The 50 best Australian songs of the 90s

We really were spoiled in the 90's

Some classics in this list. Such a list can't exist without people pointing out who was missed, though. This reads like a top 50 of what JJJ had on high rotation. It's missing several acts that were bigger than most of the names on this list. Off the top of my head (and only in the order I think of them), there's:

Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby
Taxiride - Get Set / Everywhere you Go
Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply / Affirmation / To the Moon & Back / I Knew I loved you
John Farnham - Chain Reaction / That's Freedom / Every Time You Cry - Plus his duets with Barnsy. Speaking of...
Jimmy Barnes - When Something is Wrong with my Baby (with Farnsy) / Stone Cold
Kate Cebrano - Pash (Can't count the Jesus Christ Superstar album, unfortunately)
Tina Arena - Chains
Wendy Matthews - The Day You Went Away / Friday's Child
Black Sorrows - Harley and Rose / Ain't Love the Strangest Thing / The Chosen Ones / Hold On To Me
Icehouse - Miss Divine
Hunters & Collectors - Holy Grail (Yes, the AFL flogged it to death, but it was still huge)
Human Nature - Tellin' Everbody / Got It Goin' On / Wishes
Merril Bainbridge - Mouth / Under the Water

How some of these names were left off the list is beyond me. Savage Garden are one of the only Australian Bands who have managed more than a single hit in the US charts. Farnsy and Barnsy are Australian staples. Even with some of the acts they did get right, I'd have picked different songs.

In the making of this list, I learned that Torn by Natalie Imbruglia and The Horses by Daryl Braithwaite are covers and don't count. Also, an honorable mention to The Waifs and John Butler Trio who were pretty popular around the Perth pub scene of the 90s, but didn't really crack the national consciousness until 2000 or later. This shocked me, I'm normally behind the trends, but I liked these bands before they were charting. Does that make me a hipster?

Madison Avenue - Don’t Call Me Baby
I had no idea this was Australian! Now you've mentioned it, though, there's a noticeable lack of hard 'r' in some lines (for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-mRcnF5tSc).
Some classics in this list. Such a list can’t exist without people pointing out who was missed, though. This reads like a top 50 of what JJJ had on high rotation. It’s missing several acts that were bigger than most of the names on this list.
Agreed - and thanks for making your list of things it omitted - but the list was compiled by a poll of Double J staff, so it was always going to be biased towards deep-cuts, and it's a good thing to bring lesser-known and forgotten music to attention (so long as people don't take the list to be authoritative).
- I'm all about showcasing local talent. I love most of the bands in the list. But don't call it the "best Australian songs of the 90s" if you're going to leave out so many of the best songs of the 90s.
  I loved Ratcat, but I'd have selected That ain't bad. Frente's Accidentally Kelly Street and Custard with Funky again to really introduce a new generation to their music (because Dave's voice is really recognisable to the kids in this track).
Criminal there isnt a single savage garden song in there! I'd also like a nod to Killing Heidi.
- Yes! We're going to end up with a definitive 90s Aussie music play list, and I'm all on board with it!
I was looking for a vast majority of these and was disappointed. Like, one of the blurbs was about how the dude saw the band play the song once at a festival in the 90s?
What about Oh Ah... Just A Little Bit - Gina G? That was 1996! She was in Eurovision! How is that not on there 😭
Jonny Diesel was doing OK too, with 3 consecutive ARIA Best Male Artist in the 90s.
I had Solid State Rhyme playing for a bit and still quote some Chill Pill when things get hectic:
Push until we make it break
Sometimes I think we all should take
A chill pill

The Hunters & Collectors - True Tears of Joy
Southend with Nik Fish - The Winner Is...
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (featuring Kylie Minogue) - Where the Wild Roses Grow

I gave them a pass for artists they included, even if I'd have selected different songs from that artist. For Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, I'd have selected Into my Arms. But yeah, the Kylie collaboration was a bigger song than either of the Nick Cave/Kylie tracks they did select.

Puretone - Addicted to Bass
Ooh! Josh Abrahams!! There's also The Joker from the Hackers soundtrack - which was one of the biggest albums of whatever year that movie happened in. That album is still great, to be honest. Side note: That's something that's a bit lost in today's streaming world. The soundtrack albums to movies are often not on the streaming sites and are at risk of being forgotten.
Wahahwah-ooh
Wait a minute - you're a Lemmy.World user! And we didn't need to wait a week to see you comment on a thread we moved on from ages ago! This is a big deal!!

After seeing TISM, MGF, Eskimo Joe, Ben Lee and The Mavis’s last nice, I would have to agree with this list.

Ah TISM. So much fun.
- Still the best Award acceptance ever by Les Murray when they won their ARIA.

Great list. Might I humbly add Peachy Keen or Cinnamon Lip from Pollyanna.

What happened to The Living End? They always put on a great show at Big Day Out but we never really got them over in NZ for standalone gigs.

They still tour, and they bring the vibe!

Found this:

Spotify Double J's Best Songs of the 90s.

cool, thanks.

I'm really into tropical fuck storm and some other contemporary Australian bands, so I'm interested in their sound a few decades ago.

i think Dr Lindsay better have a word to his employers... no Frenzal? WTF!?!?!

+1 for the Gurge, Single Gun Theory and Deadstar.

I’d have probably added some Paradise Motel to that list; perhaps Bad Light or German Girl.