Well I’ve looked over the Go-set charts on this site, time now to look at the biggest hits from the NZ Listener charts which was the organisation that covered the NZ music scene from the first half of the 70’s. Again I won’t be including commentary on here as the entries are somehow more generic than the ones that were big over here around this time (in addition to the NZ exclusives that I’m obviously unfamiliar with.)
Although nothing released during the first half of the decade came close to being in the top ten biggest hits of the decade in NZ (chart wise that is) that doesn’t take away from what this track from Hogsnort Rupert and company managed to achieve in their homeland. If you couldn’t tell from their name, they were a novelty act which explains the success they had during their peak.
#1 for 1970
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because I wasn’t expecting this to be among the biggest hits of the decade in NZ (at least according to the Listener charts.) Admittedly this was a massive worldwide hit as well as a huge radio staple on oldies stations, so perhaps the kiwis were just ahead of the curb when it came to making this a defining hit of the 70’s compared to us Aussies.
#1 for 1974
#1 for 1975
This is the only entry from George Baker on this list, although he did have other songs chart on the Listener charts including his other big hit in Australia “Little green bag” meaning this wasn’t the first the kiwis had heard of him. I am a bit confused as to how we Aussies and kiwis came across his music given his failure to crossover outside of Europe on America and the UK.
#2 for 1974
We’re going to be seeing a lot of Elton John on this list given how much the kiwis loved him during the first half of the decade, this is arguably his biggest hit given how high it is on this list with only “Don’t go breaking my heart” being its only real rival for this spot. It was also his second chart topper on the Listener charts due to the hype that went into the album it came from.
#3 for 1974
From what I can gather, this is the only hit that BJ Thomas had in NZ throughout the Listener charts given how his other Billboard chart topper “Hey won’t you” (I’m not typing out the full name of that song) became a hit once the RIANZ charts launched. Naturally it would be a success over there given how John Farnham didn’t release his cover to steal its success like he did here.
#2 for 1970
This was easily the biggest hit that the Hollies achieved in NZ throughout their career, or at least it’s by far their best charting given how we obviously don’t have any hard sales data from this period in NZ. They have an impressive five entries on this list as opposed to just three on the Australian side of this site.
#4 for 1974
There will be one more entry on this list from Paper lace than there was on the Australian side of my site, this is because this second single of theirs really took off in NZ to the point where the kiwis showed interest in them for one more song than the rest of the world did. Even so, they would be yesterday’s news once the RIANZ charts launched over there.
#5 for 1974
We’re going to look at several surprises on this list; this is among the bigger surprises given how this wasn’t that big anywhere else in the world and yet is a candidate for the top 100 biggest songs of the 70’s in NZ. Obviously, I don’t have an issue with this being big over there given it was a hit in Australia, but it’s the scale of its success that threw me off.
#1 for 1972
I should remind my readers that this list is ranked purely based on how well a song did on the Listener charts rather than sales given how I obviously don’t have access to sales data from this period, that said, it is impressive just how long this lasted on the NZ charts for Dawn to the point where it’s technically their best charting single over there despite it failing to get to number one.
#3 for 1970
Whereas this guy only scored one hit here in Australia back in the day, this is the first of five entries from Daniel Boone on this list given how much the kiwis loved his music. For whatever reason, he was a massive failure in his native UK with even this failing to find any success among his fellow Brits.
#2 for 1972
Like I said, this list is ranked by how well a song did on the Listener charts and it just so happens that Dawn’s earlier entry lasted far longer than their big international hit on those charts to justify its placement higher on this list. As for their biggest international hit, it was bound to be as such over there due to how well they were doing at this point in time with the kiwis.
#1 for 1973
For the most part, Don Mclean had the same level of success in NZ as he did here in Australia, the main difference will be what his third entry will be on this list as that too is different to what appeared on the Australian side of this site. This obviously isn’t that entry as it was inescapable there like it was here.
#3 for 1972
It’s possible this should be even higher on this list given how it was on the final chart because the Listener went defunct in favour of the RIANZ charts, in any case, it still managed to be the Carpenters best charting single in NZ regardless of format due to how long it lasted at number one over there.
