News 5 February 2019

This Week In... 1984

Check out what was #1 on the ARIA Charts 35 years ago!

This Week In... 1984

Check out what was #1 on the ARIA Charts 35 years ago!

ALBUM

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Michael Jackson’s sixth solo studio album was the very first #1 album on the ARIA Charts when they debuted on 10 July, 1983. Thriller spent nine weeks at #1 on the ARIA Charts throughout 1983 and 1984. The album debuted on the Australian charts at #42 in November 1982. After its first week at #1, Thriller spent a further eight weeks in the top spot during the first quarter of 1984.

Thriller featured the singles ‘The Girl Is Mine’ featuring Paul McCartney (#2 pre-ARIA), ‘Billie Jean’ (#1 pre-ARIA), ‘Beat It’ (#2 Jul. ’83), ‘Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'’ (#25 Aug. ’83), ‘Thriller’ (#4 Feb. ’84) and ‘P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)’ (#40 May ’84).

Thriller has been accredited 16x Platinum in Australia.

Michael Jackson followed Thriller with Bad (#2 Sept. ‘87). He later scored #1s with Dangerous (#1 Dec. ’91), HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1 (#1 Jul. ’95), Invincible (#1 Nov. ’01) and, following his passing, Essential Michael Jackson (#1 Jul. ’09).

Single

INXS - Original Sin

INXS’ only #1 single on the ARIA Charts came when ‘Original Sin’ topped the chart for two weeks in February 1984. The first track released from the band’s fourth album, The Swing (#1 Apr. ’84), ‘Original Sin’ debuted at #41 in December 1983. It hit #1 for the first time in its eighth week in the chart. In total, the single spent 12 weeks in the top ten and 20 weeks in the top 50.

Singles from The Swing to also chart included ‘I Send A Message’ (#3 Apr. ’84), ‘Burn For You’ (#3 Aug. ’84) and ‘Dancing On The Jetty’ (#39 Feb. ’85).

Following the airing of the INXS: Never Tear Us Apart mini-series in February 2014, ‘Original Sin’ re-entered the chart at #61.

INXS’ last new entry in the ARIA top 50 with Michael Hutchence as lead vocalist was with ‘Elegantly Wasted’ (#48 Apr. ’97).