Brilliant pop singles that were total chart flops

[purlieu]

God, Time of the Season not charting at all seems utter madness in hindsight, especially since it's taken on a life of its own, partially through the acclaim the album achieved.

[McChesney Duntz]

The almost-accidental post-mortem (but zombies are dead to begin with, aren't they?) success of "Time" in the states led to one of the greatest acts of pop fraud ever perpetrated:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/danielralston/the-true-story-of-the-fake-zombies-the-strangest-con-in-rock

[Dead Soon]

I quite liked Babylon Zoo as a kid and wish they'd carried on. I don't actually remember what their second single or following music sounded like, but I don't remember it being that bad. I guess its that, going huge then being hated thing.

They went huge off the 'ravey' last 20 seconds of Spaceman, didn't they, that featured in the Levi's campaign? People watching the advert and flocking out to buy the single would've discovered they weren't the technoheads they assumed them to be and this 'deceit' would've seen muted or no interest in the follow ups.

This repeated itself to a similar degree with Cornershop's Brimful of Asha two years later, but it was worse as obviously the entire track was a Cook 'mix so you had people turning up at their gigs expecting a rave setlist. Think someone on here talked about exactly this happening.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

EVERY. SINGLE. ZOMBIES. SINGLE. AFTER. "SHE'S NOT THERE."

"Tell Her No" peaks at #42, then "She's Coming Home," "I Want You Back Again," "Whenever You're Ready," "Just Out of Reach," "Is This The Dream?," "Indication," "Gotta Get Ahold of Myself," "Goin' Out Of My Head," "Friends of Mine," "Care of Cell 44," "I Love You," "Imagine the Swan," "If It Don't Work Out," and even "Time of the goddamned Season" (in the UK, at least) - nothing. Nada. Bupkiss. I'll give you "Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914)" - brilliant song, but a truly bizarre choice for a single - but damn, what the hell does it take, people!?

"She Does Everything For Me", brilliant Beatles oneupmanship, stuck as the bside "Goin' Out Of My Head" and didn't even appear on a compilation until the 1990s, I think?

I think its almost egregious as putting out "Butchers Tale" as a single - I think its the best example of a band trying to better Revolver at the time and they put it out as a bside to one of their least exciting covers. Hits the exact spot between "She's Not There" and Odessey and Oracle.

[purlieu]

This repeated itself to a similar degree with Cornershop's Brimful of Asha two years later, but it was worse as obviously the entire track was a Cook 'mix so you had people turning up at their gigs expecting a rave setlist. Think someone on here talked about exactly this happening.

This was from a period when a lot of radio versions were actually remixes, which felt like a very disingenuous move from labels. 'Brimful of Asha' is a great example - although fair play, they did the original version on Top of the Pops - but there were loads of others, and some artists made a career off the back of something they weren't a huge part of. Moloko wouldn't have sold a quarter of the records they did without Boris Dlugosch's remix of 'Sing it Back'; Gorillaz got a huge boost from the Ed Case remix of 'Clint Eastwood' being the version most often heard, right at the peak of UK garage; Todd Terry's remix of Everything But the Girl's 'Missing' is the one most people know. Armand van Helden's remix of Tori Amos's 'Professional Widow' is probably the most extreme case of this, with the track going to number 1 despite not even remotely resembling the original. I bet there were more than a few disappointed purchases off the back of that.

There's probably a thread in this.

[sevendaughters]

Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place) got to #51.

It's a fucking disgrace /bernard manning

[DrGreggles]

This was from a period when a lot of radio versions were actually remixes, which felt like a very disingenuous move from labels. 'Brimful of Asha' is a great example - although fair play, they did the original version on Top of the Pops - but there were loads of others, and some artists made a career off the back of something they weren't a huge part of. Moloko wouldn't have sold a quarter of the records they did without Boris Dlugosch's remix of 'Sing it Back'; Gorillaz got a huge boost from the Ed Case remix of 'Clint Eastwood' being the version most often heard, right at the peak of UK garage; Todd Terry's remix of Everything But the Girl's 'Missing' is the one most people know. Armand van Helden's remix of Tori Amos's 'Professional Widow' is probably the most extreme case of this, with the track going to number 1 despite not even remotely resembling the original. I bet there were more than a few disappointed purchases off the back of that.

There's probably a thread in this.

Both versions of Brimful of Asha were on that single, so whoever bought it would have got the version they wanted.
I don't particularly like either, but don't mind other Cornershop stuff.

[McChesney Duntz]

"She Does Everything For Me", brilliant Beatles oneupmanship, stuck as the bside "Goin' Out Of My Head" and didn't even appear on a compilation until the 1990s, I think?

Looks like it got onto an album as early as '69 (https://www.discogs.com/The-Zombies-Early-Days/release/3316242 - looks like a US-only release exploiting the success of TOTS), but yeah, that's both a banger and a mash. Truth be told, there's not many "bad" songs in their catalogue - some uninspired blues covers here and there, but who didn't have a few of those in that decade? - which makes me wonder anew why they were so little appreciated in their time. But no matter - they're legends now, and still around to reap the benefits thereof, so good on 'em.

[jobotic]

Johnny Boy's You Are The Generation That Bought New Shoes.. should have been massive. Brilliant Spector pop that got almost completely ignored.

https://youtu.be/qp4GdI_bTD4

Not by me, although I must admit I never investigated anything else they did.

