Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze Topped the NZ chart for 5 non-consecutive weeks from 18 December 1994 Ini Kamoze recorded ‘Here Comes the Hotstepper’ in early 1992, but it wasn’t released until…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 3 Crawl by Atlas Topped the NZ chart for 7 weeks from 12 March 2007 ‘Crawl’ is another unexpected mega chart-topper from New Zealand. After nu-metal and alt-rock was largely extinct, ‘Crawl’ topped the NZ…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 5 The Twist by Chubby Checker Topped the NZ chart for 2 weeks from 25 January 1962 Chubby Checker was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, largely because of a handful…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 10 Would I Lie To You? by Charles and Eddie Topped the NZ chart for 2 weeks from 6 December 1992 Four acts monopolised the NZ #1 number-one spot between 6 September 1992 and 4…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 1 Yummy by Justin Bieber Topped the NZ chart for 2 weeks from 20 January 2020 Justin Bieber Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother uploaded videos of Bieber singing onto…
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,…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 Rain and Tears by The Hi-Revving Tongues Topped the NZ chart from 14 November 1969 for 1 week. Hi-Revving Tongues topped the New Zealand charts with a cover of Aphrodite’s Child’s ‘Rain and Tears’.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 7 Down Under by Luude featuring Colin Hay Topped the NZ chart from 17 January 2022 for 9 weeks. Christian Benson (Luude) is one half of the Australian electronic dance music duo Choomba. The other…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 Faith by George Michael Topped the NZ chart: from 6 December 1987 for 7 weeks. Wham! evolved from a partnership to a vehicle for George Michael. So it wasn’t surprising when Wham! disbanded and…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 2 Locomotion by Ritz Topped the NZ chart: from 20 July 1980 for 7 non-consecutive weeks. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to be a New Zealander. We’ve held the world record for the lowest test cricket score…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis Topped the NZ chart: from 17 December 2007 for 5 non-consecutive weeks Leona Lewis was born in London. She attended BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology, the same…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Travelin’ Man by Ricky Nelson Topped the NZ chart: from 31 July 1961 for 2 weeks (non-consecutive) Ricky Nelson was born in the township of Teaneck, New Jersey. He started his entertainment career young.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 4 I’ll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men Topped the NZ chart: from 11 September 1994 for 4 weeks. Philadelphia vocal harmony quartet Boyz II Men were successful on the New Zealand single…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 6 Mull of Kintyre by Wings Topped the NZ chart: for 7 weeks from 29 January 1978. Sir Paul McCartney endured a rollercoaster 1970s after an unimpeachable 1960s. In The Beatles, his rivalry/partnership with Lennon…
4 Somethin’ Stupid by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman Topped the NZ chart: for 4 weeks from 23 December 2001. New Zealand’s 2001 Christmas number one was a cover of a 1960s chestnut, recorded by a famous actress and a…
3 Wind It Up by Gwen Stefani Topped the NZ chart: for 2 weeks from 25 December 2006. Gwen Stefani was already an established star before she went solo. She sang for California ska-punk band No Doubt, fronting hits like…
5 Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO (featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) Topped the NZ chart: for 11 weeks from 4 April 2011. The two members of LMFAO are descended from musical royalty. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder…
9 Into the Groove by Madonna Topped the NZ chart: for 6 weeks from 11 August 1985. Madonna was one of the best singles artists of the 1980s. Between 1985 and 1990, ‘Into the Groove’, ‘Like A Prayer’, and ‘Vogue’…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars Topped the NZ chart: for 2 weeks from 4 October 2010. Peter Hernandez was born in Honolulu to parents with Filipino, Jewish, and Puerto Rican heritage.