Here it is, the long-awaited NZ equivalent of my greatest hit singles/albums of all time list I made a while back. Just like last time, I’ll be presenting this as a countdown, meaning that each entry will be more successful than the last as we go down this list. The main difference here of course is that unlike here in Australia, there was only one chart in NZ over the years, meaning that there won’t be multiple entries from singles/albums from the late 80’s/90’s/00’s like there was on my Australian list. Also, I won’t be including entries from the RIANZ charts given how they didn’t track album sales and that they were based on popular votes rather than sales, that and there was only ever a top twenty which means there’s a good chance they were struggling to fill out the top twenty each week during its run.
#2400
Westlife were on a roll over in NZ as they managed to achieve a huge hit with the lead single to their third album, an album that once again, saw a ton of success over there and virtually no success over here likely due to us Aussies already moving on from the boy band wars by the time it was released. It would be their final album to find success over there until they reinvented themselves later in the decade.
#2399
This was another big disco hit from this year, although at least this one wasn’t a hit in America as it was due to it being popular in the UK that it was a success in NZ for the American band the Whispers. This song shares its name with the Sonny and Cher track from the mid 60’s, I just thought I’d bring that up with this entry.
#2398
Well I hope you weren’t expecting to see much Rod Stewart on this side of my site because this was his only hit he achieved in NZ throughout the 80’s, I guess he was off to a better start over there given how this failed to become a hit here in Australia, however he would have another hit over there until the early 90’s when “Rhythm of my heart” became a success for him.
#2397
I did mention that this was more of a hit in NZ than it was here in Australia for N sync, it was the only song of theirs to do better over there for some reason as it’s not like album sales had any impact on a song’s success when it came to teen pop from around this time. It could also be due to the bizarre video which showcases them in a shopping mall that naturally went against the norm for boy band music.
#2396
The last time Herb Alpert troubled the charts anywhere in the world was with his hit single “This guy’s in love with you” back in the late 60’s, here he is with a disco instrumental that managed to become a hit in NZ and his native America right as the decade was coming to an end. This is further proof I have that the disco backlash wasn’t as immediate even in America as people would otherwise have you believe.
#2395
This is the only appearance that the Moody blues will be making on this side of my site, mainly because the kiwis didn’t have much nostalgic love for their post 1975 hiatus catalogue that we Aussies did back in the day. Heck this only makes the cut due to how long it lasted on their charts given how it was much more of a sleeper hit there than it was over here.
#2394
If you’re wondering why David Bowie was able to find success with a greatest hits album a mere three years after his last greatest hits album in NZ, that’s likely due to the news that he broke up his side project Tin machine who even back in the day was panned by critics and loathed by his fanbase for tarnishing his discography.
#2393
It appears this album wasn’t as well received by the kiwis as it was by us Aussies, this is strange because both Split enz and especially Crowded house saw plenty of success over there back in the day as did the brothers respective solo careers. Heck they even had a (then) recent collaboration album which saw far more success over there than it did over here.
#2392
This was the soundtrack to Xanadu, the other critical disaster this year which led to the creation of the Golden Razzie awards where both this and Can’t stop the music were deemed the worst films of 1980. I guess the kiwis were also not big fans of the film as the soundtrack and its singles were far less successful over there than they were here.
#2391
Although their third and final album was a bit of a dud in NZ, that didn’t mean that the kiwis were upset when the girl band called it quits given the success of this greatest hits package they released less than a year after the fact. Just like here in Australia, this was the final time anyone cared about the Bangles as both their 00’s reunion and Susanna Hoffs solo career were a failure over there.
#2390
This was less popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, or at least I assume it was given how it peaked during the summer period of 1976/1977 which is the longest time that the charts have ever been on hiatus since the Listener charts launched a decade prior over there.
#2389
While this was a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, I’m surprised it wasn’t even bigger since the bulk of this song’s success down under came from its strong digital sales which the kiwis would’ve incorporated to their main charts by the time it was released over there. I guess this means that they weren’t as excited for Brendan Urie taking over the emo rock scene from Green day at the time.
#2388
It’s a bit curious this was merely equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia given how you’d think this would’ve been an easy chart topper for Natural selection over there with how similar it is to many of the other tracks on this list, alas it appears the kiwis didn’t have as much love for this as their fellow Americans did.
