CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

Hands up who would've thought "What Is Love?" by Howard Jones was a big hit in Australia? Maybe I'm biased — we had a copy of his debut...

It really did take ages for some songs from overseas to become successful in Australia in the '80s. For starters, there was no such thing...

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

A number 1 single. Another single which entered the top 10 this week. A top 5 album. The Footloose soundtrack was an unstoppable force on...

"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

In my time as a music journalist, I've read countless bios for new artists, hoping to find an interesting fact or two I can ask them about in an interview. The more interesting the angle, the more readers are going to care. There was more to Breakfast Club than having a famous ex-drummer This week in 1987 saw the ARIA chart debut of a band with one especially exciting fact about them: Madonna used to be a member. No doubt, they were asked about that in every interview they ev

Some of music's biggest songs have come about when artists are pressured to deliver a hit single. Pop history is littered with numerous...

What do Jody Watley, Terence Trent D'Arby, Cutting Crew, Breakfast Club and Swing Out Sister have in common? Besides all releasing...

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...

Australia was gripped by Footloose fever this week in 1984, with the soundtrack album sitting at number 6, the movie's title track at...

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.

It's called the difficult second album for a reason. When you've had major success with your debut release, it's a lot to live up to. And...

I've always loved it when songs are remixed from their album versions for single release. Well, I say "always", but I actually prefer my favourite song of all time in its album incarnation than its single mix, so that's a pretty big exception to the rule. Duran Duran were back on chart form with the remixed "The Reflex" But more often than not, a single remix transforms a good song into a great one and/or gives new life to a track that's been kicking around for a while on an

V-Capri. Cattletruck. Bang The Drum. In our trips back to the ARIA charts of decades past, we've seen plenty of homegrown bands that...

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...

Thanks to the gender-bending of Boy George and Marilyn, and the androgyny of Annie Lennox, we'd become used to seeing pop stars exploring...

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...

This week in 1987, there were only two new entries on the ARIA singles top 50, but they would both go on to be top 10 hits. They also...

I've always been more of a fan of upbeat pop hits, but I tell you what — when a ballad is done right, it can be sensational. And, like...

It's always tempting fate to have a song title that top 50 countdown hosts can use against you as a pun. For example, songs called "Number One" that don't become chart-toppers or singles with the word "up" in their titles that are moving down the chart. If those smiles look forced it's because the Mannequin cast realise how badly the film will date This week in 1987, a massive hit arrived on the ARIA singles chart and I can just hear Countdown's Gavin Wood or Barry Bissell fr