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Paula Abdul's feline friend helped her land her biggest hit in 1990 |
Big hits by Sinead O'Connor, Alannah Myles, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Concrete Blonde, Peter Blakeley, Heart and, er, Craig McLachlan & Check 1-2 are nowhere to be seen on my chart of top songs for the year.
On the flipside, half of my top 25 songs from 1990 didn't even crack the weekly ARIA chart locally. The majority were hits in the UK, while a couple... well, you'll see...
Number 25 "Killer" by Adamski
We start off this batch of songs with a UK number 1 which failed to make the Australian top 100 at all. But, it's a song plenty of Australians will be familiar with since the featured (but not credited) vocalist was Seal, who recorded his own version of the track for his debut solo album. While Seal sold well here, the singer's new version of "Killer" only just managed to slip into the chart - it peaked at number 95. Producer Adamski (real name: Adam Tinley) looked like he'd have a promising career, with "Killer" the middle of three UK chart hits, but just as Seal took off as an artist in his own right, Adamski's time in the spotlight came to an end. The dance classic was also covered by George Michael (on his Five Live EP) and German dance act ATB as "Killer 2000", both of which made the Australian top 40.
Number 24 "Got To Have Your Love" by Mantronix featuring Wondress
Another song that missed the Australian top 100 altogether but charted in a cover version years later (Liberty X's remake made number 75 in 2002), this was a big UK top 5 hit early in 1990. Led by Kurtis Mantronik (who would finally score an Aussie top 40 hit in 2003 with "How Did You Know"), Mantronix went through quite the transformation in 1990 following the departure of rapper MC Tee, with their sound moving further away from hip-hop and more towards club music. Singer Wondress (her real name!) would return for follow-up "Take Your Time" (number 126 on this list).
Number 23 "Hang Onto Your Love" by Jason Donovan
After a pretty impressive 1989 - he had the highest-selling album in the UK and a string of hits both there and in Australia - Jason struggled in 1990. By "only" reaching number 8 in the UK, this second single from Between The Lines was his least successful to date. I don't even know if it or his next single, "Another Night" (number 45 on this list), were released in Australia. If "Hang Onto You Love" did come out here, it missed the top 100, despite having a video which looked like a commercial for Cottee's cordial; if it didn't, it was probably a good move since local interest in Jason had dropped right off. Personally, while I was more than happy to defiantly declare my love for Kylie Minogue's music at high school, I doubt I would have 'fessed up too loudly to also being a fan of Jason's songs.
Number 22 "Fascinaing Rhythm" by Bass-o-matic
This is getting a bit predictable... big UK hit (number 9), total flop in Australia, classic dance track with a link to a performer who would eventually have local success - in this case, William Orbit. Years before he twiddled the knobs for Madonna and All Saints, and helped turn Barber's "Adagio For Strings" into a trance anthem, the producer/performer formed this dance group. This was their most successful single, but I also liked "Funky Love Vibrations" from their second and final album, Science And Melody.
Number 21 "Enjoy The Silence" by Depeche Mode
1990 was a big year for this long-running synthpop group turned stadium-filling mega-band - just not in Australia. The second single from Violator returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time since 1984 and gave them their first and, to date, only US top 10 hit.
I came across this song on the double cassette of Now That's What I Call Music 17, which my sister brought back for me from the UK. I had forgotten all about Depeche Mode since liking early '80s tracks like "Just Can't Get Enough" and "People Are People", and this reignited my interest in them.
I got right into the Violator album - which also included "World In My Eyes" (number 35 on this list) and "Policy Of Truth" (number 44) - and snapped up Songs Of Faith And Devotion when it came out a few years later. I then reversed through the group's back catalogue, picking up all the albums I'd missed along the way - and Depeche Mode now rank as one of my favourite groups of all time.
They have a new album, Delta Machine, out in a couple of months' time - and I hoping it's as good as 2005's Playing The Angel and a lot better than their last offering, the disappointing Sounds Of The Universe.