#2387
Although this wasn’t as big a hit as their first two singles in NZ, this ballad was nonetheless quite huge over there likely due to it being their first Billboard chart topper as well as this type of ballad being ubiquitous over there at the time. It was a huge flop here in Australia, meaning that we Aussies didn’t want to hear any more from these guys.
#2386
Before there was Bow wow, there was A+ who was a teenage rapper who made it big this year with the lead single to his second and to date final album in NZ and his native America. I guess it isn’t fair to suggest he was a pioneer of teenage hip hop given how both Outkast and Kris Kross predate him in that regard, however he was the first teenage rapper to make it big on his own and not as part of a unit.
#2385
Those of you who felt the absence of the Eagles from the Australian side of my site will be pleased to know that the band managed to achieve far more success in NZ with their singles than they did down under back in the day. This was their final hit over there which served as the lead single to their final album before they went their separate ways due to that infamous concert they gave the following year.
#2384
This was more of a sleeper hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, likely due to it initially being the theme to the film Clueless despite it not appearing on the soundtrack for whatever reason (likely in hopes of it selling the band’s album which it initially failed to do.) It looked like the band wouldn’t be a household name over there due to its sleeper success, however “Don’t speak” put those fears to rest when it came out.
#2383
I told you Princess wasn’t a one hit wonder in NZ, this was her second hit over there which was also produced by Stock Aitken and Waterman which goes to show how much the kiwis were willing to accept anything from the production trio this early on with their catalogue. She would have one more single chart over there with “I’ll keep on loving you” which underperformed on their charts.
#2382
Here we are once again with the biggest hit that Graham Bonnet managed to score here in Australia, although it was considerably less successful over in NZ likely due to the kiwis not jiving as well with the prospect of him working with the brothers Gibb as we Aussies did this year. Still, it was enough of a success to convince him to return to his native UK where he found success in his homeland in the 80’s.
#2381
As this was a song that was discovered by the presenters of Countdown, it was naturally a hit here in Australia much sooner than it was in NZ where it had to wait until it became one of the biggest hits of the decade down under before it could find success over there. It turns out this was a minor hit in the UK for the Belgian singer, although I guess we Aussies and kiwis needed a better incentive to make it a hit than that.
#2380
You’s think this would be a bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia due to the presence of En Vogue, you’d be mistaken as I’m fairly certain their presence was the only reason why this second song from Salt n Pepa’s album Very necessary was a hit at all over there given how much of a failure “Shoop” was. This would be the trio’s last hit over there; however, En Vogue would return for one more hit later in the decade.
#2379
This was a predictably repeat entry for this list given how well-beloved Aladdin remains to this day, although I have seen people criticise these adult contemporary renditions of the showstoppers from the Disney films as little more than a soulless attempt to milk money from their respective films. I disagree as it would be weird to see the original versions of these songs on the charts especially back then.
#2378
I guess this was less successful in NZ than it was here in Australia due to the original from the Commodores already being a hit in the 70’s over there, as such the kiwis really didn’t need this almost note for note cover of the track to become a hit this year and yet it was likely due to their nostalgia of the original.
#2377
Much like here in Australia, this was the only other solo hit that Jon Bon Jovi had in NZ given how it also came from the Young Guns II soundtrack this year. Even though the success he had this year over there was equal to that down under, his popularity would quickly decline as the decade went on over there as opposed to it increasing here.
#2376
Given how he had one of the biggest hits of the year in NZ around this time, it only makes sense that Keith Sweat’s other big hit in his native America would also be a success over there given how it uses the same formula as “Twisted” with the chorus from Kut Klose connecting his verses together.
#2375
These guys had been active for most of the 80’s, however it wasn’t until their 1989 album that they began having success in their native America with their RNB ballads. It wouldn’t be until this became a chart topper for the group on Billboard that they finally had a hit outside of their homeland as this became a very big hit for the group in NZ this year for them.
#2374
This was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia even if this too was a sleeper hit over there, I guess the trade-off for this was that the lead single wasn’t a huge chart topper over there like it was over here despite it having airplay on its side with the kiwis. These guys are a one album wonder over there just like they are throughout the rest of the world as their subsequent follow ups all bombed.
