1. Sign up as a site member or log in if you are an existing member
2. Choose a monthly or annual subscription here
Here's what was happening on the Australian top 50 this week in...
Click the year
or picture to
read each post.
September 27-October 3
1980
George Benson enjoyed the biggest hit of his career.
1981
One last chart-topper for The Rolling Stones.
1982
​
Scotland's Simple Minds scored another top 10 single.
1983
​
Culture Club shared some good karma with the world.
1984
The first hit produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.
1985
"Take On Me" was one of three future number 1s to debut.
1986
​
Paul McCartney slipped into the top 50 with his latest.
1987
​
A duet featuring future Ally McBeal bar singer Vonda Shepard.
1988
​
Chrissie Hynde and UB40's second collab wasn't as big.
1989
The chart had missed Janet Jackson much.
1990
​
Wendy Matthews went from guest vocalist to solo star.
1991
​
The only way for Bryan Adams to stop this thing he'd started.
1992
​
British actor and singer Jimmy Nail had a bit hit... ain't no doubt.
1993
​
Urban Cookie Collective had the key to a huge dance smash.
1994
Australian rock found its faces of tomorrow.
1995
​
The battle of the Britpop superbands reached Australia.
1996
​
Celine Dion's most epic single to date.
1997
​
Danish group Aqua made it a Barbie world.
September 20-26
1980
Remember her name? We would after this huge soundtrack hit.
1981
She'd had major success with Blondie, but not so much solo.
1982
​
Frida became the first member of ABBA to land a solo hit.
1983
​
Agnetha didn't have as much solo success in Australia.
1984
U2 took a huge leap towards biggest band in the world status.
1985
"City Of Soul" was one of two new entries featuring a kiddy choir.
1986
​
Proof just how powerful Hey Hey It's Saturday was.
1987
​
Terence Trent D'Arby's wishes of Oz chart success came true.
1988
​
Only one new top 50 entry... but what a great one it was!
1989
The best single of Boom Crash Opera's career.
1990
​
It was called "Success", but Dannii's second hit was so big.
1991
​
Jenny Morris almost hit the top with "Break In The Weather".
1992
​
White Men Can't Jump spawned a huge new jack swing smash.
1993
​
Former B-side "Soul To Squeeze" got its time to shine.
1994
Babyface finally scored his first ARIA chart hit as an artist.
1995
​
N-Trance took "Stayin' Alive" back to the number 1 spot.
1996
​
What insanity! Jamiroquai's classic tune missed the top 50.
1997
​
Trip-hop band Portishead finally scored a hit in Australia.
September 13-19
1980
Far away in time, Martha & The Muffins had a huge hit.
1981
Motown superstars Diana Ross and Lionel Richie united.
1982
​
The song named after Talk Talk... or was it the other way round?
1983
​
The Police maintained their position as the world's top band.
1984
Former Yazoo singer Alison Moyet went it alone.
1985
INXS led an all-Australian batch of new entries.
1986
​
Big and strong, enough to turn me on!
1987
​
Icehouse enjoyed the biggest hit of their career.
1988
​
Ex-Sherbet star Daryl Braithwaite was on the comeback trail.
1989
Cher might not have liked her hit song, but Australia did!
1990
​
Janet Jackson returned to the top 10 for the first time in four years.
1991
​
Roxette's dream run of top 10 hits came to a big crashing halt.
1992
​
An inspired cover gave Wendy Matthews her biggest solo hit.
1993
​
Gabrielle's career got off to a dream start,
1994
Thirteen years later, two more superstars took on "Endless Love"
1995
​
Proof that there could be a dance version of pretty much anything.
1996
​
Australia loved Donna Lewis... just not forever.
1997
​
The Jewel song that helped her break records in the US.
September 6-12
1980
Diana Ross raced to the upside of the chart.
1981
A cover of a Dusty Springfield song was Marcia Hines' next hit.
1982
​
Missing Persons rode the new wave into the top 10.
1983
​
Her hubby gave Pat Wilson a helping hand into the top 50.
1984
Guilty feet have got no rhythm.
1985
A long-forgotten second hit for Katrina & The Waves.
1986
​
Australia was mad about a solo Belinda Carlisle.
1987
​
T'Pau had a hit locally... just not with their UK number 1 single.
1988
​
A collaboration with Elton John brought ONJ back to the chart.
1989
Michael Hutchence branched out from INXS again.
1990
​
A soundtrack hit gave Go West their biggest single in years.
1991
​
Martin Plaza + James Freud = Beatfish.
1992
​
Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson teamed up on this smash.
1993
​
All that the world wanted was a new Swedish pop quartet.
1994
Comeback: Kylie style.
1995
​
Pet Shop Boys proved their B-sides could also be hits.
1996
​
Spice Girl were what Australia really, really wanted.
1997
​
New look, new sound: Dannii Minogue was back!
August 30-September 5
1980
One-hit wonders Skatt Bros weren't what they seemed.
1981
A hit remake finally put Swanee on the chart.
1982
​
Survivor were rising up the number one spot.
1983
​
Billy Joel told us all about his musical influences.
