One thing connecting all of this week in 1992's new entries peaking outside the top 100 is that they all peaked during the month of November 1992. Before we take a look at them, I wish to alert you that I have added top 150 chart runs to my April and May 1992 posts.
Melissa: not many took up the invitation to come to her house with this single.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 129 “Youth Against Fascism” by Sonic Youth
Peak: number 123
Peak date: 23 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 4 weeks
Chart run: 129-123-133-136
Weeks on chart: 4 weeks
We last saw American band Sonic Youth in 1991.
"Youth Against Fascism" was issued as the second single from the band's seventh studio album Dirty (number 22, August 1992), following “100%” (number 67, August 1992), which was their first ARIA top 100 single.
Internationally, "Youth Against Fascism" peaked at number 52 in the UK in November 1992, and at number 39 in New Zealand in February 1993.
In Australia, "Youth Against Fascism" was most popular in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 111 on the state chart.
We'll next see Sonic Youth in 1993.
Number 131 “My House” by Melissa
Peak: number 119
Peak date: 23 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks
Chart run: 131-119-132-146-145-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)
Weeks on chart: 7 weeks
Melissa Tkautz (pronounced "cowts"), known mononymously as just 'Melissa' for her pop career at this point, came to fame playing the role of Nikki Spencer on the Australian soap opera E Street, which she joined in 1990. Melissa was the first actor from E Street to launch a pop career, releasing her debut single “Read My Lips” (number 1 for two weeks in July 1991) in May 1991, which topped the ARIA singles chart. She swiftly followed it up with “Sexy (Is the Word)” (number 3, September 1991), followed by a long delay before her third single “Skin to Skin” (number 16, May 1992). All three tracks were lifted from Melissa's debut album Fresh (number 15, June 1992), which spent a mere 7 weeks on the ARIA top 100 albums chart despite its top 20 peak. Like several Australian pop acts of the time, releasing an album long after the artist's initial/peak success hampered Melissa's career. You need to strike while the iron is hot!
"My House" was originally intended to be released as a single in August 1992, even appearing as a 'single of the week' on the printed ARIA top 50 charts available freely in record stores that month. Why it took another three months to eventually hit the shops, I do not know, but much of the momentum had been lost, and the single faltered outside the ARIA top 100.
"My House" performed strongest on the Queensland state chart, where it reached number 107.
Interestingly, Vika Bull from Vika & Linda released a pop/dance version of “My House” on dance label Colossal Records in 1987, with different verse lyrics. It feels odd hearing Vika's voice on a dance track, but it works.
Melissa released another single, not from the Fresh album, “Is It…?” (number 39, July 1993), which just scraped into the top 40. Subsequent plans for a second album were abandoned.
Melissa finally returned to recording in 2005, this time using her surname on her releases, with a cover version of Sheila E's “The Glamorous Life” (number 31, September 2005). Her second album Lost & Found (number 380, December 2005) barely registered a blip on the chart. My favourite single from Melissa's attempted 'comeback' era would be “Easily Affected” (number 86, November 2006).
Given that I will not be recapping charts into the 2010s, I will reveal here that Melissa Tkautz had later low-charting singles with "Gotta Let You Go" (number 357, May 2015) and "The Key" (number 736, June 2017). She also had another low-charting album with the compilation The Hits & More (number 481, August 2012).
Number 134 “Sentinel” by Mike Oldfield
Peak: number 134
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 3 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 134-139-144
English musician, songwriter and producer Mike Oldfield first came to prominence with the Tubular Bells (number 1, May 1974) album, the title track of which (number 12, June 1974) was used as the theme music for the horror film The Exorcist. Between 1974 and 1984, Mike Oldfield placed six singles on the Australian top 100, with "Moonlight Shadow" (number 6, September 1983) featuring Maggie Reilly being the biggest of those. "Moonlight Shadow" was an early favourite song of mine; my mum bought the 7" vinyl single for me.
"Sentinel" was issued as the lead single from Mike's fifteenth studio album Tubular Bells II (number 12, September 1992). Internationally, the single peaked at number 10 in the UK in October 1992, and at number 14 in Ireland during the same month.
I remember reading an article on Tubular Bells II in the free Brashs Music magazine, but did not hear this song at the time.
