# Huge hit singles that were much better than you feared **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209 "2020-04-06T18:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/1 "2020-04-06T18:38:45Z")
Inspired by – and as a kind of antidote to – **RickJay’s** thread on [awful number one hit singles](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=893500) - how about a list of pleasant surprises? Once in a while a song you thought was going to be terrible turns out much better than you feared. There could be many different reasons why you were dreading listening to it – the track record of the band, pre-release publicity, artists from the same stable, whatever. In the example that came to me as I was trawling for awful UK number one hits, this record starts with a _minute long_ spoken section, delivered in Estuary English. If that doesn’t fill you with dread for what comes next, I don’t know what will. But here we have [Never Ever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXqkjpXZ_k) by All Saints. Now _that_ was a pleasant surprise. (UK Number 1, US Number 4, hit all over the world). The only limit on this – let’s keep it to big hits, rather than delving into the obscure (with the obvious qualification that something which was a huge hit in country A may have sunk without trace in country B). Plus it would be nice to know what filled you with apprehension about the record; and let’s have a link so we can all enjoy. What have you got? j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/2 "2020-04-06T18:50:25Z")
Double post for the usual reasons - could a Mod be so kind as to delete this duplicate? Thanks in advance. j ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/3 "2020-04-06T18:51:16Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > this record starts with a _minute long_ spoken section, delivered in Estuary English. If that doesn’t fill you with dread for what comes next, I don’t know what will. But here we have [Never Ever](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPXqkjpXZ_k) by All Saints Honestly, I’ve got nothing. I just thought, while I was here, I’d point out that it’s really not Estuary English. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/4 "2020-04-06T18:51:30Z")
(And Obviously: Please Use Other Thread). j ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/5 "2020-04-06T18:53:05Z")
> [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](#): > > Honestly, I’ve got nothing. I just thought, while I was here, I’d point out that its really not Estuary English. Sorry YP - you posted while I was trying to sort this out - I’ll reply in the other thread. j ---
**Author:** ![Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/59ef9b/32.png) [@Yorkshire\_Pudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorkshire_Pudding)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851209/6 "2020-04-06T18:53:07Z")
Sorry, that last post probably sounded a bit snide. Not intentional!