Number 20 "I Wanna Make Love" by Colours
Just for something different - a song that went nowhere anywhere, failing to make the Australian top 100 or the UK top 75. I came across the track when it got a random play on a Saturday morning music show and snapped up the 7" single, which I still have. I don't know anything about the group, except that they had an album called Rules Of Attraction, which I also ended up tracking down on CD years later so I could have the song on CD, only to find the album version was longer - and if there's one thing I like more than anything else when it comes to music, it's 7" versions or radio edits. I regularly check eBay for a copy of the CD single...
Number 19 "If I Have To Stand Alone" by Lonnie Gordon
1990 was not a good year for producers Stock Aitken Waterman - or their latest artist. Although things started off swimmingly, with Lonnie's "Happenin' All Over Again" reaching number 4 in the UK (and number 33 in Australia), by November, when this track came out, it could only manage a single week at number 68. Needless to say, it completely stiffed in Australia. As far as SAW were concerned, it was one of many disasters for them that year - some tracks were deserved flops, but this song and Lonnie's other single from 1990, "Beyond Your Wildest Dreams", were just as worthy as "Happenin'..." (which is still to come) of becoming hits.
Number 18 "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson
Mentioned below
Number 17 "Only Your Love" by Bananarama
From an act new to SAW to one who was (kind of) leaving them behind, Bananarama branched out musically with this first single from their Pop Life album. That album did feature two SAW productions, but neither of them were singles. Instead, they worked with in-demand producer Youth (who was behind credible dance act Blue Pearl and had, coincidentally, been a member of SAW-produced group Brilliant back in the mid-'80s) and, on this track, sampled The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. It wasn't as big a musical shift as it sounds, with the girls' pop sensibility firmly in place - but it probably was too cool for the kids and not cool enough for the indie crowd, resulting in a much lower chart position than Bananarama had recently become accustomed to. In Australia, it narrowly missed the top 50, peaking at number 51.
Number 16 "Blue Savannah" by Erasure
Unlike Bananarama, fellow '80s survivors Erasure were still very much in favour and landed their highest charting single from Wild! in the UK with this, the album's third single. Vince and Andy were really on a roll at this point in their career, with another four years of big UK hits still to come, including "Star" (number 97 on this list). But, yep, you guessed it, in Australia, "Blue Savannah" didn't chart inside the top 100.
Number 15 "World In Motion..." by England New Order
Finally, a song that people in Australia actually bought! (In fairness, Janet's entry back at number 18 also did well, but we'll talk about that later) Why Australians bought a British soccer anthem, however, is another matter. "World In Motion" was the latest in a long line of UK "football songs", released in support of a team's sporting efforts - in this case, the national team, which was competing in that year's World Cup. In Australia, enough people either supported the British team or liked New Order (or both) to send the song to number 21 on the chart.
Number 14 "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
This was already a great album track crying out for a single release, but throw in a rap from a cartoon cat, who also dances with the singer, and the result was amazing - and a number 1 smash around the world, including in Australia (for two weeks). MC Skat Kat (the Ks made him extra kool) only performed the two raps in the song, with the male part of the back-and-forth vocal supplied by The Wild Pair (Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn). "Opposites Attract" would be Paula's only chart-topper in Australia ("Rush Rush" spent three weeks at number 2 in 1991), but in the US, it was her fourth of six number 1s.
Number 13 "So Hard" by Pet Shop Boys
Previously featured here
Number 12 "One Thing Leads To Another" by Yell!
Remember back at number 19 when I said 1990 was a bad year for Stock Aitken Waterman? Well, here's another song they produced which failed miserably. And, unlike songs they worked on for the likes of Kakko, Delage and Romi & Jazz, "One Thing Leads To Another" had the advantage of being the follow-up to a UK top 10 hit. At the start of the year, the duo comprised of Paul Varney and Daniel James had taken a pretty ordinary cover version of Dan Hartman's "Instant Replay" to number 10, so it's even more surprising this SAW original completely bombed. Paul would go on to record a couple of solo flops with SAW - one of which will pop up quite high in my 1991 chart.
