News 6 September 2018

ARIA Charts Throwback: 5 September 1993

Would you do anything for love? What about for the hits of September 1993?

ARIA Charts Throwback: 5 September 1993

Would you do anything for love? What about for the hits of September 1993?

September 1993 saw the likes of Billy Joel, Diesel, Taylor Dane, Rod Stewart, Cypress Hill, R.E.M., Janet Jackson and Eric Clapton holding spots on the ARIA Albums Chart.

On the Singles Chart, one of the biggest-selling artists in Australian history was having a career renaissance.

10. Green Jelly - Three Little Pigs

Comedy rock band Green Jelly made their only appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart when their modern re-telling of the fairytale ‘Three Little Pigs’ peaked at #6 in September 1993. The track features backing vocals by actor Pauly Shore, Primus front man Les Claypool and Toll singer Maynard James Keenan.

9. Madonna - Rain

The second Top Ten single from Madonna’s Erotica (#1 Oct. ’92) came when ‘Rain’ hit #5 in September 1993. Only the album’s title track peaked higher, hitting #4. Of the American star’s 39 Top Ten singles in Australia, 14 were achieved in the 1990s

8. East 17 - West End Girls

British pop group East 17 notched up six Top Ten singles between 1993 and 1995. Their cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘West End Girls’ became their third hit when it peaked at #4 in August 1993. The East 17 version peaked one spot above the original, which hit #5 in June 1986.

7. U2 - Numb

Released as the first single from U2’s fourth #1 album Zooropa, ‘Numb’ peaked at #7 in August 1993. The single was only released on the rarely-used VHS single format. The group also charted with the Zooropa singles ‘Lemon’ (#6 Nov. ’93) and ‘Stay (Faraway So Close)’ (#5 Feb. ’94).

6. Silk - Freak Me

American R&B group Silk’s only appearance on the ARIA Singles Chart came when ‘Freak Me’ peaked at #3 in August 1993. In the US, it spent two weeks at #1. A cover of ‘Freak Me’ by British boy band Another Level peaked at #43 in November 1998.

5. UB40 - (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You

British reggae band UB40 dominated the top of the ARIA Singles Chart when their version of their version of ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’ spent seven straight weeks at #1 during July and August 1993. The first single release from UB40’s tenth studio album Promises And Lies (#1 Aug. ’93) the single spent 12 weeks in the top ten and 20 weeks in the top 50.

It was UB40’s second #1 single in Australia; ‘I Got You Babe’, a duet with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders spent three weeks on top in October/November 1985.

4. Inner Circle - Sweat (A La La La La Long)

‘Sweat (A La La La La Long)’ became the biggest hit in Australia for Jamaican band Inner Circle when it peaked at #2 in August 1993. The group’s only other hit in Australia was with ‘Bad Boys’ (#25 Aug. ’93), the track best known as the theme song for the long-running reality series Cops.

3. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?

Peaking at #2 in September 1993, ‘What’s Up?’ was the only Top 50 on the ARIA Singles Chart for American band 4 Non Blondes. The quartet’s only studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, peaked at #4 on the Albums Chart in the same week ‘What’s Up?’ peaked.

2. Billy Joel - The River Of Dreams

Billy Joel took out his second #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart when ‘The River Of Dreams’ spent one week in the top spot in August/September 1993. It was the title track of Joel’s final studio album, River Of Dreams (#1 Aug. ’93) and gave the American singer-songwriter his last entry in the ARIA Top Ten.

1. Meat Loaf - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

American rocker Meat Loaf hit #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart for the only time in his career when ‘I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)’ spent eight straight weeks in the top spot in September/October 1993. The first single released from the #1 album Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (#1 Sept. ’93) spent 12 weeks in the Top Ten and 19 weeks in the Top 50 and was accredited 2x Platinum. It went on to be #1 on the 1993 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart.