not Susan" re-entered the chart in Germany in 1998, reaching a slightly higher peak of number 52 there in July 1998.
Within Australia, "My Name Is Not Susan" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 77.
As with "I'm Your Baby Tonight", there were two different mixes of the single and two different videos for the US and European/Australasian markets. I have embedded both below, with the earlier European version (made up of clips from other Whitney videos/performances) listed beneath the US 'rap' version, which features Monie Love.
Whitney will next join us in 2001.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 180 "Tell Me That You Wait" by Culture Beat featuring Lana E. and Jay Supreme
Peak: number 180
Peak date: 24 June 1991
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
We last saw German dance group Culture Beat in March 1991. "Tell Me That You Wait" was the third single lifted from their debut album Horizon (number 150, April 1991). Oddly, I cannot find evidence of "Tell Me That You Wait" charting anywhere else.
I have heard this track before, but not until the mid 2010s, when it showed up on a various artists promo VHS compilation I bought on eBay.
On the ARIA state charts, "Tell Me That You Wait" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 157.
We'll next see Culture Beat in November 1991, when they finally break into the top 150 singles chart.
Number 185 "Heartbreak Station" by Cinderella
Peak: number 185
Peak date: 24 June 1991
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
We have seen American rock band Cinderella twice previously, in May and July of 1989.
"Heartbreak Station" was the second single and title track from the band's third album Heartbreak Station (number 72, March 1991). It followed "Shelter Me" (number 48, March 1991), which was their biggest hit in Australia.
Internationally, "Heartbreak Station" peaked at number 44 in the US in April 1991, number 51 in Canada, and number 63 in the UK in April 1991.
Within Australia, "Heartbreak Station" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 142.
"Heartbreak Station" was Cinderella's final single to chart in Australia. They had another charting album, however, with Still Climbing (number 187, January 1995).
Next week (1 July): Seven top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry. Among them is one of the best (or worst - depending on which side of the fence you sit) song titles of all time!
Nine of the eleven new entries this week in 1991 are from artists we have never seen before, which makes a refreshing change. Let's take a look at them.
Rick Astley: moving right out of the ARIA top 100.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 113 "Droppin' Like Flies" by Sheila E.
Peak: number 113
Peak date: 17 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 113-119-121-140-134-143-149
Sheila Escovedo, better known by her stage name Sheila E., first landed on the Australian chart in 1984 with the Prince-written "The Glamorous Life", which spent three weeks at number 11 in November of that year. She followed it up with the less well-remembered but equally-good "The Belle of St. Mark" (number 16, February 1985).
Unfortunately for Sheila, those two tracks were her only big hits in Australia, and she only placed two other singles in the lower half of the top 100. Sheila's previous single, "Sex Cymbal" (number 88, May 1991), was one of those. It was her first top 100 entry in Australia since 1985.
"Droppin' Like Flies" was the second single lifted from Sheila's fourth studio album Sex Cymbal (number 117, June 1991). "Droppin' Like Flies" did not chart on any other national chart that I can establish. The track registered on three of the US Billboard subsidiary (and largely meaningless) charts, however: it reached number 77 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in June 1991, number 23 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in July 1991, and number 15 on the Dance Singles Sales chart in August 1991.
"Droppin' Like Flies" was Sheila's last single to enter the ARIA top 150.
Number 116 "Move Right Out" by Rick Astley
Peak: number 110
Peak date: 24 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Chart run: 171-116-110-115-132-131-130
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
Rick Astley burst onto the Australian chart in October 1987 with the Stock Aitken Waterman written and produced "Never Gonna Give You Up", which spent seven consecutive weeks at number one between November 1987 and January 1988, and a mammoth 21 weeks in the top 10. Rick followed up that release with another seven top 100 singles in Australia, five of which made the top 20.
While Rick penned the lead single from his second album, "She Wants to Dance with Me" (number 15, October 1988), he didn't gain the creative control he desired until his third album Free (number 20, April 1991). Things looked promising with Rick's post-Stock Aitken Waterman career when "Cry for Help" (number 13, May 1991) reached the top 20 locally, and peaked at number 7 in both the UK and US.
"Cry for Help", which Rick co-wrote with Rob Fisher from Climie Fisher, was a radical departure in sound, with real instruments and a choir, and image (the long hair) for Rick. Unfortunately, Rick could not sustain the initial success of his third album, and "Cry for Help" was his final top 100 single in Australia.
"Move Right Out", the second single from Free, only made the top 40 in Canada, where it peaked at number 36. The single stalled at number 58 in the UK in March 1991, number 66 in the Netherlands in May 1991, number 52 in Germany in June 1991, and number 81 in the US in July 1991.
Within Australia, "Move Right Out" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 83. The single peaked at number 96 on the Australian Music Report chart.
I have a memory of Rick performing this song on Hey Hey It's Saturday. Coming to Australia to promote the single obviously did not work.
