Thursday, August 30, 2007

Best Non-Hits

I'd have Big Star's 'September Gurls' (1971) as one of the best singles not to have been a top 40 hit.

Any others?

(sorry about the pointless 2003 Spanish Grand Prix footage)

5 comments:

Andrew Shields said...

How about "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love" by XTC? I'm not sure if that was a single, though.

Matt Merritt said...

How about practically anything XTC released as a single after 1982? I remember, in 1989, being convinced that Mayor of Simpleton was going to get them back in the Top 10 - it didn't.
I'll go for Bye Bye Pride, by the Go-Betweens. Absurdly catchy, and all based around an oboe riff!

Andrew Shields said...

The big "hook" tune that I fell in love with recently is "How Bout You" by the Yonder Mountain String Band.

Rob said...

Yes, XTC. I also thought the Mayor of Simpleton would be a big hit. Maybe XTC just don't fit into any category and are difficult to market.

The Go-Betweens were great. I saw them live a few times and thought the cello player who joined them about the Bye Bye Pride time was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. They had other songs that should have been hits too - almost everything.

Yonder Mountain String Band? I'll have to check that one out...

Andrew Shields said...

If you check out Yonder Mountain and like 'em, then check out Railroad Earth and the Hot Buttered Rum String Band. Bluegrass jam bands. Railroad Earth has a couple of major hook songs that could have been hits if they didn't play "bluegrass."

And the Be Good Tanyas do an incredible version of Neil Young's "For the Turnstiles" that is also one big hook but never had a chance to be a hit.