ARIA Charts Throwback: 2 June 1991

Looking around for some kind of feeling, some kind of sensation? Check out the Top Ten on the ARIA Singles Chart this week in 1991!

As 1991 reached its halfway mark, the final episode of the original series of offbeat mystery drama series Twin Peaks aired on US TV; the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls won the first of their six NBA championships in the 90s, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1; trap star Fetty Wap was born; and former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin passed away aged 50 and jazz saxophonist and ‘Girl From Ipanema’ hit-maker Stan Getz passed at the age of 64.

The new month started as the previous has ended, with Aussie domination at the top of the ARIA Singles Charts.

10. Jimmy Barnes - When Your Love Is Gone

Featuring a children’s choir that included his children, Jimmy Barnes’ ‘When Your Love Is Gone’ was the fourth single released from his fourth solo studio album, Two Fires (#1 Sept. ’90). Peaking at #7, it was the ARIA Hall Of Fame member’s seventh solo Top Ten entry and the first of three Top Ten hits in 1991, charting later in the year with ‘I Gotcha’ (#6 Oct. ’91) and the duet with John Farnham ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’ (#3 Nov. ’91).

9. Cher - The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)

Originally a hit in 1964 for American artist Betty Everett, Cher recorded a version of ‘The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)’ for the soundtrack to the film Mermaids, in which she starred alongside Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. The track peaked at #4 and would be Cher’s last Top Ten until ‘Believe’ (#1 Jan. ’99).

8. EMF - Unbelievable

British indie dance band EMF scored their only Top Ten entry on the ARIA Singles Chart with ‘Unbelievable’. The track peaked at #8 for four weeks May and June 1991. Their only other Singles Chart entry was with ‘Children’ (#49 Sept. ’91). Both tracks came from the group’s debut album, Schubert Dip (#44 Jun. ’91).

7. The Screaming Jets - Better

Newcastle rockers The Screaming Jets scored their biggest chart hit when ‘Better’ peaked at #4 in May 1991. This was the second single released from the band’s debut album, All For One (#2 May ’91). It later landed at #20 on the 1991 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart.

6. Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta - Grease Megamix

Issued to celebrate the release of beloved musical comedy Grease on video, the ‘Grease Megamix’ spent five straight weeks at #1 in June/July 1991 and was #3 on the 1991 End Of Year Singles Chart. The Grease soundtrack topped the Albums Chart for three weeks in June/July 1991, the second of three times it has topped the charts in Australia.

5. Bingoboys - How To Dance

The only Top 50 entry for Austrian dance trio Bingoboys peaked at #3 in May 1991. ‘How To Dance’ featured samples of Chic, James Brown, Sylvester, Art Of Noise and more. It featured on the group’s mischievously-titled debut album The Best Of Bingoboys.

4. Rod Stewart - Rhythm Of My Heart

Peaking at #3 in Australia, ‘Rhythm Of My Heart’ was also a Top Ten hit for Rod Stewart in the US, UK and New Zealand, as well as a #1 in Canada and Ireland. The single’s parent album, Vagabond Heart spent a week at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in July 1991, becoming Stewart’s first #1 album in Australia since 1978.

3. The KLF - 3am Eternal

Known as much for their postmodern anarchist stunts as for their music, British electronic duo The KLF scored three Top Ten hits in Australia in 1991/92. ‘3am Eternal’ was the biggest of the three hits, peaking at #3 and spending 18 weeks in the Top 50. They would later chart with ‘Last Train To Trancentral’ (#5 Jul. ’91) and ‘Justified & Ancient’ (#3 Feb. ’92). After a performance at the 1992 BRIT Awards that featured machine gun blanks being fired into the audience and later dumping a dead sheep at the after party, The KLF split up and deleted their catalogue.

2. Daryl Braithwaite - The Horses

Written by Rickie Lee Jones and Steely Dan’s Walker Becker and originally released by Jones on her 1989 album, Flying Cowboys, ‘The Horses’ found its biggest success when Daryl Braithwaite’s version topped the ARIA Singles Chart for two weeks in May 1991. Braithwaite’s second solo #1 single on the Australian charts (the first was ‘You’re My World’ in 1974), ‘The Horses’ was #4 on the 1991 ARIA End Of Year Singles Chart.

1. Ratcat - Don't Go Now

Sydney indie trio Ratcat scored their first #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in May 1991 when the EP Tingles held the top spot for two consecutive weeks.  Following two weeks that saw Daryl Braithwaite top the Singles Chart with ‘The Horses’, Ratcat returned to #1, this time with the track ‘Don’t Go Now’. The single came from Ratcat’s second album, Blind Love, which spent the first of its three week at the top of the Albums Chart in the same week ‘Don’t Go Now’ was at #1 on the Singles Chart. Following ‘Don’t Go Now’, Ratcat would have three more Top 50 entries, the last being with ‘Holiday’ (#41 Nov. ’92).