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 10 Crazy by Gnarls Barkley Topped the NZ chart: for 7 weeks from 29 May 2006. Producer Danger Mouse and vocalist CeeLo Green were already well known before they released their first single as Gnarls…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 10 A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum Topped the NZ chart: for 1 week from 11 August 1967. Gary Brooker sang with The Paramounts, who enjoyed the UK top 40 hit ‘Poison Ivy’…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 4 Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat) Topped the NZ chart: for 8 weeks from 29 June 2020. Historically, the top of the US charts has been rarefied air for NZ artists. Crowded House reached…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 7 Black or White by Michael Jackson Topped the NZ chart: for 8 weeks from 24 November 1991. Michael Jackson Michael Jackson was the eighth of ten children, growing up on Jackson Street in Gary,…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton Topped the NZ chart: for 3 weeks from 17 October 1963. Bobby Vinton was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a bandleader. He learned the clarinet and studied…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 19 by Paul Hardcastle Topped the NZ chart: for 5 weeks from 7 July 1985. I was surprised that there’s a 5-week number-one hit from the 1980s that I’d never heard before. But I’d…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 1 I Swear by All-4-One Topped the NZ chart: from 10 July 1994 for five weeks The third quarter of 1994 may be the most toothless in the history of the New Zealand singles chart.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 3 Just Lose It by Eminem Topped the NZ chart: from 5 November 2004 for five weeks I’ve never devoted much thought to Eminem. I was almost through my teens when his breakthrough The Slim…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 10 Killing Me Softly by Fugees Topped the NZ chart: from 2 June 1996 for three weeks The Fugees topped the New Zealand singles charts with their cover of ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 2 Freaks by Timmy Trumpet and Savage Topped the NZ chart: from 17 November 2014 for five weeks After years of bickering over the racehorse Phar Lap, pavlova, and Crowded House, ‘Freaks’ is a lovely…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 6 Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) by Billy Ocean Topped the NZ chart: from 9 December 1984 for six weeks Billy Ocean is best known for a string of hits in the…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 3 Paloma Blanca by George Baker Selection Topped the NZ chart: from 1 August 1975 for five non-consecutive weeks Dutch musician George Baker scored hits in three different decades. 1969’s ‘Little Green Bag’ is an…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 Is It Over Now? Topped the NZ chart: from 6 November 2023 for 1 week It’s a little perverse for the randomiser to suggest a Taylor Swift song for this column when she’s just…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Where Did Our Love Go Topped the NZ chart: for 1 week from 17 September 1964. The Supremes were massively successful in the 1960s. They scored twelve #1s on the Billboard charts, the most…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 5 In the Shadows Topped the NZ chart: for 1 week from 23 August 2004. In the last column, I covered ABBA’s ‘Fernando‘. This week the randomiser threw up another track from Scandinavia, from Finland’s…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Fernando Topped the NZ chart: from 4 June 1976 for 9 weeks 1976 was the year of ABBA in New Zealand. The Swedish quartet topped the singles chart for 15 of 45 possible weeks…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 4 Beautiful Liar Topped the NZ chart: from 23 April 2007 for 1 week Beyoncé and Shakira were two of New Zealand’s most successful chart stars in the first decade of the 21st century. Between…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Chains Topped the NZ chart: from 4 August 1996 for 5 weeks ‘Chains’ is like New Zealand hip-hop and soul’s equivalent to Queen and Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’. Two musicians from different bands quickly improvised…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 3 Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree Topped the NZ chart: from 1 June 1973 for 10 weeks The past is a foreign country. It sounds irredeemably corny now. But ‘Tie a…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 6 I’m Your Man Topped the NZ chart: from 16 February 1986 for 1 week Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael met at Bushey Meads School. They formed a ska band with school friends, before paring…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 With You Topped the NZ chart: from 18 February 2008 for 4 weeks Chris Brown was one of the most successful singles artists on the New Zealand chart during the first decade of the…
