CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

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Nov 18, 20156 min read

This Week In 1990: November 18, 1990

After a slow start in Australia, rap music was off and running in 1990. Two hip-hop singles had already been to the top of the ARIA top...

Nov 17, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: November 17, 1985

It's not always a good idea when characters from TV series release spin-off singles. Scratch that — it's pretty much always a terrible...

Nov 11, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: November 11, 1990

It used to be a proven formula: hit movie plus power ballad equals chart smash. And indeed, this week in 1990, two of the week's new...

Nov 10, 20153 min read

This Week In 1985: November 10, 1985

Earlier in 1985, Scottish sweetheart Sheena Easton had sexed up her girl-next-door image and emerged as one of the year's raunchiest...

Nov 4, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: November 4, 1990

It's always been the case in music that when one act fades away, another similar artist is waiting in the wings to take its place. And to...

Nov 3, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: November 3, 1985

I was doing some reading up on the band that had the highest debut on the ARIA singles chart this week in 1985, and I came across an...

Oct 28, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: October 28, 1990

It's amazing the difference a remix can make — not only to how good a song sounds but also to its chart performance. There have been...

Oct 27, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: October 27, 1985

A couple of months ago, we saw the ARIA singles chart with the highest number of new entries for all of 1985. By contrast, this week that...

Oct 21, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: October 21, 1990

They might look like a cross between Fabio and Derek Zoolander but the two guys below are music royalty. Not only were they second...

Oct 20, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: October 20, 1985

Unlike songs themselves, song titles are not protected by copyright, which is why we've seen multiple songs called "Heaven", "Around The...

Oct 14, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: October 14, 1990

Just when I was beginning to despair at the state of the ARIA chart, things took a turn for the better this week in 1990. After a...

Oct 13, 20156 min read

This Week In 1985: October 13, 1985

It's very rare that I like every new entry on any given ARIA top 50 singles chart, but that was the case this week in 1985 — and it's...

Oct 7, 20153 min read

This Week In 1990: October 7, 1990

As I write this post, I'm sitting on an un-air conditioned train in Sydney on a 35 degree day, and so it's very hard to muster much...

Oct 6, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: October 6, 1985

There are certain songs that have been covered to death. Songs like "Yesterday", "Unchained Melody" and "Over The Rainbow". I always...

Sep 30, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: September 30, 1990

It's the rare backing singer who makes the transition to becoming a star in their own right. Luther Vandross, Sheryl Crow and Whitney...

Sep 29, 20156 min read

This Week In 1985: September 29, 1985

I'm sure it's happened on several occasions, but the ARIA singles chart this week in 1985 was notable for featuring the simultaneous...

Sep 23, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: September 23, 1990

As the latest seasons of The X Factor continue in both Australia and the UK, a new batch of contestants prepare for what seems to be an...

Sep 22, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: September 22, 1985

Saxaphone solos, key changes, keytars... there are some things that will forever be associated with '80s music. Add to that list the...

Sep 16, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: September 16, 1990

In yesterday's 1985 post, we saw INXS debut at number 5 with "What You Need" , the lead single from their Listen Like Thieves album....

Sep 15, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: September 15, 1985

If you ever needed any proof that Australian music was in a pretty healthy state in the mid-'80s, you need look no further than the ARIA...

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.