CHART BEATS: A JOURNEY
THROUGH POP

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. Back in the '80s, the chart would take an extended break over Christmas, with as long as three weeks passing without a new top 50 being issued. This wasn't unusual — the Billboard charts routinely had a repeat week in which the charts didn't change over the holiday period. So this week in 1987, the final Australian chart for the year was printed. Don't get too excited, though — it was a pretty dull wee

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. I don't know what was happening this week in 1987, but after mostly...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. Obviously I've stored my weekly ARIA charts away safely all these...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. This week in 1987, you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. I've always preferred female recording artists to male. Even when it comes to groups, I'll usually take a girl group over a boy band. Back in 1987, aside from George Michael, Rick Astley and Michael Jackson (who pretty much everyone liked), only 12 of my favourite 100 songs for the year featured male singers — and a handful of those were duets with female performers anyway. Sting was as famous for his ac

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. It's always disappointing when you like a music act and they go and...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. In the second half of the '80s, there really was no escaping...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. In chart history, one song has often dominated the number 1 spot...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. A friend of mine finds it quite bizarre that as much as I love...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. Aussie music was alive and well this week in 1987, with 19 songs...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. In 1987, there was no bigger band at my school than U2. Sure, Bon...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. The good thing about charts is that even if there's a bad week...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. Not every week is a good week on the chart. That was especially...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. Just when you think 1987 couldn't possibly have had any more...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. After last week 's geriatric fest, the chart from this week in...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. I don't know what was going on this week in 1987, but if the...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. I'm sure I've said this already about 1987, but the top 50 chart...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. 1987 really was a banner year for the Australian music scene....

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. I remember being excited any week there were lots of new entries...

Originally posted as 25 Years Ago This Week in 2012. Updated in 2017. In the past week, I attended my high school's 20 year reunion — it being (almost) two decades since I completed Year 12 in November 1992. On the night, schoolmates I haven't seen in years commented that they recall me always having an ARIA chart or issue of Smash Hits on hand. I guess it's nice to be remembered for something other than being crap at rugby. Who's That Girl: great song, terrible movie Somethi