Songs That Should Have Charted Later

[Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever]

Working on a top songs of the Class of 1982, I've come across some songs that might have done better if they had been released later:

Love Is The Answer-England Dan and John Ford Coley (Peaked in May 1979 at #10) and Dependin On You-Doobie Brothers (Peaked in October 1979 at #25) should have been released a year later after disco had become much less dominant.

[cachiva]

"Love is the Answer" is a cover version of a Todd Rundgren song from 1977, so they were already 2 years later! lol And, as you note it went to #10, and that is pretty good.

"Depending On You" is from the Michael McDonald-dominated era of the Doobies, and is one his weaker tracks for them. I'm not sure it would have done better no matter when it was released.

I love this thread idea!

How about "Everybody's Gotta Learn Some Time" by the Korgis? Had that mid-80's synth pop sound years before it came into vogue.

[mga707]

Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" has a "New Jack Swing"-type production that would not have sounded out of place ten years after it's 1978 chart run, when it peaked at #21. Whitney Houston's early '90s remake kept much of the same sound and charted higher.

[canat40fan]

I always thought that "The Cars" were a little bit ahead of their time. Their first singles from late '78(the late disco era) had very low peak positions " Just What I Needed" - # 27 and "My Best Friends Girl" - #35.
If they had waited 2 to 3 years, I think that they would have peaked much higher since they really had the 80's sound. 4-5 years later, they were hitting the top 10, became MTV staples and were right at home during the second wave British invasion.

[Showman]

Mar 3, 2013 12:14:33 GMT -5 canat40fan said:

I always thought that "The Cars" were a little bit ahead of their time. Their first singles from late '78(the late disco era) had very low peak positions " Just What I Needed" - # 27 and "My Best Friends Girl" - #35.
If they had waited 2 to 3 years, I think that they would have peaked much higher since they really had the 80's sound. 4-5 years later, they were hitting the top 10, became MTV staples and were right at home during the second wave British invasion.

Just the opposite here in the UK where 'My Best Friends Girl' made Top 3 late '78 (Believe it was 1st 7" picture disc to chart) and 'Just What I Needed' just slid into the Top 20 at the beginning of '79. Apart from 'Drive' going Top 3 in 1984 after Live Aid they had very little success in the UK where 'Shake It Up', 'Two Eyes', 'Hello Again' & 'Tonight She Comes' all failed to chart.

[canat40fan]

"Every Time I Think Of You" by the Baby's sounds like it was released about 5 years too early.

On this weeks AT40 classic 1970's countdown from March 1979, we have the tail end of the disco era with disco acts dominating the top 5 and others descending with their last or near to last final big hits like The Bee Gees, Chic, Village People, Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and even Rod Stewart's final disco classic DYTIS.

The Baby's song, with lead vocals by a voice we later considered synonymous with the 1980's, John Waite, sounds a little out of place on the countdown. I liked the song a lot when it was a hit and thought that it should have peaked higher than #13. I always thought it was a Top 5 song and think that it would have achieved that if it was released about 5 years later.

[chrislc]

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Eurythmics would be a huge hit even 30 years later, I think. It holds up better than any of the MJ songs from the same year. I hear echoes of Sweet Dreams in so many hit songs even now.

Obviously it did pretty well even then, but It might be one of the most influential hits ever.

[lasvegaskid]

I think Live My Life by Boy George would have done much better than #40 if it had come out a year later in 1989 when it seemed that there was a temporary revival of 70s and early 80s artists.

[OldSchoolAT40Fan]

I think "1999" by Prince should have charted in - when else? - 1999.

"Solid" by Ashford & Simpson should have charted in 2009 instead of 1984 in the wake of Barack Obama's Presidential victory.

I heard that Melissa Etheridge had a song called "2001" back in the 90s. A local DJ at OZ-FM in Newfoundland predicted the song was going to get a lot of radio airplay in 2001 - surprisingly, it didn't. Guess that goes to show how boy bands, bubblegum pop, and rap and hip-hop were ruling the airwaves then. Not to mention that Melissa Etheridge may have been out of the spotlight after the 1990s, and haven't heard tell of any new songs by her at all after the 1990s.

[dukelightning]

You are basically right in all that you posted. However, "1999" did chart in 1999 although not in the top 40 on the Hot 100 or obviously R&R because it did not get played on any AT40 then. And Melissa Etheridge had a similar fate with "Breathe", possible my fave song by her. Came out in 2004 and was only an AC hit, having been played on the AT20 and/or AT10 countdowns. And I remember hearing that song over the PA while in my manufacturer's rep job back then. So it should be a known song by her even though it is not officially a hit.

[80sat40fan]

Taking this week's 80s show from 3/3/84... "The Politics of Dancing" by Reflex had a newer feel than most songs from that year. Released a few years later, that song probably would have charted higher than #24. Also, I was surprised "Strip" by Adam Ant wasn't a bigger hit (peaking at #42) but maybe it was considered too risqué for radio standards back then. Just a year later, "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood somehow broke the mold and went Top 10... maybe if Strip were released after Relax, it would have charter higher.

[jlthorpe]

Here's a similar thread about this subject:

at40fg.proboards.com/thread/2934?page=1

[bestmusicexpert]

1999 DID hit Billboard's top 40 for a week or two in 1999.

Peaked at #40 IIRC.

[lasvegaskid]

Tubes: Don't Want To Wait has a late 80s big power ballad feel.

[mga707]

Aug 12, 2022 22:06:36 GMT -5 lasvegaskid said:

Tubes: Don't Want To Wait has a late 80s big power ballad feel.

I called it an '80s Chicago soundalike' a bit ago while discussing the recent '81 show. Where I also said that "Talk To Ya Later" SHOULD have been the single that was released from the album that both were on.