This post was published 10 years ago in a now defunct publication, but I thought it had legs, so I pulled it from the archives for all you lovers of music trivia. It is virtually unedited, so if anything seems “unwoke”, that’s because the world had not yet unraveled into the s**t-show we currently inhabit. Call it nostalgia.
Some songs get under your skin the very first time you hear them. It can be a result of a catchy hook, or a lyric that speaks to you in a personal way. At times, a song is just so magnificent that it cannot be denied.
Some of the most original songs need time to train your ears to their unconventional sound or cadence, but it ultimately comes down to whether you ever hear it in the first place. So if a great song is not released as a single because some genius in a suit didn’t “get it”, or worse, it never makes the album, then it may as well be the proverbial tree falling in the forest.
Prior to music streaming, if a song didn’t fit readily into a particular box, radio stations didn’t know what to do with it. A country station might say it sounds too R&B, or a rock station might say it sounds too much like disco. So, the hardest part of any song’s journey was just to make it to your ears. There are endless tales of a song release failing, only to be randomly discovered in another time and space.
Rather than speculate endlessly on the reasons, I have compiled a list of 10 songs that became successful long after they were written off as commercial duds. These are just a few of those inspirational tales:
At This Moment – Billy Vera and the Beaters: Vera had already had much success less writing for artists from Fats Domino to Ricky Nelson and Dolly Parton, but he and pal, Chuck Fiore just wanted to jam. They were playing clubs in California when their slick horn section and billy’s soulful vocals earned them a recording contract. In 1981, At This Moment was released but never cracked the top 40. In 1985, a producer from the TV show, Family Ties, heard them play it live, and used it as the backdrop for the break-up of Alex and Ellen (Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, who eventually married in real life). Viewers, including myself (Yes, I am that old) loved the song, and it became a #1 hit that lingered on the charts for another 15 weeks, Some now consider it a classic. There are 2 versions, but the live recording with the extended improvised riff on the last line, “If I could just hold you again”, is the definitive one (in my humble opinion). Check it out for yourself.
Baby Come To Me – Patti Austin: Every aging R&B fan knows this duet with James Ingram, but do they know she was Quincy Jones’ goddaughter? Do they know it was written by Rod Temperton, with Michael McDonald (Doobie Bros.) singing background vocals? Well, they do now! The song was on her 1981 album, Every Home Should Have One. It barely cracked the Hot 100. Then in late ’82, General Hospital, the hottest soap of the day, decided to make it Luke and Laura’s song. I’ll refrain from elaborating because if you don’t know, you won’t care, but please allow me to continue with the antiquated references. ABC’s phones (The kind that were attached to the wall) exploded, and their mailman (a guy who used to deliver Tweets) had a heart-attack, so Warner Brothers re-released it and it went to #1. Interestingly, it was not hers but James Ingrams’ career that took off. The song has since been covered by singers the world over including; Dalida, Daryl Hall, Laura Fygi, Shirley Bassey, and more.
Bad Boys – Inner Circle: This song was first recorded on their 1987 album One Way. Just as they were re-recording it in ’89 for their album Identified, FOX chose it as the theme for the reality TV show ‘Cops’. When the album was finally released in ’91, the song was already #1 in Sweden. The rest of “avant-garde” Europe followed, but the single wasn’t released in America until 1993. It was not until ’94 that they officially released it as the title track of yet another album, and won a Grammy. That’s an awful long wait for a song that almost immediately leaves you with that earworm “Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do? What you gonna do when they come for you?”
Hanky Panky – Tommy James and The Shondells: You all know Tommy James, even if you think you don’t. Mony Mony was not originally a Billy Idol tune, just as Joan Jett did not pen Crimson and Clover. Some remember Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now, and any music lover knows Crystal Blue Persuasion. Well, it all started with Hanky Panky in 1964 when Tommy James was still in high school in Ohio and started the Shondells. A local radio DJ trying to start a label recorded the song, which he would promote on his station. It caught on locally, but it wasn’t until 1965 that a Pittsburgh dance promoter found it in a used record bin, and began playing it at parties. A local bootlegger copied it, and apparently sold 80,000 records in 10 days. Local DJ, “Mad Mike” Metro called Tommy who’s band had all dispersed by then, so James walked into a night club, and asked the house band if they wanted to be “The Shondells” for the purpose of touring and TV appearances. They agreed, and after a few appearances, James sold the original master to Roulette Records who re-released it. It hit #1 on the Billboard charts in July of ’66, and kicked off an illustrious career for Tommy who ranks among the pioneers of the “Garage Rock” genre, which paved the way for the emergence of Punk and Alt-Rock. So… remember his name.
Here I go Again – Whitesnake: The song was written in 1981 by David Coverdale in the aftermath of his previous project known as Deep Purple (maybe you’ve heard of them). It was included on the 1982 album Saints ‘N’ Sinners, and became a moderate hit in the U.K., where it seems they have better musical taste (and were big “Purple” fans). In 1987, a remixed version with new backing vocals was added to the album cleverly entitled, Whitesnake. While touring with Motley Crue, it became a hit in America, and the English bought it all over again, calling it the “U.S. Mix”. It ultimately became an anthem for the “You can do it!” movement that led thousands of men to continue growing their hair and wearing leopard-print spandex long enough to discover they were 45 and still living in mom’s basement.
