# Hit songs that totally disappeared **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825 "2016-01-11T17:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/121 "2016-06-16T18:35:29Z")
Satellite radio decades stations usually play a number of these forgotten hits. Not all, mind you, but quite a number. ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/122 "2016-06-16T18:54:18Z")
That’s right, **Mr. Miskatonic**. I listen to Sirius radio in my car and, in the past year, I’ve heard many of the pop/rock songs mentioned in this thread. > [@astorian](#): > > Well, let me look through the Billboard Charts from the Sixties through the Eighties, and name you all the #1 hits I haven’t heard played ANYWHERE in ages: > > “The Happening” by the Supremes > “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro > “One Bad Apple” by the Osmond Brothers > “Go Away, Little Girl” by Donny Osmond > “Brand New Key” by Melanie > “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me” by Mac Davis > “Brother Louie” by the Stories > “Half Breed” by Cher > “Then Came You” by Dionne Warwick > “I Can Help” by Billy Swan > “Angie Baby” by Helen Reddy > “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)” by Tony Orlando and Dawn > “Island Girl” by Elton John > “Torn Between Two Lovers” by Mary McGregor > “Undercover Angel” by Alan O’Day > “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams > "Please Don’t Go’ by KC & the Sunshine Band > “Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton > “A View to a Kill” by Duran Duran > “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie > “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott > “At This Moment” by Billy Vera and the Beaters > “Head to Toe” by Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam > “Could’ve Been” by Tiffany > “Seasons Change” by Expose > “Anything for You” by Gloria Estefan I’m pretty sure that I’ve heard almost all those songs more than once over the past year or so, and several of them this week. In fact, one of the things that bothers me about Sirius is that the three “decades stations” that I listen to the most—'60s, '70s, '80s—seem to play the same songs several times in a week. And there’s additional duplication on the other stations that I listen to. > [@Don Draper](#): > > There was a song that got incessant play on the radio in the late 1970s, around the same era as “You Light Up My Life” with the refrain “Knock Three Times on the Ceiling If You Want Me…” Kind of an annoying song actually, but one that seemed to be ubiquitous and then disappear. Hmmm … I wonder what the name of that song is? 😉 > [@Don Draper](#): > > Other very popular songs that have faded over time: > > “Time In a Bottle” (ironically enough) > “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” > “Country Roads” (and just about anything else by John Denver) > “Let the Love Flow” > “Here You Come Again” (I think by Dolly Parton) > “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blues” > “Don’t Fear the Reaper” > “Bette Davis Eyes” > “The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” > “In a Big Country” (by a band called ‘Big Country’) > “Don’t You Forget About Me” > “Sara” (the other, actually listenable, big hit by Starship, nee Jefferson) Faded but not forgotten. I’ve heard almost all of them this year. If you search for John Denver at [http://www.dogstarradio.com/search\_playlist.php](http://www.dogstarradio.com/search_playlist.php), you get a bunch of songs that were played this week. And, yes, “Here You Come Again” is by Dolly Parton. It was played early this morning, and several times last week. BTW, “Knock Three Times” has been played … three times this week. I quickly went through the [List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1970s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_the_1970s) and the only song that I don’t recall hearing recently is [Boogie Oogie Oogie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Oogie_Oogie) by A Taste of Honey. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/123 "2016-06-16T19:01:18Z")
Well, none of us can boogie no more, so I’m not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/124 "2016-06-16T19:44:18Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Satellite radio decades stations usually play a number of these forgotten hits. Not all, mind you, but quite a number. What, no one listens to Internet radio? I hear pretty much ALL of the songs listed AT LEAST several times a week! ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/125 "2016-06-16T22:07:32Z")
I haven’t heard [Feelings](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyBcHUe4WeQ) for 30 years until I watched a rerun of the Bionic Woman and Jamie sang (lip-synched?) [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JId1gUlUq_w) in a beauty pageant episode. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/126 "2016-06-16T22:55:30Z")
Calling Occupants– [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/teBV0EoJJY8/maxresdefault.jpg "Carpenters - Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (Full Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teBV0EoJJY8) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/127 "2016-06-16T23:25:46Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > You want to wrap this up quick? Go to your LP collection and peruse your K-Tel, Ronco, et al platters. I’d wager 90% of those tracks were not only one-hit wonders, but are rarely heard from any more. > > Like “Hocus Pocus,” by Focus. Focus had other hits in Europe. Someone else mentioned hearing a lesser-known song by them called “Sylvia” at the grocery store, and that reminded me of “Hocus Pocus”. I thought of this song again earlier today when I was stuck in a construction zone behind a Ford Focus. 😛 Here’s an interview from several years ago with their keyboardist and vocalist, Thijs Van Leer. “Hocus Pocus” was used in a commercial for the 2010 World Cup. Instrumentals usually don't get much airplay after they fall off the charts; neither do remakes. "Don't Be Cruel" by Cheap Trick is another huge hit that I hear less than the original. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/128 "2016-06-17T01:52:50Z")
Telstar (or is it Telestar) by the Tornadoes. The last time I heard this was at the end of a ‘Mad Men’ episode. Sukiyaki by…the Japanese guy. Utterly charming, late 50’s? Both memorable, different - gone! ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/129 "2016-06-17T02:32:49Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Why do we never hear Mouth and Macneal doing “How do you do” anymore? Why Why Why. This is the eternal question. This is the one that I came to mention. I’m kind of surprised that it only made it to #8 on the US charts. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/130 "2016-06-17T02:43:54Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > **RealityChuck** made me think of another: [Ballad of the Green Berets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5WJJVSE_BE) by SSGT Barry Sadler. Not if you hang out at Fort Bragg. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/131 "2016-06-17T05:01:30Z")
