APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time


The APRA Top 100 New Zealand Songs of All Time is a selection of New Zealand songs as voted in 2001 by members of the Australasian Performing Right Association. The top 30 of this selection was used to create the Nature's Best CD and the rest of the list for follow up compilations. A similar list was made in Australia of the top 30 Australian songs.

Selection

The list was created to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Australasian Performing Right Association in New Zealand in 2001. 900 candidate songs were chosen for APRA members to vote on.
The top 30 songs were released on the Nature's Best CD.

Commentary

Some artists feature prominently in the list. These include:
Music journalist Bruce Sergent notes that the list is highly skewed towards the 1980s and 90s to the detriment of earlier music, with notable omissions including Howard Morrison, Dinah Lee, and Ray Columbus & the Invaders.
Some songs may also be claimed as both New Zealand and Australian. A list compiled by APRA at the same time of top 30 Australian songs also included Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over".
Political songs on the list include commentary on the 1981 Springbok tour riots in Blam Blam Blam's "There Is No Depression in New Zealand", and nuclear testing in the French Pacific through Herbs' "French Letter" and DLT's "Chains".

Top 100 List

The list of the top 100 is below.
PositionSongArtistWriterYearAlbumIncluded on DVD
1"Nature"FourmyulaWayne Mason19691
2"Don't Dream It's Over"Crowded HouseNeil Finn19861
3"Loyal"Dave DobbynDave Dobbyn19881Yes
4"Counting the Beat"The SwingersPhil Judd, Mark Hough, Wayne Stevens19811Yes
5"Six Months in a Leaky Boat"Split EnzTim Finn19821
6"Sway"Bic RungaBic Runga19971Yes
7"Slice of Heaven"Dave Dobbyn with HerbsDave Dobbyn19861Yes
8"Victoria"Dance ExponentsJordan Luck19821Yes
9"She Speeds"Straitjacket FitsShayne Carter19871
10"April Sun in Cuba"DragonPaul Hewson, Marc Hunter19781Yes
11"I Got You"Split EnzNeil Finn19801Yes
12"Whaling"DD SmashDave Dobbyn19841Yes
13"Not Given Lightly"Chris KnoxChris Knox19901Yes
14"Pink Frost"The ChillsMartin Phillipps19841Yes
15"Jesus I Was Evil"Darcy ClayDarcy Clay19971
16"Weather with You"Crowded HouseTim Finn and Neil Finn19911Yes
17"Blue Smoke"Pixie Williams and the Ruru Karaitiana QuartetRuru Karaitiana19491
18"Dance All Around The World"BlertaCorben Simpson, Geoff Murphy19721
19"Lydia"Fur PatrolJulia Deans20001Yes
20"Blue Lady" Hello SailorGraham Brazier19771Yes
21"Drive"Bic RungaBic Runga19961Yes
22"Chains"DLT featuring Che FuChe Ness, Darryl Thompson, Angus McNaughton, Kevin Rangihuna19961Yes
23"Dominion Road"The Mutton BirdsDon McGlashan19921
24"Glad I'm Not A Kennedy"Shona LaingShona Laing19861Yes
25"I Hope I Never"Split EnzTim Finn19801
26"Tears"The CrocodilesFane Flaws, Arthur Baysting19801Yes
27"Be Mine Tonight"Th' DudesDave Dobbyn, Ian Morris19781Yes
28"I See Red"Split EnzTim Finn19791Yes
29"Beside You"Dave DobbynDave Dobbyn19981
30"Home Again"ShihadTom Larkin, Phil Knight, Jon Toogood19971Yes
31"Outlook For Thursday"DD SmashDave Dobbyn19832Yes
32"Down in Splendour"Straitjacket FitsAndrew Brough19902
33"Better Be Home Soon"Crowded HouseNeil Finn19882
34"How Bizarre"OMCAlan Jansson, Pauly Fuemana19952Yes
35"Language"Dave DobbynDave Dobbyn19942Yes
36"Message to My Girl"Split EnzNeil Finn19842Yes
37"Poi E"Patea Maori ClubDalvanius Prime, Ngoi Pēwhairangi19842
38"Stuff and Nonsense"Split EnzTim Finn19792
39"Venus"The FeelersJames Reid19982Yes