#2 for 1975
There’s going to be only two entries from David Bowie on this list, although his second entry will be different from the one that appeared on the Australian side of my site. In any case, this goes to show that while the hits were huge when they occurred, he didn’t have that much consistency in his career in Australia or NZ.
#6 for 1974
Just a fair warning that the fab four overall saw much less success in NZ than they did here in Australia according to the Listener charts, this is one of two exceptions as this collaboration Paul made with his wife Linda became a massive chart topper over there where it failed to be as such over here likely due to how well it did on the Billboard charts.
#1 for 1971
#4 for 1972
I guess the kiwis were bigger fans of Kelly’s heroes than we Aussies were given how much more successful this track from the film was over there (according to the listener charts) than it was over here. I don’t think it was a hit because of its artist given how Mike Curb is now more famous for his political activities than his music.
#2 for 1971
So, we have an interesting entry here as we have the appearance of both the Carpenters and a cover of one of their biggest hits from NZ singer/songwriter Steve Allen which the Listener charts bundled together on their rankings. I have to assume both versions were equally as popular as each other as this wasn’t a common occurrence on their charts throughout its run with other local covers of international hits.
#2 for 1973
Like on the Australian equivalent of this list, the Drifters have two entries on here, although their second entry will be new to this list given how this was their first hit over there as opposed to “Like sister and brother” here in Australia. At the very least this was a huge chart topper on the Listener charts where it wasn’t on ours.
#7 for 1974
This is the only appearance from Ray Stevens on this list, mainly because the kiwis were one of the few people who didn’t buy into his hypocritical plea for racial harmony from the start of the decade as “Everything is beautiful” was a massive flop on the Listener charts. This means he’s a two-hit wonder with this and “Misty” over there.
#8 for 1974
For the most part, Donny Osmond didn’t see that much success in NZ with this being one of only two appearances he’ll be making on this list as a solo artist, although he does have three more overall with the rest of his family, suggesting the kiwis preferred him as a package deal rather than a solo entry.
#5 for 1972
This entry from John Lennon is the sole song from the fab four that found equal amounts of success in NZ as it did here in Australia, well that and an entry from Ringo Starr we’ll get to in a minute. This will be his only appearance on this list as it appears the kiwis weren’t too interested what he and his wife’s band had to offer around this time.
#6 for 1972
Here’s the other entry from the fab four to find equal success in NZ as it did here in Australia, this time it’s from Ringo Starr who took the world by storm with his second album which this served as the lead single for. We’ll be looking at said album’s second single very soon on this list.
#3 for 1973
#9 for 1974
This was bound to be a success in NZ given how inescapable it was throughout the rest of the world, although as we go further down this list, you’ll quickly discover that many international one hit wonders had several other hits in NZ. Terry isn’t one of them, but I would’ve thought he’d escape the one hit wonder bin over there.
#10 for 1974
This is one of only two hits that Carly Simon had in NZ, we’ll get to her other hit much later down this list but suffice to say, these two entries were the best she could do with the kiwis throughout her career. This means that Australia was the only place in the world where she had a hit with “I’ve got to have you” prior to this song’s release.
#4 for 1973
Here’s the other big hit that Ringo Starr had from his second album Ringo, indeed this was a massive chart topper for him in NZ just like it was on Billboard despite having such a problematic premise of having a (then) thirty something year old proclaiming a sixteen-year-old to be “all mine.”
#11 for 1974
This is the only hit to come from NZ country singer Maria Dallas, it was a song about the children’s book character of the same name which no doubt appealed to her fellow kiwis given how high it is on this list. That said, it’s a bit strange she didn’t have another charting single in her homeland.
#4 for 1970
Considering how much of a failure these guys were internationally, it’s impressive to see the Mom and dads do so well in Australia and NZ even if the kiwis were clearly following suit from us Aussies when they made it a hit over there. Given how they failed to score a second hit on our charts, the same was the case on the listener charts.
#7 for 1972
I wasn’t expecting to see this be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, although then again this had far less competition on the Listener charts than it did on our charts given how (to my knowledge) there wasn’t a Countdown equivalent over there to disincentives international hits like there was here.
