Having just done a quiz on minor hit singles, it got me thinking that there were lots of songs I remember hearing as a kid, which I naturally assumed were big hits.  But according to the charts, they were not even in the Top 40.

Here's a good example for America in the 80s ...

'I Want Candy' - Bow Wow Wow
'I Melt With You' - Modern English

Neither of those were in the US Top 40, but i bet you probably thought they were?

What are some songs that you remember hearing often, that were not big hits?

In Canada we had lots.  I know with the Canadian hits, CANCON rules helped alot of non Top 40 hits get major radio play, but other ones really got me confused.  Excluding Canadian artists for reasons above, here's a brief list of some 80s ones I remember being HUGE, but weren't in the Top 40 ...

♦ Stomp! - The Brothers Johnson
♦ Everything But My Pride - Cutting Crew
♦ Give it Up - KC
♦ Burnin' For You - Blue Oyster Cult
♦ Before I Go - Starship (this was written by a Canadian, so it would've fallen under CANCON)
♦ Cry Just A Little Bit - Shakin' Stevens (did not chart in the Canadian 100)
♦ More Than This - Roxy Music (did not chart in the Canadian 100)

I used to think 'Cry Just A Little Bit' was a cover song, but I was very surprised to disciver that it was not.  I remember that song so well

I still have another minor 80s quiz up my sleeve, so I'll save the rest for there LOL

Only songs that were overplayed on the radio in the '90's...

Though didn't discover that most  alternative/new wave songs  & most freestyle music were "underground" until a few years ago...

Not not only, a number of "pop radio" songs in the United States that get played quite a lot seem to not make the top 40 in favor of all these rap songs. It depends, some non top 40 songs are pretty big in reality and some are unknown.

Some (maybe) well known songs that didn't make the top 40 or maybe not even chart!

Shut Up - Black Eyed Peas
Rumors - Lindsay Lohan
You're The Only One - Maria Mena
Stuck - Stacie Orrico
Swing Swing - All American Rejects
Dirrty - Christina Aguilera (this is really weird, this is one of her most popular songs, I remember it well, yet it peaked at a crappy 48)

I'm pretty sure "Into the Groove" by Madonna, "It's My Life" by Talk Talk and "Centerfield" by John Fogerty weren't Top 40, but they're easily recognizable hits.

There are a lot of memorable, well known  songs that either never charted at all or at least weren't big billboard hot 100 hits.

Stairway to heaven wasn't released as a single...probably the most popular song since Billlboard started charting hit songs to not make any of their lists.

Green Day, as far as I know, never had a top 40 single before their american idiot album. Weezer didn't have a top 40 hit until Beverly Hills.

Lots of well known beatles songs didn't chart for them, especially from sargaent pepper and the white album, although Lucy in the sky and fool on the hill charted for other people.

Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz never made top 40 either.

If you make a free account at top40db.net then you can basically find out whatever you want regarding how well certain songs did on the charts.

There are a lot of memorable, well known  songs that either never charted at all or at least weren't big billboard hot 100 hits.

Stairway to heaven wasn't released as a single...probably the most popular song since Billlboard started charting hit songs to not make any of their lists.

Green Day, as far as I know, never had a top 40 single before their american idiot album. Weezer didn't have a top 40 hit until Beverly Hills.

Lots of well known beatles songs didn't chart for them, especially from sargaent pepper and the white album, although Lucy in the sky and fool on the hill charted for other people.

Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz never made top 40 either.

If you make a free account at top40db.net then you can basically find out whatever you want regarding how well certain songs did on the charts.


I don't think Green Day ever even charted on the Hot 100 before American Idiot amazingly, they charted on the rock charts of course however.

I'm pretty sure "Into the Groove" by Madonna, "It's My Life" by Talk Talk and "Centerfield" by John Fogerty weren't Top 40, but they're easily recognizable hits.


'Centerfield' wasn't (US #44), but 'Into the Groove' and 'It's My Life' (US #31) were.

In the printed Billboard chart, you probably won't see 'Into the Groove' listed because it was a double AA side with 'Angel' (US #5)

There are a lot of memorable, well known  songs that either never charted at all or at least weren't big billboard hot 100 hits.

Stairway to heaven wasn't released as a single...probably the most popular song since Billlboard started charting hit songs to not make any of their lists.

Green Day, as far as I know, never had a top 40 single before their american idiot album. Weezer didn't have a top 40 hit until Beverly Hills.

