CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

Sometimes a song's chart peak isn't the full story. For example, it might reach number 1, but if it doesn't hang around very long, it...

Girl groups, it would seem, are like buses — and after waiting for the flood of American girl groups in the late '80s and early '90s to...

A brand new single by a megastar performer was always a cause for excitement. What would they do this time? Could they possibly top what...

Extended versions and dance mixes had been around for years, but as we saw when a separate single of remixes of Michael Jackson's "Black...

With great success can come great backlash. In November 1982, ABBA made their final appearance on the Australian top 50 after eight years...

I've always considered any song that makes the top 50 a hit — even if it's just for one week. That's why I don't count acts like A Flock...

"A Whole New World (Aladdin's Theme)". "Can You Feel The Love Tonight?". "Let It Go". Disney animated films have been responsible for...

"Relax". "Smalltown Boy". "Male Stripper". There had been quite a few hit songs in the '80s that dealt with the lives and loves of gay men, but not so many — possibly none? — about lesbian relationships. Sophie B Hawkins made a damn impressive debut in 1992 That changed this week in 1992, when the debut single by an American artist who describes herself as omnisexual arrived on the ARIA singles chart. Although I did not realise until this very moment that it was written abou

I'm still recovering from last week's mammoth deluge of new songs, so I'm a little relieved the ARIA chart was considerably more subdued...

Regular readers will know I'm no fan of novelty records, but I don't mind it all when a non-humorous song has something novel about it. Teen rap stars Kris Kross had a lot to look forward to in 1992 In the case of the highest new entry on the ARIA singles chart this week in 1992, the fact that the duo behind it were barely teenagers and had a kooky way of wearing their jeans in no way detracted it being a great song — although those facts probably did help it reach number 1.

Doing something different is a great way for a musician to get noticed — just ask Madonna. In the case of two of the new entries on the...

Child sex accusations. A secret marriage. A rap saga that spanned seven years and 33 chapters. Who knew what lay ahead in the life and...

The problem with reaching number 1 with your very first single is that the only way is down after that. And so the only thing for it is...

Exactly 12 months earlier, Ratcat had completed their transition from indie faves to chart-conquering stars as their Tingles EP finally...

Australia was all about girl groups in April 1992. Two weeks earlier, retro-styled trio Teen Queens had debuted on the ARIA top 50 and...

How things had changed by 1992. Dance music was so acceptable in the mainstream by then that a local club track had recently reached number 1, while a techno anthem was sitting pretty in the top 5. Dance music was alive and well in Australia in 1992 Joining both those hits on the top 50 was another Dutch techno duo's debut single, and the latest fusion of dance beats and Indigenous music to grace the ARIA chart. At the top of the chart this week in 1992, rock reasserted itsel

Girl groups had been around for decades, but so far in the early '90s, they'd been mostly going unnoticed in Australia. That was despite...

Earlier today in my flashback to 1987 , we saw the solo debuts of Foreigner's Lou Gramm and Boy George. Five years later, it was the turn...

Fifteen. That's how many songs we have ahead of us in this week's flashback to the ARIA singles chart from 1992. OK, 13 songs and two EPs if you want to get picky! A number 2, a number 3, a number 4 and a number 5 — but which is which? Not all of them were big hits, but four made the top 5. And although none reached the very top of the chart, one of the songs would out-sell all but one of 1992's number 1 singles... ...including the song that was spending its fourth and final

The ARIA chart loved a makeover. Since its debut in 1983, the top 50 printout had been through four major format changes, with a few...