Kim Carnes: Did you know this woman is a number 162-hit wonder Down Under?
Top 150 debuts:
Number 127 "Tempers Fire" by The Mad Turks
Peak: number 127
Peak dates: 22 May 1989 and 12 June 1989
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 127-129-128-127-130-137-139-140
The Mad Turks' bio on discogs.com informs me that they formed in Adelaide in 1984, and were previously known as Mad Turks From Istanbul. The group scored a number 85 'hit' at the end of 1987 with "Holding My Breath" (as Mad Turks From Istanbul), but didn't score any other charting hits.
Number 136 "Life's Just a Ballgame" by Womack & Womack
Peak: number 126
Peak date: 12 June 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 136-127-129-126-136-136-135
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
This single was released as the follow-up to mega-hit "Teardrops" in the UK, where it stalled at number 32 in November 1988. Presumably its under-performance there was the reason we went with "Celebrate the World" instead as the second release from Conscience. I remember seeing this single in the shops, but never heard or saw (assuming a music video exists) the song at the time. One thing you may not have been aware of is that Cecil Womack, the male half of the duo, died in South Africa in 2013, aged 65.
"Life's Just a Ballgame" also peaked at number 22 in Ireland in November 1988, number 8 in the Flanders region of Belgium in December 1988, number 7 in the Netherlands in December 1988, and number 30 in Germany in December 1988.
In Australia, "Life's Just a Ballgame" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 95 on the state chart.
We'll see Womack & Womack again in September 1989.
Number 141 "Tracie" by Level 42
Peak: number 134
Peak date: 29 May 1989
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 141-134-143-150-144-140-147
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
We saw Level 42 bubble under back in February, and here they are again, with the second single from their eighth studio album Staring at the Sun (number 95, May 1989).
"Tracie" peaked at number 25 for the group in their native UK in January 1989, number 19 in Ireland, number 16 in the Netherlands in February 1989, and number 24 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1989.
In Australia, "Tracie" was most popular in Queensland, reaching number 115 on the state chart.
We shall see Level 42 again in 1994. Before then, their compilation album Level Best peaked at number 134 on the ARIA albums chart in February 1990.
Number 147 "Break 4 Love" by Raze
Peak: number 147
Peak date: 22 May 1989
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 147
Debuting on the UK chart in May 1988, this track eventually peaked at number 28 there in February 1989. It also topped the US Billboard dance chart in November 1988. In Australia, "Break 4 Love" fared (much) less well, spending a solitary week in the top 150 at number 147. The percussion from the track would end up being recycled on a Sydney Youngblood song that will bubble under towards the end of 1989.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 158 "Take Me Back to Rock 'n' Roll" by Col Joye
Peak: number 158
Peak date: 29 May 1989
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Colin Frederick Jacobsen, better known as Col Joye, was one of the first rock and roll stars to emerge from Australia, in 1959. Col landed a number one single on the Australian chart in 1973 with "Heaven Is My Woman's Love".
"Take Me Back to Rock 'n' Roll" was lifted from the album Back to Rock 'n' Roll, which did not chart in Australia.
On the ARIA state charts, "Take Me Back to Rock 'n' Roll" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 94.
This single was Col's last to chart, although he had two further albums that charted in Australia: Don't Give Up (number 389, May 2006) and Christmas Album (number 610, February 2008).
Number 159 "Family Man" by Roachford
Peak: number 157
Peak date: 12 June 1989
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
While Roachford had a fairly successful period in Australia in 1994-5, in 1989 they struggled to break through locally, with nothing charting higher than number 73 until "Only to Be With You" gave them a top 20 hit in 1994. This track gave the group a number 25 hit in the UK in March 1989, and number 18 in Ireland in March 1989. Locally, "Family Man" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 89.
Roachford previously scored a minor hit in Australia with "Cuddly Toy", which peaked at number 73 nationally in November 1988. "Cuddly Toy" was much more popular in Victoria/Tasmania than anywhere else, where it reached number 24 on the state chart.
We will see Roachford next in in 1995. Before then, the Roachford album peaked at number 176 in July 1991.
Number 160 "Time and Tide" by Basia
Peak: number 158
Peak date: 12 June 1989
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Sophistipop singer Basia, real name Barbara Stanisława Trzetrzelewska (try saying that!), scored a number 69 'hit' in Australia with "New Day for You", which peaked a mere week before this track debuted. The title track from her number 50-peaking album Time and Tide, this single barely registered a blip on our chart, peaking at a lowly number 158.
Internationally, "Time and Tide" peaked at number 61 in the UK in May 1988. Locally, the single performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 105.
Basia, unfortunately, wouldn't see the inside of the top 150 singles chart again, but she will bubble WAY down under again - not once, but twice, in 1990!
Number 162 "Crazy in Love" by Kim Carnes
Peak: number 162
Peak date: 22 May 1989
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Often thought of as being a one-hit wonder, Kim actually scored four top 40 hits in Australia; although the best-charting non-"Bette Davis Eyes" one of them, "Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)", peaked at number 21, in 1985. That was the last time Kim ventured into our singles chart, prior to now. Having not heard "Crazy in Love" before, I wasn't expecting it to be an understated ballad. From what I can see, this track didn't chart on a 'real' chart (Billboard's Adult Contemporary & Country charts do not count for me) anywhere else.
"Crazy in Love" was lifted from Kim's eleventh studio album View from the House (number 102, March 1989). Locally, the single performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 101.
We will next see Kim in 1992.
Next week (29 May): five new entries - although two of them are old tracks, and another is a cover of a 70s disco track; plus another four bubbling WAY down under tracks. Remember, you can also follow my posts on facebook.
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wow, that Raze song is a good funky track! I can see why it got cannibalised for the beat by someone else further down the track
ReplyDelete...I have that Basia "time & tide" album...somewhere. Suffice to say haven't listened to it for a while. A genre best described as "pleasant if forgettable background music"
and i totally agree about those dodgy charts like Adult Contemporary. What on earth qualifies a song for inclusion on that chart?!?
I have not looked into what the Adult Contemporary chart is based on, but I suspect that it is merely a chart of current songs that adult-oriented radio stations were playing.
DeleteI learnt recently that the Dance Club Songs chart (formerly Hot Dance Club Play or some other stupid name, back in the 80s/90s) is merely a survey of DJ's (something like 300, from memory) across the US; so even though e.g. Madonna keeps going to #1 on the dance chart, it doesn't mean that that's what people are actually dancing to on dance floors (I mean, can you imagine a bunch of 21 year-olds dancing to current Madonna songs today?!). i.e. it is basically a meaningless chart.