From Yolanda Be Cool to Tones and I: Greatest Aussie tunes of the past decade
From Yolanda Be Cool to Tones and I, the greatest Aussie tunes of the past decade are worth a spin play on. Here’s what they are.
Hibernation
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hibernation. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The final week of our list of the biggest-selling Australian songs of each year of the last half century. We started with Johnny O’Keefe and we end with Tones And I. Strap in for the homegrown hits of the last decade
2010 WE SPEAK NO AMERICANO – YOLANDA BE COOL AND DCUP
We Speak No Americano was a major international hit – reaching No. 1 in the UK and No. 29 in the US (where it sold a million copies) and went on to sell over 5 million copies. It samples the 1956 Neapolitan language hit Tu vuò fà l’americano by Renato Carosone and was then sampled by Pitbull for his 2010 hit Bon Bon. Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP would reunite in 2014 for the Rodriguez sampling Sugar Man.
Runners up: Who’s That Girl – Guy Sebastian, Plans – Birds Of Tokyo
2011 SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW GOTYE FT. KIMBRA
This is, according to ARIA, the highest-selling Australian single of all time in this country, at around 800,000 sales (but Tones And I’s Dance Monkey will soon overtake it). Gotye (aka Wally De Backer) almost left it off his third album, after struggling to find the right duet partner for the song he told News Corp was an amalgam of his exes. “It was a forum to reflect on the myriad of ways you can react after a break up,” he said. With a sample from Saville cleared by the estate of Luis Bonfa, it went on to reach No. 1 in Australia, the US and UK and has sold 13 million copies worldwide. It has also joined the billion-view club on You Tube, however deBacker refused to put ads on his channel, which could have cost him over a million dollars. “I’m not interested in selling my music,” De Backer says. He is still working on a fourth album.
Runners up: Good Night – Reece Mastin, We Run the Night – Havana Brown
2012 BATTLE SCARS GUY SEBASTIAN FT. LUPE FIASCO
Sebastian had recorded Who’s That Girl with US rapper Eve, and after contacting Lupe Fiasco, the pair collaborated when Fiasco was in Sydney on R&B event Supafest. Battle Scars became a turning point in Sebastian’s career – mixing commercial and critical success – and Fiasco’s profile helped the song reach No. 71 in the US, where the song has sold a million copies.
Runners up: Boom Boom – Justice Crew, Brother – Matt Corby
2013 RIPTIDE VANCE JOY
One of the most profitable Australian hits of all time, Vance Joy spent $700 recording Riptide – it became a worldwide success and has now sold over six million copies. “It captured something. It’s not in time, it’s still pretty lo-fi,” Joy told News Corp. “It’s certainly paid the $700 studio fee back over and over.” Riptide spent 120 consecutive weeks in the ARIA Top 100, setting a new record, and topped Triple J’s Hottest 100, went Top 10 in the UK and Top 30 in the US. As well as launching a new popularity in the ukulele, Riptide was covered on American Idol and by Taylor Swift, who’d invite Joy to open for her global 1989 tour.
Runners up: Lanterns – Birds Of Tokyo, Resolution – Matt Corby
2014 GERONIMO SHEPPARD
Brisbane band Sheppard had scored a hit with Let Me Down Easy, but the poppy Geronimo wound up dethroning Pharrell’s Happy and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA chart. It also made the UK Top 40 and reached the US Top 60, where it has sold one million copies.
Runners up: Que Sera – Justice Crew, Chandelier – Sia
2015 ELASTIC HEART SIA
Elastic Heart was released first in 2013 as a collaboration with The Weeknd and Diplo for the Hunger Games soundtrack. It reached No. 67 in Australia. Sia would record a solo version of the track for her 1000 Forms Of Fear album, releasing it as a single in 2015 which peaked at No. 5 and went triple platinum. It was a UK Top 10 and US Top 20 hit.
Runners up: Do You Remember – Jarryd James, You Don’t Own Me – Grace
2016 NEVER BE LIKE YOU FLUME FT KAI
The Sydney electronic producer became a global star with his influential debut album. The lead track from the follow up, Never Be Like You, with Canadian singer Kai, was his first No. 1 single in Australia (after radio got an edited version of the track that features a swear word prominently) selling 500,000 copies and even reached No. 20 in the US, where it sold two million copies.
Runners up: Cheap Thrills – Sia, 1955 – Hilltop Hoods ft Montaigne & Tom Thum
2017 CHAMELEON PNAU
This was long overdue success for Pnau, whose first album came out in 1999. Since then Pnau’s Nick Littlemore was part of Empire Of the Sun and even remixed an Elton John album. However Chameleon was their biggest success since Embrace and Baby were back-to-back hits in 2008. With vocalist Kira Divine, Chameleon would go on to win the Best Dance Release ARIA in 2017, with the follow up, Go Bang, also a Top 10 hit.
Runners up: Waves – Dean Lewis, Call on Me – Starley
2018 YOUNGBLOOD 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER
The only Australian act to have the highest-selling single any year this decade – Gotye was beaten by LMFAO, Tones and I by Lil Nas X. Youngblood was written and produced with US hitmakers behind smashes for everyone from Taylor Swift to Kelly Clarkson. Youngblood was different to their rocky beginnings, but is now their biggest hit (it’s been streamed one billion times) and was Top 10 in the US and UK.
Runners up: Be Alright – Dean Lewis, I Said Hi – Amy Shark
2019 DANCE MONKEY TONES AND I
Still sitting at No. 18 on the ARIA chart after 53 weeks, Dance Monkey is a current phenomenon. You know the story – busker writes a story about the occasional perils of busking. Dance Monkey hits streaming platforms, becomes the most streamed song in the world and spent 24 weeks at No. 1 in Australia, 11 weeks at No. 1 in the UK and No. 4 in the US. It sold 11 million copies last year and has just hit one billion YouTube views.
Runners up: Johnny Run Away – Tones And I, Choir – Guy Sebastian