# Songs with a suprisingly long life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087 "2016-01-03T20:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/1 "2016-01-03T20:25:52Z")
Remember Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 hit “Baby Got Back”? At the time it was just dismissed as a cheesy novelty song, if acknowledged at all (MTV refused to show the video in daytime hours). Yet over the years it’s been used in altered form [for](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7yOB8BdpoM) [commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK63IJAB6ZA), and last year I heard it everywhere from kareoke singalongs to top 40 stations. What other songs have stuck around for a surprising amount of time. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/2 "2016-01-03T21:17:39Z")
John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is ridiculously popular in Germany and is one of the most popular singalong anthems at Octoberfest. I hear it is also still very popular in China in some other countries as well. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/-rB1U5plFoA/hqdefault.jpg "Oktoberfest - singing John Denver") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rB1U5plFoA) I don’t know how a song about West Virginia mountain mammas came to be a traditional German beer drinking song but it did somehow. > **[Why do Germans at Oktoberfest sing John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=669401)** > > I am assured by my girlfriend that this song is always, always sung at Oktoberfest and that everyone stops and links arms and sways and belts it out (at least the chorus) so that it’s not only a popular song at Oktoberfest but possibly the most... ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/3 "2016-01-03T23:46:01Z")
“Mr. Blue Sky” keeps popping up in commercials and movie trailers long after every other ELO song has been forgotten. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey has become the most-downloaded song recorded in the 20th century. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/4 "2016-01-03T23:49:13Z")
Frank Sinatra songs are still being played on the radio, despite young people swearing they’d rather jump out of a 10th floor window than listen to them. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/5 "2016-01-04T00:15:19Z")
I think I’ve heard Venus by Shocking Blue, (from 1970?) recently and don’t think that will change soon. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/6 "2016-01-04T00:26:31Z")
Cotton Eye Joe also turns up frequently in different incarnations. The most recent cover hit was from the band [Rednex](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOYZaiDZ7BM) in the 90’s. They are a Swedish rockabilly dance group inspired by country, folk, bluegrass, pop and dance music with white-trash themes in case you didn’t know there was such a thing. As an aside, did you know that Sweden and a few other countries in the region have a counterculture that idolizes American redneck and greaser culture from the 1950’s and 60’s that still keeps the spirit alive. It is called [raggare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raggare) and they are all about muscle cars, 50’s music and living that life today. That isn’t directly related but they will be happy to crank up the Elvis in their souped up Mustang for you. American Pie also turns up quite frequently. It is a good song in general but its permanence is mainly due to the fact that it makes so many references to musical landmarks but only some of them are clear. Don Mclean, the songwriter and primary artist, still refuses to explain it all which appears to be a good tactic. Carly Simon used the same ploy for “You’re So Vain” but she will sell the answer for who it is really about if you have enough money. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/7 "2016-01-04T00:30:35Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Remember Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 hit “Baby Got Back”? At the time it was just dismissed as a cheesy novelty song,\*\* if acknowledged at all\*\* (MTV refused to show the video in daytime hours). Yet over the years it’s been used in altered form [for](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7yOB8BdpoM) [commercials](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK63IJAB6ZA), and last year I heard it everywhere from kareoke singalongs to top 40 stations. What other songs have stuck around for a surprising amount of time. It was the second highest selling song of the year and also won a Grammy. I would call that acknowledged. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/8 "2016-01-04T00:59:05Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > It was the second highest selling song of the year and also won a Grammy. I would call that acknowledged. It was but the point is that its sustainability is unusually high for any song especially of that type. Some people even use it as their first wedding reception song. The reason is Sir-Mix-Alot is very good at creating catchy music and that is not the only example. I would rank them in the top 3 for top rap raps groups ever with NWA and the Beastie Boys for the best pop rap group ever. [My Hooptie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l\_F76ySzk48) is great as are many of their other lesser known works. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/9 "2016-01-04T03:07:35Z")
Somehow Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” refuses to die after nearly 30 years. I constantly hear it at parties, karaoke nights, and the like. ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/10 "2016-01-04T03:15:27Z")
