Which bands or musical artists are not very well represented by their most popular or famous song?
Examples: Neither “Veronica” nor “Every Day I Write the Book” do Elvis Costello much justice. They’re not bad songs, but they’re much poppier than his usual sound.
Friends who are really into the Clash don’t much care for “Rock the Casbah,” but that’s probably their most well-known song.
“Song 2” is not typical for Blur.
Other nominations for hit songs that don’t do their creators justice?
The Velvet Underground’s, “Heroin,” and Lou Reed’s, “Walk on the Wild Side.”
Neither of those are their best songs, not by a mile.
Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London
I dunno how famous it is in comparison to Walk This Way or Sweet Emotion, but I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing, written by Dianne “Un-break My Heart” Warren, is Aerosmith’s first Billboard #1 hit.
Seriously? I’m not particularly an Aerosmith fan, but that blows me away. It’s a perfect example of what I’m trying to capture, too.
“Dock of the Bay.”
IMHO, it’s Otis’ absolute worst song, and I don’t think it would be nearly as popular as the rest of his catalog had he not died right after recording it.
“Dancing in the Dark” seems like it was the first mainstream/pop hit for Springsteen and is fun but hardly the best. I know “Born to Run” and “Hungry Heart” were popular in a way, but “Born in the USA” seems like when he became super-mainstream.
Bonnie Raitt definitely is more hard-core R&B than her most famous songs would make you think.
“No Rain” by Blind Melon was pretty far removed from the rest of that album, and the subsequent one.
“Brick” by Ben Folds Five doesn’t really capture the goofiness of the rest of their catalog. Granted they do have their share of “sad songs” but “Brick” was so weird for me as a fan that I pretty much can’t stand to listen to it anymore.
Stairway to Heaven
Maybe this makes me a snob but when someone tells me that is their favorite Zep song I tend to roll my eyes and change the subject.
I think Dire Straits had a LOT of better songs than “Money For Nothing” (their only #1 single in the U.S.) or “Walk of Life” (one of their only three Top Ten singles here).
“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. By far their worst song. The guitar solo is the worst ever committed to vinyl. Second choice is “Sweet Home Alabama.” Their other stuff is very good, though.
The Grateful Dead has many better songs then their one hit, “Touch of Gray.”
R&B 
*I’m too Sexy * is hardly Right Said Fred’s…oh who am I trying to kid?
Many Top 40 listeners only know Radiohead for one song: “Creep”
Yeah. There’s also the fact that so many others had great hits with his music later on.
Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth is their most famous.
IMHO, though, both Broken Arrow and Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing are much, much better.
[sup][sub]Yes, I grow old, I grow old. I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled …[/sub][/sup]
On the Way Home is my personal favorite.
And the Grateful Dead also had a hit in Truckin’ (at least in Turlock, California, “where it raced straight to the top of the charts, numero uno, and stayed there for a week or two…they love us in Turlock, and we love them for that.”)
Cheap Trick’s only #1 hit was their comeback song “The Flame”. Most Trick fans loathe the song. (In their defense, they didn’t write the abomination). “Surrender” never made the Top #40 (peaked at #65).
Chuck Berry’s only #1 hit was the novelty tune “My Ding-A-Ling”. However, many of the classics topped Billboard’s “Black Singles” chart, but not the Pop Chart.
Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss” ain’t exactly the best introduction to their material. However, it’s their biggest hit.
“Creep”, yes that’s a great one.
How about "she don’t use jelly’ by the Flaming Lips?
Really? Most people I know would classify “Jeremy” as their biggest hit, which, while again not their greatest song, does encompass their sound.
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison. OMG that guy is a poet and that song, although fun and snappy, is nothing compared to his other less known works.