He’s vanilla, baby. He’s like the second coming of Vanilla Ice, maybe. Jack Harlow Jackman Thomas Harlow grew up on a Kentucky horse farm. It’s a surprising background for a top-selling rap artist. And Jack Harlow sounds like a white…
Barbadian singer Rihanna and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris found love in a hopeless place … judging by the music video, maybe Ireland. Rihanna At the time of writing (September 2026), Rihanna hasn’t released an album for a decade. She’s had…
Guyana’s Eddy Grant was nearly 35 when he hit the big time with 1982’s Killer on the Rampage. Eddy Grant Eddy Grant was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), the son of a trumpeter. An avid fan of Chuck Berry,…
The Cure have been around for more than forty years, with leader Robert Smith the only constant member. The band formed in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1976, and have covered a lot of ground over their career, from the Gothic…
The first song played on BBC Radio 1 provoked a lawsuit from UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson. The Move There was a lot of great British pop/rock music in the 1960s, and Birmingham psychedelic rock band The Move are sometimes…
‘Airplanes’ was just the beginning of B.o.B.’s interest in aeronautics. He later attempted to raise $1,000,000 for satellites and weather balloons to verify that Earth is flat. B.o.B. Bobby Ray Simmons is the son of a pastor and grew up…
New Zealand number-one hits don’t get much worse than this Australian reality-TV show product. Bardot Around the turn of the millennium, the Popstars TV franchise manufactured pop groups, auditioning contestants and winnowing them down to a successful pop quintet. The…
Split Enz are still perhaps New Zealand’s best-loved band. In their early days, they were art-rockers, releasing the strange art-rock of Mental Notes. When a teenage Neil Finn replaced original songwriter/guitarist Phil Judd, they steered closer to new wave pop.…
If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says fifteen miles to the …. Looove …. SHACK! The B-52’s In 1976, Cindy Wilson, her older brother Ricky Wilson, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, and Fred Schneider…
Predictably, Aaron Neville sings the heck out of this smooth 1970s cover. Aaron Neville Aaron Neville is from New Orleans, of mixed African-American, white, and Choctaw heritage. His vibrato-laden, delicate tenor is instantly recognisable. He released his first single in…
‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’ is one of The Beatles’ biggest earworms. Sensibly, they didn’t release it as a single, creating an opportunity for Marmalade … Marmalade The Gaylords formed in Glasgow in 1961. Their name was inspired by the infamous post-war Chicago street…
Mark Ronson is the stepson of Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones. He continues the family hit-making tradition with ‘Uptown Funk’. Mark Ronson Mark Ronson is the son of socialite, writer, and jewellery designer Ann Dexter-Jones. His stepfather is Foreigner guitarist Mick…
Luckily, her breasts are small and humble so you don’t confuse them with mountains. Shakira Shakira Ripoll was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, the daughter of a jeweller. She wrote her first poem, ‘La Rosa de Cristal’, when she was four. When…
Bob Hudson’s acoustic comedy ‘The Newcastle Song’ spawned an answer song … also written by Bob Hudson. Bob Hudson Sydney’s Bob Hudson trained as a geography teacher, then became a psychiatric nurse. He also began a side career as a…
An Australian busker hit the big time with ‘Dance Monkey’. Tones and I Toni Watson grew up in Melbourne. She busked after learning to play keyboards and drum pads. When she was made redundant from her retail job, she concentrated…
I agree with George Martin – “I’ve got three tracks – and two of them are the best tracks they’ve ever made. We could put the two together and make a smashing single.” The Beatles The Beatles were a global…
It’s become popular to rework classic songs with the lyrics to ‘Low’: “apple bottom jeans” and “boots with the fur”. Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard was born in Miami Gardens, Florida, and grew up with seven sisters. He joined the…
My tenth favourite Simon and Garfunkel song topped the charts in New Zealand, but nowhere else. Simon and Garfunkel Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel started their recording career as Tom & Jerry in 1957, making teen-oriented Everly Brothers-style pop. After a temporary…
Time for a Euro-dance hoedown! Where did you come from? Where did you go? Rednex Inspired by Ricky Skaggs, Swedish producers Janne Ericsson, Örjan “Öban” Öberg, and Ranis Edenberg formed Rednex. They blended Eurodance and country – perhaps it’s not…
Impossibly long legs and a three-octave range made fictional K-pop band Huntrix the biggest pop-culture phenomenon of 2025. KPop Demon Hunters The three pop stars/demon slayers of fictional K-pop band Huntrix were the biggest pop-culture phenomenon of 2025. Their face-off…
This Beatles pastiche is fun… once. But mostly it will remind you of much better Beatles songs that you’ll want to listen to instead. Shane Shane landed a gig hosting the NZ pop show C’mon. This led to a record…
Three Swedish siblings enjoyed international success with this breezy hit. Ace of Base Jonas, Linn, and Jenny Berggren grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden. Jonas played in local bands, while his sisters sang in their church choir. The three siblings formed…
K-pop is now a well-established cultural phenomenon. But the first South Korean artist to break out in the West was a stocky, 34-year-old Freddie Mercury fan. Psy He doesn’t fit the standard K-pop idol image of being incredibly young, good-looking,…
In which we learn that Ariana Grande’s mom is an engineer, like the most fierce badass in the world. Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera was born in Boca Raton, Florida, to an Italian-American heritage. She started her career in musicals and…
Don’t bore us, get to the chorus! Roxette Roxette are a Swedish supergroup. Marie Fredriksson was already a solo star in Sweden, while Per Gessle had enjoyed three #1 albums with his band Gyllene Tider. Their record company’s CEO recommended…
Two superstars duet, portraying two lovers who refuse to leave an abusive relationship. Eminem Missouri-born rapper Eminem broke through to the mainstream with his alter ego, Slim Shady, and the song ‘My Name Is..’. He’s enjoyed nine number one albums…
‘The Ketchup Song’ was rumoured to have Satanic undertones, as the gibberish Spanish title ‘Aserejé’ sounds like “let’s be heretical”. Las Ketchup Lucía, Lola, and Pilar Muñoz are daughters of flamenco musician Juan Manuel Muñoz Expósito. Expósito is known as…
Graeme Humphreys started his musical career in the Whangārei band Sister Ray. Located in the subtropical north, Whangārei is the furthest NZ city from the Flying Nun epicentre of Dunedin. Humphreys moved to Auckland to study zoology and recruited classmate…
Bob Marley and Eric Clapton already shot the sheriff (but not the deputy). Now it’s Warren G’s turn. Warren G I’ll let Yacht Rock explain Warren G’s rise to fame. It may not be historically accurate…. I Shot the Sheriff…
Today’s the day we’ll say “I do” and we’ll never be lonely anymore. The Dixie Cups The Dixie Cups are a trio from New Orleans. The classic lineup consisted of sisters Barbara Ann and Rosa Lee Hawkins, with their cousin…
“The minute you’re in a car and you turn to five different radio stations and they’re all playing “Thrift Shop,” you’re like, “This s*** is played out.” We didn’t make pop music; pop music came to us.” Macklemore and Ryan…
Every New Zealand #1 single… Kenny Loggins Loggins was born in Everett, Washington, 40 km north of Seattle. He started his career as a folkie, playing in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Loggins and Messina. During the 1980s, he became…
History remembers The Honeycombs for one song. ‘Have I The Right?’ was a worldwide hit, and female drummer Honey Lantree attracted media interest. The band split in 1967, after producer Joe Meek’s death. The Honeycombs The Honeycombs formed in North…
‘Easy On Me’ is the lead single from Adele’s fourth album, 30. A gentle piano ballad, it addresses her relationship with her young son in the wake of her recent divorce. Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is one of the…
Meat Loaf was 46 years old when he scored his only number-one hit. 1993 Looking back, it’s interesting how conservative 1993’s single charts were in New Zealand. Some of the biggest songs were reworks of oldies – Whitney Houston covered…
Hard song to rate – it’s better than most of its chart competition in 1963, but pales next to The Beatles’ best work. Chart dominance The Beatles enjoyed 14 #1 singles in New Zealand between 1963 and 1970 – it…
Only one thing I did wrong, listened to Mississippi a minute too long. Bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody ‘Mississippi’ is a country song by the Dutch band Pussycat. It pushed Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ off the top of the charts, and was…
Ini Kamoze recorded ‘Here Comes the Hotstepper’ in early 1992, but it wasn’t released until late 1994. Ini Kamoze Kamoze was born in a seaside shack in Oracabessa, Jamaica. His father was a tough police superintendent nicknamed “The Scorpion”, while…