One thing I was not aware of until now is that there are two different edits of the music video for "Move Right Out" - a UK version and an international version, both of which I have embedded below. However, I watched them side by side and could not spot a single difference between the two videos! I then thought perhaps there is a slight difference in the audio mix used in both videos, but I couldn't detect one.
A third single from Free, "Never Knew Love", was issued in Europe but was not released in Australia.
Rick will join us next in 1993.
Number 123 "Make Out Alright" by Divinyls
Peak: number 105
Peak date: 24 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 123-105-113-121-123-127-127-121
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
Divinyls lead singer Christina Amphlett is surely the most-famous (and legendary) person to have ever attended my high school - a fact I like to repeat. "I Touch Myself" (number 1, January 1991) was the number one single in Australia during the week I started attending there, coincidentally; yet that achievement was not announced at school assembly. Instead, the principal would often mention some former student who went on to become an astronaut. Big deal!
At this point in 1991, Divinyls had placed 13 singles on the Australian top 100, with "I Touch Myself" obviously being the biggest one of those. Somehow, the band only ever landed one other top 10 single in Australia, with their debut release "Boys in Town" (number 8, November 1981). "Pleasure and Pain" (number 11, November 1985) narrowly missed the top ten.
"I Touch Myself" gave Divinyls their first major international hit outside of Australasia. Unfortunately, it was to be their only real hit in Europe and North America, and the band are largely thought of as being one-hit wonders outside of Australia.
"Make Out Alright" was Divinyls' second single to miss the top 100 in Australia, following "Punxsie" (released in October 1988). "Make Out Alright" was the third release from the Divinyls (number 5, February 1991) album, following "Love School" (number 43, April 1991).
"Make Out Alright" did not chart on any other 'real' chart, to my knowledge, but reached number 19 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
On the ARIA state charts, "Make Out Alright" performed equally-strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory and South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 91.
I am not sure why "Make Out Alright" flopped so badly. It sounds to me like it could have been a much bigger hit.
A fourth and final single from Divinyls, "I'm on Your Side", which is my favourite from the album, peaked at number 92 in October 1991.
We lost Christina Amphlett in 2013, following a long illness with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, aged 53.
We shall next see Divinyls in 1993.
Number 125 "Hunger" by Red Not Blue
Peak: number 125
Peak date: 17 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 10 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 125-126-143-139-133-(out for 1 week)-136-150-150-(out for 1 week)-141-142
We have seen Sydney band Red Not Blue previously in April 1991. "Hunger" was the second single from the band's only album Red Not Blue, which missed the ARIA top 150. "Hunger", which I had not heard before, was the band's final single.
Number 135 "Waiting for Love" by Alias
Peak: number 135
Peak date: 17 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 135-137
Canadian supergroup Alias formed in 1988. Freddy Curci from Sheriff, whom we saw in March 1989, sang lead vocals in the band.
Alias landed a sleeper hit in Australia with "More Than Words Can Say", which took twenty weeks to reach its peak of number 30 in April 1991. Despite its modest peak, the single was the 98th highest-selling single of 1991 in Australia, owing to its chart longevity.
"Waiting for Love" was Alias' second and final single release in Australia. The single peaked at number 4 in Canada, number 13 in the US, and at number 87 in the UK in March 1991.
Both "Waiting for Love" and "More Than Words Can Say" were lifted from Alias' debut album Alias (number 121, June 1991). The band recorded a second album that was due to be released in 1992, but it was shelved due to changing music styles and the rising popularity of grunge. Freddy Curci released a solo album in 1994. Never Say Never, the album recorded in 1992, was eventually released in 2009.
Number 136 "American Music" by Violent Femmes
Peak: number 118
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
Known chart run: 183-136-121-118-136-135-149
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks
We last saw American rock band Violent Femmes in May 1989, and here they are again with some more... American music.
"American Music" was the lead single from the Femmes' fifth studio album Why Do Birds Sing? (number 26, July 1991). The single did not chart anywhere else that I can ascertain, though peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
In Australia, "American Music" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 102 on the state chart.
I remember hearing this one quite a bit at the time, probably catching the video on rage or hearing the song on Triple J when switching stations. I am surprised it did not chart better in Australia; although I guess they're the kind of act for whom you would buy the album instead of the single, if you wanted the track.
We will next see Violent Femmes in 1993.
Number 140 "Soul Reason" by Mondo Rock
Peak: number 140
Peak date: 17 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 140-143-144
Between 1978 and 1991, Melbourne band Mondo Rock placed 17 singles on the Australian chart, with three of those reaching the top ten. Their Aus rock classic "Come Said the Boy" (number 2, February 1984), which reminds me vividly of starting primary school, was the band's biggest hit.
"Soul Reason" was the third single released from Mondo Rock's sixth and final studio album Why Fight It (number 102, April 1991). It followed title track "Why Fight It" (number 96, October 1990) and "I Had You in Mind" (number 94, March 1991).
"Soul Reason" would be Mondo Rock's final single, as the band split soon afterwards, although they reformed in 2006. Mondo Rock would land one further charting single, however, when "Come Said the Boy" formed the basis of Damon Boyd vs Mondo Rock's "The First Time" (number 79, May 2004).