#3 for 1975
This unfortunately missed out on appearing on the Australian side of my site due to the (in my opinion) far inferior version from Australian Jigsaw that stole its success on our charts. Fortunately, the kiwis didn’t have a local act to steal this song’s success in their homeland, meaning that Christie was able to find success with their one and only international hit in NZ.
#5 for 1970
This is another predictable entry on this list given how huge this was internationally for Carl Douglas, although I should point out he scored a second minor hit in NZ with “Dance the Kung fu” which means he was most successful over there during his brief time in the spotlight. This more than explains why the Bus stop remix from 1998 was inescapable over there in the late 90’s.
#12 for 1974
Whereas this song had its success delayed here in Australia fort the Kinks, it wasn’t the case for them anywhere else in the world which leaves me to wonder if us Aussies needed some convincing to allow a song about a trans woman on our airwaves back in the day. In any case, this is easily their biggest hit in NZ due to how inescapable it was.
#6 for 1970
Although it shares its title with a Steve Miller track, this has no connection to the future hit from the American singer/songwriter as this is instead a different song from NZ singer Bunny Walters who scored a massive hit with his debut single in his homeland and even sparked mild interest here in Australia with it.
#8 for 1972
This will be the only appearance from John Hanlon on this list as his second single “Apple wine” was released too late into the Listener charts final weeks to rack up the points necessary to appear on this list. It’s actually hard to say how well that song did given how the change in chart format happened right at its peak.
#4 for 1975
We have another local band to feature on this list; this one is the Rumour who scored a massive hit in their homeland with this track which translates to “love is the child of freedom.” It was a huge hit for them locally and even led to them scoring a second hit which we’ll get to later down this list.
#3 for 1971
Four out of Neil Diamond’s five entries on the Australian side of my site will be appearing on this list, this was the biggest hit of those four songs he had in NZ due to how much of a roll he was on over there when he released it. Despite this being his biggest hit, it’s the only entry of his that failed to get to number one on the Listener charts.
#13 for 1974
#5 for 1975
And here we immediately are with the second song from Neil Diamond on this list, this was his third and final chart topper in NZ given how he didn’t top the charts throughout the history of RIANZ despite how many hits he continued to have during the second half of the decade over there.
#9 for 1972
This was easily CCR’s biggest hit in NZ, or rather their best charting given how chaotic the charts were on the Listener charts during their initial breakthrough in 1969/1970. Even so, the fact this came so close to becoming their sole chart topper over there should tell you how well loved they were over there right before their popularity dwindled worldwide.
#4 for 1971
Here we are again with one of the most infamous songs of all time, although considering the lack of 50’s crooners there’ll be on this list, it’s a bit surprising how the kiwis made an exception for this guy even if it was a huge international hit for him and the uncredited singer Odia Coates.
#14 for 1974
Given how this was an inescapable hit here in Australia for Susan Raye, it was only inevitable that it was also as such for her in NZ even if it was a complete dud for her in her native America. She even had a second minor hit on the Listener charts with “Pitty pitty patter” which shows how much interest the kiwis had in her music.
#5 for 1971
Even though this is Helen Reddy’s highest placement on this list, this is only due to “Free and easy” still being on the Listener charts when they were discontinued and it charting for a while into the RIANZ charts as these two runs confirm that to be her biggest hit in NZ. That said, this is a decent second place given its worldwide success.
#5 for 1973
Whereas this really struggled to appear on the Australian side of my site, it was an easy shoe in for this list for the husband-and-wife duo likely due to the star power their “friends” gave them on this track. It appears their “friends” weren’t able to give them a second hit as they’re a true one hit wonder on the Listener charts.
#6 for 1971
This is a carryover from the 60’s, although it was released in its final weeks which makes it more of a hit in the 70’s for Fourmyula. They were one of the biggest names in the NZ music scene of the 60’s thanks to their brand of psychedelia connecting with the hippies of the moment, although that more than explains why this was their final hit in their homeland.
#7 for 1970
Much like the rest of the world, this was Harry Nilsson’s only hit in NZ given how he was considered an album artist save for this breakup ballad that Mariah Carey has since made her own. Admittedly I have no idea how well his album did given how the kiwis didn’t track album stats this far back.