After nu-metal and alt-rock were largely extinct from the singles chart, ‘Crawl’ topped the NZ charts for seven weeks in 2007. Atlas Producer Hank Linderman introduced Louisville vocalist Sean Cunningham to New Zealand’s Campbell siblings. Bassist Ben Campbell was previously in…
Chubby Checker was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, largely because of a handful of dance-themed hits in the early 1960s. Let’s discuss his breakthough hit, ‘The Twist’. Chubby Checker Ernest Evans was born in Spring…
At 12, Eddie Chacon was playing in a band with future Metallica bassist Cliff Burton and future Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin. Summer monopoly Four acts monopolised the NZ #1 number-one spot between 6 September 1992 and 4 April…
Justin Bieber has released some top-notch singles. ‘Yummy’ isn’t one of them. Justin Bieber Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother uploaded videos of Bieber singing onto the video platform. Eventually, entrepreneur Scooter Braun saw one.…
Supergroove barely made an impact outside New Zealand, but they were inescapable there in the summer of 1994 and 1995. Their blend of hip hop, funk, and metal had already been employed by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers,…
Hi-Revving Tongues topped the New Zealand charts with a cover of Aphrodite’s Child’s ‘Rain and Tears’. New Zealand pop Grows up In an era where New Zealand acts suffered from cultural cringe, ‘Rain and Tears’ headlined a NZ-dominated NZBC listeners’…
Christian Benson (Luude) is one half of the Australian electronic dance music duo Choomba. The other member is his cousin, Timothy Benson. Luude topped the New Zealand charts for nine weeks in 2022, remixing Men At Work’s 1981 hit ‘Down…
George Michael’s second post-Wham! single was a worldwide smash. Wham! Wham! evolved from a partnership into a vehicle for George Michael. So it wasn’t surprising when Wham! disbanded and Michael went solo. As previously noted, Wham! topped the chart once…
Sometimes it’s embarrassing to be a New Zealander. We’ve held the world record for the lowest test cricket score since 1955. We have one of the worst rates of child abuse in the developed world. And somehow, a generic disco…
According to Gary Barlow, Leona Lewis was probably fifty times better than any other contestant Simon Cowell ever had. Leona Lewis Leona Lewis was born in London. She attended BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, the same school as…
‘Travelin’ Man’ was played at Seattle SuperSonics home games whenever a visiting player committed a travelling foul. Ricky Nelson Ricky Nelson was born in the township of Teaneck, New Jersey. He started his entertainment career young. At age eight, he…
“This is basically just “End of the Road” with new lyrics – and blimmin’ presumptuous lyrics at that.” Boyz II Men Philadelphia vocal harmony quartet Boyz II Men were successful on the New Zealand single charts during the 1990s. They…
Want a horse, want a sheep, want a Mull of Kintyre. Paul McCartney Sir Paul McCartney endured a rollercoaster 1970s after an unimpeachable 1960s. In The Beatles, his rivalry/partnership with Lennon kept him focused. He wrote gems like ‘Penny Lane’,…
New Zealand’s 2001 Christmas number one was a cover of a 1960s chestnut, recorded by a famous actress and a laddish singer at the peak of his popularity. Somethin’ Stupid ‘Somethin’ Stupid’ was written by American songwriter Carson Parks, the…
From No Doubt to Rodgers and Hammerstein … Gwen Stefani Gwen Stefani was already an established star before she went solo. She sang for California ska-punk band No Doubt, fronting hits like ‘Don’t Speak’ and ‘Just a Girl’. Her solo…
These two descendants of Motown founder Berry Gordy aren’t actually sorry for party rocking. LMFAO The two members of LMFAO are descended from musical royalty. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. Sky Blu is Gordy’s grandson.…
One of the 1980s’ most dependable and accomplished hitmakers moved onto the dancefloor. Madonna Madonna was one of the best singles artists of the 1980s. Between 1985 and 1990, ‘Into the Groove’, ‘Like A Prayer’, and ‘Vogue’ all topped the…
Bruno Mars established his popularity in New Zealand with his very first single. Bruno Mars Peter Hernandez was born in Honolulu to parents with Filipino, Jewish, and Puerto Rican heritage. He was nicknamed Bruno due to his resemblance to wrestler…
Producer Danger Mouse and vocalist CeeLo Green create magic on their first single as Gnarls Barkley. Gnarls Barkley Producer Danger Mouse and vocalist CeeLo Green were already well known before they released their first single as Gnarls Barkley. CeeLo Green…