Lots of well known beatles songs didn't chart for them, especially from sargaent pepper and the white album, although Lucy in the sky and fool on the hill charted for other people.

Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz never made top 40 either.

If you make a free account at top40db.net then you can basically find out whatever you want regarding how well certain songs did on the charts.


Weezer had a few.  Their first US Top 40 was 'Buddy Holly' back in 1994, a song best remembered for it's music video

One big problem the Hot 100 had back in the '90s was that songs were not allowed the chart unless a physical single was out, so until that was released the song was simply not allowed to chart no matter how much airplay it got. Numerous songs were affected by this, "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia only peaked at 42 on the actual hot 100 because of this ridiculously stupid rule, I think Green Day was undoubted effected by it as well which would explain the fact that they didn't chart before American Idiot. Any hot 100 charts before late 1998 when the rule was changed have to be taken with a grain of salt.

'I Melt With You' - Modern English



"Centerfield" by John Fogerty



I'm kinda surprised that these two didn't crack the top 40, they've been pretty much inescapable over the past 20+ years.

How about "Unbelievable" by EMF? I've heard it everywhere over the years, but I don't know whether or not it made it into the top 40.

How about "Unbelievable" by EMF? I've heard it everywhere over the years, but I don't know whether or not it made it into the top 40.


That reached US #1.  They had a follow-up Top 40 with 'Lies' before falling out of the American spotlight completely.  EMF had a handful of hits in their native UK

I'm kinda surprised that these two didn't crack the top 40, they've been pretty much inescapable over the past 20+ years.

How about "Unbelievable" by EMF? I've heard it everywhere over the years, but I don't know whether or not it made it into the top 40.



Oh that definitely made the top 40, I'm pretty sure.

Remember Cascada's 'Everytime We Touch'?  It never charted in the Airplay Top 40 in Canada, but I never kept track of the Singles chart.  I did hear it on the radio often, but I don't recall seeing the single in stores

Another thing is that "album tracks" used to get airplay in the '80s and '90s, if an artist was really popular at the time. You don't see that anymore (then again, not much else is worth playing most of the time, lol).

That reached US #1.  They had a follow-up Top 40 with 'Lies' before falling out of the American spotlight completely.  EMF had a handful of hits in their native UK



Oh that definitely made the top 40, I'm pretty sure.



Yeah, I see now. It came out a bit before my time, so I wasn't sure whether it went top 40 or not.

There are alot of post-grunge/nu-metal/modern rock songs that I like that I'm pretty sure never made it into the top 40. One of my personal favorites("Desperately Wanting" by Better Than Ezra) did ok on the modern rock charts, but I'm pretty sure it didn't fare well on the overall US charts.

Another thing is that "album tracks" used to get airplay in the '80s and '90s, if an artist was really popular at the time. You don't see that anymore (then again, not much else is worth playing most of the time, lol).


Those were in the days when music videos were filmed for each track on an album.  It was the record companies effort to try and sell more copies of an album/cassette.  They soon realized that it took too much effort, and was ideally a waste of time as video channels usually only played the hit videos.  You'd really only see the album track videos on VHS compilations of an artist

Alternative stations air new wave/alternative songs that were popular in the underground, but were never mainstream

"Cherry Pie' by the Tri-lads

'Lost In Love' - Air Supply

It was a fair-sized hit across most of the planet and it did (and still does) get a fair amount of airplay...

In Britain, it never charted!

Yet I'll bet there's quite a few British people who could hum the song!

(Same applies to Eric Carmen's 'Hungry Eyes', but being in a hit movie probably helped that one!)

Albert Hammond's It Never Rains in Southern California never was chart in the UK, but it was (and is still) played on the radio.

There are way too many songs that didn't hit the Top 40 that I remember.  As stated earlier, the fact that a physical single was required to chart was what harmed a lot of songs in the 90s.  Rock songs in particular suffered greatly as a result of this.  Here are just some examples:

- Pearl Jam's album Ten sold 12 million copies, but not a single song from the album hit the Top 40.  Given to Fly was their first top 40 hit...in 1998.
- Soundgarden also got screwed.  Their most successful album sold 6 million, but not a single song appeared in the Top 40.
- Everyone knows who Limp Bizkit is, but they never once charted in the Top 40.  Now if only they didn't chart on the Rock charts, then all would be well.
- Goo Goo Doll's Iris hit #9 in the Top 40 due to the physical single being released in late 1998.  This would be fine...if it hadn't been #1 on the airplay charts for 18 weeks.
- While not Rock, Public Enemy's most successful album (Fear of a Black Planet, 6 million sold) only had one song chart in the Top 40, "911 Is A Joke", which hit 32 on the Sales Only Top 40.  Their previous album sold 5 million and had no singles chart the Top 40.
- Alot of random Post Grunge bands, Nu Metal bands, and Emo bands had success on the Rock charts, but couldn't cross over into the Top 40 for some reason.