Number 11 "Insect" by Boxcar
So far, all the songs we've seen which didn't work in Australia have been by UK artists (or, in the case of Jason Donovan, a local artist based in the UK), but here's an Australian band who couldn't land a hit in their home country. The reason might have been because Boxcar sounded like they were a UK synthpop band and, clearly, that was not a popular genre in this country at the time. Routinely compared to New Order - and there were obvious similarities - Boxcar had a number of awesome songs, including this track and their sole ARIA top 100 entry, "Gas Stop (Who Do You Think You Are)" (number 41 on this list). Despite the lack of success for the singles and debut album Vertigo, the band returned in 1994 with a second studio album - and more underappreciated songs.
Number 10 "Make It Easy On Me" by Sybil
Previously featured here
Number 9 "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite
Certainly the most unique new act of 1990, Deee-Lite hit it out of the park with this debut single, hitting number 1 in Australia and famously being denied the top spot in the UK due to a re-release of "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band selling an almost identical amount of copies. Although they're considered a one-hit wonder, Deee-Lite did slip into the bottom of most major charts with follow-up "Power Of Love" (number 87 on this list) - and I also liked 1991's "Good Beat".
Number 8 "Vogue" by Madonna
With the singles from Like A Prayer starting to bring back ever-diminishing returns, Madonna returned to the studio and came up with "Vogue", inspired by a dance style that actually been around for some time without most people noticing. In Australia and Europe, "Vogue" was released as a double A-side with "Keep It Together", and duly became the latest in a long line of number 1 singles. In the US, "Keep It Together" had already charted and so "Vogue" hit the top spot there in its own right.
Number 7 "Step Back In Time" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here
Number 6 "Handful Of Promises" by Big Fun
Previously featured here
Number 5 "Escapade" Janet Jackson
Like Madonna and Paula Abdul, as well as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, who we saw back in Part 3, Janet was a regular visitor to the number 1 spot in the US. 1990 was a time when albums were mined for singles, with "Escapade" becoming the third of seven releases from Rhythm Nation 1814 - and the second of four that reached the top spot. It's my favourite Janet single of all time, a feeling not shared by much of Australia, since the song only reached number 25 here. "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" (number 18 on this list) was another US chart-topper and did quite well here, reaching number 14 - and also featured a video in which Janet ditched the military wear and long jackets for a sexy new look. We'd be seeing a lot more of that body in the following years...
Number 4 "Don't Worry" by Kim Appleby
Making a triumphant return to the UK music scene, Kim was one half of '80s pop duo Mel & Kim and had tragically lost sister Mel to cancer at the very start of the year. "Don't Worry" was always going to be successful as a show of support for Kim by the British public - but it was a great song as well, the first of a number of poppy solo singles she recorded without help from previous producers SAW. Some of the tunes on her self-titled album were co-writtern with Mel, and had been intended for the second Mel & Kim album. Unfortunately, Kim's return to the charts never translated to Australia.
Number 3 "Better The Devil You Know" by Kylie Minogue
Previously featured here
Number 2 "Happenin' All Over Again" by Lonnie Gordon
Mentioned above and previously featured here
Number 1 "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" by Jimmy Somerville
In a year with such classic singles from some of pop's leading ladies, it sometimes surprises me that this is my top song for 1990, but at the time, I loved this remake of the Sylvester disco track and bought the 12" single on import - something I rarely did, since the purchase set me back close to $20, a fortune at the time. Jimmy had moved on from Communards by this stage, but maintained his habit of turning old songs into hits all over again - at least in the UK, where this went to number 5. In Australia, it struggled to a high of number 76.