1984
Not one of their biggest hits, but one of OMD's best songs.
1985
The first of two chart-toppers that year with the same title.
1986
​
Steve Winwood went higher on the top 50 than ever before.
1987
​
Chart success made New Order feel so extraordinary.
1988
​
1927 became Australia's new favourite pop/rock band.
1989
Hair today... Australia found its fave new pop/rock band.
1990
​
George Michael returned with a new approach to his image.
1991
​
Could Dire Straits dominate the way they had in the '80s?
1992
​
Billy Ray Cyrus brought country back to the Australian chart.
1993
​
"Mr Vain" put Culture Beat on the Eurodance map.
1994
Kym Mazelle and Jocelyn Brown took on an iconic duet.
1995
​
Australia finally awarded TLC with a top 10 smash.
1996
​
Belinda Carlisle returned the top 50 for the first time in four years.
1997
​
A dance remix helped Diana King's reggae remake sell.
August 23-29
1980
The Empire Strikes Back was huge; Meco's medley was not.
1981
Kool & The Gang celebrated their first Australian hit single.
1982
​
The one thing that changed everything for INXS.
1983
​
Dragon made a triumphant return to the top 50.
1984
​
After flopping earlier in the year, "Jump" was eventually huge.
1985
Aretha Franklin zoomed back onto the Australian top 50.
1986
It'd topped the chart already, but "Venus" was on its way back to no.1.
1987
​
Jenny Morris had help from a fellow Kiwi on her first big hit.
1988
​
The Fat Boys gave a classic tune a new twist.
1989
​
A bonus track remake pushed U2's latest even higher.
1990
Hair today... Australia found its fave new pop/rock band.
1991
​
Big Audio Dynamite II didn't exactly rush to the no.1 spot...
1992
​
...while Bobby Brown wasted no time heading towards the top.
1993
​
Mariah Carey switched things up for album number three.
1994
​
The sound of mid-'90s dance: Motiv8's galloping bass.
1995
Garbage proved to be anything but.
1996
​
The biggest comedy of the decade came with a massive theme.
1997
​
Real McCoy wanted to come back to the top 50 but failed.
August 16-22
1980
Jermaine Jackson got serious about solo success.
1981
Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks also kicked off her solo career.
1982
​
Who was in control? Donna Summer's label made big calls.
1983
​
From New Romantics to just plain romantic.
1984
​
Work avoiders Uncanny X-Men partied into the top 50.
1985
Synthpop group Koo De Tah were not too young for chart success.
1986
Erasure landed a hit in Australia before they did at home in the UK.
1987
​
a-ha delivered the latest Bond theme.
1988
​
A ballad returned Gloria Estefan & MSM to the number 11 slot.
1989
​
Australia jumped on the Milli Vanilli bandwagon.
1991
​
Martika received some princely help on her second album.
1992
​
Arrested Development brought some Southern style.
1993
​
After a few flops, Dannii Minogue was back in the top 50.
1994
​
Latest hit Eurodance group Corona debuted.
1995
Michael Jackson was not alone with his wife in his latest video,
1996
​
The show was a tearjerker but the BoDeans theme tune rocked.
1997
​
Trisha Yearwood got in first with her version of "How Do I Live".
August 9-15
1980
One-hit wonders Genghis Khan had some Olympic help.
1981
Jona Lewie got it right with another number 2 smash,
1982
​
A new label and producer turned things round for Chicago.
1983
​
Michael Sembello: charting like he never had before.
1984
​
What's a comeback without a chart-topping single?
1985
Funny how time flies.
1986
What a feeling! Lionel Richie was back in the top 50.
1987
​
Bad film. Great song.
1988
​
A former B-side became a breakthrough hit for Salt 'n' Pepa.
1989
​
Cliff Richard achieved a major career milestone.
1990
"Vision Of Love" introduced music fans to Mariah Carey.
1991
​
Before finding fame on TV, Jo Beth Taylor went pop.
1992
​
Sir Mix-A-Lot made it clear what type of butts he liked.
1993
​
The hits were only getting started from janet.
1994
​
The Grid briefly made banjos cool again...
1995
...while F.C.B. brought Carl Orff right up to date.
1996
​
In the battle of the former Take That stars, Robbie won.
1997
​
Will Smith's music and movie careers go to the next level.
August 2-8
1980
The first of James Freud's many hit musical incarnations.
1981
Your money or your life?
1982
​
Steve Miller Band reached out and grabbed one last hit.
1983
​
Stevie Nicks received some big-name uncredited help.
1984
​
A TV show about a band making it big spawned a big hit single.
1985
Tina Turner went beyond Thunderdome on her latest smash.
1986
The band was destined for greatness... eventually.
1987
​
The year's biggest hit flew straight into the top 10.
1988
​
Bow bow. Chick chicka chicka.
1989
​
Three members proved too much for Bros to sustain.
1990
Cowabunga! TMNT were inescapable as the '90s began.
1991
​
Would the follow-up to Brave be as every bit as big?
1992
​
So much for one-hit wonders. Right Said Fred's third hit single.
1993
​
Johnny Gill finally got Australians up on the floor.
