Five classic songs that took years to become hits
What is it that makes a hit? According to science, listeners desire a contradictory mix of predictability and unpredictability. They want songs to feel somewhat like home, but also give them something different they weren’t expecting. Of course, you can’t always listen to science with these things. When Queen wrote ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, they tapped into a form of music that had never been explored, and that became a classic. Similar feats were achieved by the likes of The Beatles, Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix. The truth is, we have no idea what makes a hit.
The unpredictability of what the public will and won’t connect with is a frustrating mystery that has continued to perplex the musical world. Labels have constantly been scratching their heads about what songs they should prioritise, which have the potential to sell, only for their frontrunners to fall by the wayside and their underdogs to climb the charts.
This unpredictability means many songs we now consider classics didn’t chart initially. You would be surprised how many songs there are which failed to gain any traction when they were initially written, but then, after a reissue or inclusion on a compilation album, some years later, completely took the world by storm. Some of your favourite songs were originally brushed aside by the public as if they were nothing.
Plenty of classics fall into that category, as the unpredictability of the music industry prevails above all else. However, this is Far Out’s definitive list of five songs that we consider classics but took years to become hits.
Five songs that took years to officially chart:
The Cure – ‘Boys Don’t Cry’
It’s hard to imagine a dancefloor not filling up as soon as the introduction to The Cure’s classic ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ starts playing; however, when the track was first released, it didn’t take off. The song failed to chart and drifted off into obscurity, as the people of 1979 didn’t care too much for The Cure’s song.
It could be that Robert Smith was still finding his style and sound, as it wasn’t until he recorded the song seven years later that it gained traction. With this slightly revamped version, which he created to go alongside a compilation of the band’s singles, he managed to create something that tapped into music lovers of the day. The song has climbed to number 22 and has been considered a classic.
Radiohead – ‘Creep’
“We seemed to be living out the same four and a half minutes of our lives over and over again,” said Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead. The band have never been shy in asserting how much they can’t stand the classic they’re responsible for, but it turns out they weren’t alone with their disdain for the track.
Radio 1 weren’t big fans of the song as they figured it was “too depressing,” as such, they decided not to play it when it was initially released in 1992, and it only made number 78 in the charts. There was a lot of support for the song in other countries, which meant a year later it was reissued, and this saw it climb the charts to number seven.
The Dandy Warhols – ‘Bohemian Like You’
When we watch the documentary Dig! It seems that upon releasing ‘Bohemian Like You,’ The Dandy Warhols really experienced their rise to fame. While it did have some success in Europe, which saw them on the bill at big festivals, it wasn’t doing too well in the charts, as it only made it to number 42.
It was featured in an advert for Vodafone, which is where the song really found its feet. A year later, it climbed the charts and reached number five. Even now, this remains one of the band’s most popular tracks, as it has an infectious hook that is recognisable worldwide.
Aerosmith – ‘Dream On’
Aerosmith have themselves to blame for the initial failure of their track ‘Dream On’. When their self-titled debut was originally released, the band were struggling to find their sound, and Steven Tyler was insecure in his performance, so much so that he wasn’t letting his voice fly. ‘Dream On’ was the only track when we heard what he was capable of; however, because it was slow, they never included it in their live sets. The track was destined to flop.
When it was originally released in 1973, the original single only made it to 56 in the charts. Three years later, the band released a reissue, and it managed to climb its way to number six. The song then found a second wind 26 years later when it was sampled for Eminem’s track ‘Sing For The Moment’.
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – ‘The Tears Of A Clown’
Motown Records were constantly trying to find the right formula for what made a hit record. They played around with different time signatures and rhythm, and didn’t think they had much on their hand with the track ‘Tears Of A Clown’. Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder decided to keep the track as an album filler but not release it as a single when it first came out in 1967.
Three years later, after Smokey Robinson had released another few albums, a secretary at EMI was asked to listen to his music and pick which song they thought should be a single. They went with ‘Tears Of A Clown’ because “It stuck out, it was so different.” The song was re-released and was Smokey’s only ever chart topper.