I don't recall hearing this one before; it's nice.
While we won't see Mondo Rock again, we will see front man Ross Wilson's earlier band Daddy Cool in 1992.
Number 146 "Down in Splendour" by Straitjacket Fits
Peak: number 146
Peak date: 17 June 1991
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 146-149
Dunedin band Straitjacket Fits were signed to New Zealand independent label Flying Nun Records, which has been in the news recently, due to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern exchanging some Kiwi records on the Flying Nun label with new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. We have previously seen The Chills and The Bats, who were also signed to the same label.
While Straitjacket Fits placed five singles on the New Zealand chart between 1988 and 1993, curiously, "Down in Splendour" was not one of them. The single did not chart anywhere else, and was the band's only release to enter the ARIA top 150.
Commercial success, however, is not everything, and while "Down in Splendour" may not have been a big chart hit, it placed 32nd on the Australasian Performing Right Association's (APRA) 75th anniversary poll of the best New Zealand songs of all time in 2001.
I have actually heard/seen "Down in Splendour" before, as rage have aired the music video several times; usually during a New Zealand artists/Flying Nun Records special.
Number 147 "No Woman No Cry" by Londonbeat
Peak: number 109
Peak date: 1 July 1991
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 147-139-109-127-129-136-137
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
British band Londonbeat formed in 1988. Neither their debut album Speak (released in Australia in February 1989) nor the three singles released from it locally - "There's a Beat Going on" (September 1988), "9 A.M." (February 1989), "Falling in Love Again" (April 1989) - charted in Australia.
The band experienced their commercial peak with "I've Been Thinking About You", the lead single from their second album In the Blood (number 12, March 1991), which topped the Australian singles chart for four weeks in February and March 1991. Oddly, "I've Been Thinking About You" only reached number 2 in the UK, despite topping the charts in many European countries and in the US and Canada.
Jimmy Helms, who sang lead on most Londonbeat singles, was 44 years old when "I've Been Thinking About You" was released, and 45 when it hit number one in Australia, which seems unbelievable now. Just as Mondo Rock's "Come Said the Boy" mentioned above reminds me of starting primary school, Londonbeat's "I've Been Thinking About You" takes me back to the time when I was starting high school.
The follow-up to "I've Been Thinking About You", "A Better Love" (number 25, April 1991), was a much smaller hit. Londonbeat's rendition of Bob Marley and The Wailers' "No Woman, No Cry", minus the comma, was issued as the third and final single from In the Blood.
Londonbeat's version of the track peaked at number 64 in the UK in March 1991, number 25 in the Netherlands in March 1991, number 24 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1991, number 23 in Germany in April 1991, and number 41 in New Zealand in June 1991.
Within Australia, "No Woman No Cry" performed equally-strongest in Victoria/Tasmania and Western Australia, where it reached number 89.
I thought I had heard Londonbeat's version of "No Woman No Cry" before, but I hadn't. In my mind, their version was a straightforward cover of the song, but they have reworked it substantially. While the sound is updated for the early 90s, I am not sure that it works.
The Party are an act I recall reading about in one of those 'next big thing' articles in the Australian edition of Smash Hits magazine, but have never, until now, heard any of their music. What I remember about the band are the serious early 90s hair styles they were sporting, and that they were part of The All New Mickey Mouse Club - not that I have ever seen that (I don't think it aired in Australia). "That's Why", co-written and produced by Stephen Bray, was The Party's first single released in Australia, although it was their third single in their native US.
Despite having a clean-cut image that you would think appealed to younger teens, if not tweens, The Party did not achieve much commercial success. "That's Why" peaked at number 55 in the US, and I cannot find evidence of it charting anywhere else. The group seemed to me like very much a 'big in Japan'-type act, except I don't know that they were actually big there.
Within Australia, "That's Why" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 108.
"That's Why" is lifted from the band's debut album The Party (number 189, June 1992).
Scottish band Deacon Blue's commercial breakthrough in Australia came with the lead single from their second album When the World Knows Your Name (number 39, July 1989), "Real Gone Kid" (number 18, February 1989). That song was to become the only Deacon Blue top 50 hit in Australia, although three other singles of theirs registered a place in the lower half of the top 100 between 1987 and 1989.
"Your Swaying Arms" was the lead single from Deacon Blue's third studio album Fellow Hoodlums (number 148, August 1991). In the gap between their second and third albums, a compilation album of B-sides and unreleased tracks, Ooh Las Vegas (number 149, November 1990), was released and dented the lower end of the ARIA top 150.
"Your Swaying Arms" peaked at number 23 in the UK in May 1991, and at number 6 in Ireland during the same month.
Within Australia, "Your Swaying Arms" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 144.
While Deacon Blue would never make the Australian top 100 again, they had several more singles and albums peak outside the ARIA top 100. The band split in 1994, before reforming in 1999.
The band's guitarist during their most commercially-successful period, Graeme Kelling, passed away in 2004, aged 47, following a four year illness with pancreatic cancer.
