Week commencing 22 March 1993

This week in 1993's new entries peaking outside the Australian top 100 are a mixed bunch, containing established artists who normally do better, and more-obscure ones you may have never heard of before.  Before we take a look, I have updated the following previous posts:

 

* 4 March 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Was (Not Was); 

* 11 March 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Jellybean featuring Niki Haris;

* 8 April 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Denise Lopez; 

* 6 May 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Lee Aaron; 

* 27 May 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from Tongue 'N' Cheek;

* 5 August 1991 - with a new bubbling WAY down under entry from PIL;

* 2 March 1992 - with new bubbling WAY down under entries from Lee Aaron and Yo Yo Honey.

 

Cleopatra Wong lamenting on their lack of chart success.

 

Top 150 debuts:

 

Number 116 "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors (90s re-release)

Peak: number 116

Peak date: 22 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 116-132-134-129-124-140-150

 

We last saw American rock band The Doors in 1991.

 

"Riders on the Storm" originally appeared on the band's sixth studio album L.A. Woman, and reached number 10 in Australia on the Go Set singles chart in November 1971.  Internationally, the 1971 release of "Riders on the Storm" peaked at number 7 in the Netherlands in August 1971, number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in September 1971, number 5 in Canada in September 1971, number 22 in the UK in November 1971, and number 28 in West Germany.

 

"Riders on the Storm" was the third Doors single re-released in Europe in 1991 to promote The Doors (number 11, June 1991) soundtrack album.  In Australia, we got the first two re-releases, "Break on Through" (number 97, June 1991) and "Light My Fire" (number 130, July 1991), but, for reasons unknown, the re-release of "Riders on the Storm" was postponed to February 1993.  I am guessing that maybe the movie premiered on TV around that time?  In any case, there was a renewed interest in The Doors on the ARIA albums chart in early 1993, with The Best of The Doors (number 3, March 1993) peaking within the top five, and The Doors soundtrack rebounding to number 44 in March 1993.

 

Internationally, the 1991 release of "Riders on the Storm" peaked at number 68 in the UK in August 1991, and number 12 in Ireland in August 1991.

 

I don't recall exactly when I heard "Riders on the Storm" for the first time, but have a vivid memory of hearing it on an AM radio station in the early 1990s.

 

 

Number 119 "Megamix" by Gloria Estefan

Peak: number 119

Peak date: 22 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 6 weeks

Chart run: 119-142-133-149-148-130

Weeks on chart: 6 weeks

 

Gloria Estefan last graced our presence in 1992. 

 

As you may have guessed from the title, "Megamix" is a megamix of Gloria/Miami Sound Machine's earlier uptempo hits, including "Dr. Beat" (number 11, February 1985), "Conga" (number 37, March 1986), "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" (number 54, August 1987), "1-2-3" (number 99, December 1988), and "Get on Your Feet" (number 98, October 1990).  The megamix was released to promote Gloria's Greatest Hits (number 21, November 1992) compilation, which was re-packaged (at least in Australia) with a second disc containing this track.

 

Internationally, this single was titled "Miami Hit Mix" in Europe and Colombia.  The single peaked at number 8 in the UK in December 1992, number 12 in Ireland in December 1992, and number 92 in Germany in March 1993.

 

In Australia, "Megamix" performed strongest in Queensland, where it reached number 92 on the state chart.

 

Watching the music video for "Megamix", rather than recycle footage from Gloria's earlier music videos, they have instead used new footage.  Both the song and video are a bit of a hot mess, in my view; I would much rather listen to the original tracks.

 

Gloria will next join us in July 1993.

 

 

Number 130 "Courage" by The Tragically Hip

Peak: number 127

Peak date: 29 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 5 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 130-127-131-134-136

 

Canadian band The Tragically Hip formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984.  "Courage", titled "Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)" on the album and rear of the single, was the first single released in Australia from the band's third studio album Fully Completely (number 96, March 1993).

 

Internationally, "Courage" peaked at number 94 (number 85 on the compressed chart) in the UK in March 1993, and number 10 in Canada in April 1993.  The song also registered on two US Billboard genre-specific charts, peaking at number 16 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in March 1993, and number 16 on the Alternative Airplay chart in March 1993.

 

"Courage" would be the band's only ARIA top 150 single, though they had another top 150 album, with Day for Night (number 145, February 1995).  The band's lead singer, Gord Downie, passed away in October 2017, aged 53, from brain cancer.

 

 

Number 144 Cleopatra's Lament EP by Cleopatra Wong

Peak: number 132

Peak date: 10 May 1993

Weeks in top 150: 9 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 144-137-137-137-141-136-138-132-150

 

Australian duo Cleopatra Wong were former Go-Betweens members Amanda Brown (violin, oboe, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and Lindy Morrison (drums, backing vocals).  They formed Cleopatra Wong, named after a female James Bond-like character in the 1979 film They Call Her Cleopatra Wong, after the demise of The Go-Betweens in 1989.

 

During their existence, Cleopatra Wong only released two EPs, Egg (number 77 on the ARIA albums chart, June 1992), which contained the rather nice "Thank You", and this one, Cleopatra's Lament.  The five-track Cleopatra's Lament EP was led by the song "Baby for You", for which I have embedded an audio clip below.  A music video was filmed, but only a snippet of this appears on YouTube, here.

 

Lindy left the band in 1993, after a deal fell through to release their two EPs in the US.  This was the final Cleopatra Wong release.

 

The Go-Betweens reformed in 2000, minus Amanda and Lindy, until 2006, when G. W. MacLennan died.  More-recently, I have spotted Lindy doing TV commercials for APIA, Australian Pensioners' Insurance Agency.