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…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 1 Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! Topped the NZ chart: from 8 August 1999 for 1 week Danski and Delmundo were Danish DJs in the early 1990s, and named their project The Vengaboys. In 1997 they used…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 3 Star Crossed Lovers Topped the NZ chart: from 12 June 1970 for 4 weeks (non-consecutive). I’d never heard of Craig Scott before. But apparently he was a heartthrob for New Zealand woman of a…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Joanne Topped the NZ chart: from 25 December 1970 for 1 week. One of the more surprising number one hits in New Zealand was ‘Joanne’. It’s a 1970 single from former Monkee Michael Nesmith.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 6 The Last Waltz Topped the NZ chart: from 10 November 2015 for 2 weeks. I’ve covered Mr Humperdinck on this site before. His 1967 b-side ‘Ten Guitars‘ became an unexpected staple in New Zealand.…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 5 Love Yourself by Justin Bieber Topped the NZ chart: from 7 December 2015 for 10 weeks. Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was discovered via YouTube. His mother had uploaded videos of Bieber singing onto…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 End of the Road by BOYZ II MEN Topped the NZ chart: from 18 October 1992 for 7 weeks. Philadelphia vocal harmony quartet Boyz II Men were successful on the New Zealand single charts…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 1 Axel F by Crazy Frog Topped the NZ chart: from 18 July 2005 for 11 weeks. 2005 just might be the worst year for #1 singles in the history of the NZ chart. There…
Every New Zealand #1 single… Lovesick Blues by Frank Ifield Topped the NZ chart: 10 January 1963 for 1 week. 3 The early 1960s are notable for a power vacuum in rock and roll. Many stars of the 1950s saw…
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.…
Growing up in Auckland’s North Shore, Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair deferred their chosen careers when they returned from their OEs. McGlashan was a musician. He had already drummed for the Auckland post-punk trio, Blam Blam Blam. He penned the…
They’re barely known outside New Zealand, but The Dance Exponents were reliable hitmakers in the 1980s. They kept enjoying success through the 1990s after they shortened their name to The Exponents. They weren’t edgy or pretentious, a pop/rock guitar band…
Irish rock band U2 peaked with their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. Their fifth record, it combined Bono’s fervour with a sweeping sound from The Edge’s effect-laden guitar and atmospheric production from Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. It’s also the…
Moody Glasgow pop band The Blue Nile have such a slim discography that everything they’ve recorded is to be treasured. Starting with 1984’s A Walk Across The Rooftops, they’ve only recorded three further albums, along with a solo record from…
In January 1994, Straitjacket Fits played their last gig at the Big Day Out festival. Disillusioned by the music industry, Shayne Carter returned to Dunedin and spent years largely away from the music industry. He later described this period to…
Ringo Starr had the most to lose from The Beatles‘ breakup. John Lennon had already launched a solo career with ‘Give Peace a Chance’ and ‘Cold Turkey’. George Harrison had a stockpile of songs that would form the basis of…
Aimee Mann scored her only hit single with her first attempt. She fronted Boston new wave band ‘Til Tuesday, whose debut single ‘Voices Carry’ reached #8 on the Billboard charts. Despite the immediate success of ‘Voices Carry’, it took a…
The streaming era has scattered previously held views on the hierarchy of popular music. Despite a critical pasting, Queen have emerged as the dominant classic rock band. The number one spot on the Billboard 100 in early 2022 has largely…
Dunedin has a small population and is located in the deep south of New Zealand. But Dunedin’s Flying Nun record label produced a string of critically acclaimed and influential guitar bands throughout the 1980s, including The Chills, The Clean, The…
Famously, The Monkees started as a band created for a TV show – they were sometimes referred to as the Prefab Four. But as their career progressed, they asserted more influence over their career. On their third album, Headquarters, The…
New Zealand indie band The Phoenix Foundation was formed by Wellington High School students in 1994. The group features two singer-guitarists – Polish-born Luke Buda and Samuel Flynn Scott (the son of a prominent NZ cartoonist). Keyboardist Conrad Webbe is…
Nebraskan singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is undervalued – his thoughtful and tuneful songs could have been hits in another era. He released some great records in the early 21st century – the concept album of Under Cold Blue Stars, about a…
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the daughter of a poet and a civil engineer. She grew up immersed in poetry and literature. She built a profile through SoundCloud and talent shows, and in June 2013,…
Lots of dedicated music fans are sniffy about mainstream pop music from the 21st century. And if there’s anything worse, it’s 21st-century mainstream pop that was pre-fabricated for a TV show. Girls Aloud originated from the reality show Popstars: The…
Marlon Williams grew up in Lyttleton, New Zealand. He toured Europe as a member of the choir of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and started playing guitar in high school. His band The Unfaithful Ways, formed with two friends…