#2373
It appears the kiwis were more interested in listening to the genuine hits from Johnny Cash rather than the renditions made by the star of his biopic Joaquin phoenix given how this was less popular than the country legend’s earlier entry on this list in NZ this year.
#2372
By all accounts, this was Atomic Kitten’s biggest album in NZ given how it peaked during the Christmas period of this year as well as not requiring a deluxe edition to boost its sales like their debut from the previous year did. Indeed, this album’s success led to the trio sparking interest in America which resulted in them scrambling together an album that was a success in NZ the following year.
#2371
I guess the kiwis weren’t as big of fans of Bon Jovi’s country output as we Aussies were given how much less successful his soundtrack to the second Young guns film was, that said, it was a hit over there likely due to his artist momentum as well as the popularity of the film itself.
#2370
Given how the NZ charts were far more chaotic than the Australia charts (regardless of whether we’re referring to AMR or ARIA) it only seems fitting that this was a hit twice over there as opposed to it merely getting bumped up our charts whenever one of the singles were released and became a genuine hit for us.
#2369
Although this album’s lower placement on this list was more due to it being a sleeper hit in NZ as it mostly confided itself in the lower half of their charts as opposed to here in Australia where it spent a healthy run on the upper echelons of our charts, it was still far less successful over there due to it not lasting nearly as long on their charts overall suggesting the kiwis were torn with her breaking away from Disney.
#2368
This was the first of several albums from the Piano by candlelight series from NZ pianist Carl Doy, I guess he was meant to be NZ’s answer to Richard Clayderman who coincidentally was deemed yesterday’s news when his NZ counterpart started finding success this year.
#2367
Although this album appears fairly low on this list of mine, it was actually a massive (albeit sleeper) hit for Janet Jackson over there likely due to it spiking in popularity whenever she released another song as a single from the album. This also explains why none of the singles were particularly big over there, although you’d think they would be given how singles from other successful albums weren’t affected on their charts.
#2366
This may shock you to read, but Shirley Bassey didn’t have much success with her singles on the Listener charts throughout the 60’s and early 70’s (save for “Something” which was a big hit for her at the start of the decade.) That didn’t prevent this greatest hits album from being a success for her this year over there despite it being a massive flop here in Australia.
#2365
This wasn’t quite as successful in NZ for Bjork as it was here in Australia, mainly because it didn’t spawn that runaway hit for her over there like it did over here which meant that it didn’t last as long into the new year when “It’s oh so quiet” was taking the alternative scene by storm worldwide. It did rebound a little over there, however it quickly fell off the charts when the song failed to catch on.
#2364
This is another remix album to make it big in NZ this year, this time it’s for Linkin Park’s entry from earlier on this list which should make up for that failing to produce a huge hit over there like it did over here given how this album was a flop down under.
#2363
She already had a massive hit with her debut album in NZ, so it makes sense that Ruby Turner would continue the momentum over there with her second album which while not as successful as her first, was big enough to give her further success over there despite it being a massive flop everywhere else in the world.
Sting was on a roll this decade given the success of his (then) most recent album which included the track this greatest hits album was named after, as such he found massive success with this album over there even though it was a massive flop for him here in Australia.
#2361
Jimmy Barnes had decent success in the 90’s over in NZ, as such it makes sense that this greatest hits package of his would do fairly well over there similar to how it did over here to commemorate the twelfth anniversary he broke apart from Cold chisel to embark on his solo career.
#2360
Brooke Fraser was on a roll this year as she managed to score a third hit from her debut album (well actually this was the fourth but “Saving the world” won’t be appearing on this list) proving how well loved the NZ singer/songwriter was in her homeland with her album. She would come back two years later with her second album that while not as successful, still kept her in the A-leagues of the NZ music scene.
#2359
I guess the kiwis really weren’t that big of fans of Phil Collins as we Aussies were as this was another one of his big hits this decade to find less success over there than it did over here, it could also be that the kiwis felt precious about the Supremes back catalogue as Kim Wilde noticeably saw far less success over there with her cover of “You keep me hanging on” from later in the decade than she did internationally as well.
