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Post by dukelightning on Mar 18, 2011 18:52:03 GMT -5
Imagine and Thriller, both of which debuted on the HOT 100 at #20 and did not hit #1, failed to do so because they had been being played for several weeks before they were released. So the sales and airplay peak periods did not coincide and thus they stalled short of #1.
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Post by 80sfan on Mar 18, 2011 21:54:52 GMT -5
"Piano Man" - Billy Joel's signature song and played all the time on radio, only made it to #25 in 1974.
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Post by saltrek on Mar 19, 2011 11:09:48 GMT -5
I always think of Piano Man and Springsteen's Born To Run together for underachievers. Born To Run only peaked at #23 in 1975.
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Post by pizzzzza on Mar 24, 2011 16:06:17 GMT -5
1976 - Just You and I - Melissa Manchester (peaked at #27) 1977 - Livin' In The Life - Isley Brothers (peaked at #40) 1978 - Love Theme From Eyes of Laura Mars - Barbra Streisand (peaked at #21)
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Post by jmack19 on Jan 2, 2013 3:21:21 GMT -5
Just for a change of pace, instead of me listing underranked or underrated songs, I want to bring attention to some songs that despite all the radio airplay, television and print coverage managed to not reach the top 25 on the Billboard chart.
1976 Elvis Presley Moody Blue Paul Simon Still Crazy After All These Years
1977 Leo Sayer Easy to Love Aerosmith Back In the Saddle
1978 Linda Ronstadt Tumbling Dice Electric Light Orchestra Mr. Blue Sky
1979 Elton John Victim of Love James Taylor Up on the Roof
1980 The Cars Touch and Go The Knack Baby Talks Dirty
1981 Bee Gees He's a Liar Journey The Party's Over
1982 Blondie Island of Lost Souls Van Halen Dancing in the Street
1983 Diana Ross Pieces of Ice Rita Coolidge All Time High
1984 Bonnie Tyler Holding Out for a Hero Styx Music Time
1985 Robert Plant Little by Little David Bowie & The Pat Metheny Group This Is Not America
1986 Jackson Browne For America Robert Palmer Hyperactive
1987 Loverboy Notorious Mr. Mister Something Real
1988 Van Halen Black and Blue Moody Blues I Know You're Out There Somewhere
1989 Eddie Murphy Put Your Mouth on Me Whitesnake Fool for Your Loving
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Post by mga707 on Jan 2, 2013 13:43:18 GMT -5
"Back When My Hair Was Short"--Gunhill Road An almost perfect summertime pop record, and released when retro-50s songs were big ("Yesterday Once More" that same summer went to #2). On Kama Sutra records, which had national distribution, so not on a tiny regional label. Yet it only managed to barely squeak into the Top 40: One week at #40, June 1973.
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Post by mga707 on Jan 2, 2013 17:10:52 GMT -5
1989 Eddie Murphy Put Your Mouth on Me We can all be thankful that enough stations and listeners had the good taste NOT to make this a bigger hit!
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Post by pointpark04 on Jan 2, 2013 20:41:49 GMT -5
JT's "Your Smiling Face" would be one of my picks, as it only reached number 20 in 1977.
I'd say "Up on the Roof" should have gotten a lot higher than 28 in 1979, too, but by then, JT was well on his way off of American Top 40 radio.
And can somebody please explain to me how Fleetwood Mac had four incredible songs not hit the top 10 prior to making it to the top spot with "Dreams"? Those being: Over My Head; Rhiannon; Say You Love Me; and, Go Your Own Way.
And another thing: The 1988 duet featuring Don Johnson with Barbra Streisand, "Till I Loved You", deserved better than a peak of 25.
I have always thought that "Skin Trade" by Duran Duran was one of the group's best songs, yet it only spent one week in the 40, that being at its peak of 39.
But that's just me.
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Post by mga707 on Jan 2, 2013 20:52:36 GMT -5
And can somebody please explain to me how Fleetwood Mac had four incredible songs not hit the top 10 prior to making it to the top spot with "Dreams"? Those being: Over My Head; Rhiannon; Say You Love Me; and, Go Your Own Way. The last of these four did hit #10 in early '77. Anything sung by Don Johnson deserves only a snort of haughty derision (to quote Sheldon Cooper). But that's just me.
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Post by pointpark04 on Jan 2, 2013 21:26:31 GMT -5
My bad, mga707. My dyslexia lived up to form while reading The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn. The song in question indeed hit #10, while spending 11 weeks in the top 40.
I read it the other way around. Boo on me!
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Post by jmack19 on Jan 7, 2013 1:07:53 GMT -5
To be fair, here are some of the songs that in some cases overcame the lack of promotion to reach the Top 10. These are not songs that were in the Top 10 in a few weeks but took considerable time to reach their peak. Songs that overacheived on the charts:
1976 The Miracles Love Machine Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band A Fifth of Beethoven
1977 Thelma Houston Don't Leave Me This Way Hot Angel in Your Arms
1978 Paul Davis I Go Crazy Nick Gilder Hot Child in the City
1979 Robert John Sad Eyes David Naughton Makin' It
1980 Captain & Tennille Do That To Me One More Time Billy Preston & Syreeta With You I'm Born Again
1981 Rick Springfield Jessie's Girl Joey Scarbury Theme from "The Greatest American Hero"
1982(Full of overachievers) Vangelis Chariots of Fire Melissa Manchester You Should Hear How She Talks About You
1983 Patti Austin & James Ingram Baby, Come to Me Golden Earring Twilight Zone
1984 Romantics Talking in Your Sleep Teena Marie Lovergirl
1985 Klymaxx I Miss You Animotion Obsession
1986 Miami Sound Machine Conga Nu Shooz I Can't Wait
1987 Billy Vera & The Beaters At This Moment Chris DeBurgh The Lady in Red
1988 UB40 Red Red Wine Boy Meets Girl Waiting for a Star to Fall
1989 Sheriff When I'm With You Synch Where Are You Now?
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