> [@Paxx](#): > > I quickly went through the > [List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1970s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_the_1970s) and the only song that I don’t recall hearing recently is [Boogie Oogie Oogie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie_Oogie_Oogie) by A Taste of Honey. I heard that within the past two weeks on Sirius XM (the '70s channel). A few more I recall, but haven’t heard in years would include “Love’s Theme,” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra; “TSOP” by MFSB, and “Feels So Good,” by Chuck Mangione. All instrumentals, like “Joy” and “Popcorn.” Wonder why instrumentals get forgotten so easily? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/132 "2016-06-17T05:02:15Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Focus had other hits in Europe. Someone else mentioned hearing a lesser-known song by them called “Sylvia” at the grocery store, and that reminded me of “Hocus Pocus”. I thought of this song again earlier today when I was stuck in a construction zone behind a Ford Focus. 😛 > > Here’s an interview from several years ago with their keyboardist and vocalist, Thijs Van Leer. “Hocus Pocus” was used in a commercial for the 2010 World Cup. > > Instrumentals usually don't get much airplay after they fall off the charts; neither do remakes. "Don't Be Cruel" by Cheap Trick is another huge hit that I hear less than the original. “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001),” by Eumir Deodato, was a monster hit in ‘73 (?). The entire 9-minute version was used in the early part of Peter Sellers’ **Being There** , but earlier, a 3.5 minute version (might have been 4 minutes +/-) was on 45. Deodato snagged a Grammy for that song, and was nominated for Best New Artist but lost out to Bette Midler. Similarly, Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_ was edited down to about 3.5 minutes from its album length of 25 mins and released on 45 after **The Exorcist** made it a monster hit :D. But yeah, instrumentals die a nasty death. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/133 "2016-06-17T09:02:07Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Sukiyaki by…the Japanese guy. Utterly charming, late 50’s? 1. Too early for me, but the version by A Taste of Honey hit #1 in the charts in 1981 and that was on regular rotation. Also never heard of again. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/134 "2016-06-17T10:02:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Vaughn Meader’s **The First Family** was a #1 album, but its popularity dropped off a cliff on November 22, 1962. Ahem, 1963. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/135 "2016-06-17T10:25:52Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Timmy T - “One more Try” Todd: I…um…I-I-I tend to think I’m a pretty knowledgeable guy about music, but I have literally no idea what I’m looking at here. I don’t know the singer, I don’t know the song. I’ve never heard this, or anything remotely… like it, like…Anybody? Anyone have any idea what the hell this is?..This was a #1 hit? That can’t be right. This can’t have been big enough to hit #1. I’ve never heard of it! How has history so thoroughly erased this? LOL! This seems somehow vaguely familiar. But yes, very much erased. And this is truly a horrendous song if ever there was one! ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/136 "2016-06-17T15:39:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One thing I’ve noticed is you never seem to hear the Kinks on classic rock stations. Other British bands of the era like the Beatles, the Stones, the Animals, and the Who are all staples. But even hits like “You Really Got Me”, “All Day and All of the Night”, “Tired of Waiting for You”, and “Lola” don’t seem to get played. My local station almost never plays The Beatles, but plays The Kinks fairly often. > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Maybe in your area. I probably hear that song more than anything else they’ve ever done. (referring to The Cars’ “Drive”) It’s possible that it gets played and just doesn’t catch my ear. It’s such an utterly generic-sounding song, compared to the very distinctive sound of The Cars’ other hits. I recall thinking it was a boring-ass song when it first came out. It sounded like every other synth-pop ballad of the time (which is probably why it was such a big hit). ---
**Author:** ![Paxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Paxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paxx)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/137 "2016-06-17T19:05:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > A few more I recall, but haven’t heard in years would include “Love’s Theme,” by the Love Unlimited Orchestra; “TSOP” by MFSB, and “Feels So Good,” by Chuck Mangione. All instrumentals, like “Joy” and “Popcorn.” Wonder why instrumentals get forgotten so easily? I heard “Love’s Theme” recently on Sirius. I was surprised that the song seemed so much longer than what I remember from the '70s. I’ve heard TSOP several times recently. Easy to remember because, each time that it is playing, I go through what the initials stand for (and what else MFSB stands for :eek:), and the name of the group that does the vocals, and what else they did. Here’s something that I haven’t heard recently on the radio: [Amazing Grace](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjG7kaNbM0Y) by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. I have heard the Judy Collins version. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/138 "2016-06-17T19:12:09Z")
Most songs then were made for teenage record buyers and had a shelf life, and have disappeared. They don’t fit formats and aren’t dance worthy etc. Instros, easy listening/vegasy songs, novelties, teenage/bubblegum pop: if they get remembered by radio at all it’s unusual. i could name hundreds. The bigger they were the harder they fall. Three dog night were one of the biggest acts in the world. Not too hip now. It’s a whole different animal. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/139 "2016-06-18T17:55:09Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Three dog night were one of the biggest acts in the world. Not too hip now. It’s a whole different animal. Do kids still sing “Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog”, “Black and White”, and “Joy To The World”? I’ve heard “Shambhala” on the radio within the past few months. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825/140 "2016-06-18T18:08:44Z")
[quote=“nearwildheaven, post:139, topic:742825”] Do kids still sing “Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog”, “Black and White”, and “Joy To The World”?[n/QUOTE] You do know “Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog” is not a song but a line from “Joy To The World”, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hit-songs-that-totally-disappeared/742825.md?page=8)