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Jun 7, 20172 min read
This Week In 1992: June 7, 1992
I'm still recovering from last week's mammoth deluge of new songs, so I'm a little relieved the ARIA chart was considerably more subdued...
Jun 3, 20174 min read
This Week In 1984: June 3, 1984
Australia was gripped by Footloose fever this week in 1984, with the soundtrack album sitting at number 6, the movie's title track at...
May 31, 20176 min read
This Week In 1992: May 31, 1992
Regular readers will know I'm no fan of novelty records, but I don't mind it all when a non-humorous song has something novel about it....
May 31, 20175 min read
This Week In 1987: May 31, 1987
It's called the difficult second album for a reason. When you've had major success with your debut release, it's a lot to live up to. And...
May 27, 20174 min read
This Week In 1984: May 27, 1984
I've always loved it when songs are remixed from their album versions for single release. Well, I say "always", but I actually prefer my...
May 24, 20173 min read
This Week In 1987: May 24, 1987
V-Capri. Cattletruck. Bang The Drum. In our trips back to the ARIA charts of decades past, we've seen plenty of homegrown bands that...
May 24, 20175 min read
This Week In 1992: May 24, 1992
Doing something different is a great way for a musician to get noticed — just ask Madonna. In the case of two of the new entries on the...
May 20, 20174 min read
This Week In 1984: May 20, 1984
Thanks to the gender-bending of Boy George and Marilyn, and the androgyny of Annie Lennox, we'd become used to seeing pop stars exploring...
May 17, 20175 min read
This Week In 1992: May 17, 1992
Child sex accusations. A secret marriage. A rap saga that spanned seven years and 33 chapters. Who knew what lay ahead in the life and...
May 17, 20173 min read
This Week In 1987: May 17, 1987
This week in 1987, there were only two new entries on the ARIA singles top 50, but they would both go on to be top 10 hits. They also...
May 13, 20175 min read
This Week In 1984: May 13, 1984
I've always been more of a fan of upbeat pop hits, but I tell you what — when a ballad is done right, it can be sensational. And, like...
May 10, 20174 min read
This Week In 1987: May 10, 1987
It's always tempting fate to have a song title that top 50 countdown hosts can use against you as a pun. For example, songs called...
May 10, 20174 min read
This Week In 1992: May 10, 1992
The problem with reaching number 1 with your very first single is that the only way is down after that. And so the only thing for it is...
May 6, 20174 min read
This Week In 1984: May 6, 1984
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. The Human League. Ultravox. Heaven 17. Since the start of the decade, synthpop bands had flooded out...
May 3, 20176 min read
This Week In 1987: May 3, 1987
It's not easy keeping up a consistent strike rate of hits — even the biggest artists have their fair share of flops. It was also...
May 3, 20174 min read
This Week In 1992: May 3, 1992
Exactly 12 months earlier, Ratcat had completed their transition from indie faves to chart-conquering stars as their Tingles EP finally...
Apr 29, 20173 min read
This Week In 1984: April 29, 1984
Given the number 1 single of 1983 had been a comedy release, it's hardly surprising that novelty records were big business the following...
Apr 26, 20174 min read
This Week In 1992: April 26, 1992
Australia was all about girl groups in April 1992. Two weeks earlier, retro-styled trio Teen Queens had debuted on the ARIA top 50 and...
Apr 26, 20174 min read
This Week In 1987: April 26, 1987
If there was one thing that was in plentiful supply in the '80s, it was movie soundtrack hits. By my calculations, there were 19...
Apr 22, 20172 min read
The Longest-Running Number 1s In Australian Chart History
Back in 2017, I wrote this post when Ed Sheeran was challenging for the record of the longest-running number 1 in Australian chart...
