The Song That Should Have Made It

[zoink]

I was thinking the other day about songs that, to me, are so well made that by all indications they could have been hits. 

But great though they were, they didn't become hits, which is somewhat disillusioning and demotivating.

I realize there's no accounting for taste, and that one man's Beethoven is another man's Bieber, but what are your favorite songs that nobody really listened to?

Mine is Heathaze, by Genesis.  Just an amazing piece of songwriting by Tony Banks, and beautifully played.  It turns out that there's a small subculture of people on YouTube who love this song and have posted their own renditions of it (some of them quite good).

 

[Synthaholic]

I'll play!  I thought this would be a big hit:

 

[pogo97]

Very big hit in the Caribbean. But anywhere else? Not so much.

Warning! This video contains footage of pretty girls.

 

 

[ChipCurtis]

The songs that DID become hits from Duke, And Then There Were Three, ABACAB, and other Genesis albums from this time period were always the weakest song on the album, but I imagine that's what the suits at the record companies wanted. The rest of the album had amazing songs while the "hit" was always a let-down.

 

Anyway, yeah, "Heathaze" was a great song, actually sounds like something from their Wind & Wuthering period.

[ElectricPuppy]

Speaking of Wind and Wuthering, I think "Blood on the Rooftops" should have gotten more attention.  It's a great song.

[zoink]

 

---

ChipCurtis wrote:

 

The songs that DID become hits from Duke, And Then There Were Three, ABACAB, and other Genesis albums from this time period were always the weakest song on the album, but I imagine that's what the suits at the record companies wanted. The rest of the album had amazing songs while the "hit" was always a let-down.

 

 

 

Anyway, yeah, "Heathaze" was a great song, actually sounds like something from their Wind & Wuthering period.

---

 

It's so true.  Duke had songs like Heathaze, Man Of Our Times, Behind the Lines, Please Don't Ask, Duchess, Alone Tonight, and Guide Vocal.  GREAT songs.  And what received air play?  Misunderstanding (and to a lesser degree, Turn It On Again). 

 

And Then There Were Three is another good example.  Follow You Follow Me was the only one that got any radio play as I recall, while The Lady Lies, Say It's Alright Joe, Undertow, Snowbound, Many Too Many, and Burning Rope were all passed over.

 

It's just amazing to me.  I remember 30+ years ago, as a budding young songwriter, thinking that if this could happen, then one could write really really good songs, and almost no one will end up hearing them.  For no particular reason.