#2358
This was the only hit from the NZ band Coconut Rough, it was a song about the African country which was a massive success in their homeland and even sparked interest here in Australia back in the day for them. This interest didn’t translate to success for the band which led to them breaking up the following year.
#2357
It appears the kiwis passed up “Hella good” this year in favour of this third single from No Doubt’s album Rock steady as this was a flop here in Australia due to the success of that song over here, I guess they preferred listening to Gwen dial it back on this track as opposed to her rocking out to that track back in the day. Her final hit with the band would be equally as popular in both countries the following year.
#2356
Both of POT USA’s big hits from Australia will be reappearing on this side of my site as it appears the kiwis also found enjoyment with both of these tracks back in the day, more so with this lead single to their debut album it seems given how much bigger it was over there compared to over here. Like most alternative rock from the 90’s, this wasn’t a hit in the band’s native America, not even on the Billboard airplay charts.
#2355
As this was released on time in NZ, it means it was able to become a success much sooner over there than it did here in Australia. It was also less successful over there, although that’s more due to the trio already having success with the other three songs from Crazysexycool by the time this was released as a single there as opposed to them only having one hit over here with “Waterfalls.”
#2354
This guy is perhaps best known for his big worldwide smash “The most beautiful girl” from earlier in the decade, from what I can gather it wasn’t a hit over in NZ during the days of the Listener charts, meaning this duet with unknown singer Janie Fricke was the only success he had over there. At least it was a massive success as despite its lower placement on this list, it lingered for quite some time on the NZ charts.
#2353
This was the first hit that Alison Moyet had in NZ, although I’m surprised “Love resurrection” wasn’t a success over there given how you still hear it on oldies stations to this day here in Australia. I’m guessing this was the song which made her solo debut a huge success worldwide given that it was bigger than her debut single even in her native UK.
#2352
I get the feeling this would’ve underperformed on the NZ charts were it not for the inclusion of airplay on the RIANZ charts, after all it bounced up and down the top twenty throughout its chart run as opposed to it being a more mainstream hit for the Christian band over here in Australia. It was their only major success over there like it was over here, although they did score a minor follow up with “There she goes.”
#2351
Well, I guess this song was also how Fatboy Slim was able to score massive success from the other side of the decade in NZ given how it was an even bigger hit over there than it was over here back in the day, there’s little surprise how given how smooth the beat is and smoky the singer is. The original from the S.O.S band was also a moderate success in NZ as we saw a few lists back which would explain this cover’s success.
#2350
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, I’m guessing because the label felt that this collaboration between Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson would be unsuccessful here due to neither artist having that big hit prior to its release on our charts. As fate would have it, it proved to be more successful down under than it was anywhere else in the world, although it was also quite huge in the UK.
#2349
Even though they’re considered a one hit wonder outside their native Canada with this album’s lead single, it appears that the kiwis were able to give these guys a chance as a legitimate new wave band given how it was a success over there as opposed to us Aussies who immediately wrote them off as a novelty act seeing how it bombed over here.
#2348
I bet you were beginning to think I forgot all about these guys on my site, it turns out that Weezer really struggled for mainstream success even in the southern hemisphere where the alternative scene was far stronger than that in their native America back in the day. Indeed, I’m not even entirely sure why this was a hit in NZ, let alone why it needed two attempts to connect with the kiwis.
#2347
Korn had a pretty good run during the 90’s over in NZ, so it makes sense to me that this greatest hits package of theirs would be a success over there when it wasn’t over here in Australia even though they did have at least once successful album over here with Follow the leader.
#2346
This is another entry to appear low on this list despite being a massive hit for the artist in question, this time it’s from Elton John who did score a huge hit in NZ with this album just like he did in Australia, although the album’s success came from the lower half of the charts likely due to it only having the one hit from it.
#2345
I’m guessing this was a hit for Bob Marley this year due to it being released as a single over there, thankfully the kiwis didn’t allow too many albums previously unavailable on CDs to make it that big over there this decade like we Aussies did.
#2344
This is the only successful album that Smashproof managed to achieve in their career, although they did take their sweet time in following this up as their second album wouldn’t come out for another five years, by which point, NZ hip hop had fallen by the wayside in favour of the rise in EDM over there.
