There isn't a common thread linking this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, so let's just dive straight in.
Jo Beth Taylor: you probably don't own this single.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 129 "Big Sky Country" by Chris Whitley
Peak: number 125
Peak date: 27 January 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 129-125-128-130-127
American blues/rock singer-songwriter Chris Whitley is an artist I'd never heard of until researching him for this post. "Big Sky Country" was the second single released in Australia from Chris' debut album Living with the Law (number 109, November 1991). It followed the album's title track, which was released locally in August 1991.
Internationally, "Big Sky Country" peaked at number 71 in the Netherlands in March 1992. The song also reached number 35 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1991.
Chris died from lung cancer in 2005, aged 45.
We shall see Chris again in April.
Number 131 "Pump This House Boy" by Choice
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 17 February 1992
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 131-(out for 1 week)-140-128-123-126-140-143
Unfortunately, I cannot tell you anything about this track, other than it appears to be by an Australian house act. The single was released in October 1991, and was only available on vinyl and cassette. I could not find this track anywhere online to listen to.
Number 133 "Shameless" by Billy Joel
Peak: number 133
Peak dates: 20 January 1992 and 3 February 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Chart run: 133-134-133-134-142
Weeks on chart: 5 weeksWe last saw Billy Joel in February 1991. "Shameless" was the sixth single in a row from Billy's Storm Front (number 1, November 1989) album to miss the top 100. I am not sure why singles were still being released from the album more than two years after its release.
Internationally, "Shameless" peaked at number 40 on the US Adult Contemporary chart in January 1992.
Domestically, "Shameless" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 99.
We'll next see Billy in 1994.
Number 138 "You Don't Own Me" by Jo Beth Taylor
Peak: number 137
Peak dates: 27 January 1992 and 3 February 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 138-137-137-141-148
Born Joanne Guilfoyle, Jo Beth Taylor hails from Perth, Australia. Jo Beth's first taste of chart success came as a backing vocalist on Melodian Records' (Molly Meldrum's record label) label mates Indecent Obsession's "Tell Me Something" (number 17, October 1989), on which she also appears in the music video.
Jo Beth's debut single "99 Reasons" dented the lower region of the top 40, peaking at number 31 in September 1991.
"You Don't Own Me", which is not a cover version of the Lesley Gore track of the same name, was the second and final single lifted from Jo Beth's only album 99 Reasons (number 109, August 1991).
I remember seeing the video for this one on Coca-Cola Power Cuts towards the end of 1991. Peter Andre, who was also signed to Melodian Records but had not yet released anything, appears as a dancer in the video, as does actor Simon Baker, who was then known as Simon Denny.
Jo Beth released two singles after this, which dented the lower half of the top 100, "A Prayer for Jane" (number 61, September 1993) and "I Love My Dog" (number 95, January 1997). Jo Beth is probably more known for her TV hosting gigs on Hey Hey It's Saturday and Australia's Funniest Home Video Show than for her music.
Number 139 "True Companion" by Marc Cohn
Peak: number 117
Peak date: 27 January 1992
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 139-117-118-120-130-124-132-122-131
We last saw Marc Cohn in September 1991.
"True Companion" was issued as the third single from Marc's debut album Marc Cohn (number 31, September 1991). Internationally, "True Companion" peaked at number 80 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November 1991.
"True Companion" peaked 29 places higher on the Australian Music Report singles chart, reaching number 88.
I hadn't heard this one before. It's nice.
We'll see Marc again in March.
Number 147 Splinter (EP) by Splinter
Peak: number 135
Peak date: 27 January 1992
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 147-135-150
Splinter were an American band from Ohio. Unfortunately, this is another release I cannot tell you much about, other than it was a 4-track EP, and the lead track (which is not on YouTube) was titled "225".
Number 149 "Rhythm Is a Mystery" by K-Klass
Peak: number 130 (in 1994); number 138 (in 1992)
Peak dates: 27 January 1992 (original release); 14 November 1994 (1994 release)
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks (3 weeks in 1992; 5 weeks in 1994)
Top 150 chart run: 149-138-142. Re-entry 31 October 1994: 148-144-130-131-148
Weeks on chart: 18 weeks (1992 and 1994 chart runs combined)British electronic music group K-Klass formed in 1988. "Rhythm Is a Mystery" was their debut Australian release, and would go on to appear on their 1993 album Universal (number 140, May 1994).
Internationally, "Rhythm Is a Mystery" peaked at number 3 in the UK in November 1991, after originally peaking at number 61 there in May 1991. The single also reached number 7 in Ireland in November 1991.
In Australia, "Rhythm Is a Mystery" had two separate chart runs, with the single being re-issued in 1994 following the success of "Let Me Show You" (number 18, April 1994) - the band's only top 100 entry in Australia. "Rhythm Is a Mystery" peaked eight places higher in November 1994. The single peaked on all of the ARIA state charts in 1994, except Western Australia, where it reached number 98 in 1992. "Rhythm Is a Mystery" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 85.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 171 "Move to Memphis" by a-ha
Peak: number 171
Peak date: 20 January 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Norwegian band a-ha last graced our presence in January 1991.
"Move to Memphis" was recorded as a new track for a-ha's first compilation album Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of a-ha (number 162, February 1992).
Overseas, "Move to Memphis" peaked at number 2 in Norway, number 29 in Ireland in October 1991, number 47 in the UK in October 1991, number 61 in the Netherlands in November 1991, and number 39 in Germany in December 1991.
Domestically, "Move to Memphis" was most popular in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 144.
I do not enjoy the little I've heard of a-ha's 90s output in comparison to their 80s hits.
a-ha will join us again in 1993.
Next week (27 January): Four top 150 debuts and one bubbling WAY down under entry.
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