[This article](http://poly-graph.co/timeless/index.html) came out recently exploring the most timeless songs based off Spotify play-counts (so obviously songs not on Spotify won’t be there). Kind of fascinating how a lot of the most played songs didn’t even chart on the billboard when first released. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/11 "2016-01-04T03:20:07Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Somehow Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” refuses to die after nearly 30 years. I constantly hear it at parties, karaoke nights, and the like. That is a good nomination. I always worry about Tommy and Gina especially during the holiday season. > **[Please Pray for My Friends Tommy and Gina During this Holiday Season](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=348790)** > > My friend Tommy worked on the New Jersey docks until he was laid off. His girlfriend Gina has this crap full-time job in a diner. They have through a lot of hard times recently. Gina brings home all her pay faithfully. Sometimes, it is just not... Born is the USA by Bruce Springsteen is another one. Most people don’t pay attention to the lyrics to understand what it is really about (the opposite of its most common use) but it certainly has long legs. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/12 "2016-01-04T03:39:49Z")
For this thread to be complete, we have to include some of the obvious ones as well. It is taken as a given that they are iconic today but nobody could have known that in advance. 1. You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog - Elvis Presley 2. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones 3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 4. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles 5. Baby Love - The Supremes ---
**Author:** ![Lorne\_Armstrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@Lorne\_Armstrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorne_Armstrong)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/13 "2016-01-04T04:45:29Z")
In The Air Tonight, pretty much the only Phil Collins song that gets any mainstream respect and still gets played on FM radio. The drum entrance is legendary. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/14 "2016-01-04T09:39:52Z")
> [@Lorne\_Armstrong](#): > > In The Air Tonight, pretty much the only Phil Collins song that gets any mainstream respect and still gets played on FM radio. The drum entrance is legendary. Also, [the urban legend attached to the song](http://www.snopes.com/music/songs/intheair.asp) probably is a factor in why it still gets a fair amount of airplay. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/15 "2016-01-04T11:51:30Z")
> [@Lorne\_Armstrong](#): > > The drum entrance is legendary. Especially when it gets played by a gorilla ([Cadbury ad 2007](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnzFRV1LwIo)) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/16 "2016-01-04T12:04:43Z")
**Spirit in the Sky** by Norman Greenbaum would probably win this if it was a contest. That song gets used in movies and commercials regularly. Greenbaum hasn’t had to work since. There was an article in the NYTimes years ago about how the song was the little engine that could. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/17 "2016-01-04T13:18:29Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > It was the second highest selling song of the year and also won a Grammy. I would call that acknowledged. There have been other novelty songs that hit #1 too, though. “Disco Duck” was a #1 hit and I haven’t heard it played in 20 years, and in fact I remembered its existence only because last week we were reading lists of Billboard #1 hits to decide what year had the best year, and my kids were like “what the heck is Disco Duck?” If you had told me at the end of 1992 m"Which of this year’s #1 hits will still be played a lot in 2015 and be kind of a common cultural touchpoint" I sure as hell would not have guessed “Baby Got Back.” It’s often hard to know at the time what will last and what won’t. 1992 is a really good example because later than year “End of the Road” by Boys II Men was #1 in the USA for THIRTEEN WEEKS, an incredible run. Boys II Men were a huge deal at the time, but today people don’t much remember them anymore, and frankly I can’t remember for sure which hits were by them and which were by Color Me Badd. Neither group’s music gets played a lot now, but “Baby Got Back” gets played, and referenced, and called back on, all the time. Who knew? But then we could do this all day. Duran Duran was a huge, huge band, one of the biggest of the mid-80s. Tears for Fears was similarly big. Tears for Fears still seems to get a lot of airplay but I can’t remember the last time I heard a Duran Duran song. I’ve no idea why. You hardly ever hear Huey Lewis and the News played anymore, except maybe for “Power of Love” once in a great while, but they were an enormous success. But I swear to God I hear “Walk Like An Egyptian” by the Bangles every week, which is an objectively stupid song, but it was a hit at about the same time Huey Lewis and the News were charting as well. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/18 "2016-01-04T13:57:50Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > For this thread to be complete, we have to include some of the obvious ones as well. It is taken as a given that they are iconic today but nobody could have known that in advance. > > 1. You Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog - Elvis Presley > 2. Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones > 3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana > 4. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles > 5. Baby Love - The Supremes Waitaminnit, you want to include **Satisfaction** , **Smells like Teen Spirit** AND **I Want to Hold Your Hand**?! Each of them was a transformative bombshell when they came out. They would be invoked regularly for historical reasons because they were essential parts of the soundtrack of the 60’s at the very least. This post does not fit the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/19 "2016-01-04T16:34:24Z")
How about Gary Glitter’s _Rock & Roll, Pt. 2_. While the song did chart, higher in the UK then in the US, who would have thought that this 1972 single would be so well known and recognized some 43 years later. Yes, I realize that it’s constant playing at sports venues have lead to it’s long success, but how many of those who easily recognize the song couldn’t name to man who recorded it. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087/20 "2016-01-04T17:28:09Z")
In the same “jock jams” category as the Gary Glitter tune, would anyone have predicted a song recorded by obscure studio musicians, put on the B-side of a 45, and attributed to a non-existent band still be heard regularly 46 years later…? That’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-a-suprisingly-long-life/742087.md?page=2)