To sum things up, as long as it does or did well on the Rock charts, or is a well known Rap act like Public Enemy, I'll remember it because the Top 40, at least before the new millenium, is practically useless when determining who was really successful.

Yeah, I see now. It came out a bit before my time, so I wasn't sure whether it went top 40 or not.

There are alot of post-grunge/nu-metal/modern rock songs that I like that I'm pretty sure never made it into the top 40. One of my personal favorites("Desperately Wanting" by Better Than Ezra) did ok on the modern rock charts, but I'm pretty sure it didn't fare well on the overall US charts.
Yeah I liked "Desprately Wanting" from 1996 but their hit "Good" from 1995 did do well on the Billboard Hot 100 I think.

Stone Temple Pilots got screwed because I don;t think they ever cracked the Top 40. For example I was looking at Top 100 songs from 1994 and "Interstate Love Song" by them wasn;t listed among the Top 100 songs out there I mean wasn't that song played on Top 40 radio in 1994?

The nu-metal band "Deftones" never charted on the Top 40.

Bobby Valentinio's 2007 Hit "Anyomous" only peaked at #49 I think despite recieving heavy airplay on R&B/Hip-Hop radio here in NJ/NY. It was like all that airplay but it only hit #49?

I was taking aa look New Wave Band's New Order song chart/list on Wikepedia once and their biggest hit was Regret from 1993 which peaked at #28. I;m like thats their biggest charting hit is #28? I mean "Blue Monday, "Bizzare Love Triangle", and "True Faith" are more recognizable than "Regret".

"Rock Superstar" by Cypress Hill from 2000 got tons of airplay on rock radio but it didn;t even reach the Top 15 on the modern Rock chart.

'Hand In My Pocket' and 'Head Over Feet' by Alanis Morissette didn't chart in the U.S., and I hear them on the radio all the time.

In the 80s, there was a singer named Simon F (who had previously been a member of the minorly successful british group INTAFERON).  In 1985, he had this song called 'I Want You Back' that got ALOT of radio play in Canada, and the video also got lots of play.  This song was popular; I remember it was popular, but it did not appear at all in the Canadian chart(s)

I've got the music video on an old VHS tape I recorded from Much Music back in the 90s when they did an all-request 80s Weekend.  I should find it and watch it again

I don't tend to remember anything like that....

I just remember what I like, some of it isn't even in the Top 40(at least I think, I don't feel that some of the rare stuff I like would be in the list).

Here's some more for the US audiences ...

Remember 'Dancing With Myself' and 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol?  Neither of those were in the US Top 40; 'Dancing With Myself' didn't even chart in the Hot 100

Both songs were Top 40 hits in Canada.  I was super shocked to NOT see 'Dancing With Myself' in the US chart.  You'd think that one would be in the US Top 10, what with all the hype it got, and still gets

It seems like alot of "widely recognized" songs that chart below the Top 40, are ones that do better for their original fanbase. Like I bet "Rebel Yell" charted higher on the rock charts, and there's Madonna songs that were probably played in clubs, but didn't get as much airplay on pop stations.

On the other hand, it's weird how many Top 40, even Top 10 songs are kinda unknown or hardly played today. Even by big name artists.

In the printed Billboard chart, you probably won't see 'Into the Groove' listed because it was a double AA side with 'Angel' (US #5)

Aha! So that's why it wasn't listed in the Billboard Top 40 Hits books that have been printed on occasion over the years.

Aha! So that's why it wasn't listed in the Billboard Top 40 Hits books that have been printed on occasion over the years.


It was initially the B-Side to Angel but it was a stand alone single in other parts of the world, most notably the UK where it was a #1 hit.  The video and film Desperately Seeking Susan proved so popular that it "unofficially" became a double A side in North America and entered the US Dance Chart as a double A Side with Angel and peaked at #1

It really should have been a single by itself in North America.  It's such a good song

It really should have been a single by itself in North America.  It's such a good song

It certainly is! O0