They enthralled John Lennon and Paul McCartney with their “Chaucerian wordplay and heavenly Baroque accompaniment”. Procol Harum Gary Brooker sang with The Paramounts, who enjoyed the UK top 40 hit ‘Poison Ivy’ in 1966. Brooker left The Paramounts and formed a songwriting partnership…
The siren beats of Pasifika communities in Auckland made it to the top of the American charts, with some help from Jason Derulo and BTS. New Zealand in the US charts Historically, the top of the US charts has been…
Jackson topped the NZ charts eight times as a solo artist. Surprisingly, six of these were during the 1990s. Michael Jackson Michael Jackson was the eighth of ten children, growing up on Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana. He joined the…
Tony Bennett, David Lynch, and Alannah Myles are all involved in the Blue Velvet story. Bobby Vinton Bobby Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a bandleader. He learned the clarinet and studied music composition at Duquesne University.…
Paul Hardcastle was out having fun in pubs and clubs when he was 19, not being shoved into jungles and shot at. 19 I was surprised that there’s a five-week number-one hit from the 1980s that I’d never heard before.…
An insipid ballad from the bargain-basement Boyz II Men. I Swear The third quarter of 1994 may be the most toothless in the history of the New Zealand singles chart. Three stale songs topped the charts during the quarter: ‘End…
Eminem’s reign started to crack with ‘Just Lose It’. “Chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubba-chubby/I don’t have any lines to go right here, so chubba-Teletubby.” Eminem I’ve never devoted much thought to Eminem. I was almost through my teens when his breakthrough, The Slim Shady…
The Fugees’ cover of Robert Flack’s cover was a massive, deserved hit worldwide. Killing Me Softly With His Song The Fugees topped the New Zealand singles charts with their cover of ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’. I never realised…
The bass and the tweeters make the speakers go to war! Ah, the mighty trumpet brings the freaks out to the floor! Freaks After years of bickering over the racehorse Phar Lap, pavlova, and Crowded House, ‘Freaks’ is a lovely…
It was a flop as ‘European Queen’ in the UK, but ‘Caribbean Queen’ took off for Billy Ocean in targeted markets. Billy Ocean Billy Ocean is best known for a string of hits in the mid-1980s. ‘Caribbean Queen’ was followed…
Easy-listening schmaltz about a poor South American farmer who works hard all day, and then sits by a tree and dreams of being a white bird with its freedom. George Baker Selection Dutch musician George Baker scored hits in three…
Swift is such a megastar that even her outtakes top the NZ singles charts. Taylor Swift It’s a little perverse for the randomiser to suggest a Taylor Swift song for this column when she’s just released a new album. But…
‘Where Did Our Love Go’ marked the start of The Supremes’ mid-1960s excellence. The Supremes The Supremes were massively successful in the 1960s. They scored twelve #1s on the Billboard charts, the most of any American group. 1964’s ‘Where Did…
In The Shadows’ broke the record for performance royalties earned overseas by a Finnish composition. Composer Jean Sibelius was the previous record holder. The Rasmus In the last column, I covered ABBA’s ‘Fernando‘. This week the randomiser threw up another…
ABBA dominated the NZ charts in 1976, and this non-album single is charming. ABBA 1976 was the year of ABBA in New Zealand. The Swedish quartet topped the singles chart for 15 of 45 possible weeks (back then the NZ…
‘Beautiful Liar’ squanders the powers of two charismatic stars with a mediocre song. Beyoncé and Shakira were two of New Zealand’s most successful chart stars in the first decade of the 21st century. Between them, they racked up eight #1…
‘Chains’ is New Zealand hip-hop and soul’s equivalent to Queen and Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’. Two musicians from different bands jammed together, and produced some magic. DLT and Che Fu Darryl Thompson, aka DLT, was a DJ for Upper Hutt Posse.…
The past is a foreign country. ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree’ sounds irredeemably corny now, but it was huge in 1973. Tony Orlando and Dawn Tony Orlando recorded throughout the 1960s. He enjoyed a handful of…
‘I’m Your Man’ was Wham’s only number one hit in New Zealand during the 1980s. ‘Last Christmas’, ‘Careless Whisper’, ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go’, and ‘The Edge of Heaven’ all peaked at #2 or #3. Wham! Andrew Ridgeley and…
