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Sep 5, 20185 min read
This Week In 1993: September 5, 1993
Yes, this week in 1993, a single debuted at number 1 for only the fourth time in ARIA chart history. But the less time I have to spend...
Aug 29, 20183 min read
This Week In 1993: August 29, 1993
Some artists start their careers with massive success and then it's all downhill from there. Others begin big and just keep getting...
Aug 22, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: August 22, 1993
There are some songs you know will be hits eventually. All it takes is the right version by the right performer at the right time — like...
Aug 15, 20183 min read
This Week In 1993: August 15, 1993
Back in 1993 when the release of a new album wasn't preceded by a dripfeed of tracks in the weeks prior, getting the order of singles...
Aug 8, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: August 8, 1993
What a difference three years makes. In 1990, countless R&B songs that had been big hits in the US made little to no impact in Australia....
Aug 1, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: August 1, 1993
Music acts remake songs for all sorts of reasons. This week in 1993, Australia's favourite British boy band debuted on the ARIA chart...
Jul 25, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: July 25, 1993
This week in 1993 on the ARIA singles chart, two instances of a common problem for musicians occured: the less successful follow-up to a...
Jul 18, 20185 min read
This Week In 1993: July 18, 1993
In between all the reggae, grunge, Eurodance and rock remakes that defined 1993, moments of pure pop were few and far between. Thank...
Jul 11, 20185 min read
This Week In 1993: July 11, 1993
Some songs are bigger than a chart position — going on to sum up a moment in time or become a statement about life. "Everybody Hurts" by...
Jul 4, 20183 min read
This Week In 1993: July 4, 1993
By 1993, sampling was well-established as part of music — and was generally being done much more legally than at first. This week that...
Jul 2, 201816 min read
The first Australian singles chart of the 1980s
Originally posted in 2018. Updated in 2020. When I started this blog six years ago, I took a look back at the first ARIA chart I...
Jun 27, 20183 min read
This Week In 1993: June 27, 1993
On the ARIA singles chart this week in 1993, there were a handful of ho-hum entries in the top 50, but something much more interesting...
Jun 20, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: June 20, 1993
Some bands steer well clear of cover versions, preferring to release only self-penned material. And then there's UB40, who early on in...
Jun 13, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: June 13, 1993
It's always disheartening when an artist you like decides to go down a musical path you don't. Not mentioning any names, but like when a...
Jun 7, 201814 min read
This Week In 1998: The "Final" ARIA Chart Printout
As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I left Australia to go backpacking in May 1998. A few short weeks later, ARIA stopped...
Jun 6, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: June 6, 1993
Some song lyrics are filled with metaphors and imagery, with the real meaning remaining a mystery forever. Other songs get straight to...
May 30, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: May 30, 1993
There are some singers whose voices are instantly recognisable. Artists like Cher, Freddie Mercury and Rihanna, who you can pick the...
May 23, 20184 min read
This Week In 1993: May 23, 1993
Everyone loves a comeback, and this week in 1993, three acts that had all been quite successful in the '80s returned to the ARIA top 50...
May 16, 20185 min read
This Week In 1993: May 16, 1993
Sometimes it's only a matter of time until an artist lands a number 1 hit. And for Janet Jackson, the inevitable came in May 1993, when...
May 9, 20183 min read
This Week In 1993: May 9, 1993
The problem in being a solo male rapper and having a massive number 1 hit in Australia in the early '90s was that it quickly became all...
