CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

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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.

Dec 21, 2015
9 min

This Week In 1985: December 22, 1985

Regular readers will be aware of my obsession with one-hit wonders and that extends to two-hit wonders as well — those acts that score...

Dec 14, 2015
2 min

This Week In 1985: December 15, 1985

It's hard enough to catch lightning in a bottle once, but to repeat the feat is nigh on impossible, as a pair of singers discovered this...

Dec 7, 2015
5 min

This Week In 1985: December 8, 1985

This week in 1985, something happened on the Australian singles chart that had never happened before: a new release debuted at number 1....

Nov 30, 2015
6 min

This Week In 1985: December 1, 1985

It wouldn't almost have been Christmas, would it? What else could explain the rush of big releases onto the ARIA singles chart this week...

Nov 23, 2015
4 min

This Week In 1985: November 24, 1985

It must be pretty frustrating for artists that record the original version of a song when someone else comes along, does a pretty...

Nov 16, 2015
5 min

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 9, 2015
3 min

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 2, 2015
5 min

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 26, 2015
4 min

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 19, 2015
4 min

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 12, 2015
6 min

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 5, 2015
4 min

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 28, 2015
6 min

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 21, 2015
4 min

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 14, 2015
4 min

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...

Sep 7, 2015
5 min

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...

Aug 31, 2015
4 min

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 24, 2015
6 min

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 17, 2015
5 min

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 10, 2015
3 min

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...

Chart Beats has launched its first podcast: A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman, which is working its way through every single produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman in chronological order. Each episode, hosts Gavin Scott and Matthew Denby cover a handful of tracks, discussing the stories behind them, debating whether they were as big as they deserved and speaking to some of the talent involved.

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.