#2343
One of the few NZ bands to have any kind of success in the 70’s in their homeland was Hello sailor, I’m guessing that was the incentive for their lead singer Dave McArtney to form a new band in the 80’s which were off to a good start as this album became a huge success for them. They would sadly be a one album wonder as they wouldn’t find any further success after this.
#2342
This was less of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I’m guessing because the kiwis had only just started handing success to Bryan Ferry as a solo artist and likely didn’t realise he had a solo career in the 70’s like we Aussies did. Even so, this was a good opportunity for them to discover his back catalogue while also reliving their favourite memories they made with his band Roxy music.
#2341
This is the last album that Split Enz released before they went their separate ways, they were on the cusp of breaking up when this came out, which is why it didn’t do very well here in Australia as they barely even promoted it like they presumably did in their homeland where it was more of a success for them.
#2340
It’s a bit surprising to me that this album from U2 wasn’t anywhere near as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia given how overplayed the lead single remains to this day throughout the world, indeed you’d think a band who saw so much more success in the 80’s over there than they did over here would’ve thrived over there with this album given how people claim it’s a return to their heyday in terms of its sound.
#2339
Yet another album on here that I’m sort of cheating with on this list, although I don’t think anyone is going to dispute this album from Led zeppelin’s placement on here given how A: they were massively successful back in the day worldwide and B: how iconic the band has remained to this day.
#2338
This managed to be equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the British duo, again I have to assume this was due to the 80’s nostalgia that the song was clearly going for given how both the lyrics and especially the sound seem to be ripped straight from the synthpop era of music that audiences were longing for throughout the decade. It’s a shame this passion they had for 80’s nostalgia died out in the 2010’s.
#2337
This is the closest that Eve came to having more success in NZ than she did here in Australia, mainly because this song rebounded on the charts over there as it was descending likely due to it being the first solo hit that Gwen Stefani had in her native America. Ultimately it was more successful here in Australia even taking into account that this lasted longer on the NZ charts than it did on ours.
#2336
It was logical that this song would see slightly more success in NZ than it did here in Australia, after all, PCD were on a roll this year and the kiwis seemed to have more enjoyment out of their music than we Aussies did even if this feels like a major outlier to their discography as they proclaim that they don’t need the love and support of a man (rather respectably I might add.)
#2335
This is the final hit that All Saints managed to achieve anywhere in the world, admittedly it was a minor hit here in Australia for the girls but obviously too minor to appear on the Australian side of my site. I guess we Aussies were a bit put off by them moving away from their RNB sound that had made them big on their debut album in a way that didn’t bother anyone else in the world.
#2334
This was way more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because Enrique Iglesias was on a roll this year as well as Whitney herself seeing a massive comeback the previous year with her hit “My love is your love.” Like I said on the Australian side of this site, this was a passing the torch moment for both artists as she wouldn’t have another hit after this whilst he would dominate the music industry.
#2333
This song was initially set to be a flop in NZ as it only rose to the top twenty upon its initial release and then began to fall off the charts, the kiwis changed their minds by making it a success shortly after that which I’m not sure why because it was already a massive hit in Australia and the band’s native UK when it was initially climbing up the charts over there.
#2332
Given how it wasn’t bundled with “Into the groove” from earlier on this list, this meant that the third single from Like a virgin had to stand on its own in NZ which for the most part it did as it proved to be a huge success over there. Although “Material girl” was a bit of a stumble in the album’s cycle, it’s still to come on this list as that too was a huge hit for the future queen of pop.
#2331
We have another successful ballad from Lionel Richie and company to appear on this site of mine, in fact there’ll be a few more entries from these guys as we go further back in the 70’s including a song that showcases their funky side of their catalogue. This was the lead single from their seventh album which spawned them a second Billboard chart topper with its second single “Still” which underperformed in NZ.
#2330
This was originally released as the debut single for Bay City rollers three years prior, it was a flop for the band even in their native UK for reasons I can’t seem to fathom. It was given a second chance this year when it was released as a single in America more to see if it would break the band through than anything else, it turns out it did as it became their biggest hit on Billboard despite the failure of their other songs.
#2329
While it wasn’t released as a single in NZ until almost a full year after it was released here in Australia, this Australian and NZ exclusive track from Abba did eventually become a massive hit over there this year around the time of their two earlier entries on this list, proving that the Abba phenomenon was still strong over there during this phase of their career.
