Songs that have far exceeded their popularity when first released

How do we feel about the relatively small early hits for iconic artists? I heard "Borderline" last night and have always loved that song, but it only peaked at no. 9 or so. Madonna's subsequent bonkers success makes that seem a little low and has made "Borderline" seem bigger than it initially was, at least in my mind. Thoughts?

 

Outing alert. BYH2

 

You could pick just about any Springsteen song, because he's somehow never had a song that topped the Hot 100 (beyond "We Are the World," which obviously doesn't count as a Springsteen song). "Born to Run" only got to No. 23. Yeah, "Born in the USA" had seven top-10 singles, a massive number for one album, but none cracked the top spot.

Others to consider: The Who (only one top-10 song, "I Can See for Miles") and Led Zeppelin ("Stairway to Heaven" wasn't even released as a single).

 

Too many equate "singles" with "iconic songs". Tons of well-known songs weren't singles.

As for Springsteen, he is popular, but in a very targeted way. He has always been big among Baby Boomer-aged men, and for a while, that's about all he was popular with. "Born To Run" was a big album, and being "big among Baby Boomer-aged men" was plenty of fuel for album sales in the 70s, but it wasn't exactly going to sweep disco and other pop fare off the charts in the mid 70s.

"Born In The USA" changed the dynamic, but it was short-lived from a charts point of view. "Tunnel Of Love" produced hits, but that almost felt like momentum drafting off "Born In The USA" heat. After that? Soundscan, etc., knocked whatever singles chart momentum Springsteen had out of the box.

Springsteen is weird in that he has near-blanket appeal within his demographic and almost no appeal outside of it.

Besides sportswriters, that is.

 

Along these lines, I'm curious to see if The Rolling Stones can make the top 40 w/a single off the new album. Probably not, since they haven't had a Top 40 single since 1989 (!!!!) and haven't even dented the Hot 100 since 2003 (!!!!). Obviously, the album will do great, in 2023 terms, out of the box and doesn't need a hit single to boost first-week (the only week that matters anymore) sales. But it'd be absolutely wild to have a band in the top 40 a whopping 59 years after its first hit.

 

A list. Creedence? Really?

Rock Legends Who Never Had a No. 1 Hit Single

 

"Stuck in the Middle with You" by Steelers Wheel; a hit but after Reservoir Dogs and the retro 70's kick the past decade or so, its almost the 70's theme song (even my 20yr old knows it).

 

I remember when that song was on AM radio. Shit, I’m old.

 

Took me until well into this century to learn the Steelers Wheel lead singer was Gerry Rafferty of "Baker Street" fame. Two all-time great songs.

 

Maybe this can change your opinion of it? Ever since this was mentioned in an old Bill Simmons column and I watched it for the first time in the 2000s, I can't hear "Sweet Caroline" without this sequence playing in my head.

 

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)….mind blowing and exciting when I first heard it and now an iconic piece of music.