My top 200 singles for 1990 in full:
1 YOU
MAKE ME FEEL (MIGHTY REAL) Jimmy Somerville
2 HAPPENIN'
ALL OVER AGAIN Lonnie Gordon
3 BETTER
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW Kylie Minogue
4 DON'T
WORRY Kim Appleby
5 ESCAPADE
Janet Jackson
6 HANDFUL
OF PROMISES Big Fun
7 STEP
BACK IN TIME Kylie Minogue
8 VOGUE
Madonna
9 GROOVE
IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite
10 MAKE IT EASY ON ME Sybil
11 INSECT Boxcar
12 ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER Yell!
13 SO HARD Pet Shop Boys
14 OPPOSITES ATTRACT Paula Abdul (Duet with The Wild Pair)
15 WORLD IN MOTION... England New Order
16 BLUE SAVANNAH Erasure
17 ONLY YOUR LOVE Bananarama
18 LOVE WILL NEVER DO (WITHOUT YOU) Janet Jackson
19 IF I HAVE TO STAND ALONE Lonnie Gordon
20 I WANNA MAKE LOVE Colours
21 ENJOY THE SILENCE Depeche Mode
22 FASCINATING RHYTHM Bass-o-matic
23 HANG ONTO YOUR LOVE Jason Donovan
24 GOT TO HAVE YOUR LOVE Mantronix featuring Wondress
25 KILLER Adamski
26 I CAN'T SAY GOODBYE Kim Wilde
27 I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE Black Box
28 KING OF WISHFUL THINKING Go West
29 TWO TO MAKE IT RIGHT Seduction
30 I NEED YOUR BODY Tina Arena
31 LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK Taylor Dayne
32 SUMMER RAIN Belinda Carlisle
33 HOLD ON Wilson Phillips
34 THINK Information Society
35 WORLD IN MY EYES Depeche Mode
36 GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT Pebbles
37 THAT'S WHAT I CALL LOVE Kate Ceberano
38 I'M YOUR BABY TONIGHT / YVONNE TURNER MIX Whitney Houston
39 FANTASY Black Box
40 VISION OF LOVE Mariah Carey
41 GAS STOP (WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?) Boxcar
42 MADLY IN LOVE Bros
43 HELLO The Beloved
44 POLICY OF TRUTH Depeche Mode
45 ANOTHER NIGHT Jason Donovan
46 CAN'T STOP After 7
47 GET UP! (BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER) Technotronic featuring Ya
Kid K
48 LOVE CHILD Sweet Sensation
49 TIME Kim Wilde
50 RUB YOU THE RIGHT WAY Johnny Gill
51 DON'T WANNA FALL IN LOVE Jane Child
52 BIRDHOUSE IN YOUR SOUL They Might Be Giants
53 YOUR LOVE TAKES ME HIGHER The Beloved
54 I'M NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP The Brat Pack
55 MILES AND MILES Noiseworks
56 DANCING IN THE STORM / MOUNTAIN OF STRENGTH Boom Crash Opera
57 ESCAPING Margaret Urlich
58 ROOM AT THE TOP Adam Ant
59 SHE AIN'T WORTH IT Glenn Medeiros featuring Bobby Brown
60 WORLD IN PERFECT HARMONY Kim Wilde
61 RUNAWAY HORSES Belinda Carlisle
62 THE ONLY ONE I KNOW The Charlatans
63 ROAM The B-52's
64 GOOD LOVE Klymaxx
65 THAT MAN (HE’S ALL MINE) Inner City
66 STEP BY STEP New Kids On The Block
67 ROMEO Dino
68 YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN The Brat Pack
69 NUMBER ONE (REMEMBER WHEN WE DANCED ALL NIGHT) Margaret Urlich
70 TIME AFTER TIME The Beloved
71 TENDER LOVER Babyface featuring Bobby Brown
72 I'M NOT GONNA STAND FOR THIS (NO MORE) Johnnie O
73 INFINITY (1990s… TIME FOR THE GURU) Guru Josh
