CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

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Sep 9, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: September 9, 1990

As I take my weekly looks back at the ARIA charts from 1985 and 1990, it's always nice when there's a link between the two — like there...

Sep 8, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: September 8, 1985

I've been in one-hit wonder mode again for the past week as I finally prepare to tackle the 1HWs from the 2000s — so it's only...

Sep 2, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: September 2, 1990

By 1990, image makeovers were not unusual — plenty of stars had traded in their tired old look for a shiny new veneer during the '80s....

Sep 1, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: September 1, 1985

From "Xanadu" to "On Our Own", the '80s were packed with outstanding soundtrack hits — and this week in 1985, one of the all-time best...

Aug 26, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: August 26, 1990

It can happen without warning. One minute, a music act has the world at its feet, racking up hit singles and multi-platinum albums...

Aug 25, 20157 min read

This Week In 1985: August 25, 1985

Nine new entries! This week in 1985 saw the highest number of debuts on the ARIA singles chart for that entire year. Together with the...

Aug 19, 20157 min read

This Week In 1990: August 19, 1990

It's a question every singer in a group must ask themselves — when's the right time to go solo? Step out on your own too early and fans...

Aug 18, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: August 18, 1985

Remember when MTV actually played music videos? The channel might now focus on reality shows about teen mothers and drunken skanks from...

Aug 12, 20155 min read

This Week In 1990: August 12, 1990

And then a new artist comes along, with the vocal range to carry on... right up the chart — but who could have predicted that the female...

Aug 11, 20153 min read

This Week In 1985: August 11, 1985

It's something we've seen on my chart recaps time and time again — later singles from a big album not being able to manage chart...

Aug 5, 20156 min read

This Week In 1990: August 5, 1990

This week in 1985, the highest new entry on the ARIA top 50 singles chart was soundtrack hit "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"...

Aug 4, 20156 min read

This Week In 1985: August 4, 1985

Is it just me or are there not as many song titles as there used to be that make use of brackets? The '80s are littered with them —...

Jul 29, 20156 min read

This Week In 1990: July 29, 1990

Of all the musical oddities I've recapped while writing this blog, few singles are as random as the ballad duet that debuted on the ARIA...

Jul 28, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: July 28, 1985

There came a point in time where I went from being a music fan who had never heard the original versions of cover songs or the old tracks...

Jul 22, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: July 22, 1990

Rock music was changing in 1990 — and there was no greater proof of that than the highest new entry on the ARIA singles chart this week...

Jul 21, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: July 21, 1985

You can probably count the instrumental hit singles of the '80s on the fingers of one hand. Maybe two. And songs released in 1985 would...

Jul 15, 20154 min read

This Week In 1990: July 15, 1990

The Honeydrippers, The Power Station, The Travelling Wilburys... so far in our look back at the ARIA charts of the late '80s and early...

Jul 14, 20154 min read

This Week In 1985: July 14, 1985

This week in 1985, the global music industry united in an unprecedented show of force. The event: Live Aid, which I looked back at in a...

Jul 8, 20153 min read

This Week In 1990: July 8, 1990

I've made no secret of my disdain for Heart's chart-topper, "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You", in recent weeks — think of it as my...

Jul 7, 20155 min read

This Week In 1985: July 7, 1985

For Pat Benatar, it's a chore to sing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", while R.E.M. hate "Shiny Happy People" so much they left it off their...

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.