#10 for 1972
Even though we’re seeing a lot of repeat entries on this list so far, I wouldn’t get too comfortable with that happening as we go further down this list given how few female country stars managed to crossover to NZ with the success they had here in Australia. Lynn Anderson was one of the lucky few due to how inescapable this was internationally for her.
#7 for 1971
Whereas this was the only hit that Dr Hook had here in Australia during the first half of the decade, they had another hit over in NZ which we’ll be looking at much later down this list. If you want to know how we Aussies and kiwis came across these guys even though they weren’t that popular in their native America, it turns out they were quite popular in the UK of all places.
#11 for 1972
Whereas there are several artists on this list that managed to have multiple hits on the Listener charts despite being one hit wonders here in Australia, the opposite is true for Roberta Flack as this is the only hit she had in NZ despite having two others on our charts down under. At the very least, the kiwis were obviously nostalgia bombed when the Fugees sampled this 23 years after its release.
#6 for 1973
This is one of two entries from Donny and Marie Osmond on this list, this is a cover of the Dale and Grace song form 1963 which was a big hit worldwide upon its release, meaning the brother and sister duo were able to nostalgia bomb audiences with their update despite the implications their version has when it comes to “keeping it in the family” as we say.
#15 for 1974
It looks like this saw the light of day in NZ too as it managed go become a chart topper over there just like it was over here for the Hollies. You’d think the success it saw throughout the southern hemisphere would’ve been encouragement enough for it to be released in their native UK, alas this wasn’t the case as it never saw the light of day in the northern hemisphere.
#8 for 1971
Well, this is a surprise, mainly because I wasn’t expecting the second single from Don’t shoot me to be the second biggest hit Elton John had on the Listener charts. That said, it did have stiff competition with “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” as that fell off the charts just as they were coming to an end in 1975 (and we’ll be looking at in a bit.)
#7 for 1973
It only makes sense that this would be a huge hit for Dawn in NZ given how well their debut single did over there, this naturally meant that they had several other minor hits throughout the Listener chart’s run even if there’s only one more entry to come from them on this list and it’s their fourth entry from the Australian side of my site.
#9 for 1971
This honestly feels a little low on this list given how long it charted for on the Listener charts albeit on the lower half of their top twenty, I guess the kiwis were a bit torn in making this theme from the Sting a hit back in the day and eventually decided on it by allowing it to remain on their charts.
#16 for 1974
Well, this is going to be interesting, we have three entries from Three dog night on this list with none of them being the two entries they had on the Australian side of this site. This means we have a literal passing the torch situation given how these five hits they had between both countries were as such in their native America.
#12 for 1972
Whereas this barely managed to appear on the Australian side of my site for the Nitty gritty dirt band (what the hell did I just type out?) this was almost a chart topper for them in NZ and even encouraged the kiwis to give them a second minor hit in the form of “House at pooh corner” with how big it was over there.
#10 for 1971
Whereas this was the only notable success Mungo Jerry had here in Australia, they managed to score a second hit over in NZ which we’ll look at much further down this list. This has the benefit of not charting with an (in my opinion) inferior version of the track over there, hence why it’s more successful there than it was here.
#8 for 1970
Much like Rupert Holmes after him, this is a British born artist who scored massive success in America after migrating over there. Clint Holmes is best known nowadays for being a TV host, however he had a stint as a pop star which resulted in this one and only hit on Billboard and over in NZ.
#8 for 1973
Whereas this guy had a few entries on the Australian side of this list, this was Glenn Campbell’s only hit during the first half of the 70’s in NZ likely due to how huge this was in the UK for him of all places. He did have decent success over there throughout the 60’s, and he did begin the decade with some success with his duet with Bobbie Gentry.
#9 for 1970
There was no doubt this was going to appear on this side of my site given how well disco did on the RIANZ charts during the second half of the decade, although I’m disappointed to announce this was George Mcrrae’s only hit in NZ even though he scored a second hit in the UK of all places with “I can’t leave you alone.”
#17 for 1974
We have our third appearance from Neil Diamond on this list; this was actually his first big hit in NZ given how “Holly holy” was too minor a hit to be considered for this list. There was little chance this was going to fail over there given how inescapable it was throughout the rest of the world for the soft rocker.