Number 140 “Taillights Fade”/“Velvet Roof” by Buffalo Tom
Peak: number 140
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 140-148
American band Buffalo Tom formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1986. "Taillights Fade" and "Velvet Roof" are lifted from the band's third studio album Let Me Come Over (number 81, October 1992). The singles were issued as separate releases in Europe and North America; it appears that they were paired together as a double A-side release only in Australia. I hadn't heard either track before, but liked "Taillights Fade" more.
Internationally, "Taillights Fade" peaked at number 51 in the Netherlands in May 1992, and at number 87 in the UK in June 1992.
Buffalo Tom would eventually land a top 100 single in Australia, their only one, with "Rachael" (number 99, October 1998).
Number 148 “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)” by Cracker
Peak: number 148
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 148-149
Weeks on chart: 12 weeks
American band Cracker formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1990. "Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)" was issued as the band's debut single, lifted from their debut album Cracker (number 178, November 1992).
Overseas, "Teen Angst..." peaked at number 150 in the UK in April 1992, and at number 65 in Canada in July 1992. It also registered on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, reaching number 1 on it in May 1992, and at number 27 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in June 1992.
In Australia, "Teen Angst..." performed strongest in Western Australia, reaching number 121 on the state chart.
I don't recall where I first heard "Teen Angst...", but I definitely knew the song at the time. I suspect I probably heard it aired on Triple M. I think it could have been a bigger hit with more promotion.
Cracker would eventually score a top 100 hit in Australia, their only one, with “Low” (number 63, September 1994).
We shall next see Cracker in 1993.
Number 149 “Leap of Faith” by Bruce Springsteen
Peak: number 133
Peak date: 23 November 1992
Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks
Chart run: 211-149-133
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
'The Boss' last paid us a visit in July 1992.
"Leap of Faith" was the second single issued from one of Bruce's two 1992 albums, Lucky Town (number 6, April 1992), and the fourth released from the combined set.
Internationally, "Leap of Faith" peaked at number 48 in Canada in August 1992, number 46 in the UK in October 1992, number 23 in Sweden in November 1992, and number 38 in the Netherlands in November 1992. The song also peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in September 1992.
Locally, "Leap of Faith" was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 108 on the state chart.
A live performance was used for the music video, embedded below. You can listen to the studio version of "Leap of Faith" here. I hadn't heard this one before, but didn't mind it.
We'll next see Bruce in 1993.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 157 “Lover You Send Me Colours” by Londonbeat
Peak: number 157
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
English band Londonbeat last graced our presence in June 1992.
"Lover You Send Me Colours" was issued as the second single in Australia from the band's third studio album Harmony (number 181, November 1992).
Internationally, "Lover You Send Me Colours" peaked at number 40 in Sweden in August 1992, number 26 in the Netherlands in September 1992, number 18 in the Flanders region of Belgium in October 1992, and at number 33 in Germany in October 1992.
Domestically, "Lover You Send Me Colours" performed strongest in Western Australia, reaching number 132 on the state chart.
"Lover You Send Me Colours" does not appear to have been released as a single in the UK. They instead seem to have gone with “That’s How I Feel About You” (UK number 69, October 1992), which was released in Australia in February 1993 but failed to chart.
I hadn't heard "Lover You Send Me Colours" until writing this post. I quite enjoyed it, particularly the bridge leading into the chorus, and think it deserved to be a much bigger hit.
We shall see Londonbeat on one more occasion, in 1995.
Number 188 Daze of Our Lives EP by Dazy Chains
Peak: number 188
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Dazy Chains were an Australian trio, formed in Sydney in 1988. The Daze of Our Lives EP, led by the track "Hatred" (the music video for which is embedded below), was their only charting release. The EP performed strongest in New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, where it reached number 181.
I discovered this one a few years ago when the video appeared on an Australian promo music video VHS compilation I picked up.
Dazy Chains split in 1993.
Number 200 “I Want You” by Sophie B. Hawkins
Peak: number 200
Peak date: 16 November 1992
Weeks on chart: 3 weeks
American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins last paid us a visit in September 1992. "I Want You", a cover version of a song originally recorded by Bob Dylan (number 72, August 1966), was issued as the third and final single from Sophie's debut album Tongues and Tails (number 38, November 1992).
Internationally, "I Want You" peaked at number 49 in the UK in January 1993. In Australia, the single was most popular in Queensland, where it reached number 173 on the state chart.
Sophie will next pay us a visit in 1994.
Next week (23 November): A mammoth week with 14 top 150 entries and three bubbling WAY down under debuts.
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