40"System Virtue"Emma PakiEmma Paki19962
41"Fraction Too Much Friction"Tim FinnTim Finn19832Yes
42"French Letter"HerbsTony Fonoti, Spencer Fusimalohi, Dilworth Karaka19952Yes
43"Maxine"Sharon O'NeillSharon O'Neill19832Yes
44"Out on the Street"Space WaltzAlistair Riddell19742
45"Slippin' Away" Max Merritt and the MeteorsMax Merritt19762
46"Violent"Stellar*Boh Runga19992Yes
47"Why Does Love Do This To Me"The ExponentsJordan Luck19922Yes
48"1905"Shona LaingShona Laing19722Yes
49"Anchor Me"The Mutton BirdsDon McGlashan19942
50"Bliss"Th' DudesDave Dobbyn, Ian Morris19792Yes
51"For Today"Netherworld Dancing ToysNick Sampson, Malcolm Black19842Yes
52"From Tha Old Plantation"King KapisiBill Urale, Kas Futialo20002Yes
53"Cheryl Moana Marie"John RowlesNathan Kipner, John Rowles19702
54"Blue Day"Mi-SexMurray Burns, Colin Bayley19852Yes
55"Glorafilia"Zed Ben Campbell, Nathan King, Adrian Palmer19992Yes
56"Good Morning Mr Rock 'n' Roll"HeadbandThomas Adderley19712
57"History Never Repeats"Split EnzNeil Finn19812Yes
58"In The Neighbourhood"Sisters UndergroundAlan Jansson, Hassanah Orogbu, Brenda Makaoeafi19942Yes
59"Julia"Citizen BandGeoff Chunn19782
60"Pacifier"ShihadShihad19992Yes
61"Let's Think of Something"Larry's RebelsRoger Skinner19672
62"Bursting Through"Bic RungaBic Runga19972Yes
63"Liberty" Greg Johnson Greg Johnson19972Yes
64"Sweet Disorder"StrawpeoplePaul Casserly, Mark Tierney, Anthony Ioasa19942Yes
65"Asian Paradise"Sharon O'NeillSharon O'Neill19792
66"Don't Fight It Marsha, It's Bigger Than Both of Us"Blam Blam BlamDon McGlashan19813
67"Gutter Black"Hello SailorDave McArtney19773Yes
68"Long Ago"HerbsLundon, Hona19843Yes
69"There Is No Depression in New Zealand"Blam Blam BlamRichard Von Sturmer, Don McGlashan19813
70"You Oughta Be in Love"Dave DobbynDave Dobbyn19863Yes
71"Andrew"Fur PatrolAndrew Bain, Julia Deans, Simon Braxton, Steven Wells20003Yes
72"Billy Bold"Graham BrazierGraham Brazier19813
73"Distant Sun"Crowded HouseNeil Finn19933
74"Suddenly Strange"Bic RungaBic Runga19973Yes
75"Forever Tuesday Morning"The MockersGary Curtis, Andrew Fagan, Tim Wedde19843Yes
76"Cruise Control"Headless Chickens Chris Matthews, Michael Lawry19913Yes
77"Pressure Man"The FeelersJames Reid, Matt Thomas, Hamish Gee19983
78"Private Universe"Crowded HouseNeil Finn19943
79"Room That Echoes"Peking ManNeville Hall19853Yes
80"Sensitive to a Smile"HerbsDilworth, Karaka, Tumahai19873Yes
81"E Ipo"Prince Tui TekaNgoi Pēwhairangi, Missy, Prince Tui Teka19823
82"Andy"The Front LawnHarry Sinclair, Don McGlashan19873
83"Bitter"ShihadShihad19953
84"Four Seasons in One Day"Crowded HouseTim Finn and Neil Finn19913
85"Heavenly Pop Hit"The ChillsMartin Phillipps19903
86"Husband House"Sneaky Feelings Matthew Bannister19853
87"Jumping Out A Window"Pop MechanixPaul Mason, Andrew McLennan, Chris Moore, Kevin Emmett, Paul Scott19813
88"If I Were You"Straitjacket FitsShayne Carter, John Collie19933
89"I'll Say Goodbye "Dance ExponentsJordan Luck19833Yes
90"Maybe"Sharon O'NeillSharon O'Neill19813Yes
91"One Day Ahead"Eye TVSean Sturm, Luke Casey, Michael Scott, Grant Winterburn20003Yes
92"Renegade Fighter"Zed Ben Campbell, Nathan King20003Yes
93"Part of Me"Stellar*Boh Runga19993Yes
94"Sierra Leone"Coconut Rough Andrew McLennan19833Yes
95"Words"Sharon O'NeillSharon O'Neill19793Yes
96"Spellbound"Split EnzTim Finn, Phil Judd19793
97"Rust in My Car" Citizen BandGeoff Chunn19793
98"Mercy of Love"Shona LaingShona Laing19923Yes
99"Can't Get Enough"SupergrooveJoseph Fisher, Karl Steven19963Yes
100"Naked Flame"Dave DobbynDave Dobbyn19953