#10 for 1970
Just like here in Australia, this was Lobo’s biggest hit in NZ given how much he was on a roll worldwide with this track. Unlike in Australia, he had stiff competition with his debut single over there as we’ll be revisiting it sooner than you think on this list. In any case, he has all three entries from the Australian side of my site accounted for here.
#9 for 1973
Whereas this would’ve been the final entry from the Australian side of my site from the Hollies, we still have two more entries to look at from them on this list given how much the kiwis loved them throughout the decade. That said, this remains an outlier in their catalogue given how their next two entries are more in line with their brand of psychedelia rock.
#13 for 1972
This is one of the final hits of the Listener charts to complete its chart run before they went defunct in 1975, it only figures that the kiwis would gravitate towards this cover of the Beatles classic given how the rumours about “Lucy” being an allegory for drugs were well in swing by the time this version was released to the public.
#6 for 1975
Whereas this had a heavily delayed success here in Australia, this was an immediate success for Lieutenant pigeon in NZ given how it peaked during their Christmas period of 1972/73 as opposed to only taking off in 1973 down under. We Aussies had the last laugh given how they scored a second hit here and nowhere else in the world.
#10 for 1973
It’s strange to think that this was Elton John’s first chart topper in NZ and yet it’s outranked by not one but two of his songs that failed to reach number one on the Listener charts. What’s really strange is that chart performance wise, this was outdone by the second single from the album it serves as the lead single for, although I can’t stress enough how this doesn’t mean “Daniel” outsold this track over there.
#11 for 1973
Whereas this was the song that kickstarted Sweet’s popularity here in Australia, this is actually the most recent entry from them on this list given how their next big hit in NZ would be “Fox on the run” which obviously only charted one the RIANZ charts launched. That said, we’ve got plenty of other entries from them to come as we go further down this list.
#12 for 1973
#18 for 1974
There’s been a suspicious lack of representation from glam rock on this list hasn’t there? This is among the biggest entries from the genre given how inescapable this hit from the Rubettes was both in Australia and their native UK. They did have a second minor hit in NZ with “Tonight,” although that was far from their only success in their homeland.
#19 for 1974
Whereas this was one of only two entries from Tony Christie on the Australian side of my site, this will be the first of six entries from the English singer on here due to how well loved he was with the kiwis during the first half of the decade. Even his fellow Brits didn’t give him this much success likely due to them seeing him as a poor man’s Tom Jones.
#11 for 1971
This is one of several collaborations Nancy Sinatra had with Lee Hazlewood, you’d think they were a romantic couple but alas they appeared to simply be good friends as they were never romantically involved with each other. This was a flop here in Australia but did quite well for them in NZ and the UK of all places.
#12 for 1971
It was surprisingly hard to look up information about this track, however from what I can gather, this comes to us from Greek composer Stravos Xarahakos who scored a hit exclusively in NZ likely dye to a tour he had over there which allowed the composer to have a hit with this orchestral track.
#20 for 1974
I bet you weren’t expecting to see an entry from Russell Mporris on this list, here he is with a song that failed to appear on the Australian side of this list because for some reason, we Aussies didn’t gravitate towards it like the kiwis did. He has another entry to come on this list given how this put him on the map over in NZ.
#11 for 1970
Even in their native UK, this was Edison Lighthouse’s only hit as this came out right when the hippy movement was beginning to die out worldwide. In NZ however, they scored a second hit which we’ll be looking at later down this list, proving that the kiwis were alright with the hippy movement carrying on for a little while longer.
#12 for 1970
This was too minor of a hit to appear on the Australian side of my site for Eric Clapton, fortunately it was a huge chart topper for him in NZ which more than makes it eligible for this list. As you can imagine, this was the first taste of success Bob Marley had in his career even if it was due to him allowing Eric to cover one of his earliest songs in his catalogue.
#21 for 1974
We have our fourth and final entry from Neil Diamond on this list, we’re not even 100 entries in and we’ve already looked at all the big hits that he had on the Listener charts given how he had no charting singles throughout the 60’s in NZ like he did in his homeland. At least he had overwhelming success throughout the 70’s, and that’s just with his singles to boot.