 

 

Number 145 "Naturally" by Living Daylights

Peak: number 126

Peak date: 19 April 1993

Weeks in top 150: 7 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 145-148-149-147-126-143-137

 

Aussie band Living Daylights last paid us a visit in 1992.  I hadn't heard this one before; it's not bad.  "Naturally" appears on the duo's only album Living Daylights, which does not appear to have received an Australian release.  One thing I can confirm since their last entry is that lead singer Denise DeMarchi is indeed the sister of Baby Animals' front woman Suze DeMarchi.

 

Living Daylights will join us once more, in May 1993.

 

 

Number 146 "Boys from the Bush" by Lee Kernaghan

Peak: number 130

Peak date: 5 April 1993

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 146-(out for 1 week)-130

 

Australian country artist Lee Kernaghan released a couple of singles during the 1980s, none of which troubled the charts.  That would change with this single, taken from his debut solo studio album The Outback Club (number 58, May 1994), which debuted in the ARIA top 150 albums chart in May 1992 and initially peaked at number 86 in February 1993.

 

Lee would land his first ARIA top 100 single in 1997 with "This Is the Outback" (number 84, September 1997).  His biggest hit would come with "Spirit of the Bush", a collaboration with Adam Brand and Steve Forde (number 11, July 2007).

 

To say I am not a fan of country music would be putting it mildly...

 

Lee will next join us in 1994.

 

 

Number 148 "Pleasure" by The Soup Dragons

Peak: number 148

Peak date: 22 March 1993

Weeks in top 150: 2 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 148-(out for 1 week)-150

Weeks on chart: 5 weeks

 

Scottish band The Soup Dragons last joined us in 1992.

 

"Pleasure" was the second and final single lifted from the band's third studio album Hotwired (number 177, July 1992).  Internationally, "Pleasure" peaked at number 78 (number 77 on the compressed chart) in the UK in September 1992.

 

Locally, "Pleasure" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 136 on the state chart.

 

"Pleasure" has quite a catchy chorus, and sounds like a hit to me.  I am surprised that it didn't do better on the charts.  This would be The Soup Dragons' final release to chart in Australia.

 

 

Number 149 "Sunshine" by Vincent Stone

Peak: number 109

Peak date: 28 June 1993

Weeks in top 150: 15 weeks

Top 150 chart run: 149-147-(out for 1 week)-146-(out for 1 week)-139-135-133-122-122-117-122-119-113-109-118-137

 

Australian artist Vincent Stone hails from Sydney.  While his recording career only consists of one album and three singles, he later went into acting, landing the role of Grant in the film Superman Returns (2006).

 

"Sunshine" was the first single lifted from the album Vincent Stone (number 65, April 1994).  It was produced by former Noiseworks members Justin Stanley and Steve Balbi, who would form Electric Hippies - we'll see them bubble under in November 1993.

 

On the state charts, "Sunshine" performed strongest in Western Australia, where it reached number 47.

 

Vincent was nominated for Best New Talent and Breakthrough Artist - Single at the 1994 ARIA Awards.

 

Perhaps, though, "Sunshine"'s biggest accolade is making its way onto the McDonalds 4-track Hot Hits Vol 1 cassette, which if I remember correctly, was available for a couple of dollars (maybe $4.95?) with the purchase of any meal in early 1994.

 

A music video exists for this track, but has not yet made its way onto YouTube. 

We shall next see Vincent in October 1993.

 

Bubbling WAY down under:

 

Number 177 "I Will Always Love You" by Tears N’ Joy

Peak: number 159

Peak date: 29 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 8 weeks

As you might have guessed from the title, this one is a cover of Dolly Parton’s "I Will Always Love You", which at this point in 1993, Whitney Houston’s version of it recently spent 10 weeks at number one.  It was inevitable that a cheaply-produced dance version of the song would be released, and here it is.  Production-wise, this version, which I hadn’t heard before, sounds more than a little bit inspired by K.W.S.’s "Please Don’t Go" (number 2 for 4 non-consecutive weeks in July-August 1992).  The singer, German Josephine Hiebel (credited as ‘Joy’ here), has competent, if not quite Whitney-level, vocals, which is something these thrown-together dance version cash-ins often lack.

 

Internationally, this version of "I Will Always Love You" peaked at number 9 in the Netherlands in March 1993, number 11 in the Flanders region of Belgium in April 1993, and number 47 in New Zealand in May 1993.

 

Domestically, "I Will Always Love You" performed strongest in South Australia/Northern Territory, where it reached number 124 on the state chart.  The single peaked higher nationally on the Australian Music Report singles chart, where it reached number 94.

 

This was the only Tears N' Joy release to chart in Australia.

Number 207 "Highland" by One More Time

Peak: number 181

Peak date: 29 March 1993

Weeks on chart: 2 weeks

 

Swedish group One More Time formed in Stockholm in 1991.  "Highland", which has somewhat of a Celtic feel to my half-Scottish ears, was their debut single, lifted from their debut album Highland, which does not appear to have received a release in Australia.

 

Internationally, "Highland" peaked at number 20 in the Netherlands in November 1992, number 2 in Sweden in December 1992, number 1 in the Flanders region of Belgium in December 1992, number 89 (number 80 on the compressed chart) in the UK in January 1993, and number 39 in Germany in March 1993.

 

In Australia, "Highland" was most popular in Victoria/Tasmania, where it reached number 165 on the state chart.

 

I didn't know this one at the time, but it's yet another song I discovered via a UK VHS compilation I digitised more than a decade ago.  It's quite a nice song.

 

"Highland" was One More Time's only charting release in Australia.  They went on to enter a song "Den Vilda" in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest.

 

 

Next week (29 March): Seven top 150 entries and three bubbling WAY down under debuts.

 

< Previous week: 15 March 1993                      Next week: 29 March 1993 >