# Most obscure song that gets played most frequently **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2017, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319 "2017-07-28T12:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/1 "2017-07-28T12:40:48Z")
As I walked through the office this a.m., I heard Peter Gabriel’s Salisbury Hill on someone’s radio. And a week ago or so the lyrics were referenced in a comic strip (Frazz). I think I hear that song at least as frequently as any of PG’s later bigger hits and videos, or even than any old Genesis tunes (never was a fan after PG left, and never cared much for Phil Collins). I was a pretty big fan of Genesis and Peter Gabriel back in the 70s, and loved PGs first 2 albums, but they never were horribly popular back then. SH always strikes me as a pretty obscure song to retain such staying power. I mean - why not Moribund the Burgermeister? 😃 I would’ve expected Modern Love (from the same album) to have much greater staying power than SH. So what is your selection for the song that has surprised you most with its staying power? ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/2 "2017-07-28T12:59:35Z")
Nazareth had a hit song, _Love Hurts_, in 1974. But I suspect the single’s B side, [Hair of the Dog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiMQcAbqkA) (aka “Now you’re messing with an SOB” repeated approx. 50 time.) gets more classic rock airplay. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/3 "2017-07-28T13:28:24Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > Nazareth had a hit song, _Love Hurts_, in 1974. But I suspect the single’s B side, [Hair of the Dog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smiMQcAbqkA) (aka “Now you’re messing with an SOB” repeated approx. 50 time.) gets more classic rock airplay. Oh good god, what have I wrought? Now I’m gonna have THAT running thru my head all day… :eek: (Personally, not sure when I last heard HotD - but I sure know every note/word by heart! Memories of a misspent youth…) ---
**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:** [July 28, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/4 "2017-07-28T13:39:01Z")
“The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” by Traffic get a lot of airplay on classic rock stations. It’s odd because it’s so long, and because Traffic has plenty of other songs to choose from, but other than sometimes “Feelin’ Alright,” they’re rarely played. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/5 "2017-07-28T13:50:11Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > As I walked through the office this a.m., I heard Peter Gabriel’s Salisbury Hill on someone’s radio. And a week ago or so the lyrics were referenced in a comic strip (Frazz). I think I hear that song at least as frequently as any of PG’s later bigger hits and videos, or even than any old Genesis tunes (never was a fan after PG left, and never cared much for Phil Collins). > > I was a pretty big fan of Genesis and Peter Gabriel back in the 70s, and loved PGs first 2 albums, but they never were horribly popular back then. SH always strikes me as a pretty obscure song to retain such staying power. I mean - why not Moribund the Burgermeister? 😃 I would’ve expected Modern Love (from the same album) to have much greater staying power than SH. > > So what is your selection for the song that has surprised you most with its staying power? Solsbury. It’s a beautiful song - my kids picked it out on the radio as one they liked vs the other classic rock songs they heard. I would go with one hit wonders that I hear - Ah Leah by Donnie Iris, or Whar do all the People Know by The Monroes - it gets play on Northeast radio classic rock stations: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XRI\_02EOsyI](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XRI_02EOsyI) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/6 "2017-07-28T14:41:31Z")
Solsbury Hill has also been used in a lot of soundtracks etc, which would sustain its popularity beyond just Gabriel fans (see also: In Your Eyes) - and also, it’s a great song. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/7 "2017-07-28T14:56:46Z")
“Rumble” by Link Wray. I don’t hear it played on the radio much, so maybe it doesn’t fit the OP, but it seems to frequently pop up as background music in a lot of odd places. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/8 "2017-07-28T15:08:30Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > “Rumble” by Link Wray. I don’t hear it played on the radio much, so maybe it doesn’t fit the OP, but it seems to frequently pop up as background music in a lot of odd places. If anyone has come up with better badass entrance chords - blang, blang, blaaaannnngggg! - I haven’t heard 'em. And don’t tell me Bad to the Bone - I love good George Thorogood, but that ain’t it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/9 "2017-07-28T15:19:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Solsbury Hill has also been used in a lot of soundtracks etc, which would sustain its popularity beyond just Gabriel fans (see also: In Your Eyes) - and also, it’s a great song. “Solsbury Hill” is also one of those songs, like “Seen All Good People” by Yes, that gets used in movie trailers\* a lot, even if it doesn’t actually get used in the movie itself. - including that fake trailer for “The Shining” ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/10 "2017-07-28T15:22:27Z")