Before some personal issues emerged, Chris Brown was a promising and charming young R&B star. Chris Brown Chris Brown was one of the most successful singles artists on the New Zealand chart during the first decade of the 2000s. He…
Cleveland, Ohio, has a rich musical history. It has a celebrated orchestra and it hosts the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It also birthed Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, the Raspberries, and Joe Walsh’s James Gang. It still seems an unlikely birthplace…
Maybe I’m no fun. But I have an intolerance to the Eurodance of The Vengaboys. The Vengaboys Danski and Delmundo were Danish DJs in the early 1990s, and named their project The Vengaboys. In 1997 they used the name for a…
Heartthrob Craig Scott crooned his way to the top of the NZ charts for four weeks in 1970. Craig Scott I’d never heard of Craig Scott before. But apparently he was a heartthrob for New Zealand woman of a certain…
The most talented Monkee released New Zealand’s most surprising Christmas #1 in 1970. Michael Nesmith One of the more surprising number one hits in New Zealand was ‘Joanne’. It’s a 1970 single from former Monkee Michael Nesmith. Even before The…
Engelbert Humperdinck is best known in New Zealand for his deep cut ‘Ten Guitars’. But he hit the top of the charts with ‘The Last Waltz’. Engelbert Humperdinck I’ve covered Mr Humperdinck on this site before. His 1967 b-side ‘Ten…
Justin Bieber dominated the NZ charts during the final quarter of 2015. This Ed Sheeran-written song took the top spot for 10 weeks. Justin Bieber Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother had uploaded videos of…
Philadelphia vocal harmony group Boyz II Men unleashed this epic breakup tearjerker in 1992. Boyz II Men Philadelphia vocal harmony quartet Boyz II Men were successful on the New Zealand single charts during the 1990s. They enjoyed the third-most number-one…
2005 was a particularly dire year for #1 hits in New Zealand, and this reckless amphibian is right at the bottom of the barrel. Crazy Frog 2005 just might be the worst year for #1 singles in the history of…
In the years between Elvis’s drafting and The Beatles’ emergence, the charts were often a little sedate. Frank Ifield took an old Tin Pan Alley number to the top of the charts. The early 1960s are notable for a power…
It’s challenging to write about Canadian sisters Kate & Anna McGarrigle without discussing their family connections. The nature of this B-side makes it impossible. Kate McGarrigle was married to singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright III, known for songs like ‘Dead Skunk’. The…
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years 1965-1968 and was…
New York’s Talking Heads are one of my favourite bands of the new wave era. David Byrne was the nervy frontman, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were a funky rhythm section, while Jerry Harrison filled out their sound on keyboards…
Ron and Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, California, surfing and modelling for mail order catalogues. They both studied film in college, but gravitated to music, recording their first record as Halfnelson in 1971, with Todd Rundgren producing. The…
The four members of 10cc were all veterans of the 1960s music scene. Graham Gouldman was a successful songwriter, penning The Hollies’ ‘Bus Stop’ and ‘For You Love’ for The Yardbirds. Eric Stewart played with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.…
Van Morrison’s enjoyed a long and prolific career. Like Neil Young, he’s continued to released a new studio album almost every year, even long past retirement age. Such is the breadth of Morrison’s discography, the two albums he made with…
New Zealand is presently enjoying a strong crop of female singer-songwriters. Along with Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins, we also have Aldous Harding’s weirdness and Nadia Reid‘s imagery-laden writing. Pop superstar Lorde isn’t a singer-songwriter but shares the introspection of her contemporaries. Hollie…
The Boo Radleys emerged in the shoegaze scene of the late 1980s. They came from Wallasey, a town just across the Mersey from Liverpool. They shifted closer to pop/rock in the 1990s, and achieved critical acclaim, particularly for their 1993…
The classic lineup of Nirvana – Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl – first recorded together on the first day of 1991. They ran through seven tracks, all captured in just one take. Cobain later added vocals to two…
My favourite Jackson Browne song is the title track to his third album, 1974’s Late for the Sky. I’ve never fully understood its meaning. There are dark themes throughout the album – the closing track ‘Before the Deluge’ is apocalyptic.…
