Among this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100, we have two variants of the word 'desire' as a name, as well as songs about unconscious desires and setting your loving free. Ooh-er! Shall we take a look?
Des'ree looking pained at the fact that Australia didn't seem to love this single in 1992.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 119 "Ballroom Blitz" by Tia Carrere
Peak: number 101
Peak date: 10 August 1992
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 119-111-123-109-101-122-128
American actress Tia Carrere (pronounced 'career'), born Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo, had her first taste of fame as an actress on US soap opera General Hospital. She landed the role of Cassandra Wong in the movies Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2, which led to her recording 'career', with this cover version of The Sweet's "The Ballroom Blitz", which reached number 1 on the Go-Set chart (then Australia's official chart) for one week in January 1974, appearing on the Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack album (number 15, August 1992). Although I have never seen either Wayne's World movie, I do a double-take every time I see Garth from the movie, as he bears an uncanny resemblance to the maths teacher I had at school in 1992 (and 1994 and 1996).
Internationally, Tia's version of "Ballroom Blitz" peaked at number 26 in the UK in June 1992, and number 14 in Ireland in June 1992.
This single would be Tia's only foray into the ARIA top 150.
Number 125 "Why Should I Love You?" by Des'ree
Peak: number 102
Peak date: 3 August 1992
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Known chart run: 185-125-114-113-102-106-114-120
Weeks on chart: 9 weeks
English singer-songwriter Des'ree, born Desirée Annette Weekes, made a small splash on the Australian chart with her debut single "Feel
So High" (number 28, March 1992), which had no fewer than three different music videos filmed for it, and took four months to reach its peak here after debuting at number 166 in
November 1991. She followed it up with "Mind Adventures" (number 89, May 1992), the title track from Des'ree's debut album Mind Adventures (number 39, August 1992).
"Why Should I Love You?" was issued as the third and final single from Mind Adventures. Naturally, being my favourite single from the album, it performed the worst on the chart, just falling short of the ARIA top 100.
Internationally, "Why Should I Love You?" peaked at number 44 in the UK in June 1992. Within Australia, the single was most successful in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 86.
I remember catching the video for this one on rage as a new release before the top 60 chart aired, and liking it.
We'll next see Des'ree in 1995.
Number 130 "Now That the Magic Has Gone" by Joe Cocker
Peak: number 107
Peak date: 27 July 1992
Weeks in top 150: 11 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 130-132-107-119-119-118-124-126-122-143-148
We last saw Joe Cocker in 1990.
"Now That the Magic Has Gone" was issued as the second single from Joe's thirteenth studio album Night Calls (number 23, September 1992), following "Feels Like Forever" (number 74, June 1992). A memorable story I can tell about the Night Calls album is that my sister bought it for my mum as a present that year (on cassette, no less), and the price tag detector thing in JB Hi-Fi went off when she walked out of the store with the tape in a bag, even though she had paid for it. Unfortunately, I was not there to witness...
Internationally, "Now That the Magic Has Gone" peaked at number 28 in the UK in May 1992, and number 71 in Canada in October 1992.
Joe will join us next in October 1992.
Number 147 "Desireé" by Rick Vito duet with Stevie Nicks
Peak: number 147
Peak date: 13 July 1992
Weeks in top 150: 1 week
Top 150 chart run: 147
From Des'ree above to now "Desirée"... this track was a duet between Rick Vito and Fleetwood Mac stalwart Stevie Nicks, whom we last saw in February 1992, which I had never heard before and was not aware of at the time.
American guitarist and singer Rick, born Richard Francis Veto, was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991, taking over from lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. Although Rick had been performing as a session musician since the early 1970s, "Desirée" was the lead single from his debut solo album King of Hearts. I cannot find evidence of this single charting elsewhere at the time of writing.
While this will be the only occasion we'll see Rick on his own, Stevie will join us again in 1994.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 171 "Cool As Ice (Everybody Get Loose)" by Vanilla Ice featuring Naomi Campbell
Peak: number 171
Peak date: 13 July 1992
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
By this point in 1992, American rapper Vanilla Ice, whom we last saw in 1991, was pretty much universally perceived as a joke whose career was over, a mere 18 months or so since it had begun. Although his chart 'career' was not quite over yet in Australia, with this title track from Vanilla's film debut, Cool As Ice, which bombed at the box office, yielding less than one quarter of its US$6 million budget. Not even teaming up with supermodel Naomi Campbell, who also appeared in the film, helped.
The only other place "Cool As Ice (Everybody Get Loose)" charted was on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 81 in October 1991. I guess the later Australian chart-entry date is due to the film's release being delayed here (like just about everything else back in those days).
On the state charts, "Cool As Ice..." performed strongest in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 157.
We shall see Vanilla Ice once again, in 1994, and Naomi will bubble under on her own too that year.
Number 197 "Set Your Loving Free" by Lisa Stansfield
Peak: number 164
Peak date: 20 July 1992
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
Poor English songstress Lisa Stansfield, whom we last saw a mere seven weeks ago, didn't normally have much luck on the Australian chart, with only two of her fifteen charting singles (not including one with Blue Zone and one with Coldcut, which also missed the top 50) in Australia denting the top 50! Still, you have to admire the Australian branch of her record company for their persistence, and not just giving up on her.
"Set Your Loving Free" was released as the fourth and final single from Lisa's second solo studio album Real Love (number 40, January 1992). Internationally, the single peaked at number 28 in the UK in May 1992, number 42 in the Netherlands in July 1992, and number 57 in Germany in July 1992.
In Australia, "Set Your Loving Free" performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 143.
I am pretty sure I heard/saw this one at the time, either on UK Chart Attack, or the video on rage. While it's a nice enough song, it doesn't really stand out among Lisa's catalogue for me.
Lisa will join us next in 1993 with yet more Aussie flops.
Number 204 "The Male Monster from the Id" by The Chills
Peak: number 163
Peak date: 24 August 1992
Weeks on chart: 10 weeks
We last saw Kiwi band The Chills in 1990.
"The Male Monster from the Id" was the lead single from the band's third studio album Soft Bomb (number 99, August 1992).
Internationally, "The Male Monster from the Id" peaked at number 8 in New Zealand in July 1992.
In Australia, "The Male Monster from the Id" was most popular in Western Australia, where it reached number 133.
I have heard/seen this one a couple of times over the years on rage, but could barely remember how the song went.
In case you're wondering what the "id" is, in Freudian psychology, it's the part of our psyche that harbours our unconscious desires, particularly aggression and libido - essentially without conscience (that being the superego). Yay, I learnt something semi-useful in psych class at uni...
We shall next see The Chills in October 1992.
Next week (20 July): Six new top 150 entries, plus six bubbling WAY down under debuts.
I have a copy of King Of Hearts by Rick Vito. Found it in a second hand music store. I was always curious as to whether it charted and how well it went.
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