74 CAN'T GET ENOUGH (OF YOUR LOVE) Kim Wilde
75 FEELS GOOD Tony Toni Tone
76 DUB BE GOOD TO ME Beats International featuring Lindy Layton
77 BEING BORING Pet Shop Boys
78 SHOW ME HEAVEN Maria McKee
79 EACH AND EVERY TIME Sweet Sensation
80 THE GIRL I USED TO KNOW Brother Beyond
81 I DON'T HAVE THE HEART James Ingram
82 NOTHING TO LOSE S'Express
83 24 HOURS Betty Boo
84 (YOU'RE MY ONE AND ONLY) TRUE LOVE Seduction
85 EVERYBODY EVERYBODY Black Box
86 HEARTBEAT Seduction
87 POWER OF LOVE Deee-Lite
88 IT'S HERE Kim Wilde
89 IF WISHES CAME TRUE Sweet Sensation
90 WHERE ARE YOU BABY? Betty Boo
91 ALL I'M MISSING IS YOU Glenn Medeiros
92 TALK ABOUT IT Boom Crash Opera
93 HOLD ON En Vogue
94 I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR The Chimes
95 ROCK THE BOAT Delage
96 DOIN' THE DO Betty Boo
97 STAR Erasure
98 PRAY MC Hammer
99 MY KINDA GIRL Babyface
100 FAIRWEATHER FRIEND Johnny Gill
101 STRONG AS STEEL Tina Arena
102 ROCKIN' OVER THE BEAT Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K
103 DON'T YOU LOVE ME 49ers
104 HEART LIKE A WHEEL Human League
105 HOW LONG Information Society
106 REPUTATION Dusty Springfield
107 LOVE AND EMOTION Stevie B
108 READ MY LIPS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) Jimmy Somerville
109 WHOLE WIDE WORLD A’me Lorain
110 VIOLENCE OF SUMMER (LOVE'S TAKING OVER) Duran Duran
111 DON'T CHA THINK After 7
112 UNBELIEVEABLE E.M.F.
113 I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU Londonbeat
114 CRAZY The Boys
115 AFTER THE RAIN Titiyo
116 NOT THRU BEING WITH YOU Michael Jeffries with Karyn White
117 U CAN'T TOUCH THIS MC Hammer
118 POISON Bell Biv Devoe
119 SENSITIVITY Ralph Tresvant
120 HOW LONGER 49ers
121 HOW CAN WE BE LOVERS Michael Bolton
122 SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN Phil Collins
123 I PROMISED MYSELF Nick Kamen
124 LIVIN’ IN THE LIGHT Caron Wheeler
125 FREEDOM '90 George Michael
126 TAKE YOUR TIME Mantronix featuring Wondress
127 FOLLOW MY HEARTBEAT A’me Lorain
128 DISAPPEAR INXS
129 EVERYTHING Jody Watley
130 LOVE TAKES TIME Mariah Carey
131 COME BACK TO ME Janet Jackson
132 WATER Martika
133 BREAKAWAY (REMIX) Donna Summer
134 BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS Lonnie Gordon
135 ONLY MY HEART CALLING Margaret Urlich
136 DANGEROUS Roxette
137 HEAVEN GIVE ME WORDS Propaganda
138 NEVER GONNA STOP Indecent Obsession
139 BAD OF THE HEART George Lammond
140 HIDE AND SEEK Pajama Party
141 SECOND CHANCE Tyler Collins
142 IMPULSIVE Wilson Phillips
143 GROOVY TRAIN The Farm
144 LET'S HANG ON Shooting Party
145 LITTLE BROTHER Blue Pearl
146 TOMORROW Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
147 LIES En Vogue
148 DIRTY CASH The Adventures of Stevie V
149 NAKED IN THE RAIN Blue Pearl
150 INNOCENT The Whispers
151 I CALL YOUR NAME a-ha
152 I'M FREE Soup Dragons featuring Junior Reid
153 CLOSE TO YOU Maxi Priest
154 WON’T TALK ABOUT IT Beats International
155 YOU CAN'T DENY IT Lisa Stansfield
156 PEOPLE Soul II Soul