1994
​
Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour made an unexpected duo.
1995
You oughta know the single that changed it all for female artists.
1996
​
Los Del Mar got in first but didn't have the biggest "Macarena".
1997
​
A radical remix resulted in a chart hit and ARIA Award.
July 26-August 1
1980
John Farnham's comeback had a little help from a familiar song.
1981
An Eddy Grant song gave Renée Geyer her biggest ever hit.
1982
​
Adam lost the ants but maintained his hit strike rate.
1983
​
A pun-ridden comedy routine became a massive seller.
1984
​
Bananarama were talking about an Italian(-American).
1985
The Dream Academy hit that gave "Sunchyme" its hook.
1986
It was the end of the top 50 road for Wham!
1987
​
The soap opera event of the year gave rose to a huge hit.
1989
​
Dead Or Alive scored one last (non-remix) chart hit.
1990
Were Seiko and Donnie Wahlberg really a good combo?
1991
​
Natalie Cole's unforgettable duet with her late father
1992
​
TLC weren't 2 proud to land a top 50 single.
1993
​
A Pet Shop Boys classic was given an East-end makeover.
1994
​
An '80s club tune provided the hook for The Prodigy's latest.
1995
It had flopped a year earlier, but "Kiss From A Rose" took off.
1996
And Australia wanted Savage Garden, too!
1997
​
Spice Girls hedged their bets on their fourth single.
July 19-25
1980
The film may be dodgy, but Xanadu gave ONJ more hits.
1981
International star Rick Springfield returned with his biggest single.
1982
​
The other hit by Ray Parker Jr was actually his highest-charting
1983
​
New Edition ushered in the modern boy band era.
1984
​
Backing vocalist Helen Terry stepped into the spotlight.
1985
Instrumental "Axel F" was the latest hit from Beverly Hills Cop.
1986
Doctor And The Medics took "Spirit In The Sky" back up the chart.
1987
​
Tom Cruise helped a nine-year-old song finally hit big.
1988
​
John Farnham had more reason to smile with another smash.
1989
​
A remake took Sinitta right back up the ARIA top 50.
1990
Faith No More wanted it all... and they had it.
1991
​
The single that spent longer at no. 1 than any song since 1978.
1992
​
Prince proved he still knew a thing or two about controversy.
1993
​
No one-hit wonder here. Snow's other top 50 entry.
1994
​
Pet Shop Boys took a fabulous detour from the Very album.
1996
Sweet dream or beautiful nightmare?
1997
​
Tina Arena burned back onto the top 50.
July 12-18
1980
What Australia liked about The Romantics was their no.2 hit.
1981
Australia was the only country to turn "Only For Sheep" into a hit.
1982
​
Vince Clarke teamed up with Alison Moyet to form Yazoo.
1983
​
Eddy Grant walked up the Australian top 50.
1984
​
This is what it sounds like when Prince scored his first chart-topper.
1985
Mary Jane Girls invited listeners to their house.
1986
The hit streak continued for Eurythmics.
1987
​
If he wanted controversy, George Michael sure got it.
1988
​
Fairground Attraction didn't get anything less than the top spot.
1989
​
The Scottish band named after an American state.
1990
Bernard Sumner + Johnny Marr = pop brilliance.
1991
​
Extreme didn't live up to their name in ballad mode.
1992
​
The dance remix that was even better than the U2 original.
1993
​
Pet Shop Boys returned... pointy hats and all.
1994
​
R&B group All-4-One transformed a country tune.
1995
New vocal harmony quartet MN8 took on the old guard.
1996
Teen sensation LeAnn Rimes brought country mainstream.
1997
​
A teen singer breathed new life into a Prince number 1 song.
July 5-11
1980
The KISS Army came out in force once again.
1981
Planet Earth welcomed a new pop band.
1982
​
Mondo Rock wasted no time getting back in the top 50.
1983
​
Laura Branigan had a couple of hits on the first ever ARIA chart.
1984
​
Madonna's third hit came with her third best single of all time.
1985
The soundtrack hit Cyndi Lauper shunned for a long time.
1986
Kids In The Kitchen's second album got off to a bumpy start.
1987
​
Icehouse returned with the album that'd be their biggest ever.
1988
​
The second record (and first ever 7" single) to debut at no. 1.
1989
​
Australia said hello to Indecent Obsession.
1990
Concrete Blonde had one of the year's biggest songs with "Joey".
1991
​
New jack swing group Color Me Badd sexed up the chart.
1992
​
The ABBA revival began, with thanks to Erasure.
1993
​
R.E.M. tapped into the world's pain and cracked the top 10.
1994
​
CJ Lewis was a year too late for the reggae boom.
1995
A soundtrack smash helped U2 debut at no. 1... again.
1996
​
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony crossed over with their US hit.
1997
​
A new Aussie band with some familiar faces in its line-up.
Subscription Information
Sign up for a monthly or annual subscription for exclusive access to the brand new 1999 recaps each week, as well as the archive of over 1000 posts spanning from 1980 to 1999. Subscribe here.
​
%20Climie%20Fisher.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%20U2.jpg)
