This week in 1992 was a relatively quiet one, compared to recent weeks, with only three new top 150 entries and one bubbling WAY down under debut. Before taking a look at them, I have added top 150 chart runs to my October 1990 to March 1992 posts inclusive.
Southern Sons would have to wait longer for their next hit.
Top 150 debuts:
Number 118 “I Can’t Wait Any Longer” by Southern Sons
Peak: number 111
Peak date: 11 January 1993
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 118-113-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-132-111-121-119-119
Aussie band Southern Sons formed in Melbourne in 1989, and were initially known as The State, whom we saw bubble under in 1989. Since then, they recruited a new vocalist, Iwrin Thomas, who was then using the stage name of Jack Jones. "Jack" had a taste of chart success as the voice of John Farnham on The D-Generation's "Five in a Row" (number 12, December 1989) single.
Southern Sons burst onto the chart in 1990 with their debut single “Heart in Danger” (number 5, November 1990). Their album Southern Sons (number 5, April 1991) produced three more top 40 hits, including "Always and Ever" (number 16, January 1991), "Hold Me in Your Arms" (number 9, April 1991), and the Train Tracks EP (number 40, July 1991), led by the track "Waiting for That Train".
Southern Sons returned with the lead single from their second album Nothing but the Truth (number 26, May 1993), “Lead Me to Water” (number 36, November 1992), in the latter part of 1992. While being my favourite single of theirs, it didn't exactly set the charts alight. "I Can't Wait Any Longer", which is just titled "Can't Wait Any Longer" on the album, was issued as the second single form Nothing but the Truth, and fared even worse on the chart, stalling outside the top 100.
The group would score another top 10 hit with their next single, “You Were There” (number 6, May 1993), which appeared in the Sydney Dance Company's stage production of Beauty and the Beast.
We shall see Southern Sons again in 1996.
Number 130 “Lifetime Piling Up” by Talking Heads
Peak: number 108
Peak date: 11 January 1993
Weeks in top 150: 8 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 130-134-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-128-108-120-128
American band Talking Heads formed in New York City in 1975. Between 1978 and 1986, Talking Heads placed nine singles on the Australian top 100, with “And She Was” (number 10, March 1986) being the highest-charting of those. I tend to think the band are better known for "Road to Nowhere" (number 16, December 1985), or "Wild Wild Life" (number 13, October 1986), though. Going by YouTube video views, it appears that "Once in a Lifetime" (number 23, May 1981) is their best-known track.
Talking Heads split in 1991. We have seen their lead singer, David Byrne, bubble under as a solo artist in 1990 and 1992. "Lifetime Piling Up" was issued as a single to promote the best-of compilation Once in a Lifetime: The Best of (number 35, November 1992), which was released as a 2-CD set in North America titled Popular Favorites 1976-1992: Sand in the Vaseline.
Internationally, "Lifetime Piling Up" peaked at number 50 in the UK in October 1992. It also reached number 11 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
I don't recall hearing this one before, though have seen the video on rage, which is a montage of their earlier music videos. I like it.
Number 147 “Pretty Vacant” by Sex Pistols
Peak: number 126
Peak date: 11 January 1993
Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks
Top 150 chart run: 147-141-(chart repeated for 2 week Xmas break)-133-126-137-133-139
British punk band Sex Pistols (no 'The') formed in 1975. Despite having a high profile and name recognition (I was aware of them as a teen in the early 90s), they only placed two singles on the Australian top 100 chart during the band's existence, with the 1977 release of "Pretty Vacant" being the biggest of those, peaking at number 52 in January 1978. The track was lifted from the band's only studio album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (number 23, January 1978), and the song's riff was apparently inspired by ABBA's "S.O.S." (number 1, January 1976). Although they later reformed, the Sex Pistols initially disbanded in 1978. The band's second bassist, Sid Vicious (real name Simon John Ritchie), died in 1979, aged 21, from a heroin overdose.
"Pretty Vacant" was re-issued in 1992 to promote the band's best-of compilation Kiss This (number 40, November 1992). Internationally, the 1992 release of the single peaked at number 56 in the UK in December 1992 (it originally peaked at number 6 there in July 1977).
We saw Sex Pistols’ singer John Lydon’s next band, PiL, bubble under last in 1990.
Sex Pistols will bubble under again in 1996.
Bubbling WAY down under:
Number 221 “Jelly Funk” by Swoop
Peak: number 221
Peak date: 7 December 1992
Weeks on chart: 1 week
Australian band Swoop formed in Sydney in 1991. "Jelly Funk" was their debut single, released in July 1992, though took nearly five months to scrape into the bottom of the chart. I suspect that "Jelly Funk" may have been at the very bottom of the singles chart this week in 1992, as it peaked at number 221 on all five of the state charts, as well as nationally. Swoop released a second single, "Everyone Loves the Sunshine" at the end of November 1992, and as I write this, I am wondering if ARIA made a mistake and that one was actually number 221 this week, as the chronology would fit better. But we will never know...
Both tracks would appear on Swoop's debut album Thriller (number 160, May 1994). Swoop would land a bunch of singles registering in the lower half of the ARIA top 100, but managed to score one breakthrough hit with “Apple Eyes” (number 9, January 1996), which I thought was a cover version (because it sounded so 70s to my ears) until I discovered it wasn't just a few years ago!
We shall next see Swoop in 1996.
Next week (14 December): The last chart survey for 1992 sees four new top 150 entries and seven new bubbling WAY down under debuts.
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