#2328
Well at least this bonus track from Duran Duran’s live album was far from their biggest hit over in NZ, indeed this was only a hit for them over there due to their artist momentum which was arguably even more inescapable over there than it was here in Australia back in the day. Their next hit wouldn’t come for another two years; however, they did score a big hit over there with “Notorious” which they didn’t down under.
#2327
This was the lead single from Terence Trent D’arby’s debut album, an album that was an instant success in NZ due to the kiwis having a strong appreciation for RNB during a time where we Aussies didn’t as the album was only a success the following year for the former American soldier. This was a huge flop upon its initial release here, and it was a flop again the following year when it was given a second chance.
#2326
You know these guys did have hits with their own original material over the years, you just wouldn’t know that given how most of their biggest hits were in fact covers of older songs from the 60’s and 70’s. This time we’re looking at a song from the Chi Lites that the band made their own as the lead single to their second Labour of love album they released at the end of the previous decade.
#2325
Patsy Riggir was a country artist who scored a massive hit in her native homeland with this ballad before fading into obscurity in her local music scene, I’m guessing she was meant to be the NZ equivalent for the likes of Cristy Lane or Anne Murray.
#2324
This was released on Christmas in NZ the previous year; this means that the song was released relatively close to that of “Say you’ll be there” which perhaps explains why it wasn’t as big a hit over there as it was here in Australia. Mind you, it was still a huge hit for the girls and likely kept their momentum going regardless given all the stiff competition they had to face around this time over there.
#2323
Well, I’ve pretty much hyped up this third single from P!nk’s second album throughout the Australian side of this site, so let’s finally look at how this song did massively well worldwide and why it was a huge radio staple here back in the day despite lacking a physical release. This is P!nk taking the “your love is my drug” metaphor and flipping it to be about how the love she had for this person is making her sick as if she was taking drugs.
#2322
Given how Robbie Williams was one of the most popular artists of the moment going into the new millennium in NZ, it makes sense that this third single from his third album was released on time over there as opposed to it randomly being released as year later here in Australia where it admittedly went on to become more of a hit over here than it was over here and even boost the popularity of the album.
#2321
Unlike in Australia where it was clear we Aussies preferred the Power station over these guys, it appears that the inverse was the case for NZ where the kiwis wanted Duran Duran to have vocals from Simon Le Bon and no one else if they were to be a success in the mainstream. In fact, Robert Palmer in general didn’t have much success over there save for his collaboration with UB40 because they kiwis loved UB40.
#2320
While this was far from the first hip hop track to find any sort of success anywhere in the world (“Rappers delight” has that honour from the start of the decade.) This was the first song where hip hop started to be taken seriously by audiences as it details the rough upbringing of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious five as they were living on the streets of New York. I guess this means that an east coast rapper was the first to make it big in NZ.
#2319
One of the funniest films to come out of the 90’s was Cool Runnings, a Disney flick that tells a fictional story about the first Jamaican bob sledge team that remains heartwarming to this day (as inaccurate as the story is to real life.) The kiwis certainly loved this movie back in the day, so much so that the soundtrack and its lead single were both massive hits over there.
#2318
Well, if this was able to be a huge success for Boney M here in Australia, naturally it would repeat that success in NZ as the German disco band were also fairly inescapable over there throughout the 70’s.
#2317
I’m not sure how the kiwis came across Steve Miller back in the day given how “The joker” was a massive flop over there during the first half of the decade (according to the Listener charts it was at least.) I’m guessing this was a success over there due to how big it was here in Australia as well as the kiwis wanting to see how this guy kept topping the Billboard charts throughout the decade.
#2316
Given the surprise success of his previous album in NZ from the previous year, I guess it’s somewhat fitting that Chris Rea was able to score a massive success over there this year with the album that finally got him out of the one hit wonder bin here in Australia. This was the last time he troubled the charts in either country as his next album would fail to become a success anywhere in the world.
#2315
This proved to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, I’m guessing because it’s technically a NZ film as well as an Australian production and this was back when the kiwis really did look out for their own when it came to their entertainment industry. Aside from that, the trajectory this soundtrack had over there was the same as it skyrocketed in popularity when the film swept the Oscars.
