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 18, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: December 19, 1993

I know I've been a bit rough on 1993 from time to time over the past 12 months as I've recapped each week's ARIA singles chart from that...

Dec 11, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: December 12, 1993

I recently held a poll on the Chart Beats Facebook page about whether I should continue my journey through the ARIA singles charts of...

Dec 4, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: December 5, 1993

Music history is littered with singles that never saw the light of day in Australia for one reason or another. From Madonna alone, the...

Nov 27, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: November 28, 1993

Back in 1993, it was still possible to wring every last possible single out of a smash album, whereas these days the best way to have a...

Nov 20, 2018
5 min

This Week In 1993: November 21, 1993

There are some voices that are unmistakable — for better or for worse. And this week in 1993, one of the most distinctive singers on the...

Nov 13, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: November 14, 1993

Cute kids are a sitcom and advertising staple, and this week in 1993, pre-teens were an integral part of two of the new entries on the...

Nov 6, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: November 7, 1993

Back in 1988, Salt 'n' Pepa had been one of the first hip-hop acts to enjoy a big hit on the ARIA chart and, as 1992 began, landed one of...

Oct 30, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: October 31, 1993

What do "Take On Me" by a-ha, Bros's "I Owe You Nothing" and "Creep" by Radiohead all have in common? Very little, but they were all...

Oct 23, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: October 24, 1993

From Dame Edna to Priscilla, Australia has always liked a bit of camp. And there was no camper song in 1993 than one of the new entries...

Oct 16, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: October 17, 1993

When it comes to chart success, some artists have the misfortune of being ahead of their time. Although great for their legacy, it...

Oct 9, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: October 10, 1993

One number 1. Three number 2s. Three number 3s. Nine other top 20 singles. INXS had enjoyed an illustrious career on the ARIA top 50 in...

Oct 2, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: October 3, 1993

Things change quickly in pop music. One minute you're landing hits and selling a stack of singles, the next you're barely making the top...

Sep 25, 2018
2 min

This Week In 1993: September 26, 1993

One day you're up, the next you're down — something that can be said for many of the acts we'll see in this week's flashback to the ARIA...

Sep 18, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: September 19, 1993

It's always interesting how differently an artist can fare in one country compared to another, especially when their debut single is a...

Sep 11, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: September 12, 1993

You've got to hand it to the Swedes — they really do know their way around a good pop song. This week, the third most successful Swedish...

Sep 4, 2018
5 min

This Week In 1993: September 5, 1993

Yes, this week in 1993, a single debuted at number 1 for only the fourth time in ARIA chart history. But the less time I have to spend...

Aug 28, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: August 29, 1993

Some artists start their careers with massive success and then it's all downhill from there. Others begin big and just keep getting...

Aug 21, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: August 22, 1993

There are some songs you know will be hits eventually. All it takes is the right version by the right performer at the right time — like...

Aug 14, 2018
3 min

This Week In 1993: August 15, 1993

Back in 1993 when the release of a new album wasn't preceded by a dripfeed of tracks in the weeks prior, getting the order of singles...

Aug 7, 2018
4 min

This Week In 1993: August 8, 1993

What a difference three years makes. In 1990, countless R&B songs that had been big hits in the US made little to no impact in Australia....

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.