^\[1\]([The Shining Recut - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkVWuP_sO0)). * * * 1. That’s what I was going to say ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/11 "2017-07-28T15:24:45Z")
Blondie’s “One Way Or Another” isn’t a particularly great song, but it pops up _everywhere_. It’s in freakin’ Swiffer commercials, for cryin’ out loud. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/12 "2017-07-28T15:29:58Z")
“Hey Bulldog” by the Beatles. Somebody on SiriusXM is getting the royalties, because over the last month they have been playing this lousy song constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/13 "2017-07-28T16:51:17Z")
:smack: on the misspelling. I just realized a difficulty w/ my thread. How I would know a song I considered obscure. I mentioned Solsbury, because I was familiar with all of his work at the time. As a fan who bought his albums as they come out, I assure you he was not widely popular before his MTV hits. **Wordman** mentioned some songs/artists I’ve never heard of - so tho I may have heard those songs, I couldn’t offer them in a thread such as this. I don’t consider 1-hit wonders obscure, if their single hits enjoyed wide popularity at the time. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of B-sides, or deep cuts. It is also weird when a limited number of an artists songs are the only ones that get played - but I guess that is simply an effect of the media. For example, I was a huge Clash fan, yet am somewhat surprised that Train in Vain - which wasn’t even listed on the sleeve! - seems to be played so much more than anything else on their 1st 3 albums. Just interesting, when I ask what I think is a simple, straightforward question, and upon receiving some answers, I realize it was neither simple nor straightforward. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/14 "2017-07-28T17:00:03Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > It is also weird when a limited number of an artists songs are the only ones that get played - but I guess that is simply an effect of the media. Despite the fact that they have put out 15 albums to date that produced dozens of other hits, going only by radio play it would easy to conclude “Sweet Emotion” was the only song Aerosmith ever wrote. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/15 "2017-07-28T17:04:55Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > :smack: on the misspelling. > > I just realized a difficulty w/ my thread. How I would know a song I considered obscure. I mentioned Solsbury, because I was familiar with all of his work at the time. As a fan who bought his albums as they come out, I assure you he was not widely popular before his MTV hits. > > **Wordman** mentioned some songs/artists I’ve never heard of - so tho I may have heard those songs, I couldn’t offer them in a thread such as this. > > I don’t consider 1-hit wonders obscure, if their single hits enjoyed wide popularity at the time. > > I guess I was thinking more along the lines of B-sides, or deep cuts. > > It is also weird when a limited number of an artists songs are the only ones that get played - but I guess that is simply an effect of the media. For example, I was a huge Clash fan, yet am somewhat surprised that Train in Vain - which wasn’t even listed on the sleeve! - seems to be played so much more than anything else on their 1st 3 albums. > > Just interesting, when I ask what I think is a simple, straightforward question, and upon receiving some answers, I realize it was neither simple nor straightforward. Got it. Not about One Hitters. I’d be inclined to go with stuff like **Hey Hey What Can I Do** , a B-side from Led Zep III that gets plenty of classic rock play. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/16 "2017-07-28T17:11:18Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > “Rumble” by Link Wray. I don’t hear it played on the radio much, so maybe it doesn’t fit the OP, but it seems to frequently pop up as background music in a lot of odd places. “Rumble” doesn’t do much for me, but I _did_ enjoy watching [Jimmy Page listen to it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLEUSn8y9TI) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/17 "2017-07-28T17:14:37Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > “Rumble” doesn’t do much for me, but I _did_ enjoy watching [Jimmy Page listen to it.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLEUSn8y9TI) Yep. I can’t hear the riff now without picturing his sheer child-like glee at listening to it in that doc. So cool. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/18 "2017-07-28T17:26:03Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Despite the fact that they have put out 15 albums to date that produced dozens of other hits, going only by radio play it would easy to conclude “Sweet Emotion” was the only song Aerosmith ever wrote. I definitely hear Crazy/Cryin’/Amazing (I’m not sure what, if any, difference there is between these three songs) as much as I hear Sweet Emotion. Pink also gets a fair bit of radio airplay as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/19 "2017-07-28T17:39:55Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I’d be inclined to go with stuff like **Hey Hey What Can I Do** , a B-side from Led Zep III that gets plenty of classic rock play. Yeah, that impresses me as a great example of what I was thinking. My older sisters actually had that 45. What was on the other side? Immigrant song? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-obscure-song-that-gets-played-most-frequently/792319/20 "2017-07-28T17:41:11Z")
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