Another Decade Ends For Hottest 100: The Songs That Defined The Preceding Decades

Just like that, triple j's Hottest 100 is back and entering into a new decade.

The much-loved countdown from the youth broadcaster is set to share the final Hottest 100 of the 2010s this Saturday. Given that we're now striding into the 2020s, we've taken a look back at the years that have been and look at who brought in and ended each decade since the countdown's introduction.

1989 & 1990
Artist: Joy Division
Song: Love Will Tear Us Apart

The first three years of the countdown focused on the greatest songs of all time. 1989 kicked off the first-ever Hottest 100 with Manchester act Joy Division and their classic Love Will Tear Us Apart topping the list; people clearly still felt strongly about the track in 1990 however with the 1980-released track topping the list once more. 

The seminal UK post-punk outfit continued their Hottest 100 run in 1991 but was pushed down to the #2 spot by Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. This wasn't the end for Love Will Tear Us Apart on Hottest 100 lists though, with the track appearing again at #16 on the 1998 Hottest 100 Of All Time and #4 on the 2009 Hottest 100 Of All Time. 

That wasn't the end of Joy Division's mentions though, with UK group The Wombats hitting #12 on the 2007 Hottest 100 with their track Let's Dance To Joy Division. The Wombats' track also made it to the Hottest 100 Of The Past 20 Years list in 2013, coming in at #74.

1999
Artist: Powderfinger
Song: These Days

1999 was a big year for the Hottest 100 with a whopping 52 Australian acts featured on the list. It was, of course, Powderfinger that topped the list with These Days. The track was written for the 1999 film Two Hands which featured a young Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne. They were in good company on the soundtrack, alongside acts like Crowded House, Alex Lloyd and more. 

The list saw a further three Powderfinger tracks make the cut, with Already Gone (#25), Good Day Ray (#68) and Passenger (#100) all appearing. Interestingly, this meant that the Brisbane locals had tracks from both 1998's Internationalist and 1999's Odyssey Number Five albums hit the list. 

Powderfinger were always big contenders when it came to the list though. While their debut LP - 1994's Parables For Wooden Ears - failed to place, they started their Hottest 100 career incredibly strong in 1996 with the Double Allergic album securing three spots with Pick You Up (#6), DAF (#18) and Living Type (#32). 

2000
Artist: Powderfinger
Song: My Happiness

Powderfinger's run continued when they brought in the millennium and took out the top spot with My Happiness. Along with it, they claimed the record of being the first, and only, artist to place at #1 two years in a row.

That wasn't it for Powderfinger in 2000 though, with their Odyssey Number Five album also providing the #3 placing song, My Kind Of Scene. The album, which was a follow-up to Internationalist, was a huge hit for the group, which saw them pick up the APRA Award for Song Of The Year with My Happiness, six ARIA Awards including Album Of The Year and peak at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

When it came time for the Hottest 100 Australian Albums Of All Time in 2011, Odyssey Number Five came in at #1 while Internationalist reached #6, 2003's Vulture Street was #14 and 1996's Double Allergic hit #43. 

2009
Artist: Mumford & Sons
Song: Little Lion Man

It just feels so appropriate that Little Lion Man took out the 2009 Hottest 100. Australia jumped onto Mumford & Sons in a very big way; their debut album Sigh No More peaked at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. 

Little Lion Man wasn't the only 2009 Hottest 100 success for the group though, with their track The Cave also landing at #81 on the list. 

The 2009 list is an interesting one in the chart's history too, marking the first year to not feature a US artist in the top 10 and seeing Art Vs Science, Hilltop Hoods, Phoenix, Bluejuice, La Roux, Lisa Mitchell, Lily Allen, Muse and Florence & The Machine all making the list.

2010
Artist: Angus & Julia Stone
Song: Big Jet Plane

Chances are you, like us, couldn't get Big Jet Plane and those soothing Angus & Julia Stone harmonies out of your head in 2010. It was an important win, denoting the first time there was a female vocalist on a #1 track since 1994.

The fact that the song ended up being at all is also an impressive feat, given that it originally recorded for Angus' 2009 album Smoking Gun which he released under the name Lady Of The Sunshine. It was re-recorded with Julia and the rest is Hottest 100 history. It also went on to score the Song Of The Year at the 2011 APRA Awards and Single Of The Year at the 2010 ARIA Awards. Their album Down The Way picked up Album Of The Year.

It wasn't the pair's last Hottest 100 appearance though, with 2017 proving to be another successful year with Chateau placing at #3 and Snow reaching #98. They first appeared on the list in 2006 with Paper Aeroplane at #43, the track went on to be sampled in Bliss N Eso's Eye Of The Storm which placed at #40 in 2008.

The 2019 Hottest 100 countdown takes place this Saturday. Find out more about it here. 

Australia is burning. To donate to the Red Cross' Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund follow the link here.