No matter how you slice it, 2022 is on track to be remembered as the year of The Wiggles.
It was just a matter of weeks ago – in late January – that The Wiggles made Hottest 100 history when they found themselves scoring a historic number one with their cover of Tame Impala’s “Elephant”. Not only were they the first band in almost 30 years to make their debut at the #1 spot, but they brought the first cover to the top of the chart, while founding member Jeff Fatt became the oldest artist to top the chart.
However, The Wiggles clearly weren’t content with that being their only milestone for the year, having just appeared at the top of the ARIA charts for the first time ever with the recently-released ReWiggled album.
Announced back in December, the two-disc package follows on from the 2011 release of the same name, and sees a number of contemporary artists covering songs by The Wiggles, with the other half of the collection seeing The Wiggles performing covers.
The record resulted in the likes of The Chats playing “Can You (Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?)”, and Spacey Jane delivering a rendition of “D.O.R.O.T.H.Y (My Favourite Dinosaur)”, while The Wiggles themselves cover classics by The Rolling Stones, James Brown, AC/DC, Mental As Anything, Fatboy Slim, and of course, Tame Impala.
Clearly, the response to the record was a positive one, with the album giving The Wiggles their first number one album since their formation back in 1991. Despite an exhaustive list of releases to their name, the closest they’d come previously was when 2018’s Nursery Rhymes 2 hit #3.
“If you’d said to me at the beginning of the year that The Wiggles would have a #1 ARIA album, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Blue Wiggle Anthony Field. “It’s such an incredible feeling, and I want to thank everyone who has supported us on our 30-year journey.”
“Achieving a #1 ARIA Album position is such an honour and is testament to the Wiggles’ enduring popularity with children and adults alike,” added Purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie. “I want to thank everyone who bought the album, all the amazing artists that covered our songs, and the artists that allowed us to add a little Wiggly flair to their songs.”
“The Wiggles have played such an important part in the lives of so many Australians it’s an absolute pleasure to congratulate them on their very first #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart,” noted ARIA Chief Executive Officer, Annabelle Herd.
“ReWiggled is a triumph for the band, but also for Australian artists, it not only celebrates the depth and diversity of Australian music but becomes our fourth Australian album in five weeks to top the chart.”
It remains to be seen whether ReWiggled will take out Album of The Year at the ARIA Awards later this year, but with the way things have been going for The Wiggles, anything is possible.
The Wiggles’ ReWiggled is out now.