[greenman]

Little Feat's Easy to Slip really seems perfect for radio chart success in 1972, whats more had it come there were loads of other potential follow ups(Willin, Two Trains, Fool Yourself, Fat Man In THe Bathtub, Juliette, Rock and Roll Doctor, Spainish Moon, etc) across that album and the next two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fcITCQh9I

[Gulftastic]

Was (Not Was) with 'How The Heart Behaves'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBFDPGk2rZg

Always loved this since seeing on the Chart Show back in the day.

[daf]

Isn't this just the 'Alternative pop history' thread?

And with that in mind . . . here's one I missed from 1973!

Jimmy Jukebox - Motorboat



Originally released in the US in 1973 - did not chart

The sleeve is from a 1975 UK release - (didn't chart here either - double flop!) - revealing that this it's actually troubled nutcase Kim Fowley that's behind this pop platter.

[DrGreggles]

REM - The One I Love

Reached #51 on its original release in 1987.

[Dr Rock]

And with that in mind . . . here's one I missed from 1973!

Jimmy Jukebox - Motorboat


Originally released in the US in 1973 - did not chart

I love that one, the opening lyrics ' mondo decko - aqua fugitive' are a hoot.

[daf]

Ha! I thought he was saying "Aardvark Future Tip"!

rrrrrRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRrrrrr!

[Satchmo Distel]

Hand In Glove - The Smiths: did not chart

[Darles Chickens]

Saint Etienne released some fantastic singles in the 90s which barely made any impression on the Top 40.

Maybe I'm not entirely surprised that something like "Kiss and Make Up" didn't reach the Top 40, but something as radio-friendly and delicious as "Who Do You Think You Are" limping to number 23?  Come on.  Radio 1 played "I Was Born on Christmas Day" to death around Christmas of '93, and it staggered to number 37.

In 2000, a chap called Mark Cummins released a single called "New Year's Day" under the name Saint Mark.  It was a catchy little pop track, very PSB-influenced, and it sunk so much without trace that the only evidence of it that seems to exist online is an incomplete off-air recording of it, here.  I presume: did not chart.

[holyzombiejesus]

Town to Town by Microdisney should have done better than 55. They had a video on the Chart Show and everything.

This could be a bit of a list thread really. I'm looking across at my boxes of 7"s and most of the ones at the front should have been top 40 hits: Arab Strap, Fanfarlo, Gorkys, LCD Soundsystem, National Park... Ok, maybe not National Park.

[thugler]

I quite liked Babylon Zoo as a kid and wish they'd carried on. I don't actually remember what their second single or following music sounded like, but I don't remember it being that bad. I guess its that, going huge then being hated thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kSlxHhM614
It sounds weirdly like manchester bands/oasis rather than much like their first single, which people mostly liked due to the sped up bit that wasn't even originally part of it. I suspect that's why it didn't take off.

[badaids]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kSlxHhM614
It sounds weirdly like manchester bands/oasis rather than much like their first single, which people mostly liked due to the sped up bit that wasn't even originally part of it. I suspect that's why it didn't take off.

This is the one that has a bit that sounds like I wanna be adored isn't it? It also has the horn riff in it which is quite good.  Both albums were amusingly terrible (I've got a promo of the second one), especially the lyrics: ´Tyrannosaurus marches before us' is still a meme for my mates.  I think the biggest problem with this band was Jas himself whose preening and narcissism was hard to stomach. I really wanted to see them live because they had like 4 guitarists at one stage which I would have loved to have seen.

[Egyptian Feast]

Town to Town by Microdisney should have done better than 55. They had a video on the Chart Show and everything.

Absolute banger. 'Singer's Hampstead Home' should've been a hit too.

[El Unicornio, mang]

There's tons of singles which were big hits in UK and elsewhere but never even got into the top 100 in the US. "Spinning Around" by Kylie and "Drinking in LA" by Bran Van 3000 being two in particular that surprised me.

Also, there's about 20 millions new song released every year these days, probably hundreds of stone cold classic pop singles which just go by unnoticed.

[Butchers Blind]

This absolute banger - as the kids say - from 2002 didn't even make the top 40. Shame.

https://youtu.be/cgwHKgsSG2s

[Clatty McCutcheon]

World Party - Put the Message in the Box. Surely that's a catchy pop chorus if there ever was one. Peaked at no. 39.

[holyzombiejesus]

This absolute banger - as the kids say - from 2002 didn't even make the top 40. Shame.

https://youtu.be/cgwHKgsSG2s

And, just like most untitled youtube links, it'll go unnoticed on here too.

[daf]

Peter Wyngarde - Peter Wyngarde "Commits" Rape



Released in 1970 - did not chart (obviously!)

[daf]

From an early version of 10CC - reminds me a bit of Thunderclap Newman's 'Something the Air' :

Doctor Father - Umbopo



Released in August 1970 - did not chart

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
[apologies for the re-cycling - the link for this track in the alternative pop thread had bust, and it's been bugging the crap out of me for months!]

[Brundle-Fly]

Save It For Later - The Beat    No 47.

[Panbaams]

Sub Sub and Bernard Sumner's "This Time I'm Not Wrong", stalling at no. 78.

Chunks of the tune were later used in "Catch The Sun" after Sub Sub changed their name to Doves.

[crankshaft]

Town to Town by Microdisney should have done better than 55. They had a video on the Chart Show and everything.

Radio 1 A-listed and used it as the theme for their Roadshow that year and it still didnt make the top 40. Worra swizz. Fantastic record.