#2314
At least the soundtrack to the second Shrek film managed to be a success in NZ, I’m not sure why the first film’s soundtrack didn’t even chart over there as from what I can gather, the kiwis loved the franchise just as much as we Aussies did, and the soundtracks are a large reason as to why the franchise is so well beloved even to this day.
#2313
Much like here in Australia, this album was initially a huge flop for the brothers Gibb in NZ the previous year, thankfully it was a much bigger hit once it was given its second chance over there given how their earlier entry on this list encouraged the kiwis to check out what they were missing from this album.
#2312
It seems odd that Living colour would have such a massive hit with this album in NZ only for it to be a huge flop here in Australia, I bring this up because their second album was decently successful here in Australia due to the success of “Love rears its ugly” head and yet was a massive flop for the band in NZ. I guess you can say they’re a one album wonder with a different album in each country.
#2311
I guess there was a tradition for there to be a successful greatest hits album from the Little river band once every ten years in NZ, this was the second of three successful albums to come from the band in this vein despite their back catalogue not being a success over there like it was here in Australia.
#2310
While these guys did have success with their earlier albums in NZ, it was this album which made them a household name over there much like it did in the UK. None of their albums did particularly well here in Australia, however you can expect to see a bunch of them moving forward on these lists given how much the kiwis loved these guys.
#2309
Much like here in Australia, this was also Destiny’s Child’s final hit in NZ where it also managed to become a bigger hit over there than it was over here, likely due to the album’s popularity having no effect on its success as opposed to here where it likely did (the album only barely missed out on appearing on this site.) They would release one more single before finally going their separate ways.
#2308
This is the only song that Blink 182 released in their catalogue to find massive success over in NZ, certainly more so than what it achieved here in Australia despite it not being affected by Sony on our charts like so many entries on this list were. This means that the song was organically more popular over there than it was over here, likely for it displaying a more mature side of the trio than the rest of their catalogue.
#2307
I guess the kiwis weren’t as impressed with this collaboration between Jay-Z and Alicia Keys about how great new York city is compared to us Aussies and their fellow Americans exiting this decade, so much so that this doesn’t even appear on my 2010 rankings because it was already fading in popularity by the time the new decade rolled around despite it being released the same time over there as everywhere else in the world.
#2306
This was only a modest success here in Australia back in the day, I’m guessing because we Aussies weren’t that interested in this song that’s a tonal whiplash of JoJo’s debut single from the previous year given how she’s expressing her love to presumably the same person she chastises on “Leave.” Here she recruits Bow Wow to provide her a hip-hop verse that no doubt led to his popularity skyrocketing this year.
#2305
You’d think that this debut single from Ne-Yo would be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia given how inescapable he would become over there as opposed to over here, it turns out that wasn’t the case as it was a massive hit through physical sales down under which was taking a back seat over in NZ which explains the lack of success it had there.
#2304
This might’ve been slightly bigger over here in Australia than it was in NZ, although that was mainly because Fergie didn’t as much success with her solo album over there compared to what she achieved over here save for her earlier entry on this list likely due to the kiwis not being as impressed with her goofier tracks like we Aussies were. Still, this was a decent runner up as her biggest hit over there commercially.
#2303
Given the success these guys had in Australia and their native NZ with their second album from earlier in the decade, it makes sense that this would find equal amounts of success in both countries as each other which suggests that the band would go on to have massive success in the 2010’s given how popular they were at this point in time. You’d be wrong as with most rock artists who made it big this decade.
#2302
This was a big hit over in NZ for Elton John this year even without the magic touch that Bernie Taupin gave all of his endearing hits over the years, in fact Elton’s popularity in general remained consistent throughout the 80’s in NZ as his reunion with Bernie didn’t improve the success of his singles while they were separated over there and his time without Bernie was reasonably successful as well over there.
#2301
This is the final hit that Atomic Kitten had over in NZ, they would have a few more hits in their native UK before even their fellow Brits became bored of their music in favour of the likes of the Sugababes and Girls aloud. I guess there are worse songs you could end your winning streak on given how this was a minor hit in Australia around this time for the trio.
Hits of Australia and NZ 