23 March 2023

Week commencing 23 March 1992

Another week with no common thread among this week's new entries, other than they all missed the top 100.  Let's take a look at them.
 
Kym Sims: Australia was too deaf to appreciate this track.
 
Top 150 debuts:
 
Number 139 "Ghost Train" by Marc Cohn
Peak: number 121
Peak date: 6 April 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks
 
We last saw Marc Cohn in January.
 
"Ghost Train" was issued as the fourth single in Australia from Marc's debut album Marc Cohn (number 31, September 1991).  Internationally, "Ghost Train" peaked at number 74 in Germany in December 1991.

I hadn't heard this one before.  It's nice.

Marc will join us again in 1993.
 

 
Number 142 "Jesus Built My Hotrod" by Ministry
Peak: number 134
Peak date: 30 March 1992
Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks
 
American industrial metal band Ministry formed in 1981. 
 
"Jesus Built My Hotrod" was the lead single from the band's fifth studio album ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (number 54, August 1992), which is also known as Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs.  It was Ministry's first single to chart in Australia.

"Jesus Built My Hotrod" peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay (known as Modern Rock Tracks at the time) chart in January 1992.
 
To say I do not enjoy this kind of music is an understatement.
 
We will next see Ministry in August.


 
Number 149 "I'm Doing Fine Now" by The Pasadenas
Peak: number 143
Peak date: 13 April 1992
Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks 
Weeks on chart: 6 weeks
 
English vocal group The Pasadenas formed in 1988.  "I'm Doing Fine Now" is a cover version of a song originally recorded by New York City in 1973.

The Pasadenas' version of the track was the lead single from their third studio album Yours Sincerely, which was also a covers album.  While "I'm Doing Fine Now" was the group's first ARIA top 150 single, they previously charted with the album To Whom It May Concern (number 149, March 1989).
 
Internationally, "I'm Doing Fine Now" now peaked at number 4 in the UK in January 1992, number 6 in Ireland in February 1992, number 38 in Germany in March 1992, number 6 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1992, and number 46 in France in June 1992.
 
In Australia, "I'm Doing Fine Now" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 112.

I don't recall hearing this one before, but liked it.

We'll see The Pasadenas again in August 1992.
 

 
Bubbling WAY down under:
 
Number 155 "The Statue Got Me High" by They Might Be Giants
Peak: number 155
Peak date: 23 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 2 weeks
 
We last saw They Might Be Giants in 1990.
 
"The Statue Got Me High" was the lead single from They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album Apollo 18 (number 59, April 1992).  Internationally, the single peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

Domestically, "The Statue Got Me High" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 135.

I don't recall hearing this one before, but enjoyed it.

They Might Be Giants will next join us in May.
 

 
Number 180 "Keep It in Your Pants" by Young MC
Peak: number 157
Peak date: 4 May 1992
Weeks on chart: 11 weeks
 
We last saw Marvin Young, aka Young MC, in 1991.

"Keep It in Your Pants" was the second and final single lifted from Young MC's second album Brainstorm (number 141, October 1991).  It followed "That's the Way Love Goes" (number 63, September 1991).

Internationally, "Keep It in Your Pants" peaked at number 18 in New Zealand in February 1992.
 
Within Australia, "Keep It in Your Pants" was most successful in Western Australia, where it reached number 131.

I have a vague memory of hearing this one at the time, but am not certain.  One memorable thing I recall about the song is Australian comedian John Safran wanting to include this song, as the anti-"Bust a Move" (in contrast to that song, this one is about how you shouldn't just sleep with someone you met), in his 2010 rage guest programming playlist - but as the video was unavailable, he went with "Bust a Move 2002" (number 96, March 2002) instead, which was Young MC's only later single to chart in Australia.



Number 187 "Don't Let It Show on Your Face" by Adeva
Peak: number 187
Peak date: 23 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks

We last saw Patricia Daniels, aka Adeva, in 1990.

"Don't Let It Show on Your Face" was issued as the second single from Adeva's second album Love Or Lust? (number 114, January 1992).  It followed "It Should've Been Me" (number 83, January 1992).  The track underwent a radical reworking by Perfecto for single release, and I much prefer this single mix to the LP version.
 
Internationally, "Don't Let It Show on Your Face" peaked at number 34 in the UK in February 1992.
 
Within Australia, "Don't Let It Show on Your Face" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 171.

Despite being a casual Adeva fan (I bought several of the singles from her debut album), I didn't hear this one until picking up a VHS compilation of hers in 2006.  It's a pity, as it's probably my favourite Adeva track, with a sensational video to boot.  The song deserved to do much better on the charts.

One thing I wasn't aware of until researching this post is that Adeva underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2021.

A third single from Love Or Lust?, "Until You Come Back to Me", was released in Australia in June 1992, but failed to chart.

While this would be the last occasion Adeva had a charting single in Australia in her own right, she will grace our presence again in 1995, when she collaborates with another artist.  Adeva also charted with the compilation album Hits! (number 251, November 1992).



Number 198 "Too Blind to See It" by Kym Sims
Peak: number 161
Peak date: 27 April 1992
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
 
American singer-songwriter - although she did not write this track - Kym Sims started out as a jingle writer, before making her foray into dance music.  "Too Blind to See It" was her debut release, and I first became aware of her after hearing the song on the American Top 40 radio show, with the single reaching number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992.
 
Kym's greatest success came in Europe, however.  "Too Blind to See It" reached number 20 in Ireland in December 1991, number 5 in the UK in January 1992, number 21 in Sweden in February 1992, number 28 in the Netherlands in February 1992, and number 14 in the Flanders region of Belgium in March 1992.  The single also peaked at number 45 in New Zealand in March 1992.

Domestically, "Too Blind to See It" performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 127.

The single was lifted from Kym's debut and only album Too Blind to See It, which was released locally in April 1992 but failed to chart.

We will see Kym again in June.  A song she wrote for another artist will also bubble under in July.
 

 
Number 206 "The Jam" by Shabba Ranks featuring KRS-1
Peak: number 206
Peak date: 23 March 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
 
We last saw Shabba Ranks in 1991.
 
"The Jam" was the second single released in Australia from Shabba's album As Raw As Ever.  This time, the featured artist in question was New York Rapper KRS-1, also known as KRS-One, real name Lawrence "Kris" Parker... who is also known as Teacha!  KRS-1 stands for 'knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everyone'.

Internationally, "The One" peaked at number 98 (number 88 on the compressed chart) in the UK in December 1991, and number 1 on the meaningless US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart in April 1992.  It also peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Dance Singles Sales chart in January 1992, number 52 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in April 1992, and number 74 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart in July 1992.

In Australia, "The Jam" peaked at number 206 on all five of the state charts, as well as nationally, making me think it could actually be at the bottom of the singles chart this week in 1992, as I rarely see a single peak at the same number on every state chart, matching its national peak, unless it is number 1.

Shabba will join us next in June 1992.
 

 
Next week (30 March): Four top 150 debuts and five bubbling WAY down under entries.
 
< Previous week: 16 March 1992                                Next week: 30 March 1992 >

2 comments:

  1. I keep forgetting you post these a day early. Looking at my notes i also forgot to include that They Might Be Giants track in my database. In fact i'd never even heard of it! Will have to fix that omission.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "The Statue Got Me High" is one of the highlights on They Might Be Giants' album Apollo 18. It's not about drugs or anything like that. It's about a guy who looks at a statue and his head blows up.
    Give me that over endless saccharine 'lurve' ballads any day!

    ReplyDelete

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