157 REAL REAL REAL Jesus Jones
158 SITTIN IN THE LAP OF LUXURY Louie Louie
159 GHETTO HEAVEN Family Stand
160 WHAT TIME IS LOVE? The KLF
161 (WE WANT) THE SAME THING Belinda Carlisle
162 PRAYING FOR TIME George Michael
163 LOVE COMES TO MIND The Chimes
164 COULD HAVE TOLD YOU SO Halo James
165 RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW Jesus Jones
166 CRAZY FOR YOU Sybil featuring Salt 'n' Pepa
167 SAY A PRAYER Breathe
168 KEEP IT TOGETHER Madonna
169 LOVE MAKES THINGS HAPPEN Pebbles / Babyface
170 MISSING YOU Soul II Soul
171 LOVE SAW IT Karyn White / Babyface
172 TINGLES (EP) Ratcat
173 TONIGHT New Kids On The Block
174 THING CALLED LOVE The Boys
175 GIRLS NITE OUT Tyler Collins
176 SERIOUS Duran Duran
177 IT’S A SHAME (MY SISTER) Monie Love featuring True Image
178 HEAR THE DRUMMER (GET WICKED) Chad Jackson
179 SHINE ON House Of Love
180 THIS IS HOW IT FEELS Inspiral Carpets
181 WHIPAPPEAL Babyface
182 WHAT DID I DO TO YOU Lisa Stansfield
183 LET’S PUSH IT Innocence
184 MAKE YOU SWEAT Keith Sweat
185 ALL MY LIFE Linda Ronstadt / Aaron Neville
186 IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE Roxette
187 NATURAL THING Innocence
188 READY OR NOT After 7
189 FOUR BACHERACH AND DAVID SONGS (EP) Deacon Blue
190 THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince
191 DO ME Bell Biv Devoe
192 HEAT OF THE MOMENT After 7
193 NOBODY Tongue ‘n’ Cheek
194 SILENT VOICE Innocence
195 COUNTING EVERY MINUTE Sonia
196 THE MASTERPLAN Diana Brown & Barry K Sharpe
197 ELEVATE MY MIND Stereo MCs
198 DON'T MISS THE PARTY LINE Bizz Nizz
199 WAITING FOR THAT DAY George Michael
200 COULD THIS BE LOVE Seduction
MY YEAR-END CHARTS
I'm almost certain that Jason's 'Hang On To Your Love' and 'Another Night' were not released as singles in Australia... which, despite his lack of then-recent chart success in Oz, seems quite odd considering other PWL-related artists with similar chart 'success' here had their singles released locally. e.g. all 5 of Sonia's 'Everybody Knows' singles, despite only the first one of them becoming a minor hit. Jason being Australian makes it even more bizarre.
ReplyDeleteActually, someone has listed an Australian 12" single of 'Hang On To Your Love' on discogs.com (though with no scans of the sleeve). It has a catalogue number listed, though. Maybe it was a promo?
ReplyDeleteIt's odd they didn't at least release them to cater to the fanbase (dwindling as it was). I guess by then they'd given up on him ever having another hit here... and only released Rhythm Of The Rain because it was a cover.
DeleteAbout the second Yell! single, which did not chart…I remember reading in Smash Hits in 1990, in an interview with Stock Aitken Waterman, that Yell's record company went bust the day the single came out so there were no copies in the UK shops. Perhaps they were talking about this single?
ReplyDeleteThat rings a bell! Of course, it's hardly surprising for Pete Waterman to have an excuse at the ready.
Delete