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News February 1, 2018

Kylie, 5SOS, Gotye & More: The ‘definitive’ list of Aussie #1s in the UK

Lars Brandle
Kylie, 5SOS, Gotye & More: The ‘definitive’ list of Aussie #1s in the UK

OK, for a famous pub quiz win, who was the first Australian act to have a No. 1 single in the U.K.? Think hard.

If you said Men At Work, you go home a loser. Kylie Minogue? Close, but no. INXS? They didn’t hit the top of the singles chart (but they had one album, Welcome To Wherever You Are, go to the summit). The answer is the Seekers, the folk-rock stars who hit the top twice, first with “I’ll Never Find Another You” in 1965 and “The Carnival is Over” in the same year (arguably their best known song “Georgy Girl” peaked at No. 3 in 1967).

Chart geeks and parochial Aussie music fans can rest easy after the Official U.K. Charts Company published a “definitive” list of No. 1s from the land Down Under.

Since the first singles survey was published 1952, 31 songs by Australian acts have reached the top. Just like the Great Southern Land itself, the lineup of Aussie chart beasts reads like a mixed bag, from novelty songs (“Shaddap Your Face”), to pop and rock, house, a touch of hip-hop, Eurovision (Gina G’s “Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit”) and a unique spoken-word mantra (movie director Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free”).

ARIA wiped him from its Hall of Fame, but the history books still recognise Rolf Harris as the first solo male Australia artist to land a No. 1 single in the U.K., which he did at the turn of the ‘70s with “Two Little Boys.”

Britains’ obsession with Aussie soaps is reflected in a bunch of Neighbours and Home & Away graduates earning top spots on the singles survey, from Kylie Minogue to Jason Donovan and Holly Valance.

It should come as no surprise that Kylie leads the way with seven No. 1 singles, including her collaboration with her Neighbours running mate, Jason Donovan, on “Especially For You,” which ruled in 1988. Kylie is, of course, a living legend in the U.K., where in 2007 she became the first woman and first non-Brit to receive the prestigious Music Industry Trust Award, an honour which until that year was affectionately (and inaccurately) known as the “man of the year”. Her current tally stands at 50 UK Top 40 singles. Donovan leads all men with four chart titles and Peter Andre got there three times.

It’s easy to forget just how popular Olivia Newton John was during her heyday. But the record books show she banked three No. 1s over the years 1978 and 1980, all from Grease and Xanadu spin-offs.

Swat up on the list below and impress all your friends.

The complete list of Official UK #1 singles by Australian acts

1965       I’ll Never Find Another You, The Seekers

1965       The Carnival Is Over, The Seekers

1969       Two Little Boys, Rolf Harris

1978       You’re The One That I Want, Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

1978       Summer Nights, Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

1980       Xanadu Olivia, Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra

1981       Shaddap Your Face, Joe Dolce Music Theatre

1983       Down Under, Men At Work

1988       I Should Be So Lucky, Kylie Minogue

1988       Especially For You, Kylie & Jason

1989       Too Many Broken Hearts, Jason Donovan

1989       Hand On Your Heart, Kylie Minogue

1989       Sealed With A Kiss, Jason Donovan

1990       Tears On My Pillow, Kylie Minogue

1991       Any Dream Will Do, Jason Donovan

1996       Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit, Gina G

1996       Flava, Peter Andre

1996       I Feel You, Peter Andre

1999       Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen), Baz Luhrmann

2000       Don’t Call Me Baby, Madison Avenue

2000       Spinning Around, Kylie Minogue

2001       Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, Kylie Minogue

2001       Somethin’ Stupid, Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman

2002       Kiss Kiss, Holly Valance

2003       Slow, Kylie Minogue

2004       Mysterious Girl, Peter Andre Ft. Bubbler Ranx

2010       We No Speak Americano, Yolanda Be Cool Vs Dcup

2012       Titanium, David Guetta Ft. Sia

2012       Somebody I Used To Know, Gotye Ft. Kimbra

2014       She Looks So Perfect, 5 Seconds Of Summer

2014       Problem, Ariana Grande Ft. Iggy Azalea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn-qE-h7s84

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.

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