CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

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Jul 16, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: July 16, 1995

I'm sure I've written before about the proliferation of vocal harmony groups in the mid-'90s, but you need look no further than the new...

Jul 13, 20203 min read

This Week In 1980: July 13, 1980

As much as I love pure pop, synthpop, R&B and dance music, I also have plenty of time for pop/rock groups. That was especially the case...

Jul 9, 20205 min read

This Week In 1995: July 9, 1995

In 1995, debuting at number 1 on the ARIA singles chart was still a rarity. Even rarer: an act managing to do it twice. In fact, up until...

Jul 6, 20205 min read

This Week In 1980: July 6, 1980

Plenty of music acts gain a devoted following — in recent years, everyone from One Direction to Beyoncé has had a fanbase with a cute...

Jul 2, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: July 2, 1995

There is an inner circle among one-hit wonders — those artists who achieved the ultimate in chart one-off-ness: a chart-topping single...

Jun 29, 20202 min read

This Week In 1980: June 29, 1980

We've reached the halfway point of our look back at the Australian singles chart of 1980. And to mark the occasion... a pretty dull chart...

Jun 25, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: June 25, 1995

Musical taste is a funny thing — one person's ear candy is another's noise pollution. And it always amuses me when I get a sudden influx...

Jun 22, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: June 22, 1980

A couple of months earlier, disco seemed to be on its last legs, but it's not over until the fat lady sings. Or a group of six men in...

Jun 18, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: June 18, 1995

We've already seen a number of cover versions from 1995 in our look back at the ARIA singles chart from that year, but this week featured...

Jun 15, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: June 15, 1980

Australia had plenty of successful rock bands in 1980, but with the rise of synthpop and new wave, a new breed of local groups started to...

Jun 11, 20205 min read

This Week In 1995: June 11, 1995

It's rare for a family to have one superstar performer, but for two music icons to emerge from the one household is even more unusual. So...

Jun 8, 20203 min read

This Week In 1980: June 8, 1980

From Dragon and Mi-Sex to Sharon O'Neill and Jenny Morris, many bands and singers from New Zealand have made their way across the Tasman...

Jun 4, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: June 4, 1995

Sometimes it seemed like if a '90s dance track wasn't a flop the first time around, then it hadn't earned its right to be a success. From...

Jun 1, 20203 min read

This Week In 1980: June 1, 1980

There are some acts you wish would be more successful, and others where it's a blessing they haven't had more hits. This week in 1980,...

May 28, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: May 28, 1995

American R&B music had really infiltrated the mainstream in Australia by 1995, so much so that no one blinked an eye when the debut...

May 25, 20202 min read

This Week In 1980: May 25, 1980

It had to happen eventually. After weeks of seeing loads of classic tracks debut on the Australian singles top 50 from 1980, we've...

May 21, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: May 21, 1995

Over the last two weeks, we've seen some of my favourite dance tracks from 1995 (of which there were many) arrive on the ARIA singles...

May 18, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: May 18, 1980

So far in our trip back to the Australian singles chart of 1980, we've seen one-hit wonders Player [1] and Fiddler's Dram — two acts that...

May 14, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: May 14, 1995

Sometimes less is more. If you only have a few great tracks in you, don't bother inflicting an album full of filler on the world. This...

May 11, 20203 min read

This Week In 1980: May 11, 1980

I recently posted a video of my favourite Australian bands of the 1980s on the Chart Beats Facebook page, and someone noted the absence...

A Journey Through Aussie Pop - green light.png

A Journey Through Aussie Pop is shining a light on classic Australian pop artists and releases from the 1980s, '90s and 2000s.

A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman is working its way through every single produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman in chronological order.

Chart Beats subscribers have access to exclusive content, including extended interviews and extra discussion we can't fit in the regular episodes. Click here for more info.

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About Chart Beats

Chart Beats: A Journey Through Pop has been looking back at music from the '80s, '90s, 2000s and 2010s since 2012. Run by freelance journalist and content creator Gavin Scott in Sydney, Australia.