40 Songs That Should Have Been Hits

“Fall On Me” – R.E.M. – #94 (1986). One of R.E.M.’s greatest anthems from one of their greatest albums, “Fall On Me” just couldn’t find that niche. In the middle of R&B, heavy metal and the dying vestiges of New Wave, Top 40 just wasn’t ready for college rock. Yet.

“Border Song” – Elton John – #92 (1970). Yes, there was a time, early in Sir Elton John’s career, when he didn’t find chart success. “Border Song” is a beautiful ballad that deserves a higher chart position than #92. But don’t worry: His next single? “Your Song,” which went to #8.

“Graceland,” Paul Simon – #81 (1987). Whaaaat? The Grammy-winning, iconic song by Paul Simon from the album of the same name reached only #81? Yep. Again, Grammy to the rescue, taking an obscure song and making it Record of the Year.

“Lithium” – Nirvana -#64 (1992). The third single from arguably the album of the 1990s, Nevermind, showed that single success was not an indication of album success anymore. After all, the anthem of the ’90s, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” reached only #6, and their follow-up, “Come As You Are,” hit #32. Meanwhile, Nevermind has sold 30 million copies worldwide.

“Landslide” – Fleetwood Mac – #51 (1998). You couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone who was enamored with Fleetwood Mac and their comeback tour. People were paying enormous amounts of money – just like the Eagles – to see an old 70s band reunite. “Landslide,” which first appeared on the band’s self-titled 1975 album, was recorded for their 1998 live album The Dance. You heard the song everywhere – classic rock, Top 40, lite rock stations, and the live version is intimate and beautiful. But it didn’t crack the Top 40 – that is, until the Dixie Chicks released their version and it climbed all the way to #7.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go” – The Clash – #45 (1982), #50 (1983). Ranked #228 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” was released not once, not twice, but three times. It failed twice to chart in the U.S. Instead, “Rock the Casbah” became the Clash’s first Top 10 single in America, and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” languished in the Hot 100 two different times. (The Clash released it a third time in 1991 in the U.K. with Big Audio Dynamite’s “Rush” as the other A-side, and it went to number 1.)

“There She Goes” – The La’s – #49 (1991). The La’s were a Beatlesque band stuck in the middle of the grunge craze. They also were about four years too early; Britpop invaded the U.S. in the mid-90s, with groups such as Oasis, Blur and Suede achieving moderate success. As a result, the catchy “There She Goes” did not catch on with the buying public, and the La’s didn’t even get a chance to become a one-hit wonder.

“Tempted” – Squeeze – #49 (1981). This song is now a classic, played continually on radio stations of many different formats, and I never get tired of hearing Paul Carrack and Glenn Tilbrook’s voices. It’s been covered by numerous artists, used in commercials and even video games, and movie soundtracks. Squeeze even re-recorded it for Reality Bites; called “Tempted ’94,” it failed to chart. This is a crime against humanity.

“Highway to Hell” – AC/DC – #47 (1979). Granted, AC/DC did not exist to sell singles, and due to the backlash from Tipper Gore and the Christian right, the group scared the hell out of people (pun intended). And with choruses like, “I’m on the highway to hell!”, you’d kind of understand, even though the lyric was not intended to be taken literally. Nevertheless, the song was good enough to propel itself up to #47, despite the objectionable subject matter. And you just can’t beat a good guitar riff by Angus Young.

“Rebel Yell” – Billy Idol – #46 (1984). I’m just surprised that with the airplay this got, it didn’t go higher. Am I disappointed that it didn’t hit the Top 40? Nope.

“The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get” – Morrissey – #46 (1994). A simply beautiful song from the post-Smiths Morrissey. It was really his last gasp; he would not be heard on American radio that much after Vauxhall & I, although this was the highest any Smiths or Morrissey song ever reached in the U.S. Of course, it hit #8 in the UK. Damn you Brits and your good taste in music.

“Centerfield” – John Fogerty – #44 (1985). You can’t get through nine innings at a baseball game without hearing at least the clapping part of this song. It’s as ubiquitous as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” But no one liked it when it was released in 1985. Maybe music listeners were still pissed about the 1981 baseball strike. I know I am.

“Blood on the Dance Floor” – Michael Jackson– #42 (1997). This shows how far Michael Jackson had fallen by 1997. His album of remixes of the same name reached only #24, even though it contained five new songs. He would have only one more Top 10 hit before his death in 2009.

“Better Be Home Soon” – Crowded House – #42 (1988). I’m surprised that this acoustic ballad reached as high as #42, even though it’s Neil Finn at his best. It just doesn’t sound like something the U.S. record-buying public would find appetizing, especially in the age of Hair Bands.