Breaking up Split Enz, Neil Finn retained drummer Paul Hester from the final Enz lineup and created a more streamlined band. They recruited Australian bass player Nick Seymour (brother of Hunters and Collector’s lead singer Mark) and secured an American…
The Beach Boys spent the first half of the 1960s becoming more sophisticated. Under the leadership of Brian Wilson, they grew from emulating Chuck Berry on ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ to creating masterpieces like Pet Sounds. When Brian Wilson’s mental health suffered…
One of the most misleading album titles in popular music is Ween’s 12 Golden Country Greats. The country part isn’t misleading; Dean and Gene Ween actually recorded an entire album in Nashville with notable musos like Charlie McCoy and Bud…
Against all odds, Phil Collins made a strong start to his tenure as Genesis’ lead vocalist. Recorded after Peter Gabriel left to pursue a solo career, 1976’s A Trick of the Tail was an impressive record. Collins couldn’t replicate Gabriel’s…
I’ve already covered the Split Enz and Crowded House catalogues separately. This page covers Neil and Tim Finn’s solo albums and duo projects. I’ve only covered a handful of Tim’s solo albums, but I’ve written about most of Neil’s solo…
The Beths met at jazz school in Auckland, New Zealand. Guitarist Jonathan Pearce stated that playing jazz provided a “very clear idea of what we didn’t want to do”. Instead, the quartet reverted to the music they loved in their…
By the time Jimi Hendrix released debut album Are You Experienced?, he certainly was experienced. After a stint in the army, training as a paratrooper, he played with the Isley Brothers, Little Richard, and his own band Jimmy James and…
As I wrote in an earlier Syd Barrett post: When people talk about wasted potential in rock and roll, it’s usually premature deaths like Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, or Kurt Cobain. But Pink Floyd’s original leader Syd Barrett also belongs on the list –…
I’m just the right age to have accumulated a collection of friends who were obsessed by The Smashing Pumpkins. One friend went for at least two years where he listened to at least one Pumpkins song every single day. Another…
Los Angeles power-pop band Weezer have pumped out records since 1994, but they’re largely beloved for their first pair of albums; 1994’s Weezer and 1996’s Pinkerton. Both records featured bass player Matt Sharp and were the only records Weezer made…
Emerging in the late 1960s from Los Angeles, Spirit were an odd band even by the standards of an era when rock was in its infancy and genre rules hadn’t yet ossified. Spirit’s members ranged in age from 16 to…
Many significant UK rock acts from the 1960s and early 1970s were deeply rooted in the blues. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac were among many young bands steeped in blues tradition. Queen took…
Iron Maiden’s third album, The Number of the Beast, was made under time pressure. The group had five weeks to record their first album with new lead singer Bruce Dickinson. The single ‘Run to the Hills’ was released in advance…
Van Morrison is a prolific recording artist, releasing more than 40 studio albums during his solo career, as well as fronting Them in the 1960s. He recorded a lot of non-album material, but his only non-album b-side that I’m aware…
Scott Walker is one long-time favourite artist who I’ve barely mentioned on this site (edit – I have now). Born Noel Scott Engel, in Ohio, he moved to London and fronted vocal heartthrob group The Walker Brothers. When the trio…
Chicago’s Jamila Woods is a writer and a recording artist, and as such she’s able to sing eloquently about racial issues. Her second album, 2019’s Legacy! Legacy!, was a neo-soul masterpiece, so recently I’ve gone back to her 2016 debut…
Don McGlashan kicked around the arty end of the New Zealand alternative scene during the 1980s. He played the drums in Blam Blam Blam, providing lead vocals for the iconic and ironic ‘There Is No Depression In New Zealand’. On…
There was a lot of great pop music in the 1960s, and Birmingham psychedelic rock band The Move are overlooked among the rush. They never made an impression in the US where the band they morphed into, Electric Light Orchestra,…
Sometimes a record is so jammed with great songs that something worthy has to be shipped out to a b-side. Despite its huge success, Peter Gabriel’s So isn’t one of those records. Singles like ‘Red Rain’ and ‘Sledgehammer’ are terrific,…
Faith No More have covered a lot of ground over their career – in particular, 1995’s King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime utilises a different genre for every track. Mike Patton is one of the most talented vocalists…
Arnold Dorsey struggled to break into the music industry until he was advised to adopt a more interesting stage name. Dorsey took the name Engelbert Humperdinck from the German composer of Hansel and Gretel. Already in his early thirties, the…
Universally beloved soul singer Bill Withers passed away this week. He came from the small coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, and spent his early career in the Navy. His career as a professional musician was notably short…