#13 for 1971
I told you we’d be looking at Lobo sooner than you expected, here he is with his debut single that proved to be quite popular with the kiwis that it managed to be even bigger on the Listener charts than it was in his native America. That said, Lobo in general was more popular in the southern hemisphere back in the day even though all three of his hits were as such in the northern hemisphere.
#14 for 1971
It looks like the kiwis were following in the footsteps of Gilbert O’sukllivan’s fellow Brits when they decided that this would be his biggest hit in NZ, although he does have one more entry on this list than he does on the Australian equivalent to give you an idea of just how popular he was over there compared to here in Australia.
#13 for 1973
Here we are with the first of several new entries from Sweet on this list, this actually came close to dethroning their previous entry as their biggest hit in NZ but “Ballroom blitz” ultimately won out due to it being a hit during the Christmas of 1973/74 over there like it was here in Australia. Again, I don’t know why we Aussies ignored this but made that a hit given glam rock was more popular here than it was there.
#14 for 1973
This will be Cliff Richard’s only entry on this list, mainly because nothing else he released during the first half of the decade was noteworthy enough to appear on here even though he did chart on the Listener charts with other singles. This is more than I can say here in Australia where he went unheard of from 1968 to 1976.
#22 for 1974
Even though this failed to appear on the Australian side of my site, it was a sleeper hit here in the early months of 1974 likely due to how well it did over in NZ for Daniel Boone. Indeed, he still has four more entries to come on this list, all of which were released before this as this is his most recent entry on this list.
#23 for 1974
As you can imagine, John Rowles had a string of hits in his homeland throughout the 60’s even though this was his biggest hit on the Listener charts during its run. That said, this would be the last his fellow kiwis would hear from him until 1978 when “Tania” became another chart topper for him, by this stage the rest of the world had given up on making him a household name like his fellow kiwis were doing.
#13 for 1970
This is the most recent entry from Three dog night on this list, it’s not their most recent charting single as their version of “The show must go on” was the last time they touched a chart anywhere in the world, but this was the last time the kiwis cared about what they had to offer even if they cared a lot judging by its success.
#15 for 1973
Whereas Paul Simon only had one hit here in Australia throughout the 70’s following the demise of Simon and Garfunkel, this is one of five entries from him on this list as the folk singer could seemingly do no wrong in NZ following his solo venture. His winning streak would end once the RIANZ charts launched conveniently enough.
#16 for 1973
Whereas Blue mink only had one entry on the Australian side of my site, on this list this will be the first of four entries given how much the kiwis loved them even over their fellow Brits back in the day. For what it’s worth, this was a minor hit for them on our charts, meaning they’re technically a two-hit wonder down under.
#15 for 1971
It’s curious how Michael Nesmith found massive success in the southern hemisphere as a solo artist when that success was nowhere to be found in his native America, I guess this goes to show just how much we Aussies and kiwis were in love with the Monkees co-star with that love being most prominent in NZ when you consider his 1980 hit “Cruising” was a flop down under.
#14 for 1970
#16 for 1971
We looked at his one hit from the 70’s on the Australian side of my site, time now to look at Al Martino’s most recent hit in NZ as he managed to score a huge hit with this ballad over there even though this was completely ignored by us Aussies upon its release. I guess we Aussies were done with this guy given how popular he was on our charts throughout the 60’s.
#14 for 1972
We have another entry on this list that was denied an appearance on the Australian side of my site due to an (in my opinion) inferior local cover stealing its success, this time it’s from the Dutch duo Mouth and Macneal who scored a massive worldwide hit with this song except here in Australia where its success was taken away by Australian Jigsaw.
#15 for 1972
We’ve seen plenty of surprises on this list so far, however there haven’t been many entries from international artists who saw no success anywhere except for NZ. Here we are with a rare exception as Arlo Guthrie scored a massive hit with this track despite it being a huge failure for him in his native America. I’m not sure it failed on Billboard, but it did which makes its success in NZ puzzling.
#16 for 1972
#17 for 1973
Between both countries in the southern hemisphere, Shirley Bassey only had two hits with this being the first of the two even if it was only as such in NZ. We Aussies would give her a huge chart topper three years later with “Never never never,” however that didn’t even chart in NZ despite its inescapable status on our charts.
