CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

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Two-Hit Wonders On The Australian Chart

Previously, I decided to set the record straight on one-hit wonders in Australia, and looked at artists who scored one major hit (either...

Oct 10, 202016 min read

This Week In 1995: October 8, 1995

There was a proven formula to landng a long-running chart-topper in the early '90s: ballad + movie tie-in = multiple weeks at number 1....

Oct 8, 20205 min read

One-Hit Wonders On The Australian Chart: The 2000s

Here is my look back at one-hit wonders on the ARIA singles chart during the 2000s.

Oct 8, 202023 min read

One-Hit Wonders On The Australian Chart: The 1990s

It's time to tackle one-hit wonders of the 1990s. First, I'll look at artists with one number 1 and no other top 50 hits...

Oct 8, 202032 min read

One-Hit Wonders On The Australian Chart: The 1980s

To set the record straight once and for all, I'm going to list the one-hit wonders from the Australian charts in the 1980s

Oct 6, 202032 min read

This Week In 1980: October 5, 1980

Girl groups (as opposed to girl bands) were thin on the ground in the early '80s — after having been a major part of music in the '60s...

Oct 5, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: October 1, 1995

You've got to love a chart battle. Record company marketing teams certainly do. But I must say I've been swept up in the past when two...

Oct 1, 20205 min read

This Week In 1980: September 28, 1980

I tend to favour female singers over male singers, especially in more recent decades. But there were a number of great male performers in...

Sep 28, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: September 24, 1995

As if to prove my point last week that pretty much any song was fair game for a dance cover in the mid-'90s, this week in 1995, two new...

Sep 24, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: September 21, 1980

The year had already seen some big musical movies in the form of Can't Stop The Music and Xanadu , and this week in 1980, another film...

Sep 21, 20205 min read

This Week In 1995: September 17, 1995

In the mid-'90s, pretty much any song or artist was fair game for a cheesy Eurodance cover. Often, faceless studio acts would take a big...

Sep 17, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: September 14, 1980

From Gundegai to Kokomo, and New York to London, locations have provided the inspiration for hit singles for... as long as there have...

Sep 14, 20203 min read

This Week In 1995: September 10, 1995

The B-side used to be an important part of music. Even in 1995, when they were more likely to be bonus tracks on a CD single or...

Sep 10, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: September 7, 1980

It's always surprising how some music legends haven't actually had that many hits in Australia. In terms of American female superstars, a...

Sep 7, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: September 3, 1995

Australians can be stubbornly resistant to successful international artists when we want to be. Even if they notch up one smash hit after...

Sep 3, 20203 min read

This Week In 1980: August 31, 1980

Sometimes a record company has got to do whatever it takes to turn a song into a hit, even if that means misrepresenting the artist in...

Aug 31, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: August 27, 1995

If you're a regular reader, you'll know I had little time for grunge and "alternative rock" in the '90s. But there's an exception to...

Aug 27, 20204 min read

This Week In 1980: August 24, 1980

Despite being only five years old at the time, I have some clear memories from 1980, one of which was starting school. I also remember...

Aug 24, 20204 min read

This Week In 1995: August 20, 1995

Of all the odd things to occur during the life of Michael Jackson, his short-lived marriage to Lisa Marie Presley must be among the top...

Aug 20, 20205 min read

This Week In 1980: August 17, 1980

Standing out from a famous family can be tricky, especially when one of your brothers is the most famous pop star in the world. But this...

Aug 17, 20203 min read

A Journey Through Aussie Pop - green light.png

A Journey Through Aussie Pop is shining a light on classic Australian pop artists and releases from the 1980s, '90s and 2000s.

A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman is working its way through every single produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman in chronological order.

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