it mentions a song called “politics of dancing” which when i listening to “80s music” on pandora the bio of the song said it was a song that went totally unknown in the 80s but was popular on dozens 80s/new wave and dance music compilation records (you know the ones that sold on tv late night that time life legitimized with their collections ) and even a few soundtracks for movies because it was almost royalty-free and that convinced everyone was a hit years later
Is there any other songs that became popular or well known that way?
There are songs like “In A Big Country” (by Big Country) that seemed only to be popular on compilations.
Then there are great songs which found new audiences or were much popularized after compilations. I’m thinking “Dead Flowers” (Townes Van Zandt) and “Walking Song” on The Big Lebowski soundtrack. Or the surfing music on Pulp Fiction. Maybe “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” on Priscilla.
I heard Oh Yeah, In A Big Country, Billy Don’t Be A Hero, and Dick Dale surf music on the radio well before compilations. BDBAH got far too much airplay when it was new!
But I would agree on The Politics of Dancing. I don’t remember hearing it in the 80s, and ate up Alternative when it was new.
Amen, Brother by The Winstons was just a forgotten B-side until it was included on Street Beat Records’ Ultimate Breaks and Beats; now it is prolly the most-listened to recording in history.
It was a huge hit in the 1960s. I’d compare it with Twist and Shout by the Beatles. Huge 1960s hits that got a second life from being included in a film
In 1979 British band The Cure released as a single Boys Don’t Cry to virtually no chart success (although it apparently got to Number 99 in Australia.)
In 1986 the band released a compilation album of their early singles and re-released it became a fairly successful hit single reaching Number 22 in the UK charts.
Then there was further fame (but no chart action) when it was used (in the form of a cover version) as the theme for the film of the same name starring Hilary Swank.
Woodstock popularized many songs that were not hits before, most notably Ten Years After’s “I’m Going Home,” Richie Haven’s “Freedom,” CSN’s “Suite Judy Blue Eyes,” “I Feel Like I’m Fixing to Die” by Country Joe and the Fish, plus acts like Sha Na Na and Joe Cocker.
Not saying the surfing music on Pulp Fiction was anything much. But it exposed the music to me and new generations who hadn’t yet heard a lot of 60s compilations.
That may not be the spirit of the thread but I made this distinction above.