#15 for 1970
In case you were wondering, this is the only version of the track to chart on the Listener charts, meaning the kiwis genuinely weren’t as interests in this track about Billy being a hero as we Aussies were back in the day. I bring this up because in America, this wasn’t released as a single due to their being an (in my opinion) inferior cover by someone named Bo Donaldson who stole its success on Billboard.
#24 for 1974
One of the biggest names in the NZ music scene was Craig Scott, so much so that he has the greatest number of entries on this list as a kiwi with five with this E.P being the biggest of the bunch. This was listed as “Star crossed lovers” on the NZ charts even though it was never released as a single on its own.
#16 for 1970
Given how it was easily one of the biggest hits of the decade here in Australia, it makes sense that the Mixtures would find a ton of success over in NZ shortly before taking the UK by storm with their first original song in their catalogue. Obviously, the kiwis were unaware of their cover of Mungo Jerry’s earlier entry given how their version tried (and mostly failed) to steal that songs success here.
#17 for 1971
Much like the Australian equivalent of this list, there will only be three entries from Bread on here even if we open up with a song that doesn’t appear on the Australian side of my site from them. I guess we Aussies were done with them by the time this came out given how their other two entries are from the other list and came out before this did.
#17 for 1972
Well, how about this? We have a second appearance from Roger Whittaker on this side of my site as the kiwis were quite impressed with his breakthrough single from his native UK to make it a success at the start of the decade. This just leaves me to wonder why they and his fellow Brits ignored “The last farewell” upon its initial 1971 release.
#17 for 1970
This is one of two entries from Anne Murray on this list, this being her rendition of the Liv Maessen track that stole its success here in Australia due to Liv being the hottest star of the moment in our music scene. Anne did have minor success throughout the decade in NZ as she did internationally, however her two biggest hits were from both ends of the 70’s.
#18 for 1970
Whereas Band on the run failed to spawn a hit single from Wings here in Australia, in NZ it spawned not one but two massive hits plus a third moderate hit which we’ll be looking at throughout this list. This was the best they could do but it narrowly beats out the title track which we’ll be looking at in a minute.
#25 for 1974
I’m a bit surprised this wasn’t an even bigger hit for Johnny Nash in NZ back in the day considering how huge his other entry on this side of my site was over there, although it did last for quite some time on their charts so perhaps this was simply a victim of there being better options the kiwis gravitated towards but still kept around regardless.
#18 for 1972
#18 for 1973
Well, here we are with the title track from Wings second album with Paul as their lead singer, this never saw the light of day here in Australia despite it being heavily featured on our oldie’s stations to this day as well as how well it did for the band internationally back in the day. I guess this was an early attempt at not releasing a popular track as a single to promote the album sales.
#26 for 1974
By all accounts, this should be way higher on this list given how it was still charting when the Listener charts went defunct in favour of the RIANZ charts, maybe one day I’ll make a 70’s list which combines both charts into one but for now, I’m only looking at how well it did for Helen Reddy on this format and not the later one.
#7 for 1975
This is considered to be a spinoff project of Edison Lighthouse given how it has some of the same band members as that band had, this means that this is considered to be a novelty act given how they traded their hippy sound for the emerging glam rock sound on this track. This worked out for them in NZ and their native UK, but not so much here in Australia.
#19 for 1972
You knew this would be appearing on this list given how much of a meme it’s become over the years; however, I bet you weren’t expecting this to be one of the artists to escape the one hit wonder bin in NZ given how they have another entry to come on this list. To think, an actual military unit has more success in NZ than most bands and artists throughout the years.
#20 for 1972
This is one of only two songs from Abba to find more success in NZ than they did here in Australia, the other being “Chiquitita” from the end of the decade which even then feels like it was in favour of “Does your mother know” being a hit single down under where it wasn’t in NZ. I think this is the only time a Eurovision song was more popular over there as well than it was over here.
#27 for 1974
We are graced yet again with one of the most bizarre album art to ever exist on this list, although I should point out this will be the Rolling stones only appearance on this list given how they didn’t have another hit in NZ throughout the 70’s despite entering the decade off the massive success of “Honky tonk woman.” The best they could do after this was “Brown sugar” being a minor hit earlier kin the decade.
#19 for 1973
Hits of Australia and NZ 