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers: This track was released in 1988. In 1989, twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid were touring with the Housemartins when the song hit #1 in Australia. Later in the U.S., they had a small hipster following, including actress Mary Stuart Masterson, Johnny Depp’s co-star in the 1993 movie Benny And Joon. Apparently, Masterson kept playing the song during breaks on the set, and it got in everyone’s head, including director Jeremiah Chechik. At some point, they just decided it should be in the film, and The Proclaimers were the last to know, but when it became a huge hit in America, they decided not to file a lawsuit. Go figure.
Never Been To Me – Charlene: Admitting I like this song is tantamount to painting my nails, but we all have our guilty pleasures. In 1977, Motown released this on their new experimental country label. Sometimes when you don’t succeed, you try again. Other times, you fail so badly, that you pack up your stuff, sell your house, and go on Dancing With The Stars. Alas, this was not an option in those days, so Charlene ended up wearing an apron at a confectionery shop in England. Then in 1982, some radio DJ in Florida (with painted nails, I suspect) started playing the song, and ignited enough popular demand for it to be re-released. Next thing you know, the apron’s in the fireplace, and she’s appearing on Solid Gold. Those extended 15 minutes of fame gave Berry Gordy the bold notion that he could squeeze another hit out of her. On her next album, she recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder, and even that didn’t work. Bless him though, Berry gave her one more album and tried to promote her with a sexy video in the movie, The Last Dragon. When that failed, he simply took her out behind the building and pummelled her to death with a coconut stuffed into an old tube sock. Alright, I can’t prove that, but no one has seen her since.
The Twist – Chubby Checker: The song was originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard as a B-side to Teardrops on Your Letter. Dick Clark heard it and tested it on American Bandstand with good results. For whatever reason, Ballard couldn’t perform it on the show, and Dick had seen a local boy doing charismatic impressions of Fats Domino and Elvis, among others. Clark had so much clout that the record company let the boy, Earnest Evans, cover the song. He needed a stage name so as a parody of Fats Domino, called himself Chubby Checker. Get it? In 1960, Chubby’s version was recorded and started a craze. It made Billboard’s #1 in September of 1960 prompting Ballard to kill himself. Just kidding. Ballard was not bitter at all saying “I thought I was listening to myself”. Plus, he earned enough royalty money to wash away any dirty little remnants of pride. Chubby Checker capitalized on the craze by releasing Let’s Twist Again and Slow Twistin’, while artists like Joey Dee released Peppermint Twist, Isley Brothers made Twist and Shout, and everyone started getting “Twist-y”. This made the original Twist resurface in January of 1962 and it went to #1 AGAIN, a feat that had never been achieved. Is that all? Hells no! The song eventually made its way to the UK and hit #1 there in 1962 as well. Then, in 1988, The Fat Boys recorded a rap version with Chubby Checker singing the chorus, and it became a hit AGAIN! It even reached #1 in Germany. I guess it takes a heavyweight.
Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce: Jim wrote this song for his unborn son Adrian (later to be known as singer A.J. Croce), and it was on his 1st major label album, You Don’t Mess Around With Jim in 1972, but not released as a single. His 2nd LP, Life And Times yielded a #1 hit with Bad Bad Leroy Brown in early ’73. Then in September, ABC aired a TV movie called ‘She Lives’, about a young woman with cancer (who apparently lives, I guess). The film features Dezi Arnaz Jr. holding Croce’s record and listening to the tear-jerking tune. It caught fire the next day, reviving that first album (because there was no single), just as he had completed his 3rd project, I Got a Name. On September 21, 1973, 8 days after the show aired (stay with me), the very same day they pre-released the single of the title-track, I Got a Name, Croce was killed in a plane crash. That album came out December 1st, and while it was climbing up the charts, Time in a Bottle came from behind and became the last #1 hit of the year on December 29th, 1973. Croce’s uber-prolific 2-year career left the world to wonder how much more he could have given us.
Who Will Save Your Soul – Jewel: She wrote this song around 1990, when she was just 16. Her producers made her re-record the song for the album which was released in 1995 while the original version played on the radio. It did okay, but wasn’t selling big. However, 1996 became the breakout year for female singer/songwriters like; Sheryl Crow, Sara McLachlan, Joan Osbourne, and Alanis, so guess who fit right in? Radio stations started playing it, and the demand made them burn more copies. The album was a hit, but more importantly the song she had written when the dream was still a dream had earned validation from the fans. Amateur guitar players will also be happy to know that the whole song is 4 simple chords: Am, C, G, D. Those same people will hate her when they try to figure out the cadence. Sorry.
Now, I know you learned something, so please click the “Like” button, and do not hesitate to comment.
Funny thing: Chubby Checker was not the slightest bit “Chubby”. At least not by today’s standards.