# Artists whose most popular song came well after their initial rise to fame **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186 "2017-08-09T18:42:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/21 "2017-08-09T23:12:25Z")
Bob Seger started recording in the mid-60s, but with minor success until “Night Moves” in 1976. Robert Johnson recorded a bunch of blues songs in 1936 & 1937. He always was known to serious blues fans, but his most successful recording was a box set of his work from 1990. Mississippi John Hurt recorded some failed records in 1928; he was rediscovered in the early 60s, when he became successful. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/22 "2017-08-10T02:24:43Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > Nope. What a Wonderful World was number one for a month in 1967 and is easily more popular than his earlier stuff today. Number one in the U.K. In the U.S. the song didn’t crack the top 100 and was essentially unknown until the movie used it. “Hello, Dolly” was and is his best-known song in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/23 "2017-08-10T02:28:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Number one in the U.K. In the U.S. the song didn’t crack the top 100 and was essentially unknown until the movie used it. “Hello, Dolly” was and is his best-known song in the U.S. Really? I would guess “What A Wonderful World.” Maybe it depends on generation, but mine (Gen X) and earlier, I would assume “What A Wonderful World” is the song Louie is best known for. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/24 "2017-08-10T11:51:54Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > Nope. What a Wonderful World was number one for a month in 1967 and is easily more popular than his earlier stuff today. > > If the list is ‘Artists whose most popular song came well after their initial rise to fame’ then he’s the perfect example. Armstrong was immensely well-known and popular in his day, with a string of hits through the 1920s to the 1960s. If you’re going by the standards of the OP, his stuff just doesn’t fit. “Hello Dolly”, by the way, wasn’t made popular by the movie, even though he performed in that film – Armstrong had recorded the song in 1964 when the play opened, and it was instrumental in popularizing the show itself. They essentially _had_ to put him in the movie, because he was so identified with the song. “Wonderful World” might be one of his best known songs today, but tat’;s only because of its use after his death in a movie that was trying to evoke the feel of the time it was set in. Just because it’s well-known_today_ is no reason to think that Armstrong hadn’t hit his stride and been famous for other pieces performed earlier, which is what the OP appears to be looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/25 "2017-08-10T13:14:12Z")
Sammy Davis Jr’s version of “The Candy Man” became his only number one hit in 1971, some 20 years into his career. He wasn’t pleased with it, rushing through two takes before leaving to entertain the troops in Vietnam, saying it just wasn’t going around the rim but straight in the bowl and possibly taking his career with it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/26 "2017-08-10T13:29:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Really? I would guess “What A Wonderful World.” Maybe it depends on generation, but mine (Gen X) and earlier, I would assume “What A Wonderful World” is the song Louie is best known for. It was a flop in the US when first released, not even reaching the top 100 (it was a hit elsewhere). It has been forgotten until it was used in _Good Morning, Vietnam_, which turned it into a posthumous hit. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/27 "2017-08-10T13:43:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was a flop in the US when first released, not even reaching the top 100 (it was a hit elsewhere). It has been forgotten until it was used in _Good Morning, Vietnam_, which turned it into a posthumous hit. See my post #6 above. Does anybody even read my posts? (Directed to **puly** , not at **RC** ) ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/28 "2017-08-10T14:00:40Z")
I would think Frank Sinatra and _My Way_ would be a pretty good example of this. ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/29 "2017-08-10T14:02:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Really? I would guess “What A Wonderful World.” Maybe it depends on generation, but mine (Gen X) and earlier, I would assume “What A Wonderful World” is the song Louie is best known for. Gen Y here, I would also say “What A Wonderful World” is his best known song. But the OP does seem to be basing most popular on highest charting. More specifically, highest charting at the time. Not that I think that’s a great way of defining most popular (then again, it’s probably the only objective way of doing it). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/30 "2017-08-10T14:29:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > See my post #6 above. > Does anybody even read my posts? (Directed to **puly** , not at **RC** ) Yes–I read all the posts in this thread. I’m not sure what I’m missing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/31 "2017-08-10T14:30:56Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > I respectfully disagree: Kylie’s cover of “The Loco-motion” was a huge hit in her native Australia and charted around the world. ([Wiki link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loco-Motion#Kylie_Minogue_version)) She might have arguably been considered a one-hit wonder in the US until “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” was released, though. What exactly are you disagreeing with? Do you think “The Loco-motion” was a bigger hit than “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”? Because it sure looks like “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” was a bigger hit based on how well it sold and charted ([Kylie Minogue’s Discography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Minogue_singles_discography). To the people asking how popularity is defined, yes, in the OP I was defining popularity based on chart position, but I don’t think it’s “cheating” or somehow not in the spirit of the OP if you define popularity some other way. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/32 "2017-08-10T14:34:40Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > Gen Y here, I would also say “What A Wonderful World” is his best known song. > > But the OP does seem to be basing most popular on highest charting. More specifically, highest charting at the time. Not that I think that’s a great way of defining most popular (then again, it’s probably the only objective way of doing it). Hard to tell. Believe it or not, Kylie’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” wasn’t her highest charting US single. It only hit #7. “Loco-motion” from 1987 hit #3. (That said, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” did chart as #1 on a shitton of international charts.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/33 "2017-08-10T14:56:55Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > I respectfully disagree: Kylie’s cover of “The Loco-motion” was a huge hit in her native Australia and charted around the world. ([Wiki link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loco-Motion#Kylie_Minogue_version)) She might have arguably been considered a one-hit wonder in the US until “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” was released, though. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Hard to tell. Believe it or not, Kylie’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” wasn’t her highest charting US single. It only hit #7. “Loco-motion” from 1987 hit #3. (That said, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” did chart as #1 on a shitton of international charts.) On which chart? According to the Wikipedia link I posted, Locomotion didn’t chart at all in the U.S. Though it does say that Can’t Get You Out of My Head peaked at 7, like you said. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/34 "2017-08-10T15:17:09Z")
[The Billboard chart](http://www.billboard.com/artist/306232/kylie-minogue/chart) (the Hot 100). It’s also in the Wikipedia article you linked to. “US Billboard Hot 100: 3” (ETA: Sorry, that’s in **xnylder** ’s link, but your link has the same info. Look under “The Loco-Motion.” The song is listed twice.) ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/35 "2017-08-10T15:43:59Z")
RE Kylie’s cover of The Loco-Motion vs Can’t Get You Out Of My Head: I agree that top charting position might not be the best judge of how popular a song is. We’ve got two songs that both charted high and on several international charts. However, one charted far earlier (1987 vs 2001) and was a more middle-of-the-road tune. If we count popularity as overall exposure and number of plays, her Loco-Motion probably wins. Totally my opinion here, but while Can’t Get You Out Of My Head might have made a bigger splash, Loco-Motion had more staying power. (Though of course, Little Eva really deserves the credit for that.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/36 "2017-08-10T15:51:21Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > RE Kylie’s cover of The Loco-Motion vs Can’t Get You Out Of My Head: > I agree that top charting position might not be the best judge of how popular a song is. We’ve got two songs that both charted high and on several international charts. However, one charted far earlier (1987 vs 2001) and was a more middle-of-the-road tune. If we count popularity as overall exposure and number of plays, her Loco-Motion probably wins. Totally my opinion here, but while Can’t Get You Out Of My Head might have made a bigger splash, Loco-Motion had more staying power. (Though of course, Little Eva really deserves the credit for that.) When I think of Kylie, I do think of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” But the video also has a lot to do with that. When I think of “The Locomotion” (or however the hell it’s spelled), I think of Little Eva, though I do know Kylie had a cover of it that got significant airplay here. But the latter was, indeed, higher on the charts here. (Part of it for me is also that I tend to downgrade covers of iconic songs.) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/37 "2017-08-10T16:00:16Z")
Daft Punk released their first single in 1994, and had their highest chart “Get Lucky” in 2013 ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/38 "2017-08-10T16:31:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > [The Billboard chart](http://www.billboard.com/artist/306232/kylie-minogue/chart) (the Hot 100). > > It’s also in the Wikipedia article you linked to. “US Billboard Hot 100: 3” (ETA: Sorry, that’s in **xnylder** ’s link, but your link has the same info. Look under “The Loco-Motion.” The song is listed twice.) Oh look at that, I didn’t notice it was listed twice. You’re right! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/39 "2017-08-10T17:00:08Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I would think Frank Sinatra and _My Way_ would be a pretty good example of this. Frank Sinatra had his first #1 hit (I’ll Never Smile Again) in 1941, and did Night and Day in 1942. All or Nothing at All (1943) only made it to #2, but stayed on the charts for 18 weeks. His first solo album in 1946 went to #1 and produced two #1 singles. He also had #1 singles in the 1950s and 1960s. My Way, sadly enough, only got to #27. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186/40 "2017-08-10T17:07:04Z")
It did a lot better than that in other countries. And in the UK, despite peaking at #5, “_the single achieved a still unmatched record, becoming the recording with the most weeks inside the Top 40, spending 75 weeks from April 1969 to September 1971. It spent a further 49 weeks in the Top 75 but never bettered the No. 5 slot achieved upon its first chart run_”. Also from [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Way), the song “_became Frank Sinatra’s signature song_”. Beyond its performance at the time of its release, ISTM that the song had stood the test of time better than many higher charting songs, and is today probably one of the best known and most played Sinatra songs, if not _the_ absolute best known and most played. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artists-whose-most-popular-song-came-well-after-their-initial-rise-to-fame/793186.md?page=3)