Four of this week in 1991's six new entries debuting and peaking outside the ARIA top 100 are from artists we have seen before. Let's take a look at them.
Lisette Melendez: a few weeks in the top 150.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 125 "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Michael Bolton (1991 release)
Peak: number 122 (1991 release); number 100 (1996 release)
Peak dates: 25 November 1991 and 2 December 1991
Weeks in top 150: 13 weeks (in 1991); 21 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)
Top 150 chart run: 125-123-122-122-124-123-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-124-124-123-145-146
Re-entered 18 March 1996: 123-123-119-135-100-106-113-123
Weeks on chart: 27 weeks (1991-2 and 1996 chart runs combined)
This single peaked at number 100 in Australia on 15 April 1996, when re-issued, spending another 8 weeks in the top 150.
We last saw Michael Bolton in August 1991.
"When a Man Loves a Woman", a song originally recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966, was a number 3 hit in Australia in November 1988 when Jimmy Barnes released a live version as a single. I suspect that this relatively recent hit is one reason why Michael Bolton's rendition of the song did not take off in Australia.
"When a Man Love a Woman" was released as the third single from Michael's seventh studio album Time, Love & Tenderness (number 11, August 1992).
Internationally, Michael's version of the song peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for one week in November 1991, number 12 in Ireland in November 1991, number 8 in the UK in November 1991, number 21 in New Zealand in December 1991, number 4 in Canada in December 1991, number 52 in Germany in December 1991, number 34 in Sweden in January 1992, number 17 in the Netherlands in January 1991, number 21 in the Flanders region of Belgium in February 1992, and number 34 in France in May 1992.
In Australia, "When a Man Loves a Woman" had an interesting chart run, spending the first 11 weeks of its top 150 chart run hovering between numbers 122 and 125. Given that the single was not a hit the first time around, it was re-issued in Australia in 1996 following the release of Michael's Greatest Hits 1985-1995 (number 6, September 1995) compilation. The 1996 release of "When a Man Loves a Woman" just scraped into the ARIA top 100, peaking at number 100 in April 1996.
On the ARIA state charts, "When a Man Loves a Woman" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 69 in 1996. The single peaked in early 1992 in Queensland and Western Australia, and in 1996 in all other states.
Number 129 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Oleta Adams
Peak: number 107
Peak date: 18 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Chart run: 129-107-123-125-130
Weeks on chart: 5 weeks
We last saw Oleta Adams in February 1991.
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me " was originally recorded by Elton John, and reached number 13 in Australia in September 1974. Oleta's version was recorded for the various artists tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (number 15, November 1991).
Internationally, Oleta's version of the track peaked at number 33 in the UK in October 1991, and number 32 in the Netherlands in November 1991.
Within Australia, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 86.
Oleta's version of the song was soon after eclipsed by the live George Michael/Elton John duet version of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (number 3, January 1992).
We will next see Oleta in 1993.
Number 139 "What About Now" by Robbie Robertson
Peak: number 133
Peak date: 6 January 1992
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Chart run: 155-139-134-140-145-137-138-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-133-134-136
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks
Canadian musician Robbie Robertson was born Jaime Royal Robertson. He was the lead guitarist and a songwriter for The Band before launching his solo career in 1987.
Robbie's only Australian singles chart entries to date had been "Showdown at Big Sky" (number 95, February 1988) and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", which peaked at number 100 on the Australian Music Report in June 1988, during the week before ARIA commenced producing the chart in-house (it otherwise went on to peak at number 83 on the AMR chart).
"What About Now" was the lead single in Australia from Robbie's second solo album Storyville (number 113, November 1991).
While I cannot find evidence of "What About Now" charting on any other sales-based chart, it registered on two meaningless subsidiary US Billboard charts. "What About Now" peaked at number 15 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, and number 28 on the Alternative Airplay chart in November 1991.
Domestically, "What About Now" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 87.
This was Robbie's last single to chart in Australia. A second Storyville single, "Go Back to Your Woods", was released in Australia in March 1992.
Robbie had a couple of later albums that peaked outside the top 100 in Australia: Contact from the Underworld of Redboy (number 189, April 1998), and How to Become Clairvoyant (number 129, April 2011).
Number 147 "A Day in My Life (Without You)" by Lisette Melendez
Peak: number 135
Peak date: 18 November 1991
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Chart run: 185-(out for 2 weeks)-147-135-139-140-144
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
We last saw Lisette Melendez in April 1991.
"A Day in My Life (Without You)" was issued as the second single from Lisette's debut album Together Forever (number 199, December 1991).
Internationally, "A Day in My Life..." peaked at number 49 in the US in November 1991.
Within Australia, "A Day in My Life..." was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 125.
Listening to this track, the first thing that strikes me is that the backing music is almost identical to Corina's "Temptation" (number 57, October 1991), which was an observation I made with the last Lisette track we saw.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 177 "Coast Is Clear" by Curve
Peak: number 172
Peak date: 25 November 1991
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
English duo Curve are made up of singer Toni Halliday and instrumentalist/programmer Dean Garcia. The pair were signed to Dave Stewart's, whom we saw last week, label Anxious Records.
"Coast Is Clear", which does not appear on Curve's debut album Doppelgänger (number 136, May 1992), was Curve's debut release in Australia. The single became the pair's first top 40 entry in the UK, where it reached number 34 in May 1991.
In Australia, "Coast Is Clear" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 145.
Curve never had a top 100 entry in Australia, but we will see them bubble under on five more occasions on the singles chart, between now and 1998. We shall next see Curve in 1992.
Number 184 "Top of the World" by Van Halen
Peak: number 162
Peak date: 25 November 1991
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
We last saw Van Halen in August 1991.
"Top of the World" was released as the third single from Van Halen's ninth studio album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (number 5, July 1991).
Overseas, "Top of the World" peaked at number 61 in the UK in October 1991, and number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991.
On the ARA state charts, "Top of the World" was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 149.
Van Halen will join us next in 1995.
Next week (18 November): Three top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.
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