# Great songs that deserved to be hits but weren't **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717 "2018-05-24T05:44:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/21 "2018-05-24T21:21:30Z")
[Yes it is](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlVhCkvsIQs) by The Beatles. Edit: Comments are saying that isnt the Beatles?? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/22 "2018-05-24T21:47:54Z")
I used to watch a punk band called _The Bullys_ play in Brooklyn from time to time and I saw them play at one of the annual Joey Ramone’s birthday bashes (last video below). I always thought they should have made it. If you’re a fan of old school NYC punk style music, check out links below. Click on songs in red: [http://www.thebullys.com/cds/index.html](http://www.thebullys.com/cds/index.html) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-2r_T_GhyLI/hqdefault.jpg "The Bullys: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2r_T_GhyLI) With Mickey Leigh (Joey Ramone's brother) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKnORqt7w1A ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/23 "2018-05-24T21:56:26Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Some of songs mentioned in this thread (e.g., “Industrial Disease”) were album cuts that were played on album-oriented rock stations so they don’t qualify. Bad example. _Industrial Disease_ was released as a single, at least in the U.S… ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/24 "2018-05-24T22:57:08Z")
[Dancing the Night Away](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8X1EKyhLHw) by the Motors - some of the best pub rock. This debut single Only reached no.41 in UK, though they later enjoyed a top-ten UK hit. [In My Own Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlxdKKP2n0) by Family - okay a bit of a cheat as this psychedlia, folk-tinged rock song was a fairly major hit in the UK (no.4), but even in the UK largely forgotten [Carry Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ef7X6JuQas) by Hunters & Collectors - intense Australian rock. Fondly remembered in AUS and NZ, but not well-known outside the Southern Hemisphere, this failed to chart even in their domestic market. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/25 "2018-05-24T23:33:37Z")
“Yes It Is” is definitely a Beatles song, and a truly interesting one - but IMO it’s not “hit material” because… well, I’m not sure why… because the lyrics wander? because it needed more songwriting attention than it got? I don’t know, it’s like a picture that’s slightly out of focus. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/26 "2018-05-24T23:39:20Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The OP didn’t specify that he was only looking for songs that had been released as singles. That’s one way to interpret the thread, but not the only way. Probably best to stick with officially released singles, as it’s the best way to judge the “hitworthiness” of a song. (As previously mentioned, “Stairway to Heaven” never charted but was obviously a “hit” in all other respects.) Another one: Andy Taylor “I Might Lie”: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDUrOGXES4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDUrOGXES4) A refreshing blast of hard rock from the Duran Duran/Power Station guitarist. Peaked short of the Top 40 in America and didn’t even crack the top 60 in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/27 "2018-05-25T00:13:35Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Just about every song on Emitt Rhodes self-titled album would have been a pop hit if the record company hadn’t gone out of the way to set him up for failure. I’ll go with “[With My Face on the Floor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADK3RAtveY8).” > > Spirit had several. “[I Got A Line on You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnrt6ykm6Do)” might have been a big hit, as would “[Mr. Skin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wIGrtRzj3Q).” I think Blackfoot did have a big with “I Got a Line on You”. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/28 "2018-05-25T00:18:32Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Prologue: “Stairway to Heaven” was never released as a single, either. Yes it was. In 1993. Recorded by Rolf Harris. 😃 (Even went to number 1 in the U.K.) ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/29 "2018-05-25T00:33:59Z")
[I’maman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQRsBZWAF7s) by Jobriath ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/30 "2018-05-25T01:03:56Z")
Rory Gallagher: Edged In Blue. As good as anything else that was on the radio at the time. Not a hit through Rory’s own efforts, which is kind of cool! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QB1ThBulIxg/hqdefault.jpg "Edged In Blue - Rory Gallagher") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB1ThBulIxg) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/31 "2018-05-25T01:32:32Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I’ll kick things off with Martin Briley “The Salt in My Tears”: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg-TWFX1OOE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg-TWFX1OOE) I loved that song when it came out, and I still like it a lot. When I started playing guitar a few years ago, it was one of the first songs I really got good at playing. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/32 "2018-05-25T02:33:02Z")
\*The Execution \* by Paul Kelly and the Messengers. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/33 "2018-05-25T10:04:24Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > I think Blackfoot did have a big with “I Got a Line on You”. _Blackfoot_ didn’t release it as a single. The original by _Spirit_ reached #25 on the US Top 100 which pretty much means it was a hit. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/34 "2018-05-25T10:51:15Z")
Back in 1971 in the UK I heard [Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHi3nwKTEzM) by [Pagliaro](http://www.pagliaro.ca/) on the radio and immediately went out and bought the single, convinced it would be a huge hit. It was a complete flop, but he still performs it today… ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/35 "2018-05-25T11:12:03Z")
[“Gimme Some Water”](https://youtu.be/rU-KVObNEd4?t=5) isn’t even on Eddie Money’s greatest hits album, but it’s another one in my everyday shuffle playlist. His greatest hits has about 8 songs I’ve never heard of, but not this one. Weird to me, particularly because I heard it on the radio enough to like it and seek it out. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/36 "2018-05-25T15:11:40Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > I’ll throw one out that JUST came up on my shuffle. [“Hyperactive” by Thomas Dolby.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHgNHneZ6WM) A little odd perhaps, but it fit in well in the early 80’s. It went to #17 in the UK, which made it his highest charting song. I’d nominate instead ["I Love You Goodbye"](https://youtu.be/H7bwWAVVCWg)off the Astronauts & Heretics album. One of the flat out, no hedging, great songs, the only Zydeco electronica masterpiece. It’s a six-minute song, but it was released as a single in the UK and actually scraped into the bottom of the top 40. It builds and builds, both inside the song and in memory. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/37 "2018-05-25T16:20:05Z")
It might be a hit in Canada right now, but ‘Spin Our Wheels’ by Sloan would sound pretty good on U.S. radio this summer: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/un3xVgQg-EY/maxresdefault.jpg "Sloan "Spin Our Wheels"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3xVgQg-EY) ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/38 "2018-05-25T20:50:52Z")
Back in the 80s I had a gift for listening to a new album, falling in love with a cut and proclaiming it would be the next big hit single, hearing it once or twice on the radio when it was released as a single, and then watching it flop. Among my failed predictions: [Battleship Chains](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQr7RxYec-0) by The Georgia Satellites (peaked at #86) [Lost and Found](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3kJx4JE0lM) by The Kinks (Did not chart) [Tonight It’s You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL251usi-K8) by Cheap Trick (I was certain this would be their big comeback song. Peaked at #44) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/39 "2018-05-25T21:04:34Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > [Fall on Me, by R.E.M.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lf6vCjtaV1k) That wasn’t a hit? ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717/40 "2018-05-25T22:21:08Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > That wasn’t a hit? In the US it peaked at #94, so not really. It mostly got airplay on college and alternative rock stations. R.E.M. didn’t break through to the mainstream until their next album _Document_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-songs-that-deserved-to-